RCGC OUTCLASS NEGC TO WIN BURDETTE TROPHY
The Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) made a clean swept of the trophies on offer against the Nuwara-eliya Golf Club (NEGC), bagging the 118th Burdette Trophy for the 69th time at the RCGC golf course. RCGC also accounted for the Puffin Singles, Foursomes, Masters and the 125th Anniversary Trophy which were on offer where more than 100 golfers from both esteemed clubs with a proud history of well over 100 years teed off.
With this win RCGC increase their lead to 69 with NEGC 32 and 6 of them being Halved.
In the Burdett foursome matches, RCGC’S three-time club champion Sachin De Silva was partnered by twotime and current RCGC club Champion Yannik Kumara, and they recorded an easy win over NEGC’S past president Srinath Rajapaksha and Ravindra Wijeguneratne 7 & 6.
Rusi Captain, a 14-time RCGC club champion, together with former club captain W. A. K. Fernando beat NEGC’S Chamara Abeyrathne and Avinesh Nareshkumar 4 & 3, while RCGC’S past club captain and Burdette Team captain Navin De Silva partnered another past club captain, Avancka Herat, to beat NEGC’S current club captain and Burdett Team captain G. K. Sudath Kumara who paired with Chandana Weerasinghe and secure three of the four available points for RCGC.
The only foursome win for NEGC was by Manjula Chandrasoma who, along with up and coming golfing prodigy Haroon Aslam, beat RCGC’S Afflli Raheem and Husniuwais 2 & 1.
After the haul of three points in the foursome matches, and needing a minimum of 3.5 points to complete overall victory in the Burdette Trophy, the RCGC’S singles team comprising of Sachin De Silva, Yannik Kumara, RCGC’S past club captain’s Ranil Peiris and W. A. K. Fernando, Husni Uwais, Gehan Siribaddena, Rajeeve Rajapaksha and Chandana Gunesekera split the singles matches – enough to bag the trophy.
RCGC’S Sachin De Silva beat Harsha Abeywickrama 3 & 2, Rajeeve Rajapaksha beat NEGC’S Vinod Weerasinghe 2 & 1, Husni Uwaise beat NEGC’S Chamara Abeyratne 4 & 3 and Ranil Peiris beat NEGC’S Manjula Chandrasoma 2 & 1 comfortably, securing 4 points for an overall 7 & 5 victory of the 12 matches played.
NEGC’S Reshan Algama in his first Burdette Trophy at a tender age of 13 years played some fantastic golf shocking the spectators by beating RCGC’S current club champion and upcoming golfing star Yannik Kumara 3 & 2, whilst NEGC’S Shamal Perera beat RCGC’S W. A. K. Fernando 5 & 4. Haroon Aslam beat RCGC’S Gehan Siribaddena
3 & 2 and NEGC’S club captain and Burdette team captain G. K. Sudath Kumara overcame RCGC’S Chandana Gunesekera
3 & 1, to record four wins for the Nuwara Eliya club.
In the ladies Puffin Cup foursomes, the RCGC’S golfers Fran De Mel and Shamara Wettimuny beat NEGC’S Manori Jayakody and Niloo Fernando 3 & 2, while Vivian Fowler Watt partnered Yun Jeong Choi to beat NEGC’S Usha De Silva and Kaya Daluwatte 5 & 4. RCGC’S Anashya Weerakody partnering Sumithra Ukwatte beat Sumudu Desinghe and Janaki Sugathapala 3 & 2 to comfortably secure the first three points.
The only Puffin Cup foursome win for NEGC was through Dhevinka Kanagisvaran partnering Ruani Desinghe who went on to beat RCGC’S M. C. Sellayah and Anusha Senadira 4 & 3 to secure one point for NEGC.
The four ladies Puffin Cup singles matches were the final chance for the NEGC golfers to pull off a victory, with RCGC requiring a minimum of 1.5 points. However, with wins for Yun Jeong Choi over NEGC’S Arika Wickramasinha 2 & 1, D. Senadira against NEGC’S Roshini Sangani 3 & 1, and RCGC’S lady club captain and Puffin Cup team captain Anouk Chitty beating NEGC’S Dhevinka Kanagisvaran 2 up, the Puffin Cup was secured by RCGC with a strong 6 matches to 2 matches margin.
NEGC’S Kaya Daluwatte managed to secure the only point for her club by beating RCGC’S Sayeon Park 5 & 4.
RCGC also won the other two tournaments, the 125th Anniversary Tournament captained by the current RCGC’S club captain Jehaan Ismail 8 & 7, the Masters Cup captained by Saliya Senanayake 3 & 1.