Canada U17 212/7 (50 ov) beat USA U17 151/1 (40.2 ov) by 82 runs
Canada Under-17’s beat North American rivals USA U17’s by 82 runs on Friday to remain unbeaten with three wins from three games in the ICC Americas Under-17 Championship in Bermuda. The win ensured Canada’s hands are firmly on the championship with one game remaining against Bermuda on Saturday. The USA juniors ended with two wins, both against host side Bermuda, and two defeats, both by significant margins against Canada.
Bermuda came close against Canada in a rain impacted game on Wednesday where the wonders of the Duckworth/Lewis system sparked life into the Bermudian innings, but Canada’s bowlers and fielders did enough to clinch a win officially deemed by 7 runs.
Delray Rawlins hit 87 and bowled well for Bermuda against Canada, following an opening game knock of 79 and a good spell of bowling on Monday against the USA. But he missed the return game with the young Americans due to illness. Bermuda captain Alex Dore battled away to score 85 while few runs were added by his partners, especially those in the top order.
Canadian coach Errol Barrow will surely be looking for his team to perform to a high standard in Saturday’s tournament closing game against Bermuda. One game to go for Canada, one game that needs to be won, although Bermuda will have similar thoughts in seeking a consolation win as a sign of progress in this ICC Development tournament.
Bermudian cricket officials thanked the tournament sponsors in words yesterday, their young players will likely try to thank the sponsors in deeds on the field on Saturday. A win for Bermuda would be a stepping stone for the players on the path to the 2015 ICC Americas Under-19 Regional world cup qualifier. The Bermuda Government and the local distributors of Pepsi, Dunkley’s Dairy, are this Under-17 tournament’s main sponsors.
But Canada will also be looking to a closing win as a similar stepping stone to that 2015 U19 World Cup qualifier. Following Tuesday’s seven wicket win with plenty of overs to spare against the USA, coach Barrow told ‘The Royal Gazette’ (Bermuda) “The whole team can lift our standard a bit, we managed to win the game but it wasn’t a flawless execution. We’re hoping by tomorrow’s game [v Bermuda on Wednesday] that we can look back in the areas that we not quite up to our standards and try to improve on those.”
Barrow’s words can surely be applied again, as “tomorrow’s game” becomes the Saturday game against Bermuda and as he added in speaking to reporter Lawrence Trott earlier this week, ” “Naturally as a coach you are never totally comfortable, always trying for improvements. That’s always my aim.”
Canadian openers Thursaanth Anatharajan 48 and Harsh Thaker 26 batted well in seeing 60 on the board before Thaker was out for 26. Anatharajan went on to reach 48 and had good support from Akash Gill, who chipped in with 23 runs. Canadian captain Abraash Khan then struck 62 and saw his team towards what proved a match-winning total of 212/7 from 50 overs.
Jash Patel picked up 2/26 from 7 overs . There were reasonably economical bowling performances from Gauranshu Sharma, who conceded 25 runs from 10 overs, and Kushal Ganji, who took 1/33 from 10 overs.
Kushal Ganji, with 28 runs, and Mohak Buch , with 23, made starts to their individual innings, but the USA youngsters lost a steady stream of wickets but battled away until the last wicket fell in the 41st over on a total of 130. Novendra Boodhoo (18) and Arjun Patel (14) chipped in with a few runs towards the bottom of the order.
Harsh Thaker success on the bowling front continued with 3/26, Kurt Ramdath picked up 2/12 from 5 overs and Harman Sidhu took 2/23 from 6.2 overs.
So the scene is set for the closing game of the 2014 ICC Americas Under-17 Development Tournament between host Bermuda U17 and 2014 champions Canada. Monday September 1st is approaching. It will be the Labour Day Holiday in Canada. The Toronto and District Cricket Association has been holding junior playoff semi-finals and finals during the Labour Day holiday weekend in recent years. So perhaps in about one week, some of the Ontario members of Canada’s U17 squad will be playing in the TDCA junior playoffs. Although some who have seen recent playing duties with the ICC Americas junior team in Guyana and in this week’s international tournament for Canada might possibly not have played enough games with their junior team to be eligible for such playoffs. At least one of the Canadian U17’s took part in the 2014 RBC CIMA Mayors cricket tour to the London, England area, so he may have missed some domestic junior games.
Those thoughts on the Canadian domestic junior scene, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, are matters for a different weekend. But it would seem a good idea to try and attract spectators to come and see some of Canada’s leading juniors in action as part of a promotional effort by a league such as the TDCA. Other leagues could similarly “do something” to support their returning junior international players.
Errol Barrow told ‘The Royal Gazette’ this week how he had come through the ranks of Canadian cricket, and spoke about the expansion of cricket in the schools. The CIBC CIMA Greater Toronto Area School Cricket tournament had about 80 teams participating in May to June 2014, and the York Region’s outdoor school cricket season will soon be underway, a week or two after the new school year begins.
But for all this expansion, Canadian cricket is financially challenged in many areas, but if news of cricketing activities was available and pushed out to a broad spectrum of the Canadian media on a timely and reasonably accurate basis that might be a bit of a start. Or, a re-start in the on-going efforts of some to turn potential into achievement for Canadian cricket.
A theme about which new men’s national team coach, Mukesh Narula, spoke during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Atlantic T20 Championship at Tea Hill Park, Stratford, Prince Edward Island on August 1, 2014.
There’s an interesting report in a recent issue of one of the South Asian newspapers about an eight team cricket tournament. Some cricket followers might find it strange there is no mention of the results from any of the games that were played, not even the final. The name of the winning team is given, so that’s a bit of a start, and there is a picture or two of some trophy presentations. But if a new, young Canadian version of W.G. Grace, Don Bradman or Sachin Tendulkar had blazed a trail of runs during the tournament, that potentially exciting news remains a secret behind the happy smiling faces, and through unwritten words.
But some of us know, from a Bermuda Cricket Board media release, that Christian Burgess, who won the wicketkeeper of the tournament award in the 2013 ICC Americas Under-19 Championship that took place at Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario, won the Logic Premier Division Player-of-the-Week award for scoring 69 runs for St George’s in a 38 run win against Somerset in Bermuda’s domestic cricket last weekend.
Perhaps, given some luck and funding from work behind the scenes, there may yet be a 2014 National Cricket League tournament in Canada ? But time is running short, unless it becomes a national snow or ice cricket tournament. A stepping stone for cricket to enter the Winter Olympic Games, perhaps?
But for now, the focus is on Saturday’s Canada U17 v Bermuda U17 game, with a possible stop at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club for Toronto CC v Ontario Cricket Academy and Club in the TDCA Elite Division.
Results
Monday, August 18: USA U17 195 (48.2 ov; Kushai Ganji 79, Novendra Boodhoo 28) beat Bermuda U17 159 (41.1 ov; Delray Rawlins 79; Nahusa Rao 4/27) by 36 runs
Tuesday, August 19: USA 117/9 (50 ov: Jash Patel 24, Harsh Thaker 3/9) lost to Canada 118/3 (32.5 ov; Abraash Khan 40*, Thursaanth Anantharajan 25, Arslan Khan 24*) by 7 wickets
Wednesday, August 20: Canada U17 210/9 (50 overs; Arslan Khan 76, Abdul Haseeb 36*, Jordan Smith 4/43) beat Bermuda U17 193/9 (42 overs; Delray Rawlins 87, Jordan Smith 27, Harsh Thaker 2/11) by 7 runs under the D/L system. Bermuda D/L target 200 from 42 overs.
Thursday, August 21: Bermuda U17 150 (46.5 ov; Alex Dore 85, Jash Patel 3/7, Keifer Phill 3/22) lost to USA U17 151/1 (38.4 ov; Sagar Patel 61*, Jash Patel 44*) by 9 wickets
Friday, August 22: Canada U17 212/7 (50 ov; Abraash Khan 62, Thursaanth Anatharajan 48, Harsh Thaker 26, Akash Gill 23, Jash Patel 2/26) beat USA 130 (40.2 ov; Kushal Ganji 28, Mohak Buch 23, Harsh Thaker 3/26, Kurt Ramdath 2/12, Harman Sidhu 2/23) by 82 runs.
Remaining Match
Saturday, August 23: Bermuda v Canada
All matches are scheduled to start at 10.30am at the National Sports Centre, Bermuda.
Teams can name 12 players, 11 of these players can bat, 11 of the players can field/bowl,
Video highlights of Canada’s previous match against Bermuda