Group leaders CCC, NCC, SSC continue winning form

Fast bowler Lahiru Gamage of CCC, the destroyer of the Badureliya CC batting with 4 wickets for 13 runs

Sasith Manuranga and Vishva Wijeratne during their second wicket partnership of 92 for Kandy Customs CC against Nugegoda S&WC

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Chaturanga de Silva took two wickets and scored 46 to help NCC beat Colts

Lasith Abeyratne has been CCC’s prolific run-getter scoring back to back half-centuries

Group leaders CCC (Group A), NCC (Group B) and SSC (Group C) all won their matches yesterday in the ongoing SLC Major Twenty20 inter-club tournament.

CCC and NCC extended their unbeaten runs by recording their fifth successive win in as many matches. On a rain-free day, all eight matches down for decision produced a winning result.

Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Chaturanga de Silva came up with an all-round performance to enable NCC beat Colts by a comfortable margin of eight wickets with 44 balls to spare. de Silva, elder brother of Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, took two wickets for 19 runs and promoted to open the batting scored 46 off 30 balls in a second wicket stand of 69 with Chamika Karunaratne who finished unbeaten on 41 off 33 balls to see NCC home easily.

Former Sri Lanka under-19 World Cup captain Nipun Dananjaya scored his maiden T20 half-century to guide SSC to an easy seven wickets win against Chilaw Marians CC. The left-handed opener struck five sixes and two fours scoring an unbeaten 80 off 56 balls as SSC chased down the Marians total of 124 in 18 overs.

Ex-Sri Lanka fast bowler Lahiru Gamage produced a deadly spell of right-arm seam bowling to capture four wickets for 13 runs – his best in T20 cricket as CCC defended their moderate total of 142-6 by bowling out Badureliya CC for 116 and register a 26-run win. Gamage was assisted by Sri Lanka one-day all-rounder Lahiru Madushanka who took 2 for 15 to go with his knock of 31. Lasith Abeyratne top scored for CCC with his second consecutive fifty – a run-a-ball 52. 

Damitha Silva, the Lankan CC under-23 captain came up with a creditable all-round performance (2/17 and 41 not out) to give his team a seven-wicket win over Ace Capital CC in a low scoring match played at the CCC grounds.

Asel Sigera (44 n.o. off 34 balls) and Dulash Udayanga (37 n.o. off 22 balls) shared an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 68 to steer Police SC to a seven-wicket win over Kalutara TC with 40 balls to spare.

Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Asela Gunaratne hit a timely half-century (57 off 42 balls) to help Army SC recover from 18-3 to post a total of 143-6 and beat Ragama CC by 31 runs. The win pushed Army SC to the top of Group D displacing Saracens SC who have a game in hand. 

Sasith Manuranga (50 off 44 balls) and Vishva Wijeratne (52 off 46 balls) scored their maiden T20 fifties and figured in a second wicket partnership of 92 to enable Kandy Customs CC beat Nugegoda S&WC by 43 runs. The Nugegoda batting folded up for 116 chasing 160 to the spin trio Sachithra Perera, Hasitha Nirmal and Sehan Weerasinghe who took seven wickets between them. In the other game Panadura SC beat Navy SC by 28 runs. 

RESULTS

#AT SSC

Kandy Customs CC beat Nugegoda S&WC by 43 runs.

Kandy Customs CC 159-5 (20) (Sasith Manuranga 50, Vishva Wijeratne 52, Rishi Bhardwaj 36, Vinodh Perera 3/24) 

Nugegoda S&WC 116 (19.4) (Umesh Karunaratne 22, Sachithra Perera 3/12, Hasitha Nirmal 2/20, Sehan Weerasinghe 2/12)

+CCC beat Badureliya CC by 26 runs.

CCC 142-6 (20) (Lasith Abeyratne 52, Minod Bhanuka 24, Lahiru Madushanka 31, Buddika Sanjeewa 3/24, Chamikara Edirisinghe 2/27)

Badureliya CC 116 (19.1) (Yashodha Lanka 41, Buddika Sanjeewa 25 n.o., Lahiru Gamage 4/13, Lahiru Madushanka 2/15, Nuwan Thushara 2/22)

#AT CCC

Lankan CC beat Ace Capital CC by 7 wickets.

Ace Capital CC (SLPACC) 95-9 (20) (Irosh Samarasooriya 39, Damitha Silva 2/17, Geeth Kumara 4/13)

Lankan CC 98-3 (19.1) (Sawan Kankanamge 32, Damitha Silva 41 n.o., Ishan Abeysekera 2/23)

+NCC beat Colts by 8 wickets.

Colts 103 (19.1) (Santhush Gunathilake 22, Ashian Daniel 3/12, Chamika Gunasekera 2/25, Chaturanga de Silva 2/19)

NCC 105-2 (12.4) (Chaturanga de Silva 46, Chamika Karunaratne 41 n.o.)

#AT COLTS

+Police SC beat Kalutara TC by 7 wickets.

Kalutara TC 108-8 (20) (Gihan Rupasinghe 33, Sujan Mayura 3/19, Kanagarathinam Kabilraj 2/23)

Police SC 113-3 (13.2) (Asel Sigera 44 n.o., Dulash Udayanga 37 n.o., Nilanka Sandakan 2/35)

+SSC beat Chilaw Marians CC by 7 wickets.

Chilaw Marians CC 124-5 (20) (Kasun Vidura 50, Pulina Tharanga 40, Himesh Ramanayake 2/25, Kalana Perera 2/21)

SSC 127-3 (17.4) (Nipun Dananjaya 80 n.o., Nuwanidu Fernando 31) 

#AT P SARA OVAL

Army SC beat Ragama CC by 31 runs.

Army SC 143-6 (20) (Asela Gunaratne 57, Asantha Basnayake 26 n.o., Ishan Jayaratne 3/26)

Ragama CC 112-8 (20) (Nishan Madushka 24, Ishan Jayaratne 23, Janith Silva 2/12, Sashika Dilshan 2/15) 

+Panadura SC beat Navy SC by 28 runs.

Panadura SC 143-5 (20) (Hashan Chamara 34, Hans Fernando 25, Kavindu Ashan 33, Koshan Danushka 27 n.o., Chanaka Ruwansiri 2/8)

Navy SC 115 (18.3) (W Mayantha 26, Tharushan Iddamalgoda 24, Shalith Fernando 29, Chathura Peiris 2/37, Nimesh Vimukthi 3/14, Yomesh Ranasinghe 3/22)