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Pattaya Mail PC Classic major sponsor of Optimist Sailing
By Peter Cummins, Pattaya
The Pattaya Mail PC Classic fostering
friendly relations
The Definitely one of the highlights of the week long
2005 IODA Asian Sailing Championship was the splendid second day’s sailing
and social evening that was sponsored by the Pattaya Mail; “The PC Classic
2005 Royal Cliff Beach Resort International Regatta. Supported also by ESC
and other numerous sponsors this year, it was the right occasion for the PC
Classic to extend its noted hand of charity: It represented a perfect blend
of supporting children involved in a most environmentally-friendly sporting
event; It was also a great boost to Pattaya and, by extension, Thailand, and
a giant step forward in fostering friendly relations, camaraderie and fine
fellowship amongst the 14 Asian-Pacific countries participating.
Singapore prove too strong
for the
opposition
As predicted, Singapore “scooped the pool”, taking
out the major positions, with Malaysia also well featured in the top 12
placings. Thailand’s Navee Thamsoontorn managed to put a wedge between the
great southern neighbours, finishing in eighth place.
 The
Malaysians coming home.
It has truly been a sensational week of dinghy racing as
98 young people (under 16 years of age), from 14 Asian-Pacific countries,
finished the 16th IODA Asian Sailing Championship, held out off the Royal
Varuna Yacht Club, South Pattaya. The event began last Monday, with the 11th
and final race on Friday, (nine counted in the final tally).
In the team-racing event, it was again the two South East
Asian neighbours first and second, with a most commendable performance by
host country Thailand, whose A and B teams finished third and fourth.
The last race was sponsored by Speakerbus, the “voice
with vision”, the leading provider of voice and radio products and, at the
end of the day, there was certainly a lot of ‘voice’ at the
prize-giving, as New Zealand Director David Littlejohn handed out the
trophies for his event, with a “lucky dip” for two IPODs. The children
were so excited as their names came up, while Malee Whitcraft handed out yet
another batch of tee shirts.
The
winning Singaporeans.
Other sponsors included (randomely listed): the Yacht
Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club,- the host venue
- the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA), Krung Thai Bank,
Green Spot/Vitamilk, Milothe, Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, Chandler and
Thong-Ek, the Nonthaburi Equestrian Sports Club, Xtreme Sailing Products,
Lange/Riotecna and Harper and Associates.
The band strikes up to end the Regatta on a high
 Pattaya
Mail MD, Peter Malhotra.
The final party was indeed “an affair to remember”,
sponsored by Peter Harper of Harper and Associates who designed the new
Royal Varuna Club-house and also those of the Royal Thai Navy and the Yacht
Racing Association of Thailand. The Royal Thai Navy Band and personnel sang,
danced and entertained the huge crowds gathered at the Royal Varuna. And who
will ever forget that delightful little, 13-year-old Thai Navy daughter who
gave an absolutely astounding rendition of the theme song from “The
Bodyguard”? Whitney Houston move-over...!
All kinds of weather conditions marked the week, from
strong storm fronts, to gentle zephyrs and horrendous wind-shifts, turning
180 degrees. Until, finally, the last day’s racing (Race 12) was
abandoned. Intermittent rainsqualls had killed what little wind ruffled the
placid sea.
 Singaporean
Sean Lee collects his first place award from resident yachting aficionado
and scribe, Peter Cummins.
Singapore’s total team of seven youngsters, were all in
the first 12 of the 98-strong fleet. It was interesting to observe, too,
that these extremely dedicated and capable little sailors, arrived at Royal
Varuna, one week ahead of the championship and, literally rain or shine,
nothing could keep them off the water. They were even out during a vicious
line squall late last week.
Singapore’s success is hardly surprising when it is
realized that the Singapore coach, Fernando Alegre is himself a graduate of
Optimist sailing.
 One
of the youngsters, proudly donning his Pattaya Mail PC Classic T-shirt,
accepts his medal from Peter Cummins.
But the praise of Singapore does not demean many other
talented sailors - quite the contrary. For example, the Malaysians were
lying fifth, seventh, eighth and tenth, Thailand’s Navee Thamsoontorn had
battled into ninth place, New Zealand lad, Thomas Saunders, China’s Lin
Yonghui and Japan’s kaho Hanada were 16th, 17th and 18th, respectively.
The race management committee, under Australian Mark
Pryke decided to finish as many races as possible, with a careful watch on
the movements of a typhoon in the South China Sea, which could have brought
gale-force winds.
 The
ubiquitous Mr. Cummins presents another medal to one of the young Thai
competitors.
Fortunately however, the weather was perfect. The huge
international contingents at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club supporting their
national teams and assisting race managers off-shore, were mesmerized by the
beautiful conditions, warm water and ambient temperature and not least, by
the steady, moderate north-easterlies.
Hopes for a brighter future through sport?
Interestingly enough, an international meeting was being
sponsored during last week in Bangkok, entitled: “International Conference
on Sports and Education”. It urged all governments to encourage sports and
physical education as a panacea for the mental and physical stress placed
upon young people in today’s materialistic, confusing and often, dangerous
world. PM Thaksin has proposed a four-year programme of sports and physical
education as a solution to some of the ills afflicting the world’s young.
Let us hope that some of the munificence will reach out to one of the
world’s cleanest, healthiest sports - yacht racing and sailing, especially
for the young.
The
seven Thai medallists from the Pattaya Mail PC Classic.
And so, with yet another glorious sunset over west of the
Royal Varuna, almost 100 youngsters will depart, leaving lasting
friendships, fond memories and a great sense of camaraderie which have
pervaded this superb event.
On looking over their shining, exuberant faces, this
jaded old journo feels that there IS hope for our crazy adult world, after
all.
Results: 16th IODA Asian Sailing Championship
Primarily, the Singapore and Malaysian teams excelled in
the top 12 placings. Singapore girl, 15-year-old Jovina Choo, (alias the
“Tigress”), finished second behind Sean lee. and easily won the girl’s
event from Malaysia’s Rufina Tan. Thus, the first 12 placings were (points
scored): 1. Sean Lee (Sing, 13); 2. Jovina Choo (Sing, 17); 3. Timothy Seet
(Sing, 28); 4. Rufina Tan (Mal, 33); 5, Russell Kan (Sing, 36); 6. Griselda
Khng (Sing, 37); 7. Harrithammry Nassution (Mal, 38); 8. Navee Thamsoontorn
(Thai, 40); 9. Paul Seet (Sing, 41); 10. Justin Liu (Sing, 45); 11. Ku Anas
Bin Ku Zamil (Mal, 47); 12. Muhd Shaiful Bakhtiar (Mal, 61).
The
Royal Thai Navy band: Second left is the incredible little singer.
Among the teams, the first three in each were (points +
overall placing - Alphabetically listed): BURMA. MAY Eaindra Kyaw (57th,
230); Min Htet Khine (61st, 240); Min Htiet Aung (82nd, 328) CHINA. . Lin
Yonghui, (17th, 93); Chen Liping (Chen Yiquian (36th, 137); Hong Kong. King
Gee Kingsley Tam, 68th, 271); Hok Yan Erica Leung (74th, 302); Bernard Kay
(83rd, 329); INDIA: Xerxes Mabboat (31st, 133); Vrushank Gimonkar (47th,
200); Krish Makhija (56th, 228); INDONESIA (one entry only, Maznun (49th,
204); JAPAN. Yuri Kashiwabara (18th, 100); Kaho Hamadas (23rs, 105): Tetsuya
Isozaki (26th, 110); KOREA. Jun Yang (48th, 203); Yong-Jin Nam (60th, 239);
Min-Hyouk Park (62nd, 241). MALAYSIA (as listed above, first four); NEW
ZEALAND. Thomas Saunders (17th, 76); Alexandra Moloney (21st, 97); Paul
Nicholls (25th, 102). PAKISTAN. Ghazal Mir Mazood (77th, 293); Waleed Tobeh
(89th, 330); Hussain Patel (90th, 331); Singapore (first six, as above); Sri
Lanka. Nadine De Rosaryo (85th, 330); Sehr Gubawardene (91st, 368);
Pramukshi Kariyawasam(94th, 379); Taipei. Kai-Han Won (50th, 204); Chen-Lin
Hsiao (67th, 269); Chi Kuan (77th,305).
Thailand. Navee Thamsoontorn (8th, 40); Thanakan Korkerd
(14th, 67); Noppakao Poonpat (21st, 103).
Then, let us also not forget the great little ladies
(first six only) 1. Jovina Choo (Sing, 2nd overall, 17 points); 2. Rufina
Tan (Mal, 4th, 33); 3. Griselda Khng (Sing, 6th, 37); 4. Yuri Kashiwabara
(Jpn, 18th, 100); 5. Alexandra Moloney, NZL, 19th, 100). 6. Noppakao Poonpat
(Thai, 21st, 103).
Thailand wins 2 silver and 2 bronze medals
2005 Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships
Monday October 24 Plutaluang, Stableford
Silver
and bronze medallist Roongtawan Jindasing.
Kanyarach
Kaewmuang took the silver medal in the Women Body Fitness class.
Three female athletes from the Thailand Bodybuilding
Association have between them brought home 2 silver and 2 bronze medals from
the 2005 Asian Bodybuilding Championships for Men & Women, Ms. Fitness
and Bodyfitness, which was held last month in Andong city, South Korea.
Roongtawan Jindasing claimed silver and bronze in the 49kg bodybuilding
class and the 160cm and above Women Fitness class respectively. Kanyarach
Kaewmuang took silver in the 160cm and above Women Body Fitness class whilst
Apiporn Chomsomboon took home a bronze from the below 160cm Ms. Fitness
class.
Ben Findon shines at Crystal Bay
I.P.G.C. golf with the caddy shack
 Tuesday’s
Div 2 winner, Ben Findon sinking a putt
Tuesday, November 1 the golfers from the Caddy Shack
travelled to Crystal Bay golf course to play a Medal round. The courses of A
& B were selected and as usual they were in superb condition. The
golfers were split into two divisions; in division two Clark Alexander
scored a net 76 to finish in 3rd place, Tony Duthie managed a net 74 to
finish in 2nd place and the winner of division two was Ben Findon with a par
breaking round of net 71. In Division One, the scores were a bit lower with
only a few golfers breaking par; Rick Smith managed a very nice net 71 which
was only good enough for 3rd place, Mark Joshua one shot ahead scored a net
70 to finish in 2nd place and one shot ahead again was Al Mcgrory with a net
69 to take 1st place. There were six 2’s on the day and they were shared
by P.J. Kim Espinos, Geoff Hart, Joe Sebastian and Mike Allidi, who got two.
There were 32 golfers out playing today so there was no shortage of likely
suspects for the bananas. The panel finally decided that the net 102 score
of Dave Buckley was good enough for the prize. The lucky draw winner back at
the Caddy Shack was Mark Fairclough.
Thursday, November 3 the golfers took the long trip to
Treasure Hills golf course: it’s a difficult course but always a popular
venue. The competition today was a Stableford competition and as usual with
the high numbers of golfers turning up, we split the pack into two
divisions. The scores were not too good as no golfers broke par, which is a
good reflection of the difficulty of the course. In Division two, there was
a tie for 3rd place between Ben Findon and Mr Loy, with 28 points each (you
will always see Mr Loys name down on the value for money courses). The ever
consistent Clark Alexander was in the line up again with 32 points to take
runners up spot, but the winner of Division 2 was Mark Fairclough with 34
points. In Division one, 3rd place was shared by Tony Thorne and Tony Dawson
with 30 points apiece whilst Emmet White and teaching pro, Keith Smithson
both scored 32 points to share 1st place. Mark Fairclough won the 2’s on
his own and that is always the best way to win it as well. Last weeks
winner, Les Hall managed a dismal 17 points which won him the Banana Booby
prize. The Sunday Lunch was won by Danny Green.
The Caddy Shack is situated on the second part of Soi 17 on the same road
as the Harley Bar. For anyone wishing to play golf, we leave the bar at
11.00am for a Midday tee off. We play every Tuesday and Thursday and all are
welcome.
The ‘Golden Oldies’ tackle Burapha
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday 1 November: Burapha, Stableford - This being the
start of the ‘High Season it was with a certain amount of trepidation that
we approached a day out at Burapha. After all, the ‘ Privileged
Vouchers’ ran out on the 31 October. Still, such is the draw of this
course that a large number turned up at Bert’s for complimentary breakfast
and set off to play, even maybe paying winter rates.
 Bill
Knight with some admirers.
On the book-in, we discovered that Tuesday was a
‘Seniors’ day, so as most of the Bert’s players are ‘Goldie
Oldies’, the day out proved to be not only golf on a great course but
pretty reasonable value as well.
On this day we played the A & B Courses, certainly
the best, and as with it being a Seniors Day, we played off the White Tees:
whilst not quite the Reds, it is certainly not as big a test as the Blues,
and gives the shorter hitters a better chance. The course was in its usual
fine condition and with fine fairways, dry for a change, and hard fast
greens, this turned into a great day out.
Round over, the players gathered in the restaurant, to
hand their cards in, and to take some cold refreshments, before starting the
trip back to Bert’s.
Back at the bar, Bert was slaving over a hot barbecue,
producing some fine burgers and chips to fill the players up before Bob did
his bit and announced the winners. In the Top flight, Fonz McGavan won from
Ray Spence in second, who beat Derek Brook on count-back. In the Second
flight, we had that old war-horse Bill Knight coming in, whilst Allan Gummer
slipped into second spot, beating Tim Holt on count-back.
One of the really nice things about Bert’s is that once
dark descends, this is as good a place to sit as any in Pattaya. T.T.F.N.
Winners: Fonz McGavan, Bill Knight, Runners Up, Ray
Spence, Allan Gummer
Near Pin: Bob Noble, Andy Watson, Derek Brook (2), Tim
Holt, Ray Cartwright, Bill Knight, Mike Gaussa, Don McPherson
Long Put: Frank Kelley, Dave Swain, Bill Knight, Martin Bullen.
Brennan & Noguer’s twenty-four points on the back-nine was good enough!
Mike Franklin
Jameson’s Pairs Better Ball on Wednesday November 2 at
Eastern Star produced a 3-way tie and count-back for winner and runner-up
prizes. Three scores of 43 Stableford points resulted in Fergus Brennan and
Brian Noguer winning after they both recorded 24 points on the back nine.
Runners-up were Mike Gaussa and Steve Hamstad with 22 points on the back
nine. Mikael Andersson and Robert Knutson took third place with 21points on
the back.
 Mike
Franklin with winners Bob Nouger (center) and Fergus Brennan (right).
Mikael Andersson however, had his eye on the technical
prizes and managed to be closest on three of the par 3s, namely #3, #6 &
#13. He also finished the round by sinking the longest putt on #18.
‘Technically’ very much on his game this day! Harpic Bryant was
delightfully close on #17, and Brian Noguer won the long putt on #9.
The weather was fine and hot with some cooling rain late
afternoon. Improvements continue at Eastern Star with bunker surrounds being
clean cut and new turf laid. Further landscaping is planned in the future.
Jameson’s International Golf Society takes a short
break on the November 16 as it is the day of the Loy Kratong celebrations.
We are back though on Wednesday November 30 for a Pairs Combined Stableford
at Plutaluang playing S & N, and out again a week later on December 7 to
Pattaya Country Club playing Singles Stableford.
Come down to Jameson’s to sign-up.
Ray and Roy triumph at Treasure Hill
PSC golf from The Grapevine
This week, Grapevine golfers headed up Highway 331 to
Treasure Hill, with 31 intrepid souls keen to take on one of the toughest
tests of golf in the region. This is especially so off the white tees and
whilst a lot of golfing groups choose the yellows, as white is a bit too
hard for some; it is a challenge we want! And a challenge is exactly what
we got, exacerbated by some questionable green maintenance on the front
nine, but still a great test and fair to all. Some golfers were unable to
master the greens and the golf course in general, with several scores of
less than 24 pts, more proof of the test this track provides.
Front row
(left to right): Ray Spence, Roy Pimblett, Ian Covill and Lek. Back row: Da
(1), Alan Gummer, and Da (2).
The top division 0 – 17 saw Ray Spence (13) triumph
with a solid 33pts, while Ian Covill (16) showed no lasting effects from his
handicap reduction to shoot 32pts & pick up the runner up prize. The 18
+ flight were the top scorers this week with Roy Pimblett (21) shooting the
day’s best of 36 pts, while playing partner Alan Gummer (28) grabbed the
runner up position with 34 pts.
The technical prizes were shared widely this week with
all single winners; Dick & Dick each getting a long putt whilst nearest
to pins were picked up by Kuni, Ian, Roy, Ray, Nigel & Rich.
Once again the Grapevine staff did a great job in looking after the
golfers upon their return, with some good tucker and cold beverages. I look
forward to seeing you for a great day of golf. Come on down to Soi Regent
Marina and sign up. Grapevine golfers are playing at The Emerald on the
November 17 - Cheers & Good Golfing.
Women’s Open tennis championships go independent with 6mn baht budget
Pattaya City council is preparing a 6 million baht
budget for the Pattaya Women’s Open 2006 tennis championships, as the
event becomes independent of its former sponsor Volvo.
Mayor, Niran Wattanasartsathorn and Deputy Mayor, Ronakit
Ekasingh held a meeting October 25 with Geoffrey Rowe, managing director of
Pentangle Promotions Co Ltd., whose company has previously organized the
Volvo Women’s Open tennis championships. This event has been held in
Pattaya for the last 14 years. Mayor Niran said that in the past, many
tennis stars from around the world and leading Thai tennis players had
competed for honours, enhancing Thailand’s reputation on the international
tennis circuit and generating tourism.
As the contract with Volvo has now expired, the event will be renamed the
Pattaya Women’s Open, and given a budget of 6 million baht for prize
money. The championships will be held in February at the Dusit Resort,
Pattaya.
Flanaghen, Allred, Callaghan & Morris come up trumps at ‘Bjarne’s Birthday Bash’
PSC golf from the Caf้ Kronborg
Monday 31 October Eastern Star, Stableford
The Eastern Star Country Club was host for a Stableford
competition in two flights; A Flight 0 to 15 and B Flight 16 and up. A
fairly large turn out played with a lot of ‘ Snowbirds’ returning.
Irishman, Fergus Brennan took the A Flight with 42 points, Ted Morris was
second with 40 points and Monte Sykes was third with 39 points.
The
winning team from Bjarne’s Birthday Scramble
It was a day for the Irish as Patrick Browne took the B
Flight with 37 points, Wayne Koch was second with 36 points and Keith Avery
was third with 34 points.
Near Pin: #3 Frank Kelly, #6 Gary Wedl, #13 Pat Gilbert,
#17 Brian Noguer
Long Put: #9 Kris Helgasson, #18 Ted Morris
Thursday 3 November Pattaya Country Club, Bjarne’s Birthday Scramble
This is the tournament we hold every year to celebrate
Bjarne’s birthday; 47at the time of going to press
I was beginning to wonder if he had been at it much
longer, it certainly seems that way, but I am given to understand the wheel
chair and the crutches are the result of an accident on his motor bicycle
that nearly stopped all future celebrations. It is nice to see him back on
his feet. Of course, we who have been here many years can be forgiven for
the mistake, as we long remember the Cafe Kronborg becoming the pre-eminent
golf bar with the closing of Caesars and the assistance this original bar
has given to golf in Pattaya. Indeed one may even say that this may be one
of the oldest tournaments.
So to get onto the day; we played at Pattaya Country Club
and Dave was run off his feet organising it. So it was that we all teed off
in a scramble format on the 1st & 10th holes on a fine day, on a lovely
course, well manicured with hard fast tricky green.
Whilst the numbers may not have been as many as in some
years past, the turnout was still pretty good and thanks to the organiser
and the course, we managed to get around pretty fast. Most players stopped
in the restaurant after the round to partake of the fine food and the cold
drinks there, before departing for the Cafe Kronborg and the Buffet that was
planned for 1930 hrs (Dave Time).
Being a fully qualified member of the ‘Order Of The
Round Table’, earned from many, many nights of revelry there, I took my
place amongst the other potential drunks and awaited the fine food. The food
was soon laid out and like the rest of the timid I held back to avoid being
trampled in the rush, then I slipped in between Jimmy’s first and second
visits.
Suddenly we heard the clarion call of the Trumpet blowing
‘Happy Birthday’ and we knew we were nearly there. Dave has found a
microphone, so there is no getting away from him now and after the technical
prizes, he declared the winners, just so Bjarne could give each a birthday
present.
In the Third place was that great team of Nual Russel,
Diamond Dave, ‘Limp Along’ Tim Holt and K.S.M., Derek Brook, with a very
creditable 59.3. In second we had ‘The Admiral’ Dave Richardson, Monte
Sykes, Ebrahim and Serge Straeten, with a 57.2. However, the winners with a
magnificent net 56.4 was the team of Jimmy Flanagan, Marty Allred, Kevin
Callaghan and Ted Morris, a fearsome team indeed.
Till next year, T.T.F.N.
Winners: Jimmy Flanaghan, Marty Allred, Kevin Callaghan,
Ted Morris
Second: Dave Richardson, Monte Sykes, Ebrahim, Serge
Straeten
Third: Nual Russel, Diamond Dave, Tim Holt, Derek Brook
Long Put: Serge Straeten, Paul Kinnear
Near Pin: Arthur Bailey, Dave Roberts, Don Richardson (2)
John Preddy ‘leads the way’
at Pattaya Country Club
PSC golf with The Bunker
Royal Lakeside Monday 31
September
Royal Lakeside is always a great way to start a new week.
Unfortunately we had to leave a few behind because of the 30 minute earlier
than usual start. A stableford competition was set and Geoff Scott returned
the winning score of 41 points. Bob Turner came in second with 40 points and
Roger Privett came third with 39 points. Near the pins were won by David
Johnson, David Booton, Granville Swanton and Trevor Sharman.
John
Preddy on his way to 43 points and victory at Pattaya C.C.
Pattana Sports Club Wednesday 2 November
Today was the first outing for the Bunker Boys to play at
Pattana Sports Club. Only a few players had a good round on this difficult
layout. The best part of the day was the return of several of the high
season golfers. Welcome back to Glen Reame, Rod Stevens, Doug Landsborough
and Mark Gooch. The best scores were in division “A” with Geoff Parker
returning a net 69 for the win. Geoff Smith came in second with net 70 and
third was shared between Eddie Martin and Gerry Cooney, each with a score of
net 77. In division “B”, Granville won with a net 79; second was Glen
Reame with net 81 and Sean McVitty came third with net 86. Near the pins
were won by Geoff Smith, Geoff Parker, Sunny Ruth Sip and Eddie Martin.
Pattaya Country Club Friday 4 November
Division “B” got even today with the return of the
best scores and with John Preddy leading the way. Yes, this is a rare
occurrence for John, so it was very pleasant to see his stableford score of
43 points. In a tight race, joint runners-up with 42 points each were Duncan
Mcgee and Granville Swanton. The best score in division “A” was 40
points returned by Bob Turner. Geordie Hudson was second with 37 points and
Roger Privett came third with 33 points. Near the pins were won by Granville
Swanton, Eddie Martin (2) and Sean McVitty.
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.
Andy Murphy halts Aussie charge
IPGC golf from The Haven
Mon 31 Oct Khao Kheaw A/B,
Stableford
Yellow Tee Division
1st Ron Mathews 33
2nd Tony Thorne 32
3rd Yasuo Suzuki 31
White Tee Division
1st Rick Holmes 33
2nd Dave Spendley 28
A day of confusion started at the Haven, as two
mini-buses were needed for the above average turnout. The second bus got
lost and had to be rescued by the first bus, somewhere in Sri-Racha. Then
some players went off on the white tees in error and rather than DQ those,
it was decided to let scores count and make two divisions. Despite the
course being in good condition, the hard, fast greens wrecked many a card
and the Aussie pair, Ron and Tony set about taking the spoils! Even off the
short white tee’s, scores were no better and Rick strolled home with 33
points to emulate Ron’s achievement in division 1. Notwithstanding the
difficulty of the green’s, there were no shortage of 2’s and the prizes
were shared by Al Rolnik, Rick Smith & Ron Mathews in division 1 and by
Jens Gunnarsson & Jorn Lyngby in division 2. Prior to the presentation,
Richard Livingston, the resident PGA professional, welcomed Gordon Graham
and the returning Jorn Lyngby, Birthe Vestergaard, Achim Mueller, Doug
Campbell & Dr Walter Ottl.
Wed 02 Nov Noble Place
A/B, Stableford
1st John Dawson 44
2nd Rodney Nabbe 41
3rd Yasuo Suzuki39 c/b 20
4th Rick Holmes 39 c/b 18
5th Tony Thorne 39 c/b 18
Another excellent turnout of 26 golfers made the journey
up the 331 for a return visit to this superb links course. Once again, the
Aussie’s dominated the day with John & Rodney setting a terrific pace
with outstanding scores. John shot a 75 gross off his 11 handicap that
included a 35 gross on the back 9. Rick managed a 76 gross off his 7
handicap to just edge past Tony on count-back 6 whilst Yasuo stepped into
third place with a super back 9 which netted him 20 points off his 11
handicap. Quite an amazing day after recent low winning scores, but then the
course was in great condition and for a change, there was plenty of run. In
the 2’s competition, Barry Winton & Al Rolnik shared division 1 pool
whilst BJ Smith & Jens Gunnarsson shared division 2. Prior to the prize
giving, now at 6.30pm following the laterstart time, Richard Livingston,
welcomed back Rodney Nabbe and Mark Woods
Fri 04 Nov Eastern
Star,Stableford
1st Andy Murphy 41
2nd Jerry Hough 38
3rd John Dawson 37
4th Tom Sathram 35
5th Rick Holmes 34
A hot and humid day in Ban Chang greeted another large field and scores
were generally pretty good, considering the sanded greens and wet tight lies
on the fairways. Andy, one of the previous week’s “winning losers”
dominated the day with a super 82 gross to net him 41 points off his 14
handicap and finally became a “winning winner”. Well done Andy! And very
well done for ending the week’s Australian dominance! John kept the flag
flying for the Aussie’s with an excellent 37 points for 3rd place but was
just out-smarted by Jerry, who was flying the French flag. Rick played very
well despite spending large parts of his round in the sand and his 20points
on the back 9 was good enough to pip Tony Thorne and Chris Davisson on
count-back. In the 2’s competition, Ron Mathews & Chris Davisson
shared the spoils in division one, whilst Brian Kelly took the pot in
division two. Prior to the presentation, Richard Livingston, welcomed back
Tom Sathram, who enjoyed a great day after finishing 4th with a very
respectable 35 points.
VFW Post 9876 still in first but Friends are hot on their heels
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
VFW Post 9876 is still in first place but only one point
ahead of Friends. VFW won four points from Grape Vine and Friends got four
from House of the Golden Coin. Brother D moved up the standings after
beating Domicil and taking all four points. Shenanigans split their match
against Jack & Tar at two points each and Mai’s Thai Restaurant did
the same in their match against Café Ole. Café Kronborg took three points
from Three Sisters as both teams struggled in lanes 13 and 14.
200 Bowlers
- Dang, Konrad, Tue, Lenz, Teuvo, Pin & Nok
Best bowlers of the day
were:
Teuvo, Friends: games of 194, 199, 212 - 605 series
Dang, Friends: 222 game - 559 series
Tue, VFW Post 9876: 213 game - 558 series
Pin, House of the Golden Coin: 210 game - 553 series
Lenz, Mai’s Thai Restaurant: 210 game - 544 series
Konrad, Brother D: 202 game - 531 series
Nual, Café Ole: 529 series
Maliny, Brother D: 529 series
Pin, House of the Golden Coin: 522 series
Oy, Café Ole: 520 series
Leo, Brother D: 519 series
Slick win for Larsen at Eastern Star
IPGC Pattaya golf society at the OK Corral
TThursday, November 3, the Pattaya Golf
Society from the OK Corral chose the “beach” at Eastern Star Golf Resort
for their weekly stableford event. For the third consecutive visit, they were
met with nine greens which had been sanded the day before and this is now
getting beyond a joke! Elsewhere the course was in fine condition but the
gloss had been taken off the day. The two flights were cut at seventeen and
under and in division one John Smith, Mike Withers and Simon Spaulding all
struggled with their buckets and spades to record 31 points each and share
third place. Nile Sheehan recalled childhood memories of Southend-on-Sea and
adapted his game to take account of the foreshore conditions and his score of
35 points was a fine return, despite catching a crab on the par-three 13th.
Heading the flight was local club member and sand castle champion, Mikael
Andersson and his excellent gross of 78 gave him a winning score of 36
points. In the second division, Len Jones put forward a gritty performance on
the back nine to rescue earlier errors and his score of 32 points gave him
third place, one behind playing partner Masashi Iizumi, whose second place
was to draw to a close his latest visit to the Kingdom. For the previous six
weeks, Danny Larsen had been stranded in a North Sea port waiting for stiller
waters to allow him to return to his drilling work and within 24 hours of
arriving in Pattaya, the oilman’s frustrations were released on the golf
course as he posted a slick 41 points to take the day’s honours. John Smith
received the large 2’s pot, which he should have shared with Ray Bloom but
the latter had declined to enter the subplot and was instead, consoled with
the Booby Bevy. “You have to be in it to win it!” was the call. Life
continues to be a “beach” at Eastern Star. What about next month lads?
Fire and Gas extinguish
Seaboard in local derby
Last Saturday saw the meeting of Pattaya’s two local
football teams for the first time this season in the Bangkok Casuals League.
After a more solid performance the week before against table toppers the
Brazilians, Fire and Gas were confident that they could spoil the excellent
start Seaboard had made to the season. The large crowd that had gathered to
watch the match at Horseshoe Point was treated to an intense battle, which
neither team could afford to lose.
The match started at a fast pace and with strong
challenges going in from both sides. Seaboard had a number of good scoring
opportunities in the first 10 minutes but fine saves from Tomas in goal and
a solid Fire and Gas defense resulted in Seaboard running out of ideas. As
the half continued, the Fire and Gas midfield began to make an impact and
combine well with the forwards, causing Seaboard defensive problems; with
Phil Drake and “Tubby” Turner in particular, playing well. An
unfortunate twist of the knee caused Spencer Bragg to leave the pitch and
enabled the introduction and the debut of the season for “Big” Dave. His
physical presence in the heart of midfield steadied the Fire and Gas even
more and gave an extra dimension to the attacking options, which seemed to
cause the Seaboard problems.
As the teams went in at half time with no score, both
knew that one goal would probably win such a tight game. Fire and Gas
rallied around their captain who encouraged more of the same team spirit and
positive aggression on the pitch. This attitude continued into the second
half with a number of strong attacks on the Seaboard goal. Lee won a free
kick with some clever foot work on the wing, allowing “Tubby” Turner to
whip a ball into the front post with his trusted left foot. Everyone seemed
to expect a long ball to the back post for a header but the free kick
rattled off the near post and across the goal line, where “Big” Dave
lunged himself towards it, heading the ball neatly into the goal. 1 – 0 up
with about 20 minutes to play, this was the goal that Fire and Gas needed
and thoroughly deserved for all their hard work and team performance.
The last 20 minutes saw a barrage of long balls from the
Seaboard defense bypassing the midfield in hope of finding one of their many
strikers. An excellent and solid display by Daryl and Chris at the centre of
defense plus more fine saves and brave goal keeping by Tomas kept Seaboard
out and allowed a fine 1 – 0 win for their rivals Fire and Gas. A well
deserved result and one that will hopefully kick start the Fire and Gas
season. Many thanks go to Phil and Terry for their management and all the
lads who turned up for their support. (www.somtam.com)
The Beautiful Game?: Brighton finally secure future
Riz Taylor
I suppose it’s a sign of the times that, when entering
Brighton and Hove Albion’s website, the reader is confronted not by the
latest club news or simple match reports but by offers for an assortment of
mobile phone ringtones and other ‘services’.
Football clubs are forced to earn money by any means
necessary to compete these days, hence the need to sell anything and
everything connected with the club. This is particularly true in the
Championship, the bizarrely named second tier division of English football.
The league has suffered financially since its bigger Premiership brother
disappeared into the distance with all the cash, and for small outfits such
as Brighton and Hove Albion already punching well above their weight, things
won’t be getting any easier anytime soon.
Even though the side were outplayed by Stoke City last
weekend, simply to be competing in the division is a mammoth achievement for
a club who had a brief spell in the top flight in the 1980’s, including so
nearly winning the FA Cup in 1983, before plummeting into the relative
obscurity of the lower divisions. It was a slide that so nearly resulted in
Brighton becoming a non-league side in the mid 1990’s. For many of us
supporting the game’s bigger clubs the word ‘disaster’ usually
accompanies the failure to qualify for European football or to capture the
signature of yet another ten million pound forward who’ll probably warm
the bench. At Brighton they’re a little more familiar with the harsh
realities of modern football.
Undoubtedly the most difficult spell in the club’s
history began in 1995 when chairman Bill Archer sold the club’s Goldstone
Ground to a property developer without first securing a replacement home for
the Seagulls and their fans. On the final day of that season the less than
popular Archer was succeeded as chairman by Dick Knight, the fans’ choice
who has since devoted his life to restoring the club’s fortunes. Far from
Premiership titles and FA Cup wins, the more pragmatic goal for Knight has
been the very survival of the club.
Two years ground sharing with Gillingham followed after
the Goldstone Ground sale - meaning a trek equivalent to travelling from
Pattaya to Bangkok to watch a ‘home’ game - and for the last six years
the Withdean Stadium, an athletics venue, has been Brighton’s temporary
residence with a capacity of just 6500. To add to the club’s woes a
succession of managers - Steve Coppell, Micky Adams and Peter Taylor - have
all understandably taken jobs at more secure environments along the way.
In 2002 a group of fans backed by high profile supporters
such as Norman ‘Fatboy Slim’ Cook and TV presenter Des Lynam delivered a
petition with over 60,000 signatures to the council as part of a request to
consider Falmer, on the outskirts of the city, as a venue for a new stadium.
The publicity generated from the campaign led to a government enquiry, and
two weeks ago, despite huge protests from environmental groups, Britain’s
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott finally rubber-stamped plans for the
move which should end the uncertainty for the struggling club.
Paul Samrah, the chairman of the Falmer For All campaign,
said: “It has been a long journey and we have got our just rewards. The
new stadium is going to be called the Community Stadium and never has a
community fought so hard. Everyone has been united, the council and the club
and only a minority forced a public inquiry. Just as London winning the
Olympics showed, sport is a force that can unite the community.”
It’s rumoured that the club had spent over three
million pounds on the campaign, an amount almost impossible to repay if the
Falmer project had fallen through given the limited income from Withdean.
The club now have the small matter of raising another 50 million in private
backing to build the stadium. That’s quite a few ringtones that need
selling, yet after what this club and its supporters have been through,
anything seems possible.
Stubborn United Save
Premiership
Meanwhile another club mixing it with the big boys are
Wigan Athletic, whose staggering run of straight victories reached six at
the weekend with a 2-0 win at Portsmouth. The Latics now find themselves
just six points behind league leaders Chelsea with a game in hand, and will
be regretting Hernan Crespo’s late winner against them in the season’s
opening weekend.
Perhaps a title cannot be decided on one game in
November, but Manchester United’s win over Chelsea on Sunday was crucial
to the division, giving the chasing pack a glimmer of hope of halting the
champions’ march to a second successive title. It was also an important
three points for Sir Alex Ferguson, who, if you believe what you read in the
newspapers, was facing the chop after a series of poor performances by his
United side. Instead he celebrated his 19th anniversary in charge at Old
Trafford with a crucial victory over the side that has rapidly become the
new ‘old enemy’. But don’t celebrate just yet, United fans - this
defeat was only Chelsea’s second in the league under Jose Mourinho since
the Portuguese took over in July 2004.
Ban Slapped on Lederhosen
Ever visited the Oktoberfest in Munich? I visited in 2002
and promptly found myself waking up in doorways in and around the German
city with no idea what was going on for 72 hours. But one of my few memories
from the boozy trip was the sight of folk dancers hopping up and down in the
streets of Munich, as is the tradition in that part of the world. Yet
recently the famous lederhosen-clad men of Southern Germany are hopping for
a different reason - this time in a seething rage.
The Bavarian dancers have been informed that their
thigh-slapping antics that are due to feature in the opening ceremony of
next year’s World Cup finals will be curtailed to just 45 seconds of the
twenty minute display, which is the curtain raiser that precedes the home
nation’s opening match to begin the tournament.
“We are not going to be taken for a ride,” and unhappy Bernd Walter,
the deputy president of the Bavarian folk dancing association, told the
Guardian last week. “If they don’t give us any longer we simply won’t
take part. Bavarian folk dancing is a complicated and precise discipline. It
would be nice if we could show the world what we can do.”
The Square Ring
Even though Thailand’s boxers took home the horse collar
in their series of bouts with Mexico two weeks ago, they were praised highly
by promoter/boxer, Oscar DelaHoya: “We’re very proud of our Mexican
warriors, who emerged victorious in the first installment of the Boxing
World Cup but I would be remiss if I didn’t also salute the great fighters
of Thailand, who gave it their all in every fight and did their nation
proud.” How about a shot of tequlia to get this effort rolling ?
Kinda of a big fight today at the Imperial World
Department Store in Bangkok as Light-Fly, Petchtapee Pinsinchai (4-0) takes
on Edgar Rodrigo (10-5-3)… why is it big? Well, Rodrigo has some talent
and for a guy sitting on a 4-0 record, anyone with talent is a step-up. An
impressive win here and Pinsinchai will gain some stature.
Last Friday at Sriprajan in Supanburi Province (which I
hope you will agree is a good location for a place called Sriprajan to be)
twice world champion, Veerapol Sahaprom (50-2-2,35 KOs) Ko’d Roger Galicia
(23-6-3,8 Kos) at 1:46 of round 4. Veerapol was the WBC Bantam champ from
December 1998 until he lost on the road n Japan to Hozumi Kasegawa last
April in a major upset. In that one, the young Japanese dominated for a
unanimous decision. Now ranked #2 by the WBC, Veereapol has hopes of either
a title eliminator with Mexican Diego Morales (36-2) or a re match with
Kasagawa. Oh by the way, Galicia is 0-4-2 in his last 6… Ouch!
WBC #2 Super-bantam, Napapol Kiattisakchokchai (33-2, 29
KOs) also got a 4th round stoppage on the same card. He took the measure of
Japanese Yoshimitsu Shibanuma at 1:12 of that stanza. Here’s a guy that
deserves another title shot. His one recent loss was to Oscar Larios, the
king of the Super-bantam’s. That fight was two years ago in the historic
Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles which has been closed and will be
demolished… Bummer!
Going into his title match with WBO Feather champ Scott
Harrison (24-2-2), Nedal Hussein (39-2) said he was afraid of the hometown
scoring that the ‘Champ’ sometimes gets at the Braehead Arena in
Glasgow. Funny but that’s only a problem if you’re in the fight. Hussein
got decked in the 5th round while Harrison was building an early lead. That
allowed the champ to withstand an 11th round that had him back on his heels
with a case of the wobbles. At the end of 12, the judges had it 116-111,
116-111, 117-111.
Harrison told ITV Sport, “”It was more awkward than I
thought it would be. Once I put him down in the fifth, I saw he was stronger
than I expected; but it was a good fight for the fans - they got 12 rounds
of boxing.” Next up for Harrison?... maybe a mandatory defence against
Joan Guzman.
In a prelim fight, Amir Khan got to 3-0 with a 3rd round
KO of Steve Gethin. Meanwhile, at Beautiful Lake Tahoe Nevada, neither Jeff
Lacy (IBF Super Middle) nor Rafael Marquez (IBF Bantam) had any trouble
defending their respective titles.
Marquez, now 35-3, dropped Silence Mabuza in round one.
It should be noted, and so it will, that was the first time that the South
African fighter had been down in 485 amateur and 18 professional bouts. He
traded punches up to 2:08 of the 4th round when on the advice of the
ringside doctor; Referee Norm Budden stopped the fight due a deep cut over
the eye of Mabuza. In the feature bout, Jeff lacy hardly got a decent
workout as he dropped veteran Scott Pemberton twice in round 2. The second
time Pemberton kissed canvas; referee Vic Drakulich didn’t even bother to
count before stopping the fight.
My pal O.R’s. favorite TV boxing announcer,
“Colonel” Bob Sheridan is recovering quiet nicely thank you, in the Las
Vegas’s Desert Spring Hospital after suffering a minor heart attack. Fact
is that by the time this is published, he’ll probably be up, around and
pronouncing. A veteran of calling more than 10,000 fights on radio and TV in
his 36 year career, I’d bet a pint of your favorite that he’ll be mike
side before the foam has died.
Quiz time; remember a couple of weeks ago when The Square
Ring reported that there was a rumour abounding that Kostya Tszyu (31-2) had
decided not to hang’em up? Now ‘tiz fact’ as the rumour surfaced this
week that he was meeting his ‘team’ to plan their strategy to get Zab
Judah (34-7) back in the ring for a rematch of their November 2001 battle
royal. Hard to believe that a battle royal can last only two rounds but this
one did. Kostya got caught in round one and was almost put away. During the
minute break between rounds, it seemed not so much to be a question of who
would win but if Judah could end it in round 2. Then late in the round,
Kostya landed the “perfect punch” which dropped Judah. He got up at 8
but staggered round the ring like a punter at closing time. Referee Jay Nady
correctly stopped the fight. Judah then tried to attack Nady; not a good
idea. For good measure, Judah tossed the ring stool at Big Jay Nady. For his
actions, Judah got suspended, fined and lost a fight. In the press release
announcing the ‘maybe’ 2006 rematch, Judah is called “Classy”.
That’s like saying #36 at Tim’s is “a ballerina”.
While on the subject of Tim’s Bar Beer, where were you
in the early morning hours of April 23, 2001? No idea? Well try this on. I
was in the backroom of Tim’s Bar Beer on the computer trying to find out
what the heck was going on with the heavyweight championship fight between
“The Imperial One” Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman. The fight was held in
Brakpan, South Africa and was of so little interest that Thai TV didn’t
even bother to steal the signal. In a stunning turn of events, Rahman
knocked Lewis out colder than a service girls stare when the baht runs out.
Granted this wasn’t the stunner that Douglas over Tyson was but still it
was one of those “what the heck moments”. For the rematch, Rahman acted
just like Douglas, didn’t get in shape and made a fool of himself by
getting Ko’d in 4.
Well this Sunday morning, about 0900 in Pattaya, Rahman
was to get another chance, although one has to wonder why, against Vitali
Klitschko (35-2) in the Thomas & Mack, (sounds like a Yuppie upscale
steakhouse huh?) on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Since
Rahman’s win against Lewis, he has hardly set the world on fire. Fact is,
he’s been this side of lousy with loses to Evander Holyfield, John “The
Boring Man” Ruiz, a disputed draw with David Tua and wins over guys named
Rob Calloway, Terrence Lewis, Kali Meehan and Monte Barrett. Outside the
ring, Rahman has also not been at the top of the game. He recently lost a
lawsuit to Don King for $750,000, which puts him in a class of his own and
has filed for bankruptcy. Besides all that, he’s been doing fine.
Klitschko may be the best of the heavyweights, which
isn’t saying much, but he’s never been able to capture the imagination
of the boxing public. This might be a good place to welcome new sports
editor Martin to the Pattaya Mail. I got a note from Martin telling me how
happy he was to be working with Asia’s second best boxing writer. He also
reckoned that according to George Foreman, Audley Harrision was going to be
the next great heavyweight. I e-mailed back, “Love Foreman’s grill but
on the current crop of heavyweights, he’s full of #*!*.”
There is the chance that heavyweights will never return to their glory
days. Those days may have ended when Mike Tyson got KO’d by Buster
Douglas. Maybe this is just the way of the heavyweight division today.
Certainly Lennox Lewis never garnered the “flower tossing adulation”
that he craved and expected and which never arrived outside the UK. There
was the possibility that Klitchko v Rahman would have been one hell of a
fight. If so we’ll have to wait until next year to find out. As is, the
usual “MO” with the Klitschko Brothers had Vitali hurt his knee in one
of the final sparing sessions and the fight was postponed. As Tim’s Bar
Beer no longer has a computer room I was going to bite the bullet and attend
my second Heavyweight title fight at the Thomas & Mack. The first? Lewis
v Holyfield II, November 13, 1999; Lewis got the decision but I had
Holyfield the winner. No one cared. “Drive a man to drink and just in
time.”
Paddy Wilson is McAllister’s
Champion of the Month
PSC McAllister’s Golf
Friday November 4 - An excellent turnout
of 39 golfers vied for the honour to become the inaugural McAllister’s
Champion of the Month at Emerald Banchang last Friday. With the course in
tip-top condition, the scoring was relatively even until Hamilton
“Paddy” Wilson returned a card of 41 stableford points off his handicap
of 16 to take the title. Paddy will be the first to have his name engraved
on the handsome trophy displayed in McAllister Bar & Grill.
The field was large enough for organizers Gerry Carpenter
and Dennis Willett to award five prizes. Roy Pimblett (handicap 21) came in
second with 37 points; Rodney Ishii (handicap 22) took third prize with 36
points; Mikael Andersson (handicap 6) fourth on countback with 36 points and
Alex Backlund (handicap 18) coming in fifth also with 36 points.
The turnout was equally large back at McAllister’s
where the usual buffet was laid out and Don McAllister’s attentive staff
was kept on the run with the drinks orders. With new establishments popping
up almost daily on the Street of Dreams, and a variety of food and
entertainment on offer, there is perhaps no surprise that a number of the
usual suspects were seen at McAllister’s for breakfast on Saturday
morning.
All are welcome at this popular event. Show up on Fridays some time
between 7:30 and 8:00 am and you will be sure of a game with a very friendly
group of golfers. Champion of the Month trophy will be awarded on the first
Friday of every month.
Karate medals to Pattaya girls
Thailand Karate Championships
Five children from the Pattaya Karate
Club participated in the Thailand Karate-Do Championship held in Phuket over
the weekend 15-16 October. The children are coached by Mr Rene Pelletant and
his daughter, both Karate Do - Kobudo Okinawa black belt Masters.
Children
and parents from the Pattaya Karate Club
The sisters Praphaiwan (10) and Phuangkeaw Koiwa (8) both distinguished
themselves by winning the Bronze Medal in their respective age groups, while
James Rudd (10) , Nikolas Backlund (8) and Paul Kerrien (8) all gained
valuable experience and exposure to the Karate Championships organised by
the Thailand Karate Association.
Phanom is 3 time jet ski world champion
Phanom Khunjeng was a winner at the World Jet Ski
Championships held at Lake Havasu City in Arizona, USA, during October.
 Phanom
Khunjeng 800 cc semi-professional runabout open jet ski champion
Four Thai competitors had managed to get to the final
round of the championships with two grabbing world titles. Phanom took the
800 cc semi-professional run-about open jet class championships while
newcomer, Panya Wangboon won the jet ski standing championships.
Phanom, of the Lions team, led from start to finish and
retained his championship for the third year in succession.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, making a presentation to the winners,
said Pattaya has policies to promote sports and in the past has hosted many
major sporting events.
Can Muay Thai prosper in ‘the land of Duran’?
We all know how popular the sport of Muay
Thai is within the kingdom of Thailand; One only has to switch on to a Thai
TV channel at the weekend to see that the sport has wide media coverage and
support in this country. Well, it seems that the rest of the ‘fight
world’ is finally waking up to the appeal of this noble sport and one of
the boxing world’s premier heavyweights, the WBC is all set to take Muay
Thai to the global audience. At the WBC’s recent convention in Cadiz,
Spain, a full calendar of championship events was endorsed for the 2006
season. This will see Muay Thai title fights being staged in the US, Europe
and Asia. Under consideration for the coming season are possible mixed
championship cards of both boxing and Muay Thai at some of the major Las
Vegas casinos; a ‘battle of the belts’ challenge to be held in Bangkok
early next year and a middleweight contest in London, England.
 The
Ambassador of Panama to Thailand (center) meets with Pieter Hoovers (right)
and Andre Machielsen (left) of Outland Promotions to discuss the possible
promotion of Muay Thai boxing within the Central American republic.
One of the countries showing a great eagerness to promote
the sport of Muay Thai within it’s own borders, is Panama, which has a
fine boxing tradition all of it’s own. The Panamanian Ambassador to
Thailand, at the behest of his own president, recently met with Pieter
Hoovers and Andre Machielsen of Outland Promotions to discuss the
possibility of introducing Muay Thai to the land of hats, canals and that
boxing icon, the great, Roberto Duran. Pieter Hoovers is the only accredited
WBC matchmaker so far in Thailand and his company specializes in promoting
Muay Thai boxing galas. The aforementioned ‘battle of the belts’ will be
the first WBC sanctioned event in the country and will take place at the
Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani in January.
Looking further down the road, it seems that the prospects are bright
that Muay Thai will finally receive the recognition it deserves on the world
stage and it may not be too long before we see on our TV screens, a fighter
being crowned as the first WBC world Muay Thai champion. Whether that
fighter comes from either Thailand or Panama, only time will tell.
Three Sister’s depleted numbers battle for ‘The Bag’
PSC golf from the Three Sister’s Bar
With the Hawaiian Mafia and other notables off down south
for a Phuket-Pattaya challenge, the field today was a bit limited. Siam
Country Club fairways showed some improvement but were slow due to the
recent rains. The greens were in good shape except for a few having signs of
sabotage by obviously disgruntled ex-employees. Pattaya Country Club was in
its usual excellent condition; however, neither course enabled high scores
to shine through. Dale Murphy was top dog, coming in with 38 points; taking
nothing away from Dale, this was one of the lowest scores to win in some
time. A viscious struggle ensued for the honors of carrying the bag. Dick
Caggiano having been away for four months struggled to a score of 22, as did
Rollie Weese. Paul Donahue thought for sure he had the bag with a 21 but was
saved by Jim Tully. Pattaya Country Club was tough on Mr. Tully letting him
have only 19 points. The usual gathering at “Caddy Shack II” enjoyed
ice-cold brews. The gourmet treats normally furnished by Herbie Ishanaga
were absent due to his participation at Phuket; however, an unexpected treat
was furnished by Paul Kraft in the form of Ham and Cheese sandwiches: Thanks
Paul. Next Monday should see our normal group challenging the courses.
The Pattaya 8-Ball Pool League
Standings November 3 (Week 3)
San Snack Bar’s winning
streak comes to an end
All winning streaks come to an end – often when least
expected. On Thursday, Scooby’s, in only their third week in the league,
ended San Snack Bar’s twenty match regular season winning streak. It was
in the corresponding ‘week 3’ last season, that SSB were last defeated.
Making the most of their home table advantage, Scooby’s got away to an
early 3-0 lead. SSB pulled them back to 4-4 but Scooby’s held their nerve
for the decider and their first ever win in the League – and perhaps the
‘Giant Killers’ title.
The line up at
the Moonshine v’s Carefree Bar Match. Carefree won 5-4.
Carefree Bar held on to the top spot of the table, making
the most of a bit of luck at Moonshine. After sharing the singles, Carefree
took the first two doubles and Moonshine the last to make it a close 5-4
result.
Lucky Bar were the visitors for Elephant Bar’s first
home match in the League. The trip up the hill obviously didn’t tire the
Lucky Bar team as they had it wrapped up before supper. Elephant Bar got a
couple back to make the final score 6-3. Lucky Bar keep their unbeaten
record for a share of top spot.
Woaw’s Pub has a match still to be played, but made it
two from two when they hosted Cosy Bar. Woaw’s led 4-2 after the singles
and took a comfortable 6-3 win.
In the Soi 5 local derby, Simple Simon at home kept
Paweena’s winless for the season. Simple Simon led 3-0 before Paweena’s
battled back to 3-3 but the home team was too strong in the doubles taking
the points with a 6-3 result.
Elsewhere; Sky Bar had no chance, going down 7-2 at
Hide-A-Way; and in the Thepprasit Soi 10 derby, Rose & Thistle crossed
the road to win the narrowest victory at Twilight Zone.
Next week someone will lose their undefeated record when Woaw’s Pub
visits Carefree Bar.
The line up at the Moonshine v’s Carefree Bar Match. Carefree won 5-4.
Unfortunately,
there were no correct entries received for last week’s quiz. For those of
you who tried, better luck next time and in case you were wondering about
the answers... here they
1.Who is manager of West Bromwich Albion?
Answer: Bryan Robson
2.Who won the 2003 Super 12’s Final?
Answer: Auckland Blues
3. John Hill won the Formula One Powerboat Racing Championship. In which
year?Answer: 1990
This week’s questions are:
1. Steve Ovett won the Olympic Gold at the 1980 Moscow games. In which
event?
2. In 1985 who became undisputed Heavyweight boxing champion of the world?
3. Who won the English Cricket County Championship in 1971?
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