Sri Lanka - Singer sponsors Mercantile `A' cricket (5 May 1997)

Monday 05, May 1997

Singer sponsors Mercantile `A' cricket

Daily News

Singer (Sri Lanka) Ltd. will sponsor the Mercantile `A' Division tournament for the 4th successive year. It started on Saturday and will finish with the final on June 14 at the P. Sara Stadium.

Speaking at the press conference held at the MCA Boardroom on April 30 the President of the MCA Bertie Fernando thanked the Marketing Director of Singer Sri Lanka Ltd, Gamini Abeysuriya for sponsoring the `A' division tournament for the 4th successive year.

``Singer has been sponsoring tournaments for the last 16 years. They are sponsoring the `C' and `D' divisions for the 11th year. These two tournaments will be held after the `A' and `B' tournaments. Singer helped the MCA in constructing the pavilion and have been helping the Cricket Board. We will not be having the Sri Lankan players for some of the matches because of their commitments outside but nevertheless there will be budding cricketers taking part in this tournament. Without sponsors the MCA will have difficulty in running tournaments,'' concluded Bertie Fernando.

Gamani Abeysuriya, Marketing Director of Singer (Sri Lanka) Ltd, said that Singer has a long standing sponsorship of cricket tournaments sponsoring the over 40's 6 a-side as well. `` We look forward to continuing this sponsorship. We are very happy that we have a good relationship with the MCA. We are very serious about cricket and we have constructed the scoreboard, pavilion and dressing rooms at the MCA when hardly anyone came forward to sponsor. We hope that the MCA will remember this and we are willing to sponsor this tournament for the next 3 to 5 years. Most cricket fans look forward to the mercantile matches and crowd participation is very good. We are definitely sponsoring the finals on television this year. Finally I hope we will have a very good tournament,'' said Mr. Abeysuriya.

There will be 46 matches worked out altogether in the tournament between 10 teams. The matches will be worked off in one group and the first two teams will meet in the final. In this manner there will be more competition. The matches will be 50 overs a side and there will be a match referee for every match (a concept started last year).

The winners and runners up will receive the Singer Sri Lanka trophy and a cash award. In addition the best batsman and bowler of the tournament and the Man-of-the-Final will receive trophies and cash awards.

The new entrant this year is Associated Motorways Ltd. Last year's winner was Hatton National Bank `A' (who won the Mercantile sixers as well), and runner-up was Union Assurance `A'.

The matches will be played at the P. Sara Stadium, NCC, Bloomfield and R. Premadasa Stadium. The participating teams are: Hatton National Bank `A', Union Assurance `A', Seylan Bank `A', Sampath Bank `A', Singer Sri Lanka `A', Nawaloka Group `A', ANZ Grindlays Bank `A', Commercial Bank `A', John Keells Group `A' and Associated Motorways Ltd. The finals will be on 14th June at the P. Sara Stadium.

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