Lanna B set the pace in the Chiang Mai Senior League

United CC 123

Tanveer 72, Rafiq 16, Jun 1/14, Eddie Joyner 5/16, Russell Ward 4/27

Lanna B 124/3

Chris Coombes 26, Max Coombes 22, Hugh Williams 25*, Richard Young 22*, Burhan 1/41, Tanveer 1/12, Yod 1/7

Lanna B
won by 7 wickets

The new season of the Chiang Mai Senior League finally got underway with United CC joining three teams from CMLCC to play some friendly but competitive cricket. Lanna A and the highly promising Lanna Juniors are probably the favourites for the league title, while Uniited’s players, mainly originally from Kashmir, are very enthusiastic cricketers and were desperate to do well in the league.

But it was Lanna B, a hand picked bunch of experienced players, who were well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their own team and of the opposition, who surprised United with the quality of their play and defeated them convincingly by seven wickets to go straight to the top of the league table.

The pre-Christmas match played at Gymkhana Club came at the end of a long week of selection headaches and the league supremos breathed a huge sigh of relief when play got started in a 30-over match with 11 keen cricketers on both sides. Lanna had a large squad to choose from so some players had to be flattered that they were part of the ‘A’ team so they couldn’t be selected and there were some last minute injuries worries and some even later arrivals.

Young Max Coombes made a rare appearance from his studies and football training in Bangkok and the postman who always delivers, Eddie Joyner, had caught the bus from Lamphun as he had an appointment at the dentist so the Lanna B team looked strong on paper, but surely they couldn’t compete with the mighty warriors selected for United and bolstered by two Thai juniors who had done well in the under-16 match on the previous day?

United won the toss and confidently chose to bat first but Jun Aryi took the new ball. He is not a wily veteran but he is a superb young left-arm bowler whose services will be highly prized this season. He started with two wides but suddenly found the right line and had Asif, a tough opponent with bat and ball, caught behind for a duck.

A wonderful start for Lanna B as Jun kept United pressed back in their crease so that the batsmen had to look for easy pickings against steady Eddie who is the archetypal wily veteran and he has previous form against United. He took two wickets in an over as Lanna B beat United in the recent Lanna Sixes and had also done well in a previous league match when the opposition were known as CMCC.

But no one could have predicted that Eddie would run through the top order in his opening spell as he took the next five wickets to reduce United to 30 for 6. Four batsmen were bowled as they were all deceived in the air or off the pitch by deadly Eddie and Tariq hit the ball straight to the strategically placed deep mid-wicket.

Both opening bowlers completed outstanding spells with Jun deserving as much credit for his figures of 6-1-14-1 as Eddie did for his wonderful stint of 6-1-16-5 that brought back vivid memories of matches played at Edgbaston in the 1960s. Tanveer, batting at number 3 had watched Eddie’s devastating spell but had survived unscathed as he had batted with more patience than his colleagues.

Yod, a young player from Buak Kroc Noi School and a regular at Gymkhana nets, gave Tanveer some worthy support as a useful recovery was mounted against the second-string bowlers. It was time to turn to spin and Russell Ward was the ideal man for the situation as he bowls very useful leg-spin and soon accounted for Yod and fellow junior Min to leave the score on 79 for 8.

Tanveer was batting superbly and was moving effortlessly towards his fifty and Rafiq came in at number 10 to hit some lusty blows against Tom Salusbury’s festive fayre. The hundred was raised but Richard Young kept things tight and allowed Russell to claim the last two wickets before the total got out of hand.

Rafiq was bowled for a bright and breezy 16 and Tanvveer was finally lured out of his crease only to be stumped for 72 from 93 balls with 9 fours as he was last man out. His ten team mates had managed only 34 runs between them in a total of 123 as United were bowled out in 28.3 overs with Russell again showing he is a fine bowler by taking 4 for 27 in 5.3 overs.

This was a useful total given United had been 30 for 6 after 12 overs and would test the batting strength of Lanna B but luckily the team had the dynamic opening combination of Coombes father and son Chris and Max and they were both up to the challenge of some pacy bowling and feisty appealing.

Coombes senior and junior both batted well and luckily Mrs Coombes arrived just in time to watch husband and son batting together before Chris was caught behind off Tanveer for 26 and Max was well caught by Min off Yod for 22 to complete a dismissal in which all three players were aged under 16.

The opening partnership of 47 was just what Lanna B required to calm the nerves of the later batsmen but Adrian Ballantyne hit one superb boundary before being defeated by a straight one from Burhan to leave the match in the balance with Lanna B on 65 for 3.

But this was a perfect situation for the headmaster Hugh Williams who was determined to make the most of his place at number 3 and he was joined by Richard Young who knew this was to be his last cricket for a few weeks as he headed off on his travels later in the evening. There were a few risky singles to start with but once the pair had both got their eye in the runs began to flow.

In the end an unbroken partnership of 59 brought Lanna B to a famous victory by seven wickets with 7.3 overs to spare. The margin of victory could prove important in the make up of the final table and was welcome in the circumstances as a festive buffet had been provided by Lanna Chairman Tom Salusbury who puts as much care and attention into his food as he puts into his bowling.

A splendid day was had by all with the United players very gracious in defeat even with Lanna’s festive celebrations going on around them. Lanna B had gone straight to the top of the league which no doubt delighted their captain who also quietly enjoying his new nickname of Brearley.

As they say, every dog has his day......

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