Dushanth Lewke to lead CR and FC in 2010

CR and FC number eight and ex-Sri Lanka skipper Dushanth Lewke has been entrusted with the task of leading the Longden Place Club in the 2010 rugby season. Lewke who began his club rugby career in 2003 by representing the CH and FC crossed over to Kandy SC for the 2005 Clifford Cup tournament and represented the champion Kandy SC team in 2006 and 2007 and played a key role in their success.

He joined the CR and FC in 2008 and turned out to be a source of inspiration to his team-mates with his fiery loose play.

Lewke had the honour of captaining the Sri Lanka team in the first match of the Asian Five Nations Tournament in Chinese Taipei in October, 2008.

Lewke will be ably supported by seasoned campaigners - national players Ashen Karthelis, Danushka Boteju, Kasun de Silva, Henry Terrence, Danushka Perera, Anuja Perera, Dinesh Kumara and the de Costa brothers Lasintha and Ashan and talented youngsters of the calibre of Ishan Noor, Srinath Sooriyabandara, Reza Mubarak and Nishan de Silva.

The Red Shirts have also obtained the services of five top schoolboy ruggerites Isipatana and Sri Lanka under 20 skipper Niroshan Fernando, Isipatana winger Vishwamithra Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka youth players Sachin David, Roshenka Kodituwakku (both from S. Thomas’) and Thomian winger and place kicker Arjunan Manoharan.

The Longden Place club will be coached this season by former CR and FC and Sri Lanka skipper Viraj Prasantha.

Under his leadership the Red Shirts emerged unbeaten ‘A’ division league champions in 1996 and two years later he led the Sri Lanka rugby team at the Singapore Rugby Asiad.

In addition to Prasantha the Red Shirts will be obtaining the services of a foreigner as consultant coach. This year CR and FC emerged runners-up of the Caltex ‘A’ Division League for the sixth successive year and also came off second best to Kandy SC in the Clifford Cup tournament losing in the final.

The Red Shirts are hoping that Viraj Prasantha will be able to mould them into a champion outfit which would be able to end the 11 year wait by clinching the ‘A’ Division League Title which they last won in 1998 under the leadership of Champika Nishantha.