Royal win Dudley de Silva trophy in Wesley hockey encounter

Wednesday, 10 September 2025 02:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Standing: Hockey Senior Master in Charge Prabath Gallage, Kithmina Ratnayake, Lithum Karunasiri, Geesath Bathisa, Ruvi Perera, Ashvin Wettasinghe, Nehan Wijayanayake, Akash Dashendra, Coach Damith Panditharatne, Vice-Captain Aathif Faleel, Captain Yusuf Shihar, Senul Liyanage, Yasiru Prashan, Wesley College Principal Avanka Fernando, and Royal College Senior Deputy Principal Krishantha Silva Squatting: Ronal Edrimanne, Rumal Jayasinghe, Aaqil Abdullah, Haazim Dhailamy, Pasindu Epa, Savain Karunasiri, Ahmed Fayaz, Sulaiman Shihar, and Stefan Anthonypillai

Royal skipper Yusuf Shihar receives trophy from former Sri Lanka national sticker and Royal old boy Sandun Channa Gajanayake

A hat trick by Lithum Karunasiri helped Royal College, Colombo to beat Wesley College in their annual hockey encounter played for Dudley de Silva trophy held in Reid Avenue school ground recently.

The host Royalists, the runners up in the recently concluded Western Provincial Hockey tournament, were the favourites in this year’s encounter which was played for the first time since 2018. Wesley stickers fought better than expected in the game.

Royal led by Yusuf Shihar, who represented Sri Lankan in Junior Asia Cup in China this year, was dominant in all departments; attack, defence, hitting and stopping, and dribbling since the start though they played a slow, but a controlled game. The Reid Avenue School led by 2-0 at the lemons.

Karunasiri scored two goals in the first quarter while Rumal Jayasinghe scored in the third quarter. Karunasiri scored another goal in the fourth quarter and adjudged best player on the game for his hat trick goals.

Wesley encounter is the first of the four annual big matches Royal play. The other games are against Kingswood College Kandy, Trinity College, Kandy, and their arch rivals S.Thomas College, Mount Lavinia.

In the junior Under-14 category, Royal outclassed Wesley by 8-0.

This trophy is named after Dudley Kenneth George de Silva, the man with an illustrious educationist and proud Royalist, served as the Principal of Royal College Colombo from 1954 to 1966.

During his tenure, he reshaped the school’s sporting and cultural life: introducing rowing, hockey, basketball, rifle shooting, and launching countless societies and clubs that still thrive to this day.

Since the start in 2007, Royal College has been the dominant force, winning the majority of encounters, with decisive victories in 2015, 2017, and 2018.