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OBSERVER - MOBITEL Contest induces players to perform better - Gihan Rupasinghe

by Leslie Fernando

Gihan Rupasinghe of Nalanda College, Schoolboy Cricketer 2006

OBSERVER - MOBITEL : Former Nalanda College captain Gihan Rupasinghe became the fourth Nalandian to win the prestigious Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award in 2006.

Test player and present ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama won the coveted trophy in 1983 and 1984, Asanka Gurusinha who starred in Lanka’s World Cup triumph in 1996 won the award in 1985 while World Cup winning Sri Lanka team member Kumar Dharmasena won it in 1989. The 23-year-old Gihan who has represented Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 Cricket Tournament last year, said that he values a great deal for the efforts in organising the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year competition as this contest gave the cricketers much needed interest to perform better in the future.

Gihan Rupasinghe added that he is indeed happy that this prestigious contests for All-Island and Outstation is in its 31st year and there is contentment for players in the outstation towns too due to sectional contest for them.

Gihan was unanimously picked for the main award by the panel of umpires from three associations-Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers, Sri Lanka Central Province Cricket Umpires Association and Southern Province Cricket Umpires Association.

Gihan was also picked as the Best Allrounder All-Island in addition to the main award. He also figured prominently in the final rounds of the Best Batsman and Best Captain’s awards.

Gihan Rupasinghe, the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2006 has played for Nalanda as teenager of II years. He has captained the school under-15, under-17 and the first XI with distinction.

Rupasinghe had the honour of playing for Sri Lanka Schools under-17 team at the Asian Schools Cricket Tournament held in Sri Lanka in 2002 and toured with the Sri Lanka under-19 cricket team to Pakistan in 2005.

He was also in the under-19 World Cup Squad in 2004. The tournament was played in Sri Lanka. He was also in the Development Squad run by the BCCSL.

Presently he is turning out for Tamil Union in the tournaments conducted by the BCCSL. The stylish left-handed bat, Rupasinghe scored four superb centuries for Tamil Union last season and for his good performances was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Twenty20 Tournament against New Zealand in 2009.

Rupasinghe also represented Sri Lanka ‘A’ team in the matches against India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and West Indies. His ambition is to represent Sri Lanka in Test and one-day internationals in the future. Due to injury, Gihan Rupasinghe kept out of most of the matches. He has now recovered fast and will continue to represent the club Tamil Union, the club which he joined once his playing days were over at Nalanda College.

In the year he was picked as the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2006, Gihan Rupasinghe was in resounding form with the bat and ball.

This season he scored 910 runs which included three centuries, 117 against Wesley, 134 against Richmond and 104 not out against Dharmasoka. He also scored 7 half centuries. The average was 65.25. He has also bagged 44 wickets in bowling with his right-arm leg spin. His best achievement 5 for 56 against Dharmapala. Rupasinghe also had five wickets haul on four occasions.

Gihan Rupasinghe was high of praise for his coach Leslie Narangoda who guided him to reach the top.

Rupasinghe said that it was good to see the boys from Northern Province figuring in the competitions. “I am happy at the improvement of outstation cricket as the game has spread far and wide in the country. We should consider ourselves privileged to be associated with the process of nurturing these young men into higher levels.” Rupasinghe said.