Colts, SSC, Badureliya CC and Lankan CC qualify for semi-finals

Ragama CC’s spinner Sanjula Bandara who took three wickets in their exciting one-wicket win over Negombo CC at Bloomfield grounds yesterday

Sanoj Dharshika scored his first hundred to set up Chilaw Marians CC’s 46-run win over Air Force at Katunayake yesterday

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

At the completion of the first round group stage of the SLC Major Club Youth (Under-23) cricket tournament yesterday, defending champions Colts, SSC, Badureliya CC and Lankan CC qualified to play in the semi-finals by topping their respective groups.

Badureliya CC topped Group A, Lankan CC – Group B, Colts – Group C and SSC – Group D.

The semi-final line up for 7 October is: SSC v Badureliya CC at NCC and Colts v Lankan CC at CCC. The winners of the two matches will meet in the final on 11 October at SSC.   

Reigning champions Colts qualified for the semi-finals in emphatic fashion by bowling out NCC for the lowest total – 37 and winning the contest by ten wickets to finish unbeaten on top of Group C with 24 points.

NCC who chose to bat first after winning the toss at Havelock Park, were in trouble as early as the sixth over when they lost half their side with just four runs on the board to new ball bowlers Nipun Ransika and Nipun Malinga. 

The rout was completed by another right-arm fast bowler former Richmond College captain Dhananjaya Lakshan who finished the innings off with figures of 4 for 9 in 2.5 overs. No NCC batsmen reached double figures while there were five ducks. Extras was the top scorer with 10. The innings lasted 15.5 overs. Colts knocked the required runs off in 6.2 overs to earn themselves a bonus point as well.     

Sri Lanka Under 19 World Cup skipper Nipun Dananjaya, the leading run-getter in the ongoing tournament (with 376 runs from 6 matches) scored his first hundred to guide SSC to a comfortable 67-run win over Bloomfield and end the first round unbeaten with six wins in as many matches. Dananjaya made 100 off 119 balls (7 fours) and was one of slow left-arm spinner Dileepa Jayalath’s five victims.   

Skipper Dunith Jayatunga (56) and spinner Rasanjana Silva (4/38) were the match winners for Badureliya CC in their five-wicket win against Police SC, that saw them, displace Army SC from the top of Group A and qualify for a place in the semi-finals.

Army SC botched their chances of entering the last four when they lost their final group match by four wickets to BRC at their home ground in Panagoda. Army had won their first four matches and looked the likely candidate to top Group A, but successive losses to Badureliya CC and BRC in their final two group matches cost them dearly.  Army who won the toss and batted first were dismissed for a disappointing 147 their batting crumbling to the leg-spin of Kevin Koththigoda (3/44) and off-breaks of Hirantha Jayasinghe (4/23). BRC went through some anxious moments losing their first four wickets for 40 before wicket-keeper/batsman Yesith Rupasinghe came to their rescue bludgeoning his way to 52 off 37 balls (4 sixes, 3 fours) to see them home with 12.2 overs to spare in a match reduced to 40 overs-a-side.   

Vishva Chaturanga playing against his former club Panadura SC smacked a brilliant 75 off 51 balls (3 sixes, 10 fours) to help Lankan CC win by eight wickets and book a semi-final place by topping Group B.

Sanoj Dharshika, the extremely talented cricketer from Prince of Wales and Bloomfield has not made a first-class hundred in 11 matches (highest score: 99) but yesterday scored a stroke-filled 100 not out off 99 balls (3 sixes, 6 fours) to set up Chilaw Marians CC’s 46-run run win over Air Force SC.   

Ragama CC nearly paid the penalty for bowling as many as 30 wides when they had to eventually scrape through to a one-wicket win over Negombo CC with a ball to spare. Thanks to the generosity of the Ragama bowlers who sent down 30 wides out of an extras total of 40, Negombo managed to score 236. 

Ragama who were at one stage cruising at 180-2 suffered a middle order collapse and when their ninth wicket fell at 220 at the end of the 49th over, they required 17 off the final over. But Hasitha Rajapaksa smacked the first three balls for six, four and six to put the result beyond doubt.

Results

At Panagoda: BRC beat Army SC by four wickets

• Army SC 147 (38.1) (Samitha Dilshan 22, Shehan Fernando 39, Pathum Kumara 34, Kevin Koththigoda 3/44, Savindu Uthsara 2/13, Hirantha Jayasinghe 4/23)
• nBRC 150-6 (27.4) (Moditha Ranatunga 33, Yesith Rupasinghe 52, Mahesh Theekshana 2/41, Shehada Zoysa 2/19)

At Maggona: Badureliya CC beat Police SC by five wickets

• Police SC 157-9 (31) (Lakshina Rodrigo 28, Resandu Thilakaratna 30, Nirmala Ratnayake 2/15, Rasanjana Silva 4/38)
• Badureliya CC 161-5 (29) (Dunith Jayathunga 56, Ranesh Silva 40 n.o., Avindu Theekshana 21 n.o., Nimesh Mendis 2/38)

At De Soysa Stadium: Sebastianites beat Nugegoda S&WC by 18 runs

• Sebastianites 211 (49.3) (Malindu Uthpala 57, Rayan Fernando 27, Lahiru Fernando 44, Nipun Lakshan 3/34, Muditha Lakshan 3/37)
• Nugegoda S&WC 183 (46.2) (Amitha Dabare 47, Abishek Liyanarachchi 21, Muditha Lakshan 25, Nipun Lakshan 53, Kavinda Ishwara 20, Praveen Cooray 3/35, Hansa de Silva 2/33, Kalana Sandeep 2/46, Tharusha Fernando 2/38)

At Katunayake (MCG): Chilaw Marians CC beat Air Force SC by 46 runs

• Chilaw Marians CC 261-7 (50) (Kavindu Irosh 32, Kamindu Mendis 49, Sanoj Darshika 100 n.o., Kasun Ekanayake 3/58)
• Air Force SC 215 (49.1) (Shabik Ifthary 62, Suhanga Wijewardana 58, Raveen Yasas 2/18, Ramesh de Silva 3/22)

Bloomfield: Ragama CC beat Negombo CC by one wicket

• Negombo CC 236 (49.3) (Savindu Perera 22, Dimuth Sandaruwan 56, Kavindu Nirmana 46 n.o., Nishan Peiris 22, Extras 40, Nipun Kanchana 2/43, Sanjula Bandara 3/33, Shashika Dulshan 3/47)
• Ragama CC 237-9 in (49.5) (Nishan Madushka 21, Manisha Rupasinghe 65, Nushal Dharmaratna 61, Janishka Perera 36, Hasitha Rajapakse 22 n.o., Kavindu Nirmana 2/52, Sithum Akilanka 5/35)  

Panadara: Lankan CC beat Panadura SC by eight wickets

• Panadura SC 127 (38.4) (Pasindu Pathum 20, Yasiru Rodrigo 3/16, Dunith Wellalage 3/35, Damith Silva 2/21)
• Lankan CC 128-2 (14.3) (Vishwa Chaturanga 75, Sawan Kankanange 33 n.o.)

At Colts: Colts beat NCC by 10 wickets

• NCC 37 (15.5) (Extras 10, Nipun Ransika 3/9, Nipun Malinga 2/11, Dhananjaya Lakshan 4/9)
• Colts 38 for no loss (6.2) (Avishka Fernando 20 n.o., Dhananjaya Lakshan 15 n.o.)

At Mattegoda: Moors SC beat Kalutara TC by 12 runs

• Moors SC 179 (38) (Pasindu Sooriyabandara 28, Kavishka Anjula 60, Nikhil Adithya 24, Lashan Silva 3/41, Lasindu Aroshana 3/33, Nishan Perera 2/21)
• Kalutara TC 167-9 (38) (Lashan Silva 22, Lahiru Thambawita 39, Lasindu Aroshana 29, Kavishka Anjula 2/33, Nadeesha Wickramanayaka 3/34, Ayana Siriwardana 3/29)

At SSC: SSC beat Bloomfield by 67 runs

• SSC 257-9 (50) (Nipun Dhananjaya 100, Krishan Sanjula 27, Chamindu Wickramasinghe 53, Vinuja Ranpul 3/61, Dileepa Jayalath 5/44)
• Bloomfield 190-7 (50) (Nipun Haggala 36, Vinuja Ranpul 75 n.o., Chanul Athukorala 20, Lakshitha Manasinghe 2/46, Kavindu Nadeeshan 2/31)

At CCC: CCC beat Galle CC by seven wickets

• Galle CC 181 (48) (Vinura Dulsara 70, Kavindu Ediriweera 32, Pawantha Weerasinghe 3/26, Suwath Mendis 2/28)
• CCC 185-3 (24.5) (Malindu Maduranga 50, Sonal Dinusha 61 n.o., Kavindu Ranasinghe 48 n.o., Kushan Madusha 3/51)

At Welagedera Stadium: Kurunegala YCC beat Kandy Customs CC by eight wickets

• Kandy Customs CC 109 (43.5) (Rashmika Madushanka 37, Methushan Thilina 21, Ruvin Peiris 2/16, Divyesh Praveen 2/11, Saumya Prabash 2/22, Nipun Bandara 3/18)
• Kurunegala YCC 111-2 (25.4) (Keshan Wanniarachchi 58 n.o., Asitha Wanninayake 40 n.o.)

Saturday’s result

At Bloomfield: Match abandoned without a ball bowled (wet outfield)

• Saracens SC v Sri Lanka Ports Authority SC