History re-written! Three minute record broken by Royal at the t-sips Royal-Thomian Regatta

It was a tumultuous affair at The Colombo Rowing Club as the 38th Royal-Thomian Regatta came alive on the murky waters of the Beira Lake amidst a roaring crowd. The races commenced to a weather that was windy and fast becoming cloudy, it remained this way for most part, posing a challenge for the rowers; however spirits maintained a high.

The Royal team was led by Chirath Karunanyake while S. Thomas’ was led by Shelan De Livera.  The first event A Scull began with Royal winning the toss and choosing to row on the inside. It was a Royal show from the beginning as the stronger side won the event one by one.  

Compere Chandrishan Perera added spice to the event with his energised commentary, keeping the audience entertained with not only what was happening on the water but also sports updates from around the world.

t-sips was behind the event and also sponsored the Royal rowing squad. Over 2000 people attended the event and attended were given a special edition Regatta tea pack. A t-sips sponsored LED screen not only gave live footage of entire events but also showed inspirational sports footage from glory moments of other sports to clips showing what rowing was all about. A t-sips tea stall on the Rowing club lawn offered refreshing iced teas, in addition to hot tea, to the gathered crowd. Media sponsors were Island, Your Radio, Youth Radio and CSN network.

The last light faded as the time for the 42nd boat race, AX4 approached. The two rival teams rowed under lights for the first time in the history of the Regatta. Royal not only won the match in a record breaking under-3 minute win but also became the overall winner 48 to four.

The coveted T. Noel Fernando Trophy was presented to a beaming skipper, Chirath Karunanayake a fifth year colours-man by Chief Guest Sanjeewa Perera, 83’ captain of the Royal rowing team.

This is the third consecutive time that t-sips have sponsored the Royal-Thomian Regatta. t-sips is the flagship brand of Expolanka Teas. With over two decades of continuously giving the world a taste of its award winning Ceylon tea, t-sips has made its mark in the local market.

Expolanka Teas is a company coming under Expolanka Group of Companies, a conglomerate that has many benchmark businesses.

t-sips is ecstatic to be involved in a wonderful sports such as Rowing .

Their commitment can be seen in the way the event has evolved over the last two years. The winning captain thanked t-sips for ‘taking the Regatta when it was abandoned in 2009.’

This year the event saw more spirit and buzz than ever in the recent history of the Regatta. The t-sips Royal-Thomian has become a very popular and anticipated event in the calendar of many sports aficionados, socialites and college patriots.