Justin Moseley – Chiang Mai

San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes:
Bashundhara Cricketeers retain the Cup

Cup Winners Bashundhara Cricketerrs

Finals day of the San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes at the Gymkhana Club saw the Cup won by the Bashundhara Cricketeers, the Bowl by the Tokyo Dingbats, the Shield by the Yorkshire Puddings, the Plate by the Ashwell Martlets, and the Spoon by the Armadillos.

In the Cup Final the Lik Lik Wombats from Australia batted first and lost one early wicket as Bashundhara, the 2009 Cup Holders, continued with sharp fielding. Super batting by the Wombat’s Trent Conwell followed, but he was caught by Taposh and their final score was 51. Bashundhara came into bat and it was clear from the first ball hit for 6 that they meant business and Jupiter fired 2 more sixes in the first over.  The Wombats really had little chance of stopping the boundary bashing and the game ended in the third over with another six by Jupiter. Earlier in the day, in the first Cup semi-final, Bashundhara made a fine batting start of 86 against the 2007 Cup Winners the Gloucestershire Gipsies from England.  Despite some spirited batting and running from Shackleton (retired), Obst and Johnson, the English team just could not match such a high score.  The second Cup semi-final saw the local Irish Pub take on the Lik Lik Wombats. The Wombats, who have quietly put in solid performances all week, began with strong batting and running to set a score of 75, despite some great bowling and a super catch on the boundary by Zeshan.  The Irish Pub’s response started well with 2 sixes, but their chance of victory was lost by the Wombats taking 2 wickets in 2 balls (bowled by Brook Grumont) and 2 catches and a wicket by Trent Conwell.

The Bowl Final was between the Tokyo Dingbats and the local lads of Thai Thevada, who have played so well all week.  The Dingbats set a good target of 78 with Ferris and Goold retiring after great batting.  Their score, with some tight bowling of their own, proved too much for the Thai lads, who nevertheless did put up a wonderful display and were also perhaps the first ever at the Sixes to run 5.

Competition for the Shield began with a victory in the first semi-final for Yarrambat over the Lanka Lions.  Excellent batting again from Daniel Shaw contributed to the win. The second semi-final saw the Yorkshire Puddings win from the Divine Felons, who, despite fine batting as usual from Asif, could not match the excellent fielding and swift running of the English side. The Shield Final saw Yarrambat open and lose key batsman Daniel Shaw early on, but a retirement from Simon Bray and other good performances saw a score of 62, despite some very determined and vocal fielding from the Yorkshire Puddings, which included a catch by Saj Hussain. The Puddings innings started badly as Ijaz was bowled and tight fielding with good bowling by Lamb and Shaw saw Troy Harvey catch Maz Butt.  However, a star performance in the final over from Saj Hussain saw him clinch the match with 3 sixes, the last one off the final ball.

In the first Plate semi-final the local Gymkhana Cavaliers set a score of 70 which looked hard for their opponents Almar to beat, but solid batting and a six from the last ball of the game just saw the South Africans through to the final. The second Plate semi-final saw the Taranaki Taverners from New Zealand fall to the superior batting of the Ashwell Martlets from England. In the Plate Final Ashwell continued their superiority and, despite some good fielding, beat Almar quite easily. 

In the Spoon Final the Armadillos from England faced the Ios Malakas from Greece.  The Greeks batted first and, despite some good bowling and having to run hard, scored 73.  The Armadillos batted well and never gave up as they chased the score set and on the won the game on the final ball.

The Ladies Final, between the Thai Angels and the Thai Pixies and won by the Angels, perfectly illustrated the youthful enthusiasm that exists for cricket in Chiang Mai.  Sponsors are welcomed for the many kids who are the future of cricket in Thailand – for more information see: www.cricketchiangmai.comand for more information on the Sixes in general, go to: www.chiangmaisixes.com.