Sports
Kandy-CH game kick starts rugby’s Super Round matches
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Kandy Sports Club (Kandy SC) have a lot to prove and gain when they confront Colombo Hockey & Football Club (CH&FC) in their inter-club league rugby tournament Super Round ‘Cup Championship’ match at Race Course on Saturday (February 3).
Just about two weeks ago an image Kandy SC had created and maintained for some time as ‘the invincibles’ went to pieces when CR&FC beat them 38-26 in their own backyard.
No team can remain on top without maintaining a hunger to be the top dog. Kandy has that hunger alright and there is no question in that. But the Nittawela Club has to accept the fact that CR has grown to full potential and the club’s players have trained well and been drilled to perfection at practices. . Suddenly CR&FC has produced a rugby manual that other clubs may want to buy. The man standing behind CR’s success is Dushanth Lewke and he can take a bow for that.
Kandy’s challenges have grown throughout this season. They had quite a few close calls but they came on top with a burst of energy in the last quarter of the game in most matches. The Nittawela players this weekend travel down to Race Course where they’ll play against a much improved CH&FC side which is captained by Awantha Lee and coached by Sanath Martis. CH went down fighting to Kandy in the first-round encounter by 22 points to 13.
CH this season is no bottom seed; despite finishing at the bottom of the points table last season. At the end of the first round CH&FC finished among the top three teams in the tournament losing just two games; their second defeat was to CR&FC. Other than some of the other players to watch in the CH side are Prasath Madusanka, Dushmantha Priyadharshana, Janidu Dilshan and place kicker Irusha Nethmina.
Kandy on the other hand have to steady their scrum and make less mistakes on the field. This side still has the resources, player potential and bench -strength to bounce back from that defeat suffered in the seventh week of the tournament. Kandy SC has one of the best back divisions in club rugby with players in the likes of Nigel and Tharinda Ratwatte, Jason Dissanayake, Dinal Ekanayake, Danushka Ranjan, Skipper Lavanga Perera and utility players Srinath Sooriyabandara doing duty for them.
In another key encounter scheduled for week eight of the inter-club league rugby tournament Super Round ‘Cup Championship’ category Havelock Sports Club (Havies) scrum down with the high-riding CR&FC side at Havelock Park on Friday (February 2). The Park Club is led by hooker Azmeer Fajudeen while CR are led by lock forward Suhiru Anthony.
In the Plate Championship category Navy SC play against Police SC at Welisara while on Saturday Army take on Air Force at Panagoda. The tournament is organised by Sri Lanka Rugby and is sponsored by Nippon Paint.
Kandy SC rugby pool from- M. Wijesundara, K. Bandara, M. Weerasinghe, Wawala Panditha, C. Soysa, C. Kudalige, Jason Dissanayake, Dahan Wickremeaarachchi, Heshan Jansen, L. Ranaweera, Dinal Ekanayake, Tharinda Ratwatte, Lavanga Perera (Captain), D. Dange, Srinath Sooriyabandara, A. Mohomed, D. Fareed, M. Chandradas, F. Wajid, S. Abeywickrama, S. Tennakoon, O. Perera, Danushka Ranjan, Nigel Ratwatte
CH&FC –P. Dushmantha, Prasath Madusanka, C. Silva, G. Jayamanna, N. Perera, G. Madushanka, R. Anjula, Janith Laksara, Harsha Maduranga, Rohitha Rajapaksa, Chamath Kilan, Awantha Lee (Captain), Janidu Dilshan, T. Maduranga, Hirusha Nethmina, V. Gamage, N. Chamuditha, G. Silva, D. Ranasinghe, M. Perera, D. De Silva, O. Hettiarachchi.
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
The inaugural Sastralian Premier League (SPL), a T10 cricket tournament aimed at strengthening the cricketing fortunes of Ananda Shasthralaya National School, Matugama, will get underway next month, bringing together eight teams.
Organised by the Old Sastralians Cricket Association in collaboration with the school, the tournament is designed to provide a platform for emerging talent while generating much needed financial support for the school’s cricket development programme.
Each franchise will be required to assemble a squad of 16 players, excluding the captain, with the competition featuring a unique set of regulations aimed at encouraging participation across different age groups.
Cricketers from other schools in the Matugama area will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills under the ‘Guest Players’ category. Each team can recruit up to six guest players, with four required to feature in the playing XI.
In a move designed to nurture the next generation, every team must include two current school cricketers in its squad, with at least one guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
The tournament will also accommodate experienced campaigners, with teams permitted to select five players over the age of 20 and three over 40. The provision to use an ‘Impact Player’ is another feature of the competition.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises JSD Challengers, Jagath Express, Liveka Power Lions and Rexhill Warriors, while JPI Royals, Five Star Heroes, Marine Titans and Finnk Falcons make up Group B.
A total of 16 matches will be played across November 7, 8 and 15, with November 16 set aside as a reserve day.
Beyond the action on the field, organisers hope the tournament will provide a financial boost to school cricket while forging stronger ties between past and present cricketers.
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
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