David Pieris Group of Companies emerged victorious in the third CBL Munchee Trophy Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA) “D” Division 40-Over League Tournament 2023, beating the Airport and Aviation A team by two wickets.

Skipper Manjula Gannile of the David Pieris team won the toss and elected to field first in the final. Airport and Aviation A team Skipper Tharaka Dushantha top-scored with 73 off 77 balls, with four fours and three sixes. Airport and Aviation scored 206 before getting bowled out in the final over. Dushantha added a 96-run stand with Kalpa Umayanga who scored 50 from 49 deliveries.

For David Pieris, Skipper Gannile led from the front taking five wickets for just 35 runs. Akila Elabodage chipped in with three wickets for 34 runs.

Chasing 207 to victory, David Pieris’s opening batter Madushan Fernando gave the ideal start for them with a quickfire 89 from 69 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. Airport and Aviation brought things back with the wicket of Fernando and it cracked open a brittle batting line of David Pieris. Wickets kept tumbling and when the eighth wicket fell, David Pieris still needed 22 more runs.

However, Akila Elabodage and number 10 batter Nalinda Channa calmly added a valuable 27-run stand for the ninth wicket and got their team over the line in the 38th over. With the ball in hand for the Airport and Aviation A team, Nuwan Sameera Yapa took three wickets for 31 runs while Dumith Karunaratne picked up two for 31.

Brief scores

Airport and Aviation A 206 (39.4)

Tharaka Dushantha 73, Kalpa Umayanga 50, Chaaminda Dilhara 21; Manjula Gannile 5/35, Akila Elabodage 3/34

David Pieris Group of Companies – 211/8 (37.4)

Madushan Fernando 89, Manjula Gannile 26, Akila Elabodage 21*; Nuwan Sameera Yapa 3/31, Dumith Karunaratne 2/31