Galaxy of stars will grace Observer school cricket show

A galaxy of stars who have won the Observer Schoolboy cricketer of the year title for the past three decades will grace next month’s mega awards presentation in Colombo.

Among them will be former Sri Lanka Test captain and current ICC Chief Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle who will be the chief guest at this year’s Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest.

Besides Madugalle, several former Observer Schoolboy Cricketers including Arjuna Ranatunga, Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya are expected to add colour to the mega show.

As one of the most outstanding batsmen at Royal College, Madugalle won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the year title at the inaugural awards ceremony held in 1979.

Madugalle led the Reid Avenue school at the centenary Royal-Thomian cricket encounter in 1979 and in the same year, he won the most prestigious schools cricket title. It was this first ever Observer schoolboy star, who went on to captain NCC and Sri Lanka with distinction and now heads the eminent ICC panel of match referees.

Also gracing the occasion would be Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket and Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain in 1996, Arjuna Ranatunga, who too won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award twice in 1980 and in 1982.

Ministers Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Susil Premajayantha, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Gamini Lokuge and Bandula Basnayake will be the guests of honour.

Meanwhile, voting for the Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy cricketer All-Island and Outstation contests would close on July 10, 2008 at 12 noon. The last voting coupons will appear in the Daily News, Dinamina and Thinakaran on July 9 and in the Sunday Observer on July 6.

All cricket fans and readers are kindly requested to send the final lot of their voting before the deadline. The winners will be announced in the July 13th issue of the Sunday Observer.

Ruwantha Fernandopulle of St. Joseph’s College polled 6,423 fresh votes during last week to extend his tally to a staggering 62,038 votes, the highest ever polled in the 30-year-old history of the popular contest. In second place of the all-island contest is Naveen Kavikara of D.S. Senanayake with 36,547 votes, followed by Anandian Udara Peiris with 25,742 votes.

In the outstation most popular schoolboy cricketer contest, Rashitha Dilan of Bandaranayake MV, Gampaha remained in the top position.

Having polled 4,728 new votes during the week, he now has an aggregate of 33,528 votes, ahead of second-placed Shehan Silva of Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa (28,019) and Chandimal Pathirana of St.Anne’s, Kurunegala (19,636). The latest round of this week’s voting will appear in the Sunday Observer on Sunday (22).