Navy humble Kandy

Recording an astounding win, Navy SC beat defending champions Kandy SC 25-14 in their final Dialog “A” Division First Round League Rugby match, which was worked off at Navy Grounds in Welisara on 04^th August 2012. His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksha and First Lady Madam Shiranthi Rajapaksha were present to witness the crucial encounter, which enabled Navy to sail on to the top slots in the point table.

Hon. Minister Johnston Fernando, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake and Mrs. Neluka Dissanayake were also among the distinguished guests who had come to share the excitement, where formidable sailors asserted their dominance in no uncertain terms. They led the game all the way keeping one step ahead of the opponents. The score stood Navy 15 Kandy 14 at the breather with things getting tougher for the lads from the hills by the minute. In the final half, Navy steamed at full throttle packing another 10 points to their tally, leaving Kandy bereft of wind to move any further. Jubilant Navy fans leaped up in joy as the final whistle blew heralding the hitherto-unbeaten have been handed their first defeat in the tournament.

Yoshitha Rajapaksha, Bilal Hassan and Kalana Amarasinghe, paving the way for the Navy’s safe passage, scored a try each while Dev Anand did 02 conversions and topped up his end with 02 drop goals, keeping their helm steady. In reply Kandy had to be satisfied with only 02 tries in the first half, which they managed to convert for consolation.

Navy’s impressive victory was complimented with two joyous functions that took place inside the same day. In a fitting tribute to Navy rugby and soccer players, whose hard work has enabled the Navy to fly its flag high in the rugby and soccer arena, His Excellency the President officially declared open the fully upgraded Navy Rugby & Soccer Ground in Welisara. The ground, for many years, has been a lucky venue for navy sports personnel to horn their skills and play their rivals in the true spirit upholding the game’s ideals. Commander of the Navy too had good tidings for them and he declared open the newly-constructed “Cardio Gym” that would facilitate players to train on state of the art equipment under professional care. With these gifts of modern sport facilities, Navy sports personnel are confident to reign with more spectacular victories to their credit in the years ahead.