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Bloomfield take Limited over KO’s for third successive year
Santa comes to Reid Ave.
By M. Shamil Amit
Bloomfield tightened their grip on the Premier Limited Over cricket title when they won the title for the third successive year with a nail biting four wicket win over NCC in the final played at the SSC grounds yesterday.

Chasing a modest target of 222 for victory the Reid Avenue boys were set for trouble losing their first three wickets for just 16 runs which included Sanath Jayasuriya who failed for the second successive day. In the semi final encounter against SSC he was able to make only 13 while yesterday he managed only five being clean bowled by paceman Akalanka Ganegama.

But the saviour for Bloomfield was T.M. Dilshan who made a 130 ball 107 being involved with a match winning fourth wicket stand of 108 with Shanuka Dissanayake who contributed a valuable 46.Their partnership was supported by another 51 runs stand for the fourth wicket between Dilshan and Kandamby. But the win for the Bloomfielders was really given by Chinthaka Jayasinghe who slammed two towering sixes and a single to make 13 in three balls when time was running out for them.

Earlier in the day Bloomfield skipper Thilina Kandamby winning the toss opted to field and the NCC openers Upul Tharanga and Kanchana Gunawardena gave them a fairly good start scoring at the rate of S almost six runs an over. They lost the first wicket with the score on 37 that of Gunawardena for 15.

Upul Tharanga who was shaping well was the next to go being unfortunately run out for 33 that included four boundaries. NCC 65-2. With Kumar Sangakkara joining Sahan Wijeratne a revival was in the making with the pair denying any success for Bloomfield. But they were unable to host the 50 run stand as another unfortunate run out that of Wijeratne for 43 with the score on 114 stemmed a collapse.

NCC lost wickets at regular intervals and slid to 147 for 6. It was skipper Arnold and pinch hitter Ravindra Pushpakumara with a 73 run stand for the seventh wicket gave some respectability to NCC. Pushpakumara made a quick fire 47 in 41 balls with three boundaries and two sixes while Arnold’s contribution being 36. They were ultimately bowled out for 221 with the remaining three wickets adding only one run.

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