The Ryerson Cricket Club continued their success at the 4th Annual Canadian College Cricket Nationals held on August 29. Failing to reach the finals last year the Rams went all the way and lifted the trophy.
The Rams played their first game against Lakehead University defeating the team for 35, with a comfortable 10 wickets remaining. The team had an outstanding performance, with Zachary Nowell picking up 3 wickets in his 4 overs.
The 2nd game was a double header for the Rams against Waterloo. The opposition had a strong start until the Rams bowled them out for 86 runs.
Ryerson's batsmans displayed great attitude, played extremely well, just until Rams batsman Richard Perkins was run out. But that didn't stop the Rams from chasing the target down, lowing by 2 wickets in 13.5 overs.
The final group game was hosted on August 30th against McGilll. Rams captain Hassan Khan won the coin toss once again, leading the match with Rams fielding. McGill played all their 20 overs and only managed to score 96 runs losing 7 wickets. The Ryerson bowlers restricted another team to a total under 100. Rams chased the target down in 17.5 overs losing 5 wickets.
The Rams topped the table once again, set to take on Humber College in the semi finals.
August 31st, the Rams watched as UTSC secured their spot in the finals. Khan won his 4th consecutive toss leading with bowl once again. Humber started strong just until the Rams dove in with a spin attack. Kartik Desai had a great spell of 4 overs for 17 runs, picking up a crucial wicket. Anees Ahmad was brought into the attack to stop the run flow of Humber. He picked up 5 wickets for only 14 runs. Rams restricted Humber to 111 in their 20 overs.
Humber came out attacking and picked up 2 quick wickets laying the pressure hard on the opposition. Rams' Jean Paul Rocke, lightened the load by hitting huge sixes. Ahmed Ali followed with a crucial inning of 26, getting the Rams closer to the finish line. Kartik desai played a beautiful inning to anchor the Rams into their first Canadian College Cricket National final.
Into the finals, the Rams felt positive as they took on UTSC. Captain Hassan Khan won the toss again and lead the bowl. Ryerson Rams kept their opponents on their toes, with a strong performance by everyone on the field. Rams restricted UTSC to only 78.
This seemed like a comfortable chase for the Rams but they lost 2 early wickets. Humza Atiq and Jean Paul got the Rams closer to the title. And Talha Kirmani crossed the line with a beautiful shot over covers to give the Rams their first Canadian college cricket national championship.
The national championship was a great team victory for the Rams as they started their year off with a bang. Ahmad was awarded MVP for the tournament as the leading wicket taker with 8 wickets and his crucial spell in the semi against Humber. Great win for the men's team by veteran player and newly titled captain, Hassan Khan.
The Rams will play American college cricket regionals on September 29th.
