Sri Lanka Cricket Development (30 October 1998)

30 October 1998

Sri Lanka Cricket Development

By S M Jiffrey Abdeen

Five more concrete pitches will be inaugurated tomorrow in the Kandy region by the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka Thilanga Sumathipala.

These concrete pitches were constructed by the National Development Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka with Sumathipala as its chairman.

The cost of each of these concrete pitches which are complete with metal structure and wire nets is around Rs. 65,000. They will be an asset to specially the rural children where most of these nets will be located to improve their individual skills.

Place like Pinnawela which took to cricket only recently, this concrete wicket could be of great advantage as net practices is something which is hitherto unknown in the area which is famous for the elephant orphanage.

The places where these wickets were to be located were identified after a careful survey of the need and requirements by the chairman of the Kandy Regional Cricket Board II Mr. Tillina Tennakoon, secretary Mr. Janaka Pathirana, Director, National Development Mr. Malcolm Perera and administrative secretary Mr. M. Zarook.

The concrete pitches which are to be opened tomorrow are: 12.30 pm - Ampitiya College in Ampitiya. 1.15 pm - Nugawela Central College, Nugawela. 2.30 pm - University of Peradeniya. 3.30 pm - Pinnawela Vidyalaya, in Pinnawela, Kegalle. 4.30 pm - Kegalle public grounds, Kegalle. 5.30 pm - Tholangamuwa Central College grounds.

Also gracing the occasion will be test players, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Suresh Perera, Mahela Jayawardena, Niroshan Bandratilleke and Russel Arnold along with other officials of the BCCSL and the Kandy Regional Cricket Board II.

Minister of Sports S. B. Dissanayake will be the chief guest at the inauguration of two concrete pitches complete metal structures and nets at Poramadulla Central College grounds in Hanguranketha this Saturday (October 31) at 10 am.

This concrete pitch will go a long way to fulfil the needs of the cricketers in the farming village of Hanguranketha who are making every endeavour to making their presence felt. It was only last week that the little ones from the Poramadulla Central College beat the more fancied Trinity College 'B' in a under-13 Division 3 cricket tournament match.

These two concrete pitches have been provided to the Poramadulla Central College by the National Development Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka through the Kandy Regional Cricket Board.

The inauguration ceremony will be attended by the president of the BCCSL Thilanga Sumathipala, director, National Development Malcolm Perera, test cricketers N. Bandaratilleke, M. Jayawardane, R. Pushpakumara, Suresh Perera and Russel Arnold, chairman Kandy Regional Cricket Board and president Kandy District CA and chief PA Organiser for Senkadagala electorate Tillina Tennakoon, regional secretary Janaka Pathirana, KDCA secretary Harold Ranasinghe and administrative secretary M. Zarook and other officials of the Cricket Board.

This will be a big day for the village boys and girls of Hanguranketha and they have taken to cricket like duck taking to water. The girls have shown tremendous interest in the game and after just two sessions of coaching by the Regional Cricket Board, in Kandy, they have arranged to participate in the girls cricket tournament organised by the Kandy Municipal Council this weekend.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)