Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Friday, 4 July 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Chairman Wimal Rubasinghe was the Chief Guest at the opening ceremony along with Coca-Cola Far East Country Manager – Sri Lanka and Maldives Abhishek Jugran, Coca-Cola Cricket Pathways Administrator and Aravinda de Silva Cricket Foundation Chairman Aravinda de Silva, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Country Manager Kapila Welmillage and national coaches, provincial and district coaches of Sri Lanka.
Discovering cricketing talent
The camp aims to discover cricketing talent from amongst the youth in Sri Lanka’s rural and regional areas and groom them to play in the Sri Lankan national team. Since 2008, the partners have held more than 20 camps, impacting more than 1,500 students. The participants of the cricket camp are trained in both the practical and technical aspects of the game, and are subject to rigorous training sessions in the space of three days.
One hundred students from 35 schools across the districts of Ampara, Uva, Hambantota, Galle, Matara and Colombo south participated in the three-day long camp and learnt new cricketing skills and techniques from cricketing legend Aravinda de Silva, former national cricket players, national coaches and provincial and district coaches of Sri Lanka.
Supporting healthy active lifestyles
Jugran said: “Coca-Cola is committed to encouraging and supporting healthy active lifestyles in communities across the world. We have more than 280 physical activity and nutrition education programs in more than 115 countries. We believe that exercise is vital to everyone’s health and well-being and is essential to maintaining energy balance. By supporting physical activity programs like the Coca-Cola Cricket Pathways, we aim to encourage active lifestyles, and create platforms at the grassroots level for promoting cricket in the country.”
The collaboration between Coca-Cola and Aravinda de Silva Foundation has provided participants with a productive and competitive cricketing experience that enables them to develop their skills and expertise whilst realising their own potential. The youngsters also have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn the basics of cricket from some great players of Sri Lankan Cricket.
As a result of the rigorous training received by veterans of the game, such as Aravinda de Silva and other prominent coaches, there have been many young, talented players who have emerged to play for the Sri Lankan National Under 19 Team. The past five years have seen over 42 cricketers from the Pathways programme joining the National Under 19 cricket team.
Welmillage said: “The Coca-Cola Cricket Pathway camps is a platform for youngsters across Sri Lanka to not just practise cricketing skills, but is a way for them to seek guidance from some of Sri Lanka’s best cricketers as well as national level coaches. Participants are not only from Colombo, but across the island, so we are helping to source cricketers from various parts of the country and contribute in a small way to grooming talent for Sri Lankan Cricket. We have had a great partnership with the Aravinda de Silva Cricket Foundation and we hope to continue to work with them for the Cricket Camps in the coming years.”
Format of Coca-Cola Cricket Pathways Camps
Day 1: Participants complete a fitness test and are inculcated on some cricketing techniques.
Day 2: All day training for participants. Each participant’s unique skills are identified and monitored to ensure the appropriate guidance and training will be provided to take their cricketing skills to the next level
Day 3: The final day of the camp includes a specialised training session from which the 10 best players will be selected and rewarded.
Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe
