The Battle of the Maroons, the Big Match in Kandy between Dharmaraja
College and Kingswood College, for the 115th year will be on September
23 and 24, 2022 at the Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium for the TB
Tennekoon Shield. Of the 114 Encounters played so far Dharmaraja has
won 36 Encounters while Kingswood has won 19 matches and 54 Encounters
have ended in draws. In 2015 Dharmaraja won the match under the
Captaincy of Tharusha Weragoda.
Kingswood
College 1st XI Cricket team-2021/2022 1st row - Mahasen Abeykoon
(Capt.) Saumya Piyasena (Asst.Coach) Nalin Ratnayake (MIC) Upali
Chandrakumara (Principal) Lanka Francil (POG) Piyal Salgado (Coach)
Amesh Rupasinghe 2nd Row - Chethana Weerasinghe, Adhil Sheriff,
Nikeshala Nanayakkara, Kenula Pihilianga, Ravindu Bandara, Hasintha
Polkotuwa, Oshan Viranjana, Neluka Dissanayake. 3rd row - Yasath
Abeykoon, Yojith Hettiarachchi, Ganuka Saluwadana, Abdul Hakam, Gaditha
Chaturanga, Kavija Gamage, Diluka Sandaruwan, Hasanga Ratnayake,
Gauranga Bandara, Stephen Ronald.
Photo Credit : Upananda Jayasundera-Kandy Sports spl. Corr
In the long history of this much looked forward Cricket Encounters,
Dharmaraja college holds a Record for the only Double Century scored by
Senaka Dissanayake with a knock of 200 Runs in the big match in the year
1983 and Senaka created another record to become the First Batsman to
score a double Century at Asgiriya Grounds. For Kingswood the highest
score was Clifford Ratnavibhushana who scored 167 in 1957. Speaking
about this Cricket encounter , there were many Veterans in the game who
figured in the ‘Big Match’ in the past years with Centuries for
Dharmaraja and among them were PL Arthur alwis 121 in 1942, TB Talwatte
104 in 1942, AL de Alwis 109 not out in 1945, PB Munasinghe 108 in 1951,
Chandra de silva 158 in 1952, RJK Gunasekera 105 in 1954, Siri
Ranasinghe 112 in 1966, N.Yatigammana 112 not out in 1970, D.Vithanage
100 in 1970, Ajith Naranpanawa 127 & 120 in 1975 and 1976
respectively, Dananjaya Nawaratne 109 in 1979, Senaka Dissanayake 200 in
1983, Prasanna Walalawala 103 not out in 1983, Prasanna Dissanayake 103
not out in 1985, Chanakya Kulatunge 112 in 1987, Rukshan Suriarachchi
113 in 2006 and he became the Centurion at the 100th Encounter.
Kingswood had a great Cricket player in Freddie White of Hockey fame who
played Cricket in 1949 and scored the first Century for Kingswood
followed by Mahinda de Silva who made 132 in 1951, Asoka Perera scored
148 in 1952, Maurice Fernando 101 in 1957, Clifford Ratnawibhushana 167
in 1959, Tissa Jayathillake 100 in 1966, Priyantha Wickremasuriya 127
and116 in 1976 and 1977 respectively, B.H. Sheriffdeen 100 in 1981,
Mangala Dharmaprema 120 in 1984. For Kingswood in Bowling Senaka
Abeygunaratne who had a match haul of 11 for 107 in 1966, getting 8 for
39 in the 1st Innings and 3 for 68 in the 2nd Innings. For Dharmaraja
Shemendra Ekanayake had a match bag of 12 for 66 in 1977 getting Five
for Ten in the 1st Inning and Seven for 56 in the 2nd Innings.
Final ScoreKingswood College 1st Innings - 127 (60.1 overs ) Hasanga Rathnayake 34, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 25, Sadeepa Rathnayaka 3/44, Dulara BandulasenaDharmaraja College 1st Innings - 269 (58.5 overs) Pulindu Perera 90, Sachintha Dissanayaka 66, Malitha Hapuarachchi 28, Kavija Gamage 5/39, Dinuka SandaruwanKingswood College 2nd Innings - 199 (75 overs) Kavija Gamage 80, Hasintha Polkotuwa 39, Oshan Viranjana 26, Malitha Hapuarachchi 5/48, Sadeepa Rathnayaka 2/46Dharmaraja College 2nd Innings - 31/4 (4 overs)