The Sault Stormers, led by captain Sharan Pabla, defeated the Sudbury Warriors 217-212 in a thrilling match Sunday night to win the 2023 Northern Ontario Cricket League Championship at Queen Elizabeth Park.
The Sault club, riding an 11-game win streak heading into the final, was down four runs late to the 2022 champion Warriors when Pabla drilled a no-doubter deep and beyond the boundary. The six-run shot capped a scratch-and-claw comeback for the Stormers and came with just two pitches remaining in the
match. The Stormers’ bench erupted in celebration as Pabla’s walk-off blast secured the win and a second championship for the Sault club since the NOCL began play in 2013. The Stormers claimed their first league title in 2017.
Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker presents the Man of the Match trophy to Sault Stormers’ captain Sharan Pabla.
Pabla earned Man of the Match honours with an 86-run effort on 50 balls. Sudbury’s Gaurang Sheladiya scored 50 on 38 and the Sault’s Kamal Khatkar, named the tournament’s Top Batsman, scored 49 on 21 balls.
After the game, Haroon Naseer, Chariman of the Sault Ste. Marie Cricket Club, thanked both teams for a great game and being part of a successful tournament weekend.
Sault Stormers’ Kamal Khatkar accepts the tournament’s Top Batsman award from Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker.
“It’s more than cricket and more than sports,” said Naseer. “It’s more than swinging the bat and scoring the ball. We want to connect Northern communities and that’s why we’re here tonight.”
The tournament featured clubs from the Sault, Sudbury, North Bay, Thunder Bay and Timmins.
Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker presented various trophies to the two teams following the game. “Congratulations to the winners,” said Shoemaker, “and thank you to the Sudbury team for making it such an exciting match.”
The Stormers are now unbeaten in their last 12 games. In the past few weeks, the team won the Provincial Cup in Thunder Bay and the Mayor’s Cup in Timmins.
Naseer said the next action for the Stormers will be in late August as plans for a tournament inviting southern Ontario clubs are well underway .
