Eight schools sides took part in the 16th Sixes Sawasdee Cup which was held at Prem International School on 7th March 2015 and it was Buak Krok Noi School from Chiang Mai who were victorious to crown a very successful year in softball cricket for the school.
The School had already won Sawasdee Cricket competitions held at Prem and in Mae On as well as going an enjoyable tour to Chiang Rai as the CMSCA schools program supported by the Sixes continues to go from strength to strength. Some of the older players from Buak Krok Noi already come to hard ball nets at Gymkhana and are desperate to start playing in hard ball cricket as their love of the game is beginning to grow.
The 2015 Sixes Sawasdee Cup was divided into two levels with Buak Krok Noi competing against Sahagon Song A, Mae On and Ban Jam in the top level, and Sahagon Song B and Muang Gwak playing against younger children from the international schools of Prem and Lanna in the lower level. Buak Krok Noi won all three of their matches as did Sahagon Song B but all the children had a fantastic day of soft ball cricket.
It was great to see the Thai government schools from Chiang Mai and Lamphun playing cricket against pupils from Prem International School and Lanna International School. Prem has returned to the fold of Sawasdee Cricket after a long absence as Mark Bowyer is trying to rebuild a junior team while Hugh Williams has done wonders in creating a team in just six weeks. Lanna International School (LIST) have played parents and teachers matches at Gymkhana and made a donation to support cricket in the community as a sponsor of Lanna Cricket Club,
It was also good to watch the developing skills of the kids from long standing CMSCA schools at Buak Krok Noi and Sahagon Song where Martin and Puy Papworth continue to coach, while Bunchuai now is in charge of coaching in Lamphun and is clearly doing a great job with the teams from Ban Jam and Muangkwak both having some impressive bowlers.
All the children were given lunch and enjoyed their snack packs at the end of the day so thank you again for the 10 000 Baht raised by the Lunch Box Fund. They were also all given medals and white sixes shirts which they will be using for cricket over the next few years.
The best batsman award went to Tee from Buak Krok Noi as he hit a string of fours and sixes, while the best bowler was Laor from Muang Kwak and the best fielder was Chan from Buak Krok Noi who took several catches standing close to the bat.
Sawasdee Cricket is just the first step to these children learning to play cricket but it is still providing a firm foundation for the next generation of Thai cricketers. The generous support of the teams, players and spectators of the San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes is greatly appreciated by all involved in the development of the cricket in the north of Thailand.