Kandy SC have the edge over Havelocks

DEFENDING champions Kandy Sports Club who scored two runaway wins over Old Zahirians (67-5) and Air Force (48-3) will go all out to notch up their third successive win when they take on Havelocks Sports Club in their Caltex 'A' Division League rugby match at Havelock Park today.

Havelocks went down (8-15) to CH and FC last week and will have the tough task of containing the star studded Kandy SC today.

Kandy SC are assured of a large share of possession with the experienced Mohamed Buksh expected to get the better of his vis-a-vis Rajiv Perera in the set scrums and the Kandy duo of Kapila Silva and Buddhika Thalagampola should have the edge over Havelocks' Asela Abeykoon and Miskin Deen in the line outs.

In Amjad Buksh and Fazil Marija Kandy SC has one of the best halves combinations in the clubs while centre Pradeep Liyanage and Chamara Vithanage are hard runners who should pierce the Havelocks defence but the biggest threat to the Park Club will be posed by sturdily built Radhika Hettiarachchi and skipper Sanjeeva Jayasinghe with their power-packed runs down the flanks with full back Nalaka Weerakkody joining the line to form the overlap.

The park club too will rely on their three quarters to deliver the goods but much will depend on how much 'good ball' they will be able to obtain from the set scrums and line outs. They have two superb wingers in Lakala Perera and Suranga Jagoda in addition to an attacking full back in Wasim Thajudeen.

The teams:

HAVELOCKS - Shafi Hassan, Rajiv Perera, Chathuranga Amarasinghe, Asela Abeykoon, Miskin Deen, Siva Wanasinghe, N. Dissanayake, Rajiv Ganapathy (Captain), Lalindra Rodrigo and Prasad Perera, Lakala Perera, Ruwan Suranga, Nuwan Samith, Suranga Jagoda, Wasim Thajudeen.

KANDY SC - Jeeva Galgamuwa, Mohamed Buksh, Saranga Hettiarachchi, Kapila Silva, Buddhika Thalagampola, Dilip Selvam, Sean Wijesinghe, Malith Silva, Amjad Buksh and Fazil Marija, Radhika Hettiarachchi, Pradeep Liyanage, Chamara Vithanage, Sanjeeva Jayasinghe (Captain), Nalaka Weerakkody.