Royal beat Kingswood ending six-year wait

The jubilant Royal College hockey team with old Royalist Vasantha de Silva (far left), son of the late Lennie de Silva 

By Susil Premalal

Royal College produced a superb all-round performance to beat Kingswood College 3–0 and reclaim the prestigious Lennie de Silva Trophy after a six-year wait, in their annual hockey encounter played at the Peradeniya University Ground last Sunday.

Royal skipper and left-half Yusuf Shihar gave his side an early lead with a brilliant reverse-stick strike in the 12th minute, penetrating Kingswood’s defence and igniting the Reid Avenue supporters. 

The Kandy school responded strongly, earning multiple penalty corners, but Royal’s solid defence, led by vice-captain Aathif Faleel and Ruvi Perera, kept them at bay to maintain a 1–0 lead at half-time.

The second half saw a fierce battle with Kingswood stepping up their attack, but Royal kept their composure and struck decisively in the final quarter. Centre-forward Kithmina Ratnayake netted two goals in quick succession — one from open play and another from a penalty corner — to seal a commanding 3–0 victory and secure the trophy for the first time since 2019.

The triumph marked Royal’s second trophy success of the season, following their Dudley de Silva Trophy win over Wesley College earlier this year. The team, coached by veteran Sri Lankan and former Air Force player Damith Panditharatne since 2023, will next face arch-rivals S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia on September 20 for the Orville Abeynayake Memorial Trophy, followed by a clash against Trinity College on September 28 for the J.C.A. Corea Memorial Trophy. Both matches will be hosted at the Colombo International Astro Turf.

Royal, led by Yusuf Shihar — who represented Sri Lanka in the Junior Asia Cup in China earlier this year — also finished as runners-up in the Western Province Hockey Tournament, further underlining their resurgence.
In the junior categories, Royal Under-16 defeated Kingswood 3–2 to lift the Kathab Roshan Memorial Trophy while the Under-12 side edged out the Kandy school 1–0 in the exhibition game.

The Lennie de Silva Trophy carries special significance as it honours Lennie de Silva, a distinguished Old Boy of Kingswood College, who introduced hockey to Royal College in 1955, laying the foundation for their celebrated hockey tradition.