Kandy SC make it eight in a row

Ranjeeva SENEVIRATNE

The star studded Kandy Sports Club withstood a second half fight-back by Havelocks Sports Club to register a 37-17 win to win the Caltex ‘A’ division league rugby title for a record eighth successive year in their Caltex ‘A’ division league rugby match played at Havelock Park on Saturday.

The lads from Kandy dominated the first half and scored early in the game when dashing winger Sanjeeva Jayasinghe touched down by the right corner flag after following a kick by fly half Fazil Marija.

After Saliya Kumara fired across a 30 metre penalty Jayasinghe made another powerful run down the flank, changed direction and slipped out a pass to omnipresent flanker Dilip Selvam who scored by the left corner flag.

A few minutes before the breather fly half Fazil Marija scored the best try of the match when he collected a pass from scrum half Saliya Kumara and dummied his way past several defenders for over 40 metres to fall over near the posts for a glorious try to give Saliya Kumara an easy kick at goal and Kandy took a 20-3 lead at ‘lemons’.

Early in the second half Kandy increased their lead when centre Pradeep Liyanage scored by the left corner flag after following a kick by winger Sameera Silva.

Midway in the second half Havelocks staged a superb fight-back and scored two fine tries through winger Nuwan Hettiarachchi and strongly built prop forward Shafi Hassen and with fly half Samantha Lakshan converting both tries the score read 25-17.

But Kandy SC came back storming during the last 10 minutes to score two splendid tries to put the issue beyond doubt.

Winger Sanjeeva Jayasinghe burst through 30 metres off a three quarter move to fall over by the right corner flag for an unconverted try and then just before the final whistle centre Gayan Weeraratne sliced through the Havelocks defence to score under the posts to give Radhika Hettiarachchi an easy kick at goal and Kandy SC ran out winners by 37-17 to make it eight in a row with the previous best being six-in-a-row by Sri Lanka Police who clinched the ‘A’ division league rugby title for six consecutive years from 1984 to 1989.

CR and FC fielding a depleted side sans several regulars scored a smashing 45-6 win over Sri Lanka Army to finish as runners-up of the ‘A’ division league for the fifth successive year.

The Red Shirts who went into the game without the services of skipper Shamil Mohamed, Pavithra Fernando, Anuja Perera, Dharmatilleke, Amjad Buksh and Lasintha de Costa ran the ball at every opportunity in the first half to cross the opponents goal line on five occasions.

Fly half Ashan de Costa set his threes in motion at every turn and centre Mohamed Sheriff who had an excellent game, scored two splendid tries.

Flankers Kasun de Silva, Danushka Perera, lock forward Ashen Karthelis and No. 8 Diren Warnakulasuriya stood out in both attack and defence.

CH and FC remained in fourth position with a hard fought 18-12 win over Police on Sunday at Maitland Crescent.

The game turned to be a forwards battle with the power-packed CH forwards Achala Perera, Sathya Ranatunge, Dinesh Sanjeewa, Dilanka Wijesekera, Wasamba Senarath and sturdily built Sumedha Malewana being given a torrid time by the marauding Police ‘eight’ especially Nishantha Walagedera, Malith Hettiarachchi, Gonawala, Nalin Archarige, Pradeep Wilson and skipper Nilusha Fernando.

But the three quarters of both teams gave a woeful display squandering the hard earned possession by the forwards by either spilling the ball or being tackled in possession by their opposite numbers.