Meraloma won a low scoring championship final against Abbotsford in the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League (BCMCL) while Saanich posted 240 runs and won the Victoria and District Cricket Association (VDCA) final against United Victoria by 36 runs.
Saanich and Meraloma were due to meet last Saturday at Beacon Hill Park, Victoria in the Tomalin Cup, British Columbia’s club cricket championship game. A BCMCL XI was due to host a VDCA XI on Sunday September 21.
BCMCL Elite Division Playoffs
Stands of 19 runs for the seventh and tenth wickets carried Meraloma to 80 all out from 44 overs in the BCMCL final against Abbotsford at the West Newton ground. David McGowan top scored with 19. Abbotsford scored at a much higher run rate and lost wickets rather rapidly after a bad start.
Opening bat and Cricket Canada President Vimal Hardat was out for a duck, then Canadian international Armabir ‘Jimmy’ Hansra fell to Meraloma captain Cavan Ditchman for a duck. Gurpreet Grewal made 19 to provide his team Abbotsford with some hope, but batsmen continued to come and go from the crease rather quickly. Nathan Owen picked up six wickets for 25 runs from 5.5 overs as Abbotsford’s innings closed on 57 all out in the eleventh over.
Meraloma skipper Ditchman picked up 1 wicket for 13 runs, took two catches and scored 11 runs. He took part in Meraloma’s last wicket stand of 19 with Iain Dixon that almost proved to be the icing on the cake in a 23 run win.
In the Meraloma innings, Amandeep Sihra took 4/20 from nine overs, Jimmy Hansra captured two wickets and conceded just 13 runs from 10 overs, while Gurtej Brar took 2/7 from 7 overs.
Vimal Hardat had top-scored with 38 in Abbotsford’s three wicket playoff win against Salim Akbar. Hansra missed out with the bat in that game but bowled 10 overs for just 18 runs. His figures included five maiden overs. Salim Akbar was all out for 123 after 42/5 overs. Abbotsford replied with 124/7 from 34.4 overs.
An unbroken last wicket stand of 25 between McGowan (24*) and Dixon (7*) brought victory for Meraloma against Richmond and a place in the BCMCL Elite Division playoff final. Richmond was all out for 126 after 44 overs, Ditchman taking 4/26 from 10 overs. Meraloma reached a winning 129/9 from 44.4 overs.
VDCA Division 1 Playoffs
United placed fourth in the regular standings with 11 wins and 7 losses but beat regular season table-toppers Albion (Won 15, Lost 3) by 45 runs in the VDCA semi-finals. Six batsmen scored between 15 and 40 in United’s 189 all out from 44.5 overs. Albion lost early wickets – four had been lost by the time 33 runs were on the board – and eventually stumbled to 144 all out after 37/3 overs.
Second-placed Islanders (W 14, L 3, No Result 1) conceded the other semi-final to Saanich (W 14, L4).
Saanich scored 240 all out from 44.5 overs in the final against United. Opener Vatsal Shah made 39 of an early innings 76/2. Captain Dushyant Kohli made 51 and joined with Gaurav Kumar in a sixth wicket stand of 68. Kumar went on to top-score with 64 not out.
Nadeem Cheema opened United’s innings with a useful 72 before being run out. Omar Khan made 38, but with five other batsmen making a start into double-figures but not reaching or breaking 20, Saanich was able to capture the 2014 Victoria and District Championship with a win by 36 runs. United ended on 204 all out from 43.5 overs. (EN)