CR set sights on second spot

By Harsha Amarasinghe

Youthful CR & FC could climb up to second spot in the points table should they beat Havelock Sports Club in their Dialog League encounter set to be played at Longden Place tomorrow (01).

The Red Shirts have occupied fourth place in the table with 32 points and are aware that a victory over Havies would carry them up to second, only behind Kandy SC, by Saturday evening.

Havies (34) are third – just a point behind Police (35) – who will face Navy Sports Club on Sunday.

The Longden Place Club has stuck to their new-look third row where Jero Dhananjaya and Wajid Fawmy are flanking number eight Omalka Gunarathne who is the captain of the side.

Scrum-half Rahul de Silva has been preferred to Kavindu de Costa, and will form a half-back combination with Chanaka Chandimal while the rest of the backline remains the same with Murshid Zubai keeping his place at full-back.

Centre Janidu Dilshan has been in red-hot form touching down on eight occasions and the former Royalist is comfortably the leading try scorer of the division.

Havies on the other hand have lost their touch since losing to Kandy Sports Club a few of weeks ago.

They have been forced to make a couple of changes with Daiyan Zabar coming in for Lasindu Ishan at the base of their scrum while former St. Peter’s College speedster Theekshana Dassanayake will replace Dinushan Ariyapala.

CR & FC: Rishmal Fernando, Supun Warnakulasooriya, Gayan Jayasekara, Sharo Fernando, Gayan Dilshan, Wajid Fawmy, Jero Dhananjaya, Omalka Gunarathne, Rahul de Silva and Chanaka Chandimal, Reeza Raffaideen, Dinuk Amarasinghe, Janidu Dilshan, Kevin Dixon, Murshid Zubair

Havelock: Charana Chamikara, Azmir Fajudeen, Faiz Abdulla, Umesh Madushan, Ganidu Lakshan, Senal Deelaka, Shawqat Lahir, Daiyan Zabar, Mithun Hapugoda and Sandesh Jayawickrama, Kavindu Keshan, Theekshana Dassanayake, Randy Silva, Naveen Henakankanamge, Prince Chamara.