It’s that time of the year again where we sit on the edge of a seat at the Reid Avenue or at Pallekale and scream our hearts out for the school of our fathers or the best school of all.
Bradby is known for the long lasting tradition of the brotherhood and clean sportsmanship. But for some of us, for the girls to be precise Bradby is more than 90 minutes of nail biting action and adrenaline rush. Bradby is ‘that’ rugby match we would go without understanding any basic rule of rugby because it’s after all ‘the’ game after roy-tho. In middle of those who would step into the Complex or into Pallekale Rugby grounds because it’s ‘fashionable’ to be there at the Bradby, would be some odd cases like myself who would expect nothing but a clean 80 minutes of breath-taking play. I share no emotional bond with either of these schools, yet I’ve never missed a Bradby since Imalka Maddumapatabendi took the Bradby back to the school where river, lake and mountains meet in 2006.
Over the years I’ve grown to support Trinity rugby despite of being surrounded by ‘die-hard’ Royal supporters. It was never an easy task to defend Trinity for the game they play when your circle of friends would analyse how good the team with reference to how good looking the players are! (yes we are girls and that’s what we do). I was always the odd one out who would comment on how well the line would work or on crooked line outs when others talk about the amazing physique of the boys in Blue Gold armour. I was the odd one who always spoke about how crucial the Props and the Hooker are when everyone else would go all gaga over the full-back or the fly half. After bradby conversations would normally be all about how good looking Bawa was rather than that score opening drop kick by Tharinda Ratwatte or about Jamaldeen and not about how Trinity grabbed the shield despite of that 8 points trail.
Bradby is more than another ordinary game of school rugby. It is a spectacular game of rugby where 30 school-boys gamble their emotions and unleash their energy to bring the shield that matters back home. For us in the stands, its nothing but 90 minutes of clean rugby. Over the years Bradby has turned out to be a commercialised social event, yet the quality of rugby played by these two institutions have remained unchanged. Lads from hill country visit their traditional rivals every year with a strong better side and Reid avenue boys never fail to surprise Trinity with their quality rugby. This year we are yet to expect glorious game of rugby as Nimshan Jayawardne would lead Royalists to take what Murad Ramzeen, Kaneel Senevirathne and Halique Wadood took back to Kandy since 2011, while the lions led by Tharinda Ratwatte will play their best game to take what is rightfully theirs back home.
Old boys from Kandy to New York and Colombo to Melbourne will flood into the ground and rally around the screens to cheer for the lads as they will take the field to claim the authority over the famed Bradby shield. May the best team win not necessarily the good looking!
