Tamil Union end 66-year jinx

Under the captaincy of Test pacer Suranga Lakmal, Tamil Union broke a hoodoo by winning the Sri Lanka Premier League Cricket Championship after 66 years as they routed Galle Cricket Club by six wickets in their last Super Eight match of the AIA tournament at the Colts Cricket Ground, Colombo yesterday.

Tamil Union won four matches without any defeats including three drawn games during seven Super Eight matches to clinch the Championship after six decades.

Chasing a target of 279 runs, elegant right handed opener Dhananjaya de Silva scored a prolific hundred while former Sri Lanka Test opener Tharanga Paranavithana made 67.

Chief scores:

Galle CC: 343 (Tillekeratne Sampath 80, Nisal Randika 79, Chamara Silva 57, Rumesh Buddhika 54, Madura Lakmal 34, Jeevan Mendis 4-74, Dhananjaya de Silva 3-20, Pulina Tharanga 2-32) and 126 (Charitha Buddhika 28, Suranga Lakmal 4-20, Shaminda Eranga 3-50, Dhananjaya de Silva 2-28).

Tamil Union 191 (Jeevan Mendis 82, Sithara Gimhan 35, Dhananjaya de Silva 33, Suraj Randiv 6-70, Gayan Sirisoma 2-45) and 279-4 (Dhananjaya de Silva 124, Tharanga Paranavithana 67 n.o, Pulina Tharanga 46 n.o, Gayan Sirisoma 2-74, Suraj Randiv 2-123)

-YK