Twelve of the 20 teams taking part are from outstations. The sides in the top half are - Beach Hotel Bayroo, Mount Lavinia Hotel, Habarana Lodge, Colombo Hilton, Walkers Tours, Ceysands Hotel, Airport Garden Hotel, Mackinnons Travels, Riverina Hotel and Ceylon Tours, while the teams in the bottom half are Confifi Beach Hotel, Hotel Swanee, Bentota Beach Hotel, Citadel Hotel, Club Palm Garden, Confifi Management, Trans Asia Hotel, Ceylon Inter-Continental, Hemas Travels and Eden Hotel. Last year, the combined team of Walkers Tours/Mackinnons Travels emerged champions with Galadari Hotel as the runners-up. Saturday 04, October 1997
Lanka team to Pakistan
Arjuna Ranatunga will lead a 14-member strong squad for the Independence Cup cricket tournament to be held from November 1 to 8 in Pakistan.
The team: Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Aravinda de Silva (vice captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Roshan Mahanama, Hashan Tillekeratne, Lanka de Silva, Kumar Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Sajeeva de Silva, Dulip Liyanage, Upul Chandana, Russel Arnold.
Bloomfield to host top 4
Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, the current division I (Segment 'A') Sara trophy champions will felicitate four of its leading Sri Lanka cricketers at a dinner to be held at the club house at Reid Avenue on October 10.
Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumara Dharmasena and Ruwan Kalpage will be felicitated for their contribution to cricket in brilliant fashion in the international arena.
At a press conference held in connection with the event on Thursday at the club premises, social committee chairman and secretary Tissa Madigasekera said, the evening's program would include the unveiling of photographs of Jayasuriya and Mahanama, presentation of plaques and awards, and a musical extravaganza provided by Milton Mallawarachchi group.
Tickets for the occasion is prized at Rs. 400 per head.
Bloomfield general secretary Sumedha Pandithage, social committee member Evan Jayawardena and club manager Clinton de Alwis were also present. Sinnathuray at the helm
Twenty-eight clubs will vie for the division I inter-club limited-over cricket title when the tournament gets underway on October 25.
Defending champions Bloomfield are placed in Group 'A' while last season's runner-up, NCC are in Group 'B'.
The group matches scheduled to be played on weekends and on mercantile holidays, will go on till December 7 after which, the first two clubs from each of the four groups will qualify to play in the knockout stages.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for December 13, the semi-finals for December 14 and the final for December 20.
The opening weekend's matches are: Negombo CC v Rio SC at Katunayake and, Old Cambrians v Kurunegala SC at Moratuwa Stadium on October 25, and Police SC v Singha SC at Police Park on October 26.
The groupings: GROUP 'A' : Bloomfield, Kalutara PCC, BRC, Tamil Union, Matara SC, Singha SC, Police SC; GROUP 'B' : NCC, Sebastianites, Colts, Matale CC, Nomads, Kandy CC, CCC; GROUP 'C' : Panadura SC, Rio SC, Negombo SC, Antonian SC, Old Dharmapalians, Air Force, Lankan CC; GROUP 'D' : Galle CC, Kurunegala SC, Old Cambrians, Moors SC, Kalutara TC, SSC, Kurunegala YCC.
13 schools in the fray
Thirteen schools have entered the Southern Province inter-school under 19 limited over-cricket tournament which is now in progress at the Uyanwatta Stadium, Matara. This event is sponsored by Union Bank and is organised by the oldboys association of St.Servatius College to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the school.
The teams participating in this tournament are Richmond, Mahinda, St.Aloysius, Dharmasoka, Sri Devananda, Revatha MV Balapitiya, Ananda MV Elpitiya, Meepawala Amarasuriya MV, Debarawewa MV, S.Thomas' Matara, Sri Rahula and St.Servatius College Matara.
The managing director of Union Bank Shan Shanmuganathan was the chief guest at the opening ceremony while Roshan Mahanama and Sanath Jayasuriya graced the occasion as guests of honour. The final of the tournament will be worked off on October 12 at the Uyanwatta Stadium Matara.