- Swanji's all round performances steers Colombo Masters to the final against State Services
An epic knock by Swanji Madanayake scoring 77 off 44 balls including 10 fours and a six also capturing three wickets for six runs and well supported by Chaminda Rajapakshe with a match bag of 3 for 6 runs steered Colombo Masters CA to a comfortable 126 runs win against Nationalised Services CA. Sanjeewa Jayasinghe with a well-compiled 53 runs not out and Dammika Rajapaksha stroking an elegant 27 runs not out helped State Services CA to overcome Mercantile CA by five wickets in their knockout matches, which was played on the 28th of April 2024 at the Bloomfield ground.
Four teams, hosts Colombo Masters CA, Nationalised Services CA, State Services CA and Mercantile CA were the participating teams in this year's Masters 5th edition T/20 Cricket tournament.
Colombo Masters CA will encounter State Services CA in the final of the Masters 5th edition T/20 Cricket tournament 2024 for the R.A.H. De Zoysa Shield, organised and conducted by Colombo Masters CA, whilst Nationalised Services will meet Mercantile CA for the 3rd and 4th place to be held today (1 May) at Bloomfield Grounds, Reid Avenue Colombo commencing at 9 a.m. onwards with the final scheduled to take place at 1 p.m.
The 1st edition of the Masters T/20 Cricket tournament in 2020 was won by the hosts Colombo Masters Cricket Association (CMCA), 2nd edition in 2021 was won by State Services Cricket Association (SSCA), in the 3rd edition in 2022 the hosts Colombo Masters Cricket Association (CMCA) and Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA) were declared as Joint Champs , 4th edition of the Masters T/20 Cricket tournament was won by the hosts Colombo Masters Cricket Association (CMCA).
In the games played on 28 April, Sanjeewa Jayasinghe of State Services CA was adjudged as the man of the match against Mercantile CA, whilst Swanji Madanayake of Colombo Masters was adjudged as the man of the match for his all round performances against Nationalised Services CA.
Brief scores (1st match)
Mercantile CA – 154/6 (20) Shane Fernando 58, Wasanthalal Fernando 42, Mahesh Wijewardena 23, Viraj De Silva 2/17
State Services CA – 155/5 (19) Kapila Mahinda 18, Sanjeewa Jayasinghe 53 not out, Dammika Rajapaksha 27 not out, Nihal Zoysa 19, Roshan Iddamalgoda 2/20
Result – State Services CA beat Mercantile CA by 5 wickets
Brief scores (2nd match)
Colombo Masters – 172/7 (20) Wijayananda Perera 30, Swanji Madanayake 77, Shafeek Rahim 18, Riyaz Farook 12 not out, Aruna Pathirana 2/29, Palitha Liyanage 2/28
Nationalised Services CA – 46 (11) Pathiranage Sunil 20, Swanji Madanayake 3/6, Chaminda Rajapakshe 3/6, Riyad M.Fowzie 2/11
Result – Colombo Masters CA beat Nationalised Services CA by 126 runs
Many past Cricketers who have made a reputed name while playing for their Schools and Clubs and some who have represented the Sri-Lanka ‘A’ team will be seen in action at this 5th edition Masters T/20 Cricket tournament 2024.
(The writer is a former National hockey player, football/hockey coach and veteran sports administrator)