• Dushan Vimukthi shines in all-round performance

The first match of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament soon after the Christmas break was held yesterday (27) between Ragama Cricket Club and the Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club at the Surrey Village Grounds in Maggona. Incidentally, the venue was a gift to the village in Maggona.

It was after the devastating 2004 tsunami that the Surrey County Cricket Club in England and the Sri Lanka Cricket Board combined to raise money to build a village for some of the Sri Lankan survivors. A T20 match played by international cricketers at Surrey’s home ground, The Oval in England, on 20 June 2005, raised about a million British pounds for the project. 

An area was cleared of forest, and a village, called Surrey Village, was laid out with streets named after Surrey cricketers. Then the cricket ground was constructed. The ground was officially opened in May 2011. Since then, matches in various Sri Lankan domestic men’s, women’s, and junior competitions have been played there, as well as matches by touring clubs from overseas. Today Badureliya Sports Club, hailing from the Kalutara District, calls the Surrey Village Ground its home. 

Let’s now have a look at yesterday’s (27) games and the recently concluded encounters.    

At Maggona Surrey Village

Dushan Vimukthi’s sublime all-round performance with his unbeaten 75 runs and four wickets for 24 runs proved to be the game-changing factor as the Sebastianites clinched a well-deserved win after a long wait for victory in the tourney. For Ragama, Janith Liyanage top scored with a good knock of 86 and was unfortunate to miss out on a well-earned century.

Ragama CC 231 (Janith Liyanage 86, Yohan Liyanage 48, Nishan Madushka 30, Dushan Vimukthi 4/24, Isitha Wijesundara 2/38)

Sebastianites (39.4/50 ov, T:232) 234/4 (Dushan Vimukthi 75*, Promod Maduwantha 50, Ravija Sandaruwan 40, Sachitha Jayatilake 39*, Binura Fernando 1/29)

Sebs Cricket and Athletic Club won by six wickets (with 62 balls remaining).

Here are some of the pre-break results:

At Katunayake 

Visitors Colts had a comfortable win against hosts Negombo, with Sheran Fonseka top scoring with 51, as well as good bowling shown by their bowlers, with Muditha Lakshan, Akila Dananjaya, and Dilshan Madushanka scalping three wickets each.

Negombo Cricket Club 160 (Pasindu Lakshanka 61, Himasha Liyanage 27, Muditha Lakshan 3/14, Akila Dananjaya 3/37, Dilshan Madushanka 3/42)

Colts Cricket Club (44.5/50 ov, T:161) 161/5 (Sheran Fonseka 51, Hashan Dumindu 45, Dunith Wellalage 34*, Nishan Peiris 1/29)

Colts CC won by five wickets (with 31 balls remaining).

At P. Sara Oval

Half-centurions for Tamil Union Ron Chandraguptha (68) and Ravindu Fernando (52) had to be on the losing side even after their brilliant knocks as the Sebs bowled the hosts out for 169 with Thulina Dilshan (5/20) being the danger man getting his fifer.

Tamil Union 169 (Ron Chandraguptha 68, Ravindu Fernando 52, Thulina Dilshan 5/20, Tharindu Rathnayake 2/28)

Sebastianites (27.1/50 ov, T:170) 170/5 (Thulina Dilshan 32, Thevindu Senarathne 29*, Isivara Dissanayake 25, Dilum Sudeera 3/46)

Sebs Cricket and Athletic Club won by five wickets (with 137 balls remaining).

At Galle

Oshada Fernando (89) and Irosh Samarasooriya’s (88) heroics were not enough for the hosts at Galle as Ragama pulled off a very well contested game with an overall performance. Three half-centuries were scored by Janith Liyanage (62), Santhush Gunathilake (61), and Yohan Liyanage (58) for the winning Ragama CC outfit.

Ragama CC 309 (Janith Liyanage 62, Santhush Gunathilake 61, Yohan Liyanage 58, Chanaka Devinda 3/55, Tharinda Guruge 3/48, Mihiranga Silva 2/78) 

Galle CC (49.2/50 ov, T:310) 286 (Oshada Fernando 89, Irosh Samarasooriya 88, Vishva Wijeratne 59, Sanjula Bandara 3/40, Nipun Malinga 2/43)

Ragama CC won by 23 runs.

At Kurunegala

Skipper Sohan de Livera’s unbeaten 50 steadied the ship for Moors Sports Club as they secured a win after a while. Lahiru Samarakoon (4/30) and Theesan Vithushan (3/19) had a great outing for the winners.

Kurunegala Youth CC 154 (Asantha Basnayake 45, Sanoj Darshika 43, Lahiru Samarakoon 4/30, Theesan Vithushan 3/19, Milan Rathnayake 2/30)

Moors SC (27.1/50 ov, T:155) 160/4 (Sohan de Livera 50*, Ramesh Mendis 42*, Omesh Mendis 37, Chanuka Dilshan 2/32)

Moors won by six wickets (with 137 balls remaining).

At Panadura

In one of the most low-scoring games of the series, Panadura Sports Club prevailed as they held onto their nerves in a tight encounter with both teams scoring under 100. Panadura lads had it easy when they rattled Sri Lanka Army for a paltry 95. However the soldiers put on a valiant show to choke the Panadura lads until the last gasp.

SL Army SC 95 (Seekkuge Prasanna 22, Ashan Randika 15, Rajeewa Weerasinghe 3/21, Nimesh Vimukthi 2/17, Hashen Ramanayake 2/24)

Panadura SC (33.3/50 ov, T:96) 97/8 (Raminda Wijesooriya 35, Hashen Ramanayake 23, Seekkuge Prasanna 3/13, Suminda Lakshan 3/12)

Panadura won by two wickets (with 99 balls remaining).

At Nondescripts Cricket Club 

It was a high-scoring affair in Maitland Place as the hosts but up 300+ with Sri Lanka National batting prodigy Pathum Nissanka missing out on a valuable century, being out at 90. Kamil Mishara put up a well-fought 76 with Lahiru Udara’s 52 and Sahan Arachchige’s 46 making up the bulk of the total. For Kandy, Thevindu Dickwella top scored with a well-timed 71.

NCC 320/8 (Pathum Nissanka 90, Kamil Mishara 76, Lahiru Udara 52, Sahan Arachchige 46, Mithun Jayawickrama 4/51, Nisala Akash 2/77)

Kandy Customs CC (45.3/50 ov, T:321) 244 (Thevindu Dickwella 71, Hasitha Nirmal 58, Deshan Dias 39, Sahan Arachchige 3/41, Dushmantha Chameera 2/30, Matheesha Pathirana 2/40)

Nondescripts won by 76 runs.

At Maggona

Raveen Yasas and Lasith Lakshan scored two brilliant half-centuries to put their team on top and eventually made the winning factor against Bloomfield.

Chilaw Marians 224 (Raveen Yasas 54, Lasith Lakshan 53, Vishva Chathuranga 28, Sahan Nanayakkara 3/49, Jeffrey Vandersay 2/33)

Bloomfield (47.3/50 ov, T:225) 195 (Asitha Wanninayake 48, Hasitha Boyagoda 37, Nipun Karunanayake 29, Pulina Tharanga 5/28, Ramesh Nimantha 2/28)

Chilaw Marians CC won by 29 runs.

At Burgher Recreation Club

Former Indian National player Parvez Rasool, who shone with bat and ball, was the pick of the stars as he guided his team to victory against BRC.

Badureliya SC 217 (Parvez Rasool 57, Ranesh Silva 48, Ayana Siriwardhana 44, Dushan Hemantha 3/44, Mohamed Shiraz 3/49, Lakshan Gamage 2/34)

BRC (37.1/50 ov, T:218) 141 (Dulash Udayanga 60, Leo Fransisco 26, Nirmala Rathnayake 4/13, Sasanka Nirmal 2/25, Parvez Rasool 2/48)

Badureliya won by 76 runs.

At Moratuwa

SSC’s Nuwanidu Fernando and Kevin Perear of Nugegoda scored good half-centuries in a game which saw reduced overs due to inclement weather.

SSC (41.5/42 ov) 152 (Nuwanidu Fernando 50, Nisala Tharaka 43, Suwath Mendis 3/19, Lahiru Gamage 3/29, Chalana de Silva 2/22)

Nugegoda SWC (37/37 ov, T:132) 125/7 (Kevin Perera 50, Ranitha Liyanarachchi 37*, Nisala Tharaka 3/23, Dasun Shanaka 2/31)

Singhalese Sports Club won by six runs (DLS method).

At Police Park

Lasanda Rukmal’s superb six-wicket haul put the Airmen in solid control as they cruised to victory in a low-scoring affair at Police Park. This is Lasanda’s career-best bowling performance.

Air Force SC 106 (Roscoe Thattil 29, Dulanjana Mendis 19*, Dileepa Jayalath 3/21, Heshan Dhanushka 2/1, Nalin Priyadarshana 2/27)

Police SC (22.3/50 ov, T:107) 88 (Chathuranga Jayathilake 30, Vishad Randika 23, Lasanda Rukmal 6/32, Movin Subasinghe 2/24)

Air Force SC won by 18 runs.