Cricket Hong Kong () is the official
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
of the sport of
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. Its current headquarters is in
So Kon Po
So Kon Po or Sookunpo () is an area of Hong Kong Island located south of Causeway Bay and Victoria Park in Hong Kong. It neighbours Caroline Hill and Jardine's Lookout.
It contains the Hong Kong Stadium, Olympic House, and the Tung Wah Eas ...
,
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...
. Established as the Hong Kong Cricket Association in 1968, CHK is Hong Kong's representative at the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
and is an associate member having been admitted as a member of that body since 1969. It is also a member of the
Asian Cricket Council
The Asian Cricket Council also known as ACC is a cricket organisation which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. Subordinate to the International Cricket Council, the council is the continent's regional ...
.
History of Cricket in Hong Kong
Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the
First Opium War
The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...
(1839–42), and it was around this time that the first recorded cricket match was played in the colony; in 1841. Ten years later, the
Hong Kong Cricket Club
The Hong Kong Cricket Club () is situated in the heart of Hong Kong Island surrounded by the hills and greenery of Wong Nai Chung Gap
Wong Nai Chung Gap () is a geographic gap in the middle of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The gap is betwee ...
was formed, while in 1866, Interport matches were established against
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. In 1890, a further series of matches were started, against
The Straits
''The Straits'' is an Australian television drama series for ABC1 filmed in Cairns, the Torres Strait Islands and other Far North Queensland locations.
The series is based on an idea by actor Aaron Fa'aoso and produced by Penny Chapman and He ...
, and
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Two years after this, the Hong Kong cricket team was returning from one such match against Shanghai, when the ship they were travelling on, the
SS Bokhara, was caught in a typhoon, and sank. All but two members of the cricket team, along with 114 others, drowned.
An organised domestic cricket league was first established in the 1903–04 season, and was won during its inaugural year by the
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...
. A Second Division was introduced to lower level or newer clubs in 1921–22. In 1966, the
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) visited Hong Kong for the first time, on their return from a tour of Australia and New Zealand. The Hong Kong Cricket Association was granted associate membership of the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
(ICC) in 1969, and a few years later, the domestic structure was altered, with the First and Second Division being replaced with Sunday and Saturday Leagues, respectively.
In 1982, the Hong Kong national cricket team made their first appearance in the ICC Trophy, and finished fifth in their group of eight, recording two wins, against Israel, and Gibraltar. Interport matches continued until 1987, until the final one was played, against Singapore. In 1992, the first Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament was contested, and was won by Pakistan.
By finishing as runners-up in the 2000
ACC Trophy
The ACC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Open only to associate and affiliate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), it was contested biennially between 1996 and 2012, but ha ...
, Hong Kong qualified for the 2004
Asia Cup. At the 2004 competition, Hong Kong played their first One Day International (ODI) matches, suffering losses to Bangladesh and Pakistan. After finishing as runners-up in the 2006 ACC Trophy, Hong Kong once again qualified for the Asia Cup, where in the 2008 tournament, losing to Pakistan and India.
Hong Kong’s finest moment to date on the international stage came in 2014, with a win over ICC World
T20 hosts Bangladesh in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
. Since then Hong Kong have gone on to qualify for the
ICC Intercontinental Cup
The ICC Intercontinental Cup was a first-class cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as part of its cricket development programme. It was designed to allow Associate Members of the ICC the chance to play first ...
and ICC World Cricket League Championships and have ODI status until at least the 2019 ICC World Cup.
During that period Hong Kong have notched their first One Day International and first-class victories and have reached as high as 10th in the world in
T20 Internationals.
Cricket is now one of the fastest growing sports in Hong Kong. The game is spreading beyond the populations of sub-continent or English origin and many Chinese are also taking up the sport. In a few years it is expected to make some good strides.
Flagship events by Cricket Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes
The
Hong Kong Sixes
The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is a Six-a-side international cricket tournament held at the Kowloon Cricket Club comprising between eight and twelve teams. Organised by Cricket Hong Kong, it is sanctioned by the International Cricket Council. The ...
are set to make a return in 2017, following a five-year absence from the international calendar. The iconic Hong Kong tournament played at
Kowloon Cricket Club
The Kowloon Cricket Club, also called KCC (), is a members only cricket club and social club situated in Kowloon, Hong Kong, on Cox's Road.
History
The Cricket Club was established on 4 October 1904 and was provided land from the government i ...
was first played in 1992, with the most recent edition taking place in 2012.
Hong Kong T20 Blitz
The Hong Kong T20 Blitz brings the world’s best short form players together with the premier local domestic cricket talent. There is also a focus on developing Associate Cricket, with each team required to select at least one overseas player from a non-full member nation. A total of five overseas players per team will be permitted in the 2017 tournament, up from 3 in a playing XI in 2016.
The 2016 event was highlighted by the signing of World Cup-winning
Captain Michael Clarke, who also spent time with Hong Kong’s national squad during his stay. His team the
Kowloon Cantons were named joint winners with the
Woodworm Island Warriors
A woodworm is the wood-eating larva of many species of beetle. It is also a generic description given to the infestation of a wooden item (normally part of a dwelling or the furniture in it) by these larvae.
Types of woodworm
Woodboring beetle ...
after rain washed out the final.
Hung Hom JD Jaguars and
Lantau GII Galaxy Riders were the other teams to compete in the inaugural tournament.
The full scale of success in the second edition of the DTC Hong Kong T20 Blitz has been revealed, following the release of figures from the live streaming coverage of the event. Full data collected from the tournament generated 11.8 million views across Facebook and YouTube over the five days, obliterating last year's 51,000 over two days and the anticipated target of 1 million. Over 8.4 million of those views were live during the coverage, with the remaining 3.4 million watched the videos on demand. While the majority of viewership came from cricket stronghold markets such as India, the growth in the local Hong Kong market was also notable. A total of 146,000 views in total were from the Territory, up from just 8,000 in the Blitz's opening season. In addition, both weekend days of the tournament were sold out, which resulted in an electric atmosphere both at the ground and during the broadcast.
The tournament also made waves in the cricket world, with the Blitz becoming the first major T20 event to be run by an Associate member. Preparations have already begun for the 2018 event with dates to be confirmed following the release of the schedule of the Cricket World Cup qualifiers.
References
External links
Official site of Cricket Hong KongHong Kong and its stint with cricket - CityScope Magazine, published 29th Sept 2020The current structure of domestic cricket - CityScope Magazine, published 24th Dec 2020
Literature
* ''150 Years of Cricket in Hong Kong'' by Peter Hall, Book Guild Ltd. (Lewes, East Sussex),
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cricket Hong Kong
Cricket administration
Sports governing bodies in Hong Kong
Cricket in Hong Kong