Three keys to victory ‘all in the head’
Coach Andy Hall tells how HKCC overcame the odds – and adversity – to win the Premiership
There’s a scene in American Hustle when the character played by Jennifer Lawrence blows up a microwave (the “science oven”, as it is memorably called in the movie). You smile because the movie, set in the late 1970s, offers you a glimpse of the future, which even with the benefit of hindsight, was simply incredulous.
I guess it will be with this same sense of disbelief that WhichWay Valley will look back at the league and wonder how the title slipped from their grasp. But they won’t be smiling. Not after that 9-16 loss to Hong Kong Scottish on the day the league resumed after the Chinese New Year break. It was that result which opened the door for Leighton Asia HKCC to sneak in and steal the silverware.
Hong Kong Cricket Club had all-but conceded the title to Valley after they lost 21-8 to their rivals before the CNY break. The view was unanimous that Valley would not slip up in their final three league games.
But that was only for outward show. Deep inside, the Cricketers did not give up hope as coach Andy Hall related when he said there were three “key stages to winning the league” for the first time since 2007.
“The most recent stage was the way the squad reacted to the third defeat by Valley. This was the final and arguably the most important step. Everyone, including me, took a far harder look at our personal contribution, agreeing that we all had the responsibility to up our game,” Hall said.
“The outcome of that small but significant adjustment led to our performance in our last three games where we achieved three bonus-point wins, scored 138 points, conceded only 27 and of course won the Premiership league title.”
The second stage that gave HKCC the belief and the will to win, was getting the Kowloon monkey off their backs with an 18-7 victory at Aberdeen Sports Ground last September.
“We began the season with a win over Hong Kong Scottish and it was a great way to start. But victory over Kowloon in round one was a significant milestone. We hadn’t beaten Kowloon in three seasons so for the guys to overcome that hurdle gave the squad immeasurable confidence and the belief that they could beat anyone on the day,” Hall said.
The other key moment came even before a ball was kicked when the team met pre-season off the pitch and talked about their targets. “That road map was a crucial first step,” adds Hall.
What it all boils down to is that the mental process is the key to winning. Believing in yourself and your teammates is crucial and as Hall has pointed out, all three key stages in HKCC’s road to victory were built around this belief and a strong will to win.
Of course, a little bit of luck also helps. And HKCC got plenty of that when Valley slipped up. Valley will look back and wonder how it all went wrong. Hindsight is wonderful. It gives you the opportunity to look at life and have a laugh at yourself.
Who knows, two decades from now we will be laughing at ourselves for tweeting and twerking – as we silently laughed watching that microwave blow up.
