Clifford Cup rugby from August 8

By Ranjeeva Seneviratne

RUGBY: Defending champions Kandy Sports Club will face a strong challenge from CR and FC, Havelocks SC and CH and FC in the Caltex Inter-Club Knock-out Tournament for the Clifford Cup which will be worked off from August 8 to 24, 2008.

Kandy Sports Club which won the richest prize in club rugby - the Clifford Cup for the first time in 1992 have reigned supreme since then by winning the trophy on 13 occasions during the last 16 years, the only exceptions being in 1994 when CH and FC bagged the trophy by beating CR and FC by 15-11 in the final and in 2006 when CR scored a smashing 37-5 win over Havelocks in the final while the tournament was not conducted in 1998.

The lads from Kandy first won the Clifford Cup in 1992 by overcoming CH and FC in the final and made it two-in a row by edging out CH and FC by 18-16 in the final in 1993.

After they surrendered the trophy to CH in 1994 they came back storming to win the Clifford Cup three years in a row from 1995 to 1997 before the SLRFU decided to scrap the tournament in 1998.

When the Rugby Union revived the tournament in 1999 Kandy SC bagged the Clifford Cup once again with a thrilling 21-18 win over CR and FC in the final.

They retained the trophy in the following year (2000) with a convincing 39-12 win over Army and went onto make it four in a row by overcoming the soldiers in the finals by 17-16 (2001) and 26-19 (2002).

In the following year Kandy SC retained the trophy for the fifth consecutive year with a hard fought 30—22 win over CH and FC in the final and in 2004 Kandy SC beat Havelocks by the staggering margin of 51 points to 20 in the final and made it seven-in-a-row with a runaway 31-6 win over CH and FC in the 2005 final played at Nittawela.

In 2006, they withdrew from the tournament in protest over the shifting of the venue to Colombo by the SLRFU, but came back storming last year to beat CR and FC 16-5 in the final at Nittawela to bag the trophy for the 13th time.

CR and FC have clinched the Clifford Cup 14 times with the last win in 2006 while Havelocks have won the trophy on 13 occasions having won it for the last time in 1981.

CH and FC have bagged the Clifford Cup on seven occasions with the last win in 1994 while Sri Lanka Police have clinched the trophy on eight occasions sharing it once each with Havelocks and Army with their last win being in 1991 when they edged out CH and FC by 13-11 in the final.

The schedule:

Quarter-finals:

(a) CR and FC vs Air Force at Police Park on August 8

(b) Kandy SC vs Galle RFC at Nittawela on August 9

(c) CH and FC vs Police at Police Park on August 9

(d) Havelocks vs Army at Police Park on August 10

Semi-finals:

(e) Winners of (a) vs winners of (d) at Longden Place on August 15.

(f) Winners of (b) vs winners of (c) at Nittawela on August 17.

Final at Nittawela or Longden Place on August 24.