CCC romps home for tea with innings win

Malinda Pushpakumara (left) takes the final Ragama CC wicket to complete an innings win for CCC in their Premier Super Eight match played at Katunayake yesterday. Pushpakumara finished with a match bag of eight wickets

• By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Reigning champs CCC completed a comprehensive innings and 125 runs win over Ragama CC before tea with spinners Malinda Pushpakumara, Wanindu Hasaranga and Ashan Priyanjan doing the damage by claiming eight wickets.

Ragama had a daunting task on the final day to save the match and resuming from their overnight score of four for two put up a much better display of batting in their second innings to total 242 with the main contributions coming from their lower order. Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Pushpakumara with four wickets in each innings ended with a match bag of eight.

Chilaw Marians were thwarted by former soldier Dilshan de Soysa who in his first appearance for BRC hit a match-saving century to enable his team force a draw. Faced with the overwhelming task of chasing down 494 for victory BRC floundered as they lost six wickets for 88 before the late order batsmen held out with Soysa to deny Chilaw Marians an outright win. Soysa who played for Sri Lanka Army last season struck 12 fours and 4 sixes in his 157-ball stay at the wicket for 105 not out.  

Talented all-rounder Kamindu Mendis carried his overnight score of 136 to 150 not out – the second time he had topped the mark in his career before the Marians declared their second innings at 385-8.

Sri Lanka Army trailing NCC by 148 runs on the first innings regained their poise in the second by scoring 255 for 3 wickets to force a draw. They got off to the worst possible start losing two wickets for no runs in the opening over to Dilesh Gunaratne, before a double century stand of 241 between former Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal and opener Thulina Dilshan saw them to a respectable total.

Chandimal who was dismissed for 19 in the first innings batted with composure striking 15 fours in his knock of 129 off 154 balls. Dilshan hit a solid 116 not out off 188 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes.  

Colts had to be satisfied with a first innings points win over Saracens SC. Replying to Colts’ total of 408-6 declared, Saracens were dismissed for 182 and following-on 226 runs in arrears battled through 40 overs in their second innings to score 106-3 and force a draw.

In the Plate competition Negombo CC pulled off an exciting five-wicket victory over Lankan CC in a match of fluctuating fortunes. Negombo’s 37-year-old experienced left-arm spinner Upul Indrasiri ran through the Lankan CC batting in the second innings taking 5 for 34 to leave his team with the task of chasing 144 for victory. 

They got their losing five wickets but not before 17-year-old Josephian left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage caused a few flutters in their camp when he took two wickets off successive balls in the 14th over to cause a mild slump to 68-4. However an unbroken 67-run stand between Madawa Warnapura (33 n.o.), son of Sri Lanka’s first Test captain Bandula Warnapura, and Roscoe Thattil (38 n.o.) saw them home without any further jitters.

An inspired spell of fast bowling by Kavishka Anjula who took a career best 6 for 35 failed to bring Moors SC a win over Badureliya SC. Badureliya chasing 497 runs for victory held out to score 120-9.

In the other game Tamil Union had to be satisfied with first innings points against SSC.

Super Eight results

At CCC: Match drawn (Chilaw Marians take first innings points)

• Chilaw Marians CC 195 and 385-8 decl. (89.2) (o/n 359-6) (Oshada Fernando 30, Kamindu Mendis 150 n.o., Shehan Jayasuriya 35, Kasun Vidura 87, Thikshila de Silva 41,  Bhanuka Rajapaksa 3/60, Duvindu Tillakaratne 2/71)
• BRC 87 and 231-8 (80) (Deshan Dias 28, Shanuka Dulaj 25, Dilshan de Soysa 105 n.o., Hashen Ramanayake 20, Thikshila de Silva 2/23, Pulina Tharanga 2/32, Kamindu Mendis 4/43)

At P Sara Oval: Match drawn (Colts take first innings points)

• Colts 408-6 decl.
• Saracens SC 182 (81.2) (o/n 113-3) (Navindu Vithanage 32, Gamindu Kanishka 45, Milinda Siriwardana 27, Saliya Saman 38, Nisala Tharaka 3/34, Dilshan Madushanka 2/37, Prabath Jayasuriya 2/41) and 106-3 (40) (Sithara Gimhan 27, Navindu Vithanage 34, Gamindu Kanishka 23, Akila Dananjaya 2/19)

At SSC: Match drawn (NCC take first innings points)

• SL Army 269 and 255-3 (60) (Thulina Dilshan 116 n.o., Dinesh Chandimal 129, D Gunaratne 2/13)
• NCC 417-7 decl. (88) (o/n 323-6) (Lahiru Udara 105, Upul Tharanga 121, Angelo Perera 29, Mahela Udawatte 77 n.o., Sahan Arachchige 25, Chamika Karunaratne 30 n.o., Seekkuge Prasanna 3/91)

At Katunayake: CCC beat Ragama CC by an innings and 125 runs.

• CCC 499-7 decl.  
• Ragama CC 132 and 242 (58.3) (o/n 4-2) (Saminda Fernando 23, Roshen Silva 41, Nishan Madushka 29, Janith Liyanage 50 n.o., Ishan Jayaratne 35, Binura Fernando 29, Malinda Pushpakumara 4/55, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/66, Ashan Priyanjan 2/64)

Plate results

At Colts: Match drawn (Moors SC take first innings points)

• Moors SC 340 and 305-6 decl. (69.1) (o/n 74-1) (Pabasara Waduge 36, Mohamed Shamaz 48, Sachitra Serasinghe 60, Nipun Karunanayake 58, Ramesh Mendis 61, Adeesha Thilanchana 28 n.o., Lahiru Samarakoon 2/33)
• Badureliya SC 149 and 120-9 (40) (Salinda Ushan 23, Dushan Hemantha 43, Kavishka Anjula 6/35, Praveen Jayawickrama 3/43)  

At NCC: Match drawn (Tamil Union take first innings points)

• SSC 254 and 271-5 (63) (Sandun Weerakkody 68, Charith Asalanka 94, Dasun Shanaka 30, Sammu Ashan 37, Krishan Sanjula 20 n.o., Maduka Liyanapathiranage 2/51)
• Tamil Union 349 (102.4) (o/n 294-5) (Yohan Mendis 31, Ranmith Jayasena 82, Tharanga Paranavitana 71, Dhananjaya de Silva 53, Dakshitha Fernando 39, Maduka Liyanapathiranage 25, Sachitra Senanayake 3/63, Dhammika Prasad 2/37, Jeffrey Vandersay 4/91)

At Moratuwa: Negombo CC beat Lankan CC by 5 wickets

• Lankan CC 270 and 111 (50.3) (o/n 67-5) (Kasun Abeyratne 20, Chanaka Ruwansiri 30, Risith Upamal 36, Roshen Fernando 3/29, Upul Indrasiri 5/34)   
• Negombo CC 238 and 147-5 (36.5) (Dilshan Munaweera 25, Pasindu Lakshanka 29, Madawa Warnapura 33 n.o., Roscoe Thattil 38 n.o., Dunith Wellage 3/60)