Shelburne Cricket Club championship game this weekend

Written By Brian Lockhart

The Shelburne Cricket Club will host its house league championship game on Saturday, Sept. 7, when the Gladiators meet the Samurais for the 2024 title game.

The finals were decided after a semi-final game between the Samurais and the Warriors on Saturday, Aug. 30, at KTH Park in Shelburne.

The Shelburne Gladiators have already qualified for the finals.

In Saturday's semi-final, the Warriors won the toss and elected to field – a decision that initially seemed to pay off.

They struck early, taking two crucial wickets in the second over, leaving the Samurais reeling.

By the sixth over, the Samurais were struggling at 44 runs for the loss of four wickets.

Samurais captain, Harpreet Sandhu, and teammate Shivdhan stepped up. Sandhu's 36 runs, paired with Shivdhan's 20, stabilized the innings.

Manjinder contributed a crucial 16 runs, pushing the Samurais to a competitive total of 136 runs.

For the Warriors, captain Samir Patel and Maaz Patek each claimed three wickets.

When it was the Warriors' turn to bat, they struggled from the start.

Early wickets fell rapidly and they were unable to build any momentum.

Despite a valiant effort from Muhafiz Patel, who scored 26 runs, and supporting knocks from Vika Vig with 22, and Samir Patel, with 17, the Warriors were unable to chase the target. They fell short by 36 runs, handing the Samurais a well-deserved victory and a place in the finals.

Shivdhan was named Man of the Match for his impressive four-wicket haul.

The other game of the weekend featured the Shelburne Stars up against the visiting Falcons from Wingham for a special inter-league match.

The Stars won the toss and opted to bat first, but they had a sluggish start.

The Stars' innings saw a mix of patience and power-hitting with contributions from Ahsen, Samir, Razzaq, and Abhay. Their efforts helped the team post a defendable total of 111 runs.

Rakesh and Gurpreet were the standout bowlers for the Falcons, each taking two wickets.

When the Falcons came to bat, they lit up the field with some big hits.

Parth led with 44 runs, supported by Harpreet Singh's 16.

Their aggressive approach paid off as they chased down the target in just 14 overs, securing a commanding victory.

Abdul Razzaq was named Man of the Match for his outstanding bowling performance, taking four wickets.