Organisers of the 2002 Hong Kong Sixes, due to be played on Saturday and Sunday, have discovered that forgers in mainland China have been printing and selling fake tournament tickets.

"We have found that counterfeit tickets printed in China have been sold in Hong Kong. These are excellent copies," the chairman of the Hong Kong Cricket Association, Mike Walsh, told South China Post. The Association, which organises the annual tournament, learnt about the racket after a tip-off from an anonymous source.

"We have compiled a list of every ticket and serial number that has been sold through our outlets. We will match these against the ones presented at the gate and if they don't tally, holders will be refused entry," Walsh said.

"If people who bought these tickets in good faith, not realising they were fakes, still want to see the action then they can buy tickets at our outlets. If they identify the source of their purchase, then we will replace their tickets.

"We had sold only a few of the 3,000-odd tickets available to the public and thought it was due to bad weather. But then we stumbled on this counterfeit racket and we have been told that over 1,000 tickets have been sold. Adult tickets for the two days cost $450 while tickets for children under 15 are $250."

This year's event boasts of stars such as South Africa's Lance Klusener, Australia's Craig McDermott, Pakistan's Imran Nazir, England's Adam Hollioake and India's Robin Singh. The two-day event is scheduled to start at the Kowloon Cricket Club at 0830 local time (0030 GMT) on Saturday.

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