Royal College water polo teams across most age groups retained the trophies in the Royal College Union Aquatic Club (RCUAC) Challenge Shield, held recently at the Royal College swimming pool. 

The tournament, organised by the RCUAC, aimed at providing opportunities to uncover young talent in an upcoming sport nationally and to keep pushing boundaries. 

The Under 17 boys’ final, played in a packed stadium, was a close encounter between archrivals S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia and Royal College, which went into overtime. 

The extra time was decided by one goal, making it a thrilling 12-11 goal contest, ultimately claimed by the Royal College Water Polo Team. 

However, Thomians Michael Goonaratne and Dinuk Wickramasighe changed the tide for the Mount boys, who looked a superior outfit in comparison to their efforts last year. 

Thomians have clearly signalled their intentions of putting up a tough game against Royal at the all important Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy later in the year.

In the Under 17 girls’ final between Ladies’ College and Visakha Vidyalaya, the Colombo 7 girls won the game with two goals in the final quarter of the game. The two water polo powerhouses in Sri Lanka put up a heartfelt fight throughout the day, demonstrating plenty of skills.  

Royal College won the trophy in the Under 15 category on a higher goal difference basis, although the game against S. Thomas’ College ended in a 3-3 draw.   

S. Thomas’ College emerged champions in the Under 13 boys’ category after winning all the round-robin matches, including against Royal College, while the Reid Avenue boys won both the Under 11 and Under 9 age categories against Nalanda College. 

Bishop’s College won both the Under 15 and Under 13 games in the girls’ categories against Visakha Vidyalaya and Ladies’ College, respectively. 

Ladies’ College won the Under 11 trophy, with Visakha Vidyalaya emerging as champions in the Under 9 girls’ category. 

The tournament was held for the fourth year and has made significant strides by expanding the number of teams playing the game, which is still being played mostly by Colombo schools due to resource constraints in other schools. 

Water polo in Sri Lanka has seen an improvement in numbers, with this tournament bringing in over 450 athletes representing 34 teams. This year’s tournament partnered with the Rotaract Club of Colombo Uptown (RCCU) to bring awareness to its Spectra project, which supports individuals with Down syndrome and autism.