Havelocks play host to Kandy SC

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

Defending champions Kandy Sports Club which staged a superb fight-back to beat Police by 29-11 on Sunday will confront Havelocks Sports Club in their Caltex 'A' Division League rugby match at Havelock Park today. The kick off is scheduled for 4.30 p.m.

The park club which is enjoying a fine season suffered a crushing 5-32 defeat at the hands of arch rivals CR and FC on Saturday and will have to come up with a much better display if they hope to topple Kandy SC today.

A victory for Kandy SC today will give them the Caltex 'A' Division League title for a record eighth successive year.

The park club will miss the services of hooker Rajiv Perera and flankers T.D. Seneviratne and S.B. Dissanayake all of whom are on the injured list. Indika Abeyratne will replace Rajiv Perera while Mohamed Izzadeen and T.D. Seneviratne will fill the vacant flanker births.

Kandy Sports Club will be at full strength today and should win an abundance of possession with Anuranga Walpola getting the better of his vis-a-vis Indika Abeyratne and the trio of Sumedha Jayasinghe, Zaffer Jahn and Imran Bisthamin having the edge over the Havelocks duo of Kavinda Jayasena and Mohamed Izzadeen.

With the halves combination of Saliya Kumara and Fazil Marija likely to hit it off smoothly the lads from Kandy should run the ball at every opportunity as they have two hard running centres in Pradeep Liyanage and Gayan Weeraratne but the biggest threat to Havelocks will be posed by dashing winger Sanjeewa Jayasinghe who scored a hat-trick of tries against Police.

Havelocks: Shafi Hassen, Indika Abeyratne, Danushka Sandaruwan, Kavinda Jayasena, Andrew Jegan, T.D. Seneviratne, Mohamed Izzadeen, Rajiv Ganapthy, Dilan de Zoysa and Samantha Lakshan, Wasim Thajudeen, Nuwan Sanith, Zakir Badurdeen, Nuwan Hettiarachchi, Dilip Mathruwan.

Kandy SC: Jeewa Galgamuwa, Anuranga Walpola, Eranga Swarnatilleke, Sumedha Jayasinghe, Zaffer Jahn, Dilip Solvan, Sean Wijesinghe (Captain), Imran Bisthamin, Saliya Kumara and Fazil Marija, Sanjeeva Jayasinghe, Pradeep Liyanage, Gayan Weeraratne, Sameera Silva or Kusal Rankothge, Radhika Hettiarachchi.