Kung Hei Fat Choy - Hong Kong Football Club

HONG KONG FOOTBALL CLUB JANUAry 2009

Think PinkBring Your Own WineOur Kitchen Is Your Kitchen…and more…

Kung Hei Fat Choy

AMAZON CREEK

HK FOOTBALL CLUB_JanuaryH: 287mm W: 210mm Bleed: 5mm Scale: S/S Colours: 4 (CMYK)

Qty: TBC NOTE: INSIDE FRONT COVER

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January 2009 �

Club MagazineMonthly journal of the Hong Kong Football Club. Arranged and designed by Karen Chan-Mulvenna. For information and requests for placement of advertisements in “Club” please call 2830 9503. The opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hong Kong Football Club or the General Committee. The Club reserves the right to edit and clarify all content. The copyright of all materials is held by the Hong Kong Football Club.

Hong Kong Football Club • 3 Sports Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong • Tel 2830 9500 • Fax 2882 5040 • Website: www.hkfc.com.hk

General CommitteePresident : Dermot AgnewVice President : Nick HunsworthVice President : Mike LamontVice President : Bobby LawsonVice President : Iain ValentineChairman : Fook Aun ChewHon. Secretary : Colin CohenHon. Treasurer : David HowellSports & Recreation : Lynn EdwardsDevelopment : Martin KingDiscipline : Desmond KoConstitutional Affairs : Maurice O’BrienMembership : John ShanahanHockey Officer : Fergus McCoigLawn Bowls Officer : Mike WorthRugby Officer : John MolloySoccer Officer : Martyn RussellSquash Officer : David Reeves

ManagementGeneral Manager : Mark PawleyOperations & Co-ordination Manager : Tony SealyFinancial Controller : S.K. LiF & B Manager : Dominique ArtigolleExecutive Chef : Ki LiuFacilities Manager : Evan TaoChief Engineer : Hackman LeeMembership Services Manager : Kerry OgleHuman Resources Manager : Angela ChanExecutive Housekeeper : Lily HuynhFront Office Manager : Shirley Lo

Contents

Vision: To be recognised as the leading Sports Club in the Territory.

Mission: To deliver quality services on the principles of accountability, consistency and transparency. To develop an organizational culture that recognises the importance of staff contribution and commitment. To facilitate the development and participation of recognised sporting activities.

Values: Being accountable – to communicate, consult and provide information. Living within our means – to plan ahead within available resources.Developing a culture of service – to encourage commitment, integrity, courtesy and responsiveness. Managing for performance – to set the direction and develop the necessary skills.

Aims: To provide the services the Membership needs. To improve the quality of Club life. To up-hold the Constitution and Bye-laws. To encourage Members to play their part in the Club.

MISSION STATEMENT

HONG KONG FOOTBALL CLUB

2 General Committee

3 The Thoughts of the Chairman

3 From the Desk of Mark Pawley

4 Food and Beverage

10 Soccer

17 Rugby

20 Squash

22 Lawn Bowls

24 Hockey

28 Netball

31 Ten Pin Bowling

31 Golf

32 Tennis

34 Swimming

36 Physiotherapy

37 DVD and Book Library

� January 2009

The following portfolio functions have been summarised to show terms of reference previously approved by the General Committee (GC).

Policy Working grouP – Fook Aun chew Function: to formulate policies for the approval of GC, to ensure the effective and proper implementation of the Club’s published Mission Statement.

FinAnce – David Howell Function: to take into account financial considerations emanating from proposals and policies considered by the GC, and to advise and, if appropriate, give recommendations to GC for approval.

conSTiTuTionAl AFFAirS – Maurice o’Brien Function: to consider ongoing review of Articles and Club Bye-laws either by initiative or upon instruction from GC, and to make appropriate recommendations.

DeVeloPMenT – Martin king Function: to raise and consider appropriate ongoing and new development initiatives in the short, medium, and long-term for Club facilities with a view to recommending selected proposals to GC for consideration and implementation.

DiSciPline – Desmond ko Function: to process complaints and breaches of the Bye-laws in accordance with standard procedures to be advised (and to ensure Club Staff are briefed on these matters) and to apply appropriate sanctions to those Members found in breach. Finally, to provide information to assist GC in evaluating Membership acceptance/adherence to current Bye-laws etc.

MeMBerSHiP – John Shanahan Function: to be responsible for admission of new Members and also to monitor existing policies and to advise on issues involving membership, including procedural matters (including Sections) and enforcement of these policies.

SPorTS & recreATion – lynn edwards Function: to facilitate the development of, and Members’ participation in, recognised sporting activities and competitive recreational activities, and to work with Management towards the optimum use of the Club’s sports facilities.

Lynn Edwards, Sports & Recreation

Desmond Ko, Discipline

Martin King, Development

Maurice O’Brien, Constitutional Affairs

John Shanahan, Membership

Nick Hunsworth, Vice President

Mike Lamont, Vice President

Bobby Lawson, Vice President

Iain Valentine, Vice President

Fergus McCoig,Hockey

Mike Worth,Lawn Bowls

John Molloy,Rugby

Martyn Russell,Soccer

Dave Reeves,Squash

Dermot Agnew, President

Fook Aun Chew, Chairman

Colin Cohen, Honorary Secretary

David HowellHonorary Treasurer

PorTFolio DeTAilS oF STAnDing SuB-coMMiTTeeS

The Club General Committee 2008-2009

January 2009 �

The Thoughts of the Chairman

From the Desk of Mark Pawley

Dear Members,

Happy New Year to you all! Let’s hope that 2009 is going to be a better year than the one that is just passing!

Please see on the adjacent page the photographs of the current members of the General Committee as well as their various portfolios. As mentioned in my message last month, the General Committee met after the AGM and the chairmen of the five standing Sub-committees were appointed as follows :

Constitutional Affairs - Maurice O’BrienDevelopment - Martin KingDiscipline - Desmond KoMembership - John ShanahanSports and Recreational - Lynn Edwards

The Christmas Carols on 22 December 2008 were very well received by all the Members and their families attending with the Welsh Male Voice choir proving to be extremely popular as always! The younger children, in particular, always seem to enjoy this event and the sing-a-long.

At the time of writing, there are a few days to go before we host the traditional Boxing Day soccer match between Jardines and Swires, two of the oldest hongs in Hong Kong, a match, I understand that has been played every year since 1953!

As always, we look forward to the very popular New Year’s Eve Party which goes well into the wee hours of the morning with breakfast being served before you depart and then followed by traditional New Year’s Day Youth Rugby Tournament which is hosted by the Club under the auspices of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.

During the month we have had the various Section Christmas parties and we congratulate, once again, the Soccer Section on the Charity Fund Raising at their party which raised $70,000 for the charity, New Hope for Cambodian Children. The Soccer Section also put in a lot of effort in helping to organize the annual Stanley Fort tournament in which they won the 5-a-side cup for the third year in a row! This tournament is very supportive of Operation Santa Claus and the event raised $1 million for the charity. Once again, well done to the Soccer Section!

Last, and by no mean’s least with Chinese New Year fast approaching, on behalf of the General Committee, I wish all Members and Staff of the Club a big Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Fook Aun cHeWChairman

December, as is the norm, has been an exceptionally busy month for the Club, in fact the busiest month of the year for food and beverage, and, as I write this article, we still have most of the serious festive

events to go! Notwithstanding, a big “Thank You” is in order to all Management and Staff of the Club not just for their efforts in December but also their hard work throughout the whole of 2008.

On the food and beverage front in January, whilst I recognise that this is the “slimming” month of the year, I note that Dominique and his team have put together some rather enticing promotions! Foremost amongst these is the gourmet evening (Value added) in the Restaurant on Saturday 24th January. The menu looks fantastic, as do the wines, and as these evenings are becoming increasingly popular, please do book well in advance if you want to be assured of getting your seats on the night. An interesting adjunct to the Gourmet Evening is the ability (until the 8th February) to bring your own wine to the Restaurant free of corkage. There are a few “rules” about how many bottles you can bring, etc., and these are outlined on page 5 of this magazine.

In the Coffee Shop, winter style food seems to be the mainstay of the promotions for January. The Hot Pot promotion is on throughout the month on Friday and Saturday evenings and this is complemented by the casseroles – Winter Warmers promotion which is available daily. For Tandoori fans I note that a Tandoori Trends promotion will be available at dinner times on Sundays and Public Holidays.

For the wine buffs amongst you I note an interesting talk that has been arranged for the evening of Friday 16th January entitled “Wine and Asian Food” where guest speaker, Sally Fisk, will explain all about what wines go well with Asian food.

In the Sportsmans Bar our Baked Delights promotion (on throughout the month) looks to be a great way to ward off the “chill” factor in January and I am intrigued to find out who will be the winner of the Beef cottage Pie contest!

As to chinese new year, the club will close on the eve of the new year at 5pm on Sunday 25th January and be completely closed on chinese new year’s Day, Monday 26th January, re-opening on Tuesday 27th January at 9am. i would remind all Members that the whole club will close and that means the car park as well.

From the Management and Staff of the Club, Kung Hei Fat Choy!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Club.

MArk PAWley General Manager

� January 2009

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Palate Teaser

MenuWinter Duck Terrine

Mushrooms confit with truffle oil, Organic Melba Toast

***Traditional Cherry Stone Clam Chowder

***Grilled Dutch Veal Cutlet

Chestnut Mashed Potatoes, Pesto Vine Tomatoes and Veal Jus

***Dark Chocolate Marquise

Cocoa Meringue, Chocolate Ice Cream Hazelnut Tuile

***Coffee or Tea Petits Fours

Wines served

WhiteHill & Dale, Sauvignon Blanc,

Stellenbosch 2008 – South AfricaRed

Hill & Dale, Cabernet Shiraz, Stellenbosch 2006/07 – South Africa

$450 per person inclusive of dinner and free flow of

the two selected wines plus a Glass of Cremant De Burgundy

and a glass of sweet wine.

A seasonal four course dinner accompanied with two wines served generously throughout the night. And that is not all……

you will also be served a glass of Sparkling cremant De Burgundy Blanc Brut on arrival as well as a glass of sweet wine with your dessert.

The A la Carte menu will not be available that evening.

Please contact the Restaurant at 2830 9562 for reservation or email: [email protected]

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SUPER VALUE ADDED CHEF CHIU MING “GOURMET EVENING”in the Restaurant Saturday 24th Januaryfrom 7pm to 11pm

January 2009 �

Food & Beverage

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BRING YOUR OwN wINEin the Restaurantuntil February 8th 2009 available for dinner

5 reasons to Bring your own Wine... 1. Your wine is taking up too much space in your flat.2. You want to enjoy the wine you have purchased in the past

with friends.3. You want to come and enjoy a good meal with a good bottle

of wine. 4. You want to experience a touch of quality in your everyday

busy lives.5. You are not allowed to buy new wine from our wine kiosk

unless you empty your current stock!

So, get a bottle or two of wine that will compliment the food and book your table now. No matter the type of wine you bring, we have the glass to accompany it.

No corkage will be charged (up to a maximum of four bottles per booking) as long as a minimum of two courses per person are selected from the A la Carte menu and that there is a minimum booking for two made beforehand.

Please contact the Restaurant at 2830 9562 for reservation or email: [email protected]

THINK PINKin the RestaurantMonday to Saturday, available in the evenings

Executive Chef Ki does wonders this month with fresh Norwegian salmon, rich in healthy Omega 3, which can help to improve cardio health as well as positively impact on your mood!.

Best bites:• Salmon, Tomatoe and Avocado

Tartar Served with Lumpfish roe and Honey Mustard Dressing

• Salmon Bisque with Lemongrass• Seared Salmon Fillet with Fresh

Clams and Parsley Beurre Blanc

� January 2009

Food & Beverage

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CASSEROLES - wINTER wARMERSin the Coffee Shop Monday to Sunday, available for lunch and dinner

winter is here and therefore it’s the time of the year to enjoy a hearty casserole.

Special menus featuring casserole dishes are now served at the coffee Shop until end of January. whether you pick the braised Wagyu oxtail with New castle Brown and thyme dumplings, Shepherd’s pie with sweet potatoe puree and home style peas and carrots or cod and prawn pie with lobster mash, buttered carrots and courgettes, all selections are great winter warmers this season

HOT POTin the Coffee Shop Friday and Saturday eveningsfrom 6.30pm to 9.30pm

Besides our regular International weekend Buffet, our selection of Hot Pot items will spoil you for choice. Cooked with various ingredients like beef, Japanese Black Pork, prawn and scallops, seasonal vegetables, Squid Balls, wonton, Noodles etc…. in three soups made from Satay Soup, Clear Pork Bone soup, coriander with preserved-egg soup.

KIDS EAT FREE BUFFETin the Coffee Shop from January 24th to January 31st

with every two paying adults at either Lunch or Dinner Buffet, one child under 12 years of age can enjoy a Free Buffet.

Please present the voucher below when you sit down at a table at the coffee Shop and another voucher will be given to you upon your departure.

CRêPESin the Coffee Shop from 3pm to 5.30pmthroughout the month of January

Freshly Baked Vanilla Pancakes with your choice of various garnishes.

Hong Kong Football Club

Kid Eat Free BuffetThis coupon can be redeemed for1 Kid free Lunch or Dinner Buffet

when two adults at the same table at any one sitting have taken the Buffet.

* Maximum 1 child per account number ** Valid from 24th to 31st January 2009

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January 2009 �

Food & Beverage

“wINE CAROUSEL” in the Chairman’s Barfrom 6pm to 10pmthroughout the month of January

Chairman’s Bar offers 12 free-flowing wines specially selected from award wineries. From 6pm till 10pm daily for a set price of $120 per person for 2 hours of unlimited serving. Alternatively select any two wines for only $68.

TANDOORI TRENDSin the Coffee ShopSundays and Public Holiday dinner

Chef Rao is overseeing an authentic Tandoori oven cookout this month, featuring exotic fare such as Jumbo Pigeon and Whole Seabass in addition to Pomfret, guinea Fowl and Mulard Duck Breast. If you place an order for one of our Tandoori specialities, you can enjoy a free glass of Carlsberg Beer.

wINE 101 —

Wine and Asian Foodin the Chairman’s BarFriday 16th Januaryfrom 7.30pm to 9pm

Pairing wine with Asian food can be quite challenging. We will share with you few tips to make the task easier.

Our guest speaker, Sally Fisk, qualified winemaker, wine judge and wine educator, will take you through an interesting journey of discovery.

$100 per person inclusive of wine and food to Nibble.

Pre booking required. Tasting will start at 7.35pm sharp.

For reservations please call the Chairman’s Bar at 2830 9559 or email: [email protected]

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� January 2009

Food & Beverage

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JANUARY IN THE SPORTSMAN’S BAR

BAkeD DeligHTS Monday to Friday: 6.30pm to 10.30pmSaturday and Sunday: Noon to 10.30pm

we love baked dishes, which are unsurpassed in warding off Hong Kong’s January chill “factor”. Executive Chef Ki has come up with a heart-warming selection.

Best Bites:• Oven- baked Lamb Shank with Rosemary and Mushroom

Cannelloni Gratinated with Fontina and Herb Tomatoe Sauce.• Gratinated Seafood Casserole with Cod, Prawns, Squid, Scallop

and Mussels in Pernod Cream Sauce.• Baked Vegetable and Portabello Mushroom Lasagna enhanced

with Fresh Basil, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese.

BeST BeeF coTTAge Pie conTeSTIn view of February’s Pie promotion the Sportsman’s Bar back patio will hold a “Best Beef cottage Pie contest” on Saturday afternoon 17th January. Entry forms are available from the Sportsman’s Bar and Front Desk. You will be required to cook your secret recipe at home and bring it in on competition day to be judged by our very own team from the kitchen as well as Members randomly chosen on the day. All details will be passed onto interested parties.

The winner will be rewarded with a Restaurant Sunday Brunch for four and her/his pie will be featured in our February Pie Menu. So let’s get cooking………

on THe ScreenSFrom the english Premier league we will feature on Saturday January 10th Stoke vs Liverpool, Arsenal vs Bolton, Aston Villa vs west Brom, whilst on Monday 19th Liverpool play Everton, on Wednesday 28th Chelsea play Middllesbrough and Everton play Arsenal.

rugby union: Guinness Premiership, the Magners League and the Heineken Cup. we will showcase some of these matches this month.

european golf Tour in Abu Dhabi from 15th to 18th, and the Mitsubishi electric uSPgA Championship will be played in Hawaii from 22 to 25 January. Ph

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THE LUCK OF THE IRISHin the Chairman’s Baravailable from 6.30pm to 10.30pm

The Irish are lucky to have the world’s most succulent oysters, cultivated in some of their last remaining oyster beds.

For every half dozen ordered, you can enjoy a glass of Sparkling cremant De Burgundy Blanc Brut for only $62 per glass or $350 per bottle.

January 2009 �

Food & Beverage

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CHINESE NEw YEAR COUNTER2nd Floor LobbyMonday 5th January to Saturday 24th January

Our Chinese New Year counter will open this year as of Monday 5th January until Saturday 24th January.

we will offer a wide selection of wines, Cookies, Candies, Dried Seafood and more!

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Monday to Friday: 1pm to 9pm

Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 9pm

ORGANIC BEER

uk’s best selling organic beer, Fuller’s Organic Honey Dew has arrived at the Sportsman’s Bar and the Chairman’s Bar.

OUR KITCHEN IS YOUR KITCHEN….

Have you noticed how your grocery bill increases week after week from your favourite supermarket? What can be done about it!!

Easy! with the Hong Kong Football Club you can now have top-notch delicious goodness at extremely sensible prices.

Contact us; you have come to the right place. From cold cuts, chilled meats or seafood to Kids specials, our Club has everything a domestic epicurean craves.

So, order now from our monthly selections of quality gourmet fare.

We believe, with us you can go gourmet everyday!!

To place an order either pick up the order form at the Front Desk or download the form from our web site.

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�0 January 2009

The Captain’s Corner

SOCCER

THe crAZy liFe oF THe goAlie

welcome back troops,

This month I’m going to take a look at that position nobody wanted at school, no not standing behind Mike wilson in the tuck shop queue, but rather that of the goalkeeper. They are a mad breed of individuals and have such a crucial role in the game which is so often very unforgiving on them and very rarely do they come out as the hero. I grew up (until I was 9 when I stopped growing) never wanting to be a goalkeeper. Neither did many players I know. Let’s face it the real heroes to young kids in the game are the Charlton’s, Dalglish’s, Rooney’s, Giggs’s etc of the game. who on earth ever wanted to be Alan Rough or David James? well perhaps a few of the Club goalkeepers did. To get a closer look at what makes them tick I asked them all a few questions. Some of what they had to say was surprising. For example Dave Shaw expained how he listened to old recordings of interviews with the great Soviet Union keeper Lev Yashin for hours on end in order to pick up little tips as well as reading the early Yashin books released in the Soviet Union. It’s only when you’ve seen big Dave lobbed from 80 yards that the penny drops. He doesn’t speak or read Russian. ...... anyway here’s what they all had to say for themselves....

By Monty

Stewart Montgomery Soccer Section Captain with Barry Ferguson, Rangers and Scotland Captain

ALEX KAN, 1ST TEAM

1. Who’s the greatest keeper there has ever been?

GordonBanks2. Who is the worst? PaulRobinson3. Who is the best keeper at the

HKFC? BobSawhney4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? Hollaender5. Were you bad as an outfield

player so had to go in goal? No(Hesaidthisandstaredright

throughme)6. How tall are you? 5foot8inches7. What’s the greatest save

you’ve seen? GordonBankssaveatthe1970

WorldCup8. What’s the greatest save

you’ve made yourself, describe it?

IsavedapenaltykickwhenHKFCplayedHappyValleyinthefirstdivisionin2001

9. Why are English goalkeepers these days the butt of all the jokes Scottish goalkeepers used to get thrown at them?

Becausetheyarecompletelyuse-less

10.Who is the best goalkeeper in the English Premiership today?

JoeHart

Chris Capruso, Dave Shaw, Mark Devonshire and The Flying Flaners

CHriS CAPruSo, 1ST TEAM


Buffon2. Who is the worst? Therearesomany(includingme)3. Who is the best keeper at the

HKFC? We’reallnutstobeplayingin

goalforastart,sowhocareswhothebestis....?

4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? Nocomment5. Were you bad as an outfield

player so had to go in goal? Havinggrownupplaying

AustralianRulesFootball,GoalKeepingmadesenseasastartingpoint-Ijustneverprogressedfromthere

6. How tall are you? 6foot7. What’s the greatest save

you’ve seen? BuffonvsFranceinthe2006

WorldCupFinaltodenyZidaneanequaliserforFrance

8. What’s the greatest save you’ve made yourself, describe it?

That’snotformetocommenton(AtthispointI’mkindofhopinghecommitshimselfabitmoretomyquestions)


Causethey’reallpish(Andthank-fullyhestartstoinabigway)


ThatChelsealad...!

�� January 2009

Soccer

DAvE SHAW, ALbioN


RayClemence2. Who is the worst? RoyCarroll3. Who is the best keeper at the

HKFC? Pipes4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? Craney(Iimagine)5. Were you bad as an outfield

player so had to go in goal? I’magoalmachinewhenoutfield

sotoeventhingsupIvolunteeredtogoingoal

6. How tall are you? 6foot3inchesandabit7. What’s the greatest save

you’ve seen? Dudek’sdoublesaveagainstAC

MilanintheChampionsleaguefinalatthreeall


AcoupleofyearsagoagainsttheColts.Thetallblondonedrilledalowshottowardsthebottomcorner.IwastenyardsoffmylinesoIthrewmyselfinitsgeneraldirectionandatfullstretchmanagedtomakethesave.Wewontwoone.(ItriedreallyhardnottolaughwhenIaskedthebigmanthisquestion)


ProbablybecauseScotlandhaven’tqualifiedforanythinginterestinglately(Touche)


ChrisKirklandwhenhe’snotinjured

photo

THE FLyiNg FLANErS, DyNAMiCS


PatJenningsbutBanks,Clemence,ScmiechalandGivenhavealsoimpressedme

2. Who is the worst? Usuallytheworstoutfieldplayer

backatschoolandI’vebeeningoalsinceIwas10sowhatdoesthattellyou

3. Who is the best keeper at the HKFC?

DaveShaw4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? Notfairtosingleanyoneout5. Were you bad as an outfield

player so had to go in goal? Seeabove6. How tall are you? TallerthanCraney7. What’s the greatest save

you’ve seen? Seeanswer88. What’s the greatest save


IwouldliketopaytributeheretomydefensivefriendsontheClub“A”sideduringoursecondofthreesuccessiveYauYeeLeaguetitles.Inthesecondseason,92/93weconcededonlytwogoalsin22games....Oh,itwasthatseasonthatItookoneoutofthetopcornerfromafreeshotfrom12yds,but...thankstoLobyandCurly,particularly....ComeonMontyyousawmeatmypeak.


WhatScottishjokes?10.Who is the best goalkeeper in

the English Premiership today? BenFosterandJoeHart

bob SAWHNEy, LuCKy MiLE


GordonBanks/LevYashin2. Who is the worst? MassimoTaibi3. Who is the best keeper at the

HKFC? Hardtosay.Ruudisa

commandingfigure,Jamesmakesgreatreflexsaves,AlexisagoodshotstopperandChriscomesforcrosseswell

4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? BetweenmeandSebPage5. Were you bad as an outfield

player so had to go in goal? Notreally,justhaterunning6. How tall are you? 6foot2inches7. What’s the greatest save you’ve

seen? GordonBanksagainstPele,1970

WorldCup,alsoJensLehmannfromSolskjaerinEPLcoupleofseasonsago


AgainstShekKipMei2seasonsagoforLuckyMile.Weonlyhad9menandunderthecoshthewholegame.Crosscameoverinthe2ndhalfabout7yardsoutandastrikersmasheditonthevolley.AsIranacrossthegoalImanagedtopushitoverbeforeitcrushedmyfacein.GraemeLanesaiditwasasgoodasPeterShiltonssaveagainstCoventrybackinthe70’s.Gameended1-1


Onename:PaulRobinson10.Who is the best goalkeeper in

the English Premiership today? MustbeDavidJames,consistent

beyondbeliefinlastfewyears.(IlaughedatthisanswerbutnotinfrontofBob)

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�� January 2009

Soccer

TriSTAN, CoLTS goALKEEPEr


PeterSchmiechal2. Who is the worst? James3. Who is the best keeper at the

HKFC? Rudy4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? Tristan5. Were you bad as an outfield

player so had to go in goal? No6. How tall are you? 6foot1inch7. What’s the greatest save

you’ve seen? Um,IwillsayHiguita’sscorpion

save8. What’s the greatest save


Mylastone9. Why are English goalkeepers

these days the butt of all the jokes Scottish goalkeepers used to get thrown at them?

Sorry,Idon’tunderstandwhatyoumean.(okTristanwho’sbetteringoalCraigGordonorDaveShaw?...OhdefoCraigGordon...thanksTristan)


Jamesalso(Ican’texplainwhyhe’ssaidthis....asIsaidtheyareallmental.)

MArK DEvoNSHirE, ALbioN

1. Who’s the greatest keeper there has ever been? PatJennings.MyherowasRonHillyardatGillinghamwhoIworkedwith

despitehishobbybeingknitting(nowonderIbecameanAccountant)2. Who is the worst? CurrentlyGomesatTottenham.Manyhavecompleteconfidence

breakdownsduringaseasonbutheisnaturallyincompetent3. Who is the best keeper at the HKFC? Hardtosayasweareallatadifferentstageofourcareer(age!)None

ofusispoor;butthetruthisthatwedonothaveanygreatkeepers.TheClubhassomeyoungtalentcomingthroughbuttheyareteenagerssolackstrengthandofcourseexperience;wecoulddowithsomeintheirearlytomid20’s

4. Who is the worst at the HKFC? OnmydayIcangetthere 5. Were you bad as an outfield player so had to go in goal? I’mquiterare...manykeepersarefrustratedcentreforwards...Ialways

fanciedtheideaofbeingthelastman(althoughAlbiondoliketotestthattheory...alot!)

6. How tall are you? Justunder6foot4inches7. What’s the greatest save you’ve seen? Banksin70’s8. What’s the greatest save you’ve made yourself, describe it? AtClub–forthemightyAlbioninourcupfinalof1997whichwewere

winning1-0withaminutetogoandImanagedtogetdowntothefootofmyposttopushashotfrom6yardsout.Asthecornercameovertherefblewthewhistle...theteam,despitetheirexhaustionmanagedtopileonthepraiseandcelebratedbyjumpingonme...TonyBratsanos(asmanager)didn’tmentionituntilwewereinthebar!

Asa15yearoldboy–IwasataWestHamtrialandworkingwithbigPhilParkesandsomeotherkeeperswhenImadeadoublesavethathedescribedasaBanksy...praiseindeedbuthehadn’trealisedthatforthesecondoneIhadmyeyesclosed!


Itisbizarre.SincethedownfallofSeamanwereallyhavenobodywhoisconsistent...thecurrentbatchareallgoodbutpronetoregularerror.ConcentrationisabsolutelykeyforakeeperandIthinktoomanyofthemgetdistracted.Inadditionyoucanbemadetolookfoolishbythenewballs;theycurveanddipinaveryunpredictablemanner

10.Who is the best goalkeeper in the English Premiership today? GivenatNewcastle.Hegetsplentyofpracticebutheisaconsistentlygood

shotstopperandhispositionalsenseissecondtonone

�� January 2009

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Mini Soccer

Thanks to the efforts of Dave reeves (Squash Section) and Island School, Club Mini / Junior Soccer was able to recycle last year’s kit to a very appreciative orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal. Coordinated by Dave, students from Island School, taking part in interim week activities, reduced their own personal baggage allowances to take football kits to the kids of Katja House orphanage.

Mini Soccer would like to thank everyone concerned in making this happen and hopefully the looks on the kids’ faces wearing their ‘new’ Hong Kong Football Club kit is reward enough.

By Olivia McDonagh

Mini Soccer Kit Recycled in Nepal!

January 2009 ��

Rugby Update“This is the winter of our discontent.” It is? well, it must be winter because I have started wearing my football club hoodie again, and it’s not because I want to rob old ladies. But discontent? That might be going a bit far, but there is no denying that the good ship Club has sailed into some heavy seas. The way in which the crew responds will determine, if you’ll forgive me for labouring the analogy, whether we steam on to victory, break out the grog and fire a 21-gun salute – or whether we capsize on our beam-ends.

Because, would you believe it, Valley are back with a vengeance. Club saw off the auld enemy in style last year, but our great adversaries have rallied, and how. The two best teams in Hong Kong clashed at the Club on November 22 in an encounter described by JP with typical understatement as Armageddon. Sadly it would have been better described as the Day of Judgment, as referee Toby punished Club relentlessly for sins at the ruck and grimly dealt out tickets to purgatory for the miscreants.

Flanker rory Hussey turned in arguably the outstanding forward’s performance of the game until a rather-too-frank exchange of opinions with Toby led to him being asked to contemplate the remainder of the evening’s entertainment from the stands. A late yellow card for loosehead ian ridgeway, who had also made a strong contribution to the Club effort, meant that the 13 men of Club played a full complement of Valleyans for about the last 10 minutes. Club’s indiscipline and their inclination to return the ball to Valley’s quicker outside backs through ill-advised chip-and-chases cost them dear: Valley walked away as 22-13 victors.

Hong Kong Sevens squad member Adam raby enjoyed perhaps his best performance for Club yet, scoring all his side’s points with a try, conversion and two penalties, but neither he nor anyone else would have enjoyed that experience. Constantly conceding penalties, unable to secure quick ball or momentum and hampered by injury, it was a miserable evening for the Club players and, I would imagine, a hell of a night for our good neighbours from Valley.

This reversal would have been wounding enough by itself, but Valley has piled on the pain across the Club Rugby Section. Dragons came within an ace of beating Valley Knights the same day, three points behind and battering away at the men in red’s line for the last 20 minutes. It looked several times as if it would be impossible for Drags not to score, such was the pressure, but Valley clung on for victory. Had enough yet? well, there’s one more blow I’m afraid, and this is perhaps the most sickening of the lot.

Last weekend (December 4), the valiant Scorpions took on the same Valley Knights team that had vanquished Drags and put in a storming first 50 minutes to lead 30-12. Broad smiles and back-slapping from all. Scorps were aided by one or two cameos from regular club players such as Messrs rouse and Spizziri, but you may be assured that this was a true Scorps side at its

core and that Valley’s allegations of “Scum stacking tactics” (take a look at their website if you must) were not entirely fair.

And yet Scorps imploded. what had been a purposeful, aggressive and decisive performance up until then lost its direction in the second half as missed tackles and unforced errors allowed Valley to claim an improbable 38-30 win. Experienced campaigners like Bouch and christopher Howard looked on from the sidelines with horror, dismay and dread as Scorps snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, as did I. It was a bitter draught to swallow, I can tell you. And did I mention that Dragons also lost to the PLA (and they really did have a “stacked” side, full of China sevens players) in Guangzhou?

Not being an utter sado-masochist, it has given me no pleasure to recount these tales of defeat, but we must face up to the fact that we have been trumped by hungrier Valley teams in first and second grade rugby during the first half of this season. And we have to do something about it. Our performances against our best and keenest rivals are ultimately how we define ourselves as teams and players.

Fortunately, we have the ability. To give but three examples, guy Payn and Marcus neill made excellent starting debuts for Club the following weekend (November 29) against HKCC, while ollie Jones’ return to top form in first grade rugby has been impressive (see picture). Club were a little wobbly at the end against HKCC, but the 14-10 victory returned them to winning rugby and the scoreline may not have adequately reflected some clear improvements over the performance against Valley: quicker ball, more dynamism and more confidence. with the Section’s abundance of talent, Club can go the distance and strike back at Valley after Christmas. But they and their brothers in Drags and Scorps will need to find a new sense of purpose in 2009 if they are to wrest the initiative from our resurgent opponents.

I won’t over-egg the pudding. The boys are in good spirits - witness drinks with the Sino-French alliance that is Nomads rugby on December 4 and Rupert “Churchie” Clark’s stag that same night. And the Sequins are having a tremendous run, topping Division 4 by a mile with old pros like Tom cameron, Simon Aird and Animal (who has apparently mastered the rugby pirouette) in fine form. Select keep scrapping away too, making their first foray into international rugby in November with a fixture against Macau. Bulls have also been going well under Tim Wright’s leadership, with resounding recent victories against HKCC and Regent Pioneer Revolution. And the ladies of GaIce lie in second place in their division with a game in hand over leaders CwB Phoenix.

So there are reasons to be cheerful in this festive season and it gives me great pleasure to wish you a very happy Christmas. Let’s hope for a New Year without any more defeats at the hands of Valley…

By Adam Harper

Adam Harper

RUGBY

Like Road Runner, Ollie’s legs become a blur when he really gets moving

Jack

y Yeu

ng

�� January 2009

Under 11s Tour to SingaporeOver the weekend of November 29 and 30 our Under 11s traveled to Singapore to take part in the Singapore International Youth and Mini Rugby 10s Tournament. Playing against teams from Singapore and Malaysia, both Club A and B teams performed extremely well against top-level opponents to make it into the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the Cup Competition respectively. “we played a lot of games in a very short time and there were a few walking wounded by Saturday afternoon, but the players learnt a lot from this tournament and everyone had a great time” said U-11s Head Coach, Andy Tilke. Following the tournament, parents and players spent time by the Rasa Sentosa pool followed by an exciting evening at the Singapore Night Safari. There’s nothing like being on tour to bring players and parents together!

First Festival of the season at Sandy Bay — Great weather, Great rugby!

The Under 11s touring sides with Head Coach, Andy Tilke, and Mini Rugby Chairman, Iain Seow, in Singapore.

with much of King’s Park out of action due to redevelopment, the honour of hosting the first Mini Rugby Festival of the season fell this year to HKU Sandy Bay, and as always they put on a superb event. There was only one thing better than the quality of the weather and that was the quality of rugby played by our teams across seven age groups ranging from the Under 6’s, with many playing their first ‘competitive’ rugby of their lives, up to the battle-hardened Under 12’s.

Along with plenty of food and beverage choices, sports gear stalls, hair colouring, visits from Santa, a marching band and more, there was plenty to keep players and spectators amused. As for the ‘serious business of the day’ here is a quick run down from our head coaches:

under 6sThe Under 6s played their first tournament of the season with enthusiasm and heart. For most this was their first ever experience of organized sport and our youngest rugby players displayed ball skills and team play that the All Blacks would have been proud of…and would have left the English wishing. They zigged, they zagged, they tackled, they supported their team and they scored too many tries to count. They cheered the opposition and displayed perfect sportmanship with a winning attitude. There were smiles all around from parents, coaches and players. A fantastic morning of rugby and a very positive experience for all involved. At the end of the day we were not sure whether our highlight was the facepainting, the cheers, the visit from Santa, the medals or the fire engine. But I think we all agree that rugby was the winner!

Tania Mansfield Head Coach Under 6

under 7sAfter highly successful games in prior weeks vs Sai Kung at Sandy Bay, the Under 7s were truly prepared for an afternoon of rugby. we had over 36 players and 10 coaches representing the Club. Our training focus has been on attacking by heading for and passing into space and this paid off. Our passing and

Mini Rugby

attacking play was terrific and as good as any club. Our tries were a mix of teamwork and individual talent. Our defence was also highly effective but some of our opposition showed what can be done with defensive lines reminiscent of Rugby League! Positional play in defence will be a key rugby skill the coaches will look to develop going forward. Congratulations to all the Under 7s, your enthusiasm and continuing skill development do the Club proud.

Michael Philip Head Coach Under 7

under 8sOur Under 8s fielded four teams and two of our sides, XLR8 and Predators went unbeaten for the day. Michael Shepherdson and lucca leinster-Holt were the stars for XLR8, scoring five tries each during the tournament while Predators overcame Aberdeen in their first game 9-0. Diamond Head won 2 and lost 1, Sean keane acting the usual talisman and was sorely missed in that defeat. Omnitrix struggled against Valley Fort’s 1st team who have started to stream this season, going down 3-0 in the first game but we gradually improved from there, Abi How showing her usual intensity for Omnitrix and never far from the action.

Under 7s in action FC Under 8 avoids the tackle from Valley Fort

FC Under 8 heads for the try line

Three of the FC Under 6 teams

January 2009 ��

Mini Rugby

we had more than 50 players turn up for the festival, which was almost a 100% turnout rate. The 8s have been practicing keeping in their positions on the pitch and while this was challenging with so many replacements to handle, there was a definite reduction in ball following. The most improved player was Harry Mowbray who excelled in the last two games for Diamond Head. (Explanatory note: The Under 8 teams are named after characters in a children’s cartoon and if you don’t know who they are you are obviously not seven years old!)

Alastair Murray Head Coach Under 8

under 9sThe Under 9s, having learned from scratch the arts of tackling, rucking and mauling in the past three months, had their first chance to use these new skills in competition at the Festival. The five teams (each with more than nine players available) were evenly mixed on ability, and we enjoyed more wins than losses. But, as winning is secondary, there was not as much interest amongst the coaches in scores as there was in developing skills.

The Under 9s generally tackled well, and scored many fine individual tries. The amount of space available surprised some as did the ferocity of the mauls, and whilst we did not pass as much as we have done in training (white line fever?) There were highly promising signs that we have a substantial depth of talent. work is required on our response to the breakdown, mauling and defending the full width of the pitch, but overall a highly pleasing first ‘contact’ tournament experience.

Star players on the day; ethan russell and Jack Abbot for fearless tackling, Hansel chang for great rucking and a solo try, Harriet Molloy and kate Bradley for speedy winger tries, Jean louis Desgouttes and nicky keattch for 100% focus and commitment, and finally the try of the day, using Coach Paul liu’s description; “cameron Henderson took the ball from his own territory, side stepped twice to evade two tacklers, goose stepped, then gunned it down the sideline being chased by two girls. The girls caught him 5m from the try line, and hung vainly to his shirt but Cameron dived, reached over the try line and, with his backside in the air, one handed, managed to maintain control of the ball… try!”

Russel Henderson Head Coach Under 9

under 10sA match up the previous week against the festival hosts had helped the Under 10s get some useful match practice but this was the first real test for our newly formed teams, and there is nothing like real game time for learning and development.

Club Blues faced a stern test with four games against the first teams of HKU, DEA, Valley Fort and Sai Kung. After conceding an early try to HKU, Jack robinson was unleashed and led the team to a comfortable victory. The DEA game proved a tougher test, but despite being under intense pressure, the defence held out for a memorable nil all result. Then up came Valley Fort and after two quick tries from the opposition it looked like yet another defeat to our rivals. Constant pressure however and outstanding performances all over the pitch, not least from the impressive and tireless Max Denmark, and the ball was grounded over their line. The effect of the score on our confidence was clear to see and continued pressure eventually forced a thoroughly deserved equalizing try. 2-2 it finished and the Blues will only get better from here on in.

Club Blacks faced Valley Fort 2 in their first match and despite conceding two early tries the team regrouped and held them for the remainder of the match. Expectations of victory over Shatin were somewhat dented by the sight of the size of the opposition but with an early score it looked like we were on our way. However in a scrappy encounter, an equalizer and late winner from Shatin saw us go down 2-1. The last match against a strong DEA 2 side was level at 2-2 going into the final minutes, when DEA broke through for a winning try – it could have gone either way. with much to take from day the Blacks will have learned a lot.

Club Golds romped home in their first encounter with an impressive 6-1 win over Tin Sha wei but went down in their next two to Tsuen wan and DEA 3. That said the smiles were still there at the end of the day and there is a good platform to build on.

with wins against Tai Po Dragons then HKE-TMS, Club whites then played with great team spirit in a reverse against a strong DEA 2 side before holding the hosts HKU to a creditable 2-2 draw. Notable try scorers included captain colston kane, Victoria Malloy, callum Torpey, kurt Quitlong and ryan cheung.

All in all a great day for the 10s, win, draw or lose, and we’re looking forward eagerly to rest of the season.

Chris Plowman Head Coach Under 10

under 12swith all three Under 12 teams unbeaten for the day, 36 tries scored and only 7 conceded, Club took a clean sweep of all three competitions in this age group, the Cup, the Plate and the Bowl… a truly impressive performance!

The Under 12s is the only age group that plays competitively for a trophy throughout the Mini Rugby season, the richard Hawkes Trophy, which is in honour of a previous Club Mini Rugby Chairman. with this set of results there is little doubt that Club are determined to recapture the trophy - what better way to signal our intentions that this year’s Under 12s mean business and want the trophy back!

FC1 started out with a hard fought 0-0 draw against DEA 1 then a great 2-1 victory over the host side followed by a 6-0 thumping of Tai Po Dragons. FC 2 won all three of their match-ups against DEA, Kukris and AMR, while FC3 sandwiched a 2-2 draw with the hosts with comfortable wins over Tai Hang Tung and Tin Shui wai. well done to all the players and coaches – a performance that all at the Club can be proud of.

Martin Worley Head Coach Under 12

So all in all a great day for the Club and for Mini Rugby in Hong Kong, which continues to thrive. Our own festival at the Club is due for March 2009 when we hope all Club Members will join us in welcoming Mini Rugby teams from around Hong Kong for what is a fun, healthy, active sport for our young people.

By Chris Plowman

FC Under 10 drives through the tackle from HKU Sandy Bay

�0 January 2009

SQUASH

HSBC Bank International www.offshore.hsbc.com

Squash News

You would not have heard of yuen kam-wing. He was born handicapped, worked at the Urban Council Squash Court and died tragically a decade ago. Out of tragedy, some good has come. He is the man who has “donated” his name to the fancy dress wing

Ding Charity Squash Tournament to raise funds annually for the RTHK/SCMP Operation Santa Claus. The tenth anniversary of the wing Ding Tournament took place in Hong Kong Football Club on November 15.

Fourteen teams of 8 players each, dressed in outrageous costumes, battled it out in the squash courts, in a fun-filled almost carnival atmosphere. Despite the current financial turmoil, a record HK$324,708 was raised, up 11 percent on last year, as of 10th December the amount has risen to HK$351,012, bringing a smile of great satisfaction and sense of achievement to event organizer Tim everest. The Club white Nurses Team won the top fund raising team award once again but hope to see others pressing for this honour next year!

“You have no idea how good that feels,” said Tim posing in his sexy nurse uniform complete with garters, fish net stockings and armed with a giant injection needle. “The economy is bad and we were not sure how generous people would be but we raised a record sum. This goes to prove that Hong Kong people are a generous lot and will help those less fortunate than themselves in good and bad times.”

Tim Everest has worked tirelessly for the last 6 years to raise the profile of the wing Ding Squash Tournament. “The idea started over a couple of drinks with friends and we wanted to do something in remembrance of Ah wing who, despite his severe physical disability, always had a smile for everyone and had a great sense of humour. Over the years, the event became synonymous with me,” he said.

“I found I had a talent for organizing and fund-raising and seem to be able to persuade people to part with their hard-earned money. The circles of willing donors increase every year so we must be doing something right. I have always considered myself fortunate and despite my own business success, I feel that wing Ding is one of the most rewarding things I have done all year because I am paying back my debts to society,” he added.

It would seem that all 112 players in the wing Ding Squash Tournament feel the same way as Tim as they summoned up their strength to play

Ding, The Lolly wings In... 13 x 3 minute matches non-stop all Saturday. whether they were fit or not, everybody put their best foot forward. Our own Club team comprising of lincoln chan, keith Frith, Dinesh HATHirAMAni, eli Bitan, Adrian ng, Jason Brown, Tim everest and Becky Thomas with Phil Head as convenor did us proud once again! A combination of awesome play and clever tactics ensured that HKCC was kept at bay despite some very tough opposition. Club won the tournament with 1,307 points followed by the HKCC with 1,180 points and KCC on 1,171 points. It was HKCC’s gold team with their Cleopatra’s outfits which won the Best Costume award.

Jason Brown would have made his parents proud, looking delectable and certainly turning a few heads, particularly amongst the female contingent with murmurings of ‘O my, he’s so pretty’. Adrian Ng, donning fully padded bra, made full use of his newly found sex appeal to not only put the opposition off whilst on court, but successfully selling huge numbers of raffle tickets, alongside Tim Everest whilst off court. A special mention should be made to our own Jennifer Tang for her tireless effort as time keeper and ‘master of the horn’ for the entire tournament which lasted nearly 6 hours! well done Jennifer - a great job!

Tim, flushed with pride and success that his pet project has grown from strength to strength, has even more ambitious plans. “The Club is a multi sports club and I have spoken with the management to spread the wing Ding ethos across all sports in the club. It would be fantastic if we could somehow organize a sort of Sporting Saturday where each sports Section has their own fun tournament. All these events could be coordinated to raise more funds for the RTHK/SCMP Operation Santa Claus,” he said. “This would be a huge undertaking but I

Tim Everest and the winner of the Best Perforance AwardJason Brown and Peter TangDenise and Adrian Ng

January 2009 ��

Squash

would like to sow the seeds of this idea in 2008. I hope each Section committee will pick up on this idea and revert to me so together, we can work towards making it a reality.”

HKCC’s Paul Keylock, the well known cross-dresser, spoke for all when he said: “we are all looking forward to next year’s tournament and wouldn’t it be great if we could hit the half million mark next year!”

For more information about the wing Ding, please visit our website - www.wingding.hk.

Donations can be made by sending your cheque issued in favour of: “SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus”And post it to: Ms Rovana Lai Cyril Murkin (HK) Ltd Units 15-18, 15/FL., Corporation Square, 8 Lam Lok St., Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, HONG KONG. Tel: +852 9182 8299By Peto Foong

Four of the Club’s ageing elite (plus one youthful supporter) headed to Christchurch, NZ last month to mix it up with the most “experienced” players in the world.

with tournaments for each 5 year age group from 35 to Over 75 some 750 competitors gathered to play at 6 venues around the city for this biennial international festival of squash. The cascading plate events for losers of each of the first 3 rounds ensured that all players were guaranteed (like it or not) at least four matches over the week so there was no going home early!

charlie Soloman (45-50) cruised through qualifying only to (briefly) meet the #3 seed in R1 of the Main Draw. Fresh for the following day he walked the first round of the plate before getting clobbered in the 2nd. So in fine master’s style Charlie managed to play 4 matches – all 3-0 – and none over 30 minutes – Very efficient.

lynley Soloman (45-50) not being one to take the easy route had a mammoth win in R1, taking it 9-7 in the 5th but paid the price when meeting a top seed in round 2. She fought through to eventually lose in the Semi of the “Special Plate” following two hard matches – supported all the way by a very relaxed and pain-free Charlie. By our reckoning Lynley’s world ranking for age group as a result of the event should be around 20 – so great effort.

Brian MacDougall, having graduated to the 50-55 group and with a top 16 seeding, was merciless in his first round but got caught up in a grueling 5 setter in R2 eventually losing. However, taking full advantage of the generous plate structure Brian

world Masters Squash Championship, Christchurch NZ, Oct 20-26

became the only Hong Kong representative flying the flag on Finals Day – ending as runner-up in the “M50 Main Special 8’s” - whatever that is!

Malcolm kerr (40-45), started off well with a comfortable win in R1. Taking on 9/16 seed in R2 looked to be a step too far when match ball down in the 4th game BUT, lots of shouting, a broken racquet and some considerable time later, somehow emerged victorious. The “round of 16” needed another miracle but it was not to be – MK losing to the eventual event runner-up. The following day’s “Quarter 8’s plate” match was not a major focus with the ski slopes beckoning – so defeat was quick if not entirely painless.

Maxwell kerr (9) probably got more court time than anyone else, nipping on between matches and knocking up with some of the best in the world. Max also won the splash contest in the hotel pool and biggest air on Mount Hutt ski field.

Despite all the activity on courts there were daily events at each of the venues as well as huge closing banquet and ball. Taking advantage of some fantastic weather Malcolm and Max took the opportunity to get out and managed to get in some skiing, whale watching and cycling.

Great event and well done to all the players.

watch out for world Masters Games, Sydney 2009 and the next world Masters Squash Championship, Cologne, Germany, 2010.

By Malcolm Kerr

�� January 2009

Alan Lo our Green Clipper

Green Clippings Classic Mixed Fours 2008

A significant change in Section policy took place in early December. Having staged the Mixed Fours immediately

before the Tiger Bowls annually in March for the last 7 years, the “New” committee, after the AGM, considering that the weather was likely to be better in December and, with the offering of help of a large donation from one of the Section members, decided to stage the event just before the HKLBA’s International Classic held annually in early December. This entailed inviting the overseas bowlers to arrive a few days earlier than planned but for some this was too late and they were unable to change their holiday plans and missed out on what turned out to be a very successful event. To sum up the success of the event, one of our bowlers, roger nissim, has penned below his welcomed comments. By the many compliments paid by the overseas bowlers at the prize presentation dinner in the Restaurant, his views were echoed by all the bowlers taking part.

“On behalf of all the 40 odd Section members who were fortunate enough to be selected to participate in this fabulous event that took place at the Club on 3rd and 4th December I would like to simply say ‘Thank You’ to the Organizing Committee for giving us the privilege of, not only playing with and against our peers from Hong Kong, but also playing with and against so many international world

class bowlers, including current World Cup Champion Safuan Said from Malaysia, who had all agreed to come a few days ahead of the HK Classics to join us.Normally we would only be spectators admiring from the edge the skills and special qualities these top players bring to the game but to be on the same green as them, to be in the same rink as them, to meet and socialize with them made it a very special occasion for us all to treasure.There were two very full days of intense, non stop, competition with 24 teams playing 8 ends alternately between the Indoor and Outdoor Greens which became a huge test of both stamina and adaptability. In the end the winner of Pool A, cosmos, defeated the winner of Pool B, Pansy, in the final to become worthy winners. They were skipped by the Kiwi Ali Forsyth who had teamed up with Angela Chau of CdeR and our own Tammy Tham and Donald Wu. Ali was clearly the star player of the event but was the first to acknowledge the contributions of his team mates. The runners-up were skipped by James Cheng of KBGC who had teamed up with Hannah Smith from Wales and our Josephine Lam and Peter Chow – well done all!Thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, all the arrangements, the Correctional Services Band and Piper, the food and beverages as well as the prizes, were all of the highest quality.So given the outstanding success of this event I am sure there will be intense pressure from all Section members to ensure this becomes an

annual event – over to you Chairman!Thanks again, Roger Nissim”

The event began on Tuesday 2nd December with a Meet the Players Evening at the Sportsman’s Bar back patio at which the 96 players were drawn into 24 teams of two men and two ladies each bearing the unique name of a flower. Initially, 16 overseas men and 14 ladies had planned to attend the function; however, due to the closure of Bangkok Airport, the Thailand bowlers had to drop out at the last minute.

LAWN BOWLS

Classic Mixed Fours, The Players

Donald draws Ali as his skip

Shirley Ou welcomes Kerry O’Rilley of Canada to join her Tulip Team

January 2009 ��

Lawn Bowls

Also competing in the event were 23 men and 18 ladies from the Club, with the remainder of the 96 bowlers being invited from local bowling clubs.

The morning of wednesday the 3rd December began with an Opening Ceremony to the music of the Correctional Services Department’s 221st Scout Marching Band with a Piper to lead in the Chairman and the President of HKLBA to officially declare the tournament Open.

The winning team, Cosmos, was well balanced consisting of Angela Chau from Club de Recreio as lead, Club’s Tammy Tham and Donald Wu plus the current world Ranked No 2, Ali Forsyth of New Zealand. In the semi-final, they easily edged out Nicotiana by 13-1. Nicotiana was skipped by Elizabeth Cormack of the Hong Kong Team with Club’s Pat lai, Linda Pek of Lawn Bowls Training Centre and CP So of Filipino Club.

Ali Forsyth led his team well and won the Final by 14-2 to capture the first Hong Kong Football Club Classic Mixed Fours Trophy and the HK$8,000 cash prize.

The tournament ended with a social gathering in the Restaurant, to present the prizes and to thank our major sponsor, one of our very keen bowlers, for his generosity and also to thank the organising sub-committee for staging a very successful event.

The format of play was the same as in past years. with 7 games of 8 ends played consecutively on the Indoor and then on the Outdoor Green on the first day it became a real test of bowling skills and stamina. But this year our Happy Chairman was relieved of his normal duties of directing matters and allowed to play in the competition. with the help of two local ladies, Winnie Au from the Club and Elisa Cheung representing China, and even more help from Ken Chan representing Hong Kong, his team, Poppy, almost managed to qualify for the semi finals.

Let’s bowl to the music!!!

The serious bit

Happy Chairman and his Poppy Team

Concentration by current World No 1 Safuan Said of Malaysia

Joint 2nd runners-up Nocotiana, Elizabeth, CP, Linda and Pat

In the other half of the semi-final, the winner was Pansy, skipped by James Cheng of Kowloon Bowling Green Club with Hannah Smith of wales and Club’s Josephine lam and Peter chow. They defeated Hibiscus (Club’s emmie Wong and roger nissim, plus Daphne Leung of KBGC and Fairul Izwan Abd Main of Malaysia) to move to the final.

Roger with his Hibiscus Team, the joint 2nd runners-up

The bowling continued for the next 10 days at the Hong Kong International Bowls Classic 2008, with some exciting results in the Singles and Pairs competitions which will be featured in next month’s magazine. Photos are currently displayed on the HKLBA website: www.hklba.org

The Winners Cosmos Team, Ali, Donald, Thammy amd Angela

The 1st Runners-up Pansy Team, James, Peter, Hannah and Josephine

The organising sub-committee, Bernard Young, Johnny Tsang, Cyril Leung, Rita Tsui, C M Chan and Grandy Lui

�� January 2009

Charles PoultonHockey Chairman

Chairman’s CommentsDear All

Looking back on the first half of the season it has been particularly pleasing to see so many of you from all teams

supporting our Tuesday and Thursday coaching evenings as well as many Friday sessions for some teams too. I think it’s fair to say that even after this short time most teams have seen the benefit of a more organized approach to training so far this season. In return you, the members, have responded fantastically well by making space in your hectic schedules to attend training each week and to turn out for the matches. So many of your have clearly committed more of your time to your hockey so far this season than before and I believe you have been able to get a lot more out of the sport, the Section and the Club in return. As we move into the New Year and the second half of the season let’s keep this momentum going right through to your last league game and through to the knockout cup competitions. As always, if there is anything you want to do differently with your team at coaching let your Captain or Simon chapman know; there are plenty of alternatives available that will

HOCKEY

The Men’s A team has had a solid start to the season, remaining undefeated after 6 rounds. Top of the list for spectacular was the opening match against Valley A, where the boys unleashed a 9 goal spanking on the visitors. Right from the beginning of the season there was an expectation that the A team could produce some entertaining hockey, but this certainly set the bar very high. Indeed it has been difficult to replicate the quality for 70 minutes in other match since, but there has been nothing short of crowd pleasing moments almost every week the A’s play. Perhaps the most entertaining has been the double header against Pakistan, which have produced draws on both occasions.

Men’s A team ReportThe first encounter was a 5-5 spectacular, the Club team hitting the front with a few minutes left to play, only to concede with moments left. The second was a reverse scenario, coming back from 1-3 to tie the match in the dying moments.

Off the field there has been plenty of action too! Yes… of the coupling variety. It goes to say, the A team boys are pretty much in good spirit after their positive start to the season. Away from the pitch you’ll often find members of the A team competing in: triathlons, golf tournaments, on the squash court, in wan Chai, at the Sportsman’s, in wan Chai, and pretty much anywhere else where sport,

women, and beer can be found.

Special congrats go to Stewart for the birth of his first son. To Will for announcing that he too will become a father next year. To Tom for playing 20 minutes of hockey so far this season… way to go Skipper.

To all the Dutchies for seeing the light and joining the best Club in town… ps, they’re not that bad actually. To Brad, firstly as he will also become father to a second child next year, for getting more playing time than he ever would have expected, and for finally remembering to wash his kit and to take his hockey stick home. To Douglas for being a typical arrogant Frenchman…

tournaments at the Club this year. we have also introduced half-season rates for Youth and Mini players who wish to join our programme in the New Year for the half season, please see the website for more details or email [email protected] For all of you who currently send your children to Hockey programme elsewhere please consider a return to the Club in the New Year and please let your schools and friends know that we are able to take new players for the second half of the season!

A quick word on SUPPORT, please do keep watching the website and watching your email for news of the BIG MATCHES over the weekend. we’ve had some really good numbers down to support at the weekends and we’ve rewarded with some outstanding and memorable hockey matches: I’d like to see that support both continuing and growing into the New Year. Loud and enthusiastic support from the stand for our top men’s and ladies teams makes a huge difference to them on the day in the heat of the battle. Let’s get down there and let our teams know what we expect of them - victory boys and girls, nothing less!

Lastly, my thanks for the first half of the season go to all the members both on and off the committee who have let me know their thoughts and ideas either verbally or in writing in an effort to continue to improve our Section both on and off the pitch. Please keep talking, keep writing and if you haven’t done already then let us know your thoughts on what to do in 2009; we’re all ears.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.

Charlie Poulton.

allow us to tailor the coaching to individual teams or even to the individual via one to one sessions or small group sessions; all you need to do is ask.

In February we have tours to Bangkok and Singapore and we will have local tournaments here at the Club over CNY and Easter probably in a new ‘super 6’ style format. You are all encouraged to join us on tour so please don’t be shy and get in touch with your Captains or through the website if you’d like to come on these tours.

In January (13th and 19th), the HKHAUS is holding more umpiring courses at the Club so please register for those. It is our intention to get as many of our players qualified to umpire as practically possible. There are a number of reasons for this, but the underlying two reasons are that you will player better hockey if you know the rules (no really, you will!) and the Section does not have enough umpires to fulfill its commitments across the Men’s and Ladies hockey match schedule.

After a very successful Development Hockey tournament in early December (see report) we intend to hold more Development (Youth and Mini)

January 2009 ��

Hockey

The Es, coming down from division 2 last year, started the season confidently - 10 minutes into our first game, our best move of the year so far culminated in Steve Bruce delivering a reverse stick fizzer into the oppositions backboard. Unfortunately - from that moment on- injuries, a lack of form, recriminations, calls for the managers head (there is no manager), Changing Room bust ups, nasty white stained vests used as kit and one particularly disturbing bandanna have served to hinder the obvious class that lurks within our squad. No doubt we have fine players - 3 from Malborough College, wiltshire, England, that bastion of elitist hockey excellence. we have Mike Button, whose silky skills have surely been enjoyed by every team the Club has to offer. we have steely

Men’s E team Report

The H’s have had a good start to the season currently holding down a mid table position with games in hand. The 5th division league is an interesting one with a handful of weaker teams and the Lion’s share made up of a similarly matched opposition.

with a mixture of legends (3 former Section Captains), youth (this year we have 4 players in our squad under 40) and experience the H’s have gained momentum from a number of early draws to playing entertaining hockey which has resulted in a

Men’s H team Report

with the first half of the season almost over the B’s couldn’t have done much better having won all of their 5 games. The season opened with a 5-3 win against the Dutch a good result considering our slow start and their dangerous attacking options. The following week another typical B’s first half ensued, letting Elite take the lead. The second half proved a different affair with some great hockey being played, and the club winning 5-2 despite both Jasper and Murph being yellow carded. Wongy also showed his inability to keep his legs together, letting a reverse stick snail paced ball trickle through him. The KCC match

Men’s B team Reportwas memorable for everything apart from the hockey: Beeks sending toys flying out of the pram and getting skips sent off in the process; post-match loofah giving everyone a reason to call him Loofah and inability to use a washing machine (they don’t have those in Liverpool); Murphy also somehow managing to gain 200 pounds in weight between the changing rooms and the Sportsmans.

Finally, versus Valley B’s, there was some noteworthy hockey on display with a conclusive 5-1 victory. Goals from Skips, Murph and Dobbsy ensured a great result. This form continued with a 5-0 win over

Recreo in spite of goalkeeper wongy almost missing the start. Apparently, avoiding gunfire in Bangkok is easier than traffic in Hong Kong….

The B’s hope to continue this run of form into the remainder of the year with matches against the Vets and Club C’s to follow. Many thanks must go to rik for his organization along with Zen like teachings of the way to play “foreplay and “Alzheimer hockey”. Thanks must also go to ravi for his fantastic organisation of the outfits for this year’s Christmas party and future social events for the B’s.

determined men at the back, including gilson chua, who rarely speaks, which only serves to add to the legend and aura he engenders at CB, and we have Martin Harris, ex captain, tactician and proponent of “360” hockey. In midfield we have all enjoyed new boy Alfred chan’s (who incidentally is also a referee and has young child) methodical dribbling, and welcomed oliver Spensleys commitment to the fitness side of the game, but not his ability to hit the ball straight. we depend on Es stalwarts Andy k, rob B, oscar c, Julian S and the irrepressible DT to provide the fleshy backbone of our team, and all of us to a man pray that Tim cairns will finally get the massage he needs and come off the injury bench. we remain mid table at this stage of the season, with a goal difference

of 1. we have beaten league leaders (the Police) 5-1, but only managed to draw with league trawlers (Valley E). Hockey is our game but inconsistency is also our game, and until one of us manages to work out where Matt Truman is going with the ball, or where his wooshy push pass might end up, we shall remain mired in mediocrity, forever second guessing ourselves in long post match analysis in the bar (thank you San Miguel) - which is not such a bad thing. To end on an upbeat note your captain has a plan and is confident we can go unbeaten in the second half of the season, reprising our competition in division 2 with the Ds next year. Oh, and thanks to Chappie - some useful tips there.

+17 goal difference after our first 9 games.

A few insights into our winning formula: our defence marshaled by nick Hunsworth and Alan Powrie is one of the most miserly in the division, at under a goal a game this provides the foundation for the teams success. A chaotic midfield does its best to transition defence into attack and when playing our preferred 4 man forward formation we have been a challenge for all our opposition. with David lloyd’s purple patch of multi-goal games including two hat-tricks and some good interplay by other

forwards including neville Watkins, nigel Mukherjee and Mark kan we have an attacking line up that is worth the price of admission alone.

Tough games ahead will determine if we can translate early season success into promotion contention, but what ever happens it is fair to say that we are enjoying our hockey and providing entertainment to the small crowds that follow the 5th division. By Darren Morris Captain H’s

comes in very handy at left back. To Piechart for keeping up the ‘international relations’… and to everyone else… there’s

always the next issue.

It goes without saying that the A Team had a brilliant time at the Christmas Party

(hindsight will no doubt tell more tales… watch this space)!

�� January 2009

Hockey

It’s not often the Club gets to play against visiting teams, so it was with great excitement and anticipation that the Ladies A team looked forward to playing against the touring team from Japan’s Keio University.

This year the University celebrates its sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary. As part of that celebration, the women’s hockey team ventured on a tour to Hong Kong. The university has a long and proud tradition of excellence and is regarded as one of the finest tertiary institutions in Japan.

The match promised to deliver something exciting, and it did. Just moments into the first half, Keio went on the attack, aggressively searching for an opening goal. They worked the ball into the D with powerful passes, targeting runners for deflection goals in front of the Club net. It was only due to sound goal keeping from claire Archer, quick clearances from the defensive team, and a little luck, that Keio were unable to score.

Following these early scares, the Club team tried to manoeuvre itself into a stronger position and to assert it’s own dominance on the game. This proved difficult, largely due to the frenetic

pace of the game, and also due to the sound defensive structure of the Keio side. However, by quickly working the ball around the back line, the midfield were finally able to find some space and were able to make some telling passes through to the attacking line. Great combinations started to form and Club managed

to get some quality shots on goal. The Keio keeper was up to the task however, and going into the half time break the scores were level at 0-0.

The second half was to provide much of the same action… exciting end-to-end hockey, dynamic leading combined with wonderful passing, some solid, physical, defensive tackling, and chances for both teams to score. It was the Club side though who found the net with a clever through ball from skipper Katy Mountain, to the unmarked Fran Sutton wide of the goalkeeper.

nicholas Studholme-Wilson (from B squad who is also the Men’s Membership Secretary) and his wife for the birth of Minnie Anne Studholme-Wilson on 18 August 2008. Dad must be the happy man taking the photo with a big smile on his face!

Congratulations to …

As the A team ladies begin to wind down for the Christmas holidays, they can look back positively on the start of their 2008/09 season. The A’s will begin the second round with a clean sheet after an unbeaten first round.

There is no denying that some score lines have not quite reflected the A team’s best abilities on the hockey pitch however, there are plenty of good points to carry forward and expand on in the second round. A tough and hard fought win against their own, the B team at the close of round one, has left the girls with nothing but determination, which they will take with them to their crunch match against KCC A at the start of the New Year.

Ladies A Team Report

Team space cadet

So as round one draws to a close, the only entertainment left to come in 2008 from the A team girls will be in the form of drunken antics. A number of people have their money on a certain newbie coming out of her shell at the Christmas Ball (after all, her last trip to the races saw her locking lips with a tall dark stranger – although she has played the alcohol amnesia card on this one and claims it never happened). Stay tuned! By Nicola Sawyer

Keio attacking penalty corner ready to strikeLara Bushe takes on Keio defender.

Members of the Keio University Team at the after match function.

Ladies A team vs Keio University Sunday 7 December 3:00pm at Club

January 2009 ��

Hockey

Mini Hockey Tournaments

Early December the Astro Pitch was filled to the brim by Mini Hockey players for two Mini Hockey Tournaments.

Due to the late start of last season, this was the first Club tournament in two years, so expectations were high!

The first tournament was the U12’s on the Friday afternoon. Fourteen teams of 7 players each in two divisions over three pitches, plus coaches, parents and volunteers. we were bursting at the seams!

But the hockey played was that of the highest calibre. Look out Mens’ and Ladies’ A-team players, you’ve got some competition for your places coming! But no need to panic just yet, it’ll be a few years before the players are allowed to play in the adult leagues!

The A team U12’s just missed out on the medals by goal differences, but got joint Player of the Tournament for rajiv kuruvilla. The B team U12 got bronze in their division. Both teams showed so much improvement from last season even coaches of other teams were talking about it. So, a round of applause for our U12’s, they did brilliantly!

If we thought the pitch could not get any busier than on the Friday, we were shown

otherwise when we held the U8’s and U10’s tournament. Forty teams in six divisions on eight pitches. Plus coaches, parents, siblings etc. About 500 people were milling about on the pitch with 200 children playing hockey at any one time!

The U8’s played very well, the littlest ones in the B’s just missing out on the medals by one goal. But the supporters, your parents were, and are, immensely proud of how you played. well Done! The A’s had very tough opposition, but made all of us proud by their incredible fighting spirit. This brought out the best in Victoria Barker, who won Player of the Tournament in the U8’s Division 1. well done to you and your team!

The U10’s did not have a bad morning either. If we all thought that the results we had in the Valley tournament were good, these almost paled into insignificance compared to the ones we got at the Club. The B’s and C’s won bronze in division 2 and 3 respectively, while the A’s won silver, scoring an incredible 11 goals during the tournament. There wasn’t an U10’s parent at the Club who was not grinning and brimming with pride!

well done to all our teams and players, you did all of us very proud – again!

The tournaments could not have run as smoothly as they did without all the volunteers who turned up and announced, time-kept, managed, trouble-shot and umpired for one or both of the tournaments. However much I would like to mention all of you by name, there just isn’t enough room. You know who you are and we, the organizers and the kids would like to thank you thank you THANK YOU very much!

Secret Diary of a Hockey Girl

Her clinical finish put the girls in front and would prove to be valuable, as it was to be the only goal scored in the match.

As the dying moments of the game unfolded, Club was called upon to defend determinedly. In point of fact, they really had to work hard to compete throughout the entire match. whilst Keio were to lose by the solitary goal, they could be very proud of their performance. For many of the Keio girls, this was only their second or third year playing competitive hockey. In typical Japanese fashion, they had sound fundamental skills, incredible discipline, were very well organized, and demonstrated excellent communication on and off the field. The Club side was more

than impressed with their performance. Equally, the Keio girls thoroughly enjoyed the contest, and whilst disappointed to lose, were very eager to find out how to improve and were quick to invite the Club team to a rematch, hopefully in Japan.

Our thanks goes to the Yasumasa Suzuki, Head Coach of the Keio University women’s Hockey Team, his staff, and of course all the players. Thanks also to the HKHA for assisting in the organization of the Keio University Anniversary tour, and to all the volunteers and staff at Club who made the event possible. Lastly to the Club team for making us all proud, we solute you, and on a side note, continue their unbeaten season.

owing to lack of space this month, the diary has moved to the website at www.hkfchockey.com <http://www.hkfchockey.com>

�� January 2009

Netball NewsTarne Usback,Division Chairperson

Comments from the Chair

welcome back ladies to round 2 of Netball. I hope everyone had an enjoyable yet restful and peaceful festive season with family and friends where ever in the world you may have been.

we certainly needed a rest considering the busy time we had in the few weeks before Christmas both on and off the court. From a competition perspective the teams truly have put in a maximum effort with every match. The current team rankings are a testament to the hard work and tenacity of both the players and our Coaching and Physiotherapy team. The latest rankings see in Division 1 Club placed 2nd and Typhoons in 5th. From there is gets even better, Division 2 whirlwinds are in 1st, Division 3 Tornadoes are in 1st and in Division 4 Hurricanes and Cyclones are undefeated in 1st and 2nd place respectively. Probably the most exciting game for the two Division 4 teams will occur when they play each other. At the time of writing this has not occurred but suffice to say I am sure it will be a nail biting match, when it happens!

From a social perspective we were encouraged to get the men of Hong Kong to take off their shirts for the Scavenger Hunt. A challenge the ladies surely found fascinating especially if they could track down an appealing specimen. It was great to see our newest team, the Cyclones, claim the title for this event.

The Christmas Party theme of the Roaring 20s was inspired and the teams really went all out in the costume stakes. The adjacent photos give some indication to the fun we had. To see 13 Charlie Chaplin look-a-likes was fantastic. Thank you to kirsty Hutt and Jess lavender for the planning and coordination of the event. A special mention must go to Wilma Donnelly, a member of the Cyclones team for donating some marvellous spa prizes on the night.

A reminder that we have team photographs before your training sessions on wednesday 14th January so don’t forget your playing kit.

I have my fingers crossed for the last four months of the season if we continue the way we are currently going we shall bring in the biggest silverware haul to date. It is a testament not only to the quality of player we have at the Club but also the calibre and dedication of our coaches and the hard work of the committee. I know I should probably save the accolades till the season is officially over but I just can’t help it guys we are doing so well. Congratulations and keep it going!

NETBALL

Match ReportsMonday 3th november 2008: Tornadoes (22) vs A P emus (11)

Even though the result gives the impression of an easy win again for Tornadoes in reality it was anything but! As usual we had a great turnout of 11 players with everyone attending the match getting a game. The first half was very close with the score going goal for goal to each team. At one point they were so close that they were treading on each other’s toes! Anyway we persevered and at half time it was 10 - 8 to Tornadoes. As coach instructed we made changes with lynette and Sarah taking over defence after a strong first half from Mel and nicky. After the third quarter the score was now 11 - 10 to us. The Tornadoes then charged ahead goal after goal to make the win look easy!

By Michelle Cairns

Monday 3th november: Hurricanes (16) vs Valley Jaguars (14)

After last weeks bruising I don’t think the Hurricanes had fully recovered! The first quarter was very close with only a goal difference between us. we weren’t really playing to our usual standard and for whatever reasons we didn’t seem to get control of the game. In the second quarter we let a lot of sloppy and nervous passes literally slip through our fingers.

After a few positive words from Amanda at half time we were back in the mood to win and started to play our way. we started to feed the shooters from all angles- really trying to make our passes accurate and get lesley and Darien in the best goal scoring position. Special mentions for Becky and Harry who both really gave it their all and helped turn the game around. we managed to maintain possession in the final quarter to go 2 goals ahead. Valley put up a very good fight, making this one of the most exciting games to date. It was very physical but a lot of fun, a good hard challenge and again another great victory! Still unbeaten! Go Hurricanes!

By Ariana Bahrami

Monday 10th november: HkFc cyclones (23) vs Hku (22)

An incredible match against HKU saw the Cyclones pull off a fantastic late victory. HKU were very experienced – potent in attack and solid in defence – and whilst the Cyclones struggled at first, they improved as the game went on. Gradually gaining the upper hand, and finishing strongly with a deserved win in the last minute.

A fantastic match in which both teams played outstandingly well, with the Cyclones showing great spirit and tremendous teamwork to run out as narrow winners seconds before the final whistle.

January 2009 ��

Netball

Monday 24th november: club (37) vs. Hang Tang (8)

with six Club players plus Siobhan up from Typhoons, we faced Hang Tang for a 9.00pm game. with a sluggish first quarter Club (7-4) and a few choice words from our coach during the quarter break we woke up for a strong second (22-5) and third (32-6) quarter. Although we did not finish with a strong fourth quarter we finished with an end score of 37-8. with a team of 7 and no players on the bench we were grateful for no injuries from a scrappy game although clare chapman did her best to take out the opposition with a few minutes to go! Club have still to regain their form which allowed them to beat Valley a few weeks ago but we will take the win.

Monday 24th november 2008: Whirlwinds (37) vs Hkcc griffins (6)

whilst the whirlwinds remain unbeaten, our performance last week was not up to our usual standard. This week, it was decided that actually warming up might improve our performance! So following a warm up and a quick pep talk before the match, the whirlies were raring to go. The team communicated well and brought the ball down the court with better timing and precision.

Goal circle play was controlled and Frances (GA) was, without a doubt most valued player, offering great positioning and seemingly effortless shooting, bringing the match score to 37-6 to whirlies at end of play. elaine (GS) was an asset to the team with her combination of strength and movement in and around the circle.

Ridiculously fit triathlete Jenny (C), Janie (wA) and Frances

(GA) brought the play through court with good pace and balance. Wandy (wD) maintained her excellent form as a key floating defence, with unexpected and effective intercepts.

claire kelly (GK) pressured the shooter, only allowing a minimum of ball play in the circle, and maintaining excellent intercepts and communication with Vanessa (GD) to ensure ongoing pressure and tight marking throughout the game.

The play in this match reflected whirlie’s strength on court and superior fitness in all positions, allowing precise and consistent play throughout the match. The game play was further improved by the ongoing support between players on and off court, making the game good fun with great team spirit!

Vanessa Elliott (GD, Captain)

Monday 1st December: Typhoons (47) vs Valley Panthers (30)

Never the fixture you look forward to. Typhoons put in probably their best team performance to hold their own and record a very respectable score line Vs the reigning Champions. An excellent and winning first quarter lent confidence with sharp shooting and great positional play form both shooters, Ali Smith and the ever improving Anna chadwick. Typhoons competed throughout the match and challenged in all areas of the court. Tarne usback and kiri edwards showing what great team players they are by sharing the unfamiliar wD (you never would’ve known they are both shooters! A great match to precede our important next and final fixture of this year vs the Aussies.

Our newest team for the Netball DSA, the Cyclones were split into two teams for this event…one half of the team managed first place arriving back at the Club with absolutely every single item necessary in tow. The 2007 champions the Typhoons still managed a place in the top 4 and created quite a sight as they ran the event in platinum blonde wigs. Two members of the winning team lauren Flannery and eleanor creighton describe their impressions of the event.

Scavenger Hunt Champions Report

Last years winners- Typhoons This years winners- Cyclones

“The scavenger hunt was a team building exercise, where we had to run around Hong Kong, doing all sorts of crazy things such as making an old Chinese man take his shirt off, in the middle of Victoria Park on a cold night. we also snuck onto the star ferry, stopped a police man for a photo, jumped onto a mini bus, got the driver to take the photo then jumped off. Overall it was an exciting and rewarding experience, and really helped with our team bonding. I can’t wait to do it again next year and defend our title.”

�0 January 2009

Netball Christmas Party.... Step back to the 1920s!

Netball

January 2009 ��

19th Hole with the Chairman

Andy Ho, Golf Society Chairman

Happy New Year to all of you and I hope you had a great time enjoying the seasonal festivities with plenty of golf.

So, 2009 is upon us and the Golf Society has been busy arranging some upcoming fixtures. we will have the fixture list for 2009 posted on the notice board as soon as it is available. The Club Championship for best gross stroke play at KSC North on January 16th will tee the new year off, and will be closely followed by another two outings on February 6th and 20th for Hong Kong and China golf courses. we have tentatively scheduled the President vs Chairman’s Cup on March 29th. So, plenty of golf to look forward to! Please also check our website http://www.hkfcgolf.com for further details.

we will be doing two tours in April (Easter Holiday) and October 2009. whilst no clear preference for where to go has been formed at this moment in time all suggestions are welcome.

In closing, may I take this opportunity, on behalf of the GS committee to wish you all Kung Hei Fat Choy for the upcoming Year of the Ox.

On the lovely morning of the 20th of November, 31 members and guests golfers went on the trip to Palm Island resort in China for a round of golf. we set off around 7am from the Club and arrived the Golf club at 9.30am, enough time to get ready to start the round. As it was a two tees start, we all managed to finish just a bit over 4 hours.

Nearest pins winners for the day were - raymond ching with 2 prizes, lin chee Fung and irene yim.

Longest drive men went to craig Murdoch and ladies prize won by Florence Wong.

Best stableford men prizes won by raymond ching with 37 points and craig Murdoch came second scored 28 points.

Best stableford for ladies won by irene yim scored an incredible 40 points (she claimed she just had a good day! ) and lydia Tsui with 38 points (OCB) came second.

Over all it was a great day out and congratulations to all winners again!

Palm Island EventGOLF

TEN PIN BOWLING

The Bowling Interest Group held a Christmas Bowling Tournament on December 11th, with 13 Members competing for four trophies in two separate classes. Ladies were granted 30 pins handicap towards their three game total. Vincent kwan was Overall Champion with a total score of 487, against Anto grabo with 478. christine cheung, the ladies champion in the July Bowling Tournament, won the Game Points trophy, ahead of Lawn Bowls coach Bernard young. The B.I.G. will commence its 2009 League on Thursday evenings, and all Members are welcomed to join.

Bowling Interest Group committee members with the trophy winners of the Christmas Bowling Tournament 2008

Christmas Bowling Tournament

�� January 2009

Tennis Update A Glorious October

For the Mens Doubles, it was our best season ever. HKFC 1, led by Job Tang, came runners-up in its group, whilst HKFC

2 captained by greg Brutus just missed out on making the playoffs with a joint 3rd position in its group. Amongst the Ladies Morning League teams, Captain, elaine Butterfield’s Division 2’s team managed a stellar end to the season by pummeling its way into fourth position. well done to all our league players. Keep up the good work.

island challenge cupOn a beautiful day at the end of November, various denizens of the Tennis Society made their way to the Country Club to fight for the glory of the Football Club in the Island Challenge Cup. Captained on the men’s side by our Gallic Terminator, Philippe Bonval, and on the ladies side by Mulan-spirited Mary kwan, the team set out in high spirits and high hopes. Meeting last year’s holders of the cup, the Ladies Recreation Club and then this year’s eventual winners in the Country Club in the

morning session made for a difficult start, but the tide started to turn in the early afternoon with our first set win against the Cricket Club, when last-minute substitute graham ormerod and his partner, lobber extraordinaire, ong yoke Ming, annihilated their much stronger opponents with a mix of craftiness, flukes and a rain of killer blows.

The team next faced the might of the Jockey Club’s A and B players. with the first taste of victory in the team’s mouth, Captain Philippe and emma Pike strode out onto court – losing was not an option. The Jockey Club had expected an easy win, but they were absolutely no match for our souped up first pairing. Emma’s precision and deft handling of the ball combined with Philippe’s super-sonic serve and pin-point strokes left the opposition flummoxed and demoralized. Likewise the hard-hitting natalie Stevenson and her partner, the athletic liya cammareri, pulverized the opposition in their doubles match and the match against the Jockey Club was won

with the third coupling of captain Mary and a revved-up eric Tsea, who romped home to victory. A special thanks also goes to Winston leung, who was elevated on the day to the A pairings; his killer serves and gung-ho kill’em-at-all-costs attitude was a credit to the team.

It was an excellent day of very competitive, social tennis and great fun was had by all. we’ll be there next year looking to do better. well done to all the players and a big thanks to the Captains for the hard work put in both on the day and in the all important run-up to the competition.

Handicapped Social competitionwe had an excellent turn-out for the first Tennis Society sponsored, but coach-arranged social competition. The format was based on a handicap for each player, but the maths was a little too complicated for most players so early on a Sunday morning. This left most of the matches being played on slightly different understandings of the scoring system, but as is normal in these kinds of situations, our players just got on

TENNIS

Captain Philippe gets tips for the Island Challenge from the Greats

Philippe and Emma, Eric and Mary victorious against the HKJC Dorothy Tang - winner of the Handicap Challenge

The Ladies in Red outshine at the Island Challenge The morning team for the Island Challenge Cup Graham and Yoke Ming beat the Cricket Club

Natalie and Liya conquer the Jockey Club

January 2009 ��

FROM YOUR TENNIS COACH

Happy New Year to all Members of the Club. Tennis is a great sport for everyone to play. You can get great exercise playing tennis and it is a great way to enjoy an hour or two with your friends for some competitive fun. If you need a lesson to enhance your game then call the coaches today. we believe we can help anyone get better. You will always walk away from a lesson feeling as though you have learned something new to help you become more comfortable with your game. Remember that tennis is a technical sport, which takes practice to improve. Playing once a week will not help improve your game. So take a lesson to improve your strokes, balance and footwork. Then play with some friends once a week or even twice if your schedule allows. It’s important to try to improve. Sometimes when learning something new, you can go down first before you go up and see your improvement, but in the end you will be a much better player with confidence.

I would like to welcome a New Tennis Coach to our staff and to the Club. Her name is chattida Thimjapo. This, I believe, is our first woman tennis coach to the Club. This is exciting for the Club and the tennis programme. Chat has experience to help anyone improve. She was a former top hundred junior in the world and an established wTA professional tour player. Chat also has

Adam Doyle - Head Tennis Coach

been very successful in Hong Kong tournaments each year. She comes to us from the Hong Kong Country Club where she helped a lot of clients become better players including both adults and juniors. Chat was also a high-level coach at the Hong Kong Tennis Association where she was a full time coach and travelling coach with some top-level juniors. Chat has the experience to help you with your game. Call the Tennis Desk today and ask for a lesson. I am happy to be working with Chat and believe the two of us will make a great team, which will benefit everyone. we look for your support in making Tennis at the Club better so please call us today and book a lesson or sign your kids up to join our Junior Programmes.

we will also be trying to hold a Tennis Pizza night for all juniors once or twice a month. Competitive matches between each other will be held on the night. Hopefully our younger kids who are not at the level to play matches yet can sign up too as we will try to have fun coaching for them with some active drills and games. Each night finishes with a prize hitting game, where all kids can win prizes, and of course a pizza and drink to finish the evening. Sound like fun, then sign up. Look for our flyers around the Club.

Most Improved Junior: Dean DyusMost Improved Adult: Carmel Heffernan

Captain Won Lost Tied Bye Total Rank

Ladies Morning League

Premier A - Haj W 2 4 2 1 27 7 of 10

Div 2 - Elaine B 3 6 1 - 38 4 of 8

Div 4 - Yolanda S 1 6 - 1 20 8 of 9

Mens Evening League

Div D (1) - Job T 5 3 - - - Joint 2 of 9

Div D (2) - Greg B 6 2 - - - Joint 3 of 9

Tennis

with the game – nothing stops the fun at our events. The eventual winners, who were decided on overall scoring over the course of the morning, were: Dorothy Tang and eric Tsea. Our Head Coach, Adam

Eric Tsea - winner of the Handicap Challenge Fred Horsey - Runner-up at the Handicap ChallengeThomas Leung - Runner up in the Handicap Challenge

Doyle, who was master of ceremonies and the magnificent organizer of the event, presented the winners with souvenir prizes from the Nov 08 Shanghai Masters. Our competitions are open to all Members, but

please note that these are heavily sponsored events by the Tennis Society, if you wish to join in you are very welcome, but please come with the intention of joining the Tennis Society.

Chattida Thimjapo

�� January 2009

SWIMMING

It’s not often you get to romp across the meadows with a Swiss Goldilocks, swim against a chipmunk or race a man dressed as a

haggis around Happy Valley track, but that is what we offered competitors in our 2nd Extra Super Sprint Triathlon.

The team from IHP set the pace, not only in the race times area, but also in the suitable race attire department. At our next event we will definitely be rewarding those who are best dressed including frogs, bears, monkeys.

The swim was a master class from Michael church and Anne-Marie Munk who streaked ahead. It’s not often you get to swim with an Olympian in the pool. I was neck-and-neck with her at lap 3, after losing my goggles on the dive and was

The Second Extra Super Sprint Triathlon

Phuket Triathlon – 7th December 2008It was going to take more than the threat of closed airports and civil unrest to deny a determined bunch of Club Members a long weekend in the sunshine and a chance to compete in what many believe to be Asia’s finest triathlon event. The first Sunday in December was again the date for the annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon, this year attracting athletes from 38 different countries to take on a course consisting of a 1.8km swim, a 55km bike and a 12km run. Had athletes been required to enter any club affiliations when registering for the event, it is unlikely that any club would have been better

represented in the race than our Club, with at least eighteen Members aiming for a mixture of glory, pride and being able to carry off a lycra all-in-one with dignity intact.

The recent surge in numbers at Swimming Society’s Tuesday night sessions as well as Steve Bemet’s running and bike sessions would have suggested that a large team was preparing for an assault on the medals table, and preparation was indeed duly rewarded with success. For the girls at least. Brigitte niederberger, laura Walsh, claire chapman and Jenny Hill came home clutching elephant trophies for their Colin Hill – fastest Club athlete on

the day

chuffed to bits. Until it suddenly dawned on me I had been lapped already and she was pulling away. Michael clocked 4.58 for 400m with Anne-Marie 10 seconds behind.

On the bikes, South Island Rider’s (SIR’s) also turned on the speed with their shaved legs and the dead Elvis grin with Bruno lebeda (aka Le Frog) and Sophie le clue with the fastest times.

The run saw Brigitte “Goldilocks” Niederberger zip round with laura Walsh not far off the pace as 2nd woman covering 2.4km in around 10 minutes. rafael followed by Club’s colin Hill and Stuart elliott slotted in 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Men’s category.

Overall it was IHP who stole most of the thunder with their costumes and speed with the following winning teams:

1st Brave Heart and the Haggiss2nd A Monkey and 2 Frogs 3rd Goldilocks and only 2 Bears

we still have scope for improvement for the 2009 event in June but Steve Bemet, our race organizer who did a superb job and believes the next event will be even better with some new sponsors coming on board and tickets for the Vietnam and Lombok Tri events etc as well as an all-singing and dancing new trophy!

Many thanks to Julian from Sideline Sports, Kent wong from HK Trisports, Kwong from Bicycle world and Mike from No Tie Laces without which the Prize Ceremony would not have been so rewarding!

By Guy Horne

January 2009 ��

Swimming

Name Time

Colin Hill 2.43:44

Brigitte Niederberger 3.04:30

Steven Bemet 3.05:37

James Chapman 3.07:30

Laura Walsh 3.11:47

Claire Chapman 3.17:10

Ben Williams 3.18:25

Richard Sell 3.24:05

Chris Edwards 3.26:09

James Piachaud 3.29:15

Ali Chaudhry 3.29:32

Jenny Hill 3.32:33

Andrew Debnam 3.42:10

Claire Dicey 3.42:25

Matthew James 3.55:33

David Howell 3.56.03

Fraser Hern 4.00:01

Tori Pope 4.09:01

Sarah Wells 4.13:58

mantelpieces, whilst colin Hill was the only male representative to trouble the podium. The boys were probably not at their most competitive until the awards ceremony, when word went round that the free bar had only two minutes left to run, prompting many to show a turn of speed that had perhaps not been so evident earlier in the day.

Other personal triumphs of note include Steve Bemet, who somehow managed to be sitting on his return flight within two hours of crossing the finishing line

(presumably having eschewed such time-wasting non-essentials as removing his strange knee length granny socks and showering) and James Piachaud, whose ability to charm in any situation saw him line up a date with another athlete whilst still negotiating the run course. Congratulations though should go to everybody, with cool weather seeing PBs tumbling across the board and some fantastic personal achievements being just reward for many hours of hard training. Next year we shall go down with fifty!

Victorious Hong Kong team at the finishClaire Chapman and Jenny Hill in the prizes

�� January 2009

PHYSIOTHERAPY

water on the Knee

David Bayldon

Otherwise known as Prepatellar Bursitis.

In sports this is most commonly caused by a direct blow to the knee (e.g. you land hard on your knee or someone hits your knee with their thigh).

Other causes can be overuse, chronic friction (too much time spent kneeling), or infection.

What is it?Prepatellar bursitis is an irritation or inflammation of a bursa in your knee. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between tendons, bones, and skin.

There are several bursae in the knee. The prepatellar bursa is just in front of the kneecap near the attachment of the kneecap (patellar) tendon.

Prepatellar bursitis causes pain and swelling over the front of the knee. You may have pain when you bend or straighten your leg.

Treatment • Ice your knee for 20 to 30 minutes

every 3 to 4 hours for 2 or 3 days or until the pain goes away.

• wrap an elastic bandage around your knee to reduce any swelling or to prevent swelling from occurring.

• Anti-inflammatories (Check with your Doctor).

• Draining of some of the fluid within the bursa if it is very swollen.

• Injection of a corticosteroid medicine into the swollen bursa

• Leg stretching and strengthening exercises.

• Physiotherapy treatment will include other methods to reduce inflammation, as well as assessment and treatment of any mechanical causes of pain

Return to sport is determined by how soon your knee recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has occurred.

You may safely return to sport when,

• You can fully straighten and bend the knee without pain.

• Your knee and leg have regained normal strength compared to the uninjured knee and leg.

• The knee is not swollen or tender to touch.

• You are able to put pressure on the knee (kneeling) without pain or swelling.

• You are able to walk or jog straight ahead without limping.

In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your normal activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury.

PreventionPrepatellar bursitis is best prevented by avoiding direct blows to the kneecap area and by avoiding prolonged kneeling. Protective kneepads will help prevent inflammation of the bursa.

Surgical treatmentIn rare cases when swelling does not go away, or keeps recurring, and is causing intolerable symptoms, surgery may be necessary. The bursa may be removed as the knee joint can function without it.

Your knee has swollen up like a balloon. It feels a bit stiff and there is some pain over the kneecap. when you run around it can get worse but most of the time it doesn’t slow you down that much.

Don’t worry, you have Housemaid’s Knee……

infectionThe fluid in the prepatellar bursa sac can become infected. This may follow a cut, scratch or injury to the skin on the surface of the knee allowing bacteria into the bursa. This will need to be treated possibly with antibiotics – see your Doctor

return to sport. Everyone recovers from an injury at different rates. Recovery time depends on the severity of the injury, your age, health, and if you have had a previous injury. The pain from prepatellar bursitis is usually gone within a few weeks although there may be painless swelling for up to several months.

January 2009 ��

DVD and BOOK LIBRARY

The follow up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher

Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/ Bruce wayne in his continuing war on crime. with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective. But soon the three find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning from Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

THe DArk knigHT

MoVie oF THe MonTH Top 10 DVDS

STEPBROTHERS

KUNG FU PANDA

HELLBOY II -THE GOLDEN ARMY

IRONMAN

WANTED

HANCOCK

ASTERIX AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA -PRINCE OF CASPIAN

WAR,INC.

YOU DONT MESS WITH THE ZOHAN

low re

Kung Hei Fat Choy - Hong Kong Football Club

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