The 30th Dr. R. L. Hayman Water Polo encounter concluded last evening by filling both Royal and Thora stands with excitement and tension at the same time, acquiring a thrilling win for S. Thomas’ College in the 2nd leg of the encounter whilst both schools became joint champions with an equal aggregate score of 21.
S. Thomas’ College showed a strong comeback relative to their performances in the 1st leg and ruled the pool, scoring 11 goals against the Royalists. As last year’s champions, they managed to retain their honor and the trophy at the school by the sea.
>>Photos – Royal College vs S. Thomas’ College – 30th Dr. R. L Hayman Trophy – 2nd Leg<<
Same as last week, Thomians started the game by winning the 1st swim ball and scored the opening goal with a thunderous shot by Migara Gurusinghe. Climbing the ladder to change the fate of Royal win, Thomian skipper Yumal Bollegala scored the 2nd goal with 3 minutes into the game.
Dimeetri Liyanage scored the 1st goal for Blue and Gold just 30 seconds after the 2nd goal of his opponents. Centre forward Aiden Thissera made it 3 for his team by adequately executing the duties of his position. Keeping the Royal crowd entertained, Royal skipper Randa Ranathunga scored the 2nd goal for his school. Gurusinghe made it 4 for STC, striking again with a shot over the Royal goalie’s head to the back of the net. Keeping the momentum, Thomian skipper Bollegela scored the 5th goal for his team with a bounce shot.
- Photos – Royal College U19 Water Polo Team | 30th Dr. R.L Hayman Trophy
- Royal out to regain Dr. R.L Hayman Trophy; S. Thomas’ start as favourites
- Photos – S. Thomas’ College U19 Water Polo Team | 30th Dr. R.L Hayman Trophy
- Royal is a step closer to the 30th Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy
Similar to the 1st leg, the scores of the 1st quarter remained unchanged, with 2 for Royal and 5 for S.Thomas’. The Royal team was ahead in the encounter by 2 goals in the aggregate score.
Though the 2nd swim ball of the game was won by the Royal side, Sreshta Anthonisz scored the 1st goal of the 2nd quarter for Thora making it only 1 goal difference in the aggregate score. Talib Mansoor matched the aggregate score to be 17. Bringing hope to the Blue and Black stand, it was Gurusinghe again scoring the 8th goal for STC and making them lead the aggregate score by 1 goal. As a response, Yasandu De Silva scored again for Royal and managed to tally the aggregate score as 18 all by the half time.
>>Fan Photos – Royal College vs S. Thomas’ College | 30th Dr. R. L Hayman Trophy – 2nd Leg<<
Yet again, the swim ball of the 2nd half was grabbed by the Royalists and with top-quality defensive play by both sides, the 3rd quarter was unyielding, and both teams could only score 1 goal each. The aggregate score was tallying again as 19 all. Mihin Wanigasekara scored the 1st goal in the quarter for Royal, making it 4 for them with less than 2 and a half minutes to go in the quarter and just after a minute, Gurusinghe scored for S. Thomas’ with the help of some good passes of the team.
Royal College won the swim ball of the last quarter, making it their 3rd swim ball win in the game and Anuga Hadunpathirana with a round arm, scored the 5th goal for Royal. Not letting the Royalists get on, Gurusinghe scored again for STC and tied the aggregate score. De Silva, at a crucial time, scored the final goal for Royal in the encounter with a rebound. With less than 2 minutes remaining on the clock, Thissera scored the match-winning goal for S. Thomas’ College and also managed to seal an equal aggregate score of 21 goals.
The tremendous improvement in the defensive play of S. Thomas’ side led the way for their 5-goal lead win in the 2nd leg, marking the scores as STC 11 and 6 for Royal.
Migara Gurusinghe from S. Thomas’ College was crowned as the Most Outstanding Player at the 30th Dr. R. L. Hayman encounter with the Royal College Group of 92 challenging trophy, appreciating his total 10 goals scored in both legs and his amazing work in attacking and defending.
The Mahinda Liyanage Challenge trophy for the under-15 encounter was won by the youngsters of Reid Avenue with a two-leg win and an aggregate score of 49 and 26 for STC.
