China: Shanghai Sixes - Home town win over East Asia's best
28 June 2000
Hosts Shanghai Cricket Club and their first team the Shanghai Cavaliers won the FPDSavills Shanghai International Cricket Sixes for the first time in the event's four year history. In a pulsating final they downed pre-tournament favourites the Kowloon Cricket Club.
The KCC had set an impressive target of 67-3 off their allotted overs that should have been enough to secure victory. KCC were led by evergreen captain Bharet Gohel who had excellent bowling and batting figures during the two day tournament to collect the player of the tournament award. However Gohel and his men were not expecting the Cavaliers openers Gary Chatfield (batsman of the tournament) and Scott Brown to set about their bowling attack with such vigour. Both men played beautifully spraying fours and sixes all over the ground to ensure the Ray Williams Trophy stayed in Shanghai.
In the Plate final it was the Japanese B team who collected the honours after dominating the surprise of the tournament the Shanghai Baa Baas. The Baa Baas had earlier won their semi-final against local rivals the Shanghai Roundheads in dramatic fashion when they ran out the final Roundheads batsman to tie the match and win on the fact they had lost the fewer wickets. It was a different story against the Japanese were the best team not to make the Cup Competition and they showed why by winning the plate with consummate ease after some loose bowling from the Baas Baas. From this showing the game of Cricket is alive and strong in the land of the rising sun.
The Bowl was collected by the Beijing Cricket Club who narrowly beat another promising Asian side the Korean Crusaders with a couple of balls to spare.
The weekends cricket was played in glorious sunshine and it was a great advert for the game of cricket in China. Shanghai Cricket Club President Guy Fulton summed up by saying, "I hope the event will bring Asia's Cricket playing community closer together and there would be many more opportunities for all teams to play each other that will further stimuate the development of cricket in the region".
FPDSAVILLS SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CRICKET 6'S
RESULTS
Day 1-Saturday June 17th
Shanghai Baa-Baas 51-4 lost to Japan A 54-2 off 5.4 overs
Kowloon C.C. 75-2 (Ghohal 30) def. Nanjing 41-5 (Ghohal 4-3)
Peking C.C. 41-2 lost to Shanghai Baa-Baas 43-0 off 4 overs
Shanghai Roundheads 37-5 (Sandeep 5-2) lost to Kowloon CC 39-2 off 3.1 overs
Japan A 53-2 def. Peking CC 39-4 (Miyakawa 8-2)
Shanghai Roundheads 71-1 (Kagi 34) def. Nanjing 48-3 (McCormack 2-2)
Shanghai Cavaliers 87-0 (Chatfield 31) def. Korea 11 (Parton 2-2)
Gentlemen of Tokyo 74-3 def. Guangzhou 36-3 (Oberholzer 5-2)
Japan B 34-3 lost to Shanghai Cavaliers 39 off 3.2 overs
Gentlemen of Tokyo 58-2 def. Chinese Beijing 28-1
Korean Crusaders 46-1 lost to Japan B 47-1 off 4.1 overs
Chinese Beijing 49-1 def. Guangzhou 30-1
FINAL GROUP STANDINGS
Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3 Pool 4
Japan A Kowloon C.C. S'hai Cavaliers Gent of Tokyo 4pts.
S'hai Baa-Baa's S'hai R'heads Japan B Chinese Beijing 2pts.
Peking C.C. Nanjing Korean Crusaders Guangzhou 0pts.