Intermittent rains continue to frustrate semi-final aspirants  

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Mithun Jayawickrama’s captain’s knock of 93 gave Kandy Customs CC their first win

Tamil Union spinner Ravindu Fernando took four wickets to rout Ragama CC for 92

Ace Capital CC seamer Ravindu Ratnayake took his maiden five-wicket haul

Intermittent weather conditions continue to frustrate the aspirations of several clubs striving to qualify for a semi-final place in the ongoing SLC Major Clubs Limited Overs cricket tournament.

Saturday produced one of the worst days with six of the eight matches down for decision ending in a no-result due to rain having the upper hand. Of the 80 matches played in the tournament to-date, 26 have ended in a no-result because of bad weather conditions – 7 of these games have been abandoned without a ball bowled. Further, 12 of the matches that produced a result were under the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern (DLS) method which meant a curtailed number of overs.

With only four days of matches left in the qualifying league round and the weather not at its best behaviour it would pose a big challenge for the teams to finish within the top two positions of each of the two groups to make it to the semi-finals.

In the two matches played yesterday, defending champions Tamil Union and Kandy Customs CC recorded victories. Tamil Union struggling to qualify for a place in the last four secured only their second win beating Ragama CC by five wickets at the P Sara Oval. Ragama CC without their key player Janith Liyanage, the leading run-getter of the tournament with 383 runs (avg. 63.83) and who has been picked in the national squad preparing for the white ball series against Zimbabwe, were shot out for 92. Their batting was dismantled by the seam and spin of Shiran Fernando (3/19), Dilum Sudeera (2/10) and Ravindu Fernando (4/37). Wesleyite fast bowler Chamath Gomez rattled the Tamil Union batting capturing 4/9 before they reached their target courtesy a brisk 39* off 33 balls from Ron Chandraguptha.

Kandy Customs CC registered their first win of the tournament beating Ace Capital CC by 49 runs at Panadura. Batting first Kandy Customs CC were all out for 175 largely through a captain’s knock of 93 off 64 balls (6 fours, 7 sixes) from Mithun Jayawickrama that saw them recover from 68-6. The seam of Ravindu Ratnayake (a maiden five-fer 5/41) and the off-spin of Roshan Jayatissa (4/30) led to Kandy Customs CC’s top order collapse. Ace Capital CC’s batting was undone for 126 by the left-arm spin of Hasitha Nirmal who returned career best figures of 4/19. Pawantha Weerasinghe stood tall among the ruins for Ace Capital CC with an attractive 56 off 47 balls (9 fours, 1 six).