"Another champagne please, Mr Photographer, pretty please?"

More than 60 people turned out in style and elegance for one of the more up-market social events ever to grace the Dragons calendar on Friday (August 22). Given that the Typhoon 9 signal was hoisted, it was a pretty tenacious performance from an outfit on the top of their game.

Champgne football was catch-cry and the management at Heat in Wan Chai ensured the Dragons were at the smooth-flowing best. Ladies enjoyed free-flow champagne for the entire evening, with the carbonated vino bringing out their effusive, bubbly best.

Gentleman enjoyed hours of drinks for a set price of $180.

The evening warmed up with much socialising and banter before former President Byrne launched into a tirade about being unaccustomed to public speaking and a raffle draw.

It's a blonde-off

In a slight variation on regular events, ladies far outnumbered the men. The mismatch was such that by evening's end gaggles of ladies bouyed by the methode champagnois were in search of "single men, any single men?". This was great news for the single men, less so for the ladies, and a poignant reminder to those fellas at home to make sure they get along to the next event.

And with that, the crowd disbursed to the far reaches of Wan Chai and beyond to continue deep into the night ... and morning.

The typhoon's trail of destruction meant training for the Saturday was postponed a day. This was not an unwelcome development.
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The pre-event preamble

It's champagne football, this.

Nature will provide the fireworks (hopefully) in the form of a direct hit typhoon. The ladies will be downing a torrential downpour of bubbly while the Dragons superstars will provide the gusts of hot air.