Charana ousts Santhush to stake claim to the crown

The fourth week of the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 brings in a new leader in the All-Island Schools category. This time Charana Nanayakkara of Thurstan College comes to the top passing last week's leader Santhush Goonathillake of St. Peter's College.

Last week Charana was 16th in the list with just 11 votes. But the addition of 1543 votes during the past six days, Charana has brought his tally up to 1550 and his name to the top of the list.

Santhush obtained 573 votes and his tally moves up to 1193. He is closely challenged by Mohamed Najath of Zahira College, who sits at third position with 1155 votes, after adding 663 during the ended week. The deficit between Charana and Santhush is 357 votes but Najath is just 38 votes away from Santhush.

Lasith Croosepulle of Maris Stella College, pushes himself to fourth from sixth position. His last week's count was 55. Now he has added 901 votes. Now he sits with 956 votes.

Navindu Nirmal of St. Aloysius College drops one place from fourth to fifth despite adding 513 votes and sitting with 762 votes this week. Lakshina Rodrigo of St. Peter's College is another dropper, he was at third last week and this week he has moved down to sixth. Romesh Nallaperuma of S. Thomas' College straightaway joins in to the fray with 201 votes from the seventh position. This week the All-Island category has five new additions to the list.

Pulitha Yasas Sri Sarathchandra, of Sri Sumangala College Panadura continues to dominate the Emerging Schools category. He entered the fray with 78 votes the previous week and this week an addition of 111 takes his tally to 189. Raveen Yasas of Devapathiraja College Rathgama remains at second with 22. 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 from January 8 to February 28. Even schoolboy cricketers whose names are in the competition already in the competition, included by reader votes, must register during the month of January. Players who registered online will be officially scrutinised 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.

Readers prizes go to: 1. Upul Gajaweera, 315/A/2, Udupila, Delgoda, 2. Dimuthu Madushani Alwis, 'Shantha', Katugahahandiya, Gasgolla, Bandarawela, 3. Tissa Liyanage, 110/4, Seevali Lane, Borella, 4. Mayura Eranda Silva, 105/3, Wana Arana Road, Kumbuka, Gonapala.

Name School

Charana Nanayakkara (Thurstan College) ................ 1550 Santhush Goonathillake (St. Peter's College) ............ 1193 Mohamed Najath (Zahira College) ........................... 1155 Lasith Croosepulle (Maris Stella College) ................. 956 Lakshina Rodrigo (St. Peter's College) ...................... 587 Navindu Nirmal (St. Aloysius' Galle) ........................ 762 Romesh Nallaperuma (S. Thomas' College) .............. 201 Dinitha Basnayake (St. Benedict's College) .............. 168 Sammu Ashan (Ananda College) ............................. 111 P.A. Dananjaya (Richmond College) ......................... 55 Dileepa Jayalath (Ananda College) .......................... 27 Mohamed Rifaz (Presidents College) ....................... 26 Helitha Vithanage (Royal College) ............................ 25 Thilina Perera (Wesley College) ................................ 23 Avishka Perera (Nalanda College) ............................ 23 Dineth Madurawala (St. Joseph's College) .............. 22 Sahan Suraweera (Ananda College) ........................ 21 Jehan Daniel (St. Joseph's College) ......................... 16 Salith Fernando (St. Anthony's Wattala) .................. 17 Naveen Gunawardana (Thurstan College) ................ 17 Shanogeeth Shanmuganathan (Trinity College) ....... 16 Pathum Nissanka (Isipathana College) ..................... 14 Pasindu Sooriyabandara (Royal College) .................. 10 Kavindu Gimhana (Ananda College) ......................... 8 Thilina Nemesh (Prince of Wales') ........................... 7 Avishka Fernando (St. Sebastian's Moratuwa) ........ 6

Emerging Schools Name School

Pulitha Yasas (Sri Sumangala Panadura) .................. 189 Raveen Yasas (Devapathiraja Rathgama) ................. 22 Hirusha Mendis (Siddartha Central Balapitiya) ........ 5 Tissara Dilshan (Jayananda National School Polonnaruwa) .......................................................... 3

International Schools Name School

Shimraz Shahil (Alethea International) ..................... 7