Selfless Matthews drops forbidden bombshell

Away from the prying eyes a band of unsung club cricketers grabbed the top prize against “All Odds” 

By. Callistus Davy

Apr.20 (Mirror Sports) - Newly crowned Premier League cricket champions Colts Cricket Club had to dodge many a bullet, swim past undercurrents, avoid stepping on toes and could not even voice their grievances as they trudged along to win the coveted First Class inter club title in what was their 150th year in existence away from the prying eyes. 

To many cricket followers who were not privy to the unseen, the cricketers from Colts had been subjected to some of the most atrocious levels of injustice and yet came out with flying colours ahead of the more fancied teams to win the top prize in domestic cricket which continues to shape the careers of players. 

Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Matthews, who is one of the few cricketers who knows what loyalty and selfless sacrifice means no matter how far he goes and how much he achieves, had witnessed it all up-front right throughout the 2025-2026 season. “We fought against all odds”, Matthews revealed as Colts felicitated its team that won the Major League tournament. “My team will know when I say against all odds, not only against the opposition but so many other things to win the championship”. 

That Matthews stopped short of naming names or uncovering the factors that Colts faced could be understandable in a national set-up where some facts and figures cannot find a place in the scorebooks that only leaves followers reaching their own conclusions. 

Colts had no big names apart from Matthews and the unsung onetime Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal. But with a vibrant backstage team spearheaded by former Sri Lanka batsman Chaminda Mendis under the direction of its president Nishantha Ranatunga the players rallied together in no uncertain terms to maintain a level of proficiency on and off the field that produced results. 

“It’s nice to be appreciated and felicitated for all the hard work. We were a family and pulled towards one direction although we had our miscommunications and disagreements”, said Matthews who has stayed loyal to Colts for more than 20 years since his schoolboy days.

But it was Chandimal, a player unjustly managed to the point of cruelty by the self-proclaimed pundits at Sri Lanka Cricket over the years, who stood firm when Colts needed him in their most decisive and final contest against the elite Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) at a neutral venue at Pellekele. 

Chandimal, to whom nothing was ever given on a platter, saw himself playing in his most important domestic match as he went in with Colts facing a 431 first innings target. Chandimal like the worrier he has been lived up to the occasion and in a true testing innings made 144. 

He found an equally determined partner in a little known former Prince of Wales College batsman Sanoj Dharshika who chipped in with an unbeaten 100 that took Colts past NCC’s total of 431. That they lost eight wickets proved the intensity of the occasion and with it came the top prize in First Class domestic cricket.

Chandimal was no longer the fall guy or paying for the sins of others. His innings showed he still is the batter who has what is needed to be in the ranks of Sri Lanka’s playing Test team. Fittingly Chandimal received the best batsman’s award from the legendary Sri Lankan batting artiste Roy Dias who started his club career playing for Colts and like him treasured the qualities of gentlemen cricketers. Colts will now be the team to beat in traditional cricket and none will know it any better than coach Anil Rideegammanagedera.

 “We took it match by match and man for man we gauged our strengths with just one goal in mind and controlled our emotions”, said Rideegammanagedera. 

The backstage drive that Colts put in place could not have been proved any better as another little known stand-out player was Muditha Lakshan from DS Senanayake College who played as the best all-rounder while Sri Lanka discard Akila Dananjaya finished with a rich haul of 53 wickets to grab the bowler’s prize. 

Dhananjaya Lakshan, the captain, Sangeeth Cooray, Kavishka Anjula, Ravindu Rashantha, Uditha Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka and Dunith Wellalage were not the breed of players associated with champion teams before, but they had what was needed to make up the best club team of the season while little known names Ravindu Lakshan, Uditha Madushan, Sheron Fonseka, Harshana Wickremasinghe, Yohan Mendis, Shalin de Mel and Shriram could not be separated from Colts.