In a thrilling encounter that swung like a pendulum at the Havelock Park Stadium yesterday, S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia staged a magnificent second-half resurgence to defeat a spirited Sri Sumangala College, Kandy outfit by 31 points to 24 in their Pre-Quarter Final clash.
The game, which had all the ingredients of a classic knockout bout, saw the hill-country lads from Kandy throw everything they had at the Thomians in the first half, only for the blue and black machine to find its rhythm after the lemon break to secure a well-deserved victory and a berth in the Quarter Finals.
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Though Sumangala made a mess with the kickoff, they were undaunted by the reputation of their opponents, coming out firing on all cylinders and gradually getting the upper hand in the encounter. After 3 minutes, S. Thomas went for a box kick, and the full-back Pasindu Samarakoon collected the ball after an awkward bounce which deceived the chasers. At the same time, he made a wide pass towards the open-side winger Pasindu Bandara, who ran around the final defender and got away with a hand-off to score to take the first blood of the encounter. (STC 00 – 05 WSSCK)
By shifting the momentum and playing with significantly more intensity at the breakdown, the Thomians began to counter-attack with the aim of an equaliser. The Thomians gained a good attacking position when they took a five-metre lineout after receiving a penalty for an offside play. Since then, S. Thomas’ launched a classic driving maul by bulldozing the Kandyan players. Finally, the hooker Evan Pereira was broken from behind to plant the first Thomian try. Mayanka Dias did an exceptional job with his left foot to bring his side into the lead. (STC 07 – 05 WSSCK)
Displaying aggressive running lines and a tactical nous that rattled the Thomian defence, the Sumangala outfit dictated the pace of the game again by advancing deep into the Thomians’ territory. After putting an excellent grubber kick, the Sumangala chaser managed to recover possession like an eagle chasing a fish. A few pick-and-drives were followed, and capitalising on some loose play by the Thomians, the Kandy side crossed the whitewash with courtesy of their second rower Pabasara Nirmal. This time, Pasindu made no mistake with the conversion. (STC 07 – 12 WSSCK)
When the Thomians reunited and attacked near the centre line, their centre three-quarter, Warnasooriya, went through a loophole in Sumangala’s defence by making some good territory. From then onwards, the Thomian forwards were relentless in the breakdowns, and suddenly, Mckyle Karunaratne barged his way through, defeating four defenders to plant a classic forward try with his pure power. Mayanka made a mess with the easy chance of conversion. (STC 12 – 12 WSSCK)
Later, Sumangala received a penalty for a side entry at a ruck, but Samarakoon was again unsuccessful with the kick. Then the Referee gave a tight decision against the Thomians for not releasing the ball at the deck. After a solid lineout the ball was sent wide along the backs, and suddenly Sumangala made a loose pass. But the bounce favoured the visitors as the fullback, Pasindu Samarakoon, managed to grab the ball and went all the way through the defence to plant their third try before he missed a regulation conversion chance. (STC 12 – 17 WSSCK)
There was an intense fight in the final phase of the first half, but ended without troubling the scorers.
Half Time: Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College, Kandy 17 (3T, 1C) – S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia 12 (2T, 1C)
S. Thomas’ made a deep restart kick to resume the proceedings. Later, the Thomians made a crucial mistake by knocking on the ball inside their own half. Then Sumangala managed to recover the ball from an untidy scrum, but the Kandyans began to assert their dominance in the set-pieces and loose play. Later, Shashika Bandara found a loose position in the defence and pounced on it to plant another try by extending the lead. Pasindu made a fine conversion by extending the lead. (STC 12 – 24 WSSCK)
When the visitors were leading by 12 points, a spirited effort came from the S. Thomas’ brigade by tightening their defence and starting winning the collisions, which inevitably shifted the momentum in their favour. With some powering drives, Thomians managed to cross the 22-metre mark, and when they were just five metres away from the whitewash, they received an offside penalty. Surprisingly Mt Lavinia lads took a quick tap, and after a couple of phases, Tieshya Aluwihare, who kept a low body angle, barged his way over the tryline to cut the deficit. Mayanka Dias made a splendid conversion from an unfavourable angle by uplifting the morale of the side. (STC 19 – 24 WSSCK)
When the Thomians, in search of another try, tried to gain the lead, Sumangala was penalised for a stiff-arm tackle inside their own half. The five-metre lineout was followed by a powerful driving maul, but Sumangala did well to hold that threat. Then the determined Thomians launched a fierce attack with their forwards, and after multiple attempts the Fijian-born front rower Panduka Jayasena crossed the whitewash. Mayanka Dias brought his team to the lead by nailing the conversion. (STC 26 – 24 WSSCK)
At the brink of the long whistle, Thomian fullback Roja Karawita made a fumble in the middle of the pitch with a clearance kick but was lucky as it went backwards. With the ball in his hands, he made some eye-catching goose steps to deceive the Sumangala defence just before he offloaded the ball to the fly-half Udan Bulathsinghalage, who scampered for the winning try. Mayanka not only missed a regulation chance with the conversion, but also left another opportunity for Sumangala to come back with a converted try and level the score. (STC 31 – 24 WSSCK)
During the final minute, the encounter lived up to its billing as Sumangala tried to plant a try and to square the game, but the mounting mistakes prevented them from doing so. When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 31-24 in favour of the Mount Lavinia outfit, a testament to their never-say-die attitude and superior fitness levels in the closing stages of the game.
For Sri Sumangala College, it was a heartbreaking exit. They played with heart and skill, leading for a large portion of the game, but ultimately could not withstand the second-half onslaught. However, S. Thomas’ College has proven they can handle pressure and turn a deficit into a decisive victory when it matters most.
Full Time: S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia 31 (5T, 3C) – Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College, Kandy 24 (4T, 2C)
Swisstek Player of the Match: Tieshya Aluwihare (S. Thomas’ College)
Points Breakdown
S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia – 31
Mckyle Karunaratne 1T, Evan Pereira 1T, Tieshya Aluwihare 1T, Panduka Jayasena 1T, Udan Bulathsinghalage 1T, Mayanka Dias 3C
Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College, Kandy – 24
Pabasara Nirmal 1T, Pasindu Bandara 1T, Pasindu Samarakoon 1T, 2C, Shashika Bandara 1T,
