Kandy Sports Club out to make a clean sweep

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

Kandy Sports Club fielding one of the strongest rugby teams will go all out to win all the trophies which are on offer in the rugby tournaments they participate this year. They have a bounden duty to do this, as they are the sole survivors of the Outstation Club in the Premier League as others have fallen by the wayside for many reasons of their own.

Kandy Sports Club won the triple crown last year by annexing the Club Sevens Title, Caltex League title and the Caltex Clifford Cup knock out tournament and they have the potential to win these trophies this year too.

Kandy Sports Club will be led by that fine fly half Old Kingswoodian and Sri Lanka Sevens Captain Fazil Marija whose rugby knowledge as a player is unmatched and could lead the Kandy side to great heights.

He has the knock to spot gaps which he makes use of to gain territorial advantage and later feed the threes which often end up in scoring. He is also kicks judiciously which relieves pressure and in addition could also take the spot kicks.

Fazil Marija may not be seen in action in the first five games following a hairline fracture he sustained while playing for the country abroad.

His absence will be greatly felt by the team but there is adequate replacements in the squad to cover up this.

Kandy Sports Club which has a history of over 135 years was started by the expatriate planters and others working in the plantations in and around Kandy. But the team also had some locals in the team especially Trinity College which was at that time was the only rugby playing school in the hill capital till St. Anthony’s College took to this in 1954 with Maurice Perera as its first coach.

Vidyartha College and Dharmaraja also took to the game and Kingswood College which introduced this game to schools also revived the game after a long lapse – may be over fifty years.

Kandy’s resurgence in the local rugby scene was a virtual miracle when a host of ruggerites including Sri Lanka skipper Priyantha Ekanayake, Lakshaman Ekanayake, Shyam Sideek, Leroy Fonseka, Rizvi Suhaib, Imthisan Marikkar, later joined by Lasantha Wijesuriya, Fijians Kitioni Ratrudradra, Bati Penaia, Tony Greanny and Satala Vallimoni made the side which was officially captained by centre Ananda Kasthuriarachchi.

Teething problems were there to blend as a team and though they played well in the League tournament but they could not win the championship title.

But they won their first major title in 1992 – the Clifford Cup knock out tournament. Next year they won their first league title under winger Indrajith Bandaranayake. From there was no looking back. Kandy Sports Club have been triple champions in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

They have won the Clifford Cup 15 times since 1992 and this is the most number of win by any club since it was inaugurated in 1950.

The only they could not win was in 1998 and then in another year they pulled out of the tournament to lodge their protest for staging this tournament out of Kandy till DIG Nimal Lewke as the President of the SLRFU restored the Kandy segment of the Clifford Cup tournament. The quiet man behind Kandy Sports Club’s success is old Royalist and former President of SLRFU and one time stalwart of CR & FC Malik Samarawickrema who has helped Kandy SC in many ways by providing employment to ruggerites and also played a major role in upgrading the infrastructure at Nittawela Stadium to make it a fully-fledged Rugby Stadium.

With a record such as this, Kandy Sports Club has done outstation rugby proud and fielding the largest complement of national ruggerites Kandy club should pose a big threat to other clubs.

Their only defeat this season was at the hands of Navy by 13-14 at Welisara having lost last year too to the sailors at the same venue by 10-11.

Kandy SC Squad:

Props: Kishore Jehan, Erande Swarnatillake, Mohammed Rizvy, Kasun Yasaisuru.

Hookers: Achala Perera, Anuranga Walpola, Arvinda Udangamuwa.

Locks: Senaka Bandara, Navinda Pullukuttiarachchi, Buddhi Talagampola, Faizal Marija, Mohammed Sabry, Sumedha Jayasinghe.

Flankers: Dilip Selvam, Sajith Saranga, Kasun Silva Gayan Ratnage, Buddhi Talagampola.

No. 8: Sean Wijesinghe, Shashika Jayawardena,

Scrum Half: Roshan Weeraratne, Prasad Chathuranga, Krishantha Rajapakse, Saliya Kumara.

Fly Half: Fazil Marija (Captain), and Mohammed Sheriff.

Wingers: Sanjeewa Jayasinghe, Radhika Hettiarachchi, Mohammed Jabbar, Sameera Silva, Kusal Rankothge, Malinga Godigamuwa.

Centres: Chamara Withanage, Gayan Weeraratne, Pradeep Liyanage, Dharshana Ettipola and Amila Bandara.

Full back: Saliya Kumara and Radhika Hettiarachchi.

Coach: Yohan Taylor

Rugby Chairman: Lasantha Wijesuriya

Rugby Manager: Kapila Silva.