All-Filipino Debutant Team Clinches Cricket Trophy in Hong Kong

Consul Paulo V. Saret of the Philippine Consulate General joins the members of the all-Filipino SCC Divas Cricket Team, led by Josie Arimas, a former Palarong Pambansa baseball player (standing, second from left), during the Cricket Hong Kong Awarding Night held at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon City on 22 June 2018. (Hong Kong PCG photo)

HONG KONG 23 July 2018 – The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong witnessed the awarding on 22 June 2018 of an all-Filipino women cricket team known as “The SCC Divas,” for winning the Women’s Development League (WDL) of Cricket Hong Kong for the 2017-2018 season.

The Divas, a team composed of 26 Filipino household service workers, made a clean sweep of all their nine fixtures in their maiden season in the sport, which started on 06 May 2018. They clinched the league title after besting CCC WDL of the established Craigengower Cricket Club in the final game on 03 June at the Po Kong Village Road Reservoir in Tsz Wan Shan.

Consul Paulo V. Saret attended the Cricket Hong Kong Awarding Night at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon City, as the team receiving their “well-deserved” trophy as champions in the development league.

Cricket, a batting sport popular in British Commonwealth countries, is hardly played if at all in the Philippines.

“Cricket is virtually unknown back home, yet here we are, witnessing the triumph of the Divas, all members of whom work full time. I am so proud of them, as any Filipino in Hong Kong should be. The Philippine Consulate General congratulates the Divas for a job well done,” Consul Saret said.

The team is captained by Josie Arimas, a former Palarong Pambansa baseball player from Bacolod City who first played for HKCC Willow Wielders for three years before forming Divas. Most of the team members have a background either in baseball or softball, which made it easier for them to transition to cricket—which is sometimes dubbed as “British baseball.”

India-born team manager Animesh Kulkani, an early advocate from the founding days of Cricket Hong Kong and is now an officer of the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers in Hong Kong, has sponsored the team from last year after being approached by Arimas in a bid to join the Women’s Development League.

Pakistani-born former Hong Kong Women’s coach Najeeb Amar is in charge of putting squad through its paces. The players can only train shortly just before their matches on Sundays either at the India Club or the Hong Kong Cricket Club, because they work long hours the rest of the week.

“They work on weekdays and play cricket on Sunday. They get only one day to practice ahead of the match on their week off but they play like veterans and have no problem in outplaying their younger rivals,” Kulkarni told Indian reporters covering the league.

Due to their domination in the Development League Category, the SCC Divas–the women’s counterpart of the SCC Lancers who play in the men’s Saturday League – have earned a promotion to compete against more experienced teams in the T20 league in the new season starting in September. SCC stands for SubCont Cricket Club, which was formed in 1998.

Crowning their efforts, the SCC Divas’ crack batter Jennifer Alumbro finished the tournament as the highest scorer with a total of 193 runs, followed by Divas captain and bowler Arimas with 189 runs, and Zeny Badajos with 140 runs.

“With the accomplishment attained by the Divas, I wish more Filipinos in Hong Kong will be familiarized with the sport, support the team, and hopefully more will be attracted to play the sport here in Hong Kong,” said Consul Saret.

Kulkarni has even approached the Philippine Cricket Club for the Divas to eventually play friendly matches with their Manila counterparts.

The SCC Divas is one of five teams participating in an 8-a-side pairs cricket format in the newly-introduced Women’s Development League. There is also a Women's Sixes tournament which features all ten teams played over two days.

In the T20 League, one of two major formats being played by women players in Cricket Hong Kong, seven teams vie for the Women’s Twenty20 Cup in games consisting of single innings for each team of 20 overs. The other format is the Women’s League, a 35-over competition of five teams. In both competitions teams play each other twice to determine the champions.

Women’s cricket was first played in Hong Kong in 2001, with the first Women’s League was formed in 2004-2005 season with teams from Hong Kong Cricket Club, Kowloon Cricket Club, and Lamma Cricket Club competing. The league expanded to five teams in the 2005-2006 season and then to six teams in 2006-2007. END

For more information, visit www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinHK/

The SCC Divas celebrate their championship-winning sweep of nine games in the Women’s Developmental League of Cricket Hong Kong with coach Najeeb Amar. (The Sun Hong Kong photo)