Key Highlights :
Wesley College continued their impressive run in the All Island Under-14 Ten-a-side championship organised by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SSRFA) when they outclassed Isipathana College 21-0 in the Cup final, which was played off at the Royal Sports Complex yesterday.
The defending champions, coached by Thushara Bandara, led 14-0 at the short break. Jonathan Wijesinghe, skipper Akesh Sadish, and Mohamed Shibly scored the tries, with Mohamed Sharafaan making the conversions for Wesley. This is the second consecutive win for the ‘Double Blues’, having beaten Antonians in the last year’s Cup final as well.
The Shield quarterfinals saw Thurstan beat Dharmaraja 20-0, Sri Sumangala Panadura beat St. Aloysius’ 44-0, St. Sylvester’s beat Maliyadeva 34-0, and St. John’s beat Ananda 24-0. Sri Sumangala went on to beat Thurstan 10-0 in the semifinals and then St. Sylvester’s 12-5 in the final.
The Bowl quarterfinals saw Mahanama beat Lumbini 17-0, Prince of Wales beat Sri Sumangala Kandy 43-0, DS beat Carey 36-0, and St. Anthony’s beat Rahula Katugstota 7-0. Prince of Wales beat Mahanama 7-0 in the semifinals and then DS 10-5 in the final.
The Cup/Plate quarterfinals saw Wesley beat Royal 10-5, Kingswood beat S. Thomas’ 7-5, Isipathana beat St. Joseph’s 10-5, and Science beat St. Peter’s 10-0. Royal beat S. Thomas’ 7-0 in the Plate semifinals and then St. Peter’s 38-0 in the final. Wesley beat Kingswood 24-7 in the Cup semifinals and then Isipathana 21-0 in the final.
The SSRFA’s All Island Under-14 Ten-a-side championship provided an exciting opportunity for the young players to display their skills and sportsmanship. The tournament saw some of the best teams in the country competing for the title and Wesley College emerged victorious, retaining the championship for the second consecutive year.