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Pattaya welcomes arrival of Chonburi Games torch
Wattana
Chantanawaranon, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya City, receives the auspicious
National Games torch from a representative of the Takhiantia Municipality on
Monday, December 7 at Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya.
Phasakorn Channgam
The public and tourists in Pattaya City had an
opportunity on the evening of December 7 to welcome the auspicious Chonburi
Games torch which was due to be used to light up the 39th
National Sports Games opening ceremony two days later.
Deputy Mayor of Pattaya City, Wattana Chantanawaranon,
was on hand with other City officials and dignitaries to welcome the torch
to Pattaya before passing it to Mongkol Thamkittikhun, Banglamung District
Chief, to install on the stage in front of His Majesty the King’s image at
the Bali Hai Pier for a one night celebration.
The torch was then passed on to the Sriracha District as
part of its tour around the province in the build up to the games which
began on December 9 and will continue until December 19, featuring 20
different sports disciplines at various venues along the Eastern Seaboard.
The 39th National Sports Games are
being held in Chonburi Province in conjunction with the 29th
Muang Chon Games for People with Disabilities which will take place from
January 23-27, 2011. Both events are expected to help boost tourism as
athletes and supporters from around the kingdom descend on the province in
large numbers to take part.
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Pattaya Open voted as the WTA International Series “Tournament of the Year
Vera
Zvonareva and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn play during the final of the
2010 Pattaya Women’s Open at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Pattaya.
It was announced by the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association)
during the 2010 Player Awards that the PTT Pattaya Open was voted by the
players on the WTA Tour as the “Tournament of the Year” amongst the
international series tournaments. The PTT Pattaya Open is one of 32 events
which make up the international series tournaments on the WTA Tour.
Tournament Director, Geoffrey Rowe said that “we are very
proud to be chosen by the players as their favourite tournament and the
award is a vindication of the hard work done by everyone involved. Winning
the “Tournament of the Year” award will help to boost the image of Pattaya
as a quality sporting destination and it is our aim to continually make
improvements to the event for the benefit of the players, the media and the
spectators.”
In 2011, the PTT Pattaya Open professional women’s tennis
tournament will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and to mark the occasion
the organizers have lined up a star studded field including Grand Slam
champions, top ranked players and the best of the local talent.
The tournament will be held at the Dusit Thani Hotel,
Pattaya from 6–13 February 2011. Qualifying rounds will be held on 6–7
February, with the main draw running from 7–13 February.
More information about the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open can be
found at the official website: www .pentanglepromotions.com.
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FC Nova win local derby
MBMG International League Div. 2
Paul Frain
FC Nova entertained local rivals Pattaya City Res. last
Saturday with both sides eager to earn some the bragging rights and set down
a marker early in the season.
With the wind and the slope in their favour during the
first half, FC Nova started the stronger of the two teams and Rodger Cox saw
his shot slam against the City post early on before City’s keeper Nesterenko
tipped the loose ball for a corner as the Nova forwards waited to pounce. Up
came the big guys who towered above the City defenders. The corner was long
over everybody’s heads but found Nova’s Booton unmarked at the back post and
he sent another bullet header into the angle of the post and bar and City
were somehow able to scramble the ball clear once more.
FC Nova continued their relentless pressure and gained
another corner from which Booton had another great chance but headed high
and wide this time.
Pressure was mounting on the City defense as they
conceded six corners in a less than five minute spell and free kicks and
shots continued to rain in but the FC Nova attack was kept out by a
resilient defense.
City eventually began to settle after the early onslaught
and gained in confidence and Kunchuen had their first real effort which kept
the FC Nova keeper on his toes.
FC Nova reverted to trying the long ball to unsettle the
City defense but the wind was too strong and proved troublesome for both
teams to deal with.
Eventually the deadlock was broken ten minutes before
half time when another FC Nova corner saw the clearance go straight to
Rodger Cox who shot low and hard from at least 35 yards out through a
crowded area and past an unsighted static City keeper to make it 1-0. FC
Nova smelt blood now and carried on with their attacks on the City goal
looking for more before half time. They gained a number of corners but the
nearest to a goal was when they hit the side netting, and so the score
remained 1-0 at half time.
After the break FC Nova carried on where they left off
with some incisive runs down City’s left flank but the crosses for the most
part were well handled by the City defense. City were starting to get more
into the game as they hit on the counter, but all too often they failed to
find a telling final ball and the move would break down.
City’s Athachai was wasteful when he was all alone and
missed a golden chance to equalize for by sending his header wide. City
gained a free kick just outside the area soon after but the shot on goal was
weak and was followed up with a disappointing efforts by Sutthiphong and
Kunchuen.
This was the best part of the match for City but they
failed to capitalize on it and it wasn’t long before Nova started to
reassert themselves and look for the killer goal. Ellison’s runs in
particular caused problems for the City defense but David Brown made sure
that the Nova forwards didn’t score. Another good run by Ellison looked to
have given him the chance to add to FC Nova’s tally but a last ditch tackle
by Brown saved the day for City.
With ten minutes to go in the match City had a player
sent off for a second bookable offence, but despite being reduced to ten men
they continued searching for an equalizer and Narain brought a good save
from Nova’s keeper.
Eventually City ran out of time and the final whistle
signaled a well deserved 1-0 win to FC Nova. This match was played at a very
fast pace and credit goes to all the players who took part. FC Nova should
consider themselves favourites to win the league this season as they were
the strongest side that City Res. have played. The match was good experience
for the City team and will put them in good stead for the future.
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Russia tastes Cup success at inaugural Chiang Mai Tens
The
victorious GU ‘Doverie’ team from Russia
with the Chiang Mai Tens rugby Cup.
The 1st Chiang Mai Rugby Tens Tournament was held over
the weekend November 27-28 at the rugby field of The Prince Royal’s College
in Chiang Mai.
The tournament brought teams from all over Thailand such
as the Pattaya Panthers, Phuket Vagabonds, The Old Bangkok Bangers, Goosers,
Thonburi University, and a local team from The Prince’s Royal College, as
well as an overseas contingent in the form of the GU ‘Doverie’ team from
Russia, who all came together in a celebration of rugby and sporting spirit.
The college rugby field was presented in exceptional
condition and the tournament organizers received unstinting support from the
school.
Chiang Mai residents came along in large and vocal
numbers to watch the rugby over the two days and helped to make this
inaugural event a great success. The feedback was very positive and the
organizers have pledged to turn this into an annual event with teams from
Australia and New Zealand already penciled in for next year.
To the tournament itself, and after two days of colourful
and thoroughly entertaining Tens rugby, it seemed the long trip taken by the
GU ‘Doverie’ team was well worth the effort as they overcame some spirited
to opposition from the Chiang Mai Tigers to record a 14-7 win in the
showcase Cup final, having earlier disposed of Thonburi University 22-0 in
the semis in a comprehensive exhibition of running rugby.
In the Plate final, some local honor was restored when
the host team, Prince Royal’s College, ran out 17-10 winners over the
experienced and well known Bangkok Bangers.
Everyone is now looking forwards to another successful
Chiang Mai Rugby Tens Tournament next year!
The Cup
losing finalists Chiang Mai Tigers are still all smiles after the game.
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Rought bags a weekly brace
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, Dec. 6,
Eastern Star – Stableford
Monday was a public holiday and we were at Eastern Star
with six ladies and only two divisions for the men. Pleasant conditions yet
again with a cooling breeze coming from the north. The cut today in division
1 was 6-18 and 19+ in division 2.
Miss Nit won the ladies division with 37 points ahead of
Miss Nut in second on 34.
Peter Grant topped division 2 with 37 points, one up on
Les Smith in second and Glyn Evans took third with 33.
Still playing off 6, Chris Voller won division 1 with 35
points, the Irish bandit Cully Monks was second one point behind and Mikael
Andersson took the bronze with 31 after beating Andy, Arvo and Taivo on
count-back.
Mikael and Taivo shared the ‘2’s in division 1 and Alan
Duckett and Peter Grant the same in division 2.
There were 32 players out today and not one person
reached the green on the 6th hole and even more
amazingly there were no nearest the pins in division 1 on the 17th.
Other near pins went to Taivo (2), Peter Grant and Les Smith.
Wednesday, Dec. 8,
Green Valley – Stableford
Back to reality and there were ten groups out today with
the cut in division 1, 6-15, division 2, 16-20 and division 3, 21 plus. The
greens were slightly slower from our previous visit but this did not prevent
the high scores from coming in.
Mike Combs was the victor in division 1 with 39 points
followed by Don Head on 37 and Chris Voller in third with 36.
Bryan Rought shot 40 points to win division 2, with Cully
Monks beating the West Country racehorse trainer Malcolm Saunders on a 21/18
back nine count-back for second after they both came in with 39 points.
In his last game before his return to Hong Kong, Martyn
Arnold won division 3 with 34 points, beating Joe Kubon and Fred Duffy on a
21/16/14 count-back.
Arvo Hiller and Chris Voller shared the ‘2’s pot in
division 1 and there are now two rollovers in division 2 to Mountain Shadow
next week.
Near pins went to Kari Aarnio, Chris Voller (3), Alan
Blaikey, Fred Duffy, Malcolm Saunders and Rudi Schafer.
Friday, Dec. 10,
Eastern Star – Stableford.
A slightly larger field than that of Wednesday, with
everyone hoping to get familiarized with the course before the Christmas
extravaganza here next Friday. The cut was almost identical to Wednesday at
Green Valley and the scores very similar as well.
In his first game after six weeks away on the African
continent, Chris Slota won division 3 with 36 points, beating the Falklander
Peter Grant on a 20/18 count-back after they both finished level on points.
Tom Novak was third with 34.
Waiting to be cut this weekend, Bryan Rought scored 38
points to win division 2, Don Nellis was second 4 points behind and scoring
33 points for third place was Dennis Scougall.
In the spotlight again but with only 33 points was Chris
Voller who won division 1 after beating Pete Sumner on an 18/16 count-back.
Mikael Andersson took third after beating Mike Combs 16/15 on the count-back
after they both shot 32.
Miss Nut won the ladies division with 40 points and Jill
Stanley claimed her first ever prize in five years after her birdie on the
third hole to win the ladies ‘2’s. There was another rollover in division 1
but Jim Connelly and Declan Lyne shared the purse in division 2 after they
both birdied the 13th.
Near pins were claimed by Howard Stanley, Pete Sumner,
Takimoto, Chris Voller, Jim Connelly, Bernd Floethner, Declan Lyne, Marcus
and Jill Stanley.
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A swim to raise money for Thailand’s different charities
Despite
the chilly waters, the swimmers
made it from Bali Hai Pier to Dusit Thani.
Azeez Khanijou (Year 11
GIS student)
Every year the Rotary club of Pattaya organizes a charity
swim to raise money for the different charities in Thailand. This was the
second consecutive time I have participated in the sponsor swim where last
year I did the 1.1 km, easily completing it, this year I took up the
challenge of swimming the 3.5 km trek from Bali Hai to Dusit Thani.
The
three challengers from Garden International School: Ben Liversidge, Rachel
See and Azeez Khanijou.
Sundays are usually very laid back for my family but my
parents very supportively accompanied me to the starting point. I had to
register for my swim with a sponsorship of 2,000 baht. It was amusing to see
the shock on my mother’s face as she could not see the finish line from
where we stood. Mr. Peter, a Rotarian used a fog horn to instruct us on the
safety rules, making the whole event more formal.
At one o’clock sharp all the 26 swimmers, ages ranging
from 15 years old (me being the youngest) to 68 years old were with me in
the abnormally chilly waters including my ICT teacher Ben Liversidge, whom I
had challenged to join me. As the countdown reached 1 all the swimmers
powered themselves away from the lighthouse and towards Dusit Thani 3.5 km
away. Rescue boat number 5 led the way for the fastest swimmers; two Jet
skis were bringing up the rear.
Three days before I had practiced swimming the 3.5 km in
my pool but once in the sea the difference was incomparable. The current on
the day was quite strong; it kept pushing me off course. After every 5
minutes I would have to locate the short white building at the other end of
the shore and alter my direction so that I would be heading towards the
shore and not out to sea. From the looks of the distance I would have
thought that I would not make it in the amount of time specified which was 2
hours.
The waters of Pattaya have a very low visibility. By
(what seemed to be) the half-way point the finish line seemed out of grasp
as I started feeling my body ache. I was starting to feel the petrol of the
speedboats on my face. The waves increased in height and it was harder to
swim over them which drained even more energy out of me.
My motivational force when I got tired was the free
buffet at the finish line for all the swimmers provided by Dusit Thani.
After an hour I could see 2 towering bunch of orange balloons planted in the
sand and I knew that that was the finish line. 31 minutes later I arrived at
the finish line feeling an accomplishment that I’ve never felt before. My
legs were soft. As I heard my name announced by the presenter the reality
set in. I had done it!
I had been greeted by my ICT teacher who had finished 20
minutes before me. Congratulations should also go to Rachel See in IB1 who
took part in the event for the first time and to Mr. Liversidge who came in
the top 10 of all competitors to take on the challenge of the 3.5 km.
In total we raised 10,000THB for the Pattaya Rotary Club.
This money will be used to get water filtration systems into local schools
so that children in them will have access to clean, safe drinking water.
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GIS hosts Primary Football
Tournament at Christmas Fair
Police
Academy hold up the trophy after capturing the U-11 Boys title.
Doug Lynch
In conjunction with the Annual GIS Christmas Fair, Storm
Athletic hosted a Primary Football Tournament on Saturday, December 4th
featuring 16 teams from around the region participating in three divisions.
The U-9 Boys division was made up of GIS, ISE, the Police
Academy and Rayong English Programme School (REPS). After the round robin
games, ISE would come out on top with an undefeated 3-0 record.
The U-11 Boys division consisted of Satith Udomsuksa,
Police Academy ‘A’, ISE and REPS ‘A’ in Pool A and GIS, REPS ‘B’, Police
Academy ‘B’ and the Camillian Center in Pool B.
Both Police Academy teams proved to be too tough for the
competition as they each went through the pool games undefeated. They would
meet in the final with the Police Academy ‘A’ team coming out on the winning
end of a 2-1 score.
GIS would play Satith in the third place game. Satith
would open up a 5-0 advantage before GIS would cut the lead to 5-3. However,
Satith would add another goal to make the final score 6-3.
In the U-11 Girls division, we had GIS, ISE and REPS ‘A’
and REPS ‘B’. The REPS ‘A’ team would win their three round robin games by a
combined score of 15-1 to claim the top spot.
It was a great day of football on a beautiful morning and
it was really nice to see the children from the Camillian Center play so
well in the tournament.
We would like to thank the PE Department, especially Mr.
Edwards, for organizing the tournament. We would also like to thank Mr.
Grisdale and our five referees; Ben, Kento, Martin, Tony and Jun (IB
students). Thanks also to the Camel Restaurant in Ban Chang for their kind
donation towards the trophies.
For more information, please visit the GIS Storm
Athletics website at:
http://gisrstormsports.gardenrayong.com
REPS ‘A’
team were the stars of the U-11 Girls division.
The ISE
team won the U-9’s Boys division.
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Lay scorches home with 41-pointer
PSC golf form The Golf Club Sports Bar
Monday, Dec. 6, Green
Valley – Stableford
1st Peter LeNoury (7) 35pts
2nd Suzi Lawton (16) 34pts
3rd
Keith Worboyz (15) 34pts
Tuesday’s flight winners (left-right)
Henry O’Brien, Eddy Beilby and Jon Lay.
The holiday Monday kept our numbers down slightly but not
the level of competition. 16 golfers started the day and Peter Lenoury came
home the winner with a steady 35 points. The real battle was contested by
Suzi Lawton and Keith Worboyz with the dreaded count-back as the decider.
Suzi had the better back nine and took second place on 34 points. Keith,
gracious in defeat had to settle for third.
Amazingly for a holiday, we finished in under 4 hours for
every group. Thanks to Suzi, Geoff, Allan, John and the rest of the gang for
your continued support.
Tuesday, Dec. 7 - Kabin Buri Sports Club
A Flight (0–9)
1st Jon Lay (6) 41pts
2nd Shane Ruddle (0) 36pts
3rd Don Bland (3) 34pts
B Flight (10-15)
1st Eddy Beilby (15) 40pts
2nd Steve Milne (11) 39pts
3rd Jeff Calrow (15) 39pts
C Flight (16+)
1st Henry O’Brien (18) 37pts
2nd Steve Durey (20) 36pts
3rd Johannis M (18) 35pts
2’s: Shane Ruddle (2), Scott Dobbins, Jim Barret,
Paul Smith.
The Kabin Buri Sports Club and Kantary Hotel package has
become a very popular trip for us in a short period of time. In October we
went the 2 hour drive to Kabin Buri with 29 players and a smattering of
guests. This Tuesday we had a field of 64 golfers and were 80 with friends
and guests. This group consisted of players from 3 host facilities: The Golf
Club, Fairways Driving Range and The Sportsman. Thanks to all for your
support.
There were some spectacular scores and just as many not
that good. We played today comp from the white tees a mere 6682yds.
A Flight winner Jon Lay had a fantastic 41 points and
could have been better except for his finishing hole. Shane Ruddle was
second with gross 72 off the stick and had 2 three putts on the last 2 holes
to go to level par. Don Bland played steady for a count-back win over Brent
Merron who also struggled coming in.
B Flight had some excitement as well. Eddy Beilby had a
40 point day to take first place with putts falling from everywhere and he
managed the treacherous bunkers like a master. Steve Milne and Jeffry Calrow
were tied and the count-back had to go to the last 6 to determine Steve
second and Jeffry third.
The third flight had no count-backs as Henry O’Brien was
on form with 37 points, followed by Stev Durey with 36 and Johannis with 35
points respectively.
After the golf we made our way back the short drive to
the Kantary Hotel for an amazing dinner buffet. As can happen when you have
this many hungry golfers, those at the front of the line forgot about the
back and we had a small delay to replenish. Eventually we were all fed and
watered and completed the day with the presentation followed by a few hours
of drink and camaraderie. The hottest topic being could we all manage to
avoid the bunkers!
Wednesday, Dec. 8 - Kabin Buri Sports Club
A Flight (0-9)
1st Allan Thomas (6) 36pts
2nd Mark Sherwood (5) 36pts
3rd Don Bland (3) 35pts
B Flight (10-15)
1st Richard Line (11) 34pts
2nd Collin Creig (11) 33pts
3rd Benn Nelson (13) 32pts
C Flight (16+)
1st Barry Copstake (17) 40pts
2nd Bob Allen (16) 35pts
3rd Drew Hammond (16) 33pts
Blue Tees Comp
1st Paul McNally (5) 35pts
2nd Paul Smith (3) 32pts
3rd Scott Dobbins (0) 32pts
2’s: Paul Quinn, Johannis, Barry Copstake, Eddy
Beilby, Steve Milne, Mark Wood, Larry Immethun, Jim Barrett, Paul McNally,
Allan Thomas, Graham Hurdon, Scott Dobbins (2), Ernie McInnerney (2)
This day started out with yet another fantastic buffet
breakfast provided by Kantary Hotel, then we were off for another go at
Kabin Buri Sports Club. Many still had nightmares about the bunkers they
were soon to be encountering.
We had a two tee start and windy conditions. Nine gents
decided they wanted a bigger challenge and moved back one tee to the blues
measuring 7185yds. One brave sole decided the tips would be a great test and
he took on the advertised tips at 8075yds. We’re still not sure if he
finished yet!
The Blue Tee Comp was won by Paul McNally with 35 points
while Paul Smith with 32 pts beat out Scott Dobbins on count-back for
second.
A Flight had a new winner today in Allan Thomas with 36
points and a B9-18 that nipped Mark Sherwood who had B9-14. Don Bland
continued in the frame with 35 points.
The second tier again had a new champ in Richard Line who
had 34 points, Collin Creig was second with 33 and Benn “Buffet King” Nelson
was third with 32 points after beating out Lee Adelly on count-back with
B9-18 to B9-16.
C Flight had a runaway winner with Barry “The Boot”
Copstake firing a great 40 points. Bobby “Love” Allen was second with 35 and
Drew Hammond had 33 points to beat John Fitzgerald on the dreaded
count-back.
The bunkers continued to wreak havoc with the scores but
overall the golf course was in great shape. If fact some of the best
fairways that I have played in Thailand. The greens were fast and true and
you had plenty of choices for direction if you found yourself in a non
favorable position. We are looking for a return date probably in February
with next month scheduled for Soi Dao. Thanks again to Shane and Scott from
The Fairways, Dave from The Sportsman and Steve Ellison from The Golf Club/Asiabound.
Friday, Dec. 10, Treasure Hills - Stableford
1st Grant Montgomery (8) 40pts
2nd Henry O’Brien (18) 38pts
3rd Brent Merron (9) 37pts
Yet another Holiday seemed to deter some from joining us
today at Treasure Hill. 15 joined the frame today and again some impressive
scores came from the field.
The course was fully opened on this visit with the tee
boxes in great shape and 17 greens open and ready for play. Grant Montgomery
made 3 birdies on his way to the day’s best 40 points. Henry O’Brien had a
great round and 38 points for second while Brent Merron tripped coming in to
finish on 37.
Although it’s a bit of a drive to get there, Treasure
Hill is in fine shape and a great test for those that wish a bit of a
challenge. The greens are in great shape and will punish those that find
themselves on the high side.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro, off Soi Buakhao and
Soi Diana junction. We can be reached on 085 434 3377 or
[email protected] and our new website is
www.golfclubpattaya.com.
Wednesday’s top three (left-right) Allan Thomas,
Paul McNally and Barry Copstake.
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No shortage of drama at Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2010
A
candlelight ceremony was held to honour His Majesty the King’s birthday at
Kata Beach Resort. (Photo/Guy Nowell)
There were 10 winners at last week’s 24th Phuket King’s
Cup, each of them earning the respect of their peers through delivering
close, consistent competition in challenging conditions.
Those winners were Ray Roberts’ Evolution Racing,
Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban, Peter Dyer’s Team Sea Bees, Peter
Sorensen’s Baby Tonga, Ilya Ermakov’s Sarawadee, Paul
Brunning’s Dondang Sayang, Richard Macfarlane’s Aida, Jean
Rheault’s Souay 1, Hans Rahmann’s Voodoo and David Liddell’s
Miss Saigon.
The cup attracted 107 yachts representing 16 nations
across the 10 classes. Mixed among the competitors were sailors of all
levels from club weekend racers to America’s Cup, Olympic and world champion
sailors.
At the start of the week the 2010 King’s Cup had all the
potential to deliver a brilliant event and by the end of the week, that is
exactly what happened.
The quality of entrants in each of the classes has grown
over the years. The results were exceptionally close coming down to the last
race on the last day counting for everything in several classes. Few classes
were dominated by one boat. Many races saw the winners and losers separated
by a matter of seconds on corrected times.
In the Racing Class, which included five TP52s, the final
results saw just one point difference between Evolution Racing and
HiFi.
In IRC2 Team Sea Bees and Royal Thai Navy 1
also came down the wire with one point separating these two exceptionally
competitive teams.
The Premier Class, otherwise known as the furniture
class, was stronger this year with 15 entrants, up from nine in 2009. The
two top placegetters, Baby Tonga and Xena, drove each other
unmercifully during their four races to deliver an equal scorecard of two
firsts and two seconds.
In the Multihulls it was one point difference across the
top three placegetters; Miss Saigon, Thor and Da Vinci.
There was the usual range of dramas on the water and a
few that could never have been anticipated.
The traditional light air King’s Cup conditions returned,
at least until the last few hours on the last day of the series. The IRC2
and Multihull class entrants had to change gears quickly for some fast,
furious racing while the cruiser/racer fleet leaders turned around to see
their fellow class members quickly closing the gap as they bought the breeze
with them.
Evolution Racing and HiFi delivered a dead
heat in race six. They were just 11 seconds apart at the finish and equal on
corrected time.
Strewth lost a crew member overboard when the
starboard spinnaker sheet caught him behind the legs lifting him straight
over the side. Quick action by the crew ensured the crewman was back on
board safely with only his pride dented.
Frank Pong’s dream of seeing an all-Chinese team compete
in the Racing Class was achieved with Olympian, Song Xia Quin at the helm
and the team finishing in a credible ninth place.
Thor missed the radio call on the location of the
finishing mark in race four, then had to turn back to round the mark,
costing them time, places and ultimately a back-to-back overall class win.
On Pytheaus Aura, one of the crew members sadly
passed away and was discovered as the yacht was heading out to the start
line.
Ichi Ban went into the King’s Cup history books
achieving three back-to-back wins in the IRC1 class matching Bill Glasson’s
Keelboat class win of the early 90s.
Freefire finally found themselves at the top of the
fleet winning line and handicap honours in the last race for the Racing
class.
The largest boat in the fleet, the 50m S/Y Perseus,
provided a stunning back-drop to this year’s King’s Cup. Certainly what they
lacked in speed in the light airs, they made up for in sheer elegance.
Unfortunately the light winds of the series disappeared
for the last day of the regatta, replaced by 20 knots plus westerly and a
huge swell battering the fleet as they sat at anchor off Kata Beach. Racing
was cancelled for the day as the yacht rescue mission commenced in earnest.
Race committee member, former Regatta Chairman and a
competitor in 24 King’s Cups, Chris King, reflected on the last regatta-day
drama.
“Our Regatta Director, Simon James, worked exceptionally
hard since 3 a.m., when the storm first blew up, trying to get all the
resources we could to try and help these boats off the beach. The perception
among a lot of sailors is that we hadn’t done anything. The fact is we
didn’t succeeded in doing what needed to be done, but it is not from want of
trying. All the resources we’ve got, all the resources of the Navy and many
of the bigger boats that were out there on the water that have the
horsepower to help were roped in.
“It was absolutely an abnormal situation. I live in
Thailand and have been here for 40 years. I have spent a lot of time in
Phuket and a lot of time on the water (here). This time of year, I have
never, ever, seen anything like this. This is December. The wind is supposed
to be blowing from completely the opposite direction.”
The introduction of the much anticipated combined fleet
racing for the IRC and Multihull Challenge trophies, scheduled as the
concluding event of the regatta, was cancelled due to the wild conditions of
the last day.
Prize-giving was held on the scheduled final day and was
followed by another legendary regatta party. The sailors and race committee
members can now sit down and start talking about the Phuket King’s Cup 2011.
“Next year is our 25th anniversary and His Majesty the
King’s seventh cycle. He is 84 years old. This event was started to
celebrate the King’s fifth cycle, his 60th birthday. The King is the patron
of the event, very revered and he is a sailor. Next year we are going to
celebrate that. We are also going to celebrate that it’s 25 years since we
started the King’s Cup. It is going to be big and exciting.” Chris King
said. (Press Release)
“Evolution”. (Photo by Guy Nowell)
One of
the beached yachts on the last day of the Phuket King’s Cup 2010. (Photo/Guy
Nowell)
“Xena”
crew racing on the edge.
The
Cruising fleet with the wind behind their sails on the opening day of the
Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
Blue
skies, beautiful scenery and highly competitive
racing were a feature of the first four days of the regatta.
(Photo by Captain Marty /Asian Yachting)
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Lee hardly putt a foot wrong
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday, Dec. 5, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Yui Bietry (11) 40pts
2nd John Wright (12) 38pts
3rd Ian Dallas (10) 36pts
B Flight
1st Lee Adelly (18) 45pts
2nd Colm Mullen (15) 39pts
3rd Jim Bell (21) 38pts
Near pins: No 4 Ian Halfpenny; No 9 Reg McKay; No
12 Liam McGuinness; No16 Claude Harder.
Sunday’s
winner Lee Adelly, right, with the golf chairman.
Nobody told Ian Woosnam’s caddy Lee Adelly that it was
not the monthly medal so Lee went out and amassed 45 points, which also
included a no score on the last hole. Irishman Colm Mullen followed Lee home
six shots adrift while ‘Jim Houdini’ Bell did the most unlikely by getting
the better of Bob the ‘guru of Green Valley’ in a count-back to fill the
flight.
The red hot Yui Bietry secured victory in the senior
flight with an outstanding 40 point effort; good enough to provide her with
a two shot cushion over John Wright. The calculator was out to sort out the
final podium place as Ian Dallas, ‘Handsome man’ Newell, Peter Lenoury and
the Gavin the ‘Flying Scotsman’ were log jammed on even par rounds. Ian’s
sums did the holding up.
Yui (a pair) John Wright, Gavin Knox, Jean-Luc Biset and
Colm Mullen shared the ‘2’s pot.
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Bangpra –
Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin McNtee (6) 37pts
2nd Terry Mangan (12) 35pts
3rd Gavin Knox (11) 34pts
B Flight
1st Tore Eliassen (14) 38pts
2nd Dan Blake (13) 37pts
3rd
Albert McEvoy (14) 34pts
Tore Eliassen, everybody’s nice guy, dazzled most of the
field and the junior bunch with a well worked 38 points. The only guy near
to him was Dan Blake a stroke adrift. Irishman Albert McEvoy took the last
podium place in the flight.
Co. Offaly gang leader Kevin McNtee, who has been in a
bit of a slump by his standards, found some form to win the senior squad. He
was trailed in by Co. Dublin’s Terry Mangan, two shots off the pace with
Gavin Knox a further shot back for third.
Back at the ranch the presentation completed, it only
remained to draw the Lou-iinski snowball. The winning name was called while
the winner was in the loo. His friend knocked on the toilet door and the
occupant replied “Won’t be a minute.” On hearing, “Well, you had better be
quick you have won the snowball”, Irishman Peter Wallace duly emerged
pulling up his trousers with a 13.740 baht smile. Talk about smelling of
roses. This is Peter’s first visit to Pattaya and one he will not forget.
Thursday, Dec. 9,
Greenwood B &C - Stableford
A Flight
1st Semple Lindsey (12) 43pts
2nd Kevin Mcentee (6) 35pts
3rd Jean-Pierre Gasser (8) 34pts
B Flight
1st Barry Copestake (17) 38pts
2nd Mike Jeffreys (18) 38pts
3rd
Ivan Plunkett (21) 37pts
Semple Lindsey shattered the field with a very impressive
43 points to take a massive eight shot margin senior flight and man of the
match victory. Offaly gang leader Kevin Mcentee showed he is not missing
gang mate big Matt, coming of Tuesday’s win to take the silver. Jean Pierre
Gasser came in a shot short for the bronze.
Turning to the minor flight, Barry Copestake put the boot
in as he got the verdict for top spot over Mike Jeffreys. Ivan Plunkett took
third place a shot back.
Kevin helped to fill his wallet with a ‘2’, but had to
split the proceeds with Thierry Petremont.
This week the society did not schedule fixtures on
Wednesday and Friday because of conflict with the holidays.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya land Soi
1, Beach road Soi/13 near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us
just pop in and add your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764.
Transport is provided.
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Neville makes winning
return at Emerald
The Backyard Golf Society
Neville
Scurrell, right rear, celebrates his win with the staff at Mama’s Bar.
A change of scribe this week as Martyn takes time out for
a cataracts operation on both eyes. As this goes to press he has had one eye
done with success and awaits the second one. All the best from the boys and
hopefully with your new sight you can now get the gender right!
Nice weather at Emerald golf course, albeit a hot and
sticky front nine followed by a cooler back nine. Neville Scurrell returned
from his travels to win overall with 37 points, closely followed by Tony
Duthie with 36 points who also took nearest the pin.
Andy Crabb pillaged the skins taking 10 holes, Mr. Angry
took 3, Alan Bissel and Jimmy Johnson had two each, and Geoff Stubbs had
one.
It should be noted that the first group out were put on
the clock by the second group with Mr. Angry and the CEO getting particular
attention. A note for all golfers that slow play will not be tolerated!
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John Chapman is the top man
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
A
smiling John Chapman enjoys
a beer and a good time with Dave Edwards.
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Rayong
C.C. - Stableford
Tuesday dawned, clear skies, a cooling breeze, and so it
was that we took off for Rayong C.C., where the greens were in the best
condition I have ever seen them. That includes last year prior to holding
some early rounds of the Asian Qualifying School. The fairways were also ok,
although tending to the dry side, so no excuses accepted re the course.
John Chapman (23), who does not venture out much these
days (to golf, that is), certainly found the conditions to his liking,
returning a very creditable 39 points. The consistent Jeff Wylie (7) with 36
points rounded out the prizes today; a game of ‘could have beens’ for Jeff
who started off strong before coming home in an ambulance, requiring 2
finishing pars to play to his handicap.
Near Pins were shared amongst Joel & Jeff today.
Thursday, Dec. 9, Crystal
Bay - Stableford
Thursday was a long awaited return to Crystal Bay, where
the B & C nines were to be our test de jour. The course is returning to
somewhere near its past glory with smooth, true rolling greens, which on
some occasions just seem to roll on forever. The fairways were also in good
nick, with the wiry rough providing a test for errant shots.
Jeff Wylie (7) fulfilled some of his early promise from
Tuesday with a good return of 40 points. Next best was Ken Hole (15) with
31, edging Derk Waterworth (31) on count-back, 16/14. Ken lamented his
standard of play today, but it’s not all bad, when you can play not near
your best and still grab some prize money.
Jeff had a day out with the near pins today, collecting
3, while the other went unclaimed, resulting in a donation to Banglamung
Boy’s Home.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on
Tuesday & Thursday (we sometimes change to accommodate a Thai Holiday),
presentations are made at the course on Tuesday, with Mulligans Lakeside
hosting the Thursday presentation. For more details on scheduling etc,
please call 089 094 1841 or 081 935 8088. Hope to see you there, Cheers &
Good Golfing!
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Benda bounces back
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
Bob
Benda. Left, with Paul Kraft.
At dark thirty the Three Sisters Golf Group gathered at
the Pattaya Country Club. The Canadians started at the crack of dawn and
were not seen again until we met at Caddy Shack Two. We thought they were
off first but it seems that two other groups had teed off even earlier in
partial darkness. Who they were? – Who knows, they disappeared over the
horizon.
The winner for the day teed off in the last group. Bob
Benda was back in form as he posted a score of 40 to beat the field by 4
shots. Old crafty Paul Kraft came in second on count-back with 36 points
edging out Joe St. Laurent for second place. It was a close call as Joe had
19 points on the back nine and Paul had 20.
Everyone had a good time and finished by 11 o’clock. That
gave the golfers time to relax for a couple of hours before they really
started drinking. Next week the girls have promised to form a group – watch
out guys as the girls tee up to beat you.
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Cardwell shoots his age at Khao Kheow
PSC golf from Cafe’ Kronborg
(Left to
right): The Admiral with Tuesday’s winners Niels Hansen and Hugh O’Donnell
at Pleasant Valley.
San Mig Stu & The Drut
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Pleasant
Valley – Stableford
Thirty-two golfers signed up for the day’s outing and the
main topic of conversation before departing the Kronborg at 8.15am precisely
and indeed in the buses to the course was, “What the hell is happening with
the B B fiasco?”
Everyone is concerned, somewhat confused and definitely
cautious. Accordingly, amendments to our normal presentations were made so
that winning players could still benefit from their day’s results. Let’s
hope that the authorities can quickly sort out the obvious misunderstanding
and all can return to normal.
No huge wining scores were turned in however there were
plenty of golfers who could have if luck had gone their way. Martyn Topham
was lucky though, as his tee shot on the par four 12th hit the water pond in
front and skipped five times before clearing the pond and settling
comfortably on the fairway ahead, giving him a clear shot to the green!
We had two flights (A & B), NTP’s on all par 3’s and
longest putts on 9 and 18.
Niels Hansen had a good turnaround from his previous
outings to win A Flight with 38 points followed by Richard Kubicki, Owen
Walkley and Bill Plath, all with 37 points, and Brian Gabe took out fifth
spot with 35 points.
B Flight saw Hugh O’Donnell win with 38 points on a
count-back from Jan Lovgreen whilst Carole Kubicki with 35 points
successfully beat Jerry Dobbs also on a count-back. fifth spot was fought
out by Graham Buckingham, Susan Gaarde and Mike Winfield all with 32 points
and it was Mike who finished better.
A Flight (0–18)
1st Niels Hansen (14) 38pts
2nd Richard Kubicki (12) 37pts
3rd Owen Walkley (13) 37pts
4th Bill Plath (16) 37pts
5th Brian Gabe (16) 35pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Hugh O’Donnell (23) 38pts
2nd Jan Lovegreen (21) 38pts
3rd Carole Kubicki (25) 35pts
4th Jerry Dobbs (19) 35pts
5th Mike Winfield (20) 32pts
Near Pins: Peter Hammond, Susan Gaarde, Jan
Lovgreen, Sven Gaarde
Long Putts: Andre van Dyk (2)
Stu Rifkin managed to win the Compass Charity Cap award
yet again. He kindly donated to the bin which now has a healthy sum of 5,850
baht which will eventually go toward assisting an organization who cater for
less than fortunate children in our area.
Deefa the Charity Dog was unable to bite anyone this
outing as his master was away on another golfing adventure. This did not
stop one generous golfer from donating some baht despite Deefa’s absence. So
many thanks go to Ken Bernek for his kindness and rest assured Ken that the
money will find its way to Deefa.
Thursday, Dec. 9, Khao
Kheow –Stableford
Thirty one golfers headed out under the watchful eye of
The Admiral for today’s challenge. Playing the B and C nines from the white
tees, the first group hit off at 1000 hours and completed the journey in the
smart time of four hours and five minutes.
The weather was bright and breezy, the course good as per
usual and the greens putted truly particularly for one player.
One golfer not noted for his sartorial elegance commented
that golf is too easy and there must be a way of toughening it up. This same
gent who puts his foot in his mouth so often he needs to floss between his
toes, came unstuck not unlike a certain Berlin resident in 1945.
We welcomed Rob and Karen Brown from Scotland who despite
a three day route march due to bad weather, arrived safe and sound.
In the A Flight ‘Mr. Consistency’ Don Richardson scored
an impressive thirty eight points to win on a count-back from Walter Baechli.
Mike Gosden handed in thirty seven points for third place relegating Bill
Plath to fourth on a count-back whilst Elias Magnusson with thirty five
points finished fifth.
In the B Flight, former 23 handicapper Paul Cardwell
handed in (I am reliably informed by The Admiral) the best score ever at the
Kronborg - an unbelievable 22/27 split for a total of forty nine points. On
good authority it has been reported the handicapper had sharpened the
scalpel …er pencil before the ink was dry on the scorecard and results of a
mandatory drug test should be available soon.
Graham Buckingham, who was as disappointed with his front
nine 14 points as the five year old who saw a zipper in the back of Humphrey
Bear’s suit toured the flip side with a 24 point effort for a 38 point total
and second place. Jan Lovgreen also on 38 points took third spot and like
the guy who ate a plate of prunes got a good run for his money. Fourth place
went to Andy Makara on 36 whilst Ronnie Ratte finished fifth handing in 35
points.
Koji Yamada, whose swing looks like that of a deranged
jungle dweller in North Borneo searching for food with a 20 kilo hunting
club, finished well off a podium place and was reminded even rock bottom has
a bargain basement.
A Flight (0-18)
1st Don Richardson (10) 38pts
2nd Walter Baechli (17) 38pts
3rd Mike Gosden (9) 37pts
4th Bill Plath (16) 37pts
5th Elias Magnusson (17) 35pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Paul Cardwell (23) 49pts
2nd Graham Buckingham (23) 38pts
3rd Jan Lovgreen (21) 38pts
4th Andy Makara (33) 36pts
5th
Ronnie Ratte (28) 35pts
Long putts went to Bill Plath B9 and Carole Kubicki on C9
while the near pins went to Rob Brown on B3, Kris Helgason on B8, Niels
Hansen on C3 and Jan Lovgreen on C8.
Deefa the dog made a welcome return and scooped up an
absolute truckload of donations which will go to charity.
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Sheehan shines at Emerald
PSC golf from The Bunker Bar
Monday, Dec. 6, Plutaluang
- Stableford
It’s always a difficult choice to make when choosing a
course to play on a public holiday, but we decided to give the Navy course
another try, despite previous bad experiences. A smaller field than usual
showed up, with many of the resident golfers declining to play fearing that
the course would be overcrowded. In the event the golfing gods smiled on us
and the only problem we experienced was a delayed start.
Playing the East and South courses, the round progressed
smoothly with most groups completing their round in four and half hours.
Although the course is much improved, the greens continue to be inconsistent
and troublesome with vastly variable pace.
Colin Greig was the best player on the day, winning the A
Flight, whilst Richard Baldotto took the honours in the B Flight on his
first game back in Pattaya.
Only 3 near pins were hit - by Ed, Gerry Cooney and Mashi
Kaneta.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (10) 35pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (10) 34pts
3rd Keith Smithson (0) 32pts
B Flight
1st Richard Baldotto (28) 35pts
2nd Mike Corner (20) 33pts
3rd Reg Smart (24) 33pts
Wednesday, Dec. 8, The Emerald - Stableford
We arrived at a very quiet Emerald course and were able
to tee off immediately. There were no holdups during the round and everyone
enjoyed an excellent day of millionaire’s golf. The course was generally in
good condition, but the greens were a little slow and inconsistent.
The best score of the day was recorded by Nile Sheehan
(surely he’ll be back down to his proper handicap soon!), with 39 points to
win the B Flight, whilst Tony Robbins took the A Flight with 37 points.
Our visiting teaching pro Keith Smithson produced a level
par round and 2 near pins in his final game before returning to U.K. Other
near pin winners were Dave Keats and Roy Dayton.
A Flight
1st Tony Robbins (13) 37pts
2nd Keith Smithson (0) 36pts
3rd Rocky Jones (7) 34pts
B Flight
1st Nile Sheehan (22) 39pts
2nd Ronnie Hall (17) 32pts
3rd Dave Ashman (15) 36pts
Friday, Dec. 10, Treasure Hill - Stableford
The second public holiday of the week (fortunately that
doesn’t occur too often) saw us travelling to Treasure Hill where the green
fees are not quite as inflated as some of the other courses. The course is
now in excellent condition, and a vast improvement from our previous visit
last month.
Although other golf societies were ahead of us on the
course, the round progressed reasonably smoothly and most groups were round
in 4ฝ hours. There were no buggies available when we started the round
(although several players hired them for the inward nine), which proved to
be a stimulating challenge for the best player on the day, Geoff Hart.
Near pin winners meanwhile were Greg Berry, Mashi Kaneta,
Gordon Melia and William Macey.
A Flight
1st John Graham (11) 33pts
2nd Tony Robbins (13) 31pts
3rd Bill Bertram (9) 30pts
B Flight
1st Geoff Hart (19) 34pts
2nd Mike Corner (20) 30pts
3rd
William Macey (15) 29pts
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Fred Chadwick lifts a big one
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, Dec. 6, Green
Valley - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Rodney Hayes (9) 38pts
2nd Roar Berger (25) 37pts
3rd Martin Grimoldby (6) 36pts
4th Steve Bickle (15) 36pts
5th Kevin Hamilton (16) 35pts
6th
Rod Howett (25) 35pts
Two holiday days in a week meant a second trip to Green
Valley on consecutive days, but with half of the previous days field having
played the new Silky Oaks course there was still a good turnout for the
day’s outing even allowing for the extra pricing as many players prepared
for the upcoming Santa Scramble to be held on the 17th
of the month.
Rodney
Hayes.
Rodney Hayes continued where he left off before returning
to Oz, hoping to see crushing wins in the cricket until the urn was safely
back in the southern hemisphere. Unfortunately quite a few of the players
were reading from a different page in the book, resulting in a hastily
arranged flight to Thailand where the sledging is not quite so fierce,
although a different perspective seems to have made little difference to the
results. So it was a fine effort to slip right back into the winning mode,
considering the overweight of troubles carried in the baggage.
Rodney’s success was at the expense of Roar Berger who
was seeking to win on his birthday following a three shot cut in handicap
but had to be satisfied with second place, plus a tuneful solo version of
happy 73rd Birthday by The Doc, who had obviously been
celebrating earlier.
Martin Grimoldby was another to strike early on his first
return outing winning the count-back over Steve Bickle by 19 to 17.
Stephen
Lewis.
Kevin Hamilton slipped into 5th
also with a better count-back of 11 to 10 on the back six after tying the
inward nine at 16 each with Rod Howett.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Rick Holmes
and Martin Grimoldby shared the first division pool.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new member
Rick Morgan and also welcomed back Wilf Wellman, Tom McCarthy, Paul Hartley,
Brian Beaupre, Brian Randall, Martin Grimoldby, Denis Jamison and Stephen
Lewis.
Wednesday, Dec. 8, Bangpra
- Stableford
CSS 73
1st Stephen Lewis (21) 37pts
2nd Declan Lyne (24) 36pts
3rd Kevin Townsend (11) 36pts
4th Shuichi Kodaka (19) 35pts
5th Mark Armstrong (25) 35pts
6th
Russell Exley (7) 33pts
Bangpra was in excellent shape but an obviously demented
green keeper decided that everyone would get full value for the day setting
the tees back as far as they would go from the white positions that were in
most cases on the blue yardages.
But apart from the CSS being slightly affected in an
upward direction, the competitors handled it pretty well even allowing that
the greens were at their fearsome worst having been trimmed to professional
speed, three putts were the norm for many.
Stephen Lewis, another to hit form immediately following
his arrival, led in the field with a one under handicap round to add another
win to his list gained out of Soi 13.
Declan Lyne just failed to win his first competition
having started on the 10th hole in a two tee start, and returning a four
under handicap for the nine looked in good shape until the tricky 8th,
his 17th, took a serious bite out of the card with an
unfortunate zero, but it did ensure second place in the count-back with
Kevin Townsend, who had played the course the from the 1st
tee, which Declan won by 22 to 20.
Shuichi Kodaka took fourth place also by a count-back
with a better 18 to 17 to leave Mark Armstrong in fifth with Russell Exley
strangely out of sorts in sixth.
With all the par 3’s playing to their full length it was
not surprising that there were no 2’s in the first division but Tom McCarthy
hit a cracker off the second tee, on this day placed some 176 yards back, to
secure the only one in the second division to sweep the pool and rollover.
Before the presentations were made Leslie Cobban was
welcomed as a new member and John Teague and Richard Dobson were welcomed
back and there was a farewell for a couple of months to Yasuo Suzuki.
Friday, Dec. 10, Rayong
C.C. - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Fred Chadwick (15) 36pts
2nd John Squitiero (18) 35pts
3rd Rod Howett (25) 35pts
4th Shuichi Kodaka (17) 34pts
5th Dave Howden (13) 34pts
6th Al
Griffiths (12) 32pts
On the second holiday day the hopefuls were at Rayong
Country Club, surely an exaggeration in name, where the conditions were
about as poor as one could find, with the fairways rock hard and the greens
variable from one to another and allied to the general condition of the
course it all made for a very unsatisfactory days golf no matter what the
price.
Fred Chadwick made one of his rare appearances following
his arrival from his center of excellence in Manchester, managing not only
to awake in time to get transported to the course in time but also turned on
the sort of performance he normally reserves for the young and old in his
health spa when demonstrating the technique required for lifting more than
two and a half times his body weight, all on a diet of mushy peas and cod
fillets and without a steroid in sight. In the end it was a close call with
John Squitiero almost getting up to deny Fred but just failing by one and
having to settle for a second place winning the count back with Rod Howett
in third, by 18 to 16.
Shuichi Kodaka returned another within buffer zone round
and a better count back of 19 to 18 which left Dave Howden in fifth and Alan
Griffiths in sixth.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Brian
Beaupre bumped one in to take the first division pot including the roll
over.
Back at The Haven there were welcome backs to John
Squitiero, Brian Burt, Steve Howard, Fred Chadwick and Alan Griffiths, the
later returning at last following a very nasty rib injury incurred whilst
taking part in the South East Thailand Free Diving contest held earlier in
the year, in his back yard fish pond.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven
group you can contact mobile 084 782 4582 or call in to the hotel at 185 Soi
13 between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All transportation
to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up prior to the day,
but you should be there by 8.30 on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays
on the days you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be
found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
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A win with rentals
Golf from the Travellers Rest
Saturday’s winners: Tristan Gilbert, Sam McLellan, Neil Wilkinson, Brendan
Moore, Neil Bramley & Ben Durham. (Inset: Nagger Award winner Jason Wiens).
Barry Hooper
I reported a few weeks back on how a player had lost his
clubs (they never did turn up). His name was Tristan Gilbert. Well the TRGG
never leaves a player stuck so they offered Tristan one of the rental sets
that it has. I asked him last week how he was managing with the new clubs
and he said that he was slowly getting used to them but was missing his 60
degree lob wedge. Well after a bit of searching one was found for him and
this week he went to Greenwood on Saturday and with his set of trusty
rentals picked up first place in division 2.
What is it they say? “You cannot keep a good man down”?
Well done Tristan.
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Eastern
Star - Stableford
Div 1
1st Fergus Brennan (16) 33pts
2nd Jon Dean (14) 33pts
3rd NeilBramley (13) 33pts
Div 2
1st John Thornber (17) 37pts
2nd Ted Senior (13) 33pts
3rd
Alan Evans (28) 33pts
Tuesday we visited Eastern Star with a moderate number of
players. The course was in great condition and that excellent day’s play
resulted with some pretty good scoring in Div 2, the highest being posted by
John Thornber with 37 points. In second and third, four back, were Ted
Senior and Alan Evans. Alan lost out on the count-back.
In Div 1 the highest managed was 33 points from Fergus
Brennan, John Dean and Neil Bramley, and that was the order they stayed
after count-back calculations
Two ‘2’s came from Steve Carlton and Joseph Schuler.
Thursday, Dec. 9, Phoenix
– Stableford
Div 1
1st Rodney Hayes (10) 40pts
2nd Jon Dean (8) 37pts
3rd Neil Bramley (8) 35pts
4th Fergus Brennan (9) 34pts
Div 2
1st Mike Rushant (12) 39pts
2nd Hugh Byrne (12) 36pts
3rd John Thornber (15) 35pts
4th Tristan Gilbert (13) 34pts
Div 3
1st Johannes Marlee (18) 41pts
2nd Monique Bunce (20) 39pts
3rd Mark Armstron (25) 38pts
4th
Mal Mackay (19) 36pts
Thursday was another of our regular visits to Phoenix to
play Lakes and Ocean course. A large group of thirty made the journey to
enjoy the attributes of this great venue so three divisions.
Division 1 had Rodney Hayes find a flash of real form for
the win with a score of 40 points. In second was Jon Deane with his 37 and
third was Neil Bramley at 35.
Division 2 had Mike Rushant topping the list with 39
points. Hugh Byrne came in second at 36 and John Thornber was third a
further point back.
In Division 3 Johannes Marlee (a visiting player to the
TRGG) rolled home with 41 for the win. Monique Bunce was second with 39 and
completing the top three was Mark Armstron at 38.
Only the one ‘2’ came from Mike Rushant.
Saturday, Dec. 11,
Greenwood - Stableford
Div 1
1st Neil Bramley (8) 37pts
2nd Brendan Moore (11) 37pts
3rd Ben Durham (10) 36pts
4th Alan Thomas (7) 34pts
Div 2
1st Tristan Gilbert (13) 38pts
2nd Sam McLellan (14) 37pts
3rd Neil Wilkinson (12) 36pts
4th
Jack McNamara (19) 34pts
Saturday was a return visit to Greenwood to play the A &
B layouts. The course was found yet again in good condition and we had a
good turnout.
Division one winner was Neil Bramley who just edged out
last week’s winner Brendan Moore on the count-back, both at 37 points each.
Third was Ben Durham with 36 after winning the count-back over Alan Thomas
and Mike Rushant.
Division two found Tristan Gilbert at the top with 38
points. Below him was Sam McLellan at 37 with Neil Wilkinson a further one
back at 36 for third
The Nagger Award (lowest score of the day) went to Jason
Wiens – oops and on his birthday as well! The near pin (bottle of Chiraz
wine sponsored by Neil Bramley) was won by Fergus Brennan.
Note: If you want any further or fuller
information about the golf outings played by the TRGG from the Travellers
Rest Hotel please contact the hotel manager Tewin Lamthong on 086 056 7019
or just call in to the Travellers Rest in Soi LK Metro, Pattaya and look at
the notice board or visit our website at www.trgg.biz.
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The Captain sails home at Navy
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Brian
Parrish and Gavin Kelly with Bert’s new waitress.
Derek Brook & Dick
Warberg
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Crystal
Bay – Stableford
This used to be my favourite course, and although these
days it is a little faded in its glory it is still a great day out. On this
day we went straight down Sukhumvit and although there were plenty of hold
ups we got there in plenty of time. I think when Sukhumvit is completed the
trip to Crystal Bay will be fine, but with the traffic as it is, it is quite
exciting. Depending on the driver!
We arrived, as said, in plenty of time and were suitably
impressed that the green fee, caddy fee and cart were so reasonable; the
same rate applies at Mountain Shadow, so this area has two good golf
courses. A quick sign-in then into the changing room, then out to the first
tee.
Derek
Brook.
The test for the day was to be the B&C Nines, and of
course, as is seemingly normal these days, the wind. While not howling it
was quite strong and it was also very changeable. One minute there, the next
gone. So you would stand on the tee with the correct club and the wind would
change. Yes a few balls in the water.
The course itself was not in bad condition, and whilst
not as pristine as it used to be it was none the less very playable. The
fairways were a bit of a lottery with good patches and others, but the rough
was very punishing. A real test. On the greens the condition also was a bit
hit and miss, but they were playable.
With the way ahead fairly clear we were able to get
around in decent time, and were only held up occasionally by the groups in
front on the par 3’s. So we got around in good time and were soon in the
showers trying to find some hot water. Finally it came through aired, still
it was probably the best to get a shower in.
The restaurant is a pale shade of several years ago,
however it is still as good as many and the food turned out to be good and
well priced. Then back on the road to Bert’s. We came back along Sukhumwit
and at that time of night it was quite busy. Still we got back in short
time.
Back at Bert’s ‘ it was time for the presentation and the
winner on the day was Brian Parrish with 38 points; that was four points in
front of the second who was Gavin Kelly with 34. In third place was P.S.
Basi with 33 points on count-back over Mick O’Meara in fourth also with 33.
In fifth was Steve Hamstad with 32 points.
Near Pins: Brian Parrish, Brian Strang, Gavin
Kelly, Tom Cotton
Long Putt: Tony Scambler, Mashi Kaneta
Thursday, December 9, Plutaluang - Stableford
Low numbers today as we were out on a Thursday due to the
Kingdom’s holiday on Friday. However, the weather was great and we were off
to a challenging course after breakfast and coffee at Bert’s.
Arriving at the Navy course, check in was quick and
efficient and all were soon in the assembly area. On checking the Starter’s
sheet we were booked to play the East and South nines along with many
others. A quick check of the start list for West and North indicated few
groups signed up. The Starter was more than happy to send us off West 1 and
we were off just about on our scheduled start time.
The course itself was found in very good condition, the
only complaint being longish rough in places. You’re not supposed to be
there anyway and the balls were rolling down the fairways and the greens
running at a good speed, other than the length, maybe there would be some
good scores at the end of the day.
Play was at a good pace and our last group (all walking)
were around in a bit over 4 hours. Showered and compiling the scorecards
showed that one player, our venerable venue captain, had indeed conquered
the course - and by 11 points over the second best score! Good shooting
Derek and we all hope the handicap committee does the right thing on the
weekend.
1st Derek Brook (16) 44pts,
2nd Mashi Kaneta (10) 33pts,
3rd Daryl Evans (20) 32pts
Near Pins: Jack Robertson, Derek Brook (2), Brian Gabe.
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Browne beaten at last
Phoenix Tuesday & Friday Golf Group
Mike Gerrard
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Phoenix -
Stableford
Yes just when our Cheshire grin man Patrick Browne
thought he had sandbagged us all again with a fine 41 points (three games on
the trot) up popped big Shaun Merriman (incidentally playing off 9, but not
after today) with a fantastic gross 75 for 42 points to win the day.
Today we tackled the Lakes and Ocean course, and with the
weather perfect, the course in superb condition and much more sensible pin
positions on the greens the scores were a total contrast from last week.
We had more than our usual compliment of players on the
day and so we implemented two divisions of ‘A’ & ‘B’.
Back at our usual presentation venue, The Relax Bar, we
enjoyed our first drink (Free) out of the days contributions and then set
about working out all the results.
In A Flight, as stated above was Shaun Merriman with 42
points and scrambling round to obtain 40 points (only hit two fairways) was
yours truly, Mike Gerrard. Never mind, even hackers have their day.
In B flight Patrick Browne did manage to claim first
place (by count-back) with 41 points from a relative newcomer (and a super
Brummie) Arthur Barrett, also with 41 points.
Near pins went to, Landis Brooks (2), Dennis Dixon and
Shaun Merriman. The lucky draw prizes of a free drink and a free massage
(complimentary of our hosts The Relax Bar) went to Richard Baldwin and
Howard Joderal. The other lucky draw went to Hugh Byrne.
Friday, Dec. 10, Phoenix -
Stableford
Having many of our regular players going on an overseas
golfing trip plus today being a national Thai holiday (dearer green fees!),
we thought we would be a little thin on the ground. However after many last
minute phone calls I had to call Phoenix Golf Club to ask for an extra tee
time.
Our challenge was a little harder today as we tackled the
Mountain and Lakes course. However, even though we cut him domestically
after Tuesday’s round, Shaun Merriman came up trumps once again with a fine
36 points (gross 79) to win the day. In second place was John Stafford with
30 points and third was Dennis Dixon with 28 points.
In fairness there were a couple of better scores, but the
players disappeared which left me with no option but to award the prizes to
the above.
The near pin prizes went to Shaun Merriman and Dennis
Dixon claiming two each. And guess whose name came out for the lucky draw.
Only one guess – Meeee!
With the high season now in full swing we are
experiencing the allotted tee times filling very quickly. So if anyone is
interested in joining us on either day please call me as soon as you can on
087 091 7565. Non members of Phoenix (guests) can enjoy a preferential green
fee of only 1,000 baht as a guest of the members on both days.
Tuesday’s flight winners and runners up
celebrate with the staff at The Relax Bar.
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Sakorn continues winning streak
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
(From
left): Geoff Doody, Friday’s Div B runner up; Raji, Div A runner up, and
Doug Campbell, Div A winner.
Joey’s column
Monday, Dec. 6, Burapha -
Stableford
A brilliant round, a gross 70, or 44 stableford points,
was scored by Raji here at Burapha on the long A & B nines. He was seven
clear of the second placed man, Tony Garnett, whose 37 points would normally
be enough to win Div A on this course and John Lay also had a good round to
take third with his 36 points; then there was a long gap back to the also
runs.
Div B went to the in-form Sakorn, who has now won her
division in each of her last four outings, a feat never before achieved here
at the Outback, followed in by Keith Meehan and Bob Lindborg both with 33.
For the record, 22 Outbackers played on this holiday
Monday, and there were three ‘2’s, coming from Bob Lindborg, Keith Meehan
and of course, Raji.
Div A (0-14)
1st Amarjit Banwaitt (6) 44pts
2nd Tony Garnett (10) 37pts
3rd Jon Lay (6) 36pts
Div B (15+)
1st Sakorn Pramoolchart (24) 35pts
2nd Keith Meehan (16) 33pts
3rd Bob Lindborg (16) 33pts
Tuesday, Dec. 7, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
The 21 Outbackers here got a little more than they
bargained for at Pattaya Country Club as all of the front nine white tees
had been moved back to the back tee-off areas. On the back nine it wasn’t
quite so bad but nevertheless the scores reflect the additional length of
the course.
More work is being done on the bunkers, leaving them a
little scruffy and overfilled but hopefully over the next few weeks we shall
see the benefit of the work. Generally the course was in good condition but
it was dry, begging the question as to why all the sprinklers that are in
the rough and amongst the trees were switched on, when it is really the
fairways that need the water.
So Chad, who was very consistent off the tee, won Div A
with 30 points and Capt’ Bob, who was here for a day out leaving Chad to do
the organising, was second with the same score. Div B did a little better as
Alan Pearce’s 32 points won that, closely followed by the improving Turnip
on 31.
The par 3s, that were playing long except for the 12th,
defeated everybody, as there were no ‘2’s.
Div A (0-19)
1st Barry Chadbourn (18) 30pts
2nd Bob Philp (8) 30pts
3rd Paul Smets (18) 28pts
4th Bob St Aubin (12) 28pts
Div B (20+)
1st Alan Pearce (21) 32pts
2nd Dennis Persson (21) 31pts
3rd Geoff Moodie (25) 30pts
4th Nigel Cannon (25) 29pts
Wednesday, Dec. 8, The Emerald - Stableford
Today six groups (24 Pax) travelled to the Emerald course
and what fantastic condition it was in, although the greens were a little
slow. One group managed to get lost before the golf and Capt’ Bob was
thinking of sending out a search party but they showed up before he could
get it organised.
Thanks to Candy for sorting out our time as we were told
the booking was for Thursday not Wednesday; anyway all things were sorted
and we were away 30 minutes early. Not too many break downs or punctures,
after the golf, so the presentation was in its normal time slot.
Nobody broke their handicap, the best score was from
Capt’ Bob with 36 points (Div A winner) even though he blobbed the last two
holes; maybe he was protecting that handicap again, everybody knows he
should off about 6, the distance he hits it off the tee. Second was Mr.
Consistency, Raji with 35.
Poor Steve Mann had a terrible round with only 19 points
and withdrew from competition for the remainder of the week.
In Div B there was a three-way tie, all on 34 points,
between Mark Allen, Barry McIntosh and Brain Maddox and that was the order
they finished, after the count-back.
There were six ‘2’s from Bob Lindborg, Rosco, Dave
Buchanan, Tony Garnett and Svenn Ole Lund had two.
We will be back here again, twice in January and the same
in February.
Div A (0-12)
1st Bob Philp (8) 36pts
2nd Amarjit Banwaitt (6) 35pts
3rd Murray Hart (12) 34pts
Div B (13+)
1st Mark Allen (13) 34pts
2nd Barry McIntosh (18) 34pts
3rd Brian Maddox (21) 34pts
Friday, Dec. 10, Khao Kheow - Stableford
The 29 Outbackers at Khao Kheow experienced the course
condition at its very best with lightning fast greens and beautiful weather.
Given an earlier than scheduled start, Capt’ Bob had a little bit of
juggling to do with the eight groups as they arrived on the first tee but
one way or another everybody was away okay.
Playing C and A off the yellow markers, the wind came up
on the back nine (A) just to make it a little bit more difficult and the
seventh hole on (A) had a particularly difficult pin placement on the side
of hill, resulting in a wipe for many. The hole was virtually unplayable -
Khao Kheow, what were you thinking?
Whether to play on a holiday or not is always a difficult
decision, not just because of the higher green fees but also since the
courses are usually markedly busier. Today was exceptionally bad as many
visitors chose to stop for a bite, causing an hour wait on the seventh tee
and no marshal to be seen.
Apart from that it was a great day out.
It was the first time I can remember a four way
count-back for 1st, 2nd, 3rd
and 4th in Div A, all with 36 points, which was the
best score of the day. The eventual winner, Doug Campbell, should have won
comfortably, playing the middle section of his round in just one over par
gross, but the wait on the seventh broke his concentration, picking up only
one point in the last three holes, bad luck Doug – but at least you still
won.
Div B had two more players with the same 36 points, with
the count-back going to Sakorn, who was recording her fifth successive win,
which is of course a record, so well done Sakorn and big hearty
congratulations from all of us here at the Outback.
There were three ‘2’s from Geoff Doody, Doug Campbell and
Glyn Moore
Div A (0-15)
1st Doug Campbell (15) 36pts
2nd Amarjit Banwaitt (6) 36pts
3rd Dave Buchanan (1) 36pts
4th John Cogan (15) 36pts
Div B (16+)
1st Sakorn Pramoolchart (22) 36
2nd Geoff Doody (19) 36pts
3rd Carl Luke (16) 35pts
4th Liz
Collier (23) 32pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km
from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. All are welcome to come and join
us for a beer and a hit. Just call in and put your name down on the list or
give Bob a call on 087 941 2474.
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The ‘Old Yin’ returns to winning ways
PSC golf from the Caddyshack
Wednesday, Dec. 8, Crystal
Bay - Stableford
Nineteen players split into two flights tackled Crystal
Bay’s C&B nines on Wednesday off the white tees.
Friday
winner Bruce Tollitt.
Tom Breslin recorded the best score of the day, 38 points
to win the B Flight ahead of Les Hall just the one behind and Mark Elvn with
an even par 36 points.
Vincent Smyth was the master of the top flight, finishing
five clear of second placed Jeff North and six ahead of Damian Trant in
third. Grahman Beaumont recorded the same score as Damian but lost out on
the count-back.
There were two ‘2’s from John O’ Flynn and Emmet White.
A Flight
1st Vincent Smyth (10) 37pts
2nd Jeff North (8) 32pts
3rd Damien Trant (8) 31pts
B Flight
1st Tom Breslin (22) 38pts
2nd Les Hall (17) 37pts
3rd Mark Elven (18) 36pts
Friday, Dec. 10, Green Valley - Stableford
Eighteen golfers, one fewer than Wednesday, took the
transport up to Green Valley on Friday to tackle this testing course off the
white tees.
In the A Flight Ted Gardner came home with 38 points for
the win; edging Paul Smith into second spot on count-back. John Murdoch had
to settle for third with an even par round.
The B Flight saw Bruce Tollitt back in the winning frame
with 37 points, two ahead of Kevin Hamilton in second while Ben Findon took
the bronze on 32.
Birdie ‘2’s were recorded by Paul Smith and Mark
Williams.
A Flight
1st Ted Gardner (8) 38pts
2nd Paul Smith (3) 38pts
3rd John Murdoch (12) 36pts
B Flight
1st Bruce Tollitt (19) 37pts
2nd Kevin Hamilton (16) 35pts
3rd Ben Findon (19) 32pts
Note: The Caddyshack is located on Soi 8
Threppasit Road. If you wish to join us for a day of golf please email [email protected]
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Shenanigans Jomtien Quiz League
Results from Dec. 7
The
Knuckleheads team.
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Team Geog. Sport Music Movies Gen.
Anagrams Photo Total
Know.
Knuckleheads 3 3 7
8 6 12 18 57
7 Chinese Brothers 6 6 6
6 9 8 12 53
The Tinkers 5 6 6
7 9 12 6 51
Aquaholics 4 3 5
7 11 16 4 50
Brightsparks 2 4 7
6 8 6 12 45
Murphy’s Jaws 3 2 5
3 8 12 8 41
The Outcasts 4 3 6
6 10 6 2 37
The H Amigos 0 6 6
6 7 8 4 37 |
Rod Nabbes a fine win
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar, Soi Buakhao
The Pattaya Golf Society spent the public holiday on
Monday, 6th December playing a stableford competition at Rayong Country Club
and found during their absence the course had improved slowly with greens
becoming quicker and more consistent. The bunkers continue to cause concern
as caddies continually ignore the golden rule of raking but golfers can play
their part in insisting that the job is completed before leaving the green.
The course was empty when the group teed off and the
field was cut at thirteen and under reflecting the quality of the
contestants.
In the second flight Sam McLellan and Tim Lazecki
acquitted themselves well enough to share third place with 30 points each
whilst Don Nellis took second place with 33 points. The flight winner was
the popular Swiss golfer Fredy Braun and his 35 points marked his best
performance this trip for his first win in a while.
In the top flight Yasuo Suzuki, Peter Ditz and Murray
Hart all shared the runner-up berth with 33 points whilst Rod Nabbe,
returning after a long absence produced the best round of the day recording
39 points with the best gross figures of eighty. He also recorded the day’s
only birdie ‘2’ to round off a profitable day.
The Booby Bevy went to Mark West for his forgetfulness
involving a breakfast bill and a full bottle of iced water gracing the
seventeenth tee long after the playing group had departed.
Rayong CC will continue to be a popular venue as the car
park stayed relatively empty all day whilst elsewhere five to six hour
rounds were the norm.
Nice one Joe!
As the region’s golf clubs drag their heels into the new
“high” season they are led by Greenwood, who amongst the others, is way
ahead in terms of course presentation and green condition and for this
reason the Pattaya Golf Society chose the club for its first monthly merit
event on Wednesday, 8th December.
A large group turned out to contest the stableford event
over the A and B nines on a relatively empty course under warm skies. With
the cut at fourteen and under there was some solid “meat” in both flights
and surprisingly Martin Grimoldby and Mark West only managed 31 points for a
share of third place in the top flight. Ahead of them was Sam McLellan with
32 points but they were all left in the wake of Thai golfer Wichai
Tananusorn as he romped away with a winning 37 point score on a course he
loves.
In the second flight Jean Morel, Allen Dow and Gordon
Everingham all shared third place with good scores of 35 points whilst the
rising star of Tim Lazecki continued to do well with his third sub-par round
in a week, this time his 37 points giving him second place. The best points
score of the day was the 38 recorded by Bangkok’s Joe Niisato and he added
another sub-par round to his IPGC curriculum vitae. His birdie ‘2’ on B2
joined Denis Quinn, Martin Grimoldby and Wichai in a share of the ‘2’s pot
whilst Wichai’s gross 81 was the best effort of the day.
The Booby Bevy went to the recently returned Olivier
Tahon, the personable Frenchman obviously keeping his best form for later in
his stay, as his score this day left much to be desired.
At the presentation later golfers were to reflect on the
day when Greenwood had once again come up trumps with a quality track on a
good day.
Kellys’ eye in at Emerald
The Pattaya Golf Society rounded off its week with a
visit to Emerald on Friday, 10th December to play a stableford competition
on the popular course. The second public holiday in five days cut the field
down but there was still enough meat in the sandwich to make a healthy meal
of the proceedings.
The course was in good condition but the placing of most
of the white tees at their farthest extent certainly made the course longer
than normal and scores were consequently less emphatic than usual.
Sharing second place were regulars “Banjo” Bannister,
Tony Thorne, Len Jones and visitor Joan Mullins, all on 30 points whilst
Brian Kelly showed them all a clean pair of heels with a fine 33 points to
win the day.
Banjo and Brian shared the ‘2’s pot after exploits on the
thirteenth and fifteenth holes respectively, the latter hole playing into
the wind at 160 yards instead of the more normal 130.
The Booby Bevy went to a returning Tony Lambert who had
endured a twelve hour overnight ‘bus journey from Sakhon Nakhon to arrive at
Rabbi’s thirty minutes before departure and his efforts, though heroic,
resulted in a sixteen-nine split on both nines.
Regardless of the outcome the day had been an excellent
one at Emerald and we are promised a course in fine order on Thursday, 30th
December when the annual PGS Scramble will take place. Entry forms are
available at Rabbi’s now and an early sign up is recommended.
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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200
Bowlers: Tui and Joe (guess which one is the Marine).
With only four weeks remaining in this league it will be
very difficult for any team to overtake VFW Post 9876. VFW won three points
this week from Sabai Friday and are now twelve and one have points ahead of
second place Green Tree. Somrak led VFW with a 549 series and Captain Tui
Amphanon added a 200 game to help the cause.
Second place Green Tree lost ground after losing all four
points to Bavaria. Both teams had trouble with lanes seven and eight and
scores were low.
Third place Brother D struggled to win two points from
Canada with both teams bowling poorly.
Sue Murphy bowled a 515 series to lead fourth place Café
Kronborg to a three point win over Jack Tar. Once again Ooy Pluemkamon led
Jack Tar with a very good 572 series but she got no help from her friends.
Joe Ferral, USMC, had to bowl a 212 last game and 563
series to gain a two-two draw with House of the Golden Coin.
Missing from the lanes this week were La Montgomery, Mio
Aamlid and Nok Kennedy who are all bowling at Tops Bowling for the Chonburi
Team in the National Games, which are being hosted by Chonburi.
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