The 129-year cricketing competition between St. Benedict’s College, Colombo and Wesley College, Colombo will come to life with the Luke Shield limited-over game on Saturday (29) at the SSC while the traditional two-day encounter for the Cartman Cup will be battled out on 31 March and 1 April at the P. Sara Oval.
The first recorded match was held on 11 and 12 March 1896 at the Racquet Court Grounds, the present-day area in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station. Wesley won the match by 64 runs.
The Benedictines will be headed by Sharujan Shanmuganathan for the second year in a row – he is also the Sri Lanka Under 19 Vice Captain – whilst Anuga Pahansara Kodagoda leads the Wesleyites. St. Benedict’s are the holders of the Cartman Cup and the Luke Shield after their emphatic double feat last year. They have also earned the Luke Shield three times in a row.
Previous year, the Wesleyites led by Sanithu Amarasinghe made a shocking yet sporty declaration in the Cartman Cup, reeling at 122/8 (first innings), and paved the path to force a result. Prior to 2024, an outright win was last seen in the third term of 2017 when Wesley clinched victory under Thisuraka Akmeemana.
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