Macau Bats festival kicks off Saturday

Fijian rugby player Waisale Serevi gave a class in Macau

The fourth annual Macau Bats Rugby Festival will be held on Saturday, April 14 at The International School sports field in Taipa, according to a statement from the organizer. Teams from Hong Kong, mainland China and Macau have been invited to play against one another.

The festival has teams in six different age groups, from under-6s to under-12s.

According to Macau Bats, approximately 50 teams have entered this year’s competition. The teams from Hong Kong include HK Football Club, Valley Fort, Sai Kung Stingrays, Discovery Bay Pirates, USRC Tigers and the Flying Kukris.

For the first time, a club from mainland China will take part in the Macau festival, with the Dongguan Bulldogs entering a team in the under-10s age group.

The festival kicks off at 10:30 a.m., starting with games in the under-6s, under-7s and under-8s categories that will run until 12:20 p.m. The under-9s and under-10s’ games will be played between 12:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., followed by the under-12s cup from 2:45 p.m. until approximately 5:30 p.m.

Organizers said in a statement that the competition promised to be “a great day of sport and fun.” The festival is open to all to “find out about rugby and support your local Macau team.”

Food and beverages will be available from stalls on site.

Fijian player in town

Thirty players from local rugby club Macau Bats were the recipients of a special coaching class by renowned Fijian rugby player Waisale Serevi in Macau on Monday. Serevi, a two time Rugby 7s World Cup winner, was visiting Macau as part of the launch tour of his new book “The King of Sevens”.  Taking time out from his busy schedule, the IRB (International Rugby Board) Hall of Fame member led the group of local players through their rugby paces at the TIS sports field. As well as demonstrating a number of skilled techniques, Serevi gave the players an insight into what it takes to become a top international player