Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Friday, 9 June 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Milo Inter-School Knockout Rugby tournaments are set to begin today with several leading schools set to take part in the first round of quarterfinal action.
The main event is the Presidential Knockout Trophy, which will be contested among Dharmaraja College, Wesley College, St. Joseph’s College, Trinity College Kandy, St. Peter’s College, Isipathana College and St. Anthony’s College Kandy. Recently crowned league champions Royal College were due to take part but pulled out of the event citing injury concerns, which saw Dharmaraja get a walkover into the semifinals.
The 13th Milo Presidential Knockout trophy will kick off tomorrow at the Sugathadasa Stadium when Wesley take on St. Joseph’s at 4.15 p.m, while the Premier Trophy and Chairman’s Trophy will kick off at 2.00 p.m. and 10.00 a.m. respectively. The final of the President’s Trophy will be on 24 June.
The knockout tournament consisted initially of just the President’s Trophy but was expanded in 2004 to add the Premier Trophy so as to give teams that have been unlucky not to be included in the President’s Trophy a chance to play. In 2008 the Chairman’s Trophy was also included to give lesser known schools a chance of competing in the same competition. In 2009 there was a name change and the tournament became the Milo Knockout Tournament.
In a press release the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) expressed its gratitude at being associated with Nestle Sri Lanka which, under their brand name MILO, has been the title sponsors of both the Division I and Division Il age group tournaments since 1993.
The groundbreaking year however was 1995 when for the first time in the history of school rugby in Sri Lanka - in order for the development of the game and also to make it more popular among the masses – rugby was taken outstation and two tournaments were held in Kandy, Badulla and Kurunegala. Furthermore, currently one of the most popular tournaments among schools, the President’s Trophy, was also inaugurated.
The release paid further homage to Milo who will be celebrating their 25th year sponsoring School’s Rugby, adding: “Milo has been magnanimous to the sporting fraternity of Sri Lanka in sponsoring more than ten sports and rugby is lucky to be one of them. This partnership between Milo and SLSRFA has been getting stronger by the year and the 24th year of sponsoring will be celebrated in 2017. There is no doubt that it will last forever more.”
By Shamseer Jaleel
Wesley College, led by Avantha Lee, will go in as the favourites to beat St. Joseph’s College in the first quarterfinal of the President’s Trophy knockout rugby encounter which will be played at the Sugathadasa Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled for 4.00 p.m. today.
With Royal College pulling out of the tournament, Dharmaraja College will walk into the semifinals against the winners of today’s game.
Wesley won the league encounter against St. Joseph’s this year and will be hoping to take advantage of this morale-boosting win to book a semifinal berth against the Rajans. Lee is taking charge of the side after regular skipper Denister Goonathilake was ruled out due to injury. The Lee brothers and Aponso will have to play a major part if the Wesley outfit is to make it into the semifinals.
The Josephians will depend heavily on Sachith Silva, Gemunu Cheethiya and Chathura Seneviratne to take them through in this vital encounter. The game will be refereed by Irshard Cader.
By Shamseer Jaleel
Trinity College and St. Peter’s College will play their quarter final encounter on 10 June at the Sugathadasa Stadium. This match which was scheduled for 11 June was brought forward by one day since these two Christian organisations do not play on Sundays.
Trinity will field their next year’s (2018) outfit to give more exposure to the players.
Defending champions Isipathana College are the firm favourites to win the Milo Knockout Tournament this year.
Singer League champions 2017 Royal College decided to pull out from the Milo President’s Trophy Knockout Tournament which will kick off from 9 June at Sugathadasa Stadium.
The main reason for withdrawal by the Reid Avenue school is due to injuries sustained by their Under 20 players. Skipper Ovin Askey, Maleesha Madumemewan, Janidu Dilshan, Lennox Calyanaratne, Mubeen Faleel, Ahan Fernando, Thulaib Hassen and Ashel Rodrigo are all nursing with injuries.
After Royal pulled out, five teams from the Cup segment, league runner-up Isipathana, Trinity, Wesley, St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s, will compete on a knock-out basis with the top two teams from the bottom tier, plate champions St. Anthony’s and runners-up Dharmaraja also being included.
Royal was expected to open the tournament with league plate runners-up Dharmaraja College on 9 June, but now Dharmaraja will receive a walkover. (SJ)
9 June: Wesley vs St Joseph’s Sugathadasa Stadium
10 June: Trinity vs St. Peter’s Sugathadasa Stadium
11 June: Isipathana vs St. Anthony’s Sugathadasa Stadium
Semi-finals 17 and 18 June:
Race Course grounds
Final 24 June: Race course grounds
D.S. Senanayake College will lock horns with their traditional rivals Mahanama College in their 11th encounter which will take place at Havelock Park under the lights today.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6.30 p.m. This encounter is called the ‘Battle of the Golds’ with D.S. holding the edge over their rivals. D.S. are leading the series with seven wins to their opponents’ three.(SJ)
