SLSCA president commends ‘Mother of all Shows’

Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) president and the Principal of Dharmapala College, Pannipitiya, Oshara Panditharatne commended the country's oldest school cricket award ceremony with a history of four decades, the Sunday Observer- Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest as the most successful and transparent school cricket award ceremony ever in Sri Lanka.

He assured continues support of SLSCA to the 'Mother of all Shows'.

Panditharatne also mentioned that since Ranjan Madugalle received the first schoolboy cricketer award in 1979, so many recipients of this prestigious award went on to shine in national and international cricket scene.

"I am proud as the Principal of Dharmapala College that during this 40-year stint Dharmapala has also produced a top award winner in late 90s when all-rounder Chinthaka Jayasinghe was adjudged the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1997," he said.

Panditharatne also emphasized that this high profiled contest has provided great inspiration to school cricket generations, lifting their profiles high while opening doors for them to club and national level cricket.

When asked about the decline in school cricketers entering national level straight, Panditharatne said cricketing greats like Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Mahela jayawardena entered the national team straight from the school, but it is a globally rare phenomena. "We saw Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal don the national caps soon after schooling in the near past.

But I must say the school cricket is doing fine and developing rapidly with the great support from Sri Lanka Cricket," he further explained. Commenting on the ongoing big match season, Panditharatne said disciplinary problems have been a big topic with the intensified competition and great efforts by the players, supporters, parents, coaches and old boys of the schools in recent times. But as a remedy for this SLSCA with the assistance of Education Ministry has appointed a supervision officer for each big match, so hopefully there will be less disciplinary issues this time, He concluded.