Chang-Mai sixes - report and scores (2 Apr 1997)

Latest Scores from Chiang Mai. All played today.

Following a day of heavy rain on Monday, the star of the 10th anniversary Chiang Mai Sixes was delayed in the morning while the pitch was dried and repaired. However with a full day of 13 games scheduled play got under way shortly after 9 o'clock using 5 ball overs to help catch up on the time.

The day's matches saw the start of competition in the new spoon division for social cricketers like Australia's Wombats, Chiang Mai's own Locos, the Taranaki Taverners from New Zealand, the Schlungers and new boys at Sixes cricket from Thailand's Eastern Sea Board, the Ban Chang Bangers. The surprise of the morning was the victory of the Wombats over the Locos. The Wombats were perhaps as surprised as anyone. However closer inspection of the score sheets shows that it was really a victory for the Wombat's guest star player - Rumesh Ratnayake (28 not out and 1 wkt for 8 runs) over the Locos guest Andrew Jones (29 runs and 1 wkt for 11). With so many star players at this year's Chiang Mai International Sixes even the Spoon division matches are spiced with international cricketing stars . At the Monday night cocktail party team captains were invited to draw their guest stars out of a hat so that the assignment of stars was absolutely fair and random.

Also starting today was the Sixes Plate competition which this year features the Kiwi Musketeers form N.Z. Sixes regular Terry Skillet and his Harmony Lizards, the C.D. Sharmas from Queensland, the Darwin Delinquents and Bangkok based Cheap Charlies. In this first days action the Harmony Lizards looked strong contenders in winning both their games helped by their stars Roy Dias and Tom Hogan (one star per game is allowed) and their big hitting batsman Cain Logan who smashed 34 not out to defeat CD Sharmas, including 3 sixes and 3 fours. Cheap Charlies also looked good in this division, only playing one game today against the Kiwi Musketeers. The Charlies, captained by Alan Good, and their guest star Aussie Geoff Lawson, easily knocked off the 46 runs required to beat the Musketeers without loosing a wicket.

The Champions Challenge Trophy competition got underway towards the end of what was a pleasant cool and breezy day for this time of year. This division includes 5 teams of pro test cricketing stars, The Malaysian Air Kiwis, Thai Bauer Aussies, Air Lanka All Stars, Pakistan International Airways and a mixed team of Old World Stars. The PIA team began as strong contenders for the trophy dispatching the Kiwis to all parts of the field for the highest team score of the day - 105 for 2 wickets. In reply the Kiwis could only manage 57 runs for 4 wickets. In the second challenge trophy game Air Lanka All Stars were held to 63 runs for the loss of 3 wickets (top scorers Roy Dias, 21 and Asoke De Silva 23) against the Old World Stars. However in reply some very miserly bowling by Sri Lankan stars Asamthe de Mel (2 wkts for 3 runs) and Rumesh Ratnayake (0 wkts for 1 run) held the Old World stars reply to 25 runs all out. Finally the Thai Bauer Aussies (78 for 1 wkt) comfortably beat the Malaysian Air Kiwis (75 for 2 wkts) inside three and a half overs. Top scorer for the Kiwis was Murphy S'ua with 32 not out, while the Aussies benefited from strong batting from 3 young stars Ian Harvey (22 runs), Warwick Adlam (30 n.o.) and Damien Fleming (24 n.o.). Adlam in particular helped himself to 4 sixes off the 8 balls he faced.

Today (Wednesday) the Bowl and Cup Division competitions get under way after an official tournament opening by the city's Mayor Col. Sakol Kalantakasuwan. The opening will also be attended as usual by the tournament star players and two cricket loving elephants may also be on hand. If the weather holds the spectacular sight of a hot air balloon will grace the deep blue sky over the idyllic Gymkhana Club. Later in the day there will be more fast action from the professionals in the Challenge Trophy competetion.

Results ^^^^^^^ Spoon Division Tarananaki 43 for 3 Banchang 41 for 3 (Ranjit 32) Taranaki Taverners 44 for 0 lost to the Shunglers 48 for 0 (Nitschke 3 n.o) Wombats 65 for 2 (Ratnayake 38 n.o.) beat Locos 55 or 2 (Jones 29) Wombats 33 for 4 lost to Ban Chang Bangers 34 for 0 (Ranjit 20 n.o.) Taranaki Taveners 59 for 0 Locos 48 for 2 (Cooper 34 n.o.)

Plate Division Harmony Lizards 58 for 2 (Dias 26) beat Kiwi Muskateers 30 for 2 Darwin Delinquents 42 for 3 lost to CD Sharmas 45 for 1 (Valentak 27 n.o.) Kiwi Musketeers 45 for 3 lost to Cheap Charlies 46 for 0 (Lawson 30 n.o.) CD Sharmas 41 for 2 lost to Harmony Lizards 43 for 0 (Logan 34 n.o.) Darwin Delinquents 40 for 1 Kiwi Musketeers 42 for 0 (Napper 28 n.o.)

Challenge Cup Pakistan Air 105 for 2 (Ghulam 40 n.o.) 105 Malaysian Air Kiwis 57 for 4. Air Lanka All Stars 63 for 3 (Dias 21, De Silca 33) beat Old World Stars 25 for 6 Malaysian Air Kiwis 75 for 2 lost to Thai Bauer Aussies 78 fir 1 (Adlam 30 n.o., Fleming 24 n.o., Harvey 22)

Adam Flinn

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