Ten teams vie for honours at Radella Rugby Sevens

Ranjeeva SENEVIRATNE

RUGBY: Ten leading rugby clubs will vie for honours in the first leg of the Singer Professional Rugby Sevens which will be worked off at Radella grounds today and tomorrow.

The tournament is being held at Radella to coincide with the 150th anniversary celebrations of Dimbula Athletic and Cricket Club which is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the country.

The 10 teams which will battle it out at Radella are Kandy SC, CR and FC, CH and FC, Havelocks, Army, Police, Air Force, Old Zahirians, Dim-Dicks and Galle RFC.

Kandy SC and CR and FC will once again field formidable teams and are likely to clash in the Cup Championship final.

Kandy SC will have the services of Sanjeeva Jayasinghe (easily the beat sevens player produced by Sri Lanka in recent years), Fazil Marija, Pradeep Liyanage, Danushka Perera, Buddhika Thalagampola, Abdul Jabbar and Saliya Kumara (who has crossed over from CH and FC).

However the lads from Kandy will miss the services of Sajith Mallikarachchi and Chamara Vithanage who are on the injured list.

CR and FC will be led by Anuradha Dharmatillake and will have outstanding ‘Sevens’ players - Mohamed Sheriff, Amjad Buksh, Ashen Karthelis, Asanga Rodrigo, Dinesh Kumara and Wekadapola in their bid to clinch the Cup Championship.

Another strong contender for the title CH and FC will be led by Dilanka Wijesekera and includes Dinesh Sanjeewa, Matheesha de Silva, Tuan Shamrock, Rukshan Wijesinghe and two former Havelocks players - Sajith Bandara and Lakala Perera.

Last year Kandy Sports Club won the first leg of the Singer Professional Sevens played in Colombo while CR clinched the Second Leg played in Ratgama, Galle. Kandy SC also bagged the Cup Championship in the third leg played at Nuwara Eliya.

Prize money worth Rs. six lakhs will be awarded to the winners and runners-up of the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield Championship with the Cup Championship winners receiving Rs. 150,000. The SLRFU will be providing all the participating teams accommodation, meals and transport

The Chairman of Singer Sri Lanka Hemaka Amarasuriya will be the chief guest on the final day while former Dimbula and Sri Lanka flanker Ken Murray under whose leadership Dimbula clinched the ‘A’ Division League Rugby Title in 1970 will be the guest of honour.