Kandy schools shine as Under-17 cricket festival wraps up at Pallekele

The Central Province Under-17 Cricket Festival concluded at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, closing a busy week that brought together twelve schools from the Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts.

Played in a 40-over format on the main square and two adjoining practice strips, the festival gave young cricketers a rare chance to play at an international venue. Organisers said more than 3,000 spectators, most of them parents, old boys and schoolmates, passed through the gates over the seven days.

Batters enjoyed the true Pallekele surface, with five individual hundreds recorded across the tournament. Spinners came into the game in the afternoons as the pitch slowed, mirroring the conditions senior teams regularly face at the venue.

Coaches singled out the standard of fielding, noting that several squads now run dedicated fielding sessions twice a week. Selectors from the provincial association watched every match, and a 25-member training squad is expected to be named next month.

The festival will return in 2027, and organisers hope to add a girls' division for the first time.