•  Bens hold the title, Wesley fighting for pride

Coming in as underdogs and written off paper, Rashmika Amararathne the vice captain of Wesley College let the bat do the talking as he went into history books as the highest run-scorer for the Campbell Park lads since 1896 in the Bens-Wesley cricket series. 

He missed out on being the first Wesleyite to score a century against St. Benedict’s College (as per available records) when he was run-out for 98 by Bens skipper Sharujan Shanmuganathan who also ironically scored 98 not out in 2023. This was the key highlight on Day-1 of the Cartman Cup Traditional encounter played at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium on Monday (31) celebrating a 129-year cricketing legacy.

St. Benedict’s won the toss and invited Wesley to take the first lease of the Colombo oval wicket, the oldest Test venue in the island where the late great Sir Don Bradman of Australia played against Mahadevan Sathasivam’s Ceylon in 1948. 

The Bens came into the game oozing with confidence as they trounced Wesley on Saturday (29) in the Luke Shield limited-over game at the SSC in style. Wesley had an extremely slow start as the Benedictine bowlers were on a roll. Wesley skipper Anuga Pahansara and Rashmika put a steady partnership, later Dinuja joined Rashmika to steady the ship for the Double Blues. 

Batting in reply, Bens showed real urgency and scored quick runs to post 100+ in 30 overs. Jeevahan Sriram was exceptional for Wesley showcasing true blue passion with confident bowling. Today is the second and last day of the Cartman Cup. Bens won the encounter last year by 46 runs at the same venue. The last century in the series was scored by Sangaran Nandalal (SBC) 137* in 2007. Wesley’s last win came in 2017 under Thisuraka Akmeemana. Interestingly, both Amararathne and Sriram who starred for Wesley on Day-1 did not feature in the one-day encounter. 

Brief scores Day-1 stumps

Wesley 208/6 (65): Rashmika Amararathne 98, Dinuja Samararathne 34, Anuga Pahansara 31, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 2/38, Dinath Senila 1/17, Mevan Dissanaike 1/44

St. Benedict’s 102/3 (30): Tehan Bitar 36, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 22*, Mevan Dissanaike 20*, Jeevahan Sriram 2/47, Dinuja Samara

St. Benedict’s College trail by 106 runs (Day-1 stumps)