2011. Preview & Kids Development

Tournament Preview

The following was posted on our websites and sent to our Media outlets prior to the 

2011 Phuket International Cricket Sixes..

Twenty-four teams from Eight Countries to Fly in for the 2011 Phuket Sixes

Organisers of the eighth annual Phuket International Cricket Sixes, being staged at Karon Stadium, Phuket, Thailand from 12 – 17^th April 2011 announced today that twenty-four teams from eight countries would be flying in to Thailand to compete in the week long tournament.

“’Eight is a lucky number and it’s the eighth Sixes with clubs from eight different countries competing so we’re expecting another wonderful tournament,” said Mr Michael ‘Cat’ Maher of organisers the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour.

Clubs from India, Pakistan, Australia, Thailand, Kuwait, Malaysia, Bahrain, Singapore will participate in the international award winning six day festival of cricket which gets underway on 12^th April with a Beach Cricket tournament.

Thirteen clubs teams from Australia will be making their way to Phuket for the ‘fun in the sun’ sports event, making Aussie teams by far the largest contingent at the Sixes.

Last year’s defending Cup champions Gauhati Town will be returning from India to defend their title.

Organisers also announced that the Tourism Association of Thailand (TAT) would again support the annual sports tournament.

“The Sixes is now one of the largest international sports tournaments staged in Phuket attracting hundreds of visitors to the island every year, and we’re very grateful for the support of TAT for the event,” said Mr Maher.

Participants of the tournament enjoy a full schedule of activities including a Beach Cricket tournament, Welcome Party, floodlit Twenty20 match and Gala Awards Dinner in addition to the four day, six a side cricket tournament.

Funds will be raised during the Sixes to support the growth of junior cricket in Phuket and the development of a new cricket ground on the island.

For further information about the Phuket International Cricket Sixes 2011 see www.phuketsixes.com

For details of future tournaments, contact Michael ‘Cat’ Maher at: cat@cricketsixes.com or by telephone on +61 (0) 40 738 5481

Phuket International Cricket Sixes Teams 2011

1. ADF Tigers (Penang, Malaysia)

2. CBB Postels (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

3. Corner Tigers ( Pakistan)

4. Custom Cockatoos 1 (SA, Australia)

5. Custom Cockatoos 2 (SA, Australia)

6. Dabanng Boyz (Phuket, Thailand)

7. Gold Coast Falcons (Queensland, Australia)

8. Guwahati Town CC (Assam, India)

9. FALCON (Kuwait)

10.Karon Seasanders (Phuket, Thailand)

11. Leeming Spartans (WA, Australia)

12. Leeming Top Deck ( WA, Australia)

13. MG-7 (Kuwait)

14. P.C.D.C. Phuket Native ( Thailand)

15. St. Francis Camels (Bahrain / Australia)

16. Perth Postels (WA, Australia)

17. Singapore Slingers (Singapore)

18. Skylark (Bahrain)

19. Southern Stars (Victoria, Australia)

20. St. Georges River/ Souths Juniors United (Sydney / Australia)

21. St. Francis De Sales (Australia)

22. St. George River Tele (Sydney, Australia)

23. Toorak Prahan CC (Victoria, Australia)

24. Willetton Crows ( WA, Australia)

25. Curtin Victoria Park (WA, Australia)

Phuket 2011 Tournament Format

 The tournament draw has been released for Days 1 & 2.This covers the preliminary round of 25 matches plus the first Round Robin Matches of the Spoon.

The tournament has 25 teams so we have split that up into 9 groups ie Seven (7) groups of three (3) and two groups of two.The seven groups of three will play a round robin just two (2) games each and the two groups of two (2) will just play each other.That makes up the 25 matches and then we list all teams 1-25 and hence seed the 2nd Round matches of which there will be 27 matches.

Teams 1-9 will play in the Cup/Bowl section in three groups of three.Group 1 will consist of teams 1,4 and 7.Group 2 will consist of teams 2,5 and 8 and the 3rd Group will consist of teams 3,6 and 9.The three winners of these groups will move to the Cup Semis with the best performed next team.The Bowl will consist of the next four placed teams and team 9 or the worst performer will drop out.Semi Finals for these two groups will be 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 in the Cup and the Bowl will have teams 5 v 8 and 6 v 7 from the second round.
The plate division will consist of twelve teams (12) and they will be split into four groups of three and they will be Group 1 teams 10,15,21.Group 2 will consist of teams 11,16, 20.Group 3 will consist of teams 12,17,19 and Group 4 will be teams 13,14 and 18.The leading team in each group of the plate will go through to the Plate Semi Final.Winner of group 1 will play the winner of group 4 and the other semi final will be the winner of group 2 playing the winner of group 3.

The Spoon division will consist of teams that place 22-25; ie four teams and they will play a round robin and the top two teams will play off in the Spoon Final.
 

Ian Liddell, Tournament Referee

Phuket Sixes 2011 – Officials

Umpires:

1/ Rex “Slydog” Evans (Head Umpire)

2/ Burt “Budgie” Baetsen 

3/ Chris Felton 

4/ Saurav “Dolly” Chatterjee

5/ Gary Johnson 

6/ Tim Caimakamis 

7/ Dan Brightwell 

8/ Rob “Chops” Bernard 

Scorers:

1/ Sue Liddell

2/ Daniel Way

3/ Brian Shaw

4/ Tracy Walker

Match Stewards:

1/ Michael Way

2/ Max Walker

ACST:

1/ Michael Maher

2/ Ian Liddell

3/ Mark Burns

4/ Saurav Chatterjee

5/ Robert Bernard

Ground Preparation

1/ Chade Steenholdt 

2/ Shayne Steenholdt

Massage

1/ Barb “HE” McHerron 

Other

1/ Mason Adams – Asia Eacape Holidays

2/ Carolyn Latter – Charity Collections

3/ Steve Walker – Photographer

4/ Akshay Ashok – Media Assistant

Star Players

1/ Trevor Chappell 

2/ Will Badger

3/ Karen Rolton

Points Scoring System for the 2011 Phuket International Cricket Sixes

Points System

4 Points for a win

2 Points for a tie

1 Point for a loss

Bonus Points

·       1 Point for Score of 80 and upwards

·       1 Point for a team taking 4 or more wickets

·       1 Point for chasing down a total by the end of the 4^th over

·       1 Point for losing team getting within 80% of opponents total

·       1 Point for side bowling second taking the game into the final over

Please note: A losing side can only pick up a maximum of 2 bonus point.

The Bonus Point system will be used in Round One and also in any further rounds where it is deemed necessary to determine rankings.

ACST Umpire Co Ordinator Collects Another Award

The ACST Umpires Co-Ordinator, Rex ‘Slydog’ Evans has continued his umpiring progress by scooping another award during the Australian summer.

Rex is a former swing bowler in his native Perth who has played on the sixes tour for many years, having been a founder member of the CBBs on their tour to Penang ten years ago. Since he hung up his bowling boots he moved into umpiring to stay involved in the game.

In his first year, Rex collected the award as the Best First Year Umpire in the WACA Competition. On Monday 21^st March he was awarded the medal for the Best Grade 3 Umpire in the WACA Competition.

Everyone at the ACST is delighted for Rex and hope that he continues to raise through the grades. We take the appointment of our umpires very seriously and are lucky that we have such a dedicated panel from all over the world to select from. A feature of Rex’s appointment in January 2010 has been they way the smart attire of umpires has been improved upon as well the continued good behaviour and respect amongst all officials.

Phuket International Cricket Sixes Tournament 2011 Itinerary

Tuesday 12^th April

1pm: Karon Sea Sands Beach Cricket Tournament at Karon Beach

Wednesday 13^th April

7pm: Captains & Officials Meeting at the Karon Sea Sands Hotel

Thursday 14^th April

9am: Opening Days Play

7pm: Opening Party at the Karon Sea Sands Hotel

Friday 15th April

9am: Second Days Play

5pm: O’Tool’s Junior Exhibition Match and 91.5FM Ladies Challenge Match

6.30pm: All Star Twenty 20 Match: Australasia v Rest of the World

Saturday 16^th April

9am: Third Days Play

7pm: Sausage Sizzle at the Australian Bar & Grill, Kata

Sunday 17^th April

9am: Finals Day

7.30pm: TAT Closing Dinner and Presentations at the Kata Beach Hotel

Kids Development

Phuket Sixes Stars Give Helping Hand to Local Youth Players

Monday 11th April 2011

Several experienced stars of the game of cricket and the forthcoming Asian Cricket Sixes Tour Phuket International Cricket Sixes Tournament gave up their free time to coach local Phuket youngsters this morning.

The juniors of Bansapam School were given tuition by former Australian Test star Trevor Chappell, Australian Indoor World Cup player Will Badger and former Australian Women’s captain and record holder Karen Rolton along with Mark and Rachel Thamm of the competing Custom Cockatoos of Adelaide.

The session was arranged between Tournament Co-Ordinator Rob Bernard, Raju Seemant of the Phuket Cricket Group and Anongnart Seemant, the PCG Youth Officer.

The coaching clinic lasted for a couple of hours in the extreme heat as the twelve youths were given tips in their batting and bowling before engaging in some fielding drills which were all met with great enthusiasm.

Eight of the players will make up the PCDC Natives team at the tournament starting at the Karon Stadium from this Thursday, as well as being joined by several others to appear in the O’Tool’s Phuket Junior Cricket Exhibition Match on Friday at Karon Stadium from 5.15pm.

Mr Bernard said, “It was a wonderful sight to see how the boys have progressed from last year and watching how quickly they put into action the advice that was given to them. Credit must go to their coach Kru Took and the boys themselves. It really has given the week the most tremendous start.”

The following article has been taken from the 2011 Tournament Magazine...

VIVA THE KIDS

A History of Fundraising at the Phuket International Cricket Sixes

When the ACST set up the Phuket Junior Cricket Development Fund in April 2010 it added to a long history of proud fund raising at this magnificent event.

The history of the Phuket International Cricket Sixes goes all the way back to April 2004 when twelve teams competed for honours at that first tournament.

December 2004 saw personal, economic and physical devastation hit the Phuket community when the tragic tsunami struck. Much incredible work was done at the time, and many local Phuket cricketers were heavily involved.

The ACST were determined that the tournament would still go ahead as scheduled the following April and showed great determination to ensure that Phuket would not suffer further from a shortfall of tourists. Eighteen teams and the entourage of spectators and officials pumped an estimated US$300,000 into the tourism economy on the island.

A first in 2005 saw the introduction of the Twenty 20 Charity Fundraising Match which was played under the lights of the Karon Stadium. This match and other fundraising activities helped to raise 75,000 baht for a local orphanage charity.

As the Phuket Sixes tournament continued to gather credence, so did the charity work. This was assisted by the ‘Fun in the Sun’ event truly encapsulating the ACST ethos of ‘Making Friendships Through Cricket’ and with teams adhering to the MCCs Spirit of Cricket. It is that atmosphere that has always brought out the best in people while at the tournament.

Good news obviously travelled fast and 2006 saw twenty eight sides enter. ‘Cricket Heaven’ was how one player famously described what he found. The mixture of players of all abilities including Test caps Trevor Chappell, Allan Mullally, Pranab Roy and Adam Hollioake thoroughly enjoyed their week at the Phuket Sixes 2006.

During the tournament, generous players and spectators dug deep with more than 100,000 baht being raised for local charity Childwatch-Phuket and the Youth Development Programme of the Phuket Cricket Union. Karyn ‘Kitten’ Brown worked tirelessly while Allan Mullally generously donated a lovely piece of Ashes cricket memorabilia which was auctioned off for US$1,500.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) were so impressed with the tournament and its excellent charity work that its President, Ehsan Mani and other distinguished members of the selection panel awarded the Phuket Sixes the ICC’s Global & Regional ‘Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative’. By winning the awards the Phuket Cricket Union received US$1,000 of cricket equipment from Kookaburra to help develop cricket on the island.

The Twenty 20 game of 2007 saw substantial funds being raised on the night for the Phuket Sixes charity Childwatch despite a heavy shower on the night. The generosity of the Sixes participants and spectators towards all the charity fundraising activities continued, which included a sponsored head shaving by Kevin Bishop, one of the event officials. 70,000 baht was raised throughout the week by the spectators and players of the nineteen competing sides.

The charity work continued apace in 2008 around the event, particularly at the Closing Awards Dinner at the Hilton Arcadia Hotel. New team entrants entrants Toorak Prahan from Australia started a proud tradition as they left their kit at the end of the tournament so that the juniors on the island had proper cricket equipment to use and continue their development. Toorak’s continued donations have helped many Phuket locals over the ensuing years.

2009 saw twenty six teams decamp on the island for the week of fun. Many new teams joined up and got involved throughout. A team made up of Worcestershire and City Police were in Phuket for a full tour as well as entering two sides into the sixes. They kindly brought a large kit bag with them full of equipment to donate to the juniors. The Awards Dinner took place at the Moevenpick Resort where many funds were raised, aided by the top after dinner speaker Bob ‘The Cat’ Bevan MBE conducting the auction.

Last year Karen ‘Kitten’ Brown returned with some wonderful fundraising innovations for Phuket. She brought along a supply of small fluffy ducks which any batsmen failing to trouble the scorers put into the charity bucket in return for wearing the duck throughout the event. She also worked tirelessly selling squares on her cards with many winners walking away with wonderful prizes donated by our kind sponsors. Some of the generous players were so overcome from the first appearance of the local PCDC Junior Natives in the senior competition that they bought the lads cricket equipment and clothing.

The Thai boys captured the hearts of all at the event. It undoubtedly assisted everyone involved in the newly formed Phuket Junior Cricket Development Fund to raise a staggering 130,000 baht (approx US $4,000).

The Fund was set up to specifically assist junior cricket in Phuket and in July 2010 donated 43,000 baht (approx US$1,530) to support the Phuket Under 15 teams tour and participation in the 4th Kuala Lumpur Cricket Association / Royal Selangor Club International Youth Under 15 Cricket Carnival tournament which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between July 30^th and August 1st.

The Phuket Under 15 side was made up of young Thai players many of whom competed in the local Phuket league and played at the Phuket Sixes the previous April.

Look out this year for our fundraisers led by Carolyn Latter and her team who are kindly giving up their time to help others. If you have some spare cash please feel free to have a go on the cards or auctions. You could go away with some magnificent prizes whilst knowing you are doing your bit to help a new generation of cricketers with things we so often take for granted. If you have spare kit that you no longer require please leave it with us on Finals Day so it will find a good home and continue to go to good uses.

Here’s to the 2011 Phuket International Cricket Sixes. Let’s have a great time Making Friendships Through Cricket and help others at the same time!

Rob ‘Chops’ Bernard

Tournament Co-Ordinator

Phuket International Cricket Sixes 2011