Negombo CC, Tamil Union and Colts qualify for semi-finals

Sebastianites’ ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Ratnayake took a match bag of 10 wickets against Lankan CC

Ayana Siriwardhana’s match bag of nine wickets gave Moors SC a win over SSC

Negombo CC (from Group B), Tamil Union (Group C) and Colts (Group D) have qualified for the semi-finals of the Major Club Emerging three-day tournament at the completion of matches yesterday. These three clubs head their respective groups.

Moor SC kept their chances alive of topping Group A and qualifying for a place in the semi-finals by winning their final match against SSC and gaining full points. However, they are hotly pursued by Sebastianites who beat Lankan CC by 53 runs to cut down the deficit of points separating the two teams to 12.85. Sebastianites play their final group match against bottom of the table Navy SC at Welisara next weekend and need to win outright to displace Moors SC from the top and book a semi-final berth.   

Spinners Ayana Siriwardhana (match bag of 9/114) and Theesan Vithushan (6/58) took 15 wickets between them to rout SSC for 89 in their second innings and give Moors SC a thumping win by 286 runs. 

Chasing a daunting target of 376, SSC were hopelessly placed at 30-6 starting the final day yesterday and it was only a matter of time before they were dismissed losing the remaining four wickets for the addition of 59 runs largely due to Kalana Perera’s big hitting – 31 off 20 balls which included four sixes).

Army SC missed a golden opportunity of displacing Colts at the top of Group D when they lost narrowly by 18 runs in the top of the table clash at Panagoda. Chasing a moderate target of 215 for victory Army SC were dismissed for 196 with the last pair Pathum Boteju (38) and Kaumal Nanayakkara (11*) raising hopes with a stand of 54. The Army SC batting was undone by spinners Ruvin Seneviratne and Rohan Sanjaya who between them took eight wickets.

In a thrilling contest for first innings points Negombo CC squeezed home by four runs against Saracens SC in their drawn encounter at Bloomfield grounds. Saracens SC seemed to have the game within their grasp when they captured seven Negombo CC wickets for 203 runs in reply to their first innings total of 353. But Sudheera Weeraratne (64 off 114 balls, 10 fours) and Sandaruwan Chinthaka (84 off 104 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes) had other ideas when they figured in a 143-run stand for the eighth wicket that eventually saw Negombo CC home.

Sebastianites’ ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Ratnayake was responsible for bringing them a win by 53 runs over Lankan CC when he returned with match figure of ten for 208. Lankan CC left with the task of chasing 351 off 79 overs were dismissed in their second innings for 297 despite a valiant hundred from Risith Upamal.

Off-spinner Movin Subasingha took a match bag of nine wickets for 96 to bowl Air Force SC to a five-wicket win over Navy SC.  

Galle CC were the other team to win outright against Ace Capitals CC by nine wickets. (ST)

Results

• At Moors: Moors SC beat SSC by 286 runs

Moors SC 292 and 258-4 decl.

SSC 175 and 89 (o/n 30-6) (Kalana Perera 31, Theesan Vithushan 4/28, Ayana Siriwardhana 5/54)

• At Welisara: Air Force SC beat Navy SC by five wickets

Navy SC 189 and 121 (o/n 113-9) (Supun Nayanajith 51, Movin Subasingha 4/50)

Air Force SC 153 and 159-5 (Udayawansha Parakrama 71, Sudara Dakshina 4/47)

• At Moratuwa: Sebastia-nites beat Lankan CC by 53 runs

Sebastianites 228 and 301 (o/n 245-6) (Vishal Silva 68, Manelker de Silva 43, Tharusha Fernando 45, Vinuda Liyanage 3/35)

Lankan CC 179 and 297 (Ravindu Ratnayake 46, Risith Upamal 101, Tharindu Ratnayake 5/113)

• At Panagoda: Colts beat Army SC by 18 runs

Colts 331 and 104

Army SC 221 and 196 (o/n 20-1) (Bishan Mendis 64, Ruvin Seneviratne 5/89)

• At Thurstan: Galle CC beat Ace Capital CC by nine wickets

Ace Capital CC 204 and 145

Galle CC 204 and 146-1 (o/n 76-0) (Tharindu Amarasinghe 79)

• At Panadura: Match drawn (Kandy Customs CC take first inns points)

Kalutara TC 283 and 227-9 decl. (o/n 1-0) (Thisara Weerasinghe 43, Thevindu Senaratne 50*, Pasan Pethangoda 3/46)

Kandy Customs CC 300 and 132-8 (Thimira Malshan 58*, Themal Bandara 6/30)

• At P. Sara Oval: Match drawn (Tamil Union take first inns points)

Tamil Union 527-9 decl; and 201-5 (Sithara Hapuhinna 90, Kamesh Nirmal 51)

Nugegoda SWC 369 (o/n 177-5) (Kevin Perera 101, Naveen Fernando 47, Kalana Madushanka 41, Miranga Wickramage 3/72)

• At Bloomfield: Match drawn (Negombo CC take first inns points)

Saracens SC 353 and 262-5 (Navindu Vithanage 146, Sandun Mendis 55)

Negombo CC 357 (o/n 322-7) (Pasindu Lakshanka 75, Umesh Lakshan 71, Sudheera Weeraratne 64, Sandaruwan Chinthaka 84, Kavika Dilshan 6/137)