Bandara performs first hat-trick of Major Clubs L/O tournament

Veteran left-arm seamer Chaminda Bandara took 4/16 including the first hat-trick of the ongoing SLC Major Clubs Limited Overs tournament to give BRC their first win at Dombagoda yesterday.

37-year-old Bandara, a former Sri Lanka white ball cricketer who played two matches on the tour of England in 2016, performed his feat in the ninth over dismissing Dhanuja Induwara (bowled), Ashen Bandara (lbw) and Rashmika Hirushan (caught) as Police SC chasing a revised target of 140 from 28 overs finished on 134-9 to lose the contest by five runs on the DLS method.

Earlier, BRC put into bat first were all out for 154 in 44.1 overs with Dilshan de Soysa making a top score of 71 off 110 balls (1 four, 1 six) and fast bowler Himesh Ramanayake, son of former Sri Lanka cricketer Champaka Ramanayake picking up his maiden five-fer in one-day cricket with 5/18.

At De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa the match between Nugegoda SWC and Kurunegala YCC ended in a no-result with rain allowing only 21 overs to be bowled during which time Nugegoda SWC invited to bat first made 84-2 with Dilan Jayalath scoring 41*.

Saturday will see the last set of matches of the first leg being played before the tournament ceases temporarily for the Lanka Premier League. It will resume again on 26 July. Saturday’s matches – Police SC v Colts at Dombagoda, Moors SC v BRC at BOI Katunayake, SSC v Ragama CC at SSC, Tamil Union v Chilaw Marians CC at P Sara Oval, NCC v Panadura SC at NCC, Bloomfield v Ace Capital CC at Bloomfield, Nugegoda SWC v Kandy Customs CC at Moratuwa, Kurunegala YCC v CCC at Kurunegala. 

– (ST)