joes95: josa victory! peta paradai!

Fall of Wickets: 1-15, 2-15, 3-67, 4-71, 5-71, 6-93, 7-122, 8-126, 9-131

Fall of Wickets: 1-7, 2-30, 3-103, 4-173, 5-195, 6-217, 7-230, 8-231, 9-237

Fall of Wickets: 1-0, 2-15, 3-22, 4-44,5-63, 6-66, 7-68, 8-68, 9-76

“74th Battle of the Saints” over in minutes. Thisara stars as Joes break 35 year hoodoo

By M. Shamil Amit
original article: sundaytimes on 09 march 2008

Sri Lanka Under 19 player and right arm paceman Thisara Perera’s starred in the 74th Battle of the Saints between St Joseph’s and St Peter’s helping his side to an emphatic innings and 42 runs victory in an encounter which turned out to be a one sided affair since the match began on Friday morning at the P. Sara Stadium.

The two day drama ended minutes before the lunch break which saw the Josephians recording a victory after 35 years. Their last win in this encounter was in 1972 also by an innings when the side was led by Rohan Fernando and St.Peter’s by Roy Dias. In fact this was also the year that a side was bowled out for the lowest score when the Petes were bundled out for 36.

Thisara’s extraordinary feat earned him two awards winning the best bowlers award for the second successive year and the man of the match award.

Right arm pacie Thisara was the cynosure of all eyes as he was the one who laid the foundation for a Joes win. Thisara ripped through the Pete batting and had them struggling for survival after being bowled out for 137 with Thisara ending with impressive figures of 5 for 39 from 15 overs of which four were maidens.

The Peterites from this setback never recovered as the Joes spearheaded by their second Sri Lanka Under 19 player Roshane Silva who along with Dimuth Karunaratne and Shameera Weerasinghe frustrating the Peterite bowlers giving them more problems and cutting the path through for a Josephian win.

When play began on day two yesterday morning the writing was there on the wall for the Peterites.

They were faced with the daunting task of erasing the deficit of 118 runs before taking their next step towards saving the game.

But it was not to be as their batting crumbled for the second time. The rot began when left arm pacie Treshan Rajasooriya trapped opener Andri Berenger in the second over of the innings.

From there on wickets fell like nine pins as fresher Chathuranga Kumara and Thisara took over.

15-year-old right arm medium pacer Kumara dismissed the other opener Srimantha Wijeyaratne and went on to bag three more scalps with all rounder Shameera Weerasinghe and Thisara taking two each as Petes collapsed to 76 with lunch break minutes away. The Peterite innings was worse than the first as it lasted only 34 overs. In the process Peterite batsman Suranga Rodrigo with two ducks joined the pair of specs band.

By M. Shamil Amit
original article: dailymirror on 08 march 2008

The Sri Lanka under 19 players Thisara Perera and Roshane Silva along with Shameera Weerasinghe put St Joseph’s in a strong position against traditional rivals St. Peter’s at the end of the first days play in their 74th Battle of the Saints played at the P. Sara Stadium yesterday.

It was first right arm pacie Thisara Perera who gave the Joes the upperhand after the skipper Ruwantha Fernandopulle inviting the Petes to take first lease of the wicket. He had their batting in tatters as Petes were made to struggle with five of their top order batsmen sent back to the pavilion for 71 before the completion of the first 25 overs.

Apart from skipper Anuk Silva who made a knock of 40 in 64 balls which included four boundaries and two sixes the others failed. He was associated in a 52 run stand for the third wicket with Ruwan Wickramanayake, which gave them some hope.

Two useful knocks one of 26 by Chatura Peiris and the other a 22 by Akshu Fernando saved the blushes for St. Peter’s before being bowled out for a paltry 137, an innings which lasted only 45.3 overs. Wrecker Thisara ended with impressive figures of 5 for 39 from 15 overs of which four were maidens.

To add salt to the wound the Josephians frustrated the Pete bowlers and made them toil for their wickets.

Though they lost two early wickets they settled down with opener Dimuth Karunaratne and Roshane Silva adding a valuable 73 run partnership for the third wicket in even time before they were separated.

Another fruitful partnership for the fourth wicket between Roshane and Harin Silva came to an end when the latter was hit by a rising delivery and had to go back to the pavilion with Joes on 166 for 3 and the pair having added 63 runs.

The positive approach of the Josephians saw the Petes falling back as the batsmen following continued to have things their own way. Even Roshane’s dismissal after a fine knock of 66 in 88 balls which included four boundaries and three sixes did not deter them from accumulating runs at will.

The return of Harin Silva made no difference as he did not last long being dismissed at the same score. But by then the Joes were well placed. Another knock of 55 in just 58 balls with six boundaries by Shameera Weerasinghe saw the Joes end their innings on a formidable score of 255 giving them a healthy lead of 118 runs.

The second days play for the Peterites is going to be tough today as they have the daunting task of first erasing the deficit and then keep their wickets in tack. A repeat of the first inning performance will only see them inviting trouble and face the agony of being defeated after 29 overs and a win for the Joes after 35 years.

by Chris Dhambarage
original article: dailymirror on 08 march 2008

CRICKET: St. Joseph?s College brought an end to a 35 year long wait when they trounced their traditional rivals St. Peter's College by an innings and 42 runs in the 74th annual Battle of the Saints inter school cricket encounter concluded at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium yesterday.

The Peterites who were trailing by 118 runs on the first innings were shot out for just 76 runs in their second attempt shortly before lunch. This was also the seventh lowest total for St. Peter?s College in the Big Match series and the 12th occasion that they have failed to cross the one hundred run mark.

The previous victory for St. Joseph's College was recorded way back in 1972 when they defeated St. Peter's College by an innings and 87 runs under the captaincy of Rohan Fernando at the same venue.

St. Peter's College who were bundled out for 137 runs in their first innings failed to make an impact in the second innings too which lasted only 34 overs. They lost opener Andry Berenger in the second over of the day and from there onwards they never recovered and suffered one of the biggest defeats in the Big Match series.

The Peterite top order batting line up once again looked pretty ordinary as they failed to come on terms with the pace of Thisara Perera and Chaturanga Kumara. In fact fifteen year old Kumara was the hero on the second day as he ripped through the Peterite middle order with a superb four wicket haul.

St. Peter's College always looked in danger of losing the game from the moment they lost three early wickets for just 22 runs. There was a partial recovery at this stage with the more experienced pair of skipper Anuk Silva and Angelo Perera making a desperate attempt to repair the early damage.

But they were fighting a losing battle because they had to occupy the crease for more than two sessions if they were to perform the impossibility and to force a draw. And once they had broken the stubborn partnership the Peterite tail was exposed and lost their last five wickets for a mere ten runs.

Sri Lanka youth cap Thisara Perera who picked up two more wickets following his five wicket haul in the first innings was named best bowler and man of the match. In fact this was the third successive occasion that he has won the best bowlers award.

Another Sri Lanka youth player Roshane Silva won the best batsman's award for his splendid knock of 66 which was incidentally his fourth successive half century against St. Peter's College. Shameera Weerasinghe was picked as the best all rounder and Dimuth Karunaratne as the best fielder with the Josephians making a clean sweep in the special awards.