Mariko Hill Relishing HKCC Willow Wielders 8th Straight Title

Although only 21 years of age, Hong Kong women’s captain Mariko Hill has won more titles than most would dare to dream about in a whole career.

For the eighth straight season, Hill was a part of the victorious Hong Kong Cricket Club Willow Wielders team that won the Women’s League. Prior to being knocked off this season by the HKCC Cavaliers in the women’s T20 league, the Willow Wielders had also won seven straight titles in the short-form format. Tally that up and it’s 15 senior titles that Hill has been a part of.

“Winning eight in a row is a great achievement not only as an individual but as a club as a whole. We are probably one of the first teams to achieve this and shows how consistent we are,” Hill said.

“Definitely ranks up there with one of my proudest achievements, we actually didn’t realise it straight after the game but when you think about it, eight years in a row is incredible. We also won seven T20 leagues in a row, which would have been eight if we weren’t beaten this year, so it’s quite remarkable.”

“Over time one of the things that we struggled with was people coming in and out but after a while we’ve built team unity and cherished the time we do get with each other. The coaching staff across those years has helped build that unity and work on our skills.”

Although only 14 when she first came into the team, Hill made an impact from her very first season in 2009-10, scoring a century during that season against Little Sai Wan. Now a genuine all-rounder, she’s a vital cog of not just the Willow Wielders, but also the Hong Kong women’s set-up, which was reaffirmed when she was selected as the tournament’s best batter for the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifiers Asia in 2016.

While captaincy duties with the Willow Wielders fall to Sara Young, Hill still plays a key role as a leader within the team.

“It’s different now, I used to be the young one that just turned up and had fun on the field but now being a senior player and Hong Kong captain and a role model, you need to bring a bit of maturity. But that’s not to say we don’t still have fun!”

“We were all quite new a few years ago so it was quite tough as a few of us had to dig deep but looking at the team now we are quite experienced. Particularly Ashley Hung – she’s come a long way from where she was a few years ago and become one of our main bowlers. Each player knows their roles now and we are more structured with our batting and bowling plans.”

So what’s the secret to the Willow Wielders success? Hill hints it might lie off the field as much as it does on it.

“Since Jasmine (Titmuss) came into the HKCC set-up as a coach, she’s brought the spirit of the game a lot more and we’ve really bonded as a team outside of cricket as well with dinners and people enjoying things rather than just cricket itself. This year meant a lot to all the club members after Anita Miles’ passing so wearing the club jerseys meant a lot to us.”

“There’s a lot coming for women’s cricket, the Hong Kong women’s squad have a lot of players from both our side and the HKCC Cavaliers, which shows the club have a great programme.”

And Hill will only have a short off-season with the Hong Kong women’s squad setting themselves for two important tournaments in the second half of the year. She wants to make amends for the disappointment of 2016 World Cup qualifiers where the team started with two victories only to lose their next four and miss out on progression.

“Looking back at last year we didn’t graft it out, but we can take that into account and go forward,” Hill said. “We don’t want that feeling again of disappointment so I’m looking forward to it.”

Aside from the World T20 qualifiers, the women’s squad will also host Japan, Korea and China in the East Asia Cup, which will be hosted by Hong Kong in September.

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket

HK Women’s Cricket: Twenty20 Cup Match Reports 16-18 September, 2016

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Women’s Twenty20 Cup

HKCC Cavaliers v HKCC Willow Wielders
In an all-HKCC affair on the 16 September, Cavaliers beat the Willow Wielders by 16 runs.

Batting first, Cavaliers’ Jasmine Titmuss led the team with 32 runs, while Hong Kong captain Emma Lai added 22. They finished their innings with a total of 76. Willow Wielders’ Annie Ho took one wicket and allowed only nine runs in four overs.

In response, Willow Wielders’ opener Yasmin Daswani led the team with 25 runs, while Ashley Hung scored 12. Their chase proved unsuccessful as Cavaliers’ Ruchitha Venkatesh took three wickets while allowing only six runs in four overs.
Scorecard: www.crichq.com/#matches/429620/1st_innings

CCC Fung Wong v DLSW Wasps
Little Sai Wan Wasps beat Craigengower Cricket Club Fung Wong by 64 runs on the 18 September.

Wasps’ opener Manpreet Kaur scored a team-high 44 runs. Her partner, last season’s cricketer of the year Shanzeen Shahzad scored 14 runs facing only 7 balls. Yousaf Mehreen added an efficient 33 runs of 29 balls to bring the total to 157. Hong Kong and Fung Wong’s bowler Kary Chan took four wickets for 20 runs.

Fung Wong’s V Wong scored a team-high 19 runs off 22 balls, and Kary Chan added 11 runs off 8 balls in their unsuccessful chase. Yousaf Mehreen was Wasps top bowler with 1/18 in three overs.
Scorecard: www.crichq.com/#matches/429100/1st_innings

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USRC v KCC Maidens
Kowloon Cricket Club Maidens defeated the United Services Recreation Club with nine wickets to spare.

USRC scored 41 runs after getting all out in the 18th over. KCC needed only five overs and two balls to overcome the target.
Scorecard: www.crichq.com/#matches/429593/1st_innings

Additional reporting and photos: HK Cricket Association

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Premier League – 15 May, 2016

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Women’s Premier League – 15 May, 2016

The first of three Women’s Premier League 40-over fixtures was played at the Mission Road ground on Sunday, 15th May 2016. Teams were boosted by the addition of star players Sarah Coyte and Kristen Beams from Australia and Shizuka Miyaji and Mai Yanagida from Japan. Both teams also featured an under-13 player with Aarush Bhagwat playing for Sail and Sachit Anand playing for Bauhinia.

Conditions were sunny and hot as HKCA Sail (wearing blue) won the toss and elected to bat first. They got away to a good start with Kary Chan and Chan Sau Ha putting on 43 for the first wicket before Kary was bowled by Marina Lamplough for 12. Chan Sau Ha fell shortly afterwards for 25 – the first of seven run-outs in the match – and when Shanzeen Shahzad was trapped LBW for 1 by Shizuka Miyaji, Sail had slipped to 3/58.

Emma Lai and Sarah Coyte then combined in a 76-run partnership for the fourth wicket that laid the foundation for a big Sail total. Lai was eventually bowled by Kristen Beams for 24 and Coyte was stumped off the bowling of Alvina Tam for 54. Aarush Bhagwat hit 29 and Mai Yanagida scored 11 in the late charge for runs as Sail finished on 8/191 from their 40 overs.

For the Bauhinia team, Kristen Beams was the pick of the bowlers with 2/29 from her eight overs while Marina Lamplough, Shizuka Miyaji, Alvina Tam and Keenu Gill claimed one wicket each.

The Bauhinia innings followed a very similar pattern to that of Sail’s. An enterprising opening stand of 46 between Shizuka Miyaji (12) and Keenu Gill (28) was followed by three quick wickets that saw Bauhinia slip to 3/59. Jasmine Titmuss claimed both openers, with Mehreen Yousaf taking a brilliant catch to dismiss Keenu Gill, while Pull To was the third to fall after being sent back by her partner and run-out for 5. Another run-out saw the demise of Bauhinia’s skipper Mariko Hill (5) thanks to an excellent piece of fielding by Chan Sau Ha, to leave the Bauhinia innings teetering at 4/76.

A 62-run fifth wicket partnership between Sachit Anand and Kristen Beams got the Bauhinia innings back on track. Sachit batted very well to reach 41 but he fell to an excellent caught and bowled by Amanda Kwok. Marina Lamplough the fell for 5 off the bowling Coyte but Bauhinia still looked well on target to overhaul the Sail total at 6/160. But when Bauhinia’s momentum stalled, their batting and running between the wickets got more desperate as the overs ebbed away. Beams was bowled for 47 by Mehreen Yousaf after which Jenefer Davies, Annie Ho and Lemon Cheung were all run-out chasing non-existent singles.

Jasmine Titmuss was the pick of the bowlers for Sail, claiming 2/27 from her eight overs with two maidens while Mehreen Yousaf, Sarah Coyte and Amanda Kwok were the other wicket-takers for Sail.

Sail’s victory by six runs was their first in the series after Bauhinia had won the first two T20 matches in the series.

Despite being on the losing side, Sarah Coyte earned the Player of the Match award for her 54 runs and 1/28.

Score Summary: HKCA Sail 9/181 from 40 overs beat HKCA Bauhinia 185 from 39.1 overs by 6 runs

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 24 April 2016

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Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 24 April 2016

HKCC Cavaliers v HKCC Willow Wielders
The two HKCC women’s teams played a rescheduled derby game to bring the curtain down on the 2015-16 Women’s League and T20 Cup season.

Cavaliers won the toss and put the Willow Wielders in to bat first. The Cavaliers bowlers struck early and had the much-vaunted Willow Wielders batting attack struggling at 4/29 with Mariko Hill not out 17. Sara Young was the only other batter to reach double-figures and Willow Wielders finished their 20 overs on 7/87. Ruchitha Venkatesh and Alvina Tam claimed two wickets each for the Cavaliers.

In reply, the early run out of Natural Yip dented the Cavaliers chances but a solid 22 from Emma Lai had them sitting pretty at 2/51. However, Emma’s dismissal saw the Cavalier’s innings collapse to 75 all out. Chan Sau Ha and Annie Ho picked up two wickets each for the Willow Wielders.
At HKCC: HKCC Willow Wielders 7/87 from 20 overs beat HKCC Cavaliers 75 from 19.3 overs by 12 runs.

The Willow Wielders victory saw them sweep the Women’s League and Women’s T20 Cup titles for the 2015-16 season. The Willow Wielders have now won seven consecutive Women’s League titles and four consecutive T20 Cup titles.

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 13 March 2016

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Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 13 March 2016

CCC Fung Wong v USRC
In the first match of the day, CCC Fung Wong’s Kary Chan made the highest score in the competition this season with 132 not out in a total of 0/204 against USRC.

In reply, the USRC women, batted out their 20 overs and finished on 6/73 with Sweta top scoring with 14.
At PKVR Reservoir: CCC Fung Wong 0/204 from 20 overs beat USRC 6/73 from 20 overs by 131 runs.

DLSWCC Wasps v HKCC Willow Wielders
​A couple of rain interruptions affected the second match of the day between DLSWCC Wasps and HKCC Willow Wielders.

A delayed start saw the match reduced to 19 overs per side after which DLSWCC Wasps batted first and scored 8/146. Shanzeen Shahzad top scored with 35 while Manpreet Kaur and Jaswinder Kaur scored 34 and 24 respectively. Marina Lamplough was the best of the HKCC bowlers with figures of 4/29 from her four over spell.

Another rain break between innings saw the HKCC Willow Wielders target reduced to 115 from 15 overs. The Willow Wielders had little trouble reaching the revised target thanks to unbeaten knocks of 61 by Mariko Hill and 39 by Marina Lamplough.
At PKVR Reservoir: DLSWCC Wasps 8/146 from 19 overs lost to HKCC Willow Wielders (target reduced to 115 from 15 overs) 1/116 from 13.4 overs by nine wickets.

photo: Takumi Photography

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 28 February 2016

Shanzeen Shaz - 28 Feb 2016

Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 28th February 2016

Only two of the three Women’s T20 Cup games were played this weekend with PACC unable to field a team against USRC while HKCC Willow Wielders enjoyed a bye.

KCC Maidens v CCC Fung Wong
In the early game, played in sunny conditions, KCC Maidens beat CCC Fung Wong by 40 runs.

The CCC women elected to field first but they spent the next twenty overs chasing leather as KCC notched up a score of 7/146 from their 20 overs. Keenu Gill top scored with 74.

In reply, Kary Chan and Pull To both hit 31 but their efforts weren’t enough to overcome the KCC team’s score. In the end, CCC Fung Wong reached 6/106 off their twenty overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: KCC Maidens 7/146 from 20 overs beat CCC Fung Wong 6/106 from 20 overs by 40 runs.

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DLSWCC Wasps v HKCC Cavaliers
In the second match, between DLSWCC Wasps and HKCC Cavaliers, the Wasps took first use of the crease after winning the toss. They managed to score 4/118 from their 20 overs with Wasps’ skipper Shanzeen Shahzad hitting an unbeaten on 68 while Jaswinder Kaur also scored 21.

In reply, Natural Yip hit 57 and Mary Henderson scored 34 in an opening partnership of 92 that effectively won the game for HKCC Cavaliers. However, the HKCC team still managed to lose four wickets in knocking off the remaining runs in 15 overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: DLSWCC Wasps 4/118 from 20 overs lost to HKCC Cavaliers 4/119 from 15 overs by six wickets.

photo: Takumi Photography
source: HK Cricket Association

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 20 February 2016

Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 21 February 2016

KCC Maidens v DLSWCC Wasps
With no Sunday Championship match on at Kowloon Cricket Club, the women’s teams from KCC and DLSWCC enjoyed a rare outing on the hallowed turf. The match was the first in the second half of the Women’s T20 Cup competition.

The KCC Maiden’s won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Maiden’s bowlers restricted the DLSWCC Wasps to 7/76 from their 20 overs with Jaswinder Kaur top scoring with 18 while Shanzeen Shahzad hit 17. The Haider sisters, Mahreen and Rida, grabbed two wickets each for the Maidens.

KCC’s opening batters, Keenu Gill and Sidra Nasreen, had little trouble knocking off the runs in just seven overs. Gill finished unbeaten on 40 while Nasreen scored 23 not out.
At KCC: DLSWCC Wasps 7/76 from 20 overs lost to KCC Maidens 0/77 from seven overs by ten wickets.

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Premier League – 7 February 2016

Bauhinia v Sail

The second match of the inaugural Women’s Premier League between Bauhinia (red) and Sail (blue) was played at Mission Road on Sunday, 7th February 2016.

In stark contrast to the first match of the series, the second game was played under brilliantly clear skies with mild temperatures. Hoping to make best use of the conditions, Bauhinia’s skipper Mariko Hill opted to bowl first after winning the toss. The Sail opening pairing of Kary Chan and Rucitha Venkatesh got the innings off to a flying start with 14 runs coming off the first over, courtesy of some good running.

The pair moved the score to 23 after four overs before Pull To struck to dismiss Ruchitha in her first over – a wicket maiden. Pull To then bowled Shanzeen Shahzad in her next over to leave Sail on 2/31 in the seventh over.

Keenu Gill attempted to increase the run-rate but she was stumped by wicket-keeper Jenefer Davies after scoring 9 to give Pull To her third wicket.

Kary Chan hit a couple of boundaries in her 17 but she was next to fall, bowled by Amada Kwok, with the score on 51. A 20-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Chan Sau Ha and Emma Lai lifted the score to 71 at which stage Chan Sau Ha was caught by Mariko. The remaining Sail batters added 15 runs in the last three overs and the Sail innings finished with their score on 8/86 with Emma Lai unbeaten on 15.

Pull To was the pick of the bowlers for the Bauhinia team and she finished with the excellent figures of 3/16 from her four overs.

Pull To and Jenefer Davies opened the reply for Bauhinia and they put together an opening partnership of 31 before Pull To was bowled by Ruchitha for 22, including four boundaries. Davies and Mariko Hill added 42 runs for the second wicket but with the score on 73, Hill was bowled by Chan Sau Ha for 21 and, shortly afterwards, Davies was run-out for 15. With only 11 runs needed for victory and with plenty of overs and wickets in hand, Cindy Ho (8*) and Amanda Kwok (2*) eased Bauhinia over the line without further loss. Bauhinia’s victory gives them a 2-0 lead in the series.

Match Summary: Sail 8/86 from 20 overs lost to Bauhinia 3/87 from 18.5 overs by seven wickets.

Pull To

photo: Takumi Photography