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by Chris Dhambarage

S. Thomas' College drew first blood in the current inter-school rugby season when they annexed the Milo Schools Under-17 Division One Ten-a-side Tournament on Sunday.

The Thomians playing with a great amount of determination defeated Vidyartha College, Kandy 29 nil in the Cup Championship final worked off at Havelocks Park. The Thomians in fact have already completed a double after winning the Western Province Under-17 Ten-a-side Tournament recently.

The final was played under heavy rain and the Mount Lavinia school would have even piled up a bigger score if not for the wet ball and the soggy ground conditions. Even then they stuck to their basics by indulging in the run and pass game which helped them to remain unbeaten throughout the tournament.

They also had a minor setback before the start of the Cup final and they were forced to borrow the jerseys of Asoka Maha Vidyalaya because of a colour clash with Vidyartha. However that did not anyway dampen their morale and went about their task in style to complete a rousing victory at the end.

The Thomians scored two early tries and made certain that there would be no contest at the end. They had just witnessed how the Isipatana outfit struggled to beat a newlook D.S. Senanayake outfit in the Milo Plate Championship final. But S. Thomas' made their intentions clear from the kick-off and had the satisfaction of running down five tries under extremely difficult weather conditions.

Sri Lanka youth captain Namal Rajapakse put them ahead with a beautiful solo effort and he was undoubtedly the most outstanding player of the entire tournament. Another Sri Lanka youth cap and scrum-half M. Siriwardena touched down on two occasions and their success was completed by prop forward Nadeeshan Kariyawasam and wing three-quarter Hasitha Perera.

The Thomians of course experienced their biggest challenge in the semi-final where they pulled off a thrilling 10-7 win over Wesley College. In the quarter-finals however they had their own with a comprehensive 39 nil win over Lumbini MV. They launched their campaign for the title in a tough group and the odds were really against them.

But they certainly showed early signs of becoming a champion side after overcoming the defending champions Kingswood in a preliminary round fixture.

That was the ideal start for the Thomians who never looked back from thereonwards after finishing on top of group 'A'. Vidyartha College could be satisfied with their overall performances although they were badly beaten in the final.

They had the credit of holding the pre-tournament favourites Isipatana to a draw in a group fixture and came on top in group 'H' having scored more tries than their opponents. The Vidyarthians then proved that their entry into the Cup championship was a genuine effort by knocking-out their home town rivals Trinity College 17- nil in the quarter-finals and also beating St. Peter's 10-7 in the semi-finals.

Isipatana not demoralised by being pushed into the lower division put up a pleasing performance to beat D.S. Senanayake College 3 nil in the Milo Cup Championship final. In the semi-final too they went through some anxious moments before overcoming St. Joseph's College 8-5 in a close encounter.

They were certainly fielding a young outfit and really struggled to come on top against a fighting D.S. Senanayake side. They were eventually saved by the boot of Varuna Ratnayake who converted a penalty from under the post with the stroke of full time. Nevertheless this was an encouraging performance from D.S. Senanayake who also had the credit of defeating Kingswood College Kandy 5 nil earlier in the semi-finals.

The services of former Thurstan coach Ajith Fernando seem to have done a lot of good for the D.S. Senanayake side who displayed fighting qualities never seen before in a tournament of this nature. D.S. Senanayake were drawn in a tough group which also included Wesley and St. Anthony's College, Kandy. But they were determined to stamp their class in this particular tournament despite the heavy odds against them.

Asoka MV clinched the Milo Bowl Championship overcoming Mahanama MV 10-7 in the final encounter. Sri Lanka youth player and second row forward Gayan Nayanajith and Yohan Madushanka scored a try each for Asoka MV. The winners had an easy passage into the final having received a bye in the quarter-finals and in the semi-finals.

Mahanama MV entered the final with a close 5 nil win over Ananda with skipper T. Weerasinghe scoring their matchwinning try.

Meanwhile in the Milo Under-17 Division Two Ten-a-side Tournament Eheliyagoda MMV took major honours winning the Cup Championship with a 12 nil win over Moratu MV in the final. Piliyandala Central won the Milo Plate Championship beating Embilipitiya MV 5-0 in extra time, while Kegalle MMV won the Milo Bowl Championship overcoming Bandaranayake MV, Gampaha 12-5 in the final.

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