CH out to redeem lost prestige today

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

The Colombo Hockey and Football Club which suffered a humiliating 7-41 defeat at the hands of the mighty Kandy SC will go all out to redeem lost prestige when they confront the Sri Lanka Army in their Caltex 'A' division league rugby match at Police Park today.

The kick off is scheduled for 4.45 p.m. The lads from Maitland Crescent are lying in fifth position in the Caltex 'A' Division League are desperately in need of a win having lost four matches in their last five outings and were also held to a 15-all draw by CR and FC a fortnight ago.

The good news for the CH and FC is the return of former Navy and Sri Lanka lock forward Manjula Ruwantilleke after a long lay off due to injury. Sri Lanka under-19 player and Royal number eight Bilal Hassen too has joined the club. Hassen who had an excellent season for his school is likely to occupy the flanker berth and provide a formidable third row for the Maitland Crescent Club which already has Sri Lanka flanker Dilanka Wijesekera and sturdily built number eight Sumedha Malewana (who represented Sri Lanka at the Singer Rugby Asiad last year).

The soldiers have failed to impress this season losing seven matches in nine outings and will have to come up with a much better display if they hope to topple CH and FC today.

CH and FC: Jayantha Ranaweera (captain), Achala Perera, Sathya Ranatunge or Sajith Adhikari, Dinesh Sanjeewa, Manjula Ruwantilleke, Dilanka Wijesekera, Bilal Hassen or Wasambe Senarath, Sumedha Malewana, Tuan Shamrock and Sajith Bandara, Niranjan Wickremaratne, Matheesha de Silva, Shane Dissanayake, Indika Udayakumara, Milinda Jayasinghe.

Army: Nishantha Kotelawela, Asoka Jayalal, Sarath Kumara, Ajith Susantha, R. M. G. Ratnayake, Ajith Pushpakumara, Wickremanayake, Manoj Silva, Tharindu Darshana and Upul Kumara, Saliya Handapangoda, Duminda Wickremaratne, Asanka Perera, Maurice Abeyratne, T. A. Silva (captain).