The prestigious SAMAPOSHA Trophy Under-14 Schools Football Championships witnessed Royal College Colombo emerge as the Colombo District Champions in an exhilarating first stage held last week. Led by their talented captain, Ali Asghar, the Royalists displayed an outstanding performance throughout the tournament, securing five consecutive wins, culminating in a thrilling victory against Wycherly International School in the finals with a nail-biting penalty shoot-out score of 6-5.
The journey to victory for Royal College Colombo was not an easy one, as they faced fierce opposition from some of the top schools in the district. In the semi-final, they took on football giants Zahira College in a hard-fought clash, securing a memorable win to secure their spot in the finals. Prior to that, they encountered a swift challenge from St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya in the quarter-final but managed to triumph with a convincing 3-0 victory.
The Royalists’ dominance in the early stages of the championship was evident in their initial couple of games. Under the leadership of skipper Asghar, who comes from a family with a strong football legacy – with two elder brothers having also played for Royal College Colombo – the team secured two resounding victories against Mahanama College (3-0) and Pannipitiya Dharmapala College (5-0).
Buoyed by their remarkable success in the first stage, Royal College Colombo has set their sights on the Second Stage matches, which are currently underway at the Urban Council Grounds in Dambulla. With aspirations of reaching the semi-finals, the team will face tough competition from 32 boys teams from across the island.