Dian Gomes gets the legend on track

Sharm de Alwis

For almost a hundred years, 95 to be exact, Royal College has ridden the high horse for the upliftment of Boxing. Dian Gomes has over the last few years taken the country's Boxing to an unprecedented level. To assist him to reach even higher goals he has taken on to his work wagon eight reputed men from the high walks of life and profession, all batch mates of his in school.

Royal College has over the years done more for Boxing than any other school. The long and event-filled journey started with Donald Obeysekera who adorned the boxing rings in England and returned to give a fillip to local Boxing.

He introduced Boxing to Royal College in 1913 and offered a Challenge Cup in 1919 for Inter-House competition. Trinity, briefly upset the Royal apple cart by winning the Stubbs Sheild in 1914, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 26 before drying up until they won on the trot in 49, 50 and 51.

Royalists quickly asserted themselves and Donald Obeysekera's mantle was bequeathed to his eldest son, Danton and from him to Alex. In the meanwhile other eminent boxers joined the cause - Eddie Gray who boosted the country's Boxing not only with his skill but with his own funds, a man who as a boy captained three sports at Royal. Boxing, Rugger and Athletics.

Barney Henricus, the eldest of the dominant sports family had by then won the Gold Medal at the 1938 Empire Games in New Zealand. Brothers Basil and Allan entered the ring quickly followed by D.V. Boderagama who won a National title as a school boy.

There had been unlikely contenders earlier in the likes of Justin Kotalawala and Bertie Weerasinghe but H.S. and A.E. Roberts were naturals and so were I.O. de S. Gunasekera and Ian Labrooy.

P.R. Malavi who had his nose bridge broken under the tutelage of Danton Obeysekera and Ponnambalam Rajendran roped in during a twenty year spell as Technical Advisor to Royal's Boxing, S.S.J. Perera and Metha Abeygunawardene in the 80s and the 90s.

With such a luxury of do-gooders having blazed the trail Dian Gomes, a fine student of time management, took on whilst engaged as the CEO of slimline, the onerous task of shaking a lazy dog by the tail.

With a disciplined eye on reachable targets he got SL Boxing into intense activity and today we have achieved the bench marks set in 40s, 50s with Leslie Handunge, K. Edwin, Albert Perera, Mahasen Weliwitigoda, D.V. Bodaragama, Basil Henricus, Donald LaBrooy, H.P. and C.P. Jaysuriya, Sumith Liyanage and in the 60s with those fantastic pugilists from the Watupitiwela Borstal Home who brought with them a rugged approach like "in-fighter, out-fighter? No man we are street fighters the best you ever saw."

Fresh laurels will, indeed, be ours to pick within the next few years with the progress made by the officials but this appreciation will not be complete without mentioning of other sterling Royalists whom I had had the privilege to have watched from the safer side of the ropes - Chris de Saram who pulped Michael Kagwa at the Stubbs Shield.

Upali Amerasinghe, Tony Anghie, Desmond Van Twest, Selvi Perinpanayagam, Earnie Weerasinghe, 'Chappey' Fernando and N. Rasalingam.