National Games: Hong Kong’s young handball players step up as hosts eye semi-finals
Inexperienced side beaten by Beijing but captain and coach confident of being in better shape for last eight on Friday
A battered and bruised Hong Kong handball side kept some of their remaining powder dry for Friday’s National Games quarter-finals as they lost to Beijing at Kai Tak Arena on Tuesday.
Having already guaranteed third spot in Group A, the injury-hit hosts fielded a younger, less experienced team to rest players ahead of Friday.
They proceeded to lose 35-19, and captain Freddie Tse Wing-fai said he initially felt nervous for his young teammates but praised their performance.
“The level of Beijing is higher than ours; they are not our target,” Tse said. “So we tried to save our energy … we can’t play a high-intensity match four days in a row.
“I think today the performance was good. This is the first National Games for some of our players, and maybe the first time playing at home, in front of their families. I felt a bit nervous for them.
“Also, young players were playing in different roles than they are used to, like some players had to step into centre back today – it’s a challenge for them, but it was good.”