Bloomfield face acid test

Chris DHAMBARAGE

Bloomfield will face an acid test when they take on NCC in a vital SLC Premier League Tier A tournament three day match starting at Maitland Place today.

Bloomfield are one of the strong contenders for the title and are currently placed second in the points table. This will also give them the opportunity of reducing the gap with the table leaders Ragama CC who are enjoying a rest this weekend.

However NCC are capable of bouncing back although they have failed to make an impact so far in the tournament. They have looked just an ordinary team and are yet to register an outright victory.

Bloomfield of course will take the field at the backdrop of some uncertainties having suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Ragama CC in their previous outing. They will be hoping that their key players would recover from this setback and perform to their true potential in an attempt to reach the top.

Bloomfield will be looking for an improved batting performance from their top order following an unimpressive performance last week. They were badly let down by their batsmen where they collapsed sensationally for just 159 runs in the second innings that cost them the game.

NCC will start the match as the underdogs but will be determined to make the maximum from this great opportunity. They also have the added advantage of having played only five matches unlike the rest of the opponents and they still have plenty of work to be done in the remaining fixtures.

Tamil Union v CCC

Tamil Union will be hoping to maintain their excellent form when they confront CCC in another SLC Premier League tournament Tier A match at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium from today.

Tamil Union notched up their first outright victory last week against Colts CC and will be hoping to maintain the same momentum which would push them further up in the points table. They are currently placed fourth in the table but the fact is that they are trailing by just 18 points from the leaders which means that they are still top contenders for the title.

They have a very good chance of making a huge impact in the tournament if they could play to their potential and make the maximum from the opportunities. Last week they proved this to a great extent and are looking forward to another successful outing.

The pressure will be on the CCC team who are still searching for their first outright victory of the tournament. Last week too they were frustrated by Chilaw Marians SC although they were able to have the better of the exchanges at least on the first innings.

CCC’s batting will be spearheaded by Bathiya Perera who has been their most consistent batsman this season with over four hundred runs to his credit. Sri Lanka cap Jehan Mubarak, Charith Sylvester, Nisal Randhika and all rounder Sachith Pathirana are also capable of making big scores as they had proved it in the earlier matches.

Tamil Union will be looking for a repeat performance from Ashan Priyanjan who completed twin fifties last week against Colts CC. The former Sri Lanka under 19 captain has struck form at the correct time and will be anxious to continue his excellent form along with Sajith Fernando, Sachithra Serasinghe and Lanka de Silva.

Moors SC v Chilaw Marians SC

Meanwhile two equally good teams Moors SC and Chilaw Marians SC will clash in another SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at Braybrooke Place from today.

Both teams seem to be out of the running for the title but yet they will be looking to prove something in their last few matches of the competition. Moors SC of course have recovered well after a poor start to the tournament and they are currently placed sixth in the points table.

However still they could climb up in the table considering the fact that they are just three points behind from the fourth placed team Tamil Union. This means that they could easily finish among the top three if they could collect some first innings points in the next couple of games.

Moors SC will take the field with their heads high after having outclassed Baduraliya CC on the first innings in their previous outing. In fact they were quite unfortunate because they were just two wickets away from collecting full points.

Chilaw Marians SC will also be looking to improve their position in the points table because they have some very good players in their ranks capable of producing a match winning performance. All rounder Janaka Gunaratne is one of their talented players who will be looking to stamp his class having played a dominant role in their success against CCC in the one day match on Wednesday.

SSC v Baduraliya CC

The defending champions SSC will have a great chance of collecting full points when they meet Baduraliya CC in their SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at Maitland Place today.

SSC have made steady progress after a disappointing start and now they are in a position from where they could accelerate and dictate terms over their opponents. They are currently trailing by three points from the second placed team Bloomfield and a further 14 points from the table leaders Ragama CC.

This is a tremendous improvement considering the fact that they were almost out of the contention at one stage after having made a dismal start to their campaign.

But SSC have really worked their way into a position of strength through some real hard work and now seem to be playing like a true champion side.

Their innings victory last week against Sri Lanka Army SC have certainly lifted their morale and they are looking towards another good game to further improve their position in the points table.

Colts CC v Army SC

Colts CC will have a good chance of pulling off an outright victory when they confront Sri Lanka Army SC in their SLC Premier League tournament Tier A match at Havelock Park starting today.

Colts CC will also be hoping to redeem some of their lost prestige after having suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Tamil Union last week. But this time they will be up against a weak opposition who are currently placed at the bottom of the points table.

The fixtures: SSC v Baduraliya CC at Maitland Place, Moors SC v Chilaw Marians SC at Braybrooke Place, Tamil Union v CCC at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colts CC v Army SC at Havelock Park, NCC v Bloomfield at Maitland Place.