MIDDLEBURGH

MIDDLEBURGH HANDLES BALL

Little did I realise that writing posts extolling the virtues of Sports Tourism to HK, targeted at potential visitors from Cork would result in helpful content suggestions and questions from elsewhere....Where can I play "Ozzie Rules" in HK ....what about "Basketball"..... Does the NHS treat "American Football" injuries .... (For what its worth my American and Australian colleagues send their kids to play rugby at the weekend rather than their respective national brand of pointed ball "footie".)

So reverting to my original agenda. You were a member of a GAA club such as Passage West GAA and Camogie Club craving to visit HK to catch a few games of Gaelic Football. You should consider contacting our local GAA club. They have an email group and do the best St Patrick's Day Dinner in HK. (Interesting article in Irish News about game played in the HK Statium on St Patricks Day 1956). If however you prefer to play ozzie rules or american footie you should perhaps check out the HK Dragons or one of the expat forums repectively.

Essentially if you want to play with, handle or caresss balls "au naturel' in HK we are primarily talking RUGBY.

Envisage - you are a member of the Carrigaline RFC. The secretary arranges games through either Hong Kong RFU or through the less formal HK Touch Tag Rugby Association My local club is the HKCC Aberdeen Rugby Club. Not quite as glam as the HK Football club but functional.

Every year HK hosts the world famous and prestigious HK Rugby sevens . For couple of days the town fills with rugby fans from all over the world all intent on being in the South stand and consuming copious quantities of beer. The atmosphere is a cross between the last night at the proms, the superbowl and the Championship Playoff between Arsenal and Celtic. Read the tourist board speil here.

And so to soccer which of course doesn't involve ball handling except for throw in's unless your name is Maradonna. The HK League frankly (as a spectator) leaves much to be desired, although I do regret not going to the Spurs game last week, I would have offered support to South China. Of course it might have been different if Shamrock Rovers had been playing. If you or the Passage West Football Club were visiting HK and wanted a kick about you should check out the HK Football Association or soccer forums There are also lots of supporters clubs in HK following european teams. So if you were a member of the Passage West Celtic Supporters Club (based at the Ferry Arms pub) you might be minded to contact the HK Rangers suporters Club to arrange a kick about.

Oh yes .. did someone mention basketball? : There are basketball courts all over HK which can be booked by the public. If you want a game you should check out the forums and the HK Amateur Basketball Association The HK Culture and Leisure Department also maintains a list of clubs and venues for various sports including basketball(12), Handball (15) and Volleyball(9). There are HK Associations for both Handball and Volleyball and of course we have our own beach volley ball club fittingly on Lamma Island and another up in Golden Beach

Of course my favourite ball sport in HK is the poor mans version of bowls. No for me traditional Lawn Bowls or indeed Ten Pin Bowling

Give me Petanque!!. Yes its true - I have my own set of Steel Balls (bought in Belgium!!). The wonderful thing about Petanque in HK is that it is supported by the French Consulate Such class !!!

Labels: Basketball, CORK, Football, GAA, Hing Kong, MIDDLEBURGH, Petanque, Rugby, Soccer, Volleyball

Posted at 8/15/2009 01:03:00 pm by David Middleburgh   Permalink

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