106th Battle of the Blues Trinity-St. Anthony’s evenly matched

St. Anthony’s Cricket Team with officials

St Anthony's (From): Charuka Ekanayake (Captain), Januka Rathnayaka, Bimash Samarasinghe, Kevan Fernando, Sanuka Kalpana, Nikil Abilash, Yohan Senanayake, Vishwa Thilakarathne, Imeth Rajapaksha, Dinul Wijesinghe, Thilina Edirisinghe, Naden Ebert, Kavindu Nawanjana, Dinura Ganegoda, Sadew Amarakoon, Rayan Gregory, Kawshika Kumarsinghe, Okitha Fernando and Dasun Welianga. Head Coach: Kavinda Jayasooriya. Assistant Coach: Lahiru Sandakelum. Master-in-Charge: Bandula Ekanayake. Trainer: Priyantha Kumara.

 Trinity Cricket Team with officials

Trinity (From): Malith Rathnayake (Captain), Vathila Udara (Co Vice-Captain), Dimantha Mahavithana (Co Vice-Captain), Thisal Yapa, Sweath Anurajeewa, Rajindu Tillakaratne , Pulisha Thilakaratne, Oshana Lokuge, Jayavi Liyanagama, Kavindu Jayaratne, Aadham Hilmy, Mahendra Abeysinghe, Viduneth Dammage, Ranul Gunarathna, Chaniru Senaratne, Sethmika Seneviratne, Dinal Fernando, Kanilka Anthony and Praveen Rukunayake. Head Coach: Naveen Ekanayake. Assistant Coach: Thisaru Dilshan. Bryan Senaratne (Master-in-Charge). Trainer: Bandula Pushpakumara. Physiotherapist: Thilanka Dissanayake.

By Shamseer Jaleel

The annual three-day cricket encounter between Trinity College and St. Anthony’s College played for the John Halangoda Trophy will commence today at Katugastota.

Both teams, boasting rich cricketing traditions, come into the match with strong performances throughout the season, making this encounter a truly competitive and thrilling spectacle.

Trinity are leading the series with 23 wins to Antonians 11 wins while 71 encounters have ended in a draw.

The Trinity-Antonian Big Match has long been a showcase of school cricket excellence in Sri Lanka.Trinity’s last outright victory in this fixture came in 2012 under the leadership of Niroshan Dickwella, at Asgiriya.

On the other hand, St. Anthony’s last claimed a win in 1992 when Umesh De Alwis led them to victory at Katugastota. But since 2012, the battle has largely seen first-innings results, but this year both teams are all out for a win with the game being played over three days.

Under the leadership of Cricket Lion, Malith Rathnayake, Trinity has had an impressive season in the two-day format, recording one outright win and five first-innings victories.

The team’s form has been equally impressive in the one-day format, where they have secured five wins and advanced to the final against St. Joseph’s College.

Their ability to dominate traditional encounters this season makes them a formidable force heading into the Big Match.

St. Anthony’s, led by third-year player Charuka Ekanayake, has also been in solid form this season. They secured one outright victory, and three first-innings wins in the two-day format while making it to the quarter-finals.

In the one-day format, the Antonians finished at the top of their group after winning three out of five matches before bowing out in the semi-finals. With a mix of experienced and young players, they pose a serious challenge to the Trinitians’ ambitions.

Trinity’s batting line-up has been led by the in-form Dimantha Mahavithana, who has amassed a staggering 868 runs in 13 innings, including a double century, three centuries, and two half centuries. His consistency will be crucial for Trinity’s success.

Alongside Mahavithana, Puleesha Thilakaratne has been another key performer with the bat, scoring 777 runs in 14 innings, including one century and four half centuries.

Vathila Udara has also been a reliable contributor, with 538 runs in 13 innings. These three will form the backbone of Trinity’s batting order.

For St. Anthony’s, Skipper Charuka Ekanayake has led from the front, scoring over 500 runs while also contributing significantly with the ball.

Januka Rathnayake has also made his presence felt, scoring over 300 runs, while Kevan Fernando has been a standout all-rounder with 400 plus runs and 30 plus wickets. These three key players will be instrumental in setting up a strong total for the Antonians.

Trinity’s bowling attack is spearheaded by their Captain, Malith Rathnayake, who has been outstanding with 67 wickets this season. His ability to deliver match-winning spells will be crucial in putting pressure on the Antonian batting line-up.

He will be well-supported by Sweath Anuraheewa (26 wickets) and Thisal Yapa (24 wickets), who have provided crucial breakthroughs throughout the season.

Their combined effort in restricting St. Anthony’s to a manageable total could be the deciding factor in the match.

All-rounder Kevan Fernando has been equally impressive, claiming 30 plus wickets while Ryan Gregory (25 wickets) and Bimash Samarasinghe (10 plus wickets) add further depth to their attack.

Their effectiveness in containing Trinity’s powerful batting line-up will be critical in determining the match outcome.

In the shorter format, Dimantha Mahavithana (276 runs), Adham Hilmy (129 runs), and Rajendra Thilakaratne (112 runs) have been Trinity’s top contributors with the bat.

On the bowling side, Sweath Anurajeewa (14 wickets), Sethmika Senevirathne (14 wickets), and Malith Rathnayake (9 wickets) have been consistent wicket-takers.

Antonians 1971 Skipper and probably the best wicket-keeper produced by the country, Mahesh Gunathilake will be the Chief Guest while Trinity 1990 Vice-Captain and Ex-Co Member of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Chairman of SSC Cricket, Samantha Dodanwela will be the Guest of honour at this unique first three-day encounter.

Trinity is coached by one of the former top batsman and old boy, Naveen Ekanayake. Meanwhile, Kavinda Jayasooriya, the former Trinity batter is the Head Coach of the Antonian outfit having taken the team to a different level in schools’ cricket.

With both teams displaying strong performances this season, the 106th Battle of the Blues promises to be a closely contested encounter.

Trinity’s dominant bowling attack and consistent batting line-up will be tested against St. Anthony’s all-round strength and fighting spirit.