Kandy prevail

Monday, 11 February 2019 00:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kandy SC 31 points

CR & FC 26 points

Kandy Sports Club edged out CR & FC 31/26 in a thriller at Longdon Place on Saturday. Kandy led by 28/16 after a try tsunami in the first 20 minutes of the game saw a clean 28/3 lead in early stages of the game.

Kandy played well in the early stages of the game where the Longdon Place club did not have an answer. The Red Shirts hit back strongly later in the second half to come closer with a five-point deficit. Poor ball handling errors and selfish play cost them the game where they could have humbled Kandy very easily. Kandy too made some decision making blunders later in the game. When there was a five-point deficit, a penalty was offered 30 meters away but Kandy opted to kick it to touch. This was costly as Thilina Wijesinghe who was on target easily would have converted, which meantthat CR needed to score twice to win. Kandy put the pressure on to themselves.

A Wilwara try and Thilina Wijesinghe conversion took the Upcountry outfit to a 7/0 lead. Tries by hooker Uchithra Jayasooriya and Prop Forward Ashan Darling took the Kandy outfit to 21 points where the home team replied with a penalty by Stephan Sivaraj. Shehan Pathirana try covering nearly 40 meters on left corner and a Thilina conversion took Kandy clear at 28/3.

CR woke up very late in the first half when Wajeed Fahmy scored. Sivaraj added the extra two points. Two more penalties by Sivaraj cut the deficit to 28/16 at the short breather. After the turnaround, things looked different with the Red Shirts settling down fast in the cooler Colombo conditions. A Janidu Dilshan try and Sivaraj penalty took the scores to 31/26. CR got plenty of chances in the last 15 minutes, but the Upcountry defence was too strong which kept them away from scoring.

Match referee – Lawrence Wilkinson

Kandy will play their last second round game against Havies on 16 February under lights at the Havelock Park which will decide the top two positions in the Super Four.

Pix by Chamila Karunarathne

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