CHIANG MAI SENIOR LEAGUE GOES TO THE WIRE
Three teams, Chiang Mai Lanna, Floggers & Robbers and the Thai boys from CPP at Doi Saket can all still win the Chiang Mai Senior League as the season is set for an exciting finish
The Chiang Mai Senior League was established this season with two senior men’s teams and two teams packed with promising Thai youngsters playing against each other with the prime aim of giving the juniors plenty of experience playing against senior teams.
With just two matches left the boys from CPP are still in contention to win the league title along with Chiang Mai Lanna and Floggers & Robbers, while the fourth team Gymkhana Juniors finished their campaign with a fine batting performance that included the first century partnership seen in the league between Anim and Choo.
The last three matches played at Gmkhana Club have seen the three leading teams all show their credentials as potential league champions. First Chiang Mai Lanna convincingly defeated Floggers and Robbers by seven wickets after dismissing them for 167 thanks to Tom Salusbury’s remarkable figures of 4 for 3 and Lanna’s impressive top four batsmen all made runs to extend their lead at the top of the table with four wins in five matches.
All was not lost for Floggers & Robbers who returned to Gymkhana with a much stronger team to face Gymkhana Juniors. The young Gymkhana side gave a very composed performance with the bat, as Anim reached his fifty in 60 balls and Choo made an unbeaten 40 in a total of 171 for 5. But the Floggers powerful hitting was too much for the Juniors as they raced to victory on 173 for 7 with more than 10 overs to spare as the ball disappeared to all parts of the Gymkhana Club ground.
Floggers now looked the most destructive batting side in the competition but all was to change once more as they came across an inspired CPP team. The side which arrived at Gymkhana had just represented Chiang Mai Province in the Cricket Association of Thailand’s National Youth Championships and had won the tournament, so full of confidence the youngsters gave their best league performance of the season.
CPP were put in to bat and were reduced to 13 for 3 but John and Nikom played well in the face of some testing bowling and then Frame hit a rapid unbeaten fifty when the lesser bowlers were introduced. Tail-enders Night and Song also hit out lustily to take CPP to 232 for 6 in 30 overs, the highest total made in the league so far.
Floggers have a reputation for fast scoring but even they couldn’t chase down this stiff target, although Chris Coombes took his tally of runs to 158 in four matches and Ant Jackson reached fifty in only 27 balls. Eddy finished the innings off quickly with figures of 5 for 15, as he became the first bowler to take five wickets in a match in the league. Floggers were bowled out for 150 as CPP gained victory by 82 runs to keep their league hopes alive.
The two sides meet again at Gymkhana Club on Sunday 3rd March with the league title very much at stake. Lanna will then face Floggers & Robbers needing one more victory to be certain of winning the league.