Sri Lanka Under-19 cricketer and record breaker Hasitha Boyagoda became the Sunday Observer Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year last week which made his school Trinity College, parents and Kandy proud.
Boyagoda was an expert at bagging prizes but was somewhat of an obscure cricketer who won many trophies and stormed into the limelight when he hammered a world record innings of 191 in the 2018 Youth World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand against Kenya. Prior to the epic feat Boyagoda was discarded for matches against Pakistan and Afghanistan and Sri Lanka went on to beat Kenya and win the Plate trophy. He is the only Sri Lankan Under-19 cricketer to score two centuries in a World Cup when he made 191 against Kenya and 116 versus the West Indies.
He represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 team on tours to Australia in 2017 and South Africa in 2016 besides playing in the Asia Cup.
In the 99th big match encounter against St. Anthony’s College in 2016, Boyagoda won the Best Batsman’s prize and in the centenary match the following year he bagged the Man-of-the-Match award and this year he pocketted both the Best Batsman and Man-of-the-Match awards against their arch rivals.Boyagoda also walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award at last year’s one-dayer against the Antonians and at this year’s limited overs match took both the Best Batsman and Man-of-the-Match trophies. In the process he became the first Trinitian to score a century against St. Anthony’s College in the one-day series.
Boyagoda is one of Trinity’s most successful cricket captains and had the honour of being bestowed with the highest award on offer at Trintiy College, the Ryde Gold Medal for the year 2017. The medal is awarded each year to the best all-round schoolboy and he was also presented with a special cricket award and Sportsman of the Year title at the annual prize giving which was held under the distinguished patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena. The Ryde Gold Medal is awarded through a secret ballot conducted among the senior boys and the staff. Boyagoda is the son of Consultant Physician Dr Sanjaya Boyagoda who is an old boy of Dharmaraja College where he played junior cricket and later for the Peradeniya University. His mother, Dr Supipi Boyagoda, is a Consultant Paediatrician. The junior Boyagoda also has a sister, Sajini, studying at Girls’ High School. She is the captain of the school pentathlon team which won the 2017 all-island TV1 Pentathlon Quiz competition. He also has a brother Anuja at Trinity College.
Boyagoda also bowls off-spin and has captained the Under-13, 15 and 17 teams while at the same time captaining the Central Province Under-15 and Under-19 teams.
Boyagoda was first coached by ex-Dharmaraja College player Harold Ranasinghe and later by Lasith Randunu and Indika Fernando. Sampath Perera and Kavinda Jayasuriya were his senior coaches before he came under the guidance of Roy Dias, Chaminda Vaas, Ajith Ekanayake and Upul Chandana at national level.
