Can Royal make it five in a row?
Defending champions Royal College have the edge over their arch-rivals S. Thomas' College when they battle it in the 50th Annual Regatta at the Beira Lake on this Saturday (26).
The course covers a 1 mile stretch on the Beira Lake, and a total of 52 points is at stake. The event commences with the Senior Single Sculls which offers 6 points to the winners and followed by the Junior Sculls carrying 2 points. Then, the Senior Pair event for the Freddie Ruax Trophy and the Junior Pair event for the Chula Samarasinghe Challenge Trophy carrying 8 and 4 points respectively will follow.
The focus then turns to the Senior Double Sculls for the SrisenaSirimanne Trophy which will reward the winners with 8 points with the Junior Double Sculls for the Phillps- Moheed Trophy offering 4 points.
Thereafter, the Junior Coxed Fours of 8 points is rowed for Eraj Wijesinghe Trophy as supporters of both schools await the all-important Boat Race carrying 12 points which gets underway for the Boat Race Trophy.
In addition there are 3 exhibition races including the under 16 race, the Junior C fours and the Old boys four event, which do not carry any points.
The fired-up Royal oarsmen dominated the Diyawanna Nationals, winning the Under-18 2x with excellent showmanship from Gavik Kuruppu and Maliq Hassen. In the Under-16 category, Venuk Rajapakse and Viruna Cooray recorded an easy win while and Under-14 2x rowers -- Thaviru Hettiarachichi and Sarith Abeysirigunawardena became runners-up. Yumin Perera clinched the third place of Schoolboy Sculler.
In the Navy Cup held in April 6 to 7, Royal won the Schoolboy Fours. Their crew comprised of Sajaad Ajmal ( bow), Gavik Kuruppu ( 2), Deelaka Mahale ( 3) and Chaniru Hewamanna ( Cox). The Reid Avenue rowers – Jehan Hapugalle (bow), Yumin Perera (2), Maliq Hassen ( 3), Vimodha Abeywardena ( cox) also secured the second place at the same competition.
Royalists won triple triumphs at the Closing Regatta. They claimed the Herman Sirimanne Trophy after the first place by Gamidu Tennakoon and also the Colvin Sirimanne Trophy by Maliq Hassen (bow) and Jehan Hapugalle (S), who secured the first place as well. V.A. Julius first place won by Sajaad Ajmal (B) and Mayukha Gamage (S).
Royal crew excelled at the recently concluded Ranfer Sprints becoming the winners in Scull-Gamindu Tennakoon, Pairs – Deelaka Mahale ( B), Gavik Kuruppu ( S), Fours – Jehan Hapugalle (B), Maliq Hassen ( 2), Sajaad Ajmal ( 3), Mayukha Gamage (S), Chaniru Hewamanna (Cox).
The same lineup also took the South West Monsoon Regatta with a Centenary Four win.
Meanwhile, S Thomas’ performances at the Diyawanna Junior Nationals too were remarkable. Their Under- 18 - - Ashika Rathnaweera was victorious and Shanara Senaratne ( B), Niran Warawita (S) clinched the Under-18 Pairs. Abhishek Nanayakkara and Avinash Rajaguru secured the third place in the Under-18 Double Scull. Their Under- 18 Fours crew of Shanara Seneratne ( B), Niran Wa r aw i t a (2), Abhishek Nanayakkara (3), Avinash Rajaguru ( 3), Aritha Raddalgoda ( Cox) clinched the first place.
At the Schoolboy Sculler, Ashika Ratnaweera became the runner-up. The Thomians were winners of the Scull by Ashika Ratnaweera and Fours by Dharaka Peiris (B), Niran Warawita ( 2), Shanara Senaratne ( 3), Abhishek Nanayakkara ( S), Ashan Walpola (Cox) at the 'Head of the Beira' regatta.
The Gordon Armstrong Scull winner was Ashika Ratnaweera at the Opening Regatta. At the Southwest Monsoon Regatta, the Wardrop Scull was won by Ashika Ratnaweera, the 'RCYC' Pairs was taken by Shanara Ratnaweera (B) and Niran Warawita (S). Also the pair of Dharaka Peiris ( B) and Ashika Ratnaweera (S) cruised to win the Subbs Pair.
The Royal- Thomian regatta makes its mark in the history books as the oldest regatta in the schools’ community, the second oldest regatta in the island, and the longest standing rowing competition in Sri Lanka.
Royal was the first school in Sri Lanka to initiate its own rowing programme in 1953. Rowing at S. Thomas’ commenced in 1961. It was inaugurated as a single ‘Boat Race’ in 1962 for the coveted ‘Crossed Oars Trophy’, then quickly evolved into the Royal-Thomian Regatta by 1966, as both teams battled out for the prestigious T. Noel Fernando Memorial Trophy.
The evolution of the event continued, as the ‘Boat Race’ transformed into a regatta format with a line-up of six events namely Coxed Fours, Coxed Pairs (rowed coxless in the present day), and Single Sculls in two senior and junior categories.
As at 2009, the event composition was changed yet again to accommodate eight events, with the introduction of the Double Sculls, both in junior and senior categories. During the past 49 editions, the School by the Sea lead the tally winning 23 regattas, while Royal has won it 21 times. Five events ended with spirited ties.
The Regatta is the third oldest sporting encounter between the traditional schools of the country, Royal and S. Thomas', after the Battle of the Blues annual cricket encounter, the oldest school cricket Big Match and the annual rugby encounter.
The milestone 50th Roy- Tho Regatta will be powered by UTS Insearch Sri Lanka, Ceyline Group, John Keells Properties and CIMA Sri Lanka, all of who have generously pledged their support to ensure this a remarkable event.