Welcome Teams, Cricketers, International Stars and Guests to the 16th holding of the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes and 4th Sixes Sawadee Cricket Competition.

It's that time of year again, when we renew old acquaintances and develop new friendships. There are several new teams this year, from UK the Worcester Police, the Yes-No-Wait-Sorries (ah yes how many times have we got into that mess), Darjeeling have come in the with a second team, the DCC Bulls Brothers, from Hong Kong the Lamma CC and a completely new country Spain have the Javea Wanderers.

To our Stars: Roshan Mahanama & Amal Silva, who lead the Sri Lankans; Kenny Jackson who was working up to the last minute to bring a South African delegation; Tom Hogan & Trevor Chappell from Australia. Welcome back to all. Kim Barnett - former opening batsman for England, sincere greetings and welcome to the Chiang Mai Cricket Sixes.

We are very honored this year to welcome to our 'festival' for the first time, the CEO of the ACC, Mr. Syed Ashraful Huq. Sawasdee Cricket is striding forward with the CMSCA now expanding to 40 schools. In Bangkok too, around 4,500 children from 16 schools are being coached. Aside from the regular Sawasdee competition, there will be a special 8-aside hard ball, schools match on the main field, morning of 5 April, Bangkok vs Chiang Mai. This is an exhibition match to show Sixes participants and more recently the ACC, what their financial support is doing for cricket development in Thailand.

A new sponsor - we welcome Heineken to the Chiang Mai Sixes and hope their association with our festival will remain for many years. We give thanks once again to our perennial sponsors: TAT, who help supply the booze for the Welcome Cocktails; Trevor Jones and STEC, who for the 16th years of this event have supplied and cooked the pigs for the wonderful Pig Picking Night; likewise Khun Suthipongs and Niyom Panich, who supplied the speaker system; Khun Surapong, chairman of our host, the Chiangmai Gymkhana Club; Pornping Tower, who provide the location for the Welcome Cocktails, which this year in view of safety, is being held in the Ballroom on the mezzanine floor. Mike McCune of Infothai our website host, who has donated both the site and his time putting it up for the Sixes. To NFP, our official caterer and to all the magazine and banner advertisers - thank you.

Last but not least, our committee, the backbone of the tournament. After last year's Sixes, we were very sorry to lose the services of Mike Maher, who had been such an untiring worker in the 3 years he had been a World Coordinator. We are glad that Mike will still be part of the Sixes, bringing the Postels to Chiang Mai. A special thanks for Ian Liddell and Charlie Chelliah who have taken over the coordinating positions from where Mike left off. A word of thanks to Charlie for putting up and sorting through my long and innumerable scrawls sent to him re cricket development in Thailand and for being responsible for the presence in Chiang Mai of Mr. Syed Ashraful Huq.

Another new comer I welcome to the committee is David Walker, who with his experience in the printing industry, has been an invaluable help to Geoff Thompson. To Peter Dawson, whose engineering expertise has helped us simplify the scoreboard, alongside is his wife Anne, chief of Sixes scoring. Marc Dumur, the man behind the buses, guide selection, Quiz Night and the supplementary food and Awards Dinner. Tony Gough, 'man of the Umpires'. Tom & Dot Delaney, who keep you served with amber liquid from behind the bar. Khun Visoot, our man from TAT. Geoff Thompson, who never seems to run out of ideas for improving the tournament.

My dear wife, Renita, who still has to do all the work whilst I have a holiday in Bangkok. Our chairman, Bryan, whose wise advice keeps us on the straight and narrow. Last but by no means the least, 'how could he be', the Viking - Rick Davis, our World Coordinator, money collector (his favourite occupation until he has to send it to Renita), team groupings and pairings both before and during the tournament, part time DJ and Quizmaster, the list goes on and on. Thank you one and all. If I have forgotten anyone (my usual trick), please forgive me. Without the team behind the scenes, there wouldn't be a Chiang Mai Sixes.

Mr. Maurice Bromley
Tournament Director