Chilaw Marians out to consolidate their position

Chris DHAMBARAGE

The table leaders Chilaw Marians Sports Club will be hoping to further strengthen their position when they take on Colts CC in a crucial SLC Premier League Tier A tournament fixture which begins at Havelock Park today.

Chilaw Marians SC shot into fame following some outstanding performances during their previous two outings which has helped them to gain a surprise lead in the latest points table ahead of some of the more fancied teams.

However Chilaw Marians SC deserve this position because they have made the maximum from the limited opportunities so far despite going through severe hardships both on an off the field. They were most unfortunate to meet the defending champions SSC in their curtain raiser match of the tournament which anyway they did well to concede only first innings points at the end.

They followed up with a fabulous effort where they pulled off a remarkable one wicket victory against Sri Lanka Army SC after going down on the first innings.

This improved performance certainly has given the side an extra amount of confidence and the result was another first innings victory over the giant killers Baduraliya CC last week. They were of course deprived of an outright victory with bad weather spoiling the entire second days play.

This time they will be up against another formidable side and will be determined to prove that their earlier successes were not a fluke.

They could easily take control of this game too considering the fact that Colts CC are coming out at the backdrop of a first innings defeat to SSC in their previous outings.

Colts CC had a rest last week and will soon need to get their act together if they are to challenge some of the top teams in the league.

They are one of the few teams to have recorded an outright victory in the tournament so far but will be looking for consistency from their key players.

SSC v Bloomfield

Meanwhile the defending champions SSC will face their toughest challenge when they meet arch rivals Bloomfield in another key SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at Maitland Place today.

The two teams have fought out some great battles on the field in the recent past and this game too should turn out to be an exciting contest with a number of present and former Sri Lanka players representing their respective clubs.

This clash should turn out to be even more enthralling as both teams are in contention for the league title with just three points separating each other in the latest points table. However SSC will take the field with an unbeaten record having defeated Chilaw Marians SC and Colts CC on the first innings in their opening two outings.

Last week too they missed out a great chance of pulling off a first innings victory against Ragama CC after the first two days were completely washed out due to bad weather at Braybrooke Place. In fact their batsmen will be hoping to continue from where they left last week after having rattled up a formidable 329 for 8 during last week›s rain curtailed encounter.

Skipper and opening batsman Tharanga Paranavithana seem to have struck form at the correct time having hit a match winning unbeaten half century in their limited overs match against Ragama CC on Wednesday.

In contrast Bloomfield will take the field at the backdrop of uncertainties after having suffered a shock first innings defeat at the hands of Moors Sports Club on their home grounds last week. Even then they had the satisfaction of avenging that defeat by cruising to an easy 156 run victory against the same opposition in their one day fixture two days ago.

NCC v Moors SC

NCC will be hoping to collect the maximum points when they take on Moors Sports Club in their SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at Maitland Place today.

NCC of course are yet to play to their potential this season having managed to register two first innings victories against CCC and Tamil Union respectively. But their biggest setback was the shock outright defeat against Baduraliya CC in their very first match of the tournament.

Since then NCC have made steady progress and will be hoping that their key players would reach their peak form during this week›s outing. They will of course start the match under pressure after having suffered a mole shattering defeat against Tamil Union in their limited over match on Wednesday.

In contrast Moors SC will take the field with their heads high having brought down the strong Bloomfield outfit on the first innings in their previous outing at Reid Avenue.

They had the satisfaction of dismissing their opponents for just 102 runs which they will be hoping to repeat against another strong batting line up.

The Moors SC bowling attack has looked more penetrative with the arrival of Hasantha Fernando for this season from his former club Chilaw Marians SC. The former Sri Lanka all rounder snapped up five wickets in the previous game and will looking forward to another successful outing.

Army SC v Tamil Union

Tamil Union will be looking to register their maiden victory when they take on the newcomers Sri Lanka Army Sports Club in their SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at Panagoda starting today.

Tamil Union have really struggled this season in their previous three outings while going down on the first innings against Ragama CC, Bloomfield and NCC respectively. However they will take the field with a great amount of confidence having defeated NCC by three wickets in their limited overs match on Wednesday.

CCC v Baduraliya CC

CCC will be hoping to produce an improved performance when they take on Baduraliya CC in their SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at the R. Premadasa Stadium commencing today.

CCC had the satisfaction of overcoming Sri Lanka Army SC by a close margin on the first innings in their previous outing.

This time however they will need to really come out with something special as Army SC have shown their capabilities of upsetting any opposition on their day. The card: Bloomfield v SSC at Maitland Place, NCC v Moors SC at Maitland Place, Army SC v Tamil Union at Panagoda, Baduraliya CC v CCC at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colts CC v Chilaw Marians SC at Havelock Park.