OPENING OF THE SECOND EDITION OF THE GENCOR FAIRBREAK INVITATIONAL 2023 IN HONG KONG

  

  • Competition to open with contest between a FairBreak All Stars team and the Hong Kong Divas team (comprising of cricketers who are also domestic workers in Hong Kong)
  • Broadcast quality video and hi-res images of the six captains with the trophy can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-bACc4ldl44
  • Broadcast quality of short interviews with the six captains can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-oQC8oq5uDX

 

Hong Kong (April 2, 2023) – The second edition of the Gencor FairBreak Invitational 2023 kicks off on Monday at the Kowloon Cricket Club.  The six captains leading the Barmy Army, Sapphires, Warriors, Spirit, Falcons and Tornadoes teams -Lauren Winfield – Hill, Sana Mir, Sindhu Sri Harsha, Nicola Carey, Suzie Bates and Stefanie Taylor along with founder of FairBreak Global, Shaun Martyn, gathered on the terrace of one of Hong Kong’s premier hotels the Royal Garden Hotel for a photo shoot alongside the trophy.

Shaun Martyn, Founder of FairBreak Global explained why the tournament is no longer just about winning and losing, and he said: “We are the only global T20 tournament in the world -men and women, with 90 players from 37 countries. So, it really is a unique event. Now I talk of it (FairBreak) as more of a social impact business, much more so than cricket, and we just happen to play cricket.”

“I am extremely pleased that the event has come to Hong Kong, because they were the first board to back what we were doing. Now we have two tournaments a year. We play in America in September and a tournament here in Hong Kong. That has always been my long-term vision for what I now call a world series in cricket.”

“We try to give opportunity to players especially to those from non-major board countries and give players an opportunity based on the skills they have. Another interesting thing we do is that we don’t pay players based on where they are from, we pay them based on skill. So, there are Associate nation players here that are on larger contacts than full member players, because we don’t care where they come from, it is how well you play (that matters).”

Speaking ahead of the tournament opener on Monday, Sapphires Captain Sana Mir, who has spent the last year donning several caps, including mentor, commentator and now captain, said: “We have come together as a group and we have got some great players, and it is a great combination of experience and youth, and we are really looking forward to taking the field again as Sapphires.”

Warriors Captain Sindhu Sriharsha’s arrival to Hong Kong was delayed due to issues with the flight, and she was struggling through jet lag, having spent a large part of the last two days in and out of airports and airplanes. The Warriors Captain said: “(I am) Happy to be back here and this is one of the best tournaments we play in the year, and I am looking forward to what it holds this year.

“`We have always talked of how this tournament is about more than just winning. I think building the team together and building the bond(is important) and we are looking forward to repeating all that we did last year and going one step higher.

This is a new team, and we have some new players coming in and that is going to add a lot more strength for this team.”

Spirit Captain Nicola Carey who captained team Spirit last year has retained her leadership role this season. The Aussie all-rounder believes her team is ready for the competition: “The girls had their first session(training) today and they are looking really good and are really excited to get out there for the first game.

“We have a few new faces, but the core group remains similar. Having had a look at the new girls I believe they are going to be good additions. We are going to go out there and have some fun and try and go a little bit further and see what we can do.”

Defending Champions Tornadoes’ Captain Stafanie Taylor said: “I would hope so (defend the title this year). We have Dane Van Niekerk joining us this year, and that should be exciting.

“Most of us are back from last year, I was a bit delayed, so I am really excited to see everyone at training. We are looking forward to the tournament, and I know the Associate players are really excited too and hopefully we get that bubbly feeling from last year coming into this year.”

Barmy Army Captain Lauren Winfield- Hill who replaces England Captain Heather Knight in the role, said: “I am really excited, because this is a new competition and I have not been here before. I looked out for it in the first edition of it, and it looks like a great tournament and a great concept, and I am really looking forward to leading the Barmy Army.

“We will take one game at a time in these types of competitions, and we will try and get to know each other really quickly, and gel and have some fun off the field, to try and bring us together on the field.

“This is one of those tournaments where if you play your best cricket game by game you have got every chance (of winning). Hopefully we can do that and go one better this year.”

Falcons Captain Suzie Bates added: “It was very nice to see everyone, and we have had only one change to our squad, so it has been a bit of a reunion. We have had one training (session) and things are going well, and we are looking forward to the first match.

“A lot of the players played each other (over the last year and have kept in touch) and T (Theertha) was at the Under-19 World Cup and (reached out as she) was looking for some advice. It has been nice to get back together with Joanne Broadbent our coach and our manager Saba Nasim.

“It is great when you can keep the old squad and build connections over time. That is definitely the goal, (to go one step further and win the trophy) and I think we have got the squad to do that, but it is going to be a very competitive tournament, so fingers crossed for the Falcons to get across the line for the final.”

The second edition of the Gencor FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament for women underlines FairBreak Global’s deep commitment to building the women’s game from the grassroots, while offering Associate nations a chance to showcase their talent.

Scheduled to be played from April 3-16, 2023, at the iconic Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong, the two-week tournament will bring together some of the world’s top women players, from both Test and Associate nations.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Cricket Hong Kong FairBreak Invitational on TicketFlaphttps://www.ticketflap.com/fairbreakt2023

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