OBSERVER-MOBITEL Schoolboy Cricketer selections on July 6

by Ranjan ANANDAPPA

OBSERVER-MOBITEL CRICKETER AWARDS: The most looked forward event in the annals of school cricket, the selection of the Sunday Observer/Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2012 is due to take place at the Galadari Hotel, on Friday (July 6) at 6.30 pm.

The Sunday Observer/Mobitel School Cricket Contest and the previous ones which were held under different sponsors, have always had the blessings of the umpires who have been officiating at school games.

The umpires have the chance of having a closer look at the players and one could say that the umpires are more suitable to deliver the final . There will be a panel of selected senior umpires with the president and the secretary of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association and a set of officials of the SLSCA.

This contest which has lasted for over three decades, has produced many outstanding cricketers which includes Test captains, vice captains and players of the highest calibre.

Starting from Ranjan Madugalle the first winner and Arjuna Ranatunga, Marvan Atapattu, Asanka Gurusinha, Roshan Mahanama, Muttiah Muralitharan and to the recent batting sensation Dinesh Chadimal has provided the necessary feeder to the national team and will no doubt continue to supply a steady influx of quality cricketers even from the Outstations.

It has been proved time and again that even in the outstations, that there is immense talent emerging as many cricketers like Sanath Jayasuriya, (St. Servatius'), Tharanga Paranavithana (St. Mary's, Kegalle) representing the country at the highest level and that clearly shows that the outstation cricketers are almost on par with the ones in the city.

As almost every past recipients say this contest gives a terrific boost for the young aspiring cricketer. During the season, the enthusiasm is bubbling when a school cricketer finds his name appearing either in the All Island or Outstation category which no doubt gives a great inspiration for the individual.

The selection of the worthy players is done strictly on merit, taking into consideration how a player had fared during the season. After several rounds of discussions the the contestants will be short listed by the panel of selectors prior to declaring the winner.