Clifford Cup

Clifford Cup
Current season or competition:
2016 Clifford Cup
Sport Rugby union
Instituted 1911
Inaugural season 1911
Number of teams 8
Country  Sri Lanka (SLRFU)
Holders Kandy SC (2016)
Most titles Kandy Sports Club (19 titles)
Broadcast partner Dialog TV
Related competition Sri Lanka Rugby Championship (Dialog Rugby League)

The Clifford Cup is the most prestigious club rugby knockout tournament in Sri Lanka,[1][2] and arguably the oldest rugby tournament in Asia.[3] The Clifford Cup commenced in 1911 and has been played continuously since 1950, having completed 79 seasons. The tournament began as a competition between the mercantile executives in Colombo and planters in the hill country.

History

1911-1913

In 1911 Lady Elizabeth Clifford (the wife of the acting Governor of Ceylon, Sir Hugh Clifford) was interested in the annual rugby football fixture, Colombo versus Up Country, and expressed a wish that a match take place in Colombo on her birthday, 26 August, between teams representing the United Services and All Ceylon.[1][4] Due to unforeseen circumstances the scheduled date was put off by a week and the first Lady Clifford Cup match (as it was originally called)[2] was played on 2 September 1911, with the United Services team defeating All Ceylon 25 points to 0.[4] The All Ceylon team was composed entirely of European expatriates and the United Services team of members of the army and police force. In 1914 the army regiment from which many of the United Services were drawn was transferred from Ceylon following the outbreak of World War I.[5]

1926-1938

The competition was suspended until 1926 due to the war. In 1925 Sir Hugh Clifford returned to Ceylon as the Governor of Ceylon[5] and Lady Clifford, who was keen to revive the Clifford Cup tournament, donated another trophy for the competition in 1926. This time the Clifford Cup was awarded to the winner of a quadrangular tournament between four teams; Low Country, Up Country, Ceylonese and the United Services.[4][3] The competition pitted the Low Country against High Country teams and Ceylonese against United Services, with the respective winners competing for the cup. The first tournament in 1926 featured, Ceylonese R & FC, a team composed entirely of locally born players. Ceylonese R & FC lost their match against the United Services team, 3-6.[5] The cup was eventually won by Low Country, 14-3, against United Services. The following year Ceylonese R & FC defeated United Services, 16-8,[5] before losing to the cup winners, Up Country, 11-8.

1950-present

The competition then continued until 1938, when it was disrupted by the advent of the Second World War.[4] In 1950 the Central Province Rugby Football Union decided to grant official status to the league rugby tournament and the Clifford Cup was converted to an inter-club competition played amongst eight clubs, Kandy Sports Club, Dimbula Athletic & Cricket Club, Dickoya Maskeliya Cricket Club, Uva Gymkhana Club, Kelani Valley Club, Havelock Sports Club, Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club and Colombo Hockey and Football Club.[4][3][1] The Havelock Sports Club won the inaugural cup for that year, ending an undefeated season by the club by defeating Dimbula A & CC, 13-0.[1][4] Havelock SC retained the cup the following year again maintaining an unbeaten record during the season. In 1953 Dimbula became the first club from Up-Country to win the Clifford Cup by defeating the previous years cup holders, Ceylonese R & FC, 6-0.[4][6] The Kandy Sporting Club made their first appearance in a Clifford Cup final in 1954, where they lost 21-5 against Ceylonese R & FC. The cup was shared for the first time in 1959 when Dimbula and Ceylonese R & FC competed in an 11-all draw.[1]

In 1961 five 'affiliated' rugby clubs, Police, Army, University, Air Force and Navy from Division 'B' were invited to join the tournament and play against the 'constituent clubs', forming a thirteen team competition. The format of the competition was also changed, whereby all 13 clubs had to play each other once on a home and away basis in alternate years and at the end of the league season the best eight teams competed in a knock-out tournament for the Clifford Cup.

In 1985 the rugby league competition was renamed the John Player "Gold Leaf" Rugby Championships and the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union decided to award the Clifford Cup to the winners of a separate knock-out tournament, conducted amongst the 'A' Division Clubs, held at the end of the regular season.[1]

In 1992 the Clifford Cup final was held in Kandy at Nittawella Stadium, the first time the cup final to be played outside of Colombo since 1957, at which Kandy SC defeated Police SC, by 22-9.[7]On that occasion both Ceylonese R & FC and Colombo H and FC boycotted the competition.[8] The Cup final, since 1992, has been held in Kandy with the exception being in 2006 when it was switched back to Colombo, resulting in Kandy SC withdawing from that year's competition in protest.[7] On that occasion the cup was won by Ceylonese R & FC who defeated Havelock SC, 37-5. In 1998 the SLRFU decided to suspend the competition due to security concerns relating to the ongoing civil conflict however they resolved to reinstate it the following year. Since 2006 the cup final was held continuously in Kandy until 2011 when it was agreed to alternate the finals between Colombo and Kandy.[7][9]

In 2014 the Clifford Cup tournament was played in February/March, shifting from its traditional dates in the September/October period, resulting in no competition being played in 2013.

Trophy

In 1911 Lady Clifford consenting to provide two cups, which in the event of the Services winning, one would go to the Army and the other to the Navy whilst if the All Ceylon team won, one cup will go to Colombo, and the other to Up Country.[1]

The competition was suspended until 1926 due to World War I and during that time the original trophy was lost or misplaced. Lady Clifford, who was keen to revive the Clifford Cup tournament, donated another trophy for the competition in 1926.[1]

Teams

2015 teams

Club Stadium Capacity Established
Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Longdon Place 5,550 1922
Colombo Hockey and Football Club Maitland Park 2,000 1892
Havelock Sports Club Havelock Park 1915
Kandy Sports Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 25,000 1888
Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club Air Force Ground Ratmalana
Sri Lanka Army Sports Club Diyagama Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium 1963
Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club Welisara Navy ground
Sri Lanka Police Sports Club Police Park 1,000 1926

Former teams

Results

Year Clifford Cup
Cup winner Runners-up Final Venue Final
2000 Kandy Sports Club Army Sports Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 39-12
2001 Kandy Sports Club Army Sports Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 17-16
2002 Kandy Sports Club Army Sports Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 26-19
2003 Kandy Sports Club Colombo Hockey and Football Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 30-22
2004 Kandy Sports Club Havelock Sports Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 51-20
2005 Kandy Sports Club Colombo Hockey and Football Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 31-6
2006 Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Havelock Sports Club Longdon Place 37-05[nb 2]
2007 Kandy Sports Club Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 16-5
2008 Kandy Sports Club Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 21-0
2009 Kandy Sports Club Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club Nittawela Rugby Stadium 10-6
2010 Kandy Sports Club Navy Sports Club Bogambara Stadium 26-11
2011 Kandy Sports Club Navy Sports Club Royal College Sports Complex 17-6
2012 Kandy Sports Club Havelock Sports Club Bogambara Stadium 7-5
2013 No tournament
2014 Navy Sports Club Havelock Sports Club Colombo Racecourse 27-22
2015 Kandy Sports Club Police SC Nittawella Rugby Stadium 77-7
2016 Kandy Sports Club Colombo Hockey and Football Club Colombo Racecourse 31-28

Total wins

The Kandy Sports Club has won the Clifford Cup a record 19 times, including a consecutive period of ten years between 1995 and 2005 (the competition was not held in 1998) and six consecutive years between 2007 and 2012. In 2006 the Kandy Sports Club and Navy SC both withdrew from the tournament (Kandy due to dispute over the ground allocation and Navy as their members were called up for national service duty), the Cup was won by the Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club. The Ceylonese R & FC have won it 14 times, including a tie with Dimbula ACC, Havelock SC have won 13 times including a tie with Police SC, Police SC 8 times with ties against Havelock SC and Army SC, Colombo H & FC 7 times, Dimbula A & CC twice including a tie with Ceylonese R & FC, Army SC twice with one tie with Police SC, whilst Air Force SC and Navy SC have only won the cup once.[2][4]

Club Wins Seasons
Kandy Sports Club 19 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club 14 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959‡, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2006
Havelock Sports Club 13 1950, 1951, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1970‡, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981
Police Sports Club 8 1970‡, 1972, 1973‡, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1991
Colombo Hockey and Football Club 7 1957, 1960, 1962, 1982, 1983, 1990, 1994
Low Country 7 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1936
Up Country 6 1927, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938
Army Sports Club 2 1973‡, 1975
Dimbula Athletic & Cricket Club 2 1953, 1959‡
United Services 2 1911, 1913
Air Force Sports Club 1 1986
Navy Sports Club 1 2014
All Ceylon 1 1912

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wijerante, Neil (9 March 2014). "Clifford Cup - The Blue Riband of Sri Lanka Rugby" (PDF). Sunday Leader. p. 20. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Mendis, Richard (18 August 2007). "Clifford Cup". The Island. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 de Joodt, Ken (14 August 2013). "Re-capping the Glory Days of Rugby". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Marikar, Hafiz (20 August 2011). "Clifford Cup trophy now 100 years". Daily News. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 De Alwis, Sharm. "Looking Back on the Clifford Cup". Sunday Leader. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  6. Marikar, Hafiz (29 July 2010). "When will they lose their Prestige". Daily News. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Marikar, Hafiz (7 September 2011). "Change of Clifford Cup venues". Daily News. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  8. "Kandy or Colombo: a 72-mile long debate". The Sunday Leader. 4 June 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  9. Marika, Hafiz (12 March 2014). "When KSC let slip the Clifford Cup". Daily News. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

Notes

  1. In 1962 the competition ended in a draw but the cup was awarded to CH&FC on the basis of their unbeaten record during the season.
  2. In 2006 Kandy SC withdrew from the competition in protest against the SLRFU's decision to hold the cup final in Colombo.

External links

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