From the crease to the pedestal: It was a night to remember
The night belonged to all those teenagers who had made it big and their alma maters proud by being selected as the best schoolboy cricketers in the island. As expected it was they who were in charge of the proceedings of the night when the Bata Shoe Company held its 35th annual Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year awards ceremony in collaboration with the Sunday Times at the Museaus College Auditorium in Colombo on Friday.
They were dancing down the aisles when the music was on, but when the names were called in they did walk on to the stage to receive their due recognition like the Jayawardenas and the Sangakkaras of tomorrow.
Sadeera Samarawickrama (on right and in below pic) was the star of the show. He won the 35th Bata-the Sunday TImes Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2014 award - Pix by Amila Gamage
Historically this dedicated evening has produced many national crest holders who have made their country proud. Even the night’s chief guest, the mercurial Sanath Jayasuriya, who is now the chief selector of national cricket, reminisced how he trod down the walkway at the Bata schoolboy cricket awards ceremony to receive his accolade way back in 1988.
However the former Lankan cricket captain, opening batsman and left arm spinner came out with a piece of advice to the future hopefuls. He said that when he represented his alma mater St. Servatius, Matara, they played the game with many difficulties though they knew the returns from the game were very little. But, today, cricketers at national level are professionals, and at this peak nothing comes on a platter. He said now it is very difficult to get into the national 
team and it is even harder to sustain their places once they get into the team. The only solution to that problem is hard work and dedication.
Yet at the same time, he said, once you are there at the top as a national cricketer you get the due recognition and the returns come along with professionalism. Jayasuriya also said he was happy to note that some of the young cricketers who already have come into the radar of the national selectors were recipients of awards.
St. Joseph’s College allrounder and Sri Lanka Under-19s deputy skipper Sadeera Samarawickrema who had an impressive season stood out as the brightest star in the constellation that shone on Friday night. The eminent selection panel led by former national cricketer Jayantha Seneviratne had no hesitation in selecting him as the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2014.
On the lighter side of the proceedings of that enjoyable evening, some scintillating dance acts by the Prashadi’s Dancing Troop along with pulsating entertainment from the live band of the night, the Outliners, who backed the very professional gigs by Lahiru Perera and Corrine Almeida saw the young lads dancing the night away. There was no difference. The lads on the floor had come from all over Sri Lanka – from Jaffna in the north to Matara in the south. The night belonged to them and they accepted it gleefully.