Ananda stun Science in close battle
Ananda College secured a hard-fought 32-26 victory over Science College, their first win since being admitted to the top flight after 17 years in their Dialog School Rugby League 2025 Week 2 game under difficult conditions at the Ananda College ground in Rajagiriya yesterday.
Having opened the scoring with a penalty through Dineth Chamuditha in the sixth minute of play, Ananda led the first half with a five-point advantage at 17-12. However, Science fought back brilliantly in the second half to take control of the match before an unforced error helped the home side cross for their fourth crucial try to break the hearts of the Science players.
Conditions were appaling, yet Ananda prevailed - Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The heavy downpour just before kick-off naturally contributed to numerous handling errors by both teams due to muddy and underfoot conditions, but both sides fought tooth and nail to push for victory.
Although Ananda had the early lead in the sixth minute, Science responded well with a 12th-minute try through Tharusha Gallage which went unconverted, with the attempt going wide of the posts. Ananda struck back, scoring their first try in the 18th minute and with Chamuditha adding the conversion, they wrested control of the match with a scoreline of 10-5. They extended their lead in the 34th minute and with Chamuditha making no mistake with the conversion, Ananda led 17-5 before the visitors crossed for a try in the dying moments of the first half to reduce the deficit to just five points.
Four minutes into the second half, Science responded with a try through Tharusha Gallage and with Diluwan Perera adding the conversion, they took the lead 19-17. But Dineth Chamuditha slotted over a penalty in the 43rd minute to lead 20-19. Three minutes later, captain Diluwan Perera scored their fourth try and converted it to make it 26-20 in favour of Science. With a 62nd-minute unconverted try, Ananda reduced the deficit to just one point before clinching victory by six points through a last-minute try.