Kingswood end 68-year wait

Monday, 23 March 2026 02:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kavija Gamage receives his Man of the Match award

Kenula Pihiliyanga grabbed a 11-wicket match bag

Kingswood College ended their long 68-year wait for a win against their traditional rivals Dharmaraja College when they defeated the Rajans by 148 runs in their 119th Battle of the Maroons, which ended at the Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy yesterday.

It was a historic triumph for Kingswood, whose last win was registered in 1958, making this success even more special, ending their 68 years of drought.

The victory was built around two outstanding individual performances that defined the match and turned the tide decisively in Kingswood’s favour. Leading with the bat was national youth player and Vice Captain Kavija Gamage, who produced a remarkable feat by scoring centuries in both his innings for the Randles Hill school, which is a record at the Big Match. He also took a match bag of eight wickets.

Supporting him with the ball was young under-17 national player Kenula Pihiliyanga, who delivered a match-winning performance by claiming a stunning 11 wickets in the game. His relentless accuracy and ability to extract movement troubled the Dharmaraja batsmen throughout, sealing a memorable win and etching both players’ names into the proud history of this iconic school cricket encounter. (SJ)

Scores:

Kingswood 226 and 102/2 (overnight) 248/4 decl. (Kavija Gamage 100*, Aadhil Sheriff 71, Isuru Samarathunge 3/82)

Dharmaraja 160 and 166 (Omesh Ekanayake 34, Tharindu Warunakula 26, Kenula Pihiliyanga 6/54, Kavija Gamage 4/70)