Royal brings league title to Reid Ave.

Milroy Fernando Trophy comes back after 5 years:

by Jatila KARAWITA

Royal College, Colombo, won the President's Schools League Trophy for 2009, with a game to spare, when they scored a hard-fought 22-3 win over a gallant Isipatana MV XV, in their keenly-contested Major Milroy Fernando Memorial Trophy, rugby match, ended at Royal Sports Complex, yesterday.

The winners who led 5-3 at the 'break', collected their points from a converted try and three tries, to a penalty goal by the visitors, in a contest where no quarter was asked and none given.

Royal, fancied to go on a try-spree, were checked by a dour Isipatana MV side, for large periods of play, but once into their stride midway through the second-half, the unbeaten home side, broke the shackles, to underline their dominance in the arena, in no uncertain terms.

Isipatana MV, did well to make a game of it, with skipper and inside centre Niroshana Fernando standing out, but wrong options more often than not by stand-off Prasad Devinda, put paid to their chances of penetrating the Royal try line.

Isipatana MV, scored first when in the second minute, Devinda arrowed a 35-metre penalty goal, for their sole scoring chance in the game, before Royal hit back as late as in the 24th minute, through a trademark unconverted Hamza Hassen try.

After the restart, Royal dumped three unanswered tries, and were clearly the more superior outfit on the park, with the green shirts giving it their all, despite coming unstuck on the day.

For the lads from Reid Avenue, replacement lock Chilanka Samaraweera (62nd minute), skipper and five eighth Naren Dhason (74th minute) and lock Kalana Amerasinghe (stoppage time), grabbed a try each in the second-half.

Inside centre Mushin Faleel, converted one of those tries, as Royal College, clinched the coveted Schools League title, for the first-time since 2003, when they last emerged champs under former Sri Lanka centre Rajith Jayasundera.

The hosts, also regained the Major Milroy Fernando Memorial Trophy, after a lapse of five years, to cap a wonderful day at the office, as they look for a President's Schools League whitewash, when they clash with St. Joseph's College, next week.