Sri Lanka: Mercantile 'A' Division Final (12 Jul 1998)

12 July 1998

Mercantile 'A' Division

By Ranjan Anandappa

HATTON NATIONAL BANK (HNB) regained the Mercantile 'A' division cricket title, beating Access Group of Companies by 8 wickets in the final at the SSC grounds yesterday.

The tournament was sponsored by Singer Sri Lanka Ltd.

The Access Group were sent into bat by the HNB captain Varuna Waragoda and were restricted to 189 in 50 overs. The bankers in reply, reached the victory target off 35.1 overs for the loss of two wickets.

Access participating in the tourney for the first time, were aided by a 70-run stand for the seventh wicket between Asela Pathirana (37) and Gayan Wijekoon (34) and an useful 35 by Indika de Saram (65 balls three fours).

Test discard Sajeeva de Silva took 2 for 47 and Chintaka Jayasinghe and Shanuka Dissanayke too, took two wickets each.

For the winners, Avishka Gunawardena and Nilantha Bopage put on 58 for the first wicket and thereafter an unfinished third-wicket stand of 84 runs between Waragoda and Saman Jayantha brought them victory.

Nilantha Bopage the top scorer with 62, hit six fours facing 76 deliveries.

Both teams played without their top players. Access Group missed their skipper and Sri Lanka vice-captain Aravinda de Silva, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Niroshan Bandaratilake and Suresh Perera while HNB took the field without Kumara Dharmasena, Russel Arnold and Prasanna Jayawardena as they left for the United Kingdom for the one-day triangular series and the one off Test against England.

The award for the best bowler of the tournament went to Eric Upashantha (Union Assurance) and Marvan Atapattu of Sampath Bank won the best batsman of the tournament award. Nilantha Bopage (HNB) was adjudged Man-of-the-Final.

Hemaka Amarasuriya, Chairman Singer Sri Lanka was the chief guest.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)