Hong Kong Lacrosse Open: hosts kick off campaign with defence of men’s and women’s crowns the top priority

Hong Kong kicks off its campaign on Fridayto defend both the men’s and women’s titles at its annual Lacrosse Open, one of Asia’s most competitive tournaments for club and national teams.

The four-day event features a strong field of 11 men’s and 10 women’s teams at The University of Hong Kong Stanley Ho Sports Centre Complex in Sandy Bay as lacrosse continues its path of becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the city.

Hong Kong defeated Shanghai in the final to clinch the 2018 women’s trophy and captain Hui Ka-hei is expecting another tough challenge from the mainlanders, although the Keio University team from Japan could also pose a major threat.

“Shanghai is one of the lacrosse powers in China and, more importantly, they have secured some quality players from South Korea and Japan to strengthen their squad,” said Hui, who is also the assistant coach of the Hong Kong women’s under-19 team, another participant in the tournament.

“We’ll also be facing Keio University from Japan, a team that has won the country’s university title four years in a row and was also runner-up of its league championship. The team has produced many national team players for Japan over the years and is ranked first among club teams in Asia and top 10 in the world.

“Of course, the number of teams has increased from seven in 2018 to 10 this year, making it more difficult for us, but as the hosts we are always looking to keep the trophy at home.”

Hui said the tournament would be a great learning opportunity for the U-19 side to get international exposure.

“The young team was formed only in October when some of the members were learning the sport for the first time,” Hui said. “But the girls have been working very hard, training three times a week with some of them going for additional sessions to improve their fitness. It will be interesting to see the result of rubbing shoulders with some of the top teams in the region.”

Hong Kong men’s head coach Scott Browning also targeted a successful defence of the title although some of the team members are currently at an indoor tournament in Prague to prepare for September’s World Indoor Championship in Canada.

“The roster in the Hong Kong Open will be a mixture of veterans and inexperienced young players,” he said. “But it can provide a great opportunity to test the depth of our programme. We are still optimistic about (defending the men’s title).

“The biggest threat will come from Fogo, an experienced club team in Japan comprising players playing at a high level in both club and college. They are with good discipline and good leadership and will be difficult to handle.”