Services teams make winning start

Inoka Ranaweera of Navy SC took four wickets to dismiss Colts for 82

There were some exceptional individual performances by Sri Lanka women cricketers on the opening day of the SLC Women’s Division I limited overs cricket tournament yesterday where all the services teams – Air Force SC A, Navy SC, and Army SC A and B recorded victories.  

Sri Lanka all-rounder Ama Kanchana played a captain’s knock of 60 off 70 balls (7 fours) and put together a stand of 105 with Sanduni Abeywickrema (49 n.o. off 96 balls) to rescue Air Force SC from a shaky 55-5 to 189-6 and off-spinner Oshashi Ranasinghe took five wickets for 13 as they beat Air Force SC B by 115 runs. Air Force B was rolled over for a mere 74.

Sri Lanka cricketers Inoka Ranaweera and Hasini Perera starred for Navy SC in their crushing ten-wicket win over Colts. Inoka destroyed the Colts batting for 82 taking 4 wickets for 18 runs off 10 overs with her left-arm orthodox spin and Hasini, the captain of Navy SC led the run chase with an immaculate 49 not out off 39 balls (9 fours) in an unbroken opening stand of 83 with Sathya Sandeepani (26 n.o.).

Sri Lanka and Chilaw Marians CC captain Chamari Atapattu hit a sparkling half-century – 53 off 44 balls with 3 sixes and 5 fours, but still her team finished on the losing side as Army SC beat them quite convincingly by 8 wickets. Atapattu’s was the only stand-out innings for her side who were shot out for a paltry 86 by the off-breaks of Ganesha Chamari who was the main destroyer with figures of 5 wickets for 14 runs.   

Another superb knock by the skipper of Seenigama CC, Sri Lanka’s Kavisha Dilhari also went unrewarded as her team lost to Army SC B by 17 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis rain rule. Kavisha 3 sixes and 3 fours in an innings of 81 off 106 balls as her side was dismissed for 136. Army SC B reached 97-5 in 23 overs and when rain stopped play they were 17 runs ahead on the D/L rule and were declared the winner. (ST)

Results

At Katunayake: Air Force SC A beat Air Force SC B by 115 runs

• Air Force SC A 189-6 (50) (Yashoda Mendis 23, Sanduni Abeywickrema 49 n.o., Ama Kanchana 60, Harshani Maduwanthi 2/24, Richi Samarasinghe 2/47)
• Air Force SC B 74 (33.3) (Sakuni Wijesinghe 14, Inoshi Fernando 2/10, Oshashi Ranasinghe 5/13)

At Welisara: Navy SC beat Colts CC by 10 wickets

Colts CC 82 (41.2) (Hashini Liyanage 18, Inoka Ranaweera 4/18)

• Navy SC 83-0 (12.1) (Hasini Perera 48 n.o., Sathya Sandeepani 26 n.o.)

At Panagoda: Army SC A beat Chilaw Marians CC by 8 wickets

• Chilaw Marians CC 86 (31) (Chamari Atapattu 53, Ganesha Chamari 5/14, Sugandika Kumari 2/28)
• Army SC A 87-2 (21.5) (Imalka Mendis 31, Krishanthi Sandamali 37)

At MCC, Hikkaduwa: Army SC B beat Seenigama CC by 17 runs (D/L rain rule)

• Seenigama CC 136 (46.4) (Kaveesha Dilhari 81, Madhara Samarakoon 2/24, Sudharshini Bandara 2/23)
• Army SC B 97-5 (23) (Iresha Damayanthi 33, Sachini Nisansala 3/33)