Can Sasindu close the gap
Avishka Lee, the Wesley College three-quarter and star player, continues to lead the Singer-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Ruggerite of the Year 2017 as the competition reaches its seventh week. His school, Wesley College, takes the lead in the Singer-the Sunday Times Most Popular School Team of the Year 2017 as a result of Lee's progress.
Lee's tally currently is at 2442 as he leads a lineup of 31 others in the players' list with an addition of 159 votes for this week. At second is Ananda College's Sasindu Rathnaweera who received 84 votes to take his count up to 538. The deficit between the two is 1904.
Sumudu Rankothge of Isipathana College and Ovin Askey of Royal College are making steady progress at third and fourth places respectively while Yuzraan Lantra of Zahira College remains at fifth.
In the team competition Wesley has 2539 votes, with a clear lead of 2000 from the immediate rival Isipathana, who is ahead by one vote against third placed Ananda. The competition is well set to hot up with eight more weekends to go.
The competitions, which enables readers to vote for their most preferred school Rugby player of the ongoing Singer Schools Division I Rugby League Championship 2017, will run until July 30.
From April 23, the Sunday Times, along with Wijeya Newspapers publications -- Daily Mirror, Daily Lankadeepa and Ada -- will publish coupons for 15 continuous weeks, numbered for each week from 1 to 15 with the deadline set on Thursdays of each week. There is a total of 31 players in the list but the names of those who are with 30 and above votes will be published from this week. Avishka Lee (Wesley College) .................... 2442 Sasindu Rathnaweera (Ananda College) ....... 538 Sumudu Rankothge (Isipathana College) ...... 425 Ovin Askey (Royal College) ........................... 300 Yuzraan Lantra (Zahira College) ..................... 168 Praveen Ranasinghe (St. Aloysius College)... 128 Rishmal Fernando (Royal College) .................. 68 Chamodh Fernando (Isipathana College) ........ 67 Kasun Amarasinghe (Nalanda College) ........... 63 Aabid Cader (S. Thomas' College) ................... 48 Dilan Salinda (Veluwana College) ................... 45 Shewon Gregory (St. Joseph's College).......... 39 Diyath Fernando (St. Peter's College).............. 34 Janindu Dilshan (Royal College) ..................... 33 Sabith Feroze (Royal College) ......................... 30 Wesley College .......................................... 2539 Isipathana College ........................................ 539 Ananda College ............................................ 538 Royal College ............................................... 449 Zahira College............................................... 170 S. Thomas' College ......................................... 65 Nalanda College ............................................. 63 St. Joseph's College ....................................... 54 St. Peter's College .......................................... 41 Trinity College................................................. 27 Kingswood College ......................................... 16
Readers prizes go to: 1. J.A. Hemapala, 18, Walhena, Minuwangoda, 2. Insarf Fairoos, 74/3, Kawdana Road, Dehiwela, 3. L.D.S.V. Liyanage, 86/9, Dambayanga, Pitawalawatta, Gelioya