2009. Daily Reports & Media

Phuket International Cricket Sixes 2009

Daily Reports & Media

Interview ACST Chairman Michael Maher, at the Phuket International Cricket Sixes 

alongside Sanjay Rathod, Cup winner with Bahrain Apsara Camels 

which was shown live on Andaman TV.

Bahrain Camels Run Off with the Phuket Sixes Title!

Finals Day Wrap - Sunday 19th April 2009

The Bahrain Apsara Camels dominated Finals Day of the 6th Phuket International Cricket Sixes as they were crowned Cup Champions for the first time after defeating a strong CBB Postels outfit in the final.

Debutantes at the Phuket Sixes took two of the other available titles with Hong Kong's Long Dong Wongs winning the Plate title and the Custom Cockatoos from Australia lifting the Spoon. There was silverware also for CBB SC's who became Bowl champions.

It was an all action Finals day played mostly in bright, sunny and hot conditions at Karon Stadium, Phuket, Thailand with teams having entered the knock out phase of the tournament.

The Corner Tigers' strong challenge for the Cup came to an end at semi final stage when their bowling was taken apart by the determined Bahrain Camels who posted a challenging score of 89/2 and then restricted the Tigers to just 31/4. Sanjay took 2 wickets for just 1 run in the first over to put the Tigers immediately on the back foot and they never recovered.

The Camels then took on the strong unit of the CBB Postels, featuring Kenny Jackson, an a rain affected Cup Final. The Camels really turned on the style as they swatted the CBB bowling to all parts of the ground and kept the umpire's arms busy. Srikanth (33*) was the pick of the batsmen as the Camels registered a challenging 83 runs. Superb bowling and faultless fielding from the Bahrain boys then made runs very difficult to come by and the CBB Postels struggled to reach 61 with Bahrain triumphing by 22 runs.

In the Plate, Toorak Prahan from Australia reached the final with impressive victories over Lamma CC and Baulham Hills CC. But they faced strong competition for the Plate title from the Hong Kong Long Dong Wongs, who number some young but experienced Hong Kong internationals in their side. The Dongers had seen off a good challenge from Galah CC to reach the final which they manage to win in a tense match with just 3 balls to spare. Toorak had put on 84 runs with good play from Jeremy Skiba and Kristian Fahey. But the Hong Kong boys had strength in depth with skipper Manoj hitting 33 in just 8 balls and Roy Lamsam also retiring on 33 as they reached their target just in time.

Bowl action saw the City Police from UK take on the CBB SC's in a match which saw Steve 'Crunch' Christie excel with bat and ball. The Police put on a challenging 79 runs in their innings, but the CBB's knocked them off with 3 balls to spare helped by 32 not out from Christie.

Earlier, the City Police had defeated the Perth Postels despite a gritty 30 not out from Robert 'Chops' Bernard.

The Spoon Final saw a popular win for the Custom Cockatoos, distinctive in their bright orange uniforms, over the Bounty Spirits. The

Cockatoos put on a combative 87 runs with both Cohen and Jason retiring. In reply both Jean and Amar retired but with decent bowling resulting in too many dot balls the Spirits fell well short of the required runs eventually scoring 60.

“It was a superb week of 'fun in the sun' cricket for 26 teams, fans and officials, highly entertaining and full of enjoyment on and off the field, and in one of the best holiday locations around,” said Tournament Director Brad Tarr.

“It's also very rewarding for everyone to be involved in raising funds for local junior cricket development and we look forward to doing it all again in 2010,” Mr Tarr continued.

The teams enjoyed a wonderful Gala Awards Dinner at the Movenpick Resort on Sunday evening, with guests being entertained by top after dinner speaker Bob 'the Cat' Bevan MBE.

Bangkok Post, Monday 20th April 2009

Day 3 Wrap - Saturday 18th April 2009

Seeding and elimination was the order of the day on Day Three of the Phuket International Cricket Sixes being played at Karon Stadium, Phuket, Thailand.

Twenty-sixes teams entered the tournament and the morning saw the completion of the first round with teams seeded into Cup, Plate, Bowl and Spoon Divisions.

Former Champions the Corner Tigers from Pakistan led the field ranked in first place by lunchtime after their win over the Village Cricketers from Phuket. Batting first the Villagers put a respectable 67 on the board. But the Tigers made easy work of the total reaching their target with 10 balls to spare.

After lunch, under scorching weather, elimination from the tournament stalked teams at the Quarter Final stage of the tournament.

In the Bowl, CSS SC's saw off the challenge of Frinton CC of England by just 5 runs. Steve Christie had batted well for the CBB's who posted a reasonable total of 64. In reply, Frinton managed to reach 60 before their overs ran out.

Plate Quarter final action saw locals the Karon Seasanders fall to Baulkham Hills CC from Australia. The Seasanders were restricted to 57 runs with Raju Seemant leading the way with 22 runs. Baulkam overtook their score with 11 balls remaining.

Toorak Prahan from Melbourne downed Lamma CC of Hong Kong, featuring Trevor Chappell in other Plate action. Kristian Fahey of Toorak batted superbly and retired on 36 as his team reached 72/5. Lamma fell well short with 58 ending their run in the tournament.

The Hong Kong Long Wong Dongs continued their good form with a good win over the Entertainers from New Zealand. The Kiwis had put on 68, Andy Burt retiring on 32*. A breezy 33* from Sean Brierly helped the Dongers to a comfortable victory with 9 balls to spare that saw them through to the semi finals of the Plate.

Bahrain Camels ended any Kiwi hopes of silverware when they defeated Weraroa CC in a high scoring match. The Camels put on a healthy 86/2 with Sandeep retiring on 33*. In reply Weraroa made a decent fist of the chase and made 76/1 with Ben Hannah retiring on 31*.

The Corner Tigers made reasonably easy meat of the Wildmen From Borneo 1 challenge in the Cup, overpowering the shot box specialists total of 65 with 6 balls to spare. Stirlo of the Borneo boys had put up decent resistance with 19 runs, but the Tigers proved too strong.

Finals day starts at 9am at Karon Stadium. All spectators are welcome and food ad drinks are available at the ground.

The Sixes Gala Awards Dinner featuring Bob 'the Cat' Bevan will be held at the Movenpick Resort from 7.30pm on Sunday evening.

Day Two Wrap - Friday 17th April 2009

Another full day of cricket action, entertainment and brilliant sunshine was seen at Karon Stadium today on the second day of the Phuket International Cricket Sixes.

The first match of the day was an all India affair between Mumbai Indians and the beach cricket champions of Royal Maratha. The Royals triumphed with a fine all round display as they defended their score of 69/3 winning the fixture by 17 runs.

Their run of good form continued as they later defeated Frinton CC from UK, overhauling the English side’s score of 72 with 5 balls to spare. Royals skipper Charan Shetty retired on 33 not out in the chase; Russ Everson had retired on 33 not out for Frinton.

An all Australia clash between the Galahs and the Darwin Stubbies resulted in a massive score of 104 for the Galahs, both Aaron Etchell (32 not out) and Ross Beasley (34 not out) retired. In reply the Stubbies could muster just 52 runs after a tidy bowling effort from the Galahs.

The Wild Men from Borneo 2 mixed and consumed some superb jungle juice but it didn't help their cause against the CBB Postels who delivered the highest total of the tournament so far when they posted 110 against the Wildmen. In reply the Borneo boys somehow scored 52 and a shot box session went into full swing.

Saturday sees the end of Round One of the tournament when the teams will be streamed into Cup, Plate, Bowl and Spoon Divisions depending on their performances. Play gets underway at 8.30am.

Spectators are welcome to attend and entry is free. Food and drinks are available at the ground.

Day One Wrap - Thursday 16th April 2009

The weather gods were smiling on the first day of the Phuket International Cricket Sixes being played at Karon Stadium, Phuket, Thailand today as glorious sunshine blessed the tournament.

The days action got underway at 8.30am with the fancied Long Dong Wongs of Hong Kong taking on fellow débutantes to the Sixes, the Custom Cockatoos of Australia. The Cockatoos, sporting the most colourful uniforms in the tournament, posted a total of 49/3 from their overs which the Hong Kong team raced to beat off just 15 balls, making their intentions for the tournament clear.

The Long Dong Wongs feature a number of current and former Hong Kong internationals in their side including skipper Manoj who also captained the Hong Kong national team at the Hong Kong International Sixes.

Later in the day the Long Dong Wongs made similar work of the Perth Postels, reaching their target of 51 in just 17 balls.

Bahrain Camels posted the highest total of the day when they made 87/0 in a comfortable win over the Cockatoos, with Ashwini retiring on 30 not out and captain Sanjay making 27.

Lamma CC of Hong Kong, ever presents at the Phuket Sixes and boasting former Australian Test star Trevor Chappell in their line up, suffered two defeats which sees them looking at the possibility of a safe berth in the Spoon. Toorak Prahan CC of Melbourne downed the Hong Kongers in the morning, and the afternoon saw Worcestershire Police just pipping the Lamma boys off the last ball of the match in a very tight finish.

Top performer of the tournament so far with the bat is Dyan Spicer of Weraroa CC from New Zealand who was the only batsmen to retire in his first two matches.

Former champions the Corner Tigers from Pakistan had a good start to their 2009 Sixes campaign with a fine win of Baulkham Hills CC from Australia. The Baulkham batsmen made 56/2 which the Tigers polished off using 19 balls.

Other teams to watch out for, having won both their first matches are locals the Karon Sea Sanders, the CBB Postels and the crowd favourites the Wild Men From Borneo 1.

Teams will enjoy the Sixes Welcome Party in the gardens of the Green Man this evening and Day Two play of the Sixes will commence at 8.30am tomorrow with an all India clash between the Mumbai Islanders and this year's beach cricket champions Royal Maratha.

"It's been a fantastic day at Karon Stadium, loads of action, plenty of entertainment and superb weather," said Tournament Director Brad Tarr.