Lasith Embuldeniya becomes the highest wicket taker in a season in the history of Royal College

The 123rd Royal – Wesley 1st XI Cricket Encounter took place on the 12th and 13th of February at the Wesley College Grounds. The match inaugurated in the year 1893 is played for the Shield named after Sir Frank Gunasekera, Deputy President of the Senate of Ceylon, a distinguished Royalist and a Headmaster of Wesley College. It is the 2nd oldest cricket encounter in the country.

The Wesleyite skipper who won the toss invited Royal to bat first. The 1st inning of the Royal camp yet again showcased exceptional leadership by the skipper and deputy, both scoring 112 and 57 runs respectively. Royal College declared their innings at Tea with a score of 279/8. An aggressive bowling attack by the Royalists crumbled the Wesleyite’s opening lineup leading them to end the day with 83/6.

On the second day, Wesley College managed to recover thanks to a skillful batting display, saving them from a follow on and setting a commendable score of 240 runs. Royal College with the intention of an outright win declared their innings at 173/6 giving the Wesleyites a target of 213 runs. Once again the Geeshath Panditharathne and Thiran Dhanapala topped the tables with 67 and 47 runs respectively.

The Wesley College team, which in their previous inning showcased a poor display of batting succeeded in turning the tables and gave the Royal camp a run for their money till the very end of the game, ending the days play with 192 runs, just 21 runs short of a victory. A highlight of this session was Lasith Embuldeniya breaking the record of 105 wickets previously held by Maneesha Tantrigoda to become the highest wicket taker for Royal College in a season. The Sir Frank Gunasekera shield was retained and Lasith Embuldeniya recieved the award for best bowler.

MATCH SUMMARY

Royal College (1^st innings) 279/8 dec. in 61.5 overs

Geesdhath Panditharathna 112

Thiran Dhanapala 57

Malith Kariyawasam 32

Wesley College (1^st innings) 240 in 69.1 overs

Lasith Embuldeniya 5/79

Helitha Withanage 2/8

Himesh Ramanayake 1/26

Royal College (2^nd innings) 173/6 dec. in 29 overs

Geeshath Panditharatne 67

Thiran Dhanapala 47