Hong Kong's minority sports lack the backing they need to compete at the highest level, officials tell Lee Wing-sze
IT WOULD HAVE been unfair to expect much of such a young team. Formed just four months earlier, the first Hong Kong women's cricket team mainly sought exposure on their overseas debut in Lahore, Pakistan, last month. Ranged against vastly more experienced squads at the one-day international qualifying tournament, it was hardly surprising that they failed to secure a place in the 2009 World Cup. But superior skills aside, what struck the Hong Kong cricketers most about their international rivals was the systematic support they received from their governments.
It was an eye-opener for 14-year-old bowler Godiva Li Kai-ling, who played two matches in the series.
'Now I realise how strong other teams [such as Pakistan] are. I learned a lot from playing against them,' she says. 'They are so well prepared and trained almost every day for months before the event.'
More focused programmes make a big difference, says the convenor of the Hong Kong Cricket Club women's team, Anita Miles Wu Mui-chu. 'Previously, Pakistan lost nearly all their ladies' matches, but one year ago they identified a squad of 20 young players and spent most of the past year training them, nearly full-time.'
As it turned out, Hong Kong lost to Pakistan by massive margins. Even so, Miles says our cricketers enjoyed the Lahore experience and the two-year-old local league will gain from their experiences.