On a barmy Sunday morning at the magnificent Thai Polo Ground, Pattaya C.C. hosted Superboys of Bangkok in the opening cricket league fixture of the 2017 season.
After winning the toss the PCC captain Simon Philbrook had no hesitation in opting to bat first. The Superboys opening bowlers, whilst not threatening in pace, bowled an excellent line and length that the PCC pairing of Venky and Manik played watchfully and runs were mostly accumulated in ones and twos.
In an attempt to break the shackles Venky (12) lost his off stump and Colin Clark, fresh from his bird watching sabbatical in Argentina, Australia and Phuket, purposely strode to the crease. Almost immediately the tempo of the innings increased as both batsmen started to use their feet and manoeuvre the ball into the gaps. Boundaries began to flow and with 10 overs remaining of the allotted 25 PCC were well set at 88/1.
Colin (69) was in imperious form and after he departed Manik (70 no) made sure the impetus remained with the batting side. Simon Philbrook’s (13no) cameo left the Superboys with a daunting 175 for victory.
That victory never seemed realistic as Salman (2/13) and Hamza (0/20) contained the run chase. The ageless Peter Gangur (2/14) and Richard Holt (1/14) maintained the pressure and with Bernard Lamprecht (2/14) extracting unusual bounce from his 6ft 9in frame and Tiz (1/9) turning the ball square the result was inevitable as the Superboys finally closed out their innings 74 runs adrift.
It was a highly satisfying result for PCC who now travel to Chiang Mai next weekend to defend their Super 8’s Trophy.
PCC would like to encourage anyone of any ability and age to come and join the club with contact details available on the club Facebook page and the website www.pattayacricketclub.com.
