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Women’s Rugby Season 15/16 Preview

Women’s Premiership captains: Chan Long Sze Royce, Chloe Mak, Nam Ka Man, Jen Mackay, Jay Ho, Dora Kwok, Mok Ting Yan.

The women’s league structure, which was comprehensively overhauled for the 2014-15 season, sees further tweaks for the 15/16 season as the overall number of teams competing increases from 22-25 across three leagues. Despite the HKRU’s indifference to women’s rugby, it’s been the fastest growing area of the sport locally for several years and with Hong Kong’s women 7s winning in Qingdao recently there’s a lot of excitement ahead of the new season, which starts on 3 October.

The Premiership has grown from six to seven teams with HK Football Club Ice moving up to the top rung of local women’s rugby. The other participating Premiership teams are defending champions Valley Black, Gai Wu, USRC Tigers, Kowloon, SCAA Causeway Bay and Tai Po Dragons. Women’s Rugby Performance Manager Jo Hull and Women’s Rugby Development Manager Sam Feausi are looking to increase that to eight in the 2016/17 season.

One step below Premiership level, the National 15s League has grown by three teams to 11 with HK Scottish, SCAA Causeway Bay 3rds and Revolution joining the competition this season. The National 10s League will feature six teams and continues its role as a bridge for new and younger players looking to integrate into 15-aside competition.

The main change to this season’s competition is the introduction of a new internal representative competition: the Women’s Rugby Super Series – designed to bridge the gap between domestic rugby and the national XVs set-up.

“The Super Series will feature our top 66 players from the domestic league. These players will be split into three Barbarian sides which will play against each other, effectively adding a component of representative rugby apart from the domestic league and just below the national setup. The goal is to better prepare and help transition players to full representative rugby,” said Sam Feausi.

Feausi added that, “The Super Series will give coaches and selectors an opportunity to look at our best players and test combinations with an eye on the coming international season. The teams will primarily be drawn from the Premiership with selectors identifying any players from other competitions that we believe have what it takes to represent the National Team. The Super Series will give more opportunities to the best players in the Premiership to play at an even higher level.”

“We are focused on introducing more of a performance aspect into our women’s club system this season. The Premiership is the pinnacle of Women’s rugby and we want it to be geared towards high performance, as we are ultimately targeting qualification for Women’s Rugby World Cup in future.” said Jo Hull.

The three leagues promise to serve up some incredible rugby with defending champions Valley Black and perennial contenders Gai Wu shaping up as the favourites once again in the Premiership race. Gai Wu have 11 players involved with the national sevens team, Valley Black have nine. SCAA Causeway Bay is the only club to field a team in all three of the senior woman’s competitions.

“This is set to be the biggest club woman’s competition we have ever had in Hong Kong,” said Feausi. “With 25 teams across three highly competitive leagues it will be interesting to see who will be pushing hard for a place in the Premiership and spots in the Super Series teams. On the other end of the scale, we will be monitoring how successful clubs are at introducing beginners and less experienced players to rugby and transitioning them from National 10s to higher levels of competition.”

The Women’s Premiership will kick off on 3 October as part of the HKRU Super Saturday league launch at Kings Park. The National 15’s and Women’s 10s also kick-off this weekend and you can find the complete fixture list here.

Source HKRU, image courtesy of HKRU

Women’s Rugby Fixtures – 3 October, 2015

Full Lamma Ferry Disaster Report Released

Over two years after it was completed and at 7.30pm on the eve of a public holiday, the Government finally releases the full Lamma ferry disaster report. Conducted by Justice Michael Lunn and Benjamin Tang JP and completed in April 2013 the full report makes depressing reading. The levels of incompetence, negligence and lack of basic nautical common sense of both boat’s captains is staggering. Collision avoidance at sea is simple – both boats turn to starboard (right). It’s such a basic rule of the sea, so that boat captains even when not being able to communicate know what the other boat will do.

The part of the report that deals with the Marine Department, boat regulation and inspection matches the levels of incompetence of the boat captains. But, it’s also very Hong Kong. If no written records are kept or written instructions given then no-one can lose face and be blamed if things go wrong / rules broken etc. It becomes a case of he said/ she said as all parties clamour to avoid responsibility.

The negligence of the boat captains of the Sea Smooth and the Lamma IV who both to different degrees are culpable was tragically magnified by the lack of safety equipment, simple crew failures, the construction of the boat and the failure of the Marine Department to properly inspect and enforce the relevant regulations.

You can read/download the full report here.

The Battle for Hong Kong’s Cyberspace

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/OccupyHK-29-September-2014/44640815_wssnHW#!i=3572981998&k=7BcXHJj

A recent paper by Lokman Tsui, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese University of Hong Kong offers a chilling look at how authorities in Hong Kong outdid their rivals during the 79-day Occupy Central movement that hit the city in late 2014.

The Occupy movement braved police violence as well as political pressure and intimidation on and offline from Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities before being driven out by police. Technology played an important role in the movement’s organization and coordination, becoming “a critical channel for communication with the public,” according to Tsui. He described this as “a fairly typical script” for how technology aids social movements.

In response, the government not only defended itself but, as Tsui states, went on the offensive. His paper describes the various tactics deployed by the government and its allies to dissuade and diminish the Occupy movement.

Abusing outdated online surveillance laws
The current surveillance regulation ordinance only refers to telephone, fax and postal mail, and makes no mention of Internet communications. By repeatedly refusing to confirm whether its protections extend online, the government is implying that there are none.

Twisting an online fraud protection law to arrest activists
“One of the more problematic arrests made under [Crimes Ordinance] Section 161 includes charging a 23-year-old from Mongkok with ‘access to computer with criminal or dishonest intent’ and ‘unlawful assembly’ for allegedly messaging folks on an online discussion forum to join him in a protest in Mongkok.”

De facto online censorship using content removal requests
“The number of requests for content removal in the four months of October 2014 until February 2015 exceeds the number of requests made in the previous four years combined.”

DDoS attacks on an unprecedented scale
“The pro-government side was able to hit a series of critical websites with an unprecedented amount of junk traffic (500 Gigabytes per second), including the website of the Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, and PopVote, Hong Kong University’s online voting platform, leading Matthew Prince, the CEO of a hosting company that specializes in DDoS protection, to call it the ‘largest cyber attack in history.’”

Paid “50 cent” Internet commenters
Pro-government comments flooded online forums, blogs and social media networks similar to the paid online commentators working for the government elsewhere. It is generally believed that the pro-government commentators are hired by political groups sponsored by the Hong Kong government and Beijing.

Painting technology-related activities as a US conspiracy
In the case of Hong Kong, the government was “pushing a narrative of ‘foreign interference’, a xenophobic narrative that accuses civil society organizations of being inauthentic, that they are being used and funded by foreign governments, especially the United States government, who seek to undermine and weaken China by fomenting revolution in the name of ‘democracy.’”

Tsui ends the paper on a sobering note:
The Internet still has the potential to empower social movements; they might even allow temporary gaps of freedom. But the [Occupy Hong Kong] movement suggests that both the Internet and Hong Kong are at a crossroads, that both cannot take its freedoms for granted. This is not to say that spaces of autonomy and freedom no longer exist online or in Hong Kong; however, they are increasingly being marginalized and, at this point in time, are best understood as the exceptions rather than the norm.

Tsui’s paper, titled The Coming Colonization of Hong Kong Cyberspace: Government Responses to the Use of New Technologies by the Umbrella Movement, was published in the Chinese Journal of Communication in July 2015. Read the full paper on Tsui’s blog.

Originally published on Global Voices, some edits made

HK Cricket Match Reports: Monday, 29 September 2015

One-Day Premier League
One Premier League match was played at Mission Road on the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday with the HKCA Under-19s prevailing by four wickets over PACC in an unbelievable finish.

PACC started positively after winning the toss and Hussain Butt and Daniyal Bukhari shared an opening partnership of 50 before Waqas Khan bowled Butt for 17. Bukhari continued to prosper and he and Skhawat Ali put on another 84-runs for the 4th wicket before Bukhari departed for 85. Skhawat (58) and Aizaz Khan (34) then added another 69 runs before both batsmen fell with the score on 225. The PACC innings eventually closed on 6/245 from their 50 overs.

The HKCA Under-19s innings also got off to a good start with Niraj Patwari and Raag Kapur putting 39 runs on the board for the first wicket but both batsmen were back in the pavilion before the score had reached 50. Akbar Khan then scored 51 but his was the fourth wicket to fall as the HKCA U19s score reached 114. Waqas Khan (56), Giacomo Lamplough (20) and Mohammad Awais (43*) batted extremely well to keep the scoreboard ticking over but by the end of the 49th over, 21 runs were still needed for victory. Two sixes in the final over, bowled by Mohammad Kamran, left the U19s needing to score four off the last ball but they could only manage two and the PACC players started celebrating their win. However, the bowler had failed to inform umpire Clive Howard that he was changing to bowl around the wicket so the umpire called a no-ball, meaning the scores were now tied. With the final ball having to be re-bowled, and a free hit on offer, the batsmen scampered through for a quick run, despite the facing batsman being cleaned bowled, to give the HKCA U19s victory by four wickets.
At Mission Road: PACC 6/245 from 50 overs lost to HKCA Under-19s 6/246 from 50 overs by 4 wickets

HK Women’s Cricket Match Reports: Sunday, 27 September 2015

Women’s T20 Cup
After a one-week break, action in the Women’s T20 Cup competition resumed in earnest on Sunday.

DLSWCC’s Shanzeen Shahzad brought up the first century of the women’s season with an unbeaten 114 against USRC in the second T20 match at PKVR Reservoir. Shanzeen shared an impressive unbroken opening partnership of 206 with Manpreet Kaur who finished on 68 not out. Shanzeen then grabbed 3/14 as USRC was dismissed for 51 in the 14th over.
At PKVR Reservoir: DLSWCC Wasps 0/206 from 20 overs beat USRC 51 from 13.3 overs by 155 runs.

In a derby match at Hong Kong Cricket Club, Willow Wielders had no trouble dispensing of Cavaliers by a 101-runs. Willow Wielders batted well to score 9/131 from their 20 overs with Chan Sau Ha hitting 31 and Mariko Hill top-scoring with 50. Cavaliers’ skipper Emma Lai was the pick of the bowlers with 4/17 from her four over spell.

The Cavaliers’ batters had no answer to the Willow Wielders bowling attack and they were skittled for just 30 in 12 overs. Starring with the ball was Marina Lamplough with 6/13 – George will be chuffed.
At HKCC: HKCC Willow Wielders 9/131 from 20 overs beat HKCC Cavaliers 30 from 12 overs by 101 runs.

KCC Maidens enjoyed a 9-wicket victory over PACC in the first match of the day at PKVR Reservoir. Batted first, the PACC Women scored 4/78 from their 20 overs with sundries contribution 59. The Maidens opening pair scored 73 runs with Reenu Gill hitting 26 and Anum Ahmad finishing unbeaten on 24.
At PKVR Reservoir: PACC 4/78 from 20 overs lost to KCC Maidens 1/79 from 11 overs by 9 wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday, 27 September 2015

One-Day Premier League
With HKCC closed for its 40th Anniversary celebrations, the One-Day Premier League action switched to Mission Road where the Independents took on Diasqua LSWCC Prism.

Batting first after winning the toss, the Independents never recovered after losing their top four batsmen with only 43 runs on the board and they were eventually dismissed for just 101 in 31 overs. Top scorer was Sikander Zafar with 28 while Nadeem Ahmed claimed 3/20.

A 92-run opening stand between Anas Kahn (36*) and Jangzeb Khan (49) saw DLSWCC Prism advance strongly to a decisive victory in just 12.3 overs.
At Mission Road: Independents 101 from 31 overs lost to Diasqua LSWCC Prism 1/102 from 12.3 overs by 9 wickets.

There was another low scoring game at Kowloon Cricket Club where Pakistan Association played their opening match against hosts KCC.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, the PACC top order were skittled by Ryan Campbell, who picked up 3/4 in his five over spell. Ishtiaq Mohammad was PACC’s top-scorer with 27 in a disappointing total of 130 from 42.3 overs. KCC’s strong performance was clouded with the loss of wicket-keeper Jamie Atkinson with a dislocated finger.

The loss of Atkinson did not deter KCC and a 74-run opening partnership between Irfan Ahmed (49) and Ninad Shah (30) got them off to a flying start. KCC’s progress slowed briefly as Ishtiaq Mohammad claimed four quick wickets, but with such a small total to defend, and with plenty of batting in reserve, KCC eased to victory in 24.2 overs. Ishtiaq finished with 4/16 off nine overs.
At KCC: PACC 130 from 42.3 overs lost to KCC 4/131 from 24.2 overs by 6 wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday, 26 September 2015

A heavy downpour in the mid-afternoon affected all Saturday Championship matches but it was a credit that teams achieved results in a couple of matches after waiting out the rain break.

Saturday Championship Division 1
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, Nomads suffered a rare defeat at the hands of fellow HKCC team Witherers in a match reduced to 21 overs per innings.

Batting first after winning the toss, the Nomads innings was interrupted after 16.2 overs for rain, after the resumption of play, the score progressed to 6/161 from 21 overs. Top scorers were Stephen Hawinkels with 48 and Paul Watkins with 31. In reply, Witherers’ Andrew Jacobs hit 74 as they raced to victory in 18 overs for the loss of four wickets.

The match was one of a number of games played at HKCC over the long weekend to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the HKCC’s move to the Wong Nai Chung Gap venue.
At HKCC: HKCC Nomads 6/161 from 21 overs lost to HKCC Witherers 4/165 from 18 overs by six wickets (match reduced to 21 overs per innings).

There was a derby match at Kowloon Cricket Club where Crusaders faced Saracens. Unfortunately, the heavy rain curtailed proceedings after 17 overs with Saracens in a spot of bother at 6/60, and no further play was possible. Damian Kelleher claimed 4/16 for Crusaders.
At KCC: KCC Saracens 6/60 from 17 overs drew with KCC Crusaders.

There was a similar outcome in the match at Mission Road between DLSWCC Sarjan and CCC Jing Sun. Rain forced play to stop in the ninth over and no further play was possible after the bowlers’ run-ups and outfield were soaked. The match was abandoned with CCC Jing Sun’s score on 1/37.
At Mission Road: CCC Jing Sun 1/37 from 8.5 overs drew with DLSWCC Sarjan.

Saturday Championship Division 2
A result was achieved at PKVR Park where Lamma defeated Kai Tak five wickets. Kai Tak batted first and had totalled 5/87 from 17.4 overs when the rain stopped play. Upon a resumption of play, Lamma were given 17 overs to chase down a revised score of 84, which they achieved with five balls to spare.
At PKVR Park: Kai Tak CC 5/87 from 17.4 overs lost to Lamma CC 4/84 from 16.1 overs by five wickets (target 18 from 17 overs).