Kandy S.C. will find going tough against Navy

S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

The defending Caltex League champions - Kandy Sports Club who have been unbeaten for many years will find it tough when they take on the rugged Navy Sports Club who have returned to top division rugby after a lapse of four years. This Caltex League rugby tournament match will be played at Nittawela today, May 17th at 4.30 p.m.

Kandy's play-maker and star scrum half Saliya Kumara is on the injured list and is certain to miss this game.

The Kandy team is further weakened by the cross-over to other clubs by former Sri Lanka Sevens captain Chamara Withanage whose suspension was lifted in December last year.

Centre and former Sri Lanka skipper Sajith Mallikarachchi now turns out for CH and FC and Erande Weerakkoddy will play for Navy SC. Second-rower Sumedha Jayasinghe has joined a Colombo club while Jeewa Galgamuwa and Nilfer Ibrahim will not play this season due to other commitments. Their star No. 8 Imran Bisthamin is incapacitated following a serious fall he had last year and his rugby career is over.

Thus it is left to the few old stagers and the newcomers to deliver the goods to the hill capital club if they are to make an impression this year like they had been doing for the last so many years. Centre and fullback national player Mohammed Sheriff has joined the club from CR & FC and two other forwards have come over from Havelock SC.

The sailors are known for their fighting qualifies and they have given a good account of themselves in the recently concluded Inter-Club Sevens tournament when Kandy SC were fully stretched to win during extra time.

They will be led by Yoshitha Rajapaksa who captained S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia and has qualities of leadership. They have some fine players in Ravi Jayasuriya, Sumedha Malawana, Shehan Deen, Erande Weerakoddy and others.