Marija to return for Clifford Cup decider

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National Fly half and the skipper of the League winning Kandy outfit, Fazil Marija is set to make a return to competitive rugby after missing several weeks of action due to a back injury.

The return of their regular skipper and playmaker will surely boost the Kandy camp that go against their arch rivals CR&FC at Race course grounds on the 26th of March 2016 for the prestigious Clifford cup honours.

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Kandy has clearly been a dominant force this season and are unbeaten so far this year, however they have not had the best of outings in the lead up to the final. Playing the quarter final against bottom ranked CH&FC, Kandy decided to rest most of their regulars giving the bench some game time and ran through the helpless CH&FC team but were not convincing against the sailors in the semifinal where they managed to overcome a spirited Navy outfit in Pallekele purely due to the points scored in the first half of the game.  Kandy led 34 points to 10 at half time but could only muster 3 points in the second half to Navy’s 17. Coach Wijesinghe will be focusing on the errors of the second half which nearly cost Kandy the game.  Nigel Ratwatte, who has been Kandy’s go to man in Fazil’s absence, was taken off at the end of the first half due to some discomfort in the knee but is expected to be fit for the all-important final.  It will be interesting to see where Srinath Sooriyabandara would fit in the Kandy line with Fazil’s return, since it’s assumed that Ratwatte would take up duties as the last line of defense where Soori has impressed in the last few weeks. Kandy is formidable up front with arguably the country’s best front row combination in Piyumal Manchanayake, Damith Dissanayake & Kishore Jehan. These big boys have provided staunch support for their free running backs.

Kandy through to the final albeit unconvincingly

CR&FC was unlucky to be at the losing end in the first round encounter of the League having led 16-15 until the last minute but went down 16-22 with Kandy scoring a try in the last move of the game. In the second round fixture up in Kandy’s Nittawela fortress, it looked like CR would create a famous upset by defeating Kandy for the first time this season and that too in Kandy’s own backyard but the experience of Kandy got the better of the young CR team. CR however have gone from strength to strength since and have shown signs of becoming a top notch team. In the lead up to the final, CR earned a convincing win over Sri Lanka Army beating them 35- 26. In the semis they met their home town rivals Havelocks SC and had the pleasure of edging the park club 34-27 in an absolute cliff hanger. Having lost both their league games to Havelocks, CR&FC came into the game as the underdogs but held their nerve to score in the last minute of play when all was set for 10 minutes of extra time.

Last minute try gives CR ticket to the Finals

CR& FC have a set of very talented young players who are looking to make a mark in the club circuit and are showing early signs of becoming a cohesive unit that would challenge for titles in the years to come. Kanchana Ramanayake has been impressive throughout the season for the Longdon place club and with the likes of Jason Dissanayake, Tarique Salih, Rehan Silva & Tarinda Ratwatte finding their footing in the big league they will be no pushover in this all important final. With their regular skipper Ishan Noor sidelined due to injury, Shane Sambandaperuma will most likely lead the reds in their quest for silverware.

Watch Live – Kandy SC v CR & FC – Dialog Clifford Cup 2016

CR&FC is the team that troubled Kandy the most in their league fixtures and it’s a fitting finale to the Club season that these two clubs meet in the Clifford Cup final where the winner takes it all. The game promises to be a thriller and a fitting end to a very competitive club season.  Make your way to the Race course grounds on the 26th of March at 4.15 pm to witness this enthralling encounter and for those of you who cannot make the journey, www.thepapare.com will come to the rescue with exclusive live coverage of the event.