In school rugby there is but one encounter that stands out prominently amongst all the rest in terms of history, spectator interest and prestige. The Bradby. With less than two weeks to go before Royal and Trinity lock horns in Colombo, it is appropriate to take a look at one of the most dominant teams to feature in the fixture, the 1951 Royal team.
The 1951 Royal College team that comprehensively won the Bradby. |
That team of Royalists provided fans gathered in both Colombo and Kandy with a truly virtuoso performance. They steamrolled Trinity in the first leg that was played in Colombo to produce a 19-3 win. In the second leg they once again worked tirelessly to outclass the opponents and produce a 13-5 victory.
These victories might at first seem like keenly contested matches but it is important to note that the points system implemented in the past was different from the one currently in use at school matches. A goal (try and a conversion) earned a team just five points instead of seven, as it does now, and a try was then worth only three points instead of five.
The comprehensive capture of the Bradby Shield was not the only reason for this team being regarded as a great unit. Throughout that rugby season the team played inspirationally to remain unbeaten. They were an outfit regarded by their coach, M.T. Thambapillai as ‘The Dream Team’, a title that would not have had much weight had it come from a lesser figure in Royal Rugby. However Mr. Thambapillai is considered to be one of the most respected and loved Rugby masters in the school’s history, and was in charge for 25 years, a period during which he would have been exposed to a wealth of talent and this fact strengthens his compliment even more.
The team itself was captained by Humphrey Wijesinghe and comprised Trevor Anghie, T.L.K Mendis, Mohammed Rahiman, Stanley Unamboowe. Allan Henricus, Brian. Dharmaratne, Brian Van Twest, S.P. Wickremasinghe, I.M.S. Silva, G.C. Wickremasinghe, Dewaka Rodrigo, S.D Gunaratne, C. Balachandran, and Norman Gunawardene.
Of these players, seven went on to represent a number of reputed clubs throughout the country the following year. Stand off Allan Henricus went on to play for the Havelocks team, winger Stanley Unamboowe joined Kandy SC, while flanker S.D Gunaratne, whom Mr. Thambapillai once called his outstanding wing forward, joined the late Norman Gunawardene, second row forward Dewaka Rodrigo, hooker Brian Van Twest and full back Trevor Anghie at CR & FC. Subsequently this CR & FC side went on to win the Clifford Cup in 1952. Six from the 1951 Royal team also went on to don the All Ceylon jersey.
Their contribution to Royal College’s rugby was not strictly limited to what they achieved on the field. Three players from the 1951 team also had sons who went on to serve Royal rugby by participating in the Bradby. Ajith Gunawardene played from 1975 to 1977, Sarinda Unamboowe played in 1983, and Shanaka Gunaratne, who played from 1979 to 1981, is distinguished in that he played for the second leg of the Bradby straight after leading the Under 17 team to capture the Simithraartchy Cup for the first time.
A member of this team, who wishes to remain anonymous, instead of stealing the limelight, said that to this day he still glows with pride when he remembers playing in the Bradby all those years ago. He says that the current batch of players should feel this same pride when they step out onto the field and remember the tradition they will be a part of.
He says that the leg in Colombo is crucial because taking a deficit to Kandy would make things tough owing to the crowd support. He regards the present Royal team as a unit with great potential and says that if they can bounce back from their defeats and get rid of the chinks in their armour then the Bradby will be theirs for the taking. |
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