Army SC, CCC keep stranglehold on Group B leadership

Army SC and CCC kept a stranglehold on the leadership of Group B of the SLC Major Limited Over Inter-Club Tournament when they increased the gap between them and the rest of the clubs in the group to seven points with convincing wins on Tuesday.

Leg-spinner Suminda Lakshan’s career best 5 for 29 saw Army SC beat Galle CC by 93 runs and gain an extra bonus point to lead Group B with 27 points. CCC strengthened by the return of Sri Lanka’s leading white ball spinner Wanindu Hasaranga snuffed out the challenge posed by third placed Chilaw Marians CC to win by 29 runs. 

Hasaranga took three for 34 to dismiss Chilaw Marians CC for 215 chasing CCC’s total of 244-9 scored by courtesy of fifties from skipper Ashan Priyanjan, Lasith Abeyratne and Chamindu Wijesinghe. Their failure to pick up an extra point saw them trail Army SC by two points.

In similar manner Moors SC and Ace Capital CC consolidated their positions as one-two in Group A with facile wins. Both teams are equal on 24 points from 10 matches. Tamil Union who didn’t have a game yesterday are third on 21 points followed by SSC fourth on 20.

Left-arm spinner Chanuka Dilshan’s career best figures of 5 for 20 saw Moors SC dismiss Police SC for 119 and win by 102 runs. An opening stand of 129 by Thanuka Dabare (80 off 41 balls, 5 sixes, 9 fours) and Lasith Croospulle (44 off 29 balls, 3 sixes, 4 fours) enabled Ace Capital CC chase down 195 and beat Sebastianites by seven wickets. SSC used eight bowlers to restrict Bloomfield to 194-9 off 47 overs and win under the Duckworth/Lewis method by 25 runs.

Sri Lanka spinner Akila Dananjaya’s five wickets for 27 runs proved too much for Saracens SC as they were bowled out for 147 to give Colts a win by 29 runs. NCC continued to stumble even against weaker teams when they were shot out for 118 by Kalutara TC to lose by 60 runs. 

Kalutara TC’s 22-year-old left-arm spinner Inshaka Siriwardena was the chief destroyer of the NCC batting finishing with six wickets for 19 for his best figures in one-day cricket. The win was Kalutara TC’s first of the tournament in nine matches which left Saracens SC as the only club without a single win.

Sahan Kosala struck a career best 132* off 106 balls (16 fours, 2 sixes) and put together a sixth wicket stand of 157 with Malinga Maligaspe (51) to lift Navy SC from a despairing 49-5 to 270-7, but Negombo CC proved equal to the task as they chased down the total courtesy of an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 155 between Dimuth Sandaruwan (88* off 89 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes) and Umesh Lakshan (78* off 83 balls, 6 fours) to win by five wickets with two overs to spare.

Left-arm spinner Gayan Sirisoma took five wickets and Sahil Dias struck an unbeaten 64 for Air Force SC to beat BRC by four wickets. Panadura SC captain Nimesh Vimukthi produced an allround performance (4/32 and 74*) in Panadura SC’s five-wicket win over Kandy Customs CC. In the other matches concluded Kurunegala YCC beat Nugegoda SWC by 12 runs. (ST)