Sponsorship, of course, is a crucial aspect of the association's development programme, just as it was for the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union when they launched their programme some six years ago.

Without a substantial amount of cash to support the initiatives of the programme, development will be frustratingly slow in the build-up to the 1997 change of sovereignty . . . and time is one thing the association have not got on their side.

At the moment the programme is headed by Sri Lankan Lal Jayasinghe, a full-time employee of the association, who is assisted by former Hong Kong international player Benny Kwong Wo, the full-time groundsman at the King George V School.

With coaching centres established at the Hong Kong Cricket Club, the Kowloon Cricket Club and at Sandy Bay, this two-man team need the support of parents to help run the centres.

Just think what the association could do if they had the money to recruit a small team of coaches - money which would have to come from the corporate sector into their development programme.

The association's annual grant from the Government, through the Sports Development Board, is only $110,000, a token gesture which fails to recognise effort.

Even though the association have been allocated office space in the new Sports House next to the Hong Kong Stadium, they cannot afford to put any staff in it, relying on part-time officers and voluntary help.

So Hung's presence as the figurehead of the game in Hong Kong will hopefully project an image which will attract the corporate sector, especially in terms of the development programme.

And, of course, having a Chinese face at the helm will help to get the message over to the Chinese community - that cricket is not strictly for the expatriate population but is a sport which the locals can enjoy and in which they can excel.

Hung will be placing a lot of emphasis on the association's all-Chinese Dragons team to promote the game within the territory.

The Dragons are now the shop window for the sport in Hong Kong, much more so than the national team which played with such distinction in Kenya.

As the association chairman, Peter Slack, said recently, the expatriates are only the caretakers of the game in Hong Kong.

With Hung as president the catalyst for major development could ignite over the next three years.

Brazilian blend plainly abused THE treatment of overseas players by some of Hong Kong's First Division soccer clubs can leave a lot to be desired.

But Kitchee sank to new depths a few days ago with the dismissals of their Brazilian duo - Rogerio Dos Santos Oliveira and Jose Antonyo Viana Mesquita.

Roger and Tony, as the pair are known, knew they would be returning home before the season was over and were handed their flight tickets at a dinner on Thursday evening.

How considerate of the club to book the tickets for the players, you may think.

Not really - because the flights were leaving Kai Tak the next morning.

Roger and Tony eventually arrived in Rio, with not particularly happy memories of Hong Kong football.

No sooner had they left their flat than two more of Kitchee's foreign players moved in, with the kettle still warm from the Brazilians' morning coffee.

Before Roger and Tony left Kitchee's foreign contingent was 10, prompting one of the players to say: ''We wanted a training match - foreign players against Chinese players.

''But we had to forget it because there weren't enough Chinese.'' If the shoe fits, you're in the team HONG KONG'S Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee plan ahead for a major multi-sport event.

Take this year's Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, in August for example. The ASF & OC have already asked sports bodies to send athletes' shoe sizes so work can begin on uniforms.

The deadline for shoe sizes was April 22 - perhaps a little hasty as some associations, including swimming, haven't picked their team.

''If it comes down to a choice between two swimmers, the one with the shoe size we've submitted should be favourite,'' a source said.

SPORTS PERSON OF THE WEEK West Indies batsman Brian Lara, for his history-making innings of 375 against England in the fifth Test in Antigua. The knock eclipsed Sir Garfield Sobers' innings of 365 not out.

SPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK ''I'm determined to do a world title fight in Hong Kong. This place is a showpiece for sport, entertainment and economy.'' - Boxing promoter Barry Hearn on a visit to the territory.