The Phuket News reports that significant progress has been made on the Phuket Cricket Group’s (PCG) new home, the Alan Cooke Ground (ACG).

The grass and the concrete base for the pitch has already been laid and the high-tech synthetic turf pitch, being provided by the Cricket Association of Thailand, will follow shortly.

“It won’t be long now before the Island Furniture cricket season gets underway, and the players are eagerly awaiting trying out the new ground,” said Pat Cotter, chairman of the PCG, who recently visited the site to view progress. “The PCG is extremely proud of our new home, provided by Alan Cooke, one of Phuket’s long-time residents and most avid cricket supporters.

“Now that the turf has been laid, we need a growing in period for it to take root. We expect it to be ready for the soft opening on Saturday, November 6, when a Phuket All Star team will take on the Singapore Cricket Club in a Twenty20 exhibition match.”

Hong Kong beat Thailand to win the inaugural Asian Cricket Council’s women’s Twenty20 in Kuala Lumpar.

Hong Kong posted 106 for 4, thanks to a late charge engineered by Connie Wong, who made 23 off 21 balls. In reply, Thailand were always slightly behind the asking rate, and were left needing 17 off the final two overs and six off the last ball. Ishitaa Gidwani kept things interesting by bowling a wide, but she followed with a dot ball to secure the win.

Nepal thrashed China by 73 runs, bowling them out for 30, to win the third-place play-off.

Bahrain Apsara Camels were crowned champions after beating CBB Postels by 22 runs in the final of the sixth Phuket International Cricket Sixes at Karon Stadium. Hong Kong's Long Dong Wongs won the Plate competition while the Custom Cockatoos from Australia lifted the Spoon.

Thailand and Oman maintained their unbeaten records on the fifth day of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand, ensuring they remain on course to meet in next Wednesday's final.

Click here for the full report.

Oman and Thailand retained their unbeaten records with emphatic wins over Myanmar and China on the fourth day of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but the standard of the teams continued to cause concern.

Click here for the full round-up.

China will make their debut in international cricket at the adult level at next month's ACC Trophy Challenge in Bangkok, with the spotlight very much on them after an appalling display in the Asian Cricket Council's Under-17 Challenge Cup in Bangkok last month.

Chaina have benefited from considerable funding by both the ACC and ICC, but a woeful display in Thailand raised considerable questions regarding the wisdom of the investments.

China will be in Group B, the weaker of the two which includes Maldives and Thailand. Their first match will be against Iran on January 13

Tournament favourites, Oman, are in Group A with Bhutan, Brunei and Myanmar.

Oman have an interesting playing schedule in the next few months. In January they play the likes of Myanmar and Brunei in the ACC Trophy Challenge and in April will contest the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa against teams such as Ireland and Scotland.

Fortune CC will play top of the table team Bangkok 11 in the B Division final on Sunday July 13. After a delayed start, the season is coming to an end.

Southerners 20/20 Challenge finals are on weekend 12th and 13th at Harrow International School. Siam Parrots will play BCC in the Cup Final. Shield and Bowl finalist still to be decided though Punjab and Asia United will play for the Global Turf Plate Final. Southerners have raised about 15,000 baht from this tournament to go towards junior cricket in the rural areas
of Thailand.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Although the ICC draws considerable flak on many fronts, it is quietly committed to promoting the game in as many countries as possible, and it does that by means of a myriad of competitions and initiatives. Most do not warrant much media attention, but they are there and they work.

Until now, the gripe of the smaller countries, and especially those bubbling just underneath the top flight, has been about the inequality of the way in which the game is financed. That was never more apparent than when it came to earnings from last year's World Cup.

Ireland got a flat fee of US$125,000 a year for four years for taking part, and on top of that they received another $50,000 for reaching the Super Eights. However, because of the extra costs involved in their progression, not least because their players are not professional cricketers and their absences from their full-time jobs had to be underwritten, Ireland's success actually left the board out of pocket.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, turned up, tied with Ireland and never threatened to progress after being thumped by Pakistan and West Indies. For those three matches, Zimbabwe Cricket received US$11 million, their share of the pot as a Full Member.

The top six Associates receive no more than US$500,000 a year - some substantially less - to fund their entire operations. Out of that they have to pay all their cricketing and administration costs. Only those with a low cost of living, such as Kenya, can hope to maintain a professional squad on that kind of money.

The gulf between the haves and have-nots is further widened by the limited sums Associates can earn from sponsorship and media contracts. Zimbabwe can exploit home series against, say, India to carve out lucrative TV deals worth millions, and on the back of that, attract shirt- and other corporate sponsorship. As highlighted by Scotland's failure to secure any TV deal for their forthcoming ODI against England, the Associates struggle to get such income streams.

The new deals will provide a substantial increase for Associates, especially for the countries who are pressing for space at the top table. Until now the share has been roughly equal, rewarding Netherlands and Kenya on par with Thailand and Fiji. The new system will see more demarcation between the top Associates and the rest.

The leading ten could earn as much as US$1.5 million a year from 2009. There will then be an onus on them to professionalise their administrations, but several of them are already well down that route. They will also be more accountable - the ICC does not want a repeat of the mess that came following a spike in Kenya's funding earlier in the decade.

The second-string Associates will also get more - around US$160,000 as a base figure - but then again the demands on them are less. Even Affiliates will receive US$15,000, with the opportunity for more should they make a good enough case. There will also be more cash in the pot for participating and hosting competitions.

There have never been more opportunities for development outside the Full Member countries, but there remain some nagging worries.

The main one is how to bridge the gap between semi and full-blown professionalism. Almost all the Associates rely on dedicated amateurs, both on and off the field. As the number of ICC competitions has increased - and they have to be welcomed - the pressure has begun to tell. Scotland and Ireland particularly have already found players cannot meet all their commitments, and even the increased income will not allow them to employ a full-time squad.

"So much of putting players on full-time retainers depends on how many fixtures we can command," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, said. "At the moment, all we can promise the squad in 2009 is a World Cup qualifying campaign, eight FP Trophy matches, an England game, and probably some Intercontinental Cup matches. Of course, we hope to have more, but can't be sure at the moment.

"Our top players are already plying their trade in county cricket, while others have full-time jobs which they may not wish to give up. The actual number of players that the coach will want to put on a full-time contract, or else the number that even want to have one, may not be that many."

The other quandary is how to get them fixtures. Kenya, widely regarded as the leading Associate, have found it almost impossible to get Full Member countries to visit or host them. As a result they invariably play other Associates. Good for the win-loss ratio, not so clever in providing the kind of experience that no amount of money can buy.

These issues will need to be addressed, but for now the future has never looked so promising beyond the Test world.

The Bangkok Post has reported on the state of cricket in the Thailand, quoting the board’s Mohideen Kader.

“While many Thai youngsters are getting latched on to the game, Thailand is now busy preparing to stage three Asian tournaments, including an Asian Women's competition in which an all Thai team will take part,” he said. “The tourneys are being lined up to be held before the end of the year. They include an Under-17 boys competition, a seniors tournament, in which Thais and sons of expatriates (who have the required residential qualifications according ICC rules) will take part.”

''The progress achieved in spreading cricket in the Kingdom has been tremendous,'' said Kader. ''Girls from schools and universities have taken to the game.” The paper estimates there are 2800 cricketers in the country

“Encouraged by the development of cricket, we have schools which have included cricket in their curriculum,'' said Kader. ''That's the exciting keenness which has been created for the sport. It is true we cannot create champions overnight but step by step, cricket is being embraced by Thais.”

There are two grounds in Chiang Mai and three turf pitches in Bangkok, with the possibility of a fourth being set up at Thammasat University.

The final of the Bangkok Cricket League will take place on Saturday April 27. Punjab CC, who finished top of the seven-team league, progress straight to the final where they will meet the winners of a play-off between Maxwin and Aditya Birla who finished second and third respectively.

The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed Malaysia as the venue for the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite Division. The 10-team tournament will be held from July 25 to August 3, with all matches likely to be staged in Kuala Lumpur.

It was also confirmed the ACC Trophy will be held as two separate tournaments for the first time.

The ACC Trophy Elite tournament will be contested by the top 10 ranked ACC members: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the holders, the United Arab Emirates.

The ACC Trophy Challenge for the remaining ACC members is likely to be staged in Kuwait from January 11-17, 2009. Among the invitees are Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, China, Iran, the Maldives, Oman and Thailand, although it remains to be seen whether China fields a team.
Tony Munro

Twenty three teams from ten countries, including local sides from Phuket, will compete for the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Spoon titles at the 2008 Phuket International Cricket Sixes being played next to the beach at Karon Stadium, Phuket, Thailand from 17 - 20 April 2008.

This is the fifth staging of this popular ICC award-winning tournament which helped to kick start the development of cricket in Phuket.

"It's fantastic to see such a multi-national line-up of of sides, including New Zealand and Bahrain for the first time," said Tournament director Brad Tarr.

Teams will be flying in from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Bahrain, UAE and New Zealand to compete along with local Thai teams.

Also confirmed for the Phuket Sixes are the former England pace bowler Alan Mullally and former Australian international and Phuket regular,Trevor Chappell.

Matches start at 9.15am daily from Thursday to Sunday. Finals in all divisions will be played Sunday afternoon.

The "Sixes by the Sea" gets underway with a beach cricket tournament. The tournament also features social functions at The Green Man, Joe Kool's bar and the Gala Awards Dinner at the Hilton Arcadia Hotel.

On Friday 18 from 6.30pm a Charity fundraising Twenty/20 match featuring all the best players from the tournament will be held under floodlights at the Karon Stadium.

Entry for all spectators is free and food & drinks are available at the ground.

The Phuket International Cricket Sixes 2008 is one of a series of cricket tournaments on the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour which also includes events in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, Shanghai and Singapore.

For further information see the event website www.phuketsixes.com

The Bangkok Post reports on the forthcoming Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes which takes place for the 21st time between March 30 and April 5.

In the first week of April, 36 men’s teams and four women’s sides from 13 countries will meet to play cricket and enjoy the warm welcome that Chiang Mai provides to its visitors. There will also be a large number of local junior squads taking part again this year.

One thing makes the Chiang Mai Sixes different from other sporting events held in Thailand - the tournament is run by a large group of dedicated volunteers who work for free and all proceeds go towards developing cricket at the junior level among Thai children in local schools in Chiang Mai and nearby areas. One of the highlights in the men’s competition this year will be an all-Thai team who learned the game in the junior cricket program in Chiang Mai.

Entries to the tournament have flooded in this year and teams from Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, England, Greece, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, the UAE and Vietnam will be in action. Individual players are also coming from a number of other countries, including India, Sri Lanka, the US, Belgium and Zimbabwe, just to name a few.

The Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes will be held from March 29 to April 5 at the historic 110-year-old Chiengmai Gymkhana Club ground in the heart of the northern capital. Play starts at 8.30am every day and finishes late in the afternoon. Admission is free, a wide variety of food is available and the Boundary Bar opens early and is one of the best places to watch the action.

This year's Phuket International Cricket Sixes gets underway from April 17 this year, and Mark Burns has all the details.

The Phuket Sixes of course attracts club cricket teams from around the world, along with local Phuket sides, to enjoy the competition and camaraderie of cricket every year at the Karon Stadium in Phuket. First held in 2004 the tournament has gone from strength to strength and regularly attracts up to 28 cricket teams from the APAC region (including Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Australia) and the UK. Star players such as former England Test cricketers Adam Hollioake and Alan Mullally and former Australian international Trevor Chappell have all competed at the 'Sixes by the sea.' Featuring a full schedule of beach cricket, Player Welcome Party and a fantastic Gala Awards Dinner at the Hilton Arcadia in addition to the cricket sixes matches, the Phuket Sixes cricket tournament is supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and makes for a fantastic cricket holiday on the wonderful island of Phuket. Sixes cricket is the ultimate hybrid version of the game; fast & furious with just 5 overs (30 balls) per innings and six players per team. Matches take just 45 minutes to complete. For further information and stock images contact Mark Burns media@phuketsixes.com Event Facts:

Dates: 17 - 20 April 2008
Time: 10am - 6pm daily
Venue: Karon Stadium, Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Competing teams: up to 28 teams from Thailand, Australia, UK, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Korea, China
Format: six-a-side teams compete in Cup, Plate, Bowl & Spoon divisions
First held: 2004
Website: www.phuketsixes.com
Enquiries: media@phuketsixes.com
Spectators: entry for spectators is free and food and drinks are available at the stadium
Charity Match: A Twenty20 format floodlit charity match featuring the best 22 players in the tournament will be held from 7pm on Friday 18th April at the Karon Stadium. All proceeds to the local children's charity "Childwatch"

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

A county squad member alongside Monty Panesar and Michael Hussey, John Hottinger’s arrival in Thailand to play cricket came after he was within a whisker of playing county cricket in England. A fascinating interview with him appears on the Asian Cricket Council site.

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

Singapore defeated Kuwait by six wickets to win the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It was, however, a slightly hollow victory, as eight of the ten competing sides had earlier been disqualified for fielding over-age players, and so Singapore and Kuwait contested the final as they were the only teams remaining in the competition.

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

Click here for the full story.

It's a year since the Cricket Association of Thailand held its last election. In the intervening period Thai cricket has been blighted by an internal dispute which has done serious harm to the standing of the game both inside and outside the country.

On November 9, 2006 the CAT's AGM took place in Bangkok. When it came to election of officers, there were two candidates for chairman. One was Ravi Seghal, the incumbent, the other was Vaughan McClear, an Australian national and a long standing vice president and adminstrator. A secret ballot of the 13 constituent clubs was held and McClear emerged the winner by eight votes to five. It was not an unexpected result as Sehgal's methods were not universally popular. The rest of the meeting proceeded normally and after less than two hours the AGM concluded.

But Seghal was not prepared to go quietly. On November 14 the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) sent a letter to the Asian Cricket Council in which it advised that it had appointed a brand new committee to run the CAT. It was ostensibly a purge of all foreign nationals, which included McClear. His replacement as chairman was Seghal. It later emerged that this committee had been appointed six weeks earlier but nobody had seen fit to mention it.

Everyone was astounded. At no stage in the past had this been raised as an issue, but within days of Sehgal's ousting the SAT had stepped in. What's more, the ACC seemed eager to accept what they had been told. McClear was sent a remarkable email by the ACC's chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq in which he signed off: "We sincerely hope that you will continue to help and support the development of cricket in Thailand as you have done so admirably and actively in the past."

The issues were twofold. One was that not only had the democratic process been completely ignored - there was not even a question of there being a fresh election with Thai-only candidates - but also that many of those on the SAT list had few or no cricket credentials.

McClear and those who backed him tried to find a compromise solution but the SAT backed Seghal to the hilt, as did Huq. His committee were all from one club - Seghal's - and what angered people more was that letters, which critics insist were back-dated, were produced to back Seghal's position. What those letters stated was that the president of the CAT had to be a Thai national. That was of little consequence as McClear was not standing for that post. But what it did was to allow the president - General Suebsant Trantranont - to appoint his own board.

What was of real concern was why Seghal had not mentioned any of this before the meeting on November 9. It appears that he had hoped to win the election, but when he did not then he resorted to his back-up plan. Quite why the ACC was so eager to support Seghal was equally strange.

One stakeholder told Cricinfo: "No one knows 99% of the people on the new committee, and this committee knows nothing about cricket or cricket in Thailand . They are not even a real committee since they have been shoe-horned into existence."

So what has Sehgal's band of brothers done in the last year. The answer is not much other than to try to eliminate all opposition. His version of the CAT decided that it did not want McClear running the local cricket league, and so it launched with a new league and have took steps to seize control of all the cricket grounds in Bangkok so that McClear could not run the Bangkok Cricket League as there were no available venues.

To do this it entered a contract with Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) for control of its ground. The CAT is paying AIT a monthly fee and in return the institute is supposed to provide groundsmen to maintain the facility. But the turf wicket built by the CAT at AIT is completely useless, and has been since last January when all maintenance was stopped. The artificial wicket that was paid for by the local league teams is still in good order and was used extensively last season.

It is estimated the CAT receives around US$130,000 from the ICC and ACC. This money should be spent on the development of cricket for the benefit of all, but how it is actually spent is unclear, and with the committee now an effective closed shop, it is less certain if anyone will be able to find out.

Sehgal counters that he has been running cricket in Thailand for over 20 years now, and he has done a fantastic job, so he should keep going. The reality is that there are now fewer people playing, fewer grounds, no sponsors, and the national team goes from bad to worse. There is also the fact that he appears to have taken charge in what amounts to a coup and to be running a completely undemocratic body. The website has been taken down and emails go unanswered.

The ACC is unlikely to do anything as it has a friendly, some might say too cosy, relationship with Seghal. The only hope the stakeholders have is that the ICC might sit up and take notice, as it has done in the USA where another dysfunctional board is in place. Until then, Seghal appears set to carry on regardless.

Thailand may be a cricketing backwater, but the game these has a decent foothold and it also attracts touring sides to the prestigious Chaing Mai Sixes.

However, the national board continues to attract much criticism and that is now spilling over into the country’s main competition, the Bangkok Cricket League, which is due to start its new season this month.

Click here to read more and comment

Organisers of the 4th annual Phuket International Cricket Sixes tournament, which takes place at Karon Stadium, Phuket from April 19 to 22, have confirmed that the financial services group Montpelier have signed as title sponsors of the event.

Over 20 teams from around the world will take part - entry for spectators is free and food and refreshments are available at the ground.

A Twenty20 Charity Fundraising match, featuring all the best players taking part, will be held on the evening of Saturday April 21 from 6.30pm. All the proceeds from the match will be donated to a local children's charity, Childwatch.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.

But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?

In last year's Wisden Almanack, Matthew Engel raised this very issue. "Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played by expatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing that cricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm comments by civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not one shred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs on the streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!"

Take Canada. Of the squad in Nairobi at the moment, only three were born in the country, and two of those are over 35. Of the rest, five come from the Caribbean, four from India and each from Pakistan and Uganda. Whereas other Associates have a smattering of expats, Canada are utterly reliant on them.

Engel's comment attracted fierce criticism from those who either argued that England had more than their share of "imports" or that the game only spread in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Caribbean through expats playing it in the first place.

The worry in some countries is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants

With regards to England, yes there have been quite a few non English-born players who have been picked for the side, but the game still has a massive stronghold in the country. The selection has been more about improving a solid side. And as for the ex-pats argument? Well, yes, but that's the crucial point. In the regions flagged the game was brought in but it was then embraced by the indigenous population and taken on as their own. This is exemplified no better than in CLR James's seminal work, Beyond A Boundary.

The worry in some countries - and again I come back to Canada - is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants. Canada's cricket heritage is rich but there is little sign that it has been built on. This is best underlined by the selection of former West Indies international Anderson Cummins. Forty years old and without a major match to his name since 1995-96, he made his debut in Mombasa last week. What message does that send out about the strength in depth of cricket in Canada?

It's not just Canada. Look at the USA, whose 2004 Champions Trophy side was a collection of ageing expats whose performances verged on the disgraceful. And the UAE, which is almost entirely dependant on its ex-pat workforce to keep the game alive.

Cricket's expansion should not be about filling teams with expats and expecting the locals to get excited about it. The only way cricket can gain a foothold in emerging countries is by actually getting the indigenous population to embrace the game, and two excellent examples where this is happening are Nepal and Uganda.

Anderson Cummins of Barbados, West Inbies ... and now Canada © Eddie Norfolk

Does it matter? Yes, because as the ICC looks to develop the game in as many places as possible, that means the financial cake has to be cut in ever thinner slices. The ICC needs to concentrate on a smaller number of countries where the chances of the game taking off. It is invidious that Uganda gets the same basic allowance as Belgium.

Cricket is in trouble in its traditional homes in Africa - Zimbabwe are hell-bent on destruction and South Africa seems to be falling out of love with the game. So efforts should be made in Uganda . And in Asia, which everyone accepts is the game's stronghold, a side like Nepal should really be given the leg up. It's about targeting rather than a scattergun approach.

In fairness to the ICC, they have a tough time and a lot of countries scrambling for a share of the spoils. It's about weeding out the weak and really looking to grow the game in areas where it has the best chance of taking root. It's an almost impossible ask. Look at the repeated failure of American Football to crack Europe ... and if football itself still battles for acceptance outside expats and schools in the USA, then the size of the ICC's task becomes clear.

Of course expats have a key role to play in expansion. But if the game is basically played by them, is it the game spreading or is it more about diehards clinging to the traditions of their homelands? In the UK there are baseball and American football sides, but they are almost all expat Americans and so few would seriously claim the games have taken hold. However, basketball and ice hockey are widely played by locals, boosted by some imported players and expats, and, crucially, the national side can stand on its own two feet. That's the difference.

As cricket develops in new countries, true cricket lovers take great pleasure in seeing young cricketers improve their skills. However, in the last few months, a coup of another kind has happened in Thai cricket.

In the last month, there was an AGM of the Thai Cricket Association. The incumbent president, a prominent businessman, had been in the role for a considerable time, and the clubs thought it time for a change in direction at the top to push cricket development forward.

Thai cricket is spread throughout the country, clubs dominate the scene in Bangkok, but youth development is flourishing in the provinces. It was believed that a new strategy to pull the organisation together and push it forward was needed.

The vote was held, a new face was elected to head up the organisation, all seemed well. Unbeknown to the voting clubs and the committee, the incumbent chairman had registered another "dummy" committee consisting of his family, and employees with the government authorities. The vote had been a farce, and the incumbent appears to want to be president forever in defiance of the vote. Being a member of a prominent sports club in Bangkok, it is now also a case of I bring the pitch, so I am captain.

Interestingly this appears to be supported by the ACC for some strange reason.

Cricket is a developing sport in this part of the world, and without legitimate structures and organisations will never move forward correctly. For the volunteers and donors who support the cricket in Thailand this is a complete slap in the face. However, when one sees the farce that the ICC has created in Zimbabwe, I don't expect a good outcome for a minnow like
Thailand in terms of governance and organisation.

A tournament organised by the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) for Under-16s begins today at Chiang Mai. The three teams are Bangkok, Khon Kaen, and Chiang Mai in three 45-over contests. The full schedule can be found at the Bangkok Post.

The Bangkok Post reports that the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes will stake place at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana Club starting this weekend. It will be the 19th time the event has been staged and 31 teams from across the world will be taking part, equally the record turnout.

A group of Sri Lankans, led by ex-Test star Amal Silva, will pay their own way to take part. In addition ex-Aussie international Trevor Chappell is expected to play with the New South Wales Warathais team.