Shameera props up Trinity

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN Kandy Sports Correspondent at Katugastota

Eighteen-year-old Shameera Wijesooriya scored a maiden hundred to put Trinity College on top at the end of first day’s play in their Kandy’s 94th ‘Battle of the Blues’ against St. Anthony’s College which began at Katugastota yesterday. The match will be continued today at 9.30 a.m.

At close St. Anthony’s College had made 5 for 1 in reply to Trinity’s score of 293 for 7 declared. But the match appears to be heading for a draw.

Shameera Wijesooriya was the toast of the Trinitian, playing in his first big match scored his maiden hundred.

It was an innings full of concentration and took no risks at all. At times he tended to be over cautious getting his runs mostly in singles. He took quite a long time from 82 to 100. At 99 he drove off spinner Sahan Palihakkara to deep mid wicket to reach a well deserved hundred.

Shameera Wijesooriya in scoring 114 not out faced 205 balls and 11 fours, and it may be not wrong if it is said that he played the role of sheet anchor.

Trinity College skipper Rushan Jaleel won the toss and decided to bat on a wicket which appeared to favour the batsmen.

But they were in for a shook when their consistent opening bat Kithmal Wimalaweera was caught at the wicket early with the total at 7.

One drop bat Dinuk Weeraratne was next to go run out in trying to steal a single with the total at 39.

Little opener Niroshan Dickwella (42) and next man in Shameera Wijesooriya repaired the innings by putting on 58 for the third wicket before the former was caught at covers by Malindu Perera.

Next came the best partnership of the innings with that prolific run getter Dilan Gangoda joining Shameera Wijesooriya who had now settled down. They put on 80 runs for the fourth wicket before Gangoda miscued a shot and was caught by Palihakkara off his own bowling for 52.

Dilan Gangoda hit six fours and faced 97 balls and appeared to be more enterprising of the Trinity batsmen.

Trinity declared their innings closed at 293 for 7. Off spinner Sahan Palihakkara took 2 for 67.

Antoians in their turn at the wickets were off to a shock start losing opener Dulash Kumarasinghe who gave a dolly catch to Jaleel at covers with just one run on the board.

TRINITY COLLEGE 
First innings

KITHMAL WIMALAWEERA c Siegertsz b Bandara	 06
NIROSHAN DICKWELLA c Malindu Perera b Ekanayake	 42
DINUK WEERARATNE run out (K. Ranaraja)		 12
SHAMEERA WIJESOORIYA not out			114 
DILAN GANGODA c and b Palihakkara		 52
RUSHAN JALEEL c Kumarasinghe b Reyal		 14
KEHELIYA ATUGODA run out (Wickremesekera)	 34
AKILA JAYASUNDARA b Palihakkara			 08
EXTRAS:						 10
TOTAL (for 7 wkts dec in 80.2 overs)		 293
FALL OF WICKETS: 7, 39, 97, 177, 210, 270, 293
BOWLING: Tharanga Bandara 11-0-51-0, Kanishka Ranaraja 2-0-23-0, Sahan Palihakkara 21.2-3-67-2, 
Adil Reyal 16-1-67-1, Kasun Ekanayake 28-4-70-1, Eranda Seneviratne 2-0-11-0.

ST. ANTHONY’S COLLEGE 
First innings

HIRAN WICKREMASEKERA not out		00
DULASH KUMARASINGHE C Jaleel b Gokula	00
MALINDU PERERA not out			00
EXTRAS:					05
TOTAL (for 1 wikt off 6 overs)		05
FALL OF WICKETS: 1
BOWLING: Chinthaka Gokula 2-2-0-1, Rushan Jaleel 3-3-0-0, Suresh Wickrema 1.3-1-0-0.