Rukmalgama CC remain the team to beat

Rukmalgama CC ( RCC) remained unbeaten in the ongoing Colombo District Cricket Association (CDCA) Division III 50-Over League Tournament 2018.

Playing in Round 2, RCC beat Royal Warriors, another unbeaten team from Round 1, by 63 runs on Sunday, at Mt Mary.

Rukmalgama sent into bat, got off to a shaky start, with Royal Warriors left-arm opening paceman, Mohamed Wazeem 5/34, making early inroads into their top order batting. As wickets fell at regular intervals on one side, Skipper Kaushal Perera stood firm with a sedate 46 runs, while the actual rescue act came from No.8 batsman Shameegan Sridharan, who hit a solid, confident, unbeaten half-century, with a six and 6 fours. RCC, thus ended with a respectable 168 in 39.3 overs.

Royal Warriors chasing 169 runs to win in 50 overs (RPO 3.38), were swept off their feet by the RCC spin twins, left-arm off-spinner, Kokila Gomes 4/ 28) and right- arm, leg- spinner, Ranjan Ranarunga 4/26, as they folded up for 105 runs in 23 overs.

Kokila Gomes, playing for the first time for RCC, earlier captured 5/35 vs Homagama United and 4/60 vs Piliyandala Talents, while Ranjan Ranatunga bagged 3/ 24 vs Homagama, 4/ 40 vs Colombo Rogers, and 3/35 vs Piliyandala. This was RCC’s 5th win on the trot, having beaten Old Presidents CC by 3 wickets, Homagama United by 4 wickets, Colombo Rogers by 6 wickets and Piliyandala Talents by 29 runs in Round 1.

RCC will next play host to Darussalam CC on Sunday (22) at Padukka.

Round 2 match schedule:

July 5: Sappera vs Saracens at Mattegoda

July 7: Old Bens vs. KDUCC at Kotahena; Old Centralians vs. Egodauyana United at Piliyandala

July 8: SSC vs. Unichella at Maitland Place; SSC 'B' vs. Liberty CC at Reid Avenue; Old Senanayakians vs. Egodauyana United at Horana; Native vs. Bohras at Mahara