FAIRBREAK MISSION IS CLOSE TO HER HEART SAYS SHAMILIA CONNELL, WHO TAKES HER ROLE MODEL DUTIES AT THE GENCOR FAIRBREAK INVITATIONAL 2023 SERIOUSLY 

• Broadcast quality video of the interview featuring Shamilia can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-hAle1ikhFG  
• Hi-res images of Shamilia Connell can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-NzoG0YSFZd

Hong Kong (April 7, 2023) – West Indies fast bowler Shamilia Connell is one of cricket’s global stars, with a career tally of 85 wickets across 58 WODIs and 63 WT20Is. The Barbadian, known for being the ‘energy person’ of the West Indies dressing room, believes she has an important role to play at FairBreak tournaments, going far beyond just crafting victory for her side.

Connell is also an important role model for bowlers around the world and will take on those duties as well in her second appearance at the Gencor FairBreak Invitational.

Shamila Connell said: “Coming in to FairBreak 2022, basically I was a role model to the other girls from other countries and I just had to come out and perform and keep that going.

“You don’t usually see them (Players from Associate countries), so it was good exposure to come here and see the talent they have. I get a lot of feedback (about my performance) from them as well.”

Speaking about her team the Warriors, who opened the 2023 tournament with a convincing 7-wicket win, Connell is confident of a better showing this year: “It is a good feeling to be back with the Warriors. Last year we didn’t get the results that we wanted, but this time we have a got a stronger team and hopefully we can go out and do something better.”

FairBreak players do not have numbers on the back of their shirts, instead they wear their flags, something that Connell is proud of: “This flag is very special to me, and it is a moment of great honour to wear this flag on my back.”

Looking ahead Connell says the FairBreak Mission is one that is close to her heart: “This was a great aim of FairBreak to work on equality for women, not just in sport but in general. This is a big thing for me and so I take it very personally.”

“It is an exciting tournament, especially with the exposure, and the environment and the vibes.”

CRICKET HONG KONG WINS ICC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE AWARD FOR FAIRBREAK INVITATIONAL 2022

Hong Kong (April 7, 2023) – Cricket Hong Kong and FairBreak Global Cricket are delighted to announce that they have won the ICC Development Initiative of the Year for the Asian Region for their role in delivering the ground-breaking Fairbreak Women’s International T20 Tournament 2022.

This is one of six development awards announced by the ICC, for the year 2022 to reward and recognize outstanding programmes and performances put in place by member countries, to help develop cricket in their regions.

As Regional winners of the Award, Cricket Hong Kong and the FairBreak Invitational Tournament will now move into a pool of Global Nominees and are in contention for the Global ICC Development Initiative Award for 2022.

Chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong, Mr. Burji Shroff said: “Cricket Hong Kong is thrilled to receive this news and I would like to congratulate my colleagues at CHK for taking on and partnering with FairBreak Global in this bold initiative. One of the key reasons why we backed FairBreak was because its vision and philosophy align perfectly with those of Cricket Hong Kong – equality, inclusivity and opportunity.

“The Gencor FairBreak Invitational provides a level playing field to not just the top international women’s cricketers, but also for players from Associate Member Nations to showcase their skills, while raising their own cricketing standards.

Speaking about the partnership with FairBreak Global Shroff said: “Cricket Hong Kong would like to congratulate our partners FairBreak Global, all players, officials, volunteers, and the management team who made the 2022 tournament such a great success.”

The Chairperson of CHK added: “We would also thank Gencor, the principal sponsors and all other commercial partners for making this possible. A special note of gratitude to the Emirates Cricket Board for hosting the event in 2022 when Hong Kong was under COVID protocols. We look forward to continuing this wonderful collaboration with Fairbreak, well into the future.”

Founded in 2013 by Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Global is an initiative aimed at gender equality, through offering greater opportunities to women, across sport, health, business, media, arts and education.

Speaking about the recognition from the ICC, Shaun Martyn, Founder of FairBreak Global said: “It is a great honour for us to be recognised by the ICC for all the hard work we have put in over the last decade, taking us a step closer towards our goal of progressing the women’s game and giving it its due recognition.

“Winning the Asian Region ICC Development Initiative of the Year Award, also offers the Gencor FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament a global platform, from which to seek greater support and partnerships. This is crucial in keeping the momentum of our previous year’s success going.

“I am grateful to Cricket Hong Kong for believing in the FairBreak Mission, and for being the first Cricket Board to back what we were doing. Our goal is to offer opportunities to women’s players, especially from Associate countries, and to raise the standard of cricket across the board.”

R Venkat, the Managing Director of Gencor, the title sponsors of the tournament added: “We are so happy to see years of work getting the due recognition. Thanks to Cricket Hong Kong for supporting us and making this happen.”

The Gencor FairBreak Invitational 2023, is currently underway and is being played from April 3-16, 2023, at the iconic Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong. The two-week tournament brings 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 Ticket Flap https://www.ticketflap.com/fairbreakt2023 .

Note: To celebrate this outstanding achievement, the organizers have decided to open the gates to public at Kowloon Cricket Club for the two days of April 8^th and 9^th (Saturday and Sunday), so that all members of the Hong Kong public have the opportunity to see these top athletes from 37 countries compete at the highest level”.

Visit FairBreak.Net for more information and follow us on our social media accounts by clicking on the following: Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

Dentons sponsors FairBreak women’s cricket Invitational 2023 in Hong Kong

Australia, 3 April 2023 — Dentons has partnered with FairBreak Global for the FairBreak Invitational women’s cricket Tournament, held from 3-16 April, to help progress gender equality. It is the second time Dentons has sponsored the Tournament, which is being played at the iconic Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong.

The Tournament brings together 90 women cricketing stars from 37 countries (including Australia) to play 20 matches in ten days. FairBreak’s aim is to create opportunities that progress gender equality on a global scale, using cricket as the primary vehicle.

Dentons’ Australia Chair and Australasia Region CEO Doug Stipanicev said, “Inclusion and diversity, and particularly gender equity, is a core part of Dentons’ culture.”

“As the world’s largest law firm, we recognise the responsibility we have to help further inclusion and embrace equity in our workplace and communities around the world.”

“We share FairBreak’s vision of an equitable world, where people have fair and equal access to opportunities, which is why we are proud to again partner with FairBreak for the FairBreak Invitational 2023.”

“We wish all the tournament players luck, and look forward to an exciting two weeks.”

Talking about the Tournament, Shaun Martyn, Founder of FairBreak Global said, “The support of organisations such as Dentons allows us to invest in the women who play and support cricket, and to help us further our vision of true gender equality, everywhere.”

“FairBreak Cricket is how we can use sport as a mechanism for change. It unites millions of fans, and the Fairbreak Invitational showcases the skills of the best female players. It rewards them fairly, empowers them to excel, and inspires every girl and women who has ever been told ‘this is not for you.’

CRICHEROES ANNOUNCED AS OFFICIAL TECHNOLOGY PARTNER OF GENCOR FAIRBREAK INVITATIONAL 2023

Hong Kong (April 2, 2023) – FairBreak Global Cricket is pleased to announce its partnership with CricHeroes, to launch a bespoke comprehensive dedicated mobile app for the Gencor FairBreak Invitational 2023.

Shaun Martyn founder of FairBreak Global says this is an important addition for followers of the tournament: “We find more and more cricket fans following the sport on their phones and tablets, and we felt it was important to create a mobile app for FairBreak global Cricket.

“We run two major tournaments and several smaller series across the year, and to have all our match and players statistics in one place is ideal for fans, players, coaches and all those involved in the game.

“We welcome this partnership with CricHeroes who specialise in creating bespoke apps for cricket leagues around the world. They have massive following, and we hope both parties can gain out of this relationship.”

Scheduled to be played from 3-16 April, the six-team tournament features 90 players from 37 Associate and Full Member Nations with the goal of offering players across the globe a chance to compete at the highest level.

Meet Shah Co-Founder CricHeroes is a fan of the FairBreak Mission and he says he is especially pleased with this collaboration: “FairBreak is not just a cricket event, it’s a movement that aims to break down barriers and promote gender equality in Cricket. We are thrilled to be the official technology partner for FairBreak and we are proud to support this initiative. We hope to enable players, coaches, management and fans to connect, collaborate, and celebrate the incredible achievements of women cricketers around the world on a single platform”

The FairBreak Global Cricket mobile app can be used across a variety of operating systems including Android, iOS mobile and they can also be accessed on Tablets. This app has been launched globally ahead of the Gencor FairBreak Invitational 2023.

An important feature of this app is the Pro-Membership access, which will be available to all players, coaches and management, for quick access to highlights, statistics, players analysis and so much more.

Team Coaches and backroom staff will be especially pleased with the Web Insights feature, which is a dedicated web-based analysis tool that allows them to deep dive into player, team and match statistics.

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 TicketFlap – https://www.ticketflap.com/fairbreakt2023

Visit FairBreak.Net for more information and follow us on our social media accounts by clicking on the following: Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

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

Visit FairBreak.Net for more information and follow us on our social media accounts by clicking on the following: Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

UAE WOMEN’S PLAYERS LOOK TO CEMENT THEIR REPUTATION AS RISING STARS AT THE GENCOR FAIRBREAK INVITATIONAL 2023

• Video News Release: Video Interviews featured in the release below can be downloaded via the following links.
• Theertha Satish and b-roll footage of UAE women: https://we.tl/t-5Bon2W3Bfo
• Kavisha Kumari: https://we.tl/t-G9k4cBCelT
• Esha Oza: https://we.tl/t-MA4gk478Cw
• Mahika Gaur: https://we.tl/t-mHQ0Ns6jA7
• Hi-res images featuring the UAE players can be downloaded via this link: https://we.tl/t-DTCL2o148q

Hong Kong (April 1, 2023) – UAE players Esha Oza, Theertha Satish, Kavisha Kumari and Mahika Gaur have arrived in Hong Kong ahead of the second edition of the Gencor FairBreak Invitational tournament hoping to make an impact and show the world what Associate Players have to offer.

General Secretary Emirates Cricket Board Mubashshir Usmani says the girls have the board’s backing and believes tournaments like FairBreak will help raise the standard of the women’s game: “The FairBreak Invitational 2023 in Hong Kong is an exciting opportunity for women players. Four players from the UAE, Teertha Satish, Kavisha Kumari, Mahika Gaur and Esha Oza will take part in the tournament.

“The event provides a big opportunity for our players to play with and against some of the biggest stars of the game. We are confident that our players will perform well and enjoy the experience of playing cricket in Hong Kong.”

Usmani added: “The Emirates Cricket Board is fully committed to the growth of women’s cricket and our aim is to provide maximum opportunities to our players at the domestic and international stage as well as in the leagues around the world. Our best wishes are with the organisers, and we hope that through such events women cricket continues to grow.”

Warriors star Esha Oza recounts her FairBreak 2022 experience and her top learnings from the event, she said: “One of the main things I learnt was (about) dealing with pressure situations. (The other thing I learnt was) No matter where people come from you can always gel together. You are playing for one purpose, and it is so great to see everyone come together and fight for the same thing.”

“(Last season) We (Warriors) didn’t have a great start, but we ended the tournament with a win. Whenever we came back to the dressing room, it was very positive (atmosphere). The coaches always backed us and told us that we had done well. The message we got was that the win does not matter all the time. It is about the learnings and coming together. We didn’t start well, but we put our learnings together and we ended well (with a win).”

“I didn’t do so well in the Asia Cup (after the FairBreak tournament), and I still had people (from FairBreak team) messaging me to say it was ok and these things happen. Situations like that are not so easy to come out of, but when you have people backing you all the time, it makes it much better. So now I know the next time that happens (a poor run of form) I have people I can reach out to and talk to and do better after that.”

Esha added how FairBreak contributed to the UAE players getting recognition for their achievements. She said: “As a sportsperson, and as Associate Players, we are getting a lot of fame (people know about us). Before this no one really knew about UAE cricket or that it was at a high level. The Under-19 girls went and played the Under-19 World Cup, and we also played the Asia Cup; all this happened after FairBreak, and that experience helped us go out and play at a higher level and this has taken UAE cricket and Associate cricket to the next level.”

Looking back at her first day as a FairBreaker Esha recounts a funny story from 2022: “On our first day, after we arrived, we were sitting in the the manager’s room and watching highlights of a West Indies-Australia game on TV. Theertha was with me. We were watching Stafanie Taylor bowl, and suddenly someone knocked on the door, we opened the door and she (Stafanie Taylor) walked in. We never expected something like that as Associate cricketers to be able to play with and share the field with them (Players from Test playing nations). All thanks to FairBreak this was possible.”

Esha echoes the team’s gratitude to the Emirates Cricket Board for their support: “I would like to thank the ECB for allowing us to go and play in these tournaments. The ECB has been arranging bi-lateral series for us, and various competitions. It is because of our performances in those series, we are getting picked for these (tournaments like FairBreak) competitions. If not for ECB it would not have been possible.”

Theertha Satish who plays for 2022 FairBreak Invitational finalists, The Falcons, hopes her team can go a step better this time. Satish is ever grateful to her Falcons teammates for their support as she took on captaincy duties for the first time, at the Under-19 Women’s World Cup. The advice was precious says Satish: “This was the first time I was captaining a side (UAE Under-19 World Cup team) and the amount of learnings I had through chats with the captain (Falcons captain) and coaches (Falcons coaches), and the way they helped me deal with this task was incredible. I owe a lot to them. They also helped me be a much calmer person both on and off the field.”

Satish, who ended 2022 as one of the top run scorers in the women’s game, says she enjoyed the opportunity of sharing the dressing room and field with global superstars: “It was incredible, and I feel like I might have annoyed some of them (Test nation players at FairBreak Invitational 2022) as I was always asking questions. It is a very different experience, and there is no better way to learn.”

Kavisha Kumari who scored 696 runs in 2022, holds the record for most runs scored in Women’s T20 Internationals in a calendar year. The batter says the most important lesson FairBreak taught her was to believe in herself. The Barmy Army player said: “The stats speak for themselves about how successful a year I had in 2022; both how I played for UAE as well as at FairBreak.

“To sum it up, it was a dream come true to be a part of FairBreak and to play alongside international players. Because of those experiences I got that confidence in me to go out and perform in the UAE matches.”

“(After)The year I had in 2022, I want to do even better and get out of my comfort zone and set higher goals for my performances.”

Kumari added that during the first edition, there were plenty of doubters, who were unsure of how Associate players would fare in the tournament: “At the beginning (first FairBreak Invitational) there was self-doubt and questions on how the Associate players would perform (compared) with the international stars.

“The first edition though showed the world what Associate players have to offer. Obviously, now there are going to be eyes on each Associate player, and this helps us to step up our game.

Finally, player number four from the UAE is 17-year-old Mahika Gaur, who is already a force to reckon with as a left arm medium pace bowler. She represented the UAE at both the Asia Cup and the Under-19 World Cup. At the Under-19 World Cup she also ended as the UAE’s second highest run scorer. Gaur hopes to be a true all-rounder one day: “In the past year I have worked really hard on both my batting and bowling. Previously, I had been giving more emphasis to my bowling, but I want to be an all-rounder, so I think the Under-19 World Cup success was down to that.

“I have also learnt how important fitness is in this game. So, I have tried to get fitter, which I am sure has helped me in my bowling, because earlier I used to get tired after bowling 2-3 over spells as my stamina was low. I have gotten older and taller and that has also helped me with my pace.”

While Mahika was not part of the main action at FairBreak 2022, she was watching from the sidelines, and talks about some key differences she noticed in her teammates following their FairBreak experience: “I noticed a change in the way they (UAE girls) went about their game. They were in teams (at FairBreak Invitational 2022) with the best players in the world, and they got to see how relaxed the international players were, and how to approach a big target, or if you were unable to rotate the strike then how to approach that.

“So, I think it made them (UAE girls) think more about their own game, which was so helpful for the team, and they shared those experiences with us which as amazing.”

Looking ahead Gaur can’t wait to join the Spirit team and make her FairBreak debut: “I am so excited, and I honestly can’t wait (to join Team Spirit). People in my team are from literally all over the world. There are players from Test playing nations, and from Hong Kong and Thailand, so getting to share the dressing room with them will be amazing.”