Kingswood return to winning form after drubbing Dharmaraja
Kingswood College held their nerve in a tight contest to defeat hometown rivals Dharmaraja College by 27-17 in their final first round clash of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025 at Nittawela yesterday. At halftime, Kingswood led by a narrow margin of 12-10 in a thrilling battle between two proud rugby-playing schools. Kingswood scored from four tries, two conversions and a penalty, while Dharmaraja responded well with three tries and a conversion.
It was Dharmaraja who drew first blood in the eighth minute when flanker Thivanka Jayasundera powered his way over from the back of a maul for an unconverted try, giving the Rajans a 5-0 early lead.
Action at Nittawela - Pic by Shane Seneviratne
Kingswood hit back immediately through their vice-captain Dulisha Rasanjan, who dived over for an unconverted try in the 11th minute, levelling the scores at 5-all.
Rajan scrumhalf Pavan Manodya broke through for their second try in the 19th minute, although flyhalf Damsith Ratnayake missed the conversion, and they went ahead 10-5. As halftime approached, Kingswood launched wave after wave of attacks. Their centre Ashik Azmi found space through a lovely straightening line to score under the posts. Fullback Rivin Bowdeen added the conversion, and Kingswood finally edged ahead 12-10 at the break.
After the resumption, Kingswood tightened their grip on the match. No.8 Maduranga Pushpakumara crashed over for a well-worked try in the 42nd minute, and with Bowdeen’s successful conversion, Kingswood stretched their lead to 19-10.
Six minutes later, flanker Senura Premaratne secured the bonus-point fourth try after a smart inside pass from Bowdeen. Bowdeen made no mistake with the conversion, and Kingswood surged ahead 24-10 in the 48th minute. The Rajans mounted a late challenge when centre Vidun Saparamadu dived under the posts in the 56th minute. Fullback Damsith Ratnayake converted to cut the deficit to 17-24, giving Rajans a lifeline.
However, Kingswood sealed the game when Bowdeen fired over a penalty in the 63rd minute, extending their lead to 27-17. Despite both teams trying hard in the closing stages, there were no further points as Kingswood held on for a well-deserved victory.