| 2012 Clifford Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Tournament format(s) | Knockout |
| Date | 28 September 2012 – 7 October 2012 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 8 |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Final | |
| Champions | Kandy SC (18th title) |
| Runners-up | Havelock Sports Club |
The 78th Clifford Cup tournament was held between the 28 September and 7 October 2012.
The Clifford Cup is the most prestigious club rugby knockout tournament in Sri Lanka, and arguably the oldest rugby tournament in Asia. 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.
Contents
The cup final was held on the same day, 7 October 2012, as the final of the 2012 T20 World Cup (which was played at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, between Sri Lanka and West Indies), this resulted in lower crowds than normally experienced at previous Clifford Cup finals. [1] The game was played at Bogambara Stadium instead of Nittawela Rugby Stadium. Havelock SC came into the final after securing the 2012 Rugby League title, having edged out Kandy SC. Kandy SC were the current cup holders, having had won the cup for the previous five years, while Havelock SC's last win was 31 years earlier, in 1981. [2] Kandy SC applied constant pressure during the first half, with a momentary lapse allowing Havelock SC to score before half time, resulting in a 7-5 scoreline. After the break both sides fought hard with only Kandy SC making a dent on the scoreboard eventually winning the game, 10 points (1 converted try and one penalty) to 5 (one unconverted try). [3]
The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 was the fourth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that took place in Sri Lanka from 18 September to 7 October 2012 which was won by the West Indies. The schedule has been posted by International Cricket Council (ICC). This is the first World Twenty20 tournament held in an Asian country, the last three having been held in South Africa, England and the West Indies. Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga has been chosen as the event ambassador of the tournament by ICC. The format has four groups of three teams in a preliminary round. India and England are in the same group and were joined by the runner up of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, Afghanistan. The champions of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, Ireland, are in a group with West Indies and Australia. Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh are the other two groups.
Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the city proper. It is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a suburb of, Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It was the legislative capital of Sri Lanka until 1982.
The Sri Lanka national cricket team, nicknamed The Lions, represents Sri Lanka in international cricket. It is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1982, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.
