Royal College claim 19th Royal-Thomian Tennis Encounter

Wednesday, 3 September 2025 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Royal College, Colombo, triumphed over S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, with a decisive 3-1 victory in the 19th Royal-Thomian Tennis Encounter, reclaiming the coveted E.F.C. Pereira Challenge Trophy on Saturday.

The highly anticipated match was held under lights for the first time at the P. Nagendran Tennis Complex, marking a significant return to Royal College’s home courts.

Adding a profound dimension to this year’s event was a special message from Sukumar Nagendran of the East Coast Foundation, the visionary donor of the state-of-the-art P. Nagendran Tennis Complex. His message, read by Amaranath Fernando of the Royal College Union Tennis Club, articulated an inspiring ambition: to see a Royalist win a Grand Slam, a goal underpinned by Nagendran’s commitment to building United States Tennis Association (USTA)-standard courts. This long-term vision for tennis excellence underscored the significance of the encounter and the facilities that hosted it.

Royal College secured the main Under-20 age group event with a series of impressive wins. The first singles match saw Ashmal Bilal of Royal College defeat Chanakya Perera of S. Thomas’ 9-4. This was followed by a dominant performance from Royal’s first doubles pair, Chenul Wickramasinghe and Kavish Maddumage, who overcame Abdul Baasith Cader and Zaydaan Akbar with a 9-4 victory. Aahil Kaleel then fought hard and clinched a crucial victory for S. Thomas’, battling to a thrilling 9-6 win against Bhishman Balaratnarajah, overcoming a late surge after initially leading 8-2. The second doubles match provided the evening’s most dramatic finish. The Thomian duo of Meneshka Ratnasingham and Andrew Kaavinda Wijemanne held a lead for much of the match, but Royal’s Jamal Sabry and Naqeeb Hussain demonstrated incredible resolve, winning 9-8 in a tie-break to complete Royal’s 3-1 triumph.

In the junior events, the Under-13 tie went to the Thomians with a decisive 4-0 victory, while Royal College secured the honours with a 3-0 victory in the Under-15 category.

Royal College Captain Methvan Wijemanne extended his sincere appreciation to the principal sponsors, Cargills and Lyceum Campus and Lyceum Placements, acknowledging their invaluable support in elevating the event to such a high standard. Royal College Union Lawn Tennis Club Chairman Somanath Fernando reiterated this gratitude, expressing honour in hosting the annual “Battle of the Blues” tennis encounter and thanking the sponsors for their vital contribution to the sport.

The event was graced by Dyan Peries, who captained the Royal College tennis team in 1965, serving as Chief Guest and distributing awards to the Under-19 teams. Former tennis legends Arjun Fernando and Aruna Seneviratne presented prizes to the Under-15 and Under-13 categories, respectively, adding to the rich tradition of excellence celebrated at the encounter.

With a blend of national-level talent, fierce school pride, and the inspiring vision of a Grand Slam future, the 2025 Royal-Thomian Tennis Encounter has undoubtedly added another thrilling chapter to one of Sri Lanka’s most cherished school rivalries.