Defending champions CCC won through to the semi-finals of the Major Club T20 tournament while losing finalists Panadura SC suffered a 41-run defeat at the hands of Tamil Union in the quarter-final matches concluded yesterday. In the other two quarter-finals SSC and NCC recorded close wins.
Test discard Nishan Madushka displayed his prowess in white ball cricket by scoring back-to-back hundreds in two formats inside two days. On Monday, Madushka scored 148 against SSC in a Major Club 50-over semi-final, and yesterday he followed it up with a match-winning knock of 114* off 56 balls studded with 9 fours and 8 sixes.
His innings coupled with Dulnith Sigera’s innings of 52 off 35 balls (4 fours, 4 sixes) and their partnership of 151 off 76 balls for the second wicket enabled CCC to run up a total of 218-4 and defeat Ace Capital CC by 64 runs at the SSC grounds. Ace Capital CC could muster only 154-8 with Pawan Pathiraja striking a half-century (51 off 33 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) to lift them from a despairing 69-5. Off-spinner Ashian Daniel was the pick of the CCC bowlers returning figures of 3/23.
Sineth Jayawardena, another batsman in red-hot form also struck back to back centuries for Tamil Union in their win against Panadura SC at the NCC grounds. Jayawardena followed his 136 against CCC in a Major Club 50-over game six days ago with 101 off 52 balls (8 fours, 7 sixes) to help Tamil Union total 220-5.
A feature of the innings was Jayawardena’s partnership of 130 off 61 balls with Navod Paranavithana (43 off 27). Panadura SC were rolled over for 179 by the spin of Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (4/33) and Paranavithana (4/41). Charya Paranavithana top scored for Panadura SC with 49 off 25 (4 fours, 3 sixes).
SSC, already in the final of the Major Club 50-over tournament, had a close call against Police SC at the NCC grounds before winning by 12 runs. Nuwanidu Fernando’s 53-ball century (117* with 9 fours, 8 sixes) saw SSC total 225-4. Chamath Gomez, the former right-arm medium-pacer from Wesley College took 3 of the wickets to fall for 46 runs.
Despite losing their first four wickets for 48 Police SC put up a tremendous fight to cause some anxious moments in the SSC camp reaching 213-9. Dushan Hemantha top scored with 51 (25 balls, 1 four, 5 sixes), but the main contribution came from the Police SC late order that contributed 78 off the last 40 balls. Left-arm seamer Mihiranga Silva kept the Police SC run rate in check with vital strikes finishing with 3/39.
NCC too had a nervy win beating Moors SC by two wickets with two balls to spare at the SSC grounds. Chasing a target of 176 NCC had to rely on their captain Chamika Karunaratne to rally them home. Requiring five off the last over NCC lost a wicket off the first ball, but Karunaratne ran a two and hit a boundary off the fourth to see his team cross the line.
Jeewaka Sashin shored up the NCC top order with an attractive 85 off 48 balls (7 fours, 4 sixes) and Dineth Goonewardena provided the spark towards the end with 31 off 16, being dismissed with 9 required to win. Left-arm spinner Induwara Udena took 3/24 for Moors SC for whom Sohan de Livera top scored with 64 (45 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes) out of their
total of 175-7.
In the semi-finals scheduled for 13 September, CCC will play Tamil Union at the SSC grounds under lights at 7 pm in the first semi-final, and SSC will take on NCC at the R Premadasa Cricket Stadium under lights at 7 pm in the second semi-final. The final is scheduled for 16 September. (ST)