2018-19 CHK Joint-University Tapeball Sixes Review

Six teams from five different Universities met up at PKVR Reservoir Cricket Ground on Saturday 13^th April to take part in the first ever Cricket Hong Kong Joint-University Cricket Sixes.

Teams from City University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Vocational Training Council (IVE Tuen Mun) took part in 7 games over the course of the day, with CUHK eventually emerging victorious in an exciting final.

The six teams were split into two groups of three, and the team that topped each group after a single round-robin stage proceeded to the final. In Group 1, PolyU picked up comprehensive wins over VTC and CityU-1 to book their spot in the final before 10 AM, winning their games by 28 runs and 6 wickets respectively. CityU-1 then chased down 90 in the final over to beat VTC for second place. In Group 2, CUHK and CityU-2 kicked things off with a tied game – a rollercoaster of a match that saw CityU-2 score 31 runs off the 4^th over, but CUHK defend 11 in the 5^th to ensure points were shared. CUHK then went on to record a massive 49 run victory over HKUST to put themselves in pole position, before HKUST bounced back by beating CityU-2 by just 6 runs, sending CUHK to the final in the process.

The final stayed true the tradition of the Hong Kong Sixes format - played with 8-ball overs, it went right down to the penultimate ball of the match. Electing to bat first, PolyU posted a stiff 102 runs in their 5 overs, with Waleed Umer’s 34 off just 14 balls (2 fours, 3 sixes) being the highlight. In response, CUHK skipper Harsh Jhunjhunwala hit a perfect 36 off 14 balls (4 sixes) opening the batting to lay the platform for the chase, and it eventually came down to CUHK needing 13 to win off the final over. Asad Ali launched the first ball of the over for six, and three singles later, Pulkit Sharma managed to find the boundary for four more, winning CUHK the game and crowning them champions of the first ever CHK JointU Tapeball Sixes!

An exciting tournament and a fun day out for all involved, many of whom were participating in a cricket tournament within Hong Kong for the very first time. Full scorecards and results of the tournament can be found HERE