Benedictines retain Luke Shield for fifth consecutive year
View(s):St. Benedict’s College maintained stranglehold on the prestigious Luke Shield beating Wesley College by 4 wickets at the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) grounds last Saturday. This limited over encounter between two of the oldest and prestigious Christian schools in the country has been vigorously fought over, since its inception in 2022. The Benedictines have won it each time, indicating clear superiority over Wesley in this format of the game.
The match winner for St. Benedict’s was undoubtedly their opening batsman Tehan Bitar, who played a brilliant chanceless innings of 111 not out and steered his team to victory in the penultimate over of the game. He deservedly won the Best Batsman’s award and coveted Player-of-the-Match award, which also included a handsome cash prize.
Batting first, Wesley were restricted to 193 runs, thanks mainly to a tight and accurate spell of 3 wickets for 25 runs in 10 overs by left-arm spinner Vihanga Ratnayake. This effort earned him the Best Bowler’s award. The fielding of Benedictines was neat, with wicketkeeper Mario Fernando being exceptional. Wesley captain Rashmika Ameraratne top scored for his team, with a fighting knock of 43 not out, unfortunately missing out on a well-deserved half century. The Best Fielder’s award was won by S. Thilakasan of Wesley and the Best Emerging Player award went to R. Pieris of St. Benedict’s.
The Benedictines were captained by fifth year coloursman Mevan Dissanaike and was coached by former Benedictine opener S.K. Perera and guided by energetic Master in-Charge Asanka Wanninayake. This annual encounter is being played in true spirit of sportsmanship and enjoyed by students, staff and old boys of both schools. This eagerly awaited event each year has become a meeting point and a place of celebration, revelry and camaraderie for old boys of both schools with hundreds turning up from all parts of the world, especially for this friendly encounter. The annual Bens-Wesley encounters are also staged in many cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, London, Toronto and in the United Arab Emirates.