The Hong Kong Cricket Club and Kowloon Cricket Club faced off in the Bi-Annual Hancock Shield match this past weekend over at HKCC. A historic match-up between the two clubs, this game also counts as the opening fixture for the CHK Premier League 2-Day competition. The winner of this game moves on to the Final early in 2019, where they will face the winner of the Quaid I Azam Trophy - the annual 2-Day fixture between Pakistan Association Cricket Club and Diasqua Little Sai Wan Cricket Club.

Several members of the National squad were unavailable for this fixture, as they were out touring Karachi for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. This provided an opportunity for HKCC and KCC to test out their bench strength, with several players making their 2-Day debuts. This game also saw a pair of brothers lined up to face each other – Ninad Shah representing KCC while Kinchit Shah represented HKCC. Potentially a first in the history of the Hancock and Fincher Shields!

On a cool Saturday morning, KCC’s Jamie Atkinson called correctly at the toss, and opted to put the hosts in to bat first. KCC then got off to a great start with the new ball – Niaz Ali and Daljeet Singh taking 2 wickets apiece to have HKCC reeling at 26/4 after 8 overs. This included the prize scalp of Kinchit Shah -who scored a century for KCC in the Fincher Shield last year, and finished the 2017-18 Premier League 2-Day competition as its leading run-scorer.

Luke Jones and Rory Caines began to rebuild the innings for the hosts, taking the score past 50 and seeing off the new ball. Ateeq Iqbal was introduced into the attack, and struck in his 4^th over, to dismiss Luke Jones for 21. Luke’s innings would prove to be the highest of the HKCC innings, as Ateeq struck again in his 6^th, 7^th and 9^th overs, running throw the HKCC middle order in the process. He finished his nine over spell with figures of 9-1-25-4 - three wickets bowled, and one caught. By the time he was done, HKCC were in deep trouble at 68/8. Tom Ingram and Adil Mehmood hung around till Lunch, but could not push the score on much further – Adil was runout second over after the break, and Ingram was caught behind off Dan Pascoe having scored 20. HKCC all out for 88 in just 34.3 overs.

After a strong start with the ball, KCC were looking to push on the advantage with the bat. Adil Mehmood struck a pair of early blows for HKCC – getting rid of Harpreet Singh and the dangerous Jamie Atkinson cheaply – and for a while HKCC had the visitors sweating at 26/2. But they began to rebuild. Simandeep Singh and Roy Lamsam then took the score to 70 before the former was dismissed, bowled by James Miles, after which Ninad Shah and Roy took the score past HKCC’s 88, and then past 100.

Just when it seemed like KCC were going to run away with a large lead, Tom Ingram struck twice in the 35^th over. He pegged Roy Lamsam LBW for a hard fought 46 on the second ball, and then got Waqas Barkat out LBW as well on the final ball of the over. With KCC at 114/5 approaching the end of the day, HKCC had an opportunity to claw their way back into the game. But Ninad and Scott McKechnie stood firm, adding 69 quick runs and seeing their side through to stumps on Day 1. KCC finished the day at 183/5, with the lead already at an imposing 95 runs. Ninad Shah was batting fluently, had gone well past his fifty at this point. He walked off the pitch with the opportunity to emulate his brother with a century on the following day.

However, it was not to be – 3 overs into Day 2 Ninad edged Martin Versfeld behind to be dismissed for 91 (96 balls, 16 fours, 1 six), just 9 runs short of a well-deserved hundred. KCC had gone past 200 at this point, and Dan Pascoe joined Scott McKechnie to extend that lead further. The pair put on 107 runs in just under 16 overs together to take KCC past 300 before the Hong Kong Wicketkeeper edged Versfeld behind too, dismissed for an excellent 82 (98 balls, 6 fours, 5 sixes). Daljeet Singh joined Pascoe at the crease, and together they scored 59 runs in the next 11.2 overs before Atkinson decided to declare. KCC ended their innings on 369/7 in 80 overs, with Dan Pascoe unbeaten on 79 from 82 balls (8 fours, 4 sixes).

With a lead of 281 runs and a session and a half to go in Day 2, KCC had all but secured the Hancock Shield. It was now a question of if HKCC could hold them off to a winning draw, or if KCC could pull off the outright victory. Niaz Ali and Daljeet Singh struck early yet again – Niaz trapping Craig Johnstone LBW for the second time in the game, and Daljeet dismissing Ryan Buckley bowled after a first innings LBW- and HKCC were 33/2 in 9 overs. It did not get better there on in, as each of Atkinson’s bowling changes found immediate success – Roy Lamsam struck in his 2^nd over, and Ateeq Iqbal and Dan Pascoe in their first. Ateeq then repeated his first innings feat with 2 wickets in an over, and after 23 HKCC were reeling at 77/7.

Martin Versfeld (36*) resisted the bowling, and found some support in Adil Mehmood and skipper Isaac Poole. For a while it looked like HKCC would be able to bat out the day, but ultimately the resistance was brought to an end. Waqas Barkat broke a 28-run 9^th wicket stand in the 47^th over of the innings, and Dan Pascoe wrapped up the game just 4 balls later. HKCC all out for 152, KCC emerging victorious by an innings and 129 runs.

Congratulations to KCC on an excellent victory. Not only do they now hold both the Hancock and Fincher Shields, but they have also proceeded to the finals of the 2-Day competition, where they will face either Diasqua Little Sai Wan or Pakistan Association. This will be determined when the Quaid I Azam Cup is contested on December 25^th and 26^th at Tin Kwong Road Recreational Ground.

KCC 369/7 dec. (80) beat HKCC 88 a/o (34.3) and 152 a/o (47.3) by an innings and 129 runs | Scorecard