Kandy SC drub Police 62-10

Kandy Sports Corr.

RUGBY: Light weight winger 20-year-old Mohamed Jabber ran in three brilliant tries as the defending Caltex League Champions Kandy Sports Club drubbed Police Sports Club by 62 points (6 goals, 4 tries) to 10 (1 goal, 1 penalty) in their Caltex league second round match played before a large crowd at Nittawela yesterday.

At half time Kandy SC led 19-0.

Late tackles and high tackles often went unchecked. One of them resulted in Kandy’s star fly-half Fazil Marija playing as centre being rushed to Kandy hospital with a serious injury and the nature of it only an x-ray will reveal, said the doctor in attendance.

Kandy took time to settle down and it was in the 15th minute that they opened scoring when Fazil Marija covered around 30 metres and sent a long pass to Kishore Jehan who touched down and Saliya Kumara added the extra points. Kandy 7-0.

Police’s Sudesh Dissanayake executed a fine drop goal but was disallowed by the referee as a Police player was spotted off-side.

In the 30th minute it was Marija who gained possession of the ball and covered a distance of 30 metres and full-back Sameera Silva collecting the pass went over far left.

Just before the lemons winger Sanjeewa Jayasinghe collecting a grubber inside Police territory made a fierce run to score under the posts. Saliya Kumara added the extra points. Kandy led 19-0.

In the period of play which followed Kandy lost both Marija and Saliya Kumara through injuries.

Kandy continued their rampage immediately on resumption with Mohamed Jabbar scoring off a three quarter movement.

In the 20th minute of play, a penalty was awarded to Kandy and Krishantha Rajapakse taking the short tap worked the line and winger Jabbar with a dazzling run touched down far left.

The best try of the match came from Pradeep Liyanage collecting a pass from Krishantha Rajapakse sliced through Police defence slipping tackles and running through gaps in a blazing run covering 60 metres scored under the posts. Ibrahim added the extra points.

In the 26th minute Jeewa Galgamuwa took play deep into Police territory and Imran Bisthamin scored off a ruck mid-left. Ibrahim added the extra points.

Police fight back came in the 28th minute when they were awarded a series of scrums a few metres away from Kandy’s goal line which ended with lock forward and skipper W. A. P. Wilson diving over near the left post. Fly-half Sudesh Dissanayake added the extra points for Police to reduce the lead to 7-43.

Jagath Pushpakumara made a breezy run with the ball and when challenged slung a pass to Jabbar who covered 30 metres to score mid-left. Ibrahim added the extra points. Shortly afterwards Sudesh Dissanayake put over a penalty for Police to reduce the lead to 10-50.

In the 37th minute of play there was a tussle for the ball in the Police in-goal area and Kandy’s new scrum-half Krishantha Rajapakse playing his first game fell on the loose ball.

Then almost on the stroke of full-time, a Police defender failed to boot the ball deep inside Police territory and Kandy’s No. 8 Dushantha Lewke pounced on the loose ball mid-left. Kandy’s winger in his new role as a spot kicker goalled the try. Kandy won 62-10.

Alex Nishantha refereed