Police stun CR and almost everyone else
Police produced a stunning display of rugby to turn tables on the fancied CR and FC team as they won by 41 points to 22 in their Dialog sponsored inter club league tournament first round game at Longden Place yesterday.
A CR&FC player is held by the Police defence. - Pic by Ranjith Perera
Police scored four goals, two tries and one penalty while CR managed to put in four tries one of which was converted.
CR started off in style and threatened to score in the first ten minutes by forcing three scrums near the Police line.
But the cops held on firmly and thwarted the moves by the home team to turn tables and score the first try of the match through the brilliance of their Fijian centre Apisai to take a 7-0 lead as Samantha Lakshan sailed the conversion over.
Police went further ahead when their winger Sudham Suriyaarachchie crossed the line to score after making a blistering run covering 30 metres. Lakshan missed the conversion but Police took a comfortable 12-0 lead.
CR managed to cut down the lead 12-7 when their skipper Ashan de Costa produced a stunner of a try covering more than 40 metres off a move that originated in the Police half.
The try was converted by Kanchana Ramanayake.
But Police were never out of the game and stretched the lead to 19-7 when centre Samantha Lakshan scored after a scorching run. Apisai converted the try and Police went in for half time in the lead.
In the second half Police ran riot and moved the ball at will and opened their scoring to increase the lead to 26-7 when Lakshan scored his second try which he himself converted.
There was no stopping the Policemen from then onwards as they went on an all out offensive. They were subsequently reduced to 14 players when one of their Fijians Filimonia Seru was yellow-carded. In that period CR took advantage and scored two unconverted tries through centre Robbie Malneek and winger Kanchana Ramanayake to cut down the lead to 26-17.
But Police took the match away from CR when Lakshan put over a penalty to stretch the lead 29-17.
The lead was stretched further 36-17 when Police scrum half Hashan Gomes barged over the line after overcoming a high tackle. The try was converted by Lakshan. Hashan Maduranga scored an unconverted try for CR but by that time the game was sealed and delivered by Police.
In the dying minutes of the game Cops put the icing on the cake and the game beyond doubt when Apisai scored a stunner of a try after covering almost 40 metres.
Foreign referee Norman Drake handled the whistle.