Two school cricket finals for girls are due to take place today and tomorrow in the Greater Toronto Area. Today (Tuesday, May 15, 2018) the Region of Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association (ROPSSAA) Varsity Girls indoor cricket championship is scheduled at Sandalwood Heights Secondary School. Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 16, 2018) the second Girls Varsity Outdoor Cricket final under the Toronto District School Board Secondary School Athletic Association banner is due to be played at G. Ross Lord Park, Toronto.
Sandalwood Heights favourites for Peel Crown
The ROPSSAA final involves the top two from the North Division. Host Sandalwood Heights won all six games in the North Division this season. This included two wins against finalist Humberview SS, who had 3 wins and 3 defeats during the regular season. Two of those defeats were against Sandalwood Heights.
When Sandalwood Heights beat Humberview by 50 runs on March 27 in a game with a maximum of 6 overs per side there were probably few who thought these two schools would reach the Peel regional final. Sandalwood Heights struck 56 runs for the loss of three wickets from six overs then bowled out Humberview for just 6 runs after 1.4 overs.
The teams played again on April 26 when Sandalwood improved with the bat to 64 for 3 from 6 overs but Humberview did a lot better with the bat, scoring 42 for 4 from 6 overs. The Sandalwood Heights winning margin was cut in two, although it seems to leave Humberview with a lot to do in today’s final.
Some may look for a third time lucky scenario for Humberview and others will be looking to see a Peel Region cricket championship go to a school from outside the cities of Mississauga and Brampton. Humberview SS is located in Bolton, Ontario which is in the more rural Caledon part of the Peel Region.
City of Toronto Varsity Girls Final
The second outdoor cricket City of Toronto Varsity Girls final is due to be played on Wednesday at G. Ross Lord Park, Toronto between York Memorial Collegiate Institute and George S. Henry Academy.
York Memorial won last week’s Toronto West Region championship, beating West Humber CI in the final at Centennial Park, Etobicoke. York Memorial lost last year’s inaugural Toronto outdoor Girls final against Emery CI at Sunnybrook Park.
George S. Henry Academy, a school in North York, won the Toronto Boys Outdoor Cricket Championship in 2005-2006 after Nelson A. Boylen had won the two previous championships. The dominant name on the Boys Championship Trophy then became Woburn CI. North Albion CI won in 2011-2012 and last year the final was won by Marc Garneau CI. York Memorial will be seeking a first win in this championship after the disappointment of last year’s final but George S. Henry will also be hoping to see the school’s name engraved on a City of Toronto cricket championship trophy.
Peel Senior Boys Finalists
The semi-finals of the Peel Region Senior Boys indoor cricket championship were played on Monday (May 14. 2018). North Park SS , second in the North Division, won against previously unbeaten John Fraser SS, winners of the South West Division. Louise Arbour, third in the North Division, lost to Stephen Lewis, who placed second in the South West Division.
The Senior Boys playoffs were disappointing for Castlebrooke CI, who went unbeaten with 4 wins from 4 games in the North division and for the schools who qualified for the playoffs from the North Central and South East divisions. But in limited overs cricket, especially when there are few overs in a full game, there can be little scope for a recovery if one team does well – or makes a mess – with either bat or ball in the first innings of a game.
Senior Boys Semi-final Scores North Park 50, John Fraser 49 Louise Arbour 47, Stephen Lewis 50