Orville Abeyanaike Trophy finds shelter at Mt. Lavinia after 2006
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The victorious Thomian stickers
The Astro Turf Hockey ground surroundings took a carnival atmosphere when Royalists and Thomians, young and old, locked horns in their annual hockey encounters last weekend.
Played in three categories, the Under 15, Under 19 and Old Boys the game was played in their traditional Blue Black and Blue and Blue and Gold traditions.
The curtain raiser match of the day was the Under 15 clash where young and budding Royal and Thomian stickers stepped on to the turf to show their prowess. Played in the true spirit of sportsmanship signalling the future of Hockey in the two schools is on the right track.
From the start it looked to be a closely battled encounter, feeding the ball to the extremes to have a go. Early in the first half on the 7th minute Royalist Hejitha Almeida intercepting a pass on the top of the Thomian ‘D’ area scored the first goal of the match to put Royal in the lead 1-0 at the end of the first half. Young Thomians made several attempts to break through but lady luck was not with them. Came the 31st minute of the game and Royal’s Siyath Rajakarunarathne sounded the board with a neat drive giving no chance to the Thomian custodian thus putting the Reid Avenue school in the driving seat.
The final whistle was blown with leading 2-0 to be the winners of the 18th encounter.
The much awaited clash for the prestigious 18th Orville Abeyanaike Trophy between the Under 19s took off on a speedy note with both forwards playing a fine run and pass game. Thomians went ahead in the 19th minute when Right extreme No. 2 Dion Dias scored to put Thomians in the lead ending the first half 1-0.
In the second and third minutes of the second half Thomian Ashwin Ellepola scored two goals in succession to put the school by the sea on the top. S. Thomas’s leading 3-0. Royalists who adopted a changed play plan was reward in the final stages of the game when Sachithra Malshan found the net to score the only goal for Royal.
The final whistle was blown with S. Thomas’s leading 3 goals to 1 to break a decade old hoodoo to give the Orville Abeyanaike Trophy a new shelter at Mount Lavinia. Thomians last won the trophy in 2006.
Leading from the front to guide his team to a well deserved victory was the Thomian skipper Thilina Dela who was adjudged the Man of the Match and was presented the coveted L.A.N. Wickremasinghe Trophy.
In the Old Boys clash Nihal Nilaweera Trophy was won by Royal with a 2-0 win.
– Lakshman Ranasinghe
ix by Ranjith Perera
