The 2014/15 season started on 1st October less than two months after the last cricket was played as a Chiang Mai Senior League XI took on Delia Memorial School, a touring side from Hong Kong who had visited last year and had returned to Chiang Mai to prepare for their new season back at home.
The boys from Hong Kong had lost to two senior sides but had beaten two junior sides on their last visit but this time they were playing a Select XI drawn from the teams that make up the Chiang Mai Senior League and the visitors proved too strong for the home side in the two 20-over matches that started their tour.
Richard Cowles won the toss in the first match and chose to bat first on a sunny morning with Prem having made a remarkable recovery from a storm that had left the ground flooded only two days earlier. The first net practice of the season had been held the previous evening and some of the adults looked a bit rusty. Openers, Tariq and Wani, were both undone by impressive opening bowler Waqas Khan and it was left to Martin Cardno to hold the innings together.
Cardno has been playing in the Twenty20 competition in Bangkok so reckoned he was in form but it required a change of bat for him to start finding the boundary, but he reached his fifty with a six to take the home side to a total of 116 for 6.
The visitors found batting rather easier as opener Akbar Khan reached an unbeaten fifty and he was given good support from Sheryar (23) and Waqas (21). Choo took a wicket as Chanchai took a good catch and Wani took a wicket with his first ball, but Chanchai was the most impressive bowler as he only conceded 16 from his four overs.
Delia Memorial School recorded an eight-wicket victory with 3.4 overs to spare but the home side would have another chance in the afternoon after players from both sides had returned from lunch at the school cafeteria.