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Hong Kong Ready to Shine at ICC World Twenty20

hk cricket 2016

Hong Kong will face off against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 on 8 March at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The Hong Kong Dragons are currently ranked 12th in the game’s shortest format and captain Tanwir Afzal has declared his team’s intention to show the world that the Dragons are not there just to make up the numbers.

The 27-year-old all-rounder spoke to media on the eve of the tournament’s opening match, and said that his young side was both well prepared and excited about facing the Test nation. “We have worked really hard in our preparation for this tournament, and we arrived early in India for some warm-up matches. The team is really excited about playing on the international stage, especially here in India where the people love cricket so much. We have a young side and believe in our ability. We know that Zimbabwe is an experienced side, and they have a few good players. So we know the statistics of the players, and we have a plan; we will work on their weaknesses.”

In the ICC World Twenty20 fist round, Hong Kong have been drawn in Group B with Zimbabwe, Scotland and Afghanistan for a place in the Super 10 stage. One team from the group will advance. If Hong Kong tops the table it will advance to Group 1 where it will join 2010 winner England, South Africa, 2014 champion Sri Lanka and 2012 winner West Indies. Hong Kong’s first Group 1 match would be against the reigning champion, Sri Lanka, at Eden Gardens.

Hong Kong and Zimbabwe have only met once before, in a last-ball thriller won by Hong Kong in a warm up match ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 2014. Hong Kong went on to record one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when it defeated host Bangladesh by two wickets, it’s first-ever win against a Test-playing nation in an official international match.

Hong Kong is appearing in its second consecutive ICC World Twenty20 event after gaining T20I status in 2014, and the skipper said that playing in the tournament is important for the growth of the game in Hong Kong. “If you see the last few years, we have come through the international process. A few years ago, we were in Division 3. We then got T20I and one-day status two years ago. Any success we get helps to grow cricket back home, and impact on our new generation.”

ICC World Twenty20 2016 Schedule

8 March: Hong Kong v Zimbabwe, VCA Stadium, Nagpur, at 5:30pm (15:00 IST)

10 March: Hong Kong v Afghanistan, VCA Stadium, Nagpur, at Midnight (19:30 IST)

12 March: Hong Kong v Scotland, VCA Stadium, Nagpur, at Midnight (19:30 IST)

Hong Kong Squad
Tanwir Afzal (Captain), Mark Chapman (Vice Captain), Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed, Adil Mehmood, James Atkinson, Waqas Barkat, Ryan Campbell, Christopher Carter, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Waqas Khan, Kinchit Shah, Anshuman RathI

Women’s Rugby Results – 5 March, 2016

TSW Pandas-5 march 2016

Grand Championship

Valley Black 74-0 HKFC Ice
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 15:00

USRC Tigers 5-24 Gai Wu Falcons
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00

National 15s

CWB Pheasants 10-16 City
@ KGV, Kick-off: 18:00

Valley Red 13-12 Revolution SRC
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 18:00

HKCC 48-7 Tai Po Dragons
@ Aberdeen, Kick-off: 18:00

HK Scottish 17-7 Police
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 18:00

National 10s

Tin Shui Wai 26-5 City
@ Tin Shui Wai, Kick-off: 14:00

Revolution SRC 12-10 CWB Pink
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 15:00

Women’s Rugby Fixtures – 5 March, 2016

Women’s Grand Championship Rugby Fixtures – 5 March, 2016

Hong Kong Sevens – Who’s Coming?

hk sevens winners 2015

The teams for this year’s Hong Kong Sevens (8-10 April) have been announced with 16 teams contesting the core competition and 12 teams competing in the qualifier tournament for a chance at promotion to the Sevens World Series next season.

The 15 teams participating in all ten tournaments of Sevens World Series: Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, United States of America and Wales are joined by South Korea for the HK Sevens.

Rugby Sevens’ debut at the Olympics looms ever larger on the horizon and all eleven of the qualified teams for the Rio Games will be present in Hong Kong. The 12th men’s team to compete in Rio will be determined in the final Olympic qualifier tournament in June.

Fiji, the defending Hong Kong Sevens champions after their 33-19 win over New Zealand in 2015, will be looking to add to their 15 tournament victories in Hong Kong, including both Rugby World Cup Sevens played here in 1997 and 2005. Fiji’s 15 wins are the most in Hong Kong history, ahead of New Zealand with 11.

Hong Kong is again host for the the battle for promotion to the Sevens World Series. The qualification tournament features 12 teams, two from each of World Rugby’s six regions. The winner will be promoted to the SWS in the 2016/17 season, replacing the bottom-placed core team on the Series after the completion of the final event at Twickenham in May. Russia were promoted from last year’s qualifier, replacing Japan who return to the qualifier in 2016.

The twelve confirmed teams for the qualifier are Morocco and Zimbabwe (Africa), Hong Kong and Japan (Asia), Germany and Spain (Europe), Cayman Islands and Mexico (North America), Brazil and Chile (South America) and Papua New Guinea and Tonga (Oceania).

The Cayman Islands appearance at the Hong Kong Sevens makes them the the 58th nation to have participated since the tournament’s inception in 1976. While Germany return to Hong Kong for the first time since 1992.

HK Sevens
Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, England, USA, Kenya, Francem Samoa, Scotland, Canada, Wales, Portugal, Russia, South Korea

Sevens World Series Qualification Tournament
Hong Kong, Japan, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Chile, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Papua New Guinea, Tonga

Hong Kong Sevens 2016
Date: 8-10 April 2016
Venue: HK Stadium
Tickets: $1,800 (sold-out)

Source and photo: HKRU

Saturday at the Sevens – The Proclaimers

proclaimers-the

Saturday’s Sevens musical entertainment this year is eighties band The Proclaimers. Over an almost twenty year career twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid have carved a niche for themselves where pop, folk, new wave and punk collide with the emotional honesty, political fire, wit and sing-along raucousness of their songs to entertain fans around the globe. As big fan David Tennant puts it “They write the most spectacular songs, big hearted, uncynical passionate songs.” Their songs were turned into a stage play and then a movie based on the stage play based on the songs… Expect to be singing along to the likes of (I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles, Sunshine on Leith, Letter From America, I’m on My Way, Life With You, Lets Get Married…

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.

DLSWCC-Wasps-v-HKCC-Cavaliers-27-feb-2016

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 Reports: Sunday 28 February, 2016

Sunday Championship – 28th February 2016

DLSWCC JKN v HKCC Optimists
DLSWCC JKN scored a bonus point victory over HKCC Optimists in their Sunday Championship match played at Hong Kong Cricket Club.

Optimists elected to bat first after winning the toss and they were well placed at 1/79 when George Clarke was dismissed for 42. Miles Richardson scored 34 but the rest of the top order failed as Optimists slipped to 6/95 and then 8/117. Some dogged resistance from the tail-enders, nurtured along by their skipper David Jacquier who finished on 51 not out, got Optimists to 171 all out in the 50^th over. Ehsan Khan was the pick of the bowlers for DLSWCC JKN with figures of 3/18 from his ten over spell.

Ehsan Khan then hit an unbeaten 50 as DLSWCC JKN knocked off the runs in just 29.2 overs. Waqas Khan scored 30 while Babar Hayat and Moner Ahmed also made valuable contributions. Miles Richardson’s 4/67 went in vain for HKCC Optimists.
At HKCC: HKCC Optimists 171 from 49.2 overs lost to DLSWCC JKN 5/175 from 29.2 overs by five wickets.

KCC Templars v HKCA Dragons
KCC Templars also picked up a bonus point following their demolition of HKCA Dragons at Kowloon Cricket Club.

The HKCA Dragons opted to bowl first after winning the toss and they were rewarded with the early wicket of Ninad Shah. Thereafter, the Templars’ batsmen dominated with Roy Lamsam (42) and Dylan Dearing (151) sharing a second wicket partnership of 123. Dearing was the third wicket to fall at 240 before Templars’ middle order added another 90 runs in double-quick time to see them through to a score of 330.

The Dragons’ top-order struggled against the pace of Aditya Kanthan and they were quickly reduced to 4/17. James Chan (28) and Damien Yee (25) resisted briefly before Dan Pascoe wrapped things up for Templars. Kanthan claimed 3/11 from five overs while Pascoe picked up 3/20 from seven as Dragons were all out for 95.
At KCC: KCC Templars 6/330 from 50 overs beat HKCA Dragons 95 from 34.1 overs by 235 runs.

KCC Infidels v USRC/MCC
At Mission Road, KCC Infidels scored a bonus point in beating USRC/MCC by seven wickets.

USRC/MCC won the toss and elected to bat first but their top order failed to string any significant partnerships together as they slipped to 5/91 with Gurjant Singh grabbing 3/25 for Infidels. An 84-run sixth wicket partnership between Balal Muhammad (47) and Awais Mohammad (57*) got the total to 175 but three wickets by Najeeb Amar (3/25) stymied any late surge by the USRC/MCC batsmen and their innings finished on 8/204.

Najeeb was quickly in the action again as he hit 96 runs in a third wicket partnership with Muhammad Khan worth 125 runs. Khan finished unbeaten on 76 as Infidels ran out winners by seven wickets with twenty overs to spare.
At Mission Road: USRC/MCC 8/204 from 48 overs lost to KCC infidels 3/205 from 30 overs by seven wickets.

source: HK Cricket Association

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 27 February, 2016

Saturday Championship – 27th February 2016

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Witherers v Pakistan Association
HKCC Witherers got their bid for the 2015-16 championship title off to a great start by beating Pakistan Association at Hong Kong Cricket Club. A single point now separates the top four teams in Division 1.

In the game itself, Pakistan Association elected to bat first after winning the toss and their openers put on 44 runs for the first wicket. A further 55 runs were added for the second wicket with Daniyal Bukhari scoring 47. However, Bukhari’s wicket triggered a collapse that saw the visitors slip from 1/99 to 7/107 and they were eventually all out for 134. Ahan Manglik did much of the damage for Witherers by claiming 4/22 from his seven overs while Toby Raper grabbed 3/37.

In reply, Charlie Bright hit 56 at the top of the order and skipper Liam Ginnivan chipped in with 36 as Witherers eased to victory by six wickets in the 31st over.
At HKCC: Pakistan Association 134 from 29 overs lost to HKCC Witherers 4/137 from 30.5 overs by six wickets.

KCC Tartars v DLSWCC Sarjan
In a tight finish at Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Tartars gave themselves some breathing space above the relegation zone by beating DLSWCC Sarjan by 13 runs.

Tartars batted first after winning the toss and they have Ateeq ul Rehman to thank for them recovering from a precarious 6/70 to reach 8/163 after 35 overs. Rehman top scored with 44 not out.

Rehman then completed a great double by claiming 5/28 as DLSWCC Sarjan’s reply was restricted to 9/150. Top scorer for the visitors was their captain Harpreet Singh with 50.
At KCC: KCC Tartars 8/163 from 35 overs beat DLSWCC Sarjan 9/150 from 35 overs by 13 runs.

Saturday Championship Division 2

USRC/MCC v Kai Tak CC
At Mission Road, USRC/MCC stayed within reach of division leaders Taipans with a four-wicket victory over Kai Tak CC.

Kai Tak got off to a great start with their openers putting on 67 runs for the first wicket. Haroon Arshad (44) and Tom Downey (38) scored the bulk of the runs as Kai Tak reached 161 all out in 34.2 overs. Iftikhar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for USRC/MCC with 4/36 from 6.2 overs.

USRC/MCC lost early wickets but recovered from 3/17 to chase down the total in less than 30 overs. Sikander Zafar top scored for USRC/MCC with 41 while Umar Mohammad hit 39 and Sher Ya Saeed scored 33.
At Mission Road: Kai Tak 161 from 34.2 overs lost to USRC/MCC 6/165 from 29.4 overs by four wickets.

source: HK Cricket Association