Hong Kong captain Olson-Thorne scripts dream milestone appearance, victory over China ‘in my top 3’
- Hong Kong enjoyed double success on the opening day of the Melrose Claymore tournament, with the men’s and women’s teams both beating China
- Hosts’ men face Japan on Saturday, with women tackling Thailand
There was surely no better way home skipper Natasha Olson-Thorne could have scripted her 50th cap as she scored the winning try against China in the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens’ Melrose Claymore tournament on Friday evening.
The 31-year-old showed deft footwork on the wing to drop her defender midway through the second half at Hong Kong Stadium before powering on to the line.
Chong Ka-yan and Micayla Baltazar had earlier scored for Hong Kong to establish a 14-0 lead over their mainland Chinese counterparts, but it took a captain’s contribution to put them out of sight in a memorable 19-12 win.
“It’s such a special moment to be able to run out onto this pitch, especially celebrating my 50th cap, to hear the cheers from the crowd,” she said. “That will stay with me.”
Hong Kong’s bronze medal at the Asian Games last September can be considered an achievement, but they were humbled 33-0 by China in the semi-finals. That only emphasises the pride the city’s team can take from this reversal of fortunes in front of the home fans.
“[This win] is definitely on the top, it’s now in the top three,” Olson-Thorne said. “It’s right there with the Asian Games medal and last year playing the Sevens.”