MAS Silueta wins MCA ‘B’ Division 50-over league tournament

A  fireball 41 runs off 20 balls, inclusive of six towering sixes by Nimantha Subasinghe, which completely changed  the tide of the game, gave MAS Silueta a comfortable  five-wicket win over Powertech Cement in the first Fair and Lovely Men’s MCA ‘B’ Division 50-over league tournament 2018 final, which concluded at the MCA grounds on Saturday.

MAS Silueta, chasing a victory target of 248 runs in 50 overs, was given an excellent start by their openers Ishan Nilaksha (46 in 72 balls) and Shehan Fernando (65 in 54 balls, with 5 sixes and 5 fours), putting on 95 runs off 93 balls.

The game was in the balance until the end of the 37th over – 163 for 4; Silueta needing 83 runs in 13 overs (RPO 6.4).

Then it began raining sixes, 11 of them through Angelo Emmanuel (1), Nimantha Subasinghe (6) and Sangeeth Cooray (4) as Silueta took to the fast lane. 

Emmanuel (25 not out off 44 balls) was solid at No. 4, as he got stuck in till the end, engaged in three solid partnerships: 38 runs for the fourth wicket in 33 balls with Denuwan Rajakaruna (20), 56 runs for the fifth wicket in 39 balls with Nimantha Subasinghe and finally an unbroken 30 runs in 12 balls with Sangeeth Cooray (30 not out in 14 balls) as Silueta raced to victory with nearly 10 overs to spare (249/5 in 40.3). 

Earlier on, Powertech Cement, sent into bat, put up a challenging 247 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs, riding on two productive stands with skipper Lahiru Jayakody involved in both of them – 100 runs in 168 balls for the second wicket with young Dineth Thimodya (51) and 55 runs in 30 balls with Dasun Seneviratne (44). 

The Silueta bowlers who kept the batsmen in check were Buddhika Sanjeewa (2/40), Nimantha Subasinghe (2/33) and Dushan Hemantha  (2/34).

The MCA-appointed match referee Col. Thusitha Karunaratne named Nimantha Subasinghe from MAS Silueta the Man of the Match. 

The other three special awards, based on performances up to the semifinals, went to Tharindu Ratnayake from John Keells ‘B’ (Best Bowler 18 wickets for 230 runs) and Rajakaruna from MAS Silueta (Best Batsman and Man of the Series - 336 runs, 12 catches and four stumpings).

Awards were given away by Unilever Face Care Senior Brand Manager Daminda Perera, Unilever Skin and Hair Care Senior Marketing Manager Nilushi Jayatillake and MCA officials, President Roshan Iddamalgoda, his predecessor Niran Mahawatte and T/C Chairman Sujeewa de Silva. 

Chief scores 

Powertech Cement - 247/9 (50)(Dineth Thimodya 51, Lahiru Jayakody 56, Manilka de Silva 17, Dasun Seneviratne 42,  Buddhika  Sanjeewa 2/40, Nimantha Subasinghe 2/33, Dushan Hemantha 2/34)

MAS Silueta  -  249/5  (40.3) (Ishan Nilaksha 46, Shehan  Fernando 65, Irosh Sumanasooriya 15, Angelo Emmanuel 25 not out, Denuwan Rajakaruna 20, Nimantha Subasinghe 41 and Sangeeth Cooray 30 not out,  Thilan Nimesh 2/25, Malinga de Silva 2/40)

MCA Premier League knockout semifinals tomorrow

The fickle weather continued to hold the whip hand, as two more games of the 25th Singer-MCA Premier League knockout segment games got washed out without a ball being bowled on Sunday.

The two matches were LB Finance against HNB at the MCA and Teejay Lanka and Kanrich Finance at Colts. 

So far out of the six matches played five have suffered the same fate.

LB Finance (league No. 4) and Teejay Lanka (league No. 6) walked through to the semifinals by virtue of them having held the higher position on the league table.

The five unfortunate teams to get eliminated were the Hayleys Group, DIMO, Sampath Bank, HNB and Kanrich Finance. 

The weather was most cruel for Kanrich Finance, who finished last in the league without a single win but created a huge upset by eliminating the No. 3 team John Keells on 19 October in Moratuwa.

The semifinals will take place on Wednesday, 25 October – MAS Intimates Unichela (league winners) against LB Finance at MCA and Commercial Credit and Finance (league No. 2) against Teejay Lanka at the NCC. 26 October has been kept as a reserve day. 

The final will be played on Sunday, 29 October at the MCA.

The Premier League will conclude with a T20 competition with the same 10 teams on 1, 2, 3 and 5 November.