Royal Thomian Regatta
The Royal Thomian Regatta is the annual rowing encounter between traditional school rivals Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia. Begun in 1962 as the Royal Thomian Boat Race it later evolved into a regatta in 1966 and now consists of eight events. It is among the oldest and most prestigious Royal-Thomian sporting encounters.
The TN Fernando Trophy. Awarded to the Overall Winner of the Regatta | |
| Sport | Rowing |
|---|---|
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 1966 |
| Latest meeting | 2023 S.Thomas’ - 30, Royal - 22 |
| Trophy | T. Noel Fernando Memorial Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| All-time record | S. Thomas leads, 25–22–5 (.529) |
| Longest win streak | Royal, 5 (2015–2019) |
| Current win streak | S. Thomas’, 2 (2022-2023) |
The races are rowed over a distance of 1000 yards and take place on the Beira Lake in Colombo. The regatta takes place in the month of October and is usually held on the last Saturday of the month at the Colombo Rowing Club. The Royal Thomian Regatta is the oldest inter-school rowing regatta in Sri Lanka, with Royal being the first school to take up school rowing in the country and S.Thomas' following suit a few years later.
The Boat Race is still regarded as the most prestigious race of the regatta and is rowed for the Royal Thomian Boat Race Trophy (also known in the rowing fraternity as the 'Crossed Oars'). Over time the crossed oars on the trophy warped; the trophy is now also known jokingly as the “Bent Oars”. The overall winner of the Regatta is awarded the T. Noel Fernando Memorial Trophy.
Having begun in 1962 'The Regatta' is the 3rd oldest sporting encounter between Royal College and S. Thomas' College, after the Battle of the Blues Cricket Match and the Rugby Match.