Kingswood end 68-year drought

By Shamseer Jaleel

Kingswood College ended a 68-year wait for victory as they defeated traditional rivals Dharmaraja College by 148 runs in the 119th Battle of the Maroons, which concluded at the Asgiriya International Stadium yesterday.
It was a historic triumph for the Randles Hill school, whose last win in this prestigious encounter dates back to 1958, making this success even more special.
The victory was built around two outstanding individual performances that defined the match and turned the tide decisively in Kingswood’s favour.
Leading the charge was national youth player and vice-captain Kavija Gamage, who produced a remarkable feat by scoring centuries in both innings and recording a match bag of eight wickets.
Complementing him brilliantly with the ball was young U-17 national prospect Kenula Pihiliyanga, who delivered a match-winning performance by claiming a stunning 11 wickets in the game. His relentless accuracy and ability to extract movement troubled the Dharmaraja batsmen throughout, sealing a memorable win and etching both players’ names into the proud history of this iconic school cricket encounter.