Champion SSC team to tour UK

Dinesh WEERAWANSA

CRICKET: Premier League and 20 Twenty champions Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) has been invited to play at the International 20-Twenty club championships to be played in the UK from September 15 to 17.

This was disclosed when SSC felicitated it's champion cricket team which won the inter-club Premier League title at the SSC club house on Wednesday.

Led by dashing Sri Lanka opener Avishka Gunawardena, SSC ended their long drought without a single major trophy since 1997.

SSC has been a household name producing many Sri Lanka national cricketers, including the present Test captain Marvan Atapattu and the 1996 World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

Joining the felicitation ceremony to the 17 members of the champion Premier league squad was their sponsor Lanka Bell. Sri Lanka's leading provider of CDMA telephones, Lanka Bell has been associated with the SSC for the last three years.

SSC's Premier League cricket is currently under a two million-rupee sponsorship by Lanka Bell.

SSC thrashed Chilaw Marians with a day to spare in the final of the Premier League tournament, conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Skipper Gunawardena led the team from front scoring centuries in the semi final (137) and in the final (103). He was an inspiration to his younger players, aggregating 585 runs at an average of 58.50 with three centuries and one fifty.

SSC's Suraj Mohammed, with 55 wickets in nine matches with a season's best 9 for 62 against CCC, was adjudged the Best Bowler of the tournament. Skipper Gunawardena won the man of the match award in the final.

Sri Lanka cricketer Kaushal Lokuarachchi scored a century and had a match bag of 12 wickets for 95 runs in their semi-final success against Colts. He also cracked the season's fastest ton - 101 n.o off 66 balls against Kurunegala YCC.

Jeevan Mendis (627 runs), Anushka Polonowita (425), Kaushal Lokuarachchi (461), Tharanga Paranavithana (529), J.K. Silva (453) have excelled for SSC with the willow.

Among the most successful bolwers for SSC this season were Suraj Mohammed (55 wickets) and Lokuarachchi (39).