Burgher Recreation Club keep alive qualification hopes

Burgher Recreation Club kept their hopes alive for qualification to the semi final stage of the Premier League Limited Over Tournament, when they defeated Antonians by 113 runs at Colts Cricket Club Ground today. BRC now have seven points from their six games. Joint group leaders, SSC and Tamil Union, have eight points but will not face stiff opposition in their final group games on Saturday.

BRC dominated this game right from the moment they won the toss and elected to bat first. The team piled up an imposing 261 from 49.2 overs with all the batsmen contributing.

Having lost their first wicket in the very first over they then compiled consistent partnerships throughout the innings (40, 26, 21, 34, 49, 44, 0, 34 and 13). Malintha Wanapura, the promising all rounder who recently played in the Gopala Trophy, top scored with 44 from 66 deliveries. Wicket keeper, Sampath Perera, chipped in with a valuable 37 from 53 deliveries.

Antonians were always likely to struggle. They are yet to have won a match and have a miserable net run rate. Both openers failed: Lakmal Peiris was run out by Jayasinghe for seven and Siriwardene was caught by Perera off left arm fast bowler Sajeewa Silva for just two runs.

Antonians then rallied. Charles Silva scored 78 from 80 deliveries, hitting 11 crisp fours and one six. However, after a partnership of 64 with Hittatiya for the third wicket, the side crumbled in the face of some disciplined bowling. Wanapura, bowling his quickish off cutters, picked up two wickets for 12 runs and Bathesha de Silva picked up three wickets for 21 runs.