Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, renew their rivalry on 31 October 2026 in the annual Royal-Thomian Hockey Encounter, competing for the Orville Abeynaike Memorial Trophy.

The trophy honours the late Orville Abeynaike, an Old Thomian, former Sub-Warden and hockey coach at S. Thomas’ College. His contribution to the school and the sport gives the encounter a significance that extends beyond the final score.

Royal enter this year’s meeting as the holders, having secured the trophy for a third consecutive year with a 2-1 victory in 2025. The Thomians will be determined to end that run and regain the trophy. A rivalry shaped by close contests Both schools have contributed memorable chapters to the series. Royal recorded their first trophy win in 2007, while the 2019 encounter finished in a 0-0 draw, with the schools sharing the honours.

The recent meetings underline how small margins can decide the outcome. In 2024, Royal retained the trophy with a 1-0 victory, thanks to a goal from Rumal Jayasinghe following a penalty corner in the final quarter.

The 2025 encounter at Colombo’s Astro Turf brought another closely fought contest. After a goalless first half, Kithmina Rathnayake scored twice to put Royal ahead. Thomian vice-captain Jamal Lafir pulled a goal back late in the match, but Royal held on to win 2-1.

Despite Royal’s recent run, S. Thomas’ retained the historical lead after that encounter, with 10 wins to Royal’s nine, while five matches had ended in draws. The challenge ahead

  • Royal College: The defending champions will look to build on three successive trophy wins and keep the silverware at Reid Avenue.
  • S. Thomas’ College: The challengers will aim to regain the trophy and extend their lead in the series. The occasion has also brought together younger players and former pupils. In 2025, the senior encounter was accompanied by Under-16, Under-14 and Old Boys matches, showing how the rivalry connects different generations through hockey.

This year’s meeting offers another opportunity for both teams to add to that tradition. With school pride and the trophy at stake, every attack, save and penalty corner could prove decisive from the opening push-back to the final whistle.

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