The PCC Thoroughbreds, led by Bernard Lamprecht, were a mixed bunch of young bloods and some experienced, but slower cricketers of more mature years. It was difficult to gauge how they would fare, but read on and find out.
Their first game was against Dad’s Army. They won the toss and sent in Dave Samways who got a quiet 4 off Matty. Simon was next and wacked Lyall for 14 including a 6. Gary Moolman (Trevor’s son) heaved 2 6’s but was caught off the last ball for 15 and 28 at halfway. A good start. Gary Porter continued with more boundaries for 13 off Que, whilst Craig, who was dropped, and Bernard added 14 for the final pair to bring the total to 55.
Dave bowled to Que who hit 7 but also collect 12 in extras – another PCC member who left his bowling arm in Pattaya. Simon bowled to Mark who hit his wicket and then got caught behind. -3 and off to the icy pond. Gary M bowled 3 wides, then took Lyalls wicket with a moon ball. 8 scored and 24 at halfway. Matty was bowled through his legs by Gary P and finished with -3, duck pond. James managed a solid 9 against Craig’s bowling, but Ritchie could add only 1 against Bernard. 31 in total (26 in extras) and the Thoroughbreds won by 24 runs.
The next opponents were the Chinstrap Penguins who bowled first. Jainish faced Saju. His 24 included 3 6’s and a 4. What a start! Simon added 10 but ran himself out to end with 5. Good bowling from Sajal forced 6 dots from Gary M and the icy pond awaited. 29 after 3 overs. Gary P preserved his wicket for 5 whilst Craig ran himself out and off to the pond for -1. Bernard did well for an 11 to bring up 44.
Chinstraps turn to bat. Saju was kept under control by Jainish and bowled to score 2. Sajal had a good knock against Simon by amassing 14. Gary M had a terrible over with 12 extras, which allowed Jason to score 18. 34 at halfway and 5 ahead. Craig heaved Gary P for 2 6’s and 16 more runs and they were ahead. Wickets were needed. Shiv and Tony were restricted to 5 runs by but no wickets. 55 scored. The Chinstrap Penguins won by 11 runs.
The final divisional match was against the British Club Gulls who batted first. Pramodh scored 8 but had been bowled by Dave, so 3 added. Ben, their best batsman, added 12 against Simon, but the very handy Que was constrained to 2 by Jainish. An average 17 at halfway. Patrick added 6 whilst Dale was caught & bowled by a brilliant one-handed diving effort from Craig. -2 and a duck ponding. Paul added a decent 9 against Bernard to bring up a regulation 30.
The Thoroughbreds opened with Dave who managed a 6 after 5 dots. Simon got a steady 9 and Jainish faced the pacey Que, but managed 11. So, 26 after 3 overs. At this point a Tyrannosaurus invaded the pitch and wanted to bat. Gary P was caught first ball by Ben at deep square but made amends with a 6. Then he ran himself out on the last ball and damaged a hamstring. His -3 was compounded by Craig’s lonely single against Paul. 7 runs needed from Big Bernard. Ben bowled his spinners and Bernard smacked him for 20 to score 44 and a win by 14 runs.
Two wins put the Thoroughbreds in the semis for 3rd and 4th place against the Black Parrots. Gulp.
The BP’s batted first. Rob was limited to 3 from Jainish, but Gazzer benefited from Gary M’s loose bowling for 13. Bobby did even better from an awful over from Dave. 20 scored and 33 at halfway.
Something needed to be done. Good bowling from Simon caused Tony to run himself out trying for a bye. He was then stumped by Jainish for -10. Stronky was lucky to score 11 as he was dropped of the first ball from Craig. Paul added 10 from Bernard’s bowling to bring up a respectable 44.
Thoroughbreds’ Jainish opened against Slats with a 6, another, another etc. Yes, 5 6’s in a row. A record for the tournament. Gary M by then, very socially confused, was bowled first ball. Then he hit a 6 and another into the swimming pool for 12. 5 other runs and 18 scored. Dave got a steady 8 to bring the halfway score to 56. What a match! Simon was bowled and then caught behind either side of a 6. So, -4 and the pond. Craig got a solid 9 against Stronky. Bernard also scored 9 but was caught behind, so 4 and a total of 67. Well won by 23 runs.
The final for 3rd and 4th places was against the Palmy Army (PA). It proved to be a much lower scoring event but still an emphatic win. PA batted first. Some sneaky running from Dave H elicited 3 runs from Jainish. James was well caught by Jainish on the boundary, but he avoided the pond after a mis-fielded 4. Cliff managed to get a lucky 8 as Bernard dropped a skier. Some marginal fielding allowed PA to get 13 by halfway. Dave could only get 4 from Simon and Guy only scored 1 as he was bowled by a full toss from Craig. Steve could only get 3 from Bernard and thus tight bowling kept the Palmy Army to 19. Unlikely to be a winning score.
The Thoroughbreds opened with Jainish. Could he continue his 6 hitting extravaganza? 2 more 6’s. a dot and another. Wow, 8 6’s in 9 balls. Jainish was then caught on the boundary and scored 13. Gary M, still confused, added 12, but Dave could only get 3. 28 at halfway and 9 ahead. Simon got away with a snick behind for 4 off James, pushing the Thoroughbreds onto 34. Craig was kept under wraps for 2. The fielders then crowded Bernard’s bat but he managed 2 and the PCC Thoroughbreds won by 19 runs, got 3rd place and the Plate. Jainish also won the Batsman of the Tournament award.
What a great weekend of cricket. If there is anyone that wants to support, sponsor or play (social or serious cricket) for Pattaya Cricket Club, please contact Simon Philbrook at [email protected].
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