CCC, Colts, Tamil Union join Police SC in semi-finals

Tuesday, 22 July 2025 03:03 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis during their century partnership for CCC


  • SLC Major Club 50-Over Tournament

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq


Last year’s losing finalist CCC, Colts, and Tamil Union won their final group matches played yesterday to join Police SC in the semi-finals of the SLC Major Club 50-Over Tournament.

Tamil Union inflicted on Police SC their first defeat of the ongoing tournament when they beat them by seven wickets in a crucial group match played at the Police Grounds yesterday. 

The win by Tamil Union saw them tie on 8 points each with NCC, but Tamil Union, with a better net run rate, finished second to Police SC in Group A and thus qualified for a place in the semi-finals. The match winners for Tamil Union were spinners Tharindu Rathnayake (4/34), Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (3/27), and Vihas Thewmika (2/31), who bowled Police SC out for 144 in a 42-over game. In Tamil Union’s reply, former Sri Lanka Under-19 skipper Sineth Jayawardena hit a 56-ball 87 (7 fours, 7 sixes) and shared an opening stand of 106 with Isivara Dissanayake (22) to put the contest beyond doubt, winning with 132 balls to spare.

CCC came up with a powerful batting performance to beat Nugegoda SWC by seven wickets under the DLS method at the CCC Grounds. 

National Test Captain and CCC Captain Dhananjaya de Silva hit a brilliant unbeaten century (130* off 99 balls, 9 fours, 7 sixes) to steer his team to victory with 17 balls to spare, in a game reduced to 36 overs due to rain. CCC chased down a target of 235, with national cap Kamindu Mendis (54 off 53 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) contributing with a fifty out of a partnership of 129 with de Silva. Tillakaratne Sampath (63 off 56 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes) and Akram Muthalib (53 off 59 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) struck fifties apiece and Pathum Kumara scored 47* off 37 balls (6 fours, 1 six) towards Nugegoda SWC’s total of 228-5.

Colts pulled off a 36-run win under the DLS method against Bloomfield at the Colts Grounds. 

Sineth Jayawardena hit a 56-ball 87 to steer Tamil Union to victory


 

In a 40-over game, Colts, batting first, made 226-8, with fifties from the bats of Sangeeth Cooray (52 off 95 balls, 2 fours) and national cap Dinesh Chandimal (76 off 58 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes). Bloomfield looked to have the game under control at 162-3 in the 34th over but spinner Akila Dananjaya (4/39) and seamer Dilshan Madushanka (3/29) got the crucial wickets of Ron Chandraguptha (60 off 77 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) and Janith Liyanage (62 off 76 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes), respectively, as Colts lost six wickets for 34 runs to finish on 196-9.

The wins by CCC and Colts saw them tie on 10 points each with Moors SC from Group B. However, CCC and Colts, with a better net run rate, edged out Moors SC for a place in the semi-finals.

Defending champions Ace Capital CC, who failed to make it to the semi-finals this year, finished off their group matches on a high, running up an impressive score of 315-9 and dismissing Chilaw Marians CC for 177 to win by 63 runs (DLS method) at the Panadura esplanade. 

An opening partnership of 153 by Thanuja Rajapakse (90 off 87 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes) and Lahiru Dawatage (63 off 93 balls, 4 fours) set the platform for their big total. Himasha Liyanage (77 off 62 balls, 4 fours, 5 sixes) and Raveen de Silva (41 off 34 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) added the finishing touches to the innings with a stand of 94 for the sixth wicket. Captain Thanuka Dabare was the pick of the Chilaw Marians CC bowlers, ending with 5/44 off 10 overs with his off-breaks. Off-spinner Nimesha Gunasinghe captured the first four Chilaw Marians CC wickets to fall for 78 in 14 overs, when rain interrupted play. On resumption, Chilaw Marians CC’s revised target was 241 off 24 overs, which proved to be beyond their means as Gunasinghe picked up two more wickets to finish with figures of 6/23. Ravindu Rathnayake hit a quickfire 72 off 27 balls (2 fours, 10 sixes) to no avail.

In the other matches concluded yesterday, BRC registered their first win beating Kurunegala YCC by 18 runs at the Welagedara Stadium, Kurunegala, in a low-scoring match and Badureliya SC beat Panadura SC by 67 runs under the DLS method at Maggona. Seamer Gayana Weerasinghe’s economical spell (10-3-16-4) saw BRC dismissed for 143, but Kurunegala YCC could fare no better as they were dismissed for 125 by the off-spin of Movin Subasingha (10-1-19-6). 

Dilshan de Silva, the former Revatha College, Balapitiya cricketer, scored his maiden century (104 off 125 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes) and Janeth Kaushal 52 to help Badureliya SC’s total of 250-9. Panadura SC, chasing a revised target of 244 off 41.2 overs, managed only 176-9.

The semi-final line-up for 25 July is: Police SC vs. Colts and CCC vs. Tamil Union.

 

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