Five top Kandy players to miss opener

West Asian Club Championship 2017 

By Shamseer Jaleel 

Kandy Sports Club will host two of their matches in the West Asia Club Championship 2017 at the Nittawela rugby stadium in September this year. 

Inter-club rugby champions Kandy, who won the last inter-club tournament under Roshan Weeraratne, will host the tournament for the very first time at their home grounds in Nittawela. They will play two league games against the Abu Dhabi Harlequins and Bahrain RFC outfits while the UAE outfits will play each other on 8 September before departing to Sri Lanka to play the Sri Lankan club champions Kandy SC. 

Due to the Asian Seven 2017 series tournament in South Korea, Dhanushka Ranjan, Richard Dharmapala and Danushka Dyan will be missed at these two encounters. Former Kingswoodian and Kandy SC skipper Roshan Weeraratne too will be missing from the starting line-up due to a knee injury. This will open up opportunities for the younger players in the squad. 

The Abu Dhabi Harlequins will arrive in the country on the morning of the same day (15 September) of their match and will depart the following day. Bahrain RFC, who will play their encounter on 22 September, will arrive one day prior to their game. They will also distribute rugby kits for one of the Kandy schools with fewer facilities. 

September 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins (the UAE) vs. Bahrain RFC (the UAE) in Dubai 

September 15 - Kandy SC vs. Abu Dhabi Harlequins in Nittawela 

September 22 - Kandy SC vs. Bahrain RFC in Nittawela