Bashers Cricket Club

Cheerio

To all Bashers I have either played with or drunk with (only Mei Hua has not drunk beers) many thanks for a lot of fun and to all the Leisure guys I really appreciate how well you looked after the Mule. Best cricket club on the Planet by a country mile. Lets face it any cricket club that loses to Scottish teams deserves ultimate respect particularly when the English numpties don't front up to the cricket challenge.

2006 Sixes Bashers Where are you now?

Ahead of the huge encounter with the Shanghai Scots I have been collecting accounts of that weekend in 2006 when the Scottish girls beat the Bashers.

Website, Membership, Elections, Committee... Yawn

Loose, Woodstock, Birdshit…..return to the blog…all is forgiven

Is it just me or is the blog lacking some of its infamous bite and wit. What about a podcast from Italy ?

Japan to tour Scotland to celebrate 150 years of cricket history between the two countries

http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/sport/cricket/scots-are-playing-pivotal-roles-in-development-of-cricket-in-japan.19885512?_=3ad22756498ee09bbffc29a627e4622e1ca9202f

Cricket Challenge v Shanghai Scots

We don't play many cricket games but the first game we played we beat the Shanghai English by ten wickets in 1867 so who cares about the results after that. Suffice to say it was not worth the time of day playing the English again. However the opportunity to play the Bashers is another matter. It would be an honour.

Cricket For Smiles – Japan

A couple of years ago many Bashers stepped up to the plate and contributed to the Cricket For Smiles programme in Japan which was set up after the Tsunami. That programme has gone on to winÂ the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award Â and a couple of days ago Cricket Japan's CEO, Alex Miyaji, Â was also the subject of a special motion in the Scottish Parliament (Alex is half Scottish) recognising his efforts. Cricket is hardly a big sport in Japan so what these guys have achieved both on the pitch and off the pitch in terms of their wider contribution to the local communities is simply outstanding.

Guinness Cup 2012 – Ireland v Scotland – June 23rd.

This Saturday afternoonÂ will see these two great Celtic nations take to the field for the Guinness Cup out at the SRFC. A football game followed by a traditional shinty/hurling hit off. Â First time in over 70 years Scotland and Ireland will play against each other in Shanghai. The Gaelic Athletic Association and the Shanghai Scottish Sports Club will provide the backbone of the Irish and Scottish teams respectively. When the Scots played the English a couple of months ago the Scots and their supportersÂ smashed the record for bar receipts at the SRFC by consuming a whopping RMB 70K of alcohol in an afternoon and evening. Both squads are committed to breaking that record this weekend. The "craic" will be on big time so if you are a closet Celt get out there and get involved. Some great musicians are being brought in from across China to lead the post match Â event and sing off.

The lovely ladies.
just wanna do something special for all the ladies in the world

Japan – Bashers Invited to Mt Fuji

For reasons I never quite understood the power brokers of cricket in Shanghai have turned their backs on our friends in Japan for a few seasons now. There was a time when the Japanese girls used to light up the cricket calender here and a Miyaji san inspired White Knights Sixes team swept all before them allowing BadaBing to keep the last Intl sixes trophy.Â Four years ago a Bashers laden Shanghai team enjoyed a great tour to Japan where we were fortunate to witnessÂ one of crickets great spectacles.....a zen fueled Woodstock steaming in from the Mt Fuji end.

Swire and a bit of history FYI

In a moment of madness my company Swire Group agreed to be a Bashers sponsor this year. Having said that there is method behind the madness. Swire has a history in Shanghai going back 147 years during which it has provided a number of former Past Presidents of the Shanghai Cricket Club and Shanghai Rugby Club as well as a few Interport team captains. Up and until 1948 we played cricket, football and rugby matches on a regular basis. Our greatest sporting rivals at the time were HSBC, Jardines and British American Tobacco. This year Swire ("Taikoo") and HSBC ("Wayfoong") celebrate a Centenary of sporting rivalry on the rugby field (the cricket goes back to 1899) and to mark the event we are rekindling the old Taipans Trophy with a cricket game and rugby game against each other later this month at the SRFC. The significance of the event has not been lost on the Shanghai Govt as it looks like the Mayor will pop out for a while.

“You make take our lives but you will never take our FREEDOM!”

The SRFC is hosting some historic football, rugby and cricket matches during April. More on the cricket later which will feature relatives of Shanghai Recreation Club and and Shanghai Cricket Club players pre WW2 and some of the guys who organised , played and umpired in the first game in the modern era in 1994. Much more importantly the Shanghai Scottish are reviving a 100 year + tradiiton against the English.Â We have challenged the English to a a number of sporting encounters (which may get violent)Â and God bless them they have accepted. It all kicks off with a massive football game in April followed by a huge rugby matchÂ and cricket double header in Oct. The golfÂ game is a foregone conclusion which we we will enjoy.

The Pusher