Richmond College overcame Maliyadeva College by 8 wickets in the semi-finals of the Singer Under 19 Division I limited overs tournament which was worked off today at St. Peter’s grounds Bambalapitiya. Richmond College will meet Thurstan College in the all-important finals on the 26th of March, Sunday at Wesley grounds.
Richmond College skipper Kamindu Mendis won the toss and invited the Devans to take the first lease of the surface. Richmond bowlers were disciplined enough with their line and length and the fielders backed them up with tidy efforts. Kamindu Mendis was the chief destroyer with the ball as he grabbed four crucial wickets.
Maliyadeva College folded up for a below-par 157 in 49.2 overs. Dinanjaya Premarathne who steadied the ship for the lads from Kurunegala as he stroked 41 valuable runs and Nisanjala Hettiarachchi contributed 34 runs with the willow.
Chasing a victory target of 158, the Richmondites started off in a blistering style as the two openers gained momentum from ball number one. They put on more than a hundred runs for the opening stand as the hard-hitting left hander blasted the Devans bowling attack as he made a 68 ball 86 runs that included 15 boundaries and a massive six, His opening partner and the skipper Kamindu Mendis stroked an unbeaten 58 to guide Richmond College, Galle to a convincing 8 wickets win over Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala.
Brief scores
Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala 157 (49.2) Dinanjaya Premarathna 41, Nisanjala Hettiarachchi 34, Kamindu Mendis 4/24.
Richmond College, Galle 160/2 (21.4) Dhananjaya Lakshan 86, Kamindu Mendis 58*
