117th Battle of the Maroons Rajans hold edge over Kingswood

By Shamseer Jaleel   
Dharmaraja College will face Kingswood College in their 117th Battle of the Maroons Inter-School Big Match at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on March 22 and 23. This encounter is played for the T. B. Tennekoon Trophy.   
Dharmaraja are leading the Big Match tally with 36 wins against Kingswood’s 19 wins while 61 matches have ended in a draw. The first game between these two schools was played in 1893.   

Kingswood are led by Nenuka Dissanayake while the Rajans are led by Dulara Bandulasena.   
Nenuka took over 25 wickets this season while Adil Sherif scored well over 500 runs with a century against President’s College, Kotte.   
Left-arm spinner Kenula Pihilianga took over 45 wickets and is the main weapon for the Kingswoodians. His best was eight for 40 (matchbag of 11 for 108) against St. Mary’s College, Kegalle.   
Vice-Captain Kavija Gamage scored over 750 runs with two centuries against St. Mary’s, Kegalle (100) and Dudley Senanayake College (107).   
Kingswood featured in 10 games winning four and drawing three. They are coached by former Antonians wicket-keeper and former District Coach of Sri Lanka Cricket Suresh Peiris. Meanwhile, Dharmaraja Skipper, fifth-year coloursman and all-rounder Bandulasena has taken 50 plus wickets with two five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.   
His deputy is national youth player, Pulindu Perera, a fourth-year player and winner of the ‘Dagoba’ Award.   
The left-hand batsman represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 Team against the West Indies Under-19 and Pakistan Under-19 Teams.   
Pulindu scored 500 plus runs with one century and three fifties for Dharmaraja this season missing out more than seven matches in the school season.   
The Rajans played 13 games and won seven and drew four encounters. Former Rajans player Senaka Dissanayake is the coach.