Rugby | Macau Bats youth teams score several decisive victories

Over 100 players and supporters from the Macau Bats Rugby Club journeyed to King’s Park in Hong Kong on November 5 to participate in the first rugby festival of the 2017/18 season, where local teams made a strong impression by claiming several decisive victories.

A total of six teams were fielded by the local club, with age groups encompassing teams from under-7s up to under-16s.

The first team to play were the under-16s, who joined forces with the Flying Kukris club from Hong Kong to compete against a strong Valley Fort team. According to a statement from the Macau Bats, the combined local-Hong Kong team established an early lead of 14-5 by half-time, and continued the offensive to a 35-17 win.

The under-7s team also made their competitive debut, winning one game, drawing another and losing two. The team faced off against Shatin She Pei (3-5), the Police Club (2-2) and Flying Kukris (2-3) before beating Discovery Bay (5-2) in what the Bats described as a “highly merited” win.

Meanwhile, the under-9s team, playing their first contact rugby tournament, returned to Macau undefeated, securing three wins against Valley Fort (8-0), the Tsuen Wan Rhinos (5-3) and Hong Kong FC (8-0), followed by a 4-4 draw against Flying Kukris.

The under-12s team competed in the Richard Hawkes Cup at the Happy Valley ground, participating in four close games. They were on the wrong end of two 1-2 defeats against Sandy Bay and the USRC Tigers, also playing out a 2-3 defeat against Flying Kukris and a 1-1 draw with Hong Kong FC.

As for the other age groups, the under-8s came away with two wins and two narrow losses from their games, while the under-10s team recorded a perfect four wins from four games to “end the tournament on a high for the club,” Macau Bats said.

The Macau Bats under-16s team will play the Hong Kong Barbarians on November 12, and the under-12s will host Harrow International School to play for the Pipistrelle Cup on November 18 at The International School’s pitch in Taipa.