2006-07 Hockey Season

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S to the Ladies' "C" team for winning the 9-a-side hockey tournament at King's Park on November 4th.

Due to a breakdown in communication, the ladies ended up at Happy Valley while the tournament was being held at King's Park, but a quick taxi ride soon set things right. Five teams took part but the ladies had already defaulted their first two matches. However, they did enough to get into the semi-finals which they won on penalty strokes, and then the finals against Shaheen D which they also won on strokes.

I have not been so happy, so excited, and so proud of a team since the Men's "B" won their division title two years in a row, and that was a long time ago. These young ladies have shown their fighting spirit as well as their team spirit, supporting each other, chasing after every ball, and tackling for possession.

And they do all this without a regular goalie. Players have taken turns putting on the pads even though they don't like it, but once they're on the pitch they give it their best shot. No complaints. In fact, even though they were stuck at Happy Valley and had to give up their first two matches at the tournament, there was no grumbling, no whining - just an eagerness to get on the pitch and win. And I had the pleasure of being there to see it all happen.

In other hockey news, the Men's "C" team may have only one point from six matches, but there are bragging rights to be had. The team at the top of Division 3, SSSC B, have had a runaway start to the season. Some say it's because they've had the help of a few "A" team players. Whatever the reason, they have so far conceded only one goal, and that was to Recreio "C". Yes, we might be holding up the cellar with just one draw, but we're also the only team so far to have breached the leaders' defence.

Weekly training sessions continue under the guidance of Paulo & Senna Fernandes from Macau, and the Men's "A" team has had a good start to the season. They won three of their five matches and drew the other two to end the month of October at the top of the Second Division. The Men's "B" team acts as a pool from which players are drawn for the senior squad, and as a result their games have been more difficult.

Meanwhile, the Ladies' "A" under the coaching of Aloysius Cheung have managed to hold their own in Division 1, winning two and drawing one of their five matches so far. The "B" team is finding it more difficult with the movement of players up to the "A", while the Ladies' "C" continue to show great promise.

Recreio Centenary Year

November marks the 100th anniversary of Club de Recreio. The hockey section will host the inaugural round of the Club de Recreio annual knockout Cup, Plate, and Bowl for the men's and ladies' teams.

Two of our men's teams and two of the ladies' teams will invite opponents to challenge for a bowl and plate on November 19th, followed by a barbecue at the club. The Cup match will be played on the 25th and the trophy will be presented to the winner of the match between a Recreio Old & Bold team and a Hockey Association President's XI. This will be a fun match with as many players as desired rolling (or being carried) on and off to enjoy the match.

Gerry Jose in Hong Kong

Gerry Jose (formerly of RTHK), his wife Carol, daughter Genevieve, and son-in-law Jeff visited Hong Kong from October 22nd to 31st to celebrate his Mom's birthday.

I managed to catch up with them for lunch at the club, and we have a few pics to share with you.

Thoughts

Every once in a while a thought crosses my mind, and I decided to share a few here.

From the Pulpit

More contributions from Father Valan who presides over the 12:30 Mass at Rosary Church. You think maybe I should tell him I'm quoting him?

Keyboard shortcuts

If you're like me when it comes to computers, you'll prefer using the keyboard rather than tracking the mouse around the screen. There are many shortcuts that make life easier so your fingers don't need to leave the keyboard. For example, "Ctrl+C" means Copy, and "Ctrl+V" means Paste. Find out more on our Keyboard Shortcuts page.

Jokes

What's the difference between a resignation and an appraisal? Find out in our Jokes page.

Interesting Facts

Did you know that there is a Superman somewhere in every episode of Seinfeld? Check out our Interesting Facts page for more.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries in November include:

• Omar & Lynn Chan (November 11th)
• Marianne Botelho (November 11th)
• Richard & Catherine Sousa (November 14th)
• Cho Sai-ling (November 15th)
• Vicky Lai (November 17th)
• Yuen Lai-yiu (November 25th)

Archives

Every month, we add to our archive of newsletters. If you've missed any editions, or would like to re-read something from past publications, click on the Archives link below.

Please contribute

If you would like to have any images or special dates included in the newsletter, kindly write to recreio_newsletter@graffiti.net. We would love to view your pictures and know of occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and special events or when a baby is due - anything that you would like to include in the newsletter.

Write to recreio_newsletter@graffiti.net and share your news and image files (as attachments) with the rest of us.

The Editor.