Five year down the line the Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contests will be on the road again from 1st January 2012 – once again mirroring the excellence of the junior talent in the country.
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| Bhanuka Rajapakse’s brother receiving previous season’s School Boy Cricketer of the Year Award as Bhanuka was out of the country representing Sri Lanka A in England. Pix By Mangala Weerasekera |
In all this will be the 32nd occasion that Bata will be involved in the project. The trail that this event has left is embedded with precious names in the caliber of Ranjan Madugalle, Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama Asanka Gurusinha, Marvan Atapattu, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Samaraweera and Dinesh Chandimal who walked down the BMICH isle two years ago. This clearly depicts that this endurance of unearthing talent has been a very fruitful one.
Last year the coveted prize given away to the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2011 was taken away by the Royal Collage all-rounder Bhanuka Rajapakse while the Emerging Schoolboy Cricketer of the year was Duleeka Tissakuttige of Mahanama College, Colombo.
Customarily once again the competition will be in two segments. First to come out will be the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contests – All Island and Emerging with the first coupon coming out with the Sunday Times issue on 1st January 2012. The last coupon will appear on May 23, 2012.
This year the number of All Island Schools has been increased up to 36. The Schools in the All Island category are: Ananda, Nalanda, Royal, Wesley, D.S. Senanayake, Isipathana, Lumbini, St. Benedict’s, St. Joseph’s, St. Peter’s, Thurstan, Zahira, Mahanama, S. Thomas’, St. Sebastian’s, Prince Of Wales, Moratu Vidyalaya, Dharmapala, Royal Panadura, Holy Cross, Kalutara Vidyalaya, De Mazenod, Maris Stella, Dharmaraja, St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota, Trinity, St. Sylvester’s, Kingswood, Mahinda, Richmond, St. Aloysius, Dharmasoka, Revatha Balapitiya, St. Servatius, Maliyadeva and Joseph Vaz College Wennappuwa. Those who are interested in voting for their schoolboy cricket idols could cast their votes for any from the above in the All Island category and any other schoolboy in the Emerging category. However those cricketers who represent the International Schools would have to be voted in that particular category.
Besides this year the organizers have also increased the prize money that goes to the readers who send in their votes. Now the Prize money will be Lkr.1,500/-, 1,250/-, 1,000/-, 750/-.
Last but, not least the 2012 awards ceremony will be held at the BMICH once again on August 3, 2012. |
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