The 27th staging of the San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes saw the side from Bangladesh, the Walton Cricketeers, win the Cup for the third year in a row.
Walton Cricketeers were undoubtedly the strongest side in the competition in 2014 but they were careful to play by the rules as their two best players, Elias Sunny who has played Test cricket for Bangladesh, and Mehedi Hasan, also a first-class player, never appeared together. The Bangladesh side beat Chiang Mai Warriors in the Cup final as they restricted the local side to a total of 40 for 4 in their 5 overs which they chased down in less than 3 overs without losing a wicket. Mahrab Joshi was named player of the tournament for his all-round performances throughout the week.
Finals afternoon had begun with a local triumph as the Gymkhana Cavaliers defeated Sa Pa by six runs to win the Spoon for the third time. 22-year old Bank who had first played in the Sixes Sawasdee tournament almost 10 years before made an unbeaten 25 in a total of 59 for one and then bowled a tidy over to put the opposition under pressure. 74-year-old Eric Little claimed yet another stumping and the Ice Man, Chris Simmonds, lived up to his name with a nerveless final over. The Cavaliers had also lived up to their shirts which had (by accident?) already been labelled ‘Spoon Champions 2014’.
Tokyo Dingbats and Buffed Taverners contested the Bowl Final with both teams celebrating anniversaries in 2014 but it was the Dingbats who were victorious and if their Bangladeshi opening batsman played a part in the later stages it was young Max Coombes who had impressed in the early part of the week. Tokyo Dingbats were popular champions as they have always been most generous with their support for junior cricket with three portable bowling machines and a large amount of equipment being their latest contributions.
The Bromley Shield which is the second highest ranked competition at the Sixes saw Darjeeling defeat the Clifton Hill Stray Cats by five runs in a high-scoring final as a total of 68 for 2 played 63 for 4 with three run outs proving critical in a Stray Cats’ chase that fell just short.
With four finals completed, the stage was set for the final match of the 2014 San Miguel Chiang Mai International Sixes and win or lose the junior cricketers of the San Miguel Thais would ensure that this year’s competition would end on a high note.
The San Miguel Thais only lost one match all week to win the Joe Carpenter Plate with the most exciting contest of the week, the Plate final against Blythswood bringing the competition to a perfect end with the boys scrambling a bye off the last ball to secure victory by the narrowest possible margin. No fewer than five junior girls played in the 2014 competition with 14-year-old Nok becoming the first to win a trophy as Gymkhana Cavaliers defeated Sa Pa in the Spoon final.