Sports
CH vs CR game the pick among matches in week nine of rugby
By a Special Sports Correspondent
CH&FC will host table leaders CR&FC in a key Super Round ‘Cup Championship’ encounter of the Division 1 inter-club league rugby tournament at Race Course on February 11 (Sunday).
CR&FC will be the favourites and carry much hope into this game given they are unbeaten this season. Their best game this season was against Kandy SC; a challenge which the Red Shirts faced with guts and expertise and came on top. CR’s strength this season would be the speed at which they play the game and the ruthlessness with which they pounce on the opponents when the latter is caught napping.
Scoring with the kick off in the game against Kandy is a classic example to this attacking feature in the CR team. Apart from that the side from Longden Place has in their line up a player in the likes of Lasindu Karunathilake who shares the top spot in list of highest try scorers along with Hirantha Perera (Police) and Ashan Bandara (Army). The trio has scored six tries each this season. CR emerged the victor when the two sides met in the first round; the Red Shirts recording a 28-23 win.
CH is playing decent rugby this season and has sniffed at victory many times in games which the opposition came back from behind to win. Last week against Kandy the side from Maitland Crescent took a commanding 24-12 lead early into the second half, but Kandy played one of their best second halves this season to score one of the most memorable come from behind wins. The final score read Kandy 32, CH&FC 24. CH has quite a few playmaker and full back and place kicker Hirusha Nethmina has stood out in attack and goal kicking. Another player to watch in the CH side is hooker Prasath Madusanka who has five touch downs to his credit.
In the other Cup Championship game lined up in week 9, Kandy SC travel down to play against Havelock Sports Club on February 10 (Saturday). Kandy SC is still playing with ambition and fire to come back from that first round defeat against CR&FC. Havies on the other see it as essential to clear this week’s hurdle because it must be miserable to remain in fourth place of the points table for a long time.
The Havelock SC vs Kandy SC games in the past have produced top flare rugby and this game too is expected to draw the crowds to the Park Club. Kandy SC is led by Lavanga Perera while Azmir Fajudeen leads the Park Club. Kandy beat Kavelock SC 27-22 when the two teams met in the first round.
In the two ‘Plate Championship’ encounters scheduled for week 9 of the tournament Army scrum down with Police today (February 9) at Panagoda while on Saturday Navy
The tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby and sponsored by Nippon Paint.
CH&FC
–P. Dushmantha, Prasath Madusanka, C. Silva, G. Jayamanna, N. Perera, G. Madushanka, R. Anjula, Janith Laksara, Harsha Maduranga, Rohitha Rajapaksa, Chamath Kilan, Awantha Lee (Captain), Janidu Dilshan, T. Maduranga, Hirusha Nethmina, V. Gamage, N. Chamuditha, G. Silva, D. Ranasinghe, M. Perera, D. De Silva, O. Hettiarachchi
CR&FC
rugby pool from: S. Nanayakkara, A. Gunasinghe, S. Perera, T. Nanayakkara, Y. Kavindu, Lasindu Karunathilake, C. Muthunayake, A. Weerathunga, S. Adikaram, S. Anthony (Captain), E. Harshana, I Ariyapala, Naveen Marasinghe, K. De Costa, M. Ruberu, Gemunu Chethiya, R. Ekanayake, K. Tharindu, T. Mariyadas, R. Senanayake, W. De Mel, Rinesh Silva, Randy Silva, Raveen De Silva, V. Kodagoda