Team Hong Kong Advanced to the Round of 16 for the First Time in History and Obtained Four Wins In Eight Games in Quadball Nations Cup II

Team Hong Kong participated in the Quadball Nations Cup (QNC) II from 5 to 6 October 2024 in Salou, Catalonia, Spain. The team made history by advancing to the Round of 16 after finishing second in the group stage, and obtained four wins out of eight games played overall.

Team Hong Kong wears a new kit in every tournament, and this year is no different. The new jerseys feature a whole new wave pattern. Our home jersey is in the classic white and red colour, while the away jersey is in blue and red.

The squad

The Team Hong Kong squad, consisting of Hongkongers playing quadball in Hong Kong locally, the UK, the Netherlands, the United States and Canada gathered for training and practice matches upon their arrival on 3 Oct. Unfortunately, Rachel LI (#23) suffered an injury during the pre-tournament practice session, leaving us with only 20 players to compete in the weekend.

Team Hong Kong is coached by Alex LAI (#88), a Canada-based player who played for Hong Kong in the World Cup 2023. He is assisted by Chris LAU (#26), the Co-Founder of Hong Kong Quadball Association, who is also the team’s Manager. Jessie HO (#67) served as the Captain and Thomas AU (#21) served as the Vice-Captain.

Besides Alex, Chris, and Au, Team Hong Kong includes nine other players that played for Hong Kong before. They are CHENG Lik Kan (#6), Anson LEUNG (#8), Omar HO (#9), Michael LI (#11) Charles CHEANG (#12), Kimberly HUANG (#17), TO Wing Hei (#19), Fraser POSFORD (#83) and Queenie WONG (#99).

Eight players made their debut for Team Hong Kong at QNC II, namely Toby LAU (#3), Gordon CHOI (#4), Joanne LAM (#7), Jensen LEE (#16), James YAM (#22), Joshua CHEUNG (#44), Liona LI (#56), and Jessie HO (#67).

The matches

Team Hong Kong is drawn into Group B with Austria, France Italy and Scotland.

Day 1 (5 October)

Hong Kong first lost 70:130* to France, who eventually became first runner-up, then went on a winning streak against Austria, Scotland and Italy. With three wins in four games, Team Hong Kong finished second in the group and advanced to the Round of 16 with such brilliant results. This is the first time Team Hong Kong qualified for the championship bracket in an international tournament.

Day 2 (6 October)

In the knockout stage on 6 Oct, Team Hong Kong lost the Round of 16 match against Basque Country. The following 9-16th place play-off against Spain went into overtime with a close score: after missing two golden opportunities, Hong Kong lost by a deciding goal to Spain (170:180*).

Hong Kong then faced its group stage opponent Italy again, beating it in the 13-16th place playoff, in which Hong Kong maintained advantages in the early stages of the game. Fraser POSFORD caught the flag in the 23rd minute, which won Hong Kong the game. However, Hong Kong lost the 13th Place Match against Canada by two goals and the flag score (i.e. 50 points). To round up, Hong Kong finished the second day of the tournament with one win and three losses, and ranks 14th in this Quadball Nations Cup.

Co-Founder of the Hong Kong Quadball Association, Team Manager and Assistant Coach Chris LAU said that he was pleased that Team Hong Kong sent a full roster for an international tournament for the first time in history, and the team delivered an exceptional performance in historically advancing to the knockout stage,  securing four victories against European teams, even successfully preventing Austria and Scotland from scoring a single goal before the flag (snitch) is released. He hopes the team can achieve even better results in the International Quadball Association World Cup next year.

Alex LAI Kwun Ho, the Head Coach of Team Hong Kong for QNC II, said that despite having only one day of full team training, Team Hong Kong demonstrated a unique and successful “Hong Kong style” in both its defensive and offensive strategy; the Hong Kong spirit displayed by the team has gained recognition and support from the quadball community worldwide.