PRESS RELEASE
Chawla and Vincent complete Woodworm All Stars team for KARP Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011
 [Hong Kong, October 18 2011]: The final two pieces in the Woodworm All Stars jigsaw slotted into place with Indian Piyush Chawla and New Zealand’s Lou Vincent filling the last two spots for the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011.
The Hong Kong Cricket Association has also announced that iconic global cricket brand Woodworm has thrown its weight behind the All Stars side participating at the Sixes. The team will now be known as the Woodworm All Stars.
“The Hong Kong Sixes is excited to have an iconic cricket brand like Woodworm associated with the event for the very first time. The support of Woodworm reinforces the international profile of the Sixes and the spectacular group of All Stars assembled for the tournament in 2011. We hope that this will be the start of a long-term relationship with the Hong Kong Cricket Association and the Hong Kong Sixes,” said Dinesh Tandon, Chairman of the HKCA.
Chawla and Vincent will complete a strong Woodworm All Stars lineup that will include two of the most destructive batsmen the cricket world has seen – Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi. Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa, Australian Shaun Tait and Ryan ten Doeshcate of the Netherlands complete an impressive line-up of Woodworm All Stars who will be out to become the first All Star side to win the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.
Unveiling his stellar line-up of stars, Woodworm CEO Simon Millington said: “This is unbelievably exciting for Woodworm. To have two such incredibly destructive batsmen as Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi on board is fantastic and to back them up with equally explosive players like Shaun Tait and Herschelle Gibbs means the Woodworm All Stars are a genuine world class team.
“The Hong Kong Sixes is a festival of super-fast cricket and a celebration of big-hitting which is completely in tune with our brand as we are recognized globally for producing some of the most powerful bats in the industry. The Woodworm All Stars will serve up a feast of exciting cricket in this unique event. We are absolutely thrilled to be involved.”
Indian leg-spinner Chawla and Kiwi batsman Vincent will complete a powerful Woodworm All Stars lineup for the October 28-30 tournament at the Kowloon Cricket Club.
Chawla comes in as a replacement for all-rounder Abdul Razzaq who has opted to lead Pakistan at the showpiece tournament while Vincent completes the picture taking the last and seventh spot in the squad.
“Chawla and Vincent will round off what is a very strong Woodworm All Stars lineup. The pair will both bring key ingredients to the make up of a side which now boasts depth in both batting and bowling departments,” said captain Shahzada Saleem, president of the Hong Kong Cricket Association.
Chawla, 22, has been making an impression from a very young age. At the age of 15, he represented the Indian Under-19 team. Before that he made his first class debut at 17, Chawla had already tasted what it felt to take the wicket of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar – a feat he achieved with his trademark googly in a domestic game. A left-handed batsman, Chawla was still a teenager when he made his test debut against England, becoming the second youngest Indian star to do so after Tendulkar.
While a bright future still awaits Chawla, Vincent has been there and done it. A pugnacious batsman, Vincent had an outstanding start to his test career scoring a century and a half-century on his debut in the 2000-01 series against Australia.
Vincent, 32, went on to play 23 tests and 102 one-day internationals for New Zealand. His knock of 172 against Zimbabwe in 2006 is the highest score by a New Zealand batsman in a one-day international.
The duo will strengthen the bid by the Woodworm All Stars to win the Hong Kong Sixes for the first time. They came close in 2007 when a Shane Warne-led All Stars six stumbled at the last hurdle, losing to Sri Lanka in the Cup final.
The Woodworm All Stars will also figure in the first-ever Twenty20 international game on Hong Kong soil when they take on a ‘World’ combination on the Friday of the tournament.
“It is bound to be exciting. With the calibre of players in their side, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Woodworm All Stars win the Twenty20 game and then go on to lift the Cup title at the Sixes,” said Saleem.
With the support of the Hong Kong Tourism Commission’s Mega Events Fund, the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes 2011 is set to be the biggest and best tournament in the 19-year history of the event.
Added Millington: “We are delighted to be making Woodworm an Official Sponsor of this unique and hugely entertaining event. The opportunity to get our brand featured prominently in more than 110 million homes worldwide is fantastic.”
About Woodworm
 Woodworm is owned by UK-based Sports PLC, one of Europe’s leading online sports and leisure e-tailers. All Woodworm products can be bought at manufacturer-direct prices online at www.woodworm.tv for Europe and www.oo.com.au for Australia and New Zealand.
About the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011
Organized by the Hong Kong Cricket Association since 1992, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is the only international cricket event held in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Sixes is fully sanctioned by the world's governing body for cricket, the International Cricket Council, and title sponsored by Karp Group. An recognised "M" Mark event by the Major Sports Events Committee since 2007, the Hong Kong Sixes is being supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Commission's Mega Events Fund for the first time in 2011. The Mega Events Fund was set up in 2009 to support mega arts, cultural and sports events to be staged in Hong Kong.
With the support of the Hong Kong Tourism Commission’s Mega Events Fund for the first time in 2011, this year’s Karp Group Cricket Sixes 2011 is set to be the biggest and best clash in the 19-year history of the Tournament. The Hong Kong Sixes has also been recognised an official “M" Mark event by the Major Sports Events Committee since 2007.
Tickets can be purchased from the Hong Kong Ticketing website at www.hkticketing.com, the Hong Kong Cricket Association office in Olympic House, Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong Cricket Club and at Jashan and DotCod restaurants in Central.
The tournament has been broadcast live since 2008 and in 2010 reached over 80 million households on the Indian subcontinent, across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and South Africa, as well as being packaged for distribution in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and China.
About the Mega Events Fund
The Mega Events Fund was set up in 2009 to support mega arts, cultural and sports events to be staged in Hong Kong. |
