Part one
PCC participated in the Chiang Mai Sixes along with 13 other teams from Thailand at the wonderful Gymkhana Ground from 27-29 Nov 2020. This superb tournament included teams from Phuket, Koh Chang, Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and youngsters from the Chiang Mai Schools Cricket Association (CMSCA) and Koh Chang, some of whom had never played hard ball cricket before. PCC were hoping to emulate their success in the Chiang Mai Eights in February and they very nearly did, being beaten in a thrilling final by Lampun.
The 14 teams each played three matches in the divisional section on Friday and Saturday. Their position dictated for which trophy they would play; a semi-final and possibly a final. The top four teams would play for the Cup, positions 5-8 would play for the Shield, 9-12 would play for the Bowl and the last two would play a final for the Wooden Spoon. Each match would be 5 overs per innings. Match scorecards, tables and statistics can be viewed at www.gymkhanasixes.com
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PCC started their tournament with a final-ball thriller and it proved to be an insight onto the future of the tournament for both teams. It was against Lampun, who opened the batting. Chanchai, who plays for Thailand, faced Wez Masterton. A dewy outfield and some poor backing-up, accompanied by fours and a six from Chainchai, led to 18 scored off the first over.
Jainish bowled next. Cher hit down to Simon Weatherill at deep mid-wicket and Chanchai went for the second run. Simon W has a good arm and he never made it, run out for 18. A great start and a crucial wicket. Jainish’s over cost 11.
Simon W bowled to Cher who got a four, courtesy of a Jainish mis-field, and continued to hit twos. 40 for one off three overs. Gary Porter bowled and good work from Wez and Simon kept the runs down to 11 off the over. Bernie Lamprecht bowled the last over but Cher and Champ set about him with more boundaries. 21 off the last over to conclude the innings at 72 for 1 and a batting bonus point. A challenging score.
PCC opened with Wez M and Luke Stokes. Wez was in impressive form and blasted the ball all over the ground with three fours and two sixes, and retired at 31 off nine balls. Luke continued in the same vain and was lucky to be dropped on the boundary. 45 for 1 off 3 overs and nothing in it.
Cher bowled and kept things tight whilst Gary Porter got himself run out for four. 50 for 1. He was replaced by Simon W for the last over with 23 runs needed for a win. An impossible order against Chanchai. Chanchai bowled and was hit for 16 runs in five balls, leaving seven to win. Could it be done? Luke smashed him for six off the last ball and it was a tie. What a game.
PCC’s next match was against local rivals, Rugby School Cobras, who were suffering the consequences of a heavy night in Bangkok before a very early flight to Chiang Mai.
PCC won the toss and decided to bowl. Lewis Maddran and Charlie Rowe opened against Wez M. Wez kept it tight and had Lewis M trapped LBW for two. Andreas Rodriquez replaced him and Charlie R faced Bernie L. Another tight over for five and the Cobras were struggling at 13 for 1 after two overs.
Charlie got a top edge to a ball from Gary Moolman and skied it to the wicket keeper, Luke S, for eight. Gary P, not being a regular bowler was very chuffed with himself. Even more so when he had Andreas R caught behind off the next ball for a duck. 23 for three off three overs and it was all going horribly Pat-Pong-wrong.
Simon Weatherill bowled a reasonable over for 10 runs against Will Howell and Chris Sizer. 33 for three. Chris S got a hold over Andy Emery and the score ticked along to finish at 48 for three with Will on seven and Chris on 15 not out. It wasn’t going to be anywhere near enough.
PCC opened with Wez and Gary M against Lewis M. Wides prevented Wez from lashing out and 10 off the first over. John Mayall had inaccuratitis of the arm with the same result; lots of extras and few scoring opportunities.
Charlie R’s bowling was more accurate and gave Wez some batting fodder. Boundaries followed, even Gary M managed to hit one! Wez hit the winning runs with 13 balls to spare. Wez 26 N.O. and 52 for 0 with a bonus point.
The final match of PCC’s divisional stage and the final match of Day Two was against Koh Chang. PCC won the toss and decided to bowl. Gary M opened, a strange choice, and proceeded to bowl four No Balls and then had Johnny caught for two off the last ball by Simon Philbrook.
Reds (Ian Liddel) bowled and after a boundary, got Dave King LBW. Guy took the crease and survived another LBW appeal. Koh Chang kept in check at 22 for two after two. Jainish bowled next and got plenty of dot balls with only four conceded. Gary Porter bowled the fourth over with Bohdi and Guy pushing the score along to 33 but it was not enough.
Andy E bowled the last over and, in an effort to force the pace, Bodi swings and misses and was bowled. A dot of the last and the first wicket maiden for the tournament. 33 for three.
PCC batsmen sought another opportunity to earn some bonus points. Jainish and Gary P opened the batting against Dave King and did well with the help of Mr Extras. 14 off the first over. Bodhi bowled next and after some loose stuff, induced a skier from Jainish who was caught behind by Johnny for four. Simon Philbrook took the crease and the over finished at 25 for one. Guy bowled the third over and after wides and No Balls, Simon hit the winning runs with a boundary four. 33 for one off 2.4 overs.
This gave PCC two wins, a tie and three bonus points for a total of 13 points and third place in the table. Therefore, PCC would be contesting the Cup along with Lampun, British Club and the Siam CC Parrots.
The match reports for PCC’s quest for victory will come in Part Two of this magnificent tournament.
Note: The Pattaya Tournament is planned for 9 and 10 Jan 2021.
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