Heartbreak for Havies as League hopes fade away

Monday, 3 March 2025 02:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

CR & FC player Thenuka Nanayakkara on a powerful move, while Havies skipper Abdullah FAIZ and Samuel Maduwantha tries to prevent

By Shamseer Jaleel

It was a sad end for the Havelock Sports Club last night as their chances of winning the League faded further when they were beaten by CR & FC 20 points (2 tries, 2 conversions, 2 penalties) to 14 points (2 tries, 2 conversions) at the short breather at Longdon Place under lights.

Continued heavy rain prevented any further play, with the visibility of the touch lines unclear, which prompted referee Suranga Arunashantha to call the game off, which gave CR a win.

On aggregate, Havies won the Commander Matthysz Trophy in the two-leg encounter. The match, which showed intense competition and high-quality rugby, was unfortunately called off early due to poor visibility of the far-side lines. However, CR had already done enough damage to win by halftime.

Referee Suranga Arunashantha and his team stood the ground for nearly 20 minutes after the short breather before taking the final decision to call off the game.

The Red Shirts came out strong from the first whistle, showing their dominance with structured play and aggressive attacking phases. Senal Adikaram and Gamunu Chethiya crossed the whitewash, scoring crucial tries that gave CR the momentum. Mursheed Doray was in fine kicking form, converting both tries and adding two penalties to take CR to 20 points at the break.

Havelock SC, known for their resilience, fought back through their speedster and nippy scrum half, Rifan Mohamed, who dazzled the crowd with two superb tries. Samuel Maduwantha made no mistake converting both efforts to keep the Pink Shirts in contention at 20/14 at the short breather.

This win is a good comeback by CR on a winning start for the Super Round but they do not have any chance of retaining the League, while Havelock SC will look to re-group and bounce back stronger when they face Air Force; however, their chances on the League faded further and they are out of contention as well.

With both CR & FC and Havies losing two games each, it gives Kandy the opportunity to be the firm favoured team to win the League with two home encounters against CR and Havies remaining.

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