The Colombo Rowing Club ladies beat the Madras Boat Club to emerge overall winners and retain the J.M. Perera Trophy at the 73rd leg of the Madras-Colombo regatta held in Chennai.
The annual Madras-Colombo regatta which is deemed as the second oldest inter-club boat race in the world, only to the prestigious Oxford-Cambridge boat race, was held over the weekend.
The Colombo Rowing Club ladies team after defeating the Madras Boat Club proudly exhibiting the J.M. Perera trophy which they retained for the second year. |
The Madras-Colombo event began way back in 1898 and this time out the event which was the 73rd in the series was held on the Adaya River in Chennai which is right in front of the Madras Boat Club.
Sanjaya Senarath, President of the Colombo Rowing Club said: “This time out as in the bygone years saw the men and women’s team of the two rowing clubs battling out in 11 events which was six in the men’s and four in the ladies categories with the other being a Masters Cox event”.
The events included coxless, pairs as well as single and double sculls with over 30 participants. The Colombo Rowing Ladies comprising of Amani Tissera, Yanithra Hallock, Chalani Ramanayake, Subashini Karunaratne, Swarnamalee Wijesinghem, Hiruni Mendis and Natheera Wijemanne came out with flying colours.
The ladies team wiped out the board to come out as undisputed winners to retain the J.M. Perera Trophy which was on offer for yet another year. In contrast the men’s team led by Varuna de Silva, who were the title holders of the Deepam Trophy when they won it last year, was unfortunate, as the Madras Boat Club led by Rajiv Subramani put in a great fight to regain the trophy.
The Colombo Rowing Club Masters Crew comprising of Varuna de Silva, Lushantha de Silva, M.V.P. de Silva and John Deneisse was successful in winning the Masters Cox to take the Friendship trophy.
Sanjaya said overall it was a successful event completed that lived to its reputation, which at the end of the day was a launching pad for more talented rowers and to encourage more to take this sport.
The hallmarks of bond and friendship deepened to greater heights which open the door for better coordination and understanding for the future events to be held said a jubilant Sanjaya. |
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