A look back at some memorable Bradby games
The enforced period of Rest and Recuperation provides a good opportunity to escape from the rigours of writing on rugby. Yet, with the now postponed Bradby Shield games that were scheduled for the May 11 and 25, rugby can never be far from one’s thoughts.
Begun in 1945, the captains of Trinity College (R.G. Sourjah) and of Royal College (C.D.L. Fernando), both of whom became doctors subsequently, set the ball rolling for what has become the game of all games as far as schools rugby is concerned. The tally now stands at Trinity 39, Royal 33, while the games of 1992 and 2016 ended in ties.
Trinity holds the record for the most number of consecutive victories (six) from 1952 to 1957. Royal’s best of four wins from 2001 to 2004 is a little way behind. If this year’s game is played, and it ends in a Royal victory, the Reid Avenue boys would have another four. However, the intervening tie in 2016 would surely tarnish that feat.
My fascination for, and interest in, Trinity rugby goes back around five decades. Being an undergrad at Peradeniya, Trinity College was just a stone’s throw away. I believe it was in 1969 that Royal played Trinity at the campus ground that was Jam-packed. Royal’s Jagath Fernando, a centre in the manner born, thrilled the crowd with some excellent three quarter play. The match over, and the stream of cars that was making their way out, were given a right royal dousing by some over enthusiastic (inebriated?) students who obtained their supplies from the pond ideally situated at the little junction.
There was drama aplenty the following year. The Lions had won the first let (19-3), but with 14 minutes left on the clock, Royal was leading 12-0, Trinity skipper Seevali Samarasekera sees disappointment writ large on the faces of his team-mates and decides to do something. The coaches, as well as Trinity fans are non-plussed when they see the skipper abandon his centre berth and join the pack. Royal’s kick is fielded by Samarasekera who has somehow got to the spot on time. He does a zig-zag, sends out a well-timed pass and the winger goes over. The skipper worked his magic once more, after a short break and, lo and behold, Trinity had won the second leg 16-12 and the shield on an aggregate of 35 points to 15.
Up until 1987, David Frank’s Trinity side of 1956 was reputed to be the best ever among the teams that donned the red, gold and blue jersey. Not without reason, for nine of them played for the combined Colleges fifteen, many for Sri Lanka and Nimal Maralande and Mike de Alwis captained the National Team.
Tyrrel Rajapakse, who led the Alex Lazarus coached team in 1987 can lay claim to being the greatest of all-Mohamed Ali style. The statistics don’t lie. In 12 games they churned out 291 points, while conceding just one try in 12 matches. Inter alia, that fabulous line up had Shah Doole, Ravi Bandaranaike (the father of this year’s skipper Reshan), Lohan Ratwatte, Imtisham Marikkar, Nilantha Ratnayake and Senani Gunaratne. However, the Bradby was not a breeze, though the Lions triumphed 7-3, 19-3.
Royal held away from 2001 to 2004. The brilliant play of fly half Suranga Pushpakumara saw the Trinitians return to winning ways in 2005 (36-6, 33-7). Pushpakumara exuded class as he plucked the ball out of Royal hands and split open the defence for others to touch down. His play evoked favourable comparisons with that of Mohan Sahayam, one of the all time greats of Trinity rugby.
Coming to more recent times, the 2011 victory by Murad Ramzeen’s Lions, heralded a four-year period in which Royal didn’t get a sniff of the coveted shield. Royal won the initial leg at Pallekele 33-25. Despondent but defiant, the skipper and his mates willed that very same night to bring theShield back to Kandy in two week’s time.
They did just that, stunning Royal 40-5 in the second leg in Colombo to win the Bradby 65 points to 38. Royal’s trade-mark rolling mauls and pick and gos were completely ineffective. Royal’s forwards were nailed as they tried to go forward and the ball was turned over fast.
In conclusion, a tribute to two former trinity Lions — Bertie Dias and Denzil Kobbekaduwe — both of whom have passed on. Dias, a product of the Peradeniya University, went on to coach Trinity from 1973 to 1976 and again from 1980-84. A double Lion (hockey also), he coached the Sri Lanka side at the 1974 Asian Rugby finals. Japan won 44-6 but no Sri Lankan team has scaled those heights since.
Denzil Kobbekaduwe, a scrum half like Bertie Dias became senior prefect of Trinity, but only for a week. He opted to throw in his lot with the Ceylon Army. But rugby was never far from his heart. He came back to coach Glenn Van Lanberg’s 1966 side, as well as Shafie Jainudeen’s 1969 side. An officer and a gentleman, Kobbekaduwe rendered great service to the sport as a referee, an effective coach and a thoroughly efficient administrator.
Sadly, the mould is broken and we won’t see their likes again.