John Keells Holdings A and Perl Beach ended day 1 of the Mercantile 7’s Cup competition unbeaten, leaving the trailing pack behind them, setting up Cup Semi-finals against Sampath Bank and Citizens Development Bank respectively.
The 52nd Mercantile 7’s competition kicked off on a sunny morning at the Home of Rugby — CR & FC — as the working class battled each other on the rugby field.
Divided into two segments, Cup and Shield, the day began with MAS A smashing Mercantile Investments 26-0. HSBC managed to outplay Galle Face Hotel, winning 36-0, while Ceylinco, Central Finance, Commercial Credit, Moresand, MAS B, and Hatton National Bank went on to win their respective games in the morning session.
Shield
Group – C
- MAS A 26 – 00 Mercantile Investments
- HSBC 36 – 00 Galle Face Hotel
Group – D
- Ceylinco 24 – 14 Nations Trust Bank
- LOLC 05 – 12 Central Finance
Group – E
- Commercial Credit 19 – 05 Hela Clothing
- Commercial Bank 00 – 33 Moresand
Group – F
- MAS B 31 – 00 London Stock Exchange
- Foresight Engineering 05 – 24 Hatton National Bank
The first two Cup segment games saw John Keells Holdings score three tries past a helpless Citizens Development Bank, winning the game 21-5.
John Keells Holdings’ B team failed to replicate the success of their A team, as they were knocked off the park by Sampath Bank, with the Bankers winning 38-5.
Cup
- John Keells Holdings A 21 – 05 Citizens Development Bank
- John Keells Holdings B 05 – 38 Sampath Bank
Moving back to the Shield segment, MAS A kept their unbeaten run alive, along with Mercantile Investments, Ceylinco, Commercial Credit, Moresand, and Hatton National Bank, all winning their second game to maintain their unblemished records.
Shield
Group – C
- MAS A 49 – 00 HSBC
- Mercantile Investments 33 – 00 Galle Face Hotel
Group – D
- Ceylinco 36 – 00 LOLC
- Nations Trust Bank 28 – 00 Central Finance
Group – E
- Commercial Credit 19 – 00 Commercial Bank
- Hela Clothing 00 – 19 Moresand
Group – F
- MAS B 07 – 27 Foresight Engineering
- London Stock Exchange 00 – 29 Hatton National Bank
Pearl Beach got off the mark defeating Sampath Bank — handing their Bankers their first defeat — soon after Citizens Development Bank managed to dismantle Brandix in a close tussle, to record their first win of the afternoon.
Cup
- Citizens Development Bank 19 – 17 Brandix
- Pearl Bearers 29 – 10 Sampath Bank
The final round of the first day got underway as MAS A handed Galle Face Hotel their third defeat of the day, without conceding a single point. Meanwhile, Ceylinco and Hatton National Bank were two other teams to remain unbeaten, as Commercial Credit and Moresand played out a thrilling 19-all draw.
Mercantile Investments secured their second win of the day, while NTB and Foresight Engineering also recorded their second victories.
After a tough morning session, Hela Clothing finally got off the mark with their first win of the day, defeating Commercial Bank, as the Bankers suffered their third defeat without scoring a single point.
Shield
Group – C
- MAS A 33 – 00 Galle Face Hotel
- Mercantile Investments 49 – 00 HSBC
Group – D
- Ceylinco 19 – 00 Central Finance
- Nations Trust Bank 24 – 00 LOLC
Group – E
- Commercial Credit 19 – 19 Moresand (DRAW)
- Hela Clothing 33 – 12 Commercial Bank
Group – F
- MAS B 07 – 21 Hatton National Bank
- London Stock Exchange 00 – 47 Foresight Engineering
The final two games of the day saw JKH A end the day unbeaten alongside Pearl Beach as Brandix and JKH B failed to register a single win.
Cup
- John Keells Holdings A 24 – 00 Brandix
- John Keells Holdings B 07 – 29 Pearl Beach
Day 2 is set to begin at 10:30 with the Shield Quarterfinals, followed by the Cup Semifinals.
Adding color to the afternoon, there will also be a match between the CDB Ladies and Sampath Bank Ladies.
Meanwhile, Brandix and John Keells Holdings B are set to face off in the Bowl Final, with both teams having the unique possibility of winning silverware by securing just a single victory in the tournament.
Shield
Quarter Finals
- MAS – A vs Nations Trust Bank
- Ceylinco vs Mercantile Investments
- Moresand vs Foresight
- Hatton National Bank vs Commercial Credit
- Cup
Semi Finals
- John Keells Holdings A vs Sampath Bank
- Pearl Beach vs Citizens Development Bank
Ladies
- Citizens Development Bank vs Sampath Bank
Bowl Final
- Brandix vs John Keells Holdings B
Live Scores Updates is Sponsored by Grit Property Group Australia
Spencer Leon – Tournament Statsman
