Tag: Hong Kong

Hayat and Carter Shine in Historic England Clash

barber

An 81-run partnership between Babar Hayat and debutante Chris Carter was not enough for Hong Kong as the side lost its first ever 50-over encounter against an almost full strength England side containing Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Butler, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali by 169 runs in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Chasing 343 for victory in the historic encounter, Babar smashed 78 runs from 81 balls, including eight boundaries, to top score for Hong Kong. He was joined the crease by debutant 18 year-old Chris Carter with the score at a precarious three for 59, and the pair put on 81 runs for the fourth wicket. Carter added a composed 34 runs from 44 balls for the highest partnership of the match.

Earlier, England scored 342 runs for the loss of eight wickets, with left-hander Moeen Ali smashing top scoring with 71 runs. Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal led from the front and claimed two wickets for 40 runs, while Haseeb Amjad and Nadeem Ahmed also took two.

Chris Carter was thrilled with debut on the international senior stage and said, “I wasn’t expecting to play, I was 12th man, so that was awesome. It was good to play against that calibre of player.” The Hong Kong born Carter said his call up to keep wicket after a minor injury to Jaime Atkinson required enormous focus. “I don’t usually get nervous wicket-keeping, I get far more nervous batting, but that was the most nervous I’ve ever been. But you just have to be positive and put those thoughts out of your head.” He added that there was one moment of the match he will never forget, “When Chris Woakes bowled me a bouncer that I hit over mid-wicket that was pretty special.”

The match served as a warm up match for Hong Kong’s crucial ICC Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League Championship encounters against the United Arab Emirates, and coach Simon Cook was pleased with his team’s performance and said, “It’s a credit to Hong Kong really, with three grounds and 300 cricketers, to be able to produce cricketers at that level is incredible. What we need to do is continue producing the cricketers underneath, and that is part of my job. It was a huge learning curve for our players. We spoke after the match and I challenged them to think about the things to take away from the match to help them improve as players.”

England’s Chris Woakes said, “We have an important series coming and we need to hit the ground running, so this was an important game for us. I think the Hong Kong side should take credit for how it played today. We could have scored a bit more, but they got eight wickets down in the end. The way they batted showed that they can play against a strong England side. I think the future is bright for Hong Kong cricket. You have to take these experiences and learn from them, so as long as the side does that, I don’t see why it can’t move forward.”

At Abu Dhabi: England XI beat Hong Kong XI by 169 runs
Toss: England XI won the toss and decided to bat first
England XI 342/8, 50 overs (Moeen Ali 71, Alex Hales 64, Jason Roy 42)
Tanwir Afzal 2/40, Nadeem Amjad 2/58, Haseeb Amjad 2/80)
Hong Kong 173 all out, 40.2 overs (Babar Hayat 78, Chris Carter 34)
David Willey 4/43, Reece Topley 2/18, Adil Rashid 2/46)

Hong Kong XI
Tanwir Afzal (Captain), Mark Chapman, (Vice Captain), Aizaz Khan, Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Chris Carter (Wicketkeeper), Ehsan Nawaz, Haseeb Amjad, Jamie Atkinson, Kinchit Shah, Nadeem Ahmed, Ninad Shah, Nizakat Khan, Waqas Barkat, Waqas Khan

International Friendly: Hong Kong 5:0 Myanmar @ Mong Kok – 7 November, 2015

hk-v-myanmar

Hong Kong hosted Myanmar on Saturday afternoon in Mongkok Stadium in an international friendly match. The home side displayed great attacking prowess and delighted their supporters by scoring five unanswered goals in a convincing victory.

Hong Kong got off to a dream start, when in the 3rd minute Jaimes Mckee connected with a Ju Yingzhi corner-kick and headed the ball into the Myanmar net, giving the home side an early lead.

Myanmar came close to equalizing in the 6th minute when Hong Kong failed to effectively clear the visitors’ corner-kick and the ball fell to Aung Thu but the Myanmar striker hooked his shot wide off the Hong Kong goal.

The game got bogged down until the 33rd minute when Hong Kong’s Leung Chun-pong danced past several Myanmar defenders, penetrating deep into the visitors’ box, before seeing his shot smartly palmed away by the keeper. Chan Siu-ki was on target with the rebound and scored into an empty net, making it 2:0.

Hong Kong almost added another goal in the 42nd minute when Jaimes Mckee’s smart pass sent Chan Siu-ki through the Myanmar defense. The Hong Kong striker pulled the trigger but saw his quick-shot hit the goal-post..

Hong Kong made it 3:0 in the 45th minute when a beautiful build-up between Xu Deshuai and Lo Kwan-yee saw the ball delivered to a surging Jaimes Mckee. The Hong Kong speedster shook off his marker before calmly slotting the ball home.

The home side almost extended its lead in the 50th minute, when Alexander Akande teed up the ball nicely for teammate Alessandro Ferreira. The latter stepped up to the pass and drilled the ball towards the Myanmar goal, only to see his shot sail marginally over the crossbar.

Hong Kong found the back of the net again in the 66th minute when Lam Ka-wai picked out Cheng King-ho with a neat forward pass and the full-back alertly sent the ball towards the Myanmar goal-mouth. Alexander Akande’s quick-shot was blocked by a Myanmar player but Alessandro Ferreira made no mistake and smashed the loose ball home, 4:0.

Myanmar had a rare chance on the 74th minute when Kyaw Zin-lwin dodged a tackle only to see his low-shot hit the side netting.

The home side was at it again on the 75th minute when Lam Ka-wai, displaying great vision, sent Alexander Akande through with a defence-splitting pass. The latter did not disappoint and finished off the attack by flicking the ball past the Myanmar keeper and into the empty net.

It was almost 6 in the 90th minute, Cheung Kin-fung’s cross from the left created havoc inside the Myanmar box and the ball squirmed into the path of Cheng Kin-ho but the Hong Kong full-back side-footed his shot wide of the Myanmar goal-post.

Megabites: 2 November, 2015 – The Chippy, Awfully Chocolate, Taste of Bavaria

signature-fish

The Chippy
As part of November’s Best of British festival there’s an English fish and chip shop, The Chippy serving 100% English fish and chips all imported from the UK. The cod is sustainable, the potatoes are English and cut as chips. There’s even malt vinegar and chip forks… There are two sizes of cod, Signature a 10-12oz fillet ($148) and regular (5-6oz fillet, $108). The quantity of chips served with each is the same and both are served in a “Cod Save the Queen” Chippy Box.

The cod is firm and tender the batter just English and the chips are – as my memory remembers from the eating take-away fish and chips growing up – some of the best i’ve eaten in Hong Kong. They’re cut thick and use a different potato to that used locally and it makes all the difference. They sag and bend (in a good way), unlike most chips or fries served locally which stay firm and straight whether cold or hot, these are proper “chip shop” chips and delicious. They’re also serving Pukka pies ($48) and big thick jumbo sausages – battered ($38) or plain ($28).

The Chippy will be open in Tamar Park from 6pm on the 3,4 November and at the various Best of British Events later this month. Managing Director of The Chippy Craig Barnett hopes to open The Chippy in Soho later this year and serve English fish and chips 7 days a week.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2015/Best-of-British-Open-Air/i-KszJ55n

The open air cinema has loads of space on the grass, just bring something to sit on. You can also bring your own drinks and food. Entry is Free.

Awfully Chocolate @ Hysan
chocolate_mille_crepeOpening in Basement 2 of Hysan Place in early November is the fifth Awfully Chocolate outlet in Hong Kong. Known for their signature multi-layered chocolate cakes sold, by the inch because size matters, these are now also available by the slice. For chocoholics there’s a wide range of chocolate goodness including chocolate ganache, chocolate brownies, chocolate mille crepe, chocolate truffles, chocolate tarts, chocolate ice-cream and the super stacked chocolate cake… All can be enjoyed with chocolate ice blends and chocolate coffee.
Check out their locations and prices at www.awfullychocolate.com

pretzels

Bavarian Festival @ Great Food Hall
Octoberfest maybe coming to an end but there’s still lots of Bavarian goodies to enjoy at Great’s Bavarian Food Festival in the basement of Pacific Place. In the bakery there’s a choice of 15 pretzels and logans, wonderfully textured and tasting baked products that put the plastic bread onsale at local chain bakeries to shame. Or try some German dark bread with your Bavarian blu cheese from the ‘cheese room’ or sliced meats and salami’s. Of course there’s Bavarian craft beers from Pfungstäedter – all at around 4-5% alcohol, because Bavarian’s drink beer like the English drink tea. Beer, a drink to be enjoyed at all times of the day.
The Taste of Bavaria festival runs until November 12

Women’s Rugby Results – 31 October, 2015

scorpions + vipers

Super Series
Scorpions 24-7 Vipers
@ Kings Park, Kick-off: 10:30am

Scorpions:
1. Shonagh Ryan, 2. So Karen Hoi Ting, 3. Lau Nga Wun, 4. Melody Li, 5. Cheng Ching To, 6. Bobby Wilson, 7. Lo Wai Yan, 8. Chow Mei Nam (Captain), 9. Lau Tsz Ying, 10. Cheung Lok Tung, 11. Chan Stephanie Chor Ki, 12. Rebecca Thompson (Vice-Captain), 13. Chau Hei Tung, 14. Tina Chiu, 15. Lee For Wing, 16. Pong Shun Sze, 17. Lai Ming Yan, 18. Lam Ka Wai, 19. Tsang Sharon Shin Yuen, 20. Li Man Yi, 21. Hau Kwan Yi
Vipers
1. Yip Ho Kwan, 2. Siu Wing Ni, 3. Lee Ka Shun, 4 Chan Ka Yan, 5. Au Yeung Tsz Lam, 6. Cheung Shuk Han, 7. Leung Wing Yi Vincci, 8. Martini Ip (Vice-Captain), 9. Chan Wing Yi, 10. Aileen Ryan, 11. Tsang Wing Chi, 12. Colleen Tjosvold (Captain), 13. Laurel Fung Chor Lik, 14. Lau Sze Wa, 15. Adrienne Garvey, 16. Megan Richardson, 17. Leung Hei Nga, 18 Li Lei Man, 19. Daisy Myers, 20. Pun Wai Yan, 21. Emma Shields.

National 15s
HKCC 15-0 Tai Po Dragons
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 16:30
HKCC: Joan Yip, Wawa Li, Nobuko Oda, Lauren Petersen, Lainie Man, Wendy Sham, Cheryl Gourley, Lynda Nazer, Ashley Brooks, Tinley Wong, Steph Zhang, Lucy Thomson, Brenda Chan, Zoe Wong, Diana Li, Charlotte Berry, Katie Rowbottom, Margaret Chan, Elane Lau, Christy Ma, Rhonda Wildeman, Jo Harvey, Tissia Polycarpe, Serene Yee
Try: Tissia Polycarpe (2), Ashely Brooks

Valley Red 14-5 Gai Wu Fawkes
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 18:00
Valley Reds: 1. Phoebe Fok, 2. Pui Man Choi, 3. Rebecca G, 4. Deena Thinakaran, 5. Aggie Au-Yeung, 6. Rigel Mo Ching Lam, 7. Jess knight, 8. KK Wong (C), 9. Carman Law, 10. Choi Ying Wong, 11. Lemon Mung, 12. Lewis Wong, 13. Suzzane Stikko, 14. Zoe Smith, 15. Taryn Lo
Substitutes: 16. Teagan Lo, 17. Morgane, 18. Natalie Chan, 19. Sophie Lai, 20. Candy Tsang, 21. Avis Ma, 22. Anna Hryske
Try: KK Wong, Suzzane Stikko. Conversion: Choi Ying Wong (2)

USRC Tigers 0-15 CWB Pheasants
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00

Police Sirens 8-17 City
@ Police Boundary Street, Kick-off: 18:00

HKFC Fire 0-39 Revolution SRC
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 18:00

National 10s
CWB Pink v Tin Shui Wai
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 13:30

DB Pirates 22-5 University Unicorns
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 14:15
DB Pirates: Meg McGrath, Jackie Philbrick Douglas, Catherine Osburn, Sienna Stubbs, Rebecca Tomasis, Gloria Lau, Gina Yueh (debut), Louise Shepherd, Paula Andrea (Captain), Vanessa, Substitutes (from TSW): Lee Ka Yu, Tsang Hoi Lee, Lam Kit Yam, Cheung Yu Tung, Chan Lam
Try: Paula Andrea, Sienna Stubbs, Louise Shepherd, Vanessa Kima, Conversion: Paula Andrea

HK Scottish 22-5 City Ladies
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 15:00

maya takeaway

Hong Kong Rugby League Name Squad for Philippines Tour

residents_kit

The Hong Kong Rugby League has today announced 16 of its 17 man Residents XIII squad for the upcoming tour of the Philippines.

The tour, which will see the Hong Kong Residents XIII take on the Manila Storm at Southern Plains Field in Alabang, will be the first time that Hong Kong has been represented in a Rugby League match.

The Residents XIII game will take place on Saturday, November 7.

The inaugural Hong Kong Residents XIII squad is as follows (in alphabetical order):
Michael Beckett, Tom Beresford, Kurt O’Brien, Jason Fairleigh, Doug Fluker, James Hall, Dave Hunter, Craig McElhinny, Ian Molyneux, Andrew Muller, Jack Muir, Brad Newman, Thomas Partridge, Thomas Powell, James Stevenson, Yosuke Yamagishi, Andrew Zucco.

Hong Kong Women’s Squad for Olympic Rugby 7s Qualifiers

women-7s-squad

Hong Kong Women’s Sevens coach Anna Richards has picked an experienced squad for the first leg of the Asian Olympic qualifiers, captained by Christy Cheng Ka Chi after pre-season captain Royce Chan Leong Sze failed to recover from injury.

With seven Hong Kong Women’s Sevens appearances under her belt, Cheng has proven a more than capable captain, leading the squad to its first Asian Sevens cup win at the opening event of the Series in Qingdao, China.

Richards was pleased with the build-up and the final squad selected. “We were pretty much able to select from our first choice squad with the exception of Royce who was coming off a long injury lay-off. Ultimately she was impacted when we changed the forwards-backs split. We have gone with seven backs, which meant that we couldn’t carry a specialist hooker. Royce is obviously disappointed but we know her leadership abilities and that she and all of the girls in the squad will be backing the team fully.

“We are fortunate to have Christy, who has stepped into the captaincy seamlessly. She’s been vice captain for several years and has captained Hong Kong at 15s so she is a great leader and has performed extremely well in the series,” said Richards.

Other influential veterans picked include vice-captain Natasha Olson-Thorne who has battled her way through injuries this season but continues to make her mark felt with fierce midfield running and clinical finishing. She was the second leading scorer for Hong Kong over the season with six tries from two tournaments.

“Natasha is doing well after being injured in Qingdao. That injury set her back a bit for the finale in Sri Lanka, but since then she has worked hard to get her fitness levels back and will be an important part of what we need to do next weekend.”

women-7s-squad2Candy Cheng Tsz Ting, Amelie Seure and Lindsay Varty are also experienced campaigners along with Aggie Poon Pak Yan, who has been the superstar of the Asian Series this year, finishing as topscorer with 17 tries and 121 points from two tournaments. Poon will need to maintain her form next weekend with the team relying on her finishing abilities.

Richards has also shown faith in 22-year old Chong Ka Yan, who only made her senior squad debut in September.

“Ka Yan gives us more speed in the backline which is always useful. It’s going to be a tough tournament and we can’t expect players like Aggie Poon to play every minute of every game if we want to be successful. It will be great to be able to call upon Ka Yan. She can add some real firepower for us off the bench,” Richards said.

With some dropouts in the women’s competition, the complexion of the tournament has changed. All of the six participating women’s teams will be in a single pool with the top two teams emerging from the round-robin pool stage advancing to the final.

“It’s not ideal to have teams dropping out late, and it’s a real shame for the girls in those teams. Now with the single pool competition, it makes for a very tough tournament to come out on top,” Richards added.

But Hong Kong is well prepared according to Richards: “We have been training well and we have the self-belief that we can win at this level. There are always more things you want to work on, but the girls are in a good place and with strong support from the local crowd I think we can get through.”

Richards is stressing consistency to her charges. “We have to replicate what we did in Qingdao where we minimised our errors and played consistently. If we can do those things and hold onto the ball we know we can put points on the board. But we have to make sure our approach is correct.

“The players have been working so hard and they have been playing together for a few years now and that builds real strength within the side. Our performance on the Series has given them the belief that they can win and that was a huge hurdle for us in the past. We didn’t have that belief a year and a half ago.

“That self-belief combined with what we hope will be great support from the hometown fans will be invaluable. The girls are mentally stronger and are in a good place heading into the qualifier,” Richards concluded.

Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Squad
Christy CHENG KA CHI (Captain), Amelie SEURE, CHENG Tsz Ting, CHONG Ka Yan, KWONG Sau Yan, LAI Pou Fan, Lindsay VARTY, Natasha OLSON-THORNE (Vice Captain), NAM Ka Man, POON Pak Yan, SHAM Wai Sum, Stephanie CUVELIER.

Japan Beat China by 9 Wickets @KCC – 31 October, 2105

japan-v-china-cricket

Japan faced little trouble in their East Asia Series: Men’s Twenty20 Championship match against China as they cruised to a convincing nine-wicket win at the Kowloon Cricket Club on Saturday.

Despite a rain shower or two in the morning, the sun greeted China and Japan as they walked out onto the field. China captain Wang Zihao won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first on a belter of a wicket.

However, his decision to do so backfired as opening batsman Lin Zhengpei was cleaned bowled by Nozomi Tomizawa for a three-ball duck. Zhengpei’s wicket was the start of a recurring theme for the Chinese team as their batsmen struggled to get accustomed to the pitch and scorching conditions.

To make things worse, there was a lack of communication between the Chinese batsmen on numerous occasions, which led to three of them getting run out. In the end, captain Wang Zihao, who was the last man in, top-scored for China with six not out as his side were skittled out for 56.

Makoto Taniyama, Tsuyoshi Takada and Kohei Wakita picked up two wickets apiece, while Tomizawa chipped in with one.

Chasing 57 to win, Japan got off to a blistering start and were cruising towards the finish line until Muhammad Khan was dismissed by Song Yulin for a quickfire 23. Noatsune Miyaji and skipper Masaomi Kobayashi mopped up the remaining runs to lead Japan to a comfortable nine-wicket win.

Taniyama was named Man of the Match for his superb figures of 2/5 off four overs.

At KCC: Japan beat China by 9 wickets

Japan
Masaomi Kobayashi (Captain), Tomoki Ota (Vice Captain), Kanadage Supun Tharaka Navarathna, Kohei Wakita, Makoto Taniyama, Muhammad Hanif Khan, Naotsune Miyaji, Nozomi Tomizawa, Raheel Kano, Satoshi Nakano, Takuro Hagihara, Tsuyoshi Takada, Yoshitaka Uehara
Coach: Dhugal John Bedingfield

China
Wang Zihao, Han Junhui, Tian Suqing, Song Yulin, Geng Changyue, Lin Zhengpei, Chen Xiaoran, Chen Jinfeng, Lin Zhihong, Zhong Wenyi, Qing Peng, Pu Xianliang, Lu Cangcang, Feng Yu.
Team Manager: Shen Gang, Coach: Feng Jian