The Prima Group, in partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket, has made all plans for the commencement of the Prima Champions Cup 2017 Under-15 Inter-District and Inter-Provincial Tournaments for the11thconsecutive year. The press conference was held at the SLC headquarters on the 14th of September 2017 with the participation of all the senior officials from the SLC and Prima Group Sri Lanka.
This year’s final match will be held on the 06th & 07th of October at the SSC Grounds, Colombo. The tournament will allow the participation of over 600 players from all around the country. 39 teams will compete against each other and the best players from these district teams will be selected for the provincial teams. 12 provincial teams will then compete for the Provincial Championship. Also, there are five teams participating from the Northern Province representing -Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mulativ and Kilinochchi.
Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dikwella and Binura Fernando who are now members of the National Cricket team, have participated in the Prima Champions Cup, along with Anuk Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Priyamal Perera, who represent the Under 19 National Cricket team.
Addressing the gathering, Mr.Shun Tien, General Manager, Ceylon Agro Industries (Prima Group Sri Lanka) confirmed the renewed partnership with the SLC. “Having successfully conducted this tournament for 10 consecutive years with tremendous results, we are proud to continue with the 11th consecutive year of this effort to develop junior cricket with the renewal of our partnership with the SLC”.
“On behalf of Prima, I wish to extend my gratitude to Sri Lanka Cricket for allowing us this opportunity to continue our valued partnership and for all the support provided in making the Prima Champions Cup a successful tournament that makes a positive contribution towards uplifting junior cricket in Sri Lanka”.
Mr.Sajith Gunaratne, Deputy General Manager, Ceylon Agro Industries (Prima Group Sri Lanka) briefed the press on the format of this year’s tournament and also added, “Our commitment to develop junior cricket in Sri Lanka will go beyond this tournament. As always Prima will provide all teams with nutrition and cricket gear while they receive professional guidance from SLC appointed coaches, thus ensuring their mental and physical development during the tournament and onwards”
The Prima Champions Cup under 15 District and Provincial Cricket tournaments will undoubtedly help the young cricketers gain confidence and experience in the coming years. With the purpose of showcasing the players’ cricketing talent these matches will receive extensive TV coverage while the final match will be telecast live on TV.