Jim Hawker
Bangkok Post, Chiang Mai

Sorries first past the post to claim Cup title

Outlaws win Bowl, Morrison Best Player

Outsiders Yes No Wait Sorries produced a devastating late run to surprise hot favourites Surrey Vagrants and claim the Cup title on the final day of the 17th Chiang Mai International Sixes at the historic Gymkhana Club yesterday. The Sorries, managed by horse-racing enthusiast and fomer Cheltenham National Hunt Festival organiser Chris Coley, were given little chance of defeating English compatriots the Vagrants, who went into the final unbeaten. But a brilliant 31 retired from David Terrington enabled the Sorries to post a respectable total of 68-1 from their five overs.

The Vagrants made a good start but when Matt Coley bowled former Essex captain Paul Prichard, the Sorries sensed they were in with a chance of pulling off an upset. Hard-hitting West Indian Franklin Hinds was then caught in the deep and Sorries stand-in captain Mike Terrington, deputising for Chris Coley who was injured in their thrilling last-ball semi-final win over Commonwealth C.C. from Bangladesh, claimed two wickets in one over thanks to superb atches in the deep by Rob Park.

The Sorries were on the home straight after that - the Vagrants managing only 46-4 - and their victory meant that the Cup trophy stayed in Gloucestershire, the Sorries being stablemates of last year's champions, the Gipsies.

Earlier the Vagrants had beaten 1999 champions Perth Postels in the
semi-finals, with Prichard and Franklin Hinds putting the Western
Australians' attack to the sword.

Marchwiel Outlaws, a team of talented young Australians on their way to the United Kingdom to play club cricket and sponsored by popular umpiring stalwart John Bell, produced a devastating batting display to dethrone defending Bowl champions Moonshine Warathais in the final. Dean Morrison and Zak Pacey both reached the retirement figure of 30 as the Outlaws raced to the week's highest score, 99-1.

Despite a brilliant exhibition of strokeplay and placement from former
Australian Test and one-day player Trevor Chappell, who made 32 retired, the target of 100 was too much for the Warathais from Newcastle, New South Wales, who finished on 55-4.

Outlaws skipper Morrison, in top form all week with both bat and ball and in the field, was later deservedly named Player of the Tournament. Just to cap the day for the Outlaws, in their semi-final win over Chiang Mai side Te Pakeha Archie Baker had become only the second player this week to hit the Big 10 advertising sign with a six, earning 10 runs and also a donation of 4,000 baht from sponsors Champion Spark Plugs for the junior Thai cricket development fund.

In the Joe Carpenter Plate final, history was made when English side Ashwell Crusaders and the Southerners from Bangkok shared the title after their final ended in a tie, both sides scoring 76-2. That was a first for the Chiang Mai Sixes, and the presentation ceremony was
an emotional affair with the Plate being presented to both sides by the widow of Joe Carpenter, the popular Darjeeling chairman who sadly passed away a week before the Sixes.

Other winners on the day were the mainly-Australian Bangkok Postels, who beat English side Halylt in the Spoon final, and Chiang Mai Chassies, who maintained their unbeaten record in the Women's Challenge, beating the World Women Dixie Belles.

Some of the promisng Thai junior cricketers also gave a fine exhibition in their hard-ball match and once again last night's awards dinner, hosted by tournament director Maurice Bromley and voice-of-the Sixes Rick Davis, brought the curtain down on another highly-successful Sixes, as ever brilliantly organised by so many hard-working volunteers from all over the world.

RESULTS

Cup

Final: Yes No Wait Sorries 68-1 (David Terrington 31 ret) beat Surrey Vagrants 46-4.

Semi-finals: Perth Postels 71-3 (Phil Catterall 30 ret) lost to Surrey Vagrants 73-0 (Paul Prichard 35 ret, Franklin Hinds 30 ret); Commonwealth C.C. 56-0 (Masudur Rahman Mukul 31 ret) lost to Yes No Wait Sorries 59-3.

Bowl

Final: Marchwiel Outlaws 99-1 (Dean Morrison 30 ret, Zak Pacey 31 ret) beat Moonshine Warathais 55-4 (Trevor Chappell 32 ret).

Semi-finals: Marchwiel Outlaws 89-4 (P. Gregory 30 ret, Archie Baker 26 n.o., Dean Morrison 22) beat Te Pakeha 45--4; Javea Wanderers 60-0 (Tom Rowe 31 ret) lost to Moonshine Warathais 61-1 (Steve Christie 31 ret). Joe Carpenter

Plate

Final: Ashwell Crusaders 76-2 (Neil Sen 30 ret, Paul
Lack 25) tied with Southerners 76-2 (Prasant Nandha 30 ret).

Spoon

Final: Halylt 61-3 lost to Bangkok Postels 65-0 (Richard Sulway 30 ret).

Semi-finals: Halylt 75-1 (Neil Hutchinson 26, M.Whetton 30 n.o.) beat
Shenanigans Malakas 63-1 (Brett Hillas 32 ret); Bangkok Postels 71-2 beat Irish Pub Gang Green 62-2.

Women's Challenge

Chiang Mai Chassies 72-0 beat World Women Dixie Belles 49-0

Alan Parkhouse
The Nation, Chiang Mai

[CRICKET] The premier division Cup final at this year's Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes was an all-English affair between the Yes No Wait Sorries team and the Surrey Vagrants.

The Yes No Wait Sorries made 68 in their innings and then made an early breakthrough by bowling out Surrey Vagrants’ captain Paul Pritchard before he’d made an impression on the scoreboard. The Vagrants’ other big hitter, former West Indian representative Franklin Hinds, who traveled to Chiang Mai all the way from his home in the Caymen Islands, also headed back to the pavilion early as the Vagrants crumbled and their wickets tumbled. In the end the Yes No Wait Sorries had a unexpected win to take the Cup as the Vagrants were all out for 46.

The Moonshine Warathais, who defeated Spain's Javea Wanderers in the second tier Bowl division semi-final yesterday, were the highest finishing Australian team. However, they faced a tough task in their Bowl division final against the Marchwiel Outlaws, an experienced side from Wales and Australia with some big- hitting batsmen.

The Outlaws put together a huge total of 99 despite some very tight bowling by the Australians. The Warathais, who won the Bowl division last year, then faced the daunting task of scoring 20 runs per over and Trevor Chappell made a great start. But Chappell's efforts went in vain and the Warathais fell well short of the target and surrendered their Bowl title.

In the Plate final, the Bangkok-based Southerners compiled a total of 76 against the Ashwell Crusaders from England after the Crusaders amassed a big total of 76. With both teams finishing level, the referees and officials deliberated and after a brief check of the rules declared both teams would share the honours in the Joe Carpenter Plate. Officials changed the name of the Plate trophy this year in honour of the late Joe Carpenter, the chairman of the Darjeeling team who were knocked out of the division on Friday.

The lower Spoon division final was won by the Bangkok Postels over England's Halylt in another close match that was decided on the last ball.

In the first Cup semi-final yesterday the Perth Postels suffered an early setback in their match against the Surrey Vagrants when big hitting South African Kenny Jackson was clean bowled before scoring his usual 30 runs. And then the Surrey boys came out swinging with big scores and an easy win thanks to great knocks from Paul Pritchard, the former Essex captain, and West Indian Franklin Hinds.

In the second Cup semi, the Yes No Wait Sorry side faced the Commonwealth CC from Bangladesh, who scored a low total of 56, and the match went right down to the last ball which the Sorries hit for a winning four. And for only the second time in the tournament a player hit one of the two sponsor's signs just outside the boundary yesterday which count for 10 runs - a first in world cricket. Peter Bantom-Baker, an Aussies playing for Welsh team the Marchwiel Outlaws, hit the sign sponsored by Champion which not only earned him 10 runs, but also a Bt4,000 donation from the sponsor towards local children's cricket. Bantom-Baker also completed his hat-trick as a bowler in his first over of the day.

There was a Ladies Challenge match yesterday and defending champions the Chiang Mai Chassies took on the World Women's Dixie Bells, followed by a junior's game where the kids played with a hard ball instead of the usual soft one used in Sawasdee cricket. The Chassies retained their title in a tough match which included flashes of brilliance from the Chiang Mai girls.

The children's match was an eye-opener as their skills were outstanding and they received a standing ovation at the end of their high quality match.

The annual Sixes wound up with a gala dinner and presentation of trophies at the historic 106-year-old Chiengmai Gymkhana club grounds and the non-profit event raised a large sum of money which goes into developing cricket in local schools.