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HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 21 February, 2016

Sunday Championship – 21 February 2016

HKCC Wanderers v HKCC Scorpions
In the final HKCC derby of the season, HKCC Wanderers pipped HKCC Scorpions by two runs in a thrilling finish.

Wanderers batted first after winning the toss but they struggled to get much momentum and Stuart Tohill’s 66 was their only score of significance in a total of 165 all out in 43.4 overs. Anton Buntin did most the damage with the ball, claiming the weekend’s best individual bowling figures of 5/44 from his ten over spell.

The Scorpions’ reply got off to a good start but from 0/36, they slipped to 7/86 with Tim Cutler, Ravi Mulchandani and Stuart Tohill making multiple strikes with the ball. Wickets continued to tumble and the Scorpions cause looked all but over at 9/126 with Mulchandani and Tohill claiming three wickets apiece. However, a battling last wicket stand between Toby Raper and Anton Buntin got Scorpions to within one scoring shot of victory but Harry Bailey trapped Buntin LBW from the first ball of the 50th over and Wanderers had snared a hard fought victory.
At HKCC: HKCC Wanderers 165 from 43.4 overs beat HKCC Scorpions 163 from 49.1 overs by two runs.

DLSWCC JKN v USRC/MCC
At Mission Road, DLSWCC JKN scored an easy win over USRC/MCC with the whole game finished well before the scheduled lunch break.

USRC/MCC won the toss and elected to bat first but they were soon reduced to 5/32 with Jangzeb Khan grabbing a brace. Mohammad Ali (3/33) and Ehsan Khan (3/3) wreaked havoc amongst the remaining USRC/MCC batting line-up and they capitulated to 77 all out in 22.3 overs.

Ehsan Khan then struck an unbeaten 32 as DLSWCC JKN knocked off the runs in 14.2 overs to earn themselves an early lunch and a bonus point.
At Mission Road: USRC/MCC 77 from 22.3 overs lost to DLSWCC JKN 3/78 from 14.2 overs by seven wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 14 February, 2016

Sunday Championship – 14 February 2016

There was no love lost on the cricket pitch over Valentine’s Day with KCC Templars, HKCC Scorpions and Pakistan Association all claiming bonus point victories.

HKCC Scorpions v KCC Infidels
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Scorpions recovered from the loss of both openers with only 20 runs on the board to post 206 in 41.4 overs against KCC Infidels. Mark Chapman was the best of the Scorpions’ batsmen with 52 while Suhaib Ahmad was the pick of the Infidels’ bowlers with 4/38 from 7.4 overs while Sunny Bhimsaria claimed 3/27 from seven.

A devastating opening spell by Scorpions’ skipper Matt Rafter reduced Infidels to 4/23 while further strikes by Mark Chapman and Raag Kapur had them in tatters at 8/56. Tobias Raper wrapped up the tail as Infidels were all out for 79 in just 27.4 overs. Ankur Vasishta was the only Infidels batter to reach double figures with 39. Rafter finished with 3/5 from six overs while Raper claimed 3/9 from 3.4 overs.
At HKCC: HKCC Scorpions 206 from 41.4 overs beat KCC Infidels 79 from 27.4 overs by 127 runs.

KCC Templars v DLSWCC Knights
At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Templars fared better with a 107-run victory over DLSWCC Knights.

Templars batted first after winning the toss but they were soon in trouble at 3/12 with Lamsam, Shroff and Atkinson all back in the pavilion. Niaz Ali and Amanat Khan made the early strikes for the Knights. Ryan Campbell and Ninad Shah steadied the ship with a 72-run partnership and Campbell went on to top-score with 73. The Infidels lower order backed him up with some good contributions including 37 from Imran Arif and 46 not out from skipper Ashley Caddy as Templars reached 222 all out from 48 overs.

The Knights reply never got going and they lost wickets at regular intervals. A 44-run fifth wicket partnership them over the 100 mark but from 4/102 they slumped to 115 all out. Nasir Hameed’s 30 was the Knights’ top score on the day. For Templars, Waqas Barkat claimed 3/33 while Imran Arif picked up 3/8.
At KCC: KCC Templars 222 from 48 overs beat DLSWCC Knights 115 from 36 overs by 107 runs.

Pakistan Association v Headwin Tritons SLCC
In the third match of the day played at Mission Road, Pakistan Association scored a 150-run victory over Headwin Tritons SLCC.

Pakistan Association made the most of their toss win to smash 8/384 in 47 overs off the hapless SLCC bowling attack. Tanvir Afzal top-scored with a brilliant 104 while Hamed Khan (39), Sunny Singh (54) and Butt Hussain (76*) also made useful contributions. The Pakistan Association batsmen shared a number of impressive partnerships too with stands of 45 for the first wicket, 64 for the fifth wicket, 111 for the sixth wicket and 80 for the seventh.

The SLCC reply got off to an impressive start as their openers put on 82 for the first wicket with Khizar Hayat scoring 44 while Imran Muhammad hit 52. Their momentum continued with Mehtab Ali (42) and Asad Rasheed (54), but from 4/222 the SLCC innings subsided quickly and they were all out for 234. For Pakistan Association, Mohsin Khan claimed 3/36 from eight overs while Kamran Mohammad picked up the best figures of the match with 4/43 from his nine over spell.
At Mission Road: Pakistan Association 8/384 from 47 overs beat Headwin Tritons SLCC 234 from 43.3 overs by 150 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 13 February, 2016

Saturday Championship – 13 February 2016

As the Saturday Championship reaches the sharp-end of the season, places in the top 5/bottom 5 are still to be determined in each division.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC vr KCC Crusaders
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Nomads secured their place in the top five with a hard-fought victory over KCC Crusaders.

Crusaders found themselves batting first after being sent in but they recovered well from a shaky start to post 7/173 from their 35 overs. Chief contributors were Damian Kelleher with 66 and Ashley Caddy with 31 – the pair adding 111 for the third wicket. However their dismissals saw the innings stall somewhat and Nomads did well to restrict them to that score. Toby Brown was the pick of the Nomads bowlers with 4/15 from his four over spell.

Nomads’ reply got off to a poor start and they were soon reduced to 3/30. Ravi Mulchandani hit 32 as he and Toby Brown added 52 runs for the fourth wicket while Brown and Max Abbott then followed with a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Brown eventually fell for 41 and Abbott 47 but their efforts helped get Nomads over the mark with nine balls and four wickets to spare.
At HKCC: KCC Crusaders 7/173 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Nomads 6/176 from 33.3 overs by four wickets.

KCC Saracens v DLSWCC Sarjan
At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Saracens defeated DLSWCC Sarjan by six wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, DLSWCC Sarjan scored 7/166 from their 35 overs with Aftab Hussain hitting 36.

Saracens’ skipper Sunny Bhimsaria top-scored with 73 not out in his team’s reply, which included a 67-run third wicket partnership with Ansh Lulla, who scored 31. Saracens scored the winning runs in 32.2 overs for the loss of four wickets.
At KCC: DLSWCC Sarjan 7/166 from 35 overs lost to KCC Saracens 4/167 from 32.2 overs by six wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Taipan CC v DLSWCC Spartans
In Division 2 action at Mission Road, Taipan CC maintained their unbeaten run this season with a narrow victory over DLSWCC Spartans.

Spartans batted first after winning the toss and they reached 9/204 from their 35 overs with Muhammad Haseeb scoring 74 while Haroon Arshad contributed 30. The pair combined in a fifth wicket partnership worth 60 runs. For Taipans, Hassan Khan claimed 4/41 from six overs while Manjinder Singh picked up 3/34 from his seven.

Amanat Khan picked up three wickets as Taipans were reduced to 6/77 in reply. However Taipans’ lower order batsmen Dharam Singh (41), Hassan Khan (31) and Jagmeet Brar (31) combined well to get them over the line in the last over with the last pair at the crease. For DLSWCC Spartans, Amanat Khan finished with 4/42 from his seven overs.
At Mission Road: DLSWCC Spartans 9/204 from 35 overs lost to Taipan CC 9/208 from 34.5 overs by one wicket.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 31 January, 2016

Sunday Championship – 31st January 2016

HKCC Scorpions v DLSWCC JKN
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, a good all-round performance by HKCC Scorpions saw them score a bonus point victory over DLSWCC JKN.

The HKCC Scorpions’ skipper Matt Rafter chose to bat first after winning the toss but he lost his opener David Varley early. A 96-run stand between Charlie Bright (47) and Scott McKechnie (47) lifted the score to 2/99 at which stage James Redmayne joined the fray. Redmayne batted brilliantly for 109 runs as HKCC Scorpions eventually reached 7/270 from their 50 overs.

The DLSW JKN innings got off to a poor start, as they lost Hong Kong internationals Anas Khan and Waqas Khan with only 26 runs on the board. A fine 101-run partnership for the third wicket between Hiren Patel (60) and Ehsan Khan (87) got them to 3/127 but once their stand was broken, the innings folded dramatically and they were all out for 183. No less than five DLSWCC JKN batsmen recorded ducks. Raag Kapur was the bowler who did most damage with figures of 4/34 from his ten over spell.
At HKCC: HKCC Scorpions 7/270 from 50 overs beat DLSWCC JKN 183 from 44.1 overs by 87 runs.

KCC Templars v Headwin Tritons SLCC
At Kowloon Cricket Club, hosts KCC Templars thrashed Headwin Tritons SLCC by 193 runs.

Having been sent in by SLCC’s skipper, the Templars batsmen made merry to the tune of 5/301 from their 50 overs. The openers set the platform with a 53-run partnership while the second partnership added 58 and the third 115. The main contributors to Templars’ cause were Roy Lamsam with 40, Nigel Shroff with 64, Ryan Campbell 75 and Imran Arif who finished unbeaten on 38.

SLCC’s reply began poorly and they were soon reduced to 3/16 with Aditya Kanthan making two early strikes. Dan Pascoe got into the wickets as the middle order offered little resistance and the contest was all but over as SLCC slumped to 6/46. Azeez Butt tried to counter-attack with a rapid 42 but after his dismissal, the SLCC innings subsided quickly and they were eventually all out in the 30th over for 108. Kanthan finished with figures of 3/25 from ten overs while Pascoe picked up 5/59 from nine overs.
At KCC: KCC Templars 5/301 from 50 overs beat Headwin Tritons SLCC 108 from 30 overs by 193 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 30 January, 2016

Saturday Championship – 30th January 2016

Whilst all eyes were on the international matches between Hong Kong and Scotland at Mission Road, there was still plenty of action across the territory in the domestic cricket leagues.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Gap Ramblers v KCC Tartars
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, HKCC Gap Ramblers defeated KCC Tartars by three wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, KCC Tartars scored 8/166 from their 35 overs with Ravi Lulla hitting 42 and Farooq Saeed scoring 58. In reply, Gap Ramblers knocked off the runs in 33.3 overs for the loss of seven wickets. Chief contributions for them were Raag Kapur with 53 and Peter Boa who finished on 43 not out.
At HKCC: KCC Tartars 8/166 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Gap Ramblers 7/168 from 33.3 overs by three wickets.

KCC Crusaders v CCC Jing Sun
Over at Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Crusaders scored their second win of the season with a 44-run victory over CCC Jing Sun.

The hosts batted first after winning the toss and they posted a score of 9/176 from their 35 overs with Nigel Shroff hitting 38 and Ashley Caddy 43 – the pair sharing a 92-run partnership for the third wicket. Gianluca Lamplough was the best of the CCC Jing Sun bowlers with 4/27 from his seven over spell.

After the CCC Jing Sun openers built a solid 39-run partnership, Bill Garnett ran through the top order, dismissing the first five batsmen in a devastating spell of 5/23 that reduced the CCC men to 5/62. Christian Cook (40) and Steve Pitt added 51-runs for the seventh wicket but their efforts were in vein as KCC Crusaders earned a valuable bonus point.
At KCC: KCC Crusaders 9/176 from 35 overs beat CCC Jing Sun 132 from 32.1 overs by 44 runs.

CCC Jing Sun’s loss leaves the Saturday Championship Division 1 wide open with only two points separating the top five teams while results from the last round-robin game will be needed to determine the play-off positions.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Taipan CC v SCC Lancers
It is much clearer in Division 2 where Taipan CC cemented their position atop the points table with a bonus point victory over SCC Lancers.

SCC Lancers elected to bat first at PKVR Park and they reached 137 in 34.2 overs with Tanmay Bijur the top scorer with 40 while Jagmeet Brar (3/15) and Hasan Khan (3/30) picked up three wickets each for Taipans.

In reply, Taipan CC only needed 18 overs to knock off the runs with Gurjinder Singh hitting 44 in an opening partnership of 55 while his brother Manjinder finished things off with an unbeaten 50 in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership worth 72 runs.
At PKVR Park: SCC Lancers 137 from 34.2 overs lost to Taipan CC 3/141 from 18 overs by seven wickets.

HKU CC v CCC Hung See
HKU CC also picked up a bonus point following their six-wicket victory over CCC Hung See at the Police Training College ground.

CCC Hung See batted first after being sent in by the HKU skipper, John Wright. The CCC Hung See openers enjoyed an opening partnership of 101 with Anthony Marrin contributing 55. However, wickets fell regularly after that and CCC Hung See could only add another 40 runs to their total, finishing on 6/141 in their 35-overs. Wides made a useful contribution to their cause with 44 being bowled by the HKU attack. Ashwin Dokani was the pick of the HKU bowlers with 3/17 from four overs.

Dokani then ensured HKU took maximum points from the game with an unbeaten 75 as HKU chased down the total in 27 overs.
At PTC: CCC Hung See 6/141 from 35 overs lost to HKU CC 4/142 in 27 overs by six wickets.

Match Report: Fincher Shield, 9th-10th January 2016

Fincher Shield – 9th-10th January 2016

The bi-annual two-day fixture between Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC) and Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC), for the Fincher Shield, was played at KCC over the weekend of the 9-10 January 2016.

KCC KARP won the toss and elected to bowl first in partly cloudy conditions on a wicket showing a distinctly green tinge. Adil Mehmood struck early to dismiss both HKCC openers with just 14 runs on the board. A third wicket partnership of 69 between Scott McKechnie and Nizakat Khan lifted the score to 83 before McKechnie fell to a catch in the slips from the bowling of Roy Lamsam for 39. Raag Kapur fell cheaply but then skipper Courtney Kruger joined Khan to add another 67 runs for the fifth wicket. Nizakat eventually fell for 55 and Kruger followed with 62 as HKCC were dismissed for 233 in 67.1 overs. Mehmood was the pick of the KCC bowlers with 5/50 from 16.1 overs, while Imran Arif picked up 3/54 from 17.

KCC’s first innings reply got off to a poor start and they were soon reduced to 4/32 as Tim Cutler, Miles Richardson and Anshuman Rath each claimed a wicket for HKCC. Jamie Atkinson and Waqas Barkat settled the home team’s nerves with an accomplished fifth wicket stand and they finished the first day’s play without further loss on 4/56.

The Atkinson/Waqas Barkat partnership added a further 107 runs on the second day before both batsmen fell in quick succession off the bowling of Rath. Barkat (54) was first to fall with the score at 163 and Atkinson followed five runs later for 66. The remaining batsmen could only add another 30 runs as KCC was dismissed for 198 – a first innings deficit of 35 runs. Anshuman Rath was the pick of the HKCC bowlers with 3/15 from seven overs while Simon Cook, Miles Richardson and Tim Cutler claimed two wickets apiece.

The KCC bowlers dominated the second innings as Imran Arif and Adil Mehmood grabbed three wickets each in an explosive opening burst that left HKCC reeling on 6/33. Mehmood’s fourth wicket was claimed shortly after, giving him nine for the match, as HKCC slumped to 7/45. Nizakat Khan (10) and Miles Richardson (30) shared a 29-run eighth wicket partnership but they were the only two HKCC batsmen to reach double-figures in a poor effort that saw them dismissed for 84 in just 23.4 overs. Mehmood finished with figures of 4/36 from eight overs while Arif grabbed 3/27 from 10. Najeeb Amar also grabbed a brace for KCC.

Set a target of 120 for victory, KCC lost Ninad Shah early but some sensible batting steadied the innings before a double strike by Anshuman Rath and a further wicket by Simon Cook saw them reduced to 4/45. Cook’s second wicket had KCC teetering at 5/59 but an unbeaten sixth wicket stand between Jamie Atkinson (22*) and Ryan Campbell (40*) saw them home in 19.4 overs. For HKCC, Anshuman Rath picked up 3/44 while Simon Cook claimed 2/36.

Man of the Match honours went to KCC’s Adil Mehmood who claimed match figures of 9/86 from 24.1 overs including five maidens.
At KCC: HKCC 233 from 67.1 overs & 84 from 23.4 overs lost to KCC KARP 198 from 53.5 overs & 5/120 from 19.1 overs by five wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 9 January, 2016

Saturday Championship

Saturday Championship Division 1

CCC Jing Sung v HKCC Witherers
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, CCC Jing Sung scored a 39-run victory over competition leaders HKCC Witherers.

Mark Wright top-scored for CCC Jing Sun with 65 as the Craigengower team reached 8/185 from their 35 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first. Ciaran McAssey was the pick of the bowlers for HKCC Witherers, claiming 3/21 from his seven over spell.

Charlie Bright led the Witherers reply with 39 but didn’t receive enough support from his teammates and from a seemingly strong position of 3/99, their run-chase petered out at 146. Matt Rafter (3/21 from 7 overs) and Gianluca Lamplough (3/32 from 6) did much of the damage with the ball for CCC Jing Sun.
At HKCC: CCC Jing Sun 8/185 from 35 overs beat HKCC Witherers 146 from 33.4 overs by 39 runs.

Pakistan Association v Centaurs
At PKVR Park, Pakistan Association moved up to fourth on the table with an eight-wicket thrashing of Centaurs.

Batting first after winning the toss, Centaurs got away to useful start and looked well placed at 1/76 with opener Keith Hemshall scoring 41. Thereafter Centaurs wickets tumbled regularly and they were eventually dismissed for 138 with Mohammad Saad picking up 4/32 from 5.4 overs, including a hat-trick to wrap up the innings.

The Pakistan Association openers put on 53 runs for the first wicket with Daniyal Butt going on to hit 32 and Mehtab Ali scoring 31. Akbar Khan then got them home in the 17th over with an unbeaten 53.
At PKVR Park: Centaurs 138 from 34.4 overs lost to Pakistan Association 2/143 from 16.3 overs by eight wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2

Laguna Gully v Kai Tak
At Mission Road, Laguna Gully enjoyed a bonus point victory over Kai Tak.

Kai Tak won the toss and elected to bowl first but they found themselves chasing leather on the much- improved Mission Road outfield. Shekhar Sharma hit 73, Vikram Thareja 50 and Keyurkumar Patva 33 not out as Laguna Gully amassed 6/224 from their 35 overs.

In reply, Kai Tak could only muster 9/148 from their 35 overs with Pranav Shah claiming 4/24 from seven overs for Laguna Gully.
At Mission Road: Laguna Gully 6/224 from 35 overs beat Kai Tak 9/148 from 35 overs by 76 runs.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 10 January, 2016

Sunday Championship

Pakistan Association v HKCA Dragons
Reigning champions Pakistan Association had little trouble dispatching HKCA Dragons by 375 runs at Mission Road on Sunday.

Opting to bowl first, the Dragons conceded 5/412 from their 50 overs with Tanwir Afzal hitting 61, Aizaz Khan 93, Skhawat Ali 41 and Ahsan Abbasi finishing on 142 not out. Dragons skipper Ady Lee was the pick of the Dragons bowlers, picking up 3/76 from his ten over spell.

The Dragons batsmen had a poor outing, with only one player reaching double figures in a rout that saw them dismissed for just 37 in 15 overs. Mohsin Khan benefitted most with 5/2 from two overs, including a hat-trick to finish the game.
At Mission Road: Pakistan Association 5/412 from 50 overs beat HKCA Dragons 37 from 15 overs by 375 runs.