HONG KONG—Defending champion Kowloon Bowling Green Club (KBGC) took full advantage of Craigengower Cricket Club’s (CCC) slip up last Saturday, September 12, to extend its leadership to five points.
Before the game last weekend the two clubs were tied on points at the top of the Premier League table, with KBGC leading by a small margin of five shots. The leader played second-from-bottom Island Lawn Bowls Club at home and was expecting to collect all eight points.
There was one change in the regular line-up for KBGC when the usual skipper Heron Lau was not available and was replaced by young bowler Anthony Yip.
While the rinks skipped by James Cheng and Terence Lee had no problem dispatching their opponents, Yip could only manage a draw with the opposing rink skipped by Hong Kong international Li Ming Sum.
At the end of the day the score of 7-1 was not such a bad result for KBGC as the news of main rival CCC losing 2-6 to Hong Kong Football Club at Sports Road was received.
CCC, who lost 3-5 to the HKFC team at home earlier this season, could only manage two points from Kevin Fung’s rink and lost 6-2.
While the two leading teams lost points to teams of a lower rank, 2012 and 2013 champions Kowloon Cricket Club had no problem defeating the Police team and are now level on points with CCC. The two teams, who both trail the leader by five points, will play against each other at KCC’s Cox Road green this weekend.
At the lower end of the table, the two bottom teams Taipo Lawn Bowls Club and Island Lawn Bowls Club both suffered defeats and their chance of survival became slimmer.
Women
In the women’s section, Hong Kong Football Club A team looked set to register their ninth successive title as they opened the lead at the top to 12 points, despite only managing a 4-4 draw with bottom club Craigengower Cricket Club at the weekend.
The extension of the lead was achieved through a number of favorable results to HKFC. They were first helped by mid-table team Island Lawn Bowls Club, who defeated the second-placed Shatin Sports Club 8-0 at home. Then rock bottom team United Service Recreation Club also defeat third-placed Seabird Sports Club 6-2 at home.
Claudius Lam is an Officer of the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association.
