‘Prima Trophy 2017’ breaking the hearts of 195 youngsters
Unlike previous years a quarter of the 780 youngsters selected to represent the 39 district teams competing in the Prima Trophy under 15 Cricket Championship 2017 are attending practice sessions as well as matches with broken hearts not because they were not named in the playing eleven but because they were not given a cricket bag and cap that their mates are sporting with pride.
The inter district and inter provincial under 15 cricket tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and is sponsored by Ceylon Grain Elevators the manufacturers of Prima products.
Senaka Angulugaha who has been tasked to coordinate the tournament by SLC when contacted by the Sunday Times confirmed that they had requested District selectors to name a twenty member squad from which fifteen players were to be named for each match.
It is every budding youngsters dream to be selected for the under 15 district squad and it is with pride that in previous years these youngsters wore the T-shirt and cap with the Prima logo and carry their cricket gear in the Prima cricket bag given to each member of the squad by Prima. But unlike previous years this year a quarter of the team is heartbroken because the sponsors have issued each district team with only fifteen cricket bags, fifteen caps.
But each district was given the customary twenty t-shirts. The short fall has caused much hardship for coaches and managers who have to encounter the heartbroken faces of a quarter of their charges. This year bags did not contain even the Prima products which were used by the players in previous years.
“It is Prima that provided the district teams with the clothes and bags. They have given twenty t-shirts to each district team but only fifteen bags” re-confirmed Angulugaha. “I am not aware of how many t-shirts and bags were given to each district in previous years.
Although we received twenty names Prima has sent bags sufficient for only the first fifteen players. We have noted the point raised and will be more specific and prevent such occurrences at future tournaments” he added.
But as the damage is already done we hope that Ceylon Grain Elevators would take note and mend the broken hearts of the 195 or so budding cricketers in the 39 district teams before the Prima Trophy Inter district tournament ends.