Sports
CR paint ‘Sailors’ black and blue in Nippon Clifford Cup final

By A Special Sports Correspondent
Members of the Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club (CR&FC) did the century-old institute proud by winning the prestigious Clifford Cup on Sunday (March 5) after beating Navy Sports Club (Navy SC) in the final at Race Course Grounds in Colombo.
The ‘Red Shirts’ led by scrum-half Kavindu de Costa laid their hands on the Clifford Cup after 17 long years; having last won it back in 2006.
CR&FC looked determined from the opening whistle, but the Navy stood strong and seemed impenetrable for a long time till the Longden Place club found a way to crack open the ‘Sailors’ defence. Though ball handling wasn’t sharp by both teams the game turned out to be a ding-dong battle right to the very end. CR&FC romped home as the winner after collecting their points through two tries, a conversion and four penalties while Navy responded with six well-taken penalties. The final score read 24 points to 18 in favour of CR&FC.
Kandy SC was conspicuous with their absence, but then they chose to be left out of the knockout tournament citing logistic reasons. The other side which chose to be excluded from this knockout tournament was CH&FC. Critics would have perhaps wondered whether the voids left by these two teams could have been filled if there was a strong B Division tournament and a winner and a runner-up were found in that lower division rugby tournament. This is the method adopted in schools rugby in order to find a solution when A Division rugby teams pull out at the last minute from the knockout stage of the season.
Anyway the pull-out by these two teams did damage to the tournament because two other sides in the quarter finals stage of the tournament received byes as a result; thereby losing out on a golden opportunity to stretch out their limbs and also gain vital match practice in the game of rugby union. Sri Lanka’s club players when compared to domestic players of other countries play fewer rugby matches during any given season.
Navy SC had some big fellows and looked like running away with the game when they walked on to the field prior to the kick-off. But these players, especially the forwards, were lacking in the finer points of rucking and mauling. They were so eager to cross the line, but couldn’t; this was despite coming a sniffing distance close to the CR goal line.

A CR & FC player is gang-tackled by Navy SC players in the Clifford Cup final.
Many thought that CR&FC deserved to win this game because they were the only team in the final which was able to produce tries. Chathura Senewiratne produced the first touchdown in the first half and ensured the ‘Red Shirts’ went into halftime leading 10 points to 9.
Navy were always with a chance of pulling off this game. This was because of having two place fabulous kickers in Samuel Maduwantha and Thilina Weerasinghe. Maduwantha was successful in getting the ball through the uprights when kicking over two penalties from a distance of over 50 metres. That distance hasn’t been cleared by a Sri Lanka club rugby player for a long time in domestic rugby and merits mention here in this column. One player who could do that with ease during the yesteryears of rugby was Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club player Tony Wimalasuriya. Interestingly Wimalasuriya was a soccer player and picked up the oval-shaped ball only after joining the ‘fling force’.
In the second half, CR&FC pulled ahead with three penalties shared between Senewiratne and Thenuka Nanayakkara. Navy were sharp but played in patches, and never turned pressure into points other than with the kicking boots of the two place kickers.
CR&FC were leading 19-18 a few minutes from the end, but did well to seal the game when hooker Lahiru Pavithra barged over for a try following a line out won by the forwards. The conversion was missed. But that never really mattered because coach Dushanth Lewke’s players were safely ahead by six points; not forgetting that the clock on the scoreboard too was smiling at them during the dying few seconds left in the game.
Nippon Paint General Manager Nemantha Abeysinghe was the chief guest at the finals.
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Kipyegon breaks world 1500m record with 3:49.11 in Florence

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon captured the world record she had been hunting, winning the women’s 1500m in a stunning 3:49.11* at the Golden Gala, the third Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season, in Florence on Friday (2).
The two-time Olympic and two-time world champion was already the second-fastest women’s 1500m runner of all time thanks to the 3:50.37 she clocked in Monaco in August, when she missed the world record of 3:50.07 set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in 2015 by just 0.3.
This time, Kipyegon blew the mark apart, becoming the first woman to break 3:50 in the discipline and taking almost a second off the previous record.
Kipyegon had been open about her world record ambition in 2023. “The record is in my heart and on my mind and I hope this will be a perfect year for me,” she said on the eve of the Golden Gala.
She has started it in sensational style.
On Friday evening Kipyegon followed the pacemakers Brooke Feldmeier and Sage Hurta-Klecker through 400m in 1:02.37 and Hurta-Klecker was right on schedule through 800m in 2:04.00, with Kipyegon on her shoulder.
As Hurta-Klecker moved to the side, Kipyegon forged on and reached 1200m in 3:05.28. In a race of her own, she pushed again and was roared over the finish line, past a clock showing 3:49.11. She raised her hands to her face and then dropped to the track in delight.
Behind her, Britain’s Laura Muir finished second in 3:57.09, while Australia’s Jessica Hull was third in an area record of 3:57.29, and the field came together after the race to celebrate with Kipyegon.
(World Athletics)
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Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett conspire to crush Ireland

Sports
Afghanistan cruise to comfortable win after Zadran 98

Opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran scored a fine 98 to help Afghanistan to a comfortable six wicket win with 19 balls to spare in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Suriyawewa on Friday. Chasing a target of 269, the tourists reached home in 46.5 overs with Zadran sharing a second wicket partnership worth 146 runs with Rahmat Shah. Zadran one of the brightest young batting talents to come through from Afghanistan has already scored three hundreds in nine games and he nearly had a fourth one on Friday before being dismissed two runs short of the milestone.
The 21-year-old was expected to play the anchor role but he wasn’t afraid to punish the loose balls as he raced to his half-century in just 35 balls. He whipped Matheesha Pathirana for two sixes in an over as the debutant fresh from his IPL heroics failed to live up to the expectations conceding 66 runs in his 8.5 overs.
A bouncer by Kasun Rajitha helped Sri Lanka claim the key wicket of Zadran as the batsman attempted a pull shot but couldn’t keep it down and was caught in the deep. Zadran made a run a ball 98 and hit 11 fours and two sixes.
Rahmat Shah went onto post 55 that came off 80 deliveries with three fours.
Nothing much went right for Sri Lanka who are using the series as preparation for the World Cup qualifiers later this month in Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Lahiru Kumara had to pull out after sending down just 4.3 overs with a hamstring strain.
Sri Lanka got off to a poor start losing four wickets for 84 runs inside 20 overs before Charith Asalanka rescued them top scoring with 91 runs. Asalanka added 99 runs for the fifth wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva, who chipped in with a half-century.
When captain Dasun Shanaka was dismissed with the total on 215 for six with seven overs remaining, Sri Lanka were in danger of getting bowled out without utilizing their 50 overs. But Asalanka found a solid partner in debutant Dushan Hemantha as they added 48 runs for the seventh wicket.
Asalanka was run out in the last over with his 91 coming off 95 deliveries with 12 boundaries. Left-arm quicks Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad picked up two wickets apiece. The second ODI will be played on 4th June followed by the final game on June 7th. All games will be at Suriyawewa.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 268 all out in 50 overs (Charith Asalanka 91, Dhananjaya de Silva 51, Pathum Nissanka 38, Dushan Hemantha 22, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-58, Fareed Ahmad 2-43.
Afghanistan 269 for four (Ibrahim Zadran 98, Rahmat Shah 55, Hashmatullah Shahidi 38, Kasun Rajitha 2-49)
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