Fierce rivalries don’t exist only in the sports of rugby and cricket. If you’re in any doubt, make your way towards the Colombo Rowing Club on the 10th of October 2015 to witness the 12th Ladies College-Musaeus College regatta.
The dominant Ladies of Flower road Colombo will be eyeing their sixth successive Hannings trophy in an attempt to create a new record in the history of the rowing rivalry existing between these archrivals.
One of the most anticipated and a popular school-rowing fixtures, the LC MC rowing regatta brings out the true essence of the rowing in the country as the two heavyweights in the rowing take it to the waters of Beira to battle to be the best.
The regatta consists of eight races worked off for points, with a total of 52 points up for grabs. There will be two races each for the single sculls, doubles sculls, pairs and fours events. The distribution of points and the schedule of races (The fours carry the most points and are held last) mean that the suspense and excitement is usually carried all the way to the end of the day, making each race vital.
The dominant force in rowing at the moment, Ladies College will come into the regatta as clear favorites after their onslaught in the last two years defeating Museaus College 52-0 and 48-4 respectively. The 2013 & 2014 regattas showcased the potential of the Ladies rowing crew registering a whitewash in 2013 and later continuing their good form in 2014. All in all the Ladies lead the tally 8 wins in reply to 2 wins by Musaeus with one year being drawn since its inception in 2004.
The Ladies who were very recently crowned under 18 girls champions in the Senior Rowing Nationals that was held at the Beira Lake will be looking for another whitewash score sheet.
“Training has been good. We have spent the last couple of months training for the LC-MC”
The past two months have been the change says Tarea Karunaratna, captain of the Ladies College rowing crew and they look confident ahead of the upcoming regatta. With 12 crewmembers retained from last year’s regatta crew, the Ladies College rowing contingent surely has the edge over their counterparts in terms of experience.
“My crew is ready to take on the challenge” concluded Tarea in her final remarks to ThePapare.com. The experienced Ishara Abbey who would look to give her team the edge from the beginning will row the sculls of the Ladies. Alongside her expertise will be the two deputies Tehani Walpola and Yellani Rasaputhra who will aid in the coxes and the fours.
They will be coached under the versitile Shehan Kannangara.
Musaues College under the mentorship of former Thomian oarsman Mark Maurice has undergone a revival and are prepped up to face the might of the Ladies. Recovering from a tragic 52-0 whitewash and a 48-4 loss can be a tragic experience but the Musaeuites have stood strong. On the books, the Musaueites have done pretty good in this 2015 season starting off with the Head of the Beira regatta and ending up as winners in the Ranfer Sprints.
Captained by Dilki Wijesekara, the Museaus rowing team compiles of fresh talent mainly with only four crewmembers retained from the previous years. Skipper Dilki wouldn’t need to look far for advice and motivation as she has the likes of former skipper Janethri Marapana in her crew. Janethri has been the first choice for Musaeus for the sculls and the race to watch out will be the encounter between LC’s Ishara Abbey and Janethri Marapana in the sculls.
Dilki’s better half, her twin Malki Wijesekara and Ranuli Wickremasekara will empower the rest of the crew as they ready themselves for one of the most daunting challenges they have ever faced.
“The freshers have been performing to expectations and they have kept up with the seniors”Coach Mark Maurcie added these words when we inquired about the freshers who made it to the side. He believes that the future of Musaeus rowing is good hands and strongly argues that these rowers who would be taking the waters of Beira for the first time against Ladies college, will come out with fruitful results.
Pressure will be mounting on the Musaues side when the races begin as all hopes will be on them to better their record that has been in existence in the past two years with Ladies College go in as favorites to the regatta. With the recent form that Musaeus has acquired from the past regattas, they are believed to come up the ranks and give in a good fight in the Beira waters to fight for the coveted Hannings trophy.
Squads
Ladies College:
Tarea Karunaratna (C), Tehani Walpola, Yelani Rasaputhra, Ishara Abbey, Chanika Goonathileke, Davina Koch, Dhiane Amerasinghe, Nushara Warawita, Shannon Perera, Jeshani Srikumar, Thiranya Abeyratene, Kavisha Dassanayake, Ashmitha Guneratne, Ashwini Subasinghe
Musaues College:
Dilki Wijesekara (C), Jayasha Ratnayaka, Janithri Marapana, Ranuli Wickremasekara, Malki Wijesekara, Ashwini Jayathilake, Shenali de Mel, Isuri Kumarasinghe, Madhini De Alwis, Thanushi Perera, Mayanthi Weerakoon, Randini De Silva, Senuri De Silva, Megara Wijemanne, Niseni Hewamalika, Anagi Hewamalika
