St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy reigned supreme at the 105th Stubbs Shield Inter-School Boxing Championship, winning the title sovereignly as they boxed towards their 4th consecutive title and with it their 18th in history, showcasing a formidable performance, capturing four golds and two silvers at the Royal MAS Arena.
Royal College, Colombo, earned the runner-up position with three gold, three silver, and one bronze medal. Their captain, Thenuwan Bandara Meegalla, who previously won gold at the Taipei City Cup, was honored with the Col. T.Y. Wright Challenge Cup as the Best Boxer in the Senior Boys’ division for his outstanding technical skills.
In the Girls’ division, Siri Perakum Vidyalaya, Kotagala, claimed the championship title with three gold and one silver medal. Sri Pragnarathne Central College, Gelioya, followed as the runner-up with three gold and three bronze medals. Chathuni Jagathya Siriwardena of Hemamali Girls’ College, Kandy, was named Best Boxer in the Senior Girls’ 48kg category, showcasing excellent ringcraft and skill to outscore MKM Muthuni from Dharmaloka College, Pelmadulla.
This year’s event, part of the All Island National School Games organized by the Ministry of Education and the Schools Boxing Association, drew close to 500 participants from 132 schools, competing across 36 weight divisions. With six finalists, two more than Royal, St. Sylvester’s were strong contenders from the start.
Standout victories included Vidyatharathana University College, Horana, dominating the Junior Boys’ division, with golds won by Naranayana Binul Dulanga (46kg), Wickrama Arachchilage Janindu Dhananjaya (48kg), and Nehan Prasanna Kularathna (54kg).
Royal and St. Sylvester’s started the finals with setbacks, as Ahsan Ahmedh (52kg) and TMRL Thennakoon (56kg) respectively lost to Nilusha Deshan Thathsara and Lokumanage Deshan Thathsara from Nalanda College, Colombo, in the Youth Boys’ category.
In a tightly contested match, Mohamad Azhar (Youth Boy 69kg) of St. Sylvester’s claimed a unanimous points victory over LDD Rashmika from Dombagoda Seelarathana MV, winning their first gold medal.
The Senior Boys’ contests saw challenges for St. Sylvester’s, as favorite and Novices Best Boxer SPP Angelo (52kg) was outclassed by Ryan Nirmal Weerasekera of Trinity College, Kandy, who dominated with precise combinations. Despite the setback, St. Sylvester’s clinched victory with Sadun Kavinshka Heshan’s unanimous win (60kg) and strong performances from Deshan Jayasundara (64kg) and 2023 youth international gold medalist Vimarshana Heshan Jayasinghe (69kg).
St. Sylvester’s outstanding performance reinforced their dominance, securing the Stubbs Shield for another year.
Royal’s heavyweights, Kandegedara Mudiyanselage Malith Bandara (75kg) and Sahan Perera (81kg), secured wins, bolstering Royal’s position as runners-up.
In the Girls’ division, standout performances came from Northern Province boxers Loganathan Kagenthiny of Poonthodam Vidyalaya, Vavuniya, and Zithayakumar Kerthana of Gamini National School, Vavuniya. GGNA Gimhani of Sri Pragnarathne Central College, Gelioya, caused an upset in the Youth Girls’ category by defeating Punsara Thiththagala of Hemamali Girls’ College.
In the Junior Girls’ category, MDCS Mayadunne (50kg) from Prajapathi Girls’ College, Horana, narrowly lost a contested decision to TDI Madushani of Siri Perakum Vidyalaya, Kotagala, while SMN Miloniya (46kg) and UB Sonali (48kg) from Nuwara Eliya claimed convincing victories.
Girls Best Boxer
Chathuni Jagathya Siriwardena of Hemamali Girls College, Kandy
Boys Best Boxer
Thenuwan Bandara Meegalla of Royal College, Colombo
All Island National School Games Girls champions K. Monisha, B. Sonali, Lakmini Lasanthika (Coach and Principal ), N Miloniya, Iresha Madhushani
