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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