Bad Roger arrives and Linda Lee leaves

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday January 29
Green Valley,
Stableford
1st A Flight: Mark Wood, 40 points
2nd A Flight: Jim Wickstrom, 40 points
3rd A Flight: Phil Mitchell, 38 points
1st B Flight: Nick Payne, 40 points
2nd B Flight: Geoff King, 37 points
3rd B Flight: David Tanner, 35 points
1st C Flight: Syd Harrison, 39 points
2nd C Flight: Mark Allen, 38 points
3rd C Flight: Fergus O’Brien, 35 points
1st D Flight: Roger Griffen, 38 points
2nd D Flight: Ken Kutzing, 36 points
3rd D Flight: Mke Loewen, 33 points
The scourge of Aberdeen and Walking Street, Mark Wood bettered Canuck Jimmy Wickstrom with a more favorably distributed 40 points in the premier Flight. That left the Flipper and Tom McManus, now revealed as the father of Paraig, locked in a count back which the Floridian won.
B flight’s Nick Payne matched the best point total of the day of 40 points, three clear of the Shack’s Geoff King and two clear of the quartet of Dave Tanner, Bobby Collis, CBT and Capt. Fox. The wizened guile of Dave prevailed.
Syd Harrison a week shy of departure to the UK edged Mark Allen by a point with the Wild Irish Rose, Fergus O’Brien, three points arrears in C Flight.
In the fourth Flight, the co-title holder blew in from the States and took the first of two golds on the week. K4 was two back at level to handicap 36 with the Shack’s Mike Loewen another three points adrift.
Klaus dragged his brother Lars to unwanted publicity as the tandem joined Wacko Jacko with non-counting 2’s.
Tuesday January 31
Crystal Bay,
Stableford
1st Blue A Flight: Phil Mitchell, 35 Points
2nd Blue A Flight: Phil Groves, 34 Points
3rd Blue A Flight: Ian Ashenden, 34 Points
1st Blue B Flight: Chaten Patel, 37 points
2nd Blue B Flight: Paul West, 36 points
3rd Blue B Flight: Mike Frizzell, 33 points
1st White Flight: Vic Hester, 39 points
2nd White Flight: Peter Ingham, 36 points
3rd White Flight: Colin Davis, 36 points
C Light’s Victor the Inflictor had the best on the day 39 points to better the triumvirate of “There is no ‘R’” in Ingham, The Donkey and the husband of our title gal. Peter had the best of it and The Donkey the better of it.
It was Flipper on top of the premier lads with the Swim Instructor getting the better of a count back with the Pro. We won’t even talk about the last time the two Phils were this close at Crystal Bay.
In B Flight, the Rajah bettered Englishman Paul West by by a single digit. Two bad boys, Frizzy Fizzell and Bad Roger Griffen, had more of a slur back than a count back, but the Wild Thing prevailed regardless of what it was.
Wednesday February 1
Burapha,
Stableford
1st Blue A Flight: Brian Wilkinson, 36 points
2nd Blue A Flight: Rick Sharp, 33 points
3rd Blue A Flight: Pat Regan, 33 points-
1st Blue B Flight: Colin Davis, 38 points
2nd Blue B Flight: Mike Gerrard, 35 points
3rd Blue B Flight: Willie Wilcox, 35 points
1st Blue C Flight: Roger Griffen, 47 points
2nd Blue C Flight: Chris Leack, 44 points
3rd Blue C light: John Warren, 41 points
1st White Flight: Ken Kutzing, 38 points
2nd White Flight: An Kaesavane, 38 points
No question the story(ies) of the day came out of the C Flight of the Blue Divison where Bad Roger (as opposed to Good Roger Koehler) locked up title mention with the Society’s biggest point output for a good long time with 47 points. He needed nearly every one of them to better two of the Shack lads, Chris Leack with 44 and John Warren with 41. The output left a soon to depart Baby Hughie penniless with 39 points.
The curiosity of the C Flight output was that there were not similar accumulations in the other Flights. Witness B Flight of the Blue Division, where The Donkey’s 38 points put him three clear of a five-pack at 35 points. That five-pack was sorted out by count back, leaving Elvis Gerrard with the silver, Willy Wilcox with bronze and Gary Ogilvie, Dave Tanner and Steve Mulberry out in the cold. The only good thing to come from it was that Steve Mulberry moved his home from Blackburn to Blackpool..
Further evidence of the C Flight phenomenon was apparent in Blue A Flight which was led in by Wireless at even-to-handicap 36 points. Even with that modest effort he was three clear of the knot of The Hermit, Pat Regan and Gary Blackburne. The Hermit took the count back as he is wont to do and Irish eyes smiled on Pat. Gary, as nice guys often do, finished last.
A fair sized group selected to ease back to the Whites and were led by a nice pair of 38’s. Get your mind out of the gutter. One belonged to K4 and the other to An Kaesavane, who Klaus confirms has a small back. K4’s victorious count back made it a first and what would be the first of two seconds on the week. Ironically both White Flight podium holders had non-counting 2’s.
Friday February 3
Eastern Star,
Stableford
1st Blue Flight: Sonny Crawford, 28 points
1st White A Flight: Jim Wickstrom, 38 points
2nd White A Flight: Barry James, 35 points
3rd White A Flight: Peter Le Noury, 34 points
1st White B Flight: Paul Shaw, 40 points
2nd White B Flight: Dave Porter, 38 points
3rd White B Flight: Colm Mullen, 36 points
1st White C Flight: Linda Lee, 41 points
2nd White C Flight: Ken Kutzing, 40 points
3rd White C Flight: Loz Shaw, 35 points
The balance of the good sized field was off to the Whites, in three Flights. Our co-title holder, playing in the last competition of an extended stay with her husband Brian, made the long trip back to Canada a little more palatable with a C Flight winning 41 points, two 2’s and a Near Pin. Not bad for a gal that had not seen a whole lot of the podium. The charming couple will be missed for the three months before their next visit. K4 scored an outstanding 40 points which, but for Linda’s career day, would have normally earned a gold. Loz Shaw continued his improving play with a C Flight third place 35 points.
The Shack’s Paul Shaw topped B Flight with 40 points, two clear of helpful valet to all, Dave Porter. Irish Colm Mullen rounded out the intermediary Flight.
Eastern Star resident Jim Wickstorm used his home course knowledge of the course to top the premier Flight with 38 points. Low handicapper Barry James came second with Peter Le Noury, himself winding his vacation down, rounding it out with 34 points.

The Road to Super Bowl XL “The Game”

by Howie Reed
All hail the Pittsburgh Steelers... ‘Champions of the NFL world.’ It would be nice if they offered to share the Lombardi Trophy, emblematic of victory in the Super Bowl, with Seahawks Tight End Jerramy Stevens and the guys in the “Stripped Jumpers.”
The Steelers 21-10 victory in Super Bowl XL was a testimony to their perseverance and patience. The “Birds” self-destructed with some “questionable” play calls at the end of the first half and later, as time ran out in the game.
When the final gun sounded it was hard to find a ‘most valuable player’, if one eliminated Seahawk TE Stevens or the guys in the stripped shirts. The MVP went to Hines “57 Different Varieties” Ward for his 123 yards receiving on five catches. He was outstanding in a game that cried out for a superior performance. Ward’s biggest play was the 43-yard TD strike at 6:04 of the 4th quarter, which probably iced the game.
If you were other than a Pittsburgh fan it was not a stellar Super Bowl. By any stretch of the imagination, calling the first quarter boring would be kind with other more appropriate words available. Pittsburgh gained nary a first down running the ballet offense, one-two-three-kick, with great alacrity, for the first 19 minutes of the game.
The NFL in their infantile wisdom made two decisions that might have had as much effect on the field as either team. First they decided that each play would use a new football. Why? No idea except maybe they signed a deal with e-bay. New footballs are ‘slick’ and hard to throw even though they’re rubbed down before the game. This might be one explanation for the rather pedantic performances by quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger (9-21 for 123 yards and 2 interceptions) and Matt Hasselbeck (26-49 for 273 yards with 1 TD and 1 Interception).
Throughout the NFL playoffs the officiating has been just this side of horrible. It didn’t get any better with Super Bowl XL. It was announced that an “All Star” officiating crew would be in place for the game. The officials were horrid. One can almost hear former coach Jerry Glanville on the sideline yelling at the officials, as he once did, “NFL means Not For Long in this league if you keep making calls like that.”
Some in the press have taken the stance that Seattle did themselves in with dropped passes, bad play calling and penalties. Clark Judge writes, “There’s no mystery to what happened to Seattle in Super Bowl XL. The Seahawks beat themselves. They dropped passes. They committed stupid penalties. They missed field goals. They had one touchdown called back and missed on another when they were caught holding. In short, they screwed up big time and in the end they got what they deserved, which was a 21-10 loss they can blame on no one but themselves.”
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had similar sentiments: “We just didn’t execute to the best of our abilities. That’s why Pittsburgh is the Super Bowl champion, and we’re not.”
Well, that’s one explanation. Another is the Seahawks blew it. Opinions are like ears, everyone has at least two except maybe Van Gough. The things we do for love.
If you subscribe to the theory that Seattle blew it, how did that happen? On their second possession Seattle had a first on the Pittsburgh 41. Hasselbeck would hit Darrell Jackson for 18 and a first down. Whoops, holding, end of drive. As the quarter ran down Seattle mounted a drive starting at their own 49 after a poor Pittsburgh punt. After a run and two pass competitions, Seattle appeared to be in business at the Pittsburgh 16. The next snap yielded a 16-yard TD pass from Hasselback to Darrell Jackson. Whoops, a ‘phantom’ offensive pass interference call... No TD.
Commentator John Madden, elected to the NFL Hall of Fame the day before the game, said, “I wouldn’t have called that offensive pass interference.” There was less ‘contact’ on the play than one would find at a pole-hanging emporium with the Interior Minister in the audience. Seattle settled for a 47-yard field goal and a 3 to nil lead.
The next time Seattle got the ball they were driving when Tight End Jeremy Stevens dropped an easy catch. Drive over. Stevens had made headlines early in Super Bowl week by saying that “Jerome Bettis (Pittsburg RB) coming home to play is a great story but he’s not going to leave with the Lombardi trophy.” Joey Porter, Steelers linebacker, took offense. “He’s a first round draft choice bust.” Porter proved correct.
The best drive of the game started with 8:15 left in the first half. With 3rd and 28 Roethlisberger made the play of the game, scrambling left to avoid a rush and then tossing a 37-yard pass to Hines Ward at the 3. From there, two Bettis runs got nada. Roethlisberger then ran left and dove for the end zone behind a Bettis block. The head linesman at first came running in to mark the ball short of the goal line. While in full stride, as Roethlisberger already down belatedly pushed the ball over the goal line, the linesman raised both hands for the TD.
The play was reviewed upstairs. A number of replays showed that Roethlisberger wasn’t in before he was down but there wasn’t “conclusive evidence” to overturn the call on the field. Had the linesman stayed with his first call it would have been 4th and goal for Pittsburgh. The half ended 7-3 for Pittsburgh after they had been completely outplayed
Shortly after the second half got under way, Pittsburgh got to their own 25. After an incomplete pass, Roethlisberger handed the ball to Willie Parker and he went 75 yards untouched for a 14-3 lead. This yardage accounted for more than a third of the total rushing yards the Steelers would gain for the day. Leading up to the game the Steelers felt that Seahawks Safety Michael Boulware sometimes would gamble on running plays. Boulware bit big time, missed the tackle a few yards beyond the line of scrimmage and Parker was off to the races. It was the longest TD run in Super Bowl history.
It looked like Seattle would answer but J. Stevens again dropped a pass that he should have had. Drive stopped. Go figure. Following a missed FG, Pittsburgh drove to the Seattle 10 where the game should have been put out of reach. Roethlisberger rolled to the right with the intention of hitting Cedrick Wilson for 6 but fill-in DB Kelly Herndon “jumped the route” and returned the interception for 76 yards to the Pittsburgh 20. After a couple of nothing plays, Hasselback hit Jerramy Stevens in the end zone. That pulled the game to 14-10 but it wasn’t that close.
The Steelers turned out the lights early in the 4th quarter with a little “zipper-a-roo” gadget play that hammered the last nail in the Seahawks coffin. With a 1st down, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger handed off to running back Willie Parker going left. Parker in turn handed off to former QB Randle El who ran right and then tossed 43 yards to a wide open Hines Ward to make the score 21-10. At this point it was time to venture outside and check the Bar-B-Q to make sure that the ribs weren’t burned or overdone. The Seahawks were both.
In the end to the victor go the spoils. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL Champions of Super Bowl XL. Excuses aside the game was there for the taking. Neither team covered itself with glory for outstanding play. The Steelers vaunted defense was never a factor. Their offense was tepid and appeared unplanned. The Seahawk defense played well. Their offensive game plan was stalled with dropped passes and penalties. After a terrific season the NFL ended with a thud. It was a game played on the world stage when it should have been played in secret.

Four more for Romario as Seaboard FC win again and climb to second in the table

Last Saturday Seaboard FC traveled to Bangkok to face the MBMG International Leagues bottom club AFC Patana for what could have proved to be a tricky fixture. With several first choice players not available, manager Rick Bryant was forced to make changes to his defence as well as giving Danny Stevens a rare opportunity to play up front, partnering young Jake Baker who came in for only his third start of the season.
One positive note was the long awaited return of Gary Munro who captained the side for the day and slotted into central defence alongside Brian Wilkins.
Seaboard kicked off and immediately got into their now familiar passing game with Patana struggling to gain any possession of the ball. And it took only 2 minutes for Seaboard to open the scoring with Ernest Romario picking up a loose ball in the centre of the park before hitting a speculative shot from 25 yards that caught the Patana keeper wrong footed with the ball shooting past him into the net. Seaboard could now relax and began exerting continual pressure on the Patana defence with Baker and Stevens working hard to ensure that it was difficult for the Patana team to get the ball out of their final third.
On 12 mins Seaboard could have doubled their lead when a cross from Stevens was met by Baker but his control let him down and the Patana defence managed to scramble the ball to safety.
Patana had another lucky escape on 23 minutes when a long ball down the line from Dave Brown was collected by Stevens, who outpaced the Patana defence to reach the bye line. His cross caused mayhem in the Patana 6 yard box and the ball was cleared off the line twice before being kicked out for a corner.
Seaboard eventually did score their second on 31 minutes when a through ball from Pete Mewes found Stevens out wide and his pinpoint cross was headed home by the unmarked Romario from 6 yards.
1 minute later Seaboard nearly went further ahead when a ball from John Campbell found the eager running Stevens and his cross was met by Francis Taku with the ball striking the crossbar and coming back into play.
Seaboard continued to press and 6 minutes before halftime Romario was to score the goal of the game when he picked up the ball just inside the Patana half before racing past two defenders and unleashing an unstoppable left foot drive from fully 30 yards that sailed into the top corner of the net.
Worse was still to come for Patana on the stroke of halftime, when a Campbell corner was met by the head of Stevens with the ball dropping to Munro who gratefully drove home to open his account for the season. Halftime - Patana 0 Seaboard FC 4.
The second half started in much the same way as the first had finished with Seaboard almost immediately increasing their lead when a delightful ball from Brown found Stevens and his lob was well saved by the Patana keeper. 1 minute later it was Stevens involved again, this time setting up a chance for Taku who slid the ball just wide when he should have done better.
It seemed only a matter of time before Seaboard would score again and it was to be Romario who found himself with only the keeper to beat after some excellent interplay between Taku and Stevens with Romario racing on to dummy the keeper and chip the ball into the net for 5-0.
It was time for manager Bryant to ring the changes and he brought on Kirrill Giyasov for a run up front and introduced Emmanuel Tshuma for his debut to replace Craig Banks who yet again had given an impressive performance in the middle of the park.
Giyasov was always going to give the Patana defence trouble with his electric pace and within a few minutes of his arrival on the pitch a perfect through ball from Campbell saw Giyasov out pace the Patana defence and slide the ball past the on rushing keeper to score his first goal for the club.
Next in the action was the young fullback Utane who after a series of neat passes found himself with only the keeper to beat. However, as he rounded the keeper he was taken down right on the edge of the box with Seaboard being awarded a free kick and the keeper lucky not to receive a red card.
As the half wore on Seaboard were finding it easier to open up the Patana defence and a delightful ball from Tshuma found Campbell who raced on from the halfway line only to see his powerful drive excellently saved by the keeper.
Seaboard completed what was to be an unhappy afternoon for Patana 9 minutes from time when Tshuma found Pierre Ngalamo out on the left and his cross was thundered against the crossbar by the head of Stevens with the ball rebounding to Giyasov and he gratefully slotted the ball home to collect his second goal of the afternoon. The final whistle was soon to follow with Seaboard running out comfortable winners and another 3 valuable points away from home. Final score - Patana 0 Seaboard 7
Manager Bryant traveled back to Pattaya a happy man with his team having kept another clean sheet on the road with keeper Mark Coombs being a virtual spectator for much of the match. All eyes will now be focused on the top of the table clash against the Londoner at Horseshoe Point next Saturday which kicks off at 4:00pm.

Whether it’s driving or putting, Dale leads the way!

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar

A beautiful day for golf and a good turn out brought scores tumbling down. Leading the way again was Dale Murphy with 42 points. Dale had an excellent day with his driver and flat stick - both were working well as he hammered the field into submission again.
Coming in a close second was Sus Ige. His vision was good as he shot 20/20 for the day. His 40 points was good for the second position as others nipped at his heels. Bob Clark and Ian Woo both came in with 39 points and Bill Key with 37. That just about rounded out the top as others faded away.

Dale Murphy (right) the winner on the day commiserates with long term cellar inhabitant Jim Tully
Holding the bag for the umpteenth time was our friend “Jim Tully”. Dick Kerr tried to give him a chance but Tully could not muster the strength to climb out of the cellar. Tully is probably saving his game for next week as we look forward to our change of playing day. An announcement was made to the effect that from now on, Three Sisters Monday golf has been switched to Tuesday. This change will be effective as of Tuesday, 7 February.

Tony Scambler - Golfer of the Month again!

PSC golf from The Bunker

Monday January 30 Green Valley,
Medal
With Jan Von Spelling leading Tony Scambler by four points in the race for the monthly trophy, it was win or bust for Tony. With Jan unable to play Tony needed to win to make up the four points, this he duly did with the best round of the day returning to the clubhouse with a net 70 to win first prize in the A division and to claim the golfer of the month on a count back!

Tony Scambler - The Bunker Boy’s golfer of the month for the second month running
Japanese player Mashi Kaneta pipped the Aussie Barry Barnes by one point with net 74 to take second place and in the B division only two shots separated first and third places with PJ Redmond winning with net 72 ahead of David Johnson who had a thirteen on his card but still finished with net 73, one shot ahead of Alan Sullivan with net 74.
Near pin prizes were shared by Gordon Melia (2) and who else but the in-form Tony Scambler claiming the other two...well played Tony!
Wednesday February 1
Noble Place,
Medal
In the B division Brian Maddox came in third place with net 75 and we had a tie for first prize between John Preddy and Geoff Parker, both with scores of net 74.
Gordon Melia came third in the A division behind Tony Scambler in second place with net 74 but even Tony could do nothing about Donald Hendry claiming top spot with a fabulous net 68.
Only three of the par 3 greens were hit so the prizes were shared between Roger Foley, Charlie Gooch and the player of the day Donald Hendry.
Friday February 3 The Emerald, Stableford
With the field again split into two divisions and the cut at 17 and under the A division saw Dave Lightfoot come out on top with 37 points followed closely by Bruce Lawrence with 36 points and Mitch Malone making a welcome return, coming third with 35 points.
In the B division David Johnson finished third with 34 points behind Mick Ramshaw with 37 points but Mike Larsen, playing off handicap 19 had the best score of the day to take first prize with 40 Stableford points.
Three players shared the near pin prizes Tony Scambler, Dev and Mick Ramshaw.

The 9th QBE Phang Nga Bay Regatta - an event of unsurpassed beauty

by Peter Cummins

It was not a bark that opened the “Year of the Dog”, down in Phang Nga Bay; it was, rather a howling, a howling of sheer jubilation and ‘joi de vive’ emanating from the some 500 sailors who brought their craft to the first start line, for what must be one of the world’s most beautiful sporting events.
The QBE Insurance Phang Nga Bay Regatta, held over Chinese New Year was a truly spectacular event and even though the winds were a little slack, the scenery off Krabi and around Phang Nga was overwhelming.

A beautiful contrast along Koh Hong.
Although only into its ninth sailing, so popular has this “fun regatta” become that the organizers, under the direction of regatta founder John Everingham and Regatta President Andrew Craig, were obliged to close the entry list at 44 participants in order to keep this “fun only” few days more manageable. Simon James’ racing committee divided the fleet into four distinct classes: Racing, Cruising A, Cruising B and Multihulls - these last vessels becoming ubiquitous all over the Kingdom.
The Racing Class saw the newly-launched Phuket 8 “G4S” bolt away with four straight wins, to finish on three penalty points, with “La Samudra” (7), “Switchblade” (8) and “Vino” (9), second to fourth, respectively. In Cruising A, “Minx” (3), was the clear winner, with “Cinders”, “Simba” and “Sudawadee” all on seven points, finishing in this order.

Breathtaking scenery surrounded the sailors throughout the course of the regatta.
Cruising B, the biggest of the four fleets, produced some very close racing, with “Delfina” (3) on top of the pile, followed by “Blue Jay”, “Rusalka” and “Rascal”, on 19 points apiece.
Finally, in the Multihulls, “Moto Inzi” - the racing Firefly machine out of Phuket’s Mark Pescott stables and fresh from victory in the 2005 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, was a clear winner, ahead of “Summersalt”, “Quoll ll” and “The Sting”.
The opening gambit was the Royal Phuket Marina race on Saturday, 28 Jan, which started off at the marina, before sailing east of Koh Yai, thence passing Koh Batang and finally finishing at Koh Roi, with the aptly-named ‘Paradise Resort’ hosting the party.
The Sheraton Krabi Race Day 2 started east of the Paradise Resort and zig-zagged around some beautiful islands and rock outcrops of Phang Nga, finishing off at the Sheraton Krabi resort for the Chinese New Year Party. And, of course, our hard-working and diligent press corps were beautifully ensconced at the splendid Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort, secluded in the tropical haven of Krabi, in perfect harmony with the environment. But our brave ‘journos’ also took to the waterways every day to capture and report on the action!
Next up was the Raimon Land Race Day, which consisted of a ‘down-hill’ run in the north-easterly to Koh Phi Phi, making land-fall at the Hippy Bar where Raimon Land once again displayed their support for yacht racing by throwing the usual extravaganza on the beach.
The fourth and final day, the Mangosteen Race, brought the fleets back across the bay to finish at Ao Chalong.

The fleet sails out of the start east of Paradise resort.

This regatta, initiated and supported by media mogul and photographer supreme, John Everingham, with a whole boat-load of quality magazines emanating from his stables was, for the first time, open to the press and media who, in spite of the somewhat lighter winds, had a great feast of scenery.
Besides the sponsors who under-wrote individual races, the event was made possible by the Greater Phuket Magazine, and ably assisted by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club. Don’s Café, the Phuket International Hospital, Friendship Beach, Sunsail, Eden 1, Lee Marine, the Yacht Haven Marina, Thai Marine Leisure, The Haven, Phuket Gazette and Royal Coffee,
Like the Phuket King’s Cup, just finished last December, the QBE Phang Nga Bay Regatta does much to counteract the dire effects which the 2003 tsunami had on the people, places and life-styles of this exquisite area.
One regatta personality, who has contributed largely, and also to the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is Duncan Worthington. Duncan, through his newly established company, Ensign Media, focuses on “eco-tourism” rather than the market of mass tourism and he regards the superb waterways of Thailand as national treasures. Formerly a photographer with Art Asia, Duncan recalls a photo shoot in the Butang group of islands.
In a recent interview with ‘Horizons’ (02 February, 2006), Duncan asked rhetorically: “What could beat a week on a beautiful boat, snorkeling, exploring islands?” No doubt, the 500-or so sailors at last week’s regatta would agree whole-heartedly.
And may the dog of the Chinese New Year live to ‘howl’ again.

And there was even more to see than yachts, water and coastline: - these three Russian beauties “stole” the show.

The Square Ring

by Howie Reed

Thailand’s Fahprakorb Rakiatgym is making a few changes after his UD loss to Valdemir Pereira for the IBF featherweight title. It was announced, ruffles and flourishes optional, by Promoter Murad Muhammad that he is arranging for the veteran Thai to train for future fights in the USA, in New York. Taking over the training is long time conditioning expert Lenny DeJesus.
Manager Jimmy Chaichotchuang said, “Rakkiatgym did not fight at his best on February 20. Rakkiatgym said that he could not control his body - he saw all the punches but could not move. He felt better in the last round but it was too late. He wants to come back to prove himself in a USA fight.”
Another of Thailand’s best, WBC flyweight king Pongsaklek Wonjongkam’s (59-2), will risk his title next Thursday at Sannburi Stadium in Chainart Province. For his 13th defense he gets Mexican visitor and WBC #10 Gilberto Keb Baas (26-10), who ranks a long way down the food chain of top Flyweights. What’s the record number of defenses for a flyweight? Thought you’d never ask. Mexican Miguel Cantyo defended 14 times but a check of his record indicates that most of his defenses were against those that were still able to breath on their own. The same can’t be said for Wonjongkam. Baas lost four of five before he got three wins against opponents that have a combined record of 5-14-1.
Keb Baas is now the WBC Continental Americas 108lb title-holder, capturing this crown by destroying Regulo Gamez on December 17. Gamez record was 3-6-1. So much for the value of the WBC Continental light fly title.
In another match one day later, two-time WBC Bantam champ Veerapol Nakornluang (51-2) gets a ‘tune-up’ against Tanzanian Scari Korori, who has no official record. If he’s successful with the tune-up, then it’s off to Japan (Yes, Land of the Rising Yen) for a rematch with Hozumi Hasegawa, who rested the title from him in April of last year. The ‘tune-up’ occurs at the Pier of Nonthaburi Province.
The hope of the British Empire, Amir Khan, appears to be on schedule for his first title fight sometime next year. For now he continues to learn the “professional” game, gain experience and is packing venues throughout the UK. His latest outing was a 75 second destruction of Vitali Martynov (10-2) from Belarus.
Khan drew 8,000 fans to the Nottingham Arena for his first scheduled 6 round bout. He did the business with a left hook followed by a straight right that turned the lights out on Martynov. Martunov did get up at the count of 5 but looked like a punter walking the Second Road at closing time, (legs wobbly, eyes glassy). Referee Terry O’Connor stepped in to stop things at that point. Khan’s has 4 KO’s from 5 starts.
Many consider that the featherweight division is the most competitive in boxing. It’s tough to argue with names and champions like Injin Chi, Juan Manuel Marquez, Humberto Soto, Scott Harrison, Chris Johns, Joan Guzman, Rocky Juarez, Victor Polo, Zahir Raheem and Manny Pacquiao. That’s the list of top 10 from the Boxing Writers Poll, which includes the genius that writes The Square Ring. That doesn’t take into account Valdemir Pereira who defeated Fahprakorb Rakiatgym recently. Also, after that poll was taken, Takashi Koshimoto (39-1-2) won a surprising majority decision over WBC Champ Injin Chi.
Joe “The Bomb” Koizuma writes, “ Koshimoto surprisingly captured the WBC featherweight belt as he made the best use of his vaunted footwork that frustrated defending champ Injin Chi and withstood his last surge to be awarded a hairline split verdict over twelve heats.”
As is the norm, the scoring was interesting. Nevada’s Burt Clements (114-113) and Thailand’s Noparat Sricharoen (115-112), both had it for Koshimoto, whilst Mexico’s Omar Mintum scored it (116-111) for Chi. Next question, “Who do you think that the Mexican based WBC wanted to win?” I know, I know... too easy!
WBA featherweight champion Chris John and Juan Manuel Marquez will have a go on March 4, maybe this third time is the charm. On two other occasions this match has been shelved due to John’s injuries. You’ve got to love the press releases that are trumpeting the fight.
“The fight will take place in John’s country of Indonesia, in Tenggarong City, Eastern Kalimantan Province, the province of the jungle, which is the lungs of Southeast Asia.” “The lungs of Southeast Asia?” Could you call Thailand the heart of Southeast Asia? But of course!
One WBC champion that held on to his title belt was super middleweight Markus Beyer (34-2). If it’s possible to dominate, then Beyer has. The German has been the champ since 1999 with but a single slip against Cristian Sanavia (32-1) in 2004. He lost a split decision but reversed the outcome three months later with a 6th round KO.
Beyer’s latest victim was the previously unbeaten Alberto Colajanni (18-0). Beyer got a 12 round KO in a contest that was described by one scribe as “carnage”. “Carnage?” Yeah, that translates to a “butt kicking.”
Along the way Beyer had maybe his most difficult defense against Aussie Danny Green. The fight ended in a “DQ” as it was judged that Green had intentionally butted Beyer, opening a cut that forced the stoppage. Some say “Nay, nay”, writing of Green that he got robbed.
If boxing is about drawing paying fans then the sport is alive and well in Detroit. On the eve of Super Bowl XL, Tomas “The Hitman” Hearns (61-5-1) lured in 15,121 fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills to watch him demolish 40-year old Shannon “The Sandman” Landberg (58-11-2) in 1:25 short of 10 rounds. It was written that “an exhausted ‘Hitman’ stepped on the gas late.”
On the same card, the 47 year old Hearns’ son, Ronald (6-0) no nickname, scored a second round KO over Kirk “The Movie Star” Douglas (10-10). Douglas kept his 6-fight losing streak going, 5 of those L’s by KO.
Well finally, the lads and lasses from the land of “Let’s toss another shrimp on the Barbie” have their mega fight. It’s now a done deal; signed, sealed and delivered. Danny Green and Anthony “The Bum” Mundine will “get it on” April 19 at the Aussie Stadium in Sydney. Mundine will receive a little over US $2 million while the payday for Green starts at US $1.8 million. Both will get a piece of the pay-per-view action that many in the Land of Oz believe will break all records.
At a press conference Mundine said, “It’s been personal for me because you all built this guy up to be something. He stands for nothing. He stands for the system. I feel for the grass roots fella, for the guy that struggles through adversity. They have all built this guy to be a marketable, corporate type of man.”
Danny Green responded by saying, “I’m not sure where the corporate thing is coming from. I’m a carpenter by trade.”
And Mundine is a horse’s ass by trade, inclination, linage and personality. That Mundine would drive a man to drink, which I intend to do for the next 6 days. Kind of like a liquid vacation from doing anything creative. Next week in these spaces look out for a big news announcement about Pattaya’s favorite “farang” fighter. Clue? He’s the King of the Second Road.

The Beautiful Game?: Shearer’s record cannot hide crisis

Riz Taylor
Even by his own standards, last week was one to remember for Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer. In the 64th minute of Saturday’s clash with Portsmouth the former England captain moved onto a clever back heel from Shola Ameobi and drove the ball through the legs of Dean Kiely. It was the goal everyone had been waiting for - Shearer’s 201st for the club that finally surpassed Toon legend Jackie Milburn’s previous record tally.
Though it ensured his place in the club’s history books, it should come as no surprise that this wasn’t the biggest news of the week on Tyneside. The three points that Shearer’s goal made certain of came at yet another crisis point in the team’s wretched recent history. This game against fellow strugglers Pompey had the feeling of a relegation six-pointer, something that is unacceptable for a club of Newcastle’s size.
Seventeen months ago Graeme Souness looked on as Blackburn Rovers, the team he had made and had just abandoned, looked clueless as they were soundly beaten 3-0 by Newcastle, the side he was about to take over. Fast-forward to last week and another 3-0 scoreline, this time a pathetic defeat at the hands of Manchester City, was the final nail in the coffin for the Scotsman and signaled the end of his tenure at St. James Park. Chairman Freddie Shepherd made the decision to release him the following morning. In the interim, the club will be guided by Glenn Roeder, and the chinless ex-West Ham boss will be assisted with his duties by Shearer.
“When Graeme Souness was appointed team manager we had high hopes that he and his managerial team would bring renewed success to St James’ Park,” said Shepherd in his programme notes prior to the Portsmouth match. “Unfortunately, and despite a promising start, this ultimately did not happen.”
Souness’ brief on arrival was clear - restore harmony and instill discipline into a Newcastle dressing room that had too many disruptive personalities. Oh, and whilst you’re at it, get us into the Champions League, and did we mention winning us our first trophy in 37 years?
It was never going to happen of course, but Souness relished the challenge. First up came the clear out. Craig Bellamy gave his manager the excuse he was looking for by branding him a “liar” on national television after Souness had suggested he had feigned injury, and the Welshman was shipped out to Celtic and then Blackburn. Laurent Robert was also shown the door, and fellow troublemakers Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer gave Souness the chance to impose his authority on them after their on-pitch fisticuffs in April. But although the club had decent FA and UEFA cup runs, these successes hid a poor league campaign and a squad that simply wasn’t good enough to match the ambition of the fans.
This season an astonishing spate of injuries hampered Souness’ plans. Nearly every player has been unavailable at some stage or another, including record signing Michael Owen. Souness blamed the Newcastle training pitch on many of the injuries, but these excuses couldn’t last forever.
Since the departure of Kevin Keegan, Shepherd and his board have been unable to find a successor to capture the imagination of the fans. Kenny Dalglish was too dour, Ruud Gullit found out who really runs the club after dropping Alan Shearer, and Sir Bobby Robson brought improvement but lacked the discipline required to control an explosive mix of players. Souness, without the managerial record of Dalglish, the sexy football of Gullit or the Geordieness of Robson, was never going to be taken in by the Gallowgate End.
This season the side has looked lost, expensive signings have misfired and the defence has played like the Keystone Cops. Shepherd was right to sack him.
With the huge expectations on his back his fate was probably sealed before he arrived, but Souness was shrewd enough to negotiate a five-year contract when he joined Newcastle and walks away from St. James Park with a huge payout. We shouldn’t feel too sorry for him.
No, those feelings should be reserved for his successor, because once again the next boss will be saddled with the responsibility of delivering success and trophies to a club that, let’s face it, isn’t successful and doesn’t win trophies.
Ronaldinho loves Chelsea
Superstar Brazilian midfielder and all-round nice guy Ronaldinho has caused a fuss in Spain by selecting six Chelsea players in his European dream team - and none from his own club!
The quick-footed mastermind offered few surprises by choosing Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele in his line-up, but also proved that he’d just got home from the pub by also selecting Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba to partner Andriy Shevchenko up front. Barcelona face Chelsea in the next round of the UEFA Champions League, which kicks off again at the end of this month.
Ronaldinho also revealed that, having already won the FIFA, World and European Footballer of the Year awards along with his World Cup medal, his next target is to join Mother Theresa and Mikhail Gorbachev as winners of a Nobel Peace Prize.
“I want to put on a good show but not only in football, but also as a UN ambassador. My mind is set on working on that all my life and battling hard to win a Nobel Peace Prize - that would satisfy me greatly,” said the buck-toothed South American. And who would bet against it?
Something for the wife
You’re in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you simply MUST have. The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. Both of you have forgotten your purses.
It would be totally rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.
The shop assistant remains at the till waiting. Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma. She prepares to throw her purse to you. If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes. At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and, whilst it is in flight you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes.
Always remember that until the purse had actually been thrown it would be plain wrong to be forward of the other shopper.
Dear Girls - you have just learned the offside rule.
NB: For details of all the live EPL football matches being shown in the Pattaya area, please check the TV Sports schedule on page 50.