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Local favorites denied top podium spot at Bira Circuit
July 20, Round 6 & 7 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
Round 6: Skill and tactics give Kwan win
It was a mixture of skill, talent, race tactics and a
small amount of luck, which gave Team Infineon-Novellus driver Charles Kwan
of Hong Kong a thrilling victory in Round 6 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.
Thailand’s Charoensukhawatana Nattavude finished second having led for
most of the race, with fellow countryman Chonsawat Asavahame taking third
for the Porsche Centre Bangkok/ Red Bull team.
 Sontaya
Khunpluem, Thailand’s Minister for Tourism and Sport, was the Porsche Asia
Pacific VIP driver for the weekend. Sontaya drove a spirited race and
enjoyed his first real outing in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machine. (Photo
Motorsport Asia Limited)
Pole sitter, Briton Nigel Albon, got off to a good start
and held his lead against the hard-charging pack. Kwan’s poor start cost
him his second position to Nattavude, and the three pushed their Porsche 911
GT3 Cup cars to the max in soaring temperatures.
Late in the 19-lap race, temperatures inside the cockpit
also rose when Albon’s wheel, damaged by driving over a curb, punctured a
tyre, giving the Fuspeed Racing driver the lead. However, Kwan who had bided
his time in third, decided to make a move and the two came together as
Nattavude continued to defend his position.
 Exciting
racing action throughout the weekend in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. (Photo
Motorsport Asia Limited)
Nattavude displayed superb control and rejoined the race
behind Kwan, but was unable to regain the lead. Kwan took the chequered flag
in a time of 20:51.026, followed by Nattavude 5.099 seconds behind.
“I got a bad start today. Nattavude had taken me by the
first corner,” said Kwan. “I tried to drive smoothly to save my tyres,
and let him and Nigel (Albon) fight it out in front of me.” Once Albon
suffered the puncture however, the Thai was fair game and Kwan moved in.
Asavahame and team mate Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak were on
the tail of Malaysia’s Tommy Lee for several laps, with Inthrphuvasak and
Lee coming together at the chicane. Lee finished fifth, ahead of South
Africa’s Toby Venter. Vutthikorn came to a halt at the start finish line
on the final lap.
Thailand’s Minister for Tourism and Sport, His
Excellency Sontaya Kunpluem, the Porsche Asia Pacific VIP driver for the
weekend, drove a spirited race and enjoyed his first real outing in the
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machine.
Supporting the series are two of the most recognised
names in international motorsport, Mobil1 and Michelin. Mobil and Porsche
have been partners since 1996. Close co-operation in research and
development has to led to every new Porsche engine being filled with Mobil 1
high-performance lubricant. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers also have the
advantage of high technology tyres, supplied by series partner Michelin,
that have consistently improved the performance of many teams in
international motorsport. The partnership between Michelin and the Porsche
Carrera Cup Asia has emerged from a worldwide agreement signed between
Porsche AG and the Michelin group in 2001.
Round 7: Local favourite denied victory for second
time as Kwan triumphs again
Charles Kwan of Hong Kong took victors’ laurels in
Round 7 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia today for his Team Infineon Novellus,
denying local favourite Charoensukhawatana Nattavude of victory for the
second time in one day.
Third was popular South African driver, Toby Venter, who
was delighted to be back on the podium after an absence of four rounds.
Starting from pole, Kwan missed a gear going in to the
first corner, a mistake which cost him three places and gave Nattavude the
lead followed by Chonsawat Asavahame. The charge was on, and Kwan began
closing on Asavahame passing him on lap 5.
Nattavude first got caught in traffic, giving Kwan a
chance to close in on him. Kwan tried to get by the Thai but just couldn’t
get the upper hand and Nattavude kept the multiple touring car title winner
firmly behind him. Then disaster struck a second time for Nattavude this
weekend when the driver in front of him blew an engine, and he spun on the
oil put down on the track. That gave Kwan his chance and once in the lead,
he charged unchallenged to the chequered flag.
Charles was characteristically modest about his win,
commenting, “I guess it was just my lucky day!” Nattavude was equally
gracious in defeat, saying, “That was a great drive by Charles (Kwan)”,
making light of the rivalry which has developed between the two.
Venter was a happy man, and his podium finish was well
deserved. “It’s great to be on the podium again – it’s been a
while!” he said. “I saw amazing things going on up ahead of me and just
bided by time. Nigel came through and when he went off, I had the chance to
stay down and hang in there. I managed to keep it all together,” he said
of the furious action at the front of the pack.
In fourth was a second Thai driver, Vutthikorn
Inthraphuvasak, with Briton Nigel Albon in fifth.
As the inaugural season passes its mid-point having
completed 7 of the 12 rounds, series General Manager Ian Geekie praised both
the drivers and the standard of racing. “As the season progresses, the
competition is getting more and more fierce,” he said. “Some real
rivalries are developing which makes for great on-track action. This has to
be some of the best racing Asia has seen for a long time – perhaps
ever.”
Thailand’s Minister for Tourism and Sport, His
Excellency Sontaya Kunpluem, the Porsche Asia Pacific VIP driver for the
weekend, displayed characteristic sportsmanship in only his second race in
the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia continues next month, with
Rounds 8 and 9 at the Taebaek Circuit in South Korea on August 23 and 24
August. (Motorsport Asia Limited)
Formula BMW Asia Series
July 20, Round 7 & 8 at Bira Circuit
Round 7:
All-Chinese
podium as Tung strengthens grip
on series
It was an all-Chinese podium for Round 7 of the Formula
BMW Asia Series as Tung Ho-Pin notched up another win at Thailand’s 2.4km
Bira Circuit.
Meritus team mate and newcomer to the series, Jim Ka To
of Hong Kong, took a convincing second place, but was not able to seriously
challenge Tung as he had hoped after a bad start. Lin Po Heng of Taiwan was
third, also for Team Mertius, after a spirited performance having started
from sixth on the grid.
 Winner
Tung Ho-Pin, Jim Ka To in 2nd place and Lin Po Heng came in third. (Photo
Motorsport Asia Limited)
“I had a very good start and started pulling away. I
increased the gap lap after lap and managed to hold firm until the end,”
he said. “The balance of the car was very good and I kept the momentum
going all the way to the finish”.
Jim was still pleased with his result, and considered his
first race part of the learning process for him. “I had a bad start that
made it a little difficult for me, but I will try to do much better in the
next race,” he said, already looking ahead to Round 8.
You Kyong-Ouk of Korea, who had qualified 3rd, was
penalized one minute for jumping that start which dashed his hopes of a
podium place. He finished the 20-lap race in 10th, after the penalty.
Local favourite Nattapong Horthorthongkum had an unhappy
outing in front of his home fans and failed to finish, while Japanese lady
driver Keiko Ihara’s excellent record of podium finishes came to an end.
Both Team India Racing drivers put in excellent
performances with Rajvirdhan Vijayakumar finishing 7th and movie star Ajit
Kumar in 8th. It is a marked improvement from their qualifying performances
of 10th and 12th respectively, and Kumar was thrilled with his performance.
“I know I have finished in this position before, but
never have I felt I deserved it as much as today. It was a well fought
race,” said Ajit. “We are closing the gap between ourselves and the
leading car, and building our confidence with each round.”
Truly representative of the Asian region, the Formula BMW
Asia field is made up of drivers from Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China,
Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and India.
The impressive BMW single seater machine tips the scales
dry (empty) at 455 kilogrammes. A 140 bhp BMW four-cylinder engine based on
the famous motorcycle unit propels the car to speeds of up to 230 km/h (143
mph).
The Formula BMW Asia Series runs as part of the Asia
Festival of Speed (AFOS), organized by Motorsport Asia Limited. The AFOS
also includes the Asian Touring Car Series, the new Porsche Carrera Cup
Asia, and the Asian Formula 3 Series. This year AFOS visits Malaysia,
Thailand, South Korea, Japan and China.
Round 8: Dominant weekend for Tung, successful debut for
Jim
For the second consecutive race, Tung Ho Pin of China
took a dominant victory from pole to flag ahead of team mate Jim Ka To in
Round 8 of the Formula BMW Asia Series at Bira Circuit, Thailand.
It was a great start from both the drivers, with Jim
piling the pressure on Tung going into the first corner. Tung held firm and
refused to be fazed by the 18-year-old Hong Kong driver.
Despite closing in on Tung midway through the race, Jim
was unable to match the pace of the series leader and had to settle for 2nd
place.
Jim was still delighted with his performance saying,
“I’m very excited to have finished twice on the podium in my first
Formula BMW Asia outing. When Tung met traffic, I had a chance to close the
gap. However, I was a bit slow when I exited the corner and I missed my
chance.”
Most of the glory however went to local Thai driver
Nattapong Horthongkum, who drove a superb race to finish 3rd. One of
Thailand’s brightest motorsports talents to emerge on the single seater
scene, the crowd were on their feet when Nattapong stepped on to the podium.
A podium finish continued to allude Don Pastor of the
Philippines this weekend, but he continues to improve and will be one to
watch in future rounds.
Lin Po-Heng had a mixed weekend finishing in 5th
position. After suffering a crash a few days ago and finishing 3rd in Round
7, the gap on the leaderboard has increased between the Taiwanese driver and
his team mate Tung.
Team India Racing’s Ajit Kumar improved considerably
with his best finish of the season. He drove a controlled race after
overtaking team mate Rajvirdhan Vijayakumar. Despite coming under a lot of
pressure from Tohru Jitsukawa in the later stages of the race, he held firm
to take 6th place. Rajvirdhan could not keep up the momentum of his earlier
race and finished a disappointing 14th.
Tung leads the championship points with 135 after 8
rounds, followed by Lin Po Heng on 102, and Japanese lady driver Keiko Ihara
on 76.
The Formula BMW Asia Series continues next month with
Rounds 9 and 10 at the new Taebaek Circuit in South Korea on August 23 and
24.
Truly representative of the Asian region, the Formula BMW
Asia field is made up of drivers from Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China,
Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and India. (Motorsport Asia
Limited)
Fifth Royal Samui Beach Tennis
Open: A Deuce(D) Good Show
Story and photos by Peter Cummins
Paradorn and Tamarine did not participate, nevertheless,
the Fifth Royal Samui Beach Samui Tennis Open, played at the hard courts of
the Santiburi Dusit Resort, last week, was an outstanding success. Although
the Resort was basically closed for ‘improvements’ (how can one improve
on this already-splendid facility? I wondered), the tournament went
smoothly, without even a rain-storm to delay the games.
 Fast
and furious: the men slug it out.
At the closing party and Awards Ceremony held roof-top at
the Paradise Beach Resort, Permphol Attachot took home the Men’s Singles
title, Suvimol Duangcharn, the Women’s Singles, Pongsiri Duangcharn and
Putpon Chantawarnop, the Men’s Doubles and Krisana Ratanasin won the
Men’s Consolation Singles Final.
The standards were high, in keeping with Thailand’s
assault on the top ranks of world tennis and the principal organizer Horst
Hornung, well satisfied with the outcome of the 2003 event, is already
looking at bigger competitions for next year. These could include a new
format incorporating a veteran’s championship, similar to those played at
Pattaya (next month) and Chiang Mai (later in the year) as well as the
ongoing tried and tested Open formula.
 The
winners pose with the sponsors and organizers at the Paradise Beach Resort
Awards evening.
Horst pointed out that, with great support from both the
public and private sectors on the island, this year’s tournament disbursed
a record Baht 100,000 in prize money, as well as the silverware and
trophies.
Within recent memory a visit to Koh Samui was somewhat of
a marathon: overland to Surat Thani, then a tedious boat trip of some 10
hours, to find the island which, in those days, consisted of coconut trees,
beaches, farming and fishing.
It was as though the “cargo cult” was transmitted
from Melanesia to Samui in the 1990s, when the big Bangkok Airways birds
started landing, disgorging hordes of tourists and their goodies.
Now, there are annual events in place which, with the
support of the public and private sectors on the island - particularly the
Tourism Authority of Thailand - are placing Samui clearly in the spotlight
of world focus. Last month’s highly-successful Second Koh Samui
International Regatta sent images of the beautiful island and the exciting
event to the world’s press and media outlets.
Samui’s own extravaganza held over three days: last
weekend, the much-heralded First Samui Carnival, euphemistically called the
“Samba Party Samui Style”, and labelled as the “First-ever Island
Carnival in Asia” which, according to the organizers, brought the ‘mardi
gras ambience to the “Rio of the East” Following the instant success of
this, it is anticipated that the Samui Carnival, too, will become an annual
event.
The Fifth Royal Samui Tennis Open competition was staged
by the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT), under the Patronage of
His Majesty the King. Chairman of the event was Col. Yudthana Sirisuka,
Deputy Secretary General of LTAT and Tournament Director was Khun Nutthasak
Laekhakul, also of LTAT. The official ball was the Wilson US Open.
As in the Regatta and the Carnival, almost the whole island supported the
tennis and, certainly, as for these two, there will be excellent press and
media coverage from Bangkok Post, Nation, Pattaya Blatt, Pattaya Mail,
Chiang Mai Mail, and the Samui Journal and Real Estate Magazine Television
coverage included Channel Nine and Monday Sport.
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
New league starts on August 8
The PSC Friday Bowling League enjoyed a fun-bowling week
with instant prizes given out for high game handicap and high series
handicap for men and women. August 1 bowling will be the same and will give
bowlers a chance to relax before the next pressure filled league, which
starts on August 8.
 Week’s
fun winners Bill, Tui, Tukata and Bill #2.
Winners of the just finished league were:
First Place: House of the Golden Coin, Captain Mio, Jon
and Lada
Second Place: Caf้ Ole, Captain Udom, Otto and Jim
Third Place: Nice and Sleazy, Captain Tony, Jeed and Dang
Fourth Place: Jack & Tar, Captain Porn, Somrak, Ken
and Lek
High game scratch: Kran & Jeed - 236, Ken Crow - 224
High series scratch: Mio - 628, Bill - 600
High game handicap: Lek - 253, Ken - 244
High series handicap: Somrak - 656, Sven - 664
Trophies will be awarded at the upcoming bowling party to
be held in August.
New league starting
Attention all Pattaya Sports Club members. The new
bowling league will start on Friday, August 8. If you want to be on a team
come to the Pattaya Bowl on Friday at 1:30 pm on August 1 and put your name
in the hat. All team bowlers, except for Captain’s, are drawn in a blind
draw.
PSC Golf from the Café
Kronborg
Monday July 21
Natural Park Resort
Stroke Play
The A & B layouts of the pristine and beautiful
Natural Park Resort under sunny skies with a cool breeze made for perfect
golfing and scoring conditions, but the course won on the day with nobody
shooting their handicap on the day.
 Bill
Plath
Bill Plath took the honours on the day and won with a net
74, ahead of a countback for second with net 75 which was won by Rick Evans
ahead of Ebrahim in third. Fourth was Aussie Barry Kerr with net 76.
PSC Three Sister Golf
With a good turn out on Monday, July 21 Bob Moberg tried
for a double. Coming in with 41 points we all thought that he would be the
winner two weeks in a row. Spoiling Bob’s bid for a double was big Kevin
Mitch. Kevin playing in one of the later groups came in with a blazing 42
points to pip Bob’s bid to win two in a row.
 Winners
at Siam Country Club, July 21: Kevin Mitch and Bob Moberg. The handsome guy
won with 42 points. The other had 41.
Following the leaders were Kenny Mau with 40 points
followed by Paul Kraft and Eddie Rudkin both with 38 points each.
Holding the bag this week was a bummer. Rollie Weese and
Jim Tully were fighting hard to get a hold of the bottom spot but I was told
that someone by the name of Paul Kinner did not turn in his card. Since I
did not see the card or play with the individual I cannot substantiate his
score of 10 for the round. It is only a rumor, but I’m sure that Paul
dropped his card in the cellar so it could not be found. Anyway, better luck
next week Paul, and turn in your card.
Tai & Ann shoot the Better Ball at Burapha
Mike Franklin
Tai Kennedy and Ann Drader beat the very windy conditions
on Burapha West course (C & D) to score an impressive 54 Stableford
points in the Shenanigans Better Ball tournament on July 22. Tai shot a
‘career best’ 93 gross off her 31 handicap, while Ann was also better
than handicap by 5 shots.
 Mike
Franklin has his hands full presenting the winners Tai Kennedy and Ann
Drader with their prizes.
Just one shot behind with 53 points was the Thai pairing
of Khun Natthachai and Khun Paiboon playing off 10 and 16 respectively.
Herbie Ishinaga and Kenny Mau took third place with 50 points, beating Jason
Payne and John Kennedy on count-back.
Near pins were claimed by visitor John Floate on 5C, Ian
Dickson on 8C, John Hanley on 2D and Rich Wibrow on 8D. No marker flag was
put out on C9, and Tai Kennedy claimed the long putt on D9.
The course was in excellent shape, with a very strong
wind reminiscent of a real links course and an overcast sky that kept the
temperature at a comfortable level.
Back at Shenanigans the Tuesday 100 baht Chef’s Special
was of the usual high standard, this time a Pork Kebab with butter
vegetables and rice. Most of the field of thirty-four players was back for
the social part of the day, the long table was out and the ladies corner
noisier than usual with the winnings funding numerous jugs of Margaritas.
At the prize-giving newcomers Tom Farrell, Khun Paiboon,
Terry Curtis and John Floate were welcomed and it was welcome back to Ian
Dickson, Andy Bettany and Jerry & Sue Hough.
Tuesday August 5 is the date for the next Shenanigans
Very Friendly Golf Society outing, this time a return to Plutaluang playing
South & East. Sign-up in pairs please at Shenanigans, and making a four
if you know the other pair you would like to play with.
Asian Touring Car Series
July 20, Round 6 at Bira Circuit
San Wins From Pole, Sawa on Top in Division 2
Chen Jun San of Taiwan led from pole to flag to clinch
Division 1 victory in Round 6 of the Asian Touring Car Series today at
Thailand’s Bira Circuit.
At the start, almost nothing separated Chen in his Toyota
Altezza from Seijiro Sawa in a Honda Civic EK9. However from lap 3, Chen
increased his lead and despite Sawa closing in the later stages of the
20-lap race, he comfortably took the chequered flag with a race time of
23:26.760.
“Considering what happened to me yesterday this is a
great result for me,” said Chen. “I have to thank my team for doing such
a great job fixing the damage from yesterday and the car felt very good
today,” he added.
Local favourite Jakthong Navasoopanich delighted the Thai
crowd with an excellent 2nd place finish in Division 1. Jakthong, who
started in 6th place, had to withstand huge pressure from Hong Kong’s Lo
Ka Chun and fellow Thai Kirakiat Yenmanoj before clinching his place on the
podium.
Naoya Yamano was unable to take the start due to damage
sustained to his Honda Integra DC5 in yesterday’s accident,
Sawa took victory In Division 2, followed by Apathorn
Karnaputa in a Honda Civic EK9. Danny Stacy Chau of Team IMSP completed a
satisfactory weekend in third.
“Today’s race wasn’t as exciting as yesterday’s
as I was driving a lonely race most of the time”, said Sawa. “But I’m
delighted that I finished the race, let alone taking a place on the
podium.” He added.
Chau was also pleased with his performance today. “I
had a bad start thus giving the others the opportunity to overtake at first.
That said, I had a good time giving them a chase and overtaking them
eventually,” says Danny Stacy Chau. “Not bad for an old man!” he
joked.
The Asian Touring Car Series continues next month with
Rounds 7 and 8 at Korea’s Taebaek Circuit on August 23 and 24. (Motorsport
Asia Limited)
Revenge is Sweet for John Hughes
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the Bunker
On Monday and Tuesday, July 21-22, thirty hardy Bunker
Boys took on a two-day eclectic challenge at Green Valley Golf & Country
Club. It was the Bunker’s first experience of such a format and it was a
useful warm-up for the tournament there next month to celebrate the birthday
of one of the Bunker Boys, Harry Riley.
On both days there was a fresh wind and this helped to
concentrate the minds of the golfers over the two days. On the first day the
leader board saw John Preddy at the top with a very creditable net 71, with
a clutch of players within striking distance, all capable of collecting a
good total on day two.
Minds changed as either “percentage” shots were
attempted or devil-may-care efforts were used to improve day one scores. For
one player in particular the day was memorable. Sander “Sunny” Ruthsip
used his very unorthodox action to good effect to post a second day score of
net 63, beating every score on his first round!
This monumental effort saw him as the clubhouse leader
until the final group came in. In the inaugural Emergency A-Go Go Classic
last year John Hughes blew it on the last two holes to throw away a certain
victory and his memories of Green Valley have haunted him since. No such
horrors this time however as his smooth southpaw rhythm was well used to
tease shots off his first round and he entered the clubhouse with an
eclectic score of net 62.
Joining Sunny as runners-up on net 63 were Steve Nowell,
David Johnson and Norm Robinson. On day one the Bunker Super Sawng award was
shared by Kevin Wilson, John Emmerson, Steve Nowell and Wilf Latham, the
latter also picking up a share on day two, this time with John King. Harry
Riley’s nine off the tee guaranteed him the bananas on day one whilst Roy
Mitchell’s four putts from within two feet assured him of the Bunker
Banana Booby on the final day.
Everyone enjoyed the event and the format is certainly
one, which makes a golfer think more about his approach to shot making. Roll
on next month!
New Faces at the Top
On Thursday, July 24 the Bunker Boys braved the seasonal
showers and travelled to distant Noble Place Golf Resort for their weekly
Stableford competition.
In division one Unto Kilvonen shot 32 points, one behind
Ciano Glavina on 33 and a further shot back from David Smith, the ultimate
winner with 34 points.
Division two saw higher scores with Neil Griffin and Bill
Chadwick sharing third place on 37 points, Hardy Holtz taking second with 39
and Gene Scalf belying his 18 handicap to post a remarkable 44 points. The
handicapper will get his revenge no doubt! The Bunker Super Sawng Award was
shared by Ciano Glavina and Saranya Chaiyanont for their birdie two’s
whilst “Skinny” Blair Newton once again took the feared Bunker Banana
Booby for his low score of the day.
Thai-Ger Line 5th Anniversary golf tournament
Khao Kheow, Friday August 22
Courses A & B.
Shotgun Start at 12 noon.
Prize giving party in the Moon River Pub at Thai Garden
Resort, North Pattaya.
German Style Buffet, with free Beer, Wine and Soft
Drinks with a large assortment of performance trophies and technical hole
prizes to be awarded.
Details with Entry Form are to be found at all the Golf
Venues in Pattaya or just call and see Fabian at the Thai-Ger Line Golf
Shop, Soi Chaiyapoon between Soi Bukhao and No. 3 Road, tel: 038 720 519.
Café้ Kronborg wins very convincingly against 3 Sisters
Thursday July 24
Siam C.C.
Matchplay
This is what golf was all about at one time, head to head
and the score does not count, but it can be time consuming, however to most
of we golfers it is the best and most enjoyable way to play the game.
 Golfers
enjoy the good food after a long day of golf.
So every now and then we have a head to head, single
match play, between the two bars for “The Cup”, and because it is a
favourite competition we always have a good turnout. In this case each team
turned out 20 players and as we all teed off the only words that were said
was ‘may the best team win’, and so battle was drawn, but played in the
best of friendliness.
 Herbie
presents to the K.S.M.
Herbie teed off first on his own so he could get back to
the 3 Sisters and finish off the buffet as the presentation was to be there.
Then the golfers set off in their fourballs, and as the teams had been
seeded, lowest handicap to highest in each team, then you played your
opposite number, the better golfers got under way to set the day for the
rest.
 Jim
Tully leads the sing song.
The course was pretty wet but the greens had been cut and
were in good condition so the speed of play was pretty good and soon the
leaders were back in the clubhouse and the team captains, Gerry Carpenter
stood in for Herbie, were eagerly awaiting the completion of the fourballs
so the results could be collected and the winner worked out.
 Team
Captain Herbie, although losing ‘The Cup’, is all smiles.
It soon became apparent there was only one winner as the
Kronborg boys pulled steadily away for a very convincing win, and it was
soon time for all to depart for the 3 sisters and see what delicacies Herbie
had prepared.
Back at Herbies the wolves descended on the food which
was well up to the high standard we have come to expect from the ‘Host,
cook and chief bottle washer’, our Herbie.
Then it became time for the presentation with team
Captain of the 3 Sisters, Herbie, returning the cup into the safe keeping of
the Kronborg’s Captain Derek Brook, after a fine win by The Cafe Kronborg
by 13.5 to 6.5. Herbie of course requested a re-match and this will take
place in, hopefully, October, before the Winter rush.
Presentation over, the night developed, as it has a habit
of doing, and several beers later the players left gathered around the bar
for a sing song led by Jim Tully, and a good night was had by all.
PSC Golf from The 60’s Bar
Friday July 25
Royal Lakeside Golf Club
Stableford
As I opened my bleary eyes on the Friday morning, after
Herbie’s the night before, my wife called out that there would be no golf
today, come and look at the weather. During my walk to the balcony I could
hear the beating of the rain and, as I look down on The 60’s Bar, could
see the rain bouncing and both the Soi and beach road flooding with water.
 Oy
& Noi present to John (R) and Elvis (L)
Surely no golf today, but wanting to show willing and eat
the free breakfast, I jumped into the car and drove through the rain to the
60’s Bar to be met by a pretty bedraggled crew sat over hot coffee and
scrambled eggs, trying to decide if the long drive down there, with wet
roads, was worth it.
 Oy
and Noi present to Thomas (R) and Gene (L)
A call to Royal Lakeside received the information that of
course the course was open, but no carts. So off we set and the drive down
there was difficult in the extreme with the rain pounding down, but as we
neared the course the rain started to ease to a drizzle, and after booking
in at this magnificent clubhouse we arrived on the first tee with only a few
spots of rain.
 Bobby
congratulates the girls on a job well done.
So off we went in superb conditions, cool and a bit
overcast with just a few spots of rain, and so it remained for the whole
round and proved to be one of the best days of golf I can remember. You just
never know here.
The course, although wet, was in superb condition and if
there are better fairways anywhere I have yet to see them, the ball sits up
to be hit, and this is good because the course is not especially scenic and
really a little bland, but a good test of golf.
 Oy
& Noi present to Bob (R) and Prank (L)
Back in the sumptuous clubhouse, as the results came, in
there was a roadblock at the top with 5 golfers within one shot, but the
winner John Emmerson was the person one ahead.
We won’t dwell on the drive back, suffice to say it was
difficult, but we were welcomed back at Bobby’s by some of his excellent
chilly hot sausages in gravy and all the trimming to warm the soul and set
up the night ahead.
Food eaten Bobby put forward two of his staff to do the
presentation, Oy and Noy, and despite protestations by Bobby all decided
they were prettier than him.
Winner: John Emmerson
Near Pin: #3 Bob Benda, #6 Thomas Kassermier, #12 Gene
Scalf; #15 Frank Pilkington
Lucky Draw: Elvis
Fitness Tips:Ephedra’s safety under scrutiny
The death of a healthy 23-year-old baseball player in
February 2003 has refocussed attention on the harm from ephedra diet
supplements. This young man died from heat stroke during spring training and
the examiner certified that ephedra contributed to his death.
Researchers recently reviewed 530 articles in an effort
to assess the efficacy and safety of ephedra and ephedrine for weight loss
and athletic performance. The report, which appears in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA), concluded that there is strong evidence
to support the claims that it increases the risk of major health problems.
The review showed that while ephedrine and ephedra
promoted modest short-term weight loss, they also increased the risk of
psychiatric, autonomic or gastrointestinal symptoms as well as heart
palpitations. There was insufficient evidence to support their use for
enhancing athletic performance.
Another report in the current edition of the Annals of
Internal Medicine details the enormous number of adverse reactions to
ephedra reported during 2001 to US poison control centres. Although ephedra
products account for less than one percent of all herbal product sales, they
account for 64 percent of the adverse reactions reported. This makes it 220
times more likely to cause an adverse effect than all other herbal products.
It is even 100 times more likely to cause a reaction than kava, which has
been banned in many countries.
So what do we have here: stuff that might take off a bit
of weight in the short term, but it also increases the risk of psychiatric,
autonomic or gastrointestinal symptoms as well as heart palpitations and
it’s 100 times more likely to cause an adverse reaction that will effect
your health than some other stuff that was deemed dangerous and was banned
in many countries. Further, will it keep the weight off? Can you keep taking
it for the long term without increased health risk?
No and No.
So yet another “magic pill” solution to being
overweight is proven to be ineffective and dangerous, what a surprise!
Short term, mid term, long term and lifetime you simply
cannot beat a healthy eating plan and regular physical activity.
Peel appeal
According to many studies, when you remove the peel or
skin from fruits and vegetables, you lose a lot of nutrition since it’s a
concentrated source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
According to research at Cornell University, apple skin
seems to have an anti-cancer effect. Whole apples have a much greater effect
on cancer cells than peeled ones. The researchers found that the skin from
one average-sized Idared apple has the same antioxidant potential as 820
milligrams of vitamin C.
Similarly, the results of a recent Finnish study show
that potato skin is rich in antioxidants and has more fibre, iron, potassium
and B vitamins than the flesh, gram for gram.
Some laboratory studies suggest that citrus peel helps
detoxify potentially cancer-causing compounds and reduces the activity of
proteins that trigger abnormal cell growth. Citrus peel can be grated into
tomato sauce, fish or chicken dishes, or baked goods. It can also be added
as strips to salads or to a cup of tea.
Carpe’ Diem
PH3 Run 1011
Congratulations Flipper, 18 years of marriage to the
irrepressible Willy! And Willy, a celebration run of mammoth proportions to
ensure your anniversary is remembered long into the future by the PH3
masses.
Hashing euthanasia is a term that springs to mind.
However, as GKW calls order and asks for a circle to be formed the assembled
are still unaware of what the hares are about to unleash. On in new
shoes/boots and then the hares are called to explain their run – white
paper gold/silver checks. They explain the run is like marriage with ups and
downs and then mutter about the paper being well hidden due to the windy
conditions!
On out and we stumble through a small rubbish dump into
some scrub and then snake to the first check. A good check, because the pack
has to think! Paper located near the water and 25% of the pack follows the
trail while the remainder shadows the FRB’s from the road. The hares have
found a tortuous trail with plenty of shiggy.
Karamba enters into the fun and pirouettes with full tuck
into the water. All the pack on trail get very wet. If the water is waist
deep for me some of the vertically deficient member of the pack could be
suffering. Away from the lake and onto another check- S.S. last seen going
the wrong direction to do this own hash. On On called and the diminished
pack of FRB‘s are still running away from the A site!
The next interesting obstacle is a tree trunk across very
dirty water. Yao Yao adopts an interesting shuffle and tries to rip the arse
out of his, shorts the remainder take a deep breath and pray they don’t
fall in.
Almost 50 minutes on trail and at last we turn for home
through fields of cassava and onto the reservoir causeway, we can
tantalizingly see the hash bus but its still over 2km away. After a nice run
it’s disappointing to have such a long on in. And why use black top which
is an automatic hash s#&@ with many Hashes?
18:40 hrs. and GKW call the circle. Charlie Manson claims
there are still 23 runners out on trail. As there are numerous redraws in
the raffle this could be correct. Various runners stumble back to the circle
to renditions of Swing Low offering abusive comments to the hares and
complaining about blisters and trench foot.
Sir Airhead arrives (but don’t tell him Dr. Pinky has
redrawn his raffle ticket). Returnees, visitors, virgins, obituaries and
leavers efficiently dealt with by the GM. Banjo called into the circle and
asked by the GM to explain why he is unable to stock maternity wear in the
rags department. Perhaps ผ Pounder can act as the tailor’s dummy.
Sir Airhead, our esteemed RA still slightly shaken by the
length of today’s run takes the circle and suggests Free Willy (with
Karamba for some reason) should have a seat. Good run? Many say yes! But PH3
democracy prevails and as expected hash s#&@ is awarded.
Although the run was a little too long it was mostly
interesting with good checks and it was evident the hares had worked very
hard putting it together. Are You Sure receives his new name. A. Hopper,
iced for drinking himself into oblivion on 10 B shots of spirits but in the
end paid 1,600 B to get out of the monkey house. A.H. on in for having no
shoes in the circle. MOM gives rendition of the Threshing Machine. C.F.
takes the circle and ices the Jungle Hash mis-management. Lord Lucan loses
his hash s#&@ status but claims the hash trash trophy for not collecting
PJH3 signs from their last run. Perhaps the hares have already put them in
place for this Sunday’s run! Various anniversaries awarded this week - see
status report. Free Willy on in to tell a very bad joke. Hash Hymn and then
onto OLaLa for some very good food, thanks and a few more beers.
On-On
Lord Lucan
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