The Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year and Most Popular Outstation Schoolboy Cricket of the Year organised by the Observer and sponsored by Bata Shoe Company of Ceylon Limited, carried two prizes each weak in each contest for readers voting for their cricketers of their choice.
The first prize in each contest is valued at Rs. 500 and the second prize is 300.
At the end of voting on coupon No. 4, Upeka Fernando of S. Thomas' had 1,667 votes, while the leader so far, Roshan de Silva dropped down to second spot - just 60 votes behind.
Another Josephian cricketer Johannes Jayasuriya moved one place up to third position, displacing Thurstanite Tarindu Wickremasinghe. Jayasuriya has so far polled 311 votes, while Katugastota Antonian Richardo Gunaratne lead from 8th position to fourth position with 296 votes and Tharindu Wickremasinghe is presently fifth with 271 votes.
In the Outstation Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest, Lalin Anthonis of Maris Stella topped the 1,000-vote mark, having polled 1,229 votes after the count on coupon number 4. Chanaka Wijesinghe of St. Sylvester's College, Kandy is second with 392 votes.
Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year
Coupon No. 4
1. Upeka Fernando (S. Thomas' College) 1667
2. Roshan de Silva (St. Joseph's College) 1607
3. Johannes Jayasuriya (St. Joseph's College) 311
4. Ricardo Gunaratne (St. Anthony's College Kandy) 296
5. Tharindu Wickremasinghe (Thurstan College) 271
6. Jerome Fernando (St. Peters College) 237
7. Niranjan Kumara (Nalanda College) 199
8. Suranga Morathota (Trinity College) 135
9. Malinda Warnapura (St. Peter's College) 41
10. Priyankara Lorensuhewa (Richmond College) 40
Most Popular Outstation Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year
Coupon No. 4
1. Lalin Anthonis (Maris Stella College) 1229
2. Chanaka Wijesinghe (St. Sylvesters College) 392
3. Lanka Chinthaka Rodrigo (De Mazenod College) 141
4. T. Z. K. Majireen (St. Sylvesters College) 25
5. Lakmal Fernando (Maris Stella College) 24
6. Mahes Perera (St. Anthony's College Wattala) 16
7. S. Gamage (Kingswood College 14
8. Imran Samsudeen (Anand Sastralaya Kotte) 13
9. Prasad Wickramasinghe (Bandranayake College Gampaha) 10
10. F. S. Babu (Mahiyawa Central) 7