Leading under-19 players marked the return of competition cricket to the city on Monday as they began the battle for places in Hong Kong’s squad for December’s first phase of World Cup qualifiers. Five teams are taking part in the round-robin Under-19 50-over Cup at Gin Drinker’s Bay, with 11 matches on weekdays over four weeks. The top two teams will face off in the final. Hong Kong Cricket Club beat Kowloon Cricket Club by four wickets on Monday in the first competitive league match in Hong Kong since the Covid-19 lockdown in March. Three weeks ago, Cricket Hong Kong staged a trial match between two U19 teams. “The U19 50-Over Cup will be a great addition to the CHK calendar,” says Mark Farmer, the CHK high performance manager. “With the season being significantly impacted by Covid-19, the opportunity to play some cricket will be invaluable for all those involved. The first game of the #U1950OverCup is currently underway, with @KCCCricket U19s winning the toss and electing to bat first against HKCC! Live scores can be found here: https://t.co/1OY3G2u1kK — Cricket Hong Kong (@CricketHK) July 13, 2020 “The timing couldn’t be better, providing valuable match time and an opportunity for players to put together performances for selection in the Hong Kong under-19 squad.” KCC were bowled out for 102 in 27.4 overs and HKCC reached their target in 21.2 overs while losing six wickets. Also taking part in the competition are Diasqua Little Sai Wan, Pakistan Association Cricket Club and United Services Recreation Club. Sai Wan and Pakistan Association face off on Tuesday. The ICC U19 CWC Division 2 – Asia qualifiers are from November 29 to December 10 in Thailand. The competition features Bhutan, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the hosts. The top two teams advance to Division 1, which offers a pathway to qualify for the 2022 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. CHK飛龍招募新球員呀！ CHK Dragons recruiting new players! Potential players interested in joining the Dragons should send an email to chkdragons@gmail.com with your contact details and a summary of your past playing experience. #hkcricket #chkdragons #growthegame pic.twitter.com/jSoMl723PM — Cricket Hong Kong (@CricketHK) July 13, 2020 “U19 50-Over Cup will give us a great opportunity to see Hong Kong’s best under 19 club cricketers in action,” said Jawaid Iqbal, CHK’s elite development and performance coach. “We will be following player performances closely as we look to finalise the under-19 squad to prepare for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup qualifiers to be held in December.” To prevent the threat of Covid-19 infection, spectators are not allowed at the ground, and each club will only be allowed to bring a limited number of non-playing members to the venue, inclusive of coaches, scorers and substitute players. Temperatures will be checked at the entrance to the ground, sanitisers will be available for use for all players and team sitting areas will be spaced out. ICC guidelines with regard to use of saliva on the ball and physical contact between players will be adhered to.