Thora feel the grit in one-point thriller
The home side scored from four tries, a conversion, and a penalty to reach their 29 points, while the brave Kingswoodians, who staged a spirited comeback in the second half, replied with four converted tries to finish agonisingly short at 28 points.
S. Thomas’ No.8 Mckyle Karunaratne braces a try following a hard move - Pic by Eshan Fernando
At one stage, the Thomians were cruising with a 19-point lead, but Kingswood showed great character to claw their way back and almost snatch victory in the final minutes, leaving the home fans on the edge of their seats. Kingswood had a perfect start when their No.8 Maduranga Pushpakumara, barged over for a try in just the third minute. Fullback Thilina Bandara added the extra points to give the visitors an early 7-0 lead.
The Thomians had a chance to narrow the gap through a 50-metre penalty kick in the eighth minute, but winger Mayanka Dias failed to find the target. S. Thomas’ responded in the 14th minute when hooker Amaan Imran crashed over near the post. Dias made no mistake this time with the conversion, levelling the scores at 7-7.
The Thomians took the lead in the 29th minute when their dynamic No.8 Mckyle Karunaratne, touched down after a strong move. Dias once again added the conversion to make it 14-7 in favour of the home side.
However, Kingswood was not willing to give up easily. Their flanker Chanidu Adhikari powered his way over the line near the posts in the 33rd minute. After a quick review by the TMO, referee Raveen Alexander confirmed the try. Bandara converted, and the scores were tied 14-all at the break.
S. Thomas’ came out firing in the second half. Within the first two minutes, they scored a converted try to regain the lead at 21-14. They extended their advantage in the 47th minute with a try off a driving maul, though this time the conversion was missed. Still, the home team stretched their lead to 26-14.
Winger Dias then put over a crucial 30-metre penalty in the 54th minute to take the score to 29-14. With a 15-point cushion, it seemed the Thomians were safely on course for victory. But the Kingswoodians showed remarkable grit. They scored a converted try to cut the deficit to 21-29 a few minutes before full time.
Then, in a dramatic move in the 69th minute, Kingswood intercepted a loose pass and dived over near the left corner flag for another try. Amidst the chaos, referee Alexander issued a yellow card for a no-clear release infringement by the Thomians, reducing them to 14. The successful conversion brought the score to 28-29, with the visitors just a point behind.
In the final play of the match, both teams gave their all, but the Thomians managed to hold firm. The referee’s long whistle confirmed a one-point victory for the home team after an intense and thrilling contest.