139th Battle of the Blues ends in drab draw

The Dialog Challenge Trophy is shared amongst the two schools at the 139th Battle of the Blues. Thomian skipper Dellon Peiris and Royal College Captain Pasindu Sooriyabanara receive the Dialog Challenge Trophy from Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya – Corporate Executive Vice President and Regional Chief Executive for South Asia, Axiata Group Berhad. Also present from left: Supun Weerasinghe – Group Chief Executive, Dialog Axiata Plc; Rev. Marc Bilimoria – Warden, S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavnia and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 

 

• Royal retain D.S. Senanayake Memorial Challenge Shield

After three days of circumspect batting and equally measured bowling, the 139th Battle of the Blues, sponsored by Dialog Axiata, between traditional rivals Royal College and S. Thomas’ College meandered to an uneventful draw at the SSC yesterday.

The draw saw Royal College retain the D.S. Senanayake Memorial Challenge Shield. S. Thomas’, resuming their second innings from an overnight score of 3 for 0, displayed scant aggression during the day before declaring at 227 for 6. This gave the Royalists a target of 215 to aim at with just over 40 overs of play remaining in the third and final day.

Despite a half-century from Kavindu Madarasinghe though, the Royalists did not manage to venture anywhere near the vicinity of this intended target, ending on 143 for 6 as the curtain came down on proceedings.

Thomian Dulith Gunarathna top-scored during his team’s second innings with 59, closely followed by Shalin De Mel who notched up 57. Both batsmen, together with Sithara Hapuhinna who struck 47, accounted for the bulk of their team’s pedestrian innings.

All three days saw very low run rates and oftentimes lethargic cricket. On the opening day Royal won the toss and gave the Thomians the chance to take first lease of the wicket. They elected to abandon enterprise with their batting, trundling their way through in a risk-averse effort to declare on 166 for 9.

The Royalists in reply took the remainder of the first day and most of the second day to muster up a similarly defensive effort of 178 all out. The Thomians continued the second day’s grind before bad light brought an early halt to play with the score reading 3 for 0, setting the stage for both sides to resume play today and work themselves into a dreary deadlock.

The Man of the Match award was clinched by Madarasinghe of Royal College. The Best Batsman was Gunarathna of S. Thomas’, Best Bowler was Manula Perera of Royal College (2 for 44 in the first innings and 5 for 43 in the second innings) while Thomian De Mel was presented with the award for the Best Fielder. The Dialog Challenge Trophy was shared by both teams.

Pasindu Sooriyabanara – Captain, Royal College, Colombo, receives the Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake Memorial Challenge Shield from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Also present from left: Supun Weerasinghe – Group Chief Executive, Dialog Axiata Plc; Rev. Marc Bilimoria – Warden, S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavnia; Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya – Corporate Executive Vice President and Regional Chief Executive for South Asia, Axiata Group Berhad and Director Dialog Axiata Plc and B.A. Abeyratne – Principal Royal College, Colombo