Written By Brian Lockhart

It has been a long season for the Shelburne Cricket Club as teams played every weekend at KTH Park in Shelburne.

Fortunately, the weather, for the most part, cooperated this year and provided a lot of good playing days.

The season got underway on June 7, with the first match between the Gladiators and the Knights.

The Club is now moving toward the season championship.

A qualifying match was held between the Warriors and the Knights on the pitch at KTH Park on Saturday, Aug. 30.

It was a low-scoring thriller that kept spectators on the edge of their seats for the entire match.

The Warriors won the toss and chose to bowl first. That decision paid off right away for the Warriors.

Mohammad Bala struck twice in the very first over, dismantling the Knights' top order.

From there, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.

Knight's captain, Saga Arora, stood firm with a gritty 18 not out, but with little support for the rest of the batting line-up. The team was bundled out for just 66 runs.

Talha Patel led the bowling attack with four wickets, while Muhafiz chipped in with three.

Chasing the total, the Warriors appeared confident, but the Knights' bowlers fought back hard, making every run a battle.

Mohammad Raza tore through the Warriors' lineup with four wickets and was well supported by Harpreet's three.

The game was hanging in the balance with the Warriors down to their last wicket.

It was Moin Shaikh who kept his nerve, anchoring the innings with a composed 19 not out to steer his side home in a nail-biting finish.

The Player of the Match was awarded to Muhafiz Patel.

With the win, the Shelburne Warriors have secured their place in the finals.

The Knights will now face the Gladiators in an elimination match to decide who will challenge the Warriors for the 2025 title.

That match will be played on Sunday, Sept. 7.