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Stuvik makes European racing debut at Hockenheim
Sandy Stuvik leads the field of cars during
qualifying on Saturday, April 9, at the Hockenheim race circuit in Germany.
Young local racer Sandy Stuvik had his first taste of
racing in Europe on April 8-10 when he competed in the Northern European Cup
at the famous Hockenheim F1 circuit in Germany. The 15 year old used the
race as preparation for the Formula Renault Euro Cup season which starts
this coming weekend in Spain.
Stuvik saw the Hockenheim track for the first time during
Friday’s first morning practice session but he could only put in a
handful of laps and ended up 24th out of the 28 cars. For the second
practice an issue with the car kept him in the pit half way through the
session before he could get out, but during the 3 timed laps he managed he
was now 14th fastest.
Local
racing prodigy Sandy Stuvik.
During the first qualifying session Sandy had a bit too
much over steer in the car, and struggled a bit with the lap time, and as a
result he was a bit slower than in his second free practice and qualified
17th for the first race. For Qualifying 2, the set-up of the car had been
changed and the car was now much better and on his third lap out he set his
fastest time so far (1:39:550), and kept improving while testing the limits
only to find them in turn 8 as he flew off the track and into the gravel
trap.
The team’s expectations and hopes for Sandy’s first
racing venture in Europe was to qualify in the top 15 and to finish the
races in the top half of the 28 drivers. The team and Sandy were therefore
happy with the results, but the young driver felt there was much more left
and that he would be able to do better during the races.
In Race 1 Stuvik had quite a good start from P17 on the
grid and got past one car on the first lap and started charging his way up
the field, feeling the car’s set up was very good. However on lap 2 he tried
overtaking another car in Turn 6, in front of the Mercedes grandstand, but
the other car closed in on him and broke his front wing. From then on it
became a fight for positions and an effort to try and lose as few places as
possible for the rest of the race.
The race distance in these events does not allow enough
time for pitting and changing the front wing like in F1 races, so Stuvik had
to keep driving with the front wing almost broken off and pointing up-wards.
He managed to overcome the difficulties however and retained 16th place.
In Race 2 Sandy started from 13th place and again had a
good start overtaking 2 cars on the first lap and charging after the lead
group. Lap 3 saw the Safety Car coming on track and after the release on lap
5, Sandy again got himself past one car and chased after the lead group.
Through the mid race he had closed up the gap to the lead
group, but towards the end of the race his tires started going off, so he
drove more conservatively to secure 9th place out of the 28 cars starting.
The young Thai driver was satisfied with his result and very happy with his
team’s performance.
Stuvik started the third and final race from 16th place,
as he finished his first race with the broken front wing in 16th place, but
a slow start saw him dropping 3 positions before turn one. Sandy quickly
fought back and, by the end of the first lap he had regained those 3 lost
positions from the start and another 2 places and was in 14th. A lap later
he was up to 12th and had the 8th fastest time and was pushing hard ... and
a bit too hard, and then he pushed too much through Turn 1, got a huge over
steer and went backwards off on the inside of the curve.
With the tires just a foot or two inside the gravel, the
marshals refused to push him back out and instead he was hoisted off the
track. ...and the race was over.
Despite missing out on the podium last weekend, Sandy
will have gathered much experience from his debut race outing at Hockenheim
and will now focus on the first real race of the Euro Cup at Motorland in
Spain this coming Sunday.
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Bangkok Bank triumph at Planet
Football anniversary tourney
Congratulations go to the victorious Bangkok Bank Pattaya FC team, shown
here with Wanitchaya, 3rd
left, from their sponsors Alan Bolton Property Consultants.
Saturday, April 2 saw a special football event take place
at Planet Football on Soi Siam Country Club to celebrate the 1 year
anniversary of the opening of the all weather soccer field and academy.
The tournament featured six teams including the hosts
Planet Football, Chonburi Immigration, two teams from Banglamung Police,
Pattaya People Media, and Bangkok Bank.
After some hard fought qualifying matches the final saw
Bangkok Bank eventually triumph 5-4 in a penalty shoot out over the Pattaya
People team after the match had finished 1-1 in normal time.
Pongsak,
captain of the Bangkok Bank team, holds up the winners’ trophy.
United back on winning track
Pattaya United’s Ludovick
Takam shields the ball from an SCG defender during the Thai Premier League
match in Samut Songkhram, Saturday, April 9. (Photo/Ariyawat Nuamsawat)
Staff reporters
Coming off the back of their disappointing midweek home
loss to Navy FC last week, Pattaya United were in need of an improved
showing for their visit to Samut Songkhram on Saturday to face a side who
were keen on extending an unbeaten seven match home record.
The hosts dominated possession for long periods of the
first half but it was United who made the crucial breakthrough in the 31st
minute when Hiroyui Yamamoto latched onto a curling free kick from Rangsarit
Sutthisa to head the ball past Songkhram keeper Pinto and give the Dolphins
just the boost they needed.
Prior to taking the lead, United keeper Narit had been
forced into making a number of vital saves, notably from Wisarut Phannasri
and Thana Sriphandorn, that kept his team in the game and both he and the
defence were called on again before the end of the half to prevent Songkhram
from gaining an equalizer as the home team threw everything into attack.
The second half was a much more scrappy affair with
niggling fouls committed by both teams and clear cut scoring chances being
few and far between. It was only a matter of time before the referee lost
patience with the players and it was United’s Somchai Singmanee who was to
receive the wrath of the official when he was show a red card for a second
bookable offence in the 74th minute for a foul on
Choklarb Nilsaeng.
With a quarter of an hour of the match still to go United
were left to perform an all out defensive operation to protect their lead
and despite a few minor scares they were able to hold on for a valuable
three points which sees them leapfrog their opponents into seventh place in
the league standings.
United’s next Premier League match is a local derby
against Sri Racha Suzuki FC on Saturday, April 16 in Chonburi. Kick of is
scheduled for 6 p.m.
United’s next opponents Sri Racha were on the wrong end
of a 2-1 derby defeat to close neighbours Chonburi FC last Saturday and it
means the Marlins are still looking for their first win of the season.
Vladimir Rubic gave Chonburi a second half lead at the
Suzuki Stadium in the 55th minute only for Sri Racha’s
Douglas Cobo to equalize 4 minutes later. Chonburi continued to press and
were rewarded with a 76th minute winner from Suree
Sukha. The victory keeps Chonburi in touch with early league pacesetters
Buriram PEA who recorded a 1-0 win against Thai Port FC.
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A day at the races for children at St Andrews School
One of the teams looks
confident ahead of the race.
Coming
into the home straight.
Kamola Khaitova
Recently our year 6 classes have been studying the unit
“Forces”. They made various experiments to prove that gravity, friction,
balanced forces and much more, exist. All of them made different charts and
predictions, as well as conclusions, about all of their experiments. An
example of one of these experiments was using small cars to test Newton’s
laws of motion. Everyone had different ideas about the forces of the Earth
and each one had a chance to prove if they were right or wrong.
A nice
design but what about the brakes?
When the time came, the teachers raised the bar a little;
the children were broken up into groups to design and build their own go
karts, testing gravity, friction and all the other forces that included the
construction and driving of a car.
There were 6 groups; three groups from each class of Y6P
and Y6M. From Y6P there were the groups: The JECKals, Tara Furniture and
MBNT Wow. From Y6M were the Rapid Voiture, the Red Peace and the Speed
Demons. Everyone had their own designs that had their own unique structure
or feature that made the kart stand out.
Each team had to draw their go–kart on a piece of A3
paper with full detail showing each material or nail or screw that they
needed to build the vehicle. As soon as the teams had decided what they
needed to make the go–kart, they had a few days to find all the equipment
and materials. When that stage of the building was done everyone had to get
out their design sheets and start to build the wooden car.
The
‘Tara Furniture’ team are ready to put their go-kart to the test.
The rules of safety were: 1) The wooden chassis (frame)
of the go–kart must be strong and stable. 2) The go–kart must have 4 or more
wheels firmly on the ground. 3) The go–karts had to have brakes. 4) All
equipment had to be bought within a 2,000 baht budget.
In addition everyone had to bring their own safety
equipment.
On the final race day there were many successes. The day
ended with happy expressions and content feelings. All the children enjoyed
the day, many classes and parents came to support the children as they raced
down the hill that they had chosen as the race track.
The races included head to head, time, best design and
most wins. The awards for the races were given out in assembly a week later.
The JECKals team won the lowest amount of money spent; Tara Furniture team
had the most wins and fastest time; and the Red Peace team won the best
design.
The next few days were filled with team and self evaluations. The
children had to fill in sheets that had questions and ratings which were
answered by all children to go into their personal portfolios; the sheet
included rating yourself, your teammates and your go-kart. That is how the
unit eventually ended and everyone now has the experience of a fun race day
which will have a permanent place in their memories.
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Redlands Tigers take top honours at Chiang Mai Sixes
2011 San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes
Redlands
Tigers lift the Chiang Mai Sixes Cup.
Justin Moseley
The San Miguel Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes at
the Gymkhana Club came to a conclusion last Saturday with the Redlands
Tigers winning the coveted Cup.
The Bowl was won by Thai Thevada, the Shield by Bristol,
the Plate by the Zoom Bar Drifters, and the Spoon by Blythswood.
In an exciting all-Australian Cup final, tournament
newcomers the Redlands Tigers faced previous Cup winners the Lords
Taverners.
Despite great fielding, an innings of good running and
fine big-hitting (including Trent Conwell retired) saw a respectable 88
scored by the Tigers.
The Taverners responded magnificently, with Luke Towers
and Andy Walton retiring but, with six to win needed off the final ball,
Tigers’ birthday boy James Carr took a magnificent wicket to win the game
and the Cup.
Earlier in the day, the Cup semi-finals saw three
Australian teams aiming to prevent 2010 Cup holders the Bangladeshi
Bashundhara Cricketeers from retaining the trophy.
In the first game, the Lords Taverners, helped by
fantastic hits from Luke Towers, beat the Lik Lik Wombats, who went down
fighting after good batting by Brook Grumont.
The second Cup semi-final saw a magnificent effort from
the Redlands Tigers as they defeated Cup holders the Bashundhara
Cricketeers.
Thai
Thevada beat the Chiang Mai Hot Dogs in the Bowl final.
The Tigers produced some fine batting, followed by
tremendous catching (including a caught and bowled by Lenny Wyatt), which
ensured an exit from the tournament for the Bangladeshis, despite their
stupendous batting that started with a six for Khaled off the first ball and
then went down to the last over.
The Bowl final was between Thai Thevada and the Chiang
Mai Hot Dogs, a game notable for being the first time in the history of the
Sixes that an all-Thai team (Thai Thevada) has ever made a final.
The game itself was spoiled by lots of wides which
prevented both teams from batting properly.
At the end the scores were tied but, as Thai Thevada had
not lost any wickets and the Hot Dogs had lost two, they were declared the
winners to much applause around the ground.
A very wet early morning pitch affected the Shield
semi-finals. In the first game, good fielding from the Kiwi Divine Felons
(four wickets including three in one over) saw them defeat Darjeeling from
the UAE, and in the second good bowling and careful batting ensured an
English win for Bristol against the Australian Perth Postels.
In the final the Divine Felons scored 51 in their
innings, but fielding woes let them down and left Bristol to cruise to
victory on their first visit to the Chiang Mai Sixes.
In the Plate semi-finals, Almar’s quality batting easily
defeated the Gymkhana Cavaliers, and the Awali Taverners could not match the
innings score set by the ZoomBar Drifters.
The final saw the ZoomBar Drifters from England score 75
in an innings with good performances from Langham and Hall.
In response Almar from South Africa lost three wickets
and failed to reach the score set.
In the Spoon final, Blythswood from England set a score
of 66, despite good fielding by Sa Pa from Vietnam which included a one
handed caught-and-bowled by Jimi Green and good boundary stopping.
Sa Pa responded well to take it down to the final over,
but even a fine six could not quite match Blythswood’s score.
In the Ladies’ final, at the end of another fine
tournament, the Thai Angels beat the Chiang Mai Chassies.
For more information, go to
www.chiangmaisixes.com
Pattaya Cricket Sixes next
week
The second annual Pattaya International Cricket Sixes
will take place at Horseshoe Point in Pattaya from April 20-24. The full
list of teams has yet to be finalized but representative sides from
India, Bangladesh, Australia, Chiang Mai, Kuwait and of course Pattaya are
all penciled in to compete for honours in Cup, Plate, Bowl and Spoon
divisions in the all action six-a-side cricket match format.
The event will begin on Wednesday, April 20 with a
captains & officials meeting at the Nova Platinum Resort before the
tournament proper gets underway the following day at Horseshoe Point.
Spectators are encouraged to come along and cheer on the
teams in what promises to be a spectacular feast of cricket. Admission to
the ground is free of charge and refreshment and food stands will be set up
for the convenience of both players and spectators.
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Aronson returns with a bang
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, April 4, Pattaya
C.C. - Stableford
With diminishing numbers each week there were only 26
players out today and the cut was 16-20 in division 1 and 21+ in the two
divisional stableford competition. We were met with an almost totally
deserted course and there were no hold ups on the first tee enabling us to
set off 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Billy
Hewitt was the Division 1 winner at Pattaya Country Club.
Back after his four week diving tour in the south, Marty
Aronson recorded the highest score of the day with 41 points to win division
2. Kalevi Wallius was second with 38 points and with his last game before
his three week trip to Chang Mai, Terry Redding took third with 37.
Billy Hewitt claimed first place in division 1 with 39
points and the Frenchman Jean Morel was just the one behind in second after
beating Alan Pilkington (who eagled the par five 11th for 5 points ) on a
13/11 back six count-back after they both scored 19 on the back nine.
In the t’2’s competition Alan Griffiths birdied the 5th
hole to take the division 1 pot, and with two rollovers in division 2 Gordon
Everingham was smiling after his birdie on the tough 16th.
Near pins went to Billy Hewitt (2), Alan Pilkington,
Chris Voller, Marty Aronson, Gordon Everinghgam and Terry Redding (2).
Friday, April 8, Eastern
Star - Stableford
The weather is still unbelievably unpredictable for this
time of the year and it was a very cloudy and murky day as we approached the
Eastern Star course on Friday. As the eight four balls got underway the
clouds disperse and a comfortable round was enjoyed by all.
Toi Blair won the ladies division with 28 points ahead of
Anna Svortti in second place on 25.
Thirty six points was enough to give Lee Casey the
division 2 win and the Irish boy was yet again in the frame coming second
with 35, somebody please tell Cully Monks where the bell is at Siam Cats or
anywhere. Kari Aarnio took third place with 34.
In the last group out today there were four single
handicappers and three came in taking the places in division 1. Kari
Kuparinen (6) won with 35 points, while playing off 4 Michael Dige was
second on 34 and John (rioja) Lay (6) beat Raivo Velsberg (8) on a 6/5 back
three count-back for third after they both had equal scores of 18 on the
back nine and 12 on the back six.
Harry Riley birdied the 6th to take the rollover kitty in
division 2 while there was no ‘2’ in division 1.
Following the introduction of the new half and one kilo
homemade pasties available in six different flavours from Jules Bar and
sportsarama in View Talay 1, Jules has kindly sponsored a pie every
Wednesday in a draw for all non winners that day. Thank you very much Jules.
Near today went to Darryl Blair, Erkki Koivisto, Tony Thorne, Chris
Voller, Harry Riley (2) and John Williams (2).
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Russell Gilroy takes over the week
IPGC golf from The Haven
Sunday, April 3, Green Valley - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Bob Lamond (6) 40pts
2nd Brian Beaupre (5) 38pts
3rd Russell Gilroy (17) 37pts
Another small turnout determined that there would be just the one division
as the low season continues to deplete the numbers drastically indicating
another low “Low Season”, due no doubt to the continuing strength of the
Baht against the US Dollar, Euro and Sterling and the global economic
slowdown.
Russell Gilroy.
With no signs as yet of any change it will be a long
summer in the area again, but unbelievably almost, the signs are that the
local courses will attempt to maintain or in some cases even increase the
green fees to be charged up to the end of October. It is fortunate that many
of them are controlled by the banks who do not seem to be restricted by the
same market considerations of other businesses, with turnover seeming to be
the least of their worries.
Bob Lamond at last gained some reward for a purple patch
of recent form by winning by two from playing partner Brian Beaupre, as the
two single handicappers battled it out under a very pleasant overcast sky
with just a hint of wind to keep the higher markers back in the pecking
order.
Russell Gilroy, soon to be one of those single figure
players if recent form is anything to go by, took third place with another
under par round.
For the second week running Russell Goldsworthy slotted
in the only ‘2’ on the day to sweep the pool.
The presentations were conducted and overseen by Russell
Exley as usual at the Golf Centre Bar on the course, with amiable hosts John
and Geoff assisted by their lovely staff, taking excellent care of the
golfers.
Monday, April 4, Phoenix -
Stableford
CSS 72
1st Russell Gilroy (17) 44pts
2nd Rod Howett (24) 38pts
3rd Barry Wellings (5) 36pts
4th Mark Armstrong (27) 32pts
5th
Leslie Cobban (9) 32pts
Even the wide open spaces and lush fairways of the Lakes
and Ocean courses could not persuade too many out and so yet again just one
division, which Russell Gilroy totally dominated with an eight under
handicap round that flattened the rest of the field and left him winning by
a clear six shots in preparation for the IPGC Monthly Medal at Green Valley.
Bob
Lamond.
Rod Howett slipped into second place with a solid two
under round as the course seemed to play a lot harder than usual, even
though the conditions were almost perfect with just a light breeze and again
overcast skies and the greens maybe slightly slower than normal but the
fairways and rough in a nearly immaculate condition and a credit to the
greens keepers.
Barry Wellings took third place with what would be his
last game for a while as he returns to the UK for some extra rest before
returning again in June.
Mark Armstrong, who has been credited with the dramatic
increase in the quality of the Haven’s steak selection with much good advice
on special preparation and ageing, wrapped up fourth ahead of Leslie Cobban
with a better count-back of 16 to 14.
There were no 2’s in either division.
Friday, April 8, Treasure
Hill - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Orawan Meeraka (24) 40pts
2nd Trevor Schirmer (14) 35pts
3rd Russell Gilroy (17) 34pts
4th Bob Lamond (6) 34pts
5th Rod
Crosswell (13) 34pts
Orawan Meeraka at last got a return on her investments
after months of turning up and struggling to mix it with the boys “off the
tees in front.” She continued on from winning the IPGC Monthly Medal at
Green Valley the previous outing on Wednesday, which incidentally is the
reason for the lack of report from The Haven for that day this week, and
took first place here by a clear five as the length of the course from the
yellow tees confounded the best efforts of the gentlemen contestants.
Orawan
Meeraka.
Trevor Schirmer led in the rest of the field with what
was a very creditable round of one over with the course as usual playing to
its full rating of 71.
Once again Russell Gilroy was to be found amongst the
winners, taking third ahead of Bob Lamond and Rod Crosswell with a better
count-back of 18 to Bob’s 17 and Rod’s 16.
Following Russell’s big win in the IPGC Monthly Medal
with an incredible 43 points, he will find things a tad more difficult in
the coming weeks as his handicap has been reduced by three clear shots for
the period until he returns to the comfort of the New Australian handicap
system.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Russell
Gilroy continued to gather in while the sun shone with the only one in the
second division.
Before making the presentations The Doc welcomed back Rod
Crosswell and Shuichi Kodaka. Rod had earlier very sportingly offered to
play off his IPGC handicap even though his new Australian one was some three
shots higher, which seems to be a fair indication of the difference between
the old and new systems and the subject of much discussion amongst the
players over there at the moment.
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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‘The Whirlwind’ touches down in Pattaya
Jimmy
shares a joke with Nova Group CEO Rony Fineman,
one of the sponsors of the snooker legend’s visit to Pattaya.
Mark Rogers
The terms legend and celebrity are often used, rarely
deserved.
Not in this case. We’re talking about a man who started
his professional career 30 years ago in a sport that was just reaching its
peak. With characters and players whose names and play regularly dominated
work and pub conversations in everyday life, of the halycon days of Higgins,
Thorburn, Taylor, Davis, Griffiths, Reardon et al.
A Jimmy
White autographed T-shirt will be a much sought after item at this year’s
Jesters fair.
Snooker was at its peak, and was to stay there for some
years - these were the days before satellite TV and its multiple channels,
when, with just 3 channels (soon to become 4), what you watched was a shared
experience and attention spans were more mature.
Into this he stepped, and became a household name.
I’m talking about Jimmy ‘The Whirlwind’ White, also known
as ‘The People’s Champion’.
Jimmy arrived here in Thailand on the 21st
March for a “Whirlwind’ (sorry!) tour, encompassing 5 nights of
engagements. Before arriving here in Pattaya he had Tuesday and Wednesday
nights in Bangkok appearing at ‘Hustlers’ in the Amok area, and then ‘The
Ball in Hand’ in Nana, both great exhibitions.
So onto Pattaya he came!
‘Megabreak’ in Soi Diana was the host of his two main
exhibitions on Thursday and Friday night, with a dinner for VIP’s at
‘Jameson’s’ before.
Both were sold out, with some disappointed souls being
unable to get in. (Need to pre-book next time guys!)
Great entertainment, great venue and a great time had by
all, with Jimmy playing a lucky few on each night. To sum it up I’ll quote
an attendee: “That’s the first time I’ve ever actually met a hero of mine.
I’ll never forget it”.
Onto Saturday, where he had lunch with friends and the
CEO of the the Nova Group, Rony Fineman. Incidentally, big thanks to Rony
and all at Nova Group as without them these events would not have been
possible.
The evening was at a different pace to his previous
engagements with Jimmy having dinner and a chat with Q&A’s at the ‘Pig &
Whistle’, on Soi 7 which is a favourite haunt of his when he’s here on
holiday. From there he went onto ‘Kilkenny’s’ in LK Metro to finish off the
tour in a more raucous atmosphere!
Jimmy loves Pattaya, he’s been coming here since he was
18, and was delighted with the response he got on this tour. So much so
actually, that plans are afoot for a return in September with one of his
fellow professionals - watch this space, or tune in to my show, and we’ll
let you know when everything is confirmed.
At each event some great memorabilia was available, from
his autobiography to cues to polo shirts, all signed by the man himself. On
his return, I recommend you definitely get a copy of his DVD, it’s a great
insight to the game of snooker and the high regard Jimmy is held in by his
fellow professionals.
What more can I say? It was great to work with Jimmy
whilst he was here. I was lucky enough to have been MC at most of his
exhibitions and see him at close hand. My impressions? A true professional
and a genuinely nice guy to boot, he obviously works extremely hard and
really appreciates his public and the more people like him we can bring to
Pattaya the better it will be for Pattaya’s profile on the world stage.
Note: Mark Rogers is the host of ‘The Morning Mix’ on
Pattaya’s number one radio station Mix 88.5FM, Monday to Fridays 9am-12
noon.
Catch his interview with Jimmy White on PMTV on Monday, April 18.
A lucky
player shakes hands with Jimmy prior to taking on ‘The Whirlwind’ at his own
game.
Mark
Rogers of Mix 88.5FM radio station chats to Jimmy during his interview for
PMTV at the Nova Gold Hotel.
Jimmy
White plays an exhibition match
at the Megabreak pool lounge on Soi Diana.
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Wichai’s PB more than enough
The IPGC Monthly Members’ Tournament
Wednesday, April 6, Green
Valley
The first Wednesday in April saw a large field of IPGC
members gather at Green Valley for the latest IPGC Members’ Tournament of
the year. The course was reasonably well presented and the weather stayed
fine for long enough.
Each monthly member’s tournament provides three winners
in the divisions and one from the ladies, who will go forward to the finals
to compete for the Gold and Silver Medals later in the season. In addition
the tournaments will also be used to determine the IPGC Gentleman Player of
the Year, with between 1 and 15 points to be won in each division every
month, dependant on final positions, which will then be aggregated for the
year to establish the overall winner. As usual the first division contests a
stroke play format whilst the second, third and Ladies’ division play
Stableford.
In the first division the competition for the minor
placings was very close with Rob Lamond taking third place with net 71, one
shot behind Kari Kuparainen’s net 70. The winner by a country mile was Thai
golfer Wichai Tananusorn who played his personal best round of gross 74, net
66. Imagine what his score would have been if he had not recorded a triple
bogey on the ninth!
The second division played stableford and high scores
were a feature again as Kari Aarnio took third with 37 points and Larry
Slattery finding his place as runner-up with 38 points. The flight winner
was Russell Gilroy, performing to his best with 42 points.
The Third division was won by Jomtien golfer Burnie
Sinclair with 39 points, just easing past Rod Howett on 38 and Paul Hartley
on 36.
The Ladies’ winner was Orawan Meeraka with 35 points,
leaving Pranee Bossett and Anna Svortii to scrap over the minor placings.
In the ‘2’s competitions there were only four birdies,
all in the top flight, with Wichai Tananusorn and Bob Patterson sharing the
spoils with the brace of birdies recorded by Kari Kuparainen. Near pin
winners are reported below.
After the tournament the golfers enjoyed the usual
excellent presentation buffet at Siam Cats in Jomtien. The function and
prizes were generously sponsored as always by the IPGC, and those who had
contributed to the success of the day were warmly thanked. They included the
perpetual Registrar Glyn Evans, Starter John Mason, results coordinator
Stephen Beard and the hard working event organiser Russell Exley. The
official prize-winners are listed below but the full list of results can be
seen on the excellent official IPGC website at
http://www.ipgc.org
Division 1
1st Wichai Tanasusorn (8) net 66
2nd Kari Kuparainen (6) net 70
3rd Robert Lamond (6) net 71
Division 2
1st Russell Gilroy 42pts
2nd Larry Slattery 38pts
3rd Kari Aarnio 37pts
Division 3
1st Burnie Sinclair 39pts
2nd Rod Howett 38pts
3rd Paul Hartley 36pts
Ladies
1st Orawan Meeraka 35pts
2’s: Kari Kuparainen (2), Wichai Tanasusorn, Bob Patterson
Near Pins: Wichai Tanasusorn, William Chang, Doug Lynch,
Pranee Bossett, Kari Kuparainen, Charlie Sheppard, Chris Walsh, Orawan
Meeraka, Bob Patterson, Joe McArdle, Paul Hartley
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Ditz blitz at the Riverside
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
With the weather warming up nicely again the golfers with
the Pattaya Golf Society gave themselves a treat on Monday, 4th April when
they visited the beautiful Bangpakong Riverside course to play a stableford
competition. As always the warmth of the welcome was matched by the
excellence of course presentation and the greens are some of the most
consistent the group plays in the area.
With the annual “between-seasons” lull in numbers the
group were limited again to one flight but the quality of the golf was there
for all to see as half the field returned scores of level par or better.
In joint third place were Joe Niisato and Glenn Martin,
both recording 38 points whilst Austrian golfer Peter Ditz had the round he
has been seeking for a long while with a fine winning 39 point card. His
gross of 79 was also the best of the day.
Surprisingly there were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy
was reserved for Jim Ferris after a promising start of nineteen points had
finished with six less on the back nine.
John Mason once again brought his usual quiet efficiency
to the organisation and only tested his calm once when confronted with a
marshall who was set on testing his nerve, his shot ricocheting OB off the
dumbly parked golf cart! It may have been “sanuk” for the marshall but it
inevitably affected the progress of Mr. John’s round. Ultimately Peter Ditz
had the last laugh with his splendid performance at the Riverside.
West is best
On Friday, 8th April the Pattaya Golf Society visited
Green Valley to play a stableford event on the course under brooding skies
with a threat of rain. When the rains did arrive the small single flight had
almost all finished their round and found Les Burns in third place with 33
points, Chris Smith in second on 34 and Mark West at the top with 35 points.
Scratch player Chris Smith also took the ‘2’s award for
his effort on the sixteenth.
The day was ably managed by Larry Slattery, the
personable Irishman enjoying a return to the course where he had performed
well only two days before in the IPGC Members’ Monthly tournament. With the
average score at 32 the field had all enjoyed a good day out with the threat
of a golf-free hiatus on the horizon as Songkhran approaches.
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Mooney on the money with ‘hole in one’
Golf from the Travellers Rest
Saturday’s winners at Greenwood: Mike Rushant, Bill McGarvie, Mod Chaviraksa
and Gary Brewer. (Inset Jack Mooney – hole in one at Khao Kheow).
Barry Hooper
I must start this week with a sincere apology to Jack
Mooney. In my last report I failed to offer him recognition for the hole in
one that he had attained at the 5th hole at Khao Kheow
on Tuesday March 29. Sorry Jack I was not told about it till last weekend.
They really kept that one quiet. I understand that this was his second but
the last one he had was back in USA some ten years ago.
Congratulations Jack! I understand a certificate is on
its way from the course but that is all. That was a little bit mean of the
club me thinks. It is strange how some courses really do honour a hole in
one and others do absolutely nothing at all. Luck of the draw I suppose.
Notice to all the readers: - we at the TRGG are not
making any golfing outings over the Sonkran Holidays. So on the 16th,
18th and 19th there is no
play. I am made to understand that a three day trip to “Wongjunta” has been
planned. Please contact Fergus at the Travellers Rest for full information
of the planned package.
Saturday, April 2,
Greenwood - Stableford
We went to Greenwood on Saturday, April 2, to play the
C&A layout on a very hot day and somewhat of a contrast to the rest of the
previous week. Numbers were still down so only sixteen players made the
journey and competed in one division.
Bill McGarvie found good form to come home with the win
after returning a level par thirty-six points. Gary Brewer followed him in
at thirty five, a good score when you consider that he is a scratch golfer,
in third was Mike Rushant just one back and fourth place was awarded to Mod
Chaviraksa, despite her playing off 12 now after her recent success.
1st Bill McGarvie (9) 36pts
2nd Gary Brewer (0) 35pts
3rd Mike Rushant (12) 34pts
4th Mod Chaviraksa (12) 32pts
Tuesday, April 5, Green Valley – Stableford
This course is not everybody’s cup of tea but obviously
Roger Wilkinson found it to his liking as he garnered the win with
thirty-eight points, and took two big scalps in the process – those being
Brendan Moore and Fergus Brennan, who would not be well pleased I am sure.
It was nice to see Roger at the top on this occasion; he
is always there or thereabouts picking up places in the top group so
congratulations to him.
1st Roger Wilkinson (12) 38pts
2nd Brendan Moore (11) 36pts
3rd Fergus Brennan (10) 34pts
4th Jon Dean (10) 34pts
Thursday, April 7, Phoenix –– Stableford
There were twenty four players out today so two divisions
to take on the Lakes and Ocean course.
Guess what, she did it again. Who? Mod Chaviraksa that’s
who. Mod took top spot in Div 2 here at Phoenix the previous week and this
week she did the same in Div 1 with a sparkling 41 points. She obviously
likes this course..
Roger Wilkinson after his win on Tuesday must have
thought he was in with a real chance with 40 points but how wrong could he
be as he only captured second place. You then had to go four more back to
find third placed Mike Rushant.
Div 2 had Mr Norman Cheetham in top slot at 39 points
with Alan Evans (nice to see your name in the frame again Alan) second just
the one back and Ken Brehm completed the podium with a level par round.
Div 1
1st Mod Chaviraksa (13) 41pts
2nd Roger Wilkinson (12) 40pts
3rd Mike Rushant (12) 36pts
Div 2
1st Norman Cheetham (16) 39pts
2nd Alan Evans (26) 38pts
3rd Ken
Brehm (21) 36pts
Notee: 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 call in to the Travellers Rest in Soi LK Metro, Pattaya and look at the
notice board or visit their website at www.trgg.biz.
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Koch cashes in
PSC golf from The Cafe Kronborg
The Drut
Monday. April 4, Century Chonburi –Stableford
Seventeen golfers teed-off from the white markers at
Century Chonburi and the leading group completed the journey in four hours
flat. The course was in good condition, the greens slower than a sloth, and
the weather warm.
In the A flight Arne-Max Pedersen handed in thirty six
points for first place, relegating Ebrahim to second on thirty two. Third
place went to Mike Gosden on thirty one and Bjarne Kjaer with the same score
gained a podium finish.
In the B flight Wayne Koch with thirty six points easily
finished atop the listings whilst Graham Buckingham played solidly for
thirty four points and second place. Third spot went to Jean Claude Lhoste
on thirty three points whilst Mike Winfield with thirty two rounded out the
flight.
Today we welcomed Ted Morris, John Swanson and Ebrahim.
A Flight (0–18)
1st Arne-Max Pedersen (15) 36pts
2nd Ebrahim (10) 32pts
3rd Mike Gosden (11) 31pts
4th Bjarne Kjaer (18) 31pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Wayne Koch (22) 36pts
2nd Graham Buckingham (24) 34pts
3rd Jean Claude Lhoste (22) 33pts
4th
Mike Winfield (19) 32pts
The coveted Compass Cap was won by Ron Folks while Deefa
the Dog was delighted to snavel a few more schimolies for charity. All who
donated are thanked once again.
Thursday, April 7,
Treasure Hill –Stableford
Twenty seven golfers turned out for the day’s
entertainment. Teeing off the yellow markers the starter sent the first
group on their way at 0930 hours under cloudy skies and in warm conditions.
They completed the journey in four hours and twenty five minutes which
included a couple of drink stops.
The course was in super condition however the greens,
whilst evenly paced, had more tricks in them than a Mississippi river boat
gambler.
Prior to tee off the changing room chatter revealed that
Ron Folks was a monty to win the coveted Compass Cap for the third time on
the trot. He certainly had the form to warrant favouritism and time would
tell if the pundits were correct.
In the A flight Mike Gosden made a few putts and scored
forty two points to take the flight from Tore Eliassen on thirty eight. Mike
Allidi continued his consistent form to hand in thirty seven points for
third place and Chop Daprakhon scored a solid thirty six to gain a podium
finish.
In the B flight Ronnie Ratte posted thirty nine points
for first place, holding off the fast finishing Brian Noguer on thirty eight
whilst Dave Neal with thirty five points claimed third spot and Tien Tong on
thirty three rounded out the flight.
Graham Buckingham handed in twenty five points which
revealed a very suspect eighteen/seven point split and the stewards are sure
to investigate the reversal of form between the two nines.
We welcomed Russell Goldsworthy from the Gosnells Golf
Club in Perth Western Australia today.
A Flight (0–17)
1st Mike Gosden (11) 42pts
2nd Tore Eliassen (13) 38pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 37pts
4th Chop Daprakhon (11) 36pts
B Flight (18+)
1st Ronnie Ratte (26) 39pts
2nd Brian Noguer (23) 38pts
3rd Dave Neal (21) 35pts
4th Tien Tong (26) 33pts
Near Pins: Mike Allidi, Jon Hauger, Mike Gosden.
Long Putts: John Hauger, Walter Baechli.
The Coveted Compass Cap was won in a keenly fought
contest by Ron Folks. Deefa gleefully accepted donations on behalf of
charity and those who contributed are thanked for their generosity.
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Ken gets the gold at Emerald
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, April 5, The
Emerald - Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Emerald in Ban Chang and what a
difference a week makes with the weather now hot and humid. Over the
previous 3 weeks we have played some really good courses in fine condition
and there was a noticeable drop off in condition this week.
Ken Hole (H/cap 16) hit some form, recording a fine 41
points to lead home Mike Wing (18) with 36 points.
Near pins were picked up by Mike, Joel & Mam, while one
went to Banglamung Boys Home.
Thursday, April 7, Khao
Kheow - Stableford
On Thursday we made a return visit to Khao Kheow after
being so impressed with the condition of the course the previous week. We
were not disappointed, with this week the B & C layout being our test.
Again it was Jeff Wylie (H/cap 6) who best came to terms
with the conditions, recording 34 points to edge Tuesday’s winner Ken Hole
into second spot after he signed for 31 points.
The technical prizes were spread around between Jeff,
Jim, Martin & Ken.
A Charity Day to benefit The Banglamung Boys Home will be
hosted by Mulligans Lakeside on 28th April at Greenwood. We have secured a
2-tee start commencing at 11.00 a.m., with a buffet and presentation back at
ML after the round. Cost is 1200 baht, green fee & caddy fee inclusive. It
should be a good day out and spots are limited to 40, so give us a call on
the numbers below to reserve your tee time.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf usually on
Tuesdays & Thursdays, although we do sometimes change to suit a Public
Holiday. 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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JJ victorious at Emerald yet again
The Backyard Golf Society
JJ,
center, celebrates his win with the staff at Kisses Bar.
With the weather getting warmer it was nice to be able to
tee off earlier than normal to finish our round before the lunchtime heat.
We had twelve players out today, of which eleven were in all competitions.
JJ won for the second week in a row, this time with 35
points, and Andy Oz finished second on count-back over John Mac, both with
33.
With Geoff going home it gave everyone else a chance at
the nearest the pin prize but we all failed miserably with not one of the
twelve players competing managing to hit the green.
Skin results were as follows: Russell (6), Martyn (4),
Andy Oz (3), JJ (1), Broken Wing (1), Danny L (1) and John Mac (2), which
includes the rollover from the previous week.
Finally, after spending a couple of months over here, we all wish Micky
and Linda a good trip back to the UK and look forward to seeing them again
in November.
Sullivan sublime at Green Valley
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s
Monday, April 4, Green
Valley - Stableford
Playing at Green Valley drew a good crowd of golfers,
enough to have two flights.
The cut was set at handicap 14 and the best round of the
day was in the A Flight where Alan Sullivan had a very good 39 points to win
by three points. Last month’s golfer of the month John Graham got runner up
spot and the man who ran him close last month, Colin Greig, came third.
Geoff
Cox.
William Macey, playing at the course where he has a
membership, took the honours in the B Flight.
A Flight
1st Alan Sullivan (13) 39pts
2nd John Graham (1) 36pts
3rd Colin Greig (12) 35pts
B Flight
1st William Macey (6) 35pts
2nd Peter Habgood (16) 34pts
3rd Laurence Harding (15) 33pts
Near Pins: Per Aaschan, John Graham, Mark Stanley.
Wednesday, April 6, Greenwood - Medal
Only a single flight today at Greenwood, which was in
superb condition, and the rain held off until just before the end when a few
in the last group got a bit of a soaking.
Geoff Cox was well clear of the field and won by five
points while Colin Greig kept up his consistent form but lost out on the
runner up spot to Dave Ashman on a count-back.
1st Geoff Cox (14) 36pts
2nd Dave Ashman (14) 31pts
3rd Colin Greig (10) 30pts
Near Pins: John Gavin and Mario Benavidez.
Friday, April 8, Crystal Bay - Stableford
Geoff Cox almost made it two wins in a row but lost out
on a count-back to the other man in form Colin Greig, both finished with 38
points but Colin just nicked it in the end. Last month’s golfer of the month
John Graham took third place.
Bruce Gladden made another guest appearance to take the
honours in the B Flight again while David Stott and Laurence Harding
finishing second and third respectively.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (12) 38pts
2nd Geoff Cox (14) 38pts
3rd John Graham (11) 37pts
B Flight
1st Bruce Gladden (16) 39pts
2nd David Stott (16) 37pts
3rd Laurence Harding (16) 36pts
Near Pins: Bruce Gladden, Geoff Cox, David Stott, Peter Habgood.
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‘Ladies Day’ at Green Valley
PSC golf from the Fairway Golf Society
Monday’s
top three: Joop Medze, Ning Neal and Noi Emerson.
Monday, April 4, Green
Valley - Stableford
Not so many golfers again today - it seems like everybody
is returning to their respective countries at the same time. It will be
interesting to see how quickly the low season kicks in after Songkran, what
with all the new hotels being opened and the prices they are charging!
Anyway on to the golf, which was dominated by the ladies
today as they took first and third places in the main competition and also
one of the near pins. There were lots of excuses put up by the male players
but none worth mentioning so congratulations to Ning and (Noisy) Noi.
Near pin winners were Ning Neal and Tony Duthie.
1st Ning Neal (15) 40pts
2nd Joop Medze (17) 38pts
3rd Noi Emerson (20) 34pts
Friday, April 8, Greenwood – Stableford
As usual the course here was in excellent condition but
the weather was very hot and humid which made it very difficult to keep your
concentration going. We all knew there was a storm brewing but thankfully it
held off until our last four ball finished. Then, within minutes, the
heavens opened up and it absolutely pelted down.
One player excelled today, Jockey Oestreicher, who rode
the course extremely well to record 40 points and his first ever victory
with us after many attempts. Unfortunately for Jockey it will be his last
for a while as he has to return home and won’t be back for a month.
Near pins today went to Scott Dobbin (2), Billy Vickers,
and Gary Saunders.
1st Jockey Oestreicher (21) 40pts
2nd Tony Duthie (19)35pts
3rd
Gary Saunders (12) 34pts
Note: The Fairways Driving Range is situated at
the top of Pattaya Klang on Sukhumvit Road. The group plays every Sun - Mon
- Wed & Fri, and anyone wishing to play with our society can call into the
club house and enter their names on the list or call Scott on 084 389 2379.
Transport provided if required.
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Smyth has a scorcher
PSC Golf from the Caddy Shack
Friday, April 8, Green
Valley
With no game on Wednesday, 14 eager golfers showed up at
Green Valley for a Friday stableford event.
Vincent
Smyth.
Vincent Smyth put together a superb round to finish four
points clear of the chasing pack which included Ben Findon in second place
and Damian Trant in third.
There were no ‘2’s recorded today.
1st Vincent Smyth (13) 41pts
2nd Ben Findon (18) 37 pts
3rd
Damian Trant (11) 35 pts
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]
McLean cleans up at Burapha
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Friday’s
Div A winner, Mark McDonald, left,
poses with Suzi Lawton who took fourth place in Div B.
Monday, April 4, Burapha -
Stableford
The unusual combination today of playing A and C off the
blue tees was an experience. Normally we play C and D off the whites, but
off the blues it’s a different game completely.
Our visitor from the Royal Fremantle Golf Club was the
man of the moment, playing off 14 Duncan McLean cleaned up big time with 41
points, that is one hell of a round on that combination and he was heads
above everybody else.
It was great to see the Aussie contingent back for a hit
with us, some from the West and the rest made up of Weipa golfers. (If you
don’t know where Weipa is, have a look at the map of Queensland and look for
the Gulf of Carpentaria almost as far up as you can get into croc country
but great fishing).
Anyway back to Burapha, the course is in as good a
condition as you will see anywhere; the greens were fantastic and you
couldn’t get a bad lie anywhere on the course. Even though the rain
threatened we all got in without getting wet.
There were a total of 36 Outbackers, 30 of them playing
in the competition in two divisions with Duncan taking Div A with his 41
points and Nev Steward also having a cracking round to win Div B with 40.
They were both way clear of the rest headed by Mark McDonald (35pts) in Div
A and Greg Hill (33pts) in Div B.
There were no ‘2’s (probably a first for Burapha).
Div A (0-15)
1st Duncan McLean (14) 41pts
2nd Mark McDonald (3) 35pts
3rd James Brackett (6) 33pts
4th Rosco Langoulant (14) 32pts
5th Robert Driggs (12) 31pts
Div B (16+)
1st Neville Steward (22) 40pts
2nd Greg Hill (26) 33pts
3rd Dick Hayes (25) 32pts
4th Ivan Plunkett (21) 31pts
5th John Mills (16) 31pts
Tuesday, April 5, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
Fifteen Outbackers today for the Tuesday visit to Pattaya
Country Club and the day’s honours went to Jim Payne, having his first game
with the Outback for some time. Jim scored 39 points to finish three clear
of Dave Earthrowl, who rarely plays competitive golf but had some great
shots on his front nine on his way to 21 points. Unfortunately he couldn’t
quite keep that standard up on the back. Perhaps the wetter fairways on the
back, making the cleanly struck ball more difficult, contributed to the
difference.
General Jack was out having his first game since Chiang
Mai and to test his injured knee which seemed to go OK, but the reason for
his NR was more to do with the scary weather that came in towards the end of
the round, when lightning was coming down just a bit too close for comfort
and leaving his ball on the green he sped off towards the drink stop, never
to be seen again! Not on the course anyway, a decision which his terrified
caddy was delighted with.
On the whole the course was tidy but the greens were slow
but that didn’t stop four guys getting ‘2’s; Jim Payne, Lloyd Shuttleworth,
Dennis Persson & Dave Brennan.
1st Jim Payne (26) 39pts
2nd David Earthrowl (20) 36pts
3rd Nigel Cannon (23) 35pts
4th Lloyd Shuttleworth (6) 34pts
Wednesday, April 6, The Emerald - Stableford
What a great day, 15 Outbackers plus Chris Fletcher’s 8
mates came to play Emerald and got a major surprise with rates for the new
low season that were better than holiday rates, so a great start for all.
Holiday rates must have scared off all others as the course was deserted and
a less than four hour round was enjoyed by all.
The course was in great condition and it’s good to see
that they are in the process of upgrading a number of the white tees; this
meant that we played a number of the par 3’s from the blue markers and those
that got ‘2’s, fully deserved them.
Disappointingly, there were a number of “no shows”
including Muzza, who will never live that down, as he was sorely missed,
especially by his playing partners. The course took no prisoners and gave
out no really good scores.
We only had one division and the winner with 33 points
was Jim Bell off a 19 handicap on count-back from Dave Buchanan (H/cap 1),
who continues to struggle with the putter. Bobbie Driggs (whose name on the
card looked like Dr 998) was third with 32 (off 12).
There were two ‘2’s to Dave Buchanan and Bobbie Driggs.
A great day was had by all and thanks must go to Emerald
for a fantastic holiday rate and presenting the course in a great condition.
Keep up the good work as the course continues to improve and is great value
for money.
1st Jim Bell (19) 33pts
2nd Dave Buchanan (1) 33pts
3rd Robert Driggs (12) 32pts
4th Chris Fletcher (12) 31pts
5th Steve Plant (15) 30pts
Friday, April 8, Khao Kheow - Stableford
This course just gets better and better and we are
pleased to announce that the Outback is remaining here every Friday
throughout the low season. Today was the turn of the B and C loops and as
usual the course was the winner; it certainly doesn’t take any prisoners but
what a challenge, magnificent condition in every way, shape and form.
It was goodbye to our friends from Weipa in Northern
Queensland. We sometimes marvel at the talent of some golfers and these
folks come into that category; each day they played with us they used
borrowed or hired clubs of every different type and still managed to have a
laugh at their golf and everything else that came along. Maybe we could all
get a lesson from these people.
It was also nice to see Wendy get in the frame today,
we’ll drop the money off to your hotel before you go then you can really
give your husband a bit of stick on the way back to Aus.
Welcome also to John Goddard on a fleeting trip from KL
and gentleman George was back in harness on the golf course and enjoying
himself; looks like “leave passes” were the go last week.
Anyway down to the scores, the best coming from Mark
McDonald, who shot a magnificent 73 gross (38pts off H/’cap 3), and was four
clear of his nearest rivals, Murray Hart and Capt. Bob, who both had 34.
In Div B, it was Sel Wegner who led the way with 33
points, just one ahead of Wendy Grainger, with George Bishop one further
back with 31.
There were three ‘2’s from John Goddard, Mark McDonald
and George Bishop.
Div A (0-13)
1st Mark McDonald (3) 38pts
2nd Murray Hart (13) 34pts
3rd Bob Philp (10) 34pts
4th Owen Walkley (11) 33pts
Div B (14+)
1st Sel Wegner (14) 33pts
2nd Wendy Grainger (15) 32pts
3rd George Bishop (14) 31pts
4th
Suzi Lawton (17) 29pts
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A mixed bag at Phoenix
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Derek Brook
Tuesday, April 5, Phoenix
– Stableford
It has been some time since we played at Phoenix, the
courses seem to come in and out of fashion and this is one of those that you
either love or hate, and usually on the same day. Once upon a time we played
here regularly but a golf club has to make the players feel comfortable and
wish to come back. Mind, it is close to Pattaya. The venue here provides
three fine ‘nine holes’ and on this day we played the Lakes and the Ocean
layout.
One of the problems I have had in the past is the numbers
of groups. We have to book the courses weeks in advance to go on the PSC
course forecast for the outlets and as all the organisers know, sometimes
you can be way out on group numbers, and to be honest Phoenix is one of the
courses you usually have to take the exact numbers, and why not indeed. On
this day thankfully I was smack on so we arrived in a blaze of glory and off
to the first tee without problems.
Tuesday’s winners with Bert’s favourite waitress.
At present Phoenix offer a Sports Day with a reduced
rate, which is fine, but if two of you want to share a cart be careful as
booking green fee, caddy fee and cart for two is cheaper than the Sports Day
price, as two can share the cost of the cart.
Onto the course and one of the things that is
particularly good here is that you usually tee off on the time you booked,
obviously a reason as well not to bring too many, or too few, players. On
this day off we went off the Lakes nine in a strong wind and the day was
underway.
There is no doubt that all three nines are fine tests and
the surroundings are splendid, and on this day the course was in good
condition, so high scores were expected.
We were soon round and into the showers. Here I must say
thank you to the changing room staff as I left my key in the locker and it
was with the staff when I finished. One thing that happens here that I have
not seen at any other venue is that the female staff members constantly walk
through the changing room, and it has not changed. Indeed we have many male
players who feel that they would like the same job on the ladies side, even
for free!
I always take in the cards at the restaurant of all the
courses we play and usually all the players drop in before we leave and
partake of refreshment, but this is one course that they do not, as in fact
most other local players do not. I always see if there is any change and sad
to report there is not. Mashi always eats the same food at all the courses
and I have never seen him complain, on this day he classed it as inedible
and complained to the staff bitterly without any visible impact. Mind, Tom
said his food was quite good - nuff said.
Back at Bert’s we held the presentation and the winner
was the old ‘Master’ Dick Warberg with 39 points, ahead of Rita Zoebeli with
38 points. We then had a count-back on 37 that saw Mashi Kaneta in third
place and Jim Coromos in fourth.
I usually ask the players how they rated their day and
generally they enjoyed their day at Phoenix, so we will go there again
shortly. Mind the members of the course enjoyed it more, and why not, as
members it is a great deal. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Jim Conomos, Steve Hamstad (2), Andre
Van Dam.
Long Putts: Daryl Evans, Nick Nicholson
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‘Slan Abhaile’ (Farewell) Seamus
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Seamus
Cotter, front center,
and his family say farewell to their friends at Lewiinski’s
Sunday, April 3, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Seamus Cotter (12) 40pts
2nd Mark Wood (11) 39pts
3rd Bob Newell (5) 36pts
B Flight
1st Eddy Beilby (16) 41pts
2nd Mike Craighead (18) 40pts
3rd Jan Eriksen (18) 39pts
Near Pins: No 4 Alain Bellec, No 9 Jim Bell, No 12 Andrew Byrne, No 16
Kathy Doody.
One of the biggest and most well-liked smiles in the land
of the smiling golfers is leaving us. Seamus Cotter and his family have
decided to return home to Ireland and he will be greatly missed by all
golfers on the Eastern Seaboard.
Seamus left the society in the best way possible with a
40 point senior flight victory on Sunday. Aberdeen’s Mark Wood took second
place on the podium a shot adrift, with Bob ‘low gross’ Newell left to fill
out the flight after gaining a back-side decision over Yui Bietry.
Eddy Beilby spoilt Seamus’s farewell by posting 41 points
for the B Flight and match honours. Eddy stood on top of the podium looking
down on Mike ‘the mechanic’ Craighead and Jan ‘the quite one’ Eriksen who’s
inward nine was slightly better than Geoff Doody’s. ( A word of warning the
Co. Offaly mobs in town!)
Back at Lewiinski’s after the game, it was time to say
farewell to Seamus, Sarah and Jamie, hence the headline, or as they say in
Leicester “Take care me-duck!”
Tuesday, April 5, St.
Andrews - Stableford
A Flight
1st Per Aschan (9) 39pts
2nd Ed Wyckoff (9) 39pts
3rd Barry Copestake (15) 38pts
B Flight
1st Jan Eriksen (18) 38pts
2nd Jim Bell (19) 37pts
3rd
Christy Knight (19) 35pts
It was off to one of the most entertaining venues in the
area, Desmond Muirhead’s St. Andrews for the day and no one was more
entertained than Per Aschan and Ed Wyckoff as both put together rock solid
39 points for the best of the day’s scores. Per’s was more favorably
distributed than Ed’s to give him the match and senior flight honors. Barry
the Boot filled the flight a shot adrift.
Jan ‘the quite one’ Eriksen made it to the top of the
junior flight with a solid 38 points, followed by the society’s hotshots,
Jim Bell and Christy Knight, in that order.
Per Aschan Andrew Byrne (O G) and Peter Wallace shared
the 2’s pot.
Friday, April 8, Greenwood
- Stableford
A Flight
1st Matt Doyle (13) 39pts
2nd Andrew Byrne (11) 39pts
3rd Tore Eliassen (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st Jim Elphick (23) 40pts
2nd John Heaney (19) 39pts
3rd
Jim Bell (19) 39pts
The young man from Jersey, Jimmy ‘two shots’ Elphick took
a major step towards realizing his golfing potential as he whipped the
Greenwood A & C nines with a sizzling 40 points. He was followed by two
sub-par rounds courtesy of the consistent John Heaney and Jim Bell, both a
shot back.
There was drama in the upper flight (I told you they were
here) as the Offaly gang pair of ‘Big’ Matt Doyle and Andrew Byrne both
posted flight winning 39 points, the scales tipping in Matt’s favour via the
resultant count-back. Tore Eliassen took third spot four shots back, but he
had the last laugh as he pocketed the ‘2’s pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi
1, Beach Road Soi 13/3 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.d
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Age no barrier for Breslin
PSC golf from The Golf Club Sports Bar
Monday, April 4, Green
Valley – Stableford
1st Peter LeNoury 38pts
2nd Gary Blackburne 37pts
3rd Gary Bamford 36pts
Peter LeNoury managed to elude a double bogey and took
the frame today with 38 points. Gary Blackburne had a great 21 points on the
back to slide into second with 37, while Gary Bamford had a consistent 18/18
to finish third with 36.
Wednesday, April 6,
Treasure Hill – Stableford
1st Martin Zimmerman 36pts
2nd Bob Newell 35pts
3rd Mark Bonner 33pts
4th Bryan
Carrol 32pts
A 30 minute rain delay didn’t seem to faze our winner
today Martin Zimmerman. With our first group heading off the 18th tee the
storm came in and the rest headed for cover. The last 3 holes were played in
sloppy conditions and Zimmerman proved the best ‘mudder’.
Seamless Bob Newell couldn’t finish the 18th and settled
for second on 35 points. Playing partner Mark Bonner was in the same boat
but only managed 33 points and Bryan Carrol trudged in with 32.
Friday, April 8, The
Emerald – Stableford
1st Tom Breslin 33pts
2nd Dave Brennan 30pts
3rd Barney
Cunningham 30pts
Seventy-seven years young Tom Breslin took the big prize
today at Emerald. There are several tee boxes currently under repair so the
white tees were scattered amongst the available locals. The greens were in
fine shape and proved the nemesis for the field. Second place went to Dave
Brennan who nipped Barney Cunningham on count-back.
With the impending Songkran holiday The Golf Club will be
traveling away to Khao Yai and the regular golf fixtures will resume Friday
April 22 at Plutaluang.
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.
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Harries’ haul wins catch of the day
KPK Sea Fishing Club of Pattaya
Keith
Keohane presents the ‘catch of the day’ award to Stuart Baxter-Harries.
Mike Gerrard
After I had picked up 3 of the passengers for today’s
trip, Sunday, April 3, we headed south on the highway and I noticed that
unless we stopped for diesel we would have a long walk. Just as we started
to pull into the petrol station some clown had started a bush fire (it’s
easier than trying to cut down dead grass) next door to the petrol station.
What made it more worrying was that the wind was heading straight for the
petrol station.
If you have lived here for some time you get to
understand that this sort of thing is not uncommon. However the irony was
that as the attendant filled my tank with diesel he placed a placard on my
bonnet to instruct me not to smoke, to switch off my engine, and not to open
my mobile phone. Never mind the forest fire raging some twenty yards away!
Ah well, we managed to get out before the big bang, and
head on down to the jetty at Bangsaray at about 7.00 a.m. on a nice overcast
day with a little breeze, but not too cold.
The water level was quite high, so getting on the boat
was not too difficult, after which our intrepid captain set sail for
whatever surprises we might encounter today.
We welcomed newcomers Stuart Baxter-Harries and his
friend David, along with Neil Campbell, from the IGFA Rawai Beach Fishing
Club of Phuket. Neil was interested in what type of fishing we can offer in
these waters compared with the fishing down in Phuket. He was soon to find
out.
Our initial stop proved quite interesting for the first
hour, where we hooked into 5 reasonable sized queen fish. Sadly we managed
to lose two of these fish as we tried to land them. Not a bad thing,
sometimes you do not need to catch and kill everything.
As the tides changed so the larger fish seemed to go to
sleep and we moved to grounds where both large and small varieties can be
found. From this time on it was small only for the rest of the day.
Our sponsor, Keith Keohane, of KPK Foods Ltd., was his
usual lively self, enjoying what to him is a welcome break from working
seven days a week. Keith is seen in the photo presenting the catch of the
day award to Stuart Baxter-Harries.
We ended the fishing at about 4.30 p.m., pulled our rods
in and headed back for shore.
I mentioned earlier that our new guest Neil Campbell was
comparing our fishing to that offered in Phuket. Well, there is no
comparison. As I have stated many times before, the whole concept of fishing
around these waters is purely for a nice day out on the ocean at a
reasonable price.
Fishing in the Indian ocean with high powered (expensive)
boats where large fish are prevalent is just not available in these waters.
The main reason for this, is that there are no boats available for this type
of fishing.
Our trips are for the relaxed slow boaters (we use
traditional old Thai fishing boats) who just want to meet nice people, sit
and relax, chat and spend some time away from the town. Our bonus is to
catch a few fish to take home for supper. The catching of super game fish
such as marlin, sailfish and sharks is just not going to happen around
Pattaya and Sattahip, and certainly not at the prices we are paying.
Both Keith and myself will have future talks with Neil of
the Phuket club regarding the setting up of a fishing club working out of
Bangsaray. I will elaborate more on this in the future. In the meantime if
anyone is interested in having a nice day on the ocean and around the
Islands of Sattahip give me, Mike Gerrard, a call on 087 091 7565 or go to
www.kpkfoods.com where you can find a link to the fishing.
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Embarrassing resurrection of the scribe
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday Golf Group
Tuesday’s winners pose with staff members at the Relax Bar.
Mike Gerrard
Firstly I will report on Friday 1st April. As I stated
last week we have now moved back to playing from white tees on a Friday.
Most players stated that they felt more comfortable with the course distance
from white tees. Also we decided that at our age now we do not need to prove
anything to either ourselves or others.
We had a nice three groups today and the scores were
quite good, so much so that we had 3 players on 37 points and 2 players on
36 points to share the spoils. Add this to 4 near pins, which meant 9 prizes
plus a lucky draw were awarded. Sad to say, I personally did not get into
any of these positions. Never mind, I get more fun out of organising than
playing well (liar).
Moving onto last Tuesday, April 5, and after three months
of struggling with a damaged shoulder injury and very poor scores (which
meant that my handicap went up from 13 to 16), yours truly decided to hit
out today, and as the headline states it turned out very embarrassing. No
one at these levels should be able to play 8 shots better than handicap.
However as they say, strange thing do happen.
Yes it was yours truly Mike Gerrard taking the 1st prize
today with 44 points. In second with a superb 39 points was Clive Robinson
(more impressive off 8 handicap), with Kevin Bird notching up 38 points to
claim third.
Near pins went to Kevin Bird, Graham Richmond, Richard
Baldwin and MikeGerrard.
The lucky draw winners were Eamon Murtagh (St Andrews
voucher), Martin Williams, Phil Kington and Hugh Byrne (all free drink
courtesy of the Relax Bar).
We welcomed Phil Kington back to our group this past week
after a couple of months away and also we said farewell for a while to a few
regulars; Landis Brooks, Jim Mist, Kevin Bird, Graham Richmond and Hugh
Byrne.
If anyone is interested in playing golf with our group, please contact me
(Mike) on 087 091 7565.
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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Mai, Ooy & Aht.
Mai Munsitha found her old form bowling games of 159, 200
and 233 for a 592 series and Aht Johansson had a 210 game, 550 series to
lead Snow Bowler to a three point win over Bavaria and into first place.
Kran Nielsen bowled a 538 series to lead Café Kronborg to
a three point win over Canada and Canada dropped from first to second place.
Tue Pettae bowled a 535 series for Canada.
La Montgomery bowled a 533 series leading Brother D to a
four point win over USMC and Brother D remains in third place and gaining a
point on the leaders.
VFW Post 9876 was led by Ooy Pluemkamon’s 208 game and 538 series to a
three point win over Green Tree.
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