|
Trank and Johnston win the 2005 Fosters Sriracha Open
Damien Trank and Phillip Johnston returned a total of 48
stableford points to win on countback the Pairs Better Ball 2005 Fosters
Sriracha Open.
“We enjoyed the day out and would like to play a
winning round like this every time,” said Damien and Phillip.
 Damien
Trank (left) and Phillip Johnston (right) claimed their 2005 Fosters
Sriracha Open trophy from Joe Craggs, Lion Club tournament organiser after
they had to rush off to an emergency situation during Saturday evening’s
prizegiving at the Siracha clubhouse.
The event, organised by the Cosmopolitan Lions Club of
Jomtien, was held last Saturday at the Gary Player designed Sriracha
International Golf Course. The aim was to raise funds for the Lions’ Club
charity projects and at press time the figure was very close to the 200,000
baht target.
Joe Craggs, tournament organiser said, “It’s been
hard to get everything together but it’s finally paid off. This has been a
big learning curve, but it’ll only make things smoother next year.”
Jim
Payne (left) and Mitch Malone (right), runners up in this year’s Lions
Club Charity golf tournament receive their trophies from Joe Craggs at
Sriracha.
Over 130 golfers turned out to play in the third annual
Lions Club Charity Golf day, this year renamed after Fosters Thailand joined
the ranks as the major tournament sponsor for the System 36 format.
Players were greeted on the course by Lions Club members
and were promptly handed their bag of goodies including much-needed hats and
umbrellas to ward off the hot sun. Breakfast supplied by Simple Simon and
drinks (by Fosters) were the next order as everyone made their way for the
midday shotgun start.
The
Fosters’ girls kept everyone hydrated with plenty of amber fluid from
downunder. So much so, that Lions club members tested a few bottles to
ensure everyone was receiving their refreshemnts at the right temperature.
The recent spate of hot, dry weather had left the
fairways quite hard and the greens very quick. In the heat the drinks stops,
particularly at hole 12 where Fosters had set up for the day, provided
refreshment from the midday sun, with the majority of players commenting on
their need for sustenance. They were also given moral support and eyesight
refreshment on hole 16 with the lovely ladies from Lolitas.
For those aiming to win prizes on the course, each hole
was sponsored with hole 3 having both a near-the-pin and a hole-in-one prize
of a brand new BMW 318i, insured by AA Insurance, sitting at the tee.
Unfortunately, no one managed the 200-plus yard drive to claim the prize but
needless to say there were plenty trying.
After a long day out it was back to the clubhouse for a
full buffet dinner, prize giving and lucky draws, and a personalised cake,
complete with photo, provided by Piece of Cake.
As mentioned each hole was sponsored and a multitude of
technical prizes (see results below) were handed out before moving on to the
main event, with the winners receiving an all expenses paid trip to Chiang
Rai and three rounds of golf over three days.
Runner-up was the Harley Bar 5 team of Mitch Malone and
Jim Payne, and with the 36 scoring system, a combined handicap of 39 and 48
stableford points. They just lost on countback to winners Damien Trank and
Phillip Johnston, also with 48 points.
The day didn’t end there as many made their way back to
Pattaya to indulge in the festivities at the Harley Bar.
“Such events are impossible to host without sponsorship
and the Lions Club wishes to thank all the sponsors who helped make the
event a success. And to Joe Craggs who worked very hard to put all this
together,” said Peter Smith, Cosmopolitan Lions Club of Jomtien president.
Major sponsors were Fosters Thailand, Thaisri Insurance,
Thai Health, AA Insurance, Shenanigans, CUEL, Sriracha International Golf
Course, Transpo, F & B Co Ltd, Lolitas, Misty’s, DSL, Brunel, Dogoto,
NCE, Vetco and the Pattaya Mail.
Results:
Winners C & M team with Damien Trank and Phillip
Johnston; Runners up Harley Bar 5 Mitch Malone and Jim Payne.
Technical Prizes
#1 Near Marker sponsored by Shenanigans: Rob Heath; #2 Longest Putt
sponsored by CR Asia: Patrick Collins; #3 Near Pin/Hole-in-One sponsored by
Thaisri: Keith Porter. Hole-in-One: not claimed; #4 All in the Bunker
sponsored by Transpo: not claimed; #5 Long Drive on the fairway sponsored by
Dogoto: Gavin Perfect; #6 All in the Bunker sponsored by Srixon: Draw; #7
All in the water sponsored by NCE: draw; #8 Near Pin sponsored by CUEL: Jim
Payne; #9 Straightest Drive sponsored by Brunel: Phillip Johnston; #10
Nearest the Marker sponsored by DSL: Paul Dobbs; #11 Long Drive on the
Fairway sponsored by Vetco: John Morgan; #12 Near the Pin/Charity Hole
sponsored by Fosters: Ray Ryan; #13 Near the Water (not in) sponsored by
Camel Bar: Luo Holub; #14 Natural Birdie sponsored by Cosmoplitan Lions: not
claimed; #15 Nearest Pin in 3 sponsored by Thai Health: Russell White; #16
Longest Putt sponsored by Lolita’s: Tom Nordell; #17 Near Pin sponsored by
AA Insurance: Glen Ebert; #18 Nearest the Barrel sponsored by Misty’s:
Brad Scooby.
PSC golf from the Cafe Kronborg
Tuesday May 24
Bangpakong
iverside
Stableford
The pristine Bangpakong Riverside Golf Course was host
to a stableford competition for a small group of ‘Golfaholics’. The
course has various specials going on right now, some of which include free
food.
 Arthur
Bailey
Old Steady Arthur Bailey took first place with 38
points, Aussie Jeff Wylie was second with 34 points and ever present
Ebrahim was third with 33 points.
Thursday May 26
SiamC.C.
Stroke - Monthly Medal
This time of the year the various courses are in
different condition, with many of them still brown and hard, some soft
with the recent rain and others with a fair source of water still in
stunning condition.
Siam is in the process of recovery, and at present is
still not in good condition. The fairways are starting to grass up, but
the greens, which have been cored of late, are still recovering and a put
is a thing to be feared. The ball bounces all over. On the fairway,
although grassing up, many hard dry patches exist and I thought I had
broken my wrist once.
 Kevin
Dinan (left) receives the Kronborg Monthly Mug from Dave Richardson.
On the day we had a good turnout, and, as many
competitors tend to turn up at the course, at tee off I hoped they would
turn up. Of course they nearly all did, so a good day was had by all.
The course being, as is said, in a period of recovery,
and a day that was blisteringly hot, the golf tended to be difficult and
was a bit of a trial. Rest stops were well used and much water was
consumed, and the pace tended to be a little slow.
When the scores started to come in, it was apparent
that any score higher than Par would be to the fore, and many players who
thought they had had a bad round, suddenly found themselves to the front.
 Bill
Plath, A flight winner
Later back at the Cafe Kronborg, this being the only
competition to do the presentation there, we found that some players had
been so convinced they had no chance they stopped at home. Still we had
the odd good round.
In the A Flight, 0 to 16, the winner with a net 71 was
Bill Plath. Bill is a regular and very rarely puts in a bad round. Second
and third were decided on countback with a net 72. Gene Rooney back in the
fold once more, took second with Philippe Berra coming in third.
In the B Flight, 17 up, we had a bit of a surprise.
Mike “Elvis” Gerrard slipping into the B Flight for the first time in
living memory won the flight with a net 70. Well done Mike and may you
return to the A Flight as soon as possible, like the next week. Second was
decided on a three-way countback on net 73, with Marie Rowles continuing
her good form to come second, Ian Colville coming third and Doug Chalkley
just losing out.
 Mike
Gerrard, B Flight winner
Whilst all about him were losing their heads, Kevin
Dinan fought on. He had decided he wanted a second Mug, as he had used the
first so often it had worn out. So the winner of the Mug, with a net 68,
was Kevin Dinan, and well done. Last seen, Kevin was working steadily on
the fact that all the other players were supposed to fill it once in the
coming month. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: #4 Ian Colville; #8 Ebrahim; #12 Gene
Rooney; #16 Bob Rasmussen
Long Putts: #9 Kevin Dinan; #18 Gene Rooney
The Claw putts Norm to win
Eastern Star was the venue for Grapevine golfers on May
26, with the course in good order and the weather doing its best also, with
clear skies and a light breeze.
With the good conditions came some better scores with
first time Grapeviner, Norm Adre (15), using the claw grip and putting his
way to a win with 41 points. Mikael Anderson, a regular Grapeviner, played
well off his 9 handicap to score second with 38 points, a bit of a gap then
to jeff Wylie (3) with 34.
(l to r)
Brian, Rich, Steve, Norm, and Mikael all had a good day on the course.
Technical prizes saw Brian Dunbar pick up 3 of the 4 near
pins. Jeff Wylie got the other one. Long putts were picked up by Mikael
Anderson and Steve Hamstad. Lucky draws were won by Dick and Rich.
All golfers enjoyed the day, with unanimous applause for the Grapevine
management and staff for their support of the golf and providing a top shelf
meal of curried chicken and fried rice. If you are looking for a game of
golf on a Thursday, come on down to The Grapevine, Soi Regent Marina. Sign
up by Wednesday would be helpful for catering and transportation. Look
forward to seeing you all there. Cheers and good golfing!
Stormin’ beats Sebastiani in two-man fight
IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday May 23
Green Valley
Stableford
1st A Flight: Chas Li, 40 pts
2nd A Flight: Klaus Schackt, 38 pts
3rd A Flight: Phil Mitchell, 37 pts
1st B Flight: Jan Eriksen, 40 pts
2nd B Flight: Frank Pilkington, 39 pts
3rd B Flight: Lamun Hanley, 36 pts
1st C Flight: Alec Hoare, 41 pts
2nd C Flight: Eddy Beilby, 37 pts
3rd C Flight: Anek Simag, 37 pts
Near Pins: # 8 Norm Adre; #13 John O’Connor
Chas Li shows no signs of “plateau-ing” on any
particular handicap soon as he continues to lower a handicap that started
the year at 18. He topped the premier Flight, of which he is now a
card-carrying member, with 40 points. He bettered the esteemed triumvirate
of Klaus Schackt, Phil Mitchell and Gary Blackburne. Klaus was clear in
second with 38 points (he must be back on the practice tee and the
computer.). Phil Mitchell bettered fellow Brit, Gary Blackburne, for third,
thanks to the devilish count back.
Jan Eriksen continuing his resurgence, now that he is
refocused on golf, to post another podium topping 40 points and leave B
Flight second to the ever-improving Frankie the Pilk. Frank is down to a 16
from his starting point of 32 three years ago! Lamun Hanley, John’s better
half, made a rare visit to the society and took home a little loot for her
efforts as her 36 points locked up the bronze.
The winner of C Flight, Alec Hoare, had the best point
accumulation on the day, 41 points, in a continuation of his winning ways. A
three-way logjam at 37 points was broken by count back with ol’ pal Eddy
Beilby getting the best of it with a silver and Irishman Mick Leonard the
worst of it as he viewed the podium from the cheap seats. Siam caddy, Anek
Simag, made her inaugural visit to the Society a successful one by grabbing
the C Flight bronze.
Tuesday May 24
Laem Chabang
Blue or White Tees
Stroke/Medal
1st Blue Flight: Simon Philbrook, net 72
1st White Flight Joe Mooneyham, net 68
2nd White Flight: Eddie Blackwell, net 69
3rd White Flight: Gary Blackburne, net 73
4th White Flight: David Earthrowl, net 73
The early season bravado that saw the majority of the
field on the Blue Tees has now shrunk to a quarter of the field. Now in
fairness, those numbers have been lessened by the summer or work-related
departure of some bangers (Johnny McHugh, Chris Fox, to name a couple) and
by injury (The Pres and the GM), but is it also a realization that while the
Laem Chabang Whites are a bit short, the Blues are a monster. Undeterred by
that intro and having one of the finer games in the society, Simon Philbrook
shot a level to par net 72 off his 6 handicap to take the Blue Flight.
Joe Mooneyham led the parade of four golfers up the White
podium with his net 68, one better than our resident Beau Brummel (with
apologies to K4), Eddie Blackwell. Knotted four strokes behind Eddie were
mates Gary Blackwell and David Earthrowl. Gary did David in on count back.
Wednesday May 25
Burapha
American Wood & British Link
Blue or White Tees
Stableford
1st Blue Flight: Brian Dunbar, 40 pts
2nd Blue Flight: Gary Blackburne, 39 pts
1st White Flight: Kevin Moraghan, 43 pts
2nd White Flight: Ken Kutzing, 41 pts
A balanced field split to take on the challenging Blue
tees and the somewhat feel good White side of Burapha’s A & B side.
Brian Dunbar eked out a one point victory over Gary Blackburne in the long
play flight. Whilst Kevin Moraghan, certainly one of Pattaya’s most
eligible bachelors, put a two point margin of K4 and our soon to be anointed
co-title boy, Joe Sebastian(i). Because Joe was dealt the title, Kenny was
given the money. Or was it because of count back?
Friday May 27
Khao Kheow, A & B
Yellow or White Tees
Stroke/Medal
1st Yellow Flight: Mike Gerrard, 39 pts
2nd Yellow Flight: Simon Philbrook, 37 pts
3rd Yellow Flight: Phil Mitchell, 36 pts
4th Yellow Flight: Phil Groves, 35 pts
1st White Flight: Norm Robinson, 31 pts
Ahh!, to the title match. Through history there have been
classic mano-a-mano match-ups, going back to Hector and Achilles, Naploleon
and Wellington, certainly Seabiscuit and War Admiral, who can forget Louis
and Schmelling. And now we have Stormin’ Norman Robinson and Joe
Sebastian(i). While the balance of the large field took on the intimidating
Yellow Tees (6,359 yards) of Dye designed Khao Kheow, these two golfers, of
the second category, chose to “lock ‘em up” on the 5,880 yard
juggernaut presented from the White Tees. And a swell joust it was as
Stormin’ put a 31 point “licking” on Joe’s 23. The presentation will
be at Pattaya’s next Wo-Man pageant.
In the First Category or Yellow Flight, newcomer to
Lewiinski’s, Mike Gerrard had 39 points to take the best of four
luminaries, Simon Philbrook, Phil Mitchell, Phil Groves and Charles Li.
Simon, two back of Mike, took the silver. This podium appearance was the
closest that Phil and Phil had been since the water ballet of then, Natural
Park Resort. Poor Chas who began the week with a win, ended it with a count
back loss out of the money.
The Secret Squirrel takes a bow
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday May 23
Khao Kheow
Stableford
1st Secret Squirrel, 37 pts
2nd Trevor Schirmer, 35 pts
3rd Tony Quaid, 34 pts - cb9 17, cb6 12, cb3 7
4th Al Rolnik, 34 pts - cb9 17, cb6 12, cb3 4
The winners had requested total secrecy as to his
identity as he was supposed to be on sick leave from his employment. We
can however divulge that he had a very famous great grandmother called
Lily and that he works for a government department in Canada where his
co-workers read the Pattaya Mail assiduously every week. In the event
he won fairly comfortably off his new handicap, which will rapidly be
returning down again.
 Secret
Squirrel took out the first round of the week and requested anonymity
despite his covert efforts on the course.
Trevor Schirmer took third place ahead of Tony
Quaid, who again promised much but faded a little on the closing holes.
Al Rolnik unfortunately started late and finished
early by taking a blob on both the first and eighteenth holes to get
beaten out of third place on countback.
Trevor Schirmer had the only two in the first
division and Roar Berger, in his last game before returning to Norway
to make sure that the family are cleaning the carpets and cleaning the
silver rather than stealing it in his family owned hotel, had the lone
one in the second division including two carry overs.
Before presenting the prizes, “The Doc” in the
absence of Richard who is still at the gnasher factory, welcomed Don
Monnery and Ed Browne and also welcomed back John Taylor and Dave Lee
and said farewell to Roar Berger.
Wednesday May 25
Burapha East
Stableford
1st Mark Campbell, 40 pts
2nd Al Rolnik, 39
3rd Mike Morris, 36 - cb9 22
4th Tony Quaid, 36 - cb9 21
5th Ning Morris, 36 - cb9 20
Mark Campbell, known for some reason to his friends
as “Must”, swept back into town and having laid waste a few bars
and several girls then turned his attention to Burapha, which also
proved no match for the rampaging lad from the deep south. The 300 yard
plus drives and 180 yard 9 irons proved to be just than a little more
than sufficient to see off the quiet man from Chicago, Al Rolnik even
though this time out, Al started on time and finished all eighteen in
good form, it was not quite good enough to catch the whirlwind.
Tony Quaid, having learnt a few lessons in the last
outing kept his round going to the end but could not quite match the
outstanding inward nine by Mike Morris who completed them in one over
par to claim third spot.
Ning Morris did enough to place in the top three on
any other day but was unlucky to trail third in the countback.
Before the presentation Richard, who had escaped the
gnashers factory for a few hours, albeit without a tooth in his head,
welcomed for those that could decode his flubbings, new member Jeff
Jarvis and welcomed back Roy Thornton, Mike and Ning Morris Mark
Campbell and Norman Isherwood.
Friday May 27
Green Valley
Strokeplay
1st Division
1st John Desmond, net 69
2nd Bob Lindborg, net73 - cb9 35
3rd Kuni Wakabayashi, net 73 - cb9 35.5
4th Gavin Leong, net 73 - cb9 37
2nd Division
1st Don Everett, net 70 - cb9 31.5
2nd Glynn Nicholas, net 70 - cb9 32
3rd Peter Johansson, net 73
Fine weather and the promise of good golf and
fellowship brought out a large contingent to travel down to Green
Valley.
“The Brylcream Boy” took the first division by
storm with an outstanding return that left his fellow competitors
gasping in his wake at least four shots adrift. Obviously the short
layoff has done wonders for his game as he had also won on his last
time out. Bob Lindborg, Kuni Wakabayashi and Gavin Leong had to be
separated by countback for the minor placings.
Don Everett made it a happy return to The Land of
Smiles by snagging a win in his first competition for a year to leave
the astounded Glynn Nicholas in second place when he surely must have
thought that 32 on the back nine should prove to be enough to take to
days top honours in the second division.
Peter Johansson just did enough to take the last
podium position with, for him, an unspectacular round.
The two’s in the first division were shared
between John Desmond, Kuni Wakabayashi and Fred Streeter and in the
second division Don Everett swept the pool alone to make it a very
profitable birdie two on the 16th hole which also enabled him to slip
into first place in his division.
With the management of The Haven sparing no expense, an interpreter
was employed to translate Richard’s flubbings so that everyone
understood that he welcomed new members John Pollard, Gavin Leong,
Geoffrey Braimbridge and Nobuo Gunshi and also welcomed back Dave
Stockman, Don Everett, Noel McKenna and Fred Streeter.
Mr. Loy is a winner
Golf from The Caddy Shack
Situated on soi 17 off Third road and heading 150yds
towards the Harley bar is The Caddy Shack. On Tuesday, May 24 the Caddy
Shack golfers visited Green Valley to compete in a medal round.
 A
very surprised Mr. Loy with a win in his first game back after a two month
lay off.
The course was in immaculate condition and with an
overcast sky it made playing extremely pleasant. The format was medal play
and with Green Valley’s 1st hole it demands a good tee shot, reported by
the top three podium placed players they all escaped with a bogey.
Surprisingly the scores were all low, this must be something to do with the
first hole and all round a challenging course.
Jan Eriksen came in 3rd place with a net 78, Tony Duthie
last weeks winner had a net 77, but on his debut game at The Caddy Shack,
Mr. Loy came in with a net 76, considering its his first game back from a
two month lay off through injury he was very pleased and surprised to take
the victory. It was a very friendly day had by all.
The Caddy Shack plays every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am, transport
provided, so come along, as all are very welcome. Please check the golf
schedule for forthcoming venues.
Rob Heath has a field day at Green Valley
IPGC Pattaya golf from the OK Corral
On Tuesday May 24, the Pattaya Golf Society travelled to
the lush Green Valley complex to play its weekly medal round on a hot and
overcast day. It was very refreshing to see two ladies play with the large
group this week and one in particular was to perform very well showing that
men do not have it all their own way at the OK Corral!
The starter had insisted that a novice five-ball should
precede the first group from the PGS and this was to frustrate and delay the
round but Saranya Chaiyanont was able to maintain her concentration to post
a level-par net score of 72, which gave her a share of second place with the
ever-improving Ben Findon. His hours of dedication on the practice ground
are obviously paying off. Rob Heath is still trying to find his true level
and another sub-par round, this time net 71, saw him take the day’s main
honours with a fine round. Bill Hewitt posted the day’s best gross (88)
and this was only good enough for fourth place.
Fred Theobald put behind him two whiffs on the first to hone his tee shot
on the par-three thirteenth and take the day’s rolled-over two’s pot,
whilst the extra organizational duties on the first tee caused Len Jones to
forget to turn off his cellphone. As a result the infuriating buzz
distracted his playing partner on the second tee and the destiny of the
bananas was immediately secured. It had been a fine tournament and one which
will bring players back again to the quality golf course at Green Valley.
Ring, Wing & Nooket win
the Diana May trophies
Mike Franklin
A mixed bag of scoring was the order of the day at
Pattaya Country Club in the May Diana Seniors & Ladies Open.
Nooket Gummer continued in form with 41 Stableford points
off her steadily falling 34 handicap. Banjob Franklin took second place with
a creditable 35 points, sadly losing ground on the back nine.
 May
Diana Seniors & Ladies Open winners (l-r) Peter Ring, Nooket Gummer and
Mike Wing.
Newcomer Mike Wing won the Seniors division with 39 points
and the other newcomer on the day, Peter Ring’s cousin Alan Duckett, was
runner-up with 37 points.
Overall the Super Seniors fared better as Bill Hewitt’s 40
Stableford points was only good enough to take second place whilst Peter Ring,
on the eve of his 75th birthday, scored 41 points to take the trophy. Peter also
claimed the near pin on # 7, Roy Pimblett on # 12, and Chris John was nearest on
the other two par 3s, # 5 and # 16. The long putts were sunk by Terry Phur on #
9 and Mike Wing on # 18.
The weather was fine, hot and mainly overcast. The greens
were quick and the course generally okay, but for the poor condition of the
bunkers.
Thursday June 30th is the next Diana Seniors & Ladies Open at Pattaya
Country Club. Sign-up in the Green Bottle or at the Diana Garden Resort driving
range.
DSL Pattaya 9 Ball Pool League
Soi 6 Quiz League
Wednesday Quiz League
Three Sisters captures third, Shenanigans fourth & Domicil fifth
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
200
bowlers - Mio & Ken.
The league ended after three weeks with four teams fighting
for trophies. Brother D had already clinched first place and Cafe Kronborg
second. Three Sisters defeated Shenanigans three points to one and took third
place with Shenanigans taking fourth. Domicil only needed one point to take
fifth and they did that and remained in fifth. They won one point from Cafe Ole
who ended in sixth place. House of the Golden Coin took four points from VFW
Post 9876 and ended the league in seventh. Mai Thai’s Restaurant split their
match with Q Cars at two points each. Jack & Tar beat Friends three points
to one and Brother D took all four points from Cafe Kronborg.
Best bowlers of the day were:
Mio, House of the Golden Coin: games of 201, 203, 164 - 568 series
Mai, Jack & Tar: games of 194,174, 179 - 547 series
Ooy, House of the Golden Coin: 517 series
Ken, Shenanigans: 216 game
No surprises this week
Jomtien 8 Ball Pool League
For a change everyone, well nearly everyone, played to
form on Thursday, May 26 so that there were no surprise results in the
matches played in the Jomtien 8-Ball pool league.
The table toppers, San Snack Bar, played away from home
this week but nevertheless their performance was good enough to take six of
the nine games at Woaw’s Pub. This must be a disappointing result for
Woaw’s to go 3 - 6 down at home.
Bolaget were hosts to runners up, Simple Simon, who
turned up on the night with two teams, their playing team and a supporting
team, just to make sure! The singles games were evenly split so that it was
3 - 3 at the interval. S.S made sure of the match result, taking the first
two doubles games, before succumbing to
Bolaget’s efforts that narrowed the losing margin to 4
- 5. Unhappily for Bolaget players, S.S also walked off with the result of
the after-match game of “killer”.
Hide-a-Way and Lucky Bar both took away wins of 5 - 4
each at Twilight Zone and Moonshine Place respectively. This was a good
result for Lucky Bar and moves them up a place in the table ahead of
Bolaget.
Country Club maintained their good show of late to take
the home win 5 - 4 from guests Rose & Thistle; they stay third overall
this week ahead of Hide-a-Way in fourth.
Elsewhere, S&N Palace forfeited the match 7 - 0 to
their hosts Paweena’s
Next week, week nine of the season, has three of the top
four teams at home. However, of notable interest Country Club are guests at
Simple Simon making this match a “six-pointer” in effect. Moonshine
would do well to take the match away from Rose & Thistle while Lucky Bar
can also expect to win at home against Paweena’s.
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s Beach Bar
Tuesday May 24
Laem Chabang
Stableford
Oh happy days, free breakfast, and a good one, then off
to the best course in the area, that is according to many of the players in
Pattaya. What is more we played it on a Sports Day, when the cost is in the
scope of most players.
 Winner
Mike Wing (left) with runner up Derek Brook
So off we went, and with me went a couple of young lads,
touring the World on Limited means, and they had never hit a golf ball on a
course before, and had to borrow clubs and buy shorts. This was the treat on
their holiday, and a treat it was, a day they will tell friends about in The
U.K. It probably made them fine golfers of the future. This is what golf at this
bar has stood for over the recent years; potential golfers can play and learn to
like the game.
Stood on the first tee, A1, one of the scariest of drives
awaits. This usually sets the course of your round, and all I can say is on this
day, I finished up on the 9th fairway, and the rest finished in the trees. We
must say thank you Mr. Stableford. So onto the course and as usual the course
was in pristine condition, and playing off the white tees we could actually get
around and play some good golf. Maybe allow us some time to recover, and we did.
Thing about this course is that when you go there on a Sports
Day, you think you are getting something special, and do not have to walk, as
you have to take a cart. The course is manicured better than any other in the
area, and if you want you can play off the blue tees and really be tested. On
this day the course was relatively quiet, so the round was peaceful and hot. Yes
it is that time of the year.
A fine round over we all sat overlooking the course and had a
cool beer, before showering and returning to Pattaya, and of course Tropical
Bert’s.
In the peace and quiet of Bert’s bar we could all relax
before the results were read out, and during this time Bert and Pu’s staff
served all the players with chicken and chips, and it went down well.
The results, we found one of the older players who had just
returned from his ‘Holiday’ at home came in the winner. The winner was Mike
Wing with Derek Brook in second place. T.T.F.N.
Results: Winner Mike Wing, Second place Derek Brook.
Near Pins: Frank Pilkington (2), Roy Pimblett, Derek Brook
Long Putts: Lamar Short and Frank Pilkington
Mitch storms Siam
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
On Monday, the 23rd, the field was smaller than usual as
it was a holiday. The Monday golfers were given special non-holiday rates
except for the golf carts. This was the second holiday in a row that Siam
has given the Monday golfers regular rates. It was a pleasant surprise.
 Former
Monday winner, Chris John (left), PSC golf chairman stands in for an absent
Kevin Mitch alongside a very infrequent cellar dweller Kenny Mau.
The day was hot and humid but it fitted the game of Kevin
Mitch as he stormed in with 41 points. Big Kevin had his “A” game in
place and crushed the rest of the field. His nearest competitor was a
distant 5 shots back. Dave Miller had the next best score with 36 points
followed by Gerry Carpenter with 35. The rest of the field trailed off in
the wake.
Kevin Mitch had to leave the scene early so we placed PSC
Golf Chairman in his stead. Not as good looking but... Chris John actually
did win the Monday golf session a few weeks back but the article got lost in
the shuffle. Hope this makes up for it.
A first time bag holder arrived at scene. Without Tully,
Marvin, and Rollie it was a tough go to find the bottom. Paul Donahue tried
to slide into the cellar again, but Kenny Mau, younger and stronger shoved
Paul out of the way garnering the bag for the day.
Kenny came in with 28 points, just one under Paul as his game fell apart.
Possibly too many beers the night before. As Kenny will be leaving for
Hawaii on Thursday, a new cellar dweller will be in the making next week.
Pumped up Aussies win at Ban Chang
PSC McAllister’s golf
May 27 - On a very hot day at Century Ban Chang, and
despite a large number of cored greens we had some excellent scores again
last Friday. Bill Night was the winner with 39 points followed by Big Ray
Spurling with 38, and Mikael Andersson and large Mark Campbell with 37,
Mikael taking third place on countback.
To the
happy winners go the spoils( l-r) Mikael, Bill and Ray.
Back at McAllister Bar & Grill, the two Queenslanders
Bill and Ray who played together were obviously buoyed by the success of their
team in the State of Origin game earlier in the week, although Ciano did not
look at all happy. Ray in a very detailed description of a certain procedure
that he employs told us that he gets so pumped up at McAllister’s that he
cannot tell which club he had in his hand.
An excellent turnout of 34 golfers including many of the
usual suspects made it back to the prize giving made by Dennis Willett whose
booming dissertation only just made it above the din of the excited punters. It
included a reminder of the McAllister’s Ban Chang Open which will be held on
Saturday June 11, the format being a four-person Texas Scramble with an entry
fee of 1,600 Baht per person, including green fees, caddy fees, a shirt and an
opportunity to win some spectacular prizes. If the success of the weekly event
is anything to go by this will be a day to remember.
What followed after Don McAllister’s hospitality cannot be accurately
reported although their were reported sightings of many of the players taking
their leisurely strolls up and down the Street of Dreams very late into the
evening. See you all next week.
McAllister’s Ban Chang Open
Saturday June 11, Century Ban Chang
Format - Texas Scramble- (Team
of 4)
Handicap Allowance: 20% of combined. Maximum
handicap: Men 28, Ladies 36
New Rule: The 20% of combined handicap of the four
players may not be higher than the current handicap of the lowest handicap
player in the team.
Entry & Registration - Sign-up: P.S.C. Clubhouse,
Shenanigans, McAllisters, 3 Sisters, and the Grapevine.
Registration at Century Banchang from 7 a.m.
Rules & Handicaps:
R&A and USGA Rules will apply, plus Century Banchang
Local Rules. Handicaps will be accepted from PSC, IPGC, Crown Royal and
other Bangkok Golf Groups affiliated with the TGA, USGA or R&A; or any
official USGA or R&A Handicap. Players without a PSC/IPGC/CR handicap,
must show proof of current handicap at Registration. Players not qualifying
as above will play off scratch.
Entry Fee - B.1,600 per Player includes : Green Fee,
Caddy Fee, McAllister’s Shirt, **Free Buffet from 12 noon** Prize-giving
and Lucky Draw at McAllister”s 7.00 pm approx.
Prizes & Lucky Draw
Trophy and Prize for 1st,
2nd, & 3rd Team places. Near
Pins, Mens & Ladies Long Drives and Long Putts & ‘Nearest Keg’,
and Lucky Draw.
NOTE: 1. Limited Number of Golf Carts available to reserve one
contact Dennis Willett on 01-822-2896
PSC golf with The Bunker
Royal Thai Navy Golf
Course
Monday, May 23 found the Boys from The Bunker heading off
to play a stableford competition on the South & East courses at the Navy
Golf Course. Paul Smith was the winner in division “A” with 34 points
while J.J. Harney was runner-up with 33 points. Mark Gooch finished third
with 29.
Mitch
Malone (left) and David Johnson (right) both enjoyed victories during last
week’s competitions.
Division “B” was won by Mark Thomas with 35 points,
second prize went to Binni Josteinsson with 34 and third was David Johnson
with 31 points. Near the pins were won by Mitch Malone (2), J.J. Harney and
David Johnson.
Burapha Golf Course
A medal competition was set for the A & B course at
Burapha. The players found the course to be in perfect condition and the
sports day prizes were very reasonable for this course. Mitch Malone had a
very good round, shooting 69 net to take first prize. Mark Gooch scored 72
and third came Binni Josteinsson with 74 net. Near the pins were won by
Roger Privett, Geoff Parker, Peter Habgood and David Johnson.
Eastern Star Golf Club
Always a good way to end a week by playing a stableford
competition at the very popular Eastern Star Golf course. Geoff Parker won
division “A” with a stableford score of 36. Second were John King and
Paul Smith both with 35 points. Division “B” was won by David Johnson
with the best score of the day with 38 points. Second came Mark Gooch with
33 points and third was John Preddy with 32 points. Near pins were won by
Paul Smith (2), Bill Russell and Roger Privett.
The Bunker Boys are located on Soi Chaiyapoon (near X-zyte disco and
across the street from Tony’s Disco II). Monthly golf schedules are
available or consult the Pattaya Mail every week.
The Beautiful Game?: Rafa’s Red Revolution
Riz Taylor
“Football... bloody hell!” blabbed a near dumbstruck
Alex Ferguson in 1999 after seeing his troops snatch two late goals to
defeat Bayern Munich. With that famous win United took the Champions League
trophy back to Manchester, ending a wait of more than thirty years in the
process.
Although the drought hasn’t lasted as long down the
road on Merseyside, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez would have been excused
for using far more colourful language last week, after watching an even more
astonishing chain of events turn a potentially drab Champions League final
in Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium into the most memorable climax the
competition has seen in recent years.
Three goals down at half time, the Spaniard’s side
looked dead in the water. The gamble to start Harry Kewell had failed
spectacularly as the Australian limped off after fifteen minutes with
another injury to add to his extensive collection. Milan had spent 45
minutes slicing Liverpool open with neat, incisive football and looked like
racking up a cricket score against the hapless Reds.
Yet as you’ll know, unless of course you’ve been
orbiting outer space for the past nine days, Liverpool turned things around
in the second half by scoring three goals in six mad minutes, and then
grimly held on for a penalty shootout that proved too much for the
shell-shocked Italians.
Italian newspaper La Republica had this to say:
“”Liverpool emerged from the wreckage of the first half like Churchill
amidst the rubble of wartime London, hand still clenched in a victory V”,
whilst the Gazzetta dello Sport muttered: “Incredible. Milan lose a trophy
they had already won. And they lost it in a bad way. A really bad way. A
really, really bad way.”
So what next for Liverpool Football Club, who keep the
trophy as reward for their fifth victory in the competition?
Through some astute tactics, a small slice of luck and
the capitulation of one of Europe’s most talented sides, Rafa “The
Gaffer” managed to steer his team to a memorable victory in Turkey, and
with this achievement guarantee his place in Liverpool folklore. But after
taking a few deep breaths and enjoying the moment, his attentions turned to
the club’s future.
Liverpool’s poor league campaign will give him the
greatest concern. Finishing the Premiership campaign some 37 points adrift
of winners Chelsea makes it clear that, champions of Europe or not, major
reconstructive surgery is in order at Anfield. Expect a few new faces this
summer.
It means that several of the heroes of Istanbul may have
made their last appearance for the club. Milan Baros is a target of Spanish
giants Valencia, while Dietmar Hamann, whose introduction at half-time
turned the game, and Vladimir Smicer both seem likely to depart next month
as their respective contracts expire.
Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, who made the save of his
life to deny Andriy Shevchenko during extra time, could also be shown the
door as Villareal stopper Jose Reina is expected to complete a move to
Merseyside in the coming weeks. Midfielder Igor Biscan will also be moved
on.
Benitez has been impressed with lanky Southampton hitman
Peter Crouch, but also looks certain to raid a Spanish transfer market he
knows well. Argentine centre-back Gabrielle Milito is top of his wanted list
and the versatile Owen Hargreaves is said to be close to agreeing a move
from Bayern Munich.
Not to be outdone, Everton manager David Moyes has also
hit the shops in search of new blood to strengthen his side, snapping up
Tottenham winger Simon Davies for a fee of 4 million pounds. He is also
lusting after the Chelsea trio of Mikael Forsell, Scott Parker and Carlo
Cudicini, but is likely to face opposition from other Premiership sharks who
are circling the Premiership champions’ diamond-studded reserve team.
The saga of Liverpool’s right to defend their title and
join Everton in the Champions League rolls on, but positive comments from
leading football personalities across Europe will no doubt assist their
claims to a place in next season’s competition. UEFA President Lennart
Johansson has also said: “The winner should have a chance to defend the
title,” which all but seals the issue. Perhaps.
Four Point Incentive?
If a report in The Guardian last week is to be believed,
sides who manage to win games away from home in the Premiership are to be
rewarded with four points, possibly starting next season.
The idea is to be raised by team bosses at this week’s
Premier League annual meeting, and comes as a direct response to the growing
trend of the division’s less talented outfits to play a ‘negative’
4-5-1 tactic that stifles the opposition from playing pretty football.
Sounds like a recipe for disaster in my book, as it’ll
see the elite teams accelerate further into the distance and leave the 4-5-1
brigade choking on the top clubs’ expensive super-unleaded exhaust fumes.
Perhaps the time would be better spent discussing the increasing amount of
poor sportsmanship, lack of respect for officials, proliferation of diving
and... oh hang on, I’m turning into my dad.
Strach is Back
Gordon Strachan will return to football management with
Celtic, after Martin O’Neill announced his departure to tend to his
cancer-stricken wife Geraldine.
The diminutive Scot will take over at Celtic Park and is
immediately faced with the task of reclaiming the Scottish title from
Rangers, who are led by Strachan’s former Aberdeen team-mate Alex
McCleish.
O’Neill, the SPL’s longest-serving manager at the time of his
departure, saw his players lift the Scottish Cup with a win over Dundee
United, thanks to a deflected Alan Thomspon goal. It was his seventh trophy
as manager of the club.
Pendulum swings Dubliner way
as Winking Frog wreak havoc again
MBMG Casuals League - week 31
League matheletes feverishly pounding their calculators,
working out permutations, forecasts and spreads for who will be crowned
champions of the MBMG league, would certainly have been forgiven for calling
the debutantes battle between high flying Londoner and low lying Winking
Frog incorrectly. On opening day a frightening Londoner brutally handed a
lesson to the frightful Frogs
“We’ve come a long way since then”, said a Winking
Frog spokesperson, “we are committed to winning this game to show those
that have written us off that next season we can on our day hold our own and
win this league. Over-ridden with clich?s we may be but we know the way to
goal and only by failing to set our stall out early do we find ourselves off
the pace at the end of the day.”
High on self belief the Winkers proceeded to play the
football that has seen them score the third highest amount of goals in the
league, running the Londoner ragged and keeping the still undefeated title
chasers pinned down. Just reward was achieved when McGuire, freed Hughes to
attack the right corner flag. Beating his defender, Hughes drove in a low
cross, met superbly by Khun Goh and planted firmly into the Londoner goal.
Football though is hardly ever fair, in a game featuring few Londoner
chances; parity was restored eight minutes from time, the Winking Frog
pushing for the game killing goal, left themselves open for a typical Downer
counter. An eighth draw for the Dons, which may prove costly.
Simultaneously, the defending champions were embroiled in
hard graft against a single-minded Scandinavian Viking side. With none of
their ‘recognized’ strikers on display the Dubliner looked very light up
top. Although the Scans tried to take advantage of this, the air and land
barrier of Parkin and Maz blocked the marauders passage forward.
Nil/Nil at half time and all to play for, a swift move
consisting of four players and four passes resulted in Henthorn delivering
the goods and breaking the Vikings’ stubborn resistance. An ineffectually
cleared corner came right back from the edge of the box with interest giving
the Scans an equalizer and ESPN’s ‘as they stand’ crew fevered dreams.
At a point when the game could have gone either way, with
both teams resolute, committed and steadfast it was Maz’s decisive header
that ensured it was the Dubliner to forge ahead, climbing high in the box to
place a beauty right in the corner. The Vikings stepped up a gear, pouring a
high ball bombardment into the Dubliner half, pushing forward determined to
get a point at least from the game. With five minutes to go Khun Larn
collected a through ball and showed a clean pair of heels to the chasing
Viking defence before squaring the ball for Henthorn to place his second and
Dubliner’s third past the solitary keeper.
Shrewbury took a three nil victory over Patana the hard
way, scoring three goals and keeping a clean sheet. Bangkok United took full
advantage of the Robin Hood’s current malaise with a comfortable 2 - 1
win.
Sunday, Gabril Wagaard spearheaded another Blitz
renaissance, 4 - 1 against the German All Stars. Wagaard grabbing two goals
as the Blitz’s mistimed title challenge gatherered momentum.
Patana and the Londoner played their second fixture each
of the weekend. The Dons taking revenge for Saturday’s slip up, crushing
the tiring teachers 10 - 2 mercilessly. Downer hitting six more to prise
loose Bookhammers grasp on the golden boot.
The trophy’s final destination is far from settled,
Shrewsbury still have their say as do the British Club and the mercurial but
unpredictable French.
Please visit www.somtam .com for more updates on the MBMG
International Casuals League
Results: Robin Hood FC 1 - 2 Bangkok United;
Scandinavian Vikings 1 - 3 The Dubliner; Londoner FC 1 - 1 The Winking Frog
FC; AFC Shrewsbury 3 - 0 Patana; German All Stars 1 - 4 Blitz FC; Londoner
FC 10 - 2 Patana
The Square Ring
by Howie Reed
There was probably a reason that last weekend was a
little slow in the boxing world. Because this weekend, beginning tonight,
there is an English tsunami sweeping across the 7 continents which should
dwarf all other sports. With the countdown now in full gale force and the
rhetoric akin to a Nor’easter, the preparation for Sunday morning (Pattaya
Time) battle royal between Kostya Tszyu (31-1) vs. Ricky Hatton (38-0) is
full steam ahead and dam the torpedoes. It’s “Fire when ready Gridley”
time. Tszyu and Hatton will be duking it out at 2 a.m. Manchester time to
accommodate American Television and bring in the big bucks. But first the
WBO Featherweight Champion Scott Harrison (23-2-2) has some business of his
own to attend to. That business at the same addres in Manchester comes in
the form of hometown lad Michael Brodie (35-2-1) who wants Harrisons’
title.
I have been accused, especially by Scottish drinking
buddy, of taking a “p***” out of Harrison. We recently had a meaningful
discussion, over many amber liquids, about my position on Harrison. He
looked superb in beating Wayne McCullough over 12 tough rounds in March of
2003. Since then he’s barley done enough to be called above average. He
lost a split decision to old warhorse Manuel Medina. Let’s put that loss
in it’s proper perspective. The judges scored it 118-113, 116-112 for
Medina. Only shill Larry Hazzard jr. (New Jersey USA) had it for Harrison
115-113. Fighting anywhere else and it’s a unanimous decision loss.
Harrison then looked OK against William Abelyan and Samuel Kebeda who have
proved to be less than advertised. That brings us to his last out against
Victor Polo. He got a gift draw. Harrison must now step up with the entire
world watching on TV.
This might be a little difficult as Michael Brodie,
who’s only L’s came at the hands of Willie Jorrin and In Jin Chi. The
latter considered one of the better featherweights around. The key here may
be how good is In Jin Chi. If he’s as good as advertised then Brodie
should prevail. If he isn’t, then Harrison gets the spotlight he wants and
it’s all up to him. When you lose to Medina and then fight terrible in a
couple of bouts, you’re suspect. So my beer drinking buddy, if Harrison
looks good, the amber fluid and the cigars are on me.
“And now for the feature attraction of the year. From
the MEN Arena in Manchester, England and all around the world... It’s
Showtime.” That’s probably the way that Jimmy Lennon jr. will introduce
IBF Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu (31-1) against Ricky “The Hitman”
Hatton (38-0). Every boxing fan has seen the lists of “pound-for-pound”
best fighter. Those rankings are stupid with little meaning. If there was
such a thing, best pound-for-pound, in real life it would be Kostya Tszyu.
His only loss came in 1997 to a young “Cool” Vince Philips (46-9) via a
10 round TKO. Since then Tszyu has fought one and all with nary a missed
beat. The common denominators here are Vince Philips and Ben Tackie.. Both
Hatton and Tszyu beat Tackie easily. Philips lost a unanimous decision to
Hatton in April of 2003.
Philips took that fight after losing to Sharmba Mitchell.
That and some other questionable Hatton fights have lead critics to say,
“Hatton’s over protected and really hasn’t fought anyone.” Little
side bar here, Philips is in action tonight when he fights Mauro Lucero
(41-10) in Ciudad Juarez. Why didn’t Tszyu fight Philips in a rematch ?
Good question with a numbers of answers. Philips has had some out of the
ring problems. One of those is that he talks when he should be listening.
Philips was in line for a re match after Kostya beat Ben Tackie on 2002. At
the post fight press conference Philips ran his mouth right out of the
fight. Mr. Tszyu is a gentleman who acts on principle. Violate his rules are
you’re out. Tough luck Vince. As the WBU champion, Hatton has fought the
second and third rung of fighters. When a listing of ranking organizations
is compiled the WBU is usually depicted as an asterisk. Take nothing away
from Hatton he’s done all that’s been asked. The problem is that not
much has been asked enough. Now the call has come so it will be interesting
to see how Hatton answers. Look for Tszyu to come on in the mid rounds (4,
5, 6) to take control and win an easy decision in a tough fight.
With Andy Golota going out in 53 seconds, which is about
the time my 1st marriage lasted, what do you think he had to say? “I
understand why they had to stop the fight, but I wanted to continue. I
cannot believe this happens to me every decade.” Yeah, those every 10-year
deals can get to you. It seems that whenever Golota faces pressure he takes
a mental hike. This time he was MIA just an hour before the fight and
didn’t have his gloves on with minutes to go before entering the ring.
Golota also said he might just retire. He is, Yes I’ll have another.
Lots of Son’s of the Land of Smiles in action recently.
WBA #1 Bantam Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (22-0) laid out the welcome mat for
Joel Bauya of the Philippines with a 12 round unanimous win. At 15-7 Bauya
was the Philippine champ. It was Poonsawat’s 17 defense of his PABA Crown.
Next up is supposed to be a mandatory WBA title match against Wlasimir
Sidorenko. Now ranked 11th by the IBF, featherweight Fahsang “Pirang” 3K
Battery (45-8-1) got a win over Simson Butar Butar (who’s parents like
their last name so much they used it twice). Well maybe 3K got a win. He
either got a win, a loss or a draw. No score reported but rumors have it at
57-57 over 6 rounds. That would be a draw.
Well Pal OR’s favorite show, The Contender, has been
completed. “After four fights, 22 rounds and many punches middleweight
Sergio Mora officially became “The Contender” when he beat Peter
Manfredo Jr. by a unanimous 7-round decision.” The judges had it 70-63,
69-64, 68-65. Mora gets one million USD and Manfredo gets $500,000. Good for
them! The bad news was that the show was cancelled. Now the really good news
for “OR”. While the NBC Television Network has cancelled the show the
producer said, “I’m totally committed to this. And OK, if NBC doesn’t
want to do this, we’ll go somewhere else!” Those were the words of “TV
Kingpin” Mark Burnett. How about this! Dump Sly Stallone and insert the
second best boxing writer in Asia. Pay him peanuts but supply him with good
cigars, ample “golden fluid of the god’s” and a steady supply of
“wake me up before you Go Go Girls”. He’ll sign on the dotted line.
I’ll drink to that!
Fourth Samui Race Week: The Tropical Island Regatta “Par Excellence’
Peter Cummins
At the end of the sixth - and last - race at the Fourth
Koh Samui International Regatta, there was a most unusual result in two of
the classes.
Ray Roberts on “Ulumulu” and Frank Pong on
“Jelik” tied for first place on corrected time in the Racing Class and
the two twin-masted Radical Bay 8000 design catamarans, built in Koh Samui,
also came equal first. In the case of the IRC 1 class, Ray Roberts won the
overall honours on a countback. In the Multihulls, nothing could separate
“Coco Blues” and “China House”, with identical placings over the
previous five races. But, it was the final race which “China House” won
and that result was the great divider, giving the Multihull title to French
skipper Pierre Forsans.
 Thus, regatta veteran Ray Roberts helming Troy Yaw’s
Sarawak-registered Sydney 46, “Ululumu”, with a third, first and second
in the three previous events, winning the last race yesterday, three points
clear of constant line-honours winner, Frank Pong’s massive Reichel Pugh
75ft. design, “Jellik” on nine points. Then followed “Yo”, Toby
O’Connell’s Malaysian-registered Pacific 50, (14), with three Hong Kong
sailors, Marcel Leidts’ 18-metre X yacht “Hocux Pocux 2” (17), fourth,
defending champion Sam Chan’s 72-ft ULDB Sled-design “Ffreefire (23)
fifth and Peter Churchouse, “Moonblue 2”, sixth.(26).
In the hard-fought Multihull Division, Aussie Kim Thomas
(KT) sailing “Coco Blues”, finished equal with the newly-launched
“China House”, piloted by French national Pierre Foesans who won the
last race, both sailed the Radical Bay 8000 double-rigged catamarans, which
have been built in Samui and finished with seven points, Pierre taking the
title through this last win. Third was Thai skipper, regatta veteran Radab
Kanjanavanit on “Cedar Swan” (16), followed by Frankie Brancaccio’s
Farrier 24, “Vivace” (20), Ocean Marina’s big cat, the Crowther 43,
“Sonic”, helmed by Kirati Asakul (23), David Hill’s “Gnome” (28)
and Martin Peters’ “Nok Talay” (35), fourth to seventh, respectively.
In the IRC 2 Division, Singaporean Bill Bremner’s
Sydney Bashford, “Foxy Lady” on five points, bolted away from Bill
Gasson’s Jomtien- built “Buzz8”, (15), helmed out of the Ocean Marina
by Bill’s fellow-Kiwi John Vause. Then came Jonothan Mahoney’s Singapore
sloop “Happy Endings”, a Mumm 30, also on 15 points.
Petite Thai lady sailor Saranya (Pouk) Makinson, helming
Gary Baguley’s “Magic Roundabout”, out of the Ocean Marina, was fourth
on 17 points, five ahead of another two Ocean Marina sailors, David
Pollard’s X-Yacht 12, “Foreign Exchange 2 (22) and David Bell’s
Fremantle 8, “Pink PussyCat (24). Well back in 7th place place was Phuket
craft, “Image Asia Attitude 8”.(36), helmed by Mark Horward.
Then there were the much-vaunted Aussies up from Sydney,
sailing the Sunsail Jeanneau 36s, not exactly covered in glory, finishing
towards the bottom of the IRC 2 Division, on their “Princesses”, thus:
Hans Sommer “Princess Arietta” (8th overall, 38 points), Karl Stechmann,
“Princess Anna” (9th, 38), Tony Herder, “Princess Sharda” (10th, 44)
and George Snow’s “PrincessAthena” (11th, 46)
And, let us not forget good old Grenville Fordham,
thrashing around out there in the heat, to finish 12th, on 63 points,
helming “Image Asia Constanza” and, finally, Visanu Lohitkoopt who took
home the wooden spoon, finishing 13th on”Geronimo”, with 65 points.
No doubt, the Aussies will be returning to the Cruising
Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, probably not boasting too much about
their sailing prowess on the Gulf of Thailand but, rather, that they all
“rubbed shoulders” with royalty (albeit Princesses).
The regatta ended with a lavish gala awards dinner and
prize-giving waterside at the splendid Central Samui Beach Resort, the home
of the regatta since its inception in 2002. And all through, athough the
wind has been light and a little unsteady at times, nevertheless, it has
come from the right direction: south-west, with lots of shifts to the east.
It was a magnificent grand finale to a magnificent
regatta, as the final curtain rang down on the Fourth Koh Samui
International Regatta, known most appropriately as the “Tropical Island
Regatta”, it seems that the total community of Samui was brandishing an
“Island Supporter Fourth Koh Samui International Regatta” banner with
several major sponsors such as Bank of Ayudhya, CAT Telecom and the Tourism
Authority of Thailand, being joined by a myriad other supporters and
sponsors, mostly from the island - Bangkok Airways and the Central Samui
Beach Resort, the Regatta headquarters.
Apart from the exceptionally busy committee and press
rooms, the most popular place in the huge Samui Central complex was,
undoubtedly, the Beach-front Regatta Tavern which featured a gushing flow of
beer and wine and an equally-gushing performance from the beautiful Filipino
trio who ‘strutted their stuff’ every evening.
The banners were everywhere and, even entering the
splendid gardens of the Central Samui Beach Resort, there was a bright
yellow mobile Bank of Ayudaya truck, complete with an ATM, doing brisk
business all day. One could not help but notice the huge wheel locks. No one
was taking any chances.
H.E. Juthamas Siriwan, Tourism Authority of Thailand
governor, strongly commends the efforts of the organizers who “are
promoting Samui as an international tourism and lifestyle destination”
Governor Juthamas already sees the need for better boating facilities and
announced that “a Government-backed marina has already been approved -
facilities that will match its neighbours”
It is easy to see, concluded the governor, “why the
Tropical Island Regatta has become the highlight on the Asian sailing
circuit”.
No one on Samui would disagree with that, Governor was the collective
thought, even as the fleets started planning for the Fifth Koh Samui
International Regatta, May, 2006.
MotoGP - Ahead of Mugello, Italy 5 June 5
The Mugello circuit is owned by Ferrari who carried out
extensive renovations to the track in 1991. A single lap has nine right
turns and six left turns in it’s 5.245 kilometres length. The longest
straight is 1,141 metres so expect to see the Ducati machines travelling in
excess of 210 mph once again. The venue is rated highly as one of the most
scenic and safest with a mix of slow and fast turns, sweeping curves, long
straights and off camber corners.
sponsors for the race are once again Alice, and the
official title of the event is Gran Premio Alice D’Italia. Sorry, still
don’t know who is Alice.
Rider news; non-starter for the event will be Toni Elias
as a result of the injuries he sustained during a heavy crash in Monday’s
testing session at Le Mans right after the Grand Prix Alice de France. The
Yamaha rider sustained several fractures, in his left radius, left fibula
and also has a cracked scaphoid. Alex Hoffman is set to return aboard the
Kawasaki and doubtless Honda’s Tamada will turn out again in practice.
Whether or not the Japanese star rides in the race is another matter.
Last year’s event at Mugello was won by Rossi from
Gibernau and Biaggi in a two part race brought about by a downpour some six
laps from the end. That cannot happen this year. The new rules allow for
riders to change machines in the event of race officials declaring wet
conditions during the race itself. The race will not be halted, riders
themselves decide whether or not to take out the “wet” bike.
Mugello is the Ducati home circuit and they will want to
do well here, as will all of the Italian Riders in their home GP.
Expect Mr. Honda’s boys to be hell bent on dethroning
Rossi (The Doctor) but it won’t be over until the fat lady sings. Advice
for Gibernau is as follows, “To finish first, first you have to finish.”
Biaggi is overdue for a win this season and the smart money is on him to
give Rossi a run for the win.
Broadcast time for MotoGP from Italy is expected to be 7 p.m. Thai time,
but check your TV listings.
Strong Thai Field for Home Race
at Bira Circuit, June 11-12
Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia, Rounds 4 & 5
Thailand will be well represented next weekend when the
Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia heads to Thailand for Rounds 4 and 5 at
the Bira Race Circuit in Pattaya.
Leading the local charge will be motorsport veteran and
current championship leader, Charoensukhawatana Nattavude. Fresh from his
victory in Round 3, held at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit last
month, Nattavude is one of the most experienced - and successful - racing
drivers in Asia. He has competed on two wheels, racing Superbikes, and on
four wheels, racing single seater, touring and sports cars, during his
distinguished career, and has multiple titles under his belt. Nattavude has
scored podium finishes in each of the three rounds of the series so far this
season and is on top form.
Fellow countryman and part of the two-car Team Thailand
campaign, Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak, comes to his home event having put in
arguably the best performance of his career to date in Malaysia last month.
Vutthikorn, whom Nattavude has long taken under his wing, led the field
while holding off his hard-charging mentor in a display of defensive driving
that was nothing short of brilliant. A minor error cost him victory, but it
was a mistake he will be determined not to repeat at Bira. Vutthikorn is
currently third in the championship standings.
Vutthikorn’s team mate, Sontaya Kunplome, competing in
Class B for non-professional drivers, completes the trio of local
competitors. Kunplome is currently second in the Class B championship
standings and 8th overall, a remarkable achievement in his first full season
in the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia.
Although the local drivers are sure to have the support
of the enthusiastic Thai crowds, there is no doubt the racing will be as
fearsome and exciting as ever. Just two points behind Nattavude in the title
chase, reigning British GT Champion 18-year-old Jonathan Cocker is expected
to be a major threat after his victory in Round 2, and a third place
dramatically grabbed from Team Jebsen’s Darryl O’Young in the final
metres of Round 3.
Reigning champion and currently fourth overall on the
leaderboard, A-Ha Racing’s Matthew Marsh should be back on form after a
disappointing couple of rounds following his decisive win in the opening
race of the season, while O’Young will have vowed revenge for his lost
podium last time out.
The battle continues in Class B amongst the
non-professional racers, and the chase is on to end the dominance of Hong
Kong’s Alain Li.
In preparation for the weekend of thrilling racing in
Thailand’s southern town of Pattaya, Porsche Asia Pacific will launch the
new 911 GT3 Cup car later this week at a special display area located next
to Bangkok’s World Trade Centre. Helping to launch the awesome racing
machine will be Vutthikorn and Kunplome, series General Manager Mr. Ian
Geekie, and Porsche Asia Pacific Regional Marketing Manager, Dr. Henrik
Dreier.
The new car, which will make its Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut at the
start of the 2006 season, is making a major impact with racing fans, drivers
and automobile aficionados alike as it travels across Asia. It will also be
on display at the Bira Circuit during the race weekend. (Motorsports Asia)
Bira Circuit Race Schedule, 2005
Many readers have enquired about the racing calendar for
Bira Circuit. With the exception of the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup and the
Formuala BMW series, schedules are difficult to come by. Dr. Iain Corness
printed them in last week’s issue of Automania (Vol. XIII Iss. 21).
For those of you who missed it, here it is again with
some additions.
The calendar can be subject to changes and we’ll try
keep you informed of upcoming events.
June 11-12:
The races are scheduled for June 11 and 12 at Bira Circuit:
Asian Touring Car Championship Rounds 3 & 4
Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia Rounds 4 & 5
Formula BMW Asia Rounds 5 & 6
July 2-3
RAAT Thailand Championship 2005: Formula Concept Car - Round 2
SuperCar Championship Series
July 23-24
SuperCar Championship Series
September 3-4
RAAT Thailand Championship 2005: Formula Concept Car - Round 3
September 17-18
SuperCar Championship Series
October 8-9
RAAT Thailand Championship 2005: Formula Concept Car - Round 4
SuperCar Championship Series
November 5-6
Super Car Series
November 26-27
RAAT Thailand Championship 2005: Formula Concept Car - Round 5
|
