HK T20 Weekender Report

Friday
Shanghai was floating inside a misty cloud most of the week leading up to the first ever international T20s in Hong Kong! So it was an ominous sign when I was notified of a 1 hour delay for my Friday afternoon flight at lunchtime. It ended up being a proper delay of 3.5 hours, and I was forced to run to catch one of the last airport express trains back to Central. I managed to find my way home to Siu Sai Wan in the dark, but had only a few short hours of sleep ahead of game day.

Saturday
It was an early start to get myself and the HK family ready and across the harbour to the Tin Kwong Recreational Ground, which is not really Mong Kok at all and closer to Kowloon. There was only limited talk amongst the HK Tourists on wechat, so I was feeling slightly nervous I’d be the only Basher in attendance… and the complete absence of spectators walking towards the ground only served to emphasize this feeling. However, we spotted Pothole talking to Smithy (of Lamma C.C.) outside the media entrance to the ground. Soon after Square Root and Kat wandered up with a mixed bag of beverages from the nearby 7/11. He “randomly” chose himself a Special Brew (8.6% a/c), and the Bashers were underway…

The game unfortunately was not underway… for some considerable time. There was a dirty brown patch on the field adjacent to the pitch, and this required about 2.5 hours of warm sunshine, and all the sawdust available in Kowloon, to make it playable. There was a general feeling of angst about this, particularly from the Lamma C.C. boys in their obnoxious, yet stylishly fitting, yellow and green striped blazers (complete with secret “cocaine” pocket in the back).

There were numerous beer runs and a maccas run, all kept going by the repeated singing of the Lamma C.C. club song. Attempts were also made to explain cricket to my HK family, with partial success, until Pothole thought up a special dance routine based on umpiring signals. Finally, the field passed inspection to allow a 10 over match, and this news was greeted with a disdainful slow clap on the boundary rope. At this point Dags and Jesus arrived after an immense wait at the Shenzhen border. They erected a small tent and disappeared from view with a few brews.

Scotland batted first, but never got going after losing a wicket in the first over. Another key breakthrough occurred when Square Root broke his Bashers keychain on the first attempt at opening a beer. He was eventually able to get the cap off, but it seems the keychain was no longer functional and would need some work with a pair of pliers. Scotland finished up on 66/8 off their 10 overs, which on that small field was a low to middling total.

HK started the chase with a brace of boundaries, and ended the match by hitting a six onto the clubhouse roof to win in the seventh over with nine wickets in hand. It was a dour and dejected Scottish team that limped onto the team bus past the Bashers after the match. The cricinfo match report is here, and the scorecard is here.

Post-Match Celebrations
We were in the middle of nowhere and taxis were elusive, so the Lamma C.C. guys arranged a couple of ubers to get us to Barco on Staunton Street, their local in Soho. Things were getting fairly loose, and one of the Lamma boys privided a complete rendition of “American Pie”, all 12 minutes of it. The Bashers were shown the spot where Inquisition chundered one time, and heard all about the early SCC days from self-proclaimed club batting legend Toby. A few pizzas and several brews later, and the Lamma boys were fading fast (a couple were even having a peaceful nap on the sofas in the back). The Lamma C.C. Chairman took a liking to the Bashers cap and commandeered mine, amidst positive calls for a reinstatement of an annual Breezer Cup… if the original trophy could be located!

Dags and Jesus had all but disappeared from the radar, and Square Root had chosen a more stylish establishment for dinner with Kat. So Pothole and Shit Shoes made an exit and meandered down the hill to the MTR. The end of a very long day!

Sunday
Although there was another game on Sunday as well, the feeling on Saturday night was one T20 (or a half T20) was enough for any weekend. So when the morning dawned particularly gloomy, with more than a hint of rain in the sky, there was no call to get to the ground between the Bashers tourists. Reports suggest Scotland won the match easily to draw the series, but I was absent from the boundary, instead enjoying a typically delicious yum cha lunch with the HK family. Another delay at the airport on Sunday night allowed just enough time to write up the weekend’s events.

Thanks to my HK family, the Bashers on tour, the Lamma C.C. boys, and H.K. in general for making it a fun weekend!