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Hong Kong Women’s XV for December’s Spain Tour

The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) has announced the squad for the upcoming tour (12-21 December) of Spain. The 25-woman strong squad will be the first Hong Kong XV to play a test series overseas against non-Asian opposition when they take the field in Madrid.

Hong Kong will play Spain on Tuesday (15 Dec.) and Saturday (19 Dec.) although both sides are expected to experiment with their selections in the opening match. Currently there’s no information as to whether the games will be watchable in Hong Kong.

The final squad features a core of national team players including those from the sevens squad, who recently returned from participating in the final stage of Olympic qualification for the Rio 2016 Games. Hong Kong finished third overall in the qualification process, securing their spot in an international repechage tournament next year for the sole remaining women’s berth at the 2016 Games in Rio.

“We’ve got a good mix of young players and experienced campaigners such as Christy Cheng and Royce Chan from the sevens set-up, but we were keen to make sure that we selected a squad for the future so there is a balance of experience and potential for the future,” said Hong Kong Women’s XVs coach and HKRU Women’s Performance Manager Jo Hull.

The squad features a concentration of players from the two strongest HKRU Premiership sides, Valley and Gai Wu Falcons. Chow Mei Nam, who plays No.8 and captains Gai Wu Falcons, currently in second on the Women’s Premiership league table, will lead Hong Kong for the first time on the tour.

“Although she has only played twice for the national team – in last season’s Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, she is already a huge leader in everything we do. Over the last three or four months she has proven that she is one to watch for the future. Physically she has the size to compete at this level. She’s a strong ball carrier who we’ll be relying on heavily in the coming games. But she also embodies the team’s values. She is a teacher by day and her work rate is inspirational to the rest of the team,” Hull added.

Valley’s Adrienne Garvey is the vice captain and is one of eight Valley players in the squad. Valley is undefeated in the Women’s Premiership, extending their winning streak to 20 matches across two seasons after winning the double last season without a loss.

Gai Wu are runners-up on the table with a game in hand, and nine of their players have been selected including the ‘Gai Wu Express’, Aggie Poon, the top scorer on the Asian Sevens Series this season. USRC Tigers and Hong Kong Football Club both have three representatives in the final 25 with Kowloon and Tai Po Dragons each having one player represented.

Sevens captain Christy Cheng Ka Chi has been named to the Tour, alongside Poon, Amelie Seure, Natasha Olson-Thorne, Sham Wai Sum, Kwong Sau Yan, Candy Cheng Tsz Ting and Stephanie Cuvelier from the squad that recently competed in Tokyo. Other elite athletes from the rugby sevens programme at the Hong Kong Sports Institute named include Royce Chan, Melody Li Nim Yan, Colleen Tjosvold and Garvey.

Hull and the selectors have tipped four potential new caps including Valley’s Rebecca Thompson who previously represented Hong Kong at age grade level and has recently returned from studying overseas. Hong Kong U20s sevens captain Aileen Ryan of Hong Kong Football Club has also been selected, along with Kowloon’s Mak Ho Yee, another U20s sevens player and National Age Grade representative, rounding out the three new caps in the backline.

“Our four new caps show great potential for the future,” said Hull. “Ryan, Thompson and Ho have come through the Age Grade programme as one of our key aims for the Tour is to groom young players. There are a number of exciting U19 players coming through at the moment and we wanted to ensure that opportunities to progress into senior rugby are provided.”

Jasmine Shuk Han Cheung is the only uncapped player selected in the forwards after having impressed selectors on her return to Hong Kong from studying overseas. “Jasmine brings a strong physical presence to the side. She has been playing in England and adds some valuable experience and knowledge to the team,” added Hull.

Spain finished ninth overall in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup after being grouped in the same pool with the eventual finalists England and Canada. Spain beat Kazakhstan 18-5 to advance to the ninth place play-off where they dispatched South Africa 36-0. The results indicate the challenge ahead for Hong Kong who lost their most recent test to Kazakhstan 40-0 in Almaty this spring.

“We expect a physical challenge from Spain, but they also have a full-time sevens squad which is obviously going to be a factor. They are good with ball in hand and fast, building out of their sevens capability, so it will be an excellent opportunity for us to gauge where we are,” said Hull.

“Spain are good, but we are focusing more on our own processes rather than our opponents. We have some talented players and can play dynamic rugby. We’re never going to be the biggest or the strongest team on the park, but we have an experienced front row that we will rely on heavily. We also have huge experience in the backline so we want to move the ball around.

“It’s very easy to say ‘we’re building’, but that is our mindset as we look from the next few months to four of five years from now. It’s important for the players to gain experience now.

We’ll be looking to see which combinations work on Tour and will focus on some key performance goals rather than judging success purely on wins and losses. Having said that, we want to show our strengths to the women’s rugby world and a win would be nice,” Hull concluded.

Hong Kong Squad, Spain Tour 12-21 December, 2015
Forwards: Karen So Hoi Ting, Amelie Seure, Royce Chan Leong Sze, Cheng Ching To, Christy Cheng Ka Chi, Chow Mei Nam (Captain), Claire Forster, Tammy Lau Nga Wun, Lee Ka Shun, Melody Li Nim Yan, Lo Wai Yan, Jasmine Shuk Han Cheung, Winnie Siu Wing Ni.
Backs: Adrienne Garvey (Vice Captain), Aileen Ryan, Cheng Tsz Ting, Colleen Tjosvold, Kwong Sau Yan, Lau Sze Wa, Mak Ho Yee, Natasha Olson-Thorne, Poon Pak Yan, Sham Wai Sum, Stephanie Cuvelier

Photo: HK Rugby Union

HK Cricket Match Reports: Women’s League 28-29 November, 2015

Saturday, 28th November 2015

HKCC Cavaliers v KCC Maidens
In an entertaining match at PKVR Reservoir on Saturday, HKCC Cavaliers scored a six-wicket victory over KCC Maidens.

The KCC women took first use of the wicket and they put together a good score of 6/193 with five of their top order reaching twenty and Amanda Kwok’s 35 their best.

The big score didn’t deter the HKCC Cavaliers’ batters and Jasmine Titmuss (76*) and Alvina Tam (45*) got them home in 33 overs with an unbroken stand of 133 for the fifth wicket.
At PKVR Reservoir: KCC Maidens 6/193 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Cavaliers 4/194 from 33 overs by six wickets.
Sunday, 29th November 2015

DLSWCC Wasps v USRC
Shahzeen Shahzad smashed an unbeaten 211 in just 33 overs as DLSWCC Wasps thumped USRC by 264 runs in a Women’s League match at PKVR Reservoir. The DLSWCC women batted first after winning the toss and they scored a massive 2/339 with Shanzeen helping herself to what is thought to be the first double century and the highest individual score by a women cricketer in Hong Kong. Manpreet Kaur also scored 40.

The USRC women, having been docked two overs for failing to bowl out their overs in time, managed to bat out their 31 overs to finish on 9-75. Mehreen Yousaf picked up 3/7 from six overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: DLSWCC Wasps 2/339 from 33 overs beat USRC 9/75 from 31 overs by 264 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 29 November, 2015

Sunday Championship – 29 November 2015

KCC Templars v KCC Infidels
As usual, the annual KCC derby between Templars and Infidels was evenly contested but it was Infidels that prevailed quite comfortably in the end.

Set a victory target of 220, Infidels chased down the total in the 47th over with Sunny Bhimsaria (44), skipper Muhammad Khan (37) and Najeeb Amar (38) making the major contributions.

Earlier in the day, Bhimsaria had grabbed three wickets as Templars were restricted to 9/219 from their 50 overs after failing to make the most of a strong start that saw them reach 1/93. Nigel Shroff with 51, Dylan Dearing 31 and Aditya Kanthan 41 were the best of the Templars’ batsmen.
At KCC: KCC Templars 9/219 from 50 overs lost to KCC Infidels 6/220 from 46.4 overs by four wickets.

HKCC Wanderers v DLSWCC Knights
In another thrilling finish at Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Wanderers pipped DLSWCC Knights by one wicket.

Knights batted first after winning the toss and Shakeel Haq dominated the early batting as he scored 44 out of the first 59 runs scored. But his was the fourth wicket to fall and the fifth fell soon after to leave the Knights teetering at 5/63 but a 99-run sixth wicket partnership, featuring 46 from Tabarak Dar, helped to lift the to an eventual total of 166 from 47.2 overs. Angus Robson was the best of the Wanderers’ bowlers, claiming 3/34 from 8.2 overs.

Knights’ skipper Niaz Ali grabbed three early wickets to reduce the Wanderers to 6/42 before a steadying 38 from Stuart Tohill moved the score to 75. Amanat Khan also grabbed three wickets as the Wanderers top and middle order were blown away. A 57-run eighth wicket stand between skipper Jon Bond and Tim Cutler got the score to 132 but when Niaz grabbed his fourth wicket shortly afterwards, 25 runs were still needed for victory with the last pair at the crease. Cutler nurtured the scoring with a fine 79 not out as Wanderers earned the narrowest of victories in a nail-biting finish.
At HKCC: DLSWCC Knights 166 from 47.2 overs lost to HKCC Wanderers 9/167 from 42 overs by one wicket.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 28 November, 2015

With Mission Road now out of action due to a period of winter turf maintenance, there were only three Saturday Championship matches played this week.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Nomads v KCC Tartars
In a tight match at Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Nomads bounced back from last week’s loss to beat KCC Tartars by 11 runs.

Batting first after winning the toss, Nomads recovered from the early loss of both openers to post a score of 9/194. Shephard was the best of the Nomads batsmen, scoring 63.

Tartars’ reply failed to gain much momentum as they lost wickets at regular intervals and at 7/104 they looked dead and buried however, a battling 71 from Afzaal Haider got them within 11 runs of victory. James Dillon picked up 3/42 for Nomads.
At HKCC: HKCC Nomads 9/194 from 35 overs beat KCC Tartars 183 from 34.4 overs by 11 runs.

KCC Saracens v CCC Jing Sun
At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Saracens continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 50-run victory over the previously unbeaten CCC Jing Sun.

Saracens have Simondeep Singh (35) and Usman Manj (45) to thank for their score of 7/161 as the pair shared an 86-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Giacomo Lamplough was the pick of the CCC bowlers, claiming 4/37 from his seven over spell.

The CCC reply got away to a good start but from 0/34, they slipped to 3/36. They recovered to 3/81 but then slumped to 7/88 as wickets fell in groups to stymy any momentum they had built up. They eventually reached 111 at which score they lost their last three wickets. Naveen Shivalingham was the best of the Saracen’s bowlers with 3/15 from five overs.
At KCC: KCC Saracens 7/161 from 35 overs beat CCC Jing Sun 111 from 31.5 overs by 50 runs.

Saturday Championship Division 2

SCC Lancers v Lamma CC
At PKVR Park, SCC Lancers got their second win in as many weeks with a seven-wicket victory over Lamma CC.

Lamma batted first after winning the toss and they were led from the front by their skipper Andy Fullard who scored 76 in an eventual score of 7/167 from 35 overs. SCC Lancers only lost three wickets in their chase that was ably finished off by Prakash Chakravarti and Nitesh Jeevan who scored 44 not out and 64 not out respectively.
At PKVR Park: Lamma CC 7/167 from 35 overs lost to SCC Lancers 3/171 from 31 overs by seven wickets.

Babar Hayat and Mark Chapman Smash Hong Kong to Victory

Mark Chapman bludgeoned a six to complete a consolation win, as he and Babar Hayat put on an unbeaten 127-run partnership to lead Hong Kong to an eight-wicket victory in the final T20I against Oman in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (26 November).

Chasing 150 for victory, both Babar (65*) and Chapman (63*) struck their highest ever T20I scores in a third-wicket partnership that spanned 14 overs. Their stand was the fifth-highest for the third wicket in T20I history, and the highest ever by an Associate side. It is also the highest-ever partnership in Hong Kong’s T20I and ODI history.

Both batsmen were still at the crease when Chapman struck a mighty six to take the side to 155 for the loss of only two wickets in 18.3 overs. The win also proved a consolation victory in the three-match series, after Oman won the first T20I by six wickets and the second by four runs.

Babar’s historic knock is the highest-ever T20I innings by a Hong Kong player, and came off only 45 deliveries, including four fours and three sixes. Chapman’s innings is the second-highest for Hong Kong, and came from 41 balls, including three fours and three sixes.

The side looked like it might be in trouble when it lost opener Kinchit Shah (5) in the second over, and then Anshuman Rath (20) in the fifth over. However, the two hard hitters showed no signs of pressure as they pushed the ball around for singles in between the boundaries.

Babar brought up his half century with a boundary in the 15th over, while Chapman’s came two overs later after the pair scampered between the wickets for two runs.

Earlier, captain Tanwir Afzal won the toss and sent Oman in to bat, and the side quickly set about putting runs on the board. Khawar Ali (18) and Zeeshan Maqsood (23) put on 34 runs at a run rate of 9.71 before Haseeb Amjad struck in the fourth over to dismiss Khawar, caught at long on by Babar Hayat.

New batsman Aaqib Sulehri was helped back to the change rooms on the very next ball, with Haseeb’s delivery striking his foot and forcing him to retire hurt. After Aizaz Khan dismissed Zeeshan Maqsood four overs later, Adnan Ilyas (49) and Aamir Kaleem (46 not out) combined for a 101-run partnership, scoring at well above a run a ball until Haseeb struck on the last ball of the innings with a plumb delivery, knocking out the stumps to dismiss Adnan one run short of his half century, on 49 runs, to see Oman post a total of 149 for the loss of four wickets.

Hong Kong’s Aizaz and Haseeb each claimed two wickets.

Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal was thrilled with his side’s clinical performance: “I think our approach today was really good. I am so happy that throughout this long tour, we’ve had some injuries, but we still have had guys who’ve done really well with the ball and in the field. We’ve struggled a bit with the batting, but it worked in this game and hopefully it is a good sign for us looking forward to our next game against Afghanistan.”

The skipper believed that the victory will put his team in a good mindset for the final match of its tour, a one-off T20I against Afghanistan on Saturday. “I think today was a very comfortable win against Oman, I think we really worked hard and we learned a lot from the last two games, and it is good for us, going forward. We have a few changes in the batting order and different roles, so it is a really positive sign that we clicked in this game, and hopefully it will work in the future.”

Hong Kong Head Coach Simon Cook was delighted with the record-breaking partnership: “Babar and Mark came out and were outstanding, it’s as good a run-chase as I’ve seen in T20 cricket, you don’t often get 100-partnerships in T20, and we’ve had one of the best ones here. To get an over-par score and knock it off with nine balls remaining was an outstanding effort. The two guys who got runs today really took ownership of that partnership, and ownership of the game, and they controlled it and really never let Oman into the game from probably the 10th over onwards.”

He believed that his charges would take some valuable lessons from the series loss to prepare for Saturday’s one-off T20I against Afghanistan. “The first two games, I think the word ‘frustrating’ was used, and I would probably use it again today – it is frustrating because if we’d played half as well yesterday as we did today, we would have probably taken this series 3-0. But as it is, we go down 2-1, but having learned a lot of really good lessons.”

“The win will fill the guys with a lot of confidence, certainly with a run-chase as emphatic as that. The Afghan bowlers will provide a challenging test for our guys, and also with the ball as well. So there is still a lot of work to do, but a lot of confidence can be taken from this run chase and how it was constructed, and how it was finished off in such a clinical fashion.”

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 22 November, 2015

Sunday, 22nd November 2015
HKCC Scorpions v HKCC Optimists
The first HKCC derby of the Sunday Championship for 2015-16 saw HKCC Scorpions thrash HKCC Optimists by 160 runs. Excellent batting by the Scorpions top order saw them reach 2/305 off their 50 overs with Charlie Bright smashing an unbeaten 124 while David Varley (42), Raag Kapur (34) and James Redmayne (78*) all made useful contributions. Partnerships in the innings were impressive too with 103 runs for the first wicket; 90 runs for the second and an unbroken stand of 112 runs for the third.

If batting seemed easy, Matt Rafter dispelled any thoughts of a run chase as he grabbed four early wickets to leave the Optimists batting in tatters at 6/25. David Jacquier (30) and James Dillon (50) provided a little resistance but all it did was delay the inevitable as Scorpions ran out winners by 160 runs. Giacomo Lamplough picked up two late wickets to go with his two early strikes and finished with 4/18 from 6.4 overs. Rafter finished with figures of 4/25 from his eight over spell.
At HKCC: HKCC Scorpions 2/305 from 50 overs beat HKCC Optimists 145 from 29.4 overs by 160 runs.

HKCC Wanderers v KCC Infidels
At Kowloon Cricket Club, HKCC Wanderers enjoyed a big win over KCC Infidels on the back of a stunning bowling performance by Tim Cutler.

Infidels would have been happy to restrict the visitors to 9/217 from their 50 overs after they elected to bat first. Infidels had the better of the early exchanges but Harry Bailey (36) and Craig (49) got the Wanderers innings back on track after they had stumbled to 4/61. Wanderers were grateful for some useful knocks by the tail-enders to get them over the 200 mark.

A 50-run opening partnership between Ravi Sujanani and Sunny Bhimsaria set Infidels on the right path and at 1/79, they looked to be cruising. However, the return of Tim Cutler to the bowling crease turned the match on its head as Infidels were quickly reduced to 5/83. Bhimsaria aside, the Infidels’ batsmen appeared clueless against the spinning ball and their innings was wrapped up in 30 overs for 129. Culter’s impressive figures read 8/35 from ten overs, including three maidens, while Bhimsaria finished unbeaten on 70.
At KCC: HKCC Wanderers 9/217 from 50 overs beat KCC Infidels 129 from 30 overs by 88 runs.

DLSWCC JKN v DLSWCC Knights
At Mission Road, the derby match between DLSWCC JKN and DLSWCC Knights finished with JKN winning comfortably and earning a bonus point in the process. JKN batted first after winning the toss and they reached 225 in 41 overs with skipper Moner Ahmed top-scoring with 94 and Ehsan Khan hitting 33. With the ball, Knight’s skipper Niaz Ali picked up 3/45 while Aftad Ahmed claimed 3/32.

In reply, the Knights were quickly reduced to 4/12 with JKN’s opening bowlers Jangzeb Khan and Karandeep Singh making two early strikes each. Niaz Ali hit 66 but he couldn’t find enough support from the lower order batsmen and their innings finished on 178.
At Mission Road: DLSWCC JKN 225 from 41 overs beat DLSWCC Knights 178 from 50 overs by 47 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 21 November, 2015

Saturday Championship Division 1
CCC Jing Sun v HKCC Nomads
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, CCC Jing Sun beat hosts and defending championship HKCC Nomads by four wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, Nomads were in all sorts of trouble at 6/49 after Elliot Andrews (3/46) and Matt Rafter (3/14) destroyed the top order, with three wickets each. Some middle order resistance by Andrew Swan (40) and Sagar Chandra (33*) got them to an eventual total of 137 but the tail was knocked over by Jonathan Brunello who claimed 3/27. Andrews then top-scored with 34 as CCC Jing Sun chased down the runs in the 31st over. He received good support from Stuart Henwood who finished on 31 not out.
At HKCC: HKCC Nomads 137 from 29.1 overs lost to CCC Jing Sun 6/138 from 30.4 overs by four wickets.

KCC Crusaders v Pakistan Association
At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Crusaders and Pakistan Association fought a close battle than went done to the wire. Crusaders found themselves batting first after Pakistan Association won the toss and they lost wickets at regular intervals to be 3/49 and then 4/80. An unbeaten 74 from Dylan Dearing got Crusaders to 6/181 from their 35 overs.

Facing only 34 overs to chase down the total after being docked one over for slow bowling, the Pakistan Association innings followed much the same pattern as Crusaders’. Hamed Khan hit 32 but Pakistan Association found themselves in some trouble at 5/74. However, a fine unbeaten 72 from Akbar Khan, with valuable contributions from the lower order batsmen, got them home off the penultimate ball of the game.
At KCC: KCC Crusaders 6/181 from 35 overs lost to Pakistan Association 8/182 from 33.5 overs by two wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2
DLSWCC Spartans v Kai Tak CC
DLSWCC Spartans made short work of Kai Tak CC in a Division 2 match at Mission Road. Spartans batted first and made 165 from their 35 overs with Haroon Arshad (44) and Hiren Patel (35) making the major contributions while Kai Tak skipper Mohsin Naqvi picked up 3/26 in his seven over spell.

A hat-trick by Mohsin Khan in his first over knocked the stuffing out of the Kai Tak batting line-up and their innings capitulated for just 48. Khan grabbed 7/29 and Karandeep Singh claimed 3/12 as Kai Tak were bundled out in less than 14 overs.
At MR: DLSWCC Spartans 165 from 35 overs beat Kai Tak 48 from 13.4 overs by 117 runs.

SCC Lancers v Pioneers CC
At PKVR Park, SCC Lancers enjoyed a bonus point victory over Pioneers CC. Batting first after winning the toss, SCC Lancers blasted their way to a total of 5/277 off their 35 overs with Krishnakumar Kalathil (77) and Tanmay Bijur (93) combining for a second wicket partnership of 157 runs. Uday Shetty also pitched in with a quickfire 43 at the end. Pioneers’ skipper James Chan top-scored with 52 as Pioneers were restricted to 7/132 in their reply.
At PKVR Park: SCC Lancers 5/277 from 35 overs beat Pioneers CC 7/132 from 35 overs.

Lamma CC v CCC Hung See
At PTC, Lamma CC beat CCC Hung See by six wickets. After being sent in to bat, CCC Hung See reached 8/138 from their 35 overs with Anthony Marrin top scoring with 48. Royce McDonald was the pick of the Lamma bowlers, as he claimed 5/28 in a damaging spell.

Lamma’s reply was led by Adrian Sargent with an unbeaten 48 and they did just enough to earn themselves a bonus point by the narrowest of margins.
At PTC: CCC Hung See 8/138 from 35 overs lost to Lamma CC 4/140 from 28.4 overs by six wickets.

Match Reports: Women’s League 21-22 November, 2015

Saturday, 21st November 2015
HKCC Willow Wielders continued their unbeaten run this season with a nine-wicket demolition of CCC Fung Wong at PKVR Reservoir. CCC Fung, only fielding eight players could only manage a total of 127 in 26.3 overs with their skipper Pull To scoring 51.

Unbeaten knocks by Jenefer Davies and Marina Lamplough, who finished on 47* and 62* got the HKCC women home in 16.2 overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: CCC Fung Wong 127 from 26.3 overs lost to HKCC Willow Wielders 1/128 from 16.2 overs by nine wickets.

Sunday, 22nd November 2015
The Women League match at PKVR Reservoir was wrapped up in less than 20 overs with DLSWCC Wasps thrashing the PACC women by nine wickets. PACC were bowled out for just 29 in 14 overs with Shanzeen Shahzad picking up 4/20 and Mehreen Yousaf claiming 5/9. The DLSWCC Wasps batters needed only 5.3 overs to knock off the runs, although they did manage to lose a wicket in the process.
At PKVR Reservoir: PACC 29 from 14 overs lost to DLSWCC Wasps 1/32 from 5.3 overs by nine wickets.