Angelo Matthews who scored 168 for Colts in action yesterday. Pic by Ranjith Perera

It was a week where most of the national stars shone. Beginning with the effort of young Angelo Mathews who made a brilliant 168 against CCC, there were several other good performances by the ‘big guns’.
At Maitland Place national captain Mahela Jayawardena who had a bad patch in Zimbabwe came up with a typically fluent knock of 60 runs against arch rivals NCC while medium pacer Nuwan Kulasekera bamboozled the CCC batting to capture 6 for 31 for Colts in their match played next door.

At Panagoda left arm spinner Rangana Herath celebrated his recall to the national squad in style for Moors against Army. First Herath scored 32 and 55 and followed it up with a haul of 6 for 28 to guide his side to a narrow first innings win.

‘Keep fighting on’ seems to be the motto of forgotten national leg spinner Malinga Bandara. Bandara turning out for Ragama CC captured 3 for 8 and then followed it up with a breezy half century to help his side to a first innings win over the strong Chilaw Marians.

Besides Bandara, Harsha Witharana also contributed well for Ragama when he hit 101 runs facing 248 balls with eleven fours.

At CCC grounds
Colts - 328 for 7 cont. 379 (Dilruwan Perera 48, Malinda Warnapura 21, Nuwan Kulasekera 21, Angelo Mathews 168, Sajeewa Weerakoon 46: Sujeewa de Silva 2 for 74 Jehan Mubarak 2 for 78, Chaminda Vidanapathirana 3 for 68, Ishan Ratnayake 2 for 75)

CCC 133 (Jehan Mubarak 42, Bhathiya Perera 31, Nisal Randika 33n.o. Nuwan Kulasekera 6/31, Ishara Amerasinghe 2/32) and 28 for no loss (Michael Vandort 16n.o., Daminda Ranaweera 12n.o.)

At P. Sara Stadium
Tamil Union - 336 for 6 cont. 349 (Gihan Rupasinghe 84, Ashan Priyanjana 74, Sajith Fernando 49, Lanka de Silva 39, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara 46: Duncan Arnolda 5 for 79, Niroshan Bandarathileke 2 for 62) and 36 for no loss (Jeewan Mendis 16n.o. Sajith Fernando 18n.o.)

Badureliya CC 203 (70) (Chanaka Withanage 33, Rasika Priyadarshana 14, Alankara Asanka 75n.o. Malinga Surappullige 3 for 25, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara 3/15)

At SSC ground
NCC - 194 (Kanchana Gunawardena 40, Chanaka Wijesinghe 33, Sahan Wijeratne 28, Kosala Kulasekera 25, Lasith Fernando 20: Sachitra Senanayake 6 for 61) and 39 for 1 (Upul Tharanga 31n.o. Thilina Kandamby 1/1)

SSC - 38 for no loss cont. 308 for 7 dec. (Dimuth Karunaratne 28, Naveen Perera 20, Kaushal Silva 54, Mahela Jayawardena 60, Thilina Kandamby 32, Kaushalya Lokuarachchi 68, Shalika Karunanayake 24n.o., Tharaka Kottehewa 2/72, Kosala Kulasekera 2/36, Damith Indika 2/68)

At Panagoda
Moors - 161 (Anil Ridigammanagedera 40, Rangana Herath 32, Shameera Weerasinghe 30: Seekkuge Prasanna 3 for 48, Navantha Ratnayake 2 for 32, Asela Gunaratne 2 for 36) and 189 for 6 at close (Damith Hunukumbura 61, Rangana Herath 55, Wesley Fernando 25, Dhammika Sudarshana 21, Seekkuge Prasanna 4/60, Damith Balasuriya 2/22)

Army - 50 for 1 cont. 154 (Asela Gunaratne 45, Chandima Prasad 21, Damith Balasuriya 21, Rangana Herath 6 for 28)

At Braybrooke Place
Chilaw Marians - 170 for 7 cont. 214 (Gayan Wijekoon 26, Suresh Niroshan 25, Milinda Siriwardena 20, Nimesh Perera snr. 77: Malinga Bandara 3 for 8, Kaushalya Weeraratne 4 for 79)

Ragama CC 309 for 7 (Harsha Witharana 101n.o., Indika de Saram 53, Malinga Bandara 50, Hemantha Wickremasinghe 46, Dinuk Hettiarachchi 4 for 113, Janaka Gunaratne 2/48)

Premier Cricket Tier B
At Panadura Esplanade
Panadura - 101 (Nilantha Cooray 18: Lasantha Manoj 5 for 35, Rashmi Jinan 2 for 34) and 293 for 9 (Shamika Ruwan 66, Pramuka Liyanage 90, Dinusha Fernando 43n.o., Amila Perera 28, Mahesh Priyadarshana 6/33, Lasantha Manoj 2/50)

Police - 130 for 6 cont. 167 (58.3) (Rashmi Jinan 31, Tharindu Weerasinghe 25, Nihal Soysa 22, Dhammika Rajapakse 45: Nilantha Cooray 6 for 36)

At NCC ground
Moratuwa SC - 126 (Harsha de Silva 50, Rashimal Mendis 22, Milinda Sepala 22: Neville Liyanage 5 for 48, Sameera Vithana 3 for 16) and 87 (Sudeepa Perera 26: Neville Liyanage 4 for 26)
Singha SC - 137 for 6 cont. 156 (Thilina Rajakaruna 17, Asela Wewalwala 82: Lakshan Rodrigo 4 for 12, Charith Fernando 3 for 42, Lakshan Rodrigo 4/12) and 59 for 1 (Thilina Rajakaruna 27n.o. Denver Faux 17n.o.)

At Royal ground
Seeduwa/Raddoluwa CC - 129 (Umesh Karunaratne 36, Manjula Priyantha 25: Malinda Pushpakumara 4 for 32, Prabhath Priyankara 3 for 57) and 180 (Tharaka Waduge 36, Ranil Dhammika 41, Gihan Dilruk 24, Malinga Pushpakumara 4/62, Prabhath Priyankara 2/37) Saracens SC - 81 for 6 cont. 197 (Samith Dushantha 19, Chamara Soysa 68, Shashrika Pussegolla 58: Umesh Karunaratne 3 for 24, Ranil Dhammika 4 for 66) and 24 for 3 (Umesh Karunaratne 2 for 10)

At De Zoysa Stadium
BRC - 230 (Dilhan Cooray 52, Jehan Perera 39, Romesh Eranga 28, Manoj Fernando 21: Gayan Sirisoma 3 for 44, Praneeth Jayasundera 3 for 54, Hemantha Boteju 2 for 15) and 108 (Rathika Wimaladharma 27n.o., Romesh Eranga 21, Pubudu Seneviratne 21, Praneeth Jayasundera 2/11, Dhammika Perera 2/26, Chathura Athukorala 2/20)
Sebastianites - 21 for 2 cont. 144 (65.4) (Lahiru Peiris 34, Ruvin Peiris 31, Lakmal Fernando 20, Bradman Ediriweera 18: Romesh Eranga 4 for 38, Marlon Madhushanka 4 for 28) and 5 for 1 at close (Romesh Indika 1/5)

At Rifle Green
Air Force - 240 for 8 cont. 276 (Madhawa Warnapura 51, Abuthahir Rizan 48, Ajith Kumara 31, Yasith de Silva 64, Chamila Gamage 32: Selvin Perera 5 for 90, Mangala Kumara 3 for 53)
Lankan CC 366 for 8 at close (Heshan Tillekaratne 47, Dasun Ariyaratne 23, Chanaka Wannakuwatte 64, Sashan Silva 38, Raju Gayashan 51, Pishan Hewage 51, Mangala Kumara 50n.o., Yasith de Silva 3/58, Suwanji Madanayake 2/91, Rizan Abuthahir 2/72)