Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way.
Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning.
The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016.
Photo courtesy of the Craigengower Cricket Club
“The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan trip at the weekend] not only for the various men’s sides, but also our women’s side Fung Wong,” Craigengower president Albert Wong said in a message in the team’s tour booklet.
“I sincerely hope that the game of cricket can grow and that Craigengower will be remembered for [helping to plant] the seeds of success for the game” in Taiwan, Wong said.
About half the team arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, and the following day, they helped run a tournament in Yilan County for Taiwanese children who had never played before. With some coaching to straighten bowling arms and for batters to protect their stumps, the four teams completed six matches. By the end some of them were playing blazing cover drives for four.
On Saturday morning Hung See took on the Chairman’s XI, captained by Anthony Liu, in a “2xT10” match — a T20 where each side has two 10-over innings. In the first innings, the touring side sent in the children from the families in their touring party, with Daniel Lo, and Luca and Anzo Wong contributing to the first-innings total of 24-6.
In their opening innings, the Chairman’s XI showed no mercy, plundering 112-1, with Adeel Ahmad Jamil hitting 59 not out. In their next innings the Chairman’s XI sent in their three Taiwanese players — Mori Hayashi, Alan Chang and Brian Lin. They were playing cricket for the first time, although Hayashi defied his inexperience by putting the first delivery he faced into the fence for four.
Teenager Henil Doshi added 26 not out as the Chairman’s XI piled on another 77-3. Hung See replied with 86-1 for a loss by 79 runs.
In the afternoon, the Daredevils won by 30 runs, with captain Duane Christie (61) and Andrew Carrick (47) doing the bulk of the scoring.
Christie said that his battle against “part-time” bowler Bobby Chan was enjoyable.
“I loved it,” the South African said.
Chan — who has represented the Hong Kong Dragons at the East Asia Cup along with tour teammates Louis Chan and tour manager Anthony Marrin — showed his pedigree with the bat, scoring 51 not out, while Kelvin Choy blasted 63.
Yesterday, the tourists were overrun by PCCT, who recognized the threat that Bobby Chan and Choy posed, which they collectively focused on, dismissing both cheaply in the visitors’ failed hunt for 181 to win.
At a post-match ceremony yesterday, Marrin praised the frugality of the PCCT bowlers, Husnain Mohammed (5-28) in particular, and said that all the teams were welcome to visit Hong Kong for return matches.
Nottingham Forest FC are to go into the Europa League play-off round after a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros TC on Thursday, while Celtic FC secured their place in the knockout phase with a victory over FC Utrecht. Aston Villa FC finished second in the league phase after recovering from two goals down to beat FC Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 with their spot in the last 16 already assured. Forest stood an outside chance of climbing into the top eight going into the final round of matches, but needed to beat Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros and rely on other results going their way. Sean Dyche’s
HEATED RIVALRY: The pair had met 14 times previously, with Sabalenka winning eight of the encounters and entering the final as the favorite to take the title Elena Rybakina took revenge over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win a nail-biting Australian Open final yesterday and clinch her second Grand Slam title. The big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2 hours, 18 minutes. It was payback after the Belarusian Sabalenka won the 2023 final between two of the hardest hitters in women’s tennis. The ice-cool Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her Wimbledon win in 2022. It was more disappointment in a major final for Sabalenka, who won the US Open
Denver superstar Nikola Jokic returned from a 16-game injury absence to post a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double on Friday and propel the Nuggets to a 122-109 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic had not played since suffering a bone bruise in the left knee he hyperextended in a game against Miami on Dec. 29 last year. The Serbian big man did not miss a beat. He led all scorers, connecting on eight of 11 shots from the field, and also handed out five assists with three steals while playing just 24 minutes, 32 seconds as the
BATTERED AND BRUISED: Alcaraz suffered a cramp in the third set, but was allowed treatment despite Zverev’s protests, and continued on to win in five-and-a-half hours An ailing Carlos Alcaraz battled past Alexander Zverev yesterday in five epic sets to reach his first Australian Open final and move within a match of becoming the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. The world No. 1 outlasted the German third seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 over a titanic 5 hours, 27 minutes in hot conditions to head to tomorrow’s title match. He only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp. He was allowed to have treatment
RSS