Kandy S.C. vs CH and FC should be closely contested

S. M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr

RUGBY: It is going to rugby at its best when the defending Clifford Cup champions Kandy Sports Club take on the vastly improved CH and FC in the semi-finals of the Caltex Clifford Cup knock-out rugby tournament match which is scheduled to be played at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium in Kandy today (August 30) at 4.30 p.m.

On form, Kandy should win this match but it is not going to be easy for them as the Maitland Crescent Club players are a set doughty fighters who may not 'cave in' like Havelocks Sports Club did last week when they gave over a hundred points to the Kandy Club and to be beaten by the huge margin of 102 - 3 the biggest win ever recorded by the hill capital club over the Park Club. It is one of the heaviest defeats ever suffered by them in their long and chequered history when they were champs many a time. Their glory days were in the sixties and seventies when they lifted many titles having players of the calibre Dan Ratnam, Jeff Ratnam, Tyronne Holdenbottle, Royden de Silva, Darrel Wimalaratne, Raj Rodrigues, Jeyer Rodrigues, Noel Brohier, David Francke, Shafi Jainudeen just to name a few.

CH and FC, once a power house of the local rugby scene, has not won the league or knock out version of the rugby for quite some though they have come out with some stirring performances. This will be a fine opportunity for them to take tilt at the Clifford Cup which is the oldest rugby trophy on offer.

Kandy Sports Club, on the other hand, are in fine fettle having carried away everything before them except for a blemish against Sri Lanka Navy when they lost the match by a single point (11-12) last month and since then they have made sufficient amends to be on top once again by winning the league title with big lead over the runners up CR and FC.

Kandy Sports Club led by Pradeep Liyanage have won the Clifford Cup since 1999 except in the year 2006 when they did not participate to lodge their protest for shifting the venue of Kandy SC matches to Colombo, breaking the status quo which existed at that time.