Hong Kong (AFP)

After an exhausting week spent serving a Hong Kong family, Filipino servants take advantage of their Sunday rest to indulge in a somewhat improbable pastime: cricket.

Although beginners and little trained, the SCC Divas team, made up of Filipino domestic workers, achieved astonishing performances.

They thus managed to climb at the end of their first two seasons in the upper division.

Their reputation has even crossed the Hong Kong borders.

Seven players have joined the Philippine National Women's Cricket Team.

These domestic workers, called "helpers" or assistants, have shaken up the quiet world of Hong Kong cricket, inherited from the time when the territory was a British colony.

"We are all domestic workers. Some are new and are holding a cricket ball in their hands for the first time," said SCC Divas captain Josie Arimas, 52, behind the team.

The pleasure of playing on the cricket ground in the village of Po Kong, which offers a panoramic view of the city's huge skyscrapers and steep hills, allows them to forget their daily life.

Most work from 6 am until midnight, six days a week, in cramped apartments.

- Far from their children -

For hours, they are busy doing housework, shopping and looking after the children of the families who employ them, far from their offspring remained in the Philippines.

They have "no rest and are resistant," says Ms. Arimas.

The international financial center of nearly 7.5 million inhabitants has around 400,000 domestic workers, mainly Philippines and Indonesian women.

Human rights defenders regularly denounce their exploitation by unscrupulous recruitment agencies and employers.

While watching the Divas evolve, a servant explains that she does not have a weekly day of rest, as required by the government.

Her employer only gives her six hours off a month and she sleeps in the living room.

For Liza Avelino, a player, cricket is an opportunity to get away from it all.

"It's very relaxing, it gives meaning to my day," she says.

"It's good to be active, it allows you to forget about stress, problems and all the rest."

In November, in their victory against the Cavaliers, a team of the prestigious Hong Kong Cricket Club, the Divas once again showed their skill, inherited from baseball, a sport very popular in the Philippines.

The match took place under the encouragement of their teammates and supporters.

- "Team spirit" -

"They are so passionate. They all come here, they spend the day and watch," said Cavaliers captain Tracy Walker enthusiastically.

"They have a weekly day off, and what do they do? They come to sit and watch, clap, practice whenever they can. It's impressive."

Barely three years after their creation in 2017, the Divas have formed a second team, made up of beginners, and want more than ever to be sustainable.

Aminesh Kulkarni, who co-founded the team with Ms. Arimas, raises funds to pay dues, equipment and other expenses.

Also a manager, he intends above all to offer them a pleasant activity.

"Filipinos like to get together. So, one person just needs to come and others to follow. A player started spending time here, and now we have 32," Kulkarni recalls.

"My goal is for us to be around 200. It will be reached within two years."

Alvina Tam, in charge of cricket development in Hong Kong and a player with the Cavaliers, says the Divas have brought a revival to the sport dominated by expatriates and the South Asian community.

"What they brought is their sense of solidarity and team spirit," she emphasizes.

For Ms. Avelino, one of the players, for these Philippines, who most often only return at best once a year to the Philippines, this team is also a moral support.

"It's not just about sport, it's also about having a family to find. It's like having family ties," she said.

"Being away from home, having people doing the same thing is very empowering. We love it and we can't wait to be Sunday."

© 2020 AFP