Defending Champions Ananda College won the fourth Murali Harmony Cup at the IODR Oval in Oddusuddan on Sunday.
Richmond College, also the runners-up in 2014, were left ruing a spectacular late collapse having appeared to be on course for victory mid-way through their run chase.
Ananda College eventually won by 24 runs.
Ananda College, unbeaten in the competition thus far, struggled with the bat after winning the toss and posted only a modest 138 run target.
They started positively with a 31-run opening stand but then lost three quick wickets, slumping to 32 for 3 and then 50 for 4.
Throughout the tournament their middle order, led by the outstanding Kaveeshka Anjula (28), have rescued Ananda College but this time there could not fully repair the top order damage.
Richmond College also started unconvincingly, slipping to 32 for 3, before Kalindu Siriwardana steadied the innings with 36 from 35 balls.
With Richmond College on 84 for 3 the game looked lost for Ananda College but then Anjula’s dismissal of Siriwardana sparked a collapse.
Seven wickets tumbled for just 29 runs and Ananda College were left jubilant for the second consecutive year.
Dinuka Jayaratne was outstanding with the ball for Ananda College, taking 3 for 10 from his four overs to follow a useful 26 off 22 balls earlier in the afternoon.
In the women’s competition, Nittabuwa Ladies clinched a 5-wicket victory over Combined Girls Schools, which included talented U19 players from different clubs.
Combined Girls Schools struggled after winning the toss, slipping to 27 for 2 before a 44-run stand between Harshita Madavi (25) and Parami Mahinsala (29).
Once their third-wicket stand was broken though they collapsed and were eventually restricted to 109 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Nittabuwa Ladies always looked comfortable with Shanika Tharushi top-scoring with 25 and they reached the target in the final over of the innings.
The Murali Cup is a reconciliation cricket tournament that promotes unity, goodwill, teamwork, the spirit of fair play and service to disadvantaged rural communities in post-war Sri Lanka.
The tournament has been jointly organised by former Sri Lanka cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran’s charity the Foundation of Goodness, travel company Red Dot Tours and the Sri Lanka Army.
The 5-day event featuring U19 schoolboys and U23 women cricketers is being played at five grounds across Northern Sri Lanka in the towns of Jaffna, Oddusuddan, Mankulam and Kilinochchi.