Bradby Shield match at Pallekelle?

BY S. M. JIFFREY Abdeen - Kandy sports correspondent

TRINITY College the thoroughbreds of the local schools rugby scene will be captained by B. N. R. Fernando in the schools rugby season which is due to commence next month.

Trinity College will open their season with a fixture against St. Peter's College which will be played in Colombo on July 9.

In addition to this they will play six tournament matches and seven friendlies including the two legs of the Bradby Shield encounter which may see a change in the venue of the Kandy leg of this prestigious clash as there are indications that this may be played at the Trinity College rugby stadium at Pallekelle.

If this fails the Bogambara Stadium will be the alternative venue. But the venue has been still not finalised. It is understood that a new pavilion is under construction at Pallekelle.

For the record the Bradby Shield encounter has been played before at Pallekelle eight years ago when this rugby stadium had been just completed.

Trinity College will be coached by a non Trinitian-Vidyartha's and former Kandy SC captain Anil Jayasinghe with New Zealander Nigel H. Krone as the Technical Advisor. The Master-in-Charge is U. K. H. Ekanayake and the Prefect of Games Anura Madawala.

The under-17 team will be captained by K. B. W. Kirinde and coached by double international former Sri Lanka and Kandy Sports Club skipper Pradeep Basnayake, a home grown product of Trinity. The Master-in-Charge is W. A. W. Costa.

Trinity's main task this season will be to move up the schools rugby competition ladder and also to regain the Bradby Shield which they have lost to Royal for a record four consecutive years starting from 2001. Trinity College became champions in the lower division last year.

Trinitians are playing in the lower division following their non-participation in the schools rugby tournament a few years back and they were requested to start from the bottom when they tried to re-enter later.

In actual fact, Trinity should not be participating in this lower division if not for this lapse as their traditional opponents are the leading schools. In the tournament matches the opposition offered to them was so feeble that they often fielded many players from their junior or colt sides but still they ran up big scores.

The school's principal Rod Gilbert who took over last year is a keen rugby fan and is keen that the school should be playing at top level in the tournaments and there has been a marked improvement in rugby standard during the last couple of years.

Motivating the ruggerites is the Manager Administration of the school, himself a top grade ruggerite produced by Trinity who later rose to be a national selector Mohan Samarakoon.

Trinity's rugby fixtures this season are:

July 9 - St. Peter's College in Colombo.

July 16 - vs Vidyartha College at Pallekelle (tournament match).

July 23 - vs Lumbini Vidyalaya at Pallekelle (tournament match).

July 29 - vs St. Joseph's College (Pallekelle).

August 5 - vs St. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia in Colombo.

August 9 - vs Carey College at Havelock Park (tournament match).

August 13 - vs Prince of Wales College at Havelock Park (tournament match).

August 20 - vs Isipatana Vidyalaya in Colombo.

August 23 - vs Royal College, Panadura at Air Force grounds, Katunayake (tournament match).

August 27 - vs Nalanda College in Colombo (tournament match).

September 3 - vs St. Anthony's College at Nittawela.

September 10 - vs Royal College - first leg of Bradby Shield - Pallekelle or Bogambara stadium.

September 24 - vs Royal College - second leg of Bradby Shield - in Colombo.