MCA Div E Cricket to commence from March 5
View(s):The Division ‘E’ 30-over League Cricket Tournament conducted by the Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA) for the David Pieris Group of Companies Challenge Trophy will get underway from March 5.
The tournament will get off to a start with the round-robin stage from next Thursday and after 102 half day matches, will come to an end on April 25. At the completion of the round-robin stage, the first two teams, along with the four third-placed teams from of the six groups with the best nett-run-rate will advance to the knockout stage of the tournament competition.
The knockout stage, which begins from the pre-quarter-finals, will begin on May 2 followed by the quarter-finals on May 9. The semi-finals are slotted on May 16 while the final will be played on May 23 as the 15th game of the knockout competition.
The venues for the 12-week long tournament will be the MCA, Ananda Mawatha, the new Army grounds in Mattegoda, Thurstan College, Ananda Sasthralaya Kotte, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, De Mazenod College Kandana, D.S. Senanayake College, Kelaniya University, Health SC and St. John’s College Panadura.
The official launching ceremony of the tournament took place at the MCA Pavilion Lounge last Wednesday with David Pieris Group of Companies coming forward for the 13th successive year to partner the MCA. The sponsor will be offering the glittering ‘DPGC Challenge Trophy’ for the first time. The tournament takes a fresh turn, after being reduced to 30-overs from 40-overs.
A total of 38 teams, pooled into six groups, in two stages – League and Knockout — will be engaged in 117 half day matches. Last season Commercial Leasing Co. took charge of the ‘Bajaj Challenge Trophy’, beating HNB ‘B’ by 8 wickets, when the competition was held as a 40-over per-side affiar.
| Teams: Group ‘A: Amana Takaful Insurance, Brandix Essentials, Eagle Logistics, Lion Brewery, MAS Active Trading ‘B’, Softlogic Finance, Access Group. Group ‘B’: Avery Denison, Singer Sri Lanka ‘B’, Citizens Development Bank, Hilton Colombo, John Keells ‘C’, Ansel Lanka. Group ‘C’: Ceylon Tobacco, DFCC Group, Finlays Colombo, Interpharm, Noyon Lanka, Union Assurance. Group ‘D’: Bimputh Finance, Commercial Bank ‘B’, MAS Silueta, Pizza Hut, D. Samson and Sons, Nawaloka Group. Group ‘E’: Assetline Group, LOLC, RR Donerly, UniLever, Virtusa, EWIS, Galadari Hotel. Group ‘F’: Astron Lanka, Emerchemie NB, Mast Far East, Regnis Lanka, Gestetner Ceylon, Dialog Axiata ‘B. |