Celebrating yet another milestone in the maroon rivalry, the two supreme schools in the locality of Maradana, Ananda College and Nalanda College will meet at the Sugathadasa swimming pool complex for the second installment of the water polo encounter for the Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda Trophy.
Photos – Ananda College Water Polo Team
Water polo has been a common sport for both schools since the early 1960’s when Ananda College took up the sport for the first time. Nalanada College followed up a little later after their swimming pool complex was declared open.
The Ananda-Nalanda encounter saw an initiation last year with the first game played at the Sugathadasa Complex in September. Ananda College walked away with a three point win against their counterparts Nalanda to win the inaugural title but lost the under 15 game. The trophy is dedicated in recognition of Ananda College alumni Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda who was the commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and a key figure in the latter stages of Sri Lanka’s 30-year civil war.
Photos – Nalanda College Water Polo Team
It will be a tough challenge for the Nalandians to outwit their opponents as they field in an experienced outfit for the game. Ananda College will be led by senior-man Oshadha Madushanka who has been a regular in the side for the last three years. The heavily built Madushanka will be the playmaker in the middle of the pool guiding his lads in and around the waters.Known for his agility, he will surely be the wall between the Nalandians and the goal.
Asel Karannagoda and Keashan Wijayasinghe will be the lads who would advancing through the corners looking for those very important points that will matter at the end of the day.
For Nalanda, it would be Nimnaka Ratnayaka who would be leading his team from the rear end alongside his deputy Pavithra Perera. These two will have lot of hard work to do defending their line whilst their wings Sahan Wijeratna and Hansika Sankapla will search for points in left and right wings respectively.
It will be heavy duty for Nalanda’s props as well as their centers, to ward-off the Ananda attacks which will look for any and all gaps to gain distance on their passes. Speed will play key for the Nalandians during the swimming sprints as they posses the mobility to do so in an around the pool.
Speaking with ThePapare.com, the Anandian skipper Oshadha Madushanka added these words,
“We have been coaching together as a unit from the start of the year. We took a break due to exams and now we are once again training. We have many senior players in the side and we are ready to take on the challenge and keep the trophy back at Ananda”
The Nalandian captain thinks otherwise and sees potential to bring-in the trophy to his alma-mater for the first time.
“We have been practicing as a team for a while and we have the blood of a lot of youngsters. So we hope we can bring the trophy to Nalanda for the first time in this encounter.”
Ananda College will go in as favorites to the encounter having already won the maiden encounter but Nalanda College will be giving it an all-out effort to get the silverware home for the first time. It will be a tough call for both skippers, as their decisions will affect the movement of play at all times.
The under 15 game will begin at 3.30 p.m. and the under 19 game is set to commence at 4.30 p.m.
ThePapare.com will be bringing you live action as it happens from the Sugathadasa complex 4.30 p.m. onwards.
