The 79th Clifford Cup tournament was held between the 27 February and the 5 March 2014. The change in dates from the competition's traditional dates in the September/October period, resulted in there being no competition being played in 2013.
| 2014 Clifford Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Tournament format(s) | Knockout |
| Date | 27 February 2014 – 5 March 2014 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 8 |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Final | |
| Champions | Navy SC (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Havelock Sports Club |
The final of the competition was held at Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex on the 5 March 2014 between Navy SC and Havelock SC. The last time these two teams met in a Clifford Cup final was in 1976, where it was the first time that Navy SC had played in a cup final and it was Havelock SC's tenth appearance.[1] That game was won by Havelock SC, 15 points to 3. The last time Havelock Sports Club won the Clifford Cup was in 1981, whilst Navy had never won the cup. Havelock SC dominated the first half and went into the break with a lead of 19-3. Navy SC made a stunning comeback in the second half of the game to defeat Havelock SC by 27 (3 converted tries and two penalties) to 22 (three tries, two conversions and a penalty).[2] Navy SC fullback Nuwan Hettiarachchi won the player-of-the-tournament award.[3]
Seedings
editThe seeding is based upon the teams standings at the end of the 2013-14 Dialog Rugby League season. The first six seeds represent the teams in the Cup section of the league and the seventh and eighth seeds are the first two teams in the Plate section of the league.
- Navy SC
- Kandy SC
- Havelock SC
- Up Country Lions
- Ceylonese R & FC
- Army SC
- Police SC
- Air Force SC
Quarter finals
edit| 27 February 2014 18:30 |
| Navy SC | 55 – 3 | Air Force SC |
| [1] |
| Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex Referee: Eric Soulan |
| 28 February 2014 18:30 |
| Up Country Lions | 51 – 19 | Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club |
| [2] |
| Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex Referee: Eric Soulan |
Semi finals
edit| 4 March 2014 18:30 |
| Navy SC | 35 – 25 | Up Country Lions |
| [5] |
| Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex Referee: Eric Soulan |
Final
editReferences
edit- ^ Marikar, Hafiz (9 March 2014). "Close result expected in Navy-Havies Clifford Cup Final". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ Ferreira, Marlon Dale (10 March 2014). "Navy stun Havies in Clifford Cup thriller". Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ Steelman, Roshen (9 March 2014). "Navy makes late recovery to win Clifford Cup". The Island. Retrieved 4 November 2014.