Cricket Association wanting to give back to community

The newly established Macau Cricket Association is wanting to give back something to the community by aiming to participate in the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010.
The Games which were last held in Qatar between December 1 and 16, 2006, included 39 sports mainly, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Body Building, Bowling, Boxing, Canoe-Kayak, Chess, Cue Sports, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Soccer, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Karatedo, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Sepaktakraw, Softball, soft Tennis, Squash, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling and Wushu.
Although Cricket is not yet part of the list of sports for the Asian Games, organisers are wanting to include it for the next games.
Speaking to the Macau Daily Times during the Cricket Revival Cup at the University of Science and Technology (MUST), Adnan Nasim, event organiser, said that with the possibility of the next Games including it as a sport would be good.
“We thought it would be good to thing to participate in,” Nasim said, adding that it would be a good way to give something back to Macau.
“Just to be able to represent Macau in a 'new' sports modality at the Guangzhou Games would be giving back to the city.”
Currently, the newly established association has four teams, however Macau has another group of Cricket lovers – the Scrubbers, and the former Old Taipa Tavern, which is now the Macau Sixes, also has a few teams of its own.
The four participating teams in yesterday's event were Taipa Thunders, which were the favourites, Taipa Blitz, Macau Knights and Magnificent Macau.
According to Nasim, most of the teams are made up of expatriates who moved to Macau for work reasons.
So far, the association are only organising two events a year. Last December, they held a Harmony Cup Softball Cricket Sixes, marking the first time in the history of Macau that such an event was held.
The association is looking to hold a Cricket Revival Cup every March or April, Nasim said.
“If things get better, then we'll look into organising more annual events, but so far, two are enough for the association,” Nasim said, adding that Macau Sixes will come to the SAR again.
“And so we're also preparing the teams for the Sixes.”
Both events, although still the first ones organised and held in Macau, include a Cricket Festival, where for the 45 minute lunch break, children and the audience get the chance to play cricket with the “stars” and get their picture with their favourite player.
In yesterday's event, the home town favourites, Macau Thunders, took home the cup, while Macau Knights and Magnificent Macau were the first and second runners up, respectively. Taipa Blitz came in fourth.