Hong Kong crowned a new world champion as Ng On-yee delivered a stunning win at the WLBSA World Ladies Championship held from 17 to 22 April in Leeds, England.

Reigning champion Reanne Evans – who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the men’s world championships a couple of weeks previously – had been unbeatable in the tournament for 10 years, but Ng beat her in the semi-finals, then saw off Emma Bonney, also from England, 6-2 in the final.

“After winning in the semi-finals against Reanne, I felt very excited because she has always been a role model for the ladies game,” said Ng. “I wish I could be like her to take part in the men’s game.”

Teammate Ip Wan-in also reached the semi-finals before losing to Bonney.

Wayne Griffiths, the Head Billiard Sports Coach at the HKSI, said: “This is right up there with Marco Fu’s Asian Games gold victory over Ding Junhui, his major ranking event win against world No. 1 Neil Robertson and Andy Lee and Fung Kwok-wai’s world team gold medal last year.

“There is an argument to be made that this victory eclipses all. To beat a player, Reanne Evans, who has dominated this WLBSA world championship as undefeated champion for 10 years, is something special for On-yee. She has defeated Evans once before in a world ranking event, but to do it at the world championships, and break a decade of dominance, is a great achievement.”

Ng said the support she receives at the HKSI is unmatched by even the top British players.

“As a full-time athlete, I regularly train at the HKSI with world-class facilities. I have a strong coaching team and take part in as many competitions as possible. Everything just comes naturally. With the experience of talking and meeting with opponents around the world, I realise that the support I get in Hong Kong is not only more than enough but also the best,” she said.

“From the sports science support to the equipment and facilities, it is world class. It is better than England. Our facilities are very good. We have 24-hour video equipment available when training. After I play a shot, I ask my coach a question and we simply click on the video and discuss the shot.”

Coach Griffiths added: “On-yee’s self-belief and work ethic, added to her considerable talent, make her one of the best female snooker players in the world,” he said. “To win both the WLBSA and IBSF versions of the world championships ensures she will join a list of the greatest female players in our sport’s history.

Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem teamed up to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event by reaching the semi-finals at the QOROS World Table Tennis Championships held from 26 April to 3 May in Suzhou, with the HKSI Head Table Tennis Coach Chan Kong-wah hailing them as role models for the next generation of local talent.

The duo lost to Xu Xin of China and Yang Hae-un of South Korea in the semis, the eventual winners of the event, but not before delighting Coach Chan.

“I think their success is a milestone in the development of table tennis in Hong Kong,” he said. “There are many talented players in Hong Kong that I’ve seen, but many of them either cannot put up with the tough training or have quit halfway because they found it difficult to beat players from the Mainland.

“The success of Wong and Doo should be able to send them a positive message. Wong has been in the squad for five years and now can play against many of the top players in the world. His match against Timo Boll [of Germany] is a vivid example. Doo is still young and fast-improving and has proved herself at the world junior level. Her first major senior event has proved to be another great success, although she still has a lot to learn.”

The next target for the pair is Olympics success in Rio next year.

Hong Kong’s badminton team enjoyed a successful month, taking four medals at events across Asia and in New Zealand.

Veteran Hu Yun had the most impressive display, stunning world champion and world number one Chen Long in the Singapore Open, a World Superseries event, on his way to the final.

“The way he played to reach the final showed Hu has regained his best form,” said HKSI Head Badminton Coach He Yeming.

“The victory indicated I am at world-class level. At this moment, I believe that I am capable of winning matches against the world’s best. The result depends on how I handle my matches,” said Hu.

Elsewhere, Chau Hoi-wah and Lee Chun-hei took silver in the Badminton Asia Championships mixed doubles in Wuhan, and there were bronze medals for Wei Nan (China Masters men’s singles) and Cheung Ngan-yi (New Zealand Open women’s singles).

Hong Kong’s Meng Zhaojuan won gold in the women’s general classification at the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand held from 1 to 10 April, while Cheung King-lok took bronze in the six-stage men’s event.

Meng finished ahead of Lauren Kitchen of Australia and Nguyen Thi That, the Asian Games silver medallist from Vietnam.

The event is part of the UCI Asia Tour.

The Hong Kong archery team (The Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled) won a gold medal at the 9^th National Games of Disabled Persons held on 17 - 21 April in Sichuan, China.

The Hong Kong athletics team won a gold medal at the All China Youth (Age 16-17) Athletics Championships held on 2 - 4 April in Chongqing, China.

The Hong Kong billiard sports team won 2 bronze medals at the 16^th Asian Under-21 Snooker & 14^th Billiards Championships held on 7 - 13 April in Beijing, China.

Squash athlete Au Wing-chi won a bronze medal in the Women’s Singles event at the 14^th Texas Open held on 7 - 12 April in Dallas, USA.

Tennis athlete Li Hei-yin won a bronze medal in the Boy’s Singles event at the China Junior 6 Chengdu Grade 3, China held on 31 March - 4 April in Chengdu, China.