Stadium's first Sixes event declared a big hit, despite move

Organisers last night proclaimed the Hong Kong Sixes a success. Brian Catton, of promoters Cricket World International, said the move from the Kowloon Cricket Club to the Hong Kong Stadium was justified, judging by the response from the players and spectators. 'The consensus is that the tournament surpassed all our expectations,' said Catton, who admitted before the event that organisers were taking a huge risk by moving. 'The Diamond Vision screen made a big difference, the quality of some of the matches was incredible and the spectators really seemed to enjoy it. 'I think we justified ourselves. There were some magical moments and there is really a great sense of satisfaction and relief after what has happened over the past two days.' There were fears that the special atmosphere at the KCC - which hosted the tournament during its first four years - would not be reproduced at the Hong Kong Stadium.

But the spectators managed to generate their own atmosphere, even though there were only about 6,000 of them each day, and despite the large empty gaps around the 40,000-seat arena. Catton said he was particularly pleased with the determination displayed by the players during the matches. 'You could see they were trying really hard on the field,' he said. 'The players were determined to win and that made it much better.

'It helps in gaining the respect of organisations like the International Cricket Council and the various national boards. 'It shows that this tournament is popular with the players.' He added that this year represented a learning experience, and that he hoped the few hitches they had would be overcome next year. 'We had never worked in the stadium before, and I think we have to have more skilled people working on things like the Diamond Vision, and behind the scenes. It is a huge task.' Catton added that next year organisers would attempt to lure more big-name stars to the event. This year, only South Africa turned up with what could be deemed a full-strength team, with players like Hansie Cronje, Allan Donald and Adrian Kuiper. They also unearthed another star of the future in Derek Crookes, named Player of the Tournament.

'I think you need star players for a tournament like this, and that is something we will be working on. 'Another aspect is that we hope to confirm the list of players for all teams earlier than we did this year. 'In the past, we had the full list of names about two weeks before the tournament started. This year, we could only confirm the line-ups three days before. 'If we knew who was coming earlier, we would be able to give the tournament more publicity.' The 1996 tournament was the fifth edition of the Sixes, and the last before Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule.

Pakistan, then world one-day champions, won the first event in 1992, before England walked away with the top prize in 1993 and 1994. South Africa won last year's tournament, beating England in the final and denying them the chance to win a diamond-encrusted bat, which is to be awarded to the first team who can win the event three years on the trot. The tournament was also held under lights for the first time this year.