Hong Kong beat Thailand to win the inaugural Asian Cricket Council’s women’s Twenty20 in Kuala Lumpar.

Hong Kong posted 106 for 4, thanks to a late charge engineered by Connie Wong, who made 23 off 21 balls. In reply, Thailand were always slightly behind the asking rate, and were left needing 17 off the final two overs and six off the last ball. Ishitaa Gidwani kept things interesting by bowling a wide, but she followed with a dot ball to secure the win.

Nepal thrashed China by 73 runs, bowling them out for 30, to win the third-place play-off.

Bahrain Apsara Camels were crowned champions after beating CBB Postels by 22 runs in the final of the sixth Phuket International Cricket Sixes at Karon Stadium. Hong Kong's Long Dong Wongs won the Plate competition while the Custom Cockatoos from Australia lifted the Spoon.

Thailand and Oman maintained their unbeaten records on the fifth day of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand, ensuring they remain on course to meet in next Wednesday's final.

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Oman and Thailand retained their unbeaten records with emphatic wins over Myanmar and China on the fourth day of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but the standard of the teams continued to cause concern.

Click here for the full round-up.

China will make their debut in international cricket at the adult level at next month's ACC Trophy Challenge in Bangkok, with the spotlight very much on them after an appalling display in the Asian Cricket Council's Under-17 Challenge Cup in Bangkok last month.

Chaina have benefited from considerable funding by both the ACC and ICC, but a woeful display in Thailand raised considerable questions regarding the wisdom of the investments.

China will be in Group B, the weaker of the two which includes Maldives and Thailand. Their first match will be against Iran on January 13

Tournament favourites, Oman, are in Group A with Bhutan, Brunei and Myanmar.

Oman have an interesting playing schedule in the next few months. In January they play the likes of Myanmar and Brunei in the ACC Trophy Challenge and in April will contest the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa against teams such as Ireland and Scotland.

Fortune CC will play top of the table team Bangkok 11 in the B Division final on Sunday July 13. After a delayed start, the season is coming to an end.

Southerners 20/20 Challenge finals are on weekend 12th and 13th at Harrow International School. Siam Parrots will play BCC in the Cup Final. Shield and Bowl finalist still to be decided though Punjab and Asia United will play for the Global Turf Plate Final. Southerners have raised about 15,000 baht from this tournament to go towards junior cricket in the rural areas
of Thailand.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

The Bangkok Post has reported on the state of cricket in the Thailand, quoting the board’s Mohideen Kader.

“While many Thai youngsters are getting latched on to the game, Thailand is now busy preparing to stage three Asian tournaments, including an Asian Women's competition in which an all Thai team will take part,” he said. “The tourneys are being lined up to be held before the end of the year. They include an Under-17 boys competition, a seniors tournament, in which Thais and sons of expatriates (who have the required residential qualifications according ICC rules) will take part.”

''The progress achieved in spreading cricket in the Kingdom has been tremendous,'' said Kader. ''Girls from schools and universities have taken to the game.” The paper estimates there are 2800 cricketers in the country

“Encouraged by the development of cricket, we have schools which have included cricket in their curriculum,'' said Kader. ''That's the exciting keenness which has been created for the sport. It is true we cannot create champions overnight but step by step, cricket is being embraced by Thais.”

There are two grounds in Chiang Mai and three turf pitches in Bangkok, with the possibility of a fourth being set up at Thammasat University.

The final of the Bangkok Cricket League will take place on Saturday April 27. Punjab CC, who finished top of the seven-team league, progress straight to the final where they will meet the winners of a play-off between Maxwin and Aditya Birla who finished second and third respectively.

The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed Malaysia as the venue for the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite Division. The 10-team tournament will be held from July 25 to August 3, with all matches likely to be staged in Kuala Lumpur.

It was also confirmed the ACC Trophy will be held as two separate tournaments for the first time.

The ACC Trophy Elite tournament will be contested by the top 10 ranked ACC members: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the holders, the United Arab Emirates.

The ACC Trophy Challenge for the remaining ACC members is likely to be staged in Kuwait from January 11-17, 2009. Among the invitees are Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, China, Iran, the Maldives, Oman and Thailand, although it remains to be seen whether China fields a team.
Tony Munro

Twenty three teams from ten countries, including local sides from Phuket, will compete for the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Spoon titles at the 2008 Phuket International Cricket Sixes being played next to the beach at Karon Stadium, Phuket, Thailand from 17 - 20 April 2008.

This is the fifth staging of this popular ICC award-winning tournament which helped to kick start the development of cricket in Phuket.

Continue reading "Chappell and Mullally line up in Phuket"

The Bangkok Post reports on the forthcoming Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes which takes place for the 21st time between March 30 and April 5.

Continue reading "Chiang Mai Sixes come of age"

This year's Phuket International Cricket Sixes gets underway from April 17 this year, and Mark Burns has all the details.

Continue reading "The Phuket International Cricket Sixes"

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

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A county squad member alongside Monty Panesar and Michael Hussey, John Hottinger’s arrival in Thailand to play cricket came after he was within a whisker of playing county cricket in England. A fascinating interview with him appears on the Asian Cricket Council site.

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

Click here for the full story.

It's a year since the Cricket Association of Thailand held its last election. In the intervening period Thai cricket has been blighted by an internal dispute which has done serious harm to the standing of the game both inside and outside the country.

Continue reading "Thailand board fails accountability test"

Thailand may be a cricketing backwater, but the game these has a decent foothold and it also attracts touring sides to the prestigious Chaing Mai Sixes.

However, the national board continues to attract much criticism and that is now spilling over into the country’s main competition, the Bangkok Cricket League, which is due to start its new season this month.

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Organisers of the 4th annual Phuket International Cricket Sixes tournament, which takes place at Karon Stadium, Phuket from April 19 to 22, have confirmed that the financial services group Montpelier have signed as title sponsors of the event.

Over 20 teams from around the world will take part - entry for spectators is free and food and refreshments are available at the ground.

A Twenty20 Charity Fundraising match, featuring all the best players taking part, will be held on the evening of Saturday April 21 from 6.30pm. All the proceeds from the match will be donated to a local children's charity, Childwatch.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

Continue reading "A long way from home"

As cricket develops in new countries, true cricket lovers take great pleasure in seeing young cricketers improve their skills. However, in the last few months, a coup of another kind has happened in Thai cricket.

Continue reading "Trouble in Thailand"

A tournament organised by the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) for Under-16s begins today at Chiang Mai. The three teams are Bangkok, Khon Kaen, and Chiang Mai in three 45-over contests. The full schedule can be found at the Bangkok Post.

The Bangkok Post reports that the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes will stake place at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana Club starting this weekend. It will be the 19th time the event has been staged and 31 teams from across the world will be taking part, equally the record turnout.

A group of Sri Lankans, led by ex-Test star Amal Silva, will pay their own way to take part. In addition ex-Aussie international Trevor Chappell is expected to play with the New South Wales Warathais team.