Holders Musaeus eye repeat as vanquished Ladies plot revenge
The 14th Annual LadiesMusaeus Regatta for the Marie Musaeus Higgins Trophy will take place at the Colombo Rowing Club on October 7, commencing 1.00pm.
This Regatta, a much anticipated event in the sporting calendar of both schools, was the brainchild of former Ladies College Principal Nirmalee Wickremasinghe.
Ladies College is aiming for a winning comeback, after having a 5-year winning streak broken last year. The team is detrmined to avenge their 11-41 loss last year to Musaeus. Following a gruelling 10- month training under Coach Sharen Kannangara, Skipper Davina Koch, ably assisted by her deputy Nihara Warawita and Shannon Perera, and the crew are raring to go.
The Ladies crew draws on a range of experience which includes those who have represented the country. Ishara Abbey represented Sri Lanka (SL) at the Asian Rowing Championship in Thailand early September, while Nihara Wa r aw i t a and Ashvini Suabasinghe will represent SL in Singapore at the Asian Junior Rowing Championship.
Davina Koch, along with Warawita, Subasinghe and Abbey further enhanced their experience when they represented the Colombo Rowing Club at the Madras- Colombo Regatta in Chennai. Later, the Ladies College oarswomen beat the Madras Boat Club, which helped them prepare for this mega event.
On the other hand, Musaeus College will take to the water hell bent on repeating last year's triumph. Their Coach Mark Maurice speaking to the Sunday Times said, "With the win last year, the girls are mentally strong and geared to make waves at this Regatta. He is very confidant that this crew, which is a blend of talent and experience, will row their hearts out.
Maurice added that, following months of intense training, the crew is brimming with confidence, though sans the services of 3 experienced rowers due to unavoidable circumstances. He also paid a glowing tribute to the lasses for their dedication and sacrifice in attending practices regularly and their willingness to learn.
The Musaeus crew is rich with experience with Dinali De Silva representing Sri Lanka at the World Junior Championships in Lithuania this year. Skipper Senuri de Silva taking part in the Junior World Rowing Championship in 2016, and Medani De Alwis is to leave for Sinagpore this month to represent the country at the Junior Asian Rowing Championship.