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by LAL GUNESEKERA

Can Kandy Sports Club, the undisputed rugby champions of the local scene, win the Caltex Clifford Cup for the sixth consecutive year? They take on Havelocks in the final today at Nittawela. Kandy has a very strong outfit, but are certain of missing two of their stars due to injury.

They are Sajith Mallikaratchi (fly-half) and second-rower Pradeep Basnayake, but the good news is that full-back Nalaka Weerakoddy has been declared fit for today's clash. Tavita Tulagaese, the Samoan No. 8 and Kandy's coach too, has been a tower of strength with his intelligent play where the forwards play a dominant role in both attack and defence. The Kandy threes too have some powerful runners in Indrajit Bandaranayake, Pradeep Liyanage, Sanjeewa Jayasinghe and skipper Radhika Hettiaratchi.

The Havelocks, going on form, may not be easy pushovers for Kandy.They beat arch rivals CR quite convincingly in the semi-finals and will look for a repeat performance particularly from their Tongan third-row forward Alex Taka.

They too have a good pack and an equally good back-division and how they handle the ball in wet conditions is left to be seen. Coach Tony Amith has planned his strategy and will hope that his team will deliver the goods today at Nittawela.

The last occasion that these two teams met in the Clifford Cup was in 1978 when Havelocks under Anton Benedict beat Kandy led by Irwin Horace 10-4 at Longden Place.

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