Draft:Orville Abeynaike Memorial Trophy

The Orville Abeynaike Memorial Trophy is an annual hockey match between Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia in Sri Lanka. Although both schools began playing hockey in the 1960s and occasionally met in tournaments, the official encounter was introduced in the year 2000 to commemorate Mr. Orville Abeynaike not only a legendary sportsman but also a coach of St. Thomas' College.

History
Initially, dominant S. Thomas' College outclassed Royal College and consistently won the trophy for 5 years. STC kept clean sheets for four years, demonstrating their power, until RC scored their first goal in the 2004 match, which STC won 3-2. In 2007, RC emerged from the ashes of seven consecutive defeats with a 4-0 remarkable victory led by Ashen Peiris.

The first encounter following the first victory Royal in 2008 was without a doubt the most thrilling encounter in history. As both teams fought hard to win the trophy for their schools, full-time scores were tied at 2-2. To determine a winner, at the request of both captains, the Orville Abeynaike Memorial Trophy saw penalty strokes for the first time in history, demonstrating their fighting spirit. A 5 series of penalty strokes ended in another 3-3 tie. However, the action didn't stop there as the single series, which finished 1-1 due to poor lighting, continued to be played. As a result, the match was declared a draw. And that was the only penalty shootout in the history of the Orville Abeynaike Trophy.

Thus, Royal's victory in the 2007 match marked the beginning of Orville Abeynaike Trohpy's greatest unblemished streak. And with three consecutive victories from 2010 to 2012, Royal College was able to hold the trophy at Reid Avenue for a decade.

Another memorable Orville Abeynaike Trophy encounter was in 2016. For the first time in the Trophy's history, the game was played under artificial lights that year. It was also the first time in the Sri Lanka Schools Hockey history.

In the year 2017 encounter S.Thomas' College shocked the National Schools' games Champion Royal College by winning the Orville Abeynaike Trophy with a 3-1 victory.

Trophy
The trophy was donated by the family of the late Mr. Orville Abeynaike, a glittering thomian sportsman. Because of its unique shape, this trophy stands out among other big match trophies. It's made of wood, and the previous match results of the encounter are engraved on the trophy's face.

Venue
The first eight games were played at the Astro Turf Colombo, and after Royal College's first win, S. Thomas' College invited that the game be played at their "Big Club Ground". Big Club Ground is a scenic ground that is constantly brushed by sea breezes. Following this act, Royal College decided to hold the next meeting at their main ground, which is not only picturesque but also enormous. For a few years, both schools hosted the game on their home ground, but from 2015 to the present, the game has been played at the Astro Turf.

Astro Turf Colombo - 2000-2007, 2013, 2015-Present

Royal College Main Ground - 2009, 2011

Big Club Ground - 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014

Trivia

 * The highest sequence of wins in the series is 7; by S. Thomas', between 2000 and 2006 which ended when the Royalists broke the streak in 2007 with a margin of 4-0.
 * In 2016 the game played under artificial lights was the first ever schools Hockey match played under lights in Sri Lanka.
 * Royal Captains Shahid Kuthubdeen (2012), Malith Rasanga (2015) have been awarded the 'Royal Crown' for their outstanding contribution to Royal Hockey.....................................................................................................................................j