MAS Active back in the pedestal
MAS Active Trading regained the MCA Premier League Knock-out Tournament title with a comprehensive 5 wicket win over the 2014 runner-up, John Keells Group in the 22nd Singer-MCA Premier League 2015 Knock-out final concluded at the MCA grounds last week-end. MAS Active Trading earlier won the knock-out title in 2013.
MAS Active Trading MCA Premier League Knock-out Champions
Looking back at this year’s championship, this final was the first to be played at the MCA Grounds for the past 21 seasons. They were played in different venues — R. Premadasa International Stadium once, seven times at the P. Sara Oval, five finals at the SSC, three at the NCC, four at the Colts Grounds and one at the Moratuwa Stadium.
The ‘Emerging Player of the tournament’, was the 20-year-old Wicket keeper/batsman of John Keells Lahiru Milantha. Lahiru will leave for South Australia in early January 2015 for two weeks on a MCA scholarship to the prestigious Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy.
The ‘Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament was the 27-year-old MAS Active all-rounder Sachitra Serasinghe for his batting skills averaging 70.0 with a total of 350 runs scored in nine innings and claiming 13 wickets in nine matches with an economy rate of 4.5 per over.
Udara Jayasundera of MAS Active Trading was adjudged the Best Batsman for his total of 409 runs scored in nine innings with an average of 51.13.
Commercial Credit and Finance’s Lahiru Gamage won the Best Bowlers award claiming 15 wickets with an economy rate of 4.29 runs per over. Lahiru is presently in India representing SL in the ODI series
Emerging Player of the tournament’, Wicket keeper/batsman of John Keells Lahiru Milantha
The Man of The Finals was Dananjaya De Silva for his figures of 10-1-27-3. Match Referee Nalliah Devarajan picked this lad ahead of Binura Fernando who had figures of 8-1-37-5 for his first spell in claiming the key wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Milantha and the dangerous Janaka Gunaratne.
In this highly successful tournament where majority of National Players representing their respective firms six centuries were scored one each by Thilina Kandamby (Sampath Bank), Lahiru Malintha (John Keells), Madawa Warnapura (HNB), Primash Perera (Sampath Bank), Kusal Perera (MAS Unichela) and Harsha Vithana (Seylan Bank) while a total number of 40 half-centuries were scored and in bowling Maduka Liyanapathiranage (4/55, 4/20), Sachitra Senanayake (4/23) Farveez Maharoof (4/43) and Shaminda Eranga (4/37) and Binura Fernando (5/37) were the bowlers to claim over four wickets and over in a match.
Chief Scores at-a-glace
in the Finals:
J. Keells – 227 all out (49) – (Dimuth Karunaratne 33, Lahiru Milantha 29, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 59, Roshane Silva 15, Akshu Fernando 45, Binura Fernando 5/37, Dhananjaya Silva 3/27)
MAS Active Trading – 228 for 5 (38.5) (Udara Jayasundera 53, T.M. Sampath 38, Angelo Perera 39, Jehan Mubarak 49, Kithruwan Vithanage 26 not out, Maduka Liyanapathiranage 2/25, Upul Indrasiri 2/40).