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PSC Lawn Bowling from
The Bowling Green
The winning trio: Alex,
‘Queensland’ John and Alec.
January 25 saw the resumption of the Wednesday League and
there were many teams participating, but only one of them could win it. The
final saw Alex, ‘Queensland’ John and Alec take on Andy, Sandy and Johnny
‘Rocket’.
Andy’s team soared into a 10 nil lead but the experience
of the opposition gradually wore down the advantage and the match went right
to the last end, where in a nail-biting finale Alex’s team won 13-12. Well
done to both teams for providing a great match.
Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Christian, Morn,
Lek, Tue & Noodle.
La Montgomery bowled a 532 series to lead Indiana into
first place after they took all four points from Caf้ Kronborg. Morn Mack
had a 202 game, 520 series and Duanjai had a 504 for Indiana. Kran Nielsen
only bowled two games but still had a 520 series for Caf้ Kronborg.
Bavaria knocked Green Tree out of first place after they
took all four points in that match. Antero Ronkainen had a 514 series for
Bavaria and Noodle Russell bowled a 214 game and 553 series for Green Tree.
Tea Party remains in third place after they split their
match against Canada with each team getting two points. Lek Reaper bowled a
206 game, 551 series and Tue Pettae had a 223 game and 534 series for
Canada. Joe Ferral bowled a 538 for Tea Party.
VFW Post 9876 also split their match against Brother D
with each team getting two points. None of the bowlers could figure out
lanes nine and ten and scores were low.
Christian bowling as a spare had a great day with a 223
game and 582 series.
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‘Browny’ bowls along on his winning way
PSC golf from the Café Kronborg
Rob Brown, The Admiral &
Jesper Rasmussen.
Peter Blackburn
Monday, January 23,
Bangpakong – Stableford
As opposed to last Monday’s late start, this time we had
an earlier than normal tee time booked at Bangpakong and I was a bit worried
that some would not realize this, but I was underestimating the ‘Kronny’
crew. Four late cancellations brought the field down to 36 starters so I had
to shuffle the groups around somewhat but all were assembled at Cafô
Kronborg eagerly awaiting the chance to once more play at the classy
Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club. We welcomed back Mick O’Connor from a few
weeks in the UK and newcomer Noboru Okabe from Japan.
Upon arriving at the course we were soon called to the
first tee and the first of our 9 four-balls got away eight minutes later
than scheduled at 0930 hrs in absolutely glorious weather conditions. As
usual the course was in perfect shape with lush fairways and firm and true
greens and a I had a hunch that there would be some very good scores on the
day – I was to be proved correct.
Mike Gosden, The Admiral &
Jan Lovgreen.
The going was slow however with many groups in front of
us and there were several lengthy waits on a couple of the par threes so
after a couple of enforced drink breaks our round was completed in four
hours & forty minutes.
Rob Brown scorched around the course with 73 off the
stick and won the A Flight for the second Monday in a row with 44 points. A
count back was needed to decide second and third spots with Andre Van Dyk
(25 point back nine) edging out Richard Kubicki (22 point back nine), both
having 43 points. Takeshi Hakozaki finished fourth with 39 points and with
three golfers on 38 points another count back saw Mike Allidi (22 point back
nine) finish fifth with Dr Paul Cardwell (19 point back nine, 11 points on
last 6 holes) taking sixth spot. Yours truly was the unlucky one with 19
points on the back nine, 10 points on the last 6 holes.
B Flight was won by Jesper Rasmussen with 41 points, just
1 point ahead of Jerry Dobbs in second place. There were three players on 37
points and a count back gave third place to Dave Richardson (19 point back
nine, 12 points on last 6 holes) with Bo Cardwell (19 point back nine, 10
points on last 6 holes) finishing fourth and in fifth place was Kjeld Ravn
(19 point back nine, 9 points on last 6 holes). Four people on 35 points
needed yet another count back to determine sixth spot and Graham Buckingham
with 19 points on the back nine beat Rita Zoebeli (18 points on the back
nine) and Mike Herridge & Bjarne Kjaer, both having 16 points on the back
nine.
A Flight (0-19)
1st Rob Brown (9) 44pts
2nd Andre Van Dyk (17) 43pts
3rd Richard Kubicki (15) 43pts
4th Takeshi Hakozaki (15) 39pts
5th Mike Allidi (1) 38pts
6th Paul Cardwell (16) 38pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Jesper Rasmussen (20) 41pts
2nd Jerry Dobbs (24) 40pts
3rd Dave Richardson (24) 37pts
4th Bo Cardwell (32) 37pts
5th Kjeld Ravn (22) 37pts
6th Graham Buckingham (22) 35pts
Near Pins: 4th - Andre Van Dyk;
7th – Walter Baechli; 13th –
Jesper Rasmussen; 16th – Mike Herridge
Long Putts: 9th – Paul
Cardwell, 18th – Richard Kubicki
Having had a golf lesson from Tarquin MacManus last
weekend, Dick Braimbridge was no longer favourite to win the Compass Cap and
sure enough it was Ulla Ravn who was awarded the (not so) coveted prize.
Thursday, January 26, Royal Lakeside – Stableford
There was just one Aussie, a Pommie/Aussie and a
Kiwi/Aussie in the field of 36 to compete at Royal Lakeside Golf Club on
Australia Day, 2012. Assembling at Caf้ Kronborg we handed out welcomes to
Eric Anderson and Finn Klarkov from Denmark and reassured Doug Maiko that
the golf was on today and not the day before when he had presented
himself at 0800 hrs.
We arrived at the course and unlike the time when we were
here last month there was practically no wind and it was shaping up to be a
fine but hot day. The weather in this part of Thailand is of course terrific
at this time of year and the course was in excellent shape although a few of
the fairways were fairly dry in parts but the greens were firm & true and
fairly slick at times.
The consensus of opinion is that the course is
considerably tougher than it was before and this was reflected in the
scoring as only one golfer played better than his handicap. The going was a
bit slow once more and our round was completed in four hours & twenty five
minutes.
The only 100% Aussie in the field Mike Gosden celebrated
his National Day by winning the A Flight with 36 points and with 3 golfers
on 33 points a count back was required to decide the next 3 places. Michael
Catillon (17 point back nine & 12 points on the last 6 holes) finished
second ahead of Ken Bernek (17 point back nine & 11 points on the last 6
holes) in third place and Niels Hansen (14 point back nine) finished fourth.
Another count back was needed with 2 players on 32 points and Gordon
Uvanille (14 point back nine, 9 points last 6 and 6 points on the last 3
holes) finished fifth with yours truly (14 point back nine, 9 points last 6
and 5 points on the last 3 holes) ended up in sixth spot.
The best score of the day was Jan Lovgreen’s 38 points
which enabled him to win the B Flight, with Mike Winfield (19 point back
nine) taking second spot on a count back from Kjeld Ravn (18 point back
nine) in third place, both with 36 points. The winner of the day’s Fashion
Award, Bjarne Kjaer was fourth with 35 points and in another count back on
32 points Carole Kubicki (15 point back nine) finished fifth with Rita
Zoebeli (13 point back nine) in sixth place.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Mike Gosden (11) 36pts
2nd Michael Catillon (19) 33pts
3rd Ken Bernek (18) 33pts
4th Niels Hansen (15) 33pts
5th Gordon Uvanille (14) 32pts
6th Peter Blackburn (13) 32pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Jan Lovgreen (24) 38pts
2nd Mike Winfield (21) 36pts
3rd Kjeld Ravn (22) 36pts
4th Bjarne Kjaer (21) 35pts
5th Carole Kubicki (23) 32pts
6th Rita Zoebeli (24) 32pts
Near Pins: 3rd – Carole
Kubicki, 6th – Niels Hansen, 12th
– Carole Kubicki, 15th – Walter Baechli
Long Putts: 9th - Doug Maiko,
18th – Mike Gosden
Alas, the lessons from the Pro and an hour at the driving range the day
before were not enough for Dick Braimbridge to avoid the Compass Cap (worst
score on the day) but I’m sure it won’t be long before Dick shows
improvement. Deefa the Dog was paraded by his master, Hunter and collected
many donations to charity from our generous Cafô Kronborg group.
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Bernie bags a brace after 43-pointer at Burapha
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Friday podium placers (from
left): Campbell Potts, John Stafford, Graham Woollett and Tim Knight.
Monday, Jan. 23, Khao
Kheow B & C - Stabelford
The Chinese New Year (the year of the dragon) at Khao
Kheow today contributed to large numbers of golfers on all three nines,
resulting in a slow pace of play for the 22 Outbackers, playing the B & C
nines from the yellow tees.
The day’s top score came from the Sugarman with 36pts to
win Div B, from Suzi Lawton who beat Brian Maddox on count back, both with
35pts; whilst Steve Mann’s 35pts was enough to win Div A from Owen Walkley,
who headed three all tied on 34pts, including James Sheffield, playing off
scratch and Steve Plant.
There were two ‘2’s from Owen Walkley (hole C8) & Sugar
Ray (hole B8).
Div A (0-15)
1st Steve Mann (10/Hi9.9) 35pts
2nd Owen Walkley (10) 34pts
3rd James Sheffield (0/Hi0.1) 34pts
Div B (16+)
1st Sugar Ray Handford (19/Hi17.7)
36pts
2nd Suzi Lawton (18/Hi19.6) 35pts
3rd Brian Maddox (22/Hi20.2) 35pts
Monday, Jan. 23, Burapha C
& D – Stableford
A good turnout here with 33 Outbackers playing the white
tees on C & D, produced some very fine scoring in all three divisions. Paul
Bourke took Div A with 41pts, from Andy Butterworth and Neil Lavery both on
37 with the Capt’, still labouring with his game, towards the back on 28.
There was another 41pts in Div C, this time from Graham
Woollett, for which he will be cut 2 shots from his Handicap Index and he
was way ahead of Wendall McDonald with 36 and Keith Meehan on 35.
The best score of the day was 43pts in Div B, achieved by
Bernie Stafford, to win easily from Pete Stonebridge (38pts) and Tom Parker
(36pts).
There were four ‘2’s; two on hole C5 from John Cunningham
& Ed Turner and two on C8 from Gerry O’Dwyer & Pete Stonebridge.
Div A (0-14)
1st Paul Bourke (9/Hi9.4) 41pts
2nd Andy Butterworth (12/Hi11.4)
37pts
3rd Neil Lavery (13/Hi12.7) 37pts
Div B (15-19)
1st Bernie Stafford (16/Hi15.1)
43pts
2nd Pete Stonebridge (18/Hi17.4)
38pts
3rd Tom Parker (19/Hi18.2) 36pts
Div C (20+)
1st Graham Woollett (27/Hi25.7)
41pts
2nd Wendall McDonald (35/Hi33)
36pts
3rd Keith Meehan (21/Hi19.8) 35pts
Tuesday, Jan. 24, Pattaya
C.C. – Stableford
With regular Tuesday organiser Chad (Barry Chadbourn)
recovering from recent major surgery, it was his friend and Outbacker, Nigel
Cannon who took over the running on this fine Tuesday morning.
On arrival at PCC we were greeted by the friendly staff
and caddies whose first question was, “How’s Chad?”
The weather was fine but rather hot and the course was in
satisfactory order – and not too busy so away on time with a four hour
round.
There were 12 playing today – it should have been fifteen
but three ‘forgot’ to arrive or telephone, which always make life hard for
the organisers but interestingly enough, in amongst the twelve were eight
different nationalities!
Welcome back to Owen Lloyd with his delightful lady, On,
a former caddy at Burapha and also to first timer here at PCC, Ed Turner,
who is over here from the States for a couple of weeks of golf.
Showing that responsibility for the day’s organization
did not weigh too heavily, in top spot was Nigel Cannon (22) with 37 points.
In second place was the jovial Irishman John White (23) with 35 and
completing the trio on the podium was the aforementioned Owen Lloyd (4) with
34.
There were no ‘2’s.
1st Nigel Cannon (22/Hi23.2) 37pts
2nd John White (23/Hi23.4) 35pts
3rd Paul Smets (18/Hi19.1) 35pts
Wednesday, Jan. 25,
Crystal Bay A & B – Stableford
An unexpected large turnout at Crystal Bay, which
prompted a couple of earlier calls in the week to increase the number of tee
times. When the 38 Outbackers arrived, it caused utter confusion for the
starters, who had inadvertently written the group booking name down as “Mr.
Bob”, little did they know that The Golf Club had about 10 groups booked and
also have a “Mr. Bob” so the 10 groups became 20 as they tried to squeeze
everybody onto the course.
Needless to say it was a painfully slow round not helped
by the fact that our first group had to play behind a group where one player
had taken four shots to move the ball about 80yds, having managed to hit
three different trees in the process, head in hands; General Jack got the
feeling it was just going to be a bad day at the office.
Five and a quarter hours later, he wasn’t wrong as the
scorecards were hurried back to the Outback, with presentation taking place
as late as six o’clock
It is a shame that one of the favourite courses in this
part of Thailand is being allowed to deteriorate in this way, as many of the
bunker surrounds require some TLC and much of the watering system is clearly
not working and/or leaking, producing many dry areas as well as wet
un-mowable soggy patches. The greens have lost their conformity as a
patchwork of different grasses have started to take over, making the putting
extremely inconsistent.
Nevertheless, ‘Hoggy’ (Gary Hogg) put all that aside as
he shot a very fine gross 74, which included three birdies in his back nine,
to notch up a stableford score of 40pts. Dennis Pelly (35) and Paul
Greenaway (34) filled the minor places in Div A, whilst Phil Waite took Div
B with 37 from Noddy (35) and Tim Knight (35) headed Div C from Stuart
McKenzie (33).
There were three ‘2’s in Div A; from Gary Hogg on holes
B4 & B6 and John Cunningham also on hole B6 and two ‘2’s in Div B; from
Wayne Cotterill (A8) and Steve Plant (B6).
Div A (0-11)
1st Gary Hogg (6/Hi7.2) 40pts
2nd Dennis Pelly (10/Hi10.8) 35pts
3rd Paul Greenaway (7/Hi8.2) 34pts
Div B (12-17)
1st Phil Waite (13/Hi13.6) 37pts
2nd Noddy Moyle (17/Hi16.8) 35pts
3rd John Locke (14/Hi13.9) 32pts
Div C (18+)
1st Tim Knight (20/Hi19.6) 35pts
2nd Stuart McKenzie (18/Hi18.4)
33pts
3rd Sunanta Duangwaw (38/Hi36)
32pts
Thursday, Jan. 26,
Treasure Hill – Stableford
Treasure Hill today, all 15 of us out early and what
condition this course was in - you couldn’t get a bad lie here - the
fairways were absolutely lush and the greens just tremendous.
I had the pleasure of playing with Arab Russell today,
playing a match versus a couple of Irish lads, Paulie & John; after the
Capt’ had blobbed the first six holes it was time for the Arab to produce
some Russian beer which made all the difference, as he (the Capt’) managed
to score 15 points on the back nine and offer his playing partner (Arab)
some light relief from the heavy burden he’d been carrying on the front
nine. Sorry Paulie, it now seems my wallet has an extra 400 Baht in it,
never mind you still have time to challenge me again, before you go home.
The rest of the team had a great time but it was the Arab
that got first on a count back from Paulie O’Mahoney just to rub in the bad
news, Dave Collier (33) in third and David Davies (34) fourth.
There was just one ‘2’ from Paulie O’Mahony on the 6th
hole.
1st Arab Russell (28/Hi23.7) 36pts
2nd Paulie O’Mahony (11/Hi8.5)
36pts
3rd Dave Collier (33/Hi28) 35pts
Friday, Jan. 27, Green
Valley – Stableford
Two ‘Stafford Terriers’ topped the first and second
divisions as 32 Outbackers enjoyed the delights of Green Valley, which was
in excellent condition.
John shared the top score of the day (40pts) to win Div B
with a tenacious round of golf to win by five from Pete Stonebridge (35) and
Pottsy (34) who beat the Sugarman on count back, whilst Bernie won Div A, in
a lower than normal scoring premier division, with 35pts from Phil Waite and
Cottee both on 34. The other 40 pointer came from Tim Knight, winner of Div
C, beating Keith Meehan with 38pts and Woolley with 35.
Welcome to a couple of Outback newbies, namely Mark Prytz
and Stephanie & Greg Radmund and welcome back to Charlie Ayres, who we
haven’t seen for some time.
There were four ‘2’s from Bernie Stafford (hole 9) and
three more on the 12th from Messrs Sugar, Noddy &
Pottsy.
Div A (0-12)
1st Bernie Stafford (12/Hi13) 35pts
2nd Phil Waite (12/Hi13) 34pts
3rd Wayne Cotterell (12/Hi12.8)
34pts
Div B (13-18)
1st John Stafford (18/Hi18.4) 40pts
2nd Pete Stonebridge (17/Hi16.9)
35pts
3rd Campbell Potts (18/Hi17.6)
34pts
Div C (19+)
1st Tim Knight (20/Hi19.6) 40pts
2nd Keith Meehan (20/Hi19.9) 38pts
3rd Graham Woollett (24/Hi23.7) 35pts
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Jan Thorn takes monthly
trophy for January
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
Monthly winner Jan Thorn (left
with trophy) and Wednesday runner-up Rod Ishii.
She spread her wings and literally flew around the
course. Jan Thorn, a diminutive Thai Miss was on the game today, winging in
with a 41-pointer to take not only first place but also the trophy for
January.
Tied with Jan was Rod Ishii, also with a 41, but losing
to Jan on the count back. Jan is a familiar sight in the weekly postings but
always as a second. Not today!
Next closest, and hopefuls until Jan and Rod came in,
were Paul Kraft and Kevin Worl with 38 apiece. Ed Kristianson slid in with a
37 and was then off to home in Canada.
This 25th of January found the Pattaya Country Club
course in really good condition. A couple of the tee boxes were a bit sandy
but grass could still be found.
Back at Caddy Shack II, Herbie ‘the sleeper’ Isinaga
provided the usual snacks of pretzels, chips and peanuts as well the three
types of hot dogs. Everyone had a good time, particularly Paul Donahue,
returning after a year’s absence for cancer treatments and recuperation, who
came in with only 20 points. Paul said it was putter failure.
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Heehaw, Heehaw - it’s the Donkey
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Sunday, Jan. 22, Green
Valley – Stableford
A Flight
1st Tom McManus (11) 39pts
2nd Bob Newell (7) 37pts
3rd Gerry O’Dwyer (9) 37pts
B Flight
1st Alex Tregurtha (14) 41pts
2nd Vic Hester (15) 38pts
3rd Colm Mullen (15) 37pts
C Flight
1st Colin Davis (17) 44pts
2nd Ken Kelly (18) 39pts
3rd Adam Oyston (16) 36pts
D Flight
1st Warren Holland (23) 35pts
2nd John O’Neil (19) 34pts
3rd Christy Knight (19) 33pts
Near Pins: No 4 Alex Tregurtha, No 9 Peter Murphy,
No 12 Andy Leach, No 16 Barry Power.
Sunday’s winner Colin Davis.
Despite some outstanding point’s totals, the story of the
day was the Donkeys enormous 44 stroke masterpiece; this gave Colin the C
Flight honors and the President’s Trophy. (Heehaw) ways comes good at the
right time! He also gets his name on the wall of shame.
Ken Kelly put in a fine performance with a steady 39
points for second spot while Adam Oyston carded an even par round as he
filled the flight.
Alex Tregurtha must have thought he was in with a chance
with his B Flight winning 41 points and on most days he would –he just
picked the wrong day. Vic ‘the inflictor’ Hester took the silver with 38
points by a shot in front of Irelands Colum ‘the lord mayor of Dublin’
Mullen.
Jumping up to the flagship flight proved to be just as
exciting as Irishman Tom McManus took top spot on39 points. Tom’s 39 points
was two clear of the tandem of Broadmore Bob Newell and Gerry O’Dwyer,
another Irishman I suspect? Anyway, the resulting count back dictated that
they finished in that order.
D Flight was a tight affair as Warren Holland grabbed top
on the podium with 35 points, leaving the Irish pair of John O’Neil and
Christy ‘good’ Knight stringed out in single digits.
There was a dozen 2’s on the day.
Back at Lewiinski’s the new President thanked Eddy Beilby
for all the hard work he had done while in office, and looked forward to the
year ahead and the staff for all their hard work and for the Buffet.
Monday, Jan. 23, Khao
Kheow A&B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Tom McManus (11) 35pts
2nd Tore Eliassen (15) 35pts
3rd Terry Mangan (12) 34pts
B Flight
1st Ajit Amin (18) 35pts
2nd Geoff Kubas (20) 33pts
3rd Ayoko Pueschi (20) 32pts
Off once again to the fantastic Dye layout at Khao Kheow,
the difficulty of which shows in the gang’s points returns, with no player
bettering or playing to par.
Co-man of the match and A Flight winner was Irishman Tom
McManus as he used all his talent and a strong finish to edge Tore Eliassen
on count back. Terry ‘the silent assassin’ Mangan was just a shot back as he
closed the flight.
Ajit Amen took top spot in B Flight and a share of man of
the match as he matched Tom’s score. Geoff ‘Elvis’ Kubas was on song as he
took the silver and Ayoko Pueschi was a further shot back to round out the
flight.
Paraic McManus, Tim Hickey, Pen Caruthers, Pat Hanafin
and Geoff Kubas shared the 2’s pot
Wednesday, Jan. 25,
Bangpakong - Stableford
A Flight
1st J-P Maffray (11) 41pts
2nd Terry Mangan (12) 38pts
3rd Patrick Kelly (+3) 37pts
B Flight
1st Chris Barratt (14) 42pts
2nd Peter Bauer (15) 41pts
3rd John Feehan (16) 39pts
C Flight
1st David Dunn (20) 40pts
2nd Fergus O’Brien (26) 35pts
3rd Mogen Pedersen (19) 33pts
It seemed like there were more 40’s today than you would
find in an augmentation clinic. And of course, it is the scribe’s job to
keep you abreast of such observations. But enough of the quip’s as one
senses that the scribe is only humoring himself.
B Flight provided the day’s man of the match in the
person of Chris Barratt. Chris’s best on the day 42 point haul left Peter
Bauer down a step, despite his own fine 41 point effort. The flight was
filled as all the luck of the Irish in the shape of John Feehan held sway
over the luckless Paul Robinson as both were locked on 39 points. Paul did
however slot home a 2.
J-P Maffray who carded 41 points topped Terry ‘red card’
Mangan by three clear digits in the senior flight as Patrick +three Kelly,
playing of the blue tees, rounded out the flight.
David Dunn was the only player in C Flight to reach forty
points and so stood atop the podium. His C Flight compatriots were the
erstwhile septuagenarian (ask Christy, Jimmy), Fergus O’Brien second and
Mogen Pedersen the bronze.
Thierry Petrement, Paraic McManus, Peter Bauer, John
Feehan, Paul Robinson and Mogen Pederson shared the 2’s pot.
Friday, Jan 27, Mountain
Shadow - Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Kelly (10) 37pts
2nd John Nalty (13) 36pts
3rd Tom McManus (11) 34pts
B Flight
1st Tony Dolphin (17) 31pts
2nd Peter McCann (16) 30pts
3rd Ajit Amin (18) 29pts
C Flight
1st Tom Gorey (21) 42pts
2nd John O’Neil (19) 35pts
3rd Ayoko Pueschi (20) 34pts
If 42 points was successful Wednesday, why not try it
again on Friday? And Tom Gorey did, and the result was about the same with a
five digit-point victory over the field. Tom may not (and can rest assured
the field will be checking) recognize his new handicap.
Fellow Irishman John O’Neil covered the cost of his game
with a C Flight place 35 points. Ayoko Pueschi edged Jim ‘the silent’ Bell
18-17 on the last nine to fill the last slot.
Plus 3’s Dad, Peter, was the only other player to better
par as he stood atop the big boys flight. John Nalty put in a solid even par
round for the silver and Tom McManus had a nervous wait as he emerged from a
four-way count back to fill the flight; the unlucky count back victims were
Connie Whalsh, J-P Maffray, and Tim Hickey.
B Flight could not quite solve the Mountain Shadow
puzzle, as Tony Dolphin was top man on 31 points. Peter McCann and Ajit Amin
were stringed out in single digits to close the flight and the week’s golf
Once again there were six ‘2’ recorded.
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.
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Harney at the double
IPGC golf from The Links
Sunday, January 22,
Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
Another large field made the weekly trip to Pattaya
Country Club, ensuring two flights with the cut coming at 0-19 and 20+. We
arrived well ahead of our scheduled 11.00am tee time and as the first tee
was vacant, the first group was able to tee off 30 minutes early, and with
the round taking around 4 hours, we were showered and back “home “ at the
Links by 3.30pm.
JJ Harney & Roar Berger were
flight winners at Pattaya Country Club on Sunday.
This week the fairways were bone dry, ensuring a lot of
run on the ball, but the greens were a little on the slow side. This
combined to make the course fairly forgiving, with over a quarter of the
field playing to handicap, or better.
The B flight was a very tight affair, with 3 players
carding 38 points. In the count back, David Wilkinson was the first to fall,
his 17 point haul on the back falling 3 short of the winning score. The
other competitors could only be split on the back 6, with Roar Berger
triumphing 16 to 11 over Andy Galvin.
In the A flight, Russell Exley played another steady
round, scoring one better than his 7 handicap with John Connolly, just
sneaking into the flight, two points ahead on 39. Bragging rights, however,
went to JJ Harney, his 40 points ensuring his second Sunday victory of the
year.
The two’s pot was shared by Russell Exley and Brian
Lewis.
A Flight
1st JJ Harney (10) 40pts
2nd John Connolly (19) 39pts
3rd Russell Exley (7) 37pts
B Flight
1st Roar Berger (27) 38pts
2nd Andy Galvin (20) 38pts
3rd David Wilkinson (28) 38pts
Thursday, Jan 26, Eastern
Star – Stableford
With many of the regulars taking a short break to Hua
Hin, a much reduced field travelled to Ban Chang to take on the challenge of
Eastern Star. The pace of the greens here have been the subject of some
criticism in recent weeks, and although the staff appear to have managed to
speed them up a little, they are still a little inconsistent, to say the
least. However, most agree this is one of the best designed courses in the
region, and a good test of golf off the white tees.
Sekio Ojima went one point better than his previous
round, his 31 points proving good enough for third place, edging out Marty
Rock 14 -13 n a count back, on a day when scoring proved not easy. Visiting
+3 handicapper Brian Locke, fresh from qualifying school, shot a gross 71
for 34 points, and took second place. This feat was all the more impressive
as Brian chose to play off the blue tees, measuring 500 yards longer than
those played by us mere mortals.
JJ Harney continued his good form, his 35 points good
enough to secure his second victory of the week.
There were three ‘2’s, the pot being shared by JJ, Marty
Rock and Brian Locke.
1st JJ Harney (10) 35pts
2nd Brian Locke (+3) 34pts
3rd Sekio Ojima (24) 31pts
Note: The Links depart from the hotel on Soi
Buakhao at 9.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10.00am for Pattaya Country
Club every Sunday. Sign up at the hotel or contact Jon on 080 021 1034. A
full schedule of courses can be found on the IPGC website www.ipgc.org.
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Forty the benchmark at Pleasant Valley
PSC golf from The Fairways Golf Society
Monday, Jan. 16, Plutaluang W&N -
Stableford
Tuesday, Jan. 25, Pleasant Valley - Monthly P.A.G.S. Tournament
It was another fantastic turnout for our first
monthly P.A.G.S. tournament of the year and considering 112 golfers took
part, things ran reasonably smoothly. There were very high scores in all
four divisions with all the winners scoring 40pts or more. Everybody
seemed to enjoy the event, even the ones that did not play so well.
PAGS A-Flight winner
Colin Greig (right).
We have a new set of rules laid out for this year, a
copy of which is pinned up on the notice board in the clubhouse so your
comments and suggestion are welcome. Before we go on to the technical
prizes, a quick mention of the players who scored 40pts or more: Patrick
Engels 43pts Mark Slinn & Hildur 41pts, & Colin Gregg 40pts. Also we had
two players Pier Cere & Russell Exley who remarkably scored eagle ‘2’s
on two of the par fours. Well played all of you!
So on to the technical prizes. Nearest the marker:
Ning Neal & Jeff Hoslin. Longest putts: Gavin Perfect, Simon Ditchburn.
Longest Drives: Don Head, Henry Wong, Lee Butler, Wendy Chetland & Noi
Emerson. Near pins in three shots: Landis Brooks (2) & Jean Moral. Near
pins in two: Charlie Ayres, Jack Grindvold, Gavin Perfect, Pier Cere,
Russell Exley & Silvio. Near pins: Jack Grindvold, Colin Gregg, Jonny
Larsson, Francis Skukan, Hildur & Rusty Archibald.
A Flight
1st Colin Gregg (12) 40pts
2nd Jon Lay (8) 38pts
3rd Mark Stanley (13) 38pts
B Flight
1st Patrick Engels (14) 43pts
2nd Jeff Calrow (15) 39pts
3rd Werner (15) 36pts
C Flight
1st Mark Slinn (22) 41pts
2nd Kenny Chung (27) 39pts
3rd Odd Holm Hansen (24) 38pts
Ladies
1st Hildur (19) 41pts
2nd Suphattra Dulkys (36) 37pts
Almost everybody commented on the excellent barbecue
laid on by the guys from the Fairways - it was even better than normal -
and after the presentation the festivities went on well into the night.
Friday, Jan. 27,
Greenwood – Stableford
This must have been the busiest golf course in
Thailand today as all three nines were totally booked from early morning
until late afternoon. Amazingly the round only took roughly 15mins
longer than average. It was so busy that they had to draft in as many
caddies from the surrounding courses as possible, and they still did not
have enough. Lots of golfers never had candies for several holes.
PAGS B-Flight winner
Patrick Engels (left).
Now this just goes to show what giving specially
reduced rates can achieve. Hopefully other courses will take note of
this!
On to the golf and we had an excellent turnout due to
the specially reduced rates for large groups, so two divisions.
Surprisingly only three players managed to break par: Barry Wellings,
John Grahem and Bob Edwards, and they were all in the A Flight.
Near pins went to Rick Odjers, Andres Grunenburg,
Paul Smith and John Grahem.
PAGS C-Flight winner Mark
Slinn (left).
A Flight
1st Barry Wellings (5) 38pts
2nd John Grahem (10) 37pts
3rd Bob Edwards (10) 37pts
B Flight
1st Rick Odjers (17) 34pts
2nd Andres Grunenburg (14)
33pts
3rd Roy Dayton (23) 32pts
Note: The Fairways golf society & driving
range is located at the top of Pattaya Klang on Sukhumvit Road and plays
every Mon/Wed & Friday. Anyone wishing to play with us can call in to
the club house and put their names down on the lists provided or call
Scott on 084 389.
PAGS Ladies winner Hildur
(left).
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Bob Lamond’s swan song
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, January 23, Rayong
C.C. - Stableford
CSS 73
Division 1 (0–18)
1st Vance Millar (18) 37pts
2nd Warren Gallop (11) 34pts
3rd Paul Simpson (18) 33pts
Division 2 (19+)
1st Torild Lossius (36) 36pts
2nd Konrad Klama (24) 32pts
3rd Martin Hartley (24) 31pts
Vance Millar.
Due to a national holiday, Monday’s competition had been
scheduled for Rayong where there was surprisingly little activity
considering the extremely competitive pricing compared to the majority of
the other courses in the area. The contenders were not disappointed with the
general condition of the layout either, although as always the ball needed
to be kept on the short stuff rather than the deep junglesque rough, as
there was very little in between.
The rise in the CSS for the day underlined the difficulty
of the course even with the weather and wind being particularly kind.
With a good turnout two divisions were required with the
cut coming at an unusually high 18 in the first division. This was won by
Vance Millar whose one under handicap easily took the day by three from
Warren Gallop in second place. Paul Simpson slipped into third spot another
shot back.
Torild Lossius.
The second division was also a clear win for Torild
Lossius, with a level handicap round, by four points ahead of Konrad Klama
in second with Martin Hartley in third one behind.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Warren
Gallop had the lone one in the first division to sweep the rollover pot.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new member
Mike Cahill and also welcomed back Karl Hnat, Davis Purkiss, Kelvin Hazell,
Martin Hartley and Konrad Klama.
Wednesday, January 25,
Phoenix - Monthly Medals
Blue tees CSS 75
White and Red CSS 72
Division 1 (0–15)
1st Bob Lamond (5) net 73
2nd Rodney Hayes (12) net 75
3rd Alan Pilkington (9) net 75
4th Peter Sumner (8) net 77
Division 2 (16+)
1st Alwyne Burley (18) net 68
2nd Tony Barritt (17) net 68
3rd Hal Hart (25) net 70
4th Stephen Beard (22) net 73
Ladies
1st Kristina Ulvio-Peltonen (11)
net 75
2nd Brita Metzger (20) net 76
The monthly medals were extremely well supported this
month, perhaps due to the change in the tees used in the second division
after a decision to contest this year’s series for the end of year Gold and
Silver Medals from the blue tees in the first division and the white tees in
the second division. Whatever the reason, it was a record turnout with even
a division for the ladies for the first time in several months.
Bob Lamond.
The Ladies division consisted of ladies all from Finland
who made a welcome addition to the day. They were led in by Kristina Ulvio-
Peltonen, being followed by Brita Meztger in second with Leena Kopu and
Paula Juutilainen sharing third.
The second division was headed by Alwyne Burley taking
his second win in a s many weeks following a few tips from his long time
playing pal, Rodney, and a different set of clubs, with an exceptional round
of four under handicap but he was matched in the total by another fine round
by Tony Barritt, his best for many a moon, and had to rely on a better count
back of 32 to 35.5 with a terrific come back following a fairly ordinary
outward half and Tony only able to improve slightly on his after a solid
opening nine.
Hal Hart took third spot consigning Stephen Beard down to
fourth as the latter took a triple bogey on the last hole which included a
four putt, an almost unknown but just over par on a day that also included
nine triples putts, which would have had Russell Finch rolling in the long
grass ruing a missed opportunity.
Bob Lamond, playing in his last regular competition prior
to his move upcountry, but hopefully not his last as he is expected to
return back south on a regular basis for holidays, took the first division
medal with an outstanding round of one over par net as the CSS for the day
moved out to 75, clocking up a two stroke margin over the chasing pair of
Rodney Hayes and Alan Pilkington. Rodney got the edge in the count back with
a better 36 to 38 .5 after Alan slipped badly following a very nice first
nine. Peter Sumner rounded out the podium for the division another two
strokes behind them.
Prior to the prize giving there were welcomes for Brita
Metzger, Kristina Ulvio-Peltonen, Leena Kopu, Paula Juutilainen, Keno
Alatald, Kari Peltonen, Risto Kopu, Timo Tarvainen, Mikko Anttila, Heikki
Vanninen, Ilkka Jarvinen, Antero Halminen, Jukka Koskela and Matti
Juutilainen. There were also welcome backs for Stephen Brown and Bill Hurd.
Amazingly with so many players there were no 2’s in
either of the divisions underscoring how difficult the day had been for most
of the players.
Friday, January 27,
Century Chonburi - Stableford
CSS 73
1st Alan Hanlon (12) 35pts
2nd Cliff North (21) 34pts
3rd Sekio Ojima (25) 34pts
4th Paul Hartley (19) 33pts
5th Warren Gallop (11) 32pts
The trip up the 331 has become quite an easy one, which
bodes well for those courses that it serves and with plenty of signs that
the management of the Century course are beginning to get to grips with the
conditions of their course, although the clubhouse and changing facilities
still need to be overhauled, that course at least should see the benefits of
more players in the future.
Certainly most of the bunkers were in much better
condition, almost negating the competition rule of ‘lift and place’ in them,
and the rest of the course although a bit untidy in places is certainly
worth the extremely low green fees and where a day’s golf including the
caddy and sharing a cart amounts to just 500 baht.
As always when the play is scheduled to be played a
little further away to the north than usual, a smaller group turned out but
still enough to supply plenty of competition for the winner Alan Hanlon who
took the top spot with a one point margin ahead of new member Cliff North.
Sekio Ojima took his first podium placing of this trip
with third place after losing a count back with second man Cliff, following
a worse back nine of 18 to 19.
Paul Hartley got a little edge back in the family tussle
with Martin, taking fourth place in front of Warren Gallop.
Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but
David Bowles made it a very happy farewell to Thailand as he swept the huge
roll over pool in the second division and vowed to spend it wisely on his
last night in Pattaya for a few months.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven
group, you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven 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 9.00am on 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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Bob keeps on keeping on
at Pattaya C.C.
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Mulligan’s good ol’ boys – Jim
& Bob.
Tuesday, Jan. 26, The
Emerald - Stableford
Tuesday was our monthly visit down to Emerald, with the
course generally in ok condition; the greens were glassy from above the
hole, leaving a few tricky comebackers.
Bob Edwards (10) maintained his form, not missing a
collect since his arrival, with a 35 pointer, which included a couple of par
3 birdies, courtesy of some nice putts. Jim Federspiel (14) just edged the
recently unlucky Willem on count back of the last 6 holes 13/10 for second
spot after both signed for 33 points. Willem gained some consolation with a
NTP, along with Jeff (2) & Jim.
Thursday, Jan. 28, Mt.
Shadow - Stableford
Mountain Shadow was our Thursday venue, with the course
in good condition, and although the greens were not quite as fearsome as
they can be at times, they still presented a challenge for all.
Jeff Wylie (7) after a slow start, best dealt with the
conditions to sign for 34 points. Next best was a happy Willem Lasonder (21)
with 31 points, his lowest tally for a few games, when he has been beaten
out of the prize money. Just goes to show, amateur golf is very much a day
to day proposition.
Willem & Jeff (2) again showed the way with the NTPs,
while 1 went uncl;aimed resulting in a donation to Banglamung Boys Home.
It was nice to see David & Elizabeth Middleton come back
for a game, while on holidays visiting their son.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on Tuesday
& Thursday, with ML hosting prompt presentations on both days. Call 089 094
1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good
golfing!
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Stanley shines at Emerald
PSC golf Bunker Boys at The Bowling Green
Monday, January 23, The
Emerald – Stableford
A fine morning and a good turnout today for our visit to
the ever-popular Emerald course. Although it was the Chinese New Year
holiday, the course was not overly busy, and we teed off after only a minor
delay.
The shot of the day was provided by Tony Scambler,
putting his tee shot 3 inches from the hole on the par three 15th
green – it could only be Tony, who could be seen on the tee fervently
encouraging his ball ‘not’ to go in the hole, as it rolled perilously close!
Geoff Hart, back to winning
ways on Friday.
No player in the field managed to get on the green on the
par three 13th green, with the tee located on the
blues at over 200 yards uphill.
Mark Stanley turned in the best score of the day with 40
points to convincingly take the honours in the A flight, whilst Barry Murnin
won the three-way count back in the B flight.
A Flight
1st Mark Stanley (13) 40pts
2nd Tony Scambler (8) 33pts
3rd Cyril Wallwork (11) 33pts
B Flight
1st Barry Murnin (17) 35pts
2nd Neil Griffin (28) 35pts
3rd Eddy Kelly (17) 35pts
Near Pins: Mark Stanley, JJ Harney, and Tony
Scambler
Wednesday, January 25,
Royal Lakeside – Stableford
A surprisingly small turnout today for the visit to what
must be one of the best value for money courses in the area at the moment.
The trip takes less than an hour now, so the old grumbles about it being too
far are not really relevant.
Only one complaint can be made about the course, and
that’s about the amount and type of sand in the bunkers. “Fried eggs” were
the order of the day, and one golfer was heard to remark that he’d seen more
sand than the population of Saudi Arabia!
Tony Robbins made a welcome return to form, until
disaster struck on the 18th fairway, when he played
the wrong ball, allowing his pal John Hughes to cruise past him and win the
competition with a bogey on the last. Eddy Kelly took third place, putting
him in a narrow lead for the golfer of the month trophy with two games
remaining.
1st John Hughes (17) 37pts
2nd Tony Robbins (14) 36pts
3rd Eddy Kelly (17) 35pts
Near Pins: Bob Taylor, Tony Berry, Tony Scambler
and Paul Smith.
Friday, January 27,
Treasure Hill – Stableford
Chaos greeted us on arrival at Treasure Hill as we found
the course had double booked us with a group of German tourists, and there
was also a shortage of caddies. Hasty rearrangement of the starting order
was necessary as caddies became available, and eventually everyone was able
to get away, with our group going off the 1st and the
Germans going off the 10th tee. Our round progressed
smoothly, but I’m sure the 4 groups of Germans must have caused some chaos
with the players already on the course.
Neil Griffin (hcp 28!) put his ball within 3 inches of
the hole on the par 3 twelfth hole, but he was giving the ball all the
encouragement possible to get into the hole - unlike Tony on Monday.
Identical scores of 37 points by Mark Stanley and Geoff Hart were enough to
win the A and B flights respectively, but Geoff took the overall honours on
the count back.
A Flight
1st Mark Stanley (13) 37pts
2nd Cyril Wallwork (11) 33pts
3rd J.J. Harney (12) 33pts
B Flight
1st Geoff Hart (23) 37pts
2nd Mike Brett (18) 36pts
3rd Neil Griffin (28) 33pts
Near Pins: Neil Griffin, Mike Grasser and Mark
Stanley (2).
Note: Following the recent demise of the Bunker
Bar, the Bunker Boys now play out of the Bowling Green on Soi X-Zyte between
Pattaya 3rd Road and Soi Buakhaow. We play three times
per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out,
and a friendly but competitive golf competition why come and join us. We
meet at the Bowling Green at 9 a.m. and new players with valid handicaps are
always welcome. For more information call Dave on 087 146 9978, email dave.
[email protected].
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Girls on top at Khao Kheow
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday winners with one of
Bert’s finest.
Derek Brook
Tuesday, January 24, Khao
Kheow – Stableford
A full house met at Bert’s a little later than usual as
we had a later tee off at Khao Kheow. Knowing that we usually have a 1000
o’clock tee off, when we cannot get away to a normal start, it meant we were
in for a long day. The old, ‘get there early and maybe we can get away
early’ tends to not work very well these days as the courses tend to book
their start times very carefully, and so we found it on this day. A full
course, we were going to have to rely on the speed of the players ahead.
However we were away as close to the correct time as it
is possible with a packed course and as is usual these days the wind was
blowing pretty hard if a bit on and off. With a full course we tended to
bunch up on the Par 3’s but it was a good time to sit and chat to the other
golfers also waiting. Indeed it seemed to sharpen our first group as the
‘Scribe’ put the ball to under a foot at ‘The Island Green’. Beat that
Mashi!
The course at present, besides being a tough, is in my
opinion in as good a condition as any around. The fairways are well grassed,
the greens quick and true and the rough as penal as ever. This is certainly
the complete package at present.
We played B & C and as is normal the C Nine proved to be
really the hardest nine, and was harder as soon as we teed-off on C1 into a
howling gale, or so it seemed. We always seemed to be playing into the wind
on the back nine and this may have contributed to the generally speaking
poor scores. Still, we finally stumbled to the end with the Scribe realising
that if it came to a count back, he had no chance of winning it.
Back at Bert’s it was soon into the presentation and in
the A Flight, 0 to 19, the winner was your scribe with 36 points and most
thankful there was no count back after 23 points on the front and a meltdown
on the back nine. In second we had a count back on 35 points that saw Alan
Sullivan in second and Rob Brown in third. Surprisingly in fourth was Mashi
Kaneta with 34 points. It would not be a result if Mashi was not in there
somewhere.
In the B Flight we had ‘The Flight of The Ladies’. The
Winner with 37 points was Karen Brown on count back over Tom Cotton. In
third was Rita Zoebelli with 36 points and in fourth was Carol Kubicki with
32 points. It somehow seemed right that Tom should find himself amongst the
ladies.
Near Pins: Alan Sullivan, Derek Brook, John
Hackett, Rob Brown
Long Putts: Mike Gaussa, Rob Brown
Friday, January 27,
Crystal Bay A&B – Stableford
There was a time when this was a ‘star’ course of the
Eastern Seaboard and as far as I was concerned this was my favourite place
to play. These days the course is still well liked but has lost a lot of the
polish it used to have. The fairways are a bit over used and on this day
they were very wet in places, through the rain of late, but buggies were
allowed in all areas so we were able to press on. The greens were in quite
good condition and were fairly fast and true. All in all, most players
enjoyed the day out and the course. One good point is we only had a few
drops of rain.
We were soon finished and into the changing room where we
were reminded they were on a tight budget as we were introduced to the same
towels we had been friends with for many years. Maybe it is the new style as
I see many people with ragged edges on their jeans.
Back at Bert’s it was quite full of golfers so after a
quick bite to eat it was on with the presentation by Mr. Warberg himself.
In the A Flight, 0 to 18, the winner was Kei Kasami with
40 points ahead of Brian Parish in second with 39 points and Takeshi
Hakozaki took third on 38. In the B Flight the winner was Seppo Kuokkanen
with 38 points, Pieter Zbinder took second with 36 and Don Carmody came
third with 35 points.
Then as is usual it was time for a ‘cold one’. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: John Marrit, Mashi Kaneta, Seppo
Kuokkanen, Brian Gabe
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It’s top four United after victory over Muangthong
Thai Football Premier League 2011/12
Pattaya United Chairman,
Sonthaya Khunplume, (4th left front) presents a cheque for 5 million baht to
the United playing squad after they achieved a top four league finish.
Phasakorn Channgamc
Pattaya United secured fourth place in the 2011/12 Thai
Premier League standings and the players received a welcome 5 million baht
bonus after securing a hard fought 1-0 victory over Muangthong United at the
Nongprue Stadium last Saturday.
With the win, Pattaya have completed the regular season
with 53 points to finish level on the same total as Bangkok Glass, but with
the latter having a worse head to head record during the just finished
campaign.
United began the match against Muangthong in bright
fashion and had the first opportunity of the game when Niwate Siriwong’s
long-range free kick went just the wrong side of the Muangthong goal.
Itthipol Poolsap (7) wheels
away in delight after putting United ahead from the penalty spot.
The visitors came back strongly at the other end of the
field however and Pichitphong Chaechiw looked destined to score in the 22nd
minute until Pattaya’s Somphomp Nilawong somehow got in a last ditch tackle
to deflect the ball behind.
After Ludovic and Paul Ekollo had seen half chances to
put the home side one up go begging, Muangthong piled on the pressure on the
Dolphin defence, who had goalkeeper Narit to thank for keeping the game
goalless at half time.
The match turned within 5 minutes of the restart when
Pattaya were awarded a penalty kick after Jeasthawong was adjudged to have
deliberately handled the ball from an attempted cross by Itthiphol. It was
Itthiphol himself who stepped up to take the kick and he coolly slotted it
into the left hand corner of the goal past the despairing dive of
Thammasajja.
After falling behind Muangthong made two substitutions,
bringing on Jackraphan Pholsai to replace Adisak Klinsukom, and Christian
Cuacu for Woranat Thongcare. The Bangkok outfit then proceeded to lay siege
to the Pattaya goal as they went in search of an equalizer.
Pattaya United players
celebrate with the fans after the 1-0 win over Muangthong United at the
Nongprue Stadium in Pattaya, Saturday, Jan. 28.
Pattaya were finding it hard to maintain any quality
possession as they repelled the Muangthing attacks and they were lucky not
to concede in the 81st minute when only an incredible
one-handed save by Narit prevented Sangsanoi from leveling the scores.
Muangthong would go even closer in the final minutes of
the match and when Ali Diarra saw his flick-on from a free kick finally beat
Narit but rebound back off the woodwork to safety, the visitors must have
known it was not to be their day.
When the final whistle sounded soon after, it sparked
scenes of jubilation among both the throngs of Dolphin fans and the Pattaya
players on the pitch as they recognized their achievement of posting their
highest league finish since the team was formed three seasons ago.
After some disappointing results and performances at the
start of the season, Pattaya United really turned things around in the
second half of the campaign; a stretch which saw them lose only two out of
seventeen matches (unbeaten in their final 10 games) and gain 35 points out
of a possible 51, almost double the amount of points they achieved in the
opening half of the season.
Much credit must go to first team coach Chalermwoot
Sa-Ngapol who took over in July last year and has been a big factor in
United’s transformation and turning them into a hard team to beat.
There was double cause for celebration among the players
and coaching staff last weekend as club Chairman Sonthaya Khunplume came
good with his promise of donating a 5 million baht bonus if the team could
achieve a top four finish.
Things are certainly looking much brighter now for the
Dolphins with a return to their home stadium, and with a settled squad and
coaching staff, the fans will be eyeing a possible top three finish next
season.
At the other end of the table, Siam Navy were sent crashing out of the
Thai Premier League on the final day after they lost 2-0 to already
relegated Sriracha FC, and this result, combined with Samut Songkhram
winning 3-1 away at Army FC, meant that the Eastern Seaboard will be
represented by just two teams, Pattaya United and Chonburi FC, in the 2012
Thai Premier League season.
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Anwar crushes Pattaya
Cricket Club in T20 League
Pattaya Cricket club visited Bangkok Cricket Club in the
T20 league with a weakened side last Sunday at the Thai Cricket Ground.
PCC lost the toss and were asked to bowl on a dampish,
green wicket that promised rewards for the seamers early on. And so it
proved as Usman (1 for 23) and Yasir (1 for21) bowled a challenging off
stump line and each snared a wicket to reduce BCC to 19 for 2 from the
opening 4 overs. The PCC bowlers continued a tight bowling line and at the
half way stage BCC had reached a respectable 67 for 2.
Whatever was in the drinks that were given to the not out
batsmen certainly worked as almost immediately after the break Anwar and
Vishal began dispatching the ball to all parts. It has to be said that the
PCC bowling became somewhat ragged and the fielding left rather a lot to be
desired, with two straight forward chances being spilled, but the hitting
was relentless as the score raced past 100 in the 14th over.
Both batsmen reached their half centuries and continued
to plunder the bowling as 77 runs were scored in the last 5 overs. Anwar’s
66 ball hundred (110 not out) included only 3 fours but an incredible 8
sixes, 4 of which came off consecutive balls from Shan, on a ground with 70
meter boundaries.
Vishal played the perfect anchor man role and finished
with a well crafted 60 not out to see BCC to a daunting 181 for 2. PCC
bowlers Shan, Mithu and Salman had combined figures of 10 overs, no wickets
for 118 runs. All finished with stiff necks after watching the ball fly at
great velocity over long off and long on.
Somewhat shell shocked PCC opened with Sunny and Yasir
hoping for a fast start. 29 runs came from the first 4 overs before Yasir
was bowled by Dinesh for 9. Usman promoted up the order continued the chase
with a breezy 12. Sunny (32) and the captain Simon (29) kept the momentum of
the innings going but with their departures and accurate bowling PCC lost
their way and were eventually all out 116.
It was a crushing defeat for PCC and the loss of 3
regulars was a factor, but the incredible innings of Anwar was the
difference.
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Count back decides monthly scramble
PSC golf from The Caddyshack
Wednesday, Jan. 25, Green
Valley - Monthly Scramble
It was the monthly scramble on Wednesday at Green Valley
where the quartet of Mike Phillips, Les Charles, James Savage and Ed
Blackwell came out on top with a net 58.4 score to win on count back over
the team of Ted Gardner, Phonsie McGahan, Bruce Tollitt and Derek May. In
third place was the foursome of Emmet White, Ben Findon, Tony Oakes and
Olley with a net 59.2.
Near Pins went to Emmet White N4, Derek May N9, Jason
Barnett N12, and Phonsie McGahan N16, while the Long Drive was won by Emmet
White
Friday, Jan. 27,
Greenwood – Stableford
A Flight
1st Graham Houston (11) 38pts
2nd Paul Walia (13) 35pts
3rd Rick Culley (11) 33pts
B Flight
1st Dave Bramley (17) 39pts
2nd Bruce Tollitt (18) 37pts
3rd Kevin Hamilton (18) 37pts
Two flights at Greenwood on Friday with Dave Bramley
recording the top score of 39 points to win the B Flight. Graham Houston
claimed first place in the premier flight with a handy 38 point total. There
were four ‘2’s coming from Dave Bramley, Bruce Tollitt, Kevin Hamilton and
Mick Limming.
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Griffiths and Berger take pairs title
form at Emerald
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, January 23,
Crystal Bay – Stableford
Our first game here for a few months and the majority
after the round were impressed with the condition so we will be returning
here in the next six weeks or so.
There were twelve groups out in three divisions for the
men with a split of 6-15, 16-20 and 21 plus in division 3 plus the ladies of
course.
On the podium at Pattaya C.C.
- Jack Watkins, Harry Vincenzi and Keith Hector.
It was the A and B courses today and the highest return
was in division 2 with Erkki Pohja winning with 43 points. Neil Gamble came
in second on 39 and Don Head took third with 36.
We had the French, the London boy and the Canadian
topping division 3; Yves Bosset with 39 points, Rodney Howett one point
behind and ‘Zorro’ third with 37.
In division 1 Alan Pilkington beat his arch rival Pete
Sumner on a 20/18 back nine count back after they both returned scores of
36, and Raivo Velsberg was third with 34 points.
Mrs Swiss, alias Verana Suhr claimed the ladies division
with a meagre 26 points - she was happy!
Near pins went to Pete Sumner, Erkki Pohja, Don Head,
Bryan Rought, John Smith, Neil Gamble, Barry Stirling and Fred Duffy.
Fred Duffy also scooped the ‘2’s pot in division 2 with a
birdie on B6, while Don Head, Olaf, Barry Stirling and Chris Voller shared
the spoils in division 1.
Wednesday, January 25,
Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
It was very busy at the first tee and our start was
delayed by 10 minutes. There were only three divisions out today for the men
and a slightly different cut in the cards at 6-16, 17-22 and 23+.
Bryan Priestley beat Fred Duffy on a 19/17 back-nine
count back after they both returned scores of 39 to win division 2 while
Johnny Larsson took third with 35.
Jack Watkins won division 1 with 38 points, Harry
Vincenzi was second on 36 and it was welcome back to Keith Hector who came
in third with 32 after beating Barry Stirling on a 17/16 back-nine count
back.
Magne Gunnarson topped division 3 with 37 points, Tony
Holehouse was second with 35 and David Phillips took third with 31.
Near pins were won by Harry Vincenzi, Jack Watkins (2),
Paul Chabot and Erkki Pohja (2). There were no ‘2’s in either division.
Friday, February 27,
Eastern Star – 2-person scramble
The Eastern Star rollover kitty extravaganza with 64
players out today, 7 ladies and 57 men in a two-person scramble with one
person in division 1, 1-16 and one in division 2, 17 plus. There were
individual prizes to be won as well.
The course was in great condition and with no
cancellations overnight all 16 groups teed off on time. We changed the
format today for the teams to a 30% combined handicap for the strokes
received for each pairing. There was a ladies division and three mens
divisions for the nearest the pin prizes, irrespective if you chose to play
this person’s ball.
Near pins went to Pranee Bosset, Noi Emmerson, Josie
Monks, Al Griffiths, Jan Sordal (2), John Smith, Andy Baber, Jim Connelly,
Jerry Mcarthy, Cully Monks, Fred Duffy (2) and Chris Reed.
There were six team ‘2’s today for Jerry MaCarthy and
Andy Galvin (3rd), Al Griffiths and Roar Berger (3rd),
Darryl and Toi Blair (13th), Neville Scurell and Bryan
Rought (17th), Barry Traynor and Tony Barritt (17th),
and Heiki Alanko and Erkki Pohja (17th).
Paul Butler and Glyn Evans claimed the nearest the pin in
three shots prize on the 4th while the straightest
drive awards went to Josie Monks, Wilf Latham, Jerry McArthy and Eugine
Maguire.
Nearest the pin in three shots on the 11th
went to Olani Rissanen and Chris Reed and the nearest the pin in two shots
on the 12th to Jim Connelly and Fred Duffy. There were
a few cheers back at the presentation for Olani and Chris Reed for their
nearest the pin prize as Chris scuppered his shot from 145 yards out to land
a few feet from the pin.
The longest drives on the 18th went
to Pranee Bosset, Ron Miller, William Chang and Paul Chabot.
There were six prize places in the team stableford
competition today and before the start with this format nobody could predict
the winning score. There were three 44’s and with a back nine count back of
23/23, a back six of 16/16, a back three of 7/7, and finally a back two
count back of 4/3, Al Griffiths and Roar Berger beat Ron Miller and John
Williams. In third place with 22 on the back nine were Howard and Jill
Stanley.
Darryl and Toi Blair came in with 42 in fourth place,
beating Pete Sumner and Harry Cowling on a 24/22 back nine count back and in
sixth place were Wilf Latham and Anothai van Zeeland with 41.
Everyone appeared to enjoy the format and there were no moans regarding
the tee off times for 16 groups.
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City slip up in the title race
Bangkok Casuals Football League 2011-12
Paul Frain
Pattaya City were on their travels again last weekend,
playing last season’s champions The Londoner in Bangkok and looking for
another good victory.
City started brightly and the Londoners keeper had
difficulty with a centre from Tshuma that he could only palm over the bar.
City’s Ivanov then shot wide when he could have done better and when a
through ball right through the heart of the Londoners defense found Earnest
Dipita, his shot on the run smacked against the bar. More misfortune was to
follow for City soon after when Tshuma hit the inside of the Londoner post
and the ball was cleared.
Entirely against the run of play, The Londoners took the
lead with a superb 35 yard shot from an acute angle that sailed into the top
corner giving the City Keeper no chance. This did not deter the Pattaya team
however as they mounted attack after attack, but the home side’s defense
held firm till half time.
In the second period City moved up a gear but the end
finish eluded them and a quick long throw by the Londoner on the break
nearly paid dividends and it took a good save by the City keeper to prevent
them from scoring.
It was a warning sign to City but they failed to take
heed and they fell further behind when the Londoner broke again and a centre
reached their unmarked forward who made no mistake with a header to make it
2-0.
City had two chances late on with only the keeper to beat
but both shots were very weak and scrambled away. The final result 0f 2-0
didn’t reflect the game in which City had 70% of the possession but nothing
they tried in front of goal came off. It was just one of those days.
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Mukesh’s maiden win
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday Golf Group
Tuesday’s top two with staff
members from the Relax Bar.
Mike Gerrard
Friday. Jan. 20, Phoenix -
Stableford
The weather was superb (as you would expect at this time
of year) but the course was rammed and inevitably the course management was
lacking when it comes to working out players finishing their front nine to
meet the players who are starting the front nine. OK, if it’s the odd one
group, but when there are 5 groups coming from a ninth hole and 5 groups
starting on their first hole (which are two of the same) then all hell lets
loose. This happened today and guess what, not a marshal in sight!
So one was found and then the head marshal was found who
rules that the groups coming from the ninth hole should have precedence. So
if you have a late tee time of approx 12.00 noon you end up going out at
about 12.30pm. With the course full, the play is slow and there is always a
chance of finishing in the dark. However, all turned out well and we managed
to finish well before the sun went down.
Mukesh Thakker won the day with a fine knock of 37
points, with Keith Etherington second on 34, Colin Gregg third, also with
34, and yours truly in fourth spot with 33.
Sunday, Jan. 22, Phoenix -
Stableford
Onto Sunday and just the two groups for a nice afternoon
stroll round Phoenix. Well a stroll for some whilst others took a cart.
Our winner today with an incredible 42 points (including
one blob) was John Bartley. John well earned his victory by walking the
course and looking decidedly k****ered after. Second was yours truly with 34
points and John Kelly took third place with 34 on count back.
Tuesday, Jan. 24, Phoenix
- Stableford
A full field today so we decided to have two
competitions: Singles in two flights and a pairs better-ball. It was a
logistical nightmare - especially as we were all assembled on the tee and
there was one player missing. He failed to turn up which left poor Patrick
Browne without a partner for the day. Our apologies to Patrick for this.
The course was not so busy today and we enjoyed a
comfortable four and a quarter hour round - pretty good at this time of the
year. Phoenix is now getting back to some sort of good condition, however
the greens are still a little slow from previous years experiences. This
could be the reason why the scoring is a little better than normal.
Back at the Relax Bar everyone settled down whilst myself
with the help of Angel Matamala and Peter Harris tried vainly to sort out
the scores of both singles and the pairs teams. Sadly not everyone
understood what was going on and there were a couple of no returns (posh way
of saying disqualified, but only in the pairs).
The singles was split into two flights. The ‘A’ Flight
was won by Denis Dixon with 35 points. In second place was yours truly with
the same score but a worse back nine while in third was Joe Miller with 33
points.
‘B’ Flight was won by Peter Harris with 37 points (nice
to see after a long spell of some very indifferent golf). In second place
was Patrick Browne with 34 points (another one suffering of late but looks
like getting it back) and in third was Bob Neylon on 33.
Near pins went to Bong Thossaphon (2), Denis Dixon and
Joe Miller.
The pairs comp was won by Bookie Graham Ellis and Bomber
Peter Harris with 43 points, followed closely by Bill Hewitt and Bob Neylon
with 42 points, pushing your scribe and Keith Etherington into third with
the same score but a poorer back nine. Sadly Denis Dixon and Angel Matamala
finished fourth with the same score but an even worse back nine.
Lucky draw prizes (donated by the Relax Bar) went to John
Kelly, Kevin Joyce and Patrick Browne (I think). Well if it didn’t it should
have due to him being left without a partner.
For information on any of our golfing days please contact me (Mike) on
087 091 7565.
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Breslin top scores at Diana January Seniors & Ladies Open
Nigel Cannon
The first Diana Open for 2012, held on January 26, saw
twenty-five competitors playing in the 3 flights in the Super Senior,
Seniors and Ladies at the local Pattaya Country Club.
Tom Breslin, Orn Kanajantia
and Kenny Chung.
All arrived well in advance of the tee time and
registration and booking in was quick and efficient. The course was in fine
condition however 7 of the front 9 holes were played from the back markers!
The weather was hot and humid with a little rain after the last group had
finished their round.
There were just 4 ladies today and it was Orn Kanajantia
(15) who was in top spot with 34 points followed by Brigitta Luning (19)
with 33.
As we know we are all getting older and becoming ‘Super
Seniors’ as there were only 5 Seniors (50–64) today. Coming in with a fine
42 points was Kenny Chung (27) and a new face – Aussie Phil Waites (13) -
was runner-up with 40.
There were 16 playing in the Super Seniors with wily Tom
Breslin (25) recording a great 44 points. Runner-up was the regular Diana
player – who also calculates the results - Alan Pearce (32) with 41 points.
It was good to see Alan back on form after a few months in the doldrums.
There was no one to claim #5 near pin for men and no lady
to claim #7. However it was Jerry McCarthy who claimed both 12 and 16 on the
back 9.
Today we were joined by Norman Martin who had had some
health problems recently. Whilst he is not able to play he went round in a
buggy with Phil Waite and enjoyed the day,
The next Diana Seniors and Ladies Open is on Thursday
23rd February – sign up at Green Bottle on 2nd Road or Diana Driving Range.
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Pattaya Mail, Heineken to sponsor
Multihull Festival – Pattaya’s first
Peter Cummins
Both Pattaya Mail and Heineken will be joined by
others to underwrite the 1st Pattaya International
Catamaran Multihull Festival, to be sailed on the waters off the Royal
Varuna Yacht Club, from 4–10 February, 2012.
The Pattaya Mail, voted the best English- language
newspaper in the region for the past 12 years, has agreed to sponsor the
Pattaya Mail PC Classic Challenge, Race Day on Sunday, 5 February, as a
highlight of the week-long Multihull Festival.
The 1st Pattaya International
Catamaran Multihull Festival starts this weekend and runs until Feb. 10.
The Race Day itself will feature two races, exhibiting
these “flying machines” at their best. All are welcome to join the
excitement at the Royal Varuna beach-front for the day and evening. Don’t
miss the unique Happy Hour sunset at Varuna’s seaside sala.
Heineken, for its part, is renowned for sponsorship of a
huge number of sporting events world-wide and this coming week will be
providing a daily “Happy Hour Sundowner” beer to thirsty sailors, race
managers, supporters and spectators gathered at Royal Varuna’s water-front
bar.
According to the principal organizer, Pattaya-based
catamaran builder, John Higham, this inaugural event is to be held annually
and, says John, “Will become Asia’s largest multihull regatta by next year”.
The aim, apart from promoting this visually-exciting form of yacht racing,
is also to create a high profile of Pattaya as a prime venue for water-based
activities and marine sports for the City-by-the-Sea.
Witness some spectacular
multihull racing from the foreshore of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in south
Pattaya.
The regatta, in effect, will showcase the fastest
sail-driven craft in the world, thereby emphasizing the superb marine
environment and sailing conditions which mark the Pattaya-Jomtien area as
one of the world’s best. “This event will, no doubt, become one of the
largest beach- based sailing spectaculars in the world in future.” added
John.
Yacht-racing in the Kingdom is forging ahead, with a
junior world champion and many other Thais in top contention. And, now, with
events like the Catamaran fest and the many regattas held up and down the
country during the year, Thailand’s water-ways are the most desirable venues
in the world. This is the collective opinion of many sailors who come back
year after year, especially after such annual regattas as the Phuket King’s
Cup.
The Royal Varuna Yacht Club, founded in South Pattaya,
Thailand, in 1957, has been the guardian, over these past 55 years of the
sailing, yacht racing and cruising scene in Thailand, with the Royal Patron,
HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej himself, a Gold Medal dinghy sailor.
During these almost six decades of stewardship, Royal
Varuna has managed and hosted countless world championships, international,
regional and local events, produced Olympic sailors and fostered the
region’s biggest and best regattas.
Ensconced on a beautiful sea-front property facing the
world-renowned Pattaya sunset, the Club this weekend takes a quantum leap
into the future. While formerly catering almost solely to dinghy classes,
more recently multihulls and catamarans with ever-increasing levels of
sophistication are plying the waters and racing off south Pattaya.
The 1st Pattaya International
Multihull Festival will witness the largest group of fast, modern catamarans
to ever race together in SE Asia. Featuring classes such as F20 carbons with
their curved foiling blades propelling the boats clear of the water, capable
of speeds of 60km/h, there will be a display of the fastest one design beach
launched catamarans in existence.
There will be much focus on the F16 class due to the
expectation by many that an F16 will be chosen as the new Olympic class in
2016, and already top sailors with an eye on Olympic glory are pushing the
limits in their quest for success.
In fact the F16 will be the most competitive of all the
classes racing and is first open F16 class (sailed mainly with a mixed team,
i.e. one man, one woman as crew) ever to race in Asia. F16 competitors such
as Coen de Koning from Holland, a double World champion in the Formula 18
class, Carolijn Brouwer, also from Holland, who is a three times Olympic
competitor and Tornado world champion, Gunnar Larsen from Holland, Jason
Waterhouse, Bret Goodall from Australia and Chris Sproat from the UK also
feature as top 10 finishers from previous F18 worlds.
A total of 23 entries for the F18 class, mostly from
Holland and Varuna sailors make it the largest class with also 11
Bangkok/Pattaya entries and sailors of the caliber of Australia’s Greg
Goodall.
There will be 11 very high-level entries in the Dart 18
Class including Gareth Owen, a Royal Varuna -based sailor who is a former
world Dart 18 champion, as well as Ian and Fiona Kernick, reigning world
champions from South Africa.
Although not as fast as the modern craft, the classic
Hobie Cat 16 class, with a huge fleet in Thailand, also has strong following
and will feature local Thai sailors such as Damrongsak Vongtim, an Asian
Games gold medalist and one of the world’s leading Hobie Cat 16 helmsmen, as
well as many Royal Varuna sailors.
Multihull sailing has evolved tremendously over the last
decade, so much so that the World’s oldest trophy and most prestigious
sailing event, the “Americas Cup” decisively switched to a multihull event
some years ago and ever since the sailing world has seen an explosion of
interest and development in multihull sailing.
Thus, sailing in Thailand is keeping pace with these
developments and the “1st Pattaya International Multihull Festival”, has
attracted 60 plus entries from 14 different nations with numerous world
class and Olympic level athletes competing.
All are welcome during the week, to view the action from
Royal Varuna Yacht Club foreshore.
The Monday long-distance race, will be known as the 3K
Challenge, a course which will take the participants around many of the
local islands and more scenic coastal areas, revealing the beauties of the
Pattaya-Jomtien environs. This 3K course will be identical each year
allowing a record to be set and open to all contestants.
As to Pattaya itself, of course, the excitement and
success of the event will depend upon the wind conditions. The past weeks
have seen the traditional north-easterly thermals giving way to weak
south-westerlies, a little too early, many of the old salts feel, with
cloudy skies and some rain.
Nevertheless, by mid-week, skies started to clear and
westerliers appeared. It will be “All Go” for this coming weekend!
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Zvonareva-Kirilenko fly in for 2012
PTT Pattaya Open
Russian star Vera Zvonareva who is the top seed at the
US$220,000 PTT Pattaya Open, WTA professional women tennis tournament flew
into Thailand last weekend to begin early preparations for this year’s
tournament, which is being staged at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Pattaya from
5–12 February.
Vera Zvonareva.
Zvonareva, who is ranked No 7 in the world, was an early
arrival at the PTT Pattaya Open flying in directly from Melbourne where she
had been competing in the Australian Open Doubles Final, which she won with
playing partner and compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Zvonareva will be competing here for the fourth
successive year and won back titles in 2009 and 2010 and was a semi-finalist
last year. She is foregoing Fed Cup duty to concentrate on winning back her
title which she lost to Daniela Hantuchova last year.
Another early arrival this year is fellow Russian Maria
Kirilenko, currently ranked No 29 in the world, who flew in on the same
flight as Zvonareva last Saturday.
Meanwhile, the tournament committee has announced that
they have given 2 promising local teenagers the opportunity to play in the
tournament by giving them wild cards into the qualifying round. The 2
players are Tanaporn Thongsing and Nattawadee Kotcha. Both players are
coming out of the junior ranks and will have the opportunity to test their
skills against more experienced opposition in Pattaya. They will join
Varatchaya Wongteanchai and Nudnida Luangnam in the 16-strong qualifying
draw which will be held on 5–6 February.
Maria Kirilenko.
Other top players lined up to appear at this year’s event
include the defending champion Daniela Hantuchova, Dominika Cibulkova of
Slovakia, India’s Sania Mirza, and Zhang Jie of China. Britain’s former
junior Wimbledon champion Laura Robson will also be joining the line-up for
the first time along with compatriots Heather Watson and Anne Keothavong.
Local interest will be spearheaded by the experienced
Tamarine Tanasugarn who will be appearing for the 18th successive year in
Pattaya after reaching 2 finals in 1996 and 2010 and will be looking to go
one better this year.
The main draw matches commence on 6 February with play
starting from 15.00 daily until the semi-finals on Saturday 11 February and
the finals on Sunday 12 February, which will begin at 16.00. Tickets are
available at 300, 500, 800 and 1,200 baht.
For more information on the tournament and tickets,
please contact Pentangle Promotions Co., Ltd at Tel: 02-3113414/5 or via the
website at www. pentanglepromotions .com or through ThaiTicket Major Co.,
Ltd at 02-2623456 or website www.thaiticket major.com.
Tanaporn Thongsing.
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