Trinity end 38-year League drought

Monday, 4 August 2025 03:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Beat Wesley 23/21 in fierce contest at Pallekele
Zahira edge out Ananda 43/39 to win Plate segment and Mahanama beat Vidyartha 17/12 to secure Bowl segment

By Shamseer Jaleel

Trinity no. 8 Shrayan Satheeshkumar held by a Wesley player

Trinity College finally ended their 38-year wait for the Under-19 Schools Rugby League title with a thrilling 23/21 victory over second-placed Wesley College at the Trinity College Rugby Stadium in Pallekele on Saturday.

At halftime, it was Wesley who held a slender 7/5 advantage, settling into the game quickly and looking to spoil the Lions’ celebrations. Danish Dissanayake opened scoring for Wesley, with Abdul Haadhi adding the extras.

Trinity’s response came through a superb try from skipper Safraz Usmaan, setting the tone for a fierce contest.

After the break, the home side struck early with tries from Akash Fernando and Shrayan Satheeshkumar. One was converted by Shan Althaf, who also slotted a penalty and an outstanding 45-metre drop goal.

Wesley stayed in the hunt with a penalty try and a touchdown from Naham Hemachandra, converted by Haadhi, but their late surge fell short as referee Raveen Alexander blew the final whistle.

Trinity won the League last in 1987 under Tyrel Rajapakse’s leadership when the side remained unbeaten, winning both the League and Premadasa Knockout rugby. Trinity will be awarded the League on 10 August at their Pallekele Rugby Stadium after the completion of the St. Peter’s encounter.

The League triumph was mathematically sealed when Royal edged out Thomians 30/29 in the Michael Gunaratne Trophy encounter at Mount Lavinia, handing the Thomians their second defeat of the season.

The Referee was Ishanka Abeykoon.

In Cup segment action, St. Peter’s returned to winning ways, edging out Isipathana 14/7 at Bambalapitiya, marking their 23rd series win against the Greens.

The Referee was Gihan Yatawara.

In the Plate segment encounter, Zahira edged out Ananda 43/39.

At the short breather, it was 14 apiece.

In the Bowl segment encounter, Mahanama edged past Vidyartha 17/12, and at Mount Lavinia, Science beat Dharmaraja 43/12.

There was good news for Kandy, with Trinity winning the League and the Antonians accounting for the Bowl, while the bad news is that two teams, Dharmaraja and Vidyartha, will both be getting demoted to a lower division in 2026 failing to register a single win as at date.

Both Prince of Wales and Lumbini will be promoted to the top division for the 2026 rugby season.

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