Interim Chairman Looks to the Future at the 1998/9 Official Awards Ceremony.

Despite the 1999/2000 Premier League season having already been concluded, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board finally drew a veil over the controversy of the 1998/9 season at the BCCSL headquarters tonight when they awarded the winners, Bloomfield Sports Club, their overdue winners cheque of Rs.300,000.

However with the awards ceremony being delayed by approximately one year it would not be entirely unsurprising if a claim was made for depreciation, such has been the omnipresence of judicial action during this turbulent year for Sri Lankan cricket administration. This year's winners and last year's runners-up, Colts CC, will receive a cheque for Rs.500,000 at the awards ceremony in May.

The controversy in last years Premier League erupted when Bloomfield complained that the unofficial champions, Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) should not have been permitted to play a postponed match against Singha CC after the stipulated time frame.

Bloomfield reasoned that the postponement had been granted by the previous tournament committee on the basis that the match was to be played within a stipulated time frame. In the end and after considerable debate the tournament commitment agreed with Bloomfield and acknowledged that CCC should have played the match within the stated time period. The match was declared void and CCC was disqualified.

One year on the Chairman of the Interim Board and the Chief Guest of the Awards ceremony, Mr Rienze Wijetilleke, did not dwell on the controversy. Preferring to look ahead rather back his short speech focused on the need to develop the domestic game in Sri Lanka.

"I would like to offer you our very committed apologies for having this delay in the presentation, which is long overdue. I don't have to explain the reasons but the Board has been going through a transitional period."

Later he went on to state, "I assure you that the future will not be as bad as the recent past, clubs will be certainly be encouraged, and I am also happy to inform that we have recently found out that even our international sponsors are prepared to offer sponsorship to promote cricket at the local level."

"I feel that this Premier trophy competition has got to have a major sponsor so it can be played at a much higher scale to attract crowds to watch the matches and to get better rewards for the players and clubs. I can assure you all that the Interim committee is fully away of the requirements for the players and the clubs and we will do our best to ensure better encouragement, because without this we can never have a strong national side in our country."

During the ceremony awards were also given to the winners of the Division III, Emerging and Sara Trophy and the best batsmen and bowlers of each tournament. Old Dharmapalians won the Sara Trophy, Panadura clinched the Emerging tournament and Nomads were the victors of Division III.

In the individual awards, Russel Arnold was adjudicated the best batsmen with 821 runs at an average of 91.22. Priyankara Wickramasinghe, Bloomfield's off-spinner, was both the man of the tournament and the best bowler with 76 wickets at an average of 13.01.