Fazil Marija crafts win for Kandy SC

HAFIZ MARIAKR

If rugby is a beautiful game, the Dialog first round game between Kandy SC and Havelock was a super game, which was played by 30 good players.

The players also appeared to come into the game with the right attitude. A bullet train is hard to stop and both teams came into this game with plenty of momentum behind them, and the better team of the evening ended up as winners.

The Nittawela club, sponsored by Singer, Etisalt and Food city did Kandy proud when they scored a splendid win over the strong Havelock SC by 20 points to 15 in their first round "Dialog" league match played at Nittawela on Saturday.

It was a rousing game and one of the best matches seen this season.

Make no mistake, the score is no indication of the great effort by Kandy SC, who beat Havelock SC in their seventh game of the season and maintained their unbeaten tag. The wining side's 20 points came off one goal, two tries and a penalty kick at goal to 15 a goal a try and a penalty.

The defending champs are left with one more game in the first round, that will be against the Navy SC on Saturday at Welisara. Saliya who missed the last game together with Anuranga Walpola, Kith Gurusinghe, Nuwan Hettiarchchi and Danny Halliday are expected to be back in the side for Saturday's key game, with new Samoan forward Mosses. It was the entire Kandy SC XV, who won the game with the fullest backing coming from their fans led by Aliyar Farook. They were outstanding in the loose play, getting behind the ball fast and tackling well. Kandy SC's halves worked well, Roshan Weerathne slining out his passes accurately and fly half Fazil Marija opening out the game and also finding good ground with his kicks, when defending.

Fazil has added much thrust to Kandy SC's play and this indefatigable player combines his knowledge and skill and should continue to see Kandy SC achieving greater heights.

In Fazil, Kandy SC has a reliable player who plans out Kandy's strategy. Kandy SC can even do better if the others support him, when support play is needed. In Roshan Weerarthne, Fazil has a linkman who serves out his passes well and these two are the NIttawela club's play makers.

Last Saturday at Nittawela, it was an interesting and clean game of rugby played by both Kandy SC and Havelock SC. Kandy SC's win over the strong Havelock SC is commendable and the bouquet of the week must surely go to the defending champions Kandy SC who torpedoed and sank the Park Club outfit.

Despite Havelock SC's wealth of experience, they appeared upset against the Nittawela club's crash tackling and robust play in the loose. With regard to tackling much of the credit must go to the NIttawela club's third row Sean, Asitha, Jayawardene and the smart work of Scrum half Roshan who kept on feeding the backs.

Havelock SC who were gifted with plenty of good ball, failed to make use of it. They delayed the ball more often in forward play, which let them down.

The Kandy SC also profited tremendously from the fact that they continuously kept on winning second phase possession from both the rucks and mauls through the hard work of forwards.

Kandy SC backs free of the usual attention of the opposing flankers set off on their mission of attempting to scatter the thinned down defence.

The success among the backs once again was fly half Fazil Marija, who smoothly did his part as usual. At the end he was shouldered by the rugby loving fans in the hills. At Nittawela it seemed as though Kandy's play maker Fazil Marija had reserved his best performance of this season for the game against the Park Club

Fazil, in his own inimitable fashion, landed a super try, which won for him rounds of applause from this home town crowd. Sean Wijasinghe who seems to be doing well, with every game while showing rare dash of

third row moves also had a big hand in Kandy's win.

The goal kickng of both sides was not what was expected. The winners missed a couple of penalties from kicking range.

At the end of the final whistle, there was thunderous applause from the fans. Present and lapping up the victory were President Dr. Sarath Kapuwatte, Trustee Malik Samarawickrema, Secretary Nihal Ratwatte and the rest of the committee to give the match winning players a pat on their backs for their great performance.

ASP Nizam Jamaldeen controlled the game.