Dhammika spins Lankan CC to victory

Lankan Cricket Club 275 for 7 (Shiroman 79, Fernando 40, Abeyratne 3-35) beat Burgher Recreation Club 162 (Sandagirigoda 44, Dhammika 6-39) by 113 runs
Scorecard

Ranil Dhammika, the left-arm spinner, claimed career-best figures of 6 for 39 as Lankan Cricket Club beat Burgher Recreation Club by 113 runs to clinch the Tier B section of the Premier Limited Over Tournament, Sri Lanka's main domestic List A tournament.

Chasing 276 to win, Burgher were off to a solid start with Dilan Sandagirigoda being involved in a 60-run opening stand with Chamil Perera (28). But Burgher went downhill once an opening was found by Dammika, who caught Perera off his own bowling.

Dhammika then wreaked havoc with the middle order, dismissing three more batsmen, including Sandagirigoda for 44. Wicketkeeper Mudhita Fernando made 15 before he was run out while Janaka Kumarage, the No 3 batsman, was trapped by Raju Gayashan as the pressure got to Burgher. When Sathira Fernando was dismissed by captain Suranjit Silva, Burgher had slumped to a precarious 116 for 7, having lost their first seven wickets for the addition of only 56 runs.

The late-order delayed the inevitable, with Marlan Madusanka taking 31 balls for his unbeaten 11, before Dhammika returned to apply the finishing touches, trapping both Romesh Eranga (19) and Roshan Fernando as Burgher were bowled out for 162.

Earlier, Lankan, who were put in by Burgher, were led by a run-a-ball 79 from Nuwan Shiroman on their way to 275. Shiroman, who struck seven fours and two sixes in his innings, was involved in 59-run stands with Chanaka Withanage (18) and Dammika Gunawardene (35) for the first and second wicket respectively.

Gunawardene was dismissed by offspinner Thamara Abeyratne, but Shiroman and Rasika Priyadarshana (22) kept the runs coming. The duo, though, were dismissed within the space of three balls - Priyadarshana caught by Madusanka off Abeyratne, while Shiroman was run out.

But wicketkeeper Upul Fernando, who smashed two sixes during his aggressive 40 and Dhammika, who made a boundary-less 26, made sure that Lankan set up an imposing target.