Clinical Havies outclass Soldiers to reach KO semis
Havelock Sports Club flexed their muscles and outclassed Army Sports Club by a commanding 40-18 in the final quarter-final of the SLR-MasterCard Clifford Cup at Havelock Park yesterday. The Park Club, who led 26-11 at halftime, booked their place in the semi-finals where they will face arch-rivals CR&FC on Wednesday (2) at the same venue.
Havelocks ran in six tries and converted five of them, while Army SC managed two tries, a conversion and two penalties. The game was a proof to Havies’ structured dominance and sharp finishing, leaving the Soldiers struggling to match their firepower.
Army threatened, but Havies were far composed - Pic courtesy ThePapare
Havelocks wasted no time in stamping their authority on the contest. In the third minute, winger Janidu Wijeratne finished off a flowing move initiated by the forwards and backs working in unison. Flyhalf Sandesh Jayawickrama made no mistake with the conversion, giving the hosts an early 7-0 lead.
Army responded swiftly through a 25-metre penalty from fullback Isuru Medagedara in the fourth minute, cutting the deficit to 7-3. However, the Park Club hit back in style. Off a well-worked scrum, Jayawickrama’s sharp offload set up Wijeratne for his second try in the 13th minute. Jayawickrama once again added the extras, stretching the lead to 14-3.
Medagedara kept Army in the hunt with another successful penalty in the 17th minute, making it 14-6. But Havelocks were relentless, and their attacking machine struck once more. In the 26th minute, winger Jayathu Rajaratne—one of the top finishers of the season—showed his class with a clinical finish mid-right. Jayawickrama’s conversion took the lead to 21-6.
Rajaratne was far from done. In the 29th minute, he dazzled past Army’s defenders, breaking tackles with sheer pace and agility before scoring another unconverted try, widening the gap to 26-6. Army, desperate to stay in contention, found some respite in the 35th minute when flanker Kaveen Perera crossed the line. However, the conversion attempt failed, leaving them trailing 11-26 at halftime.
Six minutes after the restart, Army’s flyhalf Ashen Bandara powered his way through for a try, which was converted by winger Lahiru Ratnayake, narrowing the margin to 18-26.
Just as Army started to find some rhythm, Havelocks delivered another blow. Replacement winger Chethana Rajaratne, coming in for the injured Wijeratne, latched onto a smart pass from scrumhalf Kalidu Silva and sprinted over for a try. Jayawickrama’s conversion took Havies to a commanding 33-18 lead in the 58th minute. With Army’s power fading, Havelocks put the final nail in the coffin in the 73rd minute. A powerful driving maul saw burly prop Shehan Silva bulldoze his way over the line. Jayawickrama’s conversion sealed a resounding 40-18 triumph.
With this emphatic victory, Havelocks secured their place in the Clifford Cup top four, setting up a high-stakes semi-final showdown against CR&FC. Meanwhile, Army’s campaign came to an end, finishing seventh out of nine teams from the quarter-final stage.