The sixth Under 14 International Invitational Cricket Tournament for coaching schools and academies for the Nelson Mendis Challenge Trophy will take place from December 10 to 21 at various venues in Colombo.

Coach Nelson Mendis is gifted with a bat. (Pic by Ranjith Perera)

This year too outstation teams from Anuradhapura, Ambalangoda, Seenigama, Kelaniya, Katana, Negombo, Chilaw, Gampaha, Ragama and Panadura along with several teams from the outskirts of Colombo like Kotte, Nugegoda, Rajagiriya and Wattala have entered teams, several major teams from the metropolitan (Colombo) make up the rest.

Several teams from abroad will add spice to the popular competition. They are Moreton CC Brisbane Austrlia; Customs Cricket Academy Karachchi Pakistan (2007 winners); The International Bangalore School, Nehru School Bangalore, Rakesh Tandon CA Bangalore; Maldives CA from Republic of Maldives, Malaysian Malays CA and Royal Selangor CA from Malaysia, making a total of 40 teams.

Matches will be worked off on the following grounds: CCC Grounds Maitland Crescent, Thurstan Grounds, Wesley Grounds, Railway Grounds Mount Mary, Mercantile CA Grounds, Ananda Sasthralaya Grounds Kotte, Sri Jayawardenapura MV Grounds Kotte, Health Grounds Borella, Shalika Grounds Narahenpita and DS Senanyake Grounds.

In last year’s final played at CCC, School of Cricket ‘A’ beat Fingara International CA to annex the Nelson Mendis Challenge Trophy while Kelaniya CA won the Loser’s final beating Singha CA Ambalangoda to third place.

Mr and Mrs. Sidath Wettimuny will be the guests of honour at the awards night on December 21 at the Bishops College Auditorium.

The tournament will be conducted on a league basis in the preliminary round. The preliminary rounds will have 98 matches. Altogether 114 matches will be worked off during the entire competition.