U-19 Cricket: Schools season to get underway next month with LO tourney

The much looked forward to Under-19 Inter-Schools Cricket season has received the green light with the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) having finalised all arrangements to conduct the tournament from March.

The confirmation letter of approval from the Ministry of Education is expected to be issued in the near future and the SLSCA has drawn up a revised schedule to be conducted from March 15 onward. 

The tournament this time out, will be played in a new playing format and in place of the tradition two-day encounters they have planned to conduct a 50-over tournament.

The league stage of the tournament will get underway from March 15 and is slotted to come to a close by the end of April. 

Each team will have to play five matches in the league segment which have to be completed by April 10.

After the completion of the league stage, the knockout stage is schedule to begin which will be followed by quarter-final encounters on April 20, semi final from April 25 and the final is due to be played on April 30. 

The league matches are scheduled to be played in school grounds agreed by the two participating teams while the knockout stage matches will be played on neutral grounds.

The Division I and II teams will see 36 schools in the fray divided into groups according to the teams that will be playing. 

The Division III tournament will be played in two segments on level one and two. 

A total of 57 teams will be in action which will be divided into ten groups. 

In all the tournaments conducted the teams to emerge in top two will qualify to play in the knockout stage.

Last year the Inter-Schools Cricket Tournament came to a halt while the SLSCA was preparing to conduct the quarter-final matches, but was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

The SLSCA, this year, was compelled to postpone the tournament and the decision to conduct a 50-over tournament was decided to be played after the completion of the GCE Ordinary Level examinations which is scheduled to end by March 13.