Stafford Motors, Maliban Biscuits, Asia Asset Finance and Palliyaguruge Group sail into semis

Tournament sponsors Stafford Motors, along with Maliban Biscuits, Asia Asset Finance and the Palliyaguruge Group, advanced to the semi-finals of the Stafford-Honda MCA ‘G’ Division 25-over League Tournament after winning their quarterfinals played last Saturday. 

In the first quarterfinal Amila Prasad (4/16/2), Lahiru Dushantha (5/32/2) and Anjula Perera (2/12/2), with intelligent bowling, restricted PABC Bank ‘B’ to 149 runs in 25 overs. Perera (67 in 37 balls with a six and 10 fours) and Harsha Salgado (38) put on 80 runs for the fifth wicket to steer Maliban to a fine five-wicket win. 

In the second quarter-final sponsors Stafford Motors proved too strong for Asiri Hospitals, when their pace battery of Dhammika Kumara  (5/12/3), Asantha Singappuli  (3/1/27/3) and Pramesh Fernando (3.3 /1/9/3)  skittle them out for 66 runs in 16.3 overs, thereby winning comfortably by eight wickets. 

In the third quarter-final Asset Asia Finance too proved way too strong for ACL Cables. Here too the three-pronged pace attack of Nadun Niroshan (5/14/4), Michael Prashanth (4/12/3) and Nimesh Perera (4.2 /17/2) annihilated their opponents for a paltry 53 all out in  17.3 overs to romp home to victory by 117 runs. 

In the fourth quarterfinal Harsha de Silva (55) and Mohamed Mathalif (77) scored brisk half-centuries and Udara Rajapaksa snapped up four wickets for nine runs in two overs to propel the Palliyaguruge Group to a convincing 48-run win over Citi Bank NA.    

Chief scores all quarterfinals:

MCA/morning: Maliban Biscuits beat PABC Bank ‘B’ by 5 wickets.

PABC ‘B’ – 149 /7 (25.0) (Y. Perera 31, W. Perera 53, T. Fernando 25 not out, Amila Prasad 2/16, Lahiru Dushantha 2/32, Anjula Perera 2/12)

Maliban – 153/5 (22.1) (Anjula Perera 67, Harsha Salgado 38 not out, G. Perera 2/31)

MCA /afternoon: Stafford Motors beat Asiri Hospitals by 8 wickets

Asiri Hospitals – 66 (16.3) ( S. Nadeesh 25,  D. Kumara 3/21,  A. Singappuli 3/27, Pramesh Fernando  3/9)

Stafford Motors – 67/2 (10.2) (Romesh Fernando 41 not out) 

Mattegoda/morning: Asia Asset Finance beat ACL Cables by 117 runs.

AAF – 170 (24.0) (Nimesh Fernando 25, S. Rashan 23, Shanaka Silva 39, M. Prashanth 30,  D. Bandara 2/25, T. Punchihewa 2/27, G. Namal  3/24)

ACL – 53   (17.2) (K. Shanthikumar 16, N. Niroshan 4/14, M. Prashanth 3/12,  Nimesh Perera 2/17)

Mattegoda/afternoon: Palliyaguruge Group beat Citi Bank NA by 48 runs

Palliyaguruge Group – 215/5  (25.0) (Harsha de Silva 55, D. Harischandra 25,  M. Muthalif 77 not out, A. Palliyaguruge 25 not out, S. Aliraja 2/28, R. Munasinghe 3/47)

Citi Bank NA – (given a revised target of scoring 206 in 24 overs, due to a rain stoppage) – 157/9  (24.0)  (Naleen Pradeep 75,  M. Perera  20,  R. Munasinghe 22,  G. Liyanage 2/34,  P. Palliyaguruge 2/20, Udara Rajapaksa 4/9)

The semi-finals will be worked off on 20 August 

At Mattegoda: Maliban Biscuits vs. Stafford Motors 

At MCA: Asia Asset Finance vs. Palliyaguruge Group