Cricket Newfoundland and Labrador have been awarded the right to host the Eastern Canadian Senior Cricket Championships this summer. The tournament will take place July 21-23, and will feature hosts Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Quebec.

This is the 7th time the Cricket Canada sanctioned tournament has taken place, but the first time in Newfoundland and Labrador. Last year’s tournament was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador placed third, defeating eventual champions Quebec, but losing to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

All matches will be played at RCAF field, RCAF Road, St John’s (off Torbay Road), on a new purpose-built pitch, constructed thanks to assistance from Cricket Canada, and a grant from the provincial government & support of City of St. John’s, NL Sports Centre Inc. & St. Johns Airport Authority. Matches will take place at 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm and 5 pm on Friday and Saturday; 8 am and 11 am on Sunday, with the final at 2 pm.

Tournament chair Gurman Khurana says:-“We are excited to host the other provinces in our hometown of St. John’s. This is a great opportunity to show the other teams & Cricket Canada that our organization can execute an event at this scale. We are very appreciative of the support we have received from the local community for this event and makes us feel proud to be part of this province”.

Provincial team coach Dave Liverman says: – “We’ve performed very well since first entering this tournament, but this year we have a great opportunity to shine, with the advantage of playing in home conditions, and without the challenges of travel. We have a strong group of over thirty players contending for selection, and I’m confident we will be very competitive”

Cricket NL President Saravana Kumar says: – “We are extremely happy and honored to host the 2017 Eastern Championships in Newfoundland. This is indeed a proud moment for all the cricket players and enthusiasts in the province. We’ll leave no stone unturned to make this an event that will be remembered for a long time. Hopefully, we can win the championship this time.”

The tournament will feature the first interprovincial cricket matches since St. John’s hosted the Halifax Wanders in 1898. Cricket Canada national team selectors will be on hand to evaluate potential players for the national programme.