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HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 12 December, 2015

Saturday Championship

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Gap Ramblers v KCC Saracens
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Gap Ramblers left it late to beat KCC Saracens.

Saracens won the toss and elected to bat first and had Saumil Shah (49) and Simondeep Singh (68) to thank for them reaching their total of 7/182 from 35 overs. In reply, Gap Ramblers lost both openers with only 23 runs on the board but a third wicket partnership of 135 runs between David Varley (59) and George Clarke (73) got them close and they eventually achieved their victory with four balls and six wickets to spare.
At HKCC: KCC Saracens 7/182 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Gap Ramblers 4/184 from 34.2 overs by six wickets.

KCC Tartars v KCC Crusaders
In the last derby match of the season at Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Tartars beat KCC Crusaders by 55 runs.

Saeed Farooq was the only batsman to master the green tinged wicket and his innings of 53 was the stand out batting performance from either side as Tartars reached 8/155 from their 35 overs. Tartars’ bowlers then bossed the second innings with Afzaal Haider claiming 4/30 from 5.2 overs while Ateeq Ul-Rehman (3/26) and Waqar Dawood (3/20) also got into the wickets.
At KCC: KCC Tartars 8/155 from 35 overs beat KCC Crusaders 100 from 29.2 overs by 55 runs.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Lamma v USRC/MCC
At PKVR Park, Lamma scored a bonus point victory over USRC/MCC.

Lamma elected to bowl first after winning the toss and they reduced USRC/MCC to 3/34 after opener Syed Ibraz hit 31 of those runs. Sikandar Zafar (40) then dominated a 61-run fourth wicket partnership that got the score to 4/95 before another flurry of wickets saw them slump to 6/97. USRC/MCC, still going at a rate of knots, were eventually dismissed for 123 in just 18.3 overs. Brenton McDonald was Lamma’s chief destroyer, claiming 6/20 from 4.3 overs.

Lamma got off to a solid start in the second innings with the openers putting on 58. Haider Bukhari was first wicket to fall, having scored 30. Ian Beck followed with a fine 50 as Lamma reached 5/108. It was a proud day for the McDonald clan as the father and son combination of Royce and Brenton saw Lamma home in the 24th over for their fourth win of the season. Usman Mohammad was the best of the USRC/MCC bowlers, claiming 3/16 in five overs.
At PKVR Park: USRC/MCC 123 from 18.3 overs lost to Lamma CC 6/124 from 24 overs by four wickets.

DLSW Spartans v CCC Hung See
There was another bonus point victory at the Police Training College in Aberdeen where DLSW Spartans defeated CCC Hung See 88 runs. Spartans’ opener Haseeb Muhammad dominated proceedings with a fine 115 as they posted a score of 204 all out in 35 overs. Twelve-year-old Dhruv Sodhi claimed the bowling honours for Hung See with 5/40 from seven overs.

Hung See got away to a slow but steady start and they looked well placed to push on after reaching 1/46. However, a mini-collapse saw them slip to 4/51 and from there they never recovered. Hung See’s middle and lower order batsmen managed to see out the 35 overs as they totaled 6/116. Hari Virani (3/21) was the best of the bowlers for Spartans.
At PTC: DLSW Spartans 204 from 35 overs beat CCC Hung See 7/116 from 35 overs by 88 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 13 December, 2015

Sunday Championship

HKCC Optimists v HKCC Wanderers
There was an entertaining Sunday Championship derby match at Hong Kong Cricket Club where HKCC Optimists beat HKCC Wanderers by 22 runs.

Wanderers got the better of the early proceedings as Optimists slumped to 3/9 after winning the toss and electing to bat with Tim Cutler dismissing both openers. Regular strikes kept the Optimists batsmen at bay and the top five batsmen were all back in the clubhouse with only 51 runs on the board. A middle-order fightback led by Miles Richardson (56), with useful contributions from Sam O’Malley (30) and Simon Cook (35) got them to a final score of 186 in 45.3 overs. Harry Bailey picked up 3/36 for Wanderers.

Simon Cook dismissed both openers as Wanderers got away to a stuttering start that left them at 3/29. An 89-run fourth wicket partnership lifted the score to 118, with Craig Johnstone hitting 40. Harry Bailey also struck 59 but a burst of wickets by Miles Richardson saw Wanderers slump from 5/162 to 164 all out in 46.3 overs. Richardson finished with 5/33 from 8.3 overs in a devastating spell.
At HKCC: HKCC Optimists 186 from 45.3 overs beat HKCC Wanderers 164 from 46.3 overs by 22 runs.

KCC Templars v USRC/MCC
It was all over before lunch at Kowloon Cricket Club where KCC Templars steam-rolled USRC/MCC by eight wickets.

On a green wicket, KCC Templars skipper Ashley Caddy had no hesitation inviting USRC/MCC to bat after winning the toss and his opening bowlers made good use of the conditions. Adil Mehmood bowled with good pace and accuracy and he was rewarded with excellent figures of 5/15 from his ten over spell. Ibrez Syed chose to attack rather than defend and he was the only USRC/MCC batsmen to prosper, if only fleetingly, with 34. Roy Lamsam mopped up the tail as USRC/MCC were dismissed for 76 in just 22.1 overs.

The Templars’ batsmen did not muck about getting to their victory target, which they reached inside ten overs with Dylan Dearing hitting 36.
At KCC: USRC/MCC 76 from 22.1 overs lost to KCC Templars 2/77 from 9.4 overs by eight wickets.

Spain 59-12 Hong Kong – First Test, Match Report

As it looks towards the future Hong Kong’s Women’s XVs lost 59-12 to Spain yesterday (15 December) in its first ever test match against a non-Asian opponent. Hong Kong will have a chance at redemption in the second test on Saturday, 19 December, in Madrid.

After the match, Hong Kong Coach Jo Hull said, “It was obviously a tough score line, but going into this series our focus is squarely on us as a team and our individual and collective performance goals. This is how we will measure our success and the goal is clear now in how we improve from the first match to Saturday, and how we adapt to a much faster and more physical game of rugby like we saw from Spain.

“This week is about building for the future, and to do that we need to expose ourselves at this level internationally,” Hull added.

The biggest questions for Hong Kong to answer ahead of Saturday were posed by the Spanish pack, which dealt most of the damage, particularly with ball in hand, as each forward carry saw Spain regularly collecting large chunks of territory. Spain’s support play was also superb, as they repeatedly sucked in the defence before releasing the ball to the backline with numerous gaps to exploit.

Hong Kong’s backs were unable to get much positive play generated until the second half, when they proved that with good ball they can equal the Spanish attack. With the set piece under significant pressure, Hong Kong’s backs were tasked with tackling for most of the match – any ball they did receive usually was attached to a sizable Spanish defender flooding into the backline.

The team’s commitment in defence was solid, although first-up tackling was an issue early in the match. Spain quickly gathered momentum early by using their forwards in space from the ruck and maul. They methodically moved the ball deep into Hong Kong’s territory scoring their first try in the 6^th minute.

More tries followed, most of them scored by the Spanish pack, and Hong Kong was trailing 17-0 by the 15^th minute. Spain added 14 more points in the second quarter to take a 31-0 lead at halftime.

Hong Kong responded well in the second half with Aggie Poon Pak Yan scoring early on. Poon collected the ball from a Spanish miscue on a well-placed high ball, taking cleanly before dashing 40 metres for the try. Adrienne Garvey’s conversion brought the score to 38-7. Poon later left the match injured and her availability for Saturday’s test could be in question.

Natasha Olson-Thorne, made an impact after coming on as a reserve in the second half. Her physical presence rallied the defence as she repeatedly made the solo tackles that had eluded Hong Kong for much of the match. The addition of reserve scrumhalf Chloe Mak Ho Yee was also instrumental in fueling Hong Kong’s improved performance after the break. Mak added pace to the attack and showed good tactical awareness in shifting the point of attack to unbalance the Spanish defence.

In the 70^th minute, Olson-Thorne scored Hong Kong’s second try, a fine solo effort. With the forwards cleanly claiming the ball from an attacking line out, Olson-Thorne entered the line at pace before fending off her opposite number to create a gap in the defence and race away untouched for a long try. Garvey’s conversion was wide leaving Hong Kong on 12 points to Spain’s eventual 59.

Hull singled out the performances of Mak, on her international debut, and reserve prop Jasmine Cheung Shuk Han who also came on in the second half: “It was a great performance from Chloe. She will be one to watch for the future and Jasmine coming on in the second half really helped give us a physical edge as well,” said Hull.

Despite the result, there were many positives and Hull recognised the team’s continued effort on a tough outing, saying:“I’m hugely proud of the team. They showed great character, particularly in the second half when we had more possession and started to build some phases. For many of these players this is a new level of rugby; however we now need to learn, front up and get a much better start on Saturday.”

Hong Kong v Spain
1. Lau Nga Wun, 2. Karen So, 3. Lee Ka Shun, 4. Chow Mei Nam (Captain), 5. Claire Forster, 6. Melody Li, 7. Christy Cheng Ka Chi, 8. Amelie Seure, 9. Sham Wai Sum, 10. Rebecca Thompson, 11. Stephanie Cuvelier, 12. Colleen Tjosvold, 13. Adrienne Garvey, 14. Lau Sze Wa, 15. Poon Pak Yan,
Substitues: 16. Royce Chan Leong Sze, 17. Cheung Shuk Han, 18. Winnie Siu, 19. Cheng Ching To, 20. Lo Wai Yan, 21. Mak Ho Yee, 22. Natasha Olson-Thorne, 23. Cheng Tsz Ting.

Raul Garcia’s photos from the first test
https://picasaweb.google.com/107614371220763372643/AmistosoEspanaHongKongFemenino?feat=embedwebsite

HK Cricket Match Reports: Women’s League 13 December, 2015

Women’s League
KCC Maidens v CCC Fung Wong
At PKVR Reservoir, KCC Maidens beat CCC Fung Wong by eight wickets. CCC Fung Wong, with only seven batters available, could only muster 67 in 24 overs with skipper Pull To top scoring with 23. Maheen Haider was the pick of the Maidens’ bowlers with 3/5 in four overs.

In reply, Sidra Nasreen hit 27 as the Maidens knocked off the runs in 9.1 overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: CCC Fung Wong 67 from 24 overs lost to KCC Maidens 2/69 from 9.1 overs by eight wickets.

Hong Kong v Spain – First Test, 15 December, 2015

hkvspain

An historic day for Hong Kong Women’s XV as they take on 10th ranked Spain in the first of two test matches. It’s the first time Hong Kong, currently 21st in the world rankings, have played a team from outside Asia.

The match will hopefully be steamed online – details updated when we have them.

For more on the tour and the Hong Kong squad see our earlier feature http://www.bcmagazine.net/2015/12/02/hong-kong-womens-xv-for-decembers-spain-tour/

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

Mariko Hill to Play in Women’s Big Bash League

mariko hill

Hong Kong’s Mariko Hill is one of eight players from the ‘developing cricket nations’ given a chance to take part in the inaugural rebel Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia.

The players, selected following the recent ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier in Thailand, from China, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand and the Netherlands have been selected to join the eight rebel WBBL clubs as part of the WBBL Associate Rookie Program – a joint initiative between Cricket Australia (CA) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to develop emerging players in non-traditional cricket countries.

Each of the rookie players will train with their rebel WBBL club during a two-week placement and attend home matches during that period. In the event of an injury to a contracted player, rebel WBBL clubs will be permitted to use their Rookie as a local replacement player, which would not contribute to the club’s overseas player limit.

ICC Associate and Affiliate member nations Ireland, Scotland, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, China and the Netherlands each nominated up to three players to be considered for selection ahead of the ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier.

mariko hill bowling Nominated players were considered by a selection panel consisting of Cricket Australia’s Women’s Youth Coach Cathryn Fitzpatrick, former England player Holly Colvin, former Bangladesh Test Cricketer Aminul Islam, and ICC Head of Global Development Tim Anderson, with the final selections made after observing players throughout the tournament.

“The women’s game has made great strides in recent years, with participation numbers, investment levels and playing opportunities all at record highs,” said ICC Head of Global Development Tim Anderson. “‎The introduction of the WBBL continues this momentum, and, with the support of Cricket Australia, it is great to have some of the best Associate and Affiliate players involved in this event.”

These are the players chosen for the rebel WBBL Associate Rookie Program:
Miranda Veringmeier (Netherlands) – Adelaide Strikers
Norma Ovasuru (Papua New Guinea) – Brisbane Heat
Kim Garth (Ireland) – Hobart Hurricanes
Mariko Hill (Hong Kong) – Melbourne Renegades
Wu Juan (China) – Melbourne Stars
Rachel Scholes (Scotland) – Sydney Sixers
Suleeporn Laomi (Thailand) – Sydney Thunder
Laura Delany (Ireland) – Perth Scorchers

For more on Mariko Hill take a look at this ICC profile
http://www.icc-cricket.com/videos/media/id/5882/mariko-hill-hong-kong-feature

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 5 December, 2015

Saturday Championship

With both Mission Road and KCC out of action this week, there were only two matches played in the Saturday Championship and both were rain-affected.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Gap Ramblers v HKCC Witherers
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, poor weather spoiled the derby match between HKCC Gap Ramblers and HKCC Witherers. With an eye on the weather, Witherers elected to bowl after winning the toss but it was Gap Ramblers who made the most of the early going as openers Raag Kapur and Isaac Poole put on 70 runs for the first wicket. However, Poole’s wicket (39) triggered a mini collapse that saw Gap Ramblers slip to 3/78, with Sean Robson grabbing two wickets. Kapur helped advance his team’s score to 4/140 after 19 overs when rain forced the players from the field and the match was abandoned with no further play possible. Kapur finished unbeaten on 68.
At HKCC: HKCC Gap Ramblers 4/140 from 19 overs drew with HKCC Witherers. Match abandoned.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Laguna Gully v Pioneers
At PKVR Park, Laguna Gully scored a bonus victory over Pioneers in a rain-affected match that reached a conclusion.

Batting first after winning the toss, Laguna Gully had scored 3/168 from 29 overs when rain stopped play. Ajay Naik was unbeaten on 38 and Shekkar Sharma not out on 68 when the players left the field. After an extended break, play resumed with Pioneers set a revised target of 105 for victory in 18 overs. However, the Laguna Gully bowlers held the upper hand in the second innings with Pranav Shah (3/11) and Abhishek Desai (3/12) doing most of the damage. None of the Pioneers batsmen mastered the slippery conditions and they were all out for 60 in 17 overs with no batsman reaching double figures.
At PKVR Park: Laguna Gully 3/168 from 29 overs beat Pioneers (target 105 from 18 overs) 60 from 17 overs by 44 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 6 December, 2015

Sunday Championship

PACC v HKCC Optimists
PACC got the better of HKCC Optimists at Hong Kong Cricket Club. Optimists’ skipper David Jaquier won the toss and put the visitors into bat. Speedster Miles Richardson grabbed the early wicket of Daniyal Bukhari but Richardson had a mixed bag with the ball, conceding many wides. The PACC score progressed nicely to 61 but a flurry of wickets saw them slip from 1/61 to 5/76. Skhawat Ali (37) and Ahsan Abbasi put on 76 runs for the sixth wicket while Abbasi (71) and Zamir Ali (56*) added another 69 runs for the seventh. PACC reached 8/244 from their 50 overs with Richardson claiming 3/49 from his ten over spell.

The PACC bowlers made regular inroads into the Optimists’ batting line-up as they reduced their hosts to 5/75. Left-arm speedster Mohsin Khan did the early damage with 3/39 from his ten over spell. A 53-run sixth wicket stand between Courtney Kruger and Miles Richardson lifted the score to 110 before Kruger was dismissed for 54. Richardson and the lower-order batsmen added a further 63 runs but their efforts fell well short and Richardson was the last man out for 72.
At HKCC: PACC 8/244 from 50 overs beat HKCC Optimists 173 from 41.4 overs by 71 runs.

Vagabonds v SLCC
At PKVR Park, there was a tight match between Shaffi’s Vagabonds and Headwin Tritons SLCC with SLCC prevailing in the end.

SLCC won the toss and put Vagabonds into bat. Vagabonds were in early trouble as they lost both openers with only two runs on the board. None of the Vagabonds batsmen could master the bowling and they lost wickets at regular intervals. They were quickly reduced to 6/58 with wicket-keeper Khalid Qureshi grabbing five catches. Numan Aziz picked up three wickets as Vagabonds slumped to 8/72 but some useful hitting by their tail-enders helped them reach 130 all out. Junaid was the best of the Vagabonds’ batsmen with 26* while Aziz finished with figures of 3/35 from ten overs for SLCC.

The SLCC reply followed a similar pattern to the Vagabonds innings and they looked to be in some trouble at 5/77. A stabilizing 27 from Asad Rasheed got them to a 110 but four more wickets fell as they scrapped home with the last pair at the crease.
At PKVR Park: Shaffi’s Vagabonds 130 from 35.1 overs lost to SLCC 134 from 36.2 overs by one wicket.