HK Women’s Cricket Match Reports: T20 Cup – 10 October, 2015

KCC Maidens scored an easy nine-wicket over USRC in the first match of the day. USRC batted first but could only manage to score 61 from 18 overs, with sundries contributing 48 runs to their cause. The KCC Maidens had little trouble surpassing that total in less than five overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: USRC 61 from 18 overs lost to KCC Maidens 1/66 from 4.4 overs by nine wickets.

In the second match of the day, HKCC Cavaliers beat CCC Fung Wong by 31 runs. Emma Lai scored 49 as the Cavaliers reached 3/145 from their 20 overs. In reply, Kary Chan hit 51 not out but her efforts were not enough as CCC Fung Wong were restricted to 8/114.
At PKVR Reservoir: HKCC Cavaliers 3/145 from 20 overs beat CCC Fung Wong 8/114 from 20 overs by 31 runs.

The day’s final match saw HKCC Willow Wielders maintain their unbeaten run with a comprehensive ten-wicket victory over PACC. Batting first with only 7 players, PACC were overwhelmed for 53 – at total which the Willow Wielders had little trouble knocking off in just 4.4 overs with Sara Young scoring 27 not out.
At PKVR Reservoir: PACC 53 from 14 overs lost to HKCC Willow Wielders 0/55 from 4.4 overs by ten wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 10 October, 2015

Saturday Championship Division 1
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, there was a tied result (the second this season) with HKCC Nomads and HKCC Gap Ramblers sharing the spoils.

Gap Ramblers found themselves batting first after losing the toss but their openers got them away to a good start with 41 runs for the first wicket. David Varley led the batsmen with 61 while Justin Alexander boosted the score with 34 not out from number 10 as Gap Ramblers finished on 8/178 from their 35 overs.

Nomads got off to a poor start, losing their top three batsmen with only seven runs on the board. They looked dead and buried at 6/80 but some positive lower order batting, especially from Pushpendra Sharma and Luke Rewega, got them on level terms. A run out from a direct hit, as the batsmen tried for a second run to win the game, saw the match finish all square. For Nomads, Toby Brown top scored with 53 while Raag Kapur picked up 3/40 for Gap Ramblers.
At HKCC: HKCC Gap Ramblers 8/178 from 35 overs tied with HKCC Nomads 178 from 34.4 overs.

Over at Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Saracens enjoyed a three-wicket victory over HKCC Witherers. Witherers batted first after being sent in by Saracens but they could only muster 9/123 from their 35 overs with Charlie Bright’s 36 the only score of any significance.

Ninad Shah led the Saracens reply with a fine 46, while Simandeep Singh finished things off with an unbeaten 31. Ciaran McAssey was the pick of the Witherers’ bowlers, claiming 3/14 from six overs.
At KCC: HKCC Witherers 9/123 from 35 overs lost to KCC Saracens 7/125 from 32.5 overs by three wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2
In Division two action, SCC Lancers, CCC Hung See and USRC/MCC all secured wins.

At Mission Road, USRC/MCC batted first against Laguna Gully and they amassed 8/208 from their 35 overs with Mohammad Awais hitting a splendid 111 not out. Umar Mohammad also hit 48 for USRC/MCC while Pranav Shah picked up 4/32 for Laguna Gully.

Laguna Gully’s reply never quite got going and they were eventually dismissed for 148 from 30.3 overs, with sundries the top score. Shan Sawar was the best of the nine USRC/MCC bowlers used, with 4/27 from 5 overs.
At Mission Road: USRC/MCC 8/208 from 35 overs beat Laguna Gully 148 from 30.3 overs by 60 runs.

At PKVR Park, DLSW Spartans opted to field first after winning the toss and they had early success as they reduced SCC Lancers to 3/16 and then 5/39 with Niaz Ali picking four wickets. But the Lancers’ lower order batsmen prospered and they finished on 208 all out off their 35 overs with skipper Prakash Chakravarti hitting 49 and Uday Shetty getting 57. Niaz finished with 4/18 from his seven over spell. Spartans’ lost both their opener’s cheaply but they progressed their score to 3/117 before Suresh Pandey fell for a team-high 40. After that, wickets fell regularly and Spartans were eventually all out for 180 in the 32nd over. Nitesh Talwar was the best of the Lancers bowlers with 4/22 while Uday Shetty completed a good all-round performance with 3/36.
At PKVR Park: SCC Lancers 207 from 35 overs beat DLSW Spartans 180 from 31.5 overs by 27 runs.

Shin-high long grass greeted the CCC Hung See and Pioneers teams at the Police Training College when they met to do battle in the ‘Chinese derby’. The teams did their best in the conditions with CCC Hung See maintaining their winning streak over Pioneers.

CCC Hung See won the toss and put Pioneers into bat. Skipper Damien Yee led the way with 41 at the top of the order as Pioneers reached 9/111 from their 35 overs. Ady Lee was the pick of the Hung See bowlers with 3/20 from his seven over spell. Adrian ‘Jet’ Lee got the Hung See innings off to a solid start and he and Adam Marrin posted 67 for the first wicket. Solid batting saw the Hung See innings pass 100 with no further loss but with two runs to win, ‘Jet’ was run out for 43. CCC Hung See cruised to victory in 24 overs to earn a bonus point.
At Police Training College: Pioneers CC 9/111 from 35 overs lost to CCC Hung See 3/112 from 24 overs by seven wickets.

Match Report: HK Scottish Kukris 12-10 HKCC

HKS Kukris 3rd October 2015

With both teams going into week two undefeated this promised to be a good game. And with the Kukris having home advantage they were confident of a win. Alas the game plan was swiftly thrown into disarray, as in quick succession, Captain Claire, second row Robyn, and full-back Ket came off injured. With the replacements still settling in, the forwards were seldom winning the ball, and that left the backs fighting a series of defensive moves. Half time couldn’t come soon enough for the Kukris, and as the referee blew the whistle for the break, the only real surprise was that the score was 0-5, HKCC having scored just one, unconverted, try.

The game resumed where it had left off, and HKCC scored another try, but again the conversion was unsuccessful. It seemed Kukris would have nothing to show for the day. But the forwards started to dominate the scrum and the backs held the defensive line. Then, with three minutes to go, and against the run of play, Man Ling sprinted up the pitch to score. The conversion was unsuccessful, bouncing back off the upright. But down by only 5 points the Kukris pushed up the pitch, determined to score again, until an infringement at the HKCC 22 snuffed out the attack. With the clock running down, it seemed it would be HKCC who would score, as they repeatedly assaulted the Kukris’s defense, that was now backed-up against their own try line. But a turnover allowed Kukris the ball, and a kick from behind the try line sent it up pitch. Giving chase and with support, Man Ling scored her second try under the posts, Karis Cheung converted and the referee blew the full time whistle. Final score 12-10 and an unlikely win for Hong Kong Scottish Kukris.

Women NL1: HK Scottish Kukris 12-10 HKCC
@ Shek Kip Mei Kick-off: 15:00
HK Scottish Kukris: Rachel Wong, Tiffany Tse, Hoi-Tung Jim, Idy Chung, Robyn Beese, Taro Yau, Jenny Yung, Andie Ma, Hau-Yi Chung, Karis Cheung, Man-Ling Hui, Anna Kam, Sau-Yi Yumi Fan, Claire Hunter, Ket Robinson,
Substitutes: Francis Lo, Berky Kong, Wun-Lo Chung, Wun Scarlet Ma, Yuen-Ting Fung
Try: Man-Ling Hui (2), Conversion: Karis Cheung
HKCC Ladies: Carolyn Champion, Wawa Li, Joanna Harvey, Mhari McLoughlin, Nobuko Oda, Wendy Sham, Cheryl Gourley, Lynda Nazer, Ashley Brooks, Tinley Wong, Zoe Wong, Lucy Thomson, Tissia Polycarpe, Brenda Chan, Diana Li
Substitutes: Isabella Rivers, Elane Lau, Serene Yee, Hoi Yi Li, Christy Ma, Margaret Chan
Try: Tissia Polycarpe, Ashley Brooks

Match Report: USRC Tigers 17-5 HKFC Ice

USRC Tigers

It was a thrilling match over at King’s Park between premiership veterans, and last season’s third place finishers, USRC Tigers and confident newcomers Hong Kong Football Club Ice. Slippery wet conditions resulted in a few missed tackles leading to an early try putting the Tigers ahead 5-0. However it did not foreshadow the rest of the match. Ice immediately regrouped and worked their way up the pitch with some well-placed kicks and strong ball-in-hand running, they found themselves within their opposition’s 5m line. Accurate handling and control while using the width of the pitch stretched the Tigers’ defence and they could not catch speedster Sarah McMillan, who touched down near the side-line. The adverse weather led to both sides turning over the ball repeatedly; mostly in rucks, with neither side retaining the ball long enough to score. The whistle blew for half time: a 5-5 deadlock.

The second half saw an intense and hard-fought battle between two strong-willed sides, each clawing at every opportunity for the ball. Ice dominated the scrums and hard running while Tigers showed their experience through tactical play. Some big hits from both sides and too many players trying to do too much in less than ideal weather resulted in knock on after knock on and it was definitely a clash of the forwards at set piece and contact areas throughout play. The Tigers managed a break through the middle, some neat passing and timely offloads put the Ice defensive line under pressure, which finally yielded as USRC touched down just outside of the posts. With 15 minutes to go and the conversion missed, it was 10-5 to Tigers.

The last 15 minutes of the match proved to be the most exciting with Ice’s team rallying together to fight for every inch and worked their way towards the Tiger’s try line several times. However some questionable turnovers allowed the Tigers to claw their way back upfield forcing Ice to start again. Support for Ice was at an all time high, recognising what a game they were watching to show premiership teams they were not to be underestimated. Another fantastic solo break by Sarah McMillan through the middle of the Tigers’ defence almost saw a retaliatory try to tie the teams, however she was just caught by the back of the shorts and dragged down just short of the line. With 5 minutes to go, the Tigers scored under the posts with some fluid play first going blindside, then down the middle, to seal the match. However, Ice did not give up and came close to scoring again, but were punished for penalties in the breakdown. 17-5 and it’s full time at King’s Park with the Tigers earning a hard-fought win over Ice hopefully highlighting some future upsets for the Premiership’s usual suspects.

Woman’s Premiership: USRC Tigers 17-5 HKFC Ice
@King’s Park, Kick-off 18:00
HKFC Ice:
Denise Chan, Shonagh Ryan, Megan Richardson, Zuzanna Osinska, Martina Colombo, Jamie Bourk, Bobby Wilson, Daisy Miers, Sophie Short, Aileen Ryan, Stephanie Siu, Jane Cheung, Grace Hood, Casey Gallagher, Sarah McMillan
Substitutes: Kim Kan, Amy Kong, Aysha Fiaz, Carol Hung, Iris Chan, Audrey Lo, Rabbit Leung
Try: Sarah McMillan

Megabites: Cheeky

cheekyheadpasta-logo

Pretension, often without substance, has been the trend in recent years among new restaurant openings. In stark contrast to this is Roberto Kwong’s, the original owner of Racks in Lan Kwai Fong, newest venture Cheeky. A bright orange irreverent hole in the wall pasta takeaway in Wanchai. Founded with long term friend Fu Chan, Cheeky – complete with it’s own theme song composed by local singer Charles Chan, aka H, aka Fu’s brother; and a logo drawn by comic artist Elphonso Lam – opened in mid-September offering a menu of bites, pastas and lunch sets.

outletFu’s in charge of the kitchen, while Roberto handles the witty repartee. And since neither likes doing the washing up they employed a kitchen hand. One of Fu’s creations is jalapeño poppers ($35) – these are jalapeños stuffed with cheese, breaded and deep fried, and they’re delicious. The big fat skin on chips ($30) sound like they’re something different but sadly turn out to be normal chips, but nicely cooked crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. There’s three pasta options spaghetti, penne and linguine with a choice of freshly made toppings – bolognese, meatballs, bacon wild mushroom cream sauce and pesto primavera. The cheeky specials are cream pea wasabi, ring of fire in three firery flavours ‘burning’, ‘pounding’ and for the real masochists ‘bleeding’. There’s also a sweet angel hair dragon beard, a dessert style pasta that’s served cold and needs to be ordered a couple of hours in advance.

meatballsCheeky also have $48 lunch sets, where the sauces are different to the regular menu and there are side dish options of a pork chop, chicken fillet, seafood or vegetarian.

The portion sizes are ok, the pasta is served nicely al dente. The meatballs were baked and the tomato sauce fresh with a hint of herbs. The wasabi cream pea is something cheeky that shouldn’t work but does. If there’s one slight criticism, I’d prefer slightly more sauce, but that’s a purely personal preference. Take a wander down Swatow Street for an enjoyably Cheeky lunch or dinner.

Cheeky
B2A, 4 Swatow Street, Wanchai. Tel: 2325 2725

Mr & Mrs Fox @ Quarry Bay – Opening Party, 9 October, 2015

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Mr & Mrs Fox opening party, 9 October, 2015
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Ivy Opening Party – 9 October, 2015

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Ivy celebrated it’s opening in IFC with a champagne party on 9 October, 2015.
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Megabites: Greenhouse

Greenhouse Fried ChickenGreenhouse on the 10th floor of Times Square is the latest outlet from the Gaia Group. The menu shares a theme and several dishes with sister restaurants Townhouse in Lan Kwai Fong and Glasshouse in IFC, but the 7000 square foot Greenhouse’s menu is different enough for a separate visit. The bright open plan layout is big enough that, unlike many smaller places, if you want to relax and chat with friends over some bites and drinks you can – without that feeling that the waiter wants you gone…

The main menu is split into 6 sections – small bites, bigger bites, robata bites, garden bites, pizza bites, main bites with a separate sweet bites menu. Prices range from $48 for the small bites to $568 for a 24oz rib eye. The dishes that caught our eye were the bacon wrapped scallops ($52/skewer) and coco-cola prime beef ($58/skewer) robata. Not cheap per skewer, but the portions are large, the beef juicy. The scallops were big and tasty, but the bacon (sadly) was barely noticeable and (sadly again, as a bacon lover) added nothing to the flavour.

Greenhouse-lasagna-webThe Masaman curry lasagna with roasted mushrooms, chicken and smoked mozerella ($118) – it’s such an eclectic sounding mix that it shouldn’t work. Yet it does, the curry with the melted cheese and pasta, the vegetables and chicken providing textures. Just a delicious dish and one we’ll return for time and again.

The wagyu burger with black truffle mayonnaise ($148) is a big juicy 7oz fine ground wagyu patty served in a sesame seed bun. The patty was evenly cooked, served pink, nicely juicy with a good meaty bite. The bun is fresh and doesn’t disintegrate as the juice seeps down. It would be nice if the dish came with fries, but you can order those on the side ($68) with more black truffle mayonnaise. That makes a burger and fries almost $250 (including the obligatory 10% service charge) which, in any restaurant, is a lot for a burger.

Greenhouse-candy-cush-webThe signature Balinese style fried chicken ($258) was perfectly cooked, the chicken meat moist, while the skin was crispy. The sambal sauce is spicey, and goes nicely with fries as well.

For dessert there are pizza crepes ($98) and the fun ‘candy crush’ ($118), a selection of ice cream, fruit, chocolate and sweets served in a stone mortar and pestle for you to crush and enjoy with friends.

The drinks menu includes all that you’d expect plus a selection of ice green tea lattes ($48). The green bamboo latte is a combination of sugar cane syrup, green tea, Gaia coffee and cream – a nice mix of flavours, the coffee adding a little sharpness to the green tea. There are ‘frozen’ drinks, the Pandan leaves and coconut is combination of fresh Pandan leaves, coconut cream, condensed milk, soft brown sugar and hazelnut topping. The signature milk tea ($48) served in a jug is a little milky for our taste but there’s a lot worse being served around town.

Service is polite and efficient, the dishes bc tried were well cooked, nicely presented and reasonably sized. It’s hard to find fault in Greenhouse – it is, what it is, an enjoyable place to eat out.

Greenhouse
Shop 1004, Shop 1004, Time Square, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2383 4022