Pradeep Hewage has a bright future (11 Jul 1998)
The speech made by the British High Commissioner, David Tatham at the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy to Pradeep Hewage, the most promising schoolboy cricketer for 1997/98 at Westminster House on Wednesday
11-Jul-1998
11 July 1998
Pradeep Hewage has a bright future
The Daily News
The speech made by the British High Commissioner, David Tatham at the
presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy to Pradeep Hewage, the most
promising schoolboy cricketer for 1997/98 at Westminster House on
Wednesday.
``One does not have to live in Sri Lanka for long to realise that
cricket is a passion and I hope that Tuesday's nail-biting match has
not left all of you exhausted.
When HRH The Prince of Wales visited Sri Lanka for the Independence
celebrations in February, 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. We all
sincerely hope that this trophy will serve that purpose and become a
coveted accolade in the trophy cabinets of Sri Lanka's stars of the
future.
The 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's, he has already represented his country
and made his mark on the international scene. He was voted Best
Batsman in the recent Youth World Cup in South Africa and captained
the team which so narrowly lost out on a place in the final against
England. He has already progressed to the Sri Lankan 'A' side and
played against England 'A' on their recent tour. Test recognition
cannot be far away.
Indeed 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's birth, a certain David Gower.
I am sure that everyone here will look forward to him demonstrating a
similar pedigree and will join me in congratulating Pradeep and
wishing him every success in the future''.
Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)