NCC thrashes Colts by innings to take runner-up spot

CCC players celebrate retaining the Premier Tier A League title for yet another year

CCC captain Kusal Mendis receives the league champion trophy and winner’s cheque of Rs. 1 million from Sri Lanka Cricket Vice President Ravin Wickremaratne and Tournament Committee Chairman Bandula Dissanayake

 NCC skipper Angelo Perera poses with the runner-up cheque for Rs. 750,000 with SLC vice president Ravin Wickremaratne and Tournament Committee Chairman Bandula Dissanayake

• CCC receives Rs. 1 m as champs, NCC Rs. 750,000 

NCC led by Angelo Perera took the runner-up spot behind champs CCC when they completed a comfortable innings and 79 runs win over Colts on the third and final day of the Premier Super Eight cricket match concluded at the CCC grounds yesterday.

It took NCC barely 11.2 overs to capture the last five Colts wickets as they managed to add only 38 to their overnight score to be dismissed for 157. 

Angelo Mathews who retired hurt on the second day on 30 with cramps didn’t resume his innings and it was only skipper Sadeera Samarawickrama who put up some sort of resistance scoring 72 off 140 balls. The damage to the Colts batting was once again done by all-rounder Chaturanga de Silva who with his left-arm spin captured four wickets to finish the match with a haul of nine wickets.      

Chilaw Marians who took a first innings lead of 171 had to be content with third place when they were denied a win by CCC who came up with solid second innings batting performance to score a thumping 494-8 declared off 97 overs. 

Skipper Kusal Mendis and Ashan Priyanjan were the mainstays of their batting each scoring a century and putting together a partnership of 192 for the fifth wicket. Mendis who scored a double hundred last week followed it up with another sterling knock scoring 157 off 183 balls that included 14 fours and 4 sixes. Priyanjan went on to score a stroke-filled 170 off 172 balls (24 fours, 3 sixes). Lasith Abeyratne and Wanindu Hasaranga also contributed towards the CCC total with half-centuries apiece.    

Sri Lanka Army ran out of time and overs to beat Saracens SC despite enforcing the follow-on. Saracens dismissed for 259 in the first innings were struggling at 76-5 when stumps were drawn. Sri Lanka leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna was the wrecker in chief of the Saracens innings picking up five wickets in the first innings and eight in the match. Army were left to chew over their delay in declaring their innings closed.

BRC put up a strong batting performance to total 406, but still found themselves 85 runs adrift of Ragama CC’s first innings of 491 in the drawn encounter at the P. Sara Oval. Left-hander Shanuka Dulaj scored his third first class hundred – 143 off 173 balls to lead the BRC run chase with support from skipper Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Hashen Ramanayake who each contributed a fifty. 

As champions CCC collected a cheque for Rs. one million while NCC as runner-up received Rs. 750,000.

The individual awards will be decided by the Tournament Committee and will be presented to the winners at the Sri Lanka Cricket annual awards night. (ST)   

Super Eight results

At CCC: NCC beat Colts by an innings and 79 runs

NCC 458 

Colts 222 and 157 (48.2) (o/n 119-6) (Sadeera Samarawickrama 72, Angelo Mathews rtd ht 30, Dushmantha Chameera 2/12, Chaturanga de Silva 4/81, Ashian Daniel 3/47)   

At P Sara Oval: Match drawn (Ragama CC take first innings points)

Ragama CC 491 and 23-0 (5) 

BRC 406 (110.4) (o/n 142-2) (Nisal Francisco 50, Lasith Lakshan 32, Shanuka Dulaj 143, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 50, Raminda Wijesooriya 22, Hashen Ramanayake 56, Ishan Jayaratne 2/51, Kalhara Senaratne 3/146, Shashika Dulshan 4/127)  

At SSC: Match drawn (Chilaw Marians CC take first innings points)

CCC 287 and 494-8 decl. (97) (o/n 68-2) (Minod Bhanuka 25, Kusal Mendis 157, Lasith Abeyratne 56, Ashan Priyanjan 170, Wanindu Hasaranga 51, Thikshila de Silva 2/44, Shehan Jayasuriya 2/53, Nimesh Vimukthi 2/175)

Chilaw Marians CC 458-9 decl. and 52-2 (9) (Lasith Croospulle 42, Lasith Abeyratne 2/23) 

At Katunayake: Match drawn (SL Army take first innings points) 

Sri Lanka Army SC 642-8 decl.

Saracens SC 259 (69.5) (o/n 72-3) (Sithara Gimhan 26, Gamindu Kanishka 95, Saliya Saman 45, Sudeera Thilakaratne 30, Praveen Sandamal 22, Dushan Vimukthi 3/55, Seekkuge Prasanna 5/72) and 76-5 (35) (Sithara Gimhan 31, Seekkuge Prasanna 3/29)