A try in the dying minutes of the game by CH & FC’s Anuradha Herath saw the hopes of the resilient Army team shattered as the Gymkhana club registered a breathtaking 30-28 win at Havelock Park this evening.
The game that was dominated by Army for more than 70 minutes saw a sudden twist in the final few minutes courtesy of the boot of Samuel Maduwantha and a try from Herath.
Lost opportunities and place-kicks proved to be vital as the Soldiers missed out on three penalties that ended up costing them the game.
The game kicked off at an exhilarating pace with both teams making strong opening statements. Over went Manoj Bandara for a converted try off the efforts of Sudaraka Dikkumbura who covered almost 60 meters.
CH replied violently, with two tries coming in quick succession. Breaking off a scrum, skipper Rohitha Rajapakse found Ryan Weerakoon on the outside who anchored the breakthrough. The visitors had good support lines and Weerakoon’s offload found Kanchana Lakshitha on the inside who finally did the honours of scoring.
Try number 2 also came for the visitors soon after the restart thanks to the quick thinking of Vishwa Kiriella who sprinted at the far corner allowing Yoshitha Rajapakse to score. (12-7)
The missed penalty by Gayan Salinda proved to play in favour of the Soldiers with Ashan Bandara collecting the ball that hit the upright and with a long pass out to Sudaraka Dikkumbura, Army had equalized.
Maduwantha added three more to CH’s tally but minutes before lemons, the Army forwards set up the ball for Sugath Nanayakkara to cross the white line as they went into the dressing room with a slender lead.
Half Time: Army 17 (3T 1C) to CH & FC 15 (2T 1C 1P)
CH reinstated their lead with a good set-piece try coming off replacement center Lee Keegal despite Maduwantha missing the extras. Failing thrice, Salinda was finally able to bisect the uprights on the next two occasions to drift the scores away. (20-23)
With twenty to go, Army looked like they sealed the game when Ashan Bandara did the scoring honours to take their lead beyond a converted try but the spirited CH side didn’t give up (28-20).
Playing at a new position as a center, Anuradha Herath (R) was the key architect in CH & FC's win
The turning point of the game, however, was the sending off of Army’s Roshan Sampath with less than 10 minutes to go and with that they were forced to play the rest of the game with 14 men.
It was a wise decision by skipper Rajapakse to go for the goal post at a 22m penalty and Samuel Maduwantha brought back hope to the side knowing that victory was one score away.
A bold decision from CH & FC saw Yoshitha Rajapakse running laterally, stepping his way in and almost finding the whitewash. Emerging from the barracks was Anuradha Herath who touched down for the match winner.
The game came down to Maduwantha’s conversion with the scores levelled in the 78th minute. With the conversion marginally going in from the left upright, CH & FC had themselves a win in the 12th week of the Dialog Rugby League.
Army will have only themselves to blame. Opportunities went abegging for the home team in the second half and the missed kicks cost the Soldiers the game. Two penalties and two conversions missed by Gayan Salinda turned out to be costly.
For his efforts in marshalling the team and for his exceptional work rate in the 80 minutes, Anuradha Herath was the pick for ThePapare’s Player of the Match.
Full Time Score: CH & FC 30 (4T 2C 2P) defeat Army SC 28 (4T 1C 2P)
Breakdown
CH & FC: Tries from Kanchana Lakshitha, Yoshitha Rajapakse, Lee Keegal & Anuradha Herath Conversions (2) and Penalties (2) by Samuel Maduwantha
Send-offs: Samuel Maduwntha (Yellow)
Army SC: Tries from Manoj Bandara, Sudaraka Dikkumbura, Sugath Nanayakkara & Ashan Bandara. Conversion (1) and Penalties (2) by Gayan Salinda
Send offs: Roshan Sampath (Yellow)
