Sumangala’s last minute penalty seals another classic tie in Bogambara

The two dark horses in the league, Sumangala College and Zahira College, clashed in Bogambara yesterday (10th August) in their final bowl segment encounter. Though both sides were well out of the glory of the bowl title, a ferocious battle was displayed, and at the end of the day there was nothing to separate the teams as the game ended in a tie. 

The hosts made a deep kickoff to start proceedings, and straight away they put the Zahirians under pressure. But visitors were unshaken from the early attack and got out of the jail with a brilliant clearance kick.  

Though there was a ferocious battle during the early 15 minutes, players didn’t trouble the scorers, and it looked like a low-scoring affair in Bogambara. All of a sudden the visitors made their way deep into Sumangala’s half, and Sumangala made a silly side entry by giving a penalty on a platter. It followed a well-executed maul, and Sumangala forwards were helpless against the strong push as Zahirians took the first blood. Imithitas Iflan scored the try, and Imadh Inaam added the extras. (SC 00 – 07 ZC) 

Since then, the Test cricket match has transformed into a T20 rhythm. Just after receiving a restart kick, Zahirians were penalised for not supporting the body weight at a ruck. Surprisingly, Sumangala omitted the lineout and maul option. Instead, a tap was taken and attacked with a pick and drive phase. Suddenly, nippy Sumangala scrum half Shashika Bandara dived for their first try through a loophole in the visitors’ defence. Reliable place kicker Pasindu Samarakoon sent the ball between the upright bars to square things. (SC 07 – 07 ZC) 

After a minute, Zahirians counter-punched as they worked the line well, and their winger made a break with three sidesteps before offloading the ball to Lukman Hakeem to score their second, while Imadh Inaam added the extras again. (SC 07 – 14 ZC) 

Then Sumangala had a golden opportunity to attack as visitors knocked the ball inside their own 22-metre area. The flyhalf Pasindu Samarakoon made a brilliant break to reach the 5-metre mark, and he finished the job after a few pick-and-go phases. Further, Pasindu nailed the conversion kick to equalise the points. (SC 14 – 14 ZC) 

Then again, Sumangala gave a penalty for not rolling away in a tackle, and the Zahirians took a quick tap and invaded into the deep of Sumangala territory. After Zahira forwards tried to push the defence, the ball switched to three quarters, and with an exceptional offload, M. Hassan scored another try for the visitors to regain the lead. (SC 14 – 19 ZC) 

Within a few seconds Sumangala bounced back with a try as they managed to catch their own restart kick. After a side-step and excellent backhand passes, lock forward Achila Gamage dived over the whitewash to score just before the short whistle. (SC 19 – 19 ZC)  

Half time : Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College 19 (3 T, 2 C) – Zahira College 19 (3 T, 2 C) 

In the second half, Sumangala advanced into Zahira territory. After working the ball sideways, Achila Gamage managed to catch the offload and scored within a few seconds to take the lead for the first time in the match. (SC 24 – 19 ZC) 

Then Zahira got into the Sumangala half, and the hosts were found guilty for collapsing the maul. Subsequently Zahira had a 5-metre lineout and with classical attacking method, Zahira formed a rolling maul, and their hooker, Raihan Rushan, went over the tryline. Then the gigantic prop forward Zain Hassan successfully nailed the conversion against all odds. (SC 24 – 26 ZC) 

The Zahirians gave a shocking time to the hosts as they attacked deep in the rivals’ territory through a break made by the centre. But the Sumangala side earned a scrum in their favour. The Zahirians applied immense pressure at the scrum, and the hosts failed to make a clearance kick. Instead, they tried to work the ball from their own try line and were penalised for not releasing the ball. The Zahirian centre, who made the brilliant ball turnover, took a quick tap and easily went over the whitewash. (SC 24 – 31 ZC) 

Determined Sumangala lads were well set to change their fate and counterattacked immediately into Zahira territory. After a few picks and drives and passes to the line, they made good ground and came to a touching distance from the try line. Suddenly a set piece managed to push two or three defenders and the gigantic Sumangala forward Tharusha Theekshana scored the try under the post, which the hosts needed badly. The trusted boot of Pasindu Samarakoon made the easy conversion. (SC 31 – 31 ZC) 

The visitors wanted to end the season on a high and attacked fiercely after Sumangala receivers made a mess of the restart kick. Within seconds Sumangala gifted a penalty on a platter. Imadh nailed the difficult penalty kick amid the pressure of the home crowd. (SC 31 – 34 ZC) 

There was a nail-biting finish as Sumangala tried with all of their skills to score again while Zahirians put in their effort to secure the lead. During the course visitors gave away a few penalties, but Sumangala opted to go for a try to post a victory. Once, a set piece of Sumangala pushed the defenders and went over the whitewash. From the camera angle it looked like the winning try, but the referee decided that there wasn’t a clear grounding. After three failures, Sumangala was lucky enough to have a penalty advantage, and they said enough is enough and went for a penalty kick. Pasindu made no mistake with it, and the long whistle followed, making this a league with a higher count of tied games. (SC 34 – 34 ZC) 

Though usually visitors may be satisfied about a tie, the Zahirians could not think so, as it came after they were leading in the final minute. On the other hand, Sumangala also had nothing to celebrate, as they missed numerous opportunities in the dying minutes of the game. But Sumangala should be especially proud of their journey after entering the league as underdogs and for ending the race as the dark horses. 

Full time : Sri Sumangala College 34 (5 T, 3 C, 1 P) – Zahira College 19 (5 T, 3 C, 1 P)

• Swisstek Perfect Player of the Match: Pasindu Samarakoon (Sri Sumangala College) 

Points Breakdown 

Wariyapola Sri Sumangala College, Kandy – 34 

Shashika Bandara 1 T, Achila Gamage 2 T, Tharusha Theekshana 1 T, Pasindu Samarakoon 1 T, 3 C, 1 P 

 

Zahira College, Maradana – 34 

Imithitas Iflan 1 T, Lukman Hakeem 1 T, M. Hassan 1 T, Raihan Rushan 1 T, Farhan Fazlath 1 T, Imadh Inaam 2C, 1 P, Zain Hassan 1 C