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Bradby- the climax of school rugby
Sunday, 3 June 2007 - 7:26 AM SL Time
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Just six more days to go for the blue ribbon event of rugby, the Bradby Shield encounter between Royal and Trinity College and a peep into the history of the game talks volumes of the enthusiasm and excitement that this game generates surpasses even the Clifford Cup rugby matches and hailed as the grand climax to school rugby season.
People from all over the island and friends, fans, well-wishers and old boys from different parts of the world make doubly certain that they visit their loved ones back home during the Bradby while some others travel all the way mainly to be part of the Bradby.
The secret of its ever growing popularity and public interest is the commendable tradition of the high standard of sportsmanship it has maintained over the years.
Head to head, Trinity leads the series with 34 wins against 27 with one that was played in 1992 ending in a 3 all dead lock since the introduction of the Bradby Shiled in 1945.
But history goes back to 1920. It was on the 31st of July 1920 at 5.15 p.m. at Serpentine Road (now Reid Avenue) Royal met Trinity in the inaugural encounter and experienced a crushing defeat (26-0). This was an annual event, until Royal gave up rugby in 1926 and resumed in 1928 and continued their annual battles despite losing continuously to Trinity but then came the end of an era, when Royal recordered their first victory in 1941 ( 12th of July to be exact).
After a defeat in 1942. Royal won both games in 1943 ? the first time two matches were played. This was to make for the absence of Zahira College and St. Peter`s College, who had to give up rugby during the war years. In December 1944, Royal Principal E.L. Bradby presented the Bradby Shield prior to his departure from Ceylon on retirement.
The two captains were R.G.Sourjah of Trinity, who died last year and C.D.L. Fernando of Royal. Strangely, both went onto become doctors by profession dispelling belief that sports was a hindrance for studies.
In 1945 the first Bradby match was played in Colombo and it was won by Royal 3-0. And in the return game in Kandy, Trinity beat Royal 6-0 to win the Bradby shield. Bradby at its infancy drew only a few hundred spectators. Crowds weren`t encouraged at this stage probably because of the post war situation and the game was not popular.
Only a few schools like Trinity, Royal, St. Peter`s and Zahira were engaged in the game and among the clubs were CR&FC, Kandy, Kelani Valley, Uva and Dikoya.
Mostly planters switched to the game and the Europeans were the fore runners in the game and the locals had only a few chances to engage in the sport.
Horse racing was the most popular sport during this period and until the mid 50s not many schools took to Rugby. The late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike banned horse races in 1956 and that helped Rugby to attract new enthusiasts.
1956 was a golden era for Rugby in the annals of Trinity College, where they produced a fantastic team led by David Frank. The Trinity coach was Bertie Dias and the architect of their victories was the great Hilary Abeyratne. S. Navaratna of Royal College was a giant in the rugby circles and he was the dynamic figure who was instrumental in bringing a number of victories for Royal.
The only occasion when just the first leg of the Bradby Shield was possible was in 1971 when the match had to be called off due to insurgency. Trinity had the Shied as they were the defending champions and then principal of Trinity Lionel Fernando awarded it to the Royal captain at the morning assembly for having won the first leg.
Bradby was gaining its momentum rapidly and by the eighties it became the most popular rugby event in the island. Crowds started to flow in and the stands were packed to capacity giving the event a carnival atmosphere. The special feature of the game is the exemplary manner in which the game is played by the boys of the two schools.
The event takes a party atmosphere and the revelry is grounded when the spirit spreads to the hotels and the show goes on till dawn and the Rugger Ball in Kandy and similar functions organized by the Royal Union in Colombo grab the attention.
So it`s Bradby fever again and this year the scales are slightly in favour of Royal College to regain the Bradby Shield. Bogambara will host the first leg of the showpiece next Saturday.
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specialforce
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2319
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16 Aug 2007 20:28:46 GMT Report for Abuse
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Oh takes me back in time to those golden days with my Alma mater...
days of having the lions for supper in their den, the alcohol the partys...
thought dint get to see it way to go royal...
Edited By - specialforce - 16 Aug 2007 20:29:59 G |
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