Sri Lanka: Premier Championship Review (26 February 1999)

26 February 1999

Sri Lanka: Premier Championship Review

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Sebastianites became the third team to take over the leadership of the Premier championships for the season when Panadura SC, who went to the top the previous weekend suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Tamil Union.

Moors SC held on to the top spot for the first six weeks before three successive defeats saw them concede it to Panadura.

Sebastianites' victory over CCC was all the more creditable because they responded well to total 265 after being put in first on a grassy surface. Much of that total and their performances for the season, they owe to the batting talents of their wicket-keeper/batsman T. M. Dilshan. He continued his superb form by scoring a cultured 94 which took aggregate for the season nearer the 700-run mark. It was the second time that Dilshan missed out on a hundred. He was dismissed for 91 against Matara SC and has a career best 194 against Singha SC early this season.

CCC were done in by the tall right-arm medium pacer Dinusha Fernando, who took 5 for 61 to knock them out for 199. Only Duncan Arnolda played him with any confidence batting superbly for a well composed 91. In the Sebastianites second innings of 175, Sanjeeva Silva made 75 of them.

Moors SC were really unlucky to have the weather stopping them from recording an outright victory. The win was at their doorstep, with Matara SC having being reduced to 98 for 9 (chasing 290 for victory) by the leg spin of Rangana Herath (5/41).

Moors skipper Chandika Haturusinghe played a big hand in his side's victory charge scoring an undefeated 117 - his fourth century of the season which took his aggregate to 718 at an average of 65.27. NCC moved to fourth spot behind Panadura, following their convincing innings win against Police SC. A 151-run sixth wicket stand between NCC captain Hashan Tillekeratne (119 n.o. ) and Chintaka Jayasinghe (86) supported by half-centuries from Russel Arnold and Aravinda de Silva, set NCC towards gaining full batting points by topping the 400-run mark. Then former left-arm pacer Sajeeva de Silva showed what good a short stint at the MRF Pace Academy has done to him, by recording an eight wicket haul. Off spinner Ruwan Kalpage was also amongst the wickets taking six in the match.

Tamil Union continued their giant-killing spree by knocking off Pandura from the top of the table with an emphatic eight-wicket win. Much of their turn of fortunes has been to the return of all-rounder Upul Chandana from Australia. Chandana inspired the team to lift itself by scoring a half-century and then picking up four wickets to put Panadura to the sword. Mario Villavarayen, another fast bowler to benefit by a visit to the MRF Pace Academy, did the damage in the first innings taking four wickets. Indika Galagoda another vital cog in the Tamil Union wheel made 54.

Bloomfield bounced back following their loss to Tamil Union, by beating Kurunegala YCC outright. In a low scoring game where Bateesha de Silva scored a solitary fifty, Bloomfiled's right-arm medium-pacer Roshan Weerasinghe and leg-spinner Priyankara Wickremasinghe took five wickets in either innings to condemn Kurunegala to defeat. Wickremasinghe who is enjoying one of his best season's with the ball took his tally past the 50-wicket mark. For Kurunegala, fast medium bowler Rajith Amunugama took five in the Bloomfield first innings.

Fast medium bowler Ishara Amarasinghe's match bag of nine wickets set up Colts' outright defeat of Antonians. Sajith Fernando and Bathiya Perera gave their bowlers a total to bowl at with personal contributions of 101 and 63 respectively. Buddika Ekanayake and Aruna Hettiarachchi made half-centuries in the first innings, but they couldn't reproduce the same form a second time round when Antonians were routed for the lowest total of the season - 81.

Duminda Perera's batting double of (43 and 51 n.o.) and Sanjaya Rajapakse's five wickets failed to inpsire BRC who lost on the first innings to Singha SC. Janaka Kumudu and Asela Wewelwala top scored with a well compiled fifty and Suraj Sanjeeva took four wickets for Singha.

Galle CC gave SSC a fright when they lost by a mere six runs on the first innings. Chasing a moderate total of 195, SSC were made to work hard by Galle CC's bowlers spearheaded by old warhorse Champaka Ramanayake. Mahela Jayewardena top scored with 48, but SSC had to depend on their tail to push them past the Galle total. Pasan Wanasinghe, the former Antonian batsman struck twin fifties. For SSC, former Sri Lanka Suresh Perera took four wickets.

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