The 2017 DTC Hong Kong T20 Blitz has got under way at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground and there were fireworks from the very start. On day one we saw four fifties, a 31-ball hundred and a bowler taking a hat-trick on an action packed day of high level cricket.

The beginning of the tournament was delayed by heavy rain in the morning, but the ground staff did a fantastic job at getting the outfield fit for cricket. A good crowd waited patiently for the cricket to get going, and they were well rewarded.

Unfortunately overs were lost in the first match as a result of that delay, with the contest between Galaxy Gladiators Lantau and Hung Hom JD Jaguars reduced to 11 overs a side. While a late start may have dampened spirits of the crowd the JD Jaguars were quick to get everyone excited.

The men responsible for generating that entertainment were Darren Sammy and James Franklin who shared a stand worth 102 runs from just 36 balls. Franklin made 58 from 27 deliveries and Sammy 52 from 19 balls. Between them they scored 11 sixes. While the Tin Kwong Road ground is small, the shots that Sammy and Franklin were launching over the fence would have been six on the biggest grounds in the world.

The Galaxy Gladiators started well, with Yorkshire’s Azeem Rafiq keeping things tight with his clever off-spin, and the Lantau side had reduced the Jaguars to 43-3 after five overs. It looked as if they may struggle to set a competitive total. Those concerns were waylaid when Franklin and Sammy embarked on a remarkable assault that saw them destroy a strong attack with unreal power hitting.

Sammy is already a firm crowd favourite here in Hong Kong, and his arrival at the crease was greeted with loud cheers, and they only got louder as the ball sailed over the boundary and out of the ground.

The Galaxy Gladiators needed someone to match the hitting prowess of Sammy and Franklin, but they could not put together a partnership that would allow them to get close to their target. The best innings from the Lantau side was from Hong Kong international Anshuman Rath who made a brilliant 45 from 26 balls, including a switch hit for six. The issue was that no one could stay with Rath as the chase fell away. The Hung Hom team eventually won by 27 runs but not before Ash Caddy punctuated a superb win with a hat-trick in the last over.

Match two was no less remarkable. It saw City Kaitak take on the Kowloon Cantons and once again it rained sixes. A poor start from City Kaitak saw them reduced to 23 for three and in danger of losing their way. A 125 run stand between Kyle Coetzer (87) and Chris Jordan (75) saw Kaitak reach 199 for six from their 20 overs, setting a target of exactly 200.

That should have provided the Cantons with a challenge, but Dwayne Smith didn’t see it that way. He hit Nadeem Ahmed for 28 runs from the first over on his way to a century that he made from just 31 balls. He finished 121 not out in an innings that included 13 sixes.

Smith was joined at the crease by Marlon Samuels and between them the two West Indians took their team home. Their partnership was worth 142 runs in 9.4 overs as they dismantled the bowling of Jordan, Rayad Emrit and Aizaz Khan.

The Cantons won the game with 33 balls to spare and with eight wickets in hand.

Tomorrow sees two more matches with HKI United playing Hung Hom JD Jaguars at 10am and then Galaxy Gladiators Lantau facing City Kaitak at 2pm.

Tickets are available here. If you can’t make it to watch at the ground the games will be streamed live and for free on the Cricket Hong Kong YouTube and Facebook pages.