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Maris Stella College batsman Lasith Croosepulle is back in form, having accelerated his pace for another weekly record of combined votes as the 22nd week’s results of the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2017 were released.
Lasith has now built up an almost unassailable lead against his closest rivals in the All-Island Schools segment. Two weeks ago he suddenly faced a massive drop but by this week he has fully recovered.
This week Lasith secured 31,740 combined votes, which takes his tally to 197,029. This is a clear lead of 58,575 over his closest rival Navindu Nirmal of St. Aloysius College, Galle. It’s a clear and healthy growth over last week’s differential of 29,084 votes and the previous week’s vulnerable tally of 16,563 votes.
Navindu added 2,249 combined votes in the ended week and his current total is 138,454. With five more weeks to go until the end, the race is now virtually in the bag for leader Lasith unless a miracle is performed by another challenger, with Navindu the likeliest to do so. Mohamed Najath of Zahira College remains in third place.
Pulitha Yasas of Sri Sumangala College Panadura, who has a tally of 4,319 votes, may have a challenger in Prabash Maduranga of Siri Piyarathana Padukka, who is closing in with a tally of 2,465 votes in the Emerging Schools category. Within three weeks Prabash’s count has seen great progress. The International Schools category, which saw a major shakeup after Tariq Haniff of Wycherley International School ended the dominance of Shimraz Shahil of Alethea International School last week, is dominated by the former. This segment looks set to get more interesting in the time to come.
Coupons will run for 26 weeks in the Sunday Times, the two English dailies, the Daily Mirror and Daily FT, and the two Sinhala dailies Daily Lankadeepa and Ada with the final week set from 2 July. Online voting for the Most Popular Cricketer can be done through Dialog Axiata’s digital online voting system portal www.dialog.lk/cricket. The count of week 22 of digital voting was monitored and approved by auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Lasith Croosepulle (Maris Stella College) 197,029
Navindu Nirmal (St. Aloysius’ Galle) 138,454
Mohamed Najath (Zahira College) 62,207
Charana Nanayakkara (Thurstan College) 10,497
Santhush Goonathilake (St. Peter’s College) 9,207
Dinitha Basnayake (St. Benedict’s College) 6,767
Romesh Nallaperuma (S. Thomas’ College) 6,415
Helitha Vithanage (Royal College) 1,838
Nikesh Anjana (S. Thomas’ College) 1,702
Mohamed Rifaz (President’s College) 1,373
Pulitha Yasas (Sri Sumangala Panadura) 4,319
Prabash Maduranga (Siri Piyaratana Padukka) 2,465
Sahan Perera (Christ King Pannipitiya) 495
Imesh Basnayake (St. Peter’s Gampaha) 305
Gimhana Dhanushka (Piliyandala Central) 130
Nipuna Ransika (P. de S. Kularatne MV) 98
Methushan Thilina (Kegalu Vidyalaya) 84
Suminda Lakshan (De La Salle Mutwal) 51
Raveen Yasas (Devapathiraja Rathgama) 44
Hirusha Mendis (Siddartha Central Balapitiya) 32
Tissara Dilshan Jayananda (National School Polonnaruwa) 8
Shrushee Adhishtana (St. Bernadette Kurunegala) 1
Tariq Haniff (Wycherley International) 522
Shimraz Shahil (Alethea International) 402
Readers prizes go to: 1. Dharshana Lewke Bandara, 41/31, Epitamulla Road, Pitakotte, 2. Gayan Jinadasa, 20, Dambahena Road, Maharagama, 3. D.K. Madanayake, ‘Kusum’, Annasiduwa, Panagamuwa, Chanchawela, Galle, 4. Sumithra Malkanthi, 20, Silver Crest, Yatiyana Road, Kekanadura
