In the pic above: Skipper, a young Ashan Ratwatte receives the coveted Bradby Shield in the year 1983 from Mr. E. L. Bradby at Longden Place. Photo by Nalin Wetthasinghe (82 & 83)
The year 1983 saw a resurgent Trinity swamp all its opposition, to remain undefeated and crowned unofficial champions only to be beaten in the second leg of the Bradby shield encounter! However, Trinity had done more than enough in the first leg, to annex the all-important Bradby for the third consecutive year!
Led by the flamboyant Ashan Ratwatte, Trinity was a formidable unit with the skipper leading from front! The fiercest of opposition wilted under the mighty power of the Lions!
Ashan took to the game of rugby football at a very young age. From those early days, he was marked and heading for greatness! One was not being prophetic, when prophesying his future success at rugby football – it was there for all to see; a prodigy that progressed steadily to storm past all frontiers with grace and skill! He skippered Trinity at all age grades, from under thirteen, all the way to the hallowed 1st XV, missing out on the under seventeen as he was drafted into the 1st XV that year!
In the year before, Ashan was a thorn in the opposition flesh.
The season in 1982 commenced with Ashan in uncharacteristically subdued form; but it’s aptly said that form is temporary, class is permanent and so it was no different with Ashan.
Trinity was up against a marauding Dharmaraja side in 1982, dictating terms from the kickoff, pinning Trinity deep in their half, time and time again. On one such occasion, Trinity was defending grimly with just five yards separating them from their goal line, on the extreme right near the scoreboard where it stands today at Nittawela. It all happened so quickly, against the run of play, Trinity secured quick ball through their nippy halfback Ratwatte and were set to clear for long touch, but was not to be, as Ashan took the game and the situation by the scruff of its neck, stepping, darting, dodging and outrunning the fastest on the field; jinxing from deep inside and far right he brought play to the Halfway mark, losing a boot in the process, but he just continued to jinx, dodge and step his way without the boot, all the way across the field to score far left, in front of where the new club house is perched now!
Phew. What a score!!! Everyone there that day will surely agree that it was one of the finest ever, scored by a Trinitian!!! This set the trend and mood for the rest of the lads to pick up their game and inflict a hurtful defeat on the Rajans!
The two Bradby shield encounters are the pinnacle games for both Royal and Trinity, while the rest of the schools look on grudgingly!
1983, witnessed the unprecedented, when the graceful donor of the shield, the late great EL Bradby graced the occasion for the 100th game between the two archrivals!
Trinity under Ashan Ratwatte, having secured a thundering win in the first leg, were favorites to take the second leg too! However, Royal led by the graceful half back Sriyan Cooray had other ideas and pipped Trinity to the post, to win the 100th game and give their former Principal a reason to smile! Yet the day belonged to Trinity and their spectacular skipper, who had the singular honour of receiving the coveted Bradby shield from the great visionary EL Bradby himself! This honour and privilege was never to be and never before – the only skipper to receive the shield from the donor himself – Ashan Ratwatte, skipper of Trinity in 1983!
This particular Ratwatte pedigree in Rugby football, commenced with Ashan’s dad Dennis, donning the magnificent tricolored Trinity Jersey in the late 40s going on to vice-captain the side in his last year in 1951, manning the pivotal fly half’s position, which in later years, his grandson Tarinda made his own! Following in the father’s footsteps, all four sons took to the game, like ducks to water. Sheran, the eldest of the brothers, had to be satisfied with captaining the 2nd XV since he left school early. The rest of the triumvirate, namely Roshan, Ashan and Dilakshan all played with distinction for Trinity. Roshan and Dilakshan were the vice captains of their respective teams in 1982 & 1984, while Ashan captained in 1983. Roshan was the first in the family to win the coveted Lion in 1981, followed by younger brother Ashan in 1982 and Dilakshan winning his colours in 1983.
The story of this Ratwatte family’s indulgence in Trinity rugby continued, with both Roshan’s and Ashan’s sons taking up the sport.
Roshan’s son Menendra, played through all the age grades up to the 2nd XV and also indulged in coaching the juniors, while his illustrious cousin and Ashan’s son, Tarinda went on to set many a Trinity record and captained the side in 2014, which incidentally was the last occasion when Trinity won the Bradby Sheild! Tarinda went on to win the coveted Lion in 2014, joining his illustrious father and uncle as the three Lions in the family, which is indeed a rare feat!
Ashan & Tarinda were both awarded the prestigious Ryde Gold Medal during their respective periods at Trinity – the award that surpasses all others and bestowed on just that solitary recipient!!!
It was only the second occasion, when father and son captained Trinity at the Bradby shield encounters, behind the legendary Sourjah’s- Dr Robert (first Bradby captain and son Rohan)
However, the Ratwatte’s are the only father and son duo to win the Bradby shield in their respective years as captain!
Ashan conquered the Everest in rugby, representing the country and his son Tarinda emulated him in playing for the country too and went one better, when he became the first Sri Lankan to score a spectacular try, against the mighty All Blacks, at the commonwealth games, sevens in 2022 and also had the rare privilege of captaining the national under 20 rugby football team, while being a schoolboy!
This family of Ratwatte’s produced three 1st XV vice captains, one 2nd XV captain and two 1st XV captains, which is a hard act to follow.
Across the years from the late 1940s to 2014, they have scored an avalanche of points for Trinity; a humongous feat which will list as one, amongst the very best at the top!
In 1983, Trinity scored 191 points against their opponents while conceding a mere 52 points!
The team at the start of the season was sans the heroes but ended with many!
The front row was as tough as they come, with Brodie, Siva and Manoj Jayatissa, who eventually went onto captain the Bradby winning team of 1985 and dual star Roger Halangoda (cricket & Rugby). The second rowers were the walking tall quadruplets, Channa Kalugampitiya, Shabbir Hassanally, Nalin Silva and Tyrone David with a crack third row, comprising, Johan Rodrigo, the fearsome Nalin Wettasinghe and Dilakshan Ratwatte at 8, the Vice captain of 1984 and never say die Anjana Dissanayake.
The halves combo was the skipper at 9 with able cover from D Wijesinghe and Jeevana the giant Handunge at 10. The flamboyant centers were Ravi Pillai and Rohan Abayakoon. Rohan went onto play for CH&FC and Ten nonstop years for the country without being dropped and captained the national sevens team as well! Rohan also served Sri Lanaka Rugby in many capacities and was the chairman of selectors for an extended period! The wingers were SG Ekanayake of boxing fame, Faiz, Arjuna de Silva and the highest try scorer, R Gunasekera. Bringing up the last line of defense was 1984s captain and Bradby saving savior for Trinity the late great D Wijesinghe (was also cover for Ashan at 9) MTLJ Perera was the influential utility back.
Joining the team on the tour of Taiwan were two youngsters, Senaka Alawattegama and the prodigious Ikram Odayar, a colossus for both school and country in his prime, apart from his prowess at boxing! This team as usual was guided and molded by one of Trinity’s greatest coaches of all time, the late great Bertie Dias, who to his eternal credit, produced some of the very best Trinity sides- May his soul Rest in Peace!
The 22nd of July 2023 will see, Ashan Ratwatte, this famous son of Trinity accorded the great honour and privilege of being the chief guest at the first leg of the Bradby shield encounter to be played at Pallekelle!
The Bradbys are happy hunting grounds for the father and son duo! Between them, Ashan and Tarinda played 8 Bradbys (16 games in all) winning 7 Bradbys outright.
Ashan played in the TCK sides from 1980 to 1983, losing in 1980 and winning the Bradby in 1981/82 and leading his team to a fabulous win in 1983. Tarinda played from 2011 to 2014 winning the Bradby all four years and had the distinction of leading the side in 2014, which side was the last Trinity team to win the Bradby. Another notable feature is Trinity’s dominance of the Bradbys from 1981 through to 1983 and again from 1985 through to 1987 winning the Bradby six times out of Seven years. Had not the 1984 side lost to Royal, it would’ve been an unprecedented seven wins in a row! That glorious jewel, was not to be in Trinity’s crown!
Ashan played for Kandy sports club, captaining the team, and marshaling them through thick and thin during the most difficult period the club ever faced. He joined the KSC team as a schoolboy in 1982 and switched to CR & FC for his last season before ending his illustrious rugby career!
Ashan was not lost to rugby. He came back to coach Trinity in the season 1991/92, during which year a narrow defeat to the high riding Thomians, deprived Trinity of an undefeated season, being runners up to St Thomas’s College Mt Lavinia in the all-important school’s league! The Bradby shield was secured without a fuss, sporting yet another feather in his decorated cap! His rate of success at the Bradbys as a player, captain and coach is Himalayan! Barring the solitary loss in 1980, every other attempt has been successful! As stated elsewhere in this article, his win ratio as a player, captain, and coach in the Bradby shield series, is an astounding 83%! The percentage doesn’t do justice to the cause; simply told, played and coached 6 Bradbys, won 5 lost 1! What a champion!
Story has it, that Ashan was christened “Freddy”, by Nihal Gunawardena, Trinity’s crack wing-three quarter of 1981, a story that will be shelved indefinitely, to be penned another day! However, I’ll moot the following, simply because of his humongous Bradby achievements, to Rechristen him “Elba”!!!
As you strode the arena, full of vigor and class, we followed every step with great pride! As you re-enter the field at the highest level, we wish you luck, we wish Trinity the very best and a firm step towards regaining the hallowed Bradby shield!
Thank you, Ashan, for the memories! You were a colossus, a champion, a true son of Trinity!
“Though oft there on the pilgrim flag, it leads to life unending”!!!
Respice Finem
Tyrone Smith – till the last bell calls
The Trinity 1XV team photo of 1983 skippered by Ashan Ratwatte….The photo courtesy of Mr.Nalin Wettasinghe( member of Trinity 1XV 1982-1983)
