Western Province North `A' (Colombo North) emerged champions of the annual Under-15 Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament, defeating Western Province North `B' (Puttalam/Gampaha) in the final at the CCC Grounds on the 19th of February.

The tournament, which was organized by the National Development Centre of the BCCSL, in conjunction with the provincial cricket associations, was played from the 10th to the 19th of February in Kandy and Colombo. Eight teams participated in two groups, each comprising four teams. Each team played a total of three matches on a round-robin basis, with matches played on a 50 overs per side basis. The winner of each group qualified for the final.

In the final, Western Province North `A', batting first, scored 183 in 45.4 overs with P. Boteju (46), L. Peiris (28), and J.T. Ranasinghe (19) making significant contributions. C. Gayan took 3 for 38, and S.D. Madurawala 2 for 30. In reply, Western Province North `B' were bowled out for 119 in 43.5 overs, with D. Tilina scoring 31. J.T. Ranasinghe took 2 wickets for 8 runs, and L. Wijeratna 3 for 23.

Medals were presented to the winners and runners-up by Rumesh Ratnayake, Development Officer of the Asian Cricket Council, and B.S. Perera, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Schools' Cricket Association. The Man of the Match award went to J.T. Ranasinghe of Nalanda College, for his 19 runs which included three sixes, and 2 wickets for eight runs.

Players were chosen for each team by the respective provincial cricket association, following the recently concluded Inter-District Tournament. Performances during the Inter-Provincial Tournament will be considered in selecting the National Under-15 Pool.

© BCCSL