Ananda College held on to a close and nervous 15-12 win over a spirited Prince of Wales team in the final encounter of the ‘Singer Schools’ Plate Championship which was worked out at Sugathadasa Stadium on Monday evening.
Prince of Wales boys ran into the ground through the stadium tunnel with the intention of scoring 4 tries and winning the game to secure their place in the top ‘4’ of the Plate Championship final points table. Cambrian full back S.R Kodituwakku kicked off the game. Boys from Moratuwa started on a positive note using their backs and forwards effectively in the early stages of the game. Against the run of play, D.M Pushpakumara of Ananda College sneaked through the Cambrian defense and touched down in the 6th minute of the game to take an early lead. D.M Pushpakumara missed his own try’s conversion. (Ananda 05 – POW 00)
Gutsy Prince of Wales players used their side stepping skill to good effect as they tried desperately to breakthrough but the Anandians defended strongly especially around the fringes. Cambrian forwards dominated the scrums against a lackluster Ananda forward pack as the game continued without any momentum with both teams making unforced errors to lose out on points scoring opportunities and territorial advantage. D.M Pushpakumara marked his name once again on the point’s sheet after he fired across a 35 meter penalty kick in the 30th minute to extend Ananda’s lead. (Ananda 08 – POW 00)
Ananda suffered a minor blow before the half time whistle as their hard working loose head
prop-forward S.D Weerasinghe was sin-binned for repeated foul play. Cambrians game plan was very hard to understand as they were running from their own try line on penalty advantages while Anandians kept on defending in the final 10 minutes with most of the possession was with the visiting Prince of Wales team.
With the half-time looming close, Prince of Wales almost scored a try to reduce the lead but poor ball handling and selfish playing cost them an easy try after several attacking phases inside Ananda’s red zone as referee S.N Muthumala blew the half-time whistle to end a scrappy half of rugby for Cambrians while Anandians earning a lead going into the break.
Half Time: Ananda 08 – Prince of Wales 00
After the resumption, Sasindu Ratnaweera of Ananda College restarted the game as Cambrians looked to gain possession and give their speedy three quarters to run and score but the spirited and solid Ananda defense was too much for the boys from Moratuwa to break through.
With 48 minutes on the clock, Ananda College left winger N.S.M Dias stunned the Cambrian camp with a brilliant individual try as he turned over the ball from the opposition winger and ran 55 meters to touch down under the posts to help his alma mater take control of this crucial Plate Championship encounter. D.M Pushpakumara put over an easy conversion. (Ananda 15 – POW 00)
After 55 minutes of erratic rugby, Prince of Wales finally got their 1st points on the scoreboard from a stunning try by their center three-quarter M.V.P Fernando as the Cambrian no.13 brushed past the tired Ananda defenders through the blind side to score in the far corner of the field. S.R Kodituwakku failed to add the extra points. (Ananda 15 – POW 05)
Both teams lacked intent and patience whilst the usual playmakers were silent. In the final quarter of the match both teams injected fresh blood from the bench to hoping the fresh legs would stick to the pregame plan. W.S.P Ranasinghe got the 2nd yellow card for the match after he was sin-binned for foul play in a ruck with 15 minutes left on the clock.
Prince of Wales closed in on the Ananda lead in the 72nd minute of the game as their inside center three-quarter G.N Fernando barged over near the left corner flag as 14 man Ananda defense looked vulnerable after several attacking phases by Cambrians. S.R Kodituwakku bisected the posts perfectly to reduce the deficit. (Ananda 15 – POW 12)
Pressure was mounting as both teams shared tensed moments with five minutes of the game to go. Prince of Wales gathered momentum with the help of their backs but unfortunately lacked finishing touches on most occasions. The Ananda defensive effort should be commended as the determined Anandians prevailed as S.N Muthumala blew the long final whistle.
Full Time: Ananda 15 – Prince of Wales 12
