Defending champions Kandy prevail in thriller

By Shamseer Jaleel 

Kandy Sports Club proved that they are no pushovers at home when they not only won against Havelock Sports Club but also ended their unbeaten run when they beat them by 22 points (three tries, two conversions, one penalty) to 15 points (two tries, one conversion, one penalty) at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium yesterday.

At lemons, the winners led 5-3. The first half of the game was evenly contested, despite Kandy’s territorial advantage. Havies played really hard, pushing Kandy to the edge. Kandy got three scoring opportunities in the first-half, but super defence by the Park Club kept them away from scoring. Once in the latter half, with the presence of Mithun Hapugoda, Havies looked a yard faster. They scored two tries in the end, but Kandy, by then, had piled up enough points.

Havies drew first blood in the 3rd minute of the game when Sandesh Jayawickrema was on target with a penalty kick. Kandy, after failing to score on three possible opportunities, finally touched down through Buddhima Piyaratne.

After the turnaround, Kandy took better control of the game, scoring through Heshan Silva and Roshan Weeraratne. Tharinda Ratwatte, who had a grand outing, converted both and also put over a penalty. Meanwhile, the Park Club boys never gave up. They scored through a forwards rush as Lasindu Karunathilake went over the white line. A few minutes later, the lightning-fast Ramesh Fernando touched down for the Park Club’s second try. Sandesh Jaywaickrema converted one of them.

Kandy finished on top at the end of round 1, but will travel to play their second-round games against Havies, CH & FC, and Police
in steamy Colombo conditions.

Referee: Priyantha Gunaratne