The annual girls’ cricket encounter between Princess of Wales’ College, Moratuwa, and Yasodhara Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo, ended in a public disagreement between the two principals at De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa, on Saturday, after a finish decided by two runs.
Princess of Wales’ College won the toss, elected to bat and were bowled out for 131. Yasodhara replied with 129 all out, handing the Moratuwa school victory by a two-run margin.
Dispute at the presentation
The disagreement surfaced during the trophy presentation ceremony, when the Principal of Yasodhara College publicly raised concerns about how the match had been conducted. She questioned the procedure followed at the toss and objected to the decision that produced the final Yasodhara dismissal — the wicket that ended the chase three runs short of the target.
Describing the outcome as unfair, she said her school would not take part in the encounter in future, according to the Daily Mirror.
The Principal of Princess of Wales’ College, responding to the remarks, said she regretted that the concerns had been raised publicly. She said the two school administrations had held discussions beforehand with the aim of ensuring the match proceeded smoothly.
The Yasodhara captain declined to accept the runners-up trophy after the ceremony.
A contested name
Reporting on the match carries the fixture under two different names. The Daily Mirror described Saturday’s game as the “Battle of the Queens”, while ThePapare, which streamed the match, bills the Princess of Wales–Yasodhara encounter as the “Battle of the Golden Queens”.
The distinction matters because a separate girls’ big match also carries the “Battle of the Queens” title: the inaugural edition of that fixture, between Prajapathi Gothami Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Ambalangoda, and Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya, was played at the Ambalangoda Urban Council grounds in May.
No other Sri Lankan newsroom had reported the Moratuwa incident at the time of writing.
