Navy SC edge past Sri Lions in tense thriller

Action from the match 

By Shamseer Jaleel

Navy Sports Club produced a composed late surge to edge past Sri Lions by 25 points (3 tries, 2 conversions, 2 penalties) to 20 points (3 tries, 1 conversion, 1 penalty) in a tightly contested encounter at Longdon Place last evening. With this encounter, Navy SC ended Round 1 on a winning note, sealing their place in the Plate segment. In contrast, Sri Lions saw their league campaign come to an end, forced to sit out and watch the Super Round unfold.
At the short breather Sri Lions led 7-10.
The match opened at a brisk pace with both sides showing attacking intent. Sri Lions struck first through Nizran Mohamed, who finished off a sharp move out wide to set the tone early. Dilshan Thanuja’s try took the home team to a 0-10 lead, but Navy SC hit back with a superb try by Isuru Perera, which was goaled by Isuru Congahawatte to reduce the deficit.
After the turnaround, Sri Lions went ahead with Teran Karunanayake’s try and Kaveesha Nadun’s conversion. Navy hit back through a penalty by Congahawatte, and a try by skipper Denuwan Wickramarachchi. Perera added another try, capitalising on sustained forward pressure and quick recycling at the breakdown.
Congahawatte proved decisive with his composure under pressure, slotting over another penalty, to increase their lead to 8 points, but Sri Lions cut the deficit again through Kaveesha Madun’s penalty. Navy, who were down to 13 men due to indiscipline in the field, still managed to keep the Sri Lions outfit from crossing their line. 
Referee: Kelum Sandaruwan
With the Inter Club League coming to an end in round 1, Air Force, Army, Navy and Police will feature in the plate segment, while CR, Kandy, CH and Havies will lock horns in the cup segment, while Sri Lions will need to sit out for the remainder of the league. They will get an opportunity for the Knockout but will need to beat the number 8 team in a pre-quarter-final encounter once the league is completed.