UNDER-15 DIV1 - ANTONIANS FALL SHORT IN THE QUARTER-FINALS
St Anthony’s College, Kandy bowed out of the Under-15 Division 1 School Cricket Tournament following a disappointing quarter-final defeat to Devapathiraja College, Rathgama, one of the powerhouses of junior school cricket. Devapathiraja will now face the winner of the QF clash between St Sebastian’s College Moratuwa and P de S Kularatne Maha Vidyalaya, Ambalangoda.
In today’s game, the potent Antonian pair, Isum Dissanayake (3/20) and Hansana Gamagedera (3/16), were instrumental in dismantling the opposition, who at one stage were tottering at 55/8. A belligerent 42 (4 sixes) by the No. 10 batter, Deneth Dinuka, helped Devapathiraja recover and push the total into three figures, which was enough to secure victory. The Antonians were 30 for no loss at one stage, and then 53/3, before collapsing miserably to be shot out for 68.
The journey to the quarter-finals has been a demanding one, with 84 schools competing across 14 groups for Division 1 honours. From this highly competitive field, 32 teams progressed to the second round, with only 16 earning a place in the knock-out stage.
The Antonians played eight group matches across the first two rounds, winning seven of them. Their only defeat came against Trinity College in the first round, where they went down by a narrow margin of just two wickets. Despite that setback, the Antonians went on to top their group, while Trinity failed to progress beyond the first round.
In the Pre-Quarter Final, the Antonians continued their impressive campaign, defeating Ananda by eight wickets to secure their place in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, their outstanding run came to an end today.
U15 side with former Antonian cricket stars Chamidu Wickremasinghe and Traveen Mathew, who made time to meet the junior players despite their busy schedule with the LPL franchise, Jaffna Kings.
U15 squad - 2026
TOP-PERFORMERS
Skipper Mohammed Aneeq has been a model of consistency throughout the campaign, scoring a total of 341 runs at an outstanding average of 48.7. He made 27, 45, 24, 14* and 46 in the first round, followed by 81, 25* and 09 in the second round, before producing an unbeaten 53 in the Pre-QF and only 07 in the QF.
The next-best batter has been all-rounder Hansana Gamagedera, who has amassed 191 runs at an average of 27.2, including two half-centuries. Last year’s U13 skipper, Sandil Seneviratne, has made 121 runs in 8 innings at 17.3, including one fifty, while opening batter Dihen Illangasinghe has also made a valuable contribution with [132 runs in 6 innings at 22.0], including one fifty.
In the bowling department, left-arm paceman Isum Dissanayake has been the standout performer, claiming 22 wickets at an impressive average of 7.70, with a best of 5/25. All-rounder Hansana Gamagedera has also made a significant impact with 20 wickets at 8.90, including a best of 5/43.
They have been ably supported by Akindu Bandaranayake, who has taken 15 wickets at 8.90, with 4/16 as his best, while Vibu Samarakoon (10 wickets at 6.8) has also played an important role in the bowling attack whenever he is in the playing XI.
RECENT SUCCESS
Despite the disappointment of today’s result, we can take pride in finishing among the top eight teams out of 84 that competed in the Division 1 tournament. In recent years, our Under-15 team has enjoyed good success, finishing as joint champions in both 2022 under Okitha Fernando and 2020 under Lahiru Abeysinghe. More recently, our Under-13 side also emerged as joint champions in early 2026, captained by Sandil Seneviratne. Prior to that, the Under-13 team reached the final in 2019 under Induwara Galapitige, where they narrowly lost to Royal College, Colombo.
These achievements demonstrate that the performances of our junior teams in recent years have been nothing short of outstanding. Much of this success can be attributed to the commitment of the coaching staff, together with the strong foundations established by the well-run Junior Academy under the guidance of the Antonian Cricket Wing and the school administration. Their collective efforts have played a vital role in nurturing young talent and building a strong pathway for the future of Antonian cricket.
Skipper Mohammed Aneeq was outstanding with the bat right through the tournament. He is pictured here just before departing with the team for the QF Clash in Ganemulla (17/08/26).
THE SEASON AT A GLANCE
QUARTER FINAL
Vs Devapathiraja College, Rathgama at SLA Commando Rgmt Grounds, Ganemulle (18 Aug 2026)
Devapathiraja College – 103 all out (43.5 overs): Isum Dissanayake 3/20, Hansana Gamagedera 3/16
SACK – 68 all out (39.3 overs): Dihen Illangasinghe 18, Sandil Seneviratne 12
Devapathiraja won by 35 runs and qualified for the SF.
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PRE-QUARTER FINAL (final 16 schools, knockout)
Vs Ananda College, Colombo at SACK Grounds (14 Aug 2026)
Ananda – 146 all out (49.4 overs): Manuka Prageeth 3/14, Isum Dissanayake 2/13
SACK – 148/2 (34.4 overs): Dihen Illangasinghe 55, Manuka Prageeth 29, Mohammed Aneeq 53*
SACK won by 8 wickets
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SECOND ROUND - GROUP G (final 32 schools – in 8 groups)
Vs Revatha College, Balapitiya at Teaching Training College Ground, Balapitiya (04 Aug 2026)
SACK – 113 all out (41.3 overs): Dihen Illangasinghe 31, Prashan Bimsara 18
Revatha – 65 all out (24.1 overs): Isum Dissanayake 4/19, Akindu Bandaranayake 4/16
SACK won by 48 runs
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Vs Mahanama College, Kandy at SACK Grounds (27 Jul 2026)
Mahanama College – 124 all out (44.4 overs): Hansana Gamagedera 3/20, Manuka Prageeth 2/29, Akindu Bandaranayake 3/10
SACK – 127/3 (30.1 overs): Dihen Illangasinghe 20, Manuka Prageeth 25, Mohammed Aneeq 25*, Prashan Bimsara 37*
SACK won by 7 wickets
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Vs Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala at SACK Grounds (18 Jul 2026)
SACK – 234/9 (50 overs): Mohammed Aneeq 81, Hansana Gamagedera 55, Hiran Manuja 27
Maliyadeva College – 108 all out (48.2 overs): Hansana Gamagedera 2/07, Saditha Samarajeewa 3/12, Akindu Bandaranayake 2/11
SACK won by 126 runs
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FIRST ROUND - GROUP K (a total of 84 schools participated in 14 groups)
Vs Royal Central College, Polonnaruwa at SACK grounds (26 Jun 2026)
Royal Central College – 183 all out (44.2 overs): Hansana Gamagedera 5/43, Sandil Seneviratne 2/18, Akindu Bandaranayake 2/06
SACK – 185/7 (35 overs): Mohammed Aneeq 46, Hansana Gamagedera 60, Manuka Prageeth 22
SACK won by 3 wickets
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Vs St Sylvester’s College, Kandy at SL Army Gunners Club Grounds, Minneriya (23 Jun 2026)
St Sylvester’s College – 64 all out (32.2 overs): Saditha Samarajeewa 3/13, Vibu Samarakoon 3/06, Akindu Bandaranayake 2/17
SACK – 65/3 (20.3 overs): Mohammed Aneeq 14*, Hansana Gamagedera 33*
SACK won by 7 wickets
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Vs St Thomas’ College, Matale at St Thomas College Grounds, Matale (18 Jun 2026)
SACK – 166/9 (31 overs): Saditha Samarajeewa 29, Sandil Seneviratne 28, Mohammed Aneeq 34, Prashan Bimsara 25
St Thomas’ College – 103 all out (26.1 overs): Isum Dissanayake 5/25, Vibu Samarakoon 3/07
SACK won by 63 runs
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Vs Trinity College, Kandy at Kekirawa Central College Grounds (16 Jun 2026)
SACK – 150 all out (47.4 overs): Mohammed Aneeq 45, Vibu Samarakoon 35*
TCK – 152/8 (42.5 overs): Isum Dissanayake 2/11, Vibu Samarakoon 2/19
TCK won by 2 wickets
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Vs Jaffna Hindu College, Jaffna at Jaffna Hindu College Grounds, Jaffna (09 Jun 2026)
Jaffna Hindu College – 105 all out (47.4 overs): Hansana Gamagedera 3/20, Isum Dissanayake 4/04 (7.2 overs, 5 maidens), Dihen Illangasinghe 3/13
SACK – 109/2 (29.3 overs): Sandil Seneviratne 50*, Mohammed Aneeq 27, Hansana Gamagedera 26*
SACK won by 8 wickets
