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A team which has once again emerged as a force to be reckoned with during the last two years is the Sri Lanka Navy. The sailors clinched the SLRFU Plate Championship during the last two years and also produced three national players - Manjula Rawantilleke, Ravi Jayasuriya and Rizan Saldin.

This year the sailors very nearly created a major upset in the very first match of the season when they were leading 18-16 against Havelocks before a last minute penalty gave the park club a 19-18 win. Two weeks later the sailors were leading 8-0 against the formidable policemen at the breather before a tremendous fight-back enabled the Police to emerge victorious 13-8. Last week the sailors went down fighting to Army by 5-24 after leading 5-0 midway in the first half. If they continue in the same vein the sailors are bound to create some major upsets this season.

The sailors made a sensational entry into 'A' Division rugby in 1975. Under the leadership of P. L. B. Nandasiri, a lad from Tangalle who learnt the rudiments of the game only after joining the service the sailors confronted the previous year's Clifford Cup champions Havelocks at the Army grounds, Galle Face in the curtain raiser of the tournament and were leading 10-9 before Havelocks No. 8 Jeffrey Yu scored a try from a five metre scrum to give the park club a face saving 13-10 win. In the return match the sailors held Havelocks to a 15-all draw and also beat the Police 10-nil.

They also went down fighting 0-3 to the 1974 league champions CR and FC. In 1976 the sailors led by hooker Ilex Perera performed even better. They stormed into the Clifford Cup final with a sensational 15-3 win over CH and FC in the semi-final before losing (3-15) to Havelocks in the final.

However the most memorable season in Navy's rugby was in 1989. Under the leadership of lanky Parakrama Samaraweera they won seven matches out of 14 in the 'A' Division League. In the quarter-final of the Clifford Cup Tournament the sailors scored a stunning 16-4 win over Havelocks and held the mighty policemen to a 6-all draw in the semi-final. Even extra time and a penalty tie breaker failed to end the deadlock and Navy entered the final on the toss of a coin. They failed to clinch club rugby's richest prize the Clifford Cup by a whisker losing to CR and FC by 3-6 in the final.

The man who brought about this remarkable change in Navy's fortunes was Bryan Baptist, the former Ch and FC and Sri Lanka No. 8 who took great pains to mould them into a formidable outfit.

Battle hardened prop forward Pradeep Kaluarachchi who has been playing for the Navy for the last four years will lead the sailors this year. He will bind down in the front row with burly Menaka Suranga. Former National Wrestling Champion Jagath Piyaratne who has been playing for Navy for more than a decade will battle it out with A. S. D. Kumara for the hooker's berth.

National player Manjula Ruwantilleke who is a fine line out jumper and an excellent loose player and veteran M. Sheriffdeen will be the lock forwards with G. Perera as stand-by. Two terrific tacklers and tireless loose players Ravi Jayasuriya and C. Danarathan will be the flankers with former Sri Lanka ruggerite Panda Wijeratne making a determined bid to oust one of them. Sri Lanka poolist Sumedha Malewana who had an excellent season last year will be the number eight.

Evergreen Anura Ranatunge will operate from the base of the scrum and he will pair off with Sharm Pradeep. P. P. Jayalal and M. K. K. Fernando are the others who could fit into these positions. Sri Lanka poolist A. P. Kolonne and A. G. S. Saminda who are hard runners and solid tacklers will be the two centres. The trio battling for the wingers berths are H. U. B. Fernando, A. L. N. Iroshan and Sampath Wijesuriya. The last line of defence will be manned by M. Munaz. The sailors are being coached by Capt. Navan Tennekoon assisted by Bryan Baptist and Commodore Harsha Mayadunne. (R. S.)

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