The Secondary Schools final in the second annual Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) cricket championships ended prematurely as rain poured down from the heavens above on Tuesday May 30, 2017. The prospect of re-playing the final the next day, the tournament reserve day, seemed limited as more thunder, lightning and rain were likely so the decision was made to share the trophy between finalists Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School (CSS) and Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School.
The impending arrival of the rains resulted in a fairly short set of presentations of the awards to the Elementary School finalists and individual award winning players as the secondary schools finalists were taking the field. St Gabriel Catholic School (CS) was powered to victory in the Elementary Schools Final by the six-hitting power of Gaby Alileng against St Florence Catholic School. Gaby Alileng picked up the best batter and most valuable player award, St Gabriel played St Florence in the qualifying competition as well as in the final. St Florence had pumped 70 runs for the loss of two wickets in 5 overs against St Dorothy CS then followed with 28 runs without losing a wicket against St Gabriel. The good-eye and batting power of Gaby Alileng saw St Gabriel plunder 67 runs from 5 overs. Details and photos follow.
Qualification for the final in both Secondary and Elementary School championships was based on runs scored in two games in the qualifying phase where six schools participated in each championship. Under this format the team batting second continued batting until the number of overs allowed for the innings had been bowled. So the team batting second would continue to bat after passing the total runs scored by the team that batted first.
St Florence (70+28=98 runs) edged out St Gabriel (30+67=97 runs) by just one run in the Elementary Schools qualification standings, but were hit hard in the elementary final as runs continued to flow from the bat of Gaby Alileng. Gaby was wearing shirt 67, which prompted memories of Psalm 67: “God be merciful unto us and bless us”. Certainly the flow of sixes over the boundary, some by large distances, brought blessings for St Gabriel’s team but little mercy for the bowlers and fielders of St Dorothy. Indeed the St Dorothy batters were under immense pressure challenged by a large target in the final.
Father Henry Carr scored 48 runs for the loss of 4 wickets from 7 overs to secure third place in the Secondary School playoff game after Michael Power/St Joseph’s had scored 34 for 8 wickets from 7 overs. The Secondary Schools final between Monsignor Percy Johnson and Mary Ward ended after about three overs in heavy rains that followed a drum rolls of thunder.
There was no division between male and female players in this tournament. Some schools teams may have included more girls than boys in some games.
The tournament was organized by the Toronto Catholic District Schools Board with cricket coaching support from the Cricket Canada KIDS program and the Rising Star Cricket Academy.
Individual Awards – Elementary Schools
Best Batter: Gaby Alileng (St Gabriel CS)
Best Bowler: Emana David (St Dorothy)
Most Valuable Player: Gaby Alileng (St Gabriel CS)
Cricket Canada Emerging Player: Andrew Arris (Blessed Sacrament CS)
Rising Star Cricket Academy “Star of the Day (Fielding)”: Jacob Lara (Maria Gotti CS)
Individual Awards – Secondary Schools
Best Batter: Langsto (Mary Ward CSS)
Best Bowler: Puru Verma (Michael Power/St Joseph’s CSS)
Most Valuable Player: Chevam Wellington (Father Henry Carr CSS)
Cricket Canada Emerging Player: Asan (Father Henry Carr CSS)
Rising Star Cricket Academy “Star of the Day (Fielding)”: Meirssa Ruben (Monsignor Percy Johnson CSS)
Summary Scores
Elementary Schools – Qualifying Round
St Dorothy 27/3 (5 overs) v St Florence 70/2 (5 overs)
St Maria Goretti 37/0 (5 overs) v Precious Blood 16/0 (5 overs)
Blessed Sacrament 19/0 (5 overs) v St Maria Goretti 22/0 (5 overs)
St Florence 28/0 (5 overs) v St Gabriel 67/0 (5 overs)
Blessed Sacrament 29/0 (5 overs) v Precious Blood 15/0 (5 overs)
Standings (based on runs scored): St Florence 98; St Gabriel 97; St Dorothy 60; St Maria Goretti 59; Blessed Sacrament 48; Precious Blood 31.
Elementary Schools – Playoffs
Secondary Schools – Qualifying Round
Michael Power 29/1 (6 overs) v Monsignor Percy Johnson 46/0 (6 overs)
Jean Vanier 23/2 (5 overs) v Father Henry Carr 22/2 (5 overs)
Mary Ward 41/3 (7 overs) v Michael Power/St Joseph’s 50/5 (7 overs)
Cardinal Newman 28/3 (7 overs) v Jean Vanier 45/1 (7 overs)
Monsignor Percy Johnson 34/1 (6 overs) v Mary Ward 42/1 (6 overs)
Father Henry Carr 50/4 (7 overs) v Cardinal Newman 37/7 (7 overs)
Standings (based on runs scored): Mary Ward 83; Monsignor Percy Johnson 80; Michael Power/St Joseph’s 79; Father Henry Carr 72; Jean Vanier 68; Cardinal Newman 65.
Secondary School – Playoffs
3rd/4th Place: Michael Power/St Joseph’s 34/8 (7 overs) lost to Father Henry Carr 48/4 (7 overs)
Secondary Schools Final: Monsignor Percy Johnson 27/3 (5 ov) v Mary Ward – match abandoned due to rain; Finalists named as Joint Champions
Footnote: Psalm 67 is one of two Psalms appointed for potential use during a marriage ceremony in the “Book of Common Prayer” by Church of England (Anglican Church). Having sung at many weddings in my youth it is not difficult to remember the words of Psalm 67 in the “traditional English” version. During the Elementary Final, as sixes sailed through the air well beyond the boundary, I said to some passing people that God did not seem to be showing mercy on the bowling team during the closing stages of the St Gabriel innings. But God was certainly being merciful and blessing the bat of St Gabriel’s #67, Gaby Alileng. (Gaby, doubtless, being short for Gabriel). Eddie Norfolk, June 6, 2017