Saracens Sports Club defeated Galle Cricket Club by 25 runs in their Group B encounter in SLC Major Club Limited Over Tournament worked off today at De Soysa International Cricket Stadium.
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Due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions, the match was reduced to a 30-over contest. Having been put in to bat first, Saracens’ opening batters got off to a decent start putting 36 runs in 9.3 overs.
After both the openers were back in the hut, the number three batter Nipun Karunanayake and wicket-keeper batsman Navindu Vithanage added another decent partnership of 44 runs off 61 balls becoming the fulcrum of Saracens batting lineup.
At the end of the allotted 30 overs, Saracens managed to muster 153 runs with Karunanayake and Vithanage being the top scorers of the innings with 37 and 34 runs respectively. The 28-year old left-arm spinner Chalana de Silva returned noteworthy figures of 5 wickets for 36 runs for Galle CC.
Chasing 154 runs to win, Galle CC got off to a shaky start losing one of their opening batters Lasith Lakshan for just 1 run in the very first over of the innings. The number three batter Raveen Yasas and the opener Yasodha Lanka then shared a stand of 57 runs for the 2nd wicket putting the lads from Panadura in course on the run chase.
But with the opener Yasas’ dismissal, a sudden batting collapse was witnessed as the off-spinner Sandun Mendis and the left-arm spinner Kavika Dilshan ripped through Panadura SC’s batting lineup putting them under tremendous pressure at 5 for 70.
De Silva the hero with the ball for Galle CC early in the day showed his skills with the bat giving some late impetus to the innings scoring a quickfire 38 runs off 27 balls including 4 sixes. But, it wasn’t enough for the lads from Galle as the opposition came back strongly with the ball taking 4 wickets in the space of 7 balls to snatch a 25-run win at the end.
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The left-arm seamer Mohomed Dilshad was the pick of the bowlers for Saracens as he snared 3 wickets for just 7 runs in his 5-over spell.
Brief Scores
Saracens Sports Club 153/9 (30) Nipun Karunanayake 37, Navindu Vithanage 34, Sithara Gimhan 26, Chalana De Silva 5/36
Galle Cricket Club 118/9 (25) Chalana De Silva 38, Yasodha Lanka 29, Raveen Yasas 26, Mohomed Dilshad 3/07, Kavika Dilshan 2/26, Akash Senaratne 2/26, Sandun Mendis 2/31
Result – Saracens SC won by 25 runs (D/L Method)
