The inaugural Lanna Sixes got off to a fine start as the first day was marked by a series of fine performances from Lanna Juniors who won all three of their group matches. They defeated the Prem Black Cats by 47 runs in the opening match with four Thai juniors in the opposition line-up including Nok and Dao and their second match was also a local derby as the boys outplayed the men of Lanna A by restricting them to 46 in five overs and then knocking the runs off inside four overs without losing a wicket as Bunchuai made a superb unbeaten 30.
The Juniors’ third match came against the visiting Malaysian side who made 54 thanks to 30 from Saufi who was to prove the most consistent batsman in the competition but Bunchuai, Jun and Cher alll batted well as the boys achieved their target with two balls to spare.
Bangkok Spirits also looked a strong side on day one as they defeated Lanna B by 24 runs as Naveed’s 30 helped them to a total of 72 for 2 and they were also far too good for United CC as they restricted them to just 37 for 3 and needed only 15 balls to reach their target.
Lanna A recovered from their defeat to the Juniors by defeating the Black Cats by 55 runs as they made 88 for 0 thanks to a remarkable 50 in extras but the highlight of the day was Lanna B’s surprise victory over United. Shine Thomas and Captain Pete Warner showed they could adapt to the shortest form of the game as Lanna B reached 62 for 1 before Eddie Joyner talked himself on to open the bowling. He always delivers so it was no surprise that he dismissed Burhan and Tanveer for first ball ducks. Shine Thomas and David Holt also took wickets and Adrian Ballantyne and Pete Warner held their nerve as Lanna B triumphed by 18 runs.
By the end of the first day, Lanna Juniors had made it into the Cup semi-finals while Lanna A and B were still in contention but United looked to be out of the top four. They would still have the chance to win one of the lesser trophies as semi-finals and finals were played on the second day.