Royalist Vithanage and Maris Stella’s Samarasekera - the front
runners
by Leslie Fernando
OBSERVER - MOBITEL: The 32nd Observer - Mobitel Schoolboy
Cricketer of the Year contest’s most popular segment has received
unprecedented response from all quarters.
After ten week’s of stiff competition, Kithruwan Vithanage of Royal
College continues to head the All-Island Contest for the Observer-Mobitel
Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer. The Royal allrounder and Sri Lanka
under - 19 Youth World Cup vice-captain, has not only been able to
maintain a good lead but has also polled a record number of over 40,000
votes.
Meanwhile in the Outstation Contest, Maris Stella College captain
Malinda Samarasekera has received over 30,000 votes to maintain the
lead.
This contest has been a household name and an event eagerly looked
forward to by thousands of schoolboy cricketers and their supporters.
This contest has produced some of the finest test cricketers such as
Ranjan Madugalle, Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama, Asanka Gurusinha,
Marvan Atapattu, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena and Thilan
Samaraweera to name a few. The Sunday Observer new alliance with Sri
Lanka’s fastest growing mobile telephone service provider the SLT
Mobitel has taken the popular contest to greater horizons.
Madugalle and Mahanama now ICC match Referees
Both Ranjan Madugalle and Roshan Mahanama who have won the Observer
Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year on two occasions each, were of the view
that school cricket is the cradle of Sri Lanka cricket and both believe
that Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel and Sunday Observer will sponsor young
cricketers in the future too, so that the youngsters will be able to
come to the top.
Ranjan Madugalle who has been a popular figure at this competition
won it in 1978 and 1979. He is now the Chief Match Referee of the
International Cricket Council.
Roshan Mahanama, the former Nalanda and Sri Lanka star batsman, won
the top award in 1983 and 1984. He is a Match Referee of the ICC.
Madugalle and Mahanama is on par with Arjuna Ranatunga who won the
contest in 1980 and 1982 and Thilan Samaraweera won the contest in 1994
- 1995.
Ranjan Madugalle said it was one of the best things that happened to
him in 1978 and 1979 when he won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the
Year Award. He said playing for Royal brought him immense joy. (Ranjan
went on to captain Royal and Sri Lanka). The school cricketers must be
motivated and the outstation cricketers must not be neglected. This
contest will give all encouragements to school cricketers. Ranjan added
that winning the contest gave him lot of satisfactions and spurred him
on and he was able to reach the top because of inter-school cricket.
At the start, there were only a few schools playing cricket put the
game has spread to all towns and villages in Sri Lanka. School cricket
is the stepping stone to become a national and International cricketer.
This contest has been a source of inspiration to Sri Lanka’s budding
schoolboy cricketers and is bound to bring out more cricketers in the
future. “I’m thrilled by the resounding success of the contest which has
always been an important event in local sports calendar. The Sunday
Observer has been in front of sports promotion and with the partnership
with Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel would add more strength to Sri Lanka’s
premier sports contest for schoolboy cricketers, said Mahanama who was a
past Nalanda captain and he also led Sri Lanka on a tour of Sharjah in
1994.
Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010
All-Island - Coupon No. 11
1. Kithruwan Vithanage (Royal) 47,428
2. Chathura Peiris (St.Peter’s College) 46,997
3. S. Edirisuriya (Royal) 46,879
4. Nipun Karunanayake (Nalanda) 46,744
5. Sachithra Perera (Ananda) 42,738
6. S. H. I. Kumara (Mahanama College) 31,292
7. Rasika Gamage (Dharmapala College) 28,901
8. H. Wickremasuriya (SACK) 23,143
9. Waruna Fernando (SBC) 14,427
10. Deshan Dians (St.Sebs.) 9,782
Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010
[Outstation - Coupon No.11]
1. Malinda Samarasekera (Maris Stella College) 36,328
2. N. Rajaguru (Nugawela Central) 36,289
3. K. Wickremarachchi (Gamini MV, Bentota) 35,908
4. N. Abeyratne (Ibbagamuwa Central) 24,321
5. T. Dilranga (Bandaranayake C. Gampaha) 21,207
6. S. Sankalpa (Gurukula C. Kelaniya) 12,985
7. A. Thilakaratne (Sri Rahula C. Katugastota) 10,001
8. A. Perera (Royal Panadura) 7,423
9. M. Ranasinghe (St.John’s Nugegoda) 5,922
10.Sapumal Pathirana (Kalutara Vidyalaya) 3,874
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