Sports
Wesley score hard fought 34-20 win over Vidyartha at rugby
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Wesley College did well to down a fighting Vidyartha College outfit by 34 points to 20 in a closely contested group B match in Division 1 segment A of the inter-school league rugby tournament played yesterday (July 28) at the Nittawela Stadium.
The winners collected their points through four tries, four conversions and two penalties while the host team collected their points through two tries, two conversions and two penalties.
The second half was fiercely contested with Vidyartha breathing down the backs of Wesley throughout the second 35 minutes of the game. Abdul Haadhi was easily the most outstanding player in the Wesley side and brought victory to his team.
Though the game was hotly contested and spectators expected clean rugby, Wesley gave away three yellow cards and Vidyartha one; all in the second half. Wesley earned a try in the second half through Sanruk Gamage and a conversion and two penalties through the boot of Haadhi. Vidyartha’s solitary penalty came in the second half through the boot of Rushith Thamodya.
On Saturday, the much looked forward to game in group B of division 1 segment A of the tournament between Royal and St. Peter’s was won by the latter with a score of 31 points against 22. The lads from Bambalapitiya ran down five tries out of which three were converted. Royal collected their points through three tries, two conversions and one penalty.
The Royalists were completely outplayed in the first half and trailed 24-3 at half time. They made a comeback in the second half and scored some tries, but most importantly restricted the try- hungry Peterites to a single touchdown during an exciting second half. The match was played at Royal Sports Complex.
The Thomians kept their hopes high of finishing on a high this season with a smashing win over Dharmaraja at Havelock Park. The winners recorded a 46 points to 12 victory. The Thomians have to play against Isipatana in their remaining group A fixture, rescheduled for next week.
Isipatana held on to their unbeaten tag thus far this season with a smashing 38-8 win against St. Anthony’s at the Nittawela Stadium.
In another match played in the seventh week of rugby, St. Joseph’s ran over struggling Kingswood with a convincing 55-5 win at Havelock Park.
The other sides that recorded wins in the seventh week of rugby are Trinity (beat Science 36-0), Zahira (beat Thurstan 28-13) and D.S Senanayake, who beat Sri Sumanagala by 76 points to 10.
Sri Lanka Cricket have strengthened their backroom staff ahead of the World Cup by roping in former India opener Vikram Rathour as Batting Coach, SLC sources told The Island.
The 56-year-old brings a weighty CV to the dressing room, having been part of the Indian coaching set-up that lifted the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2024. Rathour is currently serving as assistant coach of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, but will join the Sri Lankan camp next week.
Rathour is expected to stay on through the six-match white-ball series against England at R. Premadasa Stadium and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, before overseeing the team’s final tune-up for the World Cup. With a proven track record and a reputation for technical clarity, SLC will be hoping he can help the batters find their range before the big dance.
SLC have steadily been bolstering their support staff. Power-hitting coach Julian Wood was hired last year and continues to work with both the men’s and women’s teams from the High Performance Centre.
Former India Fielding Coach R. Sridhar has also had a stint with Sri Lanka overseeing fielding standards and is currently in Dambulla working with the squad involved in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan.
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Adding further firepower to the coaching arsenal, Sri Lanka great Lasith Malinga has been drafted in as fast-bowling coach up to the World Cup.
Sri Lanka have been placed in Group B of the 20-nation tournament alongside Australia, Oman, Zimbabwe and Ireland. The former champions open their campaign on February 8 against Ireland and are expected to progress to the second round, with Australia the only side ranked above them in the group.
An 18-member squad has already been named for the ongoing Pakistan series, with the final 15-man World Cup squad expected to be announced shortly.
The Sri Lankan leg of the tournament will be staged at R. Premadasa Stadium, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, while India will host the bulk of the competition, including the semi-finals and final. However, should Pakistan advance to the knock-out stages, both their semi-final and final will be played in Colombo under the hybrid model.
There has also been speculation that Bangladesh’s World Cup fixtures could be shifted to Colombo amid ongoing political tensions with India.
Under 19 Cricket
St. Benedict’s pulled off an exciting three wickets victory over St. Aloysius’ as Mewan Dissanayake held the batting line up together with an unbeaten half century in the Under 19 Division I tier ‘B’ match at Karandeniya on Wednesday.
Bens beat St. Aloysius’ by three wickets at Karandeniya
Scores
St. Aloysius’ 167 all out in 54.5 overs
(Chanul Sanketh 23, Vinod Danushka 23, Sevitha Dumal 37, Dulsath Nimviru 29; Yohan Edirisinghe 2/18, Vihanga Rathnayake 3/24, Lithika Jayasundara 3/09) and 116 all out in 52.1 overs (Chanul Sanketh 44; Ayesh Gajanayake 3/27, Lithika Jayasundara 2/16, Mewan Dissanayake 3/30)
St. Benedict’s 144 for 5 overnight 167 all out in 45 overs
(Tehan Bitar 30, Vihanga Rathnayake 28, Sithum Hasaranga 36, Lithika Jayasundara 31; Chenul Nethmina 4/42, Hiviru Nimtharana 4/22) and 117 for 7 in 31.3 overs (Mewan Dissanayake 52n.o.; Hiviru Nimtharana 2/09, Oshadha Devinda 3/39)
First innings win for Thurstan at Thurstan ground
Scores
Thurstan 257 all out in 74.4 overs (Akhen de Alwis 25, Yohan Senanayake 34, Rison Jansen 20, Sethru Fernando 57, Rachintha de Silva 29, Udarsha Nimsara 23, Dewmika Hewapathirana 21; Minaga Ariyadasa 5/88, Thenusha Nimsara 2/92, Nethuja Bashitha 2/25) and 121 for 4 decl.in 30.3 overs (Yohan Senanayake 44, Rachintha de Silva 63n.o.)
Richmond 69 for 2 overnight 166 all out in 53.5 overs
(Chalindu Karunaratne 52, Ameesha Rasanjana 25; Yovun Silpa 3/46, Thanuga Palihawadana 4/44) and 68 for 3 in 25 overs (Ameesha Rasanjana 24n.o.; Thanuga Palihawadana 3/39)
Dialog Television announced that it has secured the exclusive media rights in Sri Lanka for all International Cricket Council (ICC) events from 2026 to 2028, alongside a free-to-air broadcast collaboration with TV Supreme.
This landmark agreement positions Dialog Television as the official Pay-TV broadcaster of ICC events in Sri Lanka, covering all major tournaments across Men’s, Women’s and Under-19 formats. The rights include the ICC Cricket World Cups and T20 World Cups for both Men and Women, the ICC World Test Championship Final, and other ICC-sanctioned international events during the 2026–2028 period.
Dialog Television also holds the exclusive OTT and mobile streaming rights for ICC events in Sri Lanka, enabling fans to follow the action across smartphones, tablets, and connected devices. Supported by Dialog’s high-speed mobile network and expanding 5G capabilities, this ensures a smooth, high-quality viewing experience, allowing fans to enjoy ICC matches seamlessly via the Dialog ViU+ app, wherever they choose to watch.
Complementing its Pay-TV coverage, Dialog Television has partnered with TV Supreme as the official free-to-air (FTA) broadcast partner in Sri Lanka, ensuring nationwide access to ICC events. TV Supreme is a fast-growing free-to-air television network with an established presence in cricket broadcasting.
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