Kandy beat CH to enter Clifford Cup knockout final

Wednesday, 2 April 2025 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

CH Flanker Udesh Madushanka is held by Kandy

SC second rower Thilina Bandara

Kandy Sports Club booked their final berth in the Clifford Cup 2025 Knock-out Rugby Tournament with a convincing 38/21 win over CH and FC in the First semi-final which took place at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium yesterday.

At the short breather it was one horse race as Kandy SC led 26 to nothing.

With this win, Kandy SC moves one step closer to reclaiming the prestigious Clifford Cup but not before some anxious moment as they played this game without their regular skipper, Srinath Sooriyabandara and play maker Tarinda Ratwatte due to injuries plus they were testing their bench a bit too early in the later half where the visitors managed to touch down three times during that time period.

Kandy SC drew first blood through Shaahid Zumri try. Then Kandy scored the best try of the match when Dinal Ekanayake turned over a ball and dashed nearly 40 meters to touch down a superb solo try. Nigel Ratwatte added the extra 2 points. Two more first half tries by Diluksha Dange, and Nigel Ratwatte took Kandy SC in to commanding 26/0 lead with Nigel converting three of the four tries. After the short breather CH and FC who struggled to match Kandy intensity in the first half, failing to register any points before the break re-grouped and played a better brand of rugby.

Kandy SC scored soon after the short breather through Zumri but CH hit back strongly with tries through Anuk Fernando, Janidu Dilshan and Ramesh Fernando. All three were converted by Janith Chandimal and they showed a sign of a comeback but it was a bit late and the points conceded in the initial half came to bite them hard. Diluksha Dange touched down another try for Kandy.

For Kandy Diluksha Dange, Dinal Ekanayake, Nigel Ratwatte, Kavindu Perera and Danushka Ranjan played well while for the CH skipper, Janidu Dilshan and Pulasthi Dissanayake played their hearts out.

The victory sets up an exciting final showdown on 6 April where Kandy will aim to regain the Clifford Cup title when they play either with Havies or CR at Nittawela.

Referee Ishanka Abeykoon handled the game.

(SJ)

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.