We were 9 on tour, 7 from Singapore, Ian Law from Indonesia and Walter from Bangkok. Four of us took the conventional Friday night flight arriving around midnight, Sean and Charl decided to go Bangkok for the night, get up early the next morning and arrive at the ground as the match started. This would save a night’s accommodation as they didn’t need a room for the night! Amar decide to check Chiang Mai out and arrived some time earlier. Fines started early with Rammy leaving his phone at the airport before Logu retrieved it for him. Logu was also fined for being Logu. First activity was a free and easy Friday evening at the Zoom Bar just around the corner from the Centara Hotel. The Fab four arrived around midnight to meet some of the opposition and Walter, Ian Law had already gone to bed. So after a few drinks and games of pool we retreated to the hotel in the early hours of the morning.
On Saturday morning we meet in lobby at 11.30am, after a quick breakfast and massage, Amar went for an Indian breakfast and found a great Indian Restaurant across the road. Amazingly Charl and Sean also turned up roughly on time although reeking of the one or two beers they had the night before. We headed off to the Gymkhana Club at 12. The ground was beautiful, surrounded by trees and a golf course, weather was even better with a chill in the air. The outfield was quick but the turf was not prepared due to rain during the week so we played on Astroturf. There was an electronic scoreboard, umpires and scorers were provided, so we could only sit back and watch. We were keen for a 40 over game but Amar was able to negotiate a 30 over game as it gets dark at 5pm! Amar won the toss and chose to bat. Apparently the Gymkana club has a few Thai youngsters that could bowl fast and Sean wanted to go up the order so Amar opened with Sean and Logu. It took a while to get the first runs but Sean played a great leg glance for 4 but lost concentration on the next ball and was bowled for 6 off 12 balls, 1/11. Walter came in and complained of a sore knee so he couldn’t run, so he just hit fours. Logu also decided that was the best course of action and the runs started to flow. The score got to 60 off 9 overs were Logu went first for 17 off 16 balls with 3 fours and Walter scored 25 of 19 balls with 5 fours. John and Charl were next in and started slowly as there was a need to consolidate but Charl started to open up with a few boundaries and the 100 was scored in the 13th over. At drinks the score was 3/105, 7 runs per over. After drinks John and Charl stepped up the scoring when John was out for 34 off 28 balls 136/4. Ian Law came and went for a 5 ball duck. Graeme came in and went kaboom with 2 sixes and a four off his first 3 balls but was lbw for 16 off 5 balls. Amar ran a few two’s and was caught by substitute John for 8 off 13. In the meantime Charl had retired for 50 but he kept his pads on as wickets were falling quickly. The borrowed player from Gymkana “Loucky” faced 5 balls before he went out and we were 8/189, effectively 9 down as we are playing 10 per side, with Charl coming back and joining Rammy. Charl continued and ended up run out for 62 off 41 balls including 3 sixes and 6 fours and Rammy was 29 not out off 26 balls. The total score was 214 off 28.3 overs.
There was no lunch provided so we went to the clubhouse to order some chicken sandwiches. After 20 minutes the sandwiches were still 20 minutes away, they were still trying to catch the chicken! We went to the field on an empty stomach but that didn’t stop Amar taking a wicket with his first ball. The lack of food obviously affected the remaining bowlers as wides were a plenty. In the session before drinks Graeme opened 0/10 off 2, Logu 0/16 off 2, Ian Law 0/27 off 3. Amar got 15/1 off 3 Rammy has two tight overs 0/8 and Charl had 0/10 off 2 and they were 1/93 at drinks. Chris, a left hander, had retired at 50 during the session off 40 balls. We had bowled 20 odd wides in the first session but at least the chicken sandwiches had arrived. Sean and Walter started bowling after the break. Sean was coming off his last game of 0/25 off 1 over, including 10 extras and had trained during the week in an attempt to improve and he did get better. Problem was he had the “Bangkok flu” and was amazed that after 0/22 off two overs, one no ball and six wides Amar wanted to take him off! Walter got the next breakthrough at 2/119 when John took a smart catch behind. Soon after Charl took another catch off Walter’s bowling 3/129 and a run out made it 4/130. Walter finished with 2/20 off his 5 overs. Amar bowled a few more overs and finished with 1/34 off 5. Charl and Rammy came on and 5 wickets fell for 2 runs with Charl picking up two wickets in his first over back to finish with 2/12 off 3 overs and Rammy picked up 3 wickets to finish with 3/12 off 5 overs, offsetting his two dropped catches. Gymkana finished with 157 off 27 overs and the Spirits won by 57 runs with only 40 extras including 34 wides....
After match drinks were had and performances discussed. Rammy had a good game with 29 no and 3/12, John 34 and a good catch, Walter 25 and 2/20 and the man of the match was Charl with 62 and 2/12. Loucky got a Spirits shirt for playing for us and so did Chris who made 50. We left the ground at 6.30pm in blazing sunlight for a homemade dinner at the Zoom bar (which included chicken feet). Many drinks followed as did checking out a few other bars, shopping for fake products, losing credit cards and apparently someone’s virginity, or was that in Bangcock!
For those who stayed another day there was another cricket game with the Thai kids playing against Gymkana. Amar, Logu, Graeme and Walter all played. There were a lot of kids training before the game and gives an opportunity to the Spirits to give something back next year by helping out at a morning training clinic for them. Next opportunity to play is before the wet season – March or after in November again.
Cheers to Amar for organising another great Tour!
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