Ragama face tough task against SSC

Chris DHAMBARAGE

The table leaders Ragama CC will face a tough task when they take on the defending champions SSC in a key SLC Premier League Tier A three day tournament match which begins at Braybrooke Place today.

Ragama CC have played some fantastic cricket in their two outings so far and have showed early promise which they would like to maintain throughout the season. They produced their best effort last week to beat the giant killers Baduraliya CC outright by an innings and 37 runs at this same venue.

Even then their opponents today will be completely different and will need to lift their game to a great extent to keep their hopes alive. SSC of course have done nothing extra ordinary in the tournament so far but they have made steady progress in a professional manner.

SSC go into this clash with back to back first innings victories against Chilaw Marians SC and Colts CC respectively. However in both outings they missed out the opportunity of collecting the maximum points with bad weather interfering quite unfortunately.

In contrast Ragama CC will be more than confident following their tremendous success against Baduraliya CC last week after having defeated Tamil Union on the first innings in their opening encounter.

Ragama CC will have a daunting task in containing the powerful SSC batting line up which includes some of the most prolific run getters in the domestic scene. SSC's main concern will be dynamic fast bowler Kaushalya Weeraratne who has struck form with the ball in their two earlier outings.

Chilaw Marians SC v Baduraliya CC

Chilaw Marians SC will be hoping to continue their excellent form when they confront Baduraliya CC in their SLC Premier League Tier A three day tournament match at the NCC grounds in Maitland Place today.

Chilaw Marians SC had a splendid outing last week where they came from behind to beat the newcomers Sri Lanka Army SC outright by one wicket in their match played at Katunayake.

Even then the Chilaw Marians SC batting will need to improve a lot in this match as they have been struggling to make runs so far in this tournament. This was quite clear when they slumped to 50 for 9 while chasing a mere victory target of 70 runs against Sri Lanka Army SC.

In the first innings too they were well placed at one stage but some irresponsible batting from their middle order cost them some vital points at the end. Nevertheless they recovered magnificently to add the finishing touches and will be looking forward to another successful outing.

In contrast Baduraliya CC will be hoping for an improved performance with both bat and ball after a disastrous outing against Ragama CC last week. They got off to a flying start by defeating the more fancied NCC team outright by an innings in their curtain raiser match of the tournament at Maitland Place.

However thereafter they have somewhat lost their touch and even some of their more experienced players failed to deliver the goods. They were shot out for the lowest score in this tournament last week and will be hoping to put a side that debacle with a satisfying performance.

Bloomfield v Moors SC

Meanwhile Bloomfield will be looking to consolidate their position when they take on Moors SC in their SLC Premier League Tier A three day tournament fixture at Reid Avenue from today.

Bloomfield enjoyed a fine game last week where they piled up the highest total in the tournament this season before overcoming the Tamil Union on the first innings quite convincingly at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.

The Bloomfield batsmen will be looking to continue from where they left last week after scoring over 550 runs with the help of a superb century from Tillekeratne Dilshan. The rest of the batting will also be hoping for another good outing and convert those fifties into big hundreds.

Moors SC of course are coming out after a well earned rest and will be determined to put up a good performance having gone down to Colts CC outright in their opening match of the tournament.

NCC v Tamil Union

NCC will face an acid test when they meet Tamil Union in their SLC Premier League Tier A three day tournament match at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium starting today.

NCC have experienced mixed fortunes this season where they went down to Baduraliya CC outright before recovering to beat their arch rivals CCC on the first innings last week.

This time however NCC will no doubt be tested by an unpredictable Tamil Union outfit who are still searching for their first victory of the tournament. Last week they were badly let down by the top order batsmen before all rounder Gihan Rupasinghe rescued them with an unbeaten century.

NCC too are just recovering following their shock start to the tournament where they suffered a humiliating innings defeat at the hands of Baduraliya CC on their home grounds. They struggled a bit against CCC last week but managed to pull off a first innings win largely due to their bowlers.

CCC v Army SC

CCC will also face a stern test when they confront the newcomers Sri Lanka Army SC in their SLC Premier League Tier A three day tournament match on their home grounds at Maitland Crescent today.

CCC have looked a pretty ordinary side this season having already lost to Bloomfield outright in their very first game and against NCC on the first innings last week. Their batting has been a major concern so far where they have struggled to put up a decent score on the board.

Last week too they were dismissed for a modest 158 runs before Nisal Randhika and Bathiya Perera came into their rescue with a stubborn effort in the second innings.

This time they will be under pressure and will be up against a very good bowling side. Army SC certainly had a satisfying opening outing last week although they lost the game outright against Chilaw Marians SC.

The card: Ragama CC v SSC at Braybrooke Place, Bloomfield v Moors SC at Reid Avenue, Tamil Union v NCC at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, CCC v Sri Lanka Army SC at Maitland Crescent, Chilaw Marians SC v Baduraliya CC at Maitland Place.