Filipino domestic workers take Hong Kong cricket by storm

Hong Kong: After a long week cooking and cleaning in the cramped households of Hong Kong, a group of Filipino domestic helpers are using their Sunday off for an unlikely hobby: cricket. And they're proving rather good at it.

Despite no background in the game, scant coaching and very little time, the SCC Divas have made a startling impact, winning Hong Kong's development league twice in their first two seasons and going unbeaten since stepping up to the main divisions this year.

Along the way, they've inspired the Philippines' first national women's cricket team, providing seven of its players, while shaking up Hong Kong's sleepy cricket scene, a remnant of British colonialism.

"We are all domestic helpers. Some are new players, having their first time holding a cricket ball," said Josie Arimas, 52, captain and founder of the SCC Divas.

The satisfying clunk of bat on ball, at the scenic Po Kong Village Cricket Ground overlooked by green hills and tower blocks, is a world away from daily life for the Divas.

Many of them work from 6am till midnight, six days a week, scrubbing, shopping and looking after kids, to support their own children and families left behind in the Philippines. They get "no rest. They're tough", said Arimas.

Just three years after their founding in 2017, the Divas have already formed a development team, SCC Pinay, and aim to be a lasting force in Hong Kong cricket.

Team manager Aminesh Kulkarni, who founded the team with Arimas and raises sponsorship to pay for dues, equipment and other expenses, says the aim is to provide a positive pastime for domestic workers on their day off.

"The Filipinos have that gathering culture. So if one comes, a few come. One player started spending time here, and now we have 32," Kulkarni said. "My aim is finally about 200. It is going to happen in the next couple of years."

Alvina Tam, Cricket Hong Kong's director of development and a Cavaliers player, said the Divas had added a new element to the sport in the city, which is dominated by the expat and South Asian community.

"What they brought into women's cricket in Hong Kong was their sense of unity, the sense of teamwork and working together," said Tam. "And at the same time they can still maintain a very friendly attitude towards the opposition as well. I think that's a very good show of sportsmanship."

For the Divas players, separated from their families and living far from home, the team also serves as a support network, according to Avelino.

"It's not just about sport, it's also about having a family to meet up with. It's a very close kinship, a sisterhood," she said.

"Being away from home, to have a group of people doing the same thing is very empowering. We love it and we look forward to doing it on Sunday."