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Can Kandy Sports Club maintain its dominance of Clifford Cup rugby by beating the high riding Sri Lanka Army? The answer to this question will be found only tomorrow evening when these two teams clash in the final of the Caltex inter-club knockout Rugby Tournament at Nittawela.

Last year Kandy SC clinched club rugby's richest prize with a convincing 39-12 win over the Army in the final but today the Soldiers will be hell bent on overcoming Kandy SC and bagging the Clifford Cup which they last won in 1975 by edging out Air Force 4-3 in the final under the leadership of Saliya Udugama. This year Kandy SC won the first round game in the Caltex 'A' division league by 30-20 at Nittawela but lost the return match 20-27 at Galle Face.

Kandy SC won the Clifford Cup for the first time in 1992 under the captaincy of Ananda Kasturiarachchi and since then they have dominated the tournament by emerging triumphant in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and last year with the trophy eluding them only once in 1994 when CH and FC bagged it by beating CR 15-11 while in 1998 the tournament was not held.

Possession will play a vital role in the final outcome. The set scrums should be shared between Kandy's Mohamed Buksh and Army's Rajapakse while Kandy's Jayasena and Basnayake have the edge over Army's Jayasuriya and Fernando in the line outs. A terrific tussle for supremacy can be expected in the loose with the marauding Army forwards Udayakumara, Jayatilleke, Rajapakse, Jayasuriya, Karunaratne and Dharmapala being confronted by equally good forwards in Galgamuwa, Buksh, Jayasena, Basnayake, Malith Silva and that superb No. 8 Harris Omar.

The experienced Kandy halves combination of Nilfer Ibrahim and Sajith Mallikarachchi should hit off smoothly with centre Vithanage and Bandara being hard runners who are capable of piercing the Army defence but the biggest threat to the Soldiers will be posed by sturdily built winger Radhika Hettiarachchi with his power-packed runs down the flank with full back Nalaka Weerakkody joining the line to form the overlap.

Army's three-quarters too turned in a dazzling display of open rugby in the semi-final with Tikiri Banda, Vajira Jayatilleke, Nalin Vijitha and Mohamed Naushad likely to test the Kandy defence to the hilt with their probing runs.

The teams:

Kandy SC - Jeewa Galgamuwa, Mohamed Buksh, Salman Kuthdoos, Asoka Jayasena, Pradeep Basnayake, Malith Silva, Sanjeeva Bogahawatte, Harris Omar, Nilfer Ibrahim and Sajith Mallikarachchi, Indrajith Bandaranayake, Chamara Vithanage, Veediya Bandara, Radhika Hettiarachchi, Nalaka Weerakkody (captain).

Army - J. M. Jayatilleke (captain), Y. P. Rajapakse, Udayakumara, Nishantha Jayasuriya, Sithara Fernando, Herathge Karunaratne, Colin Rodrigo, B. M. Dharmapala, Naufer Rahim and Ajith Peiris, Mohamed Naushad, Vajira Jayatilleke, Tikiri Banda, Nalin Vijitha, T. A. Silva.

Referee: Nizam Jamaldeen. (R.S.)

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