Kingswood dethrones Rajans at the “Hill Country Battle of the Maroons”

The rugby version of the “Hill Country Battle of the Maroons”, the annual encounter played between two powerhouse schools—Kingswood College and Dharmaraja College—for the William Weerasinghe Trophy, took place yesterday at the Nittawela Rugby Fortress in Kandy. 

There, the spirited Red Shirts Brigade from the Randle Hills came from behind to secure a 27–17 win over Dharmaraja in the final week fixture of the preliminary round of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025. 

Dharmaraja had an early opportunity to get on the scoreboard as Kingswood were penalized for not rolling away in a tackle. However, the regulation chance was squandered by skipper Damsith Rathnayake. 

Later, the Rajans edged closer to the try line after being awarded a penalty for offside. Skipper Damsith delivered an excellent touch kick to set up a five-meter lineout. From the resulting rolling maul, Dharmaraja drew first blood, displaying textbook rugby. Flanker Thiwanaka Jayasundara crashed over the line.  (DCK 05–00 KCK) 

A few minutes later, the Kingswood backs strung together a smooth move before the forwards took over. Vice-captain and hooker Dulisha Rasanjana powered over for Kingswood’s first try.  (DCK 05–05 KCK) 

After a tense passage of play, Dharmaraja regained momentum and launched an attack into Kingswood territory. Scrum-half Pavan Manodya produced a clever dummy to deceive defenders and went over for their second try, slipping between the legs of a defender.  (DCK 10–05 KCK) 

Kingswood had a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit to two points as Dharmaraja were penalized for offside, but the fullback missed the target. The Kings had a couple more scoring chances, but the ball was held up in the in-goal area on both occasions. 

Eventually, the boys from the Randle Hills broke into the opposition 22 with an excellent passage of play by their three-quarters. A well-executed scissor pass deceived the defence, allowing inside centre Ashiq Azmi to cross the line, dragging two defenders with him to level the scores. Rivin Bawdween slotted the conversion—his team’s first—to hand Kingswood a slender lead.  (DCK 10–12 KCK) 

Half-time: Dharmaraja College 10 (2T) – Kingswood College 12 (2T, 1C) 

A few minutes into the second half, Dharmaraja’s inside centre received a crucial yellow card for slapping the ball down and preventing a likely try-scoring opportunity. 

With the numerical advantage, Kingswood pushed hard for a try, but Dharmaraja’s defence stood firm during the initial phases of the sin-bin period. 

Later, Kingswood earned a scrum near the try line and opted for a No. 8 break. Kingswood’s No. 8, Madhuranga Pushpakumara, who had scored a hat-trick against Mahanama, delivered once again with a strong finish after clinical work from the forwards. (DCK 10–17 KCK) 

The determined Kingswood side launched another attack right after receiving the restart. Fullback Rivin Bawdween spotted a gap and sliced through the middle. Though the Rajans managed to bring him down, Kingswood’s support play was exceptional. After a few quick passes, Akila Dilshan dotted down for the bonus-point try, and Bawdween nailed a difficult conversion to extend the lead.  (DCK 10–24 KCK) 

Back to full strength, Dharmaraja refused to back down. They launched a fierce counterattack, culminating in Vidun Saparamadu crossing under the posts for their third try. Despite having a tough day with the boot, Damsith Rathnayake finally slotted the conversion, cutting the deficit to seven points.  (DCK 17–24 KCK) 

Shortly after, Dharmaraja were penalized again for offside, and this time, Kingswood made the bold decision to go for the points. Bawdween converted the penalty, pushing the lead to 10 and leaving the Rajans needing two scores to win.  (DCK 17–27 KCK) 

Late in the game, Kingswood were reduced to 14 men after being penalized for a deliberate knockdown. Nevertheless, the Red Shirts appeared to have scored again through a brilliant move by the three-quarters. However, referee Tharindu Perera ruled the final pass forward and disallowed the try. 

In the dying moments, both teams fought hard to add to the scoreboard, with a few promising phases followed by errors. Ultimately, the score remained unchanged until the final whistle, sealing Kingswood College’s hard-fought victory. 

Full Time: Dharmaraja College  17 (3T, 1C) – Kingswood College 27 (4T, 2C, 1P) 

• Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match: Rivin Bawdween (Kingswood College) 

Points Breakdown 

 

Kingswood College – 27 

Dulisha Rasanjana 1 T,  Ashiq Azmi 1 T, Madhuranga Pushpakumara 1 T, Akila Dilshan 1 T, Rivin Bawdween 2 C 1 P 

 

Dharmaraja College – 17 

Thiwanaka Jayasundara 1 T, Pavan Manodya 1 T, Vidun Saparamadu 1 T, Damsith Rathnayake 1 C