A ROYAL - ANANDA CRICKET MATCH TO BE
REMEMBERED - 2006
A 94 Year-old Royal College Cricket
Record erased
A Royal - Ananda match played recently will go
down in Royalist Records as one of the greatest recoveries in Royal
College Cricket History. From the paltry total of 99 runs for 8
wickets D.Nanayakkara ( 105 not out) and H, Mowjood (39) batted like
veterans who had played an Inter-School match. When 17 year old
Mowjood joined Nanayakkara, the total was 99 for 8 wickets at
12.09p.rn.The pair batted till 4.01 p.m. (less the lunch and tea
intervals). By this time Royal had scored 223 runs. This pair fought
every effort made by the Ananda Captain Chathura Herath.
The batting of the Royalist pair for 150 minutes
and 124 runs should have been witnessed to be believed. They saved
Royal, Nanayakkara hit 3 x 6 and 10x4 and Mowjood 5x4. These two
batsmen gave no chance for 2 Vi hours! One had to witness the calm
and cool attitude of the Royalist pair. Except for I. Wickremanayake
(injured) all the opposition bowlers were dealt in a masterly
fashion. An example for other Royalists batsmen to follow.
This pair broke the earlier
9th
wicket record (94 year-old) - which was 120 runs against Wesley
established in 1912-byC.H. Gunasekera (125) and E.S. de Kretser
(17). The Royal Captain in this historic game was N. Punchihewa.
"Later H.C. was known as C.H." He Captained All Ceylon in 1934. The
photocopy of the scorecard 2006 is reproduced below.
Strange as it were there were four grandfathers
in the 1912 Royal Cricket Team who produced offspring-H.C.
Gunasekera(Jnr.) who Captained Royal in 1949. Then another member of
the 1912TeamwasC.L. Wickremasinghe whose sons were Esmond, Tissa and
Lakshman who played for Royal in 1942. Then there was l.V.
Gooneratne (later Major CCB) who also represented Royal at Rugger in
1950. There was also another grandfather G.G. Pereraofthe 1912Team.
S.S.Perera
