Every year the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes attracts around thirty competing teams, both men and women, to the annual event along with friends and supporters. The tournament is staged at the Gymkhana Club Cricket Ground in the city, which also stages regular local and junior matches.

In October 2024, Chiang Mai was hit by some of the worst flooding on record with homes, properties, and businesses bearing the brunt of the damage. The Ping River deposited many inches of thick silt and mud on the Gymkhana Club grounds causing utter devastation. It caused unprecedented damage to the ground with much of our equipment being ruined or requiring extensive repairs.

The committee has come up with a costed plan to put things right. It will cost in the region of 900,000 Baht, which is around GBP 21,000 or AUD 42,000 if everything goes to plan.

Work has already got underway with the silt and mud being removed. Timings are also problematic, as the laying of new turf, which forms part of the plan, needs lots of water which might not be freely available as the region now enters its dry season. The ground and golf course are without an irrigation system, so it is likely to take up to two years to complete fully, owing to the seasons and climate in northern Thailand. It has taken many manhours of work to date, with cleaning materials, tools, and equipment hire, which have already been paid for. We require a second-hand tractor, new fridges, esky’s and bar and office furniture, with the costs for laying and watering the new turf, and repairs to the roller, pump, new scoreboard, as well as equipment hire to be paid for. It is going to be a herculean task, but we are determined to succeed.

We are appealing to anyone who can donate whatever amount, to help us get the beautiful ground back to its previous best. There are three ways you can do this.

There is a GoFundMe page for both Australia and the UK where we have trusted individuals, Stewart Ashby and Michael Burns collecting the money with Rob Bernard overseeing the process, so that we can provide regular progress updates. You can click on the links below to be redirected to the pages if you wish to donate.

Link for Australian Donations

Link for UK Donations

Alternatively, you can send money directly to the Sixes Bank Account. If you choose this option, please drop us a line so that we can ensure that the cash goes to the ringfenced fund. The details are here. Bank: SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK, THA PHAE ROAD, CHIANG MAI

Account Name: Ms Janet Louise Kirwin / Mr Graham Appleton / Mr Richard David Lockwood Account Number: 501-425175-8 Swift Code: SICOTHBK

Thank you to all those who have already donated and we are making good progress as we have laid almost 2000 metres of turf in a ring round a quarter of the outfield and we have also done the bowlers' run ups. More turf will be added on the other side of the ground and a strip where the wicket-keepers stand.

Each section of grass is 450 square metres and the ground has to be watered and ploughed betore a layer of sand is added as the base for the turf. The more turf that is laid the more water has to be applied and fertilizer added. The first strip of turf has already been rolled and will be cut soon.

We think there will be a ring of grass around most of the ground with strips behind the stumps at each end. We will leave the grass to settle for the last two months before the 2025 Sixes begin but we are confident the ground will be able to host some excellent cricket. A new scoreboard and tractor have already been purchased and the bar and the match box have already been restored.

The mud that we thought we could never be removed has now all gone so the tents will ring the ground as usual. The boys from Lamphun and the Gymkhana caddies have done some unbelievable work and they have been joined by a team of volunteers who are determined to make Gymkhana Club even better than before both as a cricket ground and as a golf course with new greens, tees and fairways.

We hope you will all be able to see these positive signs when you visit in March and April. Thank you all for your support.