The 2018 All Girls Beach Festival, organised by the Discovery Bay Pirates, once again brought the Hong Kong rugby community together for an exciting weekend of 5-a-side beach rugby at Tai Pak Beach.
With temperatures in Hong Kong freefalling, spectators, organisers and the players themselves had to brave the bitter cold and piercing winds, with sparing patches of sunlight offering minimal respite.
However, they were thoroughly rewarded with a series of heartening performances across the U-10s, 12s, 14s, 16s, 18s and the inaugural Ladies' category, with an abundance of grit, skill and passion on display as the ladies embraced the challenge of playing on a surface very much unlike the grass pitches they were accustomed to.
In addition, established names in Hong Kong girls rugby such as the Flying Kukris, Sandy Bay and of course the organisers were joined by the Komodo Dragons - a side comprised of girls from the Mama Sayang Orphanage in Jakarta.
The Dragons had previously joined the All Girls Rugby Tour to Singapore in December last year and not only contributed to the international flavour of the tour and festival, but were also a heartwarming testament to how rugby can be a source of empowerment.
Moving on to the results, DB Pirates emphasised the quality of their girls section by dominating the U-10s Tier 1 and U-12s Tier 2 divisions, with Mika Naito standing out as the U-10s' Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the hosts.
Similarly, HKU Sandy Bay followed on from some outstanding individual performances in Singapore to clinch the U-12s Tier 1 gong - an achievement topped off by Sandy Bay's Beatrice Panday claiming both the U-12s MVP and the Minis Player of the Tournament Shield.
Hong Kong Football Club A proved a dominant force in the U-14s category, with MVP and Youth Player of the Tournament Sarah MacPherson's standout performances steering her side to a well-deserved Cup victory.
Charlotte Nolan was just as influential as DB Pirates took home the U-16s Cup, while HKU Sandy Bay once again emerged from a difficult pool of opponents to raise the U-19s Cup.
While a joint HKIS and Flying Kukris squad may have had to settle for the Plate, they would have taken great pride in Jessica Horn's announcement as U-19s MVP.
Lastly, newly-crowned Premiership champions Gai Wu showed their strength in depth by completing a double of the Cup and Bowl, although Hong Kong Football Club dug deep in a heated affair against one of three Gai Wu sides to win the Plate Final.
Special mention goes to Gai Wu's Grace Muir, whose masterclass of hard-running, intelligence and sportsmanship was recognised with a MVP medal and the Ladies Player of the Tournament Shield.
Full results:
