Kandy and CR poised for a final showdown

By Shamseer Jaleel

Undisputed league champions and defending Clifford Cup champions Kandy Sports Club and CR&FC will be the two top teams having an edge over their opponents when they clash in their respective semifinal encounters this weekend.

In the first semifinal on 19 March, CR&FC will lock horns with their traditional rivals Havies at Race Course. This encounter will be a close affair; though Havies won the league encounters, the “Red Shirts” are eager to bounce back. The Longdon place club is a blend of youth and experience. They have Tariq Salih, skipper Ishan Noor, Lochana Hettiarachchi, Tharinda Ratwatte, Shasan Mohamed and Arun Kumar to add more spark and get on top of the opponent team. Meanwhile, Havies, celebrating their centenary, would like to safe keep at least one trophy at their club house. They will be led by dashing winger Sandun Herath will have some intelligent players such as scrum half Rahul de Silva, Dhanushka Ranjan and Priyadahrshana to come on top.

Kandy SC will be in a grudge battle against Navy SC on 20 March at the Trinity College rugby stadium in Pallekelle. Kandy will come out with their best outfit, very likely to field Shehan Pathirana and Fazil Marija as well, for this vital encounter. Kandy are at their peak with their speedy three quarters such as Richard Dharmapala, Oshan Perera, Thisila Karunathilake, Nigel Ratwatte and full back Srinarth Sooriyabandara at their best. The forwards are led by Sayuru Anthony and the return of number eight Buwanka Udangamuwa will add more weight and power to the pack. The Sailors too will field their best outfit as this will be a do-or-die battle for them in order to secure a Final berth. Dinusha Fernando, Dhanushka Perera, Lee Keegale, Sathya Ranathunge and Kosala Tissera are the top players in their ranks.

The Clifford Cup is the most prestigious club rugby knockout tournament in Sri Lanka which commenced in 1911 and saw Havelock SC, CH&FC, CR&FC, Dimbulla A & CC, Kandy SC, Uva, Dickoya MCC and Kelani Valley in the inaugural year. Kandy Sports Club has won the Clifford Cup a record 19 times, including a consecutive period of ten years between 1995 and 2005 (the competition was not held in 1998) and six consecutive years between 2007 and 2012. In 2006, Kandy SC and Navy SC both withdrew from the tournament (Kandy due to dispute over the ground allocation and Navy as their members were called for national service duty). The Red Shirts have won 14 times followed by Havelocks SC (13), Police SC (8), CH&FC (7), Dimbulla A & CC (2) as well as Air Force SC and Navy SC who have won the cup once each.