CR meet unpredictable Army SC

By Shamseer Jaleel

The Red Shirts or CR and FC will look to extend their winning momentum when they take on an unpredictable Army SC outfit in the inter club League rugby championship at Panagoda today.
CR opened their campaign in dominant fashion, posting a half-century plus score against Sri Lions, but the outing against Army SC is expected to be far more demanding, especially playing away from home. With Mursheed Doray, Omalka Gunaratne and skipper Karunathilake in fine form, the Red Shirts will still start as favourites but cannot afford complacency. They are coached by Dushanth Lewke who means business like all coaches. Under Sudaraka Dikkumbura Army SC cannot be taken lightly. Coach Sanath Martis could come in to play as the veteran coach has taken up the cause of the team this year as their head coach.
In another match, Air Force fresh from a close but valuable win over Army SC, will be eager to maintain their upward trajectory when they face Police SC today at Police Park. Police SC suffered a heavy defeat against CH and FC in their opener, leaving them under pressure to respond. Air Force however will know that Police SC despite their slow start remain capable of springing surprises.  
Defending League and Clifford Cup champions Kandy SC will begin their season away against Navy SC at Welisara on Saturday. Navy SC buoyed by their spirited 31/31 draw against Havelocks, have shown they are no pushovers. Kandy, led by Tharindu Chathuranga who has served the club for over 12 years, enter the league once again as favourites despite the recent retirements of Nigel Ratwatte and Tarinda Ratwatte. Danushka Ranjan will not play in this game as he is recovering from injury and expected to make a comeback at their Sri Lions game a week later in Colombo. Kandy’s strength remains unquestionable with seasoned campaigners Heshan Jansen, Sooriyabandara and Dinal Ekanayake complemented by an infusion of outstanding schoolboy talent from Kingswood and Trinity. They remain one of the most complete outfits in the competition. Havelock SC, still feeling the cost of their opening-week draw against Navy SC, will be desperate to secure their first win when they face Sri Lions. Any early slip can be decisive in a short league season and Havies will know the importance of regaining momentum quickly. They are favoured to pull it off but their setback against Navy SC may prove costly for Saliya Kumara and his men going into the second round.