Thailand: Chiang Mai Sixes - South Africans reign supreme
Peter Cummins - Chiang Mai, Thailand - 13 May 2001
It was the South Africans who basically dominated the Fourteenth edition of
the Chiang Mai Cricket Sixes, played at the charming century-old Chiengmai
Gymkhana Club Cricket Ground.
The Hampton Hound Dogs won the Cup Championship, while neighbours on the
African continent, a local Chiang Mai expatriate team composed of
Zimbabweans and star batsman South African Test player Hylton Ackerman, won
the BOWL title. The name of this team ? the acronym "DIRTZ" spells out to
mean "Difficulty in returning to Zimbabwe".
Finally, South Africa, comprising five former school-mates, scored 88 for no
loss to beat the "Rest of the World" for the Stars Challenge Cup.
Elsewhere, the mainly Aussie Schlungers, who have participated in every
Sixes competition since the first in 1988, won the Spoon and the British
Northern Oiks won the Plate. The hard-fought Women's competition saw the
Chiang Mai Chassies take out the Women's World All-Stars. The post-game
party at the cricket ground, was a joy to behold.
The only New Zealand 'presence' this year was a single team, Taranaki
Taverners, from Plymouth. However, New Zealander, Detective Inspector
Peter Evans who attended the Sixes, said that he "looked forward to the
return of the Auckland Kiwi Cavaliers next year, under the able helmsmanship
of Mark Bowyer."
Children's cricket under the direction of Khun Somboon Suprasert, who
recently agreed to become co-chairman with Peter Dawson of the Chiang Mai
Schools Cricket Association, saw 10 teams entered in the Junior Cup this
year. The two main rivals, the Thai schools, Prince Royal College and
Montford College, were joined by smaller schools and Dr. Somboon has
promised 10 times this number for the Fifteenth Sixes next year.
ICC Asia Region Development Officer, Nasim Ul Ghani, was very impressed with
the progress both in the improved quality and the increased quantity of
players participating in the junior cricket program this year. A lot of help
had been given by Australian Coach, Brian Wiggins, who had managed to spend
10 days coaching in Chiang Mai two weeks before the Sixes.
The standard of bowling, batting and fielding increased remarkably as the
week progressed, resulting in extremely close games and two bowling
hat-tricks, by Stuart Kaschula of Royal Selangor and Will Pickersgill of the
Northern Oiks, respectively, whilst Graeme Pitty of the Bangkok Southerners,
in their game against the South African, Alma Marist, took four wickets in
his single over.
There was also enthusiastic support from the side-lines as Australian
Ambassador H.E. Miles Kupa came along to give moral support to his team the
Southerners. Meantime, at the other end of the Chiengmai Gymkhana Club
cricket ground, a very vociferous group came in to support THEIR team, the
Awali Taverners. The very shapely ladies themselves were right out of the
"Bunny Club" - invited, of course, because of their knowledge of the royal
and ancient game of cricket !
The batting, particularly, was - to say the least - vigorous, as sixes
sailed high over the stands, knocked panels out of the site-screens and had
spectators and teams alike, diving for cover. One specific "six" took the
microphone right out of the hand of commentator Rick "Viking" Davis: the
accoustic feed-back was horrendous! Some said it was retaliation for Rick's
day-long monologues, ranging in tone from hilarious to somewhat acidic.
Another ball landed on Organizing Committee Chairman Maurice Bromley's car,
with a similar accoustic feed-back: the ball landed so hard that it
activated the anti-theft device.
UNICEF Support
UNICEF Youth Ambassador, Kathaleeya McIntosh, presided over the afternoon
awards ceremony, emphasising the importance the tournament organisers -
especially the chairman of the organizing committee, Maurice Bromley -
places upon introducing cricket to Thai children and young people. Equally
the presence of UNICEF showed their appreciation of the Chiang Mai Sixes'
efforts to promote sport with the Thai children of Chiang Mai.
So high was the enthusiasm among the children that, even after she had
presented all the medals, the Youth Ambassador could not leave the beaming
children until she had signed EVERY tee shirt!
By the final day, many of the players had started to succumb to heat
prostration - which, considering many of the players had come from colder
climes still in the grip of a bitter winter - was not surprising, as the
Chiang Mai ambient temperature hovered around 40 degrees.
One such was former England Captain, Mike Gatting, who was hospitalized with
a form of cellulitis and unable to lead his team Jack Frost into an
all-English PLATE final, in which Jack Frost went down to the Northern Oiks
by nine runs.
The record number of 27 teams, plus two ladies combos - the "Chiang Mai
Chassies" and the "Women's World All-Stars" - descended onto the Chiengmai
Gymkhana Club Cricket Ground for the opening game of the day's scheduled 13
- and, on two days, 14 - games which started at 8.30 and continued
uninterrupted until dusk.
Khun Surapong Sukannasilp, Chairman of the Gymkhana Club opened the Sixes,
bowling a mean ball to world-renowned Sri Lankan test cricketer, Ramesh
Rathnayake who was suitably impressed with the Chaiman's delivery, executed
in office attire, even.
From its relatively humble beginnings in 1988, the Chiang Mai Cricket Sixes
has now taken its place as one of the world's major international amateur
cricket competitions.
"The Fourteenth Sixes", according to "Bangkok Post" correspondent Jim Hawker
and this correspondent agrees entirely, "was the best ever - with Test stars
and amateurs playing side-by-side - and hectic social activity providing a
perfect mix, through the efforts of the hard-working committee headed by
Maurice and Renita Bromley, co-ordinators Rick Davis and Mike Maher and the
tireless dedication of Sixes addict, Geoff Thompson".
Maurice's own enormous input was rewarded when his handsome, personable and
very polite 14-year-old son Robert, press-ganged into the Hampton Hound Dogs
team, was named "best rookie of the tournament", having taken three wickets
from four balls on two consecutive days, bowling for the Hound Dogs. He was
also the youngest player in 14 years of Chiang Mai Sixes to have played in a
winning CUP team.
Although the Aussie team, the Warathais was eliminated in the second Cup
semi-final, the New South Walesmen had the satisfaction of seeing skipper
Steve Christie named "Player of the Tournament".
Sponsorship was generous as usual with many, such as the Tourism Authority
of Thailand, the Amari Rincome, Castrol, the Chiang Mai Municipality and
Reich Baumaschinen of Germany who for the 6th consecutive year , sponsored
the 30 mini buses allocated to every team, officials, scorers, umpires and
stars.
Results:
CUP: Hampton Hound Dogs (84-0) ( J.Kaminski 33 ret,; J.Commins 23 n.o.) def.
Perth Postels (80-2) (P.Andersen 35 ret.; K.Jackson 30 ret.).
BOWL: DIRTZ (50-1) def. Royal Selangor (49-3) (F.Fernando 32 ret.).
PLATE: Northern Oiks (80-0) (C.Hartdford-Cross 32 ret.; M.Fettes 31 n.o.)
def. Jack Frost (76-1) (N. Billing 33 ret.).
SPOON: Schlungers (D.Nitschke 34 ret. M.Mayo 31 ret.)
def. IOS Malakas (82-4).
STARS CHALLENGE: South Africans (88-0) (K.Jackson 30 ret.) def.
Rest of the World (R. Ratnayake 35 ret.; D. Ward 31 ret.).
LADIES CHALLENGE: Chiang Mai Chassies (48-2) (P. Marsh 15 ret.)
def. Women's World All-Stars (45-2) (S. Watson, 16 ret).
© 2001 CricInfo Ltd