St. Peter’s College, Colombo cruised to their second bonus point victory in the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2020 against a hapless Vidyartha College outfit, as the Bamba Brigade managed to run over the Tigers by 34 points to 03 down at Nittawela today evening.
Windhya De Mel of St. Peter’s College kick-started the proceedings down at Nittawela as the Tigers were put under pressure from the word go. The visitors wasted no time in opening their account, as Senura Perera moved over the whitewash off a cheeky pass by scrum-half Ashen Ranasinghe, though Thenuka Nanayakkara failed to cash in with the extras. (VCK 00 – 05 SPC)
Senura’s partner-in-crime, Akalanka Perera, secured the second five-pointer for their team when he dived over the whitewash from the middle of a rolling maul in the 13th minute of the game. Thenuka failed to bisect the posts yet again. (VCK 00 – 10 SPC)
Vidyartha managed to make several inroads into the visitors’ half but failed to capitalize as careless mistakes prevented their strong backline from showcasing their true potential. However, the Tigers showed a lot of grit in their defense, as they were able to limit the visitors to 10 points till the end of the first half.
In the dying minutes of the first half, Chirantha Kaluarachchi had a great chance to bring some relief to the host’s camp but his straightforward penalty kick failed to find its mark, as both teams went into half time with a ten point difference.
The visitors would not be satisfied with their first half performance, as they only managed to record 10 points in the first 35 minutes of the day’s play.
Half Time – Vidyartha College 0 – 10 (2T) St. Peter’s College
It was the hosts who resumed proceedings, as the visitors were put under the pump in the initial stages of the second half. Sagara Dilshan made up for Kaluarachchi’s miss prior to lemons as he slotted in a three-pointer in the 38th minute of the game. (VCK 03 – 10 SPC)
Peterite skipper Yohan Fernando came with the reply for the visitors in the 41st minute, as Thenuka made no mistake in completing the seven-pointer this time around. (VCK 03 – 17 SPC)
Thenuka was back in action in the 54th minute, as he contributed seven points to his team by converting his own try thanks to a lovely pass by Windhya De Mel. (VCK 03 – 24 SPC)
The lads from Bambalapitiya finally seemed to have gotten back to their usual playing rhythm as Vidyartha were reduced to 14 men in the 56th minute, rubbing salt in the host’s wounds.
The Peterites were quick to pounce on the one-man advantage as they resorted to their ploy of kicking the ball to touch, working their way forward with the rolling maul. Ishan Fernando managed to get his name on the scoring sheet when he touched down near the right-side corner flag in the 59th minute. Thenuka failed to make the conversion off a tight angle. (VCK 03 – 29 SPC)
The Peterite backs created the platform for Thenuka’s second try of the game, but De Mel, who assumed Thenuka’s kicking duties, failed to complete the seven-pointer. (VCK 03 – 34 SPC)
The Vidyartha forwards showed a lot of heart in trying to secure a consolation try for the hosts in the dying minutes of the game. They were provided with a great opportunity with Peterite number 2, Malinga Sheshan, being sent to the sin bin in the 67th minute, However, the Tigers failed to make use of the one-man advantage until referee Isuru Perera blew the long whistle to mark the end of the day’s play.
The Peterites recorded yet another convincing victory in the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2020 and will march forward to their next fixture with 2 bonus-point victories under their belt.
Full Time – Vidyartha College 3 (1P) – 34 (6T, 2C) St. Peter’s College
- ThePapare Player of the Match – Ashen Ranasinghe (St. Peter’s College)
- Match Referee – Isuru Perera
Breakdown
Vidyartha College: Penalties (1) by Sagara Dilshan
St. Peter’s College: Tries from Senura Perera(1), Akalanka Perera(1), Yohan Fernando(1), Thenuka Nanayakkara(2) and Ishan Fernando(1)
Conversions (2) by Thenuka NanayakkaraCautions & Sendoffs:
Yellow cards:
Kalhara Jayawardene (Vidyartha College)
Malinga Sheshan (St. Peter’s College)
