Revata cruise to easy win
Revata College cruised a 9-wicket victory against their traditional and hometown rivals Siddhartha Central College in their 37th annual Battle of the Heroes concluded at the Teacher Training College ground in Balapitiya yesterday. Often known to produce exciting and low-scoring thrillers, Revata pulled off a rare and totally different win in the 37th edition of the biggest annual big match cricket encounter in Balapitiya following notable performances from allrounder Jack Shakya and leg-spinner Kaveesha Sandeepa.
By the time Shakya and Sandeepa had played their respective parts to see Revata dominating the two-day encounter, their team had the easy task of chasing a moderate target of 42 runs with almost two sessions remaining. Despite losing the wicket of opener Ameesha Upadhya, who cracked 26 off 22 balls with two each of fours and sixes, Revata took just 38 deliveries to reach the winning post and regain the title, after losing the battle for the very first time last year.
The target was kept to a low chase following an impressive eight-wicket haul by right-arm leg-spinner Sandeepa, who single-handedly pulverised Siddhartha Central with figures of 8 for 35 in the second innings to restrict them to 170 runs. Revata had already gained the upper-hand after posting 278 to lead the first innings by 129 runs after restricting Siddhartha Central to 149 in the first innings, in which Sandeepa claimed two scalps. He completed with an impressive match-bag of 10 for 71, while left-arm paceman Shakya did the initial damages to claim three wickets and spearhead Siddhartha Central’s downfall in the first innings after electing to bat.
Shakya, coming in as the two-down bat, then hammered 76 runs off 53 deliveries with 12 boundaries and two sixes, while entertaining Revata supporters to add 83 runs with Sandeepa (27) for the fourth wicket inside 11 overs. Kalana Chamod and Dasun Sathsara made contrasting knocks of 32.
For Siddhartha Central low-order batsman Chamindu Ishanka cracked 45 off 39 deliveries with eight fours, after his team were forced to struggle at 98-8 in 31 overs. When Ishanka was sent off as the ninth wicket, Siddhartha Central had reached 145 runs, four runs away from their first innings total of 149. Opener Kavindu Perera played a patient knock of 38 after facing 79 balls with five boundaries. In their second innings, middle-order batsman Wathika Supeshala emerged as the top scorer with a valiant knock of 49 off 92 deliveries, inclusive of nine fours, missing out a deserving half century by a whisker.
| Brief Scores | |
| Siddhartha Central 149 all out (43.5) (Chamindu Ishanka 45, Kavindu Perera 38; Jack Shakya 3/44, Dinusha Sathsara 2/8, Yathisha Kaveesh 2/25, Kaveesha Sandeepa 2/36) and 170 all out (45.1) (Wathika Supeshala 49, Dilshan Mihiranga 26, Nadija Nimsara 25; Kaveesha Sandeepa 8/35) Revata College 278 all out (46.2) (Jack Shakya 76, Yasiru Nimsara 42, Kalana Chamod 32, Dasun Sathsara 32, Kaveesha Sandeepa 27; Tharindu Sewmina 4/51, Usara Sampath 3/63, Nirosh Nimsara 2/47) and 45 for 1 (6.2) at close (Ameesha Upadhya 26) |