CH&FC gets second chance

Monday, 19 January 2015 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shamseer Jaleel Colombo Hockey and Football Club’s (CH&FC) participation in the on-going inter club rugby tournament got a morale booster when two Colombo clubs (Havelocks SC and CR&FC) along with Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) saved them from a pull-out. The two Colombo clubs will provide grounds free of charge for the Gymkhana Club for their training sessions while SLRFU promised to bridge the gap with any funds requirement in order to complete the on-going inter club league and the knock tournament this year.

CH&FC will now need to get their act fast after missing out on training for more than two weeks and the postponement of their Kandy game which is scheduled to be played in Kandy. The toughest job for CH&FC Rugby Chairman Iqbal Hassen would be to get the boys back at training, to focus on the remaining games plus the knock out to come their way (if they remain in the top eight). They lost their grounds due to the clash in the ongoing club cricket season which also used by Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) The weekend’s proceeding at the inter club rugby started with a one-sided affair between aimless Hambantota Sharks and Navy SC at Welisara. After the political change the down south team going in all directions were beaten by over a century of points by the defending champions Navy SC who were playing minus their skipper Yoshitha Rajapaksa. Army edged out CR&FC at Longdon Place in a close affair 21/17 to keep their chances live in the inter club league encounter. In another encounter Havies continued their winning streak and kept their chances alive too when they went past a helpless Police SC by 21/7 after leading 10/0 at the short breather. Kandy SC’s matches against CH&FC were postponed by the Kandy Rugby Committee, which acted fast in organising a match against the visiting Warringahs from Sydney, Australia.

Kandy went down to a stronger outfit 36/21 playing in three sessions each sessions being played for 30 minute duration. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will participate at the Borneo Sevens in Malaysia in the last week of February where six men’s and an equal number of women’s teams will lock horns in the tournament. The Asian Division I will take place in May among Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Singapore and Taipei. The hosting country will be notified next month at the ARFU (Asian Rugby Football Union) executive meeting. Sri Lanka will get a chance to host the 3rd leg of the Asian sevens in Sri Lanka. The first two legs will take place in Thailand and Shanghai.