All eyes on OBSERVER-MOBITEL award winner Dinesh Chandimal!
By LESLIE FERNANDO
OBSERVER-MOBITEL: Twenty year-old dynamic right-hander Dinesh
Chandimal of Ananda College who won the 2009 Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy
Cricketer of the Year Award will be representing Sri Lanka in the
on-going International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 World Cup in the
West Indies.
Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal born 18th November 1989 in Balapitiya, who
led Ananda College last year, told the ‘Sunday Observer’ before leaving
with the Sri Lanka team he is eagerly looking forward to the tourney and
hopes to perform well.
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Dinesh Chandimal of Ananda College -
the star performer now in the Sri Lanka squad. |
This contest has produced some of the finest Sri Lankan Test
cricketers like Ranjan Madugalle, Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama,
Asanka Gurusinha, Marvan Atapattu, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath
Jayasuriya, Kumar Dharmasena and Thilan Samaraweera, to name a few. The
Sunday Observer new alliance with Sri Lanka’s fastest growing mobile
telephone service Mobitel has taken the popular contest to greater
horizons. Chandimal said that school cricket is the cradle of Sri Lanka
cricket and he believes that Sri Lanka Telecom-Mobitel and Sunday
Observer will sponsor young cricketers in the future, too, so that the
youngsters will be able to reach the top.
Wicket-keeper/batsman, Dinesh Chandimal, becomes the seventh Anandian
to win the coveted honour of Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award.
Arjuna Ranatunga, the World Cup winning captain won it in 1980 and 1982,
Sanjeewa Ranatunga in 1988, Marvan Atapattu 1990, Thilan Samaraweera
1994 and 1995, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara 1999, Malith Gunathileke 2007.
Chandimal, in addition to winning the plum, also won the award for
Best Fielder and Best Captain and was runner-up in the Best Batsman
award in 2009. He is the eldest in a family of five boys and showed
early promise while turning out for Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda in
the under-13, and under-15 tournaments. He captained the under-13 and
under-15 teams.
He was a key figure in the Southern Province schools cricket team in
the inter-district tournaments. After coming over to Ananda, Chandimal’s
cricketing career progressed at the highest level. He captained the
under-17 team and proved his capabilities.
He was appointed 1st XI captain in 2008-2009 and also was the
vice-captain of the Sri Lanka under-19 team. Chandimal was only 19 when
he scored his maiden first-class century against New Zealand in August
2009 while representing the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI in a
three-day practice match.
He established a record against Australian schoolboy team having 8
victims behind the stumps. In the year 2007, he scored 143 against the
Indian Schools side and in the limited-over matches against the English
schoolboys, Chandimal struck a fine century (112) and a bright
half-century (65).
The year he became the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, is a
memorable one of Dinesh. He led Ananda to a record 12 wins, but
unfortunately lost to Royal. It’s a record for Ananda to win 12 games.
The previous record of II wins was by St. Joseph’s College.
An important milestone that Chandimal got was when he became the
first schoolboy cricketer to top the magical, one thousand run-mark
(1,580 runs). He was able to earn the reputation as the ‘run machine’ of
Ananda College and left a lasting impression with some memorable innings
at home and away.
A smart keeper, Dinesh, had 64 victims during the season. In the
under-19 limited-over cricket tournament he established a another record
slamming 205 against Moratu Vidyalaya.
The previous highest score was by former Test cricketer Russel Arnold
(St. Peter’s College) who scored 170. Incidentally, Dinesh Chandimal was
the runner-up in the best fielder’s award in 2007 Observer Schoolboy
Cricketer of the Year and winner best fielder in the 2008 contest.Dinesh
has toured Malaysia with the under-15 team first trip in 2006, went to
India for Triangular tournament (Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh) in 2007
then to Bangladesh for Test matches, 2008 and 2009 again to Malaysia and
Bangladesh with the Schools Cricket Team.
He first got involved in club cricket when he played for Sinha SC,
Ambalangoda in 2006 and then played for Old Anandians SC. At present, he
plays for NCC and Ruhuna. Dinesh Chandimal’s first-class debut was in
2009 after leaving school. He played 15 matches, had 21 innings not
outs, he scored 1,072 runs, highest score 164, four centuries and five
half-centuries, average 53.60.
He was able to produce a good feat at the recently concluded Bank of
Ceylon Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament, where he was selected as
the Best Batsman while representing the Hidramani Ruhunu team.
His performances in the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament: 42 n.o.
in 26 ball v SLC. Combined XI, 75 in 50 balls v Basnahira North, 30 in
23 balls v Wayamba, 65 in 42 balls v Kandurata, 9 in 7 balls v Basnahira
South (semi-final), 35 in 21 balls v Kandurata (final) 64 in 33 balls v
Wayamba.
Dinesh Chandimal is presently employed at DIMO and hopes to continue
playing cricket for a few more years.
Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010
~All-Island - Coupon No. 16~
1. S. Edirisuriya (Royal) 85,701
2. Chathura Peiris (St.Peter’s College) 85,499
3. Kithuruwan Vithanage (Royal) 85,388
4. Nipun Karunanayake (Nalanda) 79,981
5. Sachithra Perera (Ananda) 65,032
6. S. H. I. Kumara (Mahanama College) 48,365
7. Rasika Gamage (Dharmapala College) 41,092
8. H. Wickremasuriya (SACK) 32,561
9. Waruna Fernando (SBC) 20,507
10. Deshan Dians (St.Sebs.) 13,129
Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010
~Outstation - Coupon No.16~
1. Malinda Samarasekera (Maris Stella College) 69,001
2. N. Rajaguru (Nugawela Central) 68,887
3. K. Wickremarachchi (Gamini MV, Bentota) 68,802
4. N. Abeyratne (Ibbagamuwa Central) 47,427
5. T. Dilranga (Bandaranayake C. Gampaha) 36,009
6. S. Sankalpa (Gurukula C. Kelaniya) 23,527
7. A. Thilakaratne (Sri Rahula C. Katugastota) 18,102
8. A. Perera (Royal Panadura) 13,244
9. M. Ranasinghe (St.John’s Nugegoda) 10,309
10.Sapumal Pathirana (Kalutara Vidyalaya) 8,106
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