It could not have been scripted any better
HK women’s skipper Olson-Thorne savours 50th cap with notable victory over China
There was surely no better way home skipper Natasha OlsonThorne could have scripted her 50th cap as she scored the winning try against China in the Melrose Claymore tournament at the sevens extravaganza.
The 31-year-old showed deft footwork on the wing to drop her defender midway through the second half before powering to the line. Chong Ka-yan and Micayla Baltazar had earlier scored for Hong Kong to establish a 14-0 lead, but it took a captain’s contribution to put them out of sight in a memorable 19-12 win.
“It’s such a special moment to be able to run out onto this pitch, especially celebrating my 50th cap, to hear the cheers from the crowd,” she said. “That will stay with me.”
Hong Kong’s bronze medal at the Asian Games last September can be considered an achievement, but they were humbled 33-0 by China in the semi-finals. That only emphasises the pride the city’s team can take from this reversal of fortunes in front of the home fans.
“[This win] is definitely on the top, it’s now in the top three,” Olson-Thorne said. “It’s right there with the Asian Games medal and last year playing the Sevens.”
Hong Kong women’s coach Andy Vilk said: “China have a fantastic programme, a lot of really good athletes, and also athletes that understand the game,” he said. “So whichever China team we come up against, we know it’s going to be tough.”
The city’s men also beat China, although they had to battle back to prevail 19-17 thanks to two James Christie tries and one from Harry Sayers before Shan Changshun of China completed a hat-trick to give home fans a scare.
“It’s hard not to dream about scoring in front of the South Stand,” Sayers said. “Especially with my brother over in Hong Kong for the first time. There’s no better place to score a try. You’ve got Dubai, Cape Town, all amazing places, but nothing tops here.”