Colts CC out to register fifth outright win

Chris DHAMBARAGE

Colts CC will be hoping to register their fifth outright victory when they take on NCC in an important SLC Premier League tournament Tier A match which begins at Maitland Place today.

Colts CC are well set to win the championship as they have played one match less than their nearest rivals the defending champions SSC who are currently occupying the top spot in the points table.

In addition Colts CC will also have the added advantage of having the opportunity of playing against a weak opposition Baduraliya CC in their final outing of the tournament next week on their home grounds at Havelock Park.

This means that they are well set to lift the title unless NCC are able to create an upset and turn the game in their favour.

However considering the present form of the two teams Colts CC are very much ahead of their opponents in the three day tournament as well as in the shorter version of the game.

In fact Colts CC were able to win their previous league match against Bloomfield well inside two days and also took the limited over game against the same opposition by five wickets at Reid Avenue on Wednesday.

Now that Colts CC have done all the hard work to ensure their success they will be hoping that any complacency will not creep into the side with just two matches remaining in the league.

SSC v Tamil Union

The defending champions SSC will be hoping for an outright victory when they take on Tamil Union in another SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match at Maitland Place starting today.

The SSC team will be a worried lot because even if they collect maximum points from their final outing they are bound to finish in the runners up position. The only way they could retain the title is to hope that Colts CC do not win outright against NCC and Baduraliya CC respectively.

This probable could only be a dream for SSC considering the fact that both NCC and Baduraliya CC are currently going through a very poor season been placed eight and tenth in the points table.

Nevertheless SSC would like to give their best shot in this final outing in an attempt to keep their hopes alive to a certain extent. They have made a determined effort especially during the latter stages of the season to make an impact and will like to finish off things on a high note.

SSC will need to forget about the championship hopes and simply focus on the game and hope for the best in the coming matches. Their extra ordinary outright victory against Moors SC last week will no doubt inspire them to a great extent as they take the field while hoping for a repeat performance.

Bloomfield v Chilaw Marians SC

Bloomfield will be hoping to redeem some of their lost prestige when they confront the unpredictable Chilaw Marians SC team in another SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match which begins at Reid Avenue today.

Bloomfield are still recovering following last week›s shock defeat at the hands of Colts CC which also signaled the end of their title hopes. Until then they were very much in contention for the championship having recovered magnificently during their last few outings.

However now that they have nothing to lose they would like to simply enjoy the game and make a huge impact in this final outing of the tournament. They have currently dropped into the sixth place in the points table and an outright victory will certainly lift them up into the top three.

Bloomfield should be eying this position because it would give them a great amount of satisfaction and a psychological boost for the up coming matches in the Premier limited over tournament.

But a lot will depend on how their key players would rise to the occasion following last week›s heavy drubbing against Colts CC. The pressure was really telling on them as they also crashed to a five wicket defeat against the same opposition in a Premier limited over game on Wednesday.

Ragama CC v Army SC

Ragama CC will be looking for a consolation victory when they take on Sri Lanka Army SC in their SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match which gets underway at the CCC grounds in Maitland Crescent today.

Ragama CC is another team that has lost their way at the last moment after been able to make some big strides mid way during the tournament. In fact at one sage they were strong contenders for the title and showed a great amount of promise with a series of brilliant performance on the field.

However last week›s defeat at the hands of CCC have certainly shattered their hopes and are now regretting heavily for their mistakes that cost them the championship. Another reason for them to be disappointed is the fact that they had one of the most talented outfits this season with a combination of youth and experience.

Their record itself speaks volume of their potential because they have lost only one match outright and have suffered another defeat on the first innings. But they just could not get into peak form when it really mattered and completely lost concentration during last week›s key encounter.

CCC v Moors SC

CCC will be hoping for a repeat performance when they take on Moors SC in their SLC Premier League Tier A tournament match which commences at Braybrooke Place today.

CCC have been able to get their act together well during these last couple of matches and last week too they had the satisfaction of overcoming Ragama CC outright on their home grounds.

As a result CCC have climbed into the third position of the league points table which something they even did not dream of achieving at the start of the competition. They were really struggling at the beginning with most of their players completely out of form.

However they have made a tremendous recovery during the latter stages and are now looking forward to conclude their campaign on a impressive note.

The fixtures: SSC v Tamil Union at Maitland Place, Moors SC v CCC at Braybrooke Place, Bloomfield v Chilaw Marians SC at Reid Avenue, Ragama CC v Army SC at Maitland Crescent, NCC v Colts CC at Maitland Place.