Trinity defend title in nerve tingling final

by Reemus Fernando

A crucial half century by Supun Waduge and a valuable eighth wicket stand between Jayavi Liyanagama and Tharana Wimaladharma helped Trinity pull off two wickets win over St. Joseph’s in a nerve-tingling final of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ Limited Overs Cricket tournament at Thurstan ground yesterday.

Chasing 136 runs to win Trinity lost four wickets for 43 runs but Waduge manage to repair the damage with a half century which held the middle order together. The Joes came back fighting later with Yenula Dewthusa and Nushan Perera taking quick wickets to swing the pendulum back. Dewthusa took back to back wickets in the 33rd over to leave Trinity struggling at 111 for seven wickets. But Liyanagama held his nerve to seal the victory with ten overs to spare.

For the second consecutive match Waduge provided the cornerstone for Trinity to build their innings. He scored a century in the semi-final against Royal before coming up with the match defining knock yesterday.

He scored six fours and a six in his knock of 60 runs which came in 84 balls. While skipper Manula Kularatne added vital 14 runs, Liyanagama remained unbeaten on 16.

Deciding to bowl first Trinity broke the backbone of Joes’ batting line up within the first 20 overs. Malith Rathnayake took two wickets including the crucial wicket of Hirun Kapurubandara. Kapurubandara was in red hot form during the tournament but could post only 20 runs on Tuesday before he was trapped lbw.

Tharana Wimaladharma was the pick of the bowlers for Trinity. He took three wickets for 22 runs in his nine overs, while Dinuka Tennakoon grabbed two wickets.

The Joes were six wickets down for 73 runs at one stage but a seventh wicket stand of 44 runs between Manasa Madubhashana and skipper Lahiru Amarasekara ensured they had a three figure score to defend. Madubhashana was their top scorer. He remained unbeaten on 37 runs.