Fulwood and Broughton have signed talented Galle spinner Hareen Buddila for their 2023 Northern Premier League campaign.

Buddila is a promising left-arm spinner playing for Galle Cricket Club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.

He returned to Galle for the 2022/23 season following stints with Colts (2021/22), Negombo (2019/20), Saracens (2018/19), and his original season with Galle (2017/18).

A former Sri Lankan Under-19 star, the left-arm tweaker represented his Country on 14 occasions, including the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand (January 2018).

He was a stand-out performer for Sri Lanka, having gained selection courtesy of his exploits for Mahinda College (380 runs and 96 wickets during the U19 schoolboy tournament in 2017). He was the All Island U19 schoolboy “Bowler of the Year” for three successive years (2016-18).

Whilst he took 3, and 4 wicket hauls for Sri Lankan Under-19s, arguably his best performance came in the U19 Tri-Series final against South Africa at Boland Park (January 2017). Alongside his 2 catches, he took figures of 2-5 from 7 overs, including the notable wickets of Mitchell van Buuren, and Raynard van Tonder.

Roll on a year, and he made his first-class debut for Galle. This proved to be his only outside for the club before his move to Saracens the following year. He impressed on debut, taking 5-39 (20) against Negombo, who would end up recruiting him for the 2019/20 season. Throughout the summer, he would pick up 14 wickets at 25.85, including a second 5-wicket haul. Unfortunately, a lean season for Negombo followed, before COVID struck and his move to Colts in 2021 in the absence of first-class cricket.

This summer (2022/23) he returned to Galle where he has impressed. In the SLC Major Clubs T20 Tournament (May-June ’22), he was a stand-out bagging 9 wickets at 10.55. He would then take a further 11 wickets at 29.63 in the Limited Overs Tournament (June-July ’22). In his opening 5 first-class matches this summer, he took 10 wickets at 38.60, to reinforce his reputation as one of Galle’s “go-to” spinners.

An incredibly talented tweaker, Buddila can also lay claim to his all-rounder status, with runs aplenty at schoolboy level, including a highest score of 78* for his College, and a first-class best of 29.

The left-armer is now set to showcase his undoubted skills abroad having signed with Fulwood and Broughton Cricket Club for their 2023 Northern Premier Cricket League campaign.