Hong Kong Cricket Festival Organisers Announce New Title Sponsorship by Private Capital Ltd
Organisers of the 8th Hong Kong Cricket Festival today announced that Private Capital Ltd, a leading investment advisory firm, were the new headline sponsors of the award winning, annual international, inter-club tournament, this year to be held on 4 - 6th December.
"We're thrilled that Private Capital Ltd have come on board as headline sponsors of this year's Festival," said Tournament Director Brad Tarr of organisers Lamma Cricket Club.
“This is the eighth year of the tournament and with over ten clubs flying into Hong Kong to compete in the event, including women's teams, it's going to be another superb weekend of cricket camaraderie,” Mr Tarr continued.
Mr Rick Adkinson, MD at Private Capital Ltd said, “We were delighted when approached to support the 8th Hong Kong Cricket Festival. The tournament, with its mix of local and international participants and emphasis on the 'spirit of cricket' is an ideal fit for our business and we're really looking forward to an excellent weekend both on and off the field.”
Private Capital Ltd will initially sponsor the annual inter-club tournament in a one year arrangement with the possibility of extending the involvement for future years.
About the Hong Kong Cricket Festival
The Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival will be held at Mission Road Cricket Ground, Tin Kwong Road, Kowloon from 4 - 6th December and feature up to eighteen teams including local sides as well as clubs flying into Hong Kong from around the Asia Pacific region to compete in the three day tournament in Men's and Women's Divisions.
The first Festival was held at Hong Kong Cricket Club in 2002.
The 2004 Hong Kong Festival won a prestigious award from the International Cricket Council for helping to develop women's cricket in the region.
The Festival is part of the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour circuit of quality club cricket events which includes tournaments in Phuket, the Philippines, China, Australia, Singapore and Vietnam.
About Private Capital Ltd
Private Capital Ltd is a privately owned, independent advisory firm delivering bespoke financial advice and portfolio management services to international clients. In all cases, professional relationships are founded on transparency, integrity and impartiality. Operating from its Hong Kong office, Private Capital's diverse client base includes family trusts, high-net worth individuals and corporations around the globe.
20 Teams on a Mission at the Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009
15 men's teams and 5 women's teams to compete for honours
Twenty teams including five teams in the Women's Division will be competing at Mission Road, Kowloon this weekend as the 8th annual Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009 gets underway (4 - 6th December).
"It's great to welcome back the Women's Division to the Festival with 5 strong teams including two overseas teams new to the tournament," said Tournament Director Brad Tarr of Lamma Cricket Club.
"We have a wonderfully diverse mix of men's and women's teams once again with sides flying from Australia, China, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, as well as local Hong Kong sides, so it will be a great showcase of the spirit of cricket," Mr Tarr continued.
In the Men's competition, Lamma CC 1 will be looking to defend their title, but face tough opposition in a strong competition which features former champions the Shanghai Dragons and the CBB SCs, plus local sides including Kowloon CC and Kai Tak.
In the Women's Division, reigning Champions Waratah Mayfield could not return this year, but in a difficult division to call, compatriots the Custom Cockatoos from Adelaide will be going for the title against the Singapore Slingers and experienced local sides Lamma CC, HKCC Willow Wielders and combo unit Six in the City.
Overseas teams will be staying at the Empire Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Official Hotel of the 2009 Festival.
The Men's competition features 15 teams split into 5 groups of three who'll play round robin matches to determine their progression to Cup, Plate and Bowl competitions.
The Women's Division will be a straight round robin of the 5 teams with the top 2 ranked sides playing off in the Final.
Matches in the 3 day Festival will take place from 8.45am - 5pm daily at Mission Road Sports Ground, Tin Kwong Road, Kowloon.
In addition to the action on the field for the participants there will be a Welcome Drinks function at the Kangaroo Lounge on Friday evening and a Gala Dinner at Spice Restaurant on Knutsford Terrace on Saturday evening.
The Awards Presentation ceremony will be held at the venue after the final match on Sunday afternoon.
Glorious sunshine and blue skies greeted the teams today on day one of the Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009 being played at Mission Road, Kowloon, and the on field action was just as warm.
Leading the charge in the women's division were the Singapore Slingers who defeated the Custom Cockatoos from Adelaide by 6 wickets in the first match of the tournament. Batting first the Cockatoos, unmistakable in their orange uniforms, put on a challenging total of 47. In reply the Slingers, featuring a number of Singaporean internationals, knocked off the target in 4.1 overs without loss with some excellent batting from Priya and Chamithri.
Ian 'Reds' Lidell of former champions the CBB SCs pulled off what may be the catch of the tournament with a spectacular one handed take on the run right on the boundary to take a wicket and save a certain six. As his side won by just 5 runs, the catch literally won the match for the Colonials top side who also beat Lamma CC 2 to make it a clean sweep for the day.
Lamma CC 1 also had a good day winning both their matches which included a breezy 31 not out by Sher Lama against the CBB SKs which helped propel them to victory.
Shanghai Dragons also had a good day at the office and the Duke's balls really took some punishment as the top sides in the tournament looked really hot.
All the participants of the Festival enjoyed an excellent night at the Kangaroo Lounge where food and drinks were laid on for a very social evening.
Day Two of the Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009 starts at 9am with GAC Blades vs Kowloon CC. Rankings to determine Cup, Plate and Bowl Divisions will be decided on completion of the first round.
Pacific Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009 - Day Two Wrap
Teams were treated to another cloudless day at Mission Road for Day Two of the Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival which also saw the conclusion of round one matches in the men's division.
Lamma CC 1 placed first out of the 15 competing teams, but then were defeated in their first Cup Division match by the CBB SCs in a match which featured some flamboyant batting, especially from Sourav Chatterjee and Rizwan Sattar of CBBs. Ian Beck of Lamma had retired on 30 not out.
Vagabonds posted the highest total of the day when they bludgeoned 108 runs in a win over Kowloon CC. Openers Najeeb and Babar both retired and then Iftikar smashed 4 sixes and a four off the five balls he faced to take Vags past the ton mark.
In the Plate, Kai Tak had a good win over Frenz CC when they posted a healthy 86 runs. They then restricted the keen Frenz team to 60 in reply to take the winning points.
HKCC Willow Wielders had a good day with wins over Six in the City and Lamma CC, and look like favourites to take the Women's title. However also today, Six in the City posted a win over Custom Cockatoos and Lamma defeated Singapore Slingers and Six in the City to keep in the hunt for top 2 placing.
A convivial day was enjoyed by Shanghai Dragons who had the day off, assisted by plenty of Carlsberg beer, and the CBBs were certainly the loudest side of the day with renditions of "you're beautiful" ringing out regularly and with gusto.
Day Three promises some thrilling action as teams chase silverware and get even more stuck into the wonderful spirit and camaraderie of the Hong Kong Festival.
Vagabonds and Willow Wielders triumph at the 2009 Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival - Finals Day Wrap
Another glorious day of sunshine drenched the cricketers on Finals Day of the Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009 being played at Mission Road, Kowloon.
Twenty teams were competing in Men's and Women's competitions in this eighth edition of the annual international, inter club tournament.
Play remarkably got underway on time in the morning following a night of superb food and great company at a packed Festival Gala Dinner held at Spice Restaurant. Carlsberg and Thirsty Horse wines were free flowing, and a great night was had by all, which for many continued into the small hours.
The early start clearly agreed with the CBB SKs who were drawn in the first match of the day versus Frenz CC, and though they were perhaps more subdued than usual they got up to defeat the keen HK side in a low scoring match by defending their score of 45 by restricting the Frenz batsmen to just 40. Wally Pohl had batted flamboyantly reaching 23 not out, though Abishek and Vicky of Frenz only went for 3 runs each.
It was the start of a good day for the CBB SKs who made the Plate final following an exceptional win over a strong Kai Tak team when Bully and Cat bowled their overs for just 7 and 5 runs respectively to defend their modest total of 59 with 5 runs to spare.
Lamma CC 2 also earned a berth in the Plate Final with an entertaining with over the Bashers. Lamma posted a challenging 74 runs, Mark Burns leading the way with a breezy 29. Despite a spirited effort, which included 33 not out from Kevin 'Cassius' Wright, the Shanghai outfit fell 7 runs short of their target.
HKCC Willow Wielders had a comfortable win over the Singapore Slingers, to confirm their place in the Womens Final. Lamma CC had the tightest of victories over Custom Cockatoos when a late charge by the Adelaide girls saw them tie scores with the Lamma side, only to go down on wicket countback.
So two former festival champions, HKCC and Lamma CC lined up in the Womens Division final. Lamma, without skipper Neisha Pratt who was missing due to injury, put on a reasonable 49 runs with Emma Philipps top scoring on 22 not out. Mariko Hill was the pick of the bowlers taking 1 wicket for just 5 runs.
Despite losing Natasha for just 4 the Willow Wielders dug deep and tied the scores with a frantic 3 runs off the last ball and they took the final and the Women's Division title on wicket countback. Chan Sau Ha top scored with 22 not out and earned the Player of the Final award.
In the Cup, Vagabonds had a good win over the Shanghai Dragons which propelled them into the Cup Final. Joining them were the CBB SCs who'd earlier registered a good win over an enthusiastic GAC Blades team.
Bowl action saw a gritty final match between HKCC Taverners and Custom Cockatoos, both teams determined to do well. Taverners put on a respectable 66 runs, Ian 'Ginge' Farrar retiring on 30, despite a remarkable over from Hollywood of the 'Toos who took 3 wickets for 2 runs in his over.
The Australians lifted the Bowl title in their first Festival appearance by chasing down the target with 3 balls to spare Hollywood impressing with the bat with 24 not out and Tuk Bok doing damage in his innings of 26.
CBB SK's arguable upset the form guide by beating Lamma CC 2 in the Plate final by again turning in a solid bowling performance after having posted 64 in their innings. Wally Pohl took 2 wickets for 9 runs in the first over to put Lamma 2 on the backfoot and they never recovered despite a valiant 24 from Ravi Chopra. It was a popular win for the CBBers who played throughout the tournament in retro World Series Aussie shirts and musical Santa hats.
The Cup final turned out to be a little one sided with the impressive Vags putting on 79 runs, Babar being pick of the batsmen with 34 not out off just 6 balls. The Vags bowling was too strong for the CBBers who lost both openers early and despite fightbacks by Reds and Jim Chaudry could only muster 51 in reply, for Vagabonds to lift the Cup for the first time.
It was a fantastic 8th annual Private Capital Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2009 which enjoyed glorious weather over 3 days and excellent cricket conditions. The tournament saw the welcome return of the women's division which proved a big hit, and 15 mens teams enjoyed the camaraderie and positive spirit.
The Custom Cockatoos were presented with the Spirit of Cricket award for their general, all round contribution to the good cheer. Rizwan Sattar earned the Player of the Tournament trophy in the mens competition and Renee Montgomery was Player of the Tournament in the Women's Division.
We look forward to another fantastic Festival in 2010! Don't miss it!
Roll of Honour
Runners Up - Lamma CC
Player of the Final - Chan Sau Ha
Player of the Tournament - Renee Montgomery
Champions – Vagabonds
Runners Up - CBB SCs
Player of the Final - Babar
Champions - CBB SKs
Runners Up - Lamma CC 2
Player of the final - Ravi Chopra
Champions - Custom Cockatoos
Runners Up - Silverbackz
Spirit of Cricket Award - Custom Cockatoos
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