Old Bens clinch Shelton Wirasinha-Bro. Alban Patrick Trophy

The players of the two teams  

In their inaugural Golf encounter between the old boys of St. Benedict’s College and Wesley College competed for the prestigious Shelton Wirasinha-Bro. Alban Patrick Trophy in a captivating match-play format at the Royal Colombo Golf Club saw the Old Benedictines clinching the trophy.  
An idea mooted by Capt. Navin De Silva President of Wesley College Colombo Old Boys Union saw thirty-six players from both prestigious schools teeing off in this historic event, displaying exceptional talent and sportsmanship.  
The main trophy was fiercely contested, with 11 players from each team engaging in match play. The Old Benedictines set the pace with Ruwan Silva clinching victory in the opening game, while Old Wesletites’ Roger Norton countered with an impressive performance.  
Diresh Palihena and Michael Sathasivam helped the Benedictines to surge forward with commanding 3/2 wins. However, the Wesleyites staged a formidable comeback led by the indomitable Rohan Wickramaratne and Kamal Bombugalage, who secured closely, fought victories.  
In the end, the Old Benedictines emerged victorious in a series that was characterized by a display of sportsmanship and camaraderie between the old boys of the two schools, claiming six games to Wesley’s three, with one game tied.  
The standout player for the Wesleyites was T. Ravi Kumar, earned the esteemed Prof. Maharoof Ismail Trophy with 41 stableford points. Meanwhile, Sunimal Salgadoe displayed his prowess for Benedictines earning the McLarens Trophy, presented by prominent old boy Rohan De Silva.  
The inaugural golf clash was held in collaboration of Wesley College, who are celebrating their Sesquicentennial celebrations this year, also seized honours in additional competitions, with Kamal Bombugalage winning the nearest to the Pin and Manjula Jayasinghe claiming the longest drive. Nishantha Perera’s exceptional performance on hidden holes secured further recognition for the Old Bens.  
The Principals of both schools presented the overall trophy to the victorious Benedictine team, marking the culmination of an unforgettable tournament. Captains Ivor Maharoof of Wesley and his counterpart Michael Sathasivam from St. Benedict’s expressed gratitude to all participants and pledged to elevate next year’s tournament with even more excitement and fanfare.  
The inaugural Bens-Wesley Golf encounter displayed the finest traditions of sportsmanship and camaraderie between the two schools with over 300 combined years of history, setting a promising precedent for future editions of this exciting golf event.-MSA