Woodworm takes over Warriors cricket franchise at Hong Kong T20 Blitz
The management vows to bring in top-quality talent from Australia to play alongside Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal and Jamie Atkinson
Sports equipment company Woodworm has taken over one of the franchises for this month’s DTC Mobile Hong Kong T20 and has vowed to bring in top-quality Australian players to boost their squad.
It’s a boost for the global profile of the tournament. Certainly, for us it’s great to have this exposure from a local and global point of view
Simon Millington, CEO of Hong Kong-based Sports HQ Group which owns Woodworm, said the franchise is looking at Australia to fulfil their quota of two overseas players – one day after rivals Kowloon Cantons set the benchmark by announcing the signing of ex-Baggy Green captain Michael Clarke.
“We are looking at a couple of exciting players from Australia,” said Millington, whose company has taken over from Rude Bar to form Woodworm Warriors. “With the Indian Premier League and English County tournament, options are limited in terms of English players.
“But we’re looking at getting a high-quality batsman and left-arm seamer from Australia.”
The Warriors had first pick in the draft on April 28 and went for Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal. They also boast former skipper Jamie Atkinson along with fellow national player Nadeem Ahmed and other talented local players.
Millington said Clarke’s appearance in the tournament at Mission Road from May 27-29 is a boost for Hong Kong cricket domestically and overseas.
“It’s fantastic for the tournament that we have a player like Michael Clarke, certainly one of the greatest players of all time,” he said. “It’s a boost for the global profile of the tournament. Certainly, for us it’s great to have this exposure from a local and global point of view.”
Also taking part in the city’s inaugural franchise-based tournament are Hung Hom JD Jaguars and Lantau GII Galaxy Riders.
The tournament is played on a single, round-robin basis with the top two teams meeting in the final on Sunday.
Each team are allowed two overseas players and one associate member recruit, with the rest of their squads made up of Hong Kong national and Premier League talent.
Meanwhile, title sponsor DTC Mobile said it would offer free mobile phones to the first 500 people who buy tickets for the 28th and 29th, meaning 1,000 units to be given away. The price of general admission is HK$100.
