Shanghai International Cricket Sixes 2004
Cup Finalists in the Shanghai Sixes
Lamma CC’s date with destiny in Shanghai falls desperately short
Written by
Jonno Seifman
While newspaper headlines at the moment in Hong Kong may be about elections and war in Iraq, don’t be surprised to see these events soon pale in comparison to the recent efforts of Hong Kong’s very own Lamma Cricket Club.
Wearing the pride of Hong Kong on their sleeves, Lamma CC produced a fantastic effort to reach the Cup final of the Shanghai International Cricket Sixes, played over the weekend of 11–12 September 2004.
Unfortunately, the boys from Lamma could not quite pull off a victory in the Cup final, and had to leave Shanghai satisfied with runners up medals. However, that didn’t dampen post-match celebrations, with the Lamma team proving to be as versatile off the field as they were on it.
Sir Viv Richards
Master blaster
The Shanghai International Cricket Sixes is now in its sixth year, and gets stronger and stronger each year. The tournament was boosted this year by the presence of two of the game’s living legends: Doug Walters from Australia, and Sir Vivian Richards of the West Indies.
Shanghai Sixes poster
click to enlarge
On the field, Richards showed that he’s lost none of the spark that made him one of the best cricketers the world has ever seen, producing some massive shots and elegant strokeplay.
Walters, who was a stalwart of the dominant Australian cricket side of the 1970s, did not get the chance to make much of an impact on the game after suffering a calf-muscle injury in the early stages of the tournament. Apparently the injury occurred when Walters made a quick turn after realising that the bar had only given him five bottles of beer instead of the six that he had ordered.
However, Walters was always quick with a joke and a story, and proved to be a great addition to the tournament (when he wasn’t enjoying an afternoon kip in his chair).
Mark Burns in action
Captain Ian Harling
contemplates his
bowling figures
On the field, the Lamma team produced some strong results in the early stages of the tournament to find themselves in the main Cup part of the draw. However, after an already grueling weekend, the Lamma team found themselves increasingly reliant upon mental toughness and Red Bull to keep going.
After accounting for the Hong Kong Cricket Club in the Cup semi-final, Lamma found themselves playing the international CBB team, featuring former Australian spinner Tom Hogan, in the Final.
After the tournament Captain Ian Harling commented: ”It’s a fantastic effort to have reached the finals. We had six committed players on our team, and we can’t wait until next year to see if we can go one better.”
Cup Finalists (from left to right)
top: Chris Coombes, Toby White, Brad Tarr
bottom: Jonno Seifman, Mark Burns, Ian Harling
