Six clubs from last year make it to the last eight
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
The quarter-finals of the Under23 Inter-Club 2-day tournament will take place tomorrow and on Monday at four venues.
A total of 24 teams took part in 24 days of intense competition after which the quarter-finalists were found.
CCC who topped Group B, Group C leaders Kurunegala YCC and Group D runner-up Negombo CC were the only teams to go through the group stage unbeaten.
CCC and Negombo CC along with SSC, Chilaw Marians CC, Bloomfield and Moors SC have made it to the quarter-finals for the second successive year.
Last year CCC and Bloomfield finished as joint champions after the final ended in a draw.
No player from any of the eight quarter-finalists figure in the top individual performances of the ongoing tournament.
Lahiru Dawatage of Nugegoda SWC made the highest individual score getting a triple century – 314 against Navy SC, while there were four batsmen who scored a double hundred – Hiran Jayasundara of Colts (229), Manasa Madubashana of Badureliya CC (222), Hiruna Gallage of Badureliya CC (203*) and Isuru Fernando of BRC (201*).
The bowling honours went to Tamil Union off-spinner Vihas Thewmika who heads the list with 38 wickets from 6 matches. He is closely followed by Induwar Udena of Moors SC (36 wickets), Malsha Fernando of SSC (35) and Amitha Sandeepa of Negombo CC (34).
The line-up for Sunday is:
A1-Bloomfield v D2-Negombo CC at CCC grounds (QF1)
B1-CCC v C2-BRC at Air Force Katunayake (QF2)
C1-Kurunegala YCC v B2-Chilaw MCC at Welisara (QF3), and
D1-SSC v A2-Moors SC at Surrey grounds Maggona (QF4)
