Prima Group and Sri Lanka Cricket to uplift Junior Cricket
CRICKET: The Prima Group, in partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket
announced its sponsorship of the Prima Champions Cup 2008. Under 15
district Cricket Tournament, for the second consecutive year. This
year’s tournament which is powered by Prima Nutrition is titled
‘Bringing the Champions out’.
It will be held from September 10 - October 25, 2008 and will be
organised by Sri Lanka Cricket. All matches will be umpired by the
officials of the National Umpires Association, with the best players
being judged by the National Coaching Panel.
A total of 21 district teams will participate in 34 matches,
comprising of a preliminary round held in seven locations islandwide,
with the final round scheduled to be held in Colombo. Teams from as far
as Vauniya, Trincomalee, Amapara and Monaragala among others will
compete, along with four teams from the Colombo District.
The preliminary rounds will see the district teams competing with
each other at the provincial level with the best teams qualifying for
the quarter-finals. This gives all participants an equal chance to
compete as well as showcasing a wider array of talent. The objective of
this tournament is to recognize young talent as well as inspiring them
to become national level cricketers. The brand ambassadors of the
tournament Chaminda Vaas and Malinda Warnapura will further enhance this
effort.
Speaking on the significance of the Prima Group sponsoring this
tournament, Mr. Tan Beng Chuan, Group General Manager, Prima Group Sri
Lanka said, “We take great pride in having the opportunity to be a part
of the Prima Champions Cup for the second consecutive year, enabling the
young cricketing talent to compete against each other, which invariably
will contribute to the growth of junior cricket in the country. We are
working in partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket, in order to take this
initiative to the next level in terms of it being an integral part in
developing junior level cricket in the country.
We are committed in making this a successful endeavour by supporting
its development in the future as well.” In addition to this, Arjuna
Ranatunge, Chairman, Sri Lanka Cricket said, “I believe School/District
cricket is the stepping stone for youth to embark on future careers in
cricket at both the club and national levels.
In our efforts at promoting School/District cricket, we need to keep
in mind that our cricketing talents lie in the rural areas as well as
the towns and the cities.” Duleep Mendis, Chief Executive Officer, Sri
Lanka Cricket also added, “Even at present, Sri Lanka Cricket is making
all endeavours to enhance the cricketing skills and experiences of the
junior cricketers which in turn will develop the feeder squads for the
national teams. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Prima Group
for coming forward and sponsoring an event of this nature which will be
extremely beneficial for our young latented cricketers of all districts
to showcase their skills.”
Sajith Gunaratne, Senior Marketing Manager, Prima further stated that
“The development of junior cricket and Prima goes hand in hand. As we
are a nutrition company specializing in wheat and poultry products, we
will be providing the necessary nutrition to the players. One of the
special features is that all the players will be provided with Prima
cricketing gear which includes a cricket bag, cap and T-shirt.
In addition umpires and coaches will also be provided with T-shirts
and caps. Apart from the gear, we will be providing lunch and snaks to
all participants throughout the tournament. As ‘Prima Nutrition’ is the
driving force behind this competition, we are able to further establish
Prima’s brand association with junior cricket providing the platform for
the future national heroes of this country to display their talent at a
young age.”
In addition to sponsoring the under 15 tournament, Prima will also
conduct coaching camps for under 13 players, under the direction of SLC,
for the second consecutive year. This will help to build the necessary
skills of young developing cricketers. A total of 23 coaching camps were
held last year and an equal number or more are being planned for the
future under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket who will be providing the
coaches and resources.
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