Members of Chiang Mai Lanna CC can be very proud of their junior team as players from Lanna Juniors helped the province of Lamphun win the boys competition in the National Youth Championships, while the girls came second. Both finals were contested between Lamphun and Chiang Mai as the two northern provinces were far superior to other teams.
As well as trophies in boys and girls competitions, individual awards were won by Bunchuai who was batsman of the tournament among the boys, Nok who was all-rounder of the tournament for girls and Sangdao who was bowler of the tournament for girls.
Lanna’s support for these talented children has paid rich dividends, as has the dedication of CMSCA coaches Chris Dodd and Martin Papworth. The children will be having a well deserved party on Saturday evening, also supported by Lanna, where they will show off their trophies and receive their certificates.
Regular players from Lamphun were joined by boys and girls from Mae On and Buak Kroc Noi School in Chiang Mai so it testament to the strength of junior cricket in Chiang Mai that Lamphun played Chiang Mai in both finals in a tournaments that each had 14 boys and 13 girls teams competing for honours.
Chiang Mai have previously dominated the boys competition by winning all four previous tournaments but this year they were facing a challenge from newcomers Lamphun who had a team in the competition for the first time.
Lamphun won all four of their group matches to qualify for the semi-finals, beating Chantaburi by 7 wickets, Lopburi by 10 wickets, Khon Kaen by 8 wickets and Chonburi by 9 wickets. In all four matches the recipe for success was similar, accurate seam bowling from Cher and Chanchai as they claimed early wickets with Bunchuai turning to his leg-spin later in the innings. The captain then set his side on the course to victory with determined support from fellow opener Chanchai, followed by some lusty blows from the improving Boom.
Khon Kaen had been surprised to be beaten by Lamphun in the group match but they had a second chance as they faced them again in the semi-final but the result was even more emphatic as Lamphun made 142 for 1 in 15 overs to win by 51 runs to reach the final.
Chiang Mai were also unbeaten in their group, beating Mahasarakham by 10 wickets, Bangkok by 10 wickets, Petchabun by 96 runs and Uttaradit by 50 runs and they reached the final by defeating Phuket in the semi-final.
Chiang Mai and Lamphun had proved themselves as the strongest two teams in the tournament, as had been expected as both teams have been playing regular cricket against adult sides. Chiang Mai were favourites to win the final on the basis that they had won four previous tournaments and because CPP had beaten Lanna Juniors in the Chiang Mai Senior League on the previous Sunday.
Bunchuai had been run out from the first ball of the match against CPP so he was determined to make up for a rare mistake and he saw his side to a total of 111 for 2 in 15 overs. Chiang Mai looked second best for most of their innings but they are a dangerous batting side and a boundary from the last ball of the match levelled the scores with Chiang Mai finishing on 111 for 7.
A bowl out was necessary between two evenly matched teams and Lamphun won 3-1 with Boom, Cher and Bunchuai hitting the stumps and Chanchai not required. To hit the stumps three times out of four was a great effort and summed up the hours of practice the Lamphun players have put in the net at Muangwak School that in many ways has been the catalyst for this success.
The girls competition was very similar with Lamphun winning all three of their group games batting second and only losing one wicket in the process, and Chiang Mai were also dominant in winning three out of three in their group. In the semi-finals, Lamphun beat Mahasarakham, while Chiang Mai beat Srisaket.
Could Lamphun do the double by winning the girls final or would the more experienced Chiang Mai team hold off their local rivals? It looked like the match would be closely contested when Chiang Mai were restricted to 97 in their 15 overs, a useful total but easily within reach if Lamphun made a good start.
Openers Nok and Nai had been unstoppable in the early matches but both fell early, although Aree pushed the ball around well before being run out. Too much was left to the lower order and Chiang Mai won by 26 runs.
Chiang Mai and Lamphun were clearly the best teams in both boys and girls competition and it is an outstanding achievement for Lamphun to have matched the powerful Chiang Mai teams within such a short time. The superiority of these two teams is down to the coaching, the practice facilities and the wonderful opportunities to play cricket against adults on three magnificent grounds.
Two weeks before the tournament, Lamphun’s hopes of matching Chiang Mai looked out of reach as one of the schools in Lamphun refused to allow their children to attend the tournament because of a music competition. A hastily arranged junior match at Prem became a trial game to find new players and no fewer than 12 boys and girls were added to the squad from Mae On and Buak Kroc Noi Schools.
In many ways the Lamphun teams in the National Youth Championships were combined CMSCA teams with Chris Dodd and Martin Papworth gaining reward for their hard work over the last few years, but the contribution of Chiang Mai Lanna CC cannot be overlooked as sponsors and members have supported the junior team and given these young players the chance to play a high level of cricket.
Congratulations to all the coaches, supporters and of course the players themselves, and the boys will soon have another chance to take on the men as Lanna Juniors face the seniors in the league at Prem Oval on Sudnay 2nd February.