STC Team
RC Team
St. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia will look for a hard-fought win against its arch-rival Royal College when the two teams meet for the first leg of the 33rd Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy this Saturday, September 26, at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool.
The Mount Lavinia team comes into the game after last year’s defeat, in which Royal won convincingly by a record margin.
Both schools will play in the U13, U15 and U19 age categories, while the senior teams will play for the Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy. The second leg is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, at the same venue.
Both traditional rivals have been training hard in the aquatic sport, which so far is played by select Colombo schools.
Recognised as the most attended school water polo event in South Asia, the encounter attracts over 2,000 supporters at each leg and is telecast live and streamed online for overseas viewers.
The event is the most anticipated in the aquatics calendar and continues a proud tradition that has contributed to the development of water polo in Sri Lanka.
The participation of foreign referees is a key component of raising standards in Sri Lanka, as well as of ensuring fairness in the game.
St. Thomas’ leads the tally with 17 wins to 11 in the Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy, with all the pedigree and formulations for a winning outfit.
The games have been drawn on only four memorable occasions, in 1999, 2001, 2017 and 2023, when the 8 quarters kept all fans interested and brought in new fans to follow the sport.
STC last won in 2022, convincingly, before the drawn game in 2023. Since then, Royal College have been the guardians of the Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy, with a record aggregate score last year in 2025, making it unfamiliar territory for the Mount Lavinia team.
The formidable STC team this year includes 5 colours men and 10 Sri Lanka U19 national caps in their ranks, and extremely talented junior players to give them impact off the bench. The ever-reliable junior national player Dhruv Perera will be the number 1 goalkeeper this year.
“The Thomian Wall” in goal will look to nullify the Royal attack, allowing the turnover ball to be distributed by the fastest player in the pool, STC Captain Shehran Nawaz, who will look for quick distribution to Dinuk Wickramasinghe. He is the main strike package for STC in the centre forward position.
His inclusion in the U19 team at 15 years of age in the 2024 game shows the steadfast, long-term vision of the STC think tank in providing the necessary experience for key personnel.
STC’s 1st IVX players have been getting stronger every year thanks to a good strength and conditioning program. This, coupled with the set-play patterns STC have been very good at implementing at game time, will keep the battle on paper in STC’s favour.
Blending all these facets together is Coach Saviru Wijesinghe, a man of few words but one who plans meticulously and is technically sharp.
Once all these components are in top gear, the voice of the Thomian legion will no doubt reverberate across Colombo over the two Saturday games.
Traditional arch-rivals Royal College have an uphill task in combating the STC juggernaut this year.
Captain Bihandu Katugampola has 7 colours men at his call, with his deputy, Imaad Ismath, taking up the last line of defense as goalkeeper.
Last year’s Most Valuable Player, Lithum Karunasena, will be part of the team, a welcome luxury for the seniors, who will feel the heat of battle in their last appearances in College colours.
Ramiru Aluthge and Sulaiman Shihar will be heavily relied upon for attacking options for Royal, while the bench will be needed as STC look to shift momentum in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the game.
The Royal College junior U13 and U15 teams have won all tournaments held so far this year, making it a happy camp at Reid Avenue. The juniors, playing the first 2 games and then sitting in to watch the senior game, will get a front-row seat to the thrill of playing and an appreciation of the dedication needed to compete in a Royal-Thomian match!
The Chief Guest will be Nawaff Mubarak, Captain of the STC swimming, diving and water polo teams in 1998. He was a remarkable centre forward in his playing days, having represented Sri Lanka in water polo and swimming from 1994 to 2001. He was appointed head coach in 2001 and 2002.
The matches are sponsored by Pelwatte Dairy (Platinum) and Prima (Gold), along with joint Bronze sponsorships from Abans Finance, A & E, Arinma, Dialog Play, Asiri Hospital, Dollar Company and PickMe. The Education Partner is BCAS, the Hospitality Partner is Grandbell, the Travel Partner is SriLankan Airlines, the Radio Partner is EFM, the Outdoor Media Partner is Richardson and the Broadcasting Partner is ThePapare.
Match times (1st leg on 26 Sept. and 2nd leg on 3 Oct.)
Under-13 – 2.30 p.m.
Under-15 – 4 p.m.
Under-19 – 5.30 p.m. for the 1st leg and 6 p.m. for the 2nd leg
Tickets are available at the STC OBA Secretariat and the Royal College Union Swimming Pool Office.
STC team
Shehran Nawaz (Captain), Arith Salgado (Vice Captain), Riveen Perera, Dhruv Perera, Dinuk Wickramasinghe, Michael Gunawardana, Nihilash Gunadeepan, Jayden Vaseeharan, Lithum Kannangara, Anaka Perera, Yash de Simon, Aritha Perera, Biren Hewamanna, Affan Roomy, Kavin Nanayakkara, Dewvin Malawaraarachi, Lisuka Pushpawansa, Shakeel Refai, Inesh Fernando.
RC team
Bihandu Katugampola (Captain), Imaad Ismath (Vice Captain), Ramiru Aluthge, Lithum Karunasena, Dinal Wellappili, Sulaiman Shihar, Abdul Kareem, Chesath Keenawinna, Dilk Rodrigo, Tarik De Silva, Tehan Gunatilaka, Ammar Saalim, Madithya Liyanage, Indeev De Silva, Yathish Perera.
