Annual Report 2021–22

多元共融 Diversity and Inclusion 61 重建山城板球天堂 The cricket renaissance at CUHK Cricket is the world’s second most popular sport in terms of viewership, endearing itself to billions in the UK, Australia, across South Asia and beyond. But a lot of Hongkongers have not grown up with the sport, as it is not taught much in schools. At CUHK, cricket was popular in the past. A number of passionate staff members, students and alumni founded the CUHK Cricket Club in 1992, playing a match almost every fortnight. The retirement of key members, however, brought about a shortage of players, and the Club was dissolved in 2004. Mr John Wright, a CUHK statistics lecturer from the UK, and Desidhu Jayaweera, a final-year student in financial engineering from Sri Lanka, wished to revive a love for the sport on campus. With the support of other cricket enthusiasts they recruited via mass email, they brought back the Cricket Club. Now, the team of 30 committed cricketers from a variety of countries has applied to affiliate with CUHK's Office of Student Affairs (OSA) as an official student society, so it can further popularise the sport on campus. “The OSA staff are really helpful – they told us what to do, step by step. We should progress quite quickly,” said Wright. His wish for the development of cricket in the city is simple: more people playing, and in particular more women. “The keyword is enthusiasm - it doesn’t happen without people doing a bit of extra,” he added. 板球是全球第二受歡迎的運動，牽動 英國、澳洲、南亞國家等地數十億球 迷的心，但對多數香港人而言，板球既 非兒時活動，學校亦很少提供相關訓 練。中大的板球歷史可追溯至八、九十 年代，當年，校園板球賽程非常緊湊， 幾乎每兩星期便舉行一次比賽。一眾 熱衷板球運動的員生和校友更於1992 年組成了中大板球會。但隨着骨幹成 員退休，會員遞減，球會於2004年黯 然解散。 來自英國的中大統計學系講師衛約翰 與來自斯里蘭卡、主修金融工程的四 年級生 Desidhu Jayaweera 希望在中 大重建板球天堂。他們透過大學宣傳 電郵，招募了校內來自不同國家的板 球愛好者，重組中大板球隊。球隊現 時約有三十名成員，為進一步在校園 推廣板球文化，球隊正申請成為學生 事務處屬下的學生團體。 「學生事務處的職員辦事精幹，一步 步地指引我們怎樣做，申請過程非常 順利。」衛約翰說。 他希望未來有更多人參與板球運動，尤 其是女性，這個願望單純卻宏大。 他說：「熱誠至上。每個人不計付出， 多做一點，方能成事。」 中大板球隊 The CUHK Cricket Club 來自英國的統計學系講師衛約翰與 來自斯里蘭卡的四年級生 Desidhu Jayaweera 合力在中大重建板球天堂。 Mr John Wright, statistics lecturer from England, and Desidhu Jayaweera, final-year student from Sri Lanka, worked together to rebuild the cricket paradise at CUHK.