Sri Lanka: New cricket tourney next year (11 Sep 1998)

11 September 1998

New cricket tourney next year

by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Domestic cricket which had not served the purpose it was intended to over the years since the nation became elevated to Test status, will be made more meaningful after the Cricket Board's executive committee meets tomorrow.

The ExCo is expected to ratify a new tournament called the Premier Club championships where 12 clubs will compete from January to March next year. These dozen clubs will have the privilege of playing without any fear of relegation for three seasons.

Promotion to the premier championships will take effect only if the clubs playing in the Sara trophy tournament win the title on two occasions.

The top four clubs in each group of last season's Sara trophy tournament qualify automatically for the Premier Club championships - SSC, Bloomfield, CCC, Moors SC, Colts, NCC, Tamil Union and BRC.

The remaining four places will be filled by the leading clubs from the five regions appointed by the Cricket Board for the development of the game.

Kurunegala YCC, Galle CC, Panadura SC or Sebastianites and Antonian SC are the clubs likely to fill in the remaining slots.

The 12 clubs will play each other once on a league basis and the top two teams will qualify to play in a final. All matches will be of three days duration and recognised as first-class.

These clubs will also play in the Premier Club limited-overs tournament which will be conducted in December, before the Sri Lankan cricketers take wing to Australia to participate in the World Series Cup. England are the third team in the competition.

The rest of the clubs will play for the Sara trophy tournament which has been retained. It will be conducted in four groups. The first round of matches will be of two days duration and the second round plyed over three days.

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