CR and FC-Air Force clash pick of the quarter-finals

Ranjeeva Seneviratne

The confrontation between the formidable CR and FC and Plate champions Air Force Sports Club on September 4 (Sunday) at Royal Sports Complex is the pick of the four quarter-final matches of the Caltex Clifford Cup knock-out tournament.

The Red Shirts who beat the Airmen by 27-21 in the Caltex ‘A’ Division League at Katunayake will be strengthened by the return of several key players who were on the injured list during the Caltex ‘A’ Division League tournament - prop forward Henry Terrence, flanker Sharo Fernando, winger Vishwamithra Jayasinghe and centres Shabbir Mohamed and Mohamed Sheriff.

Scrum half Srinath Sooriyabandara is still on the injured list while Reza Mubarak is also a doubtful starter with a fractured nose. Josephian Piyum Jayasinghe or ex-Airman Radeesha Seneviratne will operate from the base of the scrum and will pair off with Nigel Ratwatte who returned to the side in the last league match after a long lay off due to injury.

Sharo Fernando will play in his pet position of flanker alongside Chilanka Samaraweera and skipper Dushanth Lewke in the third row.

Strongly built Henry Terrence will bind down in the front row with veteran Dunstan de Silva (a double international who boxed for Sri Lanka at the 1991 SAF Games in Colombo).

However, CR and FC will face a fierce challenge from Air Force who boast of a strong back division. They have a superb halves combination in national players Dilan de Zoysa and Chanaka Chandimal and two hard running centres Charith Seneviratne and Radhika Hettiarachchi and an attacking full back in Milinda Jayasinghe.

Last year CR and FC were knocked out in the semi-finals of the tournament by Navy Sports Club by 19-12 in extra time while the Air Force went down fighting to mighty Kandy SC by 24-27 in the other semi-final.

The lads from Kandy went onto retain the Clifford Cup - club rugby’s richest prize for the fourth consecutive year by overcoming Navy by 26-11 in the final.

Defending champions Kandy Sports Club will take on lowly placed CH and FC in the curtain-raiser of the tournament on September 2 (Friday) at Bogambara while on the same day Havelocks SC who were placed third in the Caltex ‘A’ Division League will meet Sri Lanka Army at Royal Sports Complex. Runners-up of the Caltex ‘A’ Division League, the formidable Navy will confront Police Sports Club on September 3 (Saturday) at Royal Sports Complex.

The semi-finals will be worked off on September 10 (Bogambara) and 11 (Royal Sports Complex) and the final will be played on September 17 at Royal Sports Complex.