Moratu MV were home for tea when they recorded a comfortable innings and 49 run win over traditional rivals Sri Sumangala Panadura in their 58th Battle of the Gold’s big match played at De Zoysa Stadium in Moratuwa yesterday.
Moratu MV spinner Sanka Ramesh laid the foundation for Sri Sumangala’s downfall in action at Moratuwa. |
Moratu MV in the process are winning the big match after 39 years which was their seventh, with their last outright victory achieved in the series being in 1971 when the side was led by Anura Weerasuriya.
It was Sujeewa Liyanage and Janitha Nimesh who together first laid the foundation on Friday for their win with the pair making knocks of 99 and 96 which helped Moratu MV amass a massive score of 319 for 9 before declared.
Later in the day right arm spinner Sanka Ramesh put the Sumangalians in all sorts of trouble with impressive figures of 4 for 16 to bowl them out for a paltry 81. Sumangalians made to follow on, ended the first day on three for no loss with a massive 236 runs more to avoid an innings defeat. Sri Sumangala resuming on day two spearheaded by skipper Chathura Nilaweera they put in some resistance but again failed to Moratu MV’s second right arm spinner Sudeepa Kelum and Sujeewa Liyanage who both combined to bowl them out for 189 with the match coming to an end at 1.0 p.m.
Moratu MV 319 for 9 declared in 64 overs (Sujeewa Liyanage 99, Janitha Nimesh 96, Sanka Ramesh 30, Sudeepa Kelum 27, Asanka Silva 21: Vimukthi Kaushal 3 for 67, Sisira Harshana 2 for 26, Sanka Madubashana 2 for 49)
Sri Sumangala Panadura 81 in 33 overs (Chathura Nilaweera 26, Vimukthi Kaushal 17: Sanka Ramesh 4 for 16, Sudeepa Kelum 2 for 7, Chathura Vithana 2 for 10) and (3/0 o’night) 189 in 49.3 overs (Chathura Nilaweera 55, Tharuka Nadishan 41, Madawa Sakuranga 35: Sudeepa Kelum 4 for 58, Sujeewa Liyanage 2 for 10) |
E-mail
