Youngsters carry CCC to final

Monday, 28 July 2025 01:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sithara Hapuhinna who top-scored for Tamil Union with a run a ball 76

Sonal Dinusha, who top-scored for CCC with 83*, gets runs on the off side

Tamil Union beaten by 68 runs in Major Club 50-Over semi-final

Vijayakanth Viyaskanth celebrates a dismissal on his way to a 4-wicket haul

Pavan Rathnayake helped Sonal Dinusha add 86 for the fifth wicket

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Youngsters came to the fore to carry last year’s runner-up CCC to the final of the SLC Major Club 50-Over Tournament, helping the team beat Tamil Union by 68 runs in the second semi-final played under lights at the CCC Grounds yesterday.

CCC ran up an imposing score of 309-7 after being invited to bat first, and dismissed Tamil Union for 241 after they had been 158-3 at the halfway mark of their innings.

The destruction of Tamil Union’s batting came from part-time spinner Kamindu Mendis, who finished with figures of 4/43 as they lost their last seven wickets for 83 runs, folding up tamely.

At one time, Tamil Union looked to be challenging the CCC total when Sithara Hapuhinna and Sharujan Shanmuganathan were at the crease. The pair put on a partnership of 117 for the third wicket off 92 balls, but once the two set batters were separated, there was not much resistance coming from the rest of the team. Hapuhinna, who struck the ball powerfully to all parts of the ground, scored 76 off 75 balls (8 fours, 3 sixes) and Shanmuganathan, who gave his good support, made 56 off 59 balls (5 fours).

CCC began by badly losing Lasith Croospulle and Dhananjaya de Silva cheaply to seamer Lahiru Samarakoon to be 37-2. They struggled to 129-4 at the halfway mark till Pavan Rathnayake joined Sonal Dinusha, who was leading the side.

Dinusha played a crucial innings of 83* off 72 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes), excelling on the sweep shot, and figured in two important partnerships that enabled CCC to top the 300-run mark. With Rathnayake (51 off 61 balls, 6 fours, 1 six), Dinusha added 86 for the fifth wicket to help CCC recover from 99-4, and with Sahan Kosala (48 off 39 balls, 8 fours), a further 73 for the sixth wicket.

Tamil Union came into the match with just one seamer in Samarakoon and relied heavily on their spinners Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, who stood out as their best bowler with 4/52, and Theesan Vithusan, Tharindu Rathnayake, Sachitha Jayatilake, and Vihas Thewmika, who between them took only a single wicket.

It was CCC’s young national cricketers who delivered for them eventually, with Dinusha and Rathnayake hitting half centuries apiece, and Mendis and seamers Nuwan Thushara and Vishwa Fernando shining with the ball.

CCC will meet Police SC in the final scheduled for 30 July at the same venue under lights.

Scores:

CCC 309-7 (50) (Nishan Madushka 36, Kamindu Mendis 26, Pavan Rathnayake 63, Sonal Dinusha 83*, Sahan Kosala 48, Lahiru Samarakoon 2/46, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 4/52)

Tamil Union 241 (41.1) (Sithara Hapuhinna 76, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 56, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 31, Nuwan Thushara 2/41, Vishwa Fernando 2/40, Kamindu Mendis 4/43)

Kamindu Mendis celebrates a wicket on his way to a 4-wicket haul

Tamil Union’s Sharujan Shanmuganathan celebrates his fifty

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