Thomians retain Orville Abeynaike Memorial Trophy

19th Royal-Thomian Hockey Encounter

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An excellent display of attacking hockey was witnessed right throughout the game at the 19th Royal-Thomian Hockey encounter for the Orville Abeynaike Memorial Trophy at the Astro Turf, Colombo 7 last Saturday.

The victorious S. Thomas' College hockey team

The late Orville Abeynaike was a distinguished old Thomian who represented college at cricket and hockey. He joined the staff in 1959 and served his alma mater until 1981. He was a sub warden and master-in-charge and coach of cricket and hockey which spanned almost for two decades.
S. Thomas’ College retained the coveted trophy which they won last year after a decade of Royal dominance. The tally in the series stands at nine wins for the Thomians and six for Royal with four drawn encounters.

National schools representatives Devmal Palapathwela and Uchintha Wasudeva led S. Thomas’ and Royal respectively at this big clash.
The game got off in hectic speed as both sides making moves, but neither the Thomians or Royalists failed to convert them into goals. Both sides making desperate attempts to take the lead. Royal looked slightly stronger in the first half. At times they pushed the Thomian defence to guard the goal area with some fast and timely moves.

The first half came to an end with the score standing 0-0.

The second half produced more aggressive hockey as both sides continued their onslaught in finding ways to sound the board. Both sides won many a short and long corners which made the goalkeepers of both teams to do overtime. As the game nearing the end, Royal and S. Thomas’s geared for the final attack.

In the 47th minute of the second half ever reliable Thomian Savindu Wanigasooriya found the target, eventually the winning goal to receive the Orville Abeynaike Trophy as winners of the 19th Royal-Thomian Hockey clash.

Wanigasooriya continued from where he left from the Thomian-Trinity hockey clash and added another goal to his account of goals scored this season.

With this win S. Thomas’s completed the season in style. M. Naushad, I. Akalanka and A.C. Fernando controlled the game.

– Lakshman Ranasinghe;
Pix by Ranjith Perera