A rare incident as Saracens win in last over

As reminiscences go, a 'Sara Trophy match that was played in 1972 between Saracens and Nomads merits mention because of a rare incident took place in that match with what may seem self serving references to the writer, for which an apology is not out of place.

When Saracens were pressing for victory, at the wickets were Percy Perera and the writer. Perera lofted a ball to long on and the fielder Amaresh Rajaratnam took the catch and while falling, the ball touched the ground although he was still clutching on to the ball.

The fielders could not get Rajaratnam to release the ball. He had suffered some kind of fit. We asked umpire Alan Felsinger how many runs we could run until the fielders retrieved the ball.

He gave us the approval and if my memory serves me right we ran something like six singles and stopped when our tongues were hanging through exhaustion. We scored an exciting outright win with the writer hitting the winning run in the last over to deprive Nomads a tilt at the Sara Trophy.

This was an important game for Nomads and this is how the 'Daily News' and the 'Daily Mirror' described the match in their previews and at the conclusion of the game.

Nomads will not have it easy - headline in the 'Mirror'

The Nomads despite the setback last week should coast to victory over the unpredictable Saracens on their home ground at Vihara Maha Devi Park.

The Nomads bowlers T.B. Kehelgamuwa, D. Sahabandu, Polonowita, Rajaratnam and Skandakumar with their accurate bowling are certain to worry the Rifle Green batsmen.

The Nomads batmen like D.P. de Silva, Abdul Lafir, Lionel Fernando, Skandakumar, Dorenagama, D.S. de Silva and Polonnowita are capable of tearing the Saracens attack to shreds.

The Saracens indifferent showing against the Army last week has had a demoralising effect on the team. Chaps like Shanti Pieris, Ralston Burke, Aubrey Kuruppu and Elmo Rodrigopulle have to give a fine performance if they are to keep Nomads on the field.

As for the bowling, much depends on Burke, Nazeem and Percy Perera to contain their opponents batting. The young Saracens side rich in talent is quite capable of upsetting.

Nomads - Saracens tough tussle - 'Daily News'

The Nomads- Saracens game becomes important for the former as they have to win to keep their chances alive. From cricket's point of view it is an important match because it should provide a close tussle.

Saracens though beaten outright by the Army remain a force to be reckoned with. They are a young and aggressive side which fights to the end. Nomads batting comes up against a good attack which has Nihal Seneviratne who claimed nine wickets last week.

Burke heads the spin attack with Rodrigopulle and Percy Perera to add strength. Nomads will pin their hopes on bowlers with batting lacking consistency in the final round.

Kehelgamuwa will provide plenty of fire to the Nomads attack.

Sahabandu, Rajaratnam, and Polonowita too form an attack that will demand from the Saracens batting every bit of skill they possess to counter.

Victory in last over - 'Daily News'

Elmo Rodrigopulle with a brisk 60 in the first innings followed up with a cavalier 19 not out in the second helped Saracens to a sensational and exciting outright victory in the last over of the day, over the Nomads at Vihare Mahha Devi Park.

The Nomads who totalled 167 runs in the first innings saw the Rifle Green Club reply with 99 for 4 with Burke and Rodrigopulle at the crease.

The Saracens were helped to a small extent towards this total due to bad fielding.

Burke and Rodrigopulle, the heroes of the NCC tie', once again came to the rescue of the Saracens with another dour effort. The chances of getting first innings points depended solely on this pair.

Rodrigopulle paid scant respect to the Nomads varied attack. Scoring mainly through pulls and sweeps kept the score moving. Burke batted patiently and played second fiddle to his more aggressive partner.

Both batsmen with intelligent running between the wickets saw the Saracens reaching the required target without further loss.

This reliable pair once again notched a century stand for the fifth wicket.

Rodrigopulle stroked an attractive 50. But with the total at 177, Burke was beautifully caught and bowled by D.S. de Silva for a perky 46 with 4 fours. Rodrigopulle batted on with gay abandon and was finally ruled leg before to Skandakumar for a forceful 60 runs.

Saracens finally folded up for 233 runs. Daya Sahbandu 3 for 44 in 18.5 overs, D.S. de Silva 2 for 37 in 15 overs shared the wickets.

The Nomads going into bat at 1.30 p.m adopted an aggressive approach from the start.

Openers Lafir and D.P. de Silva batted freely to add 71 runs for the first wicket. Lafir 32 with two fours and 'D.P.' 43 with three fours gave them a good start. D.S. de Silva hammered a quick 46 with 4 fours and Lionel Fernando 26 maintained the quick rate of scoring.

The rest in quest of quick runs saw Nomads crash to 168 all out at 3.22 p.m. There were three run outs in the process.

Burke 4 for 53 and Shanti Pieris 2 for 15 bowled best. The Saracens were left with 120 minutes batting to collect 103 runs for victory.

Their openers added 23 runs for the first wicket. Shanti Pieris was joined by Nihal Silva batted sensibly against the hostile Nomads attack. Meanwhile with the scores in the fifties, Shanti Pieris was out for an elegant 32 which included 4 fours.

Nihal Silva followed with a bright 21, Burke fell cheaply. At this stage Rodrigopulle once again did the rescue act. Percy Perera lifted a beautiful straight six off Sahabandu in the same over Rajaratnam going for the catch fell in the process and hurt himself. Rodrigopulle running short of partners and time threw caution to the winds when he hit Polonowita for 10 runs in the penultimate over and swept Sahabandu for the winning hit in the last over to pull off an exciting win for the Rifle Green Club.

A contributory factor for this Saracens success being the astute leadership of Aly (acting captain). As for the Nomads it was indifferent batting in the first innings followed by poor fielding which resulted in their humiliating defeat.

Saracens scorch through Nomads - 'Daily Mirror'

The Saracens regained their lost brilliance, with a famous victory over the strong, fancied Nomads on the latter's home strip. They scored a handsome three-wicket win. The Saracens victory brought about by a valiant century and one run partnership between Burke and Rodrigopulle has put the Nomads out of the running for the Sara Trophy.

Elmo Rodrigopulle (six fours) dogged for one moment and then shielding his head from the noon day sun with a faded green cap, was the Saracens blade that farmed the Nomads bowling.

His partner on this occasion again was Ralston Burke (four fours) as they had taken the fight to the NCC three weeks ago forcing the latter to a 'no-decision' game set the pattern for the Saracens to overtake the Nomads total and eventually notch a lead of 66 all important runs.

Rodrigopulle top scored with 60 and Burke came close second with 46 runs and the attentive crowd settled down to take in the absorbing evening's play. The Nomads now in a never say die mood went about collecting quick runs with Lafir and D.P. de Silva stepping on the gas.

Their first wicket fell at 71, the runs coming up in 50 minutes.

The battle between bat and ball reached a crescendo now, with batsmen and bowlers meeting each other half way. The Nomads were out for 168 and it was their turn to try and get the Saracens out before stumps and restricting the latter's score to 102 runs.

The outcome was in doubt at one stage but the determined Saracens who only a week ago suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Army displayed rare poise and high morale to get the winning target with three wickets intact.

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