The conference finals matchups for the 2022 Toyota Minor League Cricket Championship presented by Sunoco are now set following an intense weekend of playoff action in four locations across the country. Both conference finals will take place at Church Street Park in Morrisville, NC on Saturday, Aug. 27. The winners of each match will advance to the championship final, to be held at the same venue under the lights on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 5:00 p.m.
- All matches are free to attend with fans encouraged to register for important event information
- All three games will stream live on the MLC Network YouTube channel
The action on Saturday will begin with the Pacific Conference final starting at 1:00 p.m. The defending champions, the Silicon Valley Strikers, will face the Seattle Thunderbolts, newcomers to the playoffs this season. The Strikers defeated the Chicago Tigers to advance to the conference final, winning the series 2-1 at Morgan Hill Sports Complex in the Bay Area. Seattle clinched their spot with a barnstorming display on Sunday, beating Dallas 2-0 in Houston with wins by 33 and 108 runs respectively.
Saturday evening will bring cricket under the lights to Church Street Park, with the Atlantic Conference final set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Last year’s finalists, the New Jersey Stallions, will take on the Atlanta Fire, who have reached the conference final stage for the first time. The Fire qualified by defeating the Manhattan Yorkers in a weather-impacted series in Atlanta, claiming a 1-0 series victory. The Stallions advanced with a 2-0 sweep of the hometown Morrisville Raptors at Church Street Park on Saturday.
The finals weekend festival at Church Street Park, located only 15 miles from downtown Raleigh, is free to attend for all games. The winning team will take home $150,000 out of a total $350,000 total purse, the largest in American cricket history. The Finals Weekend schedule is as follows:
- Pacific Conference Final – Silicon Valley Strikers vs. Seattle Thunderbolts
Saturday, Aug. 27 at 1pm - Atlantic Conference Final – New Jersey Stallions vs. Atlanta Fire
Saturday, Aug. 27 at 5:30pm - National Championship Final
Sunday, Aug. 28 at 5pm
High-definition live television and streaming coverage for the finals weekend will feature a premium production by Antares Media for all three games. All matches will be available free to stream via the MLC Network on YouTube, with one conference final on Saturday and the championship match on Sunday to be broadcast on Willow TV’s linear channel, available across millions of households in the United States. For the first time, live audio commentary of Finals Weekend will also be broadcast on 99.94 DM, the innovative “home of cricket audio” launched this summer.
Finals Weekend will conclude the second season of the Toyota Minor League Cricket Championship presented by Sunoco, the most extensive competition in American cricket. The tournament has launched a new era for the sport in the United States, with 26 participating teams competing in over 200 matches taking place in 20 cities nationwide this season, running over 10 weekends of play.
