Wesley bags Lillian Nixon Challenge Shield 2011

The Lillian Nixon Challenge Shield for debating conducted by Ladies College Colombo was battled out between debating teams from several leading schools in Colombo recently comprising three preliminary rounds leading up to the quarter finals, semis and then succeeding to the final.

Defeating St. Bridget's Convent, St. Thomas' College Mount Lavinia and Anula Vidyalaya the debaters from Wesley College went on to secure an undefeated stride when they faced Royal College Colombo at the semi-finals.

A rather contentious and timely topic took the floor at the semi-finals in the debate between Wesley and Royal which was - This House believes that Western liberal democracies need not be accommodative of the cultural notions of immigrants, at the cost of its ideals. In what the judges called a closely scored debate Wesley emerged victorious and proceeded to take on the defending champs St. Thomas' College at the final.

The topic put forward to the house was proposed by Wesley - This House Would conduct pharmaceutical trials on death row criminals. The debating team of Wesley College Colombo led by the team's Captain Maleen Jayasuriya and comprising Sithira Gunasekara and Chrisjit Xavier made a convincing win over the St. Thomas' College to become this year's champs. The present Wesley team now in their senior year in College thus made this curtain call with this tournament.

The lads with this final feather in their hat have during their debating career clinched three all island titles - namely the DC inter-school debating league championship in 2009, The inter-school debating championship organized by the Law Faculty of University of Colombo in 2010.