Favourites reach Cup quarters
Isipathana College, the defending champions, and St. Peter’s College, the runners-up, both advanced to the Cup quarter-finals of the Under-19 Elite Schools Dialog Rugby 7s, which began at the Royal College Sports Complex in Colombo yesterday. Other teams that have progressed to the quarter-finals include Royal Colombo, Dharmaraja, Science College, Vidyartha, Prince of Wales, and Piliyandala Central.
Royal, a strong contender for the title, achieved the highest score of the tournament by defeating Nalanda 66-0. Isipathana emerged victorious against St. Benedict’s with a score of 28-5, while St. Peter’s overcame Maliyadeva with a score of 31-0.
In the afternoon session, the Bowl segment quarter-finals took place, with St. Benedict’s, Ananda, and Lumbini MV securing wins over Sri Sumangala, Nalanda, and St. Aloysius, respectively. Maliyadeva received a walkover.
The Cup quarter-finals are set to begin at 9.40a.m., followed by the Shield semi-finals at 11.00a.m., Bowl semi-finals at 11.40a.m., Plate semi-finals at 12.20 p.m., and Cup semi-finals at 1.00p.m. The four finals are scheduled to commence at 2.40p.m., starting with the Shield final, followed by finals of the Bowl at 3.00p.m., Plate at 3.20p.m., and Cup at 3.40p.m.
The tournament featured 18 teams, with only four teams from the top division – Isipathana, St. Peter’s, Royal, and Science colleges – participating. Other top teams opted out of the tournament due to the upcoming G.C.E. Ordinary Level examinations.
Despite the absence of some top teams, defending champions Isipathana are determined to defend their title. They are expected to face tough competition from St. Peter’s and Royal, the reigning schools league and knockout champions.
Results and Today’s Schedules | |
Sri Sumangala Panadura 37-0, Ananda beat Nalanda 47-0
St. Peter’s vs. Vidyartha
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