Nigel returns for CR clash
Kandy Sports Club skipper Nigel Ratwatte will return for today’s Dialog Club Rugby League second round clash against CR&FC which will be worked off at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled at 4.15pm.
Nigel missed their last three games due to a wrist injury.
Meanwhile CR will miss out on Sharo Fernando and Kandy too will miss the services of Jason Dissanayake, both being suspended for one game each. Sharo received two yellow card offences, and will miss out this crunch encounter. Jason, usually a disciplined player, was cited by the Citing Officer in their last game against the sailors and will need to sit out this encounter.
CR under Omalka Gunaratne is not great when it comes to yellow card offences.
Kevin Dixon, Reeza Raffaideen, Supun Warunakulasuriya, Gemunu Cheethiya and Reeza Mubarak will play vital roles for the ‘Red Shirts’ if they are to give a good account of themselves. CR having played well this season, occupy second position behind Kandy but they are in search of the league title they won way back in 1997.
Meanwhile, Kandy will be much more relaxed as they need not travel to heat and humid Colombo for at least one more month as their remaining five games in the league will be at Nittawela. Roshan Weeraratne, Tharinda Ratwatte, Buwaneka Udangamuwa, Suhiru Anthony, Dansha Dayan and Damith Dissanayake will have to play big roles. With Jason out, his place taken over by Thilina Bandara while skipper Nigel Ratwatte will start for the Up Country outfit.
It is expected to be a fast open game at the packed stadium in Kandy where the home team leads the points table with 64 points followed by CR&FC (49) at present and are assured of the League title for the sixth year in tandem.
The referee will be Priyantha Gunaratne
Police and Havies are most likely to be in the top four for the Super Round, which will commence soon after the completion of Round 2 encounters. The fourth placed team will need to travel back back to Central Hills once more to meet Kandy in the Super round. The bottom four teams will play in the Plate segment in the Super Round.