Close tussles are on for top posts..:

Bhanuka Rajapaksa leads in All-Island Contest by 105 votes

By Ranjan ANANDAPPA

OBSERVER-MOBITEL: A ding-dong battle is on between two Royalists for the top spot in the Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest.

Last week it was Ramith Rambukwella who led in the All-Island Contest with 139,402 votes with Bhanuka Rajapakse also of Royal in second position with 134,337 votes. The battle if being carried forward and at the end of counting on coupon 14, the result was reversed with Rajapakse going into the lead getting 154,112 votes and Ramith Rambukwella collecting 154,007 which gave Rajapakse a lead of 105 votes. There’s only 105 votes that separate the two Royalists from the top most position in the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year All-Island.

In the All-Island Contest, besides Rajapakse occupying the top position, there is a close contest for the other positions. Right now in second place is Ramith Rambukwella and in third place is Sachithra Perera of Ananda with 140,643 votes.

In the Outstation Contest, Hemal Munaweera of Dharmaraja College had taken over the lead from K. Gamage of Vidyartha. At the end of voting on coupon No. 14 Munaweera had got 59,105 votes and in second place is Dushan Vimukthi of Royal College, Panadura who was in fifth position the previous week. He jumped into second position with 58,981 votes. So, there’s close battle here too with Munaweera - the leader right now having just 123 votes. There is another cricketer - K. Gamage of Vidyartha in the battle with 58,846 votes.

So, it will be really interesting in the closing weeks of this contest with a hot contest on in both the all-Island Contest and Outstation Contest for the top spot.