PRESS RELEASE
Woodworm All Stars hit Hong Kong at KARP Group Hong Kong Sixes 2011
Hong Kong’s first international T20 marks start of tournament play
 [Hong Kong, October 27, 2011]: The members of the Woodworm All Stars have arrived in Hong Kong ahead of this weekend’s Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes 2011. The Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes will be played from October 28-30 at the Kowloon Cricket Club.
With support from the Mega Events Fund, the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes has expanded from eight to 12 teams and across three days for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Included in the expanded team field is the Woodworm All Stars with a heavy-hitting side featuring Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa), RP Singh (India), Piyush Chawla (India), Lou Vincent (New Zealand) and Ryan Ten Doeschate (Netherlands).
The Woodworm All Stars will play a Karp Group Rest of the World team, combined from the other 11 participating teams in Hong Kong (Friday Oct 28,15.00) as a showcase match to launch the tournament. Pool matches will lead off the day, which starts with an exhibition schools game at 8.30am.
Dinesh Karthik, skipper of the Indian team playing in the Hong Kong Sixes, has thrown his weight behind the first-ever international Twenty20 match in Hong Kong saying it will be a great attraction for the spectators.
Karthik, who plays in the Indian Premier League for Kings XI Punjab, will lead India at the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes which gets underway at the Kowloon Cricket Club today. He has also agreed to play for the Rest of the World team against the Woodworm All Stars in the inaugural Twenty20 fixture which will be the final game on an exciting opening card.
“Adding a T20 to the Hong Kong Sixes is a great inclusion. Twenty20 is obviously a very popular format with IPL being so big worldwide. It will give a different point of view for the crowd and I think it will be great for the spectators. For the players it will be a fun way to start the tournament,” said Karthik.
Karthik will come up against former teammates Piyush Chawla and RP Singh in a number of intriguing personal encounters. The other big one of note will be the clash between All Star Shahid Afridi and Pakistan’s Abdul Razzaq who will lead the Rest of the World team.
“We are both very competitive individuals and it’s always good to play with, or against Razzaq. May the best team win,” said combative all-rounder Afridi.
Another match-up of former test teammates will see All Stars’ batsman Lou Vincent coming face to face with New Zealand pair Jacob Oram and James Franklin.
The Hong Kong Cricket Association hopes the Twenty20 experiment works out as there are plans to make it a permanent fixture of the Sixes in the future.
There are also plans to hold a separate T20 event on another date, making it a second big international event in Hong Kong.
“We will look at how the Twenty20 is accepted by the Hong Kong public. If this year’s format is a success, this could continue in the future too,” said Shahzada Saleem, president of the Hong Kong Cricket Association.
For the first time, the Hong Kong Sixes will be played over three days and figure 12 teams – the three new ones this year being associate countries Ireland and Scotland, as well as Bangladesh.
Defending champions Australia will begin their campaign by taking on debutants Ireland who will feature the big-hitting Kevin O’Brien. Hosts Hong Kong will start by taking on India.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik, who has played 23 tests and 52 one-day internationals for India, gave an early fillip to local fans saying a repeat of the 2005 Cup victory by the Robin Singh-led team was the goal of his team at the Sixes.
“I think we are going to perform well. We may not have all of the big names but the squad is young and I think is very focused on performing,” Karthik said. “I can promise the fans that we are going to give a good round of cricket and are going to do our best to repeat what Robin Singh did in 2005 and bring the trophy back to India.”
India is pooled with Pakistan, South Africa and home team Hong Kong in the preliminary round of the Sixes.
The other preliminary round pools will see Australia fight it out with England, Ireland and Bangladesh while the All Stars are grouped with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Scotland.
Tickets for the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes are now only available from the gate at Kowloon Cricket Club starting tomorrow at 8.30am.
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. |
