Gareth’s pockets are stuffed to the Gill(s)

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday,
September 24,
Green Valley -
White Tees, Stableford
A Flight:
1st John Hillier, 42 points
2nd Phil Mitchell, 42 points
3rd Claus Birk Thomsen, 41 points
B Flight:
1st Dave Porter, 38 points
2nd Ray Dell, 36 points
3rd George Jackson, 34 points
C Flight:
1st Oddvar Rykke, 38 points
2nd Roger Koehler, 36 points
3rd Charles Sheppard, 36 points
Near Pins: #9 John Emmerson, #12 Darren Smith; #16 Darren Smith
2’s: Phil Mitchell, Mark Wood, Darren Smith (2), Jack Spencer (2), Alec Hoare
It has been apparent of late that Nice Guy Johnny was rounding into form and that trend continued this day as his 42 points would attest. John still needed a count back to edge Flipper in A Flight, whose 42 points was the result of an excellent 72, the low gross of the day! The hard luck story of the flight was CBT who deserved better than 3rd for his 41 points.
Capt. Oddvar took the Junior Flight with 38 points, a couple ahead of the tandem of Good Roger and Charlie. Undoubtedly owing to his fine behavior, Roger prevailed on count back. Charlie wasn’t sure what happened but he seemed happy.
In the Middle Flight, the Valet’s Best Friend topped the lot with another 38 points which was comfortably two points clear of “The Farmer in the”. Third place was yet another two back at 34 points, with One Ball having better distribution than K4.
Tuesday,
September 26,
Laem Chabang A & B - Blue or White Tees, Stableford
Blue Flight:
1st Chris Fox, 41 points
2nd Matt “Irnie” McInerney, 32 points
White A Flight:
1st Gareth Gill, 38 points
2nd Dave Porter, 38 points
3rd Peter Henshaw, 37 points
White B Flight:
1st Roger Koehler, 38 points
2nd Oddvar Rykke, 32 points
3rd Kevin Moraghan, 31 points
Near Pin: #B8 Matt “Irnie” McInerney
2’s: John Emmerson, Mark Wood
A couple of handfuls of players took on the Blue Tees of the Mountain and Lake’s side of this local Jack Nicklaus’ creation. There wasn’t much doubt who won the Blue Flight as one of our title spot holders, Chris Fox, had a nine point margin on the field and another one of Johnny McHugely’s mates, Irnie McInerey. The quality of Chris’ round is further illuminated in the fact that it was three better than anyone in the White Flight.
The top rung for the A portion of the White Flight was not determined until a count back was done with GiGi’s card and The Valet’s Best Friend. Following those two in, but a point adrift, is newly arrived Irishman, Peter Henshaw. If this is any indication of Peter’s form, he could haul a lot of baht back to the Ol’ Sod when this extended visit concludes.
Good Roger was at it again as he was clearly the class of White’s B Flight. His 38 points were six clear of second place Capt. Oddvar. If Capt. O was surprised to collect, imagine how Kevin Moraghan felt, filling his wallet with 31 points.
Wednesday,
September 27,
Bangpra - White Tees, Stroke/Medal
A Flight:
1st Gareth Gill, net 72
2nd Chris Fox, net 73
B Flight
1st Matt “Irnie” McInerney, net 74
2nd Bob Lindborg, net 75
2’s: Jim Munns, John Emmerson, Dave Schelling, Sugar Ray Handford
Here comes Johnny’s buddies’ ... again! Irnie took B Flight and Chris took second in A Flight. GiGi, for the second time in two days brought home the big check as his net 72 was best on the day and best in A Flight. The Guru of Green Valley topped up B Flight.
Friday, September 29,
Phoenix L & O - Blue or White Tees, Stroke/Medal
Blue Flight:
1st Gareth Gill, 38 points
2nd Jim Munns, 36 points
White Flight:
1st Nat Meesuk, 45 points
2nd Ray Dell, 40 points
3rd Mike Craighead, 35 points
4th Glen Perkinson, 35 points
2’s: John Emmerson, Simon Philbrook, Matt “Irnie” McInerney, Bob Lindborg, Nat Meesuk, Norm Robinson
Hey what’s goin’ on? Gareth made it three in a row, this time with the top slot in the Blue Flight, two clear of Capt. Fogg.
That McHugh legacy continued in the White Flight as the Nat(ural), a.k.a. Mrs. McHugely, had her way with the Lake and Ocean layouts of Phoenix. Ray Dell’s fine round of 40 points seemed average in comparison, although it was anything but. The Mechanic had the better of Prof. Glen on count back, which is always awarded to anyone that can produce an AARP card, to take the third slot in the more popular short Flight.

The Beautiful Game?: Premiership Roundup

Riz Taylor
Did you miss the game of the week? I’m talking about Watford and Fulham’s three all draw at Vicarage Road early on Tuesday morning. Watford took a two goal lead through Marlon King and Ashley Young, only to see Fulham come back with three goals in the last fifteen minutes to take the lead. But it wasn’t over there. Ashley Young popped up once again to grab a deserved point for the Hornets moments from the end of a thrilling game.
At least that’s what the newspaper said. I missed it, you see, opting for an early night rather than stay up to watch a drab affair between two uninspiring sides.
I’m not having the best of luck with my choice of live matches this year, but in my defence it’s not just my selective viewing that’s serving up a lack of inspiration.
Instead I watched Liverpool play the early match on Saturday. What’s going on here? Already the Scousers have played FIVE early matches on the Saturday. Whilst the early kick-offs aren’t fair on Liverpool’s fans, it’s also a raw deal for those of us that just fancy some decent football on a Saturday night.
Bolton ran out 2-0 winners in case you nodded off, and are now perched on the shoulders of Manchester United and Chelsea in third. Whatever has been going on at Bolton, and perhaps we’ll never know, Sam Allardyce’s record at the Reebok just can’t be argued with. Much is made of English managers not being given the chance to manage the big boys these days, but surely Allardcye’s chance to manage at the top level will come. There again, perhaps he already is.
Portsmouth, Everton and a resurgent Aston Villa are tied for fourth place along with Reading, who snatched three points against a disappointing West Ham with an absolute stunner from Korean international Seol Hi-Kyeon who looks set to become a household name - In Korea!
Next come Arsenal, who moved into eighth after a win at bottom side Charlton. After arriving at Highbury to cries of “Arsene Who?” from London’s Evening Standard, Arsene Wenger celebrated ten glorious years at the club by calling for the English game to remain just that.
“The manager is foreign, the players are foreign, the owners are foreign, you need to draw a line. England doesn’t control it any more. I feel the soul of football in this country is first granted by the owners of the clubs,” he explained. “Here, for example, at Arsenal I feel I am really at an English club. Traditionally the people who owned the clubs were first and foremost supporters. If that ceases to be the case then the clubs lose something.”
Surely this is a bit rich, coming from the man that regularly fielded all-foreign sides in last year’s Champions League matches? Or is that just me?
Anyway, across North London it was finally Tottenham’s turn to take three points on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Portsmouth at White Hart Lane, but they had the referee to thank after the official awarded Spurs a penalty after what was arguably the most blatant dive of all time by Didier Zokora. Sheffield United also grabbed their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough, Phil Jagielka stunning Boro in the final minute with a spectacular finish from 25 yards. But of course I’d switched off moments before the end, which is becoming the story of my season.
Sorry Saints search for supporters
How times have changed for Southampton. As recently as three years ago they were representing the Premiership in the UEFA Cup, yet now find themselves struggling to escape the Championship after boardroom struggles and controversy.
Now the South Coast club have taken to widening their catchment area in a bid to attract more fans to their St. Mary’s stadium after poor attendances this year. Amongst other efforts to attract supporters Saints have also included an advert in the Reading Evening Post, despite the local side appearing in the Premiership for the first time this year.
David Lucker, head of supporter services at Southampton, said: “As we find ourselves with spare capacity to sell, it is prudent that we encourage as many supporters to attend as possible. We look to capture new supporters all the time.”
Chris Witcher of the Reading Supporters’ Trust, replied: “If we were still in the Championship I am sure Reading fans would be very annoyed about it. But as we’re now in the Premiership we have bigger things to worry about. Why would people want to go there when they can see better football closer to home?”
Internationals Ahoy
No Premiership this week, as instead tomorrow sees the first round of matches in a series of international double-headers. Scotland head into their ties against France and Ukraine with injury worries threatening four players. Reading defender Graeme Murty has withdrawn from the squad, whilst there are doubts over Russell Anderson, Kevin McNaughton and West Brom midfielder Nigel Quashie. England manager Steve McLaren, meanwhile, has been saved the dilemma of dropping Wayne Rooney after an injury to Andy Johnson ruled him out of contention to oust the out-of-form ‘Boy Wonder’.
Selected matches - Saturday:
Bulgaria v Holland, Denmark v Northern Ireland, England v FYR Macedonia, Greece v Norway, Italy v Ukraine, Russia v Israel, Scotland v France, Sweden v Spain, Wales v Slovakia.
Selected matches - Wednesday:
Croatia v England, Poland v Portugal, Ukraine v Scotland, Slovakia v Germany, Austria v Switzerland.
UEFA Cup Draw
Newcastle were handed the trickiest test in the UEFA Cup group stage this week after being drawn alongside Celta Vigo, Fenerbahce, Eintracht Frankfurt and Serie A leaders Palermo in Group H.
Tottenham will play Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge, Besiktas and Dinamo Bucharest in Group B, whilst Blackburn face Feyenoord, Basle, Wisla Krakow and Nancy in Group E. Rangers will play Auxerre, Livorno, Partizan Belgrade and Maccabi Haifa in Group A.

Traveller’s Rest take Tony’s ‘Birthday Scramble’

Jomtien golf with the I.P.G.C.

Tony, second right, and his lovely lady celebrate with the winning team from the Traveller’s Rest

Monday, September 25, Burapha - Birthday Boys Bash
Approaching senility now, Tony Duthie organised a four-person scramble competition on the A and B courses at Burapha to celebrate his ??th birthday. Many thanks to the management there for re-arranging the format, as we were told one month earlier that A and B would be closed this week.
So fifteen teams, 60 persons set off on a very rain-threatening day to secure some of the many prizes that Tony had sponsored for his special day. From earlier conversations we expected a score of around 58ish to come in, but we were all surprised.
In third place Mark Brenton, Joe Craggs, Gavin Donavan and Glen Egbert came in with net 63, the OK Corral side of Ian Kidd, Tony Kitchen, Stuart Thompson and Ray Underwood finished second with 61, but the Traveller’s Rest team of John Egan, Billy Elliot, Alan Sargent and Keith Seddon pipped them with a net score of 60.7.
There were many technical prizes to be won on the day, all kindly donated by the ‘Birthday Boy’ himself. Graham Banks, Dennis Byrne, Harry Cowling, Billy Elliot, Chris Holmes, Phil Mitchell and Richard Wardell were the lucky recipients. Nearest the pins winners were Joe Craggs, Alan Duckett, Graham Banks and Rick Newman.
The most sought after prize however was the booby prize, which was collected by Len Jones, Bob Martin and Dennis Smith, who were all awarded the Tony Duffers sport shirts for the lowest score, but we wont reveal how low that was.
It was then all back to the newly opened Caddy Shack (now relocated next to the Harley Bar) for the prize giving, and a delicious free buffet. A great evening followed with live music and dancing. A big thanks to all the staff at the Caddy Shack and especially to the ‘Birthday boy’ who rang the bell as well. Cheers Tony
Wednesday, September 27, Crystal Bay, Stableford
Probably our last match here before the high season prices kick in, and we all arrived on time (well, most of us) to a well sodden C and A combination.
There were two divisions running today, and after checking the scorecards it seemed it was a tough test for both. But there were also a few silly misdemeanors from some of the Div 2 players resulting in disqualification. So with 26 points, Dennis Byrne and Miss Am tied for first place, but the lady won on a better count back of 13/11. They were both elated with their prizes.
Geoff Stubbs, in his last game before his return to the UK for a month came home with a 35 to pip Paddy Hamilton by one and take first place in the Division 1 battle.
Everybody was expecting a rollover on the “twos” until all the cards were checked back at Paweenas and it was found Ken Jepson had sneaked in with one. Well done Ken.
The ladies tipple went to Dennis Byrne for his directional qualities in getting to Crystal Bay, but that’s another long story.
Jomtien Golf meets every Monday and Wednesdays at Paweenas, Soi 5 Jomtien Beach Road, and departs at 9.15am for a 10.30 tee off time. Club hire and transport are also available, please sign up in the bar or ring Glyn on 068375464

The Berger, King for a Day

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, September 25, Sri Racha, Stableford
1st Roar Berger, 40 pts
2nd B.J. Smith, 38 pts - c/b 20
3rd Trevor Schirmer, 38 pts - c/b 19
The last few weeks have seen a steady improvement in Roar Berger’s overall performance and at Sriracha he managed to get most of it to come together at the same time, and keep it going to the last hole. Even so, the end result could have been a lot better without the golfer’s normal reaction when things start to go well.
B.J. Smith and Trevor had to be separated by count back with B.J. just getting the best of the outcome.
The course was playing reasonably well after several months of indifferent presentations and it is to be hoped that the good work continues into the high season when they will attract a lot more play.
Perhaps due to the conditions of most of the greens, which had undergone some dressing and treatment, there were no “twos” in either division. It was also no surprise to learn that the CSS had risen to 74 on the day.
Before presenting the prizes Richard, the resident PGA teaching professional, welcomed back Peter Aitcheson following his lightning trip back to the UK to inspect a few assets, subsequent to the political upheavals in the Labour Party.
Wednesday, September 27, Khao Kheow, Monthly Medal
Division 1:
1st Phil Groves, net 72
2nd Trevor Schirmer, net 75
Division 2:
1st B.J. Smith, net 74
2nd Paul Taylor, net 79
As always, the two prize pots were augmented by the unclaimed prizes from the previous tournaments, but even this added lure did not seem great enough to attract a large turnout after the forecasts came of more bad weather in the offing.
Following the recent heavy rainfall the course played without any run, which impacted greatly on the scores for the monthly medals held over the C and A courses.
Phil Groves, with the best score of the day, took his third monthly medal win in a row with a solid level par performance that was good enough by three shots over the in-form Trevor Schirmer.
B.J. Smith was unable to match his previous outing’s effort, but his two over still proved good enough by five to claim the second division medal and book his place in the Gold and Silver competitions at the end of the year. Paul Taylor was the nearest player to him
Once again neither division managed a “two”, but this time the excuse was that the greens were too wet to read the lines and once again the CSS went up by two due to the overall difficulty of the course.
Back at The Haven, Richard welcomed back Barry Urbano from the Gosnells Club in Perth Australia.
Friday, September 29, Phoenix, Stableford
1st Brian Beaupre, 39 pts - c/b 19
2nd Russell Exley, 39 pts - c/b 18
3rd Mike Dabanovich, 37 pts
4th Jens Gunnarsson, 35 pts - c/b 18
5th Mike Poustie, 35 pts - c/b 17
6th Chris Knapp, 35 pts - c/b 14
Teeing up at Phoenix is always a pleasure and the last of the week’s competition was no exception. With the course getting better seemingly every time that it is played and the greens staff making some headway on improving the bunkers, it is unsurprising that the scores were generally of a better order than of late, with most of the field playing within the buffer zone and the CSS reducing to 71.
Brian Beaupre, who is currently one of Canada’s men in Hong Kong, and perhaps able to get in plenty of practice, slipped straight into top gear on arrival and stroked it round in a very accomplished three under to take the day’s spoils.
He very nearly missed out to Russell Exley, until said player inexplicably lost a ball beside the 14th green and had to trudge back to retake the shot and give up a certain two points that were to be the difference between first and second. But for Russell it was a very fine effort on the way to yet another reduction in handicap.
Mike Dabanovich, another Canadian returnee but this time via the Middle East, was also in good form with a very creditable first round in competition that secured him third place. Jens Gunnarsson took the final podium placing ahead of Mike Poustie and Chris Knapp by count back.
There were no “twos” in the second division, but the first division including the carry overs was shared between Mike Dabanovich and Brian Beaupre.
Prior to the presentations Richard welcomed new member Ray Thirtle and also welcomed back Mike Dabanovich, Brian Beaupre, Mike Poustie and Micky Moore, the latter having made a special trip after reading of the growing “twos” pot on offer, which he is hoping to liberate before returning to building the Olympic Village in London.

Harry wins battle with the two Brians

IPGC golf with The Caddy Shack

Tuesday, September 26, Bangpra, Stableford
Our first outing of the week saw us take the trip to beautiful Bangpra for a Stableford competition on this wonderful course. The three Leed’s lads came out on top with Harry Cowling scoring 26 points, Keith Hector 29 and Bill Hewitt topping the lot with a remarkable 38 points. There were no “twos” recorded today.
Friday, September 29, Emerald, Stableford.
Friday saw a return to The Emerald for a Stableford tournament on a very humid day. Competition was intense as some old rivals came together on the course.
The conclusion of play saw the two Brians - Jacks & Bellis tied for second place on 34 points, but out in front on his own was our winner Harry Riley with 38 points.
Near Pins were won by Josh, Dave Smith and Brian Bellis.
Back at the Caddy Shack our customary post-golf general knowledge quiz was enjoyed by all the players and non-players alike.

Miserable weather - more miserable golf

PSC golf from The Oohsa Bar

With threatening weather our group made their way up 331 to Century Chonburi, one carload of golfers going via ‘The Cape’. We eventually made it to the tee and probably wished we had not found the course after the heavens opened. It was raining so hard at one stage that on the greens, it was not the break you had to look at, it was the tide.
Keith Hodges (28) won the day with a hard fought 26 points, (that is no misprint), 26 was the best of the group. The Near Pins technical prizes were picked up by Fred, Jeff & Keith, with one being completed in the driving rain, resulting in a 4 putt for the Near Pin winner.
The Oohsa Bar golfers meet at the bar, Soi Khao Talo at 8am for brekky, leaving for golf about 9am. You are most welcome to come along.

Flemish flourish at St. Andrews

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral

Until Thursday, September 28, the only club in the area not to host a Pattaya Golf Society tournament had been St. Andrews, but that situation was rectified as a result of a significant golf promotion package introduced by the club for the month.
So it was then that the group assembled on the first tee’ full of apprehension of what they would endure, especially on the par-six fourth. The format for the day was Stableford and the tournament began under scattered clouds and on an impeccably presented course sodden by heavy overnight rain.
A newly positioned tee box beyond the water on the fourth helped most golfers, especially David Thomas, who proceeded to birdie the hole on the way to an excellent front nine of 39 gross. His round was to falter later after the turn.
Len Jones took third place with his best performance on the course, twenty-nine points indicating that his knowledge of the layout was improving, whilst David Thomas took second place with 33 well-earned points. The day’s winner was Belgian Emiel van der Wiele on 35 points, and his win was his second successive victory with the PGS in the week.
There were no birdie “twos” and Peter McLoughlin, who managed to finish only nine holes on his first trip with the group was awarded the ‘Booby Bevy’ as consolation.
In the opinion of most, the course was certainly different, and posed an interesting challenge, but all were puzzled as to why a noted course designer like Desmond Muirhead should tinker with the fascinating potential that the course layout presented.

Matt makes it a double at the Peacock

PSC golf from The Peacock Place

Monday, September 25, Pattaya C.C., Stableford
Monday dawned to black skies, but despite the threat of some very heavy weather our group still totaled twenty-one players by the time we were due to leave for the course.
Once there, we were directed to the A and B courses which I always enjoy playing. The threatening clouds cleared away and apart from a few showers we enjoyed a pleasant round of golf. The course was a little wet from the previous night’s rain and in hindsight we should have elected to pick, clean and place. The greens I must say though were excellent and extremely fast - great care had to be taken with down hill puts in particular.

‘Captain’ Bob and Wendy Khan, both winners of sorts at Pattaya C.C.

Taking into account the damp conditions, the scores returned were quite good. Thirty percent played to their handicaps or better and more than half the field scored thirty points or more. With the split made at 14 and under, the A flight was won by Captain Bob with 38 points and second was J.J Harvey with 37 points. The B flight was won by Matt Anderson with 39 points and second was one of our old stalwarts Rich Murphy.
The 2’s club, which this week was a roll over, was shared by four players: Matt Anderson, Dave Arrowsmith, Rich Murphy and my playing partner Alan Bishop. Wendy Khan won a free drink by virtue of her fortitude under duress.
Our party later returned to The Peacock Place for the prize giving and a complimentary and very tasty Massaman Curry prepared by Dao’s staff. Needless to say a few beers were also enjoyed.
Thursday, September 28, Noble Place, Stableford
Our Thursday outing was a planned trip to the lovely Noble Place layout. Unfortunately, and to huge disappointment, we arrived there to find the course absolutely water logged.
Our party of twenty-two was directed to courses C and A and as we gathered on the first tee it was decided to play ‘pick, clean and place’ through the greens. In the event, it was a good decision because we quickly found that the ball was quite often plugged wherever it landed and there was absolutely no run with tee shots.
We split the A and B flights at 14 and the results were as follows. Bob 2 won the A flight with 36 points and in second place with 35 points was Donald Hendry. The B flight was won by Matt Anderson with 36 points and second was Wendy Khan with 32 points. The 2’s club was shared by Phill Mitchell and Donald Hendry. One of our stalwarts Keith Avery had the consolation of the free drink.
We all enjoyed a lovely meal back at The Peacock Place with a few of the obligatory ‘wet and frosty ones’. If you’re in the Mabprachan area or fancy a game of golf with some like-minded people, come and join us at The Peacock Place Hotel and Restaurant opposite the Mabprachan Reservoir. Our schedule is in The Pattaya Mail page 51 or call us on 087928 7859.

Dale & ‘Fast’ Eddie turn the screw

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar

September 12, the Three Sisters’ golfers did not meet for a round as most of them were in competition with the Brits from Pattaya. It was a good competition with the USA and Colonies pulling ahead slightly.
One week later on the 19th, we finally got together again and Fast Eddie pulled off a ‘fast’ one as he zoomed past the field with 44 points. As the rest of us just looked on, Eddie’s produced his best round of golf ever. The next best for the day was Sus Ige with 36 points. It was not even a close contest as the other golfers faded in the distance.
On September 26, it was the turn of Dale Murphy to put the squeeze on the rest of the field. He milked every dime he could out of the group as he blew them away with 45 points. Again it was a no contest day as the next best score was Fast Eddie with 38 points.
We have had two fluke’s in a row so I hope that next week it will return to normal, or maybe it will be my turn to be the ‘screw master’.

Brian beats the ‘chop’ to triumph at Plutaluang

PSC golf from The Café Kronborg

Monday, September 25, Plutaluang, Stableford
The Royal Navy Plutaluang South and East layouts played host to a Stableford competition in two flights with the cut at handicap 16. The course was in fine condition, dry on most fairways and very few places where a drop was needed.
Frank Hughes took the A Flight with 39 points, ahead of Swiss Walter Bachli with 38 points in second and Ted Morris third with 37 points.
Brian Noguer took the B Flight with an amazing 43 points, (despite his 2 shot cut in handicap), with Richard Kubicki in second with 41 points and Graham Buckingham in third with 35 points.
Thursday, September 28, Phoenix, Stableford
A big turnout for this competition was met with the Lakes and Ocean ‘nines’ that were in great condition and despite being probably the easiest 18 holes at this venue, they still provided a real test of golf.
So to the results, and in the B Flight, (17 upwards), the easy winner was Mark Brenton with 42 points ahead of Richard Kubicki in second with 37 points and Willy Cellis in third with 36 points.
In the A Flight, (0 to 16), the winner was Derek Brook with 41 points, despite having had a ‘chop’ recently, ahead of Kevin Callaghan (40 points) in second and Thomas Johansson (38 points) in third.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Marty Allred (2), Bob Rasmusson, Derek Brook
Long Put: Kevin Callaghan, Norm Martin

The Square Ring

by Howie Reed
The “Real” Lord of Pattaya is back in residence. That would be former international darts star and ‘fading icon’, Mr. Stefan Lord.
“Hi Mr. Reed. I am back in the ‘land of smile’ and now I am smiling. And a Swede did sink the final put in Ryder Cup. Next time is better that you send your ladies team - Regards, Mr. Lord.”
“Dear Mr. Lord. USA cannot send its’ women’s (golf) team. They are all Swedes, Koreans, Sheila’s from Aussie, Brits or cute little Mexicans. That aside we still lead the women’s golf world in “Eye Candy” with Christie Keer, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel. Put that in your smoke and pipe it. Welcome back Mr. Lord.”
Little clarification here: Last week I answered a question from O.R. in regard to how judges are paid when they travel great distances to work a title fight. I mentioned that some promoters and some organizations take better care of judges than others. As an example I used a “fictional” man and wife, judging duo calling the man “Pal”. Got an e-mail from the “fictional” wife that tells me I was full of bull. “I always pay my own way.” Note to O.R., revise your fictional answer to a real question.
With everything that has happened in LOS in the last couple of weeks, a couple of things have remained constant. Punters are still going out for a beverage or 2; ladies are still walking to music and boxing in the Kingdom has carried on as before.
WBC #3 super-bantam, Saenghiran Lookbanyai (20-0) easily stopped Filipino, Jesar Ancasas (14-14-2) at 1:43 of round 3. Lookbanyai’s meaningless ABCO super-bantam title was not on the line. There was another fight in Bangkok however that may mark the ‘passing of the torch’ as it were.
Former WBA Feather Champ Yoddamrong Sithyodthong (45-5-1) lost to up-and-coming Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (16-0), 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111. The contest was close over the first five rounds until youth took over. You can’t teach youth. There would be more significance in the result except that this is Sithyodthong’s third loss on the trot. Probably a case of “going, going, gone.”
Sunday in the LOS may or may not be a great box fight day, at least on TV. With Nikolai Valuev (44-0) finally defending his WBA heavyweight title against Monte Barrett (31-4), it will be a chance to grade Valuev.
The fight at the Allstate Arena in Chicago will be Valuev’s first defense in the USA and he’s chosen carefully, taking on one of the “usual suspects” in Monte Barrett. Mr. Barrett is the “quintessential” challenger for Valuev. Barrett is 2-2 over his last 4 fights with wins against Dominick Guinn and Owen “What the Heck” Beck, but losing to Hasim Rahman and “Baby” Joe Mesi.
If Barrett has any chance it’s that Valuev is fighting for the first time in the USA. His last four, including his title winning fight against John Ruiz, were all in Germany. One wonders if Valuev is going to bring his own referee/judge with him. Last four fights South African Stanley Christodoulou has refereed twice and judged twice. Does Barrett have a chance? Only if Valuev is as big a fraud as most think. Barrett is unranked by any organization.
Forget the “Big Men” of boxing; the real fight will take place on Sunday from Las Vegas, Nevada when Diego Corrales (40-3) and Joel Casamayor (33-3-1) will “lace ‘em up” for the WBC lightweight title. Sometimes the third time round is not the charm, as any punter will tell you at the drop of a lager. However, the third meeting between these two will be a “Pier 9 Brawl”. Too often in boxing the, “they don’t like each other” card is played out. This time it’s true!
“He talks a lot of garbage about me personally and that I’m not a good person, this and that,” said Casamayor. “He doesn’t even know me, so on October 8 I’m going to come in and break his head. He’s lost every October he’s ever fought, and he’s going to lose another one. On October 8 I’m going to talk all this **** to him in the ring. If he wants to fight on the street, we can do that too.”
When Cassmayor’s around the ‘jerk meter’ redlines. His opponent is the opposite
Corrales countered: “That’s what you don’t want to do. I’m going to say it like this. If I’m going to say something about somebody, I’m going to say it to his face ... I said he’s not a good person. I don’t like him. Me and Joel don’t have a good relationship. Never have. But I don’t talk no crap about anybody. You guys can pump this kid’s head with lies and I will deflate them on October 8.”
Each boxer has won a bout with Cassmayor’s win in October of 2003 “questionable”. Corrales was down twice and Cassmayor down once. Referee Tony Weeks, on the advice of a ring doctor who no longer is a ring doctor (and many question if she ever was), stopped it when Corrales suffered two cuts inside his mouth.
Corrales won the rematch, 115-112, 115-112, with judge Steve Weisfield scoring it 114-113 for Cassmayor. One can only wonder what fight Weisfield was watching. With this third fight at 135lbs, the added weight should help Corrales.
Light heavyweight Danny Green (22-3) was riding high until he lost to Anthony Mundine last June. That fight was as much about turf as any fight the Land of Aussie has seen in many years. The test of a real boxer is how he comes back from a big loss. Seems that Green has come back. Ok, I didn’t see it but thanks to Steve in Oz we’ll get the inside scoop.
“Danny Green fought Jason De Lisle in Perth in front of a capacity crowd at Challenge Stadium. The fighters were competing for a shot at the light-heavyweight title. A loss would mean DeLisle hanging up his gloves at the age of 34.
“Green dominated the fight from start to finish although he look very pedestrian against a slow DeLisle, who looked like his retirement was well overdue. Delisle was stopped in round nine after taking too much punishment. His face was badly beaten.
“Although Green looked superbly conditioned as usual he couldn’t have blown out a candle when the fight was stopped. Green looked slow, so it’s hard to imagine he would trouble a world champion that wasn’t as easy to hit. At 33 Green is racing against the clock.”
Manus Boonjumong won a gold medal at the most recent Olympics in Athens. He was the first and only Thai to ever win the gold in any sport at the Olympics. He returned to Land of Smiles and lived the “Great Life”. No more. He’s been sent to Cuba to “straighten himself out”.
Thaweep Chantaroj, president of the country’s Amateur Boxing Association, said: “If he stays here, he will have problems. So I sent him to Cuba to straighten himself out. Manus goes out partying too much. He got rich after the Olympics and he spent most of his money on gambling, drinking and girlfriends.”
The paper up the road from where the tanks come out to play reports, “Boonjumong has been in the news for the wrong reasons since his Athens triumph and is reported to have squandered most of the $600,000 his gold medal earned him.”
“I’ll give it my best shot,” Boonjumong told the Thai-language Siam Sport daily recently. “If I focus on my training, I’ll be able to get in shape and be a winner in Doha.”
In an unrelated story the following was found in Scientific American: “One of the world’s largest cases of great ape smuggling will draw to a close next week when around 50 orangutans rescued from a Thai amusement park fly home to their native Indonesia. Many of the trafficked animals were being forced to stage mock kick-boxing bouts at Bangkok’s Safari World theme park.”
Wonder if the authorities have checked out some of the Bar Beers that feature nightly boxing?
There goes that darn phone: “Hello? Yes, Jeeves. What’s that? Mr. Lord called and invited me to dinner. But I wasn’t there so he invited you instead. You’re going to be awhile? No, I know, ‘Lager in the fridge, cigar in humidor and dinner in the oven.’”
I have the feeling that I’m losing control here.

Full steam ahead for league play at the Bowling Green

Report & photo
by Barry Hooper
League play in division two on Friday was back on track this week with all but one match played.
In Division 1, the ‘Dream Team’ retain their first place position despite having no play this week. Second placed Sweethearts could only manage a draw against the Pot Hunters and third place Cunning Stunts went down to a convincing win by the Eagles 12-17, so things in the points stake have tightened up somewhat in this division. But still with plenty of quality play to come

Surprise results abounded last week in the Friday Bowling Leagues, as the pace setting teams found life tough at the top

In Division 2, it was a similar story with all the top three teams losing their respective matches to lower order teams. Top placed West Eagles dropped valuable points to the Pacesetters and the Golfers were taken in a match that went right down to the last end by Thanidas, for a 13-14 win. The Cyclones lived up to their name with a 25 - 4 win over Yingyangs
One match was held over from Friday to Saturday because we presently can only run three matches with half the rinks only being in play. This match between Georges Boys and Celtic Warriors both bottom end league teams was a real nail-biter with only single point wins gained over all but one of the first ten ends. With both teams struggling to gain an advantage, Georges Boys captured a couple of double pointers in the next two ends and despite the best attempts of the Celtic Warriors to claw things back, they went down to a 12 - 8 defeat.
Match Results & Standings - September 29.
Division 1 standings:
1. Dream Team 14 (79)
2. Sweethearts 13 (74)
3. Cunning Stunts 10 (37)
4. Pot Hunters 7 (-14)
Results: Pot Hunters 16 v 16 Sweethearts, Chaplins 11 v 13 HMP Slade, Cunning Stunts 12 v 17 Eagles, Irish Eyes v Dream Team DNP
Division 2 standings
1. West Eagles 12 (69)
2. Golfers 10 (26)
3 Yingyangs 9 (55)
4. Thanidas 9 (33)
Results: Yingyangs 4 v 25 Cyclones, West Eagles 12 v 16 Pacesetters, Golfers 13 v 14 Thanidas, Georges Boys 12 v 8 Celtic Warriors.

Café Kronborg moves into first place

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers - Kran, Barry, Maliny, Mai, Kaew, Teuvo, Mio and Nok.

Captain Kran rolled a 543 series to lead her Café Kronborg team to a three point win over Shenanigans and move one half point in front of Domicil. Teuvo led Domicil with a 558 series and helped his team get a two-two split with Café Ole. VFW Post 9876 took three points from Jack & Tar and are in third. Fourth place Montana split their series with Three Sisters. Maliny knocked down 527 pins for Montana and La rolled a 542 series for Three Sisters. House of the Golden Coin got a 242 game and 564 series from Captain Mio and took three points from Brother D. Mai’s Thai Restaurant took three points from Diamond Shop to even up their record at eight points in the win column and eight in the loss column.