Blaze Trophy under lights on 16 Aug. at CR

Wednesday, 13 August 2025 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kingswood Captain Thaveesha Ekanayake (left) and Wesley Captain Sandul Gammanpila holding the Blaze Trophy

The Blaze Trophy rugby encounter between Kingswood College and Wesley College will take place on 16 August for the 39th consecutive year, with this edition taking place under lights for the first time at the CR & FC Ground.

Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.

Thaveesha Ekanayake will lead Kingswood College, while Sandul Gammanpila takes charge of the Wesley College outfit.

The Kingswood-Wesley traditional rugby encounter is played for Louis Edmund Blaze, the Founder of Kingswood College in 1906, who is an Old Trinitian. The Trophy was introduced in 1986, though both sides played each other much earlier.

Kingswood College holds the rare honour of introducing rugby to Sri Lanka in 1891. In 1906, the first-ever inter-school rugby match in the country was played between Kingswood College and Trinity College in Kandy. Wesley College, meanwhile, began its rugby journey in 1956 under the guidance of Eddie Buell. Wesley are the defending Blaze Trophy holders. Overall, Kingswood have won the series 23 times and Wesley on nine occasions, with four matches ending in a draw. (SJ)