Kandy should win over Airmen even with makeshift team

by S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

RUGBY: The Caltex Rugby League champions Kandy Sports Club should have no difficulty in getting their fifth win for the season when they take on Sri Lanka Air Force in their Caltex League tournament match to be played at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium, Kandy, today (Sunday), July 3 with the kick-off scheduled for 4.30 p.m.

During the week there was a little doubt whether this match will be played as the Kandy Sports Club threatened to pull out of the tournament and play friendly matches on a issue concerning fullback Nuwan Hettiarachchi. The Chairman Rugby of Kandy Sports Club Lasantha Wijesuriya on Friday evening confirmed that this issue will be satisfactorily resolved during this weekend and the club took a decision to continue to play in the tournament.

Rugby fans in the hill capital were kept guessing whether Kandy Sports Club would pullout of the tournament as the posters relating to their match against Sri Lanka Police and not come up even by Friday evening. It was after an emergency Committee Meeting on Friday evening that a decision was taken to play in the tournament.

Rugby in Sri Lanka would be richer by this experience as Kandy Sports Club is one of the top contenders for the league title, having won it for the last ten years and they are the crowd pullers wherever they play. Another factor is that they are the only club from the outstations surviving in the top division rugby as other clubs like Uva, Dimbula, Dickoya, Kurunegala Rugby and Football Club and Kelani Valley, Planters Club are no longer playing in the top leagues. Their remaining in the top Division is very important for rugby in the outstation.

Kandy Sports Club will once again play an under strength side as two of their players are facing a ban, and in the injured list are Pradeep Liyanage, skipper Buddhika Talagampola and Sean Wijesinghe while Chamara Vithanage and Dulip Selvam are not available. Three other players have crossed over to other clubs before the commencement of the season. All these players have played for the national team. Thus a makeshift Kandy team will take on the Airmen today.

Kandy Sports Club's skipper Buddhika Talagampola will not paly in this match and the side will be captained by second rower Senaka Bandara. He will be Kandy's third captain in five matches. Kandy Sports Club will also have former Antonian fullback Tharindu Chanaka to man the last line of defence. In the absence of Nuwan Hettiarachchi, Kandy Sports Club made stop gap arrangements to fill this berth. This was shared in turns by winger Mohammed Jabbar and scrum half Roshan Weeraratne. Tharindu Chanaka is a reliable place kicker and a drop goal specialist. His elder brother Prasad Chathuranga too plays for the club and their father Nihal Ananda too played for Kandy with distinction as a fullback in the late seventies and early eighties.

It is left to be seen whether Kandy would pile on the points as they had done in the two matches they had played at Nittawela or they will meet with some stiff challenge by the Airmen who are known for their fighting qualities.

One must not forget that in their last appearance at Nittawela in the Clifford Cup semi-final match, they came back fighting in the second half before going down in a close game.

Kandy Sports Club (from): Kishore Jehan, Damith Dissnayake, Liston Flatney, Senaka Bandara (captain), Dinesh Sanjeewa, Arvinda Udangamuwa, Shashika Jayawardena, Sajith Saranga, Roshan Weeraratne, Pasil Marija, Mohammed Jabbar, Amila Prasanna Bandara, Dinesh Kumar, Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, Pradeep Liyanage, Tharindu Chanaka, Gayan Weeraratne, Prasad Chathuranga, Kishore Jehan, Achala Perera, Mohammed Arshan, Kamal Rankothge, Amitha Ratnayake.

Sri Lanka Air Force: Mohammed Rajabdeen, Lahiru Udayanga, Saumya Silva, P. Samarahewa, Ranga Perera, Pradeep Kurukulasooriya, Wasaba Senarath, Navinda Pullukuttiarachchi, Milinda Jayasinghe (captain), Chanaka Chandimal, Chanaka Gunaratne, Charith Seneviratne, Mohammed Fasil, Mithun Hapugoda, Radhika Hettiarahchi, Rajitha Sansoni.