In the first week of April, 36 men’s teams and four women’s sides from 13 countries will meet to play cricket and enjoy the warm welcome that Chiang Mai provides to its visitors. There will also be a large number of local junior squads taking part again this year.

One thing makes the Chiang Mai Sixes different from other sporting events held in Thailand - the tournament is run by a large group of dedicated volunteers who work for free and all proceeds go towards developing cricket at the junior level among Thai children in local schools in Chiang Mai and nearby areas. One of the highlights in the men’s competition this year will be an all-Thai team who learned the game in the junior cricket program in Chiang Mai.

Entries to the tournament have flooded in this year and teams from Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, England, Greece, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, the UAE and Vietnam will be in action. Individual players are also coming from a number of other countries, including India, Sri Lanka, the US, Belgium and Zimbabwe, just to name a few.

The Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes will be held from March 29 to April 5 at the historic 110-year-old Chiengmai Gymkhana Club ground in the heart of the northern capital. Play starts at 8.30am every day and finishes late in the afternoon. Admission is free, a wide variety of food is available and the Boundary Bar opens early and is one of the best places to watch the action.