AN AFTERNOON WITH A LEGEND : Thailand’s umpires meet KT Francis 

With the ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup successfully completed the day before, some of Thailand’s leading umpires were given the opportunity to meet with and learn from legendary Sri Lankan umpire KT Francis who gave up his time to share his experiences and knowledge and it made for a fascinating Saturday afternoon. 

KT, who was Sri Lanka’s first Test umpire in 1982 and later a member of the first ICC umpiring panel, had been in Chiang Mai for two weeks in his official capacity as a member of ACC’s resource staff with the task of looking after and reporting on the umpires standing in the tournament. 

These umpires came from countries such as Malaysia, Nepal and China, as well as Surinder Pal from Thailand, and the tournament proved a steep learning curve for the officials as KT watched keenly from the sidelines and held regular meetings so the master could share his vast experience with his pupils. Read More ...

ACC UNDER-19 CHALLENGE CUP 2009 – STATS

TEAM AVERAGES

Bahrain

Brunei

China

Iran

Kuwait

Maldives

Myanmar

Thailand

LEADING PLAYERS

Leading Run Scorers

Leading Wicket Takers

Read More: Tournament Page, Match Results

Workshop on the Art of Captaincy by ACC Development Manager

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Development Manager Bandula Warnapura held a workshop with the eight participating teams of the ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup in Chiang Mai. The workshop was aimed at increasing the teams’ knowledge of cricket’s basic field settings and tactics.

The U-19 age-group is a vital level at which players hone their cricketing skills to help them improve in their future cricketing careers. Team coaches and captains were also briefed on the technical and mental aspects of the game as Mr. Warnapura stressed that “cricket really is more mental than physical.”

“It was good to meet the teams and the discussion was fruitful and a very open one. We want them to learn more and so we are trying to educate them on strategies and field placements in the different cricketing formats”, said Mr. Warnapura.

Thailand are unbeaten so far in the tournament and face China in the semi-final tomorrow at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana ground. The second semi-final will be played between Bahrain and Kuwait at the Prem Oval.

Thailand’s Under-19 coach Ziaul Hoque said, “We were able to gain some very valuable tips from Mr. Warnapura today. He put everything so clearly and made it easy for all of us to understand. With the wealth of knowledge he has, we hope we can put it to use in our upcoming games.” .....

ACC Under 19 Challenge Cup 2009

PREVIEW OF ACC UNDER-19 CHALLENGE CUP - THAILAND’S BOYS HAVE CHANCE TO SHINE

Thailand are again hosting an important international cricket tournament when the ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup is held in Chiang Mai from 9th to 18th December. Thailand’s girls have been very successful on the cricket field in the last year, both at under-19 and senior level, so the Thai boys will be hoping to show they are just as good at cricket as the girls.

The ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup is an eight-team tournament for teams across Asia. The teams have been divided into two groups: Kuwait, China, Brunei and Myanmar make up Group A, while Thailand play in Group B with Maldives, Bahrain and Iran.  

The four teams in each group play each other on a round-robin basis, with the top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The winners of the two semi-finals, played on 16th December, will contest the final two days later and also gain promotion to the ACC Elite Division.

Read More.....