As this group of highly motivated athletes, trained to within a minute of their lives emerged from Customs Hall, Bangkok International Airport, locals could only feel that another invasion of Western infidels had arrived to take over their country. The Landmark Hotel, training camp prior to the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes, provided all the elements of the training regimen that only true Warathai could undertake before their sixth onslaught of the Northern capital.

Tour vets Steven Christie, Ian Liddell & Troy Harvey looked on as part-time tourists Bill Pappas (currently No. 2 in the Greek rankings behind his own brother Jimmy), Slavko Erak (Serbia's No21 & International Sex Symbol), Grant Jones (helps get the group discount), Warren Pugh (Stockton ring-in), Mick Burns (SERIAL PEST!), Darrell Mepham & Stan Spink (regular hangers on) commenced their Spartan training in the pool. By 9am on the first day all further training had been cancelled with still two days (& nights) before departure to Chiang Mai. What would this group achieve? Could they survive? Would they remain on a competitive high? Only time would tell.

Sunday 30/3/03. Our afternoon departure from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, saw many warriors starting to feel the effects physically from a distinct lack of training, although we would be at fever pitch alcoholically. Our arrival at the customary Welcome Cocktail Party at the Porn Ping hotel was like a family reunion, catching up with many old friends we have met on previous tours and new acquaintances ready to be forged in the epics of battle at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana Club.

Monday 31/3/03. The sixteenth annual Chiang Mai Cricket Sixes was underway, with bright sunshine showering all parts of Chiang Mai. The Warathais awoke, breakfasted and relaxed by personal choice before boarding their coach to the club grounds. It was here that the cracks first started to appear in the captaincy of Steve Christie that would plague him for days before his sleep deprived and alcohol dependant decision to remove himself from this position would be made. Selections - Jones for Harvey, Erak for Pappas (Manchester United over Liverpool, Heineken over Carlsberg, Fifth Grade over Third Grade) this seemed to be the comparisons made by rival camps. All this and Trevor Chappell hadn't even received his official playing shirt!

Our first match was against Chiang Mai newcomers, the Worcester Police (thank goodness for the lack of breath testing equipment). The toss won & the Warathais elected to bat. Our start was nothing special as Steve(Crunch)Christie ran out Trevor Chappell in the first over just because he had his bat. (The beginning of the end!). Ian (Reds) Liddell was dismissed first ball and suddenly we were 2 for 3. Fortunately Crunch and Wocka were able to steady the ship and finish the innings at a respectable 2-58 and with our strong bowling attack (no Jones or Harvey), Worcester could only manage 3-42.

One from one. You bloody beauty.

Tuesday 1/4/03. Day 2 dawned with the double header of the tournament for the Warathai's ready to commence. First up, Almar Marist from Cape Town, South Africa, who had in their ranks one Neil Johnson (former Zimbabwean Test batsman) and Steve Mendes (who could bat). Erak and Pugh out for Pappas and Harvey (Jonesy - keep the pads on, you can't bowl!). Another toss won and away we went with Harvey and Christie opening the batting and Harves led the way with 33no to have us finish at 0-67.

Should be plenty, but Almar had other ideas with Mendes blasting his way to an unbeaten 33 from 3 overs while his former test counterpart had struggled to be only 10. Stop the fight now! This game was as good as over, surely?

Rumours still abound that Troy Harvey had backed Almar to win through the local Chiang Mai betting agency & proceeded to bowl (well that's what he called it) like he knew a man called John from India. Game over with 3 balls to spare - Almar 0-68 - and Neil Johnson back in the best batting form of his career.

One from two.

The late match this day was to be against our old nemesis, the Perth Postels, who won the toss and batted in what was left of daylight before defeating the Warathais 64 - 58. Oh well, they have to bring drinks to our tent.One from three. Look out bowl, here we come.

Wednesday 2/4/03. Our first real time off since our arrival (if you call first drinks after 11am a day off) and we boarded our mini buses for the 40 minute trip to golfing hacker's nirvana - Royal Chiang Mai. Ambrose the event thank goodness (Jonesy - you play golf like you bat in cricket - You Can't!) and 11 Thai caddies have never had so much fun in all their lives. Trevor Chappell actually learnt that he could hit a seven iron 100 metres exactly as the divot beside the 6^th hole would attest.

A fabulous day was had by all before we returned to our base camp and then setting off on our onslaught of this year's fancy dress.

In what was described as a cheeky display of bare-faced boldness, the Warathais snatched the title out from under the entire cast & crew of South Pacific (Perth & Bangkok Postels) and eight other groups of rather bawdy singer/songwriters. The draw for the next stage of the competition was held and saw the Warathais progress to the Bowl competition and sudden death play.

Thursday 3/4/03. It can only be at this time that Steve Christie, Captain of the Warathai's for many years and silverless as a team stood down from the next match and handed the captaincy to Trevor Chappell. Many critics still believe that he stood down before he was sacked, and many pundits will deem this as a defining moment of Warathai history. Morale suddenly rose to new levels. Players, who for years struggled to reach their potential under his tyrannical reign suddenly uncovered rich veins of form and desires of success unheard of in the modern era - Bring on Javea (Spain).

Javea Wanderers, the first international cricket team from Spain? Javea played well but were unable to hold back Trevor's "thoroughbred" (your kidding) cricketers and mustered a gallant 3-43 chasing our 1-61. The Chappell reign was underway, one down, 3 to go, on to Friday against Darwin.

Friday 4/4/03. Today began with Chappell losing his first toss as Warathai skipper and having to bowl first. Going with his strongest bowling lineup (no Harvey, Jones behind the stumps), the Darwin Dilettantes were restricted to 1-48 from their five overs, but then Captain Chappell (that has such reverence about it) produced the tournament's biggest surprise - Pappas & Erak to open, Jones to bat three. This game could go right down to the wire. Somebody should have told Bill Pappas, who proceeded to play the innings of the tournament with a quick-fire 31no from two and a half over, leg glancing from outside off stump with monotonous regularity. His retirement brought together two fifth grade stalwarts for one last dash at fame, with Jones surprising everybody by playing an actual shot that wasn't an edge. Two required from 12 balls.

It was then that the thunderclouds of attack circled Slavko. In what locals will talk about as a Chiang Mai first, Slav faced a rampaging F. Atboy (aka Brett Hillas) in what can only be described as the over from hell with four slips in the cordon waiting for any loose shots that may come their way, before finishing with wicket intact and a maiden against the bowler's name. Game over next ball. Two from two. Let's let our hair down and make new friends (Jack Daniels). I'm sure one or two of the team got to know this guy quite intimately before our semi final clash with titans Jack Frost of England.

Saturday 5/4/03. Bowl semi one against Jack Frost began at the rather ungodly hour 8.45am Saturday. Troy Harvey, having learnt of his selection the day before, feigned an alcohol related illness and had to be excluded on health reasons. This saw a last minute reshuffle and a group of rather anxious cricketers who had fallen at this hurdle many times before. But this year was different, wasn't it. New captain, new ideas, it would be better, wouldn't it? Another toss won and a highly competitive 1-70 with Steve Christie, in his new role of faithful sidekick, contributing with a fine 26 no. Jack Frost can play and after going after the early bowlers gave themselves some chance by maintaining the healthy run rate of 15 per over from three. But Captain Courageous, T.C. bowled a crucial tight fourth over which yielded two wickets from the first two balls and turned the match with Jack Frost only mustering 3-60 in reply. Three down - One to go.

The final had all the ingredients of a classic - Warathais vs Almar - early wickets the key. Harvey in for Jones, Erak on beer duty as he had been all week (would hold the leader's yellow jersey if one was on offer), Spink & Mepham on drinking duty and Burnsy, loud and obnoxious as he had been all week, behind the microphone, we were set.

Another toss won and batting first, we scored a creditable 1-76 with Trevor claiming 31no & Crunch & Troy holding their own. Five overs down, five to go. Surely today was the day.

But fortune has a funny way of smiling on the brave with two dropped catches in consecutive balls in the first over, the choke jokes started. But Mendes (the destroyer from the round robin clash) fell just two balls later, we were into the tail. With Neil Johnson leading the way with 31no Almar could not achieve the total set by the Warathai's .

At last some reward to show the wife and kids that we actually play cricket in Thailand.

The farewell dinner again proved outstanding as fellow cricketers from all grades and countries rubbed shoulders and shared beers and stories with the likes of Test cricketers Trevor Chappell, Kim Barnett, Tom Hogan, Merryck Pringle, Neil Johnson and a group of Sri Lankans that all look the same to me.

The second week of the trip was spent relaxing with some of the tourists playing golf at International standard courses, others spending a few days traveling up to the Bridge on the River Kwai and others catching up on last minute shopping and of course Hathy's Moonshine bar in Soi Cowboy was a popular drinking spot particularly over the Thai New Year (Songkran) celebrations. The trips get better every year and it will be on again next April so why not join us, catch up with friends for a week of fun and fair play.

2003 TOURISTS

Hope to see everybody at the 2004 tournament to renew acquaintances over a social drink or two.

Regards The Warathai'