A new galaxy formed – Charith-Asitha mega stars

36th Bata-the Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year

The selection panel headed by Jayantha Seneviratne had very little problems in picking Charith Asalanka, the versatile cricketer with all-round capabilities, as the 36th Bata-The Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year for 2015. Charith, who represents Richmond College Galle, is an all-rounder who leads his school team as well as the Sri Lanka Under-19s team – any schoolboy cricketer’s dream.

Charith was initially picked as the Best All-rounder and also was named the runner-up in the Best Bowler’s category. He was an undisputed choice while Avishka Fernando, another promising and emerging allrounder representing St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa and the vice captain of Sri Lanka Under-19s, was the second best next to Charith in the All-Island Schools category.

The selections kicked off with the first award of the All-Island category, the Best Batsman’s award where nearly 70 candidates from Division I cricket playing schools stood eligible for the race. But only 12 were considered in the first round. They were Avishka Fernando of St. Sebastian’s College, Nisal Fransisco of Ananda College, Naveen Vithanapathirana of Royal College Colombo, Charith Sasalanka of Revata College Balapitiya, Shehan Weerasinghe of Zahira College, Lakkana Jayasekara of Ananda College, Ramesh Nimantha of St. Servatius College Matara, Arjuna Jayasekara of Trinity College, Thanuka Dabare of Lumbini College, Hasitha Lanka of Prince of Wales’ College and Charith Asalanka of Richmond College. The names of Sasalanka, Weerasinghe, Jayasekara, Nimantha, Jayasinghe, Dabare and Lanka were dropped in the second round and in the third round it was one from Fernando, Fransisco or Inham. Taking into consideration of his impressive record at schools matches where he scored 1082 runs, the only one to surpass the thousand run mark and his contribution to the Sri Lanka Under-19s, Avishka Fernando was picked without much hesitation with Inham being named as the runner-up.

Nearly 50 names were enlisted for the All-Island Best Bowler’s award which eventually went to Ananda College paceman Dilanka Sandaken. In addition to Sanadaken others in the fray were Ravin Sayer of Trinity College, Dulanjana Seneviratne of Mahanama College, Chanaka Devinda of Lumbini College, Akash Seneviratne of De Mazenod College, Naveen Peiris of Maliyadeva College, Charith Asalanka of Richmond College, Lasith Ambuldeniya of Royal College Colombo, Naveen Gunawardane of Thurstan College and Harith Samarasinghe of Royal College Colombo. In the second round the names of Akash, Naveen, Lasith and Harith were dropped. Sayer, Sandaken and Asalanka reached the final round where Sandaken emerged victorious giving Asalanka the runner-up place.

The All-Island Best All-rounder award was an easy call where Charith Asalanka of Richmond College stood tall among 12 nominations. Besides him there were Naveen Peiris of Maliyadeva College, Tuan Safran of Zahira College, Raveen Tharindu of Dharmasoka College, Thimira Jayasinghe of Thurstan College, Shifran Muthalif of D.S. Senanayake College, Sammu Ashan of Ananda College and P.G.R. Pupulewatte of Dharmaraja College in the third round. Naveen, Asalanka, Muthalif and Ashan reached the second round but in the third round Muthalif lost his place. Naveen was named the runner-up.

After lengthy debates the All-Island Best Fielder award went to Jammika Darana of Lumbini College, who emerged among a list of 16 contenders. Kaveesh Dilranga of Dharmasoka College, K.L.B. Ratnayake of Dharmaraja College, K.P.L. Perera of Maliyadeva College, Sithara Gimhana and Wanindu Hasaranga of Richmond College were the other names to reach the only omitting round where Hasaranga was named the runner-up.

With 13 schools becoming eligible for the All-Island Best Team award the performances of S. Thomas’ College, Trinity College, Thurstan College, Lumbini College, Richmond College, Royal College Colombo and St. Peter’s College reached the third round. It was a race among Trinity, Thurstan, Lumbini, Richmond, Royal and St. Peter’s in the second round. St. Peter’s, with seven victories and nine draws in 16 games were eventually picked as the best team while Lumbini, with a record of eight wins and seven draws in 15 games, emerged runner-up displacing Thurstan, who reached the third round. The skipper of St. Peter’s College, Chandula Jayamanne was an easy pick for the All-Island Best Captain’s award while Lumbini captain Tharusha Iddamalgoda became the runner-up.

The selectors next had the daunting task of picking the 36th Batathe Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015 where winners and runners-up of the main awards were considered. However Charith Asalanka’s contribution, to Richmond College and Sri Lanka Under-19s, as a useful allrounder made him the easy choice for the selectors for the main award. The selectors also had very little doubt in naming Avishka Fernando, another allrounder representing St. Sebastian’s College and Sri Lanka Under-19s as the runner-up of the main award.

The Emerging Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2015, Asitha Madushan of St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya actually did not have an easy race with winner of last year Lasith Laskhan of St. Thomas’ College Matara and Shamsul Muneer of St. Anthony’s College Wattala fighting for the spot. With Ashitha and Lakshan performing creditably for the Sri Lanka Under-19s, the selectors had a hard task in naming the paceman as the eventual winner.

In the Emerging Best Batsman’s award, where Pathum Nissanka of Kalutara Vidyalaya won, nearly 50 schoolboys were in contention but Nissanka, Risith Dias of Sri Dharmaloka Vidyalaya Kelaniya, Asiri Wageesha of St. Anthony’s College Wattala, Harith Lakshan of Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Yohan Madushanka of Karandeniya Central, Paramanantham Thuvarakaseelan of St. John’s College Jaffna, Lasith Lakshan of St. Thomas’ College Matara and Sebamalapillai Flemin of St. John’s Jaffna managed to reach the third round. Dias, Wageesha, Nissanka, Harith and Lasith had the privilege of reaching the second round but it was Harith who was unlucky to be omitted from the third round. Eventually Nissanka was named the winner with Lasith becoming the second best.

Nearly 30 contenders were enlisted for the Emerging Schools Best Bowler’s award which was won by Asitha Madushan of St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya. Alongside Asitha, Shamsul Muneer of St. Anthony’s College Wattala, Ravindran Lohathieswar of St. John’s College Jaffna, W.T.S. Kumara of St. Mary’s College Kegalle, Kosala Bandara of Kegalu Vidyalaya, Dilum Weeraratne St. Thomas’ College Matara, Roshen Fernando of St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya, I.N. Wijerathne of St. Mary’s College Kegalle, Sameera Costa of Kalutara Vidyalaya, Sevinda Thulakshana and Maleesha Harshajeewa of Sri Sumangala College Panadura reached the third round. Muneer, Lohathieswar, Kumara, Weeraratne and Asitha were the ones to reach the second round. Only the names of eventual winner Asitha and runner-up Muneer reached the third round.

The list for the Emerging Schools Best Fielder award was not so long this season as Nimesh Jayakody of St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya was an easy choice for the selectors. Suraj Indramal of Karandeniya Central emerged runners-up.

From a list of closer to 20 names Sameera Vithanage of S. de S. Jayasinghe MV Dehiwela become the Emerging School Allrounder, while Yohan Madushanka of Karandeniya Central finished second.

Among those who reached the first round with Sameera and Yohan were Pandula Udupihilla of St. Thomas’ College Matale, Lahiru Vimukthi of Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Mahesh Sanjeewa of Sri Devananda MV Ambalangoda, Heshan Danushka of Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Roshen Fernando of St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya, Lakshitha Dilshan of St. Xavier’s College Marawila and Shamsul Muneer of St. Anthony’s College Wattala. Danushka and Dilshan lost their places in the second round but only the names of Sameera, Yohan, Vimukthi and Muneer reached the third round.

The selection of the best teams from the provinces was up next. St. Anthony’s College Wattala, who have recorded six wins and ten draws in 16 games was the winner from the Western Province while St. Anthony’s College Katugastota, with two wins and ten draws in 16 games won from the Central Province. Last year’s winner P. de S. Kularatne Vidyalaya Ambalangoda, with seven wins and eight draws under their belt from 16 games, was named the winner of the Southern Province. St. Mary’s College Kegalle had five wins and 11 draws in 16 games and it was enough for them to become the best from the Sabaragamuwa Province. St. John’s College Jaffna, who had won 12 from 16 games, defended their title as the best team from the Northern Province. The winner from the North Western Province was St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya, who had won six out of 16 games. Devapathiraja Vidyalaya Rathgama from the Southern Province was named as the Most Promising Team for winning three games from a total 15 after competing against strong sides. St. John’s College Jaffna was named the Most Promising Team from the whole island while the Best Emerging team award went to P. de S. Kularatne Maha Vidyalaya.

All winners will be given prior notice by the organisers to gather at the BMICH in Colombo on July 24 which will be the special day dedicated for them. The eventful Friday promises to be an unforgettable day to all winners especially those who won the top awards. The humble hope and wish of Bata and the Sunday Times is that, all winners will be able to continue with their fine performances, which were helpful in being recipients of these awards, to reach greater heights in cricket. ALL-ISLAND Schoolboy cricketer of the Year 2014 WINNER: Charith Asalanka (Richmond College) RUNNER-UP: Avishka Fernando (St. Sebastian’s College) Best batsman WINNER: Avishka Fernando (St. Sebastian’s) RUNNER-UP: Akhil Inham (DS Senanayake) FIRST ROUND: Avishka Fernando, Nisal Fransisco, Naveen Vithanapathirana, Charith Sasalanka, Shehan Weerasinghe, Lakkana Jayasekera, Ramesh Nimantha, Arjuna Jayasekera, Thanuka Dabare, Hasitha Lanka, Charith Asalanka. SECOND ROUND: Fernando, Fransisco, Vithanapathirana,

Inham, Asalanka. Third round: Fernando, Fransisco, Inham. Best bowler WINNER: Dilanka Sandaken (Ananda) RUNNER-UP: Charith Asalanka (Richmond) FIRST ROUND: Ravin Sayer, Dilanka Sandaken, Dulanjana Seneviratne, Chanaka Devinda, Akash Seneviratne, Naveeb Peiris, Charith Asalanka, Lasith Ambuldeniya, Naveen Gunawardane, Harith Samarasinghe. SECOND ROUND: Sayer, Sandaken, Seneviratne, Devinda,

Asalanka, Gunawardane. THIRD ROUND: Sayer, Sandaken, Asalanka. Best all-rounder WINNER: Charith Asalanka (Richmond) RUNNER-UP: Naveen Peiris (Maliyadeva) FIRST ROUND: Naveen Peiris, Tuan Safran, Raveen Tharindu, Charith Asalanka, Thimira Jayasinghe, Shifran Muthalif, Sammu Ashan, P.G.R. Pupulewatta. SECOND ROUND: Peiris, Asalanka, Muthalif, Ashan. THIRD ROUND: Peiris, Asalanka, Ashan. Best fielder WINNER: Jammika Darana (Lumbini) RUNNER-UP: Wanindu Hasaranga (Richmond) FIRST ROUND: Kaveesh Dilranga, K.L.B. Rathnayake, Jammika Darana, K.P.L. Perera, Sithara Gimhana, Wanindu Hasaranga. Best Captain WINNER: Chandula Jayamanne (St. Peter’s) RUNNER-UP: Tharusha Iddamalgoda (Lumbini) Best team Winner: St. Peter’s College RUNNER-UP: Lumbini College FIRST ROUND: S. Thomas’ College, Trinity College, Thurstan College, Lumbini College, Richmond College, St. Peter’s College, Royal College Colombo. EMERGING SCHOOLS Emerging Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2014 WINNER: Asitha Madushan (St. Sebastian’s College

Katuneriya) Best batsman WINNER: Pathum Nissanka (Kalutara Vidyalaya) RUNNER-UP: Lasith Lakshan (St. Thomas’ Matara) FIRST ROUND: Risith Dias, Asiri Wageesha, Pathum Nissanka, Harith Lakshan, Yohan Madushanka, Paramananthan Thuvarakaseelan, Lasith Lakshan, Sebamalaipillai Flemin. SECONDROUND:Dias,Wageesha,Nissanka,H.Lakshan,L.Lakshan. THIRD ROUND: Dias, Wageesha, Nissanka, L. Lakshan. Best bowler WINNER: Asitha Madushanka (St. Sebastian’s Katuneriya) RUNNER-UP: Shamsul Muneer (St. Anthony’s Wattala) FIRST ROUND: Shamsul Muneer, Ravindran Lohathieswar, W.T.S. Kumara, Kosala Bandara, Dilum Weeraratne, Roshen Fernando, I.N. Wijerathne, Sameera Costa, Sevinda Thulakshana, Maleesha Harshajeewa, Asitha Madushanka. SECOND ROUND: Muneer, Lohathieswar, Kumara,

Weeraratne, Madushanka. Third round: Muneer, Madushanka. Best fielder WINNER: Nimesh Jayakody (St. Sebastian’s Katuneriya) RUNNER-UP: Suraj Indramal (Karandeniya Central) FIRST ROUND: Nimesh Jayakody, Suraj Indramal. BEST ALL-ROUNDER WINNER: Sameera Vithanage (S. de S. Jayasinghe MV) RUNNER-UP: Yohan Madushanka (Karandeniya Central) FIRST ROUND: Yohan Madushanka, Sameera Vithanage, Pandula Udupihilla, Lahiru Vimukthi, Mahesh Sanjeewa, Heshan Danushka, Roshen Fernando, Lakshitha Dilshan, Shamsul Muneer. SECOND ROUND: Madushanka, Vithanage, Udupihilla,

Vimukthi, Sanjeewa, Fernando, Muneer. THIRD ROUND: Madushanka, Vithanage, Vimukthi, Muneer. Best team Western Province WINNER: St. Anthony’s College Wattala Central Province WINNER: St. Anthony’s College Katugastota Southern Province WINNER: P. de S. Kularatne Maha Vidyalaya Sabaragamuwa Province WINNER: St. Mary’s College Kegalle Northern Province WINNER: St. John’s College Jaffna North Western Province WINNER: St. Sebastian’s College Katuneriya BEST EMERGING TEAM WINNER: P. de S. Kularatne Maha Vidyalaya Most promising team Winner: St. John’s College Jaffna