On yet another occasion CR & FC managed to pull off a closely fought win, this time over a fighting CH & FC outfit by 23 points (2 tries, 2 conversions, 3 penalties) to 17 (3 tries, a conversion) in their Dialog League Rugby match played at the Race Course ground yesterday.
It was a scrappy game with the ball not changing hands much as it should have been with ideal conditions for rugby that prevailed. Though CH scored three tries they missed the services of Samuel Maduwantha who could have put over more conversions to bring them a possible victory.
They finished with only one conversion through Arshad Jamaldeen who converted Sathya Ranatunga’s first try.
CR opened scoring in the third minute of the game when a spilled pass by a CH player saw the ball kicked ahead and Janidu Fernando going over to score after collecting the ball. Rizah Mubarak had no difficulty in making the conversion.
They increased on the lead when Mubarak put over a penalty in the 13th minute to give them a 10-nil lead.
But it was just a matter of time that CH & FC fought back gallantly and prop forward Sathya Ranatunga barged over to touch down for Arshad Jamaldeen to kick right the conversion.
Just before the half time break CR made amends when winger Gemunu Chethiya scored a try and with Mubarak making the conversion the Red Shirts took the lead 17-7 at lemons.
The contest intensified in the second half with CH determined to dominate and their forwards applied the pressure through some fiercely attacking rugby.
Their forwards carried play into CR’s territory and one of the pack players produced a ploys for Prasath Madusanka to crash over for the try.
But CR scored next when Mubarak put over an easy penalty for a high tackle to give them a 20 points lead as against 12 by CH.
However as expected CH were never willing to cave into CR and kept mounting the pressure on the Longden Place team and once again Sathya Ranatunga fell over for a try off a sequence of mauls near the line.
In the latter stages of the match CR took play into CH territory once again and earned another penalty which Mubarak made no mistake as the winners breathed a sigh of relief that they were able to withstand never say die opponent.