Sports
Petes ‘kill’ Isipatana’s spirit and lift President’s Trophy with muddy hands
By A Special Sports Correspondent
St. Peter’s College crowned themselves as President’s Trophy schools rugby knockout champions when they beat Isipatana College 25-16 in a well- contested final which was worked off at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Sunday (October 10).
The Peterites had their great as well as questionable moments in the game as they made amends for two yellow cards given away-both in the second half-with a telling performance before emerging the victor. The lads from Bambalapitiya collected their points through three tries, two conversations and two penalties while Isipatana responded with two tries and two penalties. The winners led 19-8 at half time.
The first half looked hopeless for Isipatana as they conceded as many as three tries; Navin Kanishka’s chargers wilting under pressure and being warned by referee Raveen Alexander for indulging in unwanted play.
Peterite centre Sudesh Jayawickreme put his team in the lead with a smashing try by scoring under the posts with the game just seven minutes old. The other two tries for St. Peter’s came through Dulaj Nawodya and Dineth Ranasinghe. Yumeth Shihara kicked right two conversations for St. Peter’s in the first half of the game. Isipatana fought back towards the latter stages of the first half and earned a try through skipper Kanishka. Their maiden points in the final came off a penalty by Rinesh Silva.
Isipatana played better controlled rugby in the second half and defused the Peterite charge somewhat. Kicker and winger Rinesh Silva led the way with a well-taken penalty in the 37th minute and a try off a rolling maul by their forwards 14 minutes later put Isipatana in with a chance. The Green Shirts were hot on the heels of St. Peter’s, who were only slightly ahead with the score reading 22-16 at this stage of the game and a bit concerned because they were down to 14 men with the first yellow card. The Green Shirts had a teasing few moments where their spirits were up due to a promising run by Gamage, but the ball carrier misjudged the try line in his attempt at grounding the ball. The try was disallowed.
The rains ceased at the stroke of the 56th minute of the game and both teams did well to handle the ball in wet and soggy conditions. The Peterites paid for the sins of a yellow card given away by their skipper and third row forward Ashain Madugasge and were reduced to 14 men for the second time in the game. But the Isipatana players failed to capitalize on the player disadvantage on the field faced by St. Peter’s and produce that all important third try they were looking for to stay in contention. However, the Peterites swelled their lead just before the end when Yumeth Shihara booted a penalty and sealed the game for his team. The tournament was conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association and was sponsored by Dialog. The Peterites last won the schools rugby knockouts in 2019.
A St. Peter’s College player tries to power his way ahead in the team’s President’s Trophy schools rugby knockout final against Isipatana which the lads from Bambalapitiya won 25-16 at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Sunday (September 10).
Will India and Pakistan face each other on February 15 in Colombo?
Even as that question hangs heavy like the thick and suffocating Mumbai smog over the T20 World Cup 2026, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team will travel to Colombo whether the match happens or not.
“Our Mindset is pretty clear,” Suryakumar said at the captains’ media briefing on Thursday in Mumbai. “We did not refuse to play them. The refusal came from them (Pakistan). ICC organised the fixture. BCCI and the Indian government decided to play in neutral venue in coordination with ICC. Our flight to Colombo is booked. So we are going. We’ll see what happens later.”
Defending champions India begin their World Cup campaign on the opening day – February 7 – against USA in Mumbai. India start as firm favourites based on their phenomenal domination in the format in this World Cup cycle. Suryakumar’s team provided further evidence of that on Monday evening in Navi Mumbai where they nudged aside South Africa in the warm-up match. Such form has allowed Suryakumar to be more relaxed and light-hearted during media briefings and same was the case on Thursday.
Asked what the mood in the Indian dressing room was around the Pakistan match, Suryakumar said: “The discussion in the team is ekdum (absolutely) clear. First we play the match on February 7, then we will head to Delhi (Namibia on February 12) and then we will travel to Colombo.”
Suryakumar’s is the first formal response from the India side on the topic, and comes a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government had taken a “cons8dered stance” on boycotting the India match and did not want “politics in sport”.
This is the second time in six months Suryakumar has found himself facing questions on how India-Pakistan matches were getting impacted due to the fraught political relations between the two nations, after the Asia Cup controversy last year. The BCCI had instructed the Indian team then to not shake hands with the Pakistan team, at the behest of the Indian government. India then refused to receive the Asia Cup trophy after winning the tournament from ACC president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also declined to hand over the trophy.
Suryakumar said he could not do much about the current situation apart from turning up with his team in Colombo.
“Pakistan’s decision is not in my control,” he said. “I wish I could take that decision. But then it’s their (Pakistan) call. We’ve been told that we have to play on the 15th. We played the Asia Cup, we played three times. We played some good cricket against them. We won. We were happy. And, similarly, if we get an opportunity again in Colombo we will definitely play our game.
“I feel it is not an easy job. I’m sure they must be working out something. But if the boycott has come from the other government or the nation, how can… It is a difficult call for them as well. I know it’ll be a difficult situation. But, as I said, if we are told and the fixtures are ready we will definitely go ahead and play.”
(Cricinfo)
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Delhi Capital’s fourth shot at elusive trophy as Royal Challengers Bengaluru look to make winning a habit
The grand finale of WPL 2026 carries a distinct India-South Africa flavour, much like the World Cup final two months ago. But the epicenter is Vadodara and not Navi Mumbai, the traditional home of Indian women’s cricket. However, that won’t make the occasion any less special.
The marquee names line up symmetrically. Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues on one side; Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh on the other. Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt on one side, Nadine de Klerk on the other.
Threading between these big stars are two high-impact overseas allrounders from West Indies and Australia, each having contributed to their team’s journey to the final in their own way.
Chinelle Henry has been an unheralded star for Delhi Capitals (DC). Her three-for in the Eliminator may have gone unnoticed in the larger scheme of things, but it was as important as Shafali and Lizelle Lee’s opening stand or Rodrigues’ cameo. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Grace Harris has filled an even larger void. In Ellyse Perry’s absence, she has become the powerplay enforcer, dominating attacks and setting up games for the likes of Ghosh and de Klerk to finish.
The prospect of these two sides pitted against each other in the final seemed an unlikely prospect even during the auction. Mumbai Indians appeared the obvious front runners, having retained the core that delivered two titles in three seasons.
RCB, meanwhile, were without Perry, and when they opted to replace her with an uncapped Indian fast bowler in Sayali Satghare, fully aware that Pooja Vastrakar would be unavailable for much of the season, the knives were out. Satghare has since become a key strand in RCB’s seam attack.
Thursday’s final also brings a contrast to their journeys to the final. RCB took the route DC did for three seasons running – winning six out of their eight games to top the group. DC have scraped through a sequence of must-win games and will now play their third knockout in five days.
DC are chasing that elusive fourth attempt at glory to help bring silverware to a franchise that is yet to win a major; RCB is looking at making winning titles a habit, attempting a hat-trick of wins (IPL included).
In each of the three previous finals, the winner of the Eliminator has gone on to win the title. Will Thursday be any different?
RCB are likely to back Vastrakar to play as a specialist batter. While she has begun bowling in the nets, a call has been taken to ease her in, given she has returned to competitive cricket after 15 months. Arundhati Reddy’s lack of form is the only other area of concern that could potentially bring in legspinner Prema Rawat into the equation.
RCB (probable): Smriti Mandhana (capt), Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Arundhati Reddy/Prema Rawat, Lauren Bell
DC are likely to be unchanged. In fact the 13 players they’ve used this season are the fewest resources a team has used across four WPL seasons.
DC (probable): Shafali Verma, Lizelle Lee (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (capt), Marizanne Kapp, Chinelle Henry, Niki Prasad, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Nandani Sharma, N Shree Charani
[Cricinfo]
‘Our flight is booked, we’re going’: Suryakumar on India vs Pakistan
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