On Friday we had a late breakfast in the hotel and then spent time packing up.  We had lunch in a nearby restaurant, after which speeches were made by the beaks and by tour captain, Cianan Whelan.  The 'Players' Player of the Tour' award went to Morgan Ward and the coaches' 'Player of the Tour' award went to Cianan Whelan.  Douglas Tilk won the 'Golden Boot' award for top scorer with four goals in four games.
After lunch we checked out of the hotel and headed for Lantau Island, where we took the spectacular cable car ride up to the giant Tian Tan Buddha, the Po Lin Monastery and Ngong Ping Village.  After this there was time for some final shopping in the outlet mall which is situated next to the airport.

Hong Kong international airport was calm and peaceful ... checking-in and going through security was completely stress free ... the flight departed on time ... arrived in London early Saturday am, ahead of schedule ... couldn't have been a smoother journey home!

What a tour this has been.  Truly memorable in so many ways.  It had it all.  Superb destination, a fantastic group of boys, excellent football training and matches, excellent accommodation, outstanding food throughout, lots of fun and laughs, spectacular sightseeing and cultural activities, extremely kind and generous hosts and guide, etc.

New beak inspires great result against semi-pros

Harrow  1  v  1  Happy Valley 1st team

Scorer: Douglas Tilk

Man of the match: Cianan Whelan ... stood strong in what was a very intense, physical, midfield battle from start to finish ... quality in possession too ... led by example. 

The boys had a gentle start to the day... a late breakfast followed by some local shopping.   We drove in the tour bus to Mong Kok and visited the huge shopping centre 'Langham Place'.   13 floors of shops and restaurants.   Some boys jumped in to the red taxis and looked around the bird market.
Peter Chadwick came back with a canary, 'Xhing Bluey'.   The canary became the team's mascot for our toughest fixture of the tour later in the day.   Our excellent tour guide, Judy, has adopted 'Xhing Bluey'  and will take the bird to her house on an island south of Hong Kong.

At 6pm we kicked off our final tour match against Happy Valley 1st team. A senior team of semi-pros who play in the Hong Kong second division. Happy Valley were physically imposing and were clearly going to be the toughest opposition of the tour. Harrow started brightly and refused to be intimidated; Hamish MacIntyre was causing problems and received several rough challenges for his trouble.  A strong first-half display was capped by an excellent goal from Douglas Tilk. He swivelled on the edge of the box and buried a cracking left-foot finish in the corner of the net. One of the goals of the tour.

Happy Valley stepped up the pressure in the second half and equalised soon after the break. Harrow were a bit slack in defence and to concede so early in the second half was particularly disappointing. However, this team is starting to show real determination and Harrow continued to hold their own. As the match went on Harrow looked the more likely scorers but could not covert.

This was a very pleasing result against tough opposition. The boys were visibly tiring by the end of a very busy tour but had clearly given their all. Very well done on an excellent effort!

 After the match we went for an excellent Chinese meal and celebrated Chester Robinson's 18th birthday. He received a present from our tour guide, Judy, and one from all the boys. The whole restaurant joined in singing "Happy Birthday" as Chester's birthday cakes were brought out.

Team building at Harrow International construction site 

Another long and busy day for the soccer team in Hong Kong.   We are packing in lots.   During the morning we visited the building site of Harrow International school, Hong Kong.   The building, while half finished, is impressive, and we were lucky enough to be given a guided tour by the Director of Studies, James Thomas, and the site manager, Jerry Wong.   We saw a mock-up of a classroom and the boys learnt lots about how the school will operate.   It is an incredible sight.  Over 300 builders are working on the project at the moment and the structure has shot up in 4 months.   It will be an exciting place.

 After a leisurely lunch back near the hotel, we headed to the spectacular Hong Kong Football Club for the third match of the week. It soon became apparent that although the opposition had a couple of very talented players, there was quite a gulf in quality between the two squads. So at half-time we decided to mix the teams up.  This resulted in a much more even second half, which was used as a useful, competitive training session in preparation for our toughest fixture against Happy Valley tomorrow.

 After the game we headed to the excellent SML restaurant in Times Square, where Old Harrovian Arnold Wong had laid on a delicious buffet supper.

Day 5 delivers more tour highlights

Day 5 started with a training session at the King's Park sports ground.   We were lucky enough to train alongside one of Hong Kong's first division teams, 'Citizen'.   The boys did lots of work with the ball and finished with a whole host of shooting drills.   The weather was superb... a British summer's day.   Hot for Football but perfect for a tour.

                             

We boarded the coach and it was off to Stanley Market. The drive took us past some wonderful scenery
including the beautiful Repulse Bay and Jackie Chan's house! We arrived and piled into restaurants to replenish energy levels in preparation for the serious negotiating lying ahead. We had been warned that the
market could cause "sensory overload" and it was bright and bustling. There was some fine haggling; Harry Bick was one of the most successful and arrived on the coach sporting a very stylish new jacket.

From here we headed to Ocean Park, a spectacular theme park, boasting cable cars, rollercoasters, pandas and the world's largest aquarium.

Finally, to round off a very busy day, we headed to Temple Street night market for more haggling and dinner before heading back to the hotel on the M.T.R.

Harrow songs inspire team to second victory
Harrow 4 v 1 D.B.S
Scorers:   MacIntyre, Breeden, Tilk, Robinson
Man of match: Shared by James Breeden and Harry Bick - committed and mature performances from two Lower Sixth boys new to the squad ... impressive.

A lie-in was a great way to start the day and it was much needed.   The boys recharged their batteries and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast.

Our first activity of a busy day was a trip to the Hong Kong heritage museum.   The museum's quiet and meditative atmosphere was exactly what everyone needed as an antidote after the hustle and bustle of our early days in Hong Kong.   

The museum showed exceptional collections which showed China's renowned tradition for ceramics, lacquered furniture and Chinese painting.

The boys' contemplative attitude was a good way to prepare for what could be a tough fixture later in the day.




After the museum we headed out for a dim sum lunch at Star floating restaurant. Our tour-guide ordered a wide variety of excellent food which was enjoyed by all. Feeling a little full, the boys took a walk along the waterfront as thoughts began to turn to the match later on that day. 


Having boarded the bus, we headed to the ground, which was half an hour away. Dr Harrison decided it was time for some team singing and acted as chief cheerleader as the squad belted out a selection of Harrow songs from "Forty Years On" to "Here Sir". We arrived at the ground in good spirits and had plenty of time to warm up and digest before kick off. 


The match was a much tougher test than the first and at half-time the score was still 0-0. D.B.S. were extremely motivated and were causing problems. The breakthrough came courtesy of a glancing header from Hamish Macintyre and was soon followed by a a cracking second from the left foot of James Breeden. Harrow were now in control and playing really well. Doug Tilk added a deserved third (his third goal of the tour) before a lapse in concentration saw D.B.S. pull a goal back. The three goal cushion was re-established thanks to a close range finish from Chester Robinson. 


Overall, Harrow had played very well indeed and put together some excellent passages of play. This was a very good game to watch and, despite the scoreline, was a tough test. 

In the evening we enjoyed an 'all you can eat' dinner cruise on Victoria Harbour on board the Bauhinia.  Highlights included the Symphony of Lights show (see picture), for which we had a great view from the deck of the boat, and also Joshua Adejokun's and Pablo Hutchinson's moves on the dance floor.

Harrow stars visit Avenue of Stars

It was an early start, as the training field was booked for 8.00am to 9.30am.  The Shek Kip Mei Astro facility was absolutely superb - a steep rock wall behind one goal, stunning scenery again, a stand to one side and a fantastic playing surface.  The boys were inspired by the quality of the whole venue and trained very well indeed.    

In the afternoon we went to watch Tuen Mun v Sunray Cave in a semi-final, 1st leg, match in the Hong Kong Senior Shield (a bit like their FA cup).  Sunray Cave are currently top of the Hong Kong first division, with Tuen Mun, the home side, in the bottom half.  It was an exciting and entertaining experience for us all.  The Tuen Mun mascot was a source of considerable amusement.  Naturally we supported the home team, but unfortunately they lost 1-0.  

We travelled from the stadium straight to Tsim Sha Tsui, which is at the south of the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, looking straight across to the amazing skyline of the Island.  We spent some time walking along the Avenue of Stars and taking some photos, before enjoying a terrific supper in a waterfront restaurant whilst watching highlights of the weekend's premiership action which were being shown.  An excellent day from start to finish.  We are now looking forward to our second competitive match which takes place tomorrow, Monday. 

Great opening win for Harrow

Remember... we will update the photo blog regularly.   Click the link on the right to see a slideshow.

What a busy day.   Super breakfast, both Chinese and English.   Boarded our beautiful little tour bus and headed to our training venue, the stunning Po King Village Astro.   Check out the view...

We were met by Happy Valley AA Technical Director Raymond Kwong.   Raymond welcomed us to Hong Kong and watched the training session.   Raymond's football contacts include Zinedine Zidane, Arsene Wegner, Ian Rush and John Barnes.   He has spent time coaching at Ajax and Derby County....  What a man.

Training was purposeful and helped get the journey out of tired legs before the afternoon match against Happy Valley AA U17.








Great facilities... all government owned.

On the hi-tech tour bus...











Back at the hotel after training, the boys went for a swim in the pool and had a good lunch to refuel.


The Match.   Harrow Vs Happy Valley AA U17
result:   Harrow 5 - 1 Happy Valley
scorers:   Tilk 2, Hutchison 2, Adejokun.
Man of the Match:   Peter Chadwick - Controlled the tempo of the game.   Simple, intelligent and skillful.   Never gave the ball away.


A great start to the match.   Dominating possession for the first 30 minutes Harrow went ahead through an excellent team goal expertly finished by Douglas Tilk. Harrow then extended their lead through through Tilk again after good work  from Joshua Adejokun down the right. We were on top and physically dominating the opposition until a mix-up at the back allowed Happy Valley back into the game with the softest of goals. Happy Valley visibly grew in confidence after this and finished the half as the better side.

Harrow came out for the second half keen to reassert their authority and were soon on the front foot again. Cianan Whelan and Waleed Alireza were particularly impressive and chances soon followed.  The third goal arrived courtesy of an outstanding finish from Pablo Hutchinson. He controlled the ball with his right foot, swivelled and buried a left foot shot from the edge of the penalty area. Harrow were now in total control and the fourth goal soon followed from a close-range header from Adejokun. The boys were enjoying themselves and rounded off proceedings with a second goal for Hutchinson.

Overall, an excellent effort from the Harrow team who managed to put rustiness and jet-lag behind them to record a comfortable win against skilful opposition.

After the match we went straight off to visit The Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island. We enjoyed magnificent views of the Hong Kong skyline.  This was followed by supper and shopping. There was even time on the way home to enjoy a lunar eclipse to round off a fantastic day.

Arrival in Hong Kong