The first, and extra, half-day of matches in the 16th Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes ended yesterday in the most dramatic manner imaginable when Out of Africa' new boy Ben Poole hit the last ball of the last match for 6 against England' Jack Frost -- when 6 was exactly what the local Chiang Mai team needed to win. Poole had earlier made a forceful, undefeated 30, as Out of Africa comfortably beat the Welsh BA Dragons in the opening match. Another local hope the CMW Warriors were very impressive in compiling 71 for 4 and then holding South African opponents AlmarCC to just 56 for 3.

In the Spoon Competition, Gymkhana Cavaliers completed a great pre-opening day for Chiang Mai with a ‘back-from-the-dead’ victory over local rivals the Irish Pub . Having only managed a meagre 35 runs in their innings, the Cavaliers somehow contrived with some rather uncharacteristically accurate bowling to hold the Irishmen to only 30. New team, but old Chiang Mai Sixes’ hands, the DCC Bulls Brothers from Dubai, completed the day' results by opening their campaign with a crushing victory over last year' Bowl finalists the Warbler Bunny Club despite 31 n.o. from Sri Lankan guest star Lanthra Fernando -- the Bunnies let down by 22 extras gifted to the Bulls from a wayward bowling performance.

RESULTS OF EARLY HALF-DAY MATCHES

• Out Of Africa 59 for 0 (B. Poole 30 n.o) beat BA Dragons 55 for 2
• Gymkhana Cavaliers 35 for 1 beat Irish Pub Gang Green 30 for 1 (Spoon )
• CMW Warriors 71 for 4 (Betta 28 n.o) beat Almar 56 for 3
• Warbler Bunny Club 57 for 6 (l. Fernando 31 n.o.) lost to DCC Bulls Brothers 74 for 1 (T. Coulbeck 26 n.o)
• Out Of Africa 66 for 3 (P. Lack 2 for 6) beat Jack Frost 65 for 1