113th Battle of the North ends in a thrilling draw

The eagerly-anticipated 113th Battle of the North Cricket Encounter2019, organised by Jaffna Central College and St. John’s College, Jaffna, came to a successful close recently. The famed ‘Big Match’ encounter between the two Jaffna schools was held 7-9 March and ended in an exciting draw. The 1st & 3rd Innings’ batting was played by St. John’s College while the 2nd & 4th Innings batting was helmed by Jaffna Central College, who were faced with a target of 232 runs in the final session to win.

St. John’s College posted 245 for 9 in their 2nd innings before they finally decided to declare. Some fine performances were seen on the field as the two titans of cricket, traditional rivals St. John’s College and Jaffna Central College, clashed on the cricket grounds. St. John’s bagged the awards for Best Batsman (T. Dinoshan), Best Fielder (T. Vinojan), and Best Wicket Keeper (K. Sabesan), while Jaffna Central College walked away with the titles of Best Bowler (V. Viyaskanth), Best All-rounder (K. Iyalarasan), and the coveted Man of the Match trophy (V. Viyaskanth). Grit and steely-eyed determination was abundantly visible on the field as both teams played their hearts out in a bid to lift the highly coveted Big Match trophy. Unfortunately, the trophy stayed out of the hands of both teams, making this year’s edition of the Battle of the North the 40th one to end in a draw.