N.L. cricketers claim bronze, top Quebec in Eastern championship

Newfoundland and Labrador claimed a bronze medal Sunday at the Eastern Canadian Cricket Championships in Halifax, but is counting a win over the powerhouse Quebec team as an important victory.

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Quebec batted first, and made 137 runs for sevenwickets, with captain Rahul Vashisht taking three wickets and Rakesh Negi two for Newfoundland and Labrador.

N.L. was in trouble giving up two early wickets after going to bat. But the teamresponded with 50 runs from Vashisht, 37 runs from Gurman Khurana and 27 runs from Umair Khan to take a six-wicket victory.

The Newfoundland and Labrador club is celebrating the victory over a province that has more than 30 active cricket teams in multiple leagues, while N.L.'s entry was selected from just 60 players in the local summer league.

The team finished round robin play with two wins and two losses. However, it was not enough to get the team to the tournament final. Quebec eventually topped Nova Scotia in the final.

Vashisht also built upon his most valuable player award at the 2015 tournament with another strong individual effort.

Vashisht was the top run scorer in round robin play, with 185 runs, and top wicket taker with nine wickets in being named to the tournament all-star team.