OBSERVER-MOBITEL School Cricket contest on again

by Ranjan Anandappa

OBSERVER-MOBITEL CONTEST...... The ever popular Sunday Observer/Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year 2014 contest is back again. The voting for the 36th Sunday Observer/Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year 2014 competition will begin from next Sunday (26 January) with coupons appearing in the Sunday Observer, Daily News, Dinamina and Thinakaran as last year in three segments namely Platinum,Gold and Silver. School cricket is conducted in three divisions,namely division 1,2 and 3. In division one there are 36 schools, in division two there are 33 schools and in division 3 the highest number of schools (151) covering almost all parts of the country.

The main awards such as The Schoolboy Cricketer Of The Year 2013, Best batsman, Best Bowler, Best Fielder ,and Best All-Rounder will receive National awards in recognition for their efforts. Besides these main awards Platinum, Gold and Silver awards will be presented to the winners of Best batsman, Best Bowler, Best Fielder and Best All-rounder in the three divisions.

There will be also team awards in all three categories and a special award for the Best Behaved Team to maintain the highest level of discipline which was introduced by former Sri Lanka captain and presently the ICC Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle.

The identity of the contest will be maintained at the highest level by retaining the Sunday Observer/ Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year 2014 National Awards which be strictly on merit.

All schools playing in division 1,2 and 3 will be considered for these awards under best batsman, best bowler, best all-rounder, best fielder.

The Sunday Observer/Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year will be picked by a special panel ,comprising umpires from the ACUSL, SLSCA Officials, National Selectors.

The contest has won many accolades from past cricketers as they consider it as a stepping stone to the young schoolboy cricketers. The Schoolboy Cricketer contest which had many sponsors in the past first began in 1978 which Ranjan Madugalle of Royal College won the contest in two consecutive years.

It has produced many Test cricketers including Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama, Asanka Gurusinha, Roshan Jurangpathy, Sanjeeva Ranatunga, Kumara Dharmasena, Marvan Atapattu, Muttiah Muralitharan to name a few and the latest addition being the present Sri Lanka vice captain Dinesh Chandimal who won the contest three years ago.

In the contest held last year, Kusal Mendis Of Prince Of Wales College, Moratuwa won the National award of Schoolboy Cricketer Of The year 2013 while Royalist Milan Abeysekera was voted the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year.

Kusal Mendis is presently captaining the Sri Lanka under 19 team for the U-19 World Cup to be held in UAE in February this year.