Bradby Shield Encounter
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Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
First meeting | 1945 Trinity 6, Royal 3 |
Latest meeting | 2023 Royal 37, Trinity 30 |
Next meeting | 1L – 24 August 2024 2L – 7 September 2024 |
Stadiums | Royal College Sports Complex Trinity College Rugby Stadium |
Trophy | The Bradby Shield |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 77 |
All-time series | Trinity leads, 39–36–2 |
Largest victory | Royal, 83–0 (2002) |
Longest win streak | Trinity, 6 (1952–1957) |
Current win streak | Royal, 5 (2017–2023) [a] |
The Bradby Shield Encounter, colloquially referred to as The Bradby, is an event within Sri Lanka's school rugby union season. This annual fixture takes place between two renowned boys’ schools in the country, namely Royal College, Colombo, and Trinity College, Kandy. The encounter involves two legs, with one currently held at the Royal College Sports Complex in Colombo and the other at the Trinity College Rugby Stadium in Pallekele. The winner of the competition is determined based on the aggregate of scores from both matches, typically played a couple of weeks apart.
This rugby fixture garners significant attention from spectators across the country. It is considered the most widely viewed rugby match in Sri Lanka, drawing larger crowds than both inter-club and international fixtures. This important event serves as a social gathering for the current and past pupils, their families, extended families and well-wishers with near-capacity attendance at venues and a significant viewership for the live broadcasts, both domestically and internationally.[1]
History
[edit]Royal College and Trinity College, two distinguished institutions of Sri Lanka, were among the pioneers to embrace the game of rugby union, with their maiden match held on the 31 July 1920, marking a historic milestone. Subsequently, this encounter evolved into a yearly tradition, where Trinity College maintained an unbeaten streak for the first two decades, until their first defeat to Royal College in 1941. Notably, in 1945, Mr. E. L. Bradby, the Principal of Royal College,[2] extended an offer to Mr. C. E. Simithraaratchy, the Principal of Trinity College,[3] proposing the donation of a coveted Shield. Mr Simithraaratchy accepted this proposal. The Shield was to be contested annually, with the victor being the college that achieved the highest total score over the two-leg series, one leg played in Colombo and the other in Kandy, as initiated in 1943.[4][5][6][7]
This annual event has persevered through the years, with the exception of the year 1971, where only the first leg was played due to the 1971 JVP insurrection. The Shield was presented to Royal College, the victors of the first leg.[8] The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the event in both 2020 and 2021, marking the only other time in which this event could not take place.[9][10]
The Shield
[edit]The Shield, a product of Kandyan silversmiths, was bestowed upon the series by Principal E.L. Bradby before his departure from Ceylon in 1945. A wooden disk of exquisite design, it is embellished with intricate, traditional Kandyan silverwork, serving as a symbol of victory and an enduring testament to this encounter.
Following the conclusion of the second leg of the series, the Shield is ceremoniously presented to the captain of the triumphant team in an award ceremony conducted on the playing field. The winning team is then afforded the privilege of retaining possession of the trophy until the following year's contest.
Venue
[edit]The Bradby Shield encounter is generally played in two legs, one in Colombo and the other in Kandy. Historically, the Colombo match was played at Longden Place, and since 1987, at the Sugathadasa Stadium. Matches were relocated to the Royal College Sports Complex in 2002, where they have been hosted ever since. Meanwhile, the Kandy leg of the tournament was held at the Bogambara Stadium or at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium. Since 2012, this event has been contested at Trinity College's home ground, Trinity College Rugby Stadium in Pallekele.
Royal vs. Trinity rugby matches: 1920–1944
[edit]Results
[edit]Note
- Match venues have been abbreviated as follows:
- Thurstan Road, Colombo as Thurstan Road
- Bogambara Stadium, Kandy as Bogambara
- Reid Avenue, Colombo as Reid Avenue
- Longden Place, Colombo as Longden Place
- Police Park, Colombo as Police Park
- As of 21 July 1944
Match | Year | Captains | Date | Venue | Score | Winner | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal | Trinity | Royal | Trinity | |||||
1 | 1920 | C. G. A. Perera | H. Ellis | 31 July | Thurstan Road | 0 | 26 | Trinity |
- | 1921 | Not played | ||||||
2 | 1922 | G. H. Senarathne | A. P. Maralande | 4 August | Bogambara | 0 | 34 | Trinity (2) |
3 | 1923 | W. P. L. Abeyratne | P. A. Buultjens | 28 July | Reid Avenue | 0 | 17 | Trinity (3) |
4 | 1924 | J. R. Jayewardene | P.A. Buultjens | 1 August | Bogambara | 3 | 37 | Trinity (4) |
5 | 1925 | D. W. L. Lieversz (Snr.) | A. N. Myanga | 18 July | Thurstan Road | 0 | 46 | Trinity (5) |
- | 1926 | Not played | ||||||
- | 1927 | Not played | ||||||
6 | 1928 | H. S. Roberts | M. Khin Maung | 4 August | Reid Avenue | 6 | 23 | Trinity (6) |
- | 1929 | Not played | ||||||
7 | 1930 | R. C. W. Paulusz | J. Duncan | 5 August | Bogambara | 0 | 29 | Trinity (7) |
8 | 1931 | G. A. K Rockwood | J. Duncan | 25 July | Longden Place | 0 | 27 | Trinity (8) |
9 | 1932 | S. A. Dissanyake | S. Ratwatte | 30 July | Bogambara | 0 | 09 | Trinity (9) |
10 | 1933 | M. S. Ahamath | E. W. A. Buultjens | 15 July | Reid Avenue | 0 | 19 | Trinity (10) |
- | 1934 | Not played | ||||||
11 | 1935 | W. B. V. Thiedeman | R. Breckenridge | 13 July | Reid Avenue | 0 | 19 | Trinity (11) |
12 | 1936 | C. de S. Illesinghe | O. L. Izzadeen | 11 July | Bogambara | 3 | 11 | Trinity (12) |
13 | 1937 | E. I. Grey | O. L. Izzadeen | 17 July | Reid Avenue | 0 | 16 | Trinity (13) |
14 | 1938 | R. H. Aldons | W. Molegoda | 25 June | Bogambara | 13 | 14 | Trinity (14) |
15 | 1939 | S. E. Toussaint | V. K. Vellayan | 29 July | Reid Avenue | 3 | 14 | Trinity (15) |
16 | 1940 | R. Kadiragamar | S. B. Dissanayake | 20 July | Bogambara | 3 | 09 | Trinity (16) |
17 | 1941 | M. N. Jilla | S. B. Dissanayake | 12 July | Reid Avenue | 11 | 3 | Royal |
18 | 1942 | A. R. Demmer | W. Jenkins | 25 July | Reid Avenue | 0 | 22 | Trinity (17) |
19 | 1943 | C. O. Foenander | W. Jenkins | 11 July | Police Park | 6 | 0 | Royal (2) |
20 | 1943 | S. Navaratnam | W. Jenkins | 24 July | Bogambara | 5 | 3 | Royal (3) |
21 | 1944 | N. Vancuylenberg | M. G. Wright | 7 July | Thurstan Road | 0 | 15 | Trinity (18) |
22 | 1944 | N. Vancuylenberg | M. G. Wright | 21 July | Bogambara | 0 | 17 | Trinity (19) |
Statistics
[edit]- As of 21 July 1944
|
Statistics by venues
[edit]- As of 21 July 1944
|
|
Bradby Shield series: 1945–2023
[edit]Results
[edit]Note
- Match venues have been abbreviated as follows:
- Racecourse, Colombo as Racecourse
- Bogambara Stadium, Kandy as Bogambara
- Police Park, Colombo as Police Park
- Royal College Sports Complex, Colombo as Reid Avenue (in 1949) and as RCSC (since 2002)
- Longden Place, Colombo as Longden Place
- Nittawela Rugby Stadium, Kandy as Nittawela
- Havelock Park, Colombo as Havelock Park
- University Rugby Football Ground, Peradeniya as Peradeniya
- Maitland Crescent, Colombo as Maitland Crescent
- Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo as Sugathadasa
- Trinity College Rugby Stadium, Pallekele as TCRS
- As of 5 August 2023
Series | Year | Captains | Date | Venue | Score | Winner | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal | Trinity | Royal | Trinity | |||||
1 | 1945 | C. D. L. Fernando | R. G. Sourjah (1L) S. B. Pilapitiya (2L) |
13 July | Racecourse | 3 | 0 | Trinity |
20 July | Bogambara | 0 | 6 | |||||
2 | 1946 | M. Rodrigo | S. B. Pilapitiya | 6 July | Police Park | 3 | 0 | Trinity (2) |
20 July | Bogambara | 0 | 8 | |||||
3 | 1947 | N. W. Karunaratne | G. Sanmugam | 12 July | Bogambara | 0 | 6 | Trinity (3) |
9 August | Police Park | 0 | 0 | |||||
4 | 1948 | A. A. Cader | A. R. A. Mohomed | 3 July | Police Park | 6 | 3 | Royal |
17 July | Bogambara | 8 | 6 | |||||
5 | 1949 | G. C. Weinman | K. Arumugam | 3 July | Reid Avenue | 5 | 3 | Royal (2) |
16 July | Bogambara | 8 | 3 | |||||
6 | 1950 | T. St. C. Anghie | S. S. Bambaradeniya | 8 June | Bogambara | 0 | 6 | Trinity (4) |
24 July | Racecourse | 3 | 5 | |||||
7 | 1951 | H. E. Wijesinghe | M. S. Panditharatne | 4 July | Longden Place | 19 | 3 | Royal (3) |
21 July | Bogambara | 13 | 5 | |||||
8 | 1952 | A. B. Van Twest | M. S. Panditharatne | 5 July | Police Park | 0 | 6 | Trinity (5) |
19 July | Bogambara | 0 | 12 | |||||
9 | 1953 | T. S. Almeida (1L) T. L. K. Mendis (2L) |
D. Madugalle | 4 July | Bogambara | 0 | 13 | Trinity (6) |
22 July | Longden Place | 0 | 3 | |||||
10 | 1954 | K. W. W. Edwards | L. L. Vitharana | 10 July | Longden Place | 0 | 5 | Trinity (7) |
24 July | Bogambara | 5 | 6 | |||||
11 | 1955 | C. V. Gunaratne | M. G. Ratwatte | 11 July | Bogambara | 0 | 6 | Trinity (8) |
20 July | Longden Place | 0 | 0 | |||||
12 | 1956 | T. L. Almeida | D. N. Frank | 4 July | Racecourse | 0 | 15 | Trinity (9) |
28 July | Bogambara | 0 | 11 | |||||
13 | 1957 | R. Sivaratnam | K. B. de Joedt | 6 July | Bogambara | 0 | 8 | Trinity (10) |
19 July | Longden Place | 8 | 9 | |||||
14 | 1958 | D. N. Fernando | K. B. de Joedt | 12 July | Longden Place | 6 | 0 | Royal (4) |
26 July | Nittawela | 0 | 0 | |||||
15 | 1959 | M. L. Anghie | D. L. Kobbekaduwa | 4 July | Bogambara | 5 | 0 | Royal (5) |
18 July | Longden Place | 6 | 0 | |||||
16 | 1960 | H. S. de Silva | E. D. K. Roles | 2 July | Havelock Park | 3 | 5 | Trinity (11) |
16 July | Peradeniya | 0 | 8 | |||||
17 | 1961 | J. V. P. Samarasekara | J. W. Jayawardena | 1 July | Bogambara | 6 | 3 | Royal (6) |
15 July | Longden Place | 8 | 0 | |||||
18 | 1962 | U. L. Kaluaratchi | N. T. E. Brohier | 14 July | Longden Place | 5 | 0 | Trinity (12) |
28 July | Bogambara | 0 | 9 | |||||
19 | 1963 | M. Jayakumar | B. D. A. Piyasena | 11 July | Bogambara | 6 | 6 | Trinity (13) |
27 July | Longden Place | 3 | 5 | |||||
20 | 1964 | K. D. T. Paul | M. T. Sahayam | 11 July | Longden Place | 3 | 0 | Royal (7) |
25 July | Nittawela | 14 | 6 | |||||
21 | 1965 | U. P. Wickramasinghe | M. T. M. Zarook | 10 July | Nittawela | 8 | 3 | Royal (8) |
24 July | Longden Place | 3 | 3 | |||||
22 | 1966 | I. R. Thurairatnam | E. G. Van Langenberg | 9 July | Longden Place | 3 | 3 | Trinity (14) |
23 July | Bogambara | 3 | 8 | |||||
23 | 1967 | D. J. Perera (1L) N. B. L. Lieversz (2L) |
A. L. Abeyratne | 4 July | Peradeniya | 3 | 17 | Trinity (15) |
20 July | Longden Place | 3 | 16 | |||||
24 | 1968 | C. R. de Silva | A. L. Abeyratne | 9 July | Longden Place | 19 | 0 | Royal (9) |
24 July | Peradeniya | 5 | 3 | |||||
25 | 1969 | M. H. C. Malwatte | M. S. Jainudeen | 5 July | Peradeniya | 0 | 8 | Trinity (16) |
18 July | Longden Place | 3 | 9 | |||||
26 | 1970 | C. J. Fernando | S. P. Samarasekara | 4 July | Longden Place | 3 | 19 | Trinity (17) |
21 July | Nittawela | 12 | 16 | |||||
27 | 1971 | F. R. Perera | Y. S. Ping | 29 July | Longden Place | 22 | 3 | Royal (10) |
2nd leg not played due to 1971 JVP insurrection | ||||||||
28 | 1972 | G. D. S. Gunasekara | A. E. Unantenne | 1 July | Longden Place | 9 | 8 | Trinity (18) |
15 July | Nittawela | 3 | 10 | |||||
29 | 1973 | M. G. Muller | J. K. Yu | 9 July | Nittawela | 18 | 4 | Royal (11) |
21 July | Maitland Crescent | 4 | 12 | |||||
30 | 1974 | M. B. Akbar | C. Y. Ching | 6 July | Longden Place | 3 | 18 | Trinity (19) |
20 July | Nittawela | 9 | 12 | |||||
31 | 1975 | H. A. I. Hassen | M. R. Sourjah | 12 July | Nittawela | 13 | 11 | Royal (12) |
19 July | Longden Place | 21 | 3 | |||||
32 | 1976 | M. Weerakumar | S. V. Ranasinghe | 3 July | Longden Place | 36 | 0 | Royal (13) |
17 July | Bogambara | 25 | 6 | |||||
33 | 1977 | S. S. Hashim | R. N. Balasuriya | 2 July | Bogambara | 6 | 12 | Trinity (20) |
16 July | Longden Place | 4 | 10 | |||||
34 | 1978 | K. R. T. Peiris | J. R. Kiridena | 3 July | Longden Place | 0 | 0 | Royal (14) |
15 July | Bogambara | 8 | 4 | |||||
35 | 1979 | R. P. Gunasekara | J. V. Tissera | 7 July | Bogambara | 3 | 4 | Royal (15) |
21 July | Longden Place | 18 | 0 | |||||
36 | 1980 | S. Sujanthakumar | T. B. Ellepola | 5 July | Longden Place | 7 | 3 | Royal (16) |
19 July | Nittawela | 16 | 3 | |||||
37 | 1981 | N. S. Cooray | R. Bandaranayake | 4 July | Nittawela | 3 | 16 | Trinity (21) |
18 July | Longden Place | 10 | 3 | |||||
38 | 1982 | H. Muttiah | B. S. J. Fernando | 3 July | Longden Place | 6 | 9 | Trinity (22) |
17 July | Nittawela | 4 | 6 | |||||
39 | 1983 | S. Cooray | A. D. Ratwatte | 2 July | Bogambara | 6 | 14 | Trinity (23) |
16 July | Longden Place | 10 | 6 | |||||
40 | 1984 | S. Agalawatte | D. M. Wijesinghe | 7 July | Longden Place | 6 | 3 | Royal (17) |
21 July | Bogambara | 0 | 0 | |||||
41 | 1985 | C. Nanayakkara | M. Jayatissa | 6 July | Bogambara | 9 | 18 | Trinity (24) |
20 July | Longden Place | 4 | 3 | |||||
42 | 1986 | M. J. Peiris | S. N. Gunaratne | 5 July | Longden Place | 3 | 6 | Trinity (25) |
19 July | Bogambara | 3 | 9 | |||||
43 | 1987 | H. A. S. Madanayake (1L) R. de Z. Gunarathne (2L) |
T. Rajapakse | 2 July | Bogambara | 3 | 7 | Trinity (26) |
18 July | Sugathadasa | 3 | 19 | |||||
44 | 1988 | L. W. de Z. Gunarathne | B. Dandeniya | 2 July | Sugathadasa | 24 | 0 | Royal (18) |
16 July | Bogambara | 13 | 0 | |||||
45 | 1989 | J. H. A. Dhammika | R. Ranaraja | 5 August | Bogambara | 9 | 6 | Royal (19) |
14 August | Sugathadasa | 9 | 8 | |||||
46 | 1990 | R. Jayasuriya | W. D. S. Premaratne (1L) R. Kalpage (2L) |
6 July | Sugathadasa | 23 | 8 | Royal (20) |
21 July | Bogambara | 0 | 6 | |||||
47 | 1991 | M. Dahanayake | M. A. Deen | 6 July | Bogambara | 4 | 12 | Trinity (27) |
20 July | Sugathadasa | 10 | 25 | |||||
48 | 1992 | H. Wijesinghe | H. M. Goonetileke | 4 July | Sugathadasa | 3 | 3 | Draw |
19 July | Nittawela | 0 | 0 | |||||
49 | 1993 | C. R. A. Abeysuriya | N. Muhandiramge | 26 June | Nittawela | 3 | 0 | Royal (21) |
10 July | Sugathadasa | 10 | 3 | |||||
50 | 1994 | R. Malalasekara | A. M. Rally | 18 June | Sugathadasa | 10 | 3 | Royal (22) |
2 July | Nittawela | 8 | 8 | |||||
51 | 1995 | A. Assen | M. A. H. Omar | 17 June | Nittawela | 3 | 6 | Trinity (28) |
1 July | Sugathadasa | 6 | 22 | |||||
52 | 1996 | R. Gunatilake | S. Amarasinghe | 22 June | Sugathadasa | 3 | 30 | Trinity (29) |
6 July | Nittawela | 3 | 12 | |||||
53 | 1997 | A. Yusuf | N. S. Fernando | 21 June | TCRS | 6 | 14 | Trinity (30) |
5 July | Sugathadasa | 18 | 11 | |||||
54 | 1998 | W. S. S. R. Perera | P. Jayawardena | 20 June | Sugathadasa | 18 | 20 | Royal (23) |
4 July | Bogambara | 42 | 11 | |||||
55 | 1999 | D. R. Rahim | R. Wickramasiri | 19 June | Bogambara | 10 | 19 | Trinity (31) |
3 July | Sugathadasa | 7 | 13 | |||||
56 | 2000 | S. Perera | H. A. Luchow | 17 June | Sugathadasa | 25 | 32 | Trinity (32) |
1 July | Bogambara | 20 | 17 | |||||
57 | 2001 | H. Kaluaratchi | T. Jayawardena | 23 June | Bogambara | 12 | 6 | Royal (24) |
7 July | Sugathadasa | 16 | 0 | |||||
58 | 2002 | Z. Hamid | N. S. A. Mendis | 13 July | RCSC | 39 | 0 | Royal (25) |
27 July | Bogambara | 44 | 0 | |||||
59 | 2003 | R. Jayasundara | M. Maddumapatabendi | 19 July | Bogambara | 13 | 11 | Royal (26) |
2 August | RCSC | 13 | 8 | |||||
60 | 2004 | A. L. Dissanayake | D. Senarath | 7 August | RCSC | 41 | 6 | Royal (27) |
21 August | Bogambara | 10 | 0 | |||||
61 | 2005 | V. Wijewardene | B. N. R. Fernando | 10 September | Bogambara | 6 | 36 | Trinity (33) |
24 September | RCSC | 7 | 33 | |||||
62 | 2006 | C. S. Gamage | I. Maddumapatabendi | 9 September | RCSC | 10 | 21 | Trinity (34) |
23 September | TCRS | 5 | 26 | |||||
63 | 2007 | M. Abeyratne | M. Wickramasiri (1L) S. Wanigasekara (2L) |
9 June | Bogambara | 20 | 12 | Royal (28) |
23 June | RCSC | 15 | 11 | |||||
64 | 2008 | S. Lenaduwa | M. N. Gunawardena | 14 June | RCSC | 12 | 24 | Trinity (35) |
28 June | TCRS | 8 | 0 | |||||
65 | 2009 | N. Dhason | V. Wijesinghe | 30 May | TCRS | 22 | 12 | Royal (29) |
13 June | RCSC | 31 | 15 | |||||
66 | 2010 | D. Attygalle | D. Dissanayake | 12 May | RCSC | 38 | 37 | Royal (30) |
26 May | Bogambara | 34 | 17 | |||||
67 | 2011 | S. Pathirana | M. Ramzeen | 28 May | Bogambara | 33 | 25 | Trinity (36) |
11 June | RCSC | 5 | 40 | |||||
68 | 2012 | A. Jamaldeen | K. Seneviratne | 16 June | RCSC | 11 | 34 | Trinity (37) |
30 June | TCRS | 20 | 36 | |||||
69 | 2013 | R. Jamaldeen | S. Singalaxana (1L) H. Wadood (2L) |
1 June | TCRS | 25 | 37 | Trinity (38) |
15 June | RCSC | 13 | 9 | |||||
70 | 2014 | N. Jayawardena | T. Ratwatte | 10 May | RCSC | 16 | 28 | Trinity (39) |
24 May | TCRS | 18 | 19 | |||||
71 | 2015 | B. Gamage | I. Rangala | 9 May | TCRS | 23 | 22 | Royal (31) |
24 May | RCSC | 49 | 0 | |||||
72 | 2016 | N. Gunadheera | R. Karunanayake | 30 April | RCSC | 22 | 17 | Draw (2) |
14 May | TCRS | 13 | 18 | |||||
73 | 2017 | O. Askey | N. Yee | 20 May | TCRS | 22 | 17 | Royal (32) |
3 June | RCSC | 13 | 8 | |||||
74 | 2018 | S. Feroze | A. Shiek | 21 April | RCSC | 39 | 7 | Royal (33) |
5 May | TCRS | 27 | 19 | |||||
75 | 2019 | T. Hassen | R. Bandaranayake | 1 June | TCRS | 34 | 17 | Royal (34) |
15 June | RCSC | 13 | 24 | |||||
– | 2020 | Not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | – | – | ||||
– | ||||||||
– | 2021 | Not played due to COVID-19 pandemic | – | – | ||||
– | ||||||||
76 | 2022 | H. Peiris | L. Moragoda | 20 August | RCSC | 29 | 0 | Royal (35) |
3 September | TCRS | 21 | 26 | |||||
77 | 2023 | R. Senanayake | A. Manzil | 22 July | TCRS | 10 | 13 | Royal (36) |
5 August | RCSC | 27 | 17 | |||||
78 | 2024 | T. Perera | A. Kodithuwakku | 24 August | RCSC | – | – | TBD (–) |
7 September | TCRS | – | – |
Statistics
[edit]- As of 5 August 2023
|
|
Statistics by venues
[edit]- As of 5 August 2023
|
|
Royal vs. Trinity rugby matches in other competitions
[edit]Note
- Match venues have been abbreviated as follows:
- Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo as Sugathadasa
- Royal College Sports Complex, Colombo as RCSC
- As of 17 August 2024
Tournament | Year | Captains | Date | Venue | Score | Winner | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal | Trinity | Royal | Trinity | |||||
R. Premadasa Trophy Quarter-finals |
1987 | H. A. S. Madanayake | T. Rajapakse | 30 August | Sugathadasa | 6 | 10 | Trinity |
R. Premadasa Trophy Quarter-finals |
1993 | C. R. A. Abeysuriya | N. Muhandiramge | 6 September | Sugathadasa | 6 | 9 | Trinity |
Milo President's Trophy Quarter-finals |
2014 | N. Jayawardena | T. Ratwatte | 3 July | RCSC | 30 | 29 | Royal |
Dialog Schools Rugby League Game Week 3 |
2022 | H. Peiris | L. Moragoda | 8 July | RCSC | 20 | 21 | Trinity |
Dialog Schools Rugby League Super Round – Week 2 |
2024 | T. Perera | R. Illangarathne | 17 August | Sugathadasa | 22 | 19 | Royal |
Notable people who have played
[edit]
|
|
Community engagement programmes
[edit]The souvenir
[edit]Since 1977, the Royal College Interact Club has published the Bradby Souvenir to commemorate the encounter's Colombo leg.[17]
Bradby express
[edit]The Bradby express was the name given to the regular Intercity Express train service offered by the Sri Lanka Railways that was packed with students and old boys from both schools on their way to the Kandy leg of the encounter - hence the name Bradby Express. It started off in the 1950s and was held yearly until the mid-1980s, when it was halted due to security concerns resulting from the intensification of the Sri Lankan Civil War and the Insurrection 1987-89.
Since the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, a chartered train dubbed as The Bradby express has served this role, transporting Royal supporters to and from Kandy for the event.[18]
Bradby golf
[edit]Former Royal and Trinity students compete for the G. C. Wickremesinghe Challenge Trophy, a golf tournament hosted at the Victoria Golf & Country Resort since 2016 before the Kandy leg of the event.[19]
Notable moments in Bradby Shield history
[edit]Match and series records
[edit]- As of 5 August 2023
Winning the encounter after losing the 1st leg | Royal | 3 (1979, 1998 and 2023) |
Trinity | 5 (1945, 1946, 1962, 1972 and 2011) | |
Winning the encounter after drawing the 1st leg | Royal | 1 (1978) |
Trinity | 2 (1963 and 1966) | |
The biggest comeback win | Royal | Lost the 1st leg 18–20 in 1998, but won the 2nd leg 42–11 and the encounter by a margin of 29 points.[20] |
Trinity | Lost the 1st leg 25–33 in 2011, but won the 2nd leg 40–5 and overturned a deficit of 8 points to win the encounter by a margin of 27 points.[21] | |
Longest winning streak | Royal | 05 – From 2017 to 2023 (series suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic). |
Trinity | 06 – The longest winning streak in the series, between 1952 and 1957.[22] | |
The highest aggregate score by a team in an encounter | Royal | 83 points in 2002 is the record for the highest aggregate score by a team in the series over two legs.[23] |
Trinity | 70 points in 2012.[24] | |
The highest margin of victory in an encounter | Royal | 83 points in 2002 (83–0) is the highest recorded victory margin in the series over two legs.[23] |
Trinity | 56 points in 2005 (69–13).[25] | |
The record for the highest score achieved by a team in a single match | Royal | 49 points in 2015 2nd leg, is the highest recorded in a single match.[26] |
Trinity | 40 points in 2011 2nd leg.[21] | |
The highest aggregate score achieved by both teams in a single match | 75 points in 2010 1st leg, with Royal winning 38–37.[27] | |
The highest aggregate score achieved by both teams in an encounter | 126 points in 2010, with Royal winning 72–54.[28] | |
Drawn encounters | In 1992, the Bradby encounter ended in a draw as both legs concluded with scores of 3–3 in the 1st leg and 0–0 in the 2nd leg. This marked the first time such an outcome had occurred in Bradby history.
The second drawn encounter took place in 2016, with Royal winning the 1st leg 22–17 and Trinity winning the 2nd leg 18–13.[29] |
Other interesting events
[edit]- Due to security concerns stemming from the 1971 JVP Insurrection, only the 1st leg of the 1971 contest was staged between the schools. The Shield was awarded to Royal College as a result of the 1st leg at an assembly by Mr E. L. Fernando, the then-principal of Trinity College.[8]
- Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Bradby travelled to Sri Lanka as guests of The Royal College Union in 1983 for the 2nd leg, which also happened to be the 100th rugby football match between Royal and Trinity.[30]
- The 2nd leg match of the 2008 contest marked the 150th meeting between Royal and Trinity.
- The 2019 encounter marked the 75th anniversary of the series. The matches were postponed numerous times in the aftermath of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings and was played under heightened security.[31][32]
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series was suspended in 2020 and 2021, marking the first time in its history that the Bradby series was totally halted.[9][10]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Stoney, Emma (25 April 2012). "A Passion for Rugby in an Unexpected Place". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Dissanayaka, T. D. S. A. (13 July 2003). "Sacred to the Memory of Principal E. L. Bradby". Blue & Gold. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
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