Singapore Cricket Club are becoming regular visitors to Chiang Mai and they arrived on a pre-season tour as the rainy season in Singapore is coming to an end. This was a veterans’ team who enjoy the social side of cricket but the team still had some considerable players so Saturday 2nd February saw an excellent match in which Gymkhana Club again showed the growing strength of cricket in Chiang Mai by winning by 15 runs.
Gymkhana Club won the toss and chose to bat in a 30-over match and although Matthew Streeton took three early wickets, Monty and Ryan Sherman both made fifties before retiring and it needed a determined 35 from Pete Warner batting at number eight to see Gymkhana through to a total of 202 for 7.
Facing a stiff target Singapore CC lost two early wickets but their innings was revived by a third-wicket partnership of 94 between VijayJayaratnam who made 46 and Mike Byfield who hit the fastest fifty of the day from only 32 balls.
Monty’s six steady overs of off-spin which brought him figures of 2 for 20 just kept Singapore’s chase in check but some big hitting from Martin Seabright and Lee Slater brought them close and in the final analysis it was the number of extras conceded that was the main difference between the two teams.
Gymkhana Club could be proud of their victory by 15 runs against a distinguished club side as Singapore’s players looked impressive in their vertically striped blazers after the match. The visitors had a highly enjoyable evening in Zoom Bar decked out in their equally striking horizontally striped sports shirts. Gymkhana Club are hoping to organize a return tour to Singapore in the near future and so will have to give some serious thought to their fashion sense.
Results
26th January 2013
Gymkhana Club 141 for 8 (20 overs) and 180 for 4 (20 overs) beat British Club 133 for 8 (20 overs) and 111 for 8 (20 overs) by 77 runs
2nd February 2013
Gymkhana Club 202 for 7 (30 overs) beat Singapore Cricket Club 187 for 6 (30 overs) by 15 runs