Photo Credit: Cricket Hong Kong
School Cricket is officially back in Hong Kong with the first round of games in 2021-22 for the Secondary School League Division 1 Grade A competition kicked off in mid-November.
Teams will be vying for the Ted Wilson trophy, named after the former President of the Hong Kong Cricket Association (Cricket Hong Kong’s former name). The Ted Wilson trophy was first played in 1976-77, with teams from Diocesan Boys School, Island School, King George V School and South Island School participating. Today, the Ted Wilson Trophy is awarded to the winners of the Secondary School League Division 1 ‘Grade A’ (U19) competition. A total of 12 school teams have signed up to participate in the 11-a-side hardball T20 cricket games.
Sponsored by The Caravel Foundation, the 2021-22 CHK Secondary School League will also include a Division 1 competition for the ‘Grade B’ (U16) age group, with plans to expand the League to include a Division 2 and Division 3 for newer schools. A Secondary Schools Girls League will also be held in the season.
“Having played for the Ted Wilson trophy as a young boy, it gives me great pleasure to be able to support the league and help revive CHK’s School Cricket across Hong Kong” said Angad Banga, COO of The Caravel Group. “Given the challenges of the last few years and how this has impacted young kids and their access to sports and recreational activities, I really believe the School Cricket program is going to have a positive impact on our local communities and we look forward to expanding the league and growing the number of schools playing the great game of cricket.”
Ravi Nagdev, General Manager of Cricket Hong Kong, said: “To have 12 Secondary Schools signed up to play this season shows there is great interest in cricket amongst schools. We have a few more schools who are unable to take part this season as they are still in the process of starting their Sports and Recreations activities in this new Covid-19 world, so we are confident these numbers will jump up in the next year with School Cricket starting at Division 2 & 3 levels, the addition of a Girls Division as well as Primary Schools Cricket. We are really pleased with the momentum we have seen and can’t wait to get the season underway.”
