Cinnamon Grand, SriLankan Airlines joint winners of Travel Trade Hardball Cricket

Cinnamon Grand Colombo and SriLankan Airlines were declared joint winners of the 34th Travel Trade Sports Club Hardball Cricket Sixes 2016, as the final was abandoned due to bad  light at the Thurstan College grounds, last Saturday. 

11 teams, pooled into three groups, played 15 matches in the round robin stage, which was curtailed to four overs a side. 

At the completion of the league stage, Walkers Tours and Cinnamon Red from Group ‘A’, Cinnamon Grand  Colombo  from Group ‘B’ and SriLankan Airlines from Group ‘C’ advanced to the semifinals. 

Debutants Adhvan Tours and Amja Travels, although losing, put up a gutsy performance in the league.

In the semifinals, SriLankan Airlines beat 2015 winners Cinnamon red and Cinnamon Grand beat Walkers Tours.

As darkness engulfed the ground, the final commenced, reduced to a 3 ball an over, 3-over (nine balls per side) match. 

Cinnamon Grand batted first and scored 27 for 2 and SriLankan Airlines was 8 for no loss when the umpires decided to call off play. 

The four special awards went to Nalaka de Zoysa (Best Bowler) and Nuwantha Perera (Best Batsman) both from SriLankan Airlines and Ishan Jayaratne from Cinnamon Grand for the highest number of sixes and Man of the Tournament. 

The awards were presented by Cinnamon red GM Terrance Fernando, Cinnamon Hotels Sales and Marketing Director Asanka Fernando and Committee Member/TTSC Janaka Hewawitharana.