From Tim Wright of Bulls
Bulls are taking a bit of time to settle in this season with quite a few changes from last year.
We lost Saturday's against Kowloon match 12-0, which was hugely disappointing because we had about 90% of the possession. No-one could fault the forwards, who rucked and mauled tirelessly, but execution in the backs left a lot to be desired - the most notable incident was when our 11 and 15 collided while trying to collect a clearance from the opposition, allowing the ball to land straight into the hands of the Kowloon chaser who touched down under the posts looking extremely bemused.
With a few of the usual starters returning from injury in the next week or two, there are positive signs, though. The goal from here is converting our domination of territory and possession into points. If we can achieve this then without doubt we could be challenging the best in the league.
Sequins beat Kowloon 27-5 with tries from Simon Aird, Simon Hague, Damien Kelly and Alex Boggis and Steve Thomson.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Meet Kelly Brook
Right, there would appear to be some confusion about who Kelly Brook is among those not lucky enough to be British or those Brits who haven't been back in a while. One or two of the New Lads from Blighty (see profiles) are clearly in something of a lather about her too. So, for the sake of clarity, Kelly Brook is an ex-glamour model turned actress who was with Billy Zane but who is now courting England flyhalf Danny Cipriani (yes, the one who was knocked out by Josh Lewsey at a Wasps training session).
The picture below should explain a lot.
The picture below should explain a lot.
Meet the New Lads #6 - Alasdair Frost
Above: Alasdair was very keen to add the rather disturbing image above, but I told him, why would you want to add that to the comedy breastfeeding one? Anyway, he's clearly an unusual character: our first new lad of 2008/09 to prefer Keira Knightley to Kelly Brook and a rare reader.
Name: Alasdair Frost
Age: 28
Occupation: Veterinary surgeon
Nationality: Scottish
Rugby position: Hooker (open side flanker)
Previous rugby clubs: Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Accies, Durham City
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The facilities and food
One thing you would change/introduce: Cheerleaders
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Being punched in the face and knocked out right in front of the ref after putting in the slipper on the oposition and having the ref yellow card me for over-zealous rucking.
Steak and chips or Thai food? Thai food
Lager or rum and coke? Lager
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Keira Knightley
Reading or music? Reading
Meet the New Lads #5 - Dan Watson
Above: Watson still requires constant supervisionName: Dan Watson
Age:29
Occupation: HR Manager
Nationality: British
Rugby position: Lock
Previous rugby clubs: St Albans RFC, Tabard RFC, Blackheath RFC, Hertfordshire County
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The stash
One thing you would change/introduce: I would change Mungo's fitness sessions
Introduce: Fitness sessions with Kelly Brook
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Being shouted at by Griffo in Singapore during my first game for the club. Shortly after giving away his fourth penalty and conceeding six points I'd mentioned that he might want to consider taking a calmer approach to the game. I was politely informed to "f*ck off mate you're new to the club, you don't know anything about rugby and have nothing to say"!
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak and chips
Lager or rum and coke? Rum and coke
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn/Ebeneezers/ditch
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly Brook
Reading or music? Music
Referees need some love
The Chairman would like to make a point about not abusing referees. I know, he stands in the Sequins corner (corner formerly known as Sequins' Corner?) and they're not exactly quiet, but he is right, damnit.
There are two reasons why he is right as I see it:
1. Giving a referee a hard time in a game that you are playing in is totally senseless and almost always counterproductive. And people who imagine that they can intimidate a referee by being constantly in their face are almost always wrong (it takes a maestro like Gregan, van der Westhuizen or Dawson to do that...) Not unreasonably, referees resent being shouted at and are unlikely to act more favourably to the team shouting at them. How many times have you seen a decision reversed because of protests?
Referees will always make mistakes and it will always be hugely annoying when they do. But, to a man, they come to each game with honest and fair intentions and they never, ever deserve to be given a load of witless verbal for human error. If it makes you angry when the referee makes a bad call, show that the game matters to you by upping the effort, not wasting your energy shouting at the poor bloke.
2. To be a little more prosaic, rugby players don't behave in that way. Banter is great and referees enjoy that, but an absolute respect for the referee and his authority lies at the core of rugby union. We have all known that from our earliest days playing the game. Rugby players should have the self-discipline and self-respect not to demean themselves by raging and whingeing at officials like kids in a playground or - dare I say it - premiership footballers. I don't like to lay it on, but the game is bigger than each of us and we will be judged by the kind of game we pass on to the next generation. OK, it's after 1am and that's a bit strong, but I'm standing by it.
Donough's request extends beyond players on the park to members of the section watching the game. Basically we need to keep the comments witty and on the right side of the line (PT can explain where this line is).
Yours in admonition
Harps
There are two reasons why he is right as I see it:
1. Giving a referee a hard time in a game that you are playing in is totally senseless and almost always counterproductive. And people who imagine that they can intimidate a referee by being constantly in their face are almost always wrong (it takes a maestro like Gregan, van der Westhuizen or Dawson to do that...) Not unreasonably, referees resent being shouted at and are unlikely to act more favourably to the team shouting at them. How many times have you seen a decision reversed because of protests?
Referees will always make mistakes and it will always be hugely annoying when they do. But, to a man, they come to each game with honest and fair intentions and they never, ever deserve to be given a load of witless verbal for human error. If it makes you angry when the referee makes a bad call, show that the game matters to you by upping the effort, not wasting your energy shouting at the poor bloke.
2. To be a little more prosaic, rugby players don't behave in that way. Banter is great and referees enjoy that, but an absolute respect for the referee and his authority lies at the core of rugby union. We have all known that from our earliest days playing the game. Rugby players should have the self-discipline and self-respect not to demean themselves by raging and whingeing at officials like kids in a playground or - dare I say it - premiership footballers. I don't like to lay it on, but the game is bigger than each of us and we will be judged by the kind of game we pass on to the next generation. OK, it's after 1am and that's a bit strong, but I'm standing by it.
Donough's request extends beyond players on the park to members of the section watching the game. Basically we need to keep the comments witty and on the right side of the line (PT can explain where this line is).
Yours in admonition
Harps
Monday, October 27, 2008
Club recapture pride against DEA
Above: If you can't see me, you can't tackle me. You probably can't tackle me anyway. Horse, pictured here against HKCC IIs last weekend, made his Club debut on Saturday. Photo: Jacky YeungCBRE Club 26 - 3 DEA Tigers
Club returned to victory on Saturday, overcoming a spirited but rather one-dimensional DEA side in the final act of a knockout competition that the Club players would probably rather forget. Having dispatched Valley in the first round, Club were turned disappointingly turned over by Aberdeen in the semi-final. The form book makes no sense at this stage of the season, though. Club beat Valley and lost to Abedeen. Aberdeen beat Club and were then routed by Valley in the final on Saturday. Frankly this roundabout explains why the knockout cup should be held at the end of the league season - when the teams are more finely honed and consistently closer to the peak of their game - than at the beginning, when the difference between one performance and the next can be somewhat Jekyll and Hyde-like.
Like almost all victories in rugby - with the possible exception of Wales's 2005 Grand Slam - Club's was built on the foundation of a very solid pack. Ian Ridgeway made an impressive debut at loosehead and Stephen 'Horse' Nolan added his not-incosiderable presence at the tighthead side to replace the injured Nigel Hobler. The result was immense pressure on DEA at the set-piece, often forcing their scrum-half to try desperate soccer passes to their unimpressed number 10 and giving Club the most commanding of platforms.
After working hard in training to bring some aggression and nous to their work in the tackle area, Club were able to exercise better control at the ruck than they had against Aberdeen, although the penalty count for ruck infringements was still frustratingly high. Despite the absence of Dan Watson, the forwards were also able to dominate the DEA lineout. Put simply, the Club pack simply had more 'mongrel' than before, with Nathan Johnston and Tim Griffin outstanding in this respect.
Add to this the return of Pete McKee and his long range missile of a pass and it should come as no surprise that Club's backs, pivoting on James Kibble at outside half, enjoyed more space and freedom than they did the previous week. An early score from Kibble was followed up with tries by Johnstone, the tireless Tim Edgar from close in and Andrew Chambers, who ran through to touch down following a neat kick through. Mike McKee added three conversions.
Club's defence was robust throughout, although DEA had no great cutting edge and squandered a number of their better opportunities.
A nasty shoulder injury for Jamie Hood in the second half along with some tactical changes by Coach Quinton Wrigley resulted in the imposing centres pairing of Richard Rouse and Dave Tibbot in the second half. Some enjoyably direct running from this duo will surely give Coach 'Q' another permutation to consider as the season continues.
Indeed, Q and the greybeards of that mysterious cabal known as the selection committee will have quite a balancing act to perform as time goes on, while also being aware that consistency in selection is a proven virtue. The influx of top quality new players this season presents them with this weekly dilemma: they can only name three 'N' players (players not resident in Hong Kong for more than six months) in the squad and there are many more than three Ns who are likely to merit consideration.
Most importantly, though, Club clearly have the depth of talent to sustain a long and hard campaign to retain the league title. Saturday's performance, although by no means the finished article, indicates that Club also have the collective will to bounce back from a bad performance.
Harps
Nomads wander into Dragons' den
Above: Unfortunately Nomads' tackling wasn't this good. Yes I know the photo is from the previous week. But it's a great action shot of Shane and I don't have any from the Nomads game. Photo: Jacky YeungAllow Dragons' own Murray Sargant bring you up to speed with a fine performance on Saturday. I have just two things to add:
- The Nomads were a decent bunch of blokes and it was great that we got them back to the Sportsmans for a pint or two. Given the facilities we have, there is no excuse for not doing this every time we play. Teams with Frenchmen in them are always entertaining. When I asked the guy in the beret and the 'Allez France' t-shirt (or similar) where he was from, he didn't get the joke at all. Ah you rozbifs with your ridiculouse comedie Anglaise...
- The dinner in Shaffi's was a classic and we look forward to the next social after the Scorps game. My moment of the dinner came shortly after we arrived when Andy Noble looked around in puzzlement and then said: "What are we going to do about all the civilians in here?"
Now for the Muzzmeister. If you want a summary, here is his own: "In summary we smashed them."
In a one sided encounter Nomads experienced what it was really like to be in the 2nd Division in Hong Kong. To be fair to Nomads in the second half they did start to play better and they never gave up but overall a convincing and emphatic win for football clubs second team.
Right from the get go Nomads new it was going to be a long afternoon. I was still strapping Andy Noble on the side lines when the first try was scored. I would estimate 40 seconds into the game. From that point onwards the flood gates opened and the rampaging Drags forwards were in particularly devastating form.
Lead from the front by Richard Gallagher and Adam Harper we had a field day in the first half. Gallagher in particular made at least five huge barnstorming runs up the middle of the park which earned him our man of the match award. Congratulations Richard. The Drags forwards dominated! and we had fantastic ball again from the lineout all day. Alasdair is throwing superbly and Graham and Ollie are two of the best jumpers in the club based on current form.
From the back row lead well by our fearless leader and captain Marcus Neil the Nomads defenses were breached on nearly every rushing attack. Well done to Hayden Giordine on his Drags debut and for scoring two excellent tries and also two great tries to Ollie Jones demonstrated well how dominating our backrow was on the day. Also with Alex Charter and Graham Fleming in the engine room and jumping in the lineout our lineout and scrum dominated, winning multiple feeds against the head and many of their line outs. In summary we smashed them.
Our new look backline with Rob Naylor (Junior) at scrum with the addition of Stewart McGraw at centre and Tim Robinson at fullback linked well with Leon Scott, Callum and Shane Harmon and the ever vocal general of the Drags backline Robin Bredbury. Robin and Junior both had good games and had to cover more ground than usual on Saturday as more than five of the seven, first half tries were over six phases of play. Also worthy of note was Callum Nieto's superb kicking display in the first half slotting over seven from seven and scoring three tries, so in total a 29 point haul for the day. Well done.
With the second half came some fresh legs, with Junior retiring after a face full of the great valley sand pit. An old Nomad trick that one. Replaced by Andy Noble, Andy was industrious as always and continued to get the ball out to Robin all afternoon. More substitutions with Yutaka Yazawa, David Price, Charles French, Gareth Wilde and Gordon Marsden all coming on in the second half and playing well. To be fair they had all played a full game for Scorps so we appreciated the extra effort for staying around for us after their game.
To be fair to Nomads they stepped up a gear in the second half but still Drags managed five more tries and Robin took over the kicking late in the day to slot our single conversion of the second half. To be fair Callum's second half kicks were all from the side lines with most of the tries coming from out wide.
In the end a great Drags win with a 76 to 0 score line. To date Drags have amassed an impressive 121 points in three games while only conceding the one try. An impressive start to the season.
We now have the weekend off but training is still on this week. Following some southern hemisphere rugby this weekend we will be taking on Scorps in what should b e a huge local darby. Both teams always lift when playing each other so we will have to have our best game for them in two weeks time.
- The Nomads were a decent bunch of blokes and it was great that we got them back to the Sportsmans for a pint or two. Given the facilities we have, there is no excuse for not doing this every time we play. Teams with Frenchmen in them are always entertaining. When I asked the guy in the beret and the 'Allez France' t-shirt (or similar) where he was from, he didn't get the joke at all. Ah you rozbifs with your ridiculouse comedie Anglaise...
- The dinner in Shaffi's was a classic and we look forward to the next social after the Scorps game. My moment of the dinner came shortly after we arrived when Andy Noble looked around in puzzlement and then said: "What are we going to do about all the civilians in here?"
Now for the Muzzmeister. If you want a summary, here is his own: "In summary we smashed them."
In a one sided encounter Nomads experienced what it was really like to be in the 2nd Division in Hong Kong. To be fair to Nomads in the second half they did start to play better and they never gave up but overall a convincing and emphatic win for football clubs second team.
Right from the get go Nomads new it was going to be a long afternoon. I was still strapping Andy Noble on the side lines when the first try was scored. I would estimate 40 seconds into the game. From that point onwards the flood gates opened and the rampaging Drags forwards were in particularly devastating form.
Lead from the front by Richard Gallagher and Adam Harper we had a field day in the first half. Gallagher in particular made at least five huge barnstorming runs up the middle of the park which earned him our man of the match award. Congratulations Richard. The Drags forwards dominated! and we had fantastic ball again from the lineout all day. Alasdair is throwing superbly and Graham and Ollie are two of the best jumpers in the club based on current form.
From the back row lead well by our fearless leader and captain Marcus Neil the Nomads defenses were breached on nearly every rushing attack. Well done to Hayden Giordine on his Drags debut and for scoring two excellent tries and also two great tries to Ollie Jones demonstrated well how dominating our backrow was on the day. Also with Alex Charter and Graham Fleming in the engine room and jumping in the lineout our lineout and scrum dominated, winning multiple feeds against the head and many of their line outs. In summary we smashed them.
Our new look backline with Rob Naylor (Junior) at scrum with the addition of Stewart McGraw at centre and Tim Robinson at fullback linked well with Leon Scott, Callum and Shane Harmon and the ever vocal general of the Drags backline Robin Bredbury. Robin and Junior both had good games and had to cover more ground than usual on Saturday as more than five of the seven, first half tries were over six phases of play. Also worthy of note was Callum Nieto's superb kicking display in the first half slotting over seven from seven and scoring three tries, so in total a 29 point haul for the day. Well done.
With the second half came some fresh legs, with Junior retiring after a face full of the great valley sand pit. An old Nomad trick that one. Replaced by Andy Noble, Andy was industrious as always and continued to get the ball out to Robin all afternoon. More substitutions with Yutaka Yazawa, David Price, Charles French, Gareth Wilde and Gordon Marsden all coming on in the second half and playing well. To be fair they had all played a full game for Scorps so we appreciated the extra effort for staying around for us after their game.
To be fair to Nomads they stepped up a gear in the second half but still Drags managed five more tries and Robin took over the kicking late in the day to slot our single conversion of the second half. To be fair Callum's second half kicks were all from the side lines with most of the tries coming from out wide.
In the end a great Drags win with a 76 to 0 score line. To date Drags have amassed an impressive 121 points in three games while only conceding the one try. An impressive start to the season.
We now have the weekend off but training is still on this week. Following some southern hemisphere rugby this weekend we will be taking on Scorps in what should b e a huge local darby. Both teams always lift when playing each other so we will have to have our best game for them in two weeks time.
Valley caught in Ice storm
More from Kim Kan at the front line of women's rugby in Hong Kong.
GAICE vs. Valley - 25 October, 2008
It has been decreed since the dawn of HKFC Rugby that we maintain an intense rivalry with those who choose the dark side known as Valley. Any game between HKFC and Valley will usually involve a substantial build-up, interesting banter from both sides, and a hard fought match.This weekend's match against Valley/City was no exception.
Disadvantaged from the outset by Valley's gargantuan size, GAICE was in for a physical match-up. Valley's stiff arms and hard tackles rattled GAICE as soon as the whistle sounded for kick-off, but we quickly learned that the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
GAICE regained our composure and began to drive them back using ourskills, speed, and most importantly, our fitness (Mungo's sessions really paid off!) A great play from fly-half Emma Holland got the ball out to winger Ah-Ying, who drew two defenders and then made a great pass to speedster fullback Aggie Poon. A missed conversation saw the score 5-0. It was only due to an unlucky missed tackle that Valley was able to put points on the board, with the half-time score being 5-7 to Valley.
Committing numerous infringements finally caught up with Valley as they were given a yellow card 30 meters in front of the uprights. Opting for the kick saw Emma Holland slot in a beauty bringing the score 8-7.
In retaliation for a Valley player intercepting one of her passes, Aggie Poon made it her mission to return the favour. In the end, her speed was just too much for Valley to handle and she intercepted the ball during one of their plays, and then dashed down the touch-line to score her second try. Another unsuccessful conversion saw the score at 13-7.
The final nail in the coffin came from a scrum down. Despite our size,GAICE wore Valley down and a tough drive by the forwards saw Royce Chan over the try line, bring the score to 18-7 after a missed conversion. Frustrated and out of breath, Valley still managed to find the wind to continue to argue with the referee over certain calls, resulting in another yellow card for a sizeable newcomer to the HK rugby scene.
Most teams will cite the reason as to why we won is due to the immense individual talent on GAICE. However, it wasn't individual play that got us around this big hurdle (pun intended). It was team camaraderie,coupled with good sportsmanship, which allowed us to keep cool under pressure. There are a few more kinks to work out before we face them again, but at this rate GAICE will once again be the top-team in Hong Kong.
GAICE vs. Valley - 25 October, 2008
It has been decreed since the dawn of HKFC Rugby that we maintain an intense rivalry with those who choose the dark side known as Valley. Any game between HKFC and Valley will usually involve a substantial build-up, interesting banter from both sides, and a hard fought match.This weekend's match against Valley/City was no exception.
Disadvantaged from the outset by Valley's gargantuan size, GAICE was in for a physical match-up. Valley's stiff arms and hard tackles rattled GAICE as soon as the whistle sounded for kick-off, but we quickly learned that the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
GAICE regained our composure and began to drive them back using ourskills, speed, and most importantly, our fitness (Mungo's sessions really paid off!) A great play from fly-half Emma Holland got the ball out to winger Ah-Ying, who drew two defenders and then made a great pass to speedster fullback Aggie Poon. A missed conversation saw the score 5-0. It was only due to an unlucky missed tackle that Valley was able to put points on the board, with the half-time score being 5-7 to Valley.
Committing numerous infringements finally caught up with Valley as they were given a yellow card 30 meters in front of the uprights. Opting for the kick saw Emma Holland slot in a beauty bringing the score 8-7.
In retaliation for a Valley player intercepting one of her passes, Aggie Poon made it her mission to return the favour. In the end, her speed was just too much for Valley to handle and she intercepted the ball during one of their plays, and then dashed down the touch-line to score her second try. Another unsuccessful conversion saw the score at 13-7.
The final nail in the coffin came from a scrum down. Despite our size,GAICE wore Valley down and a tough drive by the forwards saw Royce Chan over the try line, bring the score to 18-7 after a missed conversion. Frustrated and out of breath, Valley still managed to find the wind to continue to argue with the referee over certain calls, resulting in another yellow card for a sizeable newcomer to the HK rugby scene.
Most teams will cite the reason as to why we won is due to the immense individual talent on GAICE. However, it wasn't individual play that got us around this big hurdle (pun intended). It was team camaraderie,coupled with good sportsmanship, which allowed us to keep cool under pressure. There are a few more kinks to work out before we face them again, but at this rate GAICE will once again be the top-team in Hong Kong.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Meet the new lads #4 - Antony Phillips
Shy Antony cites Ben Stobart as one of his early influences
Name: Antony James Phillips
Age: 30. However, I have been told 40 is the new 30 but I have looked 50 for a while.
Occupation: Manager of a sports events company
Nationality: British
Rugby position: Blind Side Flanker
Nationality: British
Rugby position: Blind Side Flanker
Previous rugby clubs: Saracens, Richmond, Milan
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: No more freezing January training nights in the mud - I might finally cure my longstanding case of Training-itis...
One thing you would change/introduce: Cheerleaders...
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Scoring the winning try in the U15 Yorkshire Cup final in the dying seconds...on the 22 meter line, causing raucous laughter from the oppositon
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak..Pacific grill all the way baby!!!
Lager or rum and coke? Rum and Coke
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? I like my music cheesy so it wil have to be Wan Chai
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly
Reading or music? Books on tape......
Meet the new lads #3 - Tom Bolland
The paparazzi would never leave Bolland alone
Name: Tom Bolland
Age: 24
Occupation: Chartered Surveyor
Nationality: British.
Rugby position: Hooker
Previous rugby clubs: Winchester RFC
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The showers.
One thing you would change/introduce: Better service in the Sportsmans.
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Mum running on the pitch when I was injured!
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak and Chips.
Lager or rum and coke? Lager.
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Solas.
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly Brook (with Cipriani!) [WTF? Ed]
Reading or music? Music.
Rock solid Ice beat CWB
From Kim Kan of Ice. Photos by Jacky Yeung.
The HKFC ICE/Gai Wu (GAICE) women kicked the season off to a great start with a grueling victory over Causeway Bay this weekend, 10-5. After last year's Grand Championship Final saw an 80 minute battle in the trenches against CWB with the ICE women emerging victorious, CWB was looking to settle the score.As the game opened, it looked like they were heading into a repeat of the Grand Championship final with both sides playing fast and furious defense, but slow to launch any offensive attack. Nerves got the better of both teams as knock-on after knock-on forced the forwards to repeatedly scrum down.
Unfortunately, GAICE found themselves at the mercy of an outside overlap by CWB, bringing the score to 5-0. GAICE quickly answered back with a lovely series of inside ball by the forwards, and after sending a quick ball down the back line and into the hands of speedy winger, Emmy Chan, the score at the end of the first half stood at 5-5.
The second half saw some great improvements by the GAICE scrum and several just-missed opportunities. After a scrum down near the CWB try line with merciless attempts by the GAICE forwards, scrum-half and pitch captain, Fiona Foxon, managed to push the ball over the try line leading the team up 10-5.The game ended with GAICE staunchly defending their try line with the cheers from the Sportsmans' Bar urging them on.
Great team work and determination saw the ball ripped from CWB hands and brought into touch as the final whistle blew. Well done GAICE and good luck against Valley next week.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Meet the New Lads #2 - Leon Scott
Name: Leon Scott
Age: 22
Occupation: Product Manager
Nationality: Kiwi
Rugby position: Centre
Previous rugby clubs: Pakuranga United
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: No long travel for games [How about King's Park? Ed] One thing you would change/introduce: HKFC cheerleaders (Swedish,
preferably)
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Giving the end of year captain's speech for my old team after not winning a game all year
Steak and chips or Thai food? Steak and chips
Lager or rum and coke? Lager
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Who is Kelly Brook? [Good Lord! Do you live in a cave? Kelly Brook is a not unattractive young lady currently being courted by England fly-half Danny Cipriani]
Reading or music? Music
Scorps test PLA, show potential
The below is something of a hybrid between a CIA report, an executive summary and a stream-of-consciousness piece of Hunter S. Thompson-style reportage. Who else could have written it but Bouch?
Date: Saturday 18th October 2008
Location: Kings Park (away again!)
Opposition: The People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China
Score: CBRE HKFC III Scorpions 22, Laxton PLA 44
Scorers: Tries: Charles French 2, Alex Smith, David Guthrie; Conversions: David Beckett 2
It behoves this writer to crave the indulgence of the "blog-itors", by being a smidgeon late. Dry yet profuse words can be delivered with alacrity, erudition and wit take a little longer. Before I wrote this report I took the liberty of investigating our opposition a little more than watching them run past me very fast. I discovered this intriguing factoid:"The PLA is the world's largest military force, with approximately 3 million members, and has the world's largest (active) standing army, with approximately 2.25 million members."Which I imagine can go some way to explaining how they managed to get 14 people who were simultaneously very quick and had little or no body fat - the 15th member was the first but strangely not the latter.
The lack of fat and the small issue of a language barrier did make for somewhat less comedy than normal.The coaching staff's near complete failure to register any laughs was compounded by the minor issue that our good selves were virtually incapable of tackling the aforesaid blubberless ones. Despite this coach Mike Watson, he of the no body fat whatsoever but a fine line in Northern wit, had a couple of intriguing comments for the team to consider at training.
• Thanks - hard work. Tough match against a good side - fast and fit.
• Disappointment because we had the ability to beat PLA if we could learn to adapt our performance to counter their strengths. The first 15 minutes we totalled them scoring one, nearly a second attacking their 22 and then an interception.
• Two more tries were interceptions when we were in attacking position. This made 21 points lads deduct them and you see the true nature of the game.
• Comments:- Scrummaging very good. Front Row really worked in tight and in loose. Just a couple of wheels later on but impressed.
- Loose - when we stuck to the pick drive and roll agreement of before the kick off we just took PLA down the park often 20 to 40 Meters. To be fair I think if we did this against many sides in our league we would win the game.
- Backs overall no criticism. I liked the open play and the handling was in the main strong. Taking runners from the back row also gained ground for us.
- Penalties - well done to Smudger for the quick taps - 2 tries came from this.
- Dave Beckett great running. Nick James if I underestimated your running ability from deep mate first time I have seen it.All of the above would have been of value (including the bits I have carefully edited out) at training, had anybody been there on Monday!!! Which was nice.
In summary, which by its very nature and because it is written by me, may very well end up being longer than the main content, the Scorps laid down a big marker for the season. We played at times some good strong rugby with discipline and just enough flair to be very dangerous. It also is great to see that there are many more players who have the wherewithal and desire to play in the higher leagues. David Beckett and Nick James were mentioned above as was Smudger Smith stepping up from Select with aplomb. However the Man of the Match went to Minju "Midget" Kim for an outstanding full 80 minutes at tighthead prop against a much bigger and more experienced (make that ex-Chinese international) prop, and we at times powered them off their own ball. The Tuesday of the match remains in the capable hands of Mr Richard Tinsley for failing to return the sartorial wig and hat combo which management had carefully crafted the previous week.Despite this we did manage to turnstile a few of their players and lessons have been learned.
Bring it on as they say - whoever the hell "they" are.
Bouch
Date: Saturday 18th October 2008
Location: Kings Park (away again!)
Opposition: The People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China
Score: CBRE HKFC III Scorpions 22, Laxton PLA 44
Scorers: Tries: Charles French 2, Alex Smith, David Guthrie; Conversions: David Beckett 2
It behoves this writer to crave the indulgence of the "blog-itors", by being a smidgeon late. Dry yet profuse words can be delivered with alacrity, erudition and wit take a little longer. Before I wrote this report I took the liberty of investigating our opposition a little more than watching them run past me very fast. I discovered this intriguing factoid:"The PLA is the world's largest military force, with approximately 3 million members, and has the world's largest (active) standing army, with approximately 2.25 million members."Which I imagine can go some way to explaining how they managed to get 14 people who were simultaneously very quick and had little or no body fat - the 15th member was the first but strangely not the latter.
The lack of fat and the small issue of a language barrier did make for somewhat less comedy than normal.The coaching staff's near complete failure to register any laughs was compounded by the minor issue that our good selves were virtually incapable of tackling the aforesaid blubberless ones. Despite this coach Mike Watson, he of the no body fat whatsoever but a fine line in Northern wit, had a couple of intriguing comments for the team to consider at training.
• Thanks - hard work. Tough match against a good side - fast and fit.
• Disappointment because we had the ability to beat PLA if we could learn to adapt our performance to counter their strengths. The first 15 minutes we totalled them scoring one, nearly a second attacking their 22 and then an interception.
• Two more tries were interceptions when we were in attacking position. This made 21 points lads deduct them and you see the true nature of the game.
• Comments:- Scrummaging very good. Front Row really worked in tight and in loose. Just a couple of wheels later on but impressed.
- Loose - when we stuck to the pick drive and roll agreement of before the kick off we just took PLA down the park often 20 to 40 Meters. To be fair I think if we did this against many sides in our league we would win the game.
- Backs overall no criticism. I liked the open play and the handling was in the main strong. Taking runners from the back row also gained ground for us.
- Penalties - well done to Smudger for the quick taps - 2 tries came from this.
- Dave Beckett great running. Nick James if I underestimated your running ability from deep mate first time I have seen it.All of the above would have been of value (including the bits I have carefully edited out) at training, had anybody been there on Monday!!! Which was nice.
In summary, which by its very nature and because it is written by me, may very well end up being longer than the main content, the Scorps laid down a big marker for the season. We played at times some good strong rugby with discipline and just enough flair to be very dangerous. It also is great to see that there are many more players who have the wherewithal and desire to play in the higher leagues. David Beckett and Nick James were mentioned above as was Smudger Smith stepping up from Select with aplomb. However the Man of the Match went to Minju "Midget" Kim for an outstanding full 80 minutes at tighthead prop against a much bigger and more experienced (make that ex-Chinese international) prop, and we at times powered them off their own ball. The Tuesday of the match remains in the capable hands of Mr Richard Tinsley for failing to return the sartorial wig and hat combo which management had carefully crafted the previous week.Despite this we did manage to turnstile a few of their players and lessons have been learned.
Bring it on as they say - whoever the hell "they" are.
Bouch
High Definition Dragons
Above: stepping on an upturned nail can really hurt
Above: Nieto runs frenetically on the spot
Above: Gordon administers a Vulcan death grip to a long-haired assailant in tights
Above: Leon ponders his imminent encounter with the forces of gravity
Above: The Aberdeen winger thought the best way to put Antony off his game would be to tickle him under his chinExcellent photographs of the Dragons playing some champagne rugby on Saturday against Aberdeen, courtesy of Mr Jacky Yeung. Visit: http://www.fotop.net/Lawton/Lawton224
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dragons scorch HKCC
From Murray Sargant
Dragons 35 - 0 HKCC
Well done guys for a great win on the weekend. From the start the whole team seem to come together well and we managed to put onto the field the strongest forward pack that we have seen in Drags for many seasons. The front row was again anchored by Richard Gallagher and last weeks man of the match Ian Ridgway with the added fire power of club newcomer Steve 'Horse' Nolan who made his D! rags debut. Horse as he is affectionately called gave a great scumaging display in the second half which I know from talking to his opposite number in HKCC will be remember for some time. I know also Select were thankful for his services earlier in the day. Welcome to Club Steve.
Our backrow also worked hard all day with Antony Philips unlucky not to score in the final minutes of the game after a Robin intercept and kick throw run chase. Unfortunately the bounce eluded him and ex club player now with HKCC Sidney managed to touch the ball down in goal. Steve Mathews had a solid first game back and Dean Finnegan managed to open his account for the season with great try. In summary the forwards dominated in the set plays and HKCC struggled to win their own scrum feed. In the lineout's it was! much of the same with some excellent throwing from Alasdair Frost and later Pete Sheren combining well with Graham Fleming at two and this weeks man of the match Alex Charter jumping at four. Congratulations Alex on a great game. Our new! look backline really made an impact with the new half combination&nbs p;of Andy Noble and Robin Bredbury linking well. We had plenty of ball making it to the wings which was a major turn around from last week and resulted in quick and flowing game. We ran in five tries and with non better than the second try which started inside our own half working through 10 sets of hands before ending up under the posts. The HKCC defenders were lying all across the field, champagne rugby at it's best. Not sure who scored it in the end but tries on Saturday were awarded to Dean Finnegan, Leon Scott, Shane Harmon, Robin Bredbury and Andrew Chambers so a great team effort. We did manage to get the bonus point and this week which could see Club II at the top of the table. Congratulations for great season opening second week. Have now confir! med that we will be playing Nomads next weekend at Happy Valley at 4:00pm not PLA as originally discussed by some on Saturday afternoon.
Dragons 35 - 0 HKCC
Well done guys for a great win on the weekend. From the start the whole team seem to come together well and we managed to put onto the field the strongest forward pack that we have seen in Drags for many seasons. The front row was again anchored by Richard Gallagher and last weeks man of the match Ian Ridgway with the added fire power of club newcomer Steve 'Horse' Nolan who made his D! rags debut. Horse as he is affectionately called gave a great scumaging display in the second half which I know from talking to his opposite number in HKCC will be remember for some time. I know also Select were thankful for his services earlier in the day. Welcome to Club Steve.
Our backrow also worked hard all day with Antony Philips unlucky not to score in the final minutes of the game after a Robin intercept and kick throw run chase. Unfortunately the bounce eluded him and ex club player now with HKCC Sidney managed to touch the ball down in goal. Steve Mathews had a solid first game back and Dean Finnegan managed to open his account for the season with great try. In summary the forwards dominated in the set plays and HKCC struggled to win their own scrum feed. In the lineout's it was! much of the same with some excellent throwing from Alasdair Frost and later Pete Sheren combining well with Graham Fleming at two and this weeks man of the match Alex Charter jumping at four. Congratulations Alex on a great game. Our new! look backline really made an impact with the new half combination&nbs p;of Andy Noble and Robin Bredbury linking well. We had plenty of ball making it to the wings which was a major turn around from last week and resulted in quick and flowing game. We ran in five tries and with non better than the second try which started inside our own half working through 10 sets of hands before ending up under the posts. The HKCC defenders were lying all across the field, champagne rugby at it's best. Not sure who scored it in the end but tries on Saturday were awarded to Dean Finnegan, Leon Scott, Shane Harmon, Robin Bredbury and Andrew Chambers so a great team effort. We did manage to get the bonus point and this week which could see Club II at the top of the table. Congratulations for great season opening second week. Have now confir! med that we will be playing Nomads next weekend at Happy Valley at 4:00pm not PLA as originally discussed by some on Saturday afternoon.
Club falter against Aberdeen
Club 5 - 16 HKCC
The sad news is that there will be no league and cup double in 2008/09. After successfully seeing off Valley in the first round last weekend, Club stumbled against a very motivated and well-organised Abderdeen team on Saturday, eventually succumbing 16-5.
Club will be disappointed with a peformance in which they were rarely able to achieve much continuity or fluency, but it is still the beginning of campaign and the greatest prize in Hong Kong rugby - the first grade championship - has not even started yet.
Without question, Club looked rusty. Injuries and absences had enforced wide-ranging changes in team composition from the previous week. But in spite of struggling to find cohesion and impose themselves on the opposition, Club were still able to restrict the score to 0-3 until the last third of the match. It is often and, I think, rightly said that a mark of a good team is their ability to compete when not playing well, and that was certainly true of Club at the weekend.
While this was not the team performance we might have hoped for, there were a number of encouraging signs. The scrum was dominant throughout the game as Pete Spizziri, Tom Bolland and Nigel Hobler took control. There were also fine performances in the forwards from Tim Griffin, Tim Edgar and, after their introduction in the second half Nathan Johnson and Rob Mills.
For much of the game, though, quality ball for the backs was extremely scarce. The backline, led by Captain James Kibble, was solid in defence but had little space or opportunity to attack. Too often, Club were either turned over in the tackle area or rather zealously penalised for holding on or going in off the feet. The effect, I'm afraid, was to stifle any kind of forward movement. Club only briefly gained momentum through a series of well-executed phases later in the second half in a pattern that led to Rob Mills' try. Aberdeen competed hard at the ruck and were smart in terms of pushing what they could get away with - my abiding memory of a few minutes on the pitch is charging into a few rucks only to find one of the Pale brothers standing up after making the tackle and coming in from the same side as the Club forwards...
Club can and will do better. As several people remarked after the game: "good teams sometimes just have off days." What's crucial now is to turn this off day into a catalyst for the future.
Harps
Meet the New Boys #1 - Horse
Meet our very own Horse (he doesn't eat sugar cubes but he does like Guinness) newly arrived from the Emerald Isle to terrorise front rows in Hong Kong. Horse opened his try scoring account at the Club for Select on Saturday, strolling over while several men of mere mortal size clung on to him. I suspect this has happened before in his career. Horse then went on to put in a fine performance for Drags against Aberdeen. Bravo.
Name: Stephen "Horse" Nolan
Age: 30+ [be more specific...]
Occupation: Back Office Manager
Nationality: Irish
Rugby position: Prop
Previous rugby clubs: Terenure College RFC.
Favourite things about HKFC rugby: The people and the facilities.
One thing you would change/introduce: Ice baths after training.
Most embarrassing rugby experience: Breaking my arm and being a big girl.
Steak and chips or Thai food? Can't I have both?
Lager or rum and coke? Guinness.
Mint/Prive/Drop or Devils/Mes Amis/Dusk Til Dawn? Solas.
Kelly Brook or Keira Knightley? Kelly Brook, hands down.
Reading or music? Reading - I'm a thinking man's prop.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Was this the most ridiculous rugby kit of all time?
Manila 2007. It's the Year of the Pig, so we got dressed up like butchers. The only thing we lacked were straw hats. Strangely enough, my girlfriend finds this shirt, with its blood-dripping numerals on the back, more offensive than the previous year's offering in the Year of the Dog, which featured a cute design of canines sniffing each others' rears.Shortly after this photograph was taken, we took the field against some team of expats from Thailand I think. Grewers made a particularly fine little break before he was collared by their scrum-half, who then decided to start pumelling the poor lad's head with his fist. Your correspondent was mysteriously the closest player to hand, so I charged in and attempted to intervene. Moments later, as Bouch remarked, it was like Swansea on a Friday night. I was yellow carded for being the "third man in" and we developed a taste for pugilism that found full expression later that night in the famous Ringside Bar. Only in Manila will you find a bar where there is a boxing ring and you are encouraged to fight your mates (albeit in comically oversized gloves) when you can hardly stand up.
This tour was also notable for the appearance of a friend of Richard Lewis's (back row, far right), who claimed to have played for Wales but was pretty rubbish. No surprises there then...
Enough reminiscing I feel.
Harps
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I don't like cricket, I love it...
ELV Productions
In Association with
Brings you:
AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND
The Hong Kong Ashes Series
Friday October 31, 13:00-16:00, The Hockey Pitch, HKFC
A Three Match Series (or more if time permits) of "World Class" Pairs Cricket following Beach Cricket Rules
Featuring: Ramsay 'Boony' Carter, Ben 'Beefy' Stobart, Junior 'The King of Spin' Naylor, Andy 'AB' Randall, Richard 'Thommo' Rouse and Tim 'I'm the English one not the little one' Robinson
And many other notable sportsmen, although we regret that Nick 'Wrong Un' James is now unvailable
About six players a side are already confirmed but there are still opportunities to join the teams and take part in our unique interpretation of cricket's oldest rivalry.
If you're keen to begin the Bledisloe weekend in style by taking Friday afternoon off to play cricket with your mates, email me at adamharper01@gmail.com
The event is being kindly supported by Wahu, who will provide the equipment. Thanks to Mr Tim Felton and Big Dog Enterprises.
Ta ta for now
Harps
Monday, October 13, 2008
Coverage of the Weekend's Games
Rusty Club show their mettle
Alvin Sallay
12 October 2008
South China Morning Post
The rust was plain to see, but CBRE Hong Kong Football Club had enough savvy to polish off disappointing opponents Tradition Valley in the First Division knockout cup yesterday, winning 21-3.
Tries from No 8 Rupert Clarke and winger Adam Raby plus the boot of centre Jamie Hood, who knocked over a conversion and three penalties, gave Football Club the perfect start as they bid to defend their League and Grand Championship titles, plus add this extra "knockout cup" to their booty.
"We will take this win. It will set the tone for the rest of the season, and it will be a long one," said Football Club coach Quinton Wrigley. "Considering that we lost all our games at the Valley 15s, it is nice to start the season proper with a win."
Valley will be happy that their first outing does not have any bearing on the League. Left with a three-week period after changing the League from three rounds to two this season, the union decided to play this new knockout cup so all six teams could fine-tune their games before the league starts on November 8.
Valley can certainly do with some tweaking to their game as yesterday's error-ridden performance proved, with butter-fingered handling costing them a few scoring opportunities.
"I hope this is a case of early season rust for us," said Valley coach Brian Higgins. "But thankfully these first three weeks will allow us the chance to identify our problem areas. We are not down in the dumps."
The game was niggly as both teams tried to make an early statement, forcing the referee to reach for his yellow card on three occasions - twice to Football Club and once for Valley.
Having traded penalties, Club's impressive forwards broke the impasse midway through the first half when from a lineout close in, they rumbled over, resulting in Clarke scoring the first try. Hood converted to make it 10-3.
Two more penalties from Hood sealed victory for Club who will now move into the semi-finals next week, along with the winners of the other two games and the best loser.
At So Kon Po, DeA Tigers defeated Manulife Causeway Bay Rams 31-5, while Synovate HKCC beat InProjects Kowloon 35-10.
From Murray Sargant:
Congratulations guys on a hard fought victory against a very strong Knights team. Without a doubt that was the hardest victory Marc and I have witnessed in our time with Drags and the whole team had to dig deep to keep Valley from scoring in the last 20 minutes. a real nail biter. On the positive side our lineout's worked well with some excellent jumping from Alex Charter, Graham Fleming and Ollie Jones and accurate throwing from Alisdair and Pete. Also our scrum managed at least three tight heads which could have been more had Pat the referee not objected to us pushing Valley around the park. Well done to the front row particularly Ian, Richard and Yutaka for some strong scumaging. In fact the referee at times should have been wearing a Valley shirt given his constant award of penalties and inability to see what was going on off the ball and with Valley not binding on to their reversing scrum. Also he ! managed to allow fulltime to run 6 minutes over giving Valley more than enough chances and yet we managed to keep them out. Our pre season fitness really was put to the test and our spirit in defense was impressive to witness. Our backline also had a good day although we were unlucky not to run in a few more tries particularly in the first half. Some strong running from Shane and Pat always kept Valley on the back foot particularly in the first 40 minutes. The only time Valley broke our line was through an intercept which was against the run of play. Other than this momentary lapse Valley never really troubled our defense and we kept tackling all afternoon which was impressive given how hot it was. Marcus and Marc have nominated Ian Ridgway our inaugural man of the match and in typical drags tradition he will be awarded the Steve Spiers cup next weekend. For those not aware Steve lost his life in Bali and once the cup is in! the hand of the best and fairest player each weekend the cup can not be emptied and who ever is handed the cup must see away the contents. Congratulations to Ian on his debut game for Drags and on a great game. Also a great fun night Saturday at the Captains Dinner although Sunday was a little slow in the Sargant house hold. Thanks Marc for suggesting Wanchai at 2am.
Alvin Sallay
12 October 2008
South China Morning Post
The rust was plain to see, but CBRE Hong Kong Football Club had enough savvy to polish off disappointing opponents Tradition Valley in the First Division knockout cup yesterday, winning 21-3.
Tries from No 8 Rupert Clarke and winger Adam Raby plus the boot of centre Jamie Hood, who knocked over a conversion and three penalties, gave Football Club the perfect start as they bid to defend their League and Grand Championship titles, plus add this extra "knockout cup" to their booty.
"We will take this win. It will set the tone for the rest of the season, and it will be a long one," said Football Club coach Quinton Wrigley. "Considering that we lost all our games at the Valley 15s, it is nice to start the season proper with a win."
Valley will be happy that their first outing does not have any bearing on the League. Left with a three-week period after changing the League from three rounds to two this season, the union decided to play this new knockout cup so all six teams could fine-tune their games before the league starts on November 8.
Valley can certainly do with some tweaking to their game as yesterday's error-ridden performance proved, with butter-fingered handling costing them a few scoring opportunities.
"I hope this is a case of early season rust for us," said Valley coach Brian Higgins. "But thankfully these first three weeks will allow us the chance to identify our problem areas. We are not down in the dumps."
The game was niggly as both teams tried to make an early statement, forcing the referee to reach for his yellow card on three occasions - twice to Football Club and once for Valley.
Having traded penalties, Club's impressive forwards broke the impasse midway through the first half when from a lineout close in, they rumbled over, resulting in Clarke scoring the first try. Hood converted to make it 10-3.
Two more penalties from Hood sealed victory for Club who will now move into the semi-finals next week, along with the winners of the other two games and the best loser.
At So Kon Po, DeA Tigers defeated Manulife Causeway Bay Rams 31-5, while Synovate HKCC beat InProjects Kowloon 35-10.
From Murray Sargant:
Congratulations guys on a hard fought victory against a very strong Knights team. Without a doubt that was the hardest victory Marc and I have witnessed in our time with Drags and the whole team had to dig deep to keep Valley from scoring in the last 20 minutes. a real nail biter. On the positive side our lineout's worked well with some excellent jumping from Alex Charter, Graham Fleming and Ollie Jones and accurate throwing from Alisdair and Pete. Also our scrum managed at least three tight heads which could have been more had Pat the referee not objected to us pushing Valley around the park. Well done to the front row particularly Ian, Richard and Yutaka for some strong scumaging. In fact the referee at times should have been wearing a Valley shirt given his constant award of penalties and inability to see what was going on off the ball and with Valley not binding on to their reversing scrum. Also he ! managed to allow fulltime to run 6 minutes over giving Valley more than enough chances and yet we managed to keep them out. Our pre season fitness really was put to the test and our spirit in defense was impressive to witness. Our backline also had a good day although we were unlucky not to run in a few more tries particularly in the first half. Some strong running from Shane and Pat always kept Valley on the back foot particularly in the first 40 minutes. The only time Valley broke our line was through an intercept which was against the run of play. Other than this momentary lapse Valley never really troubled our defense and we kept tackling all afternoon which was impressive given how hot it was. Marcus and Marc have nominated Ian Ridgway our inaugural man of the match and in typical drags tradition he will be awarded the Steve Spiers cup next weekend. For those not aware Steve lost his life in Bali and once the cup is in! the hand of the best and fairest player each weekend the cup can not be emptied and who ever is handed the cup must see away the contents. Congratulations to Ian on his debut game for Drags and on a great game. Also a great fun night Saturday at the Captains Dinner although Sunday was a little slow in the Sargant house hold. Thanks Marc for suggesting Wanchai at 2am.
Club, Drags dispatch the Old Enemy
Afternoon all
A quick note from your erstwhile Blogger.
I understand Club, Drags and Scorps were off to winning starts in the first round of the knockout cup (for Club) and first league games at the weekend, with the first two teams putting one over Valley, which is always nice. It certainly seems that there is a bumper crop of talent in the top grades this year and it was good to see new players making their mark at this early stage. I would love to tell you more about the weekend's games but the truth is I was enjoying the delights of Britain's public transport network and wasn't there.
I have, however, gathered analysis from two of Hong Kong rugby's greatest pundits - Alvin Sallay of the South China Morning Post and Murray Sargant Esq, Dragons' team manager. I will slot these into the next post for your eductation, entertainment and edification.
Quintus Maximus (aka Q) has kindly pointed out to me that the Silverware won by Dragons and Ice at the Valley 15s was, of course, not our first of the season. Club and, I believe, Ice were triumphant in the Union 7s. My apologies for any unintentional overshadowing of their achievement. Come to think of it, I saw most of the Club team in Wan Chai the night after, when I had the singular pleasure of seeing Junior dancing. Not sure how I could have forgotten that.
Before I tootle off to training, I would like to bring your attention to a little game of cricket we are planning for the afternoon of Friday 31 October (the day before Bledisloe Saturday). This date began life as a proper fixture against Lamma CC but our pitch fell through so we are bringing this in-house. It is unlikely to be great cricket but it will surely be entertaining...
A quick note from your erstwhile Blogger.
I understand Club, Drags and Scorps were off to winning starts in the first round of the knockout cup (for Club) and first league games at the weekend, with the first two teams putting one over Valley, which is always nice. It certainly seems that there is a bumper crop of talent in the top grades this year and it was good to see new players making their mark at this early stage. I would love to tell you more about the weekend's games but the truth is I was enjoying the delights of Britain's public transport network and wasn't there.
I have, however, gathered analysis from two of Hong Kong rugby's greatest pundits - Alvin Sallay of the South China Morning Post and Murray Sargant Esq, Dragons' team manager. I will slot these into the next post for your eductation, entertainment and edification.
Quintus Maximus (aka Q) has kindly pointed out to me that the Silverware won by Dragons and Ice at the Valley 15s was, of course, not our first of the season. Club and, I believe, Ice were triumphant in the Union 7s. My apologies for any unintentional overshadowing of their achievement. Come to think of it, I saw most of the Club team in Wan Chai the night after, when I had the singular pleasure of seeing Junior dancing. Not sure how I could have forgotten that.
Before I tootle off to training, I would like to bring your attention to a little game of cricket we are planning for the afternoon of Friday 31 October (the day before Bledisloe Saturday). This date began life as a proper fixture against Lamma CC but our pitch fell through so we are bringing this in-house. It is unlikely to be great cricket but it will surely be entertaining...
ELV Productions brings you
AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND
The Hong Kong Ashes Series
Friday October 31, 13:00-16:00, The Hockey Pitch, HKFC
A Three Match Series (or more if time permits) of "World Class" Pairs Cricket following Beach Cricket Rules
Featuring:
Ramsay 'Boony' Carter Ben 'Beefy' Stobart Junior 'The King of Spin' Naylor
And many other notable sportsmen, although we regret that Nick 'Wrong Un' James is now unvailable
AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND
The Hong Kong Ashes Series
Friday October 31, 13:00-16:00, The Hockey Pitch, HKFC
A Three Match Series (or more if time permits) of "World Class" Pairs Cricket following Beach Cricket Rules
Featuring:
Ramsay 'Boony' Carter Ben 'Beefy' Stobart Junior 'The King of Spin' Naylor
And many other notable sportsmen, although we regret that Nick 'Wrong Un' James is now unvailable
About six players a side are already confirmed (these players were in for the game against Lamma) but there are still opportunities to join the teams and take part in our unique interpretation of cricket's oldest rivalry. If you're keen, email me on adamharper01@gmail.com
Ta ta for now
Harps
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