Countdown to Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer 2020 begins | Sunday Observer

Countdown to Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer 2020 begins

19 January, 2020
Director Legal ANCL Rakitha Abeygunewardena (fourth from left) receiving the sponsorship for the 42nd Observer Mobitel School Cricketer from Chief Executive Officer Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel Nalin Perera. Also in the picture is Editor in Chief of the Sunday Observer Dinesh Weerawansa (second from left), General Manager ANCL Abaya Amaradasa (second from right), Chanaka Liyanage (left-Manager Publicity) and Waruna Mallawaarachchi (right-DGM Advertising)
Director Legal ANCL Rakitha Abeygunewardena (fourth from left) receiving the sponsorship for the 42nd Observer Mobitel School Cricketer from Chief Executive Officer Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel Nalin Perera. Also in the picture is Editor in Chief of the Sunday Observer Dinesh Weerawansa (second from left), General Manager ANCL Abaya Amaradasa (second from right), Chanaka Liyanage (left-Manager Publicity) and Waruna Mallawaarachchi (right-DGM Advertising)

The 42nd edition of the most looked forward to by school cricketers, the Observer Mobitel School Cricketer 2020 contest gets off the mark today in a grand way.

This is an event that has been the first and the most treasured Award for budding cricketers from school level to aspire to reach the highest level in the field of cricket.

The ‘Observer Mobitel School Cricketer’ has been able to bring the best for cricket during the past 41 years which is a record none has been able match up to and contested by all schools playing in various divisions giving an equal opportunity for all cricketers to reach goals according to their performances.

The event which commenced in the year 1979 saw former Royal College, Sri Lanka captain and current ICC Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle receive the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award. The Award that he won kept him in the field for many years and also gave him the push and inspiration to represent the country later. Even after his retirement from cricket Madugalle went on to be associated with the ICC at management level that eventually propelled him into the Elite Panel of Match Referees for international cricket matches.

During the past years schoolboy cricketers who won this most prestigious Award received many accolades as they did yeoman service for cricket in Sri Lanka. Players in the calibre of Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama, Rohan Buultjens, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis and many others did well when they were representing the country after Sri Lanka gained Test status in 1981. Arjuna Ranatunga captained the national team in 1996 when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in Lahore beating Australia in the final. Chandimal too had the opportunity of leading the Sri Lanka team a few years ago and still continues to be a member of the national team. The organizers of the Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer took steps to introduce awarding schoolgirl cricketers from last year and this brought in good results with readers taking a keen interest in promoting them.

The first year for girls was a great success with many schoolgirls being nominated by readers of publications released by Lake House who are the pioneers of the School Cricketer Awards way back in 1979.

This attempt was highly appreciated by all keen to see women cricketers being rewarded for their capabilities in the field of cricket.

It also inspires schoolgirls to take to the sport with the backing of their school authorities.

The 42nd Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer Awards competition has also introduced a new format for readers who are eligible to vote for their favorite school cricketer through the Coupon that appears in Lake House Publications, especially the Sunday Observer coupon’s nomination for a particular player by a Reader will be counted as three votes for the named player.

The reader who sends in their nominations too will be rewarded as in previous years with the first prize being a 4GB Router Courtesy Mobitel while the other three readers who are picked as winners in the Coupon draw receive cash prizes of Rs. 2500, 1500 and 1000 respectively.

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