Hong Kong Cricket Association

Home

About Cricket in
Hong Kong

The HKCA

Junior Cricket
@ crick-kid.com

History of Cricket In Hong Kong - Chronology

home > about cricket in hong kong > history > chronology

Cricket has been played in Hong Kong for over 160 years. The rich tradition of the game will remain as an enduring legacy of the colonial era, and provides a solid foundation for the future growth of cricket as a popular sport amongst the local community.

There are many milestones of note and the following chronology makes very interesting reading. Scroll to view them all or click the following links to jump to the century of most interest: 1800's | 1900's | 2000's

1841	First game of cricket played in Hong Kong .
1851	Hong Kong Cricket Club founded.
1866	First Interport match between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
1888	First recorded match by Diocesan Boys School.
1890	First Interport match v The Straights. First match v Ceylon.
1892	On 10th October, the P&O steamship SS Bokhara, carrying the Hong Kong cricket team back from an Interport against Shanghai, sinks in a typhoon with the loss of 125 lives. Only two members of the 13-man Hong Kong cricket team survive the disaster. [Sinking of the SS Bokhara]
1894	Craigengower Cricket Club founded.
1897	Hong Kong Parsee Cricket Club founded.
1903	Civil Service Cricket Club founded. Police Recreation Club founded.
1903-4	First Division League Cricket commenced.
1904	Kowloon Cricket Club founded.
1906	Club de Recreio founded.
1911	Chinese Recreation Club founded.
1912	The University of Hong Kong founded.
1914-17	Matches suspended due to World War I.
1918	Indian Recreation Club founded.
1921-22	Second Division League Cricket commenced. First recorded match by King George the Fifth School (KGV, then known as Central British School).
1941-48	Matches suspended due to World War II.
1948	Last recorded Interport match v Shanghai
1951	100th Anniversary of Hong Kong Cricket Club.
1952	Jack Chegwyn's team become the first International team to visit Hong Kong.
1961	Craigengower Sixes commenced.
1962	St George's Cricket Club founded.
1964	Little Sai Wan Cricket Club founded.
1966	First MCC team to visit Hong Kong.
1967-68	Gillette Cup competition introduced.
1968	Hong Kong Cricket Association replaces the Hong Kong Cricket League. First recorded match by Island School.
1969	HKCA becomes Associate Member of the International Cricket Council.
1970-71	Rothmans Cup competition introduced.
1973-74	Sunday and Saturday Leagues replace First and Second Divisions.
1975	Last matches played at HKCC ground at Chater Road.
1975-76	Saturday and Sunday Cup and Plate competitions introduced. Limited overs introduced for Saturday League.
1976-77	Ted Wilson Schools Trophy introduced.
1982	Hong Kong plays in the ICC Trophy for the first time.
1982-83	Artificial wickets introduced at KCC and Mission Road grounds.
1983	Asian Cricket Council established.
1984	First South East Asian competition.
1986	Annual Charity Cricket Festivals commenced. First Silk Cut International Single Wicket competition in Hong Kong.
1987	Last Interport v Singapore.
1989	County champions, Worcestershire CCC, featuring Ian Botham and Graeme Hick, visited Hong Kong to play exhibition matches against HKCA Invitational teams. Overseas players invited to play included Clive Rice and Graeme Pollock.
1990	Volvo Cup commences between Hong Kong and Thailand.
1992	Malaysia joins the Volvo Cup and the Tuanku Ja'afar Cup begins between Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Hong Kong-born Dermot Reeve selected to play for England. First Cathay Pacific/Wharf Holdings International Sixes at KCC.
1994	100th Anniversary of Craigengower Cricket Club. Hong Kong finishes 8th in ICC Trophy. HKCA employ first full-time coaching staff. Hong Kong Dragons (all Chinese) team undertake first tour to Taiwan and to Beijing Sixes.
1995	HKCA employ first full-time administrative/development staff. HKCA Development programme commences. Tuanku Ja'afar Cup expanded to include an Under-18 competition.
1996	Hong Kong wins both Senior and Under-18 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup competitions. Summer Eight-a-side competition commences. First overseas scholarships awarded to promising Hong Kong players. Hong Kong plays in the first Asian Cricket Council Trophy competition. Cathay Pacific/Wheelock Natwest International Sixes moves to Hong Kong Stadium. Under-12 Hardball competition commences.
1997	Hong Kong hosts first One day International between Australia and The Rest of the World at KCC. Hong Kong finishes 8th in ICC Trophy. Hong Kong team wins Bowl at International Sixes after victories over India and South Africa. Handover of Sovereignty of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China. Tuanku Ja'afar Cup further expanded to include an Under-15 and Under-13 competitions . Hong Kong hosts the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournament (Youth Asia Cup) and finishes third.
1998	Hong Kong make it to the ACC Trophy semi-finals in Nepal. HKCA Junior Leagues at Under-13, Under-15 and Under-19 levels start. Two all Chinese cricket clubs - Genius CC and Happy CC - are formed. Hong Kong retains the Under-19 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup for the third year running. Hong Kong finishes second in Under-23 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup. First Hong Kong Under-13 representative side travels to Singapore. Hong Kong hosts Sri Lankan Schools Cricket Association Under-17 tour.
1999	Hong Kong finishes 4th at the Youth Asia Cup in Singapore. Hong Kong wins the Senior Tuanku Ja'afar Cup. Hong Kong retains the Under-19 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup. Hong Kong finishes second at Under-13, Under-15 and Under-23 Tuanku Ja'afar Cups. SuperTeam CC, the third all Chinese cricket club, is formed.
2000	HKCA Under-11 Junior League commences. Primary School Playground League commences. Hong Kong hosts the Under-13 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup. The 1st HKCA Junior Cricket Sixes Festival held. HKCA Coaches Lal Jaysinghe and Rahuman Farcy receive top coaching awards. Hong Kong qualifies for the 2002 Asia Cup after finishing runners-up at the ACC Trophy tournament played in Sharjah. Rahul Sharma is named player of the tournament.
2001	Hong Kong senior team retains the Tuanku Ja'afar Cup in a rain-affected tournament played in Thailand. Hong Kong beats PNG at the 2001 ICC Trophy played in Toronto, Canada but fails to progress past the preliminary round of the tournament. Hong Kong finishes runners-up at the Under-13 South East Asia Championships in Penang . Hong Kong finishes runners-up at the inaugural Under-19 East Asia-Pacific Championships played in Fiji. Hong Kong hosts the Under-15 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup 2001 and finishes second. The Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes returns to the Kowloon Cricket Club. The 2001 Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong Cricket Sixes website attracts over 1 million visitors . Hong Kong hosts the ACC Curatorship Seminar. HKCA's junior cricket programmes attain a 96% take-up rate. Teams from the Marylebone Cricket Club and Melbourne Cricket Club join in a festival of cricket to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Cricket Club.
2002	HKCA opens new ground at Po Kong Village Road. Hong Kong wins Under-13 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup 2002 played in Singapore. Hong Kong hosts the senior Tuanku Ja'afar Cup 2002 and retains the Cup again. Hong Kong participates in the Under-15 ACC Trophy but fails to progress to the championship round (Asia Cup). The 2002 Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong Cricket Sixes website broadcasts matches in live streaming video over the internet.
2003	HKCA celebrates 100 years of league cricket in Hong Kong (2003-04 season). Hong Kong retains the Tuanku Ja'afar Cup with a dominant display in Kuala Lumpur. Hong Kong Under 19 team participates in the Youth Asia Cup in Pakistan but struggles in difficult conditions. Hong Kong reach the final of the Under-15 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup but are beaten by Malaysia. Hong Kong beat Thailand at the Under-13 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup but fail to make the final. Second wicket is developed at Po Kong Village Road ground with aid from the ACC and ICC. Hong Kong juniors Jamie Atkinson, John Bacon and Robbie Bacon are selected to tour Sri Lanka with an ACC Development XI. HKCA Secretary, John Cribbin, is appointed to ACC Executive Board and the ICC Cricket Committee - Management. Hong Kong hosts the ACC Curatorship Seminar.
2004	The Kowloon Cricket Club marks its 100th anniverary. They kick off their celebrations by winning the 2003-04 Sunday League (Templars) and Sunday Cup (Hornets) double. Hong Kong performs well at the the inaurgural Under-17 Asia Cup played in India. Despite impressive victories over Bhutan and the Maldives, they fail to progress to the main competition. Hong Kong batsman Daniel Fulgrabe has an excellent tournament and is rewarded with selection in the ACC Under 17 team to tour India during February 2004. Hong Kong gets its first taste of ODI cricket when they face Pakistan and Bangladesh at the 2004 Asia Cup played in Sri Lanka. Hong Kong reaches the final of the 2004-05 Fast Track Counties Tournament (3-day matches) after scoring decisive victories over Singapore, Malaysia and Nepal but they are beaten in the final by UAE. The inaurgural women's cricket league gets underway with teams from Hong Kong Cricket Club, Kowloon Cricket Club and Lamma Cricket Club participating. The first Hong Kong Women's cricket team makes a tour to Shanghai . Hussain Butt smashes an incredible 311* in a Saturday League fixture played at HKCC. Butt's 'assault' hits the international headlines as following matches to be played on the same ground involving the same player are postponed for "public saftety" reasons. [BBC Website]
2005	HKCA receives numerous awards from the ICC Cricket Development Awards Program including the Best Junior Development Initiative (Global) for its Wellcome Primary Schools Playground League whilst the HKCA website wins the award for Asia's Best Promotional Program. Hong Kong plays in the ACC Under-15 Cup 2005 held in the UAE and performs with distinction. Hong Kong team reaches the quarter-final stage of the ACC Under-19 Cup 2005 played in Nepal. Hong Kong partipates in the ACC Under-17 Cup 2005 played in Malaysia. Hong Kong finish third at the Under-13 Tuanku Ja'afar Cup 2005 played in Malaysia. Fourteen year old Hong Kong school girl records the highest ever score in the HKCA Umpires' Elementary Examination. Former England test player Phil DeFreitas takes up coaching position at Hong Kong Cricket Club. Hong Kong players Irfan Ahmad and James Atkinson make Select Asia Under-15 Squad. Hong Kong struggles in the 2005-06 ACC FTCT tournament and finishes without a victory. Indian Airlines team makes a tour to Hong Kong.
2006	HKCA scoops three awards from the ICC Cricket Development Awards Program including the Best Overall Junior Development Program, Best Junior Cricket Initiative and Best Women's Cricket Initiative. [More...] Twenty20 cricket is played for the first time in Hong Kong with teams from KCC, HKCC and the Independent Clubs playing a series of exhibition matches. [More...] The Hong Kong national team embarks on a tour to Chennai in preparation for the ACC Trophy 2006. [Hong Kong Tour to Chennai] Hong Kong reaches the final of the ACC Trophy 2006 played in Malaysia and in so doing qualifies for the 2008 Asia Cup and a qualifiying tournament for the 2010 World Cup. [ACC Trophy 2006] The Hong Kong Women's Cricket Team plays a three match series against the Pakistan Women's Cricket Team in Lahore for a place in the 2009 Women's World Cup. [Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament] The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) makes a short tour to Hong Kong, playing matches against the Hong Kong Cricket Club and HKCA President's XI as well as Twenty20 match against a HKCA XI. [MCC Tour to Hong Kong] The 2006 Cathay Pacific / Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes returns to a nine team format. [2006 Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes]
2007	Hong Kong Cricket team wins Hong Kong Sports Stars Award for 2006 [More...] Hong Kong National Cricket Coach, Robin Singh, wins a Coaching Excellence Award in the Teams Sports category at the HBF Coaching Awards [More...] The Hong Kong team embarks on a second tour to Chennai in preparation for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 2007 [Hong Kong Tour to Chennai 2007] The Hong Kong team travels to Darwin, Australia, to play in the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, a qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Cup. They score victories over Italy and Tanzania to finish 5th in the 8 team competition and are demoted to Division 4. [ICC WCL Division 3 2007] The Hong Kong Women's Cricket Team travels to Shenzhen on 24th June 2007 to play the China Women's Cricket Team in the first international cricket match between the two countries. A return match is played at the Kowloon Cricket Club on 4th July 2007. [Hong Kong Women v. China Women] The Hong Kong Women's Cricket Team participates in the inaugural ACC Women's Cricket Tournament, played in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where they reach the semi-final stage of the competition. [ACC Women's Cricket Tournament] Umpire Kailash Dayal is tragically killed after being struck by a motor vehicle while en route to a cricket match. [Death of an umpire] The Hong Kong Under-19 team travels to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to participate in the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup. As part of their preparation, the team embarks on a preliminary tour of Sri Lanka. In a disappointing tournament, Hong Kong can only manage a solitary win against Kuwait and finish 8th in the 10 team tournament, narrowly avoiding relegation to the Challenge Division. [ACC Under-19 Elite Cup] The Hong Kong senior men's team travels to Kuwait to contest the inaugural ACC Twenty20 Cup. They play two warm-up matches in Sharjah en-route to Kuwait. In the tournament proper, Hong Kong beat Saudi Arabia but suffer losses to Singapore, UAE and Kuwait and fail to reach the semi-final stage of the tournament. [ACC Twenty20 Elite Cup] An All Stars team is added to the 2007 Cathay Pacific / Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes tournament with Brian Lara, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble appearing. The All Stars reach the final but are beaten by Sri Lanka, who win their first title. Pakistan and New Zealand are the other semi-finalists. [Official Tournament Website] The Hong Kong Under-15 team travels to Nepal to contest the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup competition. The team performs very well, reaching the semi-finals after victories over Oman, Malaysia and Thailand. However, in a stunning decision, the ACC disqualifies Hong Kong (and seven other teams, including hosts Nepal) after controversial age verification tests determine that three boys in the team were over the allowable age limit. The HKCA protests the result in a strongly worded letter to the ACC. [ACC Under-15 Elite Cup] Hong Kong cricket loses two pitches after the Po Kong Village Road ground is closed after the HKSAR Government decides to redevelop the site. The final matches played on the grounds are at the Ichor International Hong Kong Cricket Festival 2007. [Ichor International Cricket Festival 2007]
2008	The Bangladesh National Cricket Academy makes a short tour of Hong Kong. [BCB National Cricket Academy in Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Women's Cricket Team embarks on a short tour to Bangladesh. [HKG Women in Bangladesh] Hong Kong plays in the Asia Cup 2008, an event it qualified for in 2006, where they play matches against hosts Pakistan and India. As part of their preparation, Hong Kong team makes a pre-tournament tour to Pakistan. [Asia Cup 2008] Hong Kong wins its first major tournament when they beat UAE in the final of the ten team ACC Trophy Elite 2008 tournament, played in Malaysia. As winners, they qualify for the 2010 Asia Cup. [ACC Trophy Elite 2008] The Hong Kong team travels to Sri Lanka in September to undertake training and fitness conditioning and to play four matches against the Sri Lankan Cricket Academy. [Hong Kong Tour of Sri Lanka] Hong Kong then travels to Tanzania to contest the ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament. They perform brilliantly at the six team tournament and reach the final but are beaten by Afghanistan. As finalist, they gain promotion to Division Three and will contest another tournament in Buenos Aries, Argentina in January 2009. [ICC World Cricket League Division Four] The Japan Women's Cricket Team becomes the first Women's international team to play in Hong Kong. They play three matches against the Hong Kong Women's Cricket Team but Hong Kong wins the series 3-0. [Japan Women's Cricket Team in Hong Kong]