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Friday, 20 January 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Two unbeaten, well balanced teams, Kanrich Finance ‘B’ and Citizens Development Business (CDB), will lock horns at the MCA ‘D’ Division 40-over League Tournament 2017 final for the 14th Elephant House Lemonade Trophy, being played on 22 January at the MCA Grounds from 10.00 a.m.
Kanrich Finance ‘B’, with six crushing wins under their belt, will go out as favourites. They beat Softlogic Holdings by 110 runs, Hemas Group by 206 runs and DPMC by 80 runs to finish as the winners of Group ‘B’ during the league stage.
They continued their rampage in the knockout stage by eliminating Hilton Colombo Residences by nine wickets in the pre-quarter finals, Heshan Flex Packaging by seven wickets in the quarterfinals and Softlogic Holdings by eight wickets in the semifinals.
CDB, last year’s MCA ‘E’ Division winners, has performed equally well in the tournament with convincing wins against the Delmage Group, whom they beat by eight wickets, Ceylinco General Insurance, whom they beat by 40 runs and Hilton Colombo Residencies, who lost by 200 runs, as they finished the winners of Group ‘C’. They continued their winning streak in the knockout stage, thrashing Hemas Group by 267 runs in the pre-quarterfinals, convincingly beating NDB Bank by 93 runs in the quarterfinals and the Expolanka Group by five wickets in the semifinals.
The spotlight and expectations fall on a batsman and a bowler: CDB’s opening batsman Maduranga Dickkumbura, who has scored 303 runs in six innings, inclusive of two centuries (126 against Hemas and 100 against NDB Bank) and Kanrich Finance spinner Akula Dhananjaya, who has bagged 13 wickets so far in the tournament.
The MCA appointed Match Referee cum Adjudicator for the final is HNB ‘s Manoj Perera.
The teams
Citizens Development Business :
Vishwa Rathnayake (Captain), Dhanushka Dharmasiri, Saman Ambilmeegama, Maduranga Dikkumbura, Aravinda Akuregoda, Chenutha Wickramasinghe, Shaveen Gunasekara, Praveen Fernando, Buddika Silva, Shanil Perera, Chathuranga Dilshan, Hasitha Perera, Praveen Dilanka, Anjana Karunarathne, Chandima Bandara and Chathuranga Abeysinghe.
Kanrich Finance ‘B’: Rajitha Assalaarachchi (Captain), Thishan Peiris, Oshada Fernando, Akila Dhananjaya, Kasun Chamara Ranasinghe, Madawa Sakuranga, Dushan Hemantha, Shiral Senarathne, Uditha Madushan, Shashika Thiwanka, Chanaka Devinda, Tharushan Iddamalgoda, Harsha Devinda and Thimira Gamage.
