The national Women’s Club Cricket Division II finals were held yesterday at the Mercantile Cricket Association Grounds. The tournament commenced on the 16th of June, with the participation of 10 teams:
- Air Force SC
- Army SC
- Badulla Maroons CC
- Colts CC
- Matale SC
- Navy SC
- Nittambuwa Ladies
- Seenigama Ladies
- Shakthi SC
- Southern Ladies SC
The teams were drawn into two groups with the top two teams from each group going on to the Semi Finals.
The group stages were dominated by the teams from the armed forces with both the Air Force and the Army team finishing the first round unbeaten.
The standings after the 1st round were as follows
|
Group A |
Group B |
|
Air Force SC |
Army SC |
|
Navy SC |
Nittambuwa Ladies |
|
Matale SC |
Shakthi SC |
|
Colts CC |
Southern Ladies SC |
|
Seenigama Ladies |
Badulla Maroons CC |
In the Semi Finals, the Air Force SC strolled through the game with a comfortable win over the girls from Nittambuwa while the Navy SC faced a tough challenge but ultimately overcame the Army SC to reach the finals.
Air Force SC Skipper Harshani Maduwanthi won the toss and elected to bat in the big final, no doubt realizing the importance of runs on the board.
Openers Anushka Sanjeewani and Ruchini Samarasinghe got them off to a steady start but the Navy SC bowlers were able to keep the runs in check. Anushka Sanjeewani was the mainstay in the batting line up making 53 runs off 93 balls. She was involved in useful partnerships with both Mihiri Madushani and Shakila Kumari, putting on 35 and 72 runs respectively.
At 127 for 2 in the 29th over, the Air Force SC looked ready to launch towards an insurmountable score. However, they were pegged back repeatedly by the fall of wickets. The tight bowling of the two Navy SC off spinners, Mihirani Chathurika and Adhikari Menike, who bagged 3 wickets a piece while going at less than 4 runs an over, ensured that the Air Force SC did not get to a total that was beyond reach. Both Anushka Sanjeewani and Shakila Kumari were out in quick succession, going for big shots, leaving the middle and lower order batters to put the finishing touches on the total.However, of the last 7 batters, only Rajitha Gunawardana was able to get to double figures as the wickets tumbled in the bid for quick runs.
At the innings break, the Navy SC were probably the happier camp as they had managed to restrict the top heavy Air Force batting line up to a score of 169.
The Navy SC’s aggressive intent with the bat put the Air Force SC under pressure, right from the word go, with 22 runs coming off the 1st 4 overs of the innings, Harshani Wijerathna being the chief aggressor. The introduction of spin in just the 7th over brought about the breakthrough for the Airforce SC. Things did not get easier for them, however, as the Captain Manjula Wedage and Adhikari Menike continued to pile on the runs, albeit at a slower pace. At the 10 over mark, the Navy SC was looking comfortable at 42 for the loss of 1 wicket.
Spinners Shakila Kumari and Ruchini Samarasinghe along with medium pace bowler Harshani Maduwanthi then began to dry up the runs giving away just 25 in the next 10 overs. It was a commendable performance, particularly from the skipper, who led the team by example, bowling an impeccable line and throwing herself around in the field.
At the halfway stage, the Navy SC had their noses in front with just over a 100 runs to get with 8 wickets still in hand. The next ten overs saw the match swing further towards a Navy SC win. The Air Force fielding began to fall apart, with over throws creeping in and two simple catches being dropped off the skipper’s bowling. Despite this, Anushka Sanjeewani remained excellent behind the stumps, claiming 4 catches and one stumping. Adhikari Menike brought up a splendid half century in the 28th over. Her innings was characterized by her exploitation of gaps in the field and her running between the wickets. She, along with Dumila Dedunu, brought the Navy SC to the brink of victory.
She was brilliantly stumped for 71 with the team requiring 30 runs off the final 5 overs. As the runs flowed freely on one end, Left Arm quick Sudeepa Athukorala was superb with her line and length as she closed up the other end. With runs drying up, the batters were forced into rash shots and a couple of run outs saw the Navy SC struggle. Nevertheless, they dragged the match right to the final over, requiring 7 to win, with one wicket in hand. Once again tight bowling resulted in a rash shot and the final batter Mihiri Chathurika was caught at point, giving the Air Force SC their third successive title.
The Scores
Airforce SC– 169/9 (Anushka Sanjeewani 53, Shakila Kumari 37) (Mihirani Chathurika 3/21, Adhikari Menike 3/29)
Beat
Navy SC – 165 All Out (Adhikari Menike 71, Dumila Dedunu 24) (Shakila Kumari 3/23, Sudeepa Athukorala 2/22, Harshani Maduwanthi 2/27)
