Kandy SC confront Air Force today

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN -Kandy Sports Correspondent

Defending Champions Kandy Sports Club will have a tough hurdle to clear when they take on challengers Sri Lanka Air Force in the semi-finals of the Clifford Cup knock out rugby tournament sponsored by Caltex which will be played at the Bogambara Stadium, Kandy, today (Saturday) with the proceedings due to commence at 4 p.m.

The Governor of the Central Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa - himself a top sportsman at St. Sylvester's College will be the Chief Guest. Also gracing the occasion as the Guests of Honour will be Grand Old Man of Rugby and former All Ceylon, Trinity College, Upcountry and Kandy Sports Club prop forward Maurice Perera who is one of the most senior rugby administrators in the country. The President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union Roshan Gunatillake will be the other Guest of Honour.

This match will be organized by the Central Province Rugby Football Union and there will be tight security both inside and outside the grounds. The President of the CPRFU Mohan Samarakoon said that the Bogambara Stadium authorities are making efforts to improve the condition of the playing area which was hard and dry last week when the quarter finals were played here last Saturday. It will be left to be seen how far they could succeed during the short time at their disposal. But the conditions should certainly improve as the grounds is being watered regularly and there has been very little rain in the hill capital at present in the hill capital though this is the rainy season.

Defending champions Kandy Sports Club should have the edge on their opponents having beaten them 18-11 in a league match played at Nittawela on July 3. This match being played at the Neutral venue of Bogambara Stadium, it will be left to be seen whether the Airmen could pull off a shock victory something which they have been striving hard for the last two years. Kandy Sports Club's star hooker Anuranga Walpola is likely to come out of his one year suspension which expired on August 31. The mandatory 48 hour notice has been given to the SLRFU by Kandy Sports Club before playing him said the General Secretary of Kandy Sports Club Leslie Zoysa.

This match will also signal the end of another rugby season in the hill capital during which Kandy Sports Club won the Caltex League title despite losing to Navy at Welisara and also the points earned by them in their match against CH & FC being withheld while the tournament was in progress and unavailability of their seasoned players due to injuries and other reasons.

But still they showed the Kandyan grit and overcame all these problems which beset them to win the league title.

They have won the Clifford Cup 17 times which is the most by any club in the history of this championship and these wins came after 1992, displaying a complete dominance at this championship. Therefore, they should go out top favourites to win this championship again the complete rugby's double, despite the venue of the finals being shifted to Colombo in the name of neutral venue and to play the finals alternatively in Kandy and Colombo.

Kandy Sports Club (from) Kasun Yasaisuri, Achala Perera, or Anuranga Walpola Kishore Jehan, Senaka Bandara (Captain), Dinesh Sanjeewa, Kasun de Silva, Amitha Ratnayake, Sajith Saranga, Roshan Weeraratne and Fasli Marija, Mohammed Jabbar, Pradeep Liyanage, Gayan Weeraratne, Tharindu Chanaka, , Prasad Chathuranga, Dinesh Kumara,

Sri Lanka Air Force (from) Mohamed Fajudeen, or Jayantha Ranaweera Lahiru Udayanga, Saumya Silva, Shenal Dias, P. Samarahewa, Ranga Perera, Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Wasamba Senarath, Navinda Pullukottiarachchi, Milinda Jayasinghe (captain), Chanaka Chandimal, Charaka Gunaratne, Charith Senaviratne, Mohamed Fazli, Mithun Hapugoda, Pubudu Kodagoda, Radhika Hettiarachchi.