It's Not Rugby... Cricket in Hawaii

It's not rugby, but it's a small island and a small community here. So here's some cricket in Hawaii information (supplied to me by Misa, who wrote the screenplay and cast me for the short film I was in - Kava Kultcha').


MEDIA RELEASE Thursday, 29 October 2008

INAUGURRAL INTERISLAND CRICKET LEAGUE LAUNCHES IN HAWAII

The Hawaii Premier League (HPL) is launching its first 20/20 cricket competition next week. The league is scheduled to hold tournaments twice annually each November and May. The current three teams are comprised on all-star cricket players from Oahu and Maui. The three teams will wear different colored uniforms and be named the Master Batters, Spitting Cobras and Terminators. The league has plans to expand to include mainland cricket teams in 2009 before expanding further to include international teams from Asia and Oceania.

20/20 cricket was developed in the past decade and is a craze sweeping the cricket world. Unlike five-day Test cricket or even the limited over matches which take up to eight hours to complete, 20/20 cricket completes a match in just three hours, or the time it typically takes to finish a baseball game. Yet the fast paced game produces scores of more than one hundred and fifty runs per team. This level of cricket demands athleticism and all around playing ability.

The Honolulu Cricket Club was founded in 1893 and is noted by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “oldest sporting club in the Pacific.” The club is comprised of more than forty members from many nationalities that live, study and work on Oahu. The club plays its home matches at Kapiolani Park, in the shadow of Diamond Head and across from world famous Waikiki Beach. The 20/20 cricket league is the latest development in its proud, 115 year history.

The Honolulu Cricket Club has hosted teams from around the world including clubs from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada, England and the mainland United States. The plan is to expand the Hawaii Premier League into an international competition, in a tournament structure beginning in 2010.

An international 20/20 cricket tournament will foster tourism from new and emerging markets including South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and India. Mark Berwick, Captain of the HCC says “We will be partnering with the Hawaii Tourism Authority to generate interest in Hawaii as an international destination through sports like cricket. A new sports
tournament is a great way to diversify the inbound tourism traffic while promoting Hawaii as the paradise that it is for residents and visitors alike.”

About the emergence of 20/20 cricket, Berwick goes onto say “We have been eagerly awaiting the chance to play in a competitive cricket league. The Honolulu Cricket Club is excited about the development of a 20/20 league in Hawaii, especially considering the fast, action packed nature of this version of cricket”

For further information regarding the Honolulu Cricket Club please visit www.honolulucricketclub.org

Sunday 2 November 10:00 – 1:00 pm Terminators versus Master Batters
1:30 – 4:30 pm Master Batters versus Spitting Cobras

Sunday 9 November 10:00 – 1:00 pm Spitting Cobras versus Terminators
1:30 – 4:30 pm Terminators versus Master Batters

Sunday 16 November 10:00 – 1:00 pm Spitting Cobras versus Master Batters
1:30 – 4:30 pm Terminators versus Spitting Cobras

Sunday 23 November 12:00 – 3:00 pm Championship Match
3:00 – 5:00 pm Championship Celebration

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Mark Berwick, Honolulu Cricket Club, Phone (808) 384 7292 Email mark.berwick@yahoo.com