Navindu still on top after twelve counts

Navindu Nirmal continues to call the shots for yet another week as the All- Island Schools segment of the Dialog 4G- the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 competition reaches its 12th week. Navindu, of St. Aloysius College, added 7155 combined votes during the ended week which takes his tally to 77417.

By maintaining the flow, Navindu manages to remain way ahead of his closest rivals Lasith Croospulle and Mohamed Najath, who remains at second and third positions respectively. The leader clearly stays 16862 votes ahead of Lasith and his deficit against Najath is 23528. Maris Stella College batsman Lasith, for another week running, has the most number of combined votes received during a week. His collection of 8658 for the week takes his tally to 60555 while Najath's pace has calmed down unexpectedly. Najath added 2023 combined votes and sees his tally reaching 53889. The difference between Lasith and Najath is 6666 and the present situation is too premature to predict on the future of the two competitors. Others in the top half of the list too added more votes to their existing tally but the list remain unchanged for yet another week.

From this week the full list of all segments of the competition will be pruned down to the Top 20 and by end of April the list will be further cut down to 15 and by end of May it will be shortlisted to the Top 10.

Pulitha Yasas Sri Sarathchandra of Sri Sumangala College Panadura continues to dominate the Emerging Schools category but changes have occurred in the second and third slots as Gimhana Danushka of Piliyandala Central slid down to fourth at the expense of Sahan Perera of Christ King Pannipitiya and Imesh Basnayake of St. Peter's Gampaha. The International Schools category is led by Shimraz Shahil of Alethea International School.

All-Island Schools

Navindu Nirmal (St. Aloysius' Galle) .................77417 Lasith Croosepulle (Maris Stella College) ..........60555 Mohamed Najath (Zahira College) ....................53889 Charana Nanayakkara (Thurstan College) .........10265 Santhush Goonathilake (St. Peter's College) ........8178 Romesh Nallaperuma (S. Thomas' College) .........6399 Dinitha Basnayake (St. Benedict's College) .........5174 Helitha Vithanage (Royal College) .......................1710 Lakshina Rodrigo (St. Peter's College) .................1193 Mohamed Rifaz (Presidents College) ..................1048 Sahan Suraweera (Ananda College) .....................674 Dileepa Jayalath (Ananda College) .......................524 Nikesh Anjana (S. Thomas' College) .....................401 Hareen Buddhila (St. Aloysius College) .................299 P.A. Dananjaya (Richmond College) ......................287 Sammu Ashan (Ananda College) ..........................209 Pasindu Sooriyabandara (Royal College) ...............186 Asel Sigera (Ananda College) ...............................171 Sanjula Abeywickrama (Isipathana College) .........143 Jehan Daniel (St. Joseph's College) ......................102

Important

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.

Online voting could be done through Dialog Axiata's digital online voting system Portal to vote for the Most Popular Cricketer via www.dialog.lk/ cricket. Player registration closed on February 28. 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. Accepting coupons valid for each week will be received only until Thursday noon on each week. Online voting for each week will be counted by Thursday noon each week. This deadline will be strictly implemented by the organisers. Coupons for the related week will NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THURSDAY NOON on each week. This is an open competition and unethical campaigning will be a disqualification. The Sports Editor of the Sunday Times reserves all rights to disqualify such players if any illegal movements is found with proof. The competition is monitored by auditors Pricewaterhouse Cooper.

Emerging Schools

Pulitha Yasas (Sri Sumangala Panadura) .............2306 Sahan Perera (Christ King Pannipitiya) ..................137 Imesh Basnayake (St. Peter's Gampaha) ..............133 Gimhana Dhanushka (Piliyandala Central) .............130 Nipuna Ransika (P. de S. Kularatne MV) ..................94 Methushan Thilina (Kegalu Vidyalaya) ....................83 Raveen Yasas (Devapathiraja Rathgama) ................43 Hirusha Mendis (Siddartha Central Balapitiya) .......32 Suminda Lakshan (De La Salle Mutwal) ..................16 Tissara Dilshan Jayananda (National School Polonnaruwa) .................................8 Shrushee Adhishtana (St. Bernadette Kurunegala) ........ 1

International Schools

Shimraz Shahil (Alethea International) ..................178 Tariq Haniff (Wycherley International) ......................1

1. Dhananjaya Premathilaka, 23/A, Thammita, Makevita, 2. M.O. Goonewardene, 15/5, Railway Avenue, Nugegoda, 3. Lasantha Silva, 452/5A, Homagama North, 4. A.J. Peiris, 163, Dehiwela Road, Boralesgamuwa.