Men’s

Sunday Elite League

At PKVR Park the SLCC Tritons picked up a much-needed victory over the CHK Dragons, only their second of the season so far. Electing to bat first, they were led by Rumesh Rupasinghe’s 122 off just 120 balls, with 11 fours and 2 sixes. The wicketkeeper/opener batted for 44.5 overs, and was the bedrock for SLCC’s final score of 264/7, scoring his maiden Sunday-League century in the process. The Dragons bowling was disciplined in the face of this innings, and at one point they had the Tritons at 137/5 – Henry Siu taking an early wicket with the new ball, and spinners Ming Li and Ka U Lynn building the pressure in the middle overs. But George Prasanna Silva at number 7 proceeded to hit 47 from 66 balls (5 fours, 1 six) to turn things around, missing out on a well-earned fifty when he was run out off the final ball of the innings. The pairing of Rupasinghe and Silva scored 89 runs in just 14 overs, and Pinto Dominic hit 2 sixes on his way to a quick 22, as SLCC took 120 runs from the final 17 overs.
The target of 265 proved to be too much for the Dragons, and their innings never really got going. Damien Yee top scored with 21 as they were bowled out for just 84 inside 30 overs. Chathuranga Samaraweera continued his fine form against the Dragon’s this season – having taken 5/28 when these two sides played earlier this season, he finished this game figures of 4/18 – and SLCC climb to X in the table with a resounding 180 run victory.
SLCC Tritons 264/7 (50) beat CHK Dragons 84 a/o (29.3) by 180 runs | Scorecard

Meanwhile at HKCC, the Optimists put in an equally impressive performance against the KMF Vagabonds, heating up the race for second place in Division 2. After electing to bat first the Optimists lost a couple of early wickets, and were 34/2 after 8 overs. DJ Marriot (33 off 48), Elliot Andrews (43 off 54) and Rahul Sharma (37 off 70) rebuilt the innings, but Vagabonds were steady in their task, and when Sharma was out caught first ball of the 40^th over the score read 201/5. Skipper Mark Wright was going along well though, and with the support of experienced head of Simon Cook, took 84 runs off the final 10 overs to help the HKCC side to a healthy 285/5 in their 50 overs. Wright finished unbeaten on 72 (62 balls, 6 fours, 2 sixes), with Cook contributing a useful 38. Akbar Khan was the pick of the bowlers for Vagabonds, picking up 3 wickets for just 39 runs in his 10 overs.
This score would prove to be too much for the Vagabonds batting to overhaul, and they kept losing wickets at regular intervals trying to keep up with the run rate. A highest individual score of 29 and a highest partnership of 40 runs tells the tale, as the Vagabonds were bowled out for 131 in 30.3 overs. It was a good team bowling effort from the Optimists - Martin Versfeld continued his fine season with 3/28 in 7 overs, and five other bowlers chipped in with at least a wicket each. This 154-run victory takes the Optimists to 2^nd in the table, and they now sit 3.5 points behind the KCC Infidels, both teams having 4 games in hand.
HKCC Optimists 285/5 (50) beat KMF Vagabonds 131 a/o (30.3) by 154 runs | Scorecard

Saturday Championship League

In the first of three Division 1 match-ups this Saturday, the KCC Tartars picked up a big victory over DLSW Sarjan at PKVR Park, beating the 2^nd placed side by 50 runs. After electing to bat first they put up 180 on the board for the loss of just 4 wickets. The batting was led by an unbeaten 67 (69 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) from Sagar Mukesh at number 3, with youngster Kalhan Challu scoring 41 opening the batting. Kalhan would then go on to pick up 4/21 with his leg spinners, cleaning out the tail after off-spinner Daood Ashfaq (4/42) took apart the top-order. Brought on to bowl in the 9^th over, Daood took 4/31 in his first 5 over spell, reducing the DLSW side to 62/5 by the end of the 17^th. Sarjan were eventually bowled out for 130 in the final over, Babar Qureshi offering the only resistance with a quick 58 off 56 balls (8 fours, 1 six). This win increases the competition in the middle of the table, and while still place 2^nd, the gap between Sarjan and first-placed Gap Ramblers continues to widen.
KCC Tartars 180/4 (35) beat DLSW Sarjan 130 a/o (34.4) by 50 runs | Scorecard

This gap between first and second only got wider as the HKCC Gap Ramblers completed a comprehensive 54 run victory over the KCC Crusaders at KCC. Batting first after winning the toss, the Ramblers put up a massive 234/4 in their 35 overs, thanks to a century from Quentin Painter (104 off 94 balls, 14 fours) and a blazing 81* from Rory Caines (48 balls, 7 fours, 4 sixes). Together the pair put on 123 runs in just 12.5 overs, and took the Gap Ramblers to an unassailable target. Nigel Shroff took 3 wickets, but went for 73 off his 7 in the process.
In response, the Crusaders batted steadily but never threatened to chase the score down. Skipper Peter Wooden scored a composed 62 (69 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes) in the face of some disciplined bowling, but when the sides were forced to leave the field after 33 overs due to bad light, the Crusaders had only managed 180 runs, 34 short of the D/L adjusted target. The Ramblers picked up their 6^th successive victory, and increased the gap between them and second-placed Sarjan to 4.5 points, with each side having 6 games in hand.
HKCC Gap Ramblers 234/4 (35) beat KCC Crusaders 180/4 (33) by 34 runs (D/L method) | Scorecard

Meanwhile at HKCC, the Nomads recovered from a poor start to get over on CCC Jing Sun by 20 runs, picking up just their second win of the season and increasing their chances of escaping relegation. Sent in to bat, the home side were struggling at 66/5 in 21 overs. Youngster James Miles took 3/25 in a 5 over burst to dislodge the middle order after Rafter and Scrivener dismissed the openers during economical new ball spells. Ian Massey was joined by Toby Brown at the wicket, and together the pair set about rebuilding the innings, with a 76-run partnership in the next 12 overs. Toby Brown played the aggressor, with 42 off just 37 balls (2 fours, 4 sixes), with Massey playing anchor, not out on 46 off 64 balls (5 fours, 1 six). Christopher White then hit a quick 17 off 6 balls towards the end of the innings to lift the Nomads to a competitive 162/6 in their 35 overs.
In response, CCC found themselves in a similar position – 62/6 in the 21^st over. Outside of Richard Waite’s 31 their top order was not able to negotiate the Nomad’s bowling, with skipper Luke Rewega taking 3 wickets in a 4-over burst to dismiss the middle order. Matt Rafter then top scored with 48* from 44 balls (3 fours, 3 sixes) coming in at 8, but lacked support. The lower order hung around long enough to bat out the 35, but they did not threaten to chase the score down, ending on 142/8. DJ Marriot finished with 3/19 off his 7 overs, Rewega with 3/37 off 6, and there was wicket each for Massey and White. A big win for the Nomads, they now sit just 0.5 points behind the two teams ahead of them, but have games in hand.
HKCC Nomads 162/6 (35) beat CCC Jing Sun 142/8 (35) by 20 runs | Scorecard

And in Division 2 we were treated to another high-scoring affair at Gin Drinkers Bay, with Borrelli Walsh Centaurs beating Laguna Gully CC by 6 wickets. Laguna Gully were on the wrong end of a run-chase in their last game at this venue, yet elected to bat first again after winning the toss. However, they improved on their earlier efforts by scoring a massive 262/5 in their 35 overs. Pranav Shah’s excellent season continued, as he scored an even 100 off just 79 balls (13 fours, 1 six), and there were fifties from Santosh Ghadge (52 off 68, 8 fours) and Haren Rawat (56 off 29, 4 fours, 4 sixes).
Having set a target of 7.5 RPO, Laguna would have felt confident going into the 2^nd innings, but as we’ve come to learn this season, no score is safe at GDB. Nasir Hameed and Keith Hemshall reeled off a 156-run opening partnership in 20 overs, with Keith being dismissed for 60 off 63 balls (7 fours) in the 21^st. Nasir brought up his century soon after, and was dismissed for 105 in the 24^th. His knock took just 71 balls, with 11 fours and 5 sixes, and at 181/2 the platform was set for a big Centaurs victory. Naveed Khawaja walked out at number 4 and hammered 54* off just 18 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes) to see his side home – Laguna were able to pick up a couple more wickets, but their score was overhauled in the 29^th over. Pranav Shah yet again the lone hand, returning figures of 1/35 in his 7 overs - the most economical from either side. This win sees Centaurs overhaul Laguna to take 7^th place in the table with a game in hand.
Borrelli Walsh Centaurs 264/4 (28.5) beat Laguna Gully CC 262/5 (35) by 6 wickets | Scorecard

Women’s

Over at PKVR Reservoir at 8 AM, the DLSW Wasps continued their unbeaten 35-Over season with a massive victory over newcomers SCC Divas. Sent in to bat first, the Wasps scored 243/7 in their 35 overs, built around Maryam Bibi’s fine 81 (57 balls, 9 fours) opening the batting. The Hong Kong youngster was dismissed in the 17^th over with the score at 138, having scored nearly 60% of her team’s runs. The rest of the lineup then chipped in - Shanzeen Shahzad and Mehreen Yousaf both scored 35, and Akasha Yousaf 24 - as the DLSW side put up the second highest score of the Women’s League this season so far (1 run short of the 244 the HKCC Cavaliers managed against the KCC Maidens). Jennifer Alumbro took 3 wickets for the Divas, while Rosaly Pagarigan returned good figures of 5-0-21-2.
In reply, the Divas were bowled out in just 9 overs. Shanzeen Shahzad (4-0-22-5) and Maryam Bibi (4-2-3-4) did the damage with the new ball, bowling exceptional spells to dismiss Divas for just 35 runs – Harsha Motwani taking the 10^th wicket in her first over. This was the largest margin of victory in the Women’s League so far, with that the Wasps overtook CCC Fung Wong at the top of the table.
DLSW Wasps 243/7 (35) beat SCC Divas 35 a/o (9) by 208 runs | Scorecard

CCC Fung Wong had a chance to reclaim their top spot later that day, with an afternoon game against the KCC Maidens over at KCC. However, they were short of players and up against a strong team on home turf, and were soundly beaten by 8 wickets. It was a good win for the Maidens – after winning the toss they sent CCC in to bat, and bowled them out for just 68. Claire Brown took 3 wickets for just 3 runs in 3.4 overs, and there was one wicket each for Rida Haider, Keenu Gill and Anum Ahmed. No Fung Wong batsman was able to cross double digits, and 8-woman side were bowled out in just 21 overs.
In response, Dorothea Chan took a couple of wickets with the new ball, but it was not enough to stop KCC from racing to victory inside 14 overs. The Maidens now climb to 3^rd in the table, and sit just one point behind CCC.
KCC Maidens 69/2 (14) beat CCC Fung Wong 68 a/o (20.4) by 8 wickets | Scorecard

Juniors

Under-17

This Saturday saw two Premier Division 35-Over games be played, both at 8 AM. Over at GDB, the DLSW Tigers started their season with a comfortable 7-wicket win over PACC. HK Left-arm spinner Mohammad Hassan (3/20) and HK U-19 allrounder Munir Khan (3/4) did the bulk of the damage, as PACC collapsed from 66/1 to 106 a/o. Opener Ahmed Razza Qureshi top scored with 33, but no other PACC batsman could cross 20, as they were bowled out inside of 27 overs. This proved to be an easy chase in batting friendly conditions for the Tigers, Munir Khan hitting 39 as they chased down the score in just 19 overs.
DLSW Tigers U17 109/3 (18.3) beat PACC U17 106 a/o (26.2) by 7 wickets | Scorecard

Meanwhile at HKCC, the Nomads continued their unbeaten season with a 5-wicket victory over USRC in a low scoring game. Playing their first game of the season, the USRC U17s elected to bat first after winning the toss, but after a steady start los 10 wickets for just 30 runs to be bowled out for 63. Off spinner Mohammad Hussain Khan made the first breakthrough, and finished with the fantastic figures of 7-4-4-5, while Michael Healy chipped in with a useful 3/11 as well. In response, Honny Singh and Hamzah Farooq bowled excellently with the new ball, and reduced HKCC to 21/4. They could not get through Cooper Swan though, as he hit 30* from 36 balls with 5 boundaries, easily the highest score from either side. He found an able partner in Dhruv Sodhi, and together the pair took the score to 54, before Finn Ridley joined Cooper to see their team home.
HKCC Nomads U1 66/5 (15.5) beat USRC Premier U17 63 a/o (21.5) by 5 wickets | Scorecard

Sunday then saw two Elite Division 35-over gams played, both at GDB. At 8 AM, Lantau Lions put on a batting clinic over LMC, and registered a 212-run victory in the process. Hussain Hamaad hammered 141* opening the batting (108 balls, 21 fours) in his first game for the club, and with some assistance from Muhammad Sudais (54* off 34 balls, 9 fours), helped Lantau pile on 321/5 after winning the toss. Hamaad’s innings is the highest score of the U-17 League so far, and he outscored the entire LMC side on his own – the scoreboard pressure and some tight bowling leading them to be bowled out for just 109. Tabarrak Akbar took 3/18 in 6 overs, and five other bowlers chipped in with a wicket each, as Lantau picked up their second win in a row.
Lantau Lions U17 321/5 (35) beat LMC U17 109 a/o (23.1) by 212 runs | Scorecard

And then at 1 PM the DLSW Derby – Cheetahs vs Lions – ended in a resounding win for the Cheetahs. Last season’s Elite Division champions continued to show that find form, and after scoring 212 with the bat kept Lions to just 104. Darshan Shah hit 77 (83 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes) and took 2/19 with the ball for the Cheetahs, and there were contributions from Heet Dani (41), Sparsh Ghevriya (31), Vansh Jain (3/19), Partik Vasandani (2/28) and Jainam Sanghvi (2/9) as the Cheetahs cruised to a 108-run win. Kaif Mohammad took 2/22 in 7 overs and joint-top scored with 26 for the Lions, and was the stand out performer for his side.
DLSW Cheetahs U17 212/7 (35) beat DLSW Lions U17 104 a/o (23.1) by 108 runs | Scorecard

Under-13

Unfortunately, the Lantau Lions had to forfeit their game against the HKCC Optimists the day before, but there were still four games played over the weekend.

In the Premier Division, USRC took on LMC at PKVR Reservoir on Saturday afternoon. The USRC boys were in fine form, and put up 172/3 in their 20 overs – Muhammad Sardar top scoring with 44* (36 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) as everyone in the top 5 crossed double digits. Muskan Ali Khan took 2 wickets for LMC and top scored with 21 in their innings, but the young side fell well short of the target – reaching 55/6 in 14 overs. The chase was cut short due to time constraints, and LMC were 64 runs behind on D/L method. All the USRC boys bowled well, and their 4^th win of the season seems them climb to 3^rd place in the table.
USRC Premier U13 172/3 (20) beat LMC U13 55/6 (14) by 64 runs (D/L method) | Scorecard

USRC sit right behind PACC, who picked up their 6^th win of the season over at Discovery Bay, where they beat the DBS Whites by 8 wickets. Another fine bowling performance from the PACC kids saw them bowl out DBS White for just 52 runs, which they then chased down in 11 overs for the loss of just 2 wickets. Ailyaan Zahir put in another excellent all-round performance, taking 3/5 in 3.2 overs before hammering 24* off 20 balls (4 fours, 1 six) to take his side home, finishing the game with a six.
PACC U13 54/2 (11) beat DBS White 52 a/o (17.2) by 8 wickets | Scorecard

PACC themselves sit 2^nd behind the KCC Crusaders, who continued an unbeaten season over at KGV with a tight 5 wicket victory over the HKCC Scorpions. The Scorpions elected to bat first after winning the toss, but could only manage 63 runs in their 20 overs. A disciplined KCC attack took wickets regularly, and only Hursh Singh (15) and Nishant Pattnaik (14) were able to cross double digits. Wickets were shared for the Crusaders, with 5 players taking all 9 wickets between them. Hursh Singh followed his innings with a fine spell with the ball, taking 3/16 in his 4 overs, as HKCC put the Crusaders under a bit of pressure. At one point they were 29/4, before Kapil Chakravarti (26* off 22, 3 fours 1 six) blasted them out of trouble and into safety, helping his side chase the target down in 12 overs.
KCC Crusaders U13 65/5 (12) beat HKCC Scorpions U13 63/9 (20) by 5 wickets | Scorecard

And lastly, we had one Elite Division game, played at PKVR Reservoir on Saturday afternoon. It was another DLSW Derby – the Littles playing the Tigers in a mid-table match up. The Littles were put in to bat first, and were bowled out for 95 with one ball left in their innings. Playing with just 8 players, they lost 4 of their wickets to run-outs, leaving Aarez Dar to take two and Mohammad Ali Usman one. These two kids would then go one to put on 91 runs for the second wicket to see their side home – Aarez hitting 41 (37 balls, 7 fours 1 six) and Ali Usman 32 (18 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes), as the Tigers romped home in the 11^th over.
DLSW Tigers U13 99/1 (10.4) beat DLSW Littles U13 95 a/o (14.5) by 9 wickets | Scorecard

Under-11

There were just 3 U-11 games played at PKVR Reservoir this Saturday – one game from Pool 2, and two games from Pool 3.

In Pool 2, India Club Orange handed the USRC Avengers their first loss of the season. The Avengers batted well to score 183 in their 16 overs, but Abhimanyu Ganesan hammered 22 off 13 balls (4 fours) batting in the final pair to take India Club Orange to 201 in the second innings, handing his side an excellent 18 run win in the process. Both sides side just 3 points apart on the points table with 1 game left, and so this league is still wide open.
India Club Orange 201 (16) beat USRC Avengers U11 183 (16) by 18 runs | Scorecard

In Pool 3, the HKCC Hawks picked up a massive victory over the KCC Hornets. Batting first, the Hornets posted up a reasonable 180 in their 16 overs. The Hawks bowled well, but saved their best for their batting. Henry McAuliffe (22), Noah Sriskandarajah (20), Jack Barton (13) and Jai Saraf (17) all made it into double digits as the Hawks fell just shy of scoring 300 in their 16 overs. They had 298 on the board with two balls to go in the final over, but then lost a wicket to a run-out, and lost 5 runs in the progress. Nevertheless, their 295 is still the highest score of the season, and ensured a massive 115 run victory. An emphatic performance to finish off their season, they finish as table toppers in Pool 3.
HKCC Hawks U11 295 (16) beat KCC Hornets U11 180 (16) by 115 runs | Scorecard

Later in the day, the HKCC Rebels also enjoyed a victory in Pool 3, beating the DLSW Kangaroos. Lilly Lyons hammered 27 off just 13 balls (5 fours, 1 six) as the Rebels posted up 213 in their 16 overs, after which Mya Gardener took 3 wickets to help restrict the Kangaroos to just 180 – Shah Kayaan’s 18 being the highlight of their innings. The Rebels came into this game looking to finish their season at the top of Pool 3, but the Hawks earlier efforts meant that they finished second, just 2 points behind their fellow HKCC side.
HKCC Rebels U11 213 (16) beat DLSW Kangaroos U11 180 (16) by 33 runs | Scorecard