The The Bradby Shield Encounter, colloquially referred to as The Bradby, is an esteemed 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.
History
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 remarkable 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, extended an offer to Mr. C. E. Simithraaratchy, the Principal of Trinity College, proposing the donation of a coveted Shield. Mr Simithraaratchy graciously 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.
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. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the event in both 2020 and 2021, marking the only other time in which this illustrious event could not take place.
The Shield
The Shield, a product of Kandyan silversmiths, was graciously 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 treasured symbol of victory and an enduring testament to the magnificence of this storied 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 this esteemed trophy until the next year, whereupon it will be proudly showcased at their school, eagerly awaiting the commencement of another fiercely contested and highly anticipated clash
Venue
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 match results: 1920–1944
Bradby Shield series
Summary of results
Series results
Royal vs. Trinity rugby matches in other competitions
Notable people who have played
Royalists
J. R. Jayawardene (Pre Bradby Era) Rajan Kadiragamar (Pre Bradby Era) Harry Goonatilake (Pre Bradby Era) U.N.Gunasekera (Pre Bradby Era) C. V. Gunaratne C. R. De Silva Ken Balendra Ratna Sivaratnam Daya Perera Norman Gunewardene S. A. Dissanayake Lakdasa Dissanayake Maiya Gunasekara Ajit Gunewardene
Trinitians
Michael Kagwa Snr. (Pre Bradby Era) Michael Kagwa Jnr. (Pre Bradby Era) Denzil Kobbekaduwa Duncan White Lakshman Kadirgamar Jayantha Dhanapala Parami Kulatunga Kemal Deen
Related community initiatives
The souvenir
Since 1977, the Royal College Interact Club has published the Bradby Shield souvenir to commemorate the encounter's Colombo leg. Royal College Interact Club