10 September 2023 08:26 pm Views - 401
St. Peter’s kept up their reputation as reigning schools league champions as they pulled off a 25-16 win over Isipathana in the Schools President’s Trophy knockout final played at the Sugathadasa Stadium today.
This was the second successive time that the Bamba Brigade got the better of Green Machine, having earlier in the season defeated them in the league-deciding encounter by 28 points to 17.
The score does not indicate the top-class rugby dished out by the two teams who had the supporters on their feet and gave them their money’s worth and also wethered the heavy that poured down at the end of the first session of proceedings that ultimately ended in a win for the Bamba Brigade boys from Bambalapitiya.
In the process, the Bamba Brigade is winning a double of titles after a lapse of 13 years, having last achieved a triple of titles when the side was led by No 8 Keith Gurusinghe in 2010.
In fact, the Peterites almost had the game in their hands when the short whistle was blown when they were ahead by 19 points to 8 and added a further six points in the second half to accumulate their score from two goals, a try, and three penalties, as opposed to two tries and two penalties scored by Isipathana.
It was the Peterites who drew first blood in the eighth minute from a try scored by centre Sudesh Jayawickrama, who has been in top form this season, and full-back Tharindu Kushan added the extra points. Ten minutes later, Isipathana managed to reduce the deficit with a penalty, and winger Rinesh Silva made no mistake.
From there on, the Peterites put the Isipathanians under tremendous pressure, giving them a torrid time, and they succeeded in going over for back-to-back tries in the space of four minutes. The first was in the 21st minute by burly No 8 Dulaj Navodya, and reliable kicker and full-back Kushan booted over the conversion with ease.
Four minutes later, second-row Jineth Ranasinghe barged through the opponent’s defence for a try down the left corner flag, and the conversion proved too difficult for Kushan, but they raised their lead to 19-3. Skipper and flanker Naveen Kanishka went over for an unconverted try for Isipathana, which followed with the short whistle being with the Peterites leading 19-8.
Unfortunately, the second half saw the two teams having to play under pressure due to the wet ground, which was slippery from the heavy rain that poured down for over 15 minutes, and they faced difficulty handling the ball.
Isipathana succeeded in reducing the deficit in the third minute with a penalty booted over by the season's top individual scorer, Silva, but two minutes later, Kushan did the same from a penalty offered for St. Peter's.
However, with the two sides sharing honours, it was Isipathana who succeeded in making a move that ended in the 22nd minute, with centre Senuth Disnusala going over for an unconverted try.
In a ding-dong battle with the ball being kicked due to the slippery conditions, the Peterites almost sealed the game three minutes away from the long whistle, with Kushan booting over a 40-metre penalty for them to surge ahead and be safe. That finally ended with the boys from Bambalapitiya coming out victorious by 25 points to 16. (M. Shamil Amit / Pix: Nisal Baduge)