After their disappointing outing against Isipathana College five days ago, Trinity College, Kandy managed to make a strong comeback against a spirited Antonian outfit after trailing 5 points at lemons, to win by a staggering margin of 25 points. The final score down at the Lion’s den in Pallekele read 35-10 in favor of the hosts who managed to secure their first bonus point of the season.
It was Minindu Jayasundara of Trinity College who kicked off proceedings for the hosts at Pallekele, and the Antonians did not waste much time to add their first points on the board as Tirusha Ekanayake managed to make a successful penalty conversion with ease. (TCK 00 – 03 SACK)
It did not take long for Trinity to come back with a reply as Dulandith Nethwara managed to go over the try line for the hosts near the corner flag. However, Minindu Jayasundara failed to make the conversion off a tight angle. (TCK 05 – 03 SACK)
The Eagles continuously kept the pressure on the Lions, who too were sloppy in several occasions, as they managed to keep the ball in Trinity territory for majority of the first half. Mohammed Makarim ultimately managed to move over the try line for the visitors as Tirusha Ekanayake followed it up with a successful conversion. (TCK 05 – 10 SACK)
The Antonians were clearly giving the Trinitians a run for their money at their home turf throughout the first half as they managed to sustain their lead till referee Aaqil Jamaldeen blew the whistle for lemons.
Half Time – Trinity College 05 (1T) – 10 (1T, 1C, 1P) St. Anthony’s College
The Trinitians looked a completely different outfit in the second half as they played with a lot of intensity from the beginning. Three minutes into the game, skipper Reshan Bandaranayake managed to gain five points for Trinity even though replacement fly half Miranga Subasinghe failed to add in the extras. (TCK 10 – 10 SACK)
Trinity continued to counter attack in the second half as Nimesh Ekanayake managed to score a try for the hosts after Ruvan Amerasinghe was awarded a yellow card in the 46th minute. Miranga Subasinghe was once again off target in the follow up. (TCK 15 – 10 SACK)
A few minutes later, Amith Kulathunga almost gained five more points for the hosts but referee Jamaldeen signaled it off due to a forward pass he had spotted during its lead up. However, Dhirendra Ratwatte managed to recover those points for Trinity as he managed to move over the try line in the 55th minute securing their first bonus point of the season. The home team failed to add in the extra two points, this time off the boot of their skipper Reshan Bandaranayake. (TCK 20 – 10 SACK)
Speedster Geeshapa Kulathunga managed to score two back-to-back tries near the corner flag for the Lions in the 61st and 64th minutes, as Trinity’s woes with their kicking continued with skipper Reshan missing out on both the conversions. (TCK 30 – 10 SACK)
In the dying minutes of the game, Tevin Karunanayake managed to score under the post for the Lions, placing the final nail in the coffin as they failed to bisect the posts, yet again. (TCK 35 – 10 SACK)
The overall game could be summarized as a game of halves where the Antonians had Trinity napping in the first half of play, but it was all Trinity in the second half as the Eagles failed to register a single point. However, Trinity moving forward should pay more attention to their kicking as they failed to make a single conversions of the seven tries they managed to score.
Full Time – Trinity College 35 (7T) – 10 (1T, 1C, 1P) St. Anthony’s College
- ThePapare.com’s Player of the match – Reshan Bandaranayake (TCK)
- Match Referee – Aaqil Jamaldeen
Breakdown
Trinity College: Tries from Dulandith Nethwara, Reshan Bandaranayake, Nimesh Ekanayake, Dhirendra Ratwatte, Geeshapa Kulathunga (2), and Tevin Karunananayake
St. Anthony’s College: Tries (1) from Mohammed Makarim
Conversions (1) by Tirusha Ekanayake
Penalties (1) by Tirusha Ekanayake
Cautions and Sendoffs
Trinity College: Dhirendra Ratwatte
St. Anthony’s College: Ruvan Amerasinghe
