Played under un-Hayman-like weather conditions, the first leg leaves nothing to separate the two rivals. Everything now rests on the second leg of the 33rd Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy encounter to decide who will lay their hands on the prized silverware.
First Quarter
The first quarter got off to a rather slow start compared to the electric start that we have been used to in the last couple of years. S. Thomas’ opened the scoring in an unlikely manner, where all eyes were glued to the Royal attack after how they lit up the Sugathadasa swimming pool last year. With the Thomians scoring first and showing some attacking prowess, it was certain that to beat this Thomian outfit, it would take something truly special from the Royalists. At the end of the first quarter, S. Thomas’ had the upper hand thanks to Nihilash Gunatheepan’s brace. Royal were even denied from the penalty line due to some goalkeeping brilliance by the Thomian goalie Yash De Simon, who saved a crucial penalty along with a couple of other shots taken at his goal.
Q1 – RC 1 – 4 STC
Second Quarter
Royal College began the second quarter with the hope of turning the tide in their favour, and they were able to do so courtesy of some brilliant attacking water polo. Royal clearly had the advantage in the second quarter, dominating the play for most of the period. Skipper Bihandu Katugampala, Dinal Wellappili, Sulaiman Shihar, and Ammaar Saalim off the bench scored a goal apiece to shift the momentum towards Royal College. S. Thomas’ on the other hand, managed to sneak in a couple of goals of their own to maintain a narrow edge for the School by the Sea going into half-time.
Q2 – RC 5 – 6 STC
Third Quarter
Following the half-time break, S. Thomas’ looked like they shifted their tactics coming into the third quarter. Most of their attacks came through their big center, Dinuk Wickramasinghe. As a result, Wickramasinghe managed to give the Thomians some stability with a couple of outstanding goals, while skipper Shehran Nawaz and Aritha Perera chipped in with a couple of goals as well.
>>The 33rd Battle for the Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy
Star from last year’s encounter, Lithum Karunasena, opened his account to keep Royal College within touching distance of S. Thomas’. Thus far, the Thomians had done brilliantly to mitigate the danger that Karunasena could bring to the fore, all thanks to their goalkeeper Yash De Simon, who stood tall throughout the game for S. Thomas’
Q3 – RC 7 – 10 STC
Fourth Quarter
Stepping into the fourth and final quarter, Royal had to bring out their ‘A’ game, one to shut down S. Thomas’ from scoring, and another to fire up their own attack. And Royal did exactly that. It was a brilliant fourth quarter from Royal College, especially from the man between the sticks, Imaad Ismath, who produced a stellar performance. Upfront, Sulaiman Shihar showcased his shooting skills to bring the sides all square heading into the second leg. S. Thomas’ could only manage two goals, while Royal completely outplayed the Thomians to score five goals in a thrilling final period.
Full-Time – RC 12 – 12 STC
All in all, it was a game that swung back and forth between both teams throughout all four quarters, setting up what promises to be an extraordinary showdown this upcoming Saturday. To catch all the live action, stay tuned to Sri Lanka’s No. 1 sports channel, ThePapare. We will be bringing you live coverage of the decisive 2nd leg of the 33rd Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy from the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex starting from 2:30 PM onwards!
