The Thailand women cricket team’s departure for Ireland where they are currently taking part in a tournament involving countries from around the world has signalled the end of the season here in Chiang Mai, but the search is already on for the next generation of young cricketers who will have a chance to play for Thailand men or women in the years to come.
With the start of the new school term came the chance for new children to be introduced to the intricacies of the game of cricket which does seem to be thoroughly enjoyed by Thai youngsters. A coaching program has been successfully organised by the Chiang Mai Schools Cricket Alliance over the last few years and this year has been no exception.
Coaches Martin and Puy Papworth have been visiting schools across the city of Chiang Mai and also reaching several schools in Mae On. The youngest children have been introduced to Sawasdee Cricket played with a softball but there is also a hardball program for older children who have shown some ability with bat or ball.
Structured lessons are provided at schools such as Buak Croc Noi in Chiang Mai or Sahagon 2 in Mae On and other schools such as Varee provide after school clubs to give every child a chance to experience the delights of playing cricket.
Several members of the Thailand Under-19 cricket team that played in Malaysia recently were discovered thanks to this program and one or two of the Thailand women’s team first had the chance to play cricket when they were as young as nine years old.
Sawasdee cricket can be played on school fields and practice with a soft ball can be done on concrete playgrounds but it is also important to give children the chance to play with a hard ball and to gain experience on a real cricket ground at an early stage.
The nets and cricket ground at Gymkhana Club are available for use when the weather allows so CMSCA’s coaches staged a day’s cricket for children from Mae On. This involved using the new bowling machine provided during the Chiang Mai Sixes by Tokyo Dingbats from Australia which automatically sends down 12 specially designed softballs so young children can get used to hitting a ball without fear of injury.
They then moved into the next net to face a hard ball as other children practised their bowling. The team of coaches even included Thailand women’s coach Eddie Joyner who gave up his time even on the day he was heading to Bangkok.
After lunch the children had the chance to play on the artificial pitch on the main ground at Gymkhana so they could begin to understand the basic ideas behind the game of cricket: they had the chance to run between the wickets, practise their fielding and to understand some of the Laws of Cricket.
It is hoped that the children will be able to play cricket at Gymkhana on Sundays twice a month in addition to their coaching at school so that they will be ready to play in a junior league by the start of the next season in October. The best players will also be able to take part in the Chiang Mai Senior League which involves junior teams playing alongside the men.
At a time when the Ashes will be making most of the cricket headlines it is important to draw attention to the grass roots cricket that is being provided in Chiang Mai so that the recent success of Thailand cricket teams can be maintained. It should be applauded that children of all ages and all abilities have the chance to play with their travel and food also looked after.