Kandy champs again

By Lal Gunesekera

RUGBY: Kandy Sports Club, the undisputed rugby champions in the local scene, continaed with their winning spree yesterday. Although they were made to huff and puff before overcoming CH & FC by 16 points (1 goal, 2 penalties, 1 drop goal) to 5 (1 try) at Maitland Crescent after being led 3-5 at half time, Kandy, retained the Caltex League Rugby Championship Title for the seventh consecutive year.

Now Kandy's final game against CR & FC at Nittawela on Saturday (August 4) is of academic interest, as the Red Shirts were held to a 20-all draw by CH & FC last Sunday and even if Kandy loses, they are the champions.

Influenza had struck the Kandy outfit. Both No 8 Dushan Lewke and winger Sanjeewa Jayasinghe were unable to take the field. This did not help them a bit and it was a nightmare for them till the 25th minute of the second session when scrum-half Saliya Kumara squeezed his way through to score and for Kandy to take the important lead.

CH did play very well, but were rather unlucky not to have scored more than one try. Like their opponents, the homesters were guilty of dropping the ball like a hot potato at vital moments. They were even reduced to play with 13 players when fly-half Sajith Bandara and Fijian centre Jimmy Bolakoro were shown the red card and sent out of the field.

Kandy's Nalaka Weerakoddy missed a sitter of a penalty from 20 metres left in the fourth minute, but made amends four minutes later with a 30 metre drop (Kandy 3-0). CH's left winger Noroshan Ekanayake was sent into Sin Bin in the 23rd minute.

Then in the second minute of injury time, CH's right winger Lakala Perera scored far right after Kandy's left winger Sameera Silva had failed to collect an "up and under", but Sajith Bandara failed with the conversion (CH 5-3) Earlier in the 35th minute, Bandara, failed with a 22-metre penalty left for CH.

After the "turn around", Weerakoddy, fluffed with a simple 15-metre drop goal for Kandy in the 17th minute, and two minutes later, failed again with a 30-metre penalty. Six minutes later came Saliya Kumara's try for Kandy to take the lead 10-5. Then in the 30th minute, Weerakoddy, made a splendid 45-metre drop goal for Kandy to lead 13-5 and followed it up with a 30-metre penalty left for Kandy to increase the lead to 16-5 and cling on to win.

Englishman Scott Herbert from Dubai was the referee.