Royal takes home the Stubbs after thirty long years
Royal College pugilists came up with a superlative performance to clinch the coveted Stubbs Shield Boxing Championship 2017 with a record tally of four Gold and two each of Silver and Bronze medals. The three-day meet, conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Boxing Association (SLSBA), was held at the Royal- MAS Boxing Arena in Torrington as part of the AllIsland Schools Games 2017 on October 8, 9, and 10.
Royal's grand feat of claiming the Stubbs Shield happens after 30 years and this is the 19th occasion the Reid Avenue School claimed the title in the history of local School Boxing. The last occasion Royal won a Stubbs Shield was in 1987 and coincidentally they regained the title at the competition's 100th installment.
Royal fielded a team of nine talented and craving boxers, who were equally determined to regain the coveted title they have been failing to triumph for the past 29 years. Eight of them reached the semi-final stage and four went on to win their bouts, cementing hopes of regaining the Stubbs Shield after three decades. Two of the total of eight medals came from the Under- 20 while the remaining six were achieved by their Under-18 members.
The most determined out of the lot was Bhathiya Neranjana, Royal's 2016 captain. Bhathiya, a bulky youngster when he was much younger who transformed himself into a brawny fighter, with sheer commitment and determination was paid off with the Most Scientific Boxer award after winning the Gold medal in the Under-20 52-56Kg weight category.
Adding more spice to their deserving win were three more Gold medals. Incumbent skipper M.M.A. Ahamed won the Under-20 49-52Kg weight category as H.V.D. Hettiarachchi and P. Samarasinghe went on to claim golds in the Under-18 52-56Kg and Under-18 69-75Kgs weight categories respectively.
The two Silver medals that Royal won came through M.A.M. Aseen and V. Attygalle, who lost their final bouts in the Under-18 56-60Kg and Under-18 60-64Kg weight categories. R. A. Althaf and M. I. M. Ishan strengthened Royal's Stubbs Shield hopes with two Bronze medals. Althaf was placed third in the Under-18 46-49Kgs weight category while Ishan came in third in the Under-18 49-52Kg weight class.
The outcome of the overall medals tally gave Royal College Colombo the authority take the Stubbs Shield back to Reid Avenue after 30 long years. This brings the focus back on the Royal pugilists, who have been working hard day in and out for years to claim what should have been theirs' long time ago. According to Janaka Wasantha, the Master- in- Charge of Royal Boxing, the team has been performing overwhelmingly from the beginning of 2017.
"We have had three successful outings this season. First at the L.E. Jayaweera Meet, followed by the T.B. Jayah Meet and then the Junior Nationals. The same team had been performing perfectly, according to what we, as administrators, assume were perfect platforms that set the winning tone for the Stubbs Shield. We had weekly camps and residential camps with a set of well qualified coaches guiding the boys right throughout. The end result, as it is evident now, is winning the title after 30 years. What more could we ask from these boys," he quipped.
The long awaited triumph undoubtedly will give most Royalists, in particular old boys who loyally backed the school's boxing and its teams, a sense of pride and joy. On top of that list comes the immense contribution made by Dian Gomes, who was more or less, the undeterred corner-man of Royal Boxing. His long term vision and programmes set for Royal Boxing has began to pay its dividends now. From backing the teams that participated for many years and to the planning out of the Royal- MAS Boxing Arena, a properly structured boxing complex and probably only such owned by a school, Gomes has been a live-wire. Previously to 1987, Royal had won the Stubbs Shield in 1974 and followed their success in 1975 with the Junior National Championship, where Gomes was also a member of that team.
In addition to the assistance of the school authorities, many former Royalists had been immensely supporting their school boxing teams with undying hopes of a top title, which finally made its way after a long lapse. Royal had the privilege and opportunity of going through a fully transparent judging process this year in becoming the Stubbs Shield champs. According to some diehard Royal Boxing supporters, the Reid Avenue School had quite a few opportunities in the earlier years to win the title but were thwarted due to mishaps of tournament officials.
The Royal pugilists continue to train under coach Adbulla Ibunu for their last assignment in 2017, the National Youth Championship to be held in December. Next to Royal, Vidyarathana University College, Horana, another stronghold in School Boxing emerged runners- up with a tally of three Gold and two Silver medals while Dheerananda College, Pilimathalawa, an up and coming unit, was placed overall third with a collection of three Gold medals.