2020 Bradby Shield cancelled?

Blue ribbon of school rugby in  doubt for 2020

By Shamseer Jaleel

The much-awaited 2020 Bradby Shield encounters which were to take place for the 76th consecutive year are very likely to be cancelled due to the current health conditions in the country with the impact of COVID-19 spreading not only in Sri Lanka but across the world.

As the Ministry of Education has decided to call off all sports activities for the calendar year of 2020, the school rugby season has also come to a halt. Even the Inter Club sevens which was scheduled to take place later this month too will be postponed to 2021 till the situation becomes safe for all. 

Royal are celebrating their 100th year in rugby and played only one game against Katugastota Antonians which they won convincingly at Reid Avenue. Meanwhile Trinity too remained unbeaten beating Antonians and Thomians without much difficulty.

If the Bradby and the school season come to an halt there will be many players left in the lurch without being able to win some dividend by the way of colours for the sports they love and will not get an opportunity to represent their school in the future. If the 2020 Bradby does not take place this will be the first time in the history of the series since 1945 that no games will be played. In 1971 there was one leg played in the series.

Impacted Trinity players are Miranga Subasinghe, Rahul Dhanaraj, Koojana Kulatunga, Umar Ismail, Zayd Faizal, Mohamed Shuhaib, Pabasara Munasinghe, Shyam Robinson, Umer Fyzer, Uvindu Dassanayaka and Chemod Muthunayaka who are in their final year in school. Royal will miss Vehan Manthila, Kevin Samasekara, Achitha Radeshan, Maleesha Perera, Lehan Gunrathne, Radesh Wijerathna, Migara Mihisanka, Ashean Induwara, Chamuditha Chanuka and Ishan Lakshitha, who are in the last year of their college career.

The scheduled 76th Bradby Shield Chief Guests were two scrum halfs from both sides. Royal 1983 skipper Sriyan Cooray was be Chief Guest for the Colombo leg while Ashan Ratwatte was to be the Chief Guest for the Kandy leg. Trinity won the Bradby in 1983 with former Royal Principal E.L. Bradby being the Chief Guest at the second leg in Colombo.

According to reliable sources both Royal and Trinity Principals will make a joint statement in the near future.