Panadura youngsters to tour Bangalore

Richard DWIGHT

CRICKET: 'Catch-em-Young', coach them well and give them too, the much needed exposure, appears to be the thinking of the Panadura Cricket Club (PCC) and its affiliate, the Panadura Cricket coaching school - when it sends out its squad of 16 junior (U-14) cricketers on a tour to Bangalore from the 12th to the 22nd of April 2006.

It's a bold pioneering venture of the PCC, considering that it is just a year and a half in existence and viewed in the prevailing environment of our cricket here in the island - it's undoubtedly a positive step in the right direction, with the future in mind.

The vision of the recently formed PCC is to be a guiding light in the development of Cricket in the Panadura region and its mission is to provide opportunities to cricket playing youngsters to improve their abilities.

Towards this end, the PCC has within the short period of time conducted a tournament for the young playing members of the Panadura Cricket Coaching School and, also held a seminar and workshop for young cricketers successfully.

It now goes further ahead with its objective and goals, in embarking on this tour to Bangalore, which will enable these juniors to interact one with another, as they stay together and, also help them to get a feel of, what it is to be on tour, quite early.

This tour has become a reality through the efforts of the famed Pakistan cricketer, Imitiaz Ahmed, the Director - Imitiaz Ahmed Cricket Academy, the initiative of Premadasa Silva, Director Coaching Panadura Cricket Club and the Organizing Committee headed by Surein Peiris.

The Under 14 Cricket team of Panadura Cricket Club comprise some talented youngsters, who have represented their colleges in the Under 13 inter school tournament - colleges like Sri Sumangala, Panadura, St. John's, Panadura, S. Thomas', Mt. Lavinia, Prince of Wales, Moratuwa and D.S. Senanayake, Colombo.

Some of them have played in the annual Nelson Mendis tournament in which the Panadura boys were semi-finalists in the 2005 tournament.

Those expected to perform well on tour are Oshada Fernando, a talented all-rounder from Sri Sumangala, Panadura, Sanjaya Chaturanga from St. John's, Panadura, a top batsman in the making and the two opening bowlers Chathuranga Perera from St. John's and Achala Fonseka from Prince of Wales.

The team is led by Oshada Fernando, with Sachin Peiris as his deputy, accompanying the team will be the Director of Coaching Premadasa Silva and the assistant coach E. Wickremasinghe between the date of arrival in Bangalore on the 10th of April and the departure there from on the 22nd - will amongst others be interspersed by 45 overs per side - 3 match "Tata Pipes" Cricket Series against Imtiaz Ahamed Cricket Academy on the 12th, 13th & 14th of April.

This will be followed on the 16th, 17th & 18th April, the 45 overs per side 3 match series against the Delhi Public School in Bangalore, for the DPS Challenge Cup. In addition there will be an Exhibition Match Vs. Pepsi Colts on April 20.