Nalanda College reached 107 for 5 wickets at the close of play on the first day of their 89th annual Battle of Maroons cricket encounter against Ananda College after bowling out their opponents for 141 at SSC ground in Colombo yesterday.
Nalanda won the toss and elected to field and needed just 55 overs to bowl out Ananda who never recovered from 58 for 6 at one stage. Deputy skipper Lahiru Attanayake scored 58 runs in 133 balls with seven boundaries and a six as he and Daminda Reshan (24) produced 51 runs stand for seventh wicket while Nalanda’s bowlers kept pressing for more wickets in an action packed morning session.
Nalanda’s pace duo of Suhanga Wijewardena and Chamindu Wijesinghe claimed the 10 wickets to fall as they put their team in with a chance to make a match of the game on the second and final day on Sunday. Wijewardena took six wickets for 52 runs in 16 overs with two maiden overs and Wijesinghe plucked four wickets for 33 runs in 15 overs with six maiden overs.
Nalanda skipper Lakshitha Manasinghe scored an unbeaten 32 runs in 46 balls while opener Avishka Perera scored 24 runs in 50 balls. Dilhara Polgampola scored 23 runs. Lakshitha Manasinghe and Chamindu Wijesinghe (18) made produced 43 runs for fifth wicket.
Ananda’s Gishan Vishwajith took two wickets for 17 runs while Shyamal Hirushan took 2 for 24.
(YK)
