Ananda regain Gopallawa Shield after 11 years in one-point thriller
Ananda College staged a nerve-jangling fightback to lift the William Gopallawa Memorial Shield after 11 long years, edging out Vidyartha College by the slimmest of margins — just one point — in a 22-21 thriller at Rajagiriya yesterday. Ananda scored from four tries and a conversion to collect their 22 points, while Vidyartha scored from three converted tries to finish with 21 points.
It was a see-saw battle, full of twists and turns, where momentum swung like a pendulum. In the end, the lads from Maradana held their nerves and crossed the finish line with a wafer-thin daylight margin separating both sides.
Ananda held on their nerves in a thrilling game at Rajagiriya - Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Ananda’s burly prop Bhanuka Dilshan drew first blood in the third minute after a rolling maul. Deneth Chamuditha slotted the easy conversion to give the hosts a flying 7-0 start. The early storm didn’t stop there, as hooker Semal Wimalasooriya crashed over in the eighth minute for an unconverted try, stretching the lead to 12-0.
But Vidyartha were not here to make up the numbers. Their winger Pasindu Rajapaksa dived over in the 15th minute to open the account, narrowing the gap to 12-7. Soon after, skipper and flanker Kenula Wijetunga bulldozed his way through, and with the extras added, Vidyartha snatched the lead 14-12 for the first time in the game. They carried that advantage into lemons.
After the turnaround, Vidyartha turned the screw. Hooker Yashmitha Hiran touched down from a driving maul in the 46th minute, and the conversion made it 21-12. The hill looked steep for the home side. But Ananda, even after reduced to 14 men, refused to throw in the towel. Their forwards kept hammering away, and another maul brought an unconverted try in the 52nd minute, trimming the deficit to 17-21.
The turning point came in the 60th minute when the Ananda backs finally clicked. Spreading the ball wide, they pierced through on the mid-left for another unconverted try. It was enough to tilt the scoreboard 22-21 in favour of the Colombo lads.
The dying minutes were tense, with Vidyartha pressing hard, but Ananda dug deep in defence. When referee Gihan Yatawara blew the final whistle, the stands erupted as Ananda sealed a famous one-point win and reclaimed the William Gopallawa Memorial Shield after 11 years.