Thomas’ College will be vying to stake a fourth consecutive victory over their traditional rivals from Reid Avenue, as the two giants of the Sri Lankan Schools Rowing scene get ready to lock horns in the 46th Annual Royal Thomian Regatta.

The task ahead of the Mount Lavinia crew will certainly not be as easy as their victories over the past couple of years. The crew is not heavy on Royal Thomian experience, with only four coloursmen in their ranks, half as many as their opponents. A dearth of regattas leading up to the main event has meant that there have been limited opportunities to have standout performances, or even to go head to head against their traditional rivals. The Thomians will be the first to admit that by their own lofty standards the trophy cupboard is a bit low on silverware, but ultimately they will be aware that their place in the annals of local rowing history will depend heavily on their performance this Saturday.

Inexperience may be a term that can be applied to the whole crew in general, but it certainly doesn’t apply to their captain Ramith Nanayakkara. A veteran of this event with a staggering six Roy-Thos already under his belt, he will be well aware of the different approach his crewmates need to take for the occasion. Nanayakkara will be taking to the water for both the A Pair and the all important Boat Race which account for a significant portion of the points up for grabs. Perhaps the only oarsman in the crew who’s performance will be more important than the captains is Saliya Gunasekara . In addition to partnering Nanayakkara in the A pair and rowing in the Boat Race, Gunasekara will also feature in the A Scull, and will be involved in the most number of points from the crew.

Based on how the season has gone so far a majority would consider the Thomians to be underdogs going into Saturdays’s races. What also needs to be remebered however is that this was also the case in 2012 where the blue and black boats surged to claim a 38-14 victory much to the shock of their opponents. Ramith Nanayakkara was a member of the Four that won the Boat Race that year, and he, along with his crew, will know that the season’s performance counts for very little when it comes to Royal Thomians.

Thomian Crews for the 42nd Annual Royal Thomian encounter

A Scull   Saliya Gunasekara

B Scull   Deshitha Hennayake

A Pair    Saliya Gunasekara, Ramith Nanayakkara (c)

B Pair     Senal Senevirathne, Suramba Serasinghe

A Double Scull   Arjun Wikramanayake, Chirath Dassanayake

B Double Scull    Kemil Peter, Deshitha Hennayake

C Four   Arjun Wikramanayake, Duvin De Mel, Chirath Dassanayake, Dharaka Peiris,

B Four   Deshitha Hennayake, Zev Pestonjee, Kemil Peter, Amrith Peiris, Wishmitha Peiris

Boat Race Crew    Senal Senevirathne, Suramba Serasinghe, Ramith Nanayakkara, Saliya Gunasekara, Wishmitha Peiris