A child’s elections flyer that went viral recently has gone largely unnoticed by the English press. The photocopied, handwritten letter was originally handed to Kwun Tong resident James Au as he was walking home from work one evening. Wanting to share the message, he snapped a photo of it and posted it onto Instagram and Facebook. At the time of writing his fb post has been shared over 19,000 times.
Add Oil Comics have translated and illustrated the flyer.
Hong Kong advanced to the Asian Women’s Sevens Cup semi-finals finishing second in their pool. Hong Kong beat Guam 29-0 in the opening match, followed by a stuttering 7-0 win over Singapore in their second encounter with Hong Kong striking early but then unable to add to the tally for the remaining 13 minutes of the match.
The early wins set up a climactic pool game against Japan to see who would come out on top of the pool. Japan were comfortable 28-0 winners in a one-sided victory. Hong Kong failed to fire from the outset, with an uncharacteristic amount of loose ball and turnovers putting the game out of the hosts’ reach by half-time.
Despite the down finish to the afternoon, coach Anna Richards was mindful that the team are still on target heading into day two.
“That match was a good wake up for the girls,” said Richards. “The first two games I didn’t think we really played that well and I thought that against Japan we played much better. We were made to work hard and we kept at it and I was really pleased at the girls energy levels in the second half. We kept at them and started to make some ground late,” Richards said.
The going will get even tougher for the hosts when they play China in the cup semi final. Japan play Thailand in the other bracket.
“China were heads and shoulders better than everybody else in the field I thought,” said Richards. “We are going to need to reduce our errors tomorrow and make the most of what ball we have. Make sure that we protect that ball and not let them turn us over. China are a big team like Japan so we need to put them on the ground quickly and cut off their attacking space.
“China like to play out wide and I don’t think they attack the ruck in the same way Japan does. We did a good job of sealing off the ball today against Japan so if we can get our halfbacks over the ball quicker we should have more possession.
“We need to play like we did in the second half against Japan. We need to cut China’s attacking space down for 14 minutes. It’s difficult to do but at this level it’s essential. We also need to be a bit more accurate with the ball and capitalise on the breaks when we have them as you don’t get many,” Richards concluded.
Singapore will play Uzbekistan in the first plate semi final followed by Guam versus Sri Lanka in the second. Japan will play Thailand in the other cup semi final. Match action starts tomorrow at 11.00am an Hong Kong will face China at 12.06
Asia Rugby Sevens Series
Date: 2-3 September, 2016
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: Free
More info: public entry via Happy Valley infield, via the tunnel near the HK Racing Museum
Live stream: http://www.youtube.com/c/AsiaRugbylive/live
Additional reporting and photo: HKRU
Hong Kong looked the class of the men’s competition, as they advanced to the cup semi-finals finishing day one undefeated and without conceding a point against their pool B opponents, beating Malaysia 36-0, Chinese Taipei 47-0 and Sri Lanka 22-0. They’ll face South Korea at 13:34.
A solid first day ended with the a highly convincing win over second seeds Sri Lanka. Hong Kong’s line speed and defensive effort were good, putting every Sri Lankan possession under severe pressure while keeping Sri Lanka’s dangerous pace men penned deep in their half.
Hong Kong jumped out to 15-0 first half lead after tries from Ryan Meacheam, Leigh Jones and Alex McQueen. Tom McQueen added the final try at the end of regulation to put Hong Kong home 22-0.
Coach Gareth Baber was pleased with his side’s first foray in the region in 2016, saying: “I’m very happy with our performance. You never quite know where you are going into a new season, so it was nice to firstly come up and build on our games throughout the day and, even better, to be put under pressure by a good Sri Lanka team but still come out ahead.
“We were really brave against Sri Lanka. We were aggressive and accurate and deserved that victory. If we can reach that level again tomorrow there is no reason why we can’t progress further,” Baber added.
Hong Kong’s attack was on song as the side posted 105 points on the day – by far the best in the tournament with Sri Lanka and South Korea trailing on 83 and 82 points respectively, but Baber was also pleased with the side’s defensive effort.
“Great to have that clean sheet at the end of the day. Our defence is something we pride ourselves on and I think it says something about the attitude of the group. It’s great to score tries and entertain, but if you can prevent the opposition from building pressure and not allow them areas to dominate, it makes a big statement and I thought we showed that attitude tonight,” Baber added.
Hong Kong will need more of the same in tomorrow’s match to bypass a fast and physical South Korea. “Korea are a good team,” said Baber. “We know them well and they have a very good outfit here this weekend. They are physical and fast but we are playing at a good level and I’m sure that they will be looking over their shoulders as well at us.”
“The players know what is ahead of them and what we need to do. We’ll go about that the way we always do. We have a system and a way we want to play and we had the right attitude today,” Baber said.
China were the surprise finishers at the top of Pool A after beating Japan 12-10 in their season opener before edging South Korea 19-17 in their final pool match. China will play Sri Lanka in tomorrow’s first cup semi-final.
Japan featured a side full of unseasoned university talent this weekend as they opted to give a well-deserved rest to their first-choice seven after finishing in fourth place at the Rio Olympics.
The inexperience showed as Japan was routed to the Plate competition where they will play Chinese Taipei. The early glitch could make Japan’s title defence that much harder as Hong Kong found out to their detriment last season when they fell to the Plate in the opener in Qingdao. Singapore and Malaysia will feature in a cross-Causeway clash in the other Plate semi final.
Asia Rugby Sevens Series
Date: 2-3 September, 2016
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: Free
More info: public entry via Happy Valley infield, via the tunnel near the HK Racing Museum
Live stream: http://www.youtube.com/c/AsiaRugbylive/live
Additional reporting and photo: HKRU
The graffiti clad exterior of Dub is deceptive, for inside the space that used to be SAAM new chef Kaleb Davis has worked to combine the ethos behind his 5star hotel experience with the relaxed friendly street vibe of New Zealand where the Hong Kong native grew up.
The result, in combination with long term friends Bibiana Ling and Alex Gardner, is a relaxed comfortable 25 seat venue that offers a small but varied menu of comfort food. But expect the menu to expand as Kaleb and Alex experiment with the latest in food preparation ‘toys’, from restaurant owner Catering Depot, in their new kitchen.
Dub invited bc to sample some of the dishes on their soft opening menu. Upon arrival we were served with a 3 roll bread basket which included a tasty squid ink roll that went nicely with the herb butter. All the wines are available by the glass.
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For starters we had the quail scotch egg; quail eggs wrapped in homemade pork cheek sausage meat and then breaded and cooked and served on a bed of horseradish. A nice twist on the traditional scotch egg, with the diced cut pork cheek having a lovely texture and offering good strong but not overpowering flavours to start; with four halves to a portion there’s plenty to go around.
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Served with sourdough toast slices, the tartare is fresh and fairly spicy with the mix a little heavy on the onions and capers – which might not please those who prefer a more full meat tartare. The flavour is good and the portion size enough to share.
The menu currently consists of six main dishes Wagyu Beef & Pork Cheek Rissoles ($228), Crispy 24Hour Pork Belly ($228), Charred Spring Chicken ($228), Lamb T-Bones 140oz ($298) 1/2 Breaded Red Mullet Fillets ($198) andGoats Cheese Tortellini ($178). Fellow diners were effusive and vocal in their enjoyment of the pork belly and tortellini options.
bc tried the wagyu beef and pork rissoles served on bed of orzo pasta risotto with a smoked tomato sauce. Orzo pasta is a short cut pasta shaped like a rice grain, and makes for a risotto that’s a little different to that your taste buds are expecting. The wagyu beef and pork cheek rissoles are cooked pink and full of flavour with the meat juices enriching the risotto. A very enjoyable dish, although the smoked flavour of the tomato sauce was barely noticeable amidst the other strong flavours of the rest of the dish.
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bc can’t remember seeing lamb served locally as a T-bone steak before and the concept is intriguing and tasty – here two t-bones are served with beautifully roasted potatoes. But it’s a dish that’s a work in progress, the two t-bones were cooked rare, almost blue for the thicker one, making the meat difficult to remove from the small bones. While Dub has a street vibe, it’s not the sort of place where you feel comfortable picking up and chewing the bone to get at that lovely flavour. The sweet wine sauce served on the side was nice but overpowered the meaty flavour of the lamb. A slightly thinner cut of t-bones, maybe an inch thick rather two inches and the option to have the ‘t-bone’ steaks cooked to ones preference would let this dish shine.
There’s a range of sides including: Mac n Cheese Arancini ($68), Truffle Fries ($58), Eggplant and Buffalo Mozzarella salad ($128). While the dessert options include Pecan Pie ($88), Mango Creme Brulee ($88) and Apple Tarte Tatin with Salted Caramel Ice-cream ($88)
Dub is a friendly relaxed place with efficient but un-obtrusive service. The dishes are familiar but with a twist, the flavours complex but not so that you can’t relax over a meal. Portion sizes are good, and plated with care. There’s an understated attention to detail that promises more to come as Kaleb becomes comfortable with his kitchen and that subtle difference between working for someone and being Chef and Owner of his own restaurant.
Dub concept by SAAM
51d Graham Street, Central. Tel: 2645 9828
www.dubhongkong.com
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2016/Dub-Food-Tasting-10-August/i-SDS6snL
Two years ago, at the first ever hosting of an Asia Rugby Sevens Series event in Hong Kong, the HK women’s team beat Japan in the semi-finals to reach their first ever Cup final, losing there to China 38-7.
Women’s Sevens coach Anna Richards is hoping to capitalise on home field advantage again as the ARW7s opens today at the HK Football Club. Richards has picked an experienced side for this week’s competition with the objective of going one step further at team’s home event and lifting the trophy..
“Marky (Komar, Women’s Sevens assistant coach), and I are very happy with the make-up of the side. We had almost everyone to choose from and we chose the side we thought would get us a win in the first leg,” said Richards as the squad trained. The squad has a familiar feel to it with captain Christy Cheng Ka-chi once again leading from the front while Aggie Poon Pak-yan and Natasha Olson-Thorne will provide a potent force out wide.
Hong Kong are the second seeds in Pool A tomorrow behind Japan and ahead of Singapore and Guam. Pool B features China, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.
While Hong Kong beat Japan in their last outing at the HK Women’s Rugby Sevens in March, Richards says the stakes have grown for all the teams in the intervening months and expects a stiffer challenge from the Asian champions tomorrow who will be looking to improve on their disappointing Olympics where they finished tenth.
“We’re six months down the track from that win, and Japan have brought their top side here this weekend. They are no longer a core team on the international series so like all the teams here they will need to finish in the top two in the Asian Series to gain entry to the Women’s World Series qualifiers. I see a lot of their top girls in their squad for this weekend, which is what we want. It’s always good to play Japan no matter what and we want to face their best.”
A strong day one will be essential and Richards is pleased that the opportunity will come in front of a friendly audience. “It is always nice to start a competition like this at home. It is only our third tournament of the year so the girls are excited. We have done a lot of training, but haven’t played in a lot of tournaments. The girls are keen to get out there. They love to play in Hong Kong in front of their families,” said Richards.
A positive start is a priority for Richards who recalled that Hong Kong’s impressive finish in 2014 was nearly derailed by a sluggish start. “In 2014 we had a poor first day. We just snuck into the semis on goal difference as we drew with Thailand. Then on day two we had a great win over Japan but didn’t do so well against China in the final.
“That was the first time the girls had won silver, but I would like to emulate last year’s Season opener in Qingdao when we played really well to win our first Cup on the Series.” Hong Kong beat China convincingly in the final 24-15 in Qingdao to claim their first ever Asia Rugby Sevens Series event title. “Qingdao was really a watershed moment for the girls and I would like to carry on from there,” said Richards.
The Asian Sevens Series serves a qualifier for the global qualification tournament for the Women’s World Sevens Series with invites handed out to the top two finishers.
Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Squad (Asia Rugby Sevens Series – Hong Kong): Cheng Ka-Chi, Christy (Captain); Natasha Olson-Thorne (Vice Captain); Nam Ka-Man; Candy Cheng Tsz-Ting; Aggie Poon Pak-Yan; Sham Wai-Sum; Colleen Tjosvold; Kwong Sau-Yan; Li Nim-Yan, Melody; Chong Ka-Yan, Adrienne Garvey, Yuen Lok-Yee.
Asia Rugby Sevens Series
Date: 2-3 September, 2016
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: Free
More info: public entry via Happy Valley infield, via the tunnel near the HK Racing Museum
Live stream: http://www.youtube.com/c/AsiaRugbylive/live
Additional reporting and photo: HKRU
Ireland maintained the upper hand on day three despite the Belfast weather playing havoc with the day’s cricket. When bad light eventually stopped play for the final time, Ireland had reached 199-6 from 51 overs, with an overall lead of 278.
As in the first innings Hong Kong fought hard keeping the hosts honest after Ireland had reached 101-1 and were looking to set up a day three declaration.
The hopes for a result in what’s a pretty tight match were hindered by the loss of 45 due to the on-off showers that frustrated throughout the day.
The day’s highlight for Hong Kong were two wickets in successive overs from 18-year-old debutant Tanveer Ahmed (2-22) with two short pitched deliveries. While Tanwir Afzal (2-36) picked up two wickets, including the important scalp of in-form Gary Wilson for 25 on what proved to be the last ball of the day.
For Ireland, John Anderson batted superbly including some deft reverse sweeps in making 59.
Tanwir Afzal on Day 3
“I think we recovered well – in the first innings we leaked runs with the new ball but we executed our plans well today” Afzal said.
After not such a good start in the first innings, I’ve bowled better and I just tried to contain the runs and bowl in the right areas. It was great for Tanveer to pick up a couple of wickets as well, I’m happy for him. He’s a talented young bowler.”
“Personally, I feel our spinners have bowled well in both innings and spun the ball a lot but when the Irish spinners bowled it didn’t turn as much so hopefully it plays the same for tomorrow. There’s a bit of movement with the new ball so our openers will need to survive.”
“They will be looking for another 30 or 40 runs, but we batted well in the first innings and we have big man Babar who will be ready to fire. I think we are still in the game if we can get the last four wickets quickly.”
“It was a really tough day with the weather making the ball wet and it was quite dark and tricky for batsmen and fielders to pick up the ball. Both teams are looking to win the game and hopefully the rain stays away tomorrow to give us a chance.”
Additional reporting and scorecard: HK Cricket, Cricinfo
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Indian band the Tapi Project are currently touring Hong Kong to promote their eponymous debut album, read bc’s interview with the band here.
The four piece performed a set of original indie folk songs from their album and covers, including Nina Simone’s Feeling Good and Chis Isaak’s Wicked Games, to a highly appreciate audience at Orange Peel on Thursday night and have two more gigs at Foxglove (2 September) and the Wanch (8 September) before they head home.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2016/The-Tapi-Project-Orange-Peel/i-sTrBdwG
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2016/Blue-Grand-Opening-Party-31/i-hkT85gp
The latest Maximal Concepts outlet Blue at 108 Hollywood Road celebrated with a Grand Opening party, 31 August, 2016.
Click on any photo for the full gallery
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