Madushka shows his prowess with bat in white ball cricket

• Scores century for CCC on first day of SLC Major Club L/O tournament

Nishan Madushka, the former Ragama CC cricketer scored the first century on the opening day of the SLC Major Club Limited Over tournament – a brilliant 122* off 63 balls to give his new club CCC a winning start in their match against BRC played at the SSC grounds yesterday.

Madushka who opens in the Tests for his country was at his brilliant best, striking at the rate of 193.65 as he hit 15 scorching boundaries and five sixes to help CCC chase down BRC’s total of 182-9, in 18.4 overs to earn themselves victory by nine wickets with nearly 32 overs to spare. Madushka dominated an opening stand of 105 inside the first power play with Lasith Croospulle whose share was a run-a-ball 23. Pavan Ratnayake (34* off 27 balls) helped Madushka in a further unbroken stand of 78 to see CCC home and dry. Sonal Dinusha kept BRC tied down with his left-arm spin taking 3/31.

Moors SC also came up with a powerful batting performance to defeat Kandy Customs CC by 66 runs (DLS method) at the Bloomfield grounds. Sohan de Livera (79 off 73 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes) and Pasindu Sooriyabandara (66 off 56 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) struck fifties, and Janishka Perera (45 off 51 balls, 6 fours) and Malsha Tharupathi (32* off 17 balls, 4 sixes) helped swell the total to 262-4 in a match reduced to 34 overs a side due to rain. Kandy Customs CC chasing a revised target of 170 off 21.3 overs could manage only 103-6. 

Ace Capital CC also won their rain affected match against Negombo CC at Dombagoda on the DLS method by 22 runs. Off-spinner Thanuka Dabare returned career best one-day figures of 6/28 to bowl out Negombo CC for 115. Ace Capital CC, required to score 83 off 33.3 overs, replied with 105-6.

Another game which ended similarly was at Moratuwa where Police SC beat Nugegoda SWC by 75 runs. Police SC totaled 250-8 riding on an opening stand of 99 between Dhanuja Induwara (40) and Heshan Danushka (53). Nugegoda SWC chasing a revised target of 233 in 42 overs were dismissed for 157 with left-arm spinner Dilum Sudeera taking three wickets.

In a low scoring match at Galle, Ragama CC (142-5) defeated Chilaw Marians CC (141) by five wickets with Santhush Gunathilake, the former Peterite cricketer producing his best one-day performance with the ball taking 4/20.

Badureliya CC pulled off a stunning 137-run win over Kurunegala YCC at Maggona. Deep in trouble at 18-5, Badureliya CC recovered to reach 178-8 off their 50 overs largely through a seventh wicket partnership of 102 between Sadeep Kavishka (70 off 101 balls, 6 fours) and Sasanka Nirmal (42 off 108 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes) after seamers Vikum Sanjaya and Kasun Ekanayake had run through their top order sharing six wickets. Kurunegala YCC were shot out for 41 in 18.2 overs with spinners ruling the roost led by off-spinner Alankara Asanka (4/14).

Only 11.2 overs were possible at Panadura where Bloomfield (83-2) and Panadura SC ended in a no-result. In the only match today NCC hosts Tamil Union at Maitland Place. – (ST)