Thomians in hard fought 23-12 win over Thurstan

By Ranjan Anandappa

RUGBY - In a match that swung like a pendulum S. S. Thomas' pulled off a hard fought 23 points ( 1 goal, 2 tries and 2 penalties) to 12 ( 1 goal, 1 try) win over Thurstan in their school rugger match played at Police Park yesterday.

The winners led 20-5 at the breather.

Both sides were equally bad in ball handling and the Thurstanites twice gifted tries when the Thomian play maker Manjith Thammanagama after picking the ball crashed through to score and taking the conversion himself failed add the extra points.

The Thomians opended scoring in the fifth minute through a Thammanagama penalty and extended their lead with Thammanagama scoring. Thurstan reduced the lead in the 15th minute when skipper and number 8 Sasanaka Ariyaratne broke of from a maul and scored an unconverted try. The Thomians struck twice thereafter when Heshan Gunaratne took advantage of a Thurstan defence lapse and planted a try under the post.

Then a Thurstan lapse once again gave the Thomians an easy try when Asela de Livera Tennekoon picked up a loose ball and scored and Thammanagama made no mistake with the kick.

The second half was keenly contested and Thurstan did well to restrict the Thomians in scoring only a penalty while hooker Sachita Dananjaya scored of a three quarter move.

A. C. Tennekoon refereed.