Last Saturday saw the first Greater Bay Area Touch Rugby Championship take place in Macau.
The intense heat made for challenging conditions but some fast and exciting games held the spectators interest. Eight teams came from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau and competed in two groups.
The Macau Insiders quickly stamped their authority on Group B by winning their three games against Guangzhou Hualang (2-0), Shenzhen Avocados (4-0) and HK University Unicorns (6-1) to qualify for the Cup final. Guangzhou Hualang finished second in the group to make the Plate final, with Shenzhen Advocados and University Unicorns qualifying for the Bowl and Shield finals, respectively.
Group A proved to be a much tighter affair with Macau Shark, Macau Marauders and Shenzhen Badgers all tied with 5 points each. Try difference was used to separate the teams and Shenzhen Badgers made it to the Cup final by one try over the Macau Sharks.
The Shield final saw the GBA Dragons overcome University Unicorns by 2-1 while the Bowl final was taken by Macau Marauders in an impressive 5-1 win over Shenzhen Avocados. In the Plate, a very competitive game between Macau Sharks and Guangzhou Halang needed extra-time to find a winner, the Sharks victorious by 3-2.
The Cup final saw another tight, competitive game with the Shenzhen Badgers edging the Macau Insiders by 1-0. A very good tournament played in a good spirit and all teams keen to repeat the experience next year. Donald Shaw, MDT
