No dummy passes — it kicks off on Sunday
The Singer-Sunday Times Schoolboy Ruggerite of the Year 2017 will officially kick off from next Sunday, April 23. The competition, which will enable readers to vote for their most preferred school Rugby player of the ongoing Singer Schools Division I Rugby League Championship 2017, runs for 15 weeks before ending on the final week beginning from July 30.
Beginning from April 23, the Sunday Times, along with Wijeya Newspapers publications — Daily Mirror, Daily Lankadeepa and Ada — will publish coupons for 15 continuous weeks, numbered for each week from 1 to 15. The programme which will enable the readers and Rugby lovers in whole to show solidarity to their favourite school player and team in the ongoing League Championship in many ways.
This competition will include two segments where readers and Rugby lovers could get involved with — the Singer-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Ruggerite of the Year 2017 and the Singer-the Sunday Times Most Popular School Rugby Team of the Year 2017. Besides these two awards the organisers have made plans to select three deserving players to become the Singer-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Ruggerite of the Year, Best Try Scorer of the Year and Best Place Kicker of the Year. Selecting the award winners will be done by an ‘Independent Panel of Judges’ nominated by the title sponsors — Singer Sri Lanka.
A glittering Awards Ceremony has been planned for August where the winners of each individual awards will be given away their respective prizes. The Awards Ceremony, which marks the official culmination of the Singer Schools Rugby League Championship 2017, will also be the presentation ceremony where the main team awards of the competition.
Singer Sri Lanka will present championship trophies and certificates to the winning teams of each category — the Division I, II and III at the Awards Ceremony. These awards include the Championship and Runners-up trophies of Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield categories of Division I. In addition first round winner of the Division I segments ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ will be recognised. Also the Championship and Runners-up trophies in Cup and Plate segments of Divisions II and III will be presented in addition to first round winners of segments ‘A’ and ‘B’ of both divisions. All registered players will presented with ‘Certificate of Participation’ for their contribution as players of the Singer Schools Rugby League Championship 2017. Singer Sri Lanka has made plans to include the award presentation of the winners of their programme with the Sunday Times at the official Awards Ceremony.
Coming back to the voting structure, Wijeya Newspapers will publish coupons beginning from April 23 with Coupon No.1, which will be open for voting until 12.00 noon the following week’s Thursday. Each coupon numbered for each week will be valid until 12.00 noon on following respective Thursdays. Counted results for each week will be published on Sundays onward with the Sunday Times, followed with the Daily Mirror, Daily Lankadeepa and Ada newspapers. Beginning from April 23, readers and followers will get ample time for 15 weeks to make their favoured schoolboy Rugby player and the team emerge winners.
For the benefit of the readers we publish the list of schools playing under each division and segment.
The main draw, the Division I Segment ’1A’ includes Royal College, Isipathana College, St. Joseph’s College, St. Peter’s College, St. Anthony’s College, Dharmaraja College and D.S. Senanayake College while the Division I Segment ’2A’ includes S. Thomas’ College, Science College, Trinity College, Zahira College, Wesley College and Prince of Wales College.
Other teams are lined up as follows.
Segment 1B: Lumbini College, Thurstan College, Piliyalandala Central, Lalith Athulathmudali College, Mahanama College
Segment 2B: Vidyartha College, Maliyadeva College, Ananda College, Kingswood College, St. John’s Nugegoda, St. Sylvester’s College
Segment 1C: Richmond Galle, St. Anne’s Kurunegala, Veluwana Colombo, Eheliyagoda Central,  Mahinda Galle, St. Thomas’ Matale
Segment 2C: St. Benedict’s College, Nalanda College, Royal Panadura, Moratu Vidyalaya, Carey College, Sri Sumangala Kandy
Division II Segment 1A: Bandaranayake Gampaha, Thalduwa Buddhist MV, Vidyaloka Galle, President’s Maharagama, Vidura College Nawala, C.W.W. Kannangara Colombo
Division II Segment 2A: Nugawela Central, Siri Piyarathana Padukka, Sri Rahula Katugastota, Devapathiraja Rathgama, Dharmapala Pannipitiya, St. Aloysius Galle
Division II Segment 3A: Asoka Colombo, St. Anthony’s Wattala, S. de.S. Jayadinghe Dehiwela, Sri Sumangala Panadura, KalutaraVidyalaya, St. Thomas’ Prep Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Kandana