CH, Kandy share spoils in 34-all thriller

 CH & FC’s Niliksha Perera (Pic by Kushan Pathiraja) 

By Shamseer Jaleel

CH & FC produced one of their most cohesive performances of the season but were eventually forced to settle for a thrilling 34 points (4 tries, 1 penalty try, 2 conversions, 1 penalty) to 34 points draw against Kandy Sports Club (4 tries, 4 conversions, 2 penalties) in their Super Round encounter at the Race Course grounds last evening. 
At half-time, CH held a narrow 19–17 advantage after an entertaining opening stanza played at high tempo.
The match was played at a brisk pace despite the steamy Colombo conditions, with CH asserting early dominance through superior intensity and sharper execution. Kandy, by contrast, took time to settle and never quite reached their usual rhythm, though their experience proved vital in the closing stages. Kandy three-quarters hardly made any headway in the earlier half. 
CH skipper Janidu Dilshan led from the front with an outstanding all-round display. Solid in defence and incisive in attack, he repeatedly breached the Kandy defence and set the tone for his side. The CH pack also enjoyed momentum, with their Fijian No. 8 Koli Thamanikalu delivering a powerful and influential performance at the base.
Kandy’s normally lethal three-quarter line struggled to impose itself. The visitors looked disjointed at times, with their attacking flow stalling under sustained CH pressure. While there were flashes of promise out wide, Kandy largely played below their best but stayed in the contest through sheer experience. Akash Madushanka, Srinath Sooriyabandara and Hirusha Sampath played well for the Up Country outfit.
CH struck first in the 17th minute when Thanuja Maduranga crossed for a well-worked try, which was converted to open the scoring. Janith Chandimal added the two points. Kandy responded soon after with a penalty by Sampath, but CH continued to look the more dangerous side in open play.
Samitha Warunakulasuriya touched down for CH’s second try, but it was a controversial 50/22 call by the assistant referee which gave CH the throw-in of the line-out ball, and they scored. But Kandy hit back through a well-taken effort out wide by Sooriyabandara, with Sampath adding the extras. CH, however, finished the half strongly, exploiting gaps to score again and head into the break with a deserved two-point lead with another try and conversion by Janith Chandimal, but Kandy SC centre Madushanka responded with a try on the stroke of half-time.
After the restart, CH maintained their attacking intent as Thamanikalu powered over for another try. Kandy responded immediately, levelling matters and keeping the contest finely balanced as the game entered its final quarter through Diluksha Dange’s try and Sampath’s conversion.
A penalty try awarded against Kandy swung momentum once more towards CH, though the visitors refused to fold. Drawing on their championship pedigree, Kandy struck back with a late try to level the scores again with the second try of Akash. During the penalty try, the referee sent the wrong player, Praveen Charles, for a yellow offence.
In a dramatic finish, both sides exchanged one penalty each in the dying minutes through Sampath (Kandy) and Chandimal (CH), sealing a second successive draw between the two teams this season. 
While Kandy will reflect on an off-colour performance, CH can take heart from a display that underlined their growth, discipline and ability to challenge the very best. The season is wide open with all four teams vying for the League but slowly Kandy SC takes the top spot, followed by CH, CR and Havies.
Referee: Aymen Jrill (Saudi Arabia)
In another Inter Club Plate segment encounter, Police Sports Club beat Army Sports Club 29/14 at Panagoda. At the short breather, Army SC led 14-10. Raveen Alexander oversaw proceedings.