While the hopes of a couple of favourites smoked up before reaching the business end of the tournament, St. Peter’s College, the only favourite to last the distance, lived up to their reputation to clinch the inaugural ‘Munchee Trophy’ in the Inter-school Under-19 Limited-overs Tournament final played at the SSC, Colombo, on Tuesday (7).

This year, the Inter-school U-19 Limited-overs Tournament did not have a league stage and the teams for the knockout tournament were selected on their performances in the two-day tournament.

Earlier, the teams selected on the performances of the two-day tournament went through a league stage in the Limited-overs Tournament before reaching the knockout stage. But this year, the organisers scraped the league stage. Taking into consideration the performances of the two-day tournament, there were at least three likely candidates for this year’s title.

Petes were among the three favourites. Ananda College, who had recorded 12 outright victories, and Royal College, who had registered nine outright wins in the two-day tournament, were the other contenders for the title. While Ananda and Royal were knocked out in the pre quarter-finals, St. Peter’s had little resistance from their opponents throughout the season.

They routed minnows Meepawala Amarasuriya MV, who had reached the knockout tournament by virtue of their performance in the Division-III tournament, to reach the pre quarter-final. In the pre quarter-final, they beat Dharmaraja College, Kandy. The team was brimming with confidence by the time they reached the quarter-finals and there was no turning back from there on.

The quarter-finals and the semi-finals of the tournament (except for one quarter-final) were played at the CCC which proved a virtual death bed for the teams batting second! Even teams batting first, found it hard to amass a score of over 250 runs. In the quarter-finals, St. Peter’s met a robust Dharmasoka who had humbled Ananda College in their knockout match. Batting first, Petes managed to top just 170 runs on the back of a fine 67 by Shivanga Ranasuriya. But with Angelo Perera and Shanendra Fernando going at great guns in the bowling department, they could still defend their low score to record a thrilling 45-run victory.

The semi-final saw them defy the hoodoo of the CCC pitch as they went on to score a mammoth 280, after being 162 for six at one stage, against D.S. Senanayake, who came to the match after recording a 46 runs victory over Mahinda College, Galle.

After three valuable knocks from Vinod Perera (59), Angelo Perera (48) and Isuru Peiris (26) to steady the middle-order (they were 40 for three at one stage), Akshu Fernando reached his personal 250-mark this season with an unbeaten 70 in just 45 balls. A total of 280 for seven wickets on a difficult wicket spoke the depth of their batting. Once again Akshu and Angelo combined in the bowling department to skittle out DSS for 185 runs.

Meeting St. Joseph’s for the first time in a grand final, St. Peter’s found their arch rivals a complete mismatch. Joes showed some positive signs at the start when their paceman Dinal Dhambarage and Treshan Rajasuriya restricted Petes to 28 runs in the first ten overs.

But Petes never allowed the noose to get tighter than that as they kept their wickets intact to post 228 for nine. Angelo once again played the key role top scoring with 45 runs. Chasing the target, Joes dug their own grave as four of their batsmen perished in suicidal run-outs and Angelo completed a three-wicket haul in his ten overs to win the Man of the Match award.

Petes had a remarkable season. They recorded as many as ten outright victories against a single defeat in the two-day tournament. And the title of the Inter-school Under-19 Limited-overs Tournament was the icing on the cake.