Sri Lanka’s hope of qualifying for the Rugby Sevens World Cup 2009 was dashed by Hong Kong yesterday.

The hosts defeated Sri Lanka by 31 points to 7. Earlier Hong Kong cruised past India with seven unanswered tries.

Sri Lanka also started the day well with 45 points to 7 drubbing of India and were unfortunate to have a player sent off in the match against the hosts.

Hong Kong will next play Chinese Taipei for a slot at the World Cup. Chinese Taipei caused the shock of the day by beating one of the pre tournament favourites in South Korea. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will take on South Korea in a match to decide the overall seeding.

The tournament will continue today.

In another development International Rugby Board (IRB) accredited referee Dilroy Fernando flew to Kyrgyzstan yesterday to blow in an IRB sanctioned tournament involving the hosts, Iran and Uzbekistan. (HJ)