The Yukon Cricket Association hosted its annual tournament this year with total registered participants more than doubling those who suited up for last year’s games.
Between May and August, five Whitehorse teams battled it out on the field at Christ the King Elementary School located in Riverdale, culminating in a series of intense final matches over the Discovery Day long weekend to determine the ultimate victor.
The Whitehorse Hawks emerged as the season’s champions with 10 total wins but faltered during the finals in comparison to other teams. They secured three wins in each of the first three legs of the season but managed only one victory in the final fourth leg.
The Whitehorse Hunters showed gradual improvement throughout the season, winning against all opponents in the final matches. They totalled five wins in the first three legs of the season but significantly improved their scorecard with four wins during the final leg.
The Whitehorse Kings tied with the Whitehorse Hunters for second place by securing a total of nine wins throughout the season. The Whitehorse Kings’ performance was scattered across various legs of the season, with their strongest set of matches occurring during the second leg, where they achieved four wins.
The Cricket Association has plans to establish a regional cricket league next year with the aim of competing in league matches with the provinces. Aashique Shaikh, the association’s director, intends to run trials later in the year but emphasizes funding constraints related to the necessary protective equipment.
“We're going to do practice matches between Team Yukon A and Team Yukon B, and then everything will be scorecards and everything is going to be registered online. On the basis of the performance, we're going to select for Team Yukon according to that,” Shaikh said.
“Cricket is not a cheap game. It's expensive, like the whole kit is around $300 to $400 per person. Since it's played by most of the immigrants and working-class people, raising the funds is quite a big challenge for them as well.”
Shaikh intends to arrange matches against leagues in British Columbia and Alberta once a league is established in the Yukon. In just two years, Shaikh has transitioned from nurturing a cricketing community in the territory to positioning the Yukon as potentially the first territory to compete at the national level.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
