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Play hard, have fun!
Chiang Mai Invitational Basketball Tournament
On February 21 and 22, the sixth annual Chiang Mai
Invitational Basketball Tournament was held at the SEA Games sports complex
in Chiang Mai. After two days of fun and fierce competition, the CMIS
boys’ team came out as champions and the girls finished an impressive
fourth place.
The
girls from Prem International Basketball team, posing with their coach and
teacher Ms. Janet Powell.
Every year CMIS hosts this popular tournament, inviting
schools from Bangkok to come and play. This year five boys teams and six
girls teams made the trip up. Ekamai International School (EIS) of Bangkok,
International Community School (ICS) of Bangkok, Ruamradee International
School (RIS) of Bangkok, Thai-Chinese International School of Bangkok, and
American School of Bangkok (ASB) all sent boys and girls teams.
International School Eastern Seaboard (ISES) from Chonburi, making its first
appearance at the tournament, sent a girls team. These schools joined Chiang
Mai International School (CMIS), Grace International School of Chiang Mai
(GIS), Murree Christian School of Chiang Mai (MCS) and Prem International
School of Chiang Mai (girls only).
CMIS
took home the championship trophy in the Chiang Mai Invitational Basketball
Tournament Saturday, February 22, 2003 at the 700-years Basketball Stadium.
In the Boys Division, CMIS faced its toughest opposition
from Murree and Grace. The boys played Murree first and won a tough contest
with our new friends from Pakistan. Following two easier wins against ASB
and RIS, the boys took out a spirited Grace squad in the final 36-30. The
championship ended a streak of at least three second place finishes for the
boys in this tournament. Members of the championship squad are Kevin Dutton,
Itsuki Imai, Michael Morse, Mike Meister, Montchai, Jonathon Wang, Oliver
Fruchteneicht, Kazuho Imai, Richard Mann, Michael van den Berg, Michael
Peguero, Don Fleury, and Robert Bromley. If you see these young men around
school, please congratulate them on a great tournament.
In the Girls Division, the CMIS girls had their best
tournament ever. They beat Grace, Thai-Chinese, and International School
Eastern Seaboard and lost to Ekamai in the preliminary round giving them the
right to play for third place in the playoffs. In that game they faced ICS,
last year’s champion, and were beaten. Playing hard for CMIS were Jenny
Johnson, Nathalie, Naho Imai, Anna Collins-Wakeman, Glory, Jip, Om Udomsiree,
Jasmine Jus, Amy Johnson and Candace Cooper. Only Jenny and Nathalie are
seniors so coach Debbie Potter has a strong nucleus returning next year. The
girls and the boys combined for the best overall showing of any school.
A special thanks goes out to Matt Lake for doing the bulk
of the organizing of the tournament, Rachel Filbeck for her t-shirt design,
and all the parents, teachers and students who helped with the tournament
and cheered on our teams throughout the weekend.
The final results were as follows:
Boys
1st-CMIS
2nd-Grace
3rd-Murree
4th- ICS
5th-EIS
6th-RIS
Sportsmanship award: TCIS
Girls
1st-RIS
2nd-EIS
3rd-ICS
4th-CMIS
5th- Prem
6th- Grace
Sportsmanship award: ISE
Gymkhana Club wins weekend cricket match
Sunday February 23 was a perfect day for the long planned
“real cricket match” between the Gymkhana Club Chiang Mai and the Orange
Motorola Team from Bangkok.
Gymkhana
Club Chiang Mai and Orange Motorola Bangkok after the match with Maurice
Bromley and Peter Dawson sitting in the middle.
The
never tiring score takers at Gymkhana Club on Sunday: Secretary Peter Dawson
and his wife Ann.
What
would a cricket match be without spectators and the family around to cheer?
Mrs. Linda from England (left), the umpire’s wife, and Renita Bromley,
well known in Chiang Mai cricket circles for being in the organizing
committee of the upcoming “Cricket Sixes” in April.
The pressure was on the Gymkhana team, but they played
well, had plenty of confidence on home grounds against Motorola, and won the
match.
Gymkhana scored 173 runs off 28 overs for 6 wickets.
Steve Penney stood out for the Chiang Mai squad on the hot Sunday with 35
runs.
Bangkok’s Orange Motorola scored 172 runs off 31 overs for 10 wickets.
Chiang Mai’s International Cricket Fest enters its 16th year
For Chiang Mai’s longest running international sporting
event, a spot of uncertainty or economic turmoil in world affairs has never
been something to stop the show going on. And this year the 16th Chiang Mai
International Cricket Sixes is scheduled as always to run for six days
packed with sport and socialising from Monday, March 31 to Saturday April 5.
As we went to press, 28 teams were scheduled to compete this year for the
Sixes Cup, Bowl, Plate and Spoon trophies, in the idyllic cricket field
setting at the 105 year-old Chiengmai Gymkhana Club.
Teams are entered from 12 different countries this year
and include the return of the 4 teams which provided probably the most
exciting Cup and Bowl finals seen in Chiang Mai, at last year’s event.
Defending Cup Champions the Lords Taverners from Western Australia will be
looking to repeat their success. While the Gloucestershire Gipsies from
England, very narrowly beaten by the Tav’s in last year’s finals will be
seeking to turn the tables this year.
Bowl Champions, England’s young Kiteboys who came from
behind to snatch a surprise victory last year, will be hoping to go one
better in the Cup this time. While their opponents in last year’s exciting
final, The Warbler Bunny Club out of Bahrain, may once again belie their
good-time off-the-field reputation with on-field heroics.
Old favourites like the Wombats, the Drifters, and
Darjeeling, who have taken part in every Chiang Mai Sixes since they began
in 1988, will of course be back again, together with first timers like Lamma
CC from Hong Kong, Javea Wanderers from Spain, and a Worcester Police team
from England.
Local interest will be watching out for this year’s
Chiang Mai Tobacco industry team (yet to be given its annual name as we went
to press!), and the CMW Warriors team from CMW Oriental Collection Co. Ltd,
both potential winners in the Cup-Bowl-Plate division. Chiang Mai is also
ably represented in the more socially sporting contest for the Sixes Spoon
trophy, by Gymkhana Cavaliers and the Irish Pub.
As always, a number of ‘star’ international
cricketers are expected to play with various teams in the tournament. Among
those scheduled to participate are a party of eight from Sri Lanka,
including ex-test match stars Roshan Mahanama, Rumesh Rathnayake and Amal
Silva. Also returning once again will be Lanthra Fernando, Ruchira
Palliyaguru, S. Jayantha, Malintha Warnapura. Having obviously enjoyed his
Sixes’ experience of last year, current Sri Lankan test match umpire K.T.
Francis will also be here again.
Former Australian test spin bowler Tom Hogan is now a
regular favourite in Chiang Mai and returns to play with the Lords Taverners
team he helped to win the Cup last year. Also from Australia, it is possible
that Trevor Chappell, youngest of the famous cricketing brothers, may also
return for his second visit.
A large contingent of ‘stars’ is expected from South
Africa including Hugh Page (last here in ’94), test bowler Meyrick
Pringle, and batsman HD Ackerman, Neil Johnson, and another Sixes’
favourite, batsman Kenny Jackson.
Already an important part of Sixes week in Chiang Mai is
the Sixes Sawasdee Cricket Cup competition for local junior school teams.
Now in its 4th year, the junior tournament will take place between April 1 -
5 and is also played at Gymkhana Club on an adjacent field to the adult
Sixes tournament. The schools’ event is part of a year-round program to
introduce cricket in local Thai schools - the children play a simplified
version of the adult sport, called in Thailand, Sawasdee Cricket. The
program was begun 3 years ago in Chiang Mai supported by the interest and
generosity of Chiang Mai Sixes participants. It has had great success and
now enjoys official recognition from the Asian Cricket Council.
The Sawasdee program is also being introduced in Bangkok
schools, and it is hoped in the Sixes Sawasdee Cup this year a
representative Bangkok school team will compete along with the ten or more
local Chiang Mai schools expected to enter.
The next stage of development is of course to move the
youngsters up to regular ‘hardball’ cricket, and local program
organisers the Chiang Mai Schools Cricket Alliance are already making
strides in that direction. This year’s Chiang Mai Sixes finals day on
Saturday April 5 should see a ‘hardball’ exhibition match between Chiang
Mai and Bangkok students. The hope is that in not too many years there will
be enough good young players to form an internationally competitive ethnic
Thai national cricket team.
Six-a-side cricket is a short, fast, action-packed
version of the longer game, and to accommodate all the teams this year, the
organisers have scheduled up to 14 matches per day over the full six days.
To add to the excitement Castrol are repeating their ‘Big Six’ challenge
begun last year, of cash prizes for batsmen who hit their advertising sign
(placed on the boundary), with a clear six-run hit.
Let’s hope the weather behaves itself, as there is
little or no slack time in this action-packed schedule. Cricket starts at
8:30 a.m. each day and the matches go on until around 5:30 p.m.
Entrance to Gymkhana Club grounds is free of charge,
there is shaded seating for spectators, and ample supplies of refreshments
on sale - food by Northern Farm - and a full selection of beverages at the
Sixes’ bar.
As the official Sixes’ beer this year, the organisers
are pleased to welcome for the first time, the sponsorship of Heineken. A
packed week of sporting fun and friendly socializing in equal measure is the
key to the success of the Chiang Mai Sixes, now surely the world’s most
well-known and popular amateur six-a-side cricket festival.
Chiang Mai HHH Corner - “On On!”
CH3, the oldest hash club (males) in Chiang Mai is picked
up from the “ONON” pub (Moon Mueng Soi 1) at 16.00 once every 2 weeks.
Pick up can be arranged from Fish and Chips shop as well.
CSH3 is a mixed Saturday hash which is picked up from the
H3 Pub on Moon Mueng Road every Saturday at 15.30. Pick up can be arranged
from Fish and Chips shop as well.
CUMH3 is a male hash which runs from the “ONON” Pub
every consecutive (from CH3) Tuesday. Pick up is at 16.00.
BH3 is a female hash (Harriettes) that runs once a month
on the last Sunday of the month.
All information either from Fish and Chips, H3 or
“ONON” Pub. Or look at the websites at: http://www.thai-american. com/hhh/
It’s great fun and you surely get value for your money
plus you get to meet all the long-time expats here!
Man U and Liverpool on the screen
Red Bombers on the streets
The upcoming big match between Manchester United and
Liverpool soccer teams will take place on March 2 at 9 p.m. The match will
be televised live via United Broadcasting Corporation, in cooperation with
the Kad Suan Kaew shopping complex, on the giant screen set up on Huay Kaew
Road, Chiang Mai, by Siam TV Co Ltd.
Miss
Sirikul Chaipitakul of Kad Suan Kaew shopping complex ‘s account and audit
department says, “Come on out for the big game!”
As well as the big league teams, there will be football
matches, called “Red Bomb Street Soccer” to support sports under the
anti-drug campaign. Teams of three players are invited to join the
competition for a fee of 200 baht, with the wining prize valued at more than
5000 baht
About five teams are expected to take part in the competition, which is
to start at 1 p.m. The public is encouraged to cheer on their favorite team.
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