Sri Sumangala cricketers step into immortality

Champion Sri Sumangala Central College Hikkaduwa squad comprising  Chamathka Kaveeshan (Captain), Tharun Damsith (V. Captain), Sanjana Nethupul, Jamith Madubashana, Mathan Sujitharan, Latheendra Akash, Shanuka Denuwan, Sasindu Loshith, Sarada Madusankia, Pavani Nirukshan, Pamod Himsara, Kaushalya Saranga, Shakthiyel Sanjayan, Chamudu Dhananjaya, Ravindu Dilsara, Lakmal Dissanayake (Head Coach),  Nalaka Jayawardena (Assist Coach), Seneth Guruge (Assist Coach), Kelum Priyadharshana (Master in Charge).- Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana 

Village outfit becomes first school to win a record four finals in two seasons

By M. Shamil Amit

Giving fancied schools a run for their money, the little known giant killing cricketers of Sri Sumangala Central College in Hikkaduwa won a record fourth final within months as they beat Christ King College, Ja-Ela by a whopping 10 wickets in the final of the Under-19 Division Two Tier B tournament at the Ananda College ground in Colombo yesterday.

Right arm spinner Tharun Damsith ended with a superlative match bag of 13 wickets as he guided Sri Sumangala Central to glory and a place in the history and record books of school cricket in the country.

Sri Sumangala’s cricketers initially came of age within a very short time by first posting a monumental 16 outright victories in the two-day Division Three championship to earn a promotion to the second division after also winning the one-day championship in the previous season.

Chamathka Kaveeshan, the captain of the Sri Sumangala Central team Hikkaduwa receives the trophy from the president of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association Susantha Mendis 

They became the first school in the country to enter four consecutive finals in the Division Three and Two segments in two seasons and by beating Christ King College yesterday Sri Sumangala reached an unprecedented level winning all four finals and now stand promoted to the Division Two Tier A segment under the guidance of head coach Lakmal Dissanayake within just two years.

Interestingly Sri Sumangala Central were fortunate to have just the kind of godfathers in the Maryleborne Cricket Club (MCC) in England, the custodian of the rules of cricket, and the nearby Foundation of Goodness (FOG), an internationally patronised humanitarian organisation headed by former First Class cricketer and ex-Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Kushil Gunasekera.

Christ King College had no chance to stop the rolling juggernaut of Sri Sumangala Central which bundled them out for a first innings score of 61 runs in the first innings.

The only consolation that came Christ King College’s way was their play-maker Lahiru Lakmal smashing 98 in 86 balls which had seven sixes in the second innings after he took six wickets in Sri Sumangala’s first innings score of 226.

Scores:

Sri Sumangala Central Hikkaduwa 226 (Shanuka Denuwan 61, Tharun Damsith 52, Pavani Nirukshan 43, Sanjana Nethupul 20, Mathan Sujitharan 18: Lahiru Lakmal 6/82, Promod Chamika 3/25) and 15 for 0

Christ King College Ja-Ela 61 (Vihanga Dilum 16: Tharun Damsith 5/8, Latheendra Akash 3/`7, Sanjana Nethupul 2/19) and (7/2 overnight) 176 (Lahiru Lakmal 98, Avishka Nirmal 51: Tharun Damsith 8/52)