Wrexham off to flier at Hong Kong Soccer Sevens, former Arsenal star sent off on debut
Women's headline act Wrexham launched their debut HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens campaign with a pair of tense 1-0 victories on Friday night.
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In their opening game, against Chonburi FC of Thailand, Grace Morris scored the only goal for the Welsh club, who gained global prominence after their 2021 Hollywood takeover by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
In their second match, Ava Suckley scored to beat Singapore team Eastern Thunder.
The 2024 runners-up, Kitchee, began with a 1-1 draw against Eastern Thunder, before a Cheung Wai-ki goal gave them a 1-0 victory over hosts Football Club.
In the Masters tournament, Lee Man's head coach, Chu Siu-kei, warmed up for a crunch weekend in the local Premier League title race by scoring for Ampcontrol Discovery Bay in their 2-0 victory over Wallsend Boys Club HK.
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The former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had a short-lived competition debut, after he was sent off for a professional foul in Yau Yee League All Stars' 2-0 loss to HKFC Masters.
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South China Morning Post
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- South China Morning Post
Light Years Charm goes whoosh again at Sha Tin: ‘it's hard to know what the ceiling is'
Light Years Charm cruises to victory under Zac Purton at Sha Tin on Sunday. Photos: Kenneth Chan Light Years Charm continued his march up the ratings and trainer David Eustace's impressive first Hong Kong campaign kept rolling during the season's first twilight meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday. Chasing back-to-back victories on Class Two debut, Light Years Charm was sent off the $1.7 favourite for the Lee On Handicap (1,400m), but there were a few nervous moments for his supporters and connections. Not known for being the quickest away, Light Years Charm found himself detached from the field after being squeezed between horses early. Still last turning for home but looming ominously, Light Years Charm barrelled home down the outside under Zac Purton to salute by a length and a half eased down. Light Years Charm goes from last-to-first with a BANG in Class 2 at Sha Tin! ✨@EustaceRacing and @zpurton combine with the smart 4YO by Rubick, who soars to consecutive wins... #SummerSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) June 8, 2025 'It was a perfect ride. The horse actually did jump better than he normally does but he got squeezed at the start,' said Eustace. 'Zac took his time and assessed the pace up front and the horse lengthened really well.' In a race run well over a second inside standard for the final 1,200m, Purton bided his time before pouncing on his tiring opponents. 'It was a really good effort. He actually didn't begin that bad but the runner on the inside and the runner on the outside both shifted ground so that put him on the back foot, but I just left him alone,' said the jockey. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. 'The other guys were busy running their 1,000m race and when they were finished doing that, I just chimed in at the 400m and ran the race like it should have been run.' Trainer David Eustace with Zac Purton and the jockey's children, Cash and Roxy. Light Years Charm's third Hong Kong victory will lift his rating into the 90s and Eustace is considering one more run before turning his attention to next season with the four-year-old. 'There's a Class Two [1,400m] on July 1 which is fairly tempting. We'll see how we go,' said Eustace. 'He'll definitely appreciate a break [when it comes] and I hope he'll get better next season. He's doing nothing wrong at the moment. 'It's hard to know what the ceiling is. He's only four and he's a big, raw horse. It would be wrong for me to put targets on his back. We'll see how far he gets. 'He's obviously going to have to continue to improve, but hopefully he can.' Zac Purton after landing a double at Sha Tin on Sunday. Eustace took his total to 30 winners for the season and with the stable operating in solid form, he's hopeful of finishing the term with a flourish. '[I'm] happy with how it's gone so far. They've raced well and consistently, and the team at home are doing a great job. We'll try and round the season out well,' he said. The victory of Light Years Charm completed a double for seven-time Hong Kong champion jockey Purton after his earlier success aboard the John Size-trained Ping Hai Comet in the Class Four Lam Tin Handicap (1,600m). It was a super training effort from Size to have his five-year-old ready to win over the Sha Tin mile just 11 days after breaking his maiden with victory over 2,200m at Happy Valley. Size left Sha Tin with a brace of his own thanks to the later success of Majestic Express in the Class Three On Yam Handicap (1,000m). The master handler is edging ever closer to his 13th trainers' premiership after increasing his lead over the second-placed David Hayes to eight wins with 10 meetings remaining.
South China Morning Post
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South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
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An artist imagines what Hong Kong would look like if giant animals took over
Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we've written. Hong Kong illustrator Maf Cheung recalled the silly moment when her friend's cat crouched under a chair and stared at her pup. 'My dog is extremely introverted and not social at all, while Eevee is one of those cats that bullies the weak but fears the strong,' recalled Cheung, who is in her 30s. 'Since my Yorkie was bigger, Eevee gave her this sceptical look and chose a ... safe spot.' That moment inspired Cheung to draw a giant version of Eevee peeking through a bridge in Causeway Bay. The giant feline makes a passing green tram look as small as a toy. 'The way she looked at us felt like she was judging all of humanity,' she added. This was the first piece in Cheung's 'Hong Kong Giant Animal Series'. These pieces imagine oversized animals roaming around the city. She started working on this series in 2022. In 2023, she published 90 of these pieces in a book. In April and May, one of Cheung's artworks was featured in an exhibition in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Cheung's advice to young illustrators in Hong Kong is to take the time to find their voice as an artist. 'Art is inherently slow. It grows from experience and reflection – and those things need time to settle and take shape,' she said. Sparrows are helping people learn about a Hong Kong neighbourhood Reimagining Hong Kong When Cheung was in primary school, her best friends weren't her classmates. They were her dad's pets: goldfish, koi, turtles, birds, chinchillas and even hawks. 'I spent more time with those animals than I did playing with other kids. Even when we had family gatherings, I preferred being with the pets,' she said. 'Animals gave me emotional comfort.' That is why animals are so important in her art. 'By making them giant, I'm projecting my feelings onto them. These are the beings I trust, the ones that help me relax,' Cheung explained. Her art also focuses on places in Hong Kong that are disappearing or already gone. For example, she has drawn Queen's Pier, the old Hung Hom MTR station, and the iconic neon signs of Nam Cheong Pawn Shop and Leung Tim Choppers Factory. One of her pieces features a giant sparrow at the former Hung Hom station. 'A fan messaged me and said, 'It's perfect that you drew a sparrow there because, in my experience, the sparrows at Hung Hom are the fattest in all of Hong Kong because they eat McDonald's,'' Cheung said. Maf Cheung's artwork highlights Hong Kong's famous neon lights. Photo: Handout Mix of reality and fantasy Cheung's art mixes what is real with what is a fantasy. Her inspiration started with Hayao Miyazaki's animated film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. 'It was the first of his works I saw, and I was hooked. I watched everything he released after that,' the artist explained. 'That's where the fairy-tale dreaminess in my art comes from.' She added that the dreamlike parts of her work also showed her emotions. Cheung gave the example of her favourite artwork in her giant animal series. It shows a flying squirrel that saves a girl at Lei Tak Estate. 'That piece was actually about processing my own negative emotions at the time. A lot was happening in Hong Kong then, and I was feeling overwhelmed,' she said. 'I imagined – what if in that moment, a giant flying squirrel came to save me? That idea brought me comfort.' To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.
