Twenty four teams for Division III cricket tourney

S. M. Jiffrey Abdeen Kandy Sports correspondent

Twenty four teams have entered the Division III inter club cricket tournament organised by the Kandy District Cricket Association on behalf of the Sri Lanka Cricket which will commence shortly and is scheduled to conclude on March 31.

The draw for this district tournament was held at the Central Region office of Sri Lanka Cricket on Wednesday with the participation of Committee members Roland Perera (Honorary Secretary), Janaka Pathirana, Denzil Hettiarachchi, Jaliya Munasinghe, Tuan Dole (Treasurer), Mohammed Zarook and Deva Amunugama.

The 24 teams will be divided into six groups with the first stage of the tournament being played on a league basis before entering the knock out stage.

The Honorary Secretary Roland Perera made an appeal to the participating clubs to complete their methods early in view of the demand for grounds during the current inter school cricket season.

The Groupings is as follows:

Group A: Lihini SC, Orient SC, Gampola CC, Leeds SC.

Group B: Saracens CC, Ekamuthu SC, Bloomfield CC, Prisons SC.

Group C: Galagedera CC, Solidaire CC, Visuvious CC, Onslaught CC.

Group D: Old Antonians SC, Madawala CC, Old Rajans SC, Southerland CC.

Group E: Malwatte CC, Old Trinitians SC, Blue Universal SC, Sylvestrians CC.

Group F: Liverpool SC, Zeylanicans CC, Black Eagles SC, Peradeniya University SC.

The defending champions are Old Antonians SC and Old Rajans SC. Black Eagles are the only new club to enter this tournament. Affiliated clubs like Ceylon Tobacco SC, Commercial Bank SC, Kandy Municipal SC are not participating in the tournament.