Jaffna College, Wattukoddai - Best Team Northern Province:

Maris Stella College - Best Behaved Team:

All set for OBSERVER-MOBITEL Mega Show on June 14

By Leslie FERNANDO
 

Shavinda Edirisuriya of Royal is making a strong challenge to take top spot in Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010. He has got 98,129 votes at the end of the penultimate week’s voting.	Krishan Wickremarachchi of Gamini M.V. Bentota leads in the most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010 Outstation Contest with 80,672 votes.	Kithuruwan Vithanage of Royal College making a strong challenge for top spot in All-Island Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010 presently second with 97,610 votes.	Malinda Samarasekera of Maris Stella, Negombo presently second with 80,473 votes in the Observer-Mobitel Outstation Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest.

CRICKET: The winners of Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010 All Island and Outstation Contests will be announced on Sunday June 13. There has been heavy voting in the past few weeks. This is the 32nd Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest which started way back in 1978.

There seems to be a hot contest between the front runners in the two competitions. In the All-Island Contest it is a battle between Shavinda Edirisuriya and Kithuruwan Vithanage with Shavinda in front with a majority of 519 votes. Edirisuriya has got 98,129 votes while Kithuruwan Vithanage has got 97,610 votes. In third place is Chathura Peiris of St.Peter’s College with 97,050 votes.

Coupon No.22 is the final week’s coupon.

In the Outstation Contest, there is another close battle between Bentota Gamini MV’s Kirshan Wickremasinghe who has got 80,672 votes and leads by 199 votes from Malinda Samarasekera of Maris Stella College who has 80,473 votes. Saranga Rajaguru of Nugawela Central College in third place with 77,938 votes.

So, there should be a hot contest in the All-Island and Outstation categories in the final week’s voting.

The special selection committees comprising umpires from the Association of Cricket Umpires’ Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association, Southern Province Cricket Umpires Association and Central Province Cricket Umpires’ Association met on May 25 and evaluated the performances of the schoolboys and the selection panel have short-listed their names for the 40 different awards to be made at the Mega Show to be held on June 14 at the Bandaranaike ‘A’ Hall BMICH.

The cricket fans and supporters from Northern Province will be happy that Jaffna College Wattukoddai will carry away one of the awards at the Mega Show on June 14 for being selected as the Best Team from the Northern Province.

The umpires unanimously decided to select Jaffna College, Wattukoddai for their courage and enthusiasm together with their good performances during the season and also to keep the game alive despite many harassings.

Cricket has come back to Jaffna in a bag way and the schoolboys are happy as peace prevails and they are able to continue playing cricket. Jaffna College team had a fine season winning, six matches against Jaffna Central, St.Patrick’s College, St.John’s College, Kokavil Hindu College, Stanley College and Jaffna Hindu College.

Rev. Fr. Gnanapouraja, master in-charge of cricket said that this year’s team was a well balanced side. But next season, five of our senior players will not be eligible to play after sitting for the ‘A’ Level Examinations. The vacancies will be filled by up-and-coming under-17 players Fr.Gnanapouraja said.

Best Behaved Team

Maris Stella College, Negombo cricketers are thrilled that their team has performed well during the last cricket season. For their untiring and hard work together with fine discipline, Maris Stella were rewarded as the panel of cricket umpires who acted as judges selected them as the ‘Best Behaved Team.’

Indeed it is a honour for the school to be selected for such an award said Bro.Mervyn Perera, Principal, Maris Stella College. Harsha Gamaadikara, coach of Maris Stella College said the boys have achieved a creditable feat. This is the second time a ‘Best Behaved Team’ was selected by the Panel of Umpires and School Cricket Association.

This is an extra award that was added in 2009. It was suggested by Ranjan Madugalle, the winner of the inaugural contest who was the chief guest at the 30th Observer-Mobitel cricketer of the Year Awards Ceremony held in 2008 at the BMICH.

According to Madugalle, the present Chief Match Referee of IOC, this award will be able to inculcate a habit among schoolboys to play the game within the law.