By John Cairns
LAMMA ISLAND, Hong Kong -- Anther Pinoy-flavored Sunday sports spectacle, this time volleyball skillfully played, began on May 8 at Lamma Island's Yung Shue Wan basketball court.
After several weeks of practice, four women's teams are contesting the first Lamma Pinoy Volleyball League. The Lamma Warriors, in blue uniforms, have the most players on their roster, but that's no guarantee of ultimate victory against the Lamma Extremes (purple), Teen Titans (pink) and D Machine Guns (red).
Practice paid dividends because the opening-day play looked impressive. Bumps, volleys and serves routinely cleared the net and came flying back. No one scored many easy points.
I watched the Teen Titans put on a praise-worthy display against more-seasoned rivals, the Lamma Extremes. Despite finally wilting a little, the tenacious young Titans fiercely contested every point and nearly toppled their “elders".
Action in the Pinoy Volleyball League, complete with uniforms, game officials and a scoreboard, almost assures that the basketball court will be Lamma's most exciting place on Sundays for the next few weeks. The promise of competitive, well-played games makes an appealing prospect. Honestly, the alternatives, like dragon-boat races or mountain-bike contests, aren't nearly as entertaining.
As a surprising bonus, fellow fans on the sidelines love to eat and generously share whatever treats they have. While enjoying the opening-day action, I had the unexpected pleasure to taste some fantastic banana cake and other snacks.
League organizers successfully converted the basketball court for volleyball. They erected the necessary net, and taped off the volleyball court to eliminate (most) doubt about whether balls landed inbounds.
Only a few weeks have passed since the Glamorous Tigers triumphed in the championship game of the Lamma Island Pinoy Basketball League. That men's competition brought unprecedented activity to the basketball court in March and April.
Apparently some residents of the few buildings within earshot felt inclined to complain about the crowd noise and announcements during those games. Imagine the difficulty to take such complaints seriously! What better idea than to put an under-used sports facility to good use for sports – and to have fun in the process?
Numbers game: Teen Titans contest every point.
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