CR to be without Sharo, Jason for crunch rugby league game in Kandy

 Tharinda Ratwatte will play a major role for his hometown club Kandy

By Shamseer Jaleel

CR&FC will make their way to the Central Province for the second time this season when they confront unbeaten league champions the Kandy Sports Club at Nittawela. 

CR will likely travel to the same venue in a couple of weeks’ time for the super round.

CR will miss out on Sharo Fernando while Kandy be without the services of Jason Dissanayake, both of whom are suspended for a game apiece. Fernando received two yellow-card offences while Dissanayake was cited by the match referee.

CR will be mindful of the fact that even their skipper Omalka Gunaratne’s record is not great when it comes to yellow-card offenses. Kevin Dixon, Reza Rafaideen, Supun Warunakulasuriya and Reza Mubarak will play a vital role for the red shirts.

Meanwhile, Kandy will be more relaxed as they will not need to deal with the heat and humidity of Colombo for at least one more month as their remaining five league fixtures will be in Nittawela. Roshan, Tharinda, Buwanka and Sayuru will look to continue their good work out in the middle. The referee for the encounter will be Priyantha Gunaratne.

Havies hold edge

Havelocks will host Navy today at Havelock Park under lights. Havies lost focus after their first round defeat to Kandy and will be eager to come out on top in today’s encounter. The park club will be led by Mithun Hapugoda who will be well-supported by Ajmeer Fajudeen, Sawkhat Lahir and Prince Chamara. The sailors played well in patches and put up a brave effort against Kandy last weekend. This should be a close encounter with the park club holding the edge. Hasantha Weranga will control the action on the field. Police will be in a positive mood when they lock horns with Army. The cops have put up a good effort this season, playing the fast and open rugby their club has lacked for the past few decades. A couple of weeks ago they were second in the league, which was their best showing in the recent past. Janith Chandimal and the Silva brothers will play a vital role while the soldiers will miss out on Sudaraka Dikkumbura due to a one-game suspension. This will be a major blow for Radhika Hettiarachchi’s outfit who will depend heavily on Ashan Bandara and Senanayake. The game’s lead official will be Ishanka Abeykoon.

CH&FC will be out for another win when they confront last-placed Air Force at the Racecourse Grounds. CH, which is a superstar side, lacks teamwork and fitness, which has them in seventh position which is well below their capability. The referee for the game is Gihan Yatawara.

Match schedule:

Today

• Havelocks vs. Navy at Havelock Park at 6.30 p.m.

February 22

• Police vs. Army at Police Park
• CH&FC vs. Air Force at Racecourse

February 23

• Kandy vs. CR&FC at Nittawela