Spate of wins in second weekend of Tier B 3-Day League cricket

• Negombo CC, Leo CC, Malay CC and Utd. Southern join SSC

Negombo CC, Leo CC, Colombo Malay CC, and United Southern SC joined SSC as the teams to win outright and gain full points in the second weekend of the Tier B 3-Day tournament.

SSC won their match inside two days, defeating Galle CC by an innings and 183 runs to record their second win on the trot. 

Negombo CC followed with a similar win, beating Sebastianites by an innings and 44 runs at the Air Force Ground, Katunayake, yesterday. 

In reply to Negombo CC’s first innings of 386, Sebastianites were bowled out for 115 by 21-year-old debutant Amitha Sandeepa Perera, the former St. Anthony’s College, Wattala, off-spinner who returned excellent figures of 8/30 off 17.2 overs. Forced to follow on, Sebastianites put up a better batting performance, scoring 227, but it was insufficient to save them from an innings defeat. Perera was once more their tormentor, finishing with 6/87 for match figures of 14/117. He had good support from left-arm spinner Danushka Sandaruwan, who took 4/65. Manelker de Silva top-scored for Sebastianites with 73 (100 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes).  

Colombo Malay CC came from behind to snatch a two-wicket win against Navy SC at the BRC Grounds. 

Having conceded a first innings lead of 74, Malay CC, left with a target of 284 to chase in the fourth innings, did not look like they would be doing so when they lost half the side for 85, but spirited batting by the lower order saw them pull off an unlikely victory. Two fighting stands of 95 and 92* between Yesith Rupasinghe (64 off 86 balls, 6 fours, 2 sixes) and Teron Baskaran (34), and between Thimira Malshan (66* off 79 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) and Chanaka Devinda (29*), respectively, saw Malay CC home.

A fine all-round bowling performance by Leo CC saw them beat Moratuwa SC by eight wickets at Welisara. 

Trailing by a massive margin of 229, Moratuwa SC did well to avoid an innings defeat by scoring 282. The basis of their innings centred on Pubudu Bandara (96 off 157 balls, 11 fours, 3 sixes) and skipper Chanaka Ruwansiri (99 off 92 balls, 12 fours, 6 sixes), who both missed out on their hundreds. Leo CC knocked off the 45 runs required, losing two wickets. 

Ragama CC, one of the clubs demoted along with SSC, suffered a heavy loss when United Southern SC beat them by eight wickets at Salawa Army grounds, Kosagama. 

Ragama CC’s batting failed twice, being dismissed for 187 and 133. United Southern SC, who scored 265 in their first innings, had an easy target to chase – 55 – and got there losing two wickets. Nipuna Gamage scored a century for United Southern SC – 110 off 147 balls (13 fours) – and off-spinner Kavindu Ediriweera ran through the Ragama CC batting in the second innings, taking 5/69.

Two crucial partnerships saw Kandy Customs SC take first innings points off Army SC in their match, which ended in a draw at Army Grounds, Dombagoda. 

Kandy Customs SC responded well to Army SC’s first innings total of 379 by posting 406-8 declared, courtesy of a solid century from Avindu Theekshana (111 off 233 balls, 5 fours), who shared a stand of 114 with Kanishka Maduwantha (50 off 114 balls, 1 four). Following the partnership, Kandy Customs SC lost three wickets for 9 runs to be 314-8, but another crucial stand of 92* between Yashoda Mendis (54* off 84 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) and Kaveesha Induwara (33*) saw them gain the important first innings lead. In their second innings, Army SC made 94-9, with spinners Umega Chaturanga and Avindu Theekshana capturing seven wickets between them. 

– [ST]