Kingswood College claimed a hard fought 22-16 victory over Ananda College in a decisive Plate Championship encounter at the Bogambara Stadium.
The game got off to a sluggish start in the first half, with both teams showing promise but failing to convert opportunities due to unforced errors in key attacking areas.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 15th minute when Ananda were awarded a penalty just outside the Kingswood 22. The tournament’s leading points scorer, Deneth Chamudhitha, made no mistake and slotted it over to give Ananda a 3-0 lead.
Buoyed by those points, Ananda continued to apply pressure and came close to scoring a try shortly after. However, Kingswood’s defense held strong, and the ball was held up over the try line.
Having spent much of the half on the back foot, Kingswood eventually found a breakthrough. Sachintha Naweesha crossed over for their first try of the match, though the conversion attempt went astray.
Just before halftime, Ananda had another chance to take the lead with a penalty deep inside Kingswood’s 22. Opting again to go for goal rather than push for a try, Chamudhitha added another three points to give Ananda a narrow 6-5 lead at the break.
Half Time-Kingswood College 05-06 Ananda College
Kingswood came out firing in the second half and wasted no time regaining control. Just minutes after the restart, skipper Thaveesha Ekanayake powered his way to the try line. This time, Rivin Bawdween stepped up and successfully added the extras to put Kingswood ahead 12-6.
Not to be outdone, Ananda responded swiftly. Showing urgency, they advanced into Kingswood’s half and earned another penalty. Chamudhitha once again opted to go for the posts and calmly slotted over the three points to reduce the deficit to three.
The momentum shifted further when Nethula Wijeyrathna scored Ananda’s first try of the match, with Chamudhitha converting superbly to give them a 16-12 lead.
But from then on, it was all Kingswood. A moment of individual brilliance from Rivin Bawdween saw him break through the defense to score, reclaiming the lead for Kingswood. However, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 17-16.
Determined to build a cushion, Kingswood pushed forward again and, in the 62nd minute, Thushan Madugalla added another try to extend their lead to 22-16. The conversion was missed, but it wouldn’t matter in the end.
Ananda had a few late opportunities but failed to capitalize, ultimately handing Kingswood a memorable victory in Kandy.
Full Time: Kingswood 22 (4T,1C) Ananda 16 (1T,3P,1C)
- Swistek Player of the match: Rivin Bawdween
Point Scorers
Kingswood College – Sachintha Naweesha (1T), Thaveesha Ekanayake (1T), Rivin Bawdween (1T,1C), Thushan Madugalle (1T)
Ananda College – Deneth Chamudhitha (3P,1C), Nethula Wijeyrathna (1T)
