Watchout! it could be a thriller this time

63rd Bradby Shield encounter

By Harry Jayachandra

One of the year’s biggest sports and social events gets under way next Saturday. This is when Royal host Trinity in the first leg of the 63rd Bradby Shield rugby encounter at the Royal College Sports Complex at Reid Avenue. The second leg will be played in Kandy on June 28.

Only the most diehard of supporters would predict the winner as the form book is torn to shreds when these two schools take the field. It is all about guts. glory, pride and bragging rights to boot – no pun intended.

Royal are the current holders of the coveted shield but they will have a tough time against Trinity. The boys from Kandy despite having only one coloursman are undoubtedly one of the in form teams this season. In addition the first leg will also be a Singer Division One Segment A league match. And if winning back the shield is not enough of an incentive, Trinity also know that by winning the first leg could take one step closer to the league plum.

Led by flanker Milinda Gunawardene Trinity have lost just one match this season and that too was a narrow defeat by 15 points to 10 against reigning league champs St. Peter’s. With Gunawardene leading from the front, Trinity are a formidable foe. They ruck and maul like lions and tend to play a very expansive game, using their versatile and speedy backs to devastating effect. Vishwajith Wijesinghe and Ruzni Ramzeen are two of Trinity’s top back division players. And in Kenan Armstrong Trinity have a reliable place kicker.

Wing Three Quarter Suwinda Lenaduwa leads a talented but inconsistent Royal side. They started off the season disastrously loosing two games on the trot and thus giving them only a mathematical shot at the league crown. Perhaps this took the pressure off the team and they recovered to record three consecutive wins. Some would argue that Royal are peaking at the right time with their traditional match against S. Thomas’ being played a week after the Bradby Shield first leg.

Former Sri Lanka Schools Under 20 star Bilal Hassan could be the key player for Royal. If the burly number eight along with the other forwards can disrupt Trinity’s scrum and get the ball out fast to the backs, then skipper Lenaduwa along with rest of the back five could give Trinity a torrid time.

At the end of the day though, the result will be decided by two factors – which team wants to win more and which team commits the least amount of turnovers. The fact that the onus is on Royal is obvious as is the fact that the Royal College Sports complex will literally be packed to the rafters to witness what could turn out to be a titian battle.

Royal from: Nikira Senanayake, Udara De Silva, Shamir Fajudeen, Shehan Pathirana, Kalana Amarasinghe, Hasitha Bandaranayake, Ashik Bari, Bilal Hassan, Naren Dhason, Suwinda Lenaduwa (Captain), Dumida Attygala, Shamil Ahamad, Nilal Faizer, Mushin Faleel, Ashan Dassanayake, Krishan Perera, Ranga Perera, Aqeel Sathuk, Asif Akram, Shailendra Chandrasekera, Kavithra Chandraratna, Nabil Jalaldeen Hamza Hassan and Chamath Dharmasiri. Pix. by Berty Mendis

Trinity from: Millinda Gunawardena (Captain), Pulasti Gamage, Mohomed Riyazy, Kenan Armstrong, Arinda Bulanawewa, Vishvajith Wijesinghe, Mohamed Lukman, Hasidu Dasanayake, Ruzni Ramzeen, Adeeb Hameed, Abdul Fahad, Snaznin Kitchilan, Idris Oma,r Isurath Singalaxna, Lasantha Samarasekara, Surendra Alwis, Anjelo Hettiarachchi, Lashan Jayasinghe, Shenan Armstrong, Dinesh Rupasinghe, Naveen Perera, Mohomed Ishan, Rahal Balasooriya, Arunprakash Patmanadan, Damith Dissanayake, Praveen Tinamany, Dushyanthan Balasubramaniam, Chamadith Wijesinghe, Isuru Weerasooriya, Rishan Vidanamge, Richardson Andrew, Deshan Aluvihara, Samreen Sameem, M.Umanandan and Thanura Ramanayake