The Mid-Autumn Festival gave us an opportunity to catch up on our cricket, with a whopping 37 games across all the leagues scheduled for these three days. Rain put a damper on some of them, but there was plenty of cricket played – here is a review on all the action from the weekend:

Juniors

At HKCC, the Rebels picked up their second win of the season, beating the Warriors by 23 runs. Lily Lyons was the star with the bat again, as she hit 37 runs off just 16 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes to take the Rebels to 206 in their 16 overs. She then took 2/20 as well, and a good team bowling effort saw the Warriors restricted to just 183/7.
HKCC Rebels U11 206 (16) beat HKCC Warriors U11 183 (16) by 23 runs | Scorecard

Four games were played at PKVR Reservoir, the first of which was India Club Blue taking on the DLSW Tigers on Pitch 2 in the first Pool 1 game of the season. The Tigers batted first, and everyone chipped in to take them to 171 in their 16 overs. The IC Blues run-chase was curtailed to just 14 overs, and they came close – with 10 to win off the final over, they scored 8 off the first 5 balls, till Bhavik Mehta scored a runout to end the chase and win an exciting game for the Tigers. Also noteworthy for the Tiger was Fazal Abubakr Farooq, who took 5 wickets in his 3 overs – a rare feat in the U-11s.
DLSW Tigers U11 171 (16) beat India Club Blue 145 (14) by 6 runs| Scorecard

Following on from this game, the Lantau Buffaloes took on the KCC Bees in a reduced 14 over game. After electing to bat first, the Buffaloes managed to put up 172, thanks to 26 from Sean Lavigne and 17 from Caleb Tony. The Bees put on an excellent run chase in reply, managed 196 in their 14 to win by 24 runs. Three batsmen got to double digits, and they only lost 2 wickets all innings – a solid effort to start their season.
KCC Bees U11 196 (14) beat Lantau U-11 Buffaloes 172 (14) by 24 runs | Scorecard

On Pitch 3 at 11 am sharp the DB Smashers Red started their season against the HKCC Hawks, who were 1-1 after the trio of HKCC derbies. The benefit of games under the belt showed for the Hawks, as they piled on 248 in their 16 overs. They only lost 1 wicket, and four batsmen got to double digits, Henry McAuliffe top scoring with 20 off just 11 balls (4 fours). Five bowlers then chipped in with 1 wicket a piece, as DBS Red were kept to just 145 in response. A massive 103 run win for the Hawks to take them to the top of the table.
HKCC Hawks U11 248 (16) beat DBS Red 145 (16) by 103 runs | Scorecard

The third game on Pitch 2 got off to a late start and was thus reduced to 12 overs a side. The KCC Hornets played the newly formed KCC Honey Bees in the only KCC U-11 League derby of the season. The Honey Bees elected to bat first, and Charlie Collins started their season off in style, with 39 runs off just 17 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes). The highest individual score of the season so far. The Bees did not lose a single wicket and finished on 196 in their 12 overs. This was too much for the Hornets – despite not losing a wicket themselves, and a valiant 28 from Vihaan Upadhyay (17 balls, 6 fours), they could only manage 154 in their 12 overs.
KCC Honey Bees U11 196 (12) beat KCC Hornets 154 (12) | Scorecard

The two U-11s scheduled for Discover Bay on Tuesday were both forfeit victories for the home team, but kudos to HKCC for going out there anyways, bringing as many kids as they could muster to play a couple of friendly games instead. A fun day out for all the kids and parents involved.

Out of the nine U-13s scheduled for last week, only one was abandoned due to the rain (KCC Crusaders vs LMC at PKVR Reservoir on Tuesday 9:30 AM) and only one was forfeited beforehand (DLSW Littles having withdrawn from the league), which meant that four Premier Division and three Elite Division games were played.

In the Premier Division, the DLSW Cheetahs played their first game, and were able to beat the LMC U13s by 15 runs. Sent in to bat at PKVR Reservoir (right after the conclusion of the U-11 games), skipper Neil Patwa lead the way with 66* opening the batting (60 balls, 10 fours). His innings accounted for the bulk of his side’s eventual total of 141/5, with the next highest score being 10. Muskan Ali Khan hit an unbeaten fifty himself in the run chase (63 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), and with Murtaza Muhammad (20) took LMC to 57/1 in 9 overs. But LMC could not build on that platform and ended their 20 overs on 126/6. Jash Dani lead the way for the Cheetahs in the field, with 3/14 and a run-out.
DLSW Cheetahs U13 141/5 (20) beat LMC U13 126/6 (20) by 15 runs | Scorecard

On Sunday we had two exciting Premier Division games unfold at KGV. On Pitch 1, PACC won the toss and chose to bowl, and backed up that decision with an excellent performance. Captain Ailyaan Zahir took 3/24 in his 4 overs but was still the most expensive bowler of his side, as they restricted the HKCC Scorpions to just 85/7 in 20 overs. Duncan Smith top scored with 40 not out (38 balls, 7 fours), and with Nishant Pattnaik (17*, 12 balls, 3 fours) put on a valuable 34 run partnership for the 8^th wicket to recover the innings from 51/7. The Scorpions were not disheartened by this though and put on a fine performance of their own. After 7 overs, PACC were 11/2. Ailyaan and Usman Iqbal steadied the ship with a 43-run partnership, and at 54/2 in 11 it looked like PACC would run away with the game. That’s when Ahvaan Thakur was brought on to bowl. He took 2 wickets in the 12^th over, and PACC soon collapsed to 57/6. Thakur finished with fantastic figures of 4-1-3-4 as PACC eventually fell just short of their target – 76/8 in 20 overs. An excellent win for the Scorpions to take them to the top of the table.
HKCC Scorpions U13 85/7 (20) beat PACC U13 76/8 (20) by 9 runs | Scorecard

On Pitch 2, the KCC Crusaders U13s batted first against the USRC Premier U13s and put on a challenging 133/6 in 20 overs. The innings was built around Kapil Chakravarti’s 62 off just 43 balls (9 fours and 2 sixes) from number 3. Five bowlers took 1 wicket each for USRC, but Aashir Khalil stood out, conceding just 13 runs in 4 overs and also being involved in a runout. The USRC run chase started well, with a 30-run opening partnership, but then they began to lose wickets at regular intervals. Only two batsmen crossed 20 as they ended their innings at 110/9. Parth Bhagwat, who had earlier scored 19, took 2/6 in 2 overs with the ball as well.
KCC Crusaders U13 133/6 (20) beat USRC Premier U13 110/9 (20) by 23 runs | Scorecard

After the two forfeited U-11 games, the Discovery Bay Cricket Ground finally played host to its first official CHK fixture – DBS White playing their first game of the season against the DLSW Cheetahs on Tuesday 2:50 PM. The Cheetahs were coming off a win on Saturday against LMC U13s and were made to field first on a warm afternoon. They bowled and fielded well – keeping DBS White to 124/5 – 2 runs less than what LMC made against them earlier in the week. Jash Dani was the pick of the bowlers again, with 3/21, and the highest score for DBS was 32 by Malhar Pendse (27 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes). The Cheetah’s started the chase well too – reaching 53/1 in the 10^th over. But they collapsed from there – losing 9 wickets for 35 runs in 41 balls. 88 all out in 16.3 overs, and a comprehensive 36 run win for DBS White. 4 batsmen scored 19 or higher for DBS White, and 6 different bowlers took wickets – a real team effort to start their season off well.
DBS White 124/5 (20) beat DLSW Cheetahs U13 88 a/o (16.3) by 36 runs. | Scorecard

In the Elite Division, India Club Green picked up their second win of the season against KCC Buccaneers at KGV on Sunday. Due to a late start the game was reduced to 12 overs a side, but IC Green only needed 10 of them to bowl out a 9-man Buccaneers for 63. This was the Buccaneers’ first game of the season, and they were caught off guard by a fine bowling and fielding display. Abyan Mohammad took 4/10 in his 3 overs and also took a catch, and only 3 KCC batsmen were able to cross into double figures. In response, IC Green lost a wicket in the 6^th over (another runout), but Jash Parekh continued his fine season, scoring 26* (25 balls, 3 fours) to guide his side to victory in 9.1 overs.
India Club Green 64/1 (9.1) beat KCC Buccaneers U13 63 a/o (9.4) by 9 wickets | Scorecard

The Buccaneers did not have to wait long for a chance to bounce back, as they got to face the HKCC Optimists at PKVR Reservoir on Tuesday at 1 PM. The Optimists were awarded a forfeit victory on Sunday, so this would be their first game – and what a cracker of a game it turned out to be! After choosing to bat first, HKCC put up 120/4, built around opener Advait Dwivedi’s 55* (54 balls, 12 fours). Jack Collins and Tai Chapple took 2 wickets each for the Buccaneers, but it was not enough to stop the Optimists from racking up the highest score of the Elite Division so far. Aagam Doshi lead the response, hitting 34 off just 31 balls (3 fours, 3 sixes), and after 10 overs the Buccaneers were 70/0. That’s when the game heated up – the 11^th over brought two wickets and just 1 run, the 12^th over produced 1 wicket but 11 runs, the 13^th over went for 17 runs, and the 14^th went for 10. Mayur Pulapra and Ohm Shah were finding the fence regularly, and at 109/3, KCC needed just 12 runs from the final over to pull of an unlikely win. They managed 8 runs off the first four balls, but then Shah was runout by Kellen Malan on the penultimate ball, which brought Prakhar Mishra to the crease with 4 to tie and 6 to win off the final ball. The unlikely chase got a fantastic finish, as Mishra hit the last ball away to the fence, giving us out very first Tied game of the season! Points shared as both sides ended on identical scores. Great game.
HKCC Optimists 120/4 (15) tied with KCC Buccaneers 120/4 (15) | Scorecard

This game was followed by the DLSW Tigers playing their first match of the season against India Club Green. The Tigers actually recorded an 8-wicket victory – scoring 100/2 in 12.1 overs to IC Green’s 98/6 in 15 – but were found to have fielded an overage player, and so the result was overturned, and India Club were given the forfeit win.

The Under 17s were worst hit by the wet weather, with four out of the six games being called off. HKCC and KCC were still playable, and both of Tuesday’s Premier Division games saw comprehensive victories for the visiting sides.

At HKCC, the DLSW Tigers showed why they are a force to be reckoned with, as they beat the HKCC Nomads by 95 runs. After electing to bat first, four batsmen crossed 20 to take the Tigers to 145/4 in 20 overs. Urslan Abdul was the pick of the batsmen, with 41 off 26 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes), and Mohammad Hussain Khan returned the fine figures of 2/18 for HKCC. The Nomads batting never got going in response – Shahab Tanweer (3/15), Farhan Hassan Khan (2/10) and Hassan Mohammad (2/2) using the new ball to good effect to bowl them out for just 50 in 14.3 overs. An outstanding effort by the table-toppers – they will be hard to beat.
DLSW Tigers U17 145/4 (20) beat HKCC Nomads U17 50 a/o (14.3) by 95 runs | Scorecard

At KCC, a similar pattern unfolded. KCC elected to bowl first and kept PACC to 112/6 in their 20 overs. Ailyaan Zahir – fresh off his heroics in the U13s on Sunday – hit 41 off 56 balls (4 fours) to anchor the innings. In the end, 112 was to be more than enough – KCC being bundled out for 68 in 19.2 overs in response. The PACC attack gelled well as a unit, with wickets being shared between 5 bowlers, while KCC did themselves no favours with 2 poor runouts. A fine performance by PACC to get them their first win of the season.
PACC U17 112/6 (20) beat KCC U17 68 a/o (19.2) by 44 runs | Scorecard

Women’s

The weather was good on Sunday which meant another exciting round of the Women’s T20 Cup at PKVR Reservoir – starting with CCC Fung Wong upsetting the defending champions KCC Maidens at 8:20 AM. KCC elected to bowl first and were on the receiving end of a Kary Chan special – the national team veteran hitting 42* off 33 balls (5 fours) to push CCC up to 117/4 in 20 overs. Maheen Haider bowled well for KCC, conceding just 8 runs and taking 2 wickets in her four overs. KCC got off to a poor start in their run chase – losing Jen Davies and Anum Ahmed in the first over to Annie Ho (who finished with 3/3 in her 4 overs). Two more quick wickets fell, and at 26/4 KCC were relying on Claire Brown and Keenu Gill to steady the innings. They both batted well, taking the score to 58 in 10 overs, but Corn Wong struck twice in the 11^th to dismiss them both, and at 59/6 the Maidens’ chase had been derailed. They finished on 80/9 in 20 overs. giving CCC a 37-run victory and placing them second in the table. Kary Chan followed her fine innings with 2/10 in 4 overs, and also took 4 catches, rounding off an excellent day for her and Fung Wong.
CCC Fung Wong 117/4 (20) beat KCC Maidens 80/9 (20) by 37 runs | Scorecard

The Cavaliers then put on a clinical all-round display to beat the Willow Wielders by 8 wickets in the HKCC Derby that followed. Having elected to bowl first, the Cavs struck early and regularly, sending a dangerous Willow Wielders top 3 back to the pavilion by the 9^th over with just 43 on the board. The middle order rallied through Sara Young (21) and Katy Gibbons (23), but they could only manage 92/6 in their 20. This was not to be enough. Natural Yip (who had earlier bowled her 4 overs for just 10 runs) hit 43* opening the batting (35 balls, 7 fours), and with former South African Test player Cri-Zelda Brits at the other end (25*) ensured the run chase would be a smooth one – the Cavs chasing the score down in 14.4 overs for the loss of just 2 wickets. They now top the table, and look like the team to beat this season.
HKCC Cavaliers 93/2 (14.4) beat HKCC Willow Wielders 92/6 (20) by 8 wickets | Scorecard

The final game of the day saw the DLSW Wasps beat the SCC Divas by 72 runs – the largest margin of victory in terms of runs in the Women’s T20 Cup this season. This was accomplished by DLSW Wasps putting up the highest score of the Women’s T20 Cup season so far – 136/6. The Divas bowled and fielded well to take 6 wickets, but were also erratic, conceding 62 extras. This was to come back to hurt them as they were bowled out for 64 in 15.5 overs – the Wasps showing the same depth and skill in their bowling that made them title contenders last season. Maryam Bibi top scored for the Wasps with 24*, and also took 2/17 and 1 catch in the field. A good win for the Wasps in their first game of the season, and a good learning experience for the Divas.
DLSW Wasps 136/6 (20) beat SCC Divas 64 a/o (15.5) by 72 runs | Scorecard

Men’s

There was a lot of Senior Men’s cricket played these past three days. The DLSW DTC Mobile vs CHK Dragons game was called off due to wet conditions, and three Saturday games were called off too, but we still had one Sunday Elite League and 7 Saturday Championship games take place. Here is how they unfolded.

DLSW JKN got their season off to a winning start with a big victory over HKCC Scorpions at HKCC in a Sunday Elite Division 1 fixture. After being sent in to bat first, JKN were bowled out for 280 in 49.1 overs. Fifties from Shahid Wasif (50 off 59, 5 fours 2 sixes), Ehsan Khan (60 off 61, 10 fours) and Munir Dar (66 off 50, 6 fours, 5 sixes) were the highlights of the innings. JKN started slow, reaching 55/1 after 14 overs. Shahid Wasif and Ehsan Khan then turned the innings around, by taking 30 runs off the 15^th over (courtesy of a few wides and overthrows), and DLSW did not look back from there on in. They maintained a healthy run rate and would have been eyeing 300 from 216/5 in 40 overs, but HKCC pulled things back well. Kinchit Shah and Tanveer Ahmed bowled their 10 overs economically (1/38 and 1/37 respectively), while Miles and Ingram took 2 wickets a piece.
The Scorpions would have been confident of chasing this down during the lunch break, having put up 298 against PACC at this ground just a couple of weeks earlier, but got off to the worst possible start, losing both openers in the first 2 overs. They lost their third wicket in the 7^th over, and when Kinchit was dismissed in the 15^th, the score read 64/4. DLSW seemed unaffected by losing Haseeb Amjad to injury in the 3^rd over, putting their full depth of bowling resources on display. 7 bowlers were used (including Haseeb), and they all picked up at least 1 wicket a piece. Jangzeb Khan took 3/46 in his 7 overs – after dismissing Kinchit, his dismissed Rory Caines and Tom Ingram on consecutive balls in the 19^th over, and when Tanveer was dismissed in the 20^th the HKCC Scorpions were 83/7 and all but out of the game. Buckley and Poole battled to take them past 100, but they were eventually bowled out for 127 in 27 overs. A big 153 run win from an impressive DLSW JKN side to start their season.
DLSW JKN 280 a/o (49.1) beat HKCC Scorpions 127 a/o (26.1) by 153 runs | Scorecard

In Division 1 of the Saturday League DLSW Sarjan put on another fine performance to secure a 35-run victory over the KCC Saracens at PKVR Park on Saturday. Hiren Patel scored 57 (73 balls, 6 fours) and Haseeb Amjad hit a quick 41 (36 balls, 6 fours), but Niaz Ali (3/21), Ahan Trivedi (3/38) and Ali Mohammed (2/13) combined to bowl out Sarjan in 31.1 overs for 161. However, this would prove to be enough – Haseeb Muhammad took 4 wickets and two of the Saracens top 4 were runout as KCC were bowled out for 126 in 30.4 overs. Hersh Khatri scored 54 (59 balls, 4 fours 2 sixes) to offer some resistance, but the Sarjans cruised to their second win in as many games.
DLSW Sarjan 161 a/o (31.1) beat KCC Saracens 126 a/o (30.4) by 35 runs | Scorecard

Lamma finally got their season underway at KCC with a 58-run loss to the Crusaders in a high-scoring game. Matt Stiller (133*, 115 balls, 21 fours, 1 six) and Peter Wooden (113, 74 balls, 14 fours, 3 sixes) put on a massive 190 run partnership in just 148 balls as the Crusaders racked up 285 in their 35 overs. A tough welcome for the newly promoted side. They put up a good fight – after losing 2 early wickets, Khan Akbar (54 off 41 balls, 10 fours) and Justin Heathcote (75 off 57 balls, 11 fours, 2 sixes) put on a 125-run partnership for the third wicket, but Damian Kelleher (4/27) and Yuvrajsingh Bayas (3/49) ensured that Lamma CC were bowled out for 227 in 34.3 overs.
KCC Crusaders 285/2 (35) beat Lamma CC 227 a/o (34.3) by 58 runs | Scorecard

On Tuesday at Mission Road USRC put on an outstanding bowling display to dismiss PACC for just 50 runs in 12.3 overs. Muhammad Imran (4/26) and Kashif Shams (3/16) made excellent use of the new ball to dismiss a strong side for the lowest score in Senior Men’s cricket this season, and USRC had no issues chasing it down, finishing the chase in 7 overs for the loss of just 1 wicket. A fantastic performance to start their season.
USRC/MCC Championship 52/1 (7) beat PACC Championship 50/10 (12.3) by 9 wickets | Scorecard

In Division 2, Police Training College played host to the annual Ellis Achong Cup fixture on Saturday. This is the name given to the annual Saturday League match between CCC Hung See and CHK Pioneers – the two Chinese-only teams in the league. Pioneers elected to bowl first in a reduced-overs game and put on a good performance with the ball and in the field to keep a strong Hung See batting lineup to just 142/5 in 30 overs. Li Ka Ming bowled his 6 overs for just 10 runs and a wicket and was well supported by Horace Leung (1/19), Vans Chan (1/26) and Danny Lee (1/31). Henry Siu top scored for Hung See with 34 from 26 balls (3 fours 1 six), and Bobby Chan scored 25 opening the batting. Unfortunately, the CHK Pioneers got off to a terrible start in the chase - Michael Zheng and Henry Siu reducing them to 0/3 in 3 overs, and when Li Ka Ming was dismissed in the 5^th over the score was 3/4. At 26/6 it looked like the Pioneers might struggle to cross 50, but Danny Lee (27 off 56 balls, 2 fours) partnered with David Fang (11) and Howard Kwan (10) to extend the innings. The Pioneers were eventually bowled out for 71 in 25.4 overs – Michael Zheng, Arthur Chiu and Ka-u Lynn taking 2 wickets a piece. A big win for CCC Hung See, winning back the Cup from the Pioneers.
CCC Hung See 142/5 (30) beat CHK Pioneers 71 a/o (25.4) by 71 runs | Scorecard

Also on Saturday, HKU CC travelled over to HKCC to face the Witherers. Both sides coming off wins against participants in the Ellis Achong Cup looking to go 2-0. Witherers won the toss and chose to bat, and while they were able to score at a healthy rate, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Andrew Jacobs top scored with 58 (55 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes) but the Witherers were bowled out for 207 in 34.3 overs. Skipper John Wright took 3/31, and 5 other bowlers chipped in with wickets. Ashwin Dokania lead the response for HKU with 79 (95 balls, 9 fours), but ran out of partners – the next highest score from HKU was 14. Ashwin’s lone hand came to an end in the 34^th over, and HKU were bowled out for 153 just 2 balls later. Alexander Nash took 4/30 for the Witherers, while Ashu Dutt and Ben Zanol took 2 wickets a piece.
HKCC Witherers 207 a/o (34.3) beat HKU CC 153 a/o (34) by 54 runs. | Scorecard

Both HKU CC and the HKCC Witherers were in action again on Tuesday. The Witherers played host to the Centaurs and picked up their third win in a row when they narrowly edged them out by 18 runs. Batting first, they put up 220/5 in their 35 overs. Andrew Jacobs top scored again, with 79* from 67 balls (no boundaries and 8 sixes) and Jonathan Worby weighed in with a quick 53* from 33 balls (3 fours, 4 sixes). Nasir Hameed was exceptional for Centaurs – his 7 overs went for just 11 runs and 2 wickets. Naveed Khawaja then starred for the Centaurs with the bat, coming in with the score at 28/2 and hitting 105 off just 77 balls (9 fours, 7 sixes). He put on a 141-run partnership with Keith Frith (60 off 82 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), and when he was dismissed the score was 169/3 in 30 overs. They were 10 runs ahead of HKCC Witherers at the same stage but were not able to pull off a strong enough finish. With 52 to defend in the last 5 overs, the HKCC Witherers conceded just 33, going to the top of the table in the process.
HKCC Witherers 220/4 (35) beat Borrelli Walsh Centaurs 202/5 (35) by 18 runs | Scorecard

At PKVR Park Taipans were exceptional with the ball and in the field to shoot out HKU CC for just 72 runs. Ashwin Dokania was trapped LBW in the second over for a duck, and wickets just kept falling - the highest partnership for HKU was just 18 runs. Mahmood Aqeel took 5/28 in 6.5 overs and the other 4 bowlers used all picked up a wicket a piece, with one runout to round off the innings. HKU CC bowled well defending this low score – after 9.5 overs, Taipans were 32-2. But that’s when Majinder Singh smashed 42 off just 16 balls (3 fours, 4 sixes), and the target was done and dusted in 13 overs. A thumping victory for Taipans in their first game of the season, and a second tough loss in a row for HKU CC.
Taipans-PACC 72/2 (13) beat HKU CC 72 a/o (23.5) by 8 wickets | Scorecard