PETER CUMMINS

CHIANG MAI : The 21st San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes moved into the big league yesterday, when the 2008 competition opened at the Chiengmai Gymkhana Club, with all earlier participation records being broken.

As founder and successive tournament director for 17 years Maurice Bromley said at day's end: "The Chiang Mai Sixes have come of age, with a total of 36 teams, coming from a cross-section of the cricketing world-at-large and four ladies teams competing."

Much attention will again be focused on the burgeoning junior ranks where the 9th Sixes Sawasdee Cricket Competition will be played concurrently.

San Miguel Marketing (Thailand) stepped in this year as the principal sponsor, with Querubin G. de Guzman Jr., the San Miguel commercial director, expressing his delight to be supporting the second most popular sport in the world, noting also that, for the first time, cricket will be an official sport in 2010 Asian Games.

Both these items augur well for the development of cricket in Thailand.

Fluffy the fast bowler, did his usual for the Awali Taverners in their epic defeat at the hands of the UN Irish Pub, in spite of a stunning diving catch by the Awali manager, Bob Phillips.

One of the many fun aspects of the Sixes, is the ingenious names of the teams.

For example, the Divine Felons, the Floggers and Robbers, the Irish Pub Gang Green, the Shanghai Hot Dogs, the Mighty Spires, the Yorkshire Puddings and the Stuffed Beavers.

At the end of the day, the scores were: Lords Taveners (51/1) beat Sa Pa (26/5); Yorkshire Puddings (48/0) def. Taranaki Taverners (44/1). There was an exciting tie between the Darwin Dilettantes and the Floggers and Robbers, on 63/2 each.

Elsewhere, the Mighty Spires (80/2) demolished Thai Tevada (48/0); Irish Pub Gang Green (73/2) def. Awali Taverners (59/4); Darjeeling (73/0) def. Almar ((43/0); Stuffed Beavers (66/0) def. IOS Malakas (63/0). The home-town team, the Gymkhana Cavaliers (63/2) def. Maythais (27/3); Gloucester Gipsies (74/2) def. Divine Felons (62/1).

A close encounter saw the Darwin Dilettantes (66/1) narrowly defeat the Sugar Shack Postels (64/1); the Warathais (64/1) def. the Drifters (48/0); Romany (61/0) def. Thai Tevada (57/0).

A massive wind storm blew in late afternoon, knocking down a number of bill-boards but, apart from causing a directional shift in the bowling direction, the cricket went on unabated, finishing in the fading light of Day One.

Late in the day the Surrey Avos (83/2) beat the Floggers and Robbers (80/1).

The competition at the 108-year-old Chiengmai Gymkhana Club Ground will continue today and all this week until Saturday.