
In a way it marks the end of the winter season for indoor cricket and the beginning of outdoor cricket in the country. A total of 10 teams participated in the tournament this year namely Stadin Kriketti Kerho (SKK), Vantaa CC, FinPak, Tampere CC, Kerava CC, Gurkha CC, Empire CC, Northern Lights Oulu (NLO), and two teams from Turku Cricket Club.
The teams being divided into two groups, the first group was dominated by SKK as they won all their matches and booked their place in the final easily. The second group however was a tight race between Empire CC and NLO. In the end, both teams ended on equal points and NLO qualified for the final on the basis of superior run rate.
After being put in to bat in the final, NLO started their innings cautiously due to an excellent display of bowling and fielding by SKK. The NLO captain however showed terrific batting skills to rescue the team in a tight spot and helped post a competitive total. SKK then had a blistering start to the chase and wiped out most of the runs in rapid fashion. However, NLO fought back in the last two overs of the game with some tight bowling supported by spectacular fielding. The nail-biting final over bowled by NLO’s captain saw the fall of four wickets and ended with SKK unable to manage six off the last ball.
This was the third consecutive year Northern Lights Oulu participated in the Turku Indoor Tournament. They lost only one match in the first year, were finalists last year, and eventually won the tournament this year. They are the northern most team in Finland and have been improving their form consistently.
You can get more information about them at the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/NorthernLightsCC
https://www.nlca.fi