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Havies sing the 'blues' after second half slump
By Rangi Akbar
Havelocks stuttered and crashed against a well oiled Kandy SC by 14 points (1 try, 1 drop goal and 2 penalties) to 57 (7 goals, 1 try and a penalty) in their first round Caltex Premier League rugby football encounter at Havelock Park yesterday.

Havelocks fans certainly had plenty to cheer about in the opening quarter when they led 11-7. But Kandy with all the power and strength behind them took control of the game gradually. They shot into the lead at 14-11 and from that point onwards they never looked back.

The Havelocks are largely to blame for their lackadaisical approach in the second session. Nothing seemed to go right for them. The ball they won in the scrums through some precise striking by Rajeev Perera went a begging and the ball they won fought so hardly against Kandy was just thrown away. A die-hard Havelocks supporter said after the game. "It was a complete rout. Everything seemed to go awry for the Park Club."

There were also welcome signs of the crowd coming back to rugby with the Havelock Park being almost half full for yesterday's encounter. Havelocks certainly had their bright moments. Early in the first half Havelocks full back Saliya Kumara, gave a spirited run but the move broke down due to lack of support. In the sixth minute Havelocks put over a penalty through Prasad Perera and they gained a 3-0 lead.

Kandy unleashed a series of attacks and Havelocks reeled under them. Kandy struck in the 11th minute through their dashing centre Fazil Marijan and Nalaka Weerakkody was at hand to put it over. Kandy led 7-3 at this stage. Havelocks fighting with tooth and nail reduced the lead to 6-7 when Wasim Thaujudeen put over a penalty from 30 metres out.

In the 34th minute Suranga Jagoda scored against the run of play when he caught the Kandy defence napping and Havelocks shot into the lead at 11-7. That was as far as the tit-for-tat scoring went. Havelocks had to face the wrath of Kandy SC when Kandy prop Jeewa Galgomuwa banged over for a try in a move where the origins were deep in Kandy territory. Centre Fazil Marijan caught the eye with a dashing move to initiate this try and Nalaka Weerakkody's trusty boots were there to do the needful.

Just before the break Kandy skipper Sanjeeva Jayasinghe put the finishing touches to score far left and Nalaka Weerakkody was on target for the conversion. Kandy led 21-11 at the break. Except for a few and scattered efforts Kandy SC dominated play on resumption. Kandy continued to harass Havelocks when Nalaka Weerakkody put over a 40 metre penalty on resumption to extend the lead to 24-11.

Kandy's flood gates opened then and tries started to pour in from the 6th minute in the second half. Prasad Perera scored next and Sanjeeva Jayasinghe showed a clean pair of heels when he spotted a gap and sprinted away irresistibly to score off a break.'Mr. Reliable' Nalaka Weerakkody was there to add the extra points and Kandy pushed Havelocks further down the ladder at 31-14.

Former St. Anthony's skipper Imran Bisthamin, now occupying the No 8 spot for Kandy struck next off a short break by Pradeep Liyanage and Nalaka converted. Kandy led 38-14 at this juncture.

Havelocks made a few sporadic raids but they lacked direction and purpose. Just to show that Kandy had a bit more fire-power left in them prop forward Sajeewa Galgamuwa powered his way through to touch down under the posts and Nalaka Weerakkody converted it.

Then came a try by Pradeep Liyanage when he unleashed a short run for another try by the posts. Nalaka Weerakkody converted and Kandy crossed the half way mark to the century at 52-14. In the dying moments fly-half Fazil Marijan, who played an intelligent game, scored far left after a deceptive run and Amjad Buksh converted. Referee: Dilroy Fernando. Next Saturday Kandy SC will be at home to meet the CH&FC.

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