Caltex ‘A’ Division League:

CR-CH clash in the curtain-raiser

Runners up of the Caltex ‘A’ Division League for the last seven years CR and FC will confront CH and FC in the curtain-raiser of the tournament at Maitland Crescent at 4.45 pm today. The lads from Maitland Crescent have been strengthened by the inclusion of two foreigners for today’s game – centre Iliesa Salusalu from Fiji and Kenyan No 8 Ernest Ngong Chiambah and a close tussle for supremacy can be expected today.

The Red Shirts led by Sri Lanka No 8 Dushanth Lewke boast of a star studded back division and rely on them to deliver the goods.

The halves combination of Srinath Sooriyabandara and Ashan de Costa should hit it off smoothly today while centres Mohamed Sheriff, Shabbir Mohamed, Wingers Lasintha de Costa and Vishwamithra Jayasinghe are hard runners who should slice through the CH defence with full back Reza Mubarak joining the line to form the overlap.

CH and FC too possess a fine three quarter line which includes three national players – Skipper and Winger Lakala Perera, centre Avantha Hettiarachchi and scrum half Tuan Shamrock while Fijian centre Iliesa Salusalu has shown good form in the last few days at practices and should make maximum use of the possession which comes their way by running the ball at every opportunity.

CH and FC - Arjuna Bopitiya, Janaka de Silva, Shane Samandaperuma, Chanaka Bandara, Chamindra Herath, Nilusha Fernando, Mohamed Rizkan, Ernest Ngong, Tuan Shamrock and Arfath Meedin, Lakala Perera (Captain), Iliesa Salusalu, Avantha Hettiarachchi, Ameen Jemeel and Indika Udayakumara.

CR and FC - Dunstan de Silva, Anuja Perera, Shehan Dimitri, Hasitha Perera, Ishan Noor, Ashen Karthelis, Sharo Fernando, Dushanth Lewke (captain), Srinath Sooriyabandara and Ashan de Costa, Lasintha de Costa, Mohamed Sheriff, Shabhir Mohamed, Vishwamithra Jayasinghe and Reza Mubarak.

Airmen meet Police

The Sri Lanka Air Force who enjoyed a fine season last year to finish fourth in the ‘A’ Division League and went down fighting to mighty Kandy SC by 24-27 in the Clifferd Cup semi-final will play host to Police Sports Club at Katunayake today.

Up front a terrific tussle can be expected with Police’s power-packed forwards Welagedera, Archarige, Hettiarachchi, Indrachapa, Gonawela and Seneviratne being confronted by Air Force’s Saumya Silva, Fajudeen, Ranga Perera, Samarahewa, Udayanga and Kurukulasuriya.

But the Airmen boast of a superior back division. They have a superb halves combination in skipper Milinda Jayasinghe and Chanaka Chandimal while Charith Seneviratne, Mohamed Fazli, Chanaka Gunaratne and that attacking full back Radhika Hettiarachchi are fast and penetrative runners who should test the Police defence to the hilt.

Air Force - Mohamed Fajudeen, Lahiru Udayanga, Saumya Silva, P Samarahewa, Ranga Perera, Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Wasamba Senarath, Navindra Pullikuttiarachchi, Milinda Jayasinghe (captain) and Chanaka Chandimal, Chanaka Gunaratne, Charith Seneviratne, Mohamed Fazli, Mithun Hapugoda, Radhika Hettiarachchi.

Police - Nishantha Welagedera, Champika Thushara, Malith Hettiarachchi, Romesh Archarige, Dinesh Kumara, T D Seneviratne (captain), U B Gonawela, Gemunu Indrachapa, Mohamed Rizwan and Anjula Wijeratne, Priyantha Ekanayake, Ranjith Kumara, Chanaka Fonseka, Jeevan Amaradasa, Hashan Gomes.