View from the Perch
Issue Six - 24th April
2006
Greetings fellow Parrots,
Long time between drinks (figuratively speaking of course) and another
season has come and gone. A superb season for the Siam CC with the
introduction of many new players and supporters, our first overseas trip,
retention of Thailand�s Ashes equivalent � the Colonels Cup, Sledge�s first
boundary, Slatt�s first Parrot hat trick amongst some excellent bowling and
vastly improved fielding� oh yeah, and we got relegated�!!
Yeah, unfortunately during these afore mentioned dazzling displays we only
won one game (The Colonels Cup match). We�ve got a whole catalogue of
excuses for all the games we dropped, but at the end of the day our batsmen
simply didn�t score enough runs. Ironically enough last year we scored
plenty of runs but our bowling and fielding cost us � this year, simply the
reverse � God only knows what�s in store for next season, but with your
support and the players enthusiasm and spirit it�s going to be fun finding
out.
Here are some Match reports � another long winded �Perch� � but as you know,
once I get started�
vs Southerners 25 Feb 2006
This article appeared in the Bangkok Post:
Siam Cricket Club successfully defended the Colonels Cup against the
Southerners Cricket Club at the picturesque RBSC Polo Club in a CAT Premier
Grade league match last weekend.
Batting first in humid conditions, the Southerners paced their innings
intelligently and finished on 166 for 7 from their allotted 35 overs.
Opening batsman and captain, Vaughan McClear, lead the way with a measured
and determined innings of 60 runs, combining nicely with Doug Kinsella (37)
for a vital 71 run 3rd wicket partnership.
The pick of the Siam CC "Parrots" bowlers were the ever consistent Tony
Slatter (2-29), fellow opening bowler Vicky Singh (2-27) and offspinner
Gurpreet Singh (2-39).
Siam CC got off to a dream start with opening batsmen Justin Barrett and
James Harris compiling an, ultimately, match winning opening stand of 112
runs. Barrett (62) was particularly punishing on any short bowling and
Harris (48) complemented his partner in an impressive Parrot debut.
A committed Southerners fielding effort and a never say die attitude made
the target difficult for the Parrots with wily left arm spinner Kinsella
(1-19) and offspinner Satish (1-45) removing the openers and triggering a
Parrot stumble that contributed to a tense finish. Siam CC eventually ran
out winners by 7 wickets, capping off an enjoyable match, notable for the
excellent team spirit and sportsmanship displayed throughout by both sides.
The Colonels Cup, named in honour of Siam patron and long time Southerners
supporter and member, Colonel David Dufall, was presented to Siam skipper
Richard Bowater and main sponsor Rodney Ruth, (from the Green Parrot Bar and
Grill on Sukhumvit Soi 33), along with 5000 baht from Colonel Dufall which
has been donated to junior cricket development in Petchabun and Khon Kaen,
where ongoing cricket development is an important priority for the
Southerners and Siam CC respectively.
A very enjoyable match (indeed my first league win as captain!) against a
determined Southerners outfit which saw the Parrots working well as a team
to keep the silverware safe. Special thanks to Rodney and Jake for taking
the time to come down and support the lads.
The opening partnership, virtually securing the Cup, between Justin and
James was simply magnificent � well done fellas! A very pleasant slammer
session on the lawn followed with equal Southerners/ Parrots participation
and off to the Green Parrot on Soi 33 for some modest preening and posing.
vs Elite British Club 19 Mar 2006
Winning the toss and sending them into bat on an artificial wicket with a
lightening quick outfield, patience and perseverance were the order of the
day. The bowlers bowled with discipline and the out fielding from Neil and
Justin was spot on all day. We restricted them to 243 in the 45th over �
Slatts 3 -29, Vicky 2-33 and Gurpreet 2-54. A couple of early wickets put
�the cat among the Parrots� but we fought back well with contributions from
Kiwi (95) , Raja (27) and Vicky(27) to set up a tense finish with our
opponents just doing enough to bowl us out 16 runs short.
An exciting contest with the Parrots showing a lower order backbone that
augers well for the future. Vodkas to drown our sorrows and Raja celebrated
his highest score and first wicket for the team by promptly passing out
during the slammer session while Sledge reminded us of his first ever
boundary and more importantly, about the pledge from D Currie to streak
naked around the oval if Sledge ever hit a four or six. Currie was not
present for this game, but being honourable cricketers, rest assured, all
bets will be paid in full!
vs Bangkok CC 26 Mar 2006
Our penultimate match was against Bangkok CC, widely regarded as favourites
for the league title. By now our position as cellar dwellers was somewhat
fortified and to stave off relegation we had to win our last two games. For
the first time ever in the Parrots fielded a team based solely on playing
ability � ( many factors come into being a playing parrot with cricket
ability being low on the scale and vodka tolerance being high), it was
crunch time and the most important match of our brief existence.
Our strength all year has been our bowling, particularly Slatts and Vicky
opening up with great support from Gurpreet, Nick, Raja, JD and Deano. With
the lads all fired up we produced our best bowling and fielding effort on a
beautiful Polo club playing surface. Strunky ran all day from mid on to mid
on and rewarded the team with a fantastic catch on the boundary to dismiss
the BCC dangerman. In the final 15 overs we conceded only 60 runs and took 7
wickets leaving BCC 223 for 9 . A super effort from the fellas in our hour
of need.
Our innings started brightly with Justin(31) and James(17) looking the
goods. A couple of brilliant catches stunted our progress somewhat but a
Raja(24) and Kiwi (44) partnership put us back on track. Following Kiwi�s
nonsensical dismissal we were unable to gain momentum for the final push and
succumbed 50 odd runs short. Alas another defeat, but we got a good look at
the Parrot psyche and how the boys react with their backs against the wall �
it looks good.
Vodka quickly exorcised any cricket demons and before we knew it the sun had
disappeared, the mozzies had arrived and we stumbled off to the Green Parrot
to see Rodney and the lads with a drunken report of how we narrowly lost
again and must be the unluckiest cricket club in the universe.
vs RBSC Apr 06
The final game of the season was again at the picturesque Polo club against
Royal Bangkok Sports Club. Founding member and Parrot stalwart (emphasis on
the �wart� ) Dave "DC" Currie returned to play for RBSC and stand on their
committee to strengthen the cricket section and for the greater good of
cricket in Thailand. This has effected the parrots two-fold ; 1, we got to
have a real grudge match on the fixture list and, 2, we�ve saved a fortune
on vodka !
What a bizarre day it turned out to be! Being so close to the Thai New Year
holiday and with the Chiang Mai sixes in progress it was difficult to find
11 Parrots in BKK that day. Finally we managed to secure 11 with the Prez�s
mate Claesy the 11th.
Disaster#1 � the morning of the match, one bloke pulls out, no worries 10
men. We bat first in this 35 over fixture, lose James early, Kiwi comes in,
Strunky pads up to bat 4. Disaster#2 Strunky gets informed that, sadly, his
father in law has just passed away, off come the pads and Strunky's on the
way to the airport. 9 men. We battle on at the crease with Gurpreet (27)and
Kiwi (92)putting on 85 for the 2nd wicket. Another stand of 70 between Kiwi
and Raja (37) and a nine man team had managed a pretty creditable 199 all
out. Kiwi scored his second 90 in 3 innings prompting a squawking chorus of
kiwi choking jibes which was welcome relief from the usual ovine fornication
inferences. For the record DC bowled 5 overs for 14 runs with a
disconcerting _expression of steely resolve glued to his face throughout �
Parrot spirit abounds!
Disaster#3 We took the field with 8 men as the Prez had to pop away for some
urgent work business. He grows grass for a living, and like my old mates
from NZ, these grass growers often have to race away unexpectedly with a
phone to the ear (or a siren in the background).
Disaster#4 Claesy, our ring in immediately broke a rib while attempting a
spectacular diving catch � 7 men. With 1 wicketkeeper and 1 bowler, there
are a lot of gaps in the field for 5 people to patrol (By the way, one for
the rules buffs � fielding restrictions: is it minimum of 4 fielders inside
the 30m circle, or maximum of 5 fielders out � which takes precedence?
Sounds the same but has wide reaching implications if you cannot field 11
players). Unsurprisingly the runs came quickly for the opposition, but we
were enjoying our predicament and buoyed by heaps of parrot chatter and
cries of �cricket�s a funny game boys� and �anything can happen� we pulled
them back from 132 for 1 to 141 for 5! Despite having 5 fielders, the
wicketkeeper bowling and more holes in the field than America�s foreign
policy, we actually had them on the ropes!! They blocked out maidens,
shuffled nervously and looked very vulnerable while all the time the Parrots
were laughing and enjoying the absolute unpredictability of cricket!
� then they got the runs and we lost�
Torturous slammer session and with only 7 blokes, the bottle looms large. We
celebrated Saeed�s 2 wickets and Kiwi�s wicket keeping bowling which fluked
2 scalps as well.
Then we sat back on the lawn, placated the cricket gods and got s#@t faced
to bring the curtain down on another great season. Later that night at the
parrot, Claesy lost his voice, Prez lost his dignity, Sledge lost his bottle
of black label, Kiwi lost his mind, and DC lost his car � true story, I�ll
tell you about it and lots of other stuff coming up in the next �Perch�
Cheers
Kiwi
