Cleaning up: domestic workers take Hong Kong cricket by storm
After a hard week ironing shirts, pressing trousers and folding sheets, they could already be said to have spent plenty time at the crease. But for a group of Filipino maids in Hong Kong, long hours of housework have proved no barrier to becoming unlikely cricketing stars.
Despite having no familiarity with the game, and despite only having Sundays to practice, the SCC Divas have stormed up Hong Kong's amateur leagues - a cricketing scene once dominated by English expats.
And while some may still struggle to tell a silly mid-off from a googly, they have already gained their first international caps- seven of the Divas now also play in the Philippines' own first national women's cricket team.
"Cricket is a tough sport to learn but it's hugely enjoyable," Josie Arimas, 52, the Divas' captain and founder, told The Telegraph. "Most of us work long hours Monday to Saturday, cooking, cleaning and looking after children, so it's great to play a sport on our day off."
Ms Arimas and her team members are among the millions of Filipinos who head abroad for employment, doing everything from nannying in the US to running Starbucks outlets in Dubai. In Hong Kong, many work from 6am till midnight, often to support families back home.
Cricket is all but unheard of in the Philippines, a one-time US colony where baseball is more popular, and Ms Arimas’s first encounters with the game left her somewhat baffled.
"I knew some British people here in Hong Kong who showed me cricket on TV, and also took me to a game," she said. "At first I didn't really understand what was going on, but because I play both baseball and softball back home, I thought I would give it a try."
Three years on, her team is thriving, and when they play each Sunday at the Po Kong Village Cricket Ground, other Filipinos come to cheer them on. The event is part sports fixture, part social occasion, with loud conversations and laughter over noodles and drinks.
Although some new recruits start having never touched a cricket ball before, the team’s progress has been rapid. They won Hong Kong's development league twice in their first two seasons, and have been unbeaten since promotion to the main divisions this year.
Part of that is down to having a good coach – although their success in that respect is a product of Indian cricketing expertise rather than English. The Divas' manager is Aminesh Kulkarni, 60, from Mumbai, who works in Hong Kong's freight industry.
"We are very proud of them," he said. "They have good hand-eye co-ordination and are disciplined rule followers, working Monday to Saturday, so they make for a tough team."
On the global stage, the cause of Philippines women's cricket still has some way to go. Last December, in their first ever international game, they lost to Indonesia. But for the Divas, the simple chance of being in a cricket eleven together is reward enough in itself.
"It's not just about sport, it's also about having a family to meet up with." said Liza Avelino, another Divas player. "Being away from home, to have a group of people doing the same thing is very empowering."
