35th Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2014 to kick off
View(s):As our readers are aware, the Sunday Times and the Bata Shoe Company has made all necessary arrangements to kick-start the 35th Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year competition for 2014.
With this progress, our readers will be able to get involved with one of the important segments of the competition, the Most Popular Cricketer of the Year 2014, beginning from January 1, 2014. Coupons will appear in our sister publications Daily Mirror and Lankadeepa beginning from this date and the Sunday Times will carry the coupons on the last day of the week. The whole process will run for 21 weekends.
Kusal Mendis was crowned the Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2013
However the spotlight of the competition, as usual, will be the Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award. Its current title holder, Kusal Mendis of Prince of Wales’ College will have a rare opportunity of becoming the fourth schoolboy cricketer to win a double. Former greats who have had the opportunity to win the prestigious award twice are Arjuna Ranatunga of Ananda College (1980 and 1982), Roshan Mahanama of Nalanda College (1983 and 1984) and Thilan Samaraweera of Ananda College (1994 and 1995). All these three cricketers went on to represent the country and today they are greats in their own selected paths.
Besides Mendis, who shows great potential of becoming a national player sooner or later, young schoolboy cricketers from schools of down south dominated last year’s show. Dharmasoka’s, Yohan de Silva won the best bowler’s award while his team mate carried away its runner-up award. Mahinda’s Nirwantha Thikshila emerged the best fielder as Richmond’s Hasitha Madushan won its runner-up award. Richmond skipper Hasitha Madushan was named the best captain of the year for 2013. Richmond College was named the best school while Dharmasoka Ambalangoda finished second.
Danushka Sandaruwan of St. Mary’s Kegalle became the Emerging Schoolboy Cricketer of 2013 as Lahiru Sanjaya of St. John’s Panadura grabbed the runner-up trophy. Likewise the competition will be open for talented schoolboy cricketers, whose efforts throughout the season will be duly recognised in the Month of August in 2014 at a gala ceremony to be held at a selected venue in Colombo.
All schools competing in the ongoing Inter-School Division I tournament will be categorised in the All-Island Schools category including Royal College who are not in the tournament officially this season. The remaining schools, which are competing under the Division II and III categories, will come under Emerging Schools as usual.
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This season too, schoolboy cricketers of Sri Lanka will stand a chance to grab one of these awards when an expert panel of selectors sits together in the month of May. All you have to do is perform to your potential, making your school cricket team proud while the deserving individuals will be duly honoured for their contributions in school cricket by Bata and the Sunday Times.
As Basith Muzammil of Wesley College, Sanju Sharuk of Vidyaloka Galle and Walid Jiffry of Leighton Park International, three lucky schoolboy cricketers will be able to win Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer awards under three categories the All-Island, Emerging and International schools. To make this event more vibrant Wijeya Newspapers publications the Sunday Times, Daily Mirror and Lankadeepa will publish coupons beginning from January 1 to May 25, 2014. This will enable our readers to vote in favour of their favourite schoolboy cricketer while Bata will be generous in giving out four lucky readers with gift vouchers on a weekly basis. Bata, together with the Sunday Times will eagerly look forward to honour the respective winners of all categories at a gala ceremony.