Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, Hong Kong
SPONSORED FEATURE: The public is invited to the Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club for special events this month, one charitable, the other sporting. A charity walk for the Haven of Hope Christian Service will be held on 14 December and the Clearwater Bay Champions Cup tennis tournament on 7 and 8 December.
The HOH charity walk is well worth supporting. It was at the HOH hospice that I sat at the bedside of a young friend dying of brain cancer at only 42 and watched caring nurses looking after him in his last hours. If you’re elderly the chances are quite good you will end up in an HOH hospice.
The charity walk starts at 9:00 am at the Club. One of the highlights will be a photographic exhibition by Club chairman Dr Jack Wong with an allied photo contest.
HOH Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre
The aim of the walk is to raise $1 million to finance an extension to the HOH Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre (where Nic died) to meet the great demand for such services. The project will be in four phases: construction of a new hospice care complex, renovation of the existing block and development of a long-term care wing plus a geriatric rehabilitation and transitional care centre. The new hospice will have 350 beds and staff providing quality care to the elderly and terminally ill.
At the tennis tournament you will be able to see high-calibre players such as John Peers, Olympic men’s doubles gold medallist as well as returning players Yuki Bhambri, last year’s champion, and Australian John-Patrick Smith, whose doubles ranking is 65.
The Clearwater Bay Champions Cup aims to provide citizens with excellent sporting enjoyment and promote the development of tennis here.
Club chairman Dr Jack Wong said, “We believe that the Clearwater Bay Champions Cup plays a vital role in promoting local tennis development. It offers Hong Kong player and audiences a rare opportunity to watch world-renowned professionals compete and to learn from them at a world-class event in our club. Additionally as a testament to the club’s commitment to sports development and community outreach, the Clearwater Bay Tennis Academy will continue to actively nurture young talent by offering experiential tennis programmes to underprivileged students, furthering the development of tennis in general.”
Gary Lock, chairman of the Country Club
Gary Lock, Country Club Committee Chair, said, “This year we are excited to feature an unprecedented line-up of top tennis talents, including top doubles teams from Asia and Europe. We are confident this year-end spectacle will elevate the level of competition to new heights and further increase interest in tennis among cub members and the general public.”
Featuring in the indoor doubles professional men’s tennis event will be last year’s finalist Yuki Bhambri and John-Patrick Smith as well as Toshihide Matsui, Japan’s top-ranked doubles player partnering with Pruchya Isaro from Thailand (Isaro’s doubles ranking is 166). It will be an exciting match.
Other stars in the impressive line-up include Australian Matthew Romios (doubles ranking 101) Dutchman Matwe Middlekoop (doubles ranking 78) and Taipei trio Ray Ho (doubles ranking 131) three-time grand slam doubles champion Hsu Yu-hsiou and Asian Games mixed doubles silver medalist Huang Tsung-hao.
The Clearwater Bay Champions Cup has launched star players onto the global tennis scene. After Joe Salisbury played in the cup in 2018 he went on to reach world number one, winning the doubles title at the Australian Open in 2020 and the US Open doubles title in 2021. Rohan Bopanna also played in 2018 and went on to become at 43 the oldest player to reach world number one in ATP history.
Meanwhile last year’s champion Yuki Bhambri is now ranked No. 42 in the world. Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong played last year when his ranking was 253. Since then he has climbed to 149.
The Clearwater Bay Champions Cup will be live-streamed on the Official Website and on Youtube. If you would like to watch the tournaments email memberrelations@cwbgolf.org stating the date you wish to attend. Seats are limited. First one first served.
ABOUT THE CLEARWATER BAY GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
The Club has been providing golf, tennis and recreational facilities since 1982. In addition to hosting multiple golf tournaments each year, the Club also holds international tennis events, inviting top players from around the world. Since 2003 the “Community Outreach and Charity Programme” has blossomed from a simple idea into a comprehensive programme of charitable activities showing the Club’s commitment to improving the lives of less fortunate members of society.
ABOUT THE CLEARWATER BAY CHAMPIONS CUP
This prestigious tennis event originated in the early 1990s when the Club ran Indoor Doubles Tennis Championships for three years. This was a knockout event with 16 top men’s local pairs competing. It was revamped in 2003 becoming a round-robin event in the early rounds with a knockout format on the last day of play. From 2007 to 2009 the event incorporated a men’s singles tournament as a highlight. The event was renamed the Hong Kong Tennis Champions Cup in 2008. The focus was shifted to men’s doubles only from 2010. It also became a cross-border event as non-local ATP touring players took part. The aim has always been to stage the best local tennis event for the enjoyment of the Hong Kong community. The pandemic called a temporary halt but the pursuit of excellence continues. As the event organiser we are once again looking to improve the tournament for Club members and the local community. Attracting top tennis talents has never been a problem, but now we are looking for fresh faces. Furthermore with the huge popularity of doubles in Hong Kong we have decided to continue with DOUBLES ONLY for the format and rebrand it The Clearwater Bay Champions Cup.
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