End of Season Review 2009/10

Greetings fellow flockers,

there’s a really important bit at the bottom of this email (Posted in News on the website), so if you don’t fancy wading through puerile puns and mistimed malapropisms (and quite frankly I don’t blame you) then leisurely wade through these finest of sponsors and head on over to the News section…

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Check out this too http://siamcc.org/

Regrettably I have not been able to update you this season with an array of mis-spellings, poor gramma and infantile use of double entendres as much as previous years as I have (finally) been engaged in meaningful employment (chasing pre-pubescent teenage boys around a basketball court feverishly blowing my whistle, began to lose it’s meaning!). Rather I have been broadening my horizons with an exciting new courier company here in the kingdom with the phonetically spelled moniker of InXpress – and a neat wee company we are! (shameless and totally unauthorised plug #1 masquerading as a futile excuse for not “perching” more regularly).

The Cocka2′s were an inspiration this year. Ably led by Neil and Drano, the boys played some top cricket (and some bottom cricket) and represented the Siam Cricket Club with youthful exuberance and a handful of Beroccas. It is always a good day out supporting the Cockas and the Siam CC Parrots would be all a flutter without them.

In other club matters, and more specifically the Premier Grade team and wot we dun this year…

It was the best of seasons, it was the cruelest of seasons.

Due to the vagaries of the BCL draw and the eternally upbeat presence of the Cocka2′s, we found ourselves in the unchartered situation of having a settled squad for the 2009/10 season.

We rotated a squad of 15 players throughout the season with Kiwi elected captain and Crackers vice captain. We had 3 virgins (that’s two more than Australia!) and many a Parrot veteran making up a spectacular bunch of fine fellows (and great men to play cricket with)

here’s a summary of the games (40 overs each innings):

Game 1 vs AIT at AIT

Them: 107 all out in 19.3 overs
Hotlips 5-17 off 5.4 overs
Jacko 2-30

Us: 109 – 3
Kiwi 57no
Jubby 25

a bit of a dodgy grass wicket that insisted on rewarding only batsman who apply a correct technique – obviously AIT batsmen didn’t sleep with Boycott’s Batting Tips (aka “thou’ll never be as good as thy so give up now!”) under their pillows in their formative years
Hotlips became the second Parrot to get a “michelle” in league cricket and a beautiful exhibition of swing bowling it was (pfeiffer in case you’re wondering)

great start to the formalities and a couple of beers and voddys after for good measure

Game 2 vs BCC @ Polo

Them: 206 All out off 39.1
Hotlips 3-22
Raja 3- 33

Us: 164/9 off 40
The wicketkeeper 65
Jacko 18

It’s always good to bowl a team out at Polo and the boys worked bloody well as a unit in the field. The batting was a disappointment, as we were only 4 down with about 60 to get, but we fell away and credit must go to BCC who went on to complete the season unbeaten and tipping over the grannie. Actually they’ve been tipping over the grannie for about the last 6 years in succession – they haven’t met the Parrots in a Grand Final yet though!! nor, indeed has anyone else…

Game 3 vs British Club/Elite at AIT

Them: 190 for 5 off 40
Azhar 2-38 off 7
Nahim 2 for 42 off 8

Us: 194 for 6 off 39.5 – bloody exciting game this one
Scully 44 no
Jubby 41

Great game this one. Scullys creamed a straight 4 off the second to last ball that had the lads jumping for joy, and reaching for the esky. Azhar’s inswinging yorker to Zeeshan Khan (best bat in Thailand I reckon) was something to behold DC took an absolute pearler – in fact DC had taken about 5 catches by this part of the season and they were all top notch grabs (shit mate, it all very quickly turned to custard after this though, eh?). A beautifully paced innings this time from the lads and restricting them to 190 in the first dig, was as good as I’ve seen from us on the artificial pitch.

coupla beers, bit of a yarn

Game 4 vs Thailand Cricket Club at AIT

Us: 165 for 3 off 40 overs
Skip 63 no
Jubby 35

Them: All out for 71 off 19.1 overs
Slatts 4 for 29 off 8
Azhar 3 for 21 off eight
Nahim 3 for 4 off 1.5

Yep, back on the unforgiving, yet enjoyable to bowl on and a challenge to bat on, turf wicket at AIT. TCC is basically the colts and this time included two members of the Thai national womens team who were very good and showed far more courage than the young boys, who did in all fairness seem a bit distracted. But enough about the Parrots! Slatts was the proverbial “swine in excrement” with the new ball in his hand and I daren’t say I’ve seen more spritely to boot. Nahim mopped up the tail with aplomb and earlier Jubby play his trademark intelligent innings that quickly became a hallmark of his season.

I felt a bit for the colts as that performance lacked the spirit of previous encounters, but pleasingly the young uns finished the season well – they are good kids and Kader and Zia are instrumental to their progress.

Couple of quiets after

Game 5 vs Indian Cricket Club at AIT

Us: 157/6 off 40
Jubby 42
Nahim 41

Them: 157 for 9 off 35.4
Slatts 3 for 21 off 8
Crackers 2-31 off 8

A very nasty turf wicket greeted the boys and the response was measured, patient and apt. Jubby held the fort again and Nahim was solid. We weren’t upset about the relative paucity of runs in a 40 over innings, because we reckoned we had enough – Slatts was merrily strapping and stretching with 10 overs of our dig to go!

And so it proved, (well I thought so anyway) as we whittled them down to 100 odd for 9. “Not a bad days outing” I was musing – my second premature imagination of the day – only to have that evil cricket “shadow” envelope the ground for that moment every cricketer dreads, but must experience. It’s the situation where it slowly slips through your seemingly tight grip and results, ultimately, in the self confession I fking hate – “Fck thes cts are gonna get it” – pardon my profanity but seeing a couple of Ferrets (well, 1 ferret and 1 rabbit really) edge and nick 60 odd runs, really gets my goat.

The lads were gutted but we played pretty good actually, the captain and vice captain were a bit sheepish that night though

Couple of bears, she’ll be right

Game 6 vs Southerners Cricket Club at Polo – (Colonel’s Cup – Southos were the holders)

Us: 207 for 5 off 37 (37 over game)
Nahim 74
Scully 40

Them: 212 for 8 off 36.3 overs
Crackers 3-10 off 7.3
Nahim 3 for 30 off 5

We lost the toss and Nahim played his best inings for the Parrots while Scully’s whirlwind 40 at the end off 14 balls including 5 towering sixes. Not a great score but a good one, beware though, the afternoon “road” the pitch becomes at Polo…
Second innings was a beauty, the game ebbed and flowed, and ebbed a bit more, until a fat tasmanian called Gardner played a match winning innings towards the end. Speddo finished things off and the Southos deservedly held onto the silverware and we’re locked at 3 apiece if memory serves me correctly. Parrots gave all we had on the field and Nahim was excellent and Crackers was immense all day.

Congrats to the Southos and it’s never a bitter experience seeing champs like Speddo and Vaughany with smiles on their faces.

Game 7 vs Bangkok Stars Cricket Club (I’m not making these names up) at AIT

Us: 260 for 5 off 40 overs
Nahim 58
occassionally annoying New Zealander 54

Them: 143 all out off 27.3 overs
Slatts 3 for 16 off 5
Hotlips 3 for 25 off 8
Jacko 3 for 27 off 6

We needed a score of 250+ to qualify for the semi finals, so luckily we were back on the artificial as the turf wicket succumbed to “groundsman’s lethargy”. Nahim kicked us off and Azhar got us over our target. That’s quite correct observant reader, you’re right, the Siam CC Parrots were never bowled out in the entire 2009/10 BCL season. The bane of our performances in previous years was transformed this year due to smart committed cricket from Nahim, Jub, and Sculls with wee cameos here and there for good measure. Of course Slatts and Crackers (hmmm sounds like a savoury biscuit) pissed and moaned about not batting all year and while we sympathised at the time, behind their backs all us batsmen were giggling,

The fielding and bowling followed suit in this game and we made sure we nailed this one, thanks, largely to a frenetic spell of fast bowling from Jacko. He battled through a bloodied gammy toe and was hitting the gloves as hard as any parrot bowler that I can remember (well not since DC got his glasses anyway). Slatts chimed in as usual and Hotlips regained his mojo

Bloody good season and we secured 4th spot for our troubles and that meant we were in an elimination final against our buddies the Southos – bring it on! (let it reign!)

Elimination Final vs Southerners Cricket Club at Polo

Game abandoned due to rain

RAIN, FKING RAIN !! 18th of April – fking hottest month of the year and it fking rains.

Cruel

And thus ended this heroic season of ours in a fizzle. We were left (to buy Polo Club beers, sshhhh) and reflect on a “cock tease” of a season (if such a thing exists) and implore the cricket gods to unveil what ill we had blighted them with for such a final day travesty

Hadn’t we been worthy disciples?

Hadn’t we been drawing the nectar of the gods regularly enough (we even put up with that putrid cranberry flavour once)?

Hadn’t we been toasting you feckers at every opportunity?

apparently not

So we’ll give it a shot next season then

Final Ladder Standings

Last updated: May 8, 2010 10:48AM (local time)

Batting

Kiwi, Jubby and Nahim all featured in the top 20 batsmen in the league

Bowling

Hotlips got equal first with the highest wicket taker in the league and Slatts, Nahim, Crackers and Azhar all featured in the top 20 bowlers in the league.

So that was the Parrots 6th season in the Premier grade and all the stats and games can be found on the excellent Bangkok Cricket League website http://www.bangkokcricketleague.com/home.aspx?.

Thanks Vaughany, Nadeem and team.