Kandy Sports Club crush CR and FC 85-5

S M Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Correspondent

It turned out to be a deluge of tries as the defending Clifford Cup Champions Kandy Sports Club swamped a hapless CR and FC by the huge margin of 85 points (10 goals, 3 tries) to 5 (1 try) to enter the semi-finals of the Clifford Cup Knock-out Rugby Tournament at the Bogambara Stadium, Kandy yesterday.

At half time, Kandy Sports Club led 24-0.

A surprisingly small set of Kandy supporters watched Kandy Sports Club notch up their highest ever score against the Red Shirts, who put up a dismal display. The dwindled Kandy supporters were due to Kandy's poor showing in the recently concluded Dialog League when they lost the League title after winning it on the trot for 11 years.

This situation further worsened due to Kandy losing heavily to the League champions Havelocks Sports Club 19-50.

Kandy started off well scoring their first try in the 12th minute when centre Gayan Weeraratne went over and scrum half Roshan Weeraratne added the extra points.

Three more tries in this half by No 8 Sean Wijesinghe, full back Chanaka Tharindu, and winger Dhanushka Dayan and one of which was converted by Roshan Weeraratne saw Kandy run up a comfortable 24-0 lead by the 'lemons'.

But the second half saw the floodgates being opened and Kandy scored nine more tries through stand off Fazil Marija (2), lock Dinesh Sanjeewa (1), flanker Shashika Jayawardena (1), centre Priyantha Ekanayake (1), centre Pradeep Liyanage (1), centre Etuate Lolohea (1), centre Gayan Weeraratne (1) and winger Dhanushka Dayan (1) and adding the extra points was Fazil Marija (4), and scrum half Saliya Kumara (3).

For CR and FC No 8 Prasad Madushan scored an unconverted try.

Irshard Cader refereed.