By: M. Shamil Amit

Colombo, Dec. 6 (Daily Mirror) - First Capital Holdings PLC a Janashakthi Group Company has come forward to partner the Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club (CR&FC) one of top most rugby playing clubs in Sri Lanka as the Platinum sponsor for the inter-club rugby tournament which kicked off last week.

The partnership of Capital Holdings with this longstanding and popular rugby playing club marks the company's maiden venture into the rugby arena with the aim of fostering the growth of rugby in Sri Lanka of which CR&FC has a legacy spanning a century which they celebrated last year.

Bandula Madanayake, Head of Marketing at First Capital stressed that we are proud to be involved with the club stating at First Capital our guiding principle is “Performance First” and partnering CR&FC a club synonymous with on field excellence allows us to showcase our commitment to the sport of rugby in Sri Lanka .

He further stated that “We believe that rugby has a promising future and are committed to support this most passionately followed sports in the island and we firmly believe that financial empowerment is essential for this to progress and we are fully prepared to provide the much needed support to encourage the young players to go greater heights.

With a strong emphasis on upholding stability First Capital stands strong with robust fundamentals, dedicated teams and the support of Janashakthi Group. First Capital as mentioned will focus on staying true to its “Prerformance First" spirit.

CR too will be fielding a set of youngsters who have shown their talent in the concluded inter-schools rugby season this year and the man to watch will be Isipathana winger Rinesh Silva who had a successful stint and ended as the top scorer of the schools rugby tournament who along with players from St. Joseph’s, Royal, St. Peter’s, Wesley and Zahira are for sure going to be a side to watch.

CR, having ended as the runner up in the league championship last year, will be looking to take one step further and will also be seeking to retain the Clifford Cup knockout title.

Meanwhile CR &FC will be offering 50 complimentary tickets to schools for the matches that will be played at Longdon Place with the aim of attracting more crowds which has dwindled in the recent past.

The spectator interest or watching matches live is almost a thing of the past and this has been done with the aim of attracting spectator interest. CR & FC spearheaded by Suhiru Anthony got off to a rousing start with a crushing 55-8 win over the hapless Army SC. Pix: Pradeep Pathirana