Earlier this month, league players and award getters alike converged on Olympic House for the annual HKTA League Trophy Presentation where silverwares were presented to the respective champions and runners-up of the Winter League 2006/2007, as well as the Summer League 2007. Highlights of the evening included a surprise Lucky Draw with prizes courtesy of sponsors Ricola, Fine Wine Collections Ltd., and Sportline Ltd.
[Photo Gallery] [Roll of Honour] (2005-2007)
Those in attendance include HKTA President, Mr. Kenneth Tsui; HKTA Vice President & LMC Chairman, Mr. Vincent Liang; HKTA Hon. Secretary, Mr. Joel Ho; HKTA Hon. Treasurer, Mr. Jeremy Pong; HKVTA President, Dr. Francis Ma; and LMC Members Mr. John Bucks, Mr. Simon Castley, Mr. Frederick Keung, Mr. Derek Ling, Mr. Patrick Wong, Dr. Desmund Yip; and HKTA General Manager, Mrs. Janet Hardisty.
After winning both Winter and Summer League titles in the Men's Premier (A+) Division in the previous season, CRC was at it again this year and won back-to-back titles in both Leagues. That said, the Summer League title did go down to the wire, as both CRC and LRC ended up with identical 6-0 win-loss records heading into the final league match of the season with the title essentially on the line.
CRC, powered by Hong Kong Davis Cuppers Wayne Wong and Yu Hiu Tung, not to mention the ever industrious Hu Bing on Court 2, went on to beat LRC by the final score of 6 - 3. These three players have, in fact, split between them every men's title contested at the CRC Open from 2001 up until now, with Hu Bing winning in 2003, Wayne from 2004-05, and Tung from 2001-02 and 2006.
The Ladies' Premier (A+) Division was once again dominated by KCC, who successfully defended both League titles. For the second year in a row, the HKU Team finished as runner-up in the Winter League, while CRC came second in the Summer League.
However, KCC's dominance in the Ladies' Premier League had been so consistent that they have won 6 out of the past 9 Winter Leagues, plus 7 of the most recent nine Summer League titles. The only "dry spell" they encountered was during the years 2001-2003 when CRC usurped KCC as undisputed champions by capturing both Winter and Summer Leagues two years in succession.
[Summer League Roll of Honour] [Winter League Roll of Honour] (1990 - 2007)
As it turned out, that period also coincided with the return of Jackie Fu from the US, and the presence of both Tong Ka Po and Lillian Lin on CRC's roster. After two successful campaigns, however, all three have, one after the other, been lured away by a higher calling: motherhood. Nevertheless, next season will be an interesting one, as CRC has added a new player to its roster – a player that has the potential to be the missing piece that could turn the tide against the mighty KCC team who will be gunning for its fifth straight Winter League title, as well as its sixth straight Summer League title.
Stay tuned.
Participation in the annual Winter and Summer Leagues remains as popular as ever, with the number of participants nearing 4000 in the previous season. League tennis is divided into men's, women's, mixed, veterans', and junior team tennis.
For additional enquires about League tennis, please don't hesitate to contact May Kan on 2504 8266 or email her may@tennishk.org.
The HKTA would like to thank Ricola, Fine Wine Collections Ltd., and Sportline Ltd., for sponsoring the various gifts and prizes for the HKTA League Trophy Presentation 2007 Lucky Draw.