SPORTS
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Holland triumph at 2nd Pattaya International Beach Soccer tournament

Young stars square off at 2nd annual “Golden Gloves” tournament

Austar take over at the top

Aran, Aek and Phanutat win Chang Pattaya Windsurfing Cup 2006

“Lucky Stars” shine at Eastern Star

Cranston’s Christmas cracker

Allred hits a ‘purple patch’

Kenny kicks butt then packs his bags

David and Rich knock them out on Boxing Day

Renee wins men’s Mug and Apple the ladies’ Chalice

Tough test at Treasure Hill

The Captain nails ‘em on his day off

Australia gold, England silver

It’s Ray’s Day at Khao Kheow

Montana takes over at the top

Derek & Hans win year-ender at The Emerald

The Square Ring

The Road to the Super Bowl - Part 1

PATTAPA SPORTS ROUND-UP

Holland triumph at 2nd Pattaya International Beach Soccer tournament

Holland celebrate their victory with Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Holland overcame Thailand on a thrilling penalty shootout to win the 2nd Pattaya International Beach Soccer championships at the Multi Purpose Sports Field, Jomtien.
The tournament, which included teams from England, Germany, Ireland, Finland, Bangladesh, Holland, Estonia, Thailand and Team Pattaya, lasted from 18-23 December and was organized by Pattaya City Hall with a view to encouraging visitors and tourists to take part in a sporting event against local players.
With impressive wins over both England and Germany, Holland reached the final where they faced the defending champions and favourites from Thailand. The Dutch, who finished third in the inaugural tournament, were determined to go all the way this time round and stormed into an early lead. A dubious red card issued to star forward and top scorer Bram u.d. Berg unsettled the Dutch team, however, and Thailand were able to force their way back into the game and tie it up at 6 all at the final whistle. A penalty shootout followed which Holland won with a sudden death goal at 13-12 to send the Dutch fans delirious.
Estonia surprised many of their rivals to claim the bronze medal after beating England in a playoff game.
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn was on hand to present the trophy to the winners, give medals to all the teams and thank them for their participation.


Young stars square off at 2nd annual “Golden Gloves” tournament

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The 2nd annual “Golden Gloves Pattaya” junior boxing tournament was held December 21-27 at The Thepprasit Boxing Ring. Famous boxing trainer Yodthong Sriwararak presided over the opening of the competition, which included many novice boxers from the Chonburi region.

A young boxer receives a certificate from Pattaya Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh.

The tournament has been designed to encourage western style boxing at youth level and provide the children with an opportunity to develop their skills and have the chance to go on and fight at national or international level.
The competition for under 17’s was divided into 8 different categories with the winners as follows: Cottonweight (38kg) Attaphol Vorapornpanich of Panthong School; Miniweight (40kg) Pholvanich Khiawphan of Chol Rasadorn Amrung School; Paperweight (42kg) Priyawchan Kittiwongtrakul of Chol Rasadorn Amrung School; Pinweight (45kg) Chaturong Chansri of Pattaya 6th School; Light Flyweight (48kg) Cha-inthorn Nakha of Chol Rasadorn Amrung School; Flyweight (51kg) Wasan Sinsoonthorn of Technology Phak Thawan Ook School; Bantamweight (54kg) Saichol Niyom from Pattaya 5th School; and Featherweight (57kg) Piyapat Srikan from Potisamphanpitayakaan School.

The “Golden Gloves” tournament gives young boxers a chance to develop their skills and move up to a larger stage.


Austar take over at the top

“San Miguel” Lawn Bowls League

Barry Hooper
League Table (Top 4 teams shown)
Division 1
Pos. Team Points Shot Diff.
1st Melgram 6 26
2nd Cunning Stunts 5 7
3rd Hopefuls 4 1
4th Bankers 3 7
Division 2
1st Austar 4 33
2nd Tanjo 4 20
3rd Harvons 4 7
4th Panac 4 5
The bowlers for the third week of matches, December 27, looked well presented on the green in their brand new “San Miguel” shirts.
Match 1 in the First Division, between the Ying Yangs and the Shoemakers, saw a win for Ying Yangs by a score of 18-11. The Shoemakers are new players just in from the UK and whilst they are starting to get to grips with the local conditions, they have yet to get a win under their belts.
The second match saw the Cunning Stunts achieve a convincing win over Hat Tricks with a 20-14 score line and in the final game, the Bankers beat the Roo’s with a score of 21-14.
At the weekend the Hopefuls took on Melgram and it was a tight, no-give away shots affair with neither team getting a real edge but which Melgram eventually won 13-10.
The Second Division was held on Friday, December 29 with only 3 out of 5 matches taking place again because three teams failed to show.
Austar secured a convincing 26-8 win over Panac which puts them top of the league on shot difference. The Harvons v Banita was a close affair all through with Harvons holding the lead all the way and finally coming out on top with a 16-12 win.
The Gunners v Golfers match had been arranged and played earlier in the week due to other commitments by one of the teams. This was another close match with the Golfers coming out on top with a 15-11 win.


Aran, Aek and Phanutat win Chang Pattaya Windsurfing Cup 2006

(From left) The champions Aek Bunsawat, Phanutat Ruamsap and Aran Homraruen celebrate their success.

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Thailand Windsurf Championships organized by the Windsurf Association of Thailand, the Pattaya Windsurf Club and the Thai Beverage Marketing Company Limited was an ongoing event held over four separate weekends last year off Jomtien Beach. The championships finally reached a climax with the 4th and last stage which was held between 22 - 24 December 2006
With points from all the previous events being carried forward, it was a case of all the familiar faces being there at the death to determine the medal positions. One of Thailand’s top windsurfers, Aek Bunsawat won both the RS X Open Slalom A and the Formula A titles whilst Asia Games bronze medallist Aran Homraruen came out on top in the IMCO Lightweight class. Phanutat Ruamsap took the remaining championship class by heading the IMCO FV division.
Elsewhere, Indonesian star, Oka Sulaksana showed his class by taking the IMCO Open title.

Chang Championship 2006 Results

Slalom A: Aek Bunsawat
Formula A: Aek Bunsawat
IMCO Lightweight: Aran Homraruen
IMCO FV: Phanutat Ruamsap

(Other results)

Junior Race Board: Ma Ka Him (HK)
Formula B: Prayuth Singsat
Ladies Formula: Nopalai Dhansai
IMCO Youth: Songkram Sinsat
Slalom B Softboard: Thira Sudphumkaew
RS: X Youth: Leung Ho Tsun (HK)
IMCO Open: Oka Sulaksana (INA)

“Lucky Stars” shine at Eastern Star

The Seventh Annual PGS OK Corral Team Scramble

The winning team: “Lucky Stars”, with Richard Livingstone (back-left) and Len Jones (right).

Friday, December 29, was the day many PGS golfers had been looking forward to for months. It was the day of the 7th PGS OK Corral Annual Team Scramble, being held at Eastern Star Golf Resort in Ban Chang.
The day had dawned very warm and a refreshing breeze helped to cool the 34 teams as they tackled the well prepared course. This year generous sponsorship had been received from the popular brewers “San Miguel” and their input was an essential part in keeping entry costs down, thus ensuring the popularity of the annual event.
The four-player teams represented the various IPGC venues, with one glaring exception, and the rest of Pattaya’s golfing community were also well in attendance. The essentially “fun” day was enjoyed by all participants none more so than one of the host’s representative teams, the “Mixed Bag” of Aussies Stuart Thompson and Alex Sala, New Zealander David Thomas and England’s Carl Lovatt. Their length and accuracy helped them to a creditable total of 60.3 net for third place, after a count back with teams led by Bob Patterson and Darren Smith.
In second place, less than a shot better, was the “Van Man” outfit, starring Gareth Gill, Colin Davis, Nick Strasshine and the indomitable George “One Ball”Jackson. Their score of 58.3 was greeted with warm applause and unrestricted glee!
The day’s winners were the team of “Lucky Stars” comprised of Jeremy Masse, Stan Dismuke, Jan Eriksen and Thai lady Nat Meesuk. Their total of 57.4 gave them a relatively huge victory in Scramble terms and was thoroughly deserved after a round of eight pars and ten birdies.
The legendary ‘Booby Bevy’ went to the “Sugar Shack Shankers”. Technical prizes were up for grabs in the form of near-pins, long drives, straightest drives and accuracy near the beer case and the results of these can be seen below.
At a packed presentation evening the players heard warm words of thanks for Mary Jones, Khun Phen and Khun Taen, her reception helpers, Khun Malee and the girls of the OK Corral who had prepared the sumptuous buffet, generous sponsors Mike Benton and “San Miguel”, special guest Richard Livingstone and not least the organisers of the day Len Jones and Denis Smith, whose efforts over the past four months have again provided Pattaya’s golfers with a fitting way of ending their year on the course.
Here’s to the next one, again at Eastern Star on Monday, December 31, 2007. Well done, one and all, and have a Happy Golfing New Year!

7th Pattaya Golf Society OK Corral Scramble Results

Winners “Lucky Stars” (57.4): Jeremy Masse, Stan Dismuke, Jan Eriksen, Nat Meesuk
2nd “Van Man” (58.3): Gareth Gill, Colin Davis, George Jackson, Nick Strasshine
3rd “Mixed Bag” (60.3): Stuart Thompson, David Thomas, Alex Sala, Carl Lovatt
Booby Bevy “Sugar Shack Shankers” (68.8): Lee Adelly, Mark Sherwood, Peter Barathy, Kevin Taylor
Near Pins: # 3 Barry Traynor: # 6 Peter Hynard; # 13 Gareth Gill, # 17 Russell Exley
Long Drive (Hole 4): Div 1 (0-14) Mikael Andersson; Div 2 (15-20); Eddy Beilby; Div 3 (21-28) Ian Kidd; Ladies Usa Chaiyosit
Special Prizes, (kindly donated by Mike Benton)
Straightest drive, Hole #16 Gary Doner
Special Prizes, (kindly sponsored by San Miguel)
Nearest the Beer Case, Hole #1 Aki Ahlfors; Hole #10 Stuart Thompson
PGS/OK Corral Special Prize: Ray Underwood, who, when he teed off, started the 2,500th round played by the Pattaya Golf Society this year.

Cranston’s Christmas cracker

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral

Tuesday, December 26, the Pattaya Golf Society based at the OK Corral in Soi Rungland enjoyed a traditional Boxing Day with a Medal round over the North and West nines at the Royal Thai Navy course at Plutaluang. Full of festive spirits the large group found themselves cut into two flights (nineteen and under) and under the excellent stewardship of David Thomas and Paul Quodomine began proceedings on time but behind the expected local six-ball.
In the top flight things were tight on the lower rung of the podium as David Thomas, Joop Medze and Emiel van der Wiele all posted scores of net 73 for a share of third place. In second was the day’s best gross score of 79, giving Stuart Thompson the runner-up place with a net 73. The winner was the consistent Andy Parkinson whose custom built clubs are certainly made-to-measure for his game.
In the second flight Paul Quodomine, whose round should have been better, tied with the ever-improving Mod Churaiska and took a share of third place on net 76; both were one back of Carl Lovatt whose net 75 marked his best round for a while. The flight winner was the recently returned Steve Cranston whose net 71 was the only sub-par round of the day.
A brace of birdie “twos” gave a share of the pot to David Thomas and Dave Cadwallader.
Paul Quodomine’s physical condition requires him to wear a built up shoe and in his rush to go to Plutaluang he picked up a new pair of Nikes which had not yet been adapted and as a result found his stance unusually awkward. Denied the relief of carrying a small stone around to stand on - “improving a stance” - he manfully continued and after the first four holes he found a suitable adjustment. For his pains he was rewarded with the legendary ‘Booby Bevy’. Another first at the OK!
It had been another Boxing Day to remember for the Pattaya Golf Society.


Allred hits a ‘purple patch’

PSC golf from The Café Kronborg

Thursday, December 28, Bang Pakong, Stableford
This is a long drive to this course but after an eventful trip, we were soon booked in and onto the first tee. We finally got under way 30 minutes late, behind a course full of 6-balls and 2-balls, still, the weather was superb, the course magnificent and we had time to stop and smell the flowers.

Marty Allred shot a superb gross 70 (40 points) for first place at Bang Pakong.

This golf course at present is in super condition and was a pleasure to play. Indeed, one of the golfers made his way over to me whilst out on the course to grumble that he hadn’t found anything to complain about. For an Aussie this is indeed a compliment. If this venue were closer to Pattaya it would be a constant on the schedule.
Round over and by the time all the cards were in it was getting on towards 6pm, so a quick presentation was called for.
In the A Flight the winner was Marty Allred with a superb 40 points; When you realise that Marty is a 2 Handicap golfer you can appreciate what a great round he shot (gross 70), and I am told he bogied the last two holes. In second place was Chuck Carrier with 38 points ahead on count back of Guy Frazer in third. In fourth was Big Paul Hunneker with 37 points.
In the B Flight the winner was Uwe Kessler with 40 points ahead of Siriwan Walden in second with 39 points and Mike Winfield in third with 37 points. In fourth was Dick Kerr with 36 points on count back over Cees Bosman.
Have a fine New Year!
T.T.F.N.
Near Pin: Marty Allred, Joop Jasperse, Eric Hansen, Uwe Kessler, Eric Hansen
Long Put: Mike Winfield, Eric Hansen


Kenny kicks butt then packs his bags

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar

December 19, Kenny Mau kicked butts before leaving for Hawaii. Enjoying a good round, Kenny shot 38 points to win the day. Sus and Benda tried to catch him but Kenny had a good grip and hung on to win by a point: Happy Holidays in Hawaii, Kenny!
Last week, the end of the month, most of us had done too much partying over the Christmas Holiday to play well. Only one player beat his handicap to win the day. That man was Herb Schweiterman, back after a long absence, who took top honors with 38 points. Paul Kraft and Bob Benda were a distant second on 34 points. This was our closing tournament for the year.
In March, when Siam is supposed to reopen, the decision was made long ago to go back to playing regularly on Mondays. So far, that decision still holds as many of us have memberships there and holidays covering the weekend will not matter. We hope to see some of the golfers that cannot currently play with us on Tuesdays join us again on Mondays at Siam. Happy New Year to all!


David and Rich knock them out on Boxing Day

PSC golf from The Oohsa Bar

The group A & B winners from Boxing Day’s golf at Plutaluang.

After eating (and drinking) so much on Xmas Day it was no suprise to see one or two looking a little squeamish as we set off for Plutaluang the next day. Mind you, we still managed to eat a decent breakfast at the Oohsa Bar and as the weather was to our liking we were looking forward to walking off some of the previous day’s excesses.
As we had a fairly large group we played two divisions and some fairly good scores were recorded. The course at Plutaluang was in excellent condition and was appreciated by all.
Division A was won by Rich Murphy with a very creditable 37pts playing off 18 with second place going to Paul Griffith, 34 off 12 followed by Roger Yabsley with 32 off 16.
In the B division, first place went to David Charles with an excellent 40pts off h/cap 20, followed by Malcolm Smith with 37 off 36 and Mick Moore 36 off 21.
Near pins were won by Nigel Simpson, Malcolm Smith while Jeff Wiley claimed two. Our organiser, Keith Hodges claimed the longest putt award.
Back at the bar, the killer pool was won by Fred Teronne. We were not sure who claimed the most beers swallowed award but we think Fred got this too.
Our next trip will be back to Plutaluang on Tues the 9th Jan and if you would like to join us please call into the Oohsa Bar on Soi Kao Talo or phone Malcolm on 089 208 5780.


Renee wins men’s Mug and Apple the ladies’ Chalice

Phoenix Members Golf

Sunday, December 24, Phoenix, Stableford
Only sixteen golfers turned up due to the Scandinavian contingent celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. Apparently most Europeans do, (all except U.K.) Oh well, we have to be different don’t we.

Renee & ‘Apple’ were inaugural winners of the men’s Mug and the ladies’ Chalice.

Playing the Mountain and Ocean on another beautiful sunny, but cool day, the course proved a little too much for the majority of the field except the top 3 who, under our superb handicapping system for Sunday’s golf, found themselves with far more shots than their normal handicap.
Yours truly finished third with Terry O’Conner coming second with the same points and our dear friend and visitor to these parts many times a year, Paul Sharples finishing top.
Paul started playing with us some months ago after a horrific accident to his hand, thus his Sunday handicap increased by almost two and a half above his official one. However, his hand is now repairing well and he is starting to hit the ball almost as good as ever.
This just shows the fun of our domestic handicapping system. You are bound to win eventually.
Wednesday, December 27, Phoenix, Medal
With a reduced field of only eighteen for the day (15 men and 3 ladies) we set off at 12.30 pm as usual for our weekly event. Being the last Wednesday of the month we decided to have a Medal day for both the men and the ladies.
The Mountain and Lakes course was our quest for the day and again what a test of golf it seems to be at this time of the year. The pin placements on the greens were in a deadly position and that coupled with the speed at high levels it proved to be a hard task. We had many reports of 3 and even 4 putting today. How these courses at Phoenix have such a low handicap rating I will never know.
For the ladies, our winner of the Monthly Chalice was Phanom Jitchana (Apple) with a net 72. For the men, the Monthly Mug went to our visitor from Holland, Renee Gregory with a net 70. Resident members Eddie Blackwell & Mike Gerrard came 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The technical prizes went to Barry James, Mike Gerrard, Paul Sharples and Renee Gregory.
About Phoenix Members Golf Society
The Phoenix Golf Society holds outings every Wednesday & Sunday at Phoenix G.C. The two days are run differently to each other, with the Wednesday group operating off official handicaps and a Stableford competition every week but with the exception of a monthly mug medal competition the last Wednesday of the month.
The Sunday group is run on a Stableford competition for 3 Sundays of the month but with a totally domestic handicap designed by one of our members to stop anybody winning two weeks on the trot (unless they play out of their skin). The other Sunday of the month is again a Medal day off official handicaps.
At the end of March we are planning a major club championship under stroke play rules and over two weeks (2 Sundays)
Although the Wednesday and Sunday golf days were originally designed for members of Phoenix Golf Club, we have attracted a good quantity of guests of members. Guests will be signed in at the applicable rates for the day by the member who is bringing them but everyone must have official handicaps
All guests are welcome to attend and join in our competitions, but must first get the member bringing them to check on available spaces by telephoning myself, Mike Gerrard on 08 7091 7565 or Ron Bridge on 08 1452 5995 for Wednesday golf and Ben Hogstram on 08 6157 5310 or myself for the Sunday golf.


Tough test at Treasure Hill

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

Wednesday, December 27, Treasure Hill, Stableford
After a few days break for the Christmas celebrations it was back to normal for our weekly schedule. There were quite a few last minute cancellations, probably due to bad heads, but this does not help the organizers.
So twenty-six players departed for a very dry and bone hard Treasure Hills course. There were no rollovers from previous games so it was all to play for in the day’s “twos” competition for each division (Div 1, handicap 1-16 and Div 2, handicap 17-32).
Bill Hewitt’s birdie on the sixteenth hole turned out to be the only one of the day and had Avis rubbing her hands back at Paweenas at the presentation. There were no “twos” scored in the lower division so a rollover carries forward to Burapha.
There were two winners in Division 1 for the nearest the pin bottles; John McCloone and Paddy Wilson, and only one Div 2 winner, Glyn Evans on the sixth.
In the Stableford competition, Les Hall’s 27 points was enough to for third place, Colin Mearns one point better took second spot, but an amazing low score of 30 points scooped first prize for Glyn Evans. In Division 1, Dave Richard’s 35 points took the top podium place, Joop Medze three points behind took second place and two scores of 28 fought for the third place purse - John McCloone’s greater countback of 17/15 from Ted Morris bought him a few extra beers.
The ladies tipple was won by Rob Heath for looking for his ball on the third hole; he thought he had found it and fell into the lake, only to realise it was not his ball, but his 4 points on the front nine was some comfort to him.
Jomtien golf meets every Monday and Wednesday at Paweenas Bar, Soi 5, Jomtien Beach Road at around 9am for a 10.30 tee off time. Club hire and transport are available, please sign up at the bar or ring Glyn on 086 837 5464.


The Captain nails ‘em on his day off

PSC golf from The Peacock Place

Monday, December 25, Pattaya C.C.
EChristmas in Pattaya is a funny time for us Farangs and when Captain Bob suggested we should play golf on Christmas Day, at first I thought that we should have a break, but after considering it, I began to think it wasn’t such a bad idea after all:

Steve Newell, winner of A flight (left) with Cap’n Bob.
Captain Bob however decided he needed a well earned rest and delegated his duties for that day to none other than Jack Moseley. Jack felt that Christmas Day called for something a little more interesting than the run of the mill Stableford or stroke play competition and set about arranging something that involved Jokers and Pars. On each nine holes one had to elect a joker hole where you scored double your points and a par hole where if you didn’t get a par you deducted 3 points from your score.

Captain Bob, relieved of all pressure for the day, won the event with 47 (yes 47) points followed by Mark Joshua with 45 points and Alan Bishop with 43 points. The group then returned to The Peacock for a few swift halves before splitting for their respective Christmas lunches.
Wednesday, December 27, The Emerald, Stableford
Wednesday, we had reserved The Emerald Golf Club with our usual six tee times. Our first tee time was 11.10am so I didn’t get to The Peacock until 9am. When I did finally arrive it was obvious we were going to need a lot more than the previously arranged slots. Captain Bob was beavering away and had filled one sheet with names and was half way down the second. “I think we’ve got 48 today”, he uttered between pen strokes. Bob’s used to pressure from his previous life as a sheep shearer and quickly set about the task of forming the four-balls.
We left the Peacock Place and set out for the golf course where at the first tee the scene was mayhem. Countless caddies, buggies and golfers jostling and waiting for the starter to call them to the tee. He did a great job and in the fullness of time we were off. The first half seemed to take an eternity but we speeded up on the second half but it was long, long day.
We divide the group into three flights, the A flight (0 to 13) being won by Steve Newell with 36 points in a count-back from Roy Thornton, and third with 35 points was Captain Bob. I told you he can operate under pressure.
The B flight (14 to 22) was won by Jeff McLaury with 36 point in a count-back from Paul Lavender, also in a count-back from Phil Smith. The C flight (23 to 36) was won by Mike Fletcher with 40 points, who has now been cut to 32HC, with Trudy Chadbourne second on 31 points and Cliff Moran third with 30 points. The 2’s pot was shared by eight players, too numerous to mention.
If you’re in the Mabprachan area and fancy a game of golf with some like minded and friendly people, come and join us at The Peacock Place Hotel and Restaurant opposite the Mabprachan Reservoir. Our schedule is in The Pattaya Mail or call us on 087 928 7859.


Australia gold, England silver

IPGC golf from The Haven

Friday, December 22, Phoenix Blue Tees
1st Division
Gold medal - Phil Groves
Silver medal - Alan Howell
2nd Division
Gold medal - B.J. Smith
Silver medal - Russell Exley
Following a year in which all Monthly Medal winners were entered into the play-offs to find the Gold and Silver winners, the finals were held concurrently with the Medal event at Phoenix over the Mountain and Ocean courses.
With the conditions about as difficult as they could possibly be, and using the blue tees, it was little surprise that generally the scoring was less than exciting but it still made for a very testing examination in which the toughest contenders came out on top.
It was also no surprise to find that the two winners of the Gold medals both hailed from Australia, as they continued their current domination of the old country’s hopefuls.
Phil Groves took the First Division by a considerable margin from Alan Howell with a very competitive round, whilst B.J. Smith led the Second Division from Russell Exley.
With all the contenders playing in the same divisional groups, the hardest pill to swallow came in the Second Division, where Dave Lee was well ahead of the eventual winners but finally fell out of contention over the last two holes; amassing a card destroying 17 shots to finish five off first and three behind second place.
Wednesday, December 27, Pattaya C.C., Stableford
1st Phil Groves, 39pts
2nd Glynn Nicholas, 38pts
3rd Mark Cooper, 37pts
4th Martin Grimoldby, 34pts - c/b 17
5th Alan Keith, 34pts - c/b 16
6th Tony Quaid, 34pts
Once again it was Phil groves who was to be found at the head of the leader board. Even though he had not played the course for over a year, he still stroked it round in three-under to record a gross 74, which was enough to take his handicap down to its lowest ever level in Thailand at 4.
Glynn Nicholas also found a rare streak of form with an excellent round of two-under, having benefited from several rounds out with Tony Barritt and possibly picking up a few tips on the greens. It proved to be enough to keep the returning Mark Cooper in third place after he put together a very tidy round.
Alan Keith continued with his steady golf to take fourth place by count back from Martin Grimoldby and Tony Quaid, the latter having faded somewhat after a very promising start.
Serge Straeten had the only “two” in the Second Division whilst Phil Groves continued his domination at The Haven by getting the only one in the First Division.
Before presenting the prizes, The Doc, standing in for Richard who was still recovering from an overdose of Christmas cheer, welcomed back Martin Grimoldby and Mark Cooper. He also (extra warmly) welcomed back Peter Hall, but this was perhaps due to Peter settling an outstanding bill from January run up during his last visit.


It’s Ray’s Day at Khao Kheow

PSC golf from Bowling Green

Report and Photo - Barry Hooper
Thursday, December 21, Khao Kheow, Stableford

A Flight
1st Ray Trembath (14) 34pts
2nd Alex Sala (13) 34pts
3rd Ian Covill (19) 33pts
4th Mike Wardman (10) 31pts
B Flight
1st Ian Kidd (30) 36pts
2nd Colin Cronin (25) 35pts
3rd Joel Flor (20) 33pts
4th Patrick Browne (24) 32pts
Near Pins: Ray Trembat, Alex Sala, Harvey Samuel
2’s: Harvey Samuel, Alex Sala, Colin Cronin, Ray Trembath
A new name to the Bowling Green, Ray Trembath made it a day to remember at Khao Kheow with an “A” flight win (on count back), a ‘near pin’ and a share of the 2’s pot. Congratulations Ray.
Saturday, December 23, Eastern Star, Stableford
A Flight
1st John Merritt (18) 37pts
2nd Eamon Murtagh (14) 33pts
3rd Harvey Samuel (18) 32pts
4th Veli Laine (8) 31pts
B Flight
1st Carl Lovatt (21) 33pts
2nd Mam Morel (36) 27pts
3rd Ian Kidd (30) 27pts
4th Alan Evans (21) 26pts
Near Pins: Frank Kelly, John Merritt, Patrick Browne, Mam Morel
2’s: Tony Oakes and John Merritt
Conditions were less tricky this week with the very high winds having abated.
It was nice to see some new faces amongst the entries at this festive time. Some had success whilst others were not so fortunate but John Merritt and Carl Lovatt both topped out their respective flights with comprehensive point wins.
On the return of the players to the Bowling Green it was time to spring a surprise on the hard working organiser of our outings, Fergus Brennon (a very camera shy man it appears) but not this time. The players had chipped in and presented him with a beautiful oil painting of a golfer, (I am told based on Tiger Woods) as a thank you for his hard work. Richly deserved.
Tuesday, December 26, Century Chonburi, Stableford
A Flight
Mashi Kaneta (14) 37pts
Dave Boran (14) 35pts
Frank Kelly (17) 32pts
B Flight
Tony Geeland (20) 36pts
Tom Herrington (18) 35pts
Colin Cronin (22) 34pts
C flight
Martin Ford (36) 38pts
Kevin Long (28) 36pts
Mam Morel (36) 35pts
Near Pins: Ian McKissack, Tom Herrington, Neil Morris, Gray Fraser
2’s: Mashi Kanita
It was a good turnout of entrants (3 flights) for Boxing Day at Century with a few undoubtedly sporting the effects of the previous days festivities. But this did not stop some very good golf being played.
Mashi Keneta made it his day with an “A” flight win, near pin prize and a share of the 2’s and then came back to the clubhouse and rang the bell for a good time to be had by all present. Well done Mashi!
As always, the golfers would like to thank Tony, Jean and staff for all the great food we enjoyed before and after the golf.
If any one is interested in golfing with the Bowling Green we play every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We meet at Bowling Green at 7:45am for breakfast and transportation. New players are always made to feel welcome. Call Fergus on 086 056 7019 or the Bowling Green 038-720742 or send an email to [email protected].

Saturday winners: (left to right) Ian Kidd, Carl Lovatt, Mam Morel, Eamon Murtagh, Veli Laine and John Merritt.


Montana takes over at the top

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers - Berry, Kran, Mio, Dang, La, Lance, Ooy, Konrad & Tien.

Results & Standngs December 29 (week 17)

Team

Points

Standings

Montana 4 - 0 42 - 26
Café Kronborg 1 - 3 41 - 27
Diamond Shop 3 - 1 40 - 28
House of the Golden Coin 3 - 1 40 - 28
VFW Post 9876 1 - 3 37 - 31
Mai’s Thai Restaurant 0 - 4 32 - 36
Three Sisters 3 - 1 32 - 36
Café Ole 1 - 3 32 - 36
Jack & Tar 3 - 1 31 - 37
Brother D 3 - 1 27.5 - 40.5
Shenanigans 1 - 3 27 - 41
Domicil 1 - 3 26.5 - 41.5

Montana won all four points from Mai’s Thai Restaurant and moved into first place ahead of Café Kronborg. Three Sisters beat Café Kronborg taking three points in that contest. Diamond Shop took three points from Café Ole and House of the Golden Coin won three from Shenanigans and they are both tied for third place. Brother D moved out of last place after they took three points from VFW Post 9876 and Jack & Tar won three from Domicil.


Derek & Hans win year-ender at The Emerald

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Tuesday, December 26, The Emerald, Stableford
The treat for Boxing Day was to be The Emerald - much improved off late. So a full list of players gathered at Bert’s and then down to Ban Chang, where we found the course fairly empty and we were able to get away swiftly.

Tuesday’s winners: Derek (left) and Hans Collet.
The weather was superb, with a light wind and cool temperatures, ideal for a day’s golf. One good thing about the recent professional tournament here has been the re-marking of the course and all the hazards being defined. This had been one of the real problems previously; you were never certain what was a hazard, but this has now been resolved. The greens are also excellent and very fast.
So a fine day out was had by all, until we returned to the changing room, where we had to shower with No Water!
Back at Bert’s, Xmas continued, and as the players returned they all were given an Xmas dinner, courtesy of Bert and Pu - then onto the presentation.
This being the end of the month, and the year, we had the ‘Alan Bolton Golfer Of The Month’ award to hand out, which once again went to Dick Warberg. Dick in fact did not win one competition in December but his two second places and a third allowed him to scrape in. Well done Dick.
In the day’s competition, the winner of the A Div was Hans Collet with Mike Gosden in second place and Don Richardson in third. In the B Div, the winner was Derek Brook with Bill Knight in second and Dick Warberg in third. This is the first time Derek has ever won in the B Div having slipped down the handicap list. One shot less on handicap would have also seen him win the A Div, but age catches up with us all. Or Pattaya does.
Well hope to see many of you in 2007 and wish you all a prosperous and Happy New Year.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Andes Pederson, Kevin Dunne, Perry McNeely, Mike Gosden, Derek Brook, Dick Warberg, Chris Youngman
Long Put: Don Richardson, Mike Gosden.


The Square Ring: by Howie Reed

As boxing enters a new year, there it is a sure bet that strange things will occur almost weekly that will defy explanation. The Square Ring will make the effort to explain but will usually fall short. So as we enter 2007, just lower your expectations and you should be happy with the sport of boxing and ‘The Square Ring’.
It was easy to guess that with his managerial problems mounting, Manny Pacquiao would spend more time with lawyers and promoters than in gyms with sparing partners. Seems ‘The Square Ring’ was spot on in that predication.
The super fight out there for Manny is of course Marco Antonio Barrera. When Manny signed with Golden Boy, who also represents Barrera, that fight seemed like a done deal. Over the holidays that idea fell apart. Besides the Top Rank lawsuit, which was then followed by the Golden Boy lawsuit, stories came out of the Philippines that “manager” Shelly Finkle could quash any deal. If you don’t know Finkle, he’s the skinny bald dude in the ring that looks like he’s constantly got the whiff of durian up his nose.
The WBC had called for a purse bid for that fight on January 12. Just before the year’s end, they issued the following statement: “The WBC is currently researching this situation and will continue doing so until the clarification of the facts for the free negotiations, and will keep everybody informed after the holidays.”
Translation? It’s the Dolphin roundabout.
For years one of the better boxing commissions in America was the New York State Athletic Commission. Campaigning in New York is a heavyweight named Vinny Maddalone with a record of 27-3. On December 15 Maddalone was matched against Julius Long (14-3). In the 5th round there was an “unintentional” head butt. Maddalone sustained a severe cut and was unable to continue. As the fight had reached the point of no return the judges went to the scorecards. Long was declared the winner with a unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47).
Just before the New Year, a late Christmas present arrived for their hometown guy: The New York Commission changed the result to a “no decision.” Why?
“The loss suffered by fan-favorite heavyweight Vinny Maddalone has been changed to a no decision by virtue of opponent Julius Long having tested positive for an, as yet, unknown illegal substance.”
How can you test positive for an “unknown” illegal substance? If you don’t know what it is, how can it be illegal?
One of the pet peeves of ‘The Square Ring’ are boxers that through a ranking organization become world champions and then whine about that same organization.
Oleg Maskaev who had been left by the side of the highway a few years ago as “road kill”, believed in himself. With the help of the WBC he resurrected his career and by fighting “title eliminators” he got the chance to be world champion. He took the opportunity and won. Then he wanted an optional defense against a stiff, in this case Peter Okhello, in Russia. He got the match with a WBC sanction. Now Mr. Maskaev has a mandatory WBC defense coming up against the winner of Sunday’s fight between Samuel Peter and James Toney. Well maybe not. Maskaev promoter Dennis Rappaport is said to be in “serious” negotiations for a match with IBF (I Be Fixin) champ, Wladimir Klitschko.
“The one thing boxing fans are clamoring for is to end the chaos in boxing and in particular in the heavyweight division,” said Rappaport. “We’re having an open dialogue and we have an understanding with Klitschko. We have a tentative date, subject to sanctioning, of April 21st.”
What about the mandatory defense for the WBC?
“We’re requesting from the WBC a short extension,” Rappaport explained. “What are we asking for, a 90-120 day extension? That’s a small thing to ask to unify the division.”
Let’s say that the WBC gives Maskaev the “extension” and he loses to Klitschko, which is a probability, then the WBC is left out in the noon-day sun without a drop of water. The deal here is that the IBF has a sorry lot of washed up and ‘never was’ heavyweights in their rankings. Klitschko could fight them all in one night and still not draw a crowd.
Number #1 is the ever-popular TBA, followed by Ray Austin, Calvin Brock and Sultan Ibragimov who is truly a great fraud. What boxing fans really want is an end to “horsefeathers” promoters who care more about a quick buck then they do their fighters or the sport.
With the heavyweight mess it will be up to Oscar De La Hoya to again bring some excitement to the sport. His fight on May 5th, (Cinco de Mayo) in Las Vegas against Floyd Mayweather jr. will be the biggest fight in a number of years. It may end up being the biggest grossing fight from a money standpoint in the history of the sport.
One fight that won’t be on the agenda this year is Joe Calzaghe against Jermain Taylor. Calzaghe will mix it up with Peter Manfredo on April 7 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It would seem that following that, a Taylor fight in September or October would be the “cat’s meow”. According to Calzaghe that won’t happen.
“Not only is he a terrific middleweight champion, he’s the man who beat ‘the man’ - Bernard Hopkins — TWICE. Perhaps in another year Jermain will be ready to step up and challenge me and we can have a fight between two belt holders. I just don’t think it’s fair to push him up to my level yet. It’s frustrating for me because it would be a big money fight, but it’s obvious he’s just not ready.”
That may be the only quality big fight out there for Calzaghe as Jeff Lacy obliviously wants no part of Calzaghe.
Ok, so now you want to know is Sunday morning’s rematch between Samuel “Every Family Needs One” Peter (27-1) and James “Lights Out “ Toney (69-5-3) going to be worth watching? Unlike most heavyweight matches the answer to this one is “YES”.
Toney is still the most skilled boxer lacing ‘em up and plying the trade today. He is a fighter with a heart almost as big as his stomach, which has been reportedly downsized for this rematch. He always gives everything he has which is considerable.
Samuel won the first match and should win this one. He’s getting better while most of his contemporaries are happy with staying in their niche, which can be labeled ‘mediocrity’.
Whichever fighter comes out of this with a win will probably be favored to beat WBC Champ Maskaev. Maybe that’s why Maskaev wants the Klitachko fight; if he loses, his management figures they still have either Toney or Peter. Silly boy.
Noi, come in here please.
“Res War Roarchip.”
Noi, have we heard from our man Jeeves? I’m quite worried about him. It’s been two weeks. If he’d been kidnapped the bandits would be willing to pay us to take him back by now.
“Old man at door he say, ‘I am Jrevves’. I tell him go away. He rook like cheap Cralie”
Noi, would you let him in. It is Jeeves and he needs our help. Go now, well not right now. First a nice cold lager, a cigar and some George Jones on the sound box. Then go and take care of Jeeves.


The Road to the Super Bowl - Part 1

Howie Reed
The National Football League begins the playoffs with “wild card weekend”. Eight teams will play first round games for television revenue and to sell merchandise knowing full well that while a trip to the Super Bowl is possible, it’s more likely to be improbable. It’s like the punter that enters the dance emporium at closing time expecting to find a breakfast companion for the next morning. Ain’t goin to happen.
Last year the Pittsburg Steelers were the exception to the rule as they won three on the road to make it to the ‘Big Dance’. If you’re looking for a marquee match up in this opening round, the Colts v the Chiefs is better than most.
Sunday January 7 at 4:30am: Indianapolis (11-4) v Kansas City (9-7) wasn’t decided until the 49ers Joe Nedney, from San Jose State, placed one dead center from 36 yards at 1:56 left in OT to send the Denver Bronco’s into the off season. The Chiefs, who had been left for dead, are alive and running on the legs of Larry Johnson (383 for 1,824 yards). If the Colts have a major problem on defense, and they do, it’s stopping the run. Larry Johnson is the ultimate running back.
Very seldom does a wild card team on the road move on but the Chiefs have a shot here. They do have to stop the ‘Wondrous One’ Peyton Manning, which few have been able to do this season. To stop Manning the Chiefs have to keep the ball.
Regular season Manning threw for 4,115 yards with 29 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. There is also no better a tandem of receivers in the NFL than the Colts Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne who between them had 170 catches, 2,532 yards and 20TD’s. Rookie running back from LSU Joesph Addai hasn’t made Colt fans forget Edgerrin James yet but he’s on his way. Should be a fun game to watch. Sunday January 7 at 8am: Seattle (8-7) plays host to the Dallas Cowboys (9-7) and one can only wonder why? This is not the same Seahawk team that got “jobbed” out of a Super Bowl win last year. Entering the playoff they’ve lost 3 of 4, ending with a win against the hapless Tampa Bay Patch Eye’s.
The ‘Squawks’ do have some excuses: QB Matt Hasselbeck and last year’s league MVP Shaun Alexander have both missed a number of games with injury. Their receiving corps is below average, all with a case of the “dropsy’s”. Tight End Jerramy Stevens elicits boo’s for every dropped pass at home and there’s been a plethora of them.
Dallas fans were over the moon when coach Bill Parcels replaced QB Drew Bledsoe with Tony Romo. Now they’re singing a different tune as the Romo has come back to earth. He was horrendous in the final game loss to Detroit.
The Dallas receiving duo of Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn are a mess. Owens says, “You got to get the ball to me sooner.” The reply to that is, “why so you can drop it sooner?” Glenn is a funk because he’s Terry Glenn.
Running back Marion Barber has emerged as a star and touchdown machine with 13 this season. Hard to see Dallas winning, Parcells hanging around for another year or Terrell Owens returning.
Monday January 8 at 1am: New England (11-4) playing host to the New York Jets (10-6) would not have been on anyone’s drawing board at the start of the season.
If there’s a feel good story, at least for some, it’s the New York Jets and the year they’ve had. Picked near the bottom of the NFL, Coach Eric Mangini has ridden a weak armed QB (Chad Pennington), a couple of average running backs (Leon Washington and Kevin Barlow) and the receiving of Laveranues Coles into the playoff’s. The team is better than the sum of the parts.
Winning in New England may be another matter though. The Pat’s still have Tom Brady at QB, a tandem of running backs in Cory Dillon and Laurence “Boney” Maroney plus a receiving corps of still unknowns. Still, New England does have the home field which didn’t help them when they lost to the Jets 17-14 on November 12. They won their other meeting 24-17.
Last time New England lost a home playoff game? December 31, 1978 to the Houston Oilers at Schaefer Stadium.
Monday January 8th at 4:30am: The Philadelphia Eagles (9-6) and the New York Giants (8-8) don’t like each other. The two cities - only a short distance apart - breed contempt.
When QB Donavan McNabb went down in week 10, Eagles fans started the chant of “Wait till next year.” Surprise, in stepped a 6 foot, red headed Mexican from the mighty San Jose Spartans named Jeff Garcia to lead them back to the playoffs after a one year absence. The Eagles assured a playoff spot by winning three in a row on the road to end the season. They got by Washington (21-19), New York Giants (36-22) and Dallas on Christmas night 23-7.
Sometimes a team gets to wildcard weekend by being good. That wouldn’t describe the New York Giants. They were not as ‘bad’ as the rest of the NFC East. The Giants lost 6 of their last 8 and are a team is disarray. The Giants split with the Eagles during the regular season but have little chance here.
Get up to watch the game? Not likely, but heck, if you’re just coming in, why not?
As is usual these first round games are usually not very competitive. Why is there interest outside the team’s home area in these games? Well thanks to the Mafia some 60 years ago something called the “point spread” was launched upon an unsuspecting sports public. Some call it a “head start” but in fact it’s an equalizer for betting purposes, should one engage in that particular pastime.
Early odds have Seattle at -3, while the Eagles and Indianapolis are favored by 6 points and New England an unheard of 9-point favorite. But don’t forget the Pat’s lost to the Jets at home.

Answers to last week’s 2006 Sports Crossword

Across: 1/ Flintoff; 3/ Toyota; 5/ Andy Murray; 10/ Eight; 11/ Mauresmo; 12/ Robinson; 16/ Woods; 17/ Hoylake; 18/ Reyna; 21/ Green; 23/ Lara; 24/ Dott; 27/ Ford Field; 29/ Bond; 30/ Cardinals; 32/ Nadal; 33/ Fernando; 36/ Luge; 39/ Monty; 40/ Cannavaro; 42/ Lob; 44/ Powell; 46/ Cole; 49/ Boston; 50/ Set; 51/ Zara Phillips; 52/ La Hoya; 53/ Umaga; 55/ Viv; 57/ Left; 61/ Japan; 63/ Ascot; 64/ Hargreaves; 66/ PNE; 68/ Sharapova; 71/ Rustenburg; 73/ Desert; 75/ Cuducini; 76/ Try; 77/ Harrison.

Down: 1/ Field; 2/ France; 3/ Turin; 4/ Thorpe; 5/ Agassi; 6/ Dean; 7/ Run; 8/ Ashes; 9/ China; 13/ Bode Miller; 14/ Collingwood; 15/ Paraguay; 19/ ARod; 20/ Doha; 22/ Zidane; 25/ Spain; 26/ Hayden; 28/ Raul Dravid; 31/ Dons; 34/ Eagles; 35/ Liverpool; 37/ Stenson; 38/ Calzaghe; 41/ Subs; 43/ Bat; 44/ Poll; 45/ Togo; 47/ Ogilvy; 48/ Croatian; 52/ Landis; 54/ Miami Heat; 56/ VJ; 58/ Fletcher; 59/ Steelers; 60/ WACA; 62/ Inter; 65/ Gong; 66/ Paris; 67/ Els; 69/ Hick; 70/ Puck; 72/ Bay; 74/ Tee