U-19 Cricket: Charana still in the lead in spite heavy online voting

With the opening of the online voting system coming effect from February 6, a rapid improvement in the number of votes is evident. 

The fifth week of the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 has picked up fast. 

Nevertheless, Charana Nanayakkara of Thurstan College continues to lead the All-Island Schools category with a massive count of 3503 votes. 

His votes have come mostly through coupons and the number is 1953, same as Santhush Goonathilake of St. Peter's College. 

Santhush gained 2095 in the ended week, and that takes his tally up to 3288. 

Mohamed Najath of Zahira College is one player who had the most contribution from online votes. 

His tally moves up to 3216, with an addition of 2061, mostly from online votes, which is turning out to be game-changer. 

Charana, Santhush and Najath remains unchanged at their slots from last week. 

S. Thomas' College allrounder Romesh Nallaperuma, who shoots himself from seventh to fourth place, is a good example of making maximum advantage of online voting. 

He collects 2005 votes, taking his total to 2206. 

Lasith Croospulle loses a place and moves down to fifth place despite receiving 1027 votes, solely from coupons. 

Major changes occurred from sixth place to down after online voting proved to be a vital decider, making the competition more interesting. 

Pulitha Yasas Sri Sarathchandra, of Sri Sumangala College Panadura continues to dominate the Emerging Schools category. 

He too is a beneficiary of the online voting system in addition to the coupons alike. 

Two newcomers join in the fray from this week in the category taking the total number of contenders to six. 

The International Schools category too made an early kickoff this season but it's still Shimraz Shahil of Alethea International School on the run. 

How to register 

Coupons of the competition will be published in the Sunday Times, the two English dailies, the Daily Mirror and DailyFT, and the two Sinhala dailies, Daily Lankadeepa and Ada. 

Coupons will run for 26 weeks with the deadline set for week beginning on July 2. 

Readers could vote for their favourite schoolboy cricketer and take them to the winning post during that period. 

Dialog Axiata has introduced a digital version with an online voting system through an Online Portal to vote for the Most Popular Cricketer (www.dialog.lk/cricket/register). 

Players who wish to enter the fray will have to confirm their participation by registering online with www.dialog.lk/cricket until February 28. 

Even schoolboy cricketers whose names are in the competition already in the competition, included by reader votes, must register before February ends. 

Players who registered online will be officially scrutinized of their eligibility and entered to the online voting mechanism from February 6, while the customary voting through coupons will be still on. 

For online voting visit www.dialog.lk/cricket. Both coupon votes and online votes will be counted on a weekly basis and the official results published every week in the five newspapers and its websites, as well as that of Dialog Axiata's Online Portal. 
The deadline for online voting will be the same as for the coupons. 

All-Island Schools 

Charana Nanayakkara (Thurstan College) 3503 

Santhush Goonathilake (St. Peter's College) 3288 

Mohamed Najath (Zahira College) 3216 

Romesh Nallaperuma (S. Thomas' College) 2206 

Lasith Croosepulle (Maris Stella College) 1983 

Navindu Nirmal (St. Aloysius' Galle) 1814 

Dinitha Basnayake (St. Benedict's College) 1546 

Lakshina Rodrigo (St. Peter's College) 706 

Sahan Suraweera (Ananda College) 273 

Dileepa Jayalath (Ananda College) 170 

Sammu Ashan (Ananda College) 117 

Mohamed Rifaz (Presidents College) 64 

P.A. Dananjaya (Richmond College) 55 

Helitha Vithanage (Royal College) 50 

Avishka Perera (Nalanda College) 37 

Dineth Madurawala (St. Joseph's College) 25 

Thilina Perera (Wesley College) 24 

Shanogeeth Shanmuganathan (Trinity College) 22 

Salith Fernando (St. Anthony's Wattala) 17 

Naveen Gunawardana (Thurstan College) 17 

Jehan Daniel (St. Joseph's College) 16 

Pathum Nissanka (Isipathana College) 14 

Pasindu Sooriyabandara (Royal College) 13 

Kavindu Gimhana (Ananda College) 8 

Thilina Nemesh (Prince of Wales') 7 

Avishka Fernando (St. Sebastian's Moratuwa) 6 

Emerging Schools 

Pulitha Yasas (Sri Sumangala Panadura) 364 

Raveen Yasas (Devapathiraja Rathgama) 23 

Gimhana Dhanushan (Piliyandala Central) 22 

Suminda Lakshan (De La Salle Mutwal) 16 

Hirusha Mendis (Siddartha Central Balapitiya) 5 

Tissara Dilshan Jayananda (National School Polonnaruwa) 3 

International Schools 

Shimraz Shahil (Alethea International) 12 

Readers prizes go to: 
1. Banuri Razmi, 121 1/1, Saranankara Road, Dehiwela 
2. Pramodh, 11, Temple Lane, Mt. Lavinia
3. Charmaine Augusta, 36/2, Sarasavi Mawatha, Ragama
4. Asitha Senanayake, 23, Galkotuwa Road, Medabowala, Kandy