{"id":57342,"date":"2021-01-31T12:10:37","date_gmt":"2021-01-31T12:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=57342"},"modified":"2021-01-31T12:10:37","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T12:10:37","slug":"pradeep-hewage-only-benedictine-to-win-top-award-in-1998-by-dinesh-weerawansa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/pradeep-hewage-only-benedictine-to-win-top-award-in-1998-by-dinesh-weerawansa\/","title":{"rendered":"Pradeep Hewage, only Benedictine to win top award in 1998-by Dinesh Weerawansa"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #003366;\">Pradeep Hewage, only Benedictine to win top award in 1998-by Dinesh Weerawansa<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57343 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Pradeep.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"387\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>FLASHBACK: Umesha Thimeshani of Devapathiraja Vidyalaya made history by becoming the first Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year as schoolgirl cricketers were recognized for the first time in 2019. Here she receives the top award for girls from Champika Weerat<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Source:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 20px;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailynews.lk\/2021\/01\/28\/sports\/240023\/pradeep-hewage-only-benedictine-win-top-award-1998\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dailynews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-57344 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Benedictine-Pradeep.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"214\" height=\"507\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The reopening of the GCE Ordinary Level classes in the Western Province has given fresh hopes of conducting the 42nd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year awards ceremony in March.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The schools in all provinces, except for the Western Province were earlier started and all classes in the Western Province too are expected to complete in stages by early next month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year contest has been held annually for 41 successive years since 1979, except for the last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">But that too will now be held in March for the 42nd year, paving the way for the commencement of the 43rd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">It is encouraging to see that the local health authorities are giving the green light to go ahead with the 42nd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year show next month provided all health guidelines are strictly observed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Once the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) begins the First X1 inter-school matches for this year, we would also launch the 43rd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year 2021. Hence, the voting for the 43rd Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year will commence next month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The Observer-Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year contest is considered as the Mother of All Battles in Sri Lanka school cricket, commencing from the early days when even the SLSCA ever thought of rewarding the outstanding school cricketers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Going down memory lane, the first and the only Benedictine to win the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year was witnessed in 1998. Since then, no other schoolboy cricketer from St. Benedict\u2019s has won this prestigious title again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Pradeep Hewage, who won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 1998, was a superb batsman during his days. \u201cThose were the lovely days, we only thought of our school and played for its success,\u201d said Hewage in an exclusive interview with the writer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Recalling his days as a schoolboy cricketer, Hewage said that school cricket has lost some of its good qualities now. \u201cI have been involved since my school and club career. But some of my contemporary players who took to coaching confess how much school cricket has been ruined by some of the parents, Masters In Charge and school principals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cThey want their fancied players in the team, even if they don\u2019t deserve it. Even when they pick the captain, it may not go to the most senior and deserving player. Most of the decisions are made on their whims and fancies. As a result, most of the former players turned school coaches have given up their jobs. They simply can\u2019t do an honest job,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cThe T20 games and the Indian Premier League (IPL) have ruined the natural talent of most of the brilliant players. Even most parents of the players want their sons to target playing in the IPL, rather than playing for the country &#8211; because of the huge money involved. It is a very pathetic situation,\u201d rued Hewage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Born on December 7, 1978, Hewage was a stylish right-handed opening batsman and a useful medium pace bowler. He was educated at St Benedict\u2019s College, Kotahena where he excelled in cricket with dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">His entire family has been involved in cricket. He made his first class debut in the domestic scene in 1994. He became the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1998 and went on to captain the Sri Lanka Under-19 team for the 1998 World Cup in South Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He batted superbly in the tournament and was adjudicated as the Best Batsman. On his return the selectors included him in the Sri Lankan squad against New Zealand. Unfortunately, Hewage did not get the chance to represent the country, apart being the 12th man in a Test match.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cI fared extremely well in the Under-19 Mini World Cup in 1998. Immediately after we returned to the country, I was included in the Sri Lanka pool for the series against New Zealand. For the first Test played at the Galle International Stadium, I was the 12th man in the Sri Lanka team against the touring New Zealand. Unfortunately, that was the maximum I could go,\u201d Hewage recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He remained a member of the Sri Lanka \u2018A\u2019 squad and played against Zimbabwe \u2018A\u2019, scoring a century in the first unofficial Test match at Kurunegala. He also captained the Sri Lanka Colts XI against the England team that toured Sri Lanka in 2000-01 at Moratuwa. However, he was unfortunate to go beyond that, missing the dream of playing for Sri Lanka in Tests or ODIs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He had been a leading player for Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) in the domestic Premier League tournaments and played for the Sri Lanka Board XI, Sri Lanka Colts XI and Sri Lanka Under-19 teams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He figured in 88 First Class matches aggregating 4,206 runs at an average of 33.64 with five centuries and 20 fifties. His career-best score in First Class matches was an unbeaten 200. He has been a smart fielder, accounting for 53 catches and with his occasional bowling he captured 22 First Class wickets with a best of 4 for 56.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">In the very same year he won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, he was also chosen for a similar title when the British High Commission in Colombo decided to select a Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year from 1998. He was rightfully picked as the inaugural winner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">When Prince Charles visited Sri Lanka for the Independence Day celebrations in February that year, he was keen to commemorate his visit with something which demonstrated both the bond between our countries and his interest in the development of the skills of young people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cWe all sincerely hope that this trophy will serve that purpose and become a coveted accolade in the trophy cabinets of Sri Lanka\u2019s stars of the future,\u201d the then British High Commissioner, David Tatham said at the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy to Pradeep Hewage, as the Most Promising Schoolboy Sricketer for 1997\/98 at Westminster House in Colombo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cOne does not have to live in Sri Lanka for long to realise that cricket is a passion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cThe inaugural winner of the trophy is Pradeep Hewage, an all-rounder with a bright future. In addition to his impressive performances for his College, St. Benedict\u2019s, he has already represented his country (though not at Test and ODI) and made his mark on the international scene.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cHe was voted Best Batsman in the 1998 Youth World Cup in South Africa and captained the team which so narrowly lost out on a place in the final against England.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cHe progressed to the Sri Lankan \u2018A\u2019 side and played against England \u2018A\u2019 on their recent tour. Test recognition cannot be far away,\u201d the former High Commissioner further said in his presentation speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cIndeed it is interesting to note that the equivalent prize in English cricket, the Young Cricketer of the Year, has been won in the past by the likes of Geoffrey Boycott, Tony Greig, Mike Atherton and in the year of Pradeep\u2019s birth, a certain David Gower,\u201d he added. The Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year is conducted by Sri Lanka\u2019s number one English newspaper the Sunday Observer and sponsored by Sri Lanka Mobitel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Thanks to the longstanding association of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA), the Sri Lanka Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), headed by Shammi Silva, the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest has gone from strength to strength.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The first-ever Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, sponsored by Warner-Hudnut Haliborange, was held in 1979 to felicitate the outstanding schoolboy cricketers of the 1978\/79 season. Former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle was the first ever recipient of the glittering Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 1979.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">From 1980, the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer event was sponsored by the Bata Shoe Company before SLT Mobitel took the baton 13 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">This prestigious event, started way back in 1978\/79 is organized by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) and sponsored by the country\u2019s national mobile service provider Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Winning a title at the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer has been the cherished dream of every schoolboy cricketer for over four decades. It all began in 1978\/79 when the then captain of Royal College Madugalle was chosen the first ever Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">It eventually became a highly successful beginning for Sri Lanka\u2019s first ever school cricket awards show but also gave birth to a new generation of cricketers who took Sri Lanka cricket to new horizons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Sri Lanka\u2019s flagship English newspaper &#8211; the Sunday Observer, understood the need to recognize the raw talent of the country\u2019s schoolboy cricketers at a time when there had been no organized inter-school cricket tournaments, apart from the traditional First XI matches of the so-called leading schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">But the introduction of the Show and its expansion to have a separate segment for outstation schoolboy cricketers went a long way in inspiring the talented players in far flung areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Under the directions of the Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom and SLT Mobitel, Rohan Fernando the Mega Show will march forward with more power and strength.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pradeep Hewage, only Benedictine to win top award in 1998-by Dinesh Weerawansa FLASHBACK: Umesha Thimeshani of Devapathiraja Vidyalaya made history by becoming the first Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year as schoolgirl cricketers were recognized for the first time in 2019. Here she receives the top award for girls from Champika Weerat Source:Dailynews The reopening of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":57343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[32498,32499],"class_list":{"0":"post-57342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-sri-lanka-schools-cricket-association","9":"tag-umesha-thimeshani","10":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.7.1 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pradeep Hewage, only Benedictine to win top award in 1998-by Dinesh Weerawansa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The reopening of the GCE Ordinary Level classes in the Western Province has given fresh hopes of conducting the 42nd 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