YesNoWaitSorries ousted in quarters

JULIAN TURNER

Chiang Mai - There was a shock at the 18th Chiang Mai International Sixes yesterday when defending Cup champions YesNoWaitSorries were dumped out at the quarter-final stage by Perth Postels.

The hot favourites were unexpectedly sent packing, despite building an assured lead during their time at the crease.

YNWS cracked home 75 for 0 to assume a commanding position, although the Postels remained in touch by not giving away a single extra.

But it all went wrong just when they appeared to have the game sewn up. The Postels had gamely hung in there and they were given a massive boost when 18 extras were given away down the final straight.

That allowed the Postels to nip home by three runs.

Mujibas had started the day in style when they beat the Warambats by eight runs to book their place in the Shield semi-final. Mahamana (31 ret) and Chatfield (30 ret) set the pace before Hird (11 caught) and Penney (5 n.o.) polished off a healthy total of 99, including 22 extras.

Warambats openers Daniel (35 ret) and Simon (29 stmpd) looked to have fired themselves into contention but the rest of the team could only add another five runs for 91 at the crease, which also included 22 extras.

The Moonshine Warathais edged out the Dilettantes by 13 runs to go into the mix for the Shield semis.

Steve Christie (32 ret) and Ian Liddell (33 ret) were the main men behind a total of 87 and some tight bowling with Trevor Chappell in particular losing just five runs saw the Warathais through.

Hometown Gymkhana Cavs had to rely on frugal bowling to land a berth in the Spoon final after their 44 at the crease appeared to be too little to see them through against Halylt.

Their opponents thumped 59 to put them in control (D Jones 32 ret) but the Cavs redeemed themselves by only losing a single extra when they bowled.

Halylt lost 21 extras to mean Gymkhana emerged victorious by five runs with a score of 65.

The Wombats will face the Cavs today after they dispatched Malakas by eight runs in the other Spoon semi-final with 77. Both outfits posed relatively low scores from the crease (Wombats 42 for two, Malakas 45 for four) and again it was the bowling that decided the affair, with the Wombats keeping things a little tighter to win by eight runs.

Darjeeling made easy work of their Shield quarter-final against the Southerners, which they won by 39 runs. Superb knocks from Greg Moses (30 ret), Rudi Bisschoff (30 ret) and Brad Wissink (24 n.o.) were capped off by Jes Coulbeck (seven not out) for a total of 98, including seven extras. They then proved their mettle in the field by taking four Southerners wickets for 59, with 16 extras.

The Cricketeers maintained their impressive drive towards the Cup title when they disposed of Awali Tavs in the quarter-final. Farooq (35 ret) proved the cornerstone at the crease for a total of 65, with only a single extra, and they limited Awali to 41 for three in reply with 10 extras.

The Surrey Vagrants sailed through to the Cup semi-final by 29 runs against the Gloucester Gipsies. Both sides performed admirably with their bowling and lost just eight extras. It was the more productive time at the crease from the Vagrants that gave them the edge with P Higgs (32 n.o.), P Pritchard (18 n.o.) and C Crowe (18 n.o.) and a single from J Hainds making sure of progression with 76.

Silver State made it through to the Bowl final with an 11 run win over Shanghai Dragons. Simon Brook and Anal De Siik (both 34 ret) stood out for the Silver batsmen as they racked up 103 runs, including 26 extras. Shanghai forged a creditable reply with 92 including 32 extras but could not topple their opponents.

Ashwell Crusaders will be joining Silver State in todays Bowl final after they beat Almar by 14 runs in the other semi. J Powell retired after an entertaining knock of 34 for the victors and he was backed up by a 10 from S Gardner and 21 from D Cousins for 76, with 11 extras.

The Lord Taverners beat a depleted Mujibas side to earn their place in the Shield final after a superb match between the sides. The Mujibas who had lost three players after their earlier game _ edged the batting battled heroically but were cruelly sent out of the competition. Mujibas finished on 66 to be beaten by a single run by the Taverners.

On the other pitch junior Sai Moon beat Mae Pong by one run in the Grade Six final. That was a reverse of the earlier Grade Five final, which Mae Pong won.

The final match of the day pitted the Chiang Mai veterans against the Wombat Elders in the Over-65s challenge. The Chiang Mai side who bent the qualification rules to include youthful Post sports editor Roger Crutchley _ edged a good-spirited encounter.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

Mujibas beat Warambats (Shield QF), Warathais beat Dilettantes (Shield QF), Gymkhana Cavs beat Halylt (Spoon SF), Wombats beat Malakas (Spoon SF), Darjeeling beat Southerners (Shield QF), Cricketers beat Awali (Cup SF), Vagrants beat Gipsies (Cup SF), Silver beat Shanghai (Bowl SF), Ashwell beat Almar (Bowl SF), Lords Taverners beat Mujibas (Shield SF)

TODAY'S MATCHES

Warathais v Darjeeling (Shield SF), Cricketeers v Marchwiel (Cup SF), Perth Postels v Surrey Vagrants (Cup SF), Gymkhana Cavs v Wombats (Spoon final), STH Drifters v Irish Pub (Plate final), Silver State v Ashwell Crusaders (Bowl final), Lords Taverners v TBC (Cup final), Junior Challenge, Chiang Mai Chassies v World Women Dixie Belles, Stars Challenge