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After 18 years of trying, the Awali Cricket Club’s Touring Taverners finally bowled over the opposition to claim a maiden trophy, the Chiangmai International Cricket Sixes Vase.
Since 2001, Awali had scored a successive stream of ducks competing at every level, from the prestigious major cup category through to the lowly spoon section, with more than 100 different players having made the trip to Thailand.
Team captain Bob Phillips, the facilities manager at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club, has attended every year, and was delighted to finally see the Awali name on a Roll of Honour at long last.
“Back in 2001, we set out into the unknown as five players and one fan,” he explained. “We were granted Sri Lankan former Test player Rumesh Ratnayake as our sixth player and, in true Awali fashion, we proceeded to dump the tournament sponsors out of the event before flattering to deceive later in the week.
“However, it was here that the foundations for Awali’s true legacy at the tournament were laid. Year on year we returned with equipment, money and anything-else that was requested so that we could help the Thais develop the game’s junior players by putting on coaching clinics.
“All of this helped to provide the support necessary to see numerous underprivileged children graduate in various local cricket programmes, initially to regional teams then national teams and now to being some of the leading players and coaches in Thailand.
“On top of this, we ensured that each of our guides on these trips have had their university education funded and we now boast a number of graduates working across the globe.”
The Chiangmai Sixes is an international invitational event which this year saw 40 teams drawn from 11 nations to compete in one ladies and six men’s competitions across 109 matches in seven days.
Having run for 31 years, it is the largest sixes competition by participation and one of the oldest staged globally. It is hosted by the Chiangmai Gymkhana Club in some of the most scenically beautiful surroundings in the country, with all teams are invited to have their own team cabana for the week to watch the tournament.
In recent years, upcoming Awali players have been invited and supported, including 18-year-old star batsman Sahil Rathod. The average age of the side has tumbled as its mobility and cricketing abilities have impressively improved. This has led to the team reaching two finals in three years,
The 2018 tournament started brightly for the Taverners. A win against Thai Tavada, a team comprised of children they had ironically helped train in previous years, and a tense victory over Australia Darwin left them top of their group and heading for the knockout competition.
A first Vase round game against the Northern Territories Bushrangers saw Awali emerge with a comfortable 28-run victory, before a semi-final 16-run win saw them in the final once again.
Finals Day started grey and miserable, with the matches played intermittently between rain delays. After being made to wait far beyond their scheduled start time, with the nerves jangling with increasing ferocity as the light started to fade, Awali’s turn against strong Australian outfit Saint Francis De Salle’s Summer Saints came.
Having lost the toss, the Tarverners went on to the field and conceded 73 runs for the loss of only a single wicket. A few glum faces around the Awali camp were definitely concerned that yet another Awali foray in to a Chiangmai Final was going to end coming up just short, knowing they would have to post more runs than at any other point in the week.
Opening batsmen Mohammed Ishtiaq and Sahil Rathod strode to the wicket in good form with a strong belief that their target was achievable. However, as Sahil almost immediately returned run out, the burden was to fall on a so-far misfiring Soji Jacob.
Ishtiaq again magnificently made his way to the Chiangmai compulsory retirement figure of 30, but a glimmer at the other end had seen Soji starting to find the middle of his bat too.
Awali struggled through two tight opening overs to only post 27, but the third brought 20 valuable runs with the fourth starting in the same vein. This was tempered by the retirement of Ishtiaq, who was replaced by Mohammed Waqas.
Much to the delight of the watching Awali players, biting down to the last of their nails, some swiftly struck boundaries by both batsmen meant another 20 was conceded in the fourth over, leaving only seven required to win in the final over.
Waqas added the runs in three balls, and the Awali players and supporters erupted in delighted as they finally claimed their long-coveted crown. Philipps said: “Indeed, it has taken 18 years to cement Awali’s legacy in Chiangmai with a tournament win, a place on the Honours Board to accompany all the previous good work off the cricket field.
“We are absolutely thrilled to bring the Vase back to Bahrain, it’s been a long time coming!”
The winning Awali team was: Bob Phillips (c), Sahil Rathod, Steve Turner, Mohammed Waqas, John Rees, Mohammed Ishtiaq, Kumar Nair, Soji Jacob, Maher Jaber, Gerrard Hall.
