Navindu-Lasith head-on inevitable
Lasith Croosepulle of Maris Stella College Negombo is still in the lead as the results of the 19th week come out of the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 competition. This is the fifth week running that Lasith is in the lead in the All-Island Schools category. Now his combined total has reached 150083 votes.
During the count of the two combined weeks Lasith, as usual, received 30167, once again the highest received for the week. Former leader Navindu Nirmal of St. Aloysius College Galle added 16505 combined votes in both weeks, taking his tally to 124744, as he remains at second position. The deficit between the two are 25339 votes.
The race now is clearly between Lasith and Navindu and with eight more weeks to go till the end, it could be anybody’s call, being an open competition. Mohamed Najath of Zahira College has slowed downed but remains at third place. The full list will be pruned down to the Top 15 during this month and by end of May it will be shortlisted to the Top 10.
Pulitha Yasas of Sri Sumangala College Panadura continues to dominate the Emerging Schools category while the International Schools category is still led by Shimraz Shahil of Alethea International School.
ImportantÂ
Coupons of the competition will be published in the Sunday Times, the two English dailies, the Daily Mirror and DailyFT, and the two Sinhala dailies, Daily Lankadeepa and Ada. Coupons will run for 26 weeks with the final week set from July 2. Readers could vote for their favourite schoolboy cricketer and take them to the winning post during that period. Online voting could be done through Dialog Axiata’s digital online voting system Portal to vote for the Most Popular Cricketer via www.dialog.lk/cricket. The count of week 19 of digital voting was monitored and approved by auditors Pricewaterhouse Cooper.
All-Island Schools
Lasith Croosepulle (Maris Stella College) 150083
Navindu Nirmal (St. Aloysius’ Galle) 124744
Mohamed Najath (Zahira College) 61179
Charana Nanayakkara (Thurstan College) 10467
Santhush Goonathilake (St. Peter’s College) 9093
Romesh Nallaperuma (S. Thomas’ College) 6414
Dinitha Basnayake (St. Benedict’s College) 6265
Helitha Vithanage (Royal College) 1820
Mohamed Rifaz (Presidents College) 1333
Nikesh Anjana (S. Thomas’ College) 1256
Lakshina Rodrigo (St. Peter’s College) 1208
Sahan Suraweera (Ananda College) 692
Hareen Buddhila (St. Aloysius College) 535
Dileepa Jayalath (Ananda College) 531
P.A. Dananjaya (Richmond College) 291
Emerging Schools
Pulitha Yasas (Sri Sumangala Panadura) 4052
Sahan Perera (Christ King Pannipitiya) 278
Imesh Basnayake (St. Peter’s Gampaha) 266
Gimhana Dhanushka (Piliyandala Central) 130
Nipuna Ransika (P. de S. Kularatne MV) 98
Methushan Thilina (Kegalu Vidyalaya) 84
Suminda Lakshan (De La Salle Mutwal) 46
Raveen Yasas (Devapathiraja Rathgama) 44
Hirusha Mendis (Siddartha Central Balapitiya) 32
Tissara Dilshan Jayananda
(National School Polonnaruwa) 8
Shrushee Adhishtana (St. Bernadette Kurunegala) 1
International Schools
Shimraz Shahil (Alethea International) 319
Tariq Haniff (Wycherley International) 30
Readers prizes go to: 1. J.A. Hemapala, 18, Welhena, Minuwangoda, 2. Antony Joseph, 181, Welikada, Makevita, 3. Nipun Fernando, 13/8, Kanakaratna Place, Lakshapathiya, Moratuwa, 4. Nilupa Nishanthi, 452/A5, Pitipana North, Homagama