Kandy lose the battle but win the war

Retain Caltex Cup for 10th time despite losing to CR 16-14

Kandy SC came unstuck to CR & FC 16-14, but thanks to a bonus point retained the Caltex Cup for a record-breaking 10th successive season in their hard-fought inter-club league rugby decider at Longden Place yesterday.
CR trailing 9-14 in the dying embers of the game saw their talented left-wing Vishwamithra Jayasinghe latching onto an-intercept pass before covering the length of the field for a match-clinching try and with the conversion from full back Reza Mubarak managed to post a thrilling 16-14 win.
However, it was a case of too little too late for the red shirts, as they could only open up a slender two-point winning margin over the visitors when in effect they needed to prevail by over a five-point margin on the day.
As it turned out Kandy SC and CR both tied equal in the points table but the former defended the title for gaining a bonus point for having lost with less than a five-point margin not to mention the try count for the season (KSC 42 tries, CR 26 tries).
The winners collected their points from a converted try and three Reza Mubarak penalty goals, to which the reigning champs who led 11-9 at half-time, responded with a try and three Saliya Kumara penalty goals.
The game was played in slippery conditions due to intermittent showers throughout the duration and it put paid to expansive rugby being played by the vastly superior Kandy SC outside backs.
It was the reigning Caltex Cup champions KSC who drew first blood in the third minute through a Saliya Kumara penalty goal and six minutes later the Kandy SC veteran right-wing Sanjeewa Jayasinghe clinically rounded off a perfect backline move for what was to be their only touchdown in this game.
With Kumara failing to add the extras KSC led 8-0 before CR got into the score-sheet through full back Reza Mubarak who fired a penalty goal in the 15th minute.
Mubarak then fluffed two kickable penalty goals in the 19th and 21st minutes, before managing to atone for those misses with two other penalty kicks in the 35th and 39th minutes
respectively.
With scores at 9-8 in favour of CR, KSC full back Saliya Kumara made it 11- 9 with a penalty kick on the stroke of half-time setting the stage for the dramatics in the second-half.
After the turn around, both teams made an effort to indulge in flowing rugby but the conditions prevented them from doing so.
CR though struggled to penetrate a rock-solid KSC defence throughout this game, before the stoppage time intercept try by Vishwamithra Jayasinghe allowed them to atone for their first-round loss at Nittawela in June.
For CR it was also a rare triumph over KSC at Longden Place since 2005 when they last tasted success under centre Rajith Jayasundera, but their quest to regain the league title for the first time since 1998 will continue to haunt them for another year.
KSC knowing well that they only needed to prevent the hosts from winning with a bonus point to retain the coveted silverware played according to its merits and despite losing the contest had already done enough to create history in the annals of domestic club rugby.