CR & FC staged a powerful second-half comeback to secure a dominant 40-20 victory over Police Sports Club in their Week 7 clash of the Mastercard Inter-Club ‘A’ Division Rugby League 2024/25 at Longden Place.
>>Kandy’s Unstoppable Force Sees Navy Sink
Defending champions CR & FC hosted a struggling Police side, with only one win this season. Under the lights, CR & FC struck first, winning a penalty for a late tackle. They chose the corner and set up a rolling maul, which saw Venura Kodagoda break free to score the opening try. Zubair Doray added the conversion, giving the home team an early lead. (CR 07-00 Police)
Police responded almost immediately, using the same tactic as CR & FC with a rolling maul. Vihanga Pavithura powered over the line for the visitors, following a dominant driving maul that put them back on track. Yehan Bulathsinghala kept his composure and nailed the conversion, leveling the scores. (CR 07-07 Police)
>>CR & FC Continue Dream League Run Against CH & FC
Police ramped up the pressure as CR & FC’s discipline faltered, conceding multiple penalties. Things worsened for the home side when Adeesha Weerathunge was sin-binned for collapsing the maul. Despite being a man down, CR’s defense stood strong. However, playmaker Naveen Kanishka took advantage with a well-placed drop goal, giving Police the lead. (CR 07-10 Police)
CR & FC’s discipline continued to cost them, as they conceded penalty after penalty. Police sped up the game, shifting the ball from wing to wing. Heshan Kalhara broke through the defense and offloaded to Vihanga Pavithura, who drew in the last defender before passing to Lahiru Thilakarathne, who scored in the corner. Yehan Bulathsinghala converted from the touchline, extending Police’s lead. (CR 07-17 Police)
>>Last-Minute Heroics Lift Air Force Over Police
CR & FC hit back immediately as their backs finally found some space. Quick, precise passes allowed Thilina Wijesinghe to break through into the 22-meter zone. From there, Naveen Marasinghe collected the ball from the ruck and bulldozed over four defenders to score under the posts. Zubair Doray made no mistake with the conversion, giving the visitors a narrow lead as they headed into the break.
Half Time: CR & FC 14 (2T,2C) – Police SC 17 (2T,2C,1DG)
Home side had the possession in the early exchange but were unable to convert into points, and on the defensive work CR kept on giving penalties as Police opted to kick for points, with Yehan Bulathsinghala slotting over a perfect kick to extend their lead. (CR 14-20 Police)
>>Havelocks Triumph Over CH & FC in Tight Battle
CR got a lifeline when try-scorer Lahiru Thilakarathne was sin-binned. The home side continued to press, but was stopped multiple times. Police then lost Deshan Fernando to a yellow card. CR finally broke through with a rolling maul, and Venura Kodagoda darted over from the back, narrowing the gap to just one point. (CR 19-20 Police)
After scoring, CR increased their tempo, capitalizing on the numerical advantage. The backs combined well, with Zubair Doray drawing two defenders before offloading to Chemod Muthunayake for a bonus-point try in the corner. Doray then slotted a difficult conversion to extend the lead. (CR 26-20 Police)
>>Havelocks’ Second Half Surge Seals Victory Over Army
Longdon place outfit hit back from a scrum inside their own 22. Thenuka Nanayakkara made a cross-kick, which was collected by Rinesh Silva. Silva broke into Police’s defense, advancing near the 15-meter line. Quick support allowed the ball to be spread from left to right, and Senal Adikaram finished the counterattack with a try. Doray converted to cap off a brilliant move. (CR 33-20 Police)
CR sealed the win with another try as Police attacked in their own half. A loose pass from Amjad Faumy went astray, allowing winger Rinesh Silva to collect the ball and sprint over to score under the posts. Doray added the conversion, ensuring an unbeaten tag for CR.
Full Time: CR & FC 40 (6T,5C) – Police SC 20 (2T,2C,1P,1DG)
Player of the Match: Venura Kodagoda (CR & FC)
Points Breakdown
CR & FC 40
Venura Kodagoda 2T, Naveen Marasinghe 1T, Chemod Muthunayake 1T, Senal Adikaram 1T, Rinesh Silva 1T, Zubair Doray 5C
Police SC 20
Vihanga Pavithura 1T, Lahiru Thilakarathne 1T, Naveen Kanishka 1 DG,
Yehan Bulathsinghala 2C 1P
