Unbeaten CR to meet Army in club rugby league clash

CR is enjoying one of its best seasons so far

By Shamseer Jaleel

Unbeaten CR&FC, led by national Fifteens Skipper Omalka Gunaratne, will be all out to continue their winning streak in the club rugby league when they lock horns with a wounded Army outfit at Longdon Place this weekend.

CR fared really well this season after a tough opening encounter against Police. Then they went on to beat CH&FC and Air Force in their second and third encounters. Offering a blend of youth and experience, the red shirts are all out to reclaim the league after a lapse of several years. Kevin Dixon, Supun Warunakulasuriya, Reza Rafaideen, Sharo Fernando and Sandun Herath are all in peak form. Reza Mubarak, who crossed over for Havelocks, did well over the first three encounters with some accurate touch kicks and kicks at goal. He will be one of the vital players for the Longdon Place club.

Meanwhile, the Army outfit coached by former national player Radhika Hettiarachchi was in for a rude shock last weekend in the Central Province. They were massacred by a massive 19-64 margin which they will quickly want to forget. Ashan Bandara, Dikkumbura, Gayan Salinda and Mohamed Rizvi are all class acts and need to work together as a team. They should bounce back in this game but the red shirts hold a slight edge at home.

Both CH&FC and Navy SC will be out for their first win in their fourth encounter this season. CH, led by Rohitha Rajapaksa, has many stars in their line-up but are yet to come together as one unit this season. Rajapaksa, who missed two games due to a national coaching assignment with the Under-19 outfit, might take up the deputy coaching role of the CH&FC outfit. Nishon Perera, Hirantha Perera, Madushanka, Samuel Maduwantha, Warren Weerakoon and many more top-class players in the CH&FC camp are too good to be still searching for their first win after three games.

Meanwhile, Navy too are searching for their maiden win this season. Skipper Thilina Weerasinghe, Richie Dharmapala, Radeesha Senarathne, Gayan Perera and Rajitha Sansoni will need to play a vital role in order to secure their first win this season. Going according to form, CH should secure their first win.

Havelock SC should claim their third win this season when they lock horns with Air Force at home. Led by Mithun Hapugoda, his deputy Lasinda Karunthilake, Naveen Heenanakananmge and Ajmeer Fajudeen, the park club has played well under veteran coach Sanath Martis. Air Force are yet to find their form. Only Gayantha Iddamalgoda looked has looked himself. They played well in patches during their first three games but have lacked quality with their finishing and consistency over 80 minutes. Havelocks should bag a bonus-point victory.

The last game this weekend will attract the biggest crowd when Kandy will travel down to Colombo for the first time this season when they confront a much-improved Police team at Police Park. The Cops are fortunate to have their Fijian player Emosi and are well-supported by Silva and his brother Chandimal. They have only lost to CR in their first game and outplayed Havelocks and CH&FC in their other games this season. Meanwhile, Kandy SC could face a stern test to retain the league when they play their last four games in Colombo. They too have injury issues, losing Wilwara, Roshan, Ranjan, Ali and Richard. They also produced an uneven start to their first two games against Air Force and Navy but thanks to a fantastic team effort in their last game against Army SC, they won by more than 50 points at home. Playing in the Colombo heat could be tough for the Kandy outfit led by Nigel Ratwatte, who will be supported by Tharinda Ratwatte, Lavanga Perera, Diluksha Dange, Thilina Wijesinghe, Srinath Sooriyabandara and Sayuru Anthony. On form, Kandy should win but they might find the going tough. Kandy is coached by Fazil Marija and have recorded three wins, with them clinching bonus points against Air Force and Army.

December 19

CH&FC vs. Navy SC – Racecourse grounds

Referee Dilum Dheeshana

December 21 

Kandy SC vs. Police SC - Police Park

Referee Isuru Perera

Havelock SC vs. Air Force - Havelock Park

Referee Gihan Yatawara

CR&FC vs. Army SC - Longdon Place

Referee Ishanka Abeykoon