Stafford Motors and Palliyaguruge Group to clash in MCA finals

Friday, 26 August 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sponsors Stafford Motors Co. Ltd. will confront the Palliyaguruge Group in the final of the sixth Stafford-Honda MCA ‘G’ Division 25-Over League Tournament, on 27 August at the MCA grounds, commencing at 10.00 a.m.

The final will bring the curtain down on the 2016 MCA season.

Win or lose it has been a tremendous achievement for the Palliyaguruge Group, which has come up the MCA ladder in a short period of time.

Palliyaguruge has remained unbeaten in the tournament so far, while Stafford Motors has tasted defeat once.

In the round robin league stage the Palliyaguruge Group, which played in Group ‘G’, recorded five wins, beating Micro Holdings by 73 runs, Asiri Hospitals by 23 runs, WNS Global by 89 runs, Jetwing Travels by nine wickets and the Metropolitan Group by eight wickets.

In the elimination stage, they beat Deutsche Bank AG by 33 runs in the pre-quarterfinals, Citi Bank NA by 48 runs in the quarterfinals and Asia Asset Finance by 82 runs in the semi-finals to make it to the finals from the bottom half of the group.

The Honda Boys, who played in Group ‘A’, secured wins against Würth Lanka by 112 runs, A. Baur & Co. by 93 runs, MillenniumIT by seven wickets and LAUGFS Holdings by 17 runs. However, they lost to Pearson Lanka by nine runs.

In the knockout stage they beat Cargills Bank by 117 runs in the pre-quarterfinals, Asiri Hospitals by eight wickets in the quarterfinals and Maliban Biscuits by 20 runs in the semi-finals, as they advanced to the finals from the top half of the group.

Stafford Motors had a fight on their hands when they confronted the young guns from Maliban Biscuits.

Maliban, a brilliant fielding side, restricted the strong Stafford batting outfit to 131 in 24 overs with Sanjaya Gangodawila rescuing them with a dogged 67 runs. Perhaps complacency crept in for Maliban as they put up a weak-kneed batting performance, being bundled out for 111 runs in 22.2 overs.

Certainly the finals will be a red-letter day for the Palliyaguruge Group and a prestigious battle for Stafford Motors.

Teams:

Stafford Motor Co. Ltd: Amila Mendis (Captain), Sanjaya Gangodawila, Romesh Fernando, Asantha Singappuli, Tarindra Kaluperuma, Shanaka Sampath, Sajeewa Vishan, Angelo Eranga, Pramesh Fernando Supin Wimalasundera, Janith Maduwantha, Charindu Ginendra, Ravindra Lal, Harshana Dharmakeerthi, Gayan Peiris and Dhammika Kumara.

Palliyaguruge Group: Buditha Palliyaguruge (Captain), Amalka Palliyaguruge (Vice - Captain), Dilum Harischandra (Wicket-keeper), Nivanka Palliyaguruge, Sahan Amarasinghe, Rekhan Hasaranga, Sagara Wijemanna, Mohomed Shifran Muthalif, Harsha De Silva, Udara Rajapaksha, Geshan Liyanage, Vihaga Nilamuni, Ushan Dasanayake, Chanaka Silva and Ashen Amugoda.