76th Battle of the Saints

Petes savour success after 32 years...and do it in style

By Champika Fernando

A spirited all round performance helped St. Peter’s record a comfortable ten-wicket win in their 76th Battle of the Saints big match against St. Joseph’s College — the first win in 32 years for St. Peter’s - at P. Sara stadium yesterday.
St Peter’s had last won the Battle of the Saints encounter in 1978 under Suraj Abeysekera.
With a formidable first innings lead of 138, the Peterites were out for revenge, as they enforced the follow on, on to the Darley Road boys, whose failure in the batting department brought about a great collapse in the second innings.
St. Joseph’s managed just 26 runs to their overnight score of 132 for 7 as Peterite skipper Chathura Peiris (4/37) joined up with pacer Lahiru Jayaratne (2/49) and off-spinner Janika Kannangara (2/36) to restrict Joes first innings to 158 runs — still needing 138 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
The Josephians had an inauspicious start to the second innings when Peterite skipper Chathura Peiris removed Sadeera Samarawickrama for none and wickets fell at regular intervals indicating that the Josephians were out of contention in this year’s encounter as they conceded their eighth defeat in the decades old rivalry.
The Josephian pair of Roscoe Thattil (37) and Vidusha Jayasinghe (31)brought some respectability to their innings with a quick-fire 64-run partnership for the eighth wicket to avoid an innings defeat after Enrico Silva made a top score of 46. Thattil and Vidusha put a strong resistance as they shared eight boundaries and two sixes in a great rescue mission but a miscued shot saw Thattil walking back to the pavilion as he was adjudged leg before off Akshu Fernando. Vidusha who showed great character during his 53-ball 31 runs was unfortunate as he sacrificed his wicket when the none-striker Ranesh Widanarachchi did not respond to a call for a run. Andy Berenger who failed to collect the ball clean did still manage to collect it at the second attempt and take the bails off that saw Vidusha walking back to the pavilion. Ranesh who looked dangerous with his power hitting low down the order added 17 runs to the score to give the Peterites a 30-run target. They reached the target in their ninth over without a loss.
Earlier Shahan Fernando scored a 67-ball 83 with five sixes and eight boundaries as St Peter’s piled up 293 for the first innings. Incidentally this was Josephian coach Harsha de Silva’s last assignment as he undertakes the national women’s team.
Chathura Peiris was the pick of the bowlers with seven scalps in two innings but pacer Chathuranga Kumara who single-handedly sphere-headed the bowling attack with a 5 for 81 runs was adjudged the bowler of the match while Shehan Fernando was rightly named the best batsmen. Sri Lanka youth skipper Chathura Peiris was named man of the match while Angelo Emmanuel was adjudged best all rounder with Andy Berenger walking away with best fielder’s award.

SCOREBOARD

St. Peter's 1st innings 293 (Shehan Fernando 83; Chaturanga Kumara 5 for 84)

St. Joseph's 1st innings

Vidusha Jayasinghe c Berenger b Peiris 50
Keshan Perera run out 00
Enrico Silva lbw b Peiris 05
Sadeera Samarasinghe c Peiris b Jayaratne 19
Jaan Jayasinghe c Berenger b Peiris 48
Chaturanga Kumara c Berenger b Peiris 00
Rosco Thattil b Emmanuel 05
Supechala Jayatilleke c and b Kannangara 02
Dinal Fonseka c Berenger b Kannangara 06
Ramesh Vidanarachchi b Jayaratne 04
Dinal Dhambarage not out 00
Extras (7b, 5w, 7nb) 19
Total all out in 53 overs 158
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-10, 3-55, 4-76, 5-93, 6-107,
7-117, 8-143, 9-151
Bowling: Chatura Peiris 17-4-37-4, Lahiru Jayaratne 13-1-49-2, Nilochana Perera 6-1-13-0, Angelo Emmanuel 10-2-15-1, Janika Kannangara 6-0-36-2, Akshu Fernando 1-0-1-0

St. Joseph's 2nd innings

Sadeera Samarawickrema b Peiris 00
Keshan Perera b Emmanuel 07
Enrico Silva c Perera b Jayaratne 46
Jaan Jayasinghe b Emmanuel 00
Chaturanga Kumara b Peiris 22
Rosco Thattill lbw b Fernando 37
S. Jayatilleke c Fernando (sub) b Jayaratne 00
Dinal Fonseka c Berenger b Hemantha 00
Vidusha Jayasinghe run out 31
Ramesh Vidanarachchi not out 15
Dinal Dhambarage b Peiris 02
Extras (2nb, 1lb, 1b) 04
Total all out in 48.5 overs 164
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-20, 3-28, 4-69, 5-82, 6-82, 7-83, 8-147, 9-147
Bowling: Chathura Peiris 11.5-3-33-3, Lahiru Jayaratne 9-4-19-2, Angelo Emmanuel 12-2-48-2, Nilochana Perera 2-0-3-0, Dhushan Hemantha 7-1-29-1, Janika Kannangara 3-0-14-0, Akshu Fernando 4-0-16-1

St. Peter's 2nd innings

Angelo Emmanuel not out 15
Andri Berenger not out 17
Extras (b1) 01
Total for no loss in 8.5 overs 33
Bowling: Dinal Dhambarage 4.5-0-23-0, Chaturanga Kumara 4-1-3-0