The SLSCA has decided to scrap the U19 Schools Cricket Tournament due to the persistent hold-up to schedules caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The U19 Division 1 Cricket tournament was about to proceed to the quarterfinals when it was stopped abruptly due to lockdown. The following are the teams that had qualified for the quarterfinals:
- St. Joseph’s College, Colombo
- Mahanama College, Colombo
- Nalanda College, Colombo
- Gurukula College, Kelaniya
- Trinity College, Kandy
- Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa
- St. Thomas’ College, Matara
- St. Anthony’s College, Kandy
The Division 2 tournament too was halted at a similar stage, with the quarterfinals about to commence. The scheduled fixtures were as follows,
- St. Peter’s College, Negombo vs St. Peter’s College, Katuneriya
- Siri Piyarathana MMV, Padukka vs Rahula College, Matara
- Kalutara Vidyalaya vs Sri Devananda College, Ambalangoda
- St. John’s College, Panadura vs Holy Cross College, Kalutara
The U19 Division 3 – Level 1 tournament was done with the league stage but the knockouts were pending as the U19 Division 3 – Level 2 tournament was still in progress.
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Since none of the above games will now be played, the qualified teams will have to bear a harsh call if the promotions and demotions are not going to happen. The officials from the SLSCA have said that they have “not yet arrived at a decision” about the promotions or demotions for next year’s tournament.
According to the prevailing system of school cricket, it is impossible to determine promotions or demotions if all divisions have not completed their tournaments.
ThePapare.com learns that it is most likely that there will not be any change in the list of the teams for next year’s tourneys in each division. Teams like Maris Stella College, Negombo, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, Asoka Vidyalaya, Colombo, and Kegalu Vidyalaya might get lucky having ended the season at the bottom of their respective tables.
However, SLSCA president, Mr. Thilak Watthuhewa, told ThePapare.com that “If things go well” the association is planning to begin the U19 schools cricket tournaments for the 2020/21 season in January 2021, with a reduced number of matches per team. But, that again will result in a change in the number of groups in the tournament. Confirmations on any of those decisions are yet to be announced by the SLSCA.
Meanwhile, the Schools U15 and U17 tournaments for the year 2020 have also been taken off the calendar without even a single game being played. The matches are usually played from May to August annually. But, unlike the U19 tourney, these tournaments will not be accommodated on a future date.
SLSCA is also planning to push the U13 tournaments for the year 2020/21 to January 2021. The tournament usually starts in September every year.
There are a lot of concerns looming with regards to the U13 age-group however, as the government has issued a circular to not hold any tournament for children under the age of 13. This was not in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials are looking at alternative options to get the tourney going but the SLSCA has not finalized its decisions on this matter.
