Competition starts from today
The 36th Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015 officially kicks off today. The Sunday Times will carry the first printed coupon, followed by other publications of Wijeya Newspapers which our readers could use to make their favourite schoolboy cricketer ‘the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015’.
Accordingly our weeklies the Sunday Times, Deshaya and our dailies the Daily Mirror and Lankadeepa will carry printed coupons from February 15. Coupons will appear during 18 weekends until June 14, but the deadline for our readers to cast their votes in favour of their favourite schoolboy cricketer will be June 18 at 12.00 noon.
As every year, the competition will be conducted under three categories – All Island, Emerging and International schools. Readers and followers of this competition will have ample time, 18 weeks to be exact, before the closing date of the contest to take their favourite schoolboy cricketers from respective categories to the fore. As usual the top three finishers from each category will be rewarded at the gala ceremony which is expected to be held in July 2015, where Bata and the Sunday Times will announce the most prolific cricketers who perform during the ongoing first XI school cricket season under different categories.
Last season Randev Pathirana of Royal College, Lahiru Vimukthi of Sri Sumangala College Panadura and Romesh Madushan of Leighton Park International, were the three lucky schoolboy cricketers to win Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer awards under three categories the All-Island, Emerging and International schools respectively. At the same time the readers who help these young cricketers reach this helm will also be rewarded on weekly basis. Bata will be generous in giving out gift vouchers to four lucky winners among the voters encouraging our readers to be more attached to the contest as well as the future cricketing talents of Sri Lanka.
Besides the Most Popular competition, all focus will be on who will become the 36th Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015, which is the main feature of the entire process. Award winners will solely be selected on their performances and what matters at end of the day will be the amount of energy they dish out as batsmen, bowlers, fielders and all-rounders. Last year St. Joseph’s College all-rounder Sadheera Samarawickrama was crowned as the Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy All-Island Cricketer of the Year 2014 in addition to winning the Best Batsman’s award. Among other award winners were fast bowler Binura Fernando from D.S. Senanayake College who became the Best Bowler, St. Joseph’s College’s Priyamal Perera and Shanuka Dulaj of Prince of Wales’ College, who were adjudged the Best Fielder and Best All-rounder respectively. Lasith Lakshan of St. Thomas’ College Matara became the Emerging Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2014.
All schools competing in the ongoing Inter-School Division I tournament will be categorised under the All-Island Schools while the remaining schools, which are competing under the Division II and III categories, will come under Emerging Schools. International Schools will come under a different category.
The judges of the selection panel of the 36th Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015, who belong to different components of the local cricketing structure, will be observing the talents of the youngsters during the ongoing school cricket season. This will be to pick the deserving talents at the final selection which will be held in the month of May and duly honour them at the night of all nights dedicated to the schoolboy cricketers of Sri Lanka. To be among the best young cricketers should perform to their potential, making your school cricket team proud while those deserving individuals will be duly honoured for their contributions in school cricket by Bata and the Sunday Times.
In the meantime, through our Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015 competition, readers will get a chance to be a part of the contest. What the readers should do is follow the progress of their favourite schoolboy cricketer throughout the season, and hope that they get the due recognition.