Trinity College ended a 15-year wait for silverware with a commanding 58-26 win over Royal College, running in ten tries to clinch the Dialog Schools Rugby Knockouts 2026 President’s Trophy at Sugathadasa Stadium.

In a final rich in rivalry, Trinity struck early and never relented. Royal’s indiscipline proved costly as Trinity moved the ball fluently, Kevin Weerakoon opening the scoring. Royal briefly responded through a driving maul finished by Lemitha Amerasinghe, but their lead was short-lived.

Trinity hit back with precision, Sadeesha Weerawansa and Dimath Abeypitiya combining before the latter crossed twice. Despite another maul try from Disas Pathirana, Trinity’s attacking edge stood out. Abdul Malik’s cross-kick found Ammaar Manzil, while Malik added a try of his own as Trinity led 27-12 at the break.

Any hopes of a Royal comeback were swiftly ended. Skipper Shan Althaf struck twice after the restart, while Malik orchestrated proceedings. Further tries from Hamza Abdeen and Manzil underlined Trinity’s dominance.

Royal managed late consolation scores through Hiruka Jayadinu and Akira Yatawara, but it was Althaf who sealed the rout, completing his hat-trick to cap a memorable triumph.

Meanwhile, Lumbini Vidyalaya etched their name in history with a 17-10 win over Dharmaraja College in the Premier Trophy.

In the Chairman’s Trophy final played at the Royal College Sports Complex between Madina National School, Kandy and Central College, Maharagama, Central College Maharagama won 20-19.

In the run-up to the President’s Trophy final, Royal beat S. Thomas’ College 25-5 in a lopsided quarter-final before defeating Isipathana in the semi-final 39-13 to reach the final. Trinity College downed Zahira College 32-23 in their quarter-final fixture before beating a strong Wesley outfit 49-29 to book their berth in the final.

A highlight of this year’s Chairman’s Trophy Final was the inspiring journey of Madina National School, Kandy, whose rise to the final reflects the success of grassroots rugby development initiatives supported by Dialog.

One of cricket’s most battle-hardened operators is Steve Waugh. He may not have possessed the silken elegance of his twin brother Mark Waugh, but when it came to rolling up his sleeves and digging in, few did it better. Nicknamed the ‘Iceman’, Waugh made a career out of staring adversity in the face and refusing to blink.

His back-to-the-wall double hundred in Jamaica didn’t just win a Test, it snapped the spine of West Indies’ dominance that had stretched over decades. That was vintage Waugh: when the chips were down, he didn’t just hold the fort, he rebuilt it brick by brick.

Never one to take a backward step, Waugh once broke his nose attempting a catch off Mahela Jayawardene at Asgiriya. Surgeons advised him to sit out the Colombo Test and let the wounds heal. But for Waugh, the thought of Australia conceding a series was a bridge too far. He took the field against medical advice, a call that summed up his appetite for the fight.

He was no less formidable as a leader. The way he handled a young, wayward Ricky Ponting, then prone to off-field scrapes, has passed into cricketing folklore. Waugh didn’t just build a team; he forged a culture. His book ‘Out of My Comfort Zone’ remains a manual on how elite sportsmen must push the envelope if they are to stay ahead of the curve.

It is perhaps a book that should find its way into a few Sri Lankan kit bags. Too many current players appear content to play within themselves, happy to nudge and nurdle rather than step out of the crease and take the game on. At the highest level, though, comfort zones are quicksand. If you stand still for too long you will sink.

Champion leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga now finds himself under the scanner, his recurring hamstring injury becoming a stubborn thorn in both his side and Sri Lanka’s ambitions. Earlier this year, the injury ruled him out of the World Cup, with an initial recovery timeline of six weeks, enough, on paper, to make the IPL.

But cricket, as ever, had a twist in the tale.

In the aftermath of the World Cup, Sri Lanka Cricket took stock. While the team did reasonably well to reach the second round, there was a lingering sense of a chance missed, especially at a home World Cup where a semi-final berth was there for the taking. The consensus in cricketing corridors was simple: with a full-strength bowling attack, Sri Lanka could have gone deeper.

Determined not to leave things to chance again, the board drew a line in the sand, no fitness, no NOC. Players were required to clear stringent fitness tests to secure No Objection Certificates for franchise leagues, including the IPL. Hasaranga, along with a few others, found the bar a stiff one to clear.

Unlike Nuwan Thushara, whose case has taken a legal turn, Hasaranga’s issue is less about agility and more about durability. On the field, he is as sharp as they come, electric in the deep, capable of pulling off screamers and hitting the stumps on the fly. But the body, it seems, has not kept pace with the skill.

Fresh off injury, pushing too hard carries the risk of another breakdown. As a result, Hasaranga has opted out of fitness tests, leaving him without an NOC and consequently, out of the IPL with Lucknow Super Giants. Head Coach Tom Moody has already indicated that the franchise is scouting for a replacement, a clear sign that the wheels of professional cricket wait for no one.

The immediate loss is financial, a tidy USD 220,000, roughly LKR 70 million. But in the grand scheme, that’s loose change compared to what’s at stake. Not long ago, Royal Challengers Bangalore splashed over USD 1 million on him and he repaid the faith by finishing as their leading wicket-taker in 2022.

Since then, however, his stock has dipped. Not for lack of skill, Hasaranga still has the ability to turn games on their head, but because franchises are increasingly wary of whether he can last the distance over a full season. In franchise cricket, availability is often the best ability and Hasaranga’s repeated breakdowns have raised a few eyebrows.

The message, then, is clear. Hasaranga needs to take a leaf out of Waugh’s book. Step out of the comfort zone. Tighten the screws on fitness. Watch the weight. Treat the body like the temple that houses his talent.

No one is asking him to morph into Virat Kohli, hitting the gym at dawn and steering clear of butter chicken avoiding it like a plague. But at the very least, the basics must be ticked off. At this level, you don’t just play the game, you prepare for it, day in, day out.

There’s also a bigger storm brewing. Missing the IPL without an NOC could open the door to a potential two-year ban, a prospect that would be a bitter pill to swallow for the player.

For Hasaranga, this must be a line-in-the-sand moment. Because in international cricket, as Waugh showed time and again, you either get out of your comfort zone or the game moves on without you.

by Rex Clementine

Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi equalled his own record for the fastest half-century, off 15 balls, in a six-fest on a flat Guwahati deck as Rajasthan Royals walloped Royal Challengers Bengaluru for their fourth straight win.

RCB hit seven sixes through their 20 overs in an innings where they went all out, seemingly mindful of the challenge Sooryavanshi would pose. And pose he did, hitting seven sixes off his own blade, in a scarcely believable exhibition of brutal hitting.

Reputation counted for little. If it was Jasprit Bumrah the other night, it was Josh Hazlewood’s turn to come under Sooryavanshi’s wheel on Friday. By the time he was dismissed for a 26-ball 78, toe-ending a flat-batted hit to long-on off Krunal Pandya, RR’s asking rate in a 202 chase was just over six with 11.5 overs remaining.

Sooryavanshi’s uninhibited hitting was matched by Dhruv Jurel’s scintillating stroke play, the pair effectively snuffed out RCB’s hopes in the powerplay itself as they plundered 97 – the highest of the season. Although RR lost a couple of wickets in a rush thereafter, the result was never really in doubt.

RCB’s defence was given an early lift when the returning Hazlewood struck in the second over to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal. After conceding a couple of sixes off the short ball, Hazlewood responded smartly by going cross-seam and into the pitch to induce the edge. But the delight at having struck early dissipated quickly as Sooryavanshi seized control by rattling off three boundaries and a six in succession in his next over.