Royal fight hard to retain RCUAC Challenge Shields in water polo

Royal College water polo teams across most age groups retained the trophies in RCUAC Challenge Shield held at Royal College Swimming pool recently. The tournament organised by the Royal College Union Aquatic Club (RCUAC) aimed at providing opportunity to uncover young talent in an upcoming sport nationally and keep pushing boundaries.   
The under-17 boys’ final, played in a packed stadium, was a close encounter between arch rivals S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia and Royal College which went into overtime.   
The extra time was decided by 1 goal only making it a thrilling 12 to 11 goals contest finally claimed by the Royal College Water polo team.   
However, Thomians Michael Goonaratne and Dinuk Wickramasinghe changed the tide in the the Mount Lavinia boys who looked a superior outfit in comparison to their efforts last year.   
Thomians have clearly signaled their intentions on putting up a tough game with Royal at the all important Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy later in the year.  
In the under 15, Royal won the trophy on higher goal difference basis though the game with the S. Thomas ended in a 3-3 draw.   
S. Thomas emerged champions in the under 13 boys category after winning all the round robin matches including Royal, while the Reid Avenue boys won both under 11 and under 9 age categories against Nalanda College.   
In the under 17 girls’ final between Ladies’ College and Visakha Vidyalaya, the Colombo 7 lasses won the game with the two goals in the final quarter of the game. The two Water polo power houses in Sri Lanka fought from their hearts throughout the day showing plenty of skills.   
Bishop College won both under 15 and under 13 in the girls categories against Visakha Vidyalaya and Ladies College respectively.   
Ladies College won under 11 trophy and Visakha Vidyalaya emerged 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 because of resource constraints in the other schools.   
With an aim of popularising the game to other schools, the RCUAC had been conducting the tournament with the help of generous sponsors.   
Norfolk Foods, Royal College Batch of 2003, John Keells Office Automation, Fonterra, LOLC Finance, Hemas, Jetwing Hotels, George Stewart, Baraka, SLIC, Unilever, Bubbleatte, Red FM, Quadrangle, ThePapare, MURC Live, Royal College Photographic Society, Royal College Doctors’ Association, (RCDA) and Chocolatte supported as the sponsors for the event.   
Sri Lanka water polo has seen an improvement in number with this tournament bringing in 450 plus athletes represented in 34 teams.   
The tournament format is designed to give opportunity to all teams and for the best 2 teams to enter into a final under a full capacity crowd creating that big match feeling for every player, coach, parent and spectator at the venue.  
The under 9 awards were given out by Sri Lankas best, singing celebrity singers Bathiya and Santhush while the under 11 awards were given out by Sri Lanka Swimming Olympians, Matthew and Kyle Abeysinghe.   
This year’s tournament was under a social theme and partnered with the Rotaract Club Colombo Uptown (RCCU) to bring awareness to their project “Spectra” to support Down syndrome and Autism.