bc magazine

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Opens in Hong Kong on 17 December, 2015

The Force Awakens, the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga opens in Hong Kong on the 17 December, one day before the US opening.

The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow.

Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt.

Megabites: The Fat Pig, Beefbar, A Slice of London

The Fat Pig
Gotta love the name, The Fat Pig by Tom Aikens (Shop 1105, 11/F Times Square, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2577 3444) opens on the 13 November. Using only local hormone free purebred free-range British Bath pigs from Wah Kee Farm in the New Territories. The menu will feature a pork-athoria of ‘ethically’ sourced dishes featuring you guessed it pigs. We’re looking forward to see what Tom does with bacon – although quality bacon served straight up will be fine. www.thefatpig.hk

Beefbar
Originating in Monaco in 2005, the last decade has seen the Beefbar expand to Moscow, Mexico, Luxembourg and now Hong Kong. The local outlet is conveniently located on the 2/F Club Lusitano, 16 Ice House Street, Central. Tel: 2110 8853. It’s website www.beefbar.hk showcases a menu stocked with beef from Australia, the United States and Japan served and prepared in a multitude of different ways. Not sure why you’d want to eat something other than beef in a restauant called beerbar but it does serve veal, chicken for those not so into bovine delights

A Slice of London
The sight of mainland tourists mingling with sharp dressed office workers ordering fish and chips in Chater Garden in Central is quite incongruous but that’s what you’ll find this week at ‘A Slice of London’. Better known as a location for rallies and protests, Chater Garden next to the recently renovated Court of Final Appeal has been transformed into a ‘pop-up’ UK High Street (minus the bookies, charity shops and traffic wardens). Ten English brands have pop-up shops for you peruse as you enjoy some quality English fish and chips from the The Chippy and a pint of cider. There are no soft drinks or coffee onsale, so bring your own.

For those in need of a selfie, there’s part of a London bus, a red English phone box and a post box. Spend $200 in any shop, get a postcard, drop the card in the postbox for a chance to win a flight to the UK.
A Slice of London @ Chater Gardens: 9-14 November, 2015 11am-10pm.

Decoding Privacy

In the twelve months since the Umbrella Movement’s street protests, one of the many topics now openly discussed locally is privacy, the right to privacy and personal data protection. Stories abound in the media, both locally and internationally, of people’s phone, text and email conversations being read, stolen, sold, published mis-used without their consent.

Among this increased awareness of privacy, locally Hongkongers are (too) slowly becoming aware of a need to protect their personal data. In the past everything about you from medical history, job resume, where you live, id card/passport numbers, bank details etc was stored on paper or digital files in separate boxes and computer systems in different buildings spread across the SAR. The emergence of the ‘cloud’ and the lax data security that many government departments and companies have in place mean that all this data is easily accessed by those who don’t have your best interests at heart.

As part of The Law Society of Hong Kong annual ‘Law Week’ privacy and decoding the importance of it figure prominently. While the discussions in “Teen Talk” section may be targeted to teenagers the information is pertinent to all – and it’s to be hoped that the Law Society will post the information and discussions online for all to peruse – especially with the spate of police prosecutions thrown out for fabricated evidence and personal data hijackings.

Aimed at enriching the legal knowledge of young people through discussions and sharing, while encouraging them to analyze law-related social issues from different perspectives. As the program, under the theme of “Decoding Privacy”, kicked off in over schools across Hong Kong Mr. Nick Chan, Council Member of The Law Society of Hong Kong said, “Teen Talk has been well received by teachers and students, and we are pleased to see that the number of participating schools hits a new high this year with 125 schools from 18 districts. Evolving from the previous all-day forum to a combined format with both physical and sedentary elements for this year’s programme, we hope the participants will enjoy the “Legal Scenario Play Competition” and the “Teen Talk Legal Knowledge Orienteering Race”. The former requires students to reflect on various real-life scenarios designed by the Law Society, including internet security, cyber-bullying, privacy issues, civil and criminal cases.”

He added, “The popularity of social media and smartphone applications may compromise the security of personal data, which young people (and many others) are seldom aware of and thus do not know how to protect their privacy. In the view of this, “Teen Talk 2015” adopted the theme of ‘Decoding Privacy’ to address the misunderstandings of young people on privacy and legal issues through discussions, and to remind them of the vulnerability of cyber space. We also want to enhance their awareness of public affairs and legal issues, and encourage them to apply what they have learnt to protect themselves and the others.”

As students of all ages have demonstrated over the last couple of years, they are the people most concerned about Hong Kong and its future. The legal system and specifically it’s impartiality is a cornerstone of that future. But so is understanding your legal rights, protecting your privacy and sadly video recording all interactions with the police. It’s to be hoped that “decoding privacy” will help people understand the value of their personal information and the need to protect their digital privacy just as much as they do their physical privacy.

Hayat and Carter Shine in Historic England Clash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 8 November, 2015

Sunday Championship
The HKCA Dragons made their much-awaited debut in the Sunday Championship against HKCC Optimists at Hong Kong Cricket Club. The hosts opted to bat after winning the toss and they powered their way to a total of 8/335 from 50 overs, largely through the efforts of George Clarke (104), Michael Ashton (105) and Miles Richardson (41*). However, the Dragons’ bowlers will have been pleased with their first up effort as Ady Lee claimed 3/64 from ten overs while Sydney Sixers signee Ming Li picked up 2/63.

The Dragons reply got off to a promising start as they reached 1/66 when Damien Yee departed. Jonathan Foo and Ady Lee then added 76 runs for the third wicket before Foo was out for 77 with the score on 142. Ady went on to hit 47 but after his dismissal, the innings subsided quickly from 4/180 to 202 all out. Courtney Kruger destroyed the lower order as he picked up 5/31 from five overs.
At HKCC: HKCC Optimists 8/335 from 50 overs beat HKCA Dragons 202 from 32 overs by 133 runs.

At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Infidels thrashed Shaffi’s Vagabonds by 227 runs. Infidels won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener Harsh Jogani scored a superb 95 before retiring hurt in the 32nd over and was unable to continue his innings. Jogani shared a 157-run partnership with Ankur Vasishta who went on to score 75, while Muhammad Khan (54) and Najeeb Amar (43) continued the momentum as Infidels finished on 344.

The Vagabonds batsmen struggled throughout and they were eventually dismissed in 34 overs for 117. Only three Vagabonds batsmen managed to reach double figures with Indunil Susitha’s 29 their best. Najeeb Amar was the pick of the bowlers for Infidels, claiming 3/12 from four overs.
At KCC: KCC Infidels 344 from 47.5 overs beat Shaffi’s Vagabonds 117 from 34 overs by 227 runs.

At Mission Road, USRC/MCC defeated DLSWCC Knights by three wickets. The Knights batted first after winning the toss and they scored 163 all out in 47.1 overs with Haroon Arshad scoring 41 and Sarfaraz Khan 32. Three USRC/MCC bowlers claimed three wickets – Balal Mohammad was their best with 3/10 while Mohammad Awais picked up 3/35 and Mudassar Hussain claimed 3/32.

The USRC/MCC batting effort got off to a reasonable start but from 1/48, they slipped to 5/85 and then 6/108 with still plenty of work to do. Furqan Tahir steady the innings with an unbeaten 35 and USRC/MCC reached their target in the 48th over. Aftab Hussain did the damage with the ball as he picked up 3/29 off ten overs.
At MR: DLSWCC Knights 163 from 47.1 overs lost to USRC/MCC 7/164 from 47.4 overs by 3 wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 7 November, 2015

Saturday Championship Division 1
Saracens got the better of Tartars in a KCC derby match played at Kowloon Cricket Club. Unfortunately, rain curtailed proceedings with the match delicately poised and the result had to be decided using the run-rate calculators.

Saracens batted first after winning the toss and they reached 5/181 from their 35 overs with Deepinder Singh (41) and Ninad Shah (80) providing the bulk of Saracens’ runs. In reply, Tanveer Ahmed knocked the top off the Tartars batting order and from 3/8 they never recovered despite a valiant 51 not out from Miten Khatri. Tartars still needed 42 off the last four overs when the rain intervened and a run-rate calculation confirmed that Saracens were the winners. Tanveer finished with 3/14 from 5 overs.
At KCC: KCC Saracens 5/181 from 35 overs beat KCC Tartars 8/140 from 31 overs by superior run-rate.

Across the puddle at Wong Nai Chung Gap, CCC Jing Sun beat HKCC Gap Ramblers by 19 runs. The CCC boys batted first after winning the toss but they made a poor start and were reduced to 3/22. However a 91-run fourth wicket partnership between Mark Wright (88) and Stuart Henwood (23) bolstered their fortunes and further useful contributions by Chris Owen (34) and Christian Cook (31*) lifted them to an eventual total of 7/226.

The Gap Ramblers top order got their run chase away to a positive start with the openers putting on 53 for the first wicket while the next pair added another 55 runs. However, after that, wickets fell at inopportune times and their momentum stalled. Skipper David Varley was the top scorer with 49 while Raag Kapur scored 41 as Gap Ramblers were restricted to 7/207 in the end. Elliot Andrews was the pick of the CCC bowlers with figures of 4/51 off seven overs.
At HKCC: CCC Jing Sun 7/226 from 35 overs beat HKCC Gap Ramblers 7/207 from 35 overs by 19 runs.

In another close game, Pakistan Association overcame a spirited DLSWCC Sarjan team by 13 runs at Mission Road.

Pakistan Association batted first after winning the toss but they could only manage a total of 145, despite an opening partnership of 60. Daniyal Bukhari’s 30 was their best effort with the bat but the major contribution to their total came from extras with 43, courtesy of 31 wides. Muhammad Ali was the best bowler with 3/28 from his seven over spell.

In reply, DLSWCC lost two of their top batsmen with only 12 runs on the board and then slumped to 5/57. Sarfaraz Khan hit 31 in a 40-run sixth wicket partnership but the remaining batsmen couldn’t finish off the chase as then finished on 9/132.
At MR: Pakistan Association 145 from 33.1 overs beat DLSWCC Sarjan 9/132 from 35 overs by 13 runs.

Saturday Championship Division 2
Taipan CC made it five wins from five as they beat Laguna Gully by two wickets at PKVR Park.

Laguna Gully batted first after winning the toss and they scored 141 thanks largely to Abhishek Desai who scored 48. Jagmeet Brar claimed 3/19 and Mohammad Ali picked up 3/23 for Taipans.

Opener Zeeshan Haider scored 46 in Taipan’s successful run-chase, which was achieved in 27.1 overs – quick enough to earn them a bonus point. Laguna Gully’s skipper Murali Ganesan was the pick of their bowlers with 3/25 from 6.1 overs.
At PKVR Park: Laguna Gully 141 from 31.4 overs lost to Taipan CC 8/144 from 27.1 overs by two wickets.

USRC/MCC enjoyed a runs-feast at the Police Training College where they thumped CCC Hung See by 276 runs.

CCC Hung See won the toss and elected to field first. They then spent the next 35-overs chasing the ball around the park as the USRC/MCC batsmen dominated. Their openers put on 84 for the first wicket with Mohammad Awais dismissed for 36. The second pair added another 100 runs with Iftikhar Ahmed hitting 45. Umar Mohammad was third to fall with the score on 229, having scored 109. Sikander Zafar then smashed the bowlers in the remaining overs, scoring an unbeaten 103 out of the last 133 runs scored. At the end of 35 overs, USRC/MCC had reached a massive 5/352.

The CCC Hung See run-chase got off to a poor start with Michael Zheng dismissed without a run on the board. However, they put up a solid defensive effort against the USRC/MCC attack and managed to get through their innings with only six wickets down. Unfortunately, they could only muster 76 runs as the USRC/MCC bowlers reeled off eleven maiden overs. There were no scores of significance in the CCC Hung See innings but Henry Lam did bat out the full 35 overs for a Boycottesque 12 runs.
At PTC: USRC/MCC 5/352 from 35 overs beat CCC Hung See 6/76 from 35 overs by 276 runs.

HK Cricket Match Report, One-Day Premier League Final: DLSWCC v KCC – 31 October, 2015

Cricket is a game where the ability to handle pressure often means the difference between winning and losing. Just ask any of the eleven KCC cricketers that played in the Grand Final of the 2015-16 One-Day Premier League as they saw the title slip from their hands as they wilted in the face of unrelenting pressure applied by DLSW.

The forecast of rain later in the day may have prompted KCC skipper Waqas Barkat to elect to field after wining the toss. The rains never came but his decision to bowl first paid early dividends as both DSLW openers were dismissed within six overs with only 17 runs on the board. Both batsmen were caught behind the wicket – Jangzeb Khan by wicket-keeper Muhammad Khan for a duck and Anas Khan to a stunning grab by Ryan Campbell at first slip for 7 – off the bowling of Adil Mehmood, who bowled at good pace with the new ball. Babar Hayat, coming in at number four, chose to counter-attack in the 8th over, hitting the first four balls of Adil’s 4th over for three sixes and a four – the brutal assault effectively ending Adil’s bowling effort for the day.

Hayat and Waqas Khan added 51-runs for the third wicket with Hayat contributing 38, including five sixes and one four. However Hayat succumbed rather meekly in the end when he top edged a delivery from Najeeb Amar and was easily caught by Ninad Shah at mid-wicket. Waqas Khan scored a useful 34 and with Ehsan Khan, the pair added 39 runs for the fourth wicket. DLSWCC’s skipper Munir Dar joined the fray but he fell cheaply leaving his team on 5/117 in the 31st over. Ehsan and the remaining batsmen cobbled together another 90 runs but in the end, their eventual total of 207 looked well short of a par score. Ehsan was the top-scorer in the DLSW innings, with 43 from 60 balls while Imran Arif claimed the last four wickets to finish with figures of 4/38 from his ten over spell. Adil Mehmood, Najeeb Amar and Waqas Barkat picked up two wickets each for KCC.

The KCC reply got off to a poor start with talisman Irfan Ahmed holing out to Munir Dar at mid-off off the bowling of Niaz Ali in the third over. Irfan had already been given one life and his replacement, Kinchit Shah, was given three lives before finally nicking a catch to first slip off the bowling of Nadeem Ahmed for 13. Poor catching blighted the DLSWCC’s fielding effort and they grassed a staggering nine catches on the day.

Ninad Shah was joined at the crease by Ryan Campbell following the departure of his brother Kinchit in the 14th over. Ninad and Campbell batted superbly for 26 overs in a partnership worth 111 runs that looked to have sealed the game for KCC. But they were never able to dominate the DLSWCC’s bowling attack, which was changed regularly by skipper Dar. Nadeem Ahmed and Ehsan Khan hurried through overs in middle stages in an effort to disrupt the two KCC batters but it took a full toss to break the partnership as Ninad bunted a simple catch back to Nadeem in the 40th over. Ninad had batted beautifully to that point, hitting 70 from 131 balls, including three fours and one massive six that landed in the baseball ground.

With 56 runs needed from the last ten overs, and seven wickets still in hand, the game was KCC’s for the taking. Level heads and some sensible batting was all that was needed to take KCC to the title. But, as so often happens in pressure situations, KCC’s middle and lower order batting imploded. Ninad was followed quickly back to the pavilion by his skipper Waqas Barkat, who played a poor shot and was caught at long off by Waqas Khan for 0; Jamie Atkinson fell lbw to Ehsan Khan for 11 and Muhammad Khan holed out to Amandeep Singh for 10. With Campbell still at the crease, the odds were still firmly in KCC’s favour, but a horrible mix-up between him and Najeeb Amar saw Campbell run-out when taking an unnecessary second on a misfield. The throw came in from deep third man and Campbell was caught well short of his ground as the jubilant DLSWCC players celebrated, scarcely believing their luck. Campbell had scored 69 off 90 balls with six fours.

The DLSWCC bowlers kept things tight as the carnage continued. Imran Arif failed to keep out his first ball and was trapped LBW by Amandeep and then Najeeb top edged the first ball of the 49th over, bowled by Uzair Khan and was easily caught by Shahid Wasif behind the wicket. The batsmen crossed as the catch was taken, leaving Roy Lamsam on strike with last man Adil Mehmood coming to the crease. But it only took one more ball to finish the game as Uzair beat Lamsam’s defensive prod and the stumps were scattered. In an unbelievable finish, KCC had lost 7/45 in nine overs to finish all out for 197 and DLSWCC were victors by 10 runs. The wickets were shared amongst the bowlers with Ehsan Khan, Amandeep Singh, Nadeem Amed and Uzair Khan claiming two wickets each. The nine dropped catches were forgiven.
At Mission Road: DLSWCC Prism 207 from 49 overs beat KCC KARP 197 from 48.2 overs by 10 runs

Women’s 15s Match Report: Valley Reds 14-5 Gai Wu Fawkes – 31 October, 2015

Valley Reds played a tight game last Saturday at Happy Valley against Gai Wu Fawkes earning a hard fought 14-5 victory. The ladies have shown immense development over the first few games of the season and looked to continue to improve with lots of hard work on the training field. The Reds played with great confidence, exerting constant pressure and spending a large part of the first period camped in Gai Wu’s half. The team as a whole was more structured than last week as Carman Law (scrum half) and K Wong (centre) carried out set plays. With such a strong level of confidence and aggression, KK Wong (Captain) and Suzzane Stikko scored a try each – both successfully converted by Choi Ying Wong.

Gai Wu fought back playing more experienced players in the second half and thus putting more pressure in the scrums. The Fawkes also returned after the break with more structured play, which was fatal to Valley’s unorganized defense line, and scored its first try but with no conversion. Gai Wu was close to scoring a second try when Carman Law made a try-saving tackle. Valley were able to maintain the lead as the team reacted and improved it’s defensive line after a water break. The final whistle blew on a competitive game with the score 14-5 to the Reds.

Suzzane Stikko was voted as “Backs’ MVP” with her hard “go-forward” runs while Rigel Mo Ching Lam was voted as “Forwards’ MVP” as she displayed strong tackles and defence.

Valley Reds are looking forward to play against HK Scottish two weeks later, 4:30pm at Shek Kip Mei Park Sport Centre.

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