MCA to adopt ‘wait and see’ stance on tournament resumption

Thursday, 9 July 2020 01:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Mercantile Cricket Association headquarters at Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA), which conducts seven major tournaments involving the country’s leading cricketers from mercantile firms, is to adopt a ‘wait and see’ stance before resuming their tournaments following the COVID-19 shutdown of sports events from March this year.

“Sri Lanka Cricket is starting their tournaments on 14 July, we want to wait and see how it progresses and what are the reforms and what are the repercussions in conducting the tournament. We will take a call after that,” said MCA’s Vice President Nalin Wickramasinghe. “We will be closely monitoring how the SLC conducts their tournament.”

The MCA’s General Manager Wilmot Jayasinghe said, “Due to COVID-19 we have special rules and regulations laid down. We went to two seminars held by SLC and the Sports Ministry and according to their rules and regulations, we have to play the matches but at the moment we are not doing so, because first of all we have to prepare the venues and get the assurance certificates from the Health Department as well as the Sports Ministry.”

“At the moment we can’t think when we can resume the tournaments, but anyhow we are planning to start by the first week of August,” he said.

Out of the seven major tournaments the MCA conducts for the year, they have completed four – Divisions A, B, C and D.

“The E division we have completed 50 percent of the matches and we have to complete the remaining 50 percent along with the F and G divisions,” said Jayasinghe.

A total of 24 teams are participating in the E division, 30 in the F division and around 40 are expected to take part in the G division.

“We also have the Open Sixes played on turf and matting where Sri Lanka players also participate. We are conducting the tournament for four days and at four venues NCC, MCA, DSS and Thurstan,” said Jayasinghe.

“The other tournament is the Over 40 Sixes which is the senior citizens Masters tournament which we hope to start by the second week of August. That will complete our calendar for the year,” he said.