RUGBY ACADEMY | Impressive Bats U12 performance at HK festival

Last week Sunday saw the Macau Bats compete in the Flying Kukri’s rugby festival at King’s Park, Hong Kong. The Bats had entered teams in the U9/10/11 and 12 age groups. The U9s got off to an inauspicious start with two heavy defeats by Valley Fort and Tin Shiu Wai Eagles. However, better things lay ahead and the U9s bounced back with wins over Football Club (HKFC) and USRC Tigers.

The U10s were low on player numbers and needed to include some U9 players for their games. First up was a resounding 8-1 win over East Kowloon followed by an equally impressive 6-2 win against Tin Shiu Wai Eagles. The U10s then scored two further victories over HKFC (4-1) and Sandy Bay (3-0) to maintain their unbeaten record for the season so far.

The U11s maintained the impressive Macau team performance with wins against Discovery Bay Pirates / Tung Chung (6-2) and USRC Tigers (4-1). They then came up against a strong ShaTin Sha Pei and lost 3-5.

The U12s were playing in the third division of the Richard Hawkes Cup and got off to a very strong start with a 5-1 win over HKFC. Two narrow losses, 1-2 against Sandy Bay and 1-3 with Discovery Bay Pirates meant that topping the league was unlikely. However, a 6-2 win over a combined ShaTin/ TaiPo select resulted in a creditable second place.

Next up for the Bats will be the TaiPo junior tournament for U7 and 8s while the U19s will continue to compete in the Hong Kong Premiership. Donald Shaw, Hong Kong, Special to MDT