Could the wounded Thoras settle score
Less than a week remains before the waters of the Beira Lake burst to life in a heady explosion of long-held tradition and fierce competition. Less than a week until its banks will run black, blue and gold, as the oldest and grandest school regatta, the Royal Thomian, sets itself to serve up yet another no-holds-barred battle between two longstanding rivals.
For this year’s group of Thomian rowers the encounter will represent just one thing: an opportunity for revenge. Last year, at the 38th annual regatta, the Royalists succeeded in effortlessly swatting S. Thomas’ into submission, taking the Boat Race in a record time of 2:55 minutes and annihilating their opponents in the day’s other events to comfortably emerge overall winners.
S. Thomas’ College’s skipper this year, Sajin de Livera probably felt that humiliation acutely as he was an essential part of that team. However, he says that this year the team is more motivated than any other team he has ever been a part of.
“I am very confident in the team’s chances of winning the regatta this year. The entire team is so determined; I have never seen a team as determined in my entire time rowing for college,” Sajin expresses.
He adds that although preparation for the competition did start a bit late, its pace and intensity has picked up by several notches of late, and they are sure to be primed and ready for the big day.
Their counterparts from Reid Avenue will be shouldering an equal amount of pressure as well going into this Royal-Thomian. Royal captain Sahan Warnasuriya and his crew will have to row in the substantial wake of their predecessors, who scorched the waters to win all but one race.
Nevertheless, Sahan is ready for the challenge and says that team training is progressing according to plan. “It is a privilege to lead this team; they are really a very committed bunch of oarsmen. Just taking part in an event like this and representing my school is a privilege and a great honour,” he exerts.
Indeed the regatta boasts of a very rich history and is constantly a well-attended and closely-followed event on the school rowing calendar. Beginning in 1962 as a Boat Race, the trophy for which was clinched by a Royal crew led by L.A.W Sirisena, the competition swelled into a regatta in 1966 with six events before eventually settling into its eight event format. Last year’s regatta will forever remain etched in the competition’s annals, as it set a long line-up of new records such those in the Boat Race, ‘B’ Four, ‘A’ Scull, and ‘B’ Scull events.
Similar to the regatta, both schools too possess an equally storied rowing tradition. Royal College can pride itself with being the pioneer of school rowing, after being the first school to adopt the sport in 1953. S. Thomas’, which took up the sport only a few years later, for its part has produced a factory line of renowned and proficient oarsmen, who have contributed immensely towards the growth of the sport in the country.
All these facts considered, the stage is set for a truly riveting clash between two old enemies. Whatever the outcome, one truth will resonate clearly across the waters of the Beira: both sets of boys will do their utmost to row away with the coveted T.N Fernando Memorial and Royal Thomian Boat Race trophies.
S. Thomas’ College squad - Sajin De Livera. Captain Seat: Stroke cum Sculler Akshan Wickramanayake. Seat: Bow. Shakeel Latiff. Seat: Bow. Ramith Nanayakkara. Seat: Bow and Sculler. Ming – Hua – Chang. Seat: Stroke and Sculler. Kemil Peter. Seat: Cox. Sandesh Bartlett. Seat: Stroke and Sculler. Anuradha Nadaraja: Seat. Bow. Chanuka De Alwis. Seat: Cox. Amrith Peiris. Seat: Cox. Mushahid Mushif. Seat: Stroke. Cheryth Abeywardena. Seat: Bow. Sachin Munasinghe. Seat: Strike and Bow. Humais Hanzar. Seat: Bow. Dhakshika Hennayake. Seat: Stroke and Sculler. Najman Cassim. Seat: Stroke. Jason De Jonk. Seat: Bow and Sculler.
Royal College squad -Sahan Warnasuriya. Captain. Seat: Bow Sanjiva Jayasuriya. Vice captain. Seat: Stroke. Ishan Perera. Seat: Stroke. Dhanushka Perera. Seat: Cox. Arith Cooray. Seat: Bow Dulaj Rajaguru. Seat: Stroke. Lahiru Herath. Seat: Stroke. Keshan Ranasinghe. Seat: Bow. Shavindra De Costa. Seat: Bow. Aman Sideek. Seat: Sculler. Amrith Fernando. Seat: Stroke. Druwinke Peiris. Seat: Bow. Bhanuka Kinrinde. Seat: Stroke. Kavin Rajapakse. Seat: Cox. Azlan Sourjah. Seat: Cox. Uvin Siriwardena. Seat: Stroke. Pramod Rajaguru. Seat: Bow. Farhan Jaymen. Seat: Stroke. Senal Siriwardena. Seat: Bow. Amir Sideek. Seat: Bow. Hashan Hettigoda. Seat: Bow.
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