I am pleased to welcome all of this year's participants in the 17th Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes to the great and ancient City and the Province of Chiang Mai. I know many of you have visited us frequently over the years, and we are indeed proud that you find our hospitality so appealing. It is, I am sure, a very direct compliment to both the success of the Cricket Sixes, and to the friendly people of Chiang Mai.

Our city and province boast great natural beauty as well as historical interest, exciting northern Thai cuisine and other attractions for the modern visitor. I hope you will find time to enjoy some of those attractions in addition to your sporting pleasure on the cricket field.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Sixes organizers, sponsors and participants for your generous support in the development of the sport of cricket among our local school children. The program you help to fund in Sawasdee Cricket, is a very positive contribution to the education of our children. Already as I understand , 4 children from Chiang Mai have ‘graduated’ via the Sawasdee program to represent Thailand in international junior cricket tournaments overseas.This year too , the Chiang Mai program brought international honours in being awarded "Best Junior Development Initiative in Asia" by the sport's world governing body the International Cricket Council.

I would like to wish you all at the 17th Chiang Mai Sixes and its junior offspring the 5th Sixes Sawsdee Cup, a very successful sporting week at the Gymkhana Club and a healthy and happy holiday here in Thailand.

Mr Suwat Tantipat
Governor of Chiang Mai