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HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 14 February, 2016

Sunday Championship – 14 February 2016

There was no love lost on the cricket pitch over Valentine’s Day with KCC Templars, HKCC Scorpions and Pakistan Association all claiming bonus point victories.

HKCC Scorpions v KCC Infidels
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Scorpions recovered from the loss of both openers with only 20 runs on the board to post 206 in 41.4 overs against KCC Infidels. Mark Chapman was the best of the Scorpions’ batsmen with 52 while Suhaib Ahmad was the pick of the Infidels’ bowlers with 4/38 from 7.4 overs while Sunny Bhimsaria claimed 3/27 from seven.

A devastating opening spell by Scorpions’ skipper Matt Rafter reduced Infidels to 4/23 while further strikes by Mark Chapman and Raag Kapur had them in tatters at 8/56. Tobias Raper wrapped up the tail as Infidels were all out for 79 in just 27.4 overs. Ankur Vasishta was the only Infidels batter to reach double figures with 39. Rafter finished with 3/5 from six overs while Raper claimed 3/9 from 3.4 overs.
At HKCC: HKCC Scorpions 206 from 41.4 overs beat KCC Infidels 79 from 27.4 overs by 127 runs.

KCC Templars v DLSWCC Knights
At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Templars fared better with a 107-run victory over DLSWCC Knights.

Templars batted first after winning the toss but they were soon in trouble at 3/12 with Lamsam, Shroff and Atkinson all back in the pavilion. Niaz Ali and Amanat Khan made the early strikes for the Knights. Ryan Campbell and Ninad Shah steadied the ship with a 72-run partnership and Campbell went on to top-score with 73. The Infidels lower order backed him up with some good contributions including 37 from Imran Arif and 46 not out from skipper Ashley Caddy as Templars reached 222 all out from 48 overs.

The Knights reply never got going and they lost wickets at regular intervals. A 44-run fifth wicket partnership them over the 100 mark but from 4/102 they slumped to 115 all out. Nasir Hameed’s 30 was the Knights’ top score on the day. For Templars, Waqas Barkat claimed 3/33 while Imran Arif picked up 3/8.
At KCC: KCC Templars 222 from 48 overs beat DLSWCC Knights 115 from 36 overs by 107 runs.

Pakistan Association v Headwin Tritons SLCC
In the third match of the day played at Mission Road, Pakistan Association scored a 150-run victory over Headwin Tritons SLCC.

Pakistan Association made the most of their toss win to smash 8/384 in 47 overs off the hapless SLCC bowling attack. Tanvir Afzal top-scored with a brilliant 104 while Hamed Khan (39), Sunny Singh (54) and Butt Hussain (76*) also made useful contributions. The Pakistan Association batsmen shared a number of impressive partnerships too with stands of 45 for the first wicket, 64 for the fifth wicket, 111 for the sixth wicket and 80 for the seventh.

The SLCC reply got off to an impressive start as their openers put on 82 for the first wicket with Khizar Hayat scoring 44 while Imran Muhammad hit 52. Their momentum continued with Mehtab Ali (42) and Asad Rasheed (54), but from 4/222 the SLCC innings subsided quickly and they were all out for 234. For Pakistan Association, Mohsin Khan claimed 3/36 from eight overs while Kamran Mohammad picked up the best figures of the match with 4/43 from his nine over spell.
At Mission Road: Pakistan Association 8/384 from 47 overs beat Headwin Tritons SLCC 234 from 43.3 overs by 150 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 13 February, 2016

Saturday Championship – 13 February 2016

As the Saturday Championship reaches the sharp-end of the season, places in the top 5/bottom 5 are still to be determined in each division.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC vr KCC Crusaders
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Nomads secured their place in the top five with a hard-fought victory over KCC Crusaders.

Crusaders found themselves batting first after being sent in but they recovered well from a shaky start to post 7/173 from their 35 overs. Chief contributors were Damian Kelleher with 66 and Ashley Caddy with 31 – the pair adding 111 for the third wicket. However their dismissals saw the innings stall somewhat and Nomads did well to restrict them to that score. Toby Brown was the pick of the Nomads bowlers with 4/15 from his four over spell.

Nomads’ reply got off to a poor start and they were soon reduced to 3/30. Ravi Mulchandani hit 32 as he and Toby Brown added 52 runs for the fourth wicket while Brown and Max Abbott then followed with a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Brown eventually fell for 41 and Abbott 47 but their efforts helped get Nomads over the mark with nine balls and four wickets to spare.
At HKCC: KCC Crusaders 7/173 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Nomads 6/176 from 33.3 overs by four wickets.

KCC Saracens v DLSWCC Sarjan
At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Saracens defeated DLSWCC Sarjan by six wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, DLSWCC Sarjan scored 7/166 from their 35 overs with Aftab Hussain hitting 36.

Saracens’ skipper Sunny Bhimsaria top-scored with 73 not out in his team’s reply, which included a 67-run third wicket partnership with Ansh Lulla, who scored 31. Saracens scored the winning runs in 32.2 overs for the loss of four wickets.
At KCC: DLSWCC Sarjan 7/166 from 35 overs lost to KCC Saracens 4/167 from 32.2 overs by six wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Taipan CC v DLSWCC Spartans
In Division 2 action at Mission Road, Taipan CC maintained their unbeaten run this season with a narrow victory over DLSWCC Spartans.

Spartans batted first after winning the toss and they reached 9/204 from their 35 overs with Muhammad Haseeb scoring 74 while Haroon Arshad contributed 30. The pair combined in a fifth wicket partnership worth 60 runs. For Taipans, Hassan Khan claimed 4/41 from six overs while Manjinder Singh picked up 3/34 from his seven.

Amanat Khan picked up three wickets as Taipans were reduced to 6/77 in reply. However Taipans’ lower order batsmen Dharam Singh (41), Hassan Khan (31) and Jagmeet Brar (31) combined well to get them over the line in the last over with the last pair at the crease. For DLSWCC Spartans, Amanat Khan finished with 4/42 from his seven overs.
At Mission Road: DLSWCC Spartans 9/204 from 35 overs lost to Taipan CC 9/208 from 34.5 overs by one wicket.

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, 7^th 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.

photo: Takumi Photography

Hong Kong at the Asia Cup 2016

The Asian Cricket Council is holding the Asia Cup 2016 in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 24th February to 6th March 2016. The 13th edition of the Asia Cup will be the first played using the T20 format.

Hong Kong made their first appearance in the tournament in 2004 and reached the group stages in the 2004 and 2008 tournaments.

Along with hosts Bangladesh and Asia Cup 2014 winners Sri Lanka, the tournament will include Pakistan, India and a qualifier. The qualifier will be determined through a qualifying round (T20I) scheduled to be played from 19th to 22nd February 2016 in Bangladesh.

Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Oman and UAE will compete in the qualifying round. The winner of qualifier will move to main round to play against the four Asian Test playing nations.

Qualifier Match Schedule
Venue: KSOAS, Fatullah
Format: 20 overs a side

Hong Kong v Oman
Date: 19 February 2016
HK Time: 8pm

Hong Kong v UAE
Date: 21 February 2016
HK Time: 8pm

Hong Kong v Afghanistan
Date: 22 February 2016
HK Time: 8pm

Hong Kong Squad
Tanwir Afzal (Captain), Adil Mehmood, Aizaz Khan, Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Christopher Carter, Haseeb Amjad, Kinchit Shah, Mark Chapman, Nadeem Ahmed, Ninad Shah, Nizakat Khan, Tanveer Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Waqas Khan.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Women’s Premier League – 31st January 2016

Women’s Premier League – 31st January 2016

The inaugural match of the Women’s Premier League was played as a curtain raiser to the second T20 International between Hong Kong and Scotland at Mission Road. Featuring two teams of the best women’s players in Hong Kong, the Women’s Premier League will involve three matches played over the T20 format.

In the first match, HKCA Bauhinia (Red) defeated HKCA Sail (Blue) by 38 runs.

HKCA Bauhinia batted first and they scored 2/119 from their 20 overs with Natural Yip finishing on 54 not out and skipper Mariko Hill unbeaten on 26 not out. The pair added 71-runs in an unbroken third wicket partnership spanning ten overs.

In reply, HKCA Sail started well with 27 runs coming from the opening partnership but once that stand was broken, wickets tumbled regularly and the women in blue were eventually dismissed for 81 in the 18th over. Top scorer was Keenu Gill with 26 while Kary Chan was the only other Sail batter to reach double figures. Mariko Hill was the best bowler on the day, picking up 2/9 from 2.5 overs.

At Mission Road: HKCA Bauhinia 2/119 from 20 overs beat HKCA Sail 81 from 17.5 overs by 38 runs.

The next match in the Women’s Premier League Series will be played at Mission Road on Sunday, 7th February starting at 1PM.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 31 January, 2016

Sunday Championship – 31st January 2016

HKCC Scorpions v DLSWCC JKN
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, a good all-round performance by HKCC Scorpions saw them score a bonus point victory over DLSWCC JKN.

The HKCC Scorpions’ skipper Matt Rafter chose to bat first after winning the toss but he lost his opener David Varley early. A 96-run stand between Charlie Bright (47) and Scott McKechnie (47) lifted the score to 2/99 at which stage James Redmayne joined the fray. Redmayne batted brilliantly for 109 runs as HKCC Scorpions eventually reached 7/270 from their 50 overs.

The DLSW JKN innings got off to a poor start, as they lost Hong Kong internationals Anas Khan and Waqas Khan with only 26 runs on the board. A fine 101-run partnership for the third wicket between Hiren Patel (60) and Ehsan Khan (87) got them to 3/127 but once their stand was broken, the innings folded dramatically and they were all out for 183. No less than five DLSWCC JKN batsmen recorded ducks. Raag Kapur was the bowler who did most damage with figures of 4/34 from his ten over spell.
At HKCC: HKCC Scorpions 7/270 from 50 overs beat DLSWCC JKN 183 from 44.1 overs by 87 runs.

KCC Templars v Headwin Tritons SLCC
At Kowloon Cricket Club, hosts KCC Templars thrashed Headwin Tritons SLCC by 193 runs.

Having been sent in by SLCC’s skipper, the Templars batsmen made merry to the tune of 5/301 from their 50 overs. The openers set the platform with a 53-run partnership while the second partnership added 58 and the third 115. The main contributors to Templars’ cause were Roy Lamsam with 40, Nigel Shroff with 64, Ryan Campbell 75 and Imran Arif who finished unbeaten on 38.

SLCC’s reply began poorly and they were soon reduced to 3/16 with Aditya Kanthan making two early strikes. Dan Pascoe got into the wickets as the middle order offered little resistance and the contest was all but over as SLCC slumped to 6/46. Azeez Butt tried to counter-attack with a rapid 42 but after his dismissal, the SLCC innings subsided quickly and they were eventually all out in the 30th over for 108. Kanthan finished with figures of 3/25 from ten overs while Pascoe picked up 5/59 from nine overs.
At KCC: KCC Templars 5/301 from 50 overs beat Headwin Tritons SLCC 108 from 30 overs by 193 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 30 January, 2016

Saturday Championship – 30th January 2016

Whilst all eyes were on the international matches between Hong Kong and Scotland at Mission Road, there was still plenty of action across the territory in the domestic cricket leagues.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Gap Ramblers v KCC Tartars
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Gap Ramblers defeated KCC Tartars by three wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, KCC Tartars scored 8/166 from their 35 overs with Ravi Lulla hitting 42 and Farooq Saeed scoring 58. In reply, Gap Ramblers knocked off the runs in 33.3 overs for the loss of seven wickets. Chief contributions for them were Raag Kapur with 53 and Peter Boa who finished on 43 not out.
At HKCC: KCC Tartars 8/166 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Gap Ramblers 7/168 from 33.3 overs by three wickets.

KCC Crusaders v CCC Jing Sun
Over at Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Crusaders scored their second win of the season with a 44-run victory over CCC Jing Sun.

The hosts batted first after winning the toss and they posted a score of 9/176 from their 35 overs with Nigel Shroff hitting 38 and Ashley Caddy 43 – the pair sharing a 92-run partnership for the third wicket. Gianluca Lamplough was the best of the CCC Jing Sun bowlers with 4/27 from his seven over spell.

After the CCC Jing Sun openers built a solid 39-run partnership, Bill Garnett ran through the top order, dismissing the first five batsmen in a devastating spell of 5/23 that reduced the CCC men to 5/62. Christian Cook (40) and Steve Pitt added 51-runs for the seventh wicket but their efforts were in vein as KCC Crusaders earned a valuable bonus point.
At KCC: KCC Crusaders 9/176 from 35 overs beat CCC Jing Sun 132 from 32.1 overs by 44 runs.

CCC Jing Sun’s loss leaves the Saturday Championship Division 1 wide open with only two points separating the top five teams while results from the last round-robin game will be needed to determine the play-off positions.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Taipan CC v SCC Lancers
It is much clearer in Division 2 where Taipan CC cemented their position atop the points table with a bonus point victory over SCC Lancers.

SCC Lancers elected to bat first at PKVR Park and they reached 137 in 34.2 overs with Tanmay Bijur the top scorer with 40 while Jagmeet Brar (3/15) and Hasan Khan (3/30) picked up three wickets each for Taipans.

In reply, Taipan CC only needed 18 overs to knock off the runs with Gurjinder Singh hitting 44 in an opening partnership of 55 while his brother Manjinder finished things off with an unbeaten 50 in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership worth 72 runs.
At PKVR Park: SCC Lancers 137 from 34.2 overs lost to Taipan CC 3/141 from 18 overs by seven wickets.

HKU CC v CCC Hung See
HKU CC also picked up a bonus point following their six-wicket victory over CCC Hung See at the Police Training College ground.

CCC Hung See batted first after being sent in by the HKU skipper, John Wright. The CCC Hung See openers enjoyed an opening partnership of 101 with Anthony Marrin contributing 55. However, wickets fell regularly after that and CCC Hung See could only add another 40 runs to their total, finishing on 6/141 in their 35-overs. Wides made a useful contribution to their cause with 44 being bowled by the HKU attack. Ashwin Dokani was the pick of the HKU bowlers with 3/17 from four overs.

Dokani then ensured HKU took maximum points from the game with an unbeaten 75 as HKU chased down the total in 27 overs.
At PTC: CCC Hung See 6/141 from 35 overs lost to HKU CC 4/142 in 27 overs by six wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Women’s League 30 January, 2016

Women’s League – 30th January, 2016

HKCC Willow Wielders v USRC
HKCC Willow Wielders wrapped up the Women’s League with a nine-wicket victory over USRC.

USRC batted first after winning the toss but they could only muster a total of 38 in 11.4 overs. Mariko Hill proved too much for the USRC women to handle as she picked up 4/12 from 3.4 overs. In reply, the Willow Wielders knocked off the runs in 4.4 overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: USRC 38 from 11.4 overs lost to HKCC Willow Wielders 1/39 from 4.4 overs by nine wickets.

HKCC Willow Wielders are the 2015-16 Women’s League Champions for the sixth successive year. HKCC Cavaliers finish second in the league while KCC Maidens finished third.

The women now take a break over Chinese New Year and they will return for the second half of the Women’s T20 Cup starting on 21 February. The top players however will still be action as the inaugural Women’s Premier League takes place.