Isipathana, St. Peter’s extend unbeaten runs

By M. Shamil Amit   
After the completion of the fourth week of matches of the Dialog Schools Rugby League tournament defending champions Isipathana College and St. Peter’s College have extended their unbeaten runs in the Dialog Under-19 Rugby League tournament.   
Isipathana College won their fourth consecutive match, while St. Peter’s made it three wins out of three – the only unbeaten teams remaining in the tournament.   
In a close tussle, Isipathana College received their stiffest test yet from D. S. Senanayake College, who came into the game on the back of two successive wins.   

Though D. S. Senanayake managed to remain close behind Isipathana in the first half, their lack of experience at this level was evident, as they crumbled after the break, with the Pathanians swinging into full gear and run away to a 22-06 victory.   
St. Peter’s College took a 12-07 half-time lead over Trinity College, scoring two tries after Trinity looks an early lead.   
In the second half, Trinity once again made the first score, putting over a penalty, but St. Peter’s cancelled that out with a penalty of their own.   

The Peterites then sealed the game with another try, which was converted, to record a 22-10 win.   
In the other four matches that were played Royal College and St. Joseph’s College recorded massive wins, while two teams from the hill capital, St. Anthony’s College and Vidyartha College, recorded close wins against their opponents.   
Zahira College, after their two wins, were expected to give Royal College some anxious moments and they succeeded to some extent as they held the strong Royalists to 3-3 at half-time.   
The Royalists went on a rampage in the second half however, leaving the Zahirians behind.   
Royal scored at will and went on plant six tries of which four were converted, adding a penalty to end up with a massive 44-03 win, for their third victory of the tournament and Zahira suffering their first defeat.   
In fact this was the third successive time that the Royalists had scored over 40 points.   
This match turned out to be another keenly contested affair with the Eagles prevailing with a wafer thin one point victory. Fortunes fluctuated even though the Eagles led 13-10 at the breather.   

The two sides exchanged the lead in the second-half before the Eagles surged ahead through a goal for the scores to read 30-29.   
Wesley were unlucky as in the dying stages they were offered a penalty which unfortunately hit the post and meant the Eagles left with the wins.   
In the battle of the home town rivals, between Vidyartha and Dharmaraja, the former came out on top to record their second win of the season while their opponents underwent their third successive defeat.   
At half-time the two sides were on 12 points each and the second half was also evenly contested with the scores reading 22-all until the last five minutes when Vidyartha snuck through for the win.   

St. Joseph’s were too good for Kingswood College holding a comfortable 24-10 lead by half-time, having also secured the bonus point at the break.   
They didn’t let up and in the second half went on a scoring spree, adding another 24 points to come out 48-15 winners, handing Kingswood their third straight defeat.