The Whitehorse Hunters took the last tournament title of the cricket season Sunday in Whitehorse.
The Hunters beat the Kings at Christ the King Elementary School by chasing down the score, scoring 54 runs with the loss of 3 wickets (outs) in 9.3 overs (six balls pitched). Batting first, the Kings managed only 50 runs, all out (10 wickets) in 12.5 overs.
The Yukon Star spoke with the Whitehorse Hawks’ Sandeep Dhillon after the Hawks’ last game.
Dhillon said he’s been playing for 16 or 17 years, including four in the Yukon.
“Probably that much experience has helped me a lot. I’m doing good here.”
His team has won the cricket tournaments four times and are also three-time runners-up.
The cricket league has multiple tournaments every spring and summer.
Dhillon described his key to being a good batsman.
“Some balls you have to stop, and some balls you have to hit. If you try to hit all those balls, you’re never going to be successful. You can hit some sixes (the cricket equivalent of a home run), some fours, but it’s never going to be a long inning, which is crucial for your team.”
In cricket, the batsman can’t let the ball hit the wicket (the raised bars at the cricket equivalent of home base).
Dhillon added that he’d like to see cricket continue to grow in the Yukon, and would like to see a Yukon cricket team and Yukon players on the Canadian national team.
Dhillon would also like to see a dedicated cricket field in the Yukon.
“It’s gonna help us to grow more.”
Hunters captain Nikhil Sharma, aka “Mr. Green,” drove in the winning runs in the championship.
“The boys really worked hard for this. We were finalists in the last tournament. This time, the boys really played well. Teamwork from one-11, everybody gave their effort, so that’s how we won the match.
“Everybody played their part and they knew what they were doing.”
Sharma gave the credit to the bowlers (pitchers) and defence for the low-scoring victory, citing “crucial catches” as a key to the win.
Sharma’s side went unbeaten through the entire tournament.
“We gave our best, whether it was scorching heat or anything. Really proud of them.”
The temperature Sunday was approximately 28º C.
Sharma said everybody gave a good effort, including the players on the other teams.
He, too, is hoping that the Yukon can field a team at nationals.
“There are some really good players on the respective teams.”
Sharma added that some of the players are even good enough to play on Canada’s national team.
Plans next year for the league include switching to a leather ball, as well as playing in regional or national tournaments.
The tournament awards were as follows:
Man of the Match (Final): Manjot Malhar (Hunters) for his 14 runs off 11 balls and taking 3 wickets (outs).
Player of the Tournament: Manjot Malhar (Hunters) – He took 11 wickets and scored 100 runs in 5 matches.
Best Batsman: Karan Singh (Kings) – Scored 139 runs in 5 innings.
Best Bowler: Manjot Malhar (Hunters) – Took 11 wickets.
Player of the Season: Hawks’ Amanpreet Singh Brar – Scored 276 runs and 30 wickets.
