Wijerama and De Silva save the day for St. Servatius at 121st Ruhuna Battle of the Blues

Friday, 23 April 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By P.D. De Silva

Kushan Wijerama scored 70 runs to help St. Servatius reach a respectable first innings score

A 103-run eighth wicket stand between Kushan Wijerama and Madushan de Silva helped St. Servatius College recover from an unhealthy 117/7 to end their first innings on a respectable 253 on the first day of the 121st Ruhuna Battle of the

Blues. The three-day encounter between St. Servatius College and St. Thomas College – Matara is being played sans spectators at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium – Sooriyawewa, adhering to health guidelines.

Wijerama's 70 was scored off 143 balls with eight boundaries, while de Silva scored a patient 38 off 109 balls with two boundaries and a six.

St. Thomas elected to field first in the three-day encounter and Hirusha Jeewadith drew first blood, capturing three quick wickets to have the Servatians tottering on 20/3, after which Sineth Disanayake

captured two more wickets to have them on 53/5 in 24.3 overs. However, a 63-run sixth wicket partnership between Thaush Damindu and Vishwa Supun took them to 116/6.The Servatians lost their seventh wicket at 117, after which Wijerama and de Silva steadied the ship.

The Thomians were 1/0 at stumps

Scorecard

St. Servatius 253 (94.5) (Diniru Abeywickremasinghe 31, Thaush Damindu 38, Vishwa Supun 20, Kushan

Wijerama 70, Madushan de Silva 38, Hirusha Jeewadith 3/25, Sineth Disanayake 3/82, Senura Perera 2/37, Harindu Jayasekera 2/25) St. Thomas 1/0 (1)