A top of the table clash between two of the unbeaten sides brought all the ebbs and flows as CH & FC snatched a draw with the last move of the game to stun defending champions Kandy Sports Club and silence the Nittawela crowd to round off week six in some style. (21st December 2025)
The Gymkhana Club came into the game on a high, having made an unbeaten start to the season and upsetting their Maitland Place rivals in an absolute thriller last time out. The defending champions would have fancied themselves at home as they continued their charge for back-to-back titles.
It was the visitors who got off to a flyer, hitting the ground with a spring in their step right from kick-off. After catching their opponents offside on the halfway line, skipper Janindu Dilshan took it quickly and made a dash for the line before being brought down five metres short in the right corner. His teammates shot up, and the ball was quickly worked from right to left, leaving the Kandy defence scrambling. The ball eventually found Janith Chandimal, who touched down uncontested to open the scoring. A tough kick was missed.
(KSC 00-05 CH&FC)
The defending champions refused to be pinned back for long as they piled on the pressure. After forcing a penalty and going to touch, they opened their account with a textbook driving maul in the fourth minute, with Dilshan Fareed the benefactor. Shahid Zumri was unsuccessful from the tee.
(KSC 05-05 CH&FC)
The forwards continued to flex their muscles for the home side, forcing a penalty off a CH&FC scrum before again kicking to touch. A lovely peel from Dahan Nithina off the resulting line-out saw him go over for his team’s second score, bringing the crowd to their feet as Kandy took the lead for the first time in the game. Zumri undercooked the conversion from a tough angle.
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The visitors then enjoyed a good spell of territory and possession but failed to convert their pressure into points. The defending champions showed how quickly they can punish missed opportunities, working their way out of their own red zone and taking themselves within touching distance of the whitewash. Star boy Zumri then picked up and went over after an incisive run from Akash Madushanka, before adding the extras himself to send the hosts into lemons with a two-score cushion.
(KSC 17-05 CH&FC)
Half-time: Kandy Sports Club 17 (3T, 1C) – CH&FC 05 (1T)
The visitors had it all to do in the second half. They knew that coming up to Nittawela and forcing a result was no easy feat, but their forwards stepped up superbly in the second 40, especially at scrum time. They forced plenty of errors from a usually sound Kandy forward pack and won some crucial penalties when it mattered most.
However, it was not the start they would have hoped for after the break, as Christian de Lile was sent to the naughty chair after multiple infringements, the final straw being an illegally collapsed maul in the 47th minute.
The Kandy forwards capitalised from the very next move as Dilshan Fareed broke off the back of a rolling maul to dot down for his brace and secure the bonus point for his team. Zumri made no mistake from the tee as the hosts stretched their lead to 17 points.
(KSC 24-05 CH&FC)
CH&FC responded in quick time, with their forwards forcing a driving maul of their own before Pulasthi Dassanayake dived over to begin an unlikely comeback. Chandimal failed to add the extras.
(KSC 24-10 CH&FC)
The game then turned into a battle of attrition as Kandy were reduced to 14 men in the 67th minute, when Charles Praveen was sent to the bin after multiple infringements. The Gymkhana Club capitalised almost immediately, with expat Koli Tamanikalu barging through after a quick tap from Maliksha Perera sucked in the Kandy defence. The half-back converted to make it a one-score game and set up a nail-biting finish.
(KSC 24-17 CH&FC)
The defending champions then looked to be managing the game well, enjoying most of the territory and possession while running down the clock. They thought they had sealed the deal in the 75th minute; however, Milan Weerasinghe’s effort was controversially disallowed after consultation with the TMO.
CH&FC gave it one final roll of the dice, working their way 80 metres upfield after more impressive work at scrum time. They were camped on the five-metre line as the clock went into the red and were helped by Kandy being reduced to 14 men yet again in the 82nd minute. The visitors produced an almighty shove from the resulting scrum and were awarded a penalty try with the final play of the game to stun the defending champions and keep their unbeaten streak intact.
(KSC 24-24 CH&FC)
CH&FC will ride their wave of momentum as they travel to Welisara next week to take on the Sailors, while Kandy Sports Club make the trip down to Longden Place to face bottom-of-the-table Siri Lions.
Full Time: Kandy Sports Club 24 (4T,2C) – CH&FC 24 (3T,1PT,1C)
- Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match – Koli Tamanikalu (CH&FC)
Points Breakdown
Kandy Sports Club – 24
Dilshan Fareed – 2T, Shahid Zumri – 1T 2C, Dahan Wickramarachchi – 1T
CH & FC – 24
Janith Chandimal – 1T, Pulasthi Dassanayake – 1T, Koli Tamanikalu – 1T, Maliksha Perera 1C, 1 Penalty Try
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