- Thora coach Nilanka Peiris reflects on team’s first triumph since 2019
Big-match winning Thomian head coach Nilanka Peiris attributed his team’s stunning five-wicket triumph at the 146th Royal-Thomian cricket encounter last Saturday (8), to his openers remaining unbeaten by stumps on day one replying to Royal’s sizeable first innings of 319-7 declared.
He said facing 10 overs during the day’s final session and their openers Avinash Fernando and Jaden Amaraweera managing to negotiate the Royal bowlers in fading light and closing the day with 32 for no loss for him was the turning point.
“For me that little period towards the end of the first day made all the difference,” he told The Daily Morning Sports, reflecting on his team’s eventual victory in the ‘Battle of the Blues’, after six years.
“Had we lost about two wickets and gone into day two then I feel we would have really struggled to get close to that Royal first innings total. Hence, I take my hat off to both of my openers for the way they preserved their wickets and for laying the platform for our strong first innings showing,” he said.
He further said that the Fernando-Amaraweera first wicket stand of 69 runs in his team’s first innings of 302 all out, was now worth its weight in gold.
He also noted that prolific batter Dineth Goonawardena’s masterly 119 had ensured that the school by the sea conceded only a slender lead of 17 runs to their archrivals.
Peiris dissecting his team’s overall display in the country’s oldest three-day schools cricketing fixture, was of the view that they were not at all surprised by Royal’s declaration on the final day.
He observed that overnight they had anticipated their opponents to throw the game open heading into Saturday, with the motive of bowling his team out cheaply in their second essay.
“We knew at the end of day two that they (Royal) will go out and give us a target. This came about because we almost caught up with their total by stumps on Friday and they had no other option, but to gamble with a declaration as they went for an outright win.”
The former S. Thomas’ skipper who himself led his alma-mater to a win in the 1997 big-match and now who is in his maiden stint as their coach, picked out batters Goonawardena, Sadew Soysa, 15-year-old Reshon Soloman and hat-trick hero Darien Diego, among those that had stood out for him in their big-match win.
Peiris stated that Soysa’s aggressive counter punching half-century had put Royal off their game during his team’s steep run chase, adding that Goonawardena’s calming presence at the crease had enabled them to get across the line.
“For me Sadew’s knock deflated Royal big time in that chase and with Dinesh being like a rock and little Reshon playing like a more matured batter all that contributed to the chase being successful. This was by no means an easy chase and with an asking rate of over 5 runs per over it was hard work out there and that they achieved it in the end speaks volumes for their resilience and grit which are the hallmarks of our school.”
He also spoke glowingly of young Solomon saying that the latter who had joined the Mount Lavinia school from St. Peter’s only around 14-months before had belied his age in forming a match-winning partnership with his more experienced team mate and predicted a bright future for the lad.
The coach also singled out Diego for his splendid bowling performance (5-40) in Royal’s second innings which climaxed in his school’s first hat-trick in 28 years and opined that Kavindu Dias’ team deserved the kudos for the trademark grit displayed across the three days.
(JK)