Isipathana College went on the defeat St. Peter’s 34-29 in the Final of the Presidents Trophy Knockout Final, winning the famous Knockout Championship for the 14th time in their history, denying St. Peter’s of a treble in 2024.
Shahid Zumri, with a bit of a groin strain, missed his first kick at goal. However, his fellow winger, Abdulla Aziz, made the Peterites pay early on with a try as he carved open the League Champions’ defense to score the opener of the game.
Zumri made no mistake from the tee this time, adding the extras to make it a perfect 7. (SPC 00-07 IC)
Moments later, Revon Perera broke through the Isipathana defense as Nimantha Sandeepa saw yellow. The resulting conversion struck the upright, but Isipathana continued to lead by 2 points. (SPC 05-07 IC)
Points were coming thick and fast, and this time it was the Green Machine that notched up the next try, even though they were down a man due to the earlier yellow card.
Skipper Nisaja Jayaweera was the man who went through the heart of the Peterite defense, proving too strong to be stopped from 5 meters out as he scored the Green Machine’s second try of the evening. Zumri’s conversion missed the target, but Isipathana maintained their lead. (SPC 05-12 IC)
Both teams traded blows, with Ranithu Ridmal barreling his way over the try line, giving the holders an opportunity to draw level with the conversion.
Draw level they did, as Rahul Peter made no mistake from the tee. (SPC 12-12 IC)
Points were scored tit-for-tat as Nimantha Sandeepa, now assuming kicking duties, slotted over a penalty from right in front to give Isipathana a slender lead. (SPC 12-15 IC)
Sandeepa then scored a beauty of a try off a sublime cross-kick from Zumri, who found his man on the wing. Sandeepa dived over after the 35-minute mark.
Zumri failed to convert, but Isipathana went into the break with an 8-point lead.
**Half-Time:** St. Peter’s 12 (2T 1C) trail Isipathana College 20 (3T 1C 1P)
The second half was much the same, with both teams trading blows and scoring points at will in a final that captivated the viewers’ attention.
Rahul Peter and Shahid Zumri traded penalties early in the second half, restoring Isipathana’s 8-point lead. However, there were plenty more points to come. (SPC 15-23 IC)
St. Peter’s scored next to cut the deficit to a single point, as Pasindu Bandara scored his first of the evening, set up by Gallage.
The nippy No.9 broke through the heart of the Isipathana defense, dropping a pass to Bandara, who scored for St. Peter’s. Rahul Peter’s conversion from under the posts was good, making it a 1-point game. (SPC 22-23 IC)
For the next 7 minutes, it was all Shahid Zumri, as he knocked over two penalties off the tee and scored what would be the winning try for Isipathana. St. Peter’s were never able to take the lead in the all-important final of the Presidents Trophy Knockout Championship 2024. (SPC 22-34 IC)
Pasindu Bandara scored a brilliant individual try for St. Peter’s, but it was all in vain, as Isipathana held on to their 5-point lead, handing St. Peter’s their first defeat of 2024 and ending their hopes of an unbeaten treble.
Full Time: St. Peter’s 29 (4T 3C 1P) lost to Isipathana College 34 (4T 1C 4P)
- NDB Player of the Match: Nisaja Jayaweera (IC No. 8)
Points Breakdown:
St. Peter’s – Revon Perera 1T, Ranithu Ridmal 1T, Pasindu Bandara 2T, Rahul Peter 3C 1P
Isipathana – Abdulla Aziz 1T, Nisaja Jayaweera 1T, Nimantha Sandeepa 1T 1P, Shahid Zumri 1T 1C 3P.
