Matara SC threatens legal action over relegation threat

Matara Sports Club have threatened to take the Tournament Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) to courts over its decision to force the club into playing in the promotion and relegation tournament.

Matara SC ended fourth in the Plate Championship of the Premier League Tournament, but the Tournament Committee cancelled their points, relegating the side to the bottom of the table after Kurunagala Youth Cricket Club.

Kurunagala protested that five players playing for Matara SC had already played for Moors Sports Club in the one-day tournament during same season. The players were R. Priyadarshana, C. Bandaratillake, U. Fernando, M.P. Salgado and A. Jayasinghe.

Kurunagala ended up in the seventh place of the Plate Championship and were to play in the promotion and relegation matches. When their protest proved successful they moved up into the safety of sixth position and were thus guaranteed a place in the Premier League next season.

Matara, however, responded to the board's decision by refusing to play a single promotion or relegation game.

They complain that BCCSL tournament rules and regulations require that official protests should be handed over to the secretary of the tournament committee within 48 hours of a match. Kurunegala's protest came after two-months and Matara officials smell foul play.

Sports Secretary of Matara SC, P.M.C Waidyarathne, claims that the five players were legitimately transferred, having moved from one province to another because of changes to their employment.

Chairman of the Tournament Committee, Shriyan Samararathne, maintains that the committee is not satisfied with the documents provided by the transferred players.