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OBSERVER-BATA Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contests over the years have thrown up cricketers who have gone on to represent the country at the highest level. These cricketers have come from the capital city of Colombo and from the main towns, as they have had plenty of opportunities and facilities at their disposal to pursue the game that they like most.

However, in the recent past, these contests have been able to unearth hidden talent from the interior of the country. But though the talent may be there, the opportunities and the facilities for the cricketers from the outstations or call it from the interior of the country are either non existent or minimal and does not give the rural cricketers much chance to further their interest in the game that they love and cherish.

There was the case of Deberawewa MMV which has now attained National School status. This school which is two or three kilometres from Tissamaharama was a hot-bed of violence during the JVP terror period, but, the boys settled down quickly and the game of cricket caught the fancy of not only the boys, but the school authorities as well and after being picked as the Best Up-and-Coming Team a few years back, have come up a long way with a Trust Fund being set up so that finances for cricket could be got monthly.

The Observer-Bata contests have now been able to unearth another school from the interior - Malwathawala MV from Wellawaya, a distance of about 240 kilometres from Colombo. Not many from Colombo or the major towns may yet know that cricket is being played in so far-fetched places, but the 'cricket fever' that has caught up in Sri Lanka has spread the game to all parts of the country.

Malwathawala MV has a student population of around 3,000 and there are classes upto the GCE Advanced Level. So far well and good, but the facilities for sports at this school is minimal or non-existent.

Cricket being the sport that has caught the fancy of many in the recent past, the boys of Malwathawala, too, have taken to the game on their own free will, but with severe drawbacks.

The school does not belong to the elite class, it is far from that category, and in fact, it lacks the basic facilities, with a playground being the need of the hour.

Cricket at the school started in 1994 and the boys started playing matches in 1995 and in the 1995-96 season played as many as 16 matches of which two were won. One of those victories was against Deberawewa National School. Tremendous interest

Interest in cricket is oozing at this school and there are four teams, - under 19 has about 30 players at practices, while the school has under 17, under 15 and under 13 teams.

To keep four teams going needs quite a lot of money, but from where is the money coming? This is the question that worries the school authorities who are unable to set aside funds for cricket or for other sport.

Mr. A. Priyanthalal, the master-in-charge of cricket said: ''We don't get any money from the school for cricket, because the school just cannot afford it.'' But then how does Malwathawala MV play cricket? The answer to that question is really heart-rendering. The boys who come for cricket are 'dead keen' on the game and they won't take 'no' for an answer. Besides going to school, the cricketers do manual labour like carrying sand from Kirindi-Oya, selling the sand and earning a few rupees and donating the money to keep cricket going at the school. The boys also work as labourers in sugarcane cultivation fields to earn some money for cricket.

In fact, the school lacked a ground for practices too. At the start the cricketers sued to travel 8 to 10 miles and then trudge about 1 1/2 miles to practice on the Pelwatte Sugar Company grounds. But it appeared to be a too strenuous exercise and the boys decided to build their own grounds with their own sweat and toil. The Boys got down to Kirindi-Oya and got the stones to make the base strong and then the earth came on and by this sheer determination to get a ground of their own, a makeshift wicket and ground has come up. Small ground

The ground is a bit small. From the boundary line to the centre is about 60 yards according to Mr. Priyanthalal. But the biggest problem has been the inability to find suitable place for practices and the cricketers have to go into classrooms and corridors and practice on cement.

There is no immediate relief for the cricketers at the school as there is no parent-teacher association or any other organisation like that where some funds could be got. The parents of the boys too are hard-pressed for cash, as they are either carpenters, farmers or labourers.

Malwathawala MV comes under Moneragala District and although their is a district cricket association there, it has not been able to give much assistance by way of funds to the school to carry the game forward.

However, the school has a handful of sympathizers - present Cricket Board vice-president Thilanga Sumathipala donated two junior bats, then Chamara Dunusinghe - Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper in the recent past, the Bata Shoe Company and Wellawaya Traders Union have helped the school.

Hosting visiting cricket teams is also a problem to this school. ''We get mattresses from Wellawaya Police and when lunch-time comes, the boys have to bring two packets each, with one being for an opposing team player. Hard grind

So, it's a hard grind for the cricketers at Malwathawala MV in Wellawaya, but the boys are a cheerful lot and they were a big draw at Wednesday night's Observer-Bata Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year Awards show and drew large round of applause from an appreciative audience.

Besides winning the award for the Best Up and Coming Team, the Managing Director of Bata Shoe Company of Ceylon Limited - Mr. Fernando Garcia presented two bats to the team.

This school being in the interior of the country is struggling to survive in cricket due to lack of funds. Will they be lucky enough to get some sponsors to keep the game alive in Wellawaya. The cost of materials is rising daily and it will be a shame if Malwathawala MV is forced to put a stop to their cricketing activities for the lack of funds.

The gentleman who introduced cricket to the school is Mr. Manjula Gallappathi who was the master-in-charge, but the new coach is Mr. Ananda Peiris, a former Panadura Spots Club player who is doing a honorary job as coach against severe odds, while Upali Ranjit - a retired Air Force officer is also helping the team.