• Tamil Union have it easy
• Ananda in box seat
• N'Eliya Road Races
• Dharmaraja take honours
• Lemonade Cup cricket fixtures
• St. Benedict's, D.S. Senanayake 'big' match peters out to a draw
• Aravinda top scorer for Summangala
• Visakha undisputed basketball champs
• Mini Tennis Camp
• Priyadarshana - Athlete of the Year
• Rover pinpoints......
• Foxhill Supercross the ultimate challenge

Inter-Club limited-overs semi-final

Tamil Union have it easy

By Bruce Maurice

Tamil Union romped home easy winners defeating CCC by six wickets in their Inter-Club limited-overs semi-final at the NCC Grounds at Maitland Place yesterday.

Electing to bat first CCC were given a solid start by Bradman Ediriweera and H. Jayasuriya, who put on 57 runs.

Edriweera's contribution was 45 with three fours and Jayasuriya made 25 with a six and a four. The other batsmen to enter double figures were Hemantha Boteju (16), Damith Hunukumbura (12) and Lanka de Silva (12).

Three CCC batsmen were run out with Muttiah Muraleetharan being the pick of the Tamil Union bowlers capturing four for 22.

Tamil Union scored the required runs for victory with contributions from Nuwan Shiroman (13), Indika Gallage (39), Indika de Saram (26), Gayan Wijekoon and Upul Chandana unbeaten on 28 and 32 respectively.

Wijekoon abd Chandana put on 56 runs for the fifth wicket. Tamil Union will meet the winners of the SSC/Colts clash on Saturday (April 1) at the NCC grounds.

CCC - 154 all out in 43.2 overs.

Tamil Union - 158 for 4 in 33.4 overs.

SSC will meet Colts at the P. Sara Stadium today in the second semi-final.

71st Battle of the Maroons: Nalanda on the rack

Ananda in box seat

By Jatila Karawita

A splendid team effort by Ananda, enabled them to have arch-rivals Nalanda on the rack, on the first day of their 71st Battle of the Maroons Big Match which began at SSC grounds yesterday.

Nalanda replying to Ananda's competitive first innings score of

223 for 6 wickets declared, gained largely through a polished knock of 83 from opener Lakshan Fernando, were perilously placed at 109 for 6 wickets at stumps when bad light halted play at 6.05 p.m. with the latter firmly in the driving seat.

Nalanda commencing their reply after the tea-break, following Ananda's declaration at the adjournment, lost wickets at regular intervals throughout their innings, in a failed bid to go after the tight Ananda bowling marshalled by the spin duo of Sri Lanka Under 19 youth cap Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and prolific wicket taker Kasun Fernando.

Nalanda opener Sukitha Peries made a good 31 with four hits to the boundary before he was trapped in front of the wickets by left arm leg spinner Kasun Fernando who in his very first over, went on to remove Hiran Gunawardene as well bowling him for a duck.

Nalandian skipper Mevan Porage looked good during his brief stay at the middle for 19 runs, before due to rush of blood spooning a return catch to Muthumudali Pushpakumara in a futile effort to hit the bowler out of the grounds.

Pushpakumara at the end of play had figures of 2 for 23 while left armer Kasun Fernando claimed 2 for 8 in 8.2 overs on a wicket which began to give prodigious turn to the Ananda spinners towards the latter part of the day's play.

Still trailing by 114 runs on the first innings and with four first innings wickets intact the Campbell Place school have their backs to the wall, heading into the second and final day's play today in what promises to be an entertaining day's cricket for the spectators.

The Anandians sent into bat by Nalanda, were pretty much indebted to a workmanlike knock of 83 by consistent run getter and opener Lakshan Fernando as they went on to pile on the runs against their traditional rivals.

He was also involved in a solid 91 run third wicket stand with his skipper and Sri Lanka Under World Cup star Thilina Kandambi who cracked a brisk 44 with four fours.

Lakshan Fernando's 83 which came off 196 deliveries was laced with nine fours, while Eshan Abeysinghe with an unbeaten 43 also added 46 runs for the fifth wicket with Fernando as Ananda batsmen flayed Nalanda bowlers to put their side on top.

Paceman Buddhika Ranaweera bowled best for Nalanda with figures of 3 for 59.

Ananda First Innings

Lakshan Fernando ct Gamarachchi B B Ranaweera 83

Dinusha Bandara B B Ranaweera 16

Yohan Wickramage LBW B B Ranaweera 6

Thilina Kandambi St S Peries B H Gunawardene 44

M Pushpakumara Ct A Kiriella B D Jayasundera 8

Eshan Abeysinghe n.o 43

N Jayakody Ct M Perera B D Jayasundera 0

Akalanka Ganegama n.o 2

Extras 20

Total (for 6 wkts dec in 56 overs) 223

Fall of wkts: 1- 24, 2-37, 3-128, 4-149, 5-195,6-200.

Bowling: Buddhika Ranaweera 14-2-59-3; Malinga Gamarachchi

9-3-13-0; Dilhan Jayasundera 18-2-74-2; Ishara Dilshan

2-0-12-0; Hiran Gunawardene 11-2-35-1 Manjula Perera 2-0-10-0

Nalanda First Innings

Sukitha Peries Lbw b Kasun Fernando 31

Amila Kiriella Lbw b Eshan Abeysinghe 4

Mevan Porage Ct & B M Pushpakumara 19

Hiran Gunawardene B Kasun Fernando 0

Malinga Gamarachchi run out 7

Mevan Dunusinghe Ct L Fernando B M Pushpakumara 1

Dilhan Jayasundera n.o 9

Manjula Perera n.o. 0

Extras 18

Total (for 6 wkts in 35.2 overs ) 109

Fall of wkts: 1-34, 2-68,3-68,4-78,5-84,6-109,

Bowling: Akalanka Ganegama 7-1-31-0; Sanjaya Ranaweera 2-0-15-0; Eshan Abeysinghe 5-1-8-1; Muthumudalige Pushpakumara 11-5-23-2; Kasun Fernando 8.2-4-8-2; Thilina Kandambi 2-1-6-0.

N'Eliya Road Races

The annual Nuwara Eliya road-races conducted for the 52nd year by the Sri Lanka Motor Cycle Club (SLMCC) and sponsored for the third consecutive year by Yes FM is to be held on April 15 and 16 to coincide with the holiday festivities in Nuwara Eliya.

The Nuwara Eliya road-races has been conducted by the Sri Lanka Motor Cycle Club for the last 51 years in association with the newly formed Nuwara Eliya Motor Racing Club. These details were revealed to the media by Thilak Peries, President of the Sri Lanka Motor Cycle Club when he addressed a press briefing at the Eighty Club in Colombo last Thursday.

Motor racing fans as well as holiday makers to 'Little England' are assured of several thrills and spills at this year's road-races, which according to the organisers will be free for the general public.

In addition to the usual events, motor cars modified upto 1000 cc and trishaw events are introduced for this year's road races.

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