‎Devapathiraja College, Rathgama came up with a strong all-round performance to defeat Royal College, Colombo by 33 runs and secure the Under-15 Division I cricket title at the Ananda College Grounds on Thursday.

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‎Chasing 193 to win, Royal looked well placed thanks to a determined 78 off 105 balls from Ramiru Thiranagama who scored eight boundaries. Herschel Dan chipped in with 33 off 69 balls and Ravinu Ranathunga made a brisk 22 off 21, but the middle and lower order struggled as Devapathiraja’s bowlers took wickets at regular intervals. After being 126 for three wickets at one stage, Royal lost their last seven batsmen for 33 run to be bowled out in the 44th  over.

‎Diyath Sanjitha led the bowling attack with three for 47, ably supported by Deneth Dinuka’s three wickets, while Meneth Sankalana and Gauthem Surya picked up two apiece.

‎Batting first after winning the toss, Devapathiraja posted 192 for nine in their 49 overs. Shanidu Sineth Mikeshara anchored the innings with a patient 51 off 126 balls, while Gauthem Surya provided the acceleration with 45 from 56 deliveries, striking six fours and a six. Himansa Elithpriya (20), Denuwan Yositha (19) and an unbeaten 16 from Sineth Madhusanka helped push the total to a competitive mark.

‎Mahima Silva was Royal’s most economical bowler, returning figures of two for 22 from nine overs, while Wishmida Fernando also picked up two wickets.

‎The victory capped a successful campaign for Devapathiraja, who have now confirmed that they have formidable teams in each of the top three age categories. [RF]

Smriti  Mandhana filled her batting coffers with her second T20I century, along the way surpassing Mithali Raj for the record for most runs in women’s internationals, to help India secure a second straight win on Thursday night in Dubai.

Hong Kong’s nerves showed on the field when they fell flat at the first sign of attack from India’s batters, and their timid approach in the chase further exposed the gulf in quality and experience. In the end, they lost by 137 runs – 13 more than what Mandhana managed on her own.

A second straight loss meant Hong Kong will only have some pride to play for, as a berth in the next round is now out of the equation.

India’s cautious start

At the end of five overs, India were 38 without loss – not concerning, but not dominating enough either. They took a while to suss up the lack of pace from the bowlers. Mandhana hogged much of the strike; Shafali Verma faced just six balls in the first five overs. Hong Kong couldn’t have been happier at having kept a lid on the scoring.

Sinhalese Sports Club produced a stirring run chase in their final group game of the ongoing domestic 50 over tournament, edging out Bloomfield to book their place in the semi-finals.

Set a daunting target of 330, SSC romped home in just 46.4 overs, with former international Avishka Fernando leading the charge with a superb 138 off 114 deliveries, studded with 15 fours and four sixes.

Avishka received excellent support from Nuwanindu Fernando (57) and Nipun Dananjaya (69), both of whom posted half-centuries, before Dunith Wellalage applied the finishing touches with an unbeaten 30 off just 19 deliveries, including one four and three sixes.

Bloomfield had earlier piled up a formidable total thanks largely to Janith Liyanage, who hammered 165 off 130 deliveries with 18 fours and five sixes.

SSC will now meet CCC in Monday’s semi-final, while Colts will take on Moors in the other last-four clash on the same day. The final will be played on Friday.

CCC topped the table in the other group following another high scoring encounter. Kamindu Mendis, stripped of the Sri Lanka vice-captaincy on Wednesday, responded in emphatic fashion less than 24 hours later, opening the batting and smashing 139 off 129 deliveries with 11 fours and six sixes.

He was involved in a mammoth 268 run opening stand with Lasith Croospulle, who made 148. Pavan Rathnayake then chipped in with an unbeaten half-century, while Test sensation Sonal Dinusha, leading CCC, suffered the rare indignity of a first-ball duck.

CCC eventually amassed 369 for five from their 50 overs. Tamil Union, in reply, could manage only 297 despite a century from Sineth Jayawardene.

Colts topped their group with five wins from six games and yesterday recorded a comprehensive 72 run win over Police.

Batting first, Colts posted 266 for six, with Sangeeth Cooray and Muditha Lakshan contributing half-centuries. Police were then shot out for 194 inside 40 overs.

Panadura SC, Ace Capital and BRC also recorded wins yesterday but were unable to press their claims for a semi-final berth.

There have been several high-scoring encounters during the tournament, with Sri Lanka Cricket placing considerable emphasis on producing good batting surfaces for both domestic and international cricket.