Sports
Royal’s powerful display at the Bradby Shield leaves Trinity in tatters
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Royal College proved on yet another occasion that they have the knack and the resources to prepare better than their opponents when it comes to the Bradby Shield in rugby. Last Saturday (August 5) they proved it on yet another occasion when they produced a thumping 27-17 win in the second leg of their annual encounter and took home the shield with an aggregate win of 37-30. For the record Royal take the shield once again to their trophy cupboard at school for the sixth time after having given it away to Trinity in 2014.
This encounter between the two schools is undoubtedly the ‘big match’ in the school rugby scene because of the rich history associated with the encounter and the interest in the game shown by players of the two schools, their parents and the entire rugby fraternity of the island. In the past years, most school rugby administrators ensured that no other rugby match was played on the day the Bradby was played. Before the television became better organized and the internet was born rugby fans caught the action from the Bradby by keeping their ears glued to the radio; a medium of communication that gave listeners the feel that they were at the ground itself. That was the level of skill displayed by radio commentators in the 1980s and 1990s, but not necessarily by commentators who aired their commentaries on television in the selected few years the Bradby was shown on television.
Coming back to this year’s encounter Royal really prepared for Trinity in the return leg and undid their opponents with resolute tackling and a defence that was so hard to break. Trinity earned just one try through their own efforts and played with some aggression only in the first half. The visitors’ first try came very early in the game through the efforts of SachinduWanasekara. But Royal responded with three brilliant tries in the first half; one coming off their famous rolling maul with Farook Akram carrying the ball over the try line. The winners led 17-10 at the short whistle of referee GihanYatawara who many thought controlled the game well; given the pressure cooker atmosphere in the middle.
There seems to be no stopping this Royal forward in the second leg of the Bradby Shield encounter which the lads from Reid Avenue won 27-17.
Royal, despite the control they had in the game, gave away a penalty try early in the second half. A Trinity player was almost over the line, but he was forced to let go of the ball when a stiff arm from a Royalist caught him in an illegal tackle. That was a yellow card offence by the defender and the Royalists were reduced to fourteen men for the second time in the game. All in all, Royal gave away three yellow cards while Trinity gave away one in the first half. Royal also had some anxious moments in the game when they gave away their third yellow card five minutes from the end. However, they didn’t suffer any damage to their goal line despite playing with a player disadvantage in the last five minutes of the game.
Royal skipper Randul Senanayake had a memorable game scoring a hat-trick of tries while Thiven Perera, Farook Akram and Nabeel Yehiya crossed the Trinity goal line once each. Royal’s kicking at goal was flawed throughout the game with their kickers missing four conversions.
Many a critic opined that Trinity could have made the game tighter if they had opted for kicks at goal instead of opting for set pieces when penalties came their way. First-leg hero for Trinity fly half Shan Althaf had his hands on the ball on many occasions, but he couldn’t do anything significant in the second leg of the Bradby.
Royal skipper Senanayake received the Bradby Shield from Feroze Suhaib who graced the occasion as the chief guest. Suhaib is a former Royalist and last played for the Reid Avenue boys in 1987. Former Trinity skipper and scrum-half Ashan Ratwatte, who captained the side in 1983, was the chief guest in the first leg of the Bradby.
Trinity last won the shield in 2014 after which Royal retained it in the years 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023. There was a tie in 2016 and the match was not played in the years 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. This year marked the 77th rugby encounter between the two schools.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports to establish the proposed National Higher Performance Centre for atletes.
India opener Shafali Verma has received an official reprimand and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second T20I against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
Shafali, an ICC release said, breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
It was Shafali’s first offence in a 24-month period.
The incident occurred in the 12th over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Shafali threw the ball into the ground in frustration after dropping a chance at mid-off offered by Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano off Sree Charani.
Shafali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee GS Lakshmi, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
India currently lead the three-match series 2-0 with the third game to be played on Tuesday evening. The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs in Vadodara from October 23.
(Cricinfo)
A total of 146 players will be competing for 27 available slots in the WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi. Of these, England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux are the only two players who have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.
The auction pool has 119 Indian players, including 22 capped and 97 uncapped players, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The overseas pool has 27 players – 14 capped and 13 uncapped – including six from Associate teams, with seven slots available.
G Kamalini (released by Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navigre (released by U P Warriorz), Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen have registered at the second-highest base price of INR 40 lakh, while a total of 30 players have registered at INR 30 lakh.
Among the notable absentees are West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australia legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, who was DC’s highest run-scorer last season, has also not listed herself after being released by the franchise.
What the teams look like going into the auction
Only two English players – Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh) – have registered for the auction, with several others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer and Linsey Smith opting to skip the WPL next year.
Cricinfo has learned that England are likely to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, which will clash with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is likely to allow players to stay in India to complete the tournament, most players have instead chosen to prioritise their international commitments ahead of the Champions Trophy later that month.
The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also understood to be a factor in many English players deciding not to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the highest permitted base price in the WPL of INR 50 lakh (£40,000 approx).
Molineux was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] title-winning squad in 2024, and had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an economy rate of 7.31. She was retained by RCB for the 2025 season but a knee injury ruled her out of the season. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for Gujarat Giants [GT] in 2023 before opting not to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold in the 2025 auction.
Among the premier internationals who have listed themselves for INR 30 lakh are Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.
UPW, who released nine players, will go into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore.
[Cricinfo]
Import and Export (Control) Regulations No. 08 of 2026
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Amendment of the Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961
Cabinet nod to amend the Sri Lanka Development Administration Institute Act No. 9 of 1982
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