Hong Kong 0-2 Uzbekistan

In the second round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup at a packed Mongkok Stadium Hong Kong lost 2-0 to Uzbekistan.

Watch the highlights

 

Hong Kong v Uzbekistan 21 march 2024

Hong Kong v Uzbekistan 21 march 2024

images: HKFootball

Hong Kong Rugby’s Sexual Bias

This week Hong Kong’s women stand on the brink of a stunning achievement, qualification for the rugby World Cup. Not now and perhaps never again will Hong Kong have a better chance in a global team sport to reach a World Cup.

Ardent HongKonger that I am, I’m also a realist and unless the new Messi is a HK resident Hong Kong are sadly never going to make the football World Cup. Nor sadly, however much money is pumped at them, will our men’s rugby team – much as I’d love to see them qualify – with the current format there are simply too many countries ahead of us.

Recognition should be made here of the HK men’s cricket team who qualified for the last two T20 World Cups and with the current crop of super talented youngsters both male and female could well do so again – but cricket is not yet a truly global game.

Rugby is a global game and with the popularity of the Sevens at the recent Olympics growing fast. This is what makes our women’s potential achievement so amazing. Especially as they are playing not only the opposition but also the blatant sexual discrimination and lack of interest within their own male dominated Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU).

When the Hong Kong football team played their World Cup qualifiers last year, the HKFA advertised heavily, produced posters, banners creating a buzz and a massive awareness in both traditional media and online. Everyone, whether you were a football fan or not, knew the matches were coming.

The extent of the HKRU’s marketing is one ugly banner, the first published version of which hadn’t even been proof read and had Hong Kong playing Fiji twice. Even the recent men’s rugby Cup of Nations competition was advertised on a tram and accompanied by numerous articles, banners, tweets… There’s one ugly banner for the Women’s World Cup Qualifier.

The first two games of the World Cup Qualifier are being played at King’s Park which is frankly nothing more than a school playing field and a complete pain for fans to get to. Why are the games not being held at Mongkok Stadium – which with even basic marketing could have been a noisy sell-out – or at any of the other LCSD grounds which at least have a grandstand where the crowd can really get behind their team and help lift them to qualification? It’s frankly embarrassing to have such important matches played at such an amateur ground.

It’s frankly disgusting that the HKRU promotes rugby as a game for all – yet as you can see the Women’s World Cup Qualifier isn’t even listed in their upcoming events! There are more articles on the HKRU website about the New Year’s Day Youth Tournament, than the women’s national team being one step from playing at the World Cup.

The sexual bias at the HKRU is sadly not just limited to the national level, where HK’s women professional rugby players are paid far less than their male counterparts (none are willing to comment on the record, such is the petty vindictive nature of the male dominated culture that permeates the HKRU), but extends to club level.

The HKRU made a big deal at the start of the new season about a sponsorship deal for women’s rugby one part of which, as can be seen published on the HKRU website includes a live video stream of the women’s Premiership game of the week. Look online you can find extensive video coverage of the men’s Premiership. There’s video of women’s first games of the season (all the matches were played consecutively  at King’s Park), where are the rest? Will KPMG the sponsor complain? No chance. Many of it’s senior HK management are rugby old boys and it heavily sponsors the mens game.

The HKRU is perhaps the wealthiest sports organisation in HK, it’s 2014 financial returns show assets of around $250million and it extravagantly funds the men’s game. It’s sad that they are so blind to the women’s game where the potential for great things exists.

Let’s hope that the 26 women picked for the squad can take that final step and make the World Cup. Perhaps then the old men running the game will take notice – but then again, probably not as there’s nothing in it for them other than trying to steal the spotlight from the women who made it happen.

Hong Kong’s women need your support, lend you voices and your presence head to Kings Park, 7pm tonight and cheer them on against Fiji!

MAKE SOME NOISE, GO HONG KONG!

Hong Kong Women Ready For World Cup Qualifier

Local women’s rugby players prepare for the two most important games in Hong Kong’s rugby history as national coach Jo Hull prepares her Hong Kong squad for the World Rugby Women’s Rugby World Cup qualifier.

The triangular tournament sees Japan and Fiji taking part with the two top-placed finishers advancing to next year’s World Cup in Ireland. Hong Kong will play Fiji on 9 December (7pm) at King’s Park and Japan on 17 December (4:30pm) at Hong Kong Football Club.

With the top two teams advancing, a win over Fiji would be a huge step toward Hong Kong qualifying for its first ever fifteen-a-side rugby World Cup but Hull cautions that Hong Kong will still need to find another gear to achieve what would be a transformative result for the local women’s game.

“It is an amazing opportunity to qualify and have a chance to play in a World Cup. Our job as a national team is to inspire and connect with young girls and women. We want them to aspire to play for Hong Kong and to do that you need to put up some performances,” Hull said.

With those performances in mind, Hong Kong finalised a build-up campaign that was unprecedented in its scale and intensity, with two matches against Kazakhstan last month. Hong Kong won both.

“I was pleased with the Kazakhstan games, but we still need to play 20 percent better against Fiji to get the result we’re after. Kazakhstan are good and playing against them showed us we still have some things to work on to be ready for the coming matches, particularly, our commitment in the tackle area against bigger players and that is something we are focusing on,” Hull noted.

Hull said that while there were significant positives, the challenge is set to intensify: “The Qualifiers represents a level that the girls have never played at before. We need players who will go into battle and I think we have the right combination with some new, young players coming through plus experienced players like the sevens girls and our forwards group.”

“But we’re under no illusion that we’re the finished article. Our job is to keep getting better and that’s what we’re all about; we’re not going to be content with average performances,” Hull said.

Hull is confident she has the players to achieve this singular sporting feat in her 26-woman squad, which is notable for the absence of some longstanding Hong Kong representatives.

“There are some top-class players not selected and I think that is both a credit to the players coming through and also partially because of the style we want to play. We need players who can get in amongst it, play with a lot of tempo and heart, and are skilful and can withstand the pressure ahead.”

Despite the absence of some multi-capped players, Hull has been able to select a highly experienced group with 25 of the 26-person squad capped previously, including 21 players from the Tour of Spain last December and the Asia Rugby Championship earlier this year.

Hull is most pleased with the process that has been put in place to get the team to this point: “I’ve seen a huge turnaround in women’s rugby since I arrived 18 months ago. At a national level, we have grown from a six-week to a 10-month programme, with regular analysis and a big emphasis on strength and conditioning. The players have really bought into that and I think we are starting to see the first glimpses of results now,” Hull noted.

“I’m pleased with the 26 we have got. We started with 40 players and made some tough decisions along the way and we’re really proud of our selection process, which has been very thorough.”

“Accountability is at the forefront of everything we are doing. Every one of those 26 players know that they have to keep performing, otherwise someone else is taking their spot,” Hull said.

Hull has incorporated 12 members of the Hong Kong Sevens team into the squad, injecting their professional-class speed and fitness into the equation, while also bringing a dose of much-needed experience playing against world-class women’s teams; all essentials if Hong Kong hope to step up against the likes of Fiji and Japan.

Inspirational second-rower Chow Mei-nam will again captain the side, leading an experienced group of forwards who will be called upon to do some heavy lifting in what is expected to be a physical contest with Fiji in the opener.

“Mei Nam is now in her second year of captaining the team. She leads by example in everything she does, on and off the pitch,” said Hull.

“Against Kazakhstan she had the highest positive involvement across both games, which is exactly what you want from your captain and really shows how she leads by example. She has only been playing for three years and continues to improve every game, which epitomises our team philosophy,” Hull added.

Jessica Ho Wai-on is the only uncapped player included in the 26-woman squad. The fiery young scrumhalf is likely to earn her first cap against Fiji, either starting or off the bench, as she complements Lindsay Varty, the second scrumhalf in the squad.

Hull, who has coached with Scotland at previous World Cups, believes this group of players has what it takes to get to the next level and will produce a performance that will make Hong Kong proud.

“Going to a World Cup is an experience you will never replicate in any other part of your life. When and if we get there, these girls will give their heart and soul to every minute of that and that is all that you can ask of them,” Hull said.

Hong Kong Squad, Women’s Rugby World Cup Qualifier
Chow Mei-Nam (Captain), Amelie Seure^, Chan Ka-Yan, Chan Leong-Sze^, Chan Tsz-Ching, Cheng Ching-To, Cheng Ka-Chi, Cheung Shuk-Han, Christine Gordon^, Lau Nga-Wun, Lee Ka-Shun, Melody Li Nim-Yan^, Winnie Siu Wing-Ni, Karen So Hoi-Ting, Wong Yuen-Shan, Adrienne Garvey^, Chong Ka-Yan^, Colleen Tjosvold^, Jessica Ho Wai-On*, Rose Hopewell-Fong, Ivy Kwong Sau-Yan^, Lau Sze-Wa, Lee Tsz-Ting^, Lindsay Varty^, Natasha Olson-Thorne^, Yuen Lok-Yee^.

^ HKSI elite Sevens athlete; * potential Hong Kong debut

Additional reporting and image: Takumi PhotographyHKRU

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers Match Report: Hong Kong v Thailand – 15 October, 2016

sornnarin-tippoch

Hong Kong who began the tournament so brightly ended it with four consecutive defeats. The bowling was pretty good throughout the tournament with different players stepping up each game. But too many batswomen were out of form and not even able to rotate the strike – putting extra pressure on the two players who were making runs.

While Hong Kong’s tight bowling caused a lot of run-outs, in general Hong Kong’s fielding was not on a par with the other teams taking part. And with four pretty evenly matched sides, it’s the little things that make the difference.

After losing to Thailand on the final day of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers Hong Kong finished bottom of the table at the end of the round robin tournament. Thailand won the championship and booked a place in the global qualifiers for the England 2017 World Cup.

Hong Kong had a shaky start to the match, losing three wickets in the first four overs. Moved to the opener, Keenu Gill scored 11 runs from 14 balls.

Captain Mariko Hill scored 11 off the same number of balls, but her short time in the crease was a major blow for the home team.

Playing for the first time in this tournament, Wing-Ki Lai scored 16, while Yasmin Daswani provided 17 runs coming in at number 7.

Thailand Captain and all-rounder Sornnarin Tippoch (pictured) did most of the damage, with 2/11.

Hong Kong v Thailand – 15 October, 2016

Thailand’s chase was strong from the start despite losing a wicket in the third over. Opener Sirintra Saensakorat smashed a team-high 36 including 4 fours.

Eventual Player of the Tournament Sornnarin Tippoch scored 17 to give Thailand a fifth win out of six games in the tournament.

“I think everyone came off the field saying ‘we’ve tried our best’. We put our hearts out to the very end.” said Hong Kong Captain and Batsman of the Tournament Mariko Hill.

“This was my first tournament in Hong Kong. The support was awesome. It means a lot. I have never gotten Batsman of the Tournament before. Mentally, I was never strong. Getting this award, for my batting especially, really puts confidence to myself,” said Hill.

Hong Kong v Thailand – 15 October, 2016

Match Summary
Hong Kong 83/7 (20 overs)
Thailand 86/3 (18.5 overs)
Thailand won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
Scoreboard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1059680.html

Additional reporting and image: HK Cricket Association

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers Match Report: Hong Kong v China – 14 October, 2016

hk-v-china-14-oct

Hong Kong’s World Cup aspirations ended when they were not able to beat China, as the teams split the two ‘Cross-border Derbies’ at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers. China have bounced back from being 0-3 to win two matches in a row. While Hong Kong having won their first two games have lost three in a row.

Aggressive running from China and some missed fielding from the home team contributed to China’s total of 114. On the flip side, the running and occasional miscommunications between batsmen resulted in four run-outs for China.

But the 71-run partnership between Feng-Feng Song (36 off 34) and Zhuo Huang (31 off 34) was killer partnership for Hong Kong.

Two wickets in each of the 12th and 14th overs gave Hong Kong some hope, but Cai-Yun Zhou’s 16 off 9 towards the end made it a strong total for the visitors.

Hong Kong v China – 14 October, 2016

Hong Kong’s chase did not pick up enough pace until Captain Mariko Hill entered at number four. She continued her recent form scoring 38 off 35 balls. But she didn’t have the support needed and they were 18 runs short of the target after 20 overs.

Juan Wu of China was the key limiting Hong Kong’s score with 3/11.

“We had a great first over (bowling), we took one wicket and lost only one run. But after the first over things started to turn around,” said Mariko Hill after the match. “We have got nothing to lose now. There is still an Asia Cup spot left. We are going to fight our heart out.”

Hong Kong v China – 14 October, 2016

Match Summary
China 114 all out (19 overs)
Hong Kong 96/6 (20/20 ov)
China won by 18 runs
Scoreboard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1059678.html

Additional reporting and image: Hong Kong Cricket Association

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers Match Report: Hong Kong v Nepal – 13 October, 2016

Ka Man Chan (red) Hong Kong

Poor batting and game management by Hong Kong, especially their senior players, saw Nepal survive a nail-biting finish to beat the hosts by 6 runs and draw level in second-placed in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup -Asia Qualifiers on four points.

Batting first, Nepal’s innings was salvaged by number eight batter and eventual Player of the Match Karuna Bhandari. Her 19 not out, off 27 balls in the last six overs of the innings proved to be the difference. Indu Barma’s 15 in the first half of the innings was also crucial to Nepal’s 75 runs in total.

Hong Kong’s spinner Ka-Man Chan picked up where she left off before the rest day, taking for 3/11. Keenu Gill was also a consistent performer with 2/9.

Hong Kong v Nepal - 13 October 2016

Hong Kong’s response started off well with opener Ka-Ying Chan’s 18 off 21 and Keenu Gill’s 10 off 19. Captain Mariko Hill scored 13 off 16 from number 5. But Hong Kong collapsed going from 33/1 to 58/9. After an elaborate celebration of Mariko Hill’s wicket – who was out looking to smash the ball around, when with Hong Kong’s required run-rate at less than three an over all that was needed was for her to milk the singles, rotate the strike and stay there till the end – Nepal’s bowlers calmed themselves and finally picked up the last wicket with two overs and two balls left.

Karuna Bhandari was the top wicket taker with 3/17, capping an all-round performance.

Hong Kong v Nepal - 13 October 2016

“It was disappointing today. I thought we bowled and fielded really well. We just panicked on the bat. It was uncharacteristic of the girls today,” said Hong Kong Women’s Coach Charlie Burke.

“Credit to Nepal, they kept fighting and fought really well. It shows how close this competition is. These are four sides which competed very well over the last six years. We are going to play China (tomorrow) who are very confident after their win today. Last game against Thailand, so it will be interesting to see the Thailand versus Nepal game tomorrow. We can only control what we can do and see what happens,” added Burke.

Both matches tomorrow will be played at Hong Kong Cricket Club, with Thailand vs Nepal at 9:30 am and China vs Hong Kong at 2:00 pm. Entry is free.

Match Summary
Nepal 75/8 (20 overs)
Hong Kong 69 all out (17.4 overs)
Nepal Women won by 6 runs
Scorecard: www.espncricinfo.com/hkg/content/team/19.html

Additioanl reporting and image: HK Cricket Association

Thailand beat Hong Kong by 17 Runs

hk-try-to-effect-a-run-out

Thailand remain the only unbeaten team at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – Asia Qualifiers after a 17-run victory over hosts Hong Kong at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Thailand struggled loosing four wickets in the first seven overs with just 17 runs on the board. Hong Kong Captain Mariko Hill took two of the wickets and off spinner Ka-Man Chan bowled a superb three maiden spell and took a wicket.

Thailand’s Captain Sornnarin Tippocj and Naruemol Chaiwai strong 63-run fifth wicket partnership, the best in the tournament so far, pushed the total to 90 for 6 after 20 overs.

Hong Kong v Thailand - 11 October 2016

Hong Kong’s chase started poorly with the first four wickets falling within nine overs, and none of the top order batters reaching double figures. As in their first two games Hong Kong failed to effectively rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over and this time it cost them.

Keenu Gill provided some hope for Hong Kong, scoring 19 runs, and Chloe Ip contributed 14 runs.

Thailand’s Medium Pace Bowler Chanida Sutthiruang took 3/13 with one maiden. Sornnarin Tippocj was named Player of the Match for the second time in the tournament.

“I thought our opening bowlers did really well, but in the middle we struggled a bit,” said Hong Kong Captain Mariko Hill after the match. “I thought we started off really well. There were lots of positive intent, but at the same time we were making the same mistakes. We need that one solid batsman from the top five to stay until the 19th over to see off the innings, but that never really happened today,” said Hill.

Hong Kong v Thailand - 11 October 2016

Match Summary
Thailand 90/6 (20 overs)
Hong Kong 73/8 (20 overs)
Thailand won by 17 runs
Scorecard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1059674

Points Table after first round of matches

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers points table

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket Association

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers Match Report: Hong Kong v China @ HKCC – 10 October, 2016

player-of-the-match-sau-ha-chan

A confident Hong Kong team came out on top in the ‘cross-border derby’ against China as the home team maintained their perfect start to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – Asia Qualifiers.

Opener Sze-Wan Yip continued her great form, scoring 26 runs off 27 balls. Although her opening partner Kary Ka-Ying Chan was caught in the third over, Keenu Gill kept the scoreboard moving with 21 as Hong Kong reached 1-56 in the 10th over.

But it was captain Mariko Hill who stole the spotlight, scoring 35 runs off 19 balls in an innings that lifted Hong Kong’s score to 114-6 from 20 overs.

China’s Jie Liu and Fengfeng Song took two wickets each.

China v Hong Kong ICC World Cup Qualifiers - 10 October, 2016

Two wickets in the second over set the tone for the rest of China’s innings as Hong Kong never looked in any trouble. Left arm spinner and the eventual Player of the Match Sau-Ha Chan came in to the attack and took wickets in the 5th, 7th and 11th over to put the technically skilled Chinese close to defeat.

Strong fielding for the home team put China under pressure and resulted in three run outs. While three wickets in the 19th over meant China were all out for 74. China’s Skipper Huang Zhuo was the highest scorer with 17.

Sau-Ha Chan was delighted to be named Player of the Match, “I am very happy, I did not expect to get this award. My bowling was great but there were other aspects that I could have done better,” said Chan. “I credit my bowling performance to our great preparations. The whole team were confident coming into the match.”

“It feels great, having two games in the bag now. The team’s confidence is even higher now,” said captain Mariko Hill. “This (Hong Kong Cricket Club) is my home club, so playing on this ground and scoring 35 off 19 was awesome,” added Hill.

Hong Kong will face Thailand tomorrow, 9:30am at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground.

China v Hong Kong ICC World Cup Qualifiers - 10 October, 2016

Match Summary
Hong Kong 114/6 (20 overs)
China 74 all out (18.5 overs)
Hong Kong won by 40 runs
Scorecard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1059671.html

Additional reporting and photos: HK Cricket Association