Saracens SC give defending champs CCC a scare

• Three captains lead the way with hundreds

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Saracens SC skipper and Sri Lanka cricketer Milinda Siriwardana led a bold run chase only to fall short by 28 runs with four wickets in hand to beat defending champs CCC. 

Having already picked up the vital first innings points less fancied Saracens did not look like chasing down the target of 311 for victory when they lost their first three wickets for 59 runs. But Siriwardana who scored 89 in the first innings had other ideas and took the CCC bowling by the scruff of its neck to slam 10 fours and 3 sixes in scoring a masterly 151 off 180 balls to lead the charge. 

With Promod Maduwantha (54), Siriwardana set the tone for the run chase by indulging in a 165-run stand for the fourth wicket. CCC declared their second innings soon after Lasitha Abeyratne had completed his century.

Twin centuries (115 and 110 n.o.) by Sri Lanka one-day cricketer Bhanuka Rajapaksa failed to bring BRC victory over NCC and they had to be satisfied with only first innings points.

NCC chasing 282 for a win were down to their last pair 227-9 when the match ended. BRC’s slow left-arm spinner Duvindu Tillakaratne bowled his heart out to take seven wickets for 55 and a career best match bag of 113 for 118 improving upon his previous best of 11/159. Lahiru Udara who made 90 in the first innings was NCC’s top scorer with 93 off 64 balls inclusive of 8 fours and 4 sixes.

Skipper Rajapaksa ensured that BRC set NCC a challenge target to chase when he completed his second century of the match – 110 not out off 98 balls with eight sixes and five fours that saw his team recover from 70-7 to 240 all out.

Ragama CC bounced back superbly after their innings defeat at the hands of CCC last weekend to beat Colts by 103 runs. Colts left with a target of 316 runs to chase succumbed to 212 all out despite an opening stand of 78 between Sri Lanka batters Sadeera Samarawickrama (78) and Asitha Fernando (44).

Sri Lanka Army’s opener Ashan Randika scored his second first-class hundred – a belligerent knock of 133 off 84 balls inclusive of 10 sixes and 9 fours, but his team fells short by 45 runs as they were dismissed for 249, chasing 295. From a strong position of 217-3 the Army lost their last seven wickets for 32 runs to the bowling of spinners Sri Lanka’s Shehan Jayasuriya and Nimesh Vimukthi who shared eight wickets between them.  

In the Plate championship Sri Lanka Test cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva played a lone hand for Tamil Union who were dismissed for 178 in reply to Moors SC first innings of 206. De Silva who returned career best figures of 7/59 on the first day followed it up with a delightful knock of 95 not out off 104 balls inclusive of 6 fours and 4 sixes as the rest of the Tamils batting fell to the slow left-arm spin of Praveen Jayawickrama who picked up his first five-for (5/53) in his first-class career off spinner Ramesh Mendis who took three wickets.

Lankan CC captain Chanaka Ruwansiri hit a swashbuckling 151 not out off 84 balls with the aid of 15 fours and 7 sixes as he brought his team within 24 runs of taking first innings points against SSC. In reply to SSC’s total of 332, Lankan finished the second day on 308-5 their total largely being boosted by a 209-run fourth wicket stand between Ruwansiri and Geeth Kumara (60).

Table leaders Negombo CC consolidated their position by taking a first innings lead over Badureliya CC.

Super Eight results

At SSC: Match drawn (Saracens SC take first innings points)

• CCC 142 and 351-7 decl (81) (o/n 307-7) (Minod Bhanuka 37, Ron Chandraguptha 39, Kusal Mendis 21, Ashan Priyanjan 39, Lasith Abeyratne 101 n.o., Lahiru Madushanka 63, Lahiru Gamage 29 n.o., Kasun Rajitha 4/104)  
• Saracens SC 183 and 283-6 (81) (Gamindu Kanishka 21, Milinda Siriwardana 151, Promod Maduwantha 54, Vishwa Fernando 3/38, Lakshan Sandakan 2/64)

At CCC: Ragama CC beat Colts by 103 runs

• Ragama CC 258 and 220 (65.2) (o/n 190-6) (Lahiru Thirimanne 63, Roshen Silva 67, Prabath Jayasuriya 5/69, Akila Dananjaya 4/44)
• Colts 163 and 212 (55.5) (Sadeera Samarawickrama 69, Asitha Fernando 44, Amila Aponso 3/48, Kalhara Senaratne 3/28, Ishan Jayaratne 3/31)  

At Katunayake: Match drawn (BRC take first innings points)

• BRC 316 and 240 (58.5) (o/n 42-5) (Shanuka Dulaj 36, Bhanuk Rajapaksa 110 n.o., Raminda Wijesooriya 29, Dilesh Gunaratne 2/21, Lahiru Kumara 4/76, Chamika Karunaratne 2/37)
• NCC 275 and 227-9 (44) (Lahiru Udara 93, Upul Tharanga 26, Angelo Perera 37, Duvindu Tillakaratne 7/55)

At P Sara Oval: Chilaw Marians beat Sri Lanka Army by 45 runs

• Chilaw Marians 269 and 241 (63) (o/n 85-5) (Kamindu Mendis 22, Pulina Tharanga 23, Kasun Vidura 73 n.o., Thikshila de Silva 30, Seekkuge Prasanna 6/101)
• SL Army 216 and 249 (36.3) (Ashan Randika 133, Thulina Dilshan 39, Nimesh Vimukthi 4/23, Thikshila de Silva 2/39, Shehan Jayasuriya 4/66)

Plate day two scores

At Moratuwa: Moors SC 206 and 17-2 (5.2) at close

• Tamil Union 178 (52) (o/n 37-3) (Dhananjaya de Silva 95 n.o., Ramesh Mendis 3/39, Praveen Jayawickrama 5/53)

At Colts: SSC 332

• Lankan CC 308-5 (93) at close (o/n 14-0) (Primosh Perera 34, Geeth Kumara 60, Chanaka Ruwansiri 151 n.o., Kalana Perera 3/41, Jeffrey Vandersay 2/93)

At NCC: Badureliya CC 267

• Negombo CC 328-7 (92.5) at close (o/n 20-0) (Ashen Silva 30, Dilshan Munaweera 91, Angelo Jayasinghe 66, Madawa Warnapura 72 n.o., Roscoe Thattil 33,  Buddhika Sanjeewa 2/84, Dushan Hemantha 3/61)