30 December 2022 09:01 am Views - 362
By Harsha Amarasinghe and Sandun Kodithuwakku
CH and FC has been strengthened by the return of centre Dinuk Amarasinghe ahead of their Inter Club League Tournament match against Army Sports Club at Race Course on Friday.
Having lost their opening day clash to Air Force by 30 points to 22, the boys from the Maitland Crescent returned to winning ways last week with a victory of 34 points to 20 against Navy Sports Club. CH have invested heavily on numerous star players over the last couple of seasons but they have barely come close to challenging the league title and many believe this could be CH's final charge for the title for a long time, and one of the most prestigious clubs in Sri Lanka could fall the same way Navy Sports Club and Army Sports Club dropped standards after 2015.
Prasath Madushanka's team is now set to unleash former St. Anthony's centre Dinuk Amarasinghe in place of Janindu Dilshan in otherwise same team from their opening victory last week.
Amarasinghe who has had a cracking inter-school career have already had two stints at Havelocks and CR, but Sri Lanka 7s star could have a significant impact this evening against Army.
Army Sports Club was hammered at the hands of defending champions Kandy Sports Club by 46 points to 08 in the first week, but like CH they too bagged their first win last week - beating Police Sports Club 25-23 in a thriller.
The Soldiers will look to rely on their flamboyant backline featuring players such as Sudaraka Dikkumbura and Ashan Bandara who will certainly cause CH problems.
They have also got some dangerous players starting on the bench in the shape of Sameera Bulathsinhalage and Thirusha Adikaram.
CH perhaps have slight edge over Army largely due to the experience in the front row that includes two former Havies stars - Dushmantha Priyadarshana and captain Prasath Madushanka, but Army backline on their day can be devastating.
CH XV:
Dushmantha Priyadarshana, Prasath Madusanka (c), Shehan Silva, Soorya Dodangoda, Venura Kodagoda, Ravindu Hettiarachchi, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, Sudarshana Muthuthanthri, Avishka Lee and Rohitha Rajapaksa, Chamath Kilan, Johann Ogbebor, Dinuk Amarasinghe, Ovin Hettiarachchi, Avantha Lee
Army XV:
Jayalath Sameera, Danilsha Dissanayake, Rasika Abeynayake, Nalaka Maduranga, Nalan Premanath, Kaveen Perera, Sanjaya Rathnayake, Danushka Wijethilake, Manjula Weerasinghe (c) and Ashan Bandara, Sudaraka Dikkumbura, Lahiru Rathnayake, Lasantha Kumara, Kavindu Amarasiri, Chathuranga Perera