The Great SCC Virtual Escape

Form a team of up to 4 and break out of SCC’s version of Escape Room by solving puzzles that will put your brains to the test. Each correct answer will lead you to another challenge and the first team to unlock the last door wins!

Wednesday, 23 September 2020 Wednesday, 21 October 2020 7.30pm onwards Online event on Zoom

To register, go to https://bit.ly/SCCVirtualEscapeRoom For more information, please email eventsdept@scc.org.sg.

Balut

Convenor: Sunita Kapoor | Article by: Mohan Balagopal

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME OF BALUT

Played for fun in teams or as groups of players Objective is to accumulate the greatest number of points over seven ‘rounds’ of play Played on tables of four, but Balut can be played with any reasonable number of players. The SCC Balut Section plays the STC version of Balut, after the Singapore Town Club where these rules were adopted in 1978, and is played across dozens of Members’ Clubs and bars across South-East Asia. (The International Balut Federation plays a different version). Equipment needed: five standard dice, a cup or other receptacle for throwing the dice, a mat or other flat surface to play on and a score sheet.

Equipment needed: five standard dice, a cup or other receptacle for throwing the dice, a mat or other flat surface to play on and a score sheet.

HOW TO PLAY

Each player in turn throws the dice up to three times. After each throw the player may take one or more die out of play or return one or more dice back into play. Once a die has been put back in the cup, however, it may not be taken out. At the end of three throws, or earlier if the player decides, the pips on dice that remain (from the last throw and those out of play) are to be used to compute that round’s score. The score sheet has seven categories and each category can be scored once in that game. If at the end of three throws the player has no score then one row must be ‘scratched’, i.e. deleted, will carry a zero score, and not be available for scoring in that game again. All scores are the sum of the pips on the dice, except for a Balut, which always scores 30 points. One player, designated as scorer, records the scores in a column on the score sheet. Play will proceed in a clockwise manner. After the first player throws, the second player throws and after the last player, the dice return to the first player and this continues until each player has thrown six rounds - each time scoring or scratching one of the rows - this leaves us with one vacant row against each player, or what we call ‘Half Time‘, at which point, the sub-total is calculated.

COCKED DICE

If, after the dice are thrown, they do not lie flat on the mat, are stacked, or they leave the mat, then the throw is deemed to be ‘cocked’ and the throw must be retaken.

GENERAL ETIQUETTE

Once the player has completed the throw(s) for the round, and communicated their score to the Scorer, then the player should put the dice back in the cup and pass the cup to the next player.

THE SCORE SHEET

Cricket

Convenor: Suresh Kalpathy | Article by: Scott Mckechnie

Another month passes in the Covid-19 era to which we endure. Pleasingly, silver linings are presenting and as Singapore continues to slowly, responsibly & intelligently break away from lock-down one (of one, let’s hope!), signs are presenting that life as we knew it, or at least some key parts such as Sport, may slowly be coming back online through the weeks ahead.

SIT DOWN WITH THE STARS

Our premier lock-down initiative has continued through the weeks passed, cementing its success as a concept which has played a substantial role in the Section’s ability to suitably “weather storms” through this phase. Following Series 1 of the initiative, as reported in our previous edition of the Padang magazine, we were DELIGHTED to announce in early July that a Second Series was inbound – we moved heaven and earth to present to the Members an A-List lineup, which eventuated as:

Wasim Akram, Pakistan

Jason Holder, West Indies

Jonathan Trott, England

Kapil Dev, India

Ian Bell, England

Daniel Vettori, New Zealand At time of writing, calls with AKRAM, HOLDER & TROTT are complete and have been superbly received. We are a few days out from catching up with Indian Cricketing Royalty in the world’s best ever all-rounder, KAPIL DEV with BELL and VETTORI closing out our second and final series of 2020. The event has once again been supported incredibly by the membership. Even despite ZOOM fatigue & the integration of busier working schedules, these ‘once in a lifetime’ discussions have been brilliantly attended with some excellent and engaging questions asked to the stars. We are pleased to report a projected Series 2 profit in excess of $7,000, which has given us an excellent chance to exit this difficult phase with the program relatively unscathed. On behalf of the Section, our warm and sincere thanks to all Section Members for your unparalleled support of this key fundraising initiative. We hope you have enjoyed this new pillar to our everexpanding offering.

UP 2 SPEED SPONSORSHIP

We were delighted to announce through July that we have entered into a short-term partnership with Up 2 Speed who came aboard as Title Sponsors of Series 2 of Sit Down with the Stars. Up 2 Speed is an international Learning & Creative Design Firm; partnering with businesses to maximize their revenue & profitability – via their Leaders, Sales Teams, Pre-Sales teams, and from the Indirect Channels. Up 2 Speed also helps organizations take existing content and messaging, and transform this into highimpact Digital Communications. Co-founded by SCC Member & Cricket Section all-rounder Nick Dorney, Up 2 Speed has been headquartered out of Singapore since 2012. For more information, you can contact Nick at Nick Dorney at nd@up2speed.biz, visit the website at https://up2speed. biz/, and follow them on Twitter at @Up2Speed_ On behalf of the Section, thank you to Nick and your superb team at Up 2 Speed, for your warm onward support of this important section initiative. We would avidly encourage Members to reach out to Nick to assess what synergy may present between your operations.

SECTION CLOTHING, PRICES SLASHED

Following our crucial Member survey of 2020, it was clear that much of what the Section is currently doing has been received most positively by the Membership. That said & more importantly, it drew light across a number of components of our evolving program that needed a tweak, or in some cases, an absolute overhaul. In response to Member feedback, for which we are immensely grateful, Section management in July decided that UFL Clothing was an item of “necessity” and that profit margins on all items should be slashed accordingly. This is our updated price-list:

Playing Shirt: was $37.50, now $33.00

Playing Trouser: maintained at $41.50

Training Shirt: was $35.50, now $30.00

Training Singlet: was $32.50, now $30.00

Training Short: was $34.50, now $30.00

Tracksuit Trouser: was $41.50, now $37.50

Baseball Cap: was $21.50, now $15.00

Wide Brim Hat: was $21.50, now $20.00 All Section Clothing & Merchandise is available for purchase via your SCC Cricket TeamApp store. We thank you for your superbly transparent feedback, which has well positioned us to better attend to your needs through the year ahead.

UWC EAST, IN COLLABORATION WITH SCC CRICKET

In May of this year, we entered a competitive tender to secure the rights to provide Cricket to the Children of UWC East school, Singapore. This is part of our ever-expanding Community Outreach program, to which our Coaches take Cricket out to Children of Singapore beyond our in-house program alone. We are pleased to announce that we were successful in our bid and onward from August 2020, will be formally in collaboration with one of the region’s strongest academic institutions. UWC East join Raffles Institution, Canadian International School and Dimensions International College, as the schools for whom benefit from the SCC Cricket program by way of our Community Outreach program. Warm thanks to Nick Dunn and all at UWC East who offered us a platform to share our vision for the Children of UWC East; we greatly look forward to working with you.

SUMMER CAMPS

For the first time in 2020 and amidst all kinds of uncertainty, we are immensely pleased to share that the SCC Cricket Section has for the first time pioneered the running of two exciting and engaging Summer Camps! Our Camps are SOLD OUT and will run through the first fortnight in August as we attempt to bring Children together through Sport within a time where such an outlet is in desperate need. Week One of our 2020 Camp will be a Cricket Specific week, followed by a second week of multi-sport activities including Cricket, Football, Rugby Skill Sessions, Team Building activities, Ultimate Frisbee, Dodgeball and many more! This again presents a new pillar of the holistic Section program; we are thankful to the Members for their patience through what was a meticulous planning phase. We additionally must pay sincere thanks to Janet, Wendy & Clara within the Sports Department, who have provided immense support to the Section management team in bringing these Camps safely to fruition.

ROUNDING UP…

Through a time where we, as individuals and as collectives both personally and professionally, are experiencing more uncertainty than ever before, the Section is working hard to continue developing towards world class operating standards and the implementing of a highly dynamic operation. Our ability to contribute positively back into all areas of our great game is done with a view of establishing a brand of substance for which you, our esteemed Members, are immensely proud to be associated with. Your support as Section Members of this journey has been quite incredible and we will endeavour to continue ensuring that every decision contributed is made in the best interest of you, the Member. It is integral, that we keep a “finger on the pulse” as to what you are seeing, what you are experiencing, and what you are feeling. In turn, we reiterate that your feedback is welcome always, and can be directed transparently to Scott.McKechnie@scc.org.sg for suitable follow-up. Thank you for all you have done for the Section this month. Above all else, stay safe and keep close to your loved ones.

Yours in Cricket, Scott McKechnie | Director of Cricket