Lewke to play for CR and FC

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

Kandy Sports Club and Sri Lanka number eight Dushanth Lewke will turn out for the Ceylonese Rugby and Football Club this year.

"Dushanth has decided to stay in Colombo and play for the CR and FC due to the illness of his mother," said his father DIG Nimal Lewke, the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.

"Dushanth is training on his own and is following a training schedule given by All Blacks fitness trainer David Gray and will join the Red Shirts at practices, a few days before their first match against Air Force on May 3," said Lewke (snr).

"He has conveyed his decision to leave Kandy SC to its patron Malik Samarawickrema and there is no problem in crossing over to CR and FC as he is not a contracted player with Kandy SC," said SLRFU chief Lewke.

Lewke played for CH and FC from 2003 to 2005 before crossing over to Kandy SC in August 2005 to play in the Clifford Cup tournament and played a key role in the success of Kandy SC which won the rugby double - Caltex 'A' division league and Rugby Sevens in 2006 and rugby triple in 2007 - the Caltex 'A' division league, Clifford Cup and Rugby Sevens title.

Dushanth also has been a regular member of the Sri Lanka team from 2004 and was a key member of the national team which ended runner up (17-24) to Kazakhstan in the Singer Rugby Asiad last year.

Lewke played for Royal from 2000 to 2002 and was a member of the invincible Royal rugby team of 2002 led by Zulki Hamid which won the Bradby Shield by the record margin of 83-0 (39-0 and 44-0) and the Royal-Thomian by 38-3 - the highest score in the Guneratne trophy series which team also included Shamil Mohamed, the present CR captain.