D.C. Reclaims Trophy at the Annual Washington, D.C. vs. New York Cricket Encounter
October 19, 2009 —
This year, the Annual Cricket Match between Washington D.C. and New York was played on Saturday, August 29th at the Lake Fairfax Cricket Grounds in Virginia. The event was sponsored by the Sri Lanka Association of Washington, D.C..
After the initial forecast for rain, the weather cleared up and everybody present was in for an exciting day of cricket. Washington D.C. captain, Neil Seneviratne, won the toss and decided to invite New York to bat first. New York’s opening pair, Avanka and Noel, got New York off to a flying start by adding a quick fire 56 for the first wicket. Just when they were threatening to take the game away from Washington, D.C., Avanka, who was trying to steal a quick single, got run-out. This well-needed break for Washington, D.C., together with the falling of two quick wickets, slowed down the New Yorkers.
New York consolidated with the scoreboard reading 60 for 3 wickets. The next pair took the score to 98 and New York looked set for a big score. Washington, D.C.’s answer came from Kalum who took two quick wickets in his first over. This breakthrough gave Washington, D.C. the much needed boost. and from this point. the New Yorkers struggled to score runs. Eventually. New York was bowled out for 130 runs with 5 overs to spare. It was a great come back by the Washington, D.C. bowlers to restrict New York to a low score considering they were 98 for a loss of just 4 wickets in the 13th over.
Washington, D.C. needed to score at a moderate rate of just over 4 runs and above to win the match. Washington, D.C.’s opening pair, Kumudu and Harshan, got off to a cautious start adding 25 runs for the first wicket. Just when it looked like Washington, D.C. was making it look easy, New York struck with 2 quick wickets. This followed by wickets falling at regular intervals made scoring difficult for Washington, D.C.. From there on, the New York bowlers did not give away easy runs, and this made it even more difficult for Washington, D.C.. At the end of the 18th over, Washington DC were 76 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. The outcome seemed a foregone conclusion with Washington, D.C. just having 2 wickets remaining and having to score another 55 runs for a win.
The Washington, D.C. team and the fans felt dejected, but Washington, D.C.’s 9th wicket pair, Manoj and Roshan, had worked out their own strategy. They started to score runs slowly and made sure that they didn’t lose any more wickets. When the score reached 100 at the 22nd over, it looked like Washington, D.C. might have an outside change for a victory, and the fans got behind the batting pair. The atmosphere was electric with Washington, D.C. needing 30 runs from the last three overs. Manoj’s excellent batting with the support of his able partner Roshan enabled Washington, D.C. to go home with one over to spare. It was a remarkable display of batting and determination from Manoj that enabled Washington, D.C. to bring back the trophy after two years. Washington, D.C. registered a win at home after 10 years.
Washington, D.C. was lead by Captain Neil Seneviratne, and New York was lead by Captain Kumara Dankotuwage. Manoj Abeysekera of Washington, D.C. was adjudged Man of the Match for his remarkable innings of 50 runs. Noel from New York won the Best Batsman award for his 55 runs. Washington, D.C.’s Roshantha Kalum won the Best Bowler award for his 4 wickets. Jeeva from New York was adjudged Best Fielder.
Mr. Syed Ali Moulana, Minister of Economics from the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C. graced the occasion and awarded the trophies on behalf of H.E. the Ambassador for Sri Lanka.
The match is an annual event sponsored by the Sri Lanka Association of Washington, D.C. (SLAWDC), and is played alternatively in D.C. and in New York. This year, the working committee was lead by SLAWDC director Suraj Navaratne.
An after party was held at the Relict Restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland to music and entertainment provided by DJ Shawn.
Washington, D.C. Team – George Seneviratne, Harshan Yakeem, Malan Perera, Kumudu Gunasekara, Milroy Don, Shawn Corera, Roshantha Kalum, Manoj Abeysekara, Mahashan Fernando, Roshan Fernando, Dakshi De Silva, Brijesh Anthony, Ruvinda Ranasinghe, Shane Hillary.
New York Team:
Dhammika Withanachi (Manager, SLANY Board member), Kumara Dankotuwage (Captain), Jasmine Jans (President SLANY), Dakshi de Silva (President SLAWDC), Sanjeeva Wickremaratne (Vice Captain).
Article courtesy of SLAWDC.
To find our more information about the Sri Lanka Association of Washington, D.C., visit their website.
To find out more information about the Sri Lanka Association of New York, visit their website.
