Eastern to challenge defending champions South China in A1 Division season playoffs
- Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai will play host to this week’s showdown, after both teams reached the finals by defeating their opponents in back-to-back games
- It has been a stop-start arrangement for Hong Kong players, with the 2021 season pushed back from last year and only resumed in July
A spirited Eastern will challenge defending champions South China in Hong Kong’s A1 Division season finals, with the best-of-five series to kick off at Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai on Thursday.
After defeating regular season champions Tycoon in two straight games under the best-of-three playoffs, Eastern aim to go one step further to claim their first league championship since they last won it from South China in 2018.
The Caroliners were crowned 2019 champions after beating Tycoon in the finals before Covid-19 swept the city and the 2020 season was called off.
The 2021 season started in late December but was suspended just one month later after the government shut down sports facilities and introduced strict social distancing restrictions.
The 2021 season reopened in July this year but South China, who won all their six matches before the hiatus, went through a lot of changes.