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| Sunday, 03 August 2003 |
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Schoolboys are encouraged by this contest - Marvan Atapattu The OBSERVER-BATA Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest gave all the encouragement for me to forge ahead in the cricket world, said Sri Lanka's captain in one-day internationals - Marvan Atapattu. Atapattu was picked as OBSERVER-BATA Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1990 and he was also picked as the Best Batsman that year. The talent shown by Marvan Atapattu in those early years in his cricket career as a schoolboy at Ananda College blossomed out in later years and he is now an accomplished batsman in world cricket. This year is the 25th year in succession that this contest is being held and there are 26 days more for the awards presentation. Marvan complimented the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, the Sunday Observer and Bata for keeping the show going for all these years. The support of sponsors is essential and Bata must see that the show continues for many years to come, Marvan said. Schoolboy cricketers should be encouraged on a larger scale. This contest is sure to identify the talent and the high performances. The Sri Lanka one-day skipper added that in the past most of the winners of top awards came from Colombo and its immediate suburbs, but now the outstation schools including schools from Jaffna have come in a big way and it was a good sign for the game. Atapattu was confident that the up-and-coming schoolboy cricketers follow the same example set by those who won top awards at the Observer-Bata contest. Scoring a few runs and taking some wickets is not sufficient, the cricketers should aim at the highest level. To climb to the top is hard, but if the cricketers are dedicated, they are bound to go up the ladder of success, added Marvan. In the past, schoolboy cricketers did not have the same facilities as now. Cricket development squads, special cricket clinics, special coaches from abroad and scholarship to foreign countries to further improve their cricketing skills are readily available now. It's upto the cricketers now, they should grab the opportunities that come their way and play with a purpose and they are bound to do well - those were the parting words of wisdom from Marvan Atapattu. |
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