By Vir B. Lumicao
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| Divas team captain and 2-time MVP Josie Arimas packs a big wallop |
The SCC Divas, comprising 25 players, are already the sure
winners even as they still have to play their last two games of the season this
coming Sunday, June 3, at Po Kong Village Road Park in Tsz Wan Shan.
After a clean sweep of all their seven games in the past
four Sundays, the Divas can lose both games and still emerge the league
winners.
“Sa June 3, two games left, win or lose champion na kami.
Pero sabi ng coach talunin pa rin sila para ma-satisfy siya,” team captain
Josie Arimas said, after back-to-back wins on May 27. The Divas beat Hong Kong Cricket Club by 49
runs in the morning match, and nailed a 53-run victory over Craigengower
Cricket Club in the afternoon.
At the end of the day, the scorecard was HKCC 76/4 and SCC
Divas 125/5 for the first game. It was 157/2 for SCC Divas and 104/1 for CCC in
the second game.
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| The Divas, mostly ex-league players in baseball and softball, with their manager Animesh Kulkarni |
Arimas was picked the most valuable player of the day, a
repeat of her May 6 feat when she was chosen as MVP in the Divas’ first game in
the league.
This is the Filipina team’s first-ever participation in the
league since it was formed in May last year by Arimas, a Palarong Pambansa
baseball star who began playing for HKCC in January 2015.
The Divas made their presence felt in Hong
Kong cricket on May 6 when Arimas led the team to an 85-run win
over CCC, scoring 28/2 to take the MVP of the day plum. The Divas were 122/3 in
16 overs against CCC, which finished with 37/8.
Team manager Animesh Kulkarni, an officer of The Association
of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (Hong
Kong , China
“They practice only once a week on their day off but they
play like veterans and beat their younger rivals,” he said.
After his wards’ triumph on May 27, Kulkarni said he would
upgrade them to the T20 League from the Development division, the league for
16-over matches for newcomers, Arimas said. She said T20 is a bracket where the
game is played in 20 overs.
It was Kulkarni who encouraged Arimas to form the SCC Divas
last year in preparation for this year’s league. With patient training by coach
Najeeb Amar and British head coach Ricky Waite of Hong Kong’s national team,
the Divas honed up their skills in a relatively short time.
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| Divas get free coaching from Ricky Waite of the HK National team |
This flexibility was attributed by both Arimas and Waite to
the women’s previous sports, baseball and softball, where they played for
Philippine Sluggers and Fate, respectively, before wading into cricket.
“Their skill level is very high,” Waite told The SUN after
the maiden match on May 6. “They’re simply fantastic. They played naturally,”
Waite said, noting their eye coordination when they throw the ball.
Arimas said Waite told the Divas they are amazingly strong
whackers, but that they still need to train on how to stop a strong bowl.
Kulkarni and Waite said they wanted the team to be
recognized by the Philippine Cricket Club so that the Divas could play friendly
matches with their Manila counterparts.
The victory trail:
May 6 Game 1 – SCC Divas won on Lantau Team no show
Game 2 – SCC Divas 122/3 beat CCC 37/8 by 85 runs
May 13 – SCC Divas beat USRC by 90 runs
May 20 Game 2 – SCC Divas 169 beat USRC 128 by 41 runs
Game 4– SCC Divas 126 beat CCC 109 by 17 runs
May 27 Game 1 –SCC Divas 125/5 beat HKCC 76/4 by 49 runs
Game 2 – SCC Divas 157/2 beat CCC 104/1 by 53 run.
