Once a Drifter, always a Drifter.
As many of you will be aware, The Drifters are one of three teams to have participated in all of the 30 years of the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes. The other two are Darjeeling and the Wombats. For all three teams, this is a remarkable feat, given the changes which players go through during three decades of their adult lives.
The genesis of the Drifters’ participation was RMO (Bob) Cooke, a legendary figure in international cricket circles. He cajoled a group to join him for the first year, held, I believe, in Bangkok. Further cajoling, at which Bob excels, brought a party by train to Chiang Mai – one can imagine what that experience must have been like.
Somehow, Bob kept generating teams, sometimes two, such were his tantacles of contact. JK Lever came for several years, as did Neil Foster and Murphy S’ua. Other luminaries, such as John Bell, Paul Tipton, Hamish Moore, Doug Green and Graham Monkhouse came and went, not to mention Shotters, who is the subject of a different type of going, as covered elsewhere in the Sixes literature.
Shotters last and final visit was in 1998, a contentious episode with a team which earned the sobriquet of the EgoDrifters, comprising Shotters, Roland Horridge, Hamish Moore, Graham Monkhouse, Simon Philbrook and a Sri Lankan guest.
Too many stories were generated by that team and space does not allow any of them to be told, except that the four who came from the UK were united in their belief that they could do the trip more cheaply than Bob Cooke. Who knows?
After that, Bob decided his time with the Sixes was up and, with him, went his contacts. Keeping the team going has not been easy. I have been fortunate to have had the support of Rob Hall and we have been supported by various members of our network, including Simon Philbrook with his Pattaya crew. Others have helped, including locals within the Drifters network, such as Taran and Martin.
There are many who have performed for the Drifters in the last decade to whom my thanks are due. They include Henny Wijhuizen, Pato, Dave Walker, Trevor Burnett, the Howe brothers, the Lorimer brothers, Alec and Matt, plus Roddy their dad, Paul Wakefield, Rob Smith, Alan Jenner, Langers, of course, Pete Dimitri, Jim Cole, Paul Hack, Rob Cartwright and the Sri Lankans. We mourn Lantra Fernando and are in touch with Gamini Silva, now national curator in Bangladesh. There are others and I apologize for their (un) named omission.
In terms of silverware, the first cup win came in 1992, for Cookie's ‘Pie Throwing Drifters’, followed by another in 1996. Other Drifter‘s success has been in the 1998 Plate, 2005 Plate (the infamous tied game with the Irish Pub), 2011 Plate, 2013 Shield, 2016 Bowl, plus a number of near misses.
But, it is not about the silverware. All Drifter’s, unless forgetful, have made lasting friends from participating in the tournament. We bump into each other around the world, a rich experience without parallel.
Finally, the pleasures outlined above, could not have been realized without those who have organized the tournament over the years. Our grateful thanks go to the sequence of people involved. Maurice and Renata were key players over two decades and we have a deep gratitude to them. Umpires, of course, we love, especially Hagar.
The current management have a tough time, as world pressures reduce spending power and competitor tournaments proliferate. The Chiang Mai Sixes are unique and all concerned must rally to ensure their endurance.