110 Years of Boxing at Royal College

Boxing is one of the oldest sports at Royal College, Colombo. According to the “History of Royal College– 1985 – 2010”, written by a distinguished old boy, Larlasri Fernando, the school founded in 1835 by Rev. Joseph Marsh, was first known as the Hill Street Academy and housed on Wolfendall Street, Colombo and became the Colombo Academy in January 1836, when it was shifted to San Sebastian Hill. Thereafter in 1881 under Principal J.B. Cull, with the patronage of the then colonial government Colombo Academy changed its name to Royal College as it moved to the Colombo university premises Colombo 07 in 1913 and to the present location in 1917.

Boxing, the contact sport with colonial overtones was introduced to the school in 1913 by Donald Obeysekere, the father of Danton Obeysekera, a Cambridge university boxing Blue, without doubt the doyen of Boxing in Sri Lanka, who went on to coach boxers at Royal College for over 50 years and since then, Royal College has produced some reputed boxers.

Cricket is the oldest sport at Royal. Introduced in 1876 by Ashley Walker, a teacher in the school, who was a Cambridge cricket Blue. The first Royal Thomian cricket match was played in 1879.

The first Bradby Shield rugger encounter between Royal and Trinity College Kandy was in 1920. Rugger was also introduced to college about the same time boxing made its debut at Royal.

Last year marked Boxing’s 110th year of existence in the school.

The anniversary was held on Saturday the 9th of December 2023 at the Cavalry Officers’ Mess at the Sri Lanka Army Armoured Corps at Rock House Camp at Modera, Colombo 15.

The event was organized by the Royal College Boxing Advisory Council, whose chairman is former Army Commander General (Retd.) Jagath Jayasuriya. Gen. Jayasuriya’s guidance and leadership led to the 110th Anniversary celebrations becoming a reality, in the context that boxing at Royal has hit the doldrums in the recent past. The occasion was graced by the present Principal Mr. Thilak Wattuhewa, the senior Games Master and Assistant Principal Mr. Riyaz Aluher and the Master in charge of boxing Mr. T.M.R.N. Bandara.

 A cute memento in the form of a porcelain mug, with the event inscribed was presented to all past boxers who attended the momentous occasion by the advisory committee.

Photographs were taken of all the past Captains present, those who represented the country in boxing and the unique photograph of boxers who had won the senior best boxers’ trophy, the T Y Wright challenge cup at the prestigious Stubbs Shield boxing championships and in this category the sole boxer to pose for the photograph with the principal was none other than General Jagath Jayasuriya, the college boxing captain in 1977, a unique singular achievement.

The Army band was in attendance and provided music to entertain the guests. A few cultural dance and song items were also performed to enthrall the audience. Many of us were surprised to learn that the army had so much aesthetic talent, both male and female.

The anniversary celebrations merits mention of some of our past outstanding boxing personalities, who stand out as glaring icons in Royal college boxing history. They were Danton Obeysekere, his father Donald Obeysekere, the founder of Boxing in college, Barney Henricus, Alex Obeysekere, Frederick Obeysekere, Eddie Gray, Metha Abeygunawardena, Rahula Silva, Saman Samaratunga, M.A. Jayalath, N.R. Tillekeratne, Jagath Jayasuriya, late Lt. Hisham Ousman, Aubrey Peiris, M. Nisthar and Abdulla Ibunu of a more contemporary era from 1970s onwards, to the present. Some of the above are no more as father time has snatched them away as the way of all living beings.

Present on this historic moment were old boy boxers from several past eras. As an act of appreciation and for fostering of boxing in their alma mater, the following were the attendees, to mark the historic occasion:

1960 – 1970: Commodore GES de Silva, Metha Abeygunawardena, Saman Samaratunga, KTP De Silva, MS Fernando,

1970 – 1980: Wazir Sourjah, Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, YD Weerasooriya, M.A. Jayalath, Rohan Abeywardena, Nimal Jayasuriya, Shantha Kumara, Refai Buhary, Nalin Dayasagara, Rukmal Nanayakkara, DCL Ketagoda, Anura Uduwaraarchchi, Prasad Majeed, Sunanda Godawithana, Shamrath Fernando, T. Sopaka, Ajith Bopitiya,

1980-1990: Maj. Gen. Rajitha Ampemohotti, Sidath Tillakaratna, Allaam Ousman, Aubrey Peiris, Don Weerasinghe, Buddhima, Chandima Gunarathna, Herath Bandara, T.W. Herath, R.S. Kumarapperuma and Maj. R. Rajapakse.

1990 – 2000: Lakshman Amarasekera, Dhanushka Ekanayake, Muditha Cooray, Kanchana Ayantha, Sameera Deshapriya, Rasika Amarasinghe, Ranil Sanjeewa, Indika Kuruppuarchchi, Sumeda Perera and S.Manoharan.

2001 – 2010; Sanka Manamperi, Pivithuru Rathnayake, Danushka Weerakkody, Visitha Wijesekera, Chatura Kathriarachchi, Supun De Silva, Sampath Wijayanath, Sudara Suren, Charana Bandara, M. Nishthar, Champika Gunasekara, Asanka Kumarasiri, Niroshan Deddenigama, M.N. Omar, Buddika Prasasd, Dhanushka Wijekoon, Manamendra Badhraka, M. Wasim, Manijitha Fonseka and Amila Nakandala.

 2011-2022: Ajith De Silva, Sanjeewa Wimalasena, Banuka Nayanajhith, Rasika Panditharathna, Nisal Sedawaththa, K Sindujan, Viswa Panapitiya, Uvindu Jayasinghe, Saiyaf Farouk and Madani Musthapha.

 2023 Boxing team: U.S.M.Ahsan – present boxing captain, H.A.V. Perera, Ibunu Abdulla (Head coach), Esanda Bimsara and Rizwan Jamaldeen – coach.

 The Boxing Advisory Committee under the leadership of Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya is planning to streamline the administration of boxing along with the collaboration of the Royal Boxing Club (RBC), by setting up guidelines and procedures and to familiarize, the student boxers and the boxing captain and the secretary and those senior boxers due to succeed in leadership roles in the future. In this, the areas of keeping proper records of the boxers, their achievements, the challenge trophies in the custody of the school and the conduct of the annual inter house boxing meet for the Obeysekere shield. These initiatives will give the student boxers in the school practical organizational and administrative exposure, in addition to learning boxing skills. The boxing advisory committee is also planning a much-needed fund raiser to augment financial obligations to improve the sport in the school by holding a musical show, a Singalong by Chandimal, the “Tribute to Legends” on Sunday the 3rd of March 2024 at the Bishops College auditorium. The advisory committee is hopeful that the sports fraternity of Royal College, the boxing fraternity in Sri Lanka and well-wishers would rise to the occasion to make the event a success.

Wazir Sourjah

Royal College Boxing Captain – 1973