National Players and International Commentators Feature in One-of-a-Kind Tournament
Colombo, Friday 11th February 2022: It was a star-studded event when KRC The Glorious Church came together for its long-awaited annual Mona Fernando Cricket Memorial Trophy 2022. The tournament got underway at the De Soyza Cricket Stadium (formerly Tyrone Fernando Stadium) on the fourth of February. Seven teams representing the various branches of the ministry took part in a unique 6-over format of the game.
The Mona Fernando Memorial Trophy is dedicated to the memory of Mona Fernando, the paternal grandmother of Prophet Jerome Fernando, the senior overseer of the ministry. She was an ardent cricket fan herself and was instrumental in instilling a love for the game in her children and grandchildren. Incidentally she was also a huge support system for Prophet Jerome during his years as a cricketer at St.Peter’s College and later as a national pool player for the U19 Sri Lanka squad.
Chief Guest at the event was another one of Ms.Fernando’s grandsons Rehan Jayatilleke, Founder, Youth SME Business Trust Guarantee Limited and Managing Director at IML Lanka Pvt Ltd. The Platinum Sponsor of the Tournament was Asriel Holdings and Chariot (Pvt) Ltd. Shiran Peiris, the Chairman of Asriel and Chariot was the Guest of Honour.
The seven teams played each other in several round robin games before the top two were selected for a nail-biting final between the Raffer Nackles (Raffles branch) and the White House Tigers (Mount English branch). Both teams were packed with well-known celebrities and national cricketers including Ashene Kapukotuwa (Lead Vocalist – Infiniti), veteran DJ Bonny Perera, Heshan Joseph (2Forty2) representing the Raffles branch and national players Bhanuka Rajapakse and Lahiru Gamage playing for the Tigers.
The game went on to the wire, but the Tigers prevailed in the end thanks to a collaborative team effort. The Best Batsman of the Tournament was Kevin Corteling from Raffer Nackels while Danushka Colombage from White House Tigers was adjudged the Best Bowler. Lahiru Gamage walked away with the coveted Man of the Tournament Award.
Another highlight of the event was the commentary that was handled by renowned international commentators Roshan Abeysinghe, Eric Gouder and Brian Thomas, while pitch reports were done by former national cap Ian Daniels. For the first-time in Sri Lanka the entire tournament was also live streamed on 14 different online platforms simultaneously which was viewed by thousands of congregants and cricket fans around the world.