OBSERVER-MOBITEL cricket awards, successful venture

by A.C. de Silva

OBSERVER-MOBITEL AWARDS: The Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Awards ceremony turned out to be a successful one with a lot of support for the cricketers from the school authorities and the parents of the boys.

Besides the elite Colombo Schools, there were some Outstation Schools who made their presence felt. There were some pleasing pictures of cricketers from St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna marching up the rostrum to receive their award for the Best Team in the Northern Province.

It was a healthy sign that sport had been going on in Jaffna District and everything seems to have settled down in the Jaffna District.

Ananda College bagged the top award - Schoolboy Cricket of the Year through their skipper Dinesh Chandimal who held the college high with some superior performances during the season.

Besides winning the main award, Chandimal was also picked as the Best Captain, the Best Fielder and Runner-up Best Batsman in the All-Island Contest by the panel of umpires.

For Ananda College, it was a particularly happy day as Chandimal’s selection as the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year All-Island was the seventh victory in the competition by an Anandian.

The other Anandians who have won the coveted award in the past were: Arjuna Ranatunga in 1980 and 1982 and Ranatunga showed his allround capabilities and went on to captain the Sri Lanka team and his hallmark turned out to be Sri Lanka’s triumph in the World Cup Tournament in 1996.

Then there was Sanjeewa Ranatunga - Arjuna’s younger brother who won the Schoolboy Cricket Award in 1988, Marvan Atapattu 1990, Thilan Samaraweera - the batting star won it 1994 and 1995, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara won in 1999 and Malith Gunathileke won in 2007.

Chandimal’s prowess on the cricket field went on and he was elected as captain of the Sri Lanka under-19 team and he not only captained the team, but scored a fine century against New Zealand last month for the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI. So, Sri Lanka’s cricket fans can look forward to some fine performances from Chandimal in the future.

Dharmasoka’s Imesh Udayanga - the Outstation Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year too fared exceptionally well in the past inter-school cricket season and his selection as Outstation Schoolboy Cricket of the Year was expected.

Besides winning the main award, Udyanga also won the award for the Best Bowler and Best Allrounder.

In the All-Island Contest, another attractive batsman - Angelo Perera of St. Peter’s College gave a good run to Dinesh Chandimal of Ananda in the main contest. Angelo Perera was runner-up in the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year All-Island. He was also Best Batsman beating Chandimal to second place and Angelo Perera also won the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year.

The Most Popular Schoolboy Cricket of the Year Outstation was S.H. Indunil Kumara of Devapathiraja Vidyalaya, Ratgama.

It was also interesting to note the emergence of little known schools in the outstation towns and one of them - St. Sebastian’s College, Katuneriya was picked as the Best Up-and-Coming Team.

In the Outstation section, there was another outstanding cricketer in W.W.A.G. Manishan of Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala who was the runner-up to R.J.N. Imesh Udyanga of Dharmasoka College in the Outstation schoolboys Cricketer of the Year. Manishan was also picked as the Best Batsman, Best Fielder.

Pathmanathan Navatheepan, Vice Captain of St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna receives award from the Best Team from Northern Province from Shan Shanmuganathan, Director ANCL/Finance. Others from left: Abhaya Amaradasa (General Manager, ANCL); Ashantha de Mel (Chairman, National Cricket Selection Committee); Arjuna Ranatunga (former cricket captain, MP), Rasanga Harischandra (ANCL/Director/Administration).	Denuruwan Rajakaruna, Vice Captain of Mahinda College, Galle receives award for the Best Team Southern Province from Arjuna Ranatunga, MP. The others from left: Abhaya Amaradasa, General Manager ANCL; Shan Shanmuganathan, Director ANCL/Finance; Rasanga Harischandra, ANCL Director Legal/Administration; Rohana Ariyaratne, CAO/ANCL.
Best Batsman - Outstation W. W. A. G. Manishan of Maliyadeva (left) receives his award from Jayatileke de Silva - Chief Editor of Daily News, watched by (from left): Saman Malalasekera - Design Editor, Daily News, Abhaya Amaradasa - General Manager, ANCL; Waruna Mallawarachchi - Head of Corporate Relation/Advertising, ANCL.	Pix by Kavindra Perera, Vipula Amerasinghe and Ranjith Jayaweera.

St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna, Best Team Northern Province - Mahalingam Anton Niloshan, Pathmanathan Navatheepan, Siluvaithas Milando Jenifer, Tharmalingam Lavatheesan, Mark Hamilton, Arul Manoj, Boniface Robert, Loganathan Kajamukan, Mariyathas Sajeenthiran, Gnanachelvanam Rageksan, Anthony Kabaskar, Jeganathan Tharashan, Ketheeswaran Nirojan, George Regilaus, Soosai Johnson, Arul Norbert, Rev. Fr. Manuelpillai Selvanayagam - Principal, Amalathas Nishanthan - Coach, Pararajasingham Jeyakumar (Master-in-Charge).