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by AFZAL LAPHIR
Antonian skipper Thisara Ekanayake continued his remarkable form of late by notching up his fourth century for the season in the ongoing 1st XI cricket encounter against Wesley College in Colombo. He made 119 in his team’s first innings total of 266/9 declared on the first day (8 March 2024).
Thisara’s previous three centuries this season were also scored in Colombo against Nalanda College at Campbell Place, St Joseph’s College at Darley Road, and St Peter’s College at Bambalapitiya, thus becoming the first Antonian ever to record four centuries in Colombo in one season. In the previous game against St Peter’s College, only a few days ago, he equalled the legendary Jack Anderson’s record of three centuries in Colombo, a feat achieved in 1918, the year he scored six centuries which remains the most by an Antonian in a season. Damien Nadaraja came close in 1987 with five centuries on his way to amassing over 1200 runs in that season culminating in the Best Batsman trophy at the Annual School Cricket Awards.
Thisara joins five other Antonians, ACM Lafir (1954), SW Seneviratne (1958), Charlie Joseph (1959), Bernard Perera (1976), and Hiran Wickremasekera (2011), to have scored four centuries in a season. Just for the record, there are 13 instances of Antonians who have registered three centuries in a season. Incidentally, Jack Anderson (1917 & 1918), Charlie Joseph (1959 & 1960) and Hiran Wickremasekera (2009 & 2011) have had the distinction of registering three or more centuries in a season on two separate occasions. The Full list is given below.
Thisara, who had scored only 202 runs in his initial 12 innings this year, remarkably reversed his fortunes when he decided to open the batting in the second innings against S Thomas Mount Lavinia. He has since accumulated 656 runs in his next 9 innings at 109.3 with four centuries and 2 fifties. Note: The runs include his first innings of 119 against Wesley.
In the game against St Peter’s, Thisara (140) was associated with a 226-run stand for the fourth wicket with Janith Rathnasiri who also made 140. This is the highest partnership by an Antonian pair for any wicket against St Peters and only the twelfth 200-run partnership in the history of Antonian cricket (full list below)
FIRST CENTURY AGAINST WESLEY SINCE 2011 AND THE FIRST IN COLOMBO SINCE 2003
Today, Thisara became the first centurion for SACK against Wesley since Hiran Wickremasekera’s 100* at Katugastota in 2011 and the first century by an Antonian in Colombo since Tyrone de Silva scored 101 in 2003 at Campbell Park.
THE FIRST CENTURY AGAINST ST PETER’S SINCE 1996 AND THE FIRST AT BAMBALAPITIYA SINCE 1959
Thisara also became the first centurion for SACK against St Peter’s since Indika Fernando’s 114 at Katugastota in 1996 and the first century by an Antonian at Bambalapitiya since Charlie Joseph scored an unbeaten 115 in 1959.
The innings of 140, scored by both Thisara and Janith, coincidently off the same number of balls (195), is now the highest individual score by an Antonian at Bambalapitiya. Mohan Ratnakumar (204) holds the record for the highest score overall by an Antonian against the Peterites.
CENTURY AND 10-WICKETS IN THE SAME SEASON
In the previous game against Gurukula MV Kelaniya, Thisara showed his all-round prowess by capturing a match-bag of 10 wickets (5/37 & 5/71), thus joining a select band of Antonians to have scored a century and taken a match-bag of 10-wickets in the same season. In the annals of Antonian cricket, there have been only four other players to have achieved this double in the same season. The complete list is:
THAIYAR MOHAMED (1977) – 105 vs St Sylvester’s, 102 vs St Benedict’s, 100 vs St Sebastian’s; 12 for 60 vs Kingswood
ANGELO LEANAGE (1980) – 102 vs Ananda; 12 for 98 vs Dharmaraja
SAJITH FERNANDO (1992) – 156* vs Maliyadeva; 10 for 132 vs Royal and 12 for 91 vs Trinity
PRASAD RANAWAKE (2001) – 103* vs Kingswood; 10 for 46 vs Zahira
THISARA EKANAYAKE (2024) – 102* vs Nalanda, 101* vs St Joseph’s, 140 vs St Peter’s; 119 vs Wesley; 10 for 108 vs Gurukula
SIX CENTURIES IN A SEASON
Jack Anderson (1918)
157 vs Wesley Colombo
109 vs St Benedict’s Colombo
291 vs S Thomas’ Colombo
184 vs Royal Bogambara
111 vs Trinity Asgiriya
105 vs St Aloysius Galle (B Div) Bogambara
FIVE CENTURIES IN A SEASON
Damien Nadaraja (1987)
105* vs Kingswood Home
103* vs Wesley Home
102 vs Dharmaraja Lake View
112* vs St Sebastian’s Home
129 vs Ananda Ananda Mawatha
FOUR CENTURIES IN A SEASON
ACM Lafir (1954)
100 vs Wesley Home
184 vs St Benedict’s Kotahena
122 vs Ananda Home
176 vs Trinity Home
Also scored 151* for Kandy Schools against Colombo Schools at home
SW Seneviratne (1958)
149 vs St Peter’s Home
135 vs Wesley Home
133 vs Ananda Home
100* vs Trinity Home
Charlie Joseph (1959)
123* vs St Benedict’s Home
101 vs Kingswood Police Grounds
101* vs Dharmaraja Lake View
115* vs St Peter’s Bambalapitiya
Bernard Perera (1976)
127* vs St Sebastian’s Home
137* vs Kingswood Home
122* vs St Benedict’s Kotahena
155* vs Trinity Home
Hiran Wickremasekera (2011)
100* vs Wesley Home
150 vs Kingswood Home
104 vs Zahira Maradana
105 vs St Joseph’s Home
Thisara Ekanayake (2024)
102* vs Nalanda Campbell Park
101* vs St Joseph’s Darley Road
140 vs St Peter’s Bambalapitiya
106* vs Wesley Colombo
THREE CENTURIES IN A SEASON
Jack Anderson (1917)
184 vs St Joseph’s Bogambara
141 vs Royal Colombo
102 vs St Benedict’s Bogambara
Charlie Joseph (1960)
115* vs St Benedict’s Kotahena
123 vs Nalanda Colombo
127 vs Trinity Home
Jayantha Udukumbure (1966)
103 vs Dharmaraja Lake View
104 vs Kingswood Home
118 vs Ananda Home
Randy Sims (1969)
172 vs St Sylvester’s Home
102 vs Kingswood Home
100 vs Trinity Asgiriya
Thaiyar Mohamed (1977)
105 vs St Sylvester’s Home
102 vs St Benedict’s Home
100 vs St Sebastian’s Moratuwa
Fazeel Sheriffdeen (1980)
120* vs Vidyartha Home
133* vs St Sylvester’s Home
152 vs St Sebastian’s Home
Marlon Von Hagt (1984)
154 vs Vidyartha Police Park
109 vs Prince of Wales Home
123 vs Trinity Home
Nuwan Kalpage (1990)
166 vs Thurstan Home
123 vs Zahira Home
100* vs Trinity Home
Dilshan Witharana (1996)
133 vs Wesley Campbell Park
112 vs St Sylvester’s Away
103 vs Trinity Home
Mahesh Palihakkara (1998)
100 vs St Anne’s Kurunegala
150 vs Kingswood Home
112 vs St Joseph’s Darley Road
Mohamed Rizlan (2003)
100 vs Vidyartha Home
105 vs St Anne’s Home
103 vs Dharmaraja Home
Hiran Wickremasekera (2009)
116* vs St Sebastian’s Home
132 vs Dharmasoka Ambalangoda Home
104* vs St Benedict’s Home
Theeksha Gunasinghe (2019)
101* vs S de S Jayasinghe Dehiwala Home
111 vs St Peter’s Negombo Home
142 vs St Joseph’s Home
200-run Partnerships for St Anthony’s College
- 258 1st wkt Jack Anderson (157) and M Victor Fernando (109) vs Wesley 1918
- 266 1st wkt ACM Lafir (176) and Ronnie Stephens (103) vs Trinity 1954
- 227 6th wkt Charlie Joseph (113) and Michael Joseph (141*) vs Dharmaraja 1961
- 280 5th wkt Randy Sims (154) and AB Ranasinghe (132*) vs Kingswood 1967
- 200 4th wkt Randy Sims (102) and Terence Sims (105) vs Kingswood 1969
- 250* 4th wkt Bernard Perera (140*) and Bede Perera (106*) vs St Benedict’s 1975
- 287 1st wkt Marlon Von Hagt (154) and A Wickremasuriya (124) vs Vidyartha 1984
- 208* 2nd wkt Nimalka Perera (106*) and Suresh Peries (87*) vs St Sylvesters 1986
- 228 3rd wkt Suresh de Alwis (150*) and Ruwan Kalpage (133) vs St Anne’s 1989
- 202 5th wkt Theeksha Gunasinghe (142) and Kalhara Senaratne (102) vs St Joseph’s 2019
- 220 5th wkt Mohd Kamil (123) and Anjala Bandara (128) vs St Sylvester’s 2021
- 226 4th wkt Thisara Ekanayake (140) and Janith Rathnasiri (140) vs St Peter’s 2024
