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Pattaya Sports Club Fishing News
Capt. Dene
With Songkran and other holidays taking up a good
proportion of the month, coupled with a golfing trip up country, I have been
unable to provide reports on our individual fishing trips this month.
Instead I have combined our four trips into this overall report.
Due to my ever increasing “craft” disease I had forgotten
to include Robert our trip on April 7. Fortunately he reminded me the night
beforehand that he was attending and, because this made 9 for the trip, I
decided not to go.
On arriving at Khram Marine the next morning, I
discovered someone else on my list had not booked for the trip. As I had not
brought my fishing gear with me, I could not go and the boat finally
departed with 7 members. I have limited information about this trip other
than all participants had a good time and were happy with their catch.
A special charter trip was arranged on April 10 for Phil
and Nat, regular monthly participants, and their friends. Again I have
little info other than I am informed a trawling line 100 pound strength
snapped when hooking some unidentified marine creature. Until now I was
unaware we had whales in this region. The day was voted a success with
plentiful good sized fish.
On April 12 seven of us departed at 07:00 from Khram
Marine on a beautiful day. We welcomed Solly and Daeng, two new members who
intend to participate in future trips.
With one exception, yours truly, all had excellent
catches including 5 plus big grey about the 2 kilo size. Jeff insisted he
had the most fish and heaviest bag while Peter was sure his and Sommai’s
catch more than doubled Jeff’s. I wasn’t interested in resolving the dispute
when my miserable catch of around 4 kilos was the worst in 2 years.
The dreaded Songkran disease struck our trip on April 21
and our attendance dropped to 4. Nevertheless we all did well with 10–15
kilo bags, which included our prized big greys (6) and larger than usual
snapper, grouper and yellow tail. Many of which were over one pound in
weight. Great pan size and delicious.
The boat had its annual maintenance and overhaul last
month and I am pleased to report it is in pristine condition, paint work
excellent and the engine just purrs. Regrettably I lost my camera after the
last trip in March and to date have not replaced it. Accordingly, with
apologies, no photos.
Future trips are planned on May 10, May 24 and May 29.
Contact me (Dene) on 081 862 6279 for booking.
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Rushant tops the week
with forty at Phoenix
Travellers Rest Golf Group
Jeff Boylan
and Brendan Moore were both on Thursday’s podium at Phoenix.
We are pleased to report our long term friend and
reporter Barry Hooper continues to make good progress following his serious
car accident some months ago. He is sorely missed by all his friends in
Pattaya and we all wish him a full recovery.
Our apologies to members for the delay in reporting the
results on a regular basis, however we are looking to resolve this as
quickly as possible.
Our trip to Royal Hills and Lotus Valley during the
Songkran week was a great success. Both courses were in excellent condition
and the group would recommend both resorts are well worth a visit.
Before listing our reports for the week a point worth
highlighting is TRGG continues to use CONGU as the preferred handicapping
method. Our members have used this system for some years and the feedback to
date is very favourable.
Monday, April 23, The
Emerald - Stableford
Always good value for money here and the weather was
great with no hold up in play. We had one division today with 20 players and
the first five places were in the prizes.
It was nice to see the return of the Aussies back on the
podium with three of the first five taking the money (welcome to CONGU
boys!) No seriously, no issues today as the course was not easy with a
little bit of wind and greens recovering in part after being hollow
tined/sanded.
1st Jeff Boylan (24) 38pts
2nd David Booth (13) 34pts
3rd Larry Simpson (11) 33pts
4th Jim Cleaver (12) 33pts
5th Roger Wilkinson (15) 32pts
Tuesday, April 24, Khao
Kheow A & B - Stableford
The issue today was slow play and this was not from the
TRGG members but the golfers in front which were not managed by the
marshalls. As the weather is getting extremely hot it is not pleasant to
have in excess of a 5 or 5ฝ hour round.
Nice to see David Booth back in the prizes as it must be
at least all of two outings where he has not featured. David, we all want to
know what the secret is as it certainly works for you. However the winner of
the day was Min Moore with 37 points and playing off a handicap of 20. Min
was followed by Jim McNeil 34 points (h/c16) & David Booth 31 points
(h/c13).
Hopefully the next visit will see an improvement by the
marshalls in getting to grips with the movement of players on the course.
Thursday, April 26,
Phoenix – Stableford
We were pleased to welcome back Ted Senior from Australia
and can confidently expect him to be in the prizes very shortly. Also there
was a warm welcome return to form for Fergus Brennan who has battled the
golfing demons recently. As you know Fergus runs the golf at TRGG and the
words “I can’t hit a ball” have been a recent feature of his dialogue to the
group.
A warm welcome also to our long time member Alun Evans
who has returned from Wales - the sheep will feel a lot safer in Wales this
week but the same can’t be said for the caddies at Phoenix. Nice to have you
back!
1st Mike Rushant (12) 40pts
2nd Jeff Boylan (21) 36pts
3rd Alun Webber (20) 36pts
4th Brendan Moore (12) 36pts
5th Fergus Brennan (10) 34pts
6th Ted Senior (12) 34pts
Mike was suffering a sprained ankle and we all know the
saying beware the injured golfer
Most of the group volunteered to make it a more
substantial injury next time.
Again we had more issues with slow play as some of our
members were reporting nearly 6 hour rounds. Our first group out today were
held up on all 18 holes and they were a 3-ball off the ladies tee following
a two-ball?
Saturday, April 28,
Crystal Bay – Stableford
The group wished a happy birthday to Fergus Brennan on
his 70th and allowed him to ring the bell. Winners
today were Rod Ewan (11) in first with 38 points on count back over Bob
Watson (1), with Peter Roberts (15) third with 37 and Billy Alan (14) taking
fourth on 35.
There were no hold ups in play today and all the groups
finished early.
Note: The TRGG play out of the Bowling Green and
Fergus Brennan (Tel. 086 056 7019) will be pleased to welcome golfers to the
group. The website is trgg.biz.com where you have info concerning where and
when we play. We also publish our results on www. masterscoreboard.co.uk.
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Too much water affects the golfing scene
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, April 9, Mountain
Shadow - Rainbow Pairs Scramble
1st Al Rolnik & Kare Lunde (14)
51pts
2nd Alwyne Burley & Mike Hill (17)
49pts
3rd Paul Hartley & Shuichi Kodaka
(14) 44pts
4th John Wood & Phil Stevenson (18)
39pts
Mike
Hill.
Wednesday, April 11,
Greenwood - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Jens Gunnarsson (15) 38pts
2nd Alan Pilkington (9) 35pts
3rd Shuichi Kodaka (18) 33pts
4th Phil Groves (8) 32pts
With the Doc away for Songkran it was left to Trevor
Schirmer, who whilst still being unable to play through injury, took on the
onus of the sign-ups and presentations in addition to his on course
organisation, and had a farewell today for Phil Stevenson and John Wood
before presenting the day’s prizes.
Shuichi Kodaka.
The rest of the week and the following week’s golf was
cancelled due to the Songkran activities in the city which made transport
almost impossible to organise.
Monday, April 23, The
Emerald - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Mike Hill (26) 36pts
2nd Masanori Takano (8) 31pts
3rd Marco Tynell (26) 28pts
4th Seil Revels (5) 27pts
Prior to the presentations Trevor welcomed new member
Seil Revels who, although having been an IPGC member for some time, was
playing his first game out of The Haven he also welcomed back Masanori
Takano and Markku Tynell.
Jason Cole.
Once again there were no 2’s in either division.
Wednesday, April 25,
Bangpra - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Shuichi Kodaka (18) 32pts
2nd Mike Hill (26) 30pts
3rd Phil Groves (8) 29pts
4th Markku Tynell (26) 29pts
Friday, April 27, Phoenix
- Monthly Medals
Division 1
Blue Tees CSS 73
1st Jason Cole (7) 76pts
2nd Phil Groves (8) 76pts
3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 78pts
Division 2
White Tees CSS 71
1st Markku Tynell (26) 68pts
2nd Alwyne Burley (18) 74pts
3rd Serge Straeten (16) 78pts
4th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 78pts
Markku Tynell.
With “The Doc” back from sunny Cyprus it was left to him
to thank Trevor Schirmer for running the whole of the golfing activities
during his absence and take over the presentations on Friday, which included
welcoming himself back (something warmly seconded by Trevor as it now
allowed him to concentrate on winning each day’s longest drive competition).
Notee: 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 Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday 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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McDonald the class act at St. Andrews
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Monday, April 23, Burapha
- Stableford
Just about the only golfers at Burapha today were there
for Ivan Plunkett’s Birthday Bash; 33 Outbackers were joined by another 16
or so from Lewiinski’s to celebrate the day on the A & B nines from the
blues.
We were able to start ahead of the allocated slot of 10
a.m. which caught many on the hop and Capt’ Steve had to hastily improvise
the start sheet to get everyone away without too much of a delay, as some
people had left it a little late to arrive; even our stand-in driver for the
day, was well on his way to Khao Kheow!
The course lacked some care and was very scruffy in
places, particularly very close to some of the greens where the grass
inexplicably had not been cut, then another patch adjacent to it, where it
had. It was hardly fair on the errant ball that just missed the green to be
sitting in six inch long grass; otherwise the greens, although true, were
bone hard making the ball difficult to stop.
The scoring was generally low, with 37pts from Paul Hack
being the best score of the day to win Div C. with Terry Phur (36) taking
second and Suzi (35) getting third on count back from Jon Kittilsen. A pair
of 36’s won Div B & Div D, from Tore Elliason and Peter Wallace respectively
whilst, course specialist, Jim Brackett won the premier division with 35
from Paul Greenaway on 34.
There were only two ‘2’s from Mark Wood and Mike
Jeffries.
Div A (0-11)
1st Jim Brackett (6) 35pts
2nd Paul Greenaway (10) 34pts
3rd Paul Bourke (9) 33pts
4th Dennis Pelly (11) 33pts
Div B (12-16)
1st Tore Eliassen (15) 36pts
2nd Colin Davis (16) 34pts
3rd Mick Leighton (14) 33pts
4th Lindsay Semple (14) 33pts
Div C (17-19)
1st Paul Hack (18) 37pts
2nd Terry Phur (17) 36pts
3rd Suzi Lawton (19) 35pts
4th Jon Kittilsen (19) 35pts
Div D (20+)
1st Peter Wallace (20) 36pts
2nd Sean Soden (23) 35pts
3rd Graham Woollett (21) 35pts
4th Brian Maddox (21) 33pts
Tuesday, April 24, Pattaya
C.C. – Stableford
14 members made it out to Pattaya today playing the front
nine twice from the whites and blues. Due to the difference between the tees
the two ladies (only having red) had their own competition, which was won by
Seesa, aka Mam Persson.
In the main competition some good scoring saw Dennis
Persson winning with 38 points, closely followed by the ever improving Terry
Marney with 37.
We say goodbye to John Kittilsen and Ke Persson who are
both going home for the summer, see you both in October.
There were two ‘2’s from Seesa and Alan Whittingham.
1st Seesa Phompinmon (26) 38pts
2nd Dennis Persson (17) 38pts
3rd Terry Marney (28) 37pts
Tuesday, April 24, Laem
Chabang - Stableford
11 Outbackers went back to Laem Chabang for the first
time in nearly two years on their Sports Day and the course was heavily
booked for the day.
Laem Chabang is in the process of upgrading the fairways
and have completed C course and are currently working on the B course and
you can certainly see the difference in the quality of the grass between C
and A. The fairways and rough on C have body and are great to play off and
out of; whereas with A the ball tends to sit down, especially in the rough
and you play off sand rather than grass but in saying that the course was
still presented in great shape and the bunkers were consistent throughout.
The weather was kind and even though we copped a couple
of sprinkles of rain to start and thunderstorms threatened, they both stayed
away and we completed our round in just over 4 hours.
Welcome to new members Steve Newlan, Robert Lim, Peter
Yong, Yves Moutier and Les Brown.
The winner for the day was Paul Greenaway with a great
score of 39 points off his 10 handicap, from Steve Milne with 35 points on
his 16 handicap who beat Bob St Aubin on a 15 handicap on a count back.
There were two ‘2’s for the day to Peter Yong on hole 11
and Ron Dickie on hole 16.
With the exception of next Tuesday (1st
May) which is Labour Day, the Outback will have a regular slot every Tuesday
at Laem Chabang throughout the Low Season. We will also be at Siam
Plantation nearly every Wednesday starting on 2nd May.
1st Paul Greenaway (10) 39pts
2nd Steve Milne (16) 35pts
3rd Bob St. Aubin (15) 35pts
Wednesday, April 25,
Phoenix – Stableford
The 13 Outbackers who to went to Phoenix today, played
Mountain and Lake off the white markers, were disappointed that the course
was not up to its usual standard. The course has recently undergone some
serious maintenance and the greens were very bumpy and slow; the fairways
were good but some were not cut, and overall the course was ‘below par’ but
this is the time that most courses undergo their usual repairs etc.
Otherwise a good day with some good scoring as the course
played quite short, with four players playing to their handicap or better.
Winner for the day was Capt’ Steve with 38 points off his 10 handicap from
John O’Keefe (17) with 37, who beat Suzi Lawton (19) count back with Rosco
(14) taking fourth place with 36.
Despite the greens, there were three ‘2’s for the day,
from Rosco, (8th), John O’Keefe (11th)
and Chris Davisson (16th).
1st Steve Mann (10) 38pts
2nd John O’Keefe (17) 37pts
3rd Suzi Lawton (19) 37pts
Friday, April 27, St.
Andrews – Stableford
There were 24 Outbackers today playing at St Andrews due
to Green Valley having a competition. Our new monthly medal, due to start
today was postponed until the end of May at Green Valley as we reckoned St.
Andrews is a bit too tough for a medal comp.
With a slight breeze blowing it made a pleasant change
from the hot and humid weather we have experienced over the past weeks. The
course played fine with the fairways and greens in good conditions and the
bunkers seemed to have had more sand in them than normal.
We would like to say safe journey to Steve Giles and John
Lawton and see them on their next trip. Bon voyage boys.
Mark McDonald had the round of the day with a two over
par gross 76 for 37pts and the Div A win and was matched for points by Suzi,
also with 37 and the Div B win. Good rounds were also recorded by Capt’
Steve (36), Ron Dickie (36), Paul Bourke (35), Dennis Pelly (35) and Steve
Milne (35).
There was only one ‘2’ from Paul Bourke on the 10th.
Div A (0-14)
1st Mark McDonald (3) 37pts
2nd Steve Mann (9) 36pts
3rd Ron Dickie (8) 36pts
4th Paul Bourke (9) 35pts
Div B (15+)
1st Suzi Lawton (19) 37pts
2nd Steve Milne (16) 35pts
3rd Ricky Poe (29) 33pts
4th Martin Kingswood (15) 31pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km
from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. All are welcome to come and join
us for a beer and a hit. Just call in and put your name down on the list or
call Jack on 087 941 2474.
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Toddy & Buckers take the spoils at Navy
PSC Golf from the Café Kronborg
Peter
Blackburn, left, receives the Cafe Kronborg April Monthly Mug from ‘The
Admiral’.
Peter Blackburn
Monday, April 23, Plutaluang W&N – Stableford
After the almost two week break due to Songkran we were
all looking forward to playing the popular Plutaluang layout (unlike the
scribe of another Pattaya golf outlet) and with a couple of late inclusions
we had a field of seventeen.
After assembling at Cafô Kronborg we welcomed back The
Admiral from his annual trip to the USA and also Kevin Dinan who has
returned from five weeks in Ireland. Also it was good to see Fred Cuypers
from Perth, Australia who is visiting for a few weeks on his way to the UK.
Sadly we were saying farewell to Arne Max Pedersen, Lotte Boskov & Henrik
Aargaard who will shortly be returning to Denmark.
Departing the Kronny right on schedule at 0815 hrs we
arrived at the course 45 minutes later and it didn’t seem to be too busy. We
were allocated the West & North nines and our first group, a three-ball,
teed off 25 minutes ahead of schedule at 0935 hrs. The weather was fine and
hot with a few threatening rain clouds overhead but that’s as far as it got
as it stayed fine all day.
Martin Todd, ‘The Admiral’ &
Graham Buckingham.
The course was in terrific shape with very well
maintained greens and Plutaluang continues to be one of the best value for
money courses in the region. Moving along at a good pace our first group was
able to complete their full round in the very good time of four hours & ten
minutes.
There were 2 flights on the day, A Flight for handicaps 0
to 17 and B Flight for 18 and over.
The golf course was certainly the winner on the day with
not one golfer playing to their handicap or better. Back from his recent
Kanchanaburi golf trip, Martin Todd took out the A Flight with 35 points,
one point ahead of another trip member in Walter Baechli (18 point back
nine) in second place who beat Fred Cuypers (14 point back nine) in a count
back. In fourth place came the departing Henrik Aargaard with 33 points.
Yet another Kanchanaburi trip member Graham Buckingham
won the B Flight with a modest 32 points and Bo Cardwell finished second 1
point behind. Continuing his improvement on the Kanchanaburi trip Dick
Braimbridge (17 point back nine) made his first appearance ever on the
podium and finished third by beating Frank Donnelly (14 point back nine) on
a count back, both golfers having 30 points.
A Flight (0-17)
1st Martin Todd (9) 35pts
2nd Walter Baechli (17) 35pts
3rd Fred Cuypers (13) 34pts
4th Henrik Aargaard (17) 33pts
B Flight (18+)
1st Graham Buckingham (22) 32pts
2nd Bo Cardwell (27) 31pts
3rd Dick Braimbridge (36) 30pts
4th Frank Donnelly (23) 30pts
The Compass Cap (awarded for worst score on the day) was
awarded to Dave Richardson who seemed to struggle after playing just the one
game in the last month, and Hunter paraded Deefa the Dog who once more
collected many donations to charity from the ever generous Kronny crew.
Thursday, April 26, Pleasant Valley –Monthly Mug, Stroke
As Pattaya Country Club is just a nine hole course at the
moment due to extensive course maintenance, it was decided that the Caf้
Kronborg Monthly Mug be held at The Pleasant Valley course. It’s that one
time in the month that we play a stroke round and we had 16 golfers signed
up to contest for the coveted Mug.
We welcomed Les Brown from Cornwall in England and headed
off from the Kronny at 0815 hrs on the dot. In just 40 minutes we were at
the course which was practically deserted and we were invited to tee off as
soon as we were ready. Our first group got away 40 minutes ahead of schedule
at 0920 hrs in perfect weather conditions although hot & humid with just a
mild breeze attempting to cool things down.
The course as usual was in great nick with mainly lush
fairways and well maintained greens. We played at a fairly good pace
although drink stops were a necessity due to the humidity and we completed
our full round in four hours & thirty five minutes.
In addition to the Monthly Mug Award we had five
place-getters. There were rewards for nearest the pin on two of the par
threes kindly sponsored by Walter Baechli and a longest first putt on the 18th
green kindly sponsored by Mike Gosden.
Your humble correspondent had a “day out’ in shooting 78
off the stick and won the Caf้ Kronborg April Monthly Mug with a score of
net 66. That fine golfer Mike Allidi had an even par round to finish second
with net 69 and another man in form, Aussie Martin Todd shot 79 for a net 70
to finish third. In fourth place came the winner of the Fashion Award, Mr
Walter Baechli with a net 72 and in a count back for fifth & sixth places on
net 73, Fred Cuypers (net 23 on last 6 holes) edged out Ken Bernek (net 24
last 6 holes) after they were even on count back for the back nine.
At presentations back at Caf้ Kronborg we acknowledged
Bjarne Nielsen and his family & staff for once more sponsoring this monthly
event.
Monthly Mug
1st Peter Blackburn (12) net 66
2nd Mike Allidi (3) net 69
3rd Martin Todd (9) net 70
4th Walter Baechli (17) net 72
5th Fred Cuypers (13) net 73
6th Ken Bernek (16) net 73
Near Pins: 8th - Walter
Baechli; 17th – Bo Cardwell
Long Putts: 18th – Ken Bernek
The Compass Cap was well won by Dick Braimbridge, and
Hunter paraded Deefa the Dog who collected lots of donations to charity from
the Kronny Crew.
Note: Just a reminder that coming up next month, Thursday May 10th
is the Papa Ray Rogers Birthday Memorial Tournament to be held at
Plutaluang. It is a 4 person scramble and the entry fee is 500 baht per
person which includes prizes, a commemorative shirt and dinner back at Papa
Ray’s house on Siam Country Club Road. The sign-up sheet is in Caf้ Kronborg
so please organize your groups and put your money in the box provided.
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Hacket-and Elphick
produce some thunder
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Michael Gaussa
Tuesday, April 24, Green
Valley – Stableford
With the regular “Scribe” having retreated to the River
Kwai for ANZAC Day to honor those that so bravely gave their lives for their
country, this writer woke to the unfamiliar sound of morning rain. Was this
to be the first rained-out golf outing in over a year? A quick peak outside
confirmed that this was only a localized shower as the sun shone cheerfully
through the sheets of heavy precipitation.
Flight winners John
Hacket-and Barry Elphick with two of Bert’s helpers
At Bert’s we got off to a later than usual start, having
to wait for a few stranglers that pushed an already later than normal
departure time to the limits. Walter’s tardiness was excused because of his
normal congeniality and outrageous golf attire which was this day properly
accessorized with a white belt and long white stockings.
So having gathered our 20 golfers on the day we convoyed
out to the course in an orderly fashion, that is, until Mashi decided to
break ranks and pass the lead vehicle which was stuck behind a slow moving
truck just prior to a blind rise in the final stretch of road to Green
Valley. The chorus of “Hail Mary’s” could be heard from Mashi’s Toyota as it
darted back into its lane avoiding a “near miss” (or should it have been
characterized as a “near hit”) with the oncoming, unseen vehicle.
Safely at the course, having shown up a bit late for our
scheduled tee time, the starter ushered the first group to the first tee
with the strong words “Bai leow leow”, not affording them the opportunity to
warm-up on the fine practice facility. This would prove to be the undoing of
the 4 men in the first group.
The course was in its usual excellent condition with
hard, fast greens and fairways that actually have a uniform stand of grass,
which is mown to the proper height of 5/8" (1.5cm). There would be none of
the usual excuses that accompany a poor round today, blaming lack of talent
on lack of course maintenance.
We got around the first nine well with only the
occasional OB shot encountered after taking the “Tiger Line” on a
well-conceived risk-reward hole. It was then that the first flash of
lightning and crack of thunder caused a hesitation on one backswing. The
golf organizer carefully counted 10 seconds between flash and clap and so we
carried on.
Several Steve Hamstad jokes were bantered about as we
made our way to the next hole where the caddies could be found encasing our
golf bags in plastic. Their intuition proved correct and by the next hole
out came the umbrellas as a light rain had ensued. Thankfully the rain only
lasted for 3 holes and caused only one airbourne 3-wood. It was later
discovered that the groups in the rear had “holed up” in a drink stand for
this duration; unforgivable behavior from any golfer in my opinion.
Back in the clubhouse with cold beer and currywurst and
pomme frits to cheer up an uninspired round of golf, the anticipated good
scores started stacking up. Posting the best score of the day would be John
Hacket with 39 points. Taking second in ‘A’ flight was Walter “El Pradron”
Baechli with 38; and Alan “The nicest fellow in Pattaya” Sullivan with 36.
Not to be overshadowed by the ‘A’ flighters, “B” flights
winner, Mr. Barry Elphick posted an uncharacteristic 38 having hit some
“professional quality lob wedge shots to secure his station”. Darryl Evans
showed a return to his fine form and came in second with his 36 by edging
Bernie Cairns on count back.
Near Pins went to Bucky, Bernie, MOB, and “El Padron.”
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Clive gets some revenge
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, April 24,
Treasure Hill - Stableford
First to Tuesday when we travelled to Treasure Hill,
where the course is in good condition and with today a Sport Day, yippee! It
was a late change to come here, when after confirming a price for our
previously booked course, it was more expensive to play on a Sport Day there
than normal, M’mmm, I couldn’t come to grips with that either.
Brian Maddox, all smiles
after taking second spot on Tuesday.
It was Jeff Wylie (6) who led the way home with 36
points, (partly inspired by one P Smith’s startling round recently). Next
best was Brian Maddox (22) who just edged Clive on count back 16/15 after
both returned 31 points. Clive had thought he had 32, but a scorecard check
confirmed 31, not to worry.
Near pins were shared between Jeff & Brian also, Jeff did
convert on the 2nd hole.
Thursday, April 26,
Greenwood C&A - Stableford
Thursday was Greenwood, with the course in good order,
although the later groups were forced to delay 15 minutes or so due to a
thunder storm. Clive got some revenge over Brian today, finishing with 34
points to get second spot behind the consistent Jeff Wylie (6) who signed
for 38 points.
Near pins were picked up by Iain & Jeff.
It was very good to see Trevor hit the ball so well on
the Back 9, to have 17 points, the improvement since his commencing to play
with ML is obvious, keep it up Trev.
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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Sure and steady Sala
The Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
Heavy coring at Silky Oak at the weekend meant that the
Pattaya Golf Society had no other option than to redirect to Crystal Bay
on Monday, 23rd April and found the B and C nines well prepared and once
again devoid of golfers. Fairways are now very dry and have a lot of run
whilst the greens were also quite hard and less receptive than normal.
However the welcome was as warm as ever and the small group enjoyed a
round of no more than four hours.In third place was
Peter Ditz with 33 points and in second was Ronnie Ramsay, the Scottish
power player recording 35 points on a rare break from work. The winner
was Alex Sala and he put together a steady if unspectacular level par
round despite finding the greens difficult to assess, three-putting on
more than a few occasions.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and Mr Len took the Booby
Bevy for his third successive back nine implosion, the current
oppressive heat and humidity obviously not to his liking. But what else,
apart from golf, is going to get us out of bed on a Pattaya morning?
3G at Bangpra and Boss
clicks
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Bangpra on
Wednesday, 25th April to play a stableford competition on the exquisite
course, a favourite of many Pattaya golfers. A hot, bright day drew the
best out of the course visually and the dry fairways gave plenty of run.
The greens, having been recently lightly cored and dressed, were running
at a more moderate pace and this suited the fair-sized field better than
the horrors of the recent downhill putts.
Competition was tight throughout and James Smith
joined his brother Chris in a share of second place with 34 points, the
latter coming up with an excellent best gross of 75. Masa Takano
returned from Japan to muscle in on the place with a fine 34 points
also.
On his previous three rounds PGS golf geezer Mr Len
has flattered to deceive with excellent front nine figures only to wilt
in the heat and drift off the pace but today he was dogged in his
efforts and put together his best round for a few weeks, finishing in
first place with the only sub-par round of the day, 38 points.
Another “first” for the group was the appearance of
three generations of the same family in the field as Ronnie Ramsay
introduced son Jonathan to the course to join Ronnie Senior in the same
group.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went to
J๘rn Eriksen for his largest split figures and he responded with a zesty
tug of Rabbi’s bell rope to celebrate the occasion. What an excellent
day it had been at Bangpra!
Winning return
for Sam
On Friday, 27th April, the Pattaya Golf Society
visited Mountain Shadow to play a monthly medal event on the tough
course, with its trees in the fairways and huge rolling greens. On days
like this it is a man’s game and a dozen golfers turned out to be tested
on a very hot day again. The course was well turned out but dry fairways
gave a lot of run and the greens had a bit of pace to them.
In third place with net 76 was Brian Talbot, again
playing some steady error free golf. The runner-up was Wichai
Tananusorn, coming off the back of a successful round earlier in the
week at Plutaluang and his net 74 showed signs of an exciting return to
form for the popular Thai golfer. The winner was Sam McLellan on his
return to Pattaya and he recorded a fine net 70 for an emphatic win.
Masa Takano posted the only birdie ‘2’, on the
fifteenth hole. Hmm, Mountain Shadow certainly provides some challenges
in strokeplay golf.
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Joe battles the heat to win by one
Blue Moose Golf Group
There was a good turnout this 25th of April at Burapha
Golf Club. Some 11 players challenged the A and B course in what had to be
one of the many hot days we are experiencing in the area. Everyone had carts
but except for one Yellow flag no one was allowed to drive on the fairway -
Club rule is no carts on the fairway until 8 a.m. so it is likely that 8
a.m. will be the starting time next week.
Wednesday winner Joe St.
Laurent, left, with runner-up Jim Hern.
The scores ranged from a high of 37 to a low of never
mind. The course was in good shape but some of the roughs were rough. This
seems to be in anticipation of an upcoming tournament.
Back at the Blue Moose refreshments were consumed by the
thirsty players. A tally of the score cards showed Joe St Laurent coming in
first with a 37 followed by Jim Hern and Richard Hall, both with 36 points.
On count back Jim Hern won second place. This being the end of the month,
the winner will have his name engraved on the trophy.
A footnote: On 23 Apr five Mooses? played the front 9
twice at the Pattaya Country Club. The course was in good condition with
some repair underway at the tee boxes. Larry Emerson shocked himself and his
fellow players on hole number 2 when his pitching wedge from 80 yards out
plopped right into the hole for an Eagle. Way to go big Larry!
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Yui tames St. Andrews
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Sunday, April 22,St.
Andrews - Stableford
A Flight
1st Yui Bietry (9) 39pts
2nd Ed Wyckoff (10) 37pts
3rd Terry Mangan (12) 37pts
B Flight
1st Paul Robinson (14) 38pts
2nd Colin Davis (16) 38pts
3rd Paddy Jordan (18) 37pts
Near Pins: No 3 Yui Bietry; No 5 Peter Wallace; No
10 Gavin Perfect; No 17 Garry Blackburne.
Sunday’s winner Yui Bietry
with golf manager Colin Davis.
It was an uncommon Sunday as Lewiinski’s Golf Society was
generously moved over to St. Andrews due to a major Thai tournament. This
move suited Yui Bietry down to the ground as she blew away every Tom, Dick
and Harry in the field with a sparkling 39 points. The rest of the low
handicappers showed well as three society luminaries were knotted on 37
points; Ed ‘our man in the White house’ Wyckoff stood on the podium a little
lower than Yui, as Terry ‘pork chop’ Mangan filled the flight as he returned
to the society to fill the gap left by the Co. Offaly mob. Big Gareth Gill’s
trip to the pay window was only for the exercise.
B Flight had a man in the shape of Paul Robinson whose 38
point count back over the Donkey went down a treat. Paddy Jordon, who is
riding a purple patch, rounded out the flight.
Garry Blackburne, Peter Wallace, John Dearden, Mick
Beresford and, oh yes, Adam Oyston divided the 2’s pot.
Wednesday, April 25,
Greenwood C&A – Stableford
A Flight
1st Thierry Petrement (12) 39pts
2nd Savatore Brizzi (8) 35pts
B Flight
1st Paul Hack (18) 40pts
2nd Sean Soden (23) 36pts
It was off to one of the most entertaining venues the
Wolveridge and Thomson designed Greenwood for the day and no one was more
entertained than Paul Hack who eclipsed the field with an excellent 40
points. Paul was four stokes clear of a three man pile up of Sean the ‘wee
one’ Soden, Paddy Jordan and Colin ‘the Donkey’. The luck of the Irish
prevailed in the following count back but only for the Sean the ‘wee one’ as
Paddy and the Donkey were left with nothing but bad luck lads!
Thierry Petrement, every body’s nice guy, dazzled the
senior flight with a splendid 39 points. The only guy close to him was
Savatore Brizzi who was four shots adrift.
Thierry Timime and Savatore Brizzi split the 2’s pot.
Friday, April 27, Khao
Kheow - Stableford
1st Christy Knight (22) 38 pts
2nd Sean Soden (23) 36 pts
3rd Tore Eliassen (15) 34 pts
Ah! Beware the flower children. How Synergistic that
Christy ‘Good’ Knight and Sean ‘the wee one’ Soden should fill the two top
places on the same day Christy made the beautifully maintained Khao Kheow
look as comfortable as Hyde Park as he took top spot with a sparkling 38
points. Sean thought that his second place finish in as many outings might
just get him the headline’s from Yui but he was the only one. Tore Eliassen
rounded out the Flight on 34 points
Nigel Jones 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 0898260764.
Transport is provided.
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Cordeiro the conqueror
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Oddvar, Mark, Bob, Gareth &
Steve ponder “that” hole at Wangjuntr.
Steve Ellison
Monday, April 23, Green
Valley (White tees) – Stableford
1st John Deardon (16) 37pts
2nd Ian Brimble (7) 36pts
3rd Paul Smith (2) 36pts
Another Monday, another trip to Green Valley and to one
of the best courses in town. John Deardon has only played one other round of
golf in the last 2 months, so this score was very special today. Jon took
the win after getting back to town last week from his real job in the Middle
East somewhere. Ian Brimble was just a step behind on 36, winning on count
back with 21 on the back nine and Paul Smith with 20 on the back… that was a
close one!
Wednesday, April 25, Royal
Lakeside (White tees) – Stableford
We ventured off this Wednesday to visit the newly
improved Royal Lakeside, and it proved to be well worth the drive. It took
us exactly one hour to reach this course and it was in great condition. They
have moved much earth through the fairways to create more undulations and
motion, and the general consensus was very favourable indeed.
Mark Wood sure did like it! He finally received a well
deserved victory for the man with the shortest backswing in town. Playing
off an 8 is not easy when you are summoned back to the oil rig after 28
days!
The steady Brian Prudden, coming off last week’s
victories on our Songkran road trip to Khao Yai, notched up another podium
placing with second place honours.
Occasional golf manager Diego Wells is now a
semi-permanent Pattaya resident and will be running golf for us on
Wednesdays, thankfully. Diego garnered 34 points on a course never before
played for his third place, followed by that prolific cigar aficionado Jay
Burns with 31 from the 3 handicapper.
Our thanks go out to Peter Hynard for another smoothly
run competition.
1st Mark Wood (8) 36pts
2nd Brian Prudden (19) 35pts
3rd Diego Wells (9) 34pts
4th Jay Burns (3) 31pts
Friday, April 27,
Wangjuntr (White tees) - Stableford
A Flight
1st Jeff Cordeiro (12) 41pts
2nd Steve Snelgrove (5) 40pts
3rd Peter Hynard (12) 37pts
B Flight
1st Grant Cadell (16) 40pts
2nd Eddie Beilby (18) 32pts
3rd Brian Prudden (19) 27pts
You never know what the response will be like when you
put up a signup sheet with a new course on it. We thought we would give
Wangjuntra a try, as there has been loads of chatter about how unique this
course is. What an understatement! What an adventure!
This is truly a one-of-a-kind golf course that has to be
seen to be believed. Some of the holes were jaw-dropping and the vistas from
everywhere were stunning. Some of the lads did not like the course and if
you are a links purist you may have difficulties in accepting the design.
The overall experience was quite magnificent, so at the very least one must
give credit for the audacity of this golfing concept. Bland, it is not.
On to the scoring… we had 32 golfers out there today and
many for the curiosity factor alone. Jeff Cordeiro maintained his focus
throughout his round and came home with a magnificent 41 Stableford points
to win the day. That is a lot of points on any course, but here it is an
even greater achievement, so well played, sir!
Jeff’s buddy Stevie Snelgrove was hot on his tail with 40
points as was Grant Cadell, so scoring on this course is possible. Peter
Hynard did well with 37 points to place third in the A Flight and after
Grant’s 40 in the B Flight, Eddie Beilby came home with his 32 and Brian
Prudden once again made his appearance with just 27 points for third!
Thanks to all who ventured out to boldly golf where no
man had golfed before, we shall return!
Note; The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We play
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so come join us for a fun day out. Just call
085 434 3377 or see our website www.golf clubpattaya.com and for more
information mail us: pattaya4 [email protected] and see updates at
www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya.
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Greig signs-off in style
PSC Bunker Boys @ The Bowling Green
Monday, April 23, Pattana
C&A – Stableford
Still a low turnout of players today, as those who took
part in the annual Songkran exodus, started to trickle back.
Geoff Cox modeling the latest
line of golf shirts.
Although the course was quiet, we had the misfortune to
tee-off behind a group of South African tourists playing in a five-ball, so
we were destined for a slow day. The pace of play, coupled with the heat,
took its toll on the players, and the scores on the day were not great.
Only the recently arrived (and perennial tourist) Stuart
Tinkler, managed to keep his round together and win the honours on the day,
with a modest score of 35 points. Reg Smart made a welcome return to the
fairways after recent health problems, and must have been pleasantly
surprised to take 3rd place, with a very modest score
of 29 points.
1st Stuart Tinkler (16) 35pts
2nd Neil Griffin (28) 32pts
3rd Reg Smart (25) 29pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig and Stuart Tinkler
Wednesday, April 25,
Phoenix – Stableford
After a 4 month break (due to the management’s high
season pricing policy) we made our return to play at Phoenix. This course
used to be one of the more popular courses on our schedule, but many (like
me) have become negative due to the management’s attitudes, and the fact
that the course is after all, one of the less challenging local venues.
We were back to more respectable low season numbers
today, but unfortunately once again we were sent out behind slow players,
and once again faced blisteringly hot conditions. Even the normally
consistent Mashi, after scoring 20 points on the front nine, wilted in the
heat on the inward nine.
It was left to PSC charity chairman, William to card the
best score of the day, and collect donations from the losing players.
Pre-competition favourite, Tony Robbins, who always seems to play well here
(and has had some great sores here in the past), had a decidedly off day,
and went home with the wooden spoon – better luck next time Tony!
1st William Macey (17) 38pts
2nd Stuart Tinkler (16) 36pts
3rd Lee Butler (16) 34pts
Near Pins: Dave Ashman, Reg Smart, and Stuart
Tinkler
Friday, April 27, Mountain
Shadow - Stableford
We arrived at Mountain Shadow to find the course
pleasantly quiet, and were able to tee off without delay, and with no one in
front of us, for the first time this week. The temperatures this week have
been incredibly high, but at least today there was a gentle breeze, which
made the conditions somewhat more bearable than earlier in the week.
Colin Greig (playing off his lowest ever handicap of 7)
was the only player to better his handicap on the day, carding a gross score
of 77, on what all local golfers know to be one of the most challenging
courses.
Colin win was enough to tie up sufficient points for yet
another Golfer of the Month title. Fortunately Colin heads off back to
Scotland next week, so May should bring the opportunity for a new face to
take over, after what has so far been a dominating year for Colin. During
the course of the first four months of the year, Colin’s handicap has been
cut from 13 down to 7, pretty remarkable by any standards - and with true
Scottish reserve, he refuses to tell anyone his secret!
1st Colin Greig (7) 38pts
2nd Geoff Cox (15) 32pts
3rd Mark Stanley (12) 32pts
Near Pins: Alan Murray, Mike Johns and Stuart
Tinkler
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf
society who 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 not come and join us.
We meet at the Bowling Green at 9 a.m. for breakfast and
transportation, and new players with valid handicaps are always welcome. For
more information call Dave on 087 1469978, email dave. [email protected].
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Double delight for Voller
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, April 23, Green
Valley – Stableford
After our last trip here two weeks ago we experienced
some heavy rainfall on the back nine, and as we headed down the Polo road
there were dark clouds in front of us, not a promising sight. We all arrived
in dribs and drabs within the hour and it was still a gloomy outlook. The
first group teed off 20 minutes ahead of schedule and the weather outlook
was improving as we continued the round.
Chris Voller, Bob Poole and
Andy Baber.
In his last game with us before his departure with a few
golfing comrades to Finland, Mauri Friman won division 2 with 39 points.
Miss Chevrolet’s other half, Andy Baber, was in second place on 35 and Jean
Morel beat Matti Ylitalo and Rod Howett on a 19/17/13 back nine count back
for third as they all came in with 34 points.
The cut in division 1 today was 6-17 and now playing off
7, Jason Cole won with 38 points. Wichai Tananusorn, playing off 8, was
second with 35 after beating Kari Kuparinen (still on 6) on a 22/16 back
nine count back.
Near pins went to Jason Cole (2), Kari Kuparinen, Wichai,
David Brown, Burnie Sinclair and Matti Ylitalo.
Wichai birdied the 12th for the only ‘2’ in division 1
while there were three rollovers to Phoenix in division 2.
Wednesday, April 25,
Phoenix - Stableford
The numbers are still dwindling with everyone going home
to various locations but this week should be the nadir of the low season for
us.
We still had two divisions out today and we were
allocated the Mountain and Lake nines. Last time we were here the Lakes
greens had been holitized and were closed, but there were no moans today
regarding the condition on this nine.
Still in form and playing off 8, Chris Voller scored 19
on the front nine to come in with 37 points to win division 1. Kari
Kuparinen was second, playing off 6, with 36 points and Bryan Rought was
third with 32.
After his return from China for our Hua Hin trip, Bob
Poole won division 2 with 33 points, Walter Webber was second two points
behind and ‘Countback’ Burnie took third on 30.
There were no ‘2’s today in either division so a
promising day for all at Emerald next Monday.
Friday, April 27, Eastern
Star - Stableford
There were more non members playing today than our normal
regulars here and after the last two rounds this week in very hot conditions
it was great to play a round in cooler temperatures. It was very strange,
the breeze was blowing from the west, it is normally off the coast in the
high season and opposite in the low season. I think it is the first time we
have played with this.
Two 37’s in today, with Walter Webber winning division 2,
Rod Howett in second on 33 and Iain Walsh taking third with 32 points.
Chris Voller was the winner in division 1, Mikael
Andersson took second with 36 and in the frame again in third place with 35
was Kari Kuparinen.
Near pins were claimed by Mikael Andersson, Arthur
Hancock, Jon Lay, Marty Rock and Andy Baber.
Kari Kuparinen birdied the 6th, Bill Bertram and Darryl Blair the 13th
and Frank Kelly the 17th to split the ‘2’s pot in division 1, while Rod
Howett chipped in off the green on the 3rd for a rollover in division 2. It
was smiles all round from the cockney boy!
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Stuvik makes top 10 at Hockenheim circuit
Sandy Stuvik poses for a
photo in the pit lane at the Hockenheim Circuit in Germany.
The first race weekend of the 2012 Formula Renault
Northern European Cup kicked off at the 4.5km long Hockenheim Circuit in
Germany on April 21. Thai racer Sandy Stuvik had shown very good pace during
the Friday official test session with a 7th and a 14th place of the 39 cars
competing in this event.
When considering the large group of cars, this likely
makes the series the largest, and one of the most competitive Formula race
series in the world. Amongst the 39 young racers, virtually every continent
is represented.
Stuvik, who just turned 17 years old the week before the
race, had set himself a goal of competing in the top 10 group this season
and seemed to be well on track for this goal. Then came a double qualifying
session on Friday afternoon, and April rain, and even hail came down just as
the cars excited for the qualifying run. After a difficult first session,
the young racer was one of the first drivers to finish the session, with
everyone just setting faster and faster times on the drying track and in the
end he slid all the way down to 22nd.
Stuvik drives his car to 10th
position in the opening race of the season.
In the second qualifying, for the second race, he managed
to qualify for 13th place, but was disappointed with having had to overtake
slower cars on both his fast laps.
Then came Saturday and the first race start of the season
starting at noon. The Thai driver had a very good start from 22nd place and
was up to 18th after the first lap, only to get pushed wide in the
Hockenheim hairpin and lose several positions. Sandy continued fighting back
and was soon up to 14th, when a 3 car pile-up saw the Safety Car deployed in
the middle of the race. The restart opened up opportunities for the Thai
racer and in the remaining few laps he managed to climb further up to 10th
place by the checkered flag. He then secured 11 points for the 2012
Championship.
The second race of the weekend started late Sunday
morning, in cold but sunny weather. Stuvik had qualified to 13th start
position and quickly made up several places in the first corner, only to
lose them again at the Hockenheim hairpin corner. The Thai driver is racing
for championship position and did not want to take any foolish chances on
the opening lap.
By the end of the first lap he had regained the two
positions he lost in the hairpin and on the next 2 laps he gained one
position each lap to start the 4th lap in 11th. He was then in the lead
group of cars and on lap 8 overtook another car for 10th position - the
young Thai driver proving that he could race with Europe’s best young racers
and hold his ground.
On lap 13 the 25 minute race saw the checkered flag, with
Sandy securing another 10th place, the second in two races and another 11
points added to the tally.
Two hours later the 3rd and final race of the weekend got
under way, with grey and heavy clouds looming over the circuit. Again Sandy
enjoyed a good start from 10th on the grid and went up to 8th and then on
the 3rd lap up to 7th. He was clearly faster than the cars ahead, when
suddenly the car lost all power and the Thai driver had to pull the car off
track in the famous Sachs curve.
Just as his car came to a standstill on the side of the
track, heavy rain opened up. Sandy was distraught not to have been able to
continue fighting in the wet. Later, the main electrical engine connector
was found to have come loose and robbed the Thai driver of most likely a
very good placing. Stuvik had though set a faster lap time in the race then
the race winner, a clear statement to the fact that the young Thai racer is
improving in strides.
Sandy Stuvik currently is in 10th place in the 2012
Formula Renault Championship standings and is eagerly looking forward to the
next race at Nrburgring in June.
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New date for 2013
PTT Pattaya Open
The 2013 PTT Pattaya Open
will take place at the Dusit Thani Hotel from the 27 January – 3 February.
The PTT Pattaya Open, WTA professional women’s tennis
tournament will be held one week earlier next year from the 27 January – 3
February 2013 after the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the
International Tennis Federation (ITF) agreed to the tournament swopping
weeks with the Fed Cup.
Tournament Director Geoffrey Rowe said the change of date
would be beneficial to the tournament in attracting a strong player field
for Pattaya, as the tournament follows on directly from the Australian Open.
In previous years many players have had to give Pattaya a miss due to Fed
Cup commitments the weekend prior to the PTT Pattaya Open.
“The change of date will also give an added bonus to
tourism as players will stay on in Pattaya for a few extra days holiday as
they won’t need to rush off to compete in another tournament,” added
Geoffrey. “All in all we are very pleased with the change in the tournament
date.”
The PTT Pattaya Open, will once again be held at the
Dusit Thani Hotel in Pattaya in 2013. It is now in its 22nd year, and is one
of the longest running events on the WTA tennis calendar.
Principle sponsors of the tournament are PTT Public
Company Limited, Pattaya City, Sports Authority of Thailand, Chonburi
Province, Dusit Thani, Toyota, Jetstar, Peak and Chang Drinking Water.
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Pattaya Rugby Festival
kicks-off this weekend
Standing center (L-R) –
Girana Anuman-rajadhon, CEO and director of Horseshoe Point, David Cumming,
General Manager of Amari Orchid Resort & Tower, Pattaya, tournament
organizer Jim Howard, and Pratheep (Peter) Malhotra, MD of the tournament
media sponsors Pattaya Mail Media Group, are joined by Pattaya Panther’s
players at the official press conference held April 25 at the Amari Orchid
Resort & Tower.
The weekend May 5-6 will see the 12th
staging of the Amari Orchid Pattaya Chris Kays Memorial Rugby 10’s
Tournament at Horseshoe Point Resort, and organizer Jim Howard is confident
the 2012 edition will be one of the best events yet staged at this
splendidly appointed venue on the outskirts of Pattaya.
“We aim this year to provide a more family based
tournament, so there will be attractions to cater for wives, girlfriends and
the children while the boys have their fun on the field. Horseshoe Point has
fantastic facilities and offers something for everyone,” said Jim at a press
conference held at title sponsors the Amari Orchid Tower & Resort on April
25 to announce this year’s event.
Also present at the press conference were several of the
host club Pattaya Panther’s players very smartly decked out in the team’s
new strip, especially designed for this year’s tournament – think Pink
Panthers and you won’t be far off the mark. The club’s new merchandise will
be on sale over the 2 days of the tournament to allow rugby followers to kit
themselves out and show some support for the local lads.
Expect some top rugby action
from both the juniors and seniors this weekend at Horseshoe Point.
A full list of the teams competing had yet to be
finalized at press time but expect a strong showing of Bangkok based sides
to be bolstered by several from the provinces and a number of overseas
outfits and players dropping in to chance their arm at glory on the field
and also enjoy the delights of Pattaya and its environs over the weekend.
Play is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday
morning with the seniors tournament being followed by the MBMG junior
competition at 5 p.m. As usual there will be four trophies up for grabs;
Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield, with the preliminary rounds being held on
Saturday and the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Finals all taking place on
Sunday.
It all adds up to being another wonderful 2 days of
sporting action at Horseshoe Point so be sure not to miss this fun-packed
rugby weekend.
Junior rugby going from strength to strength
On the eve of the 2012 Pattaya Rugby Festival, it seems a
good time to cast our minds back to last year’s junior event when the
Kingdom’s promising young players were given their chance to shine on the
big occasion.
As the men finished their days toil and retired to the
pool to cool off, the field became the stage upon which the young stars of
the future were going to strut their stuff.
The preliminary rounds of the of the Junior Under 18’s
Tournament were to be played under floodlights in the cool of the Saturday
evening. There were eight schools competing for the cup and plate and the
standard of the play was an eye opener for those spectators that did stick
around to watch.
The provincial schools had improved dramatically in the
last twelve months and they were here with a determination to show the
Bangkok “Toffs” that there was going to be a fight to take the silverware
home! The games were all very hotly contested with teams from Bangkok
battling against the boys from the provinces.
The boys set a very high standard for the men to live up
to and everybody who witnessed the ability and courage of these boys agreed
that the standards are improving very quickly and they have adapted their
natural speed to this shortened version of the game very well. It is obvious
that with the introduction of an improved diet the Thai boys are bulking up
and are now more than a match for their foreign counterparts. There were
some very large units especially for boys of such a tender age but there
were also some very small and wiry speedsters.
In the early rounds of course the well drilled teams from
Vajiravudh were very impressive but they did not get things all their own
way as the boys from Surin and Roi-Et and Ubonrachathani showed that they
meant business. The Bangkok Lions played some very neat rugby but seemed to
lack that killer instinct and many of their pre-planned moves fizzled out
before the opponent’s line could be crossed. At the end of the first days
games honours were pretty even but Vajiravudh College and the boys from
Surin had played well and obviously had not been too stretched.
After what for most was a sleepless night the boys were
back at the field early on Sunday morning to continue their quest and to
allow the old fellas to sleep in. The final rounds were even more
competitive than the round robin stages and only after some first class and
very close games it was Vajiravudh College I that emerged as the champions
and for the second year running the runners up were the Surawittayakrn
School from Surin.
The Plate was won by the Chalermprakiet School Roi-Et
with the Vajiravudh II team runners up. Trophies were presented to the
winners by Khun Adisak Hemyoo the President of the Asian Rugby Union and
Vice-President of the Thailand Rugby Union.
For the youth tournament this year the age group will be
dropping down to Under 15’s. “This is because of the growing interest among
the younger boys in many Thai Schools and there is a lack of opportunity for
boys in this age group whilst there are many tournaments for the older
boys,” said organizer Jim Howard.
“We have attracted 10 schools from all over the country
and I am very pleased to say that we will also have a representative side
from our own Regents School in Pattaya,” he added. “Vajiavudh College will
be back to defend their title and they will face stiff opposition from the
Surin boys, who are determined to go one better this year and take home the
trophy. Many familiar faces will be back but also some new and surprising
names; we have schools coming from Ao–Luk as well as Ubon and Roi–Et.”
The youth tournament of 2012 will have its own sponsor as
Graham Macdonald of MBMG has specifically requested that his sponsorship
should be applied to the youth tournament, therefore the boys will be
competing for the MBMG Trophy and the MBMG Plate. Thanks must also go to
Khun Sutham who is the most tireless and fervent supporter of youth
development in Thailand and without his valuable assistance it would not be
possible to stage such an event.
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Gulf Regatta: No Guessin’ – Bill Gasson
Peter Cummins
As the annual Top of the Gulf Regatta, is about to be
sailed for the eighth successive year out off the Ocean Marina, Jomtien,
there is no guess-work about the ultimate success: New Zealander William J.
Gasson, as the perennial president of the Regatta Organizing Committee, has
everything under control.
Bill Gasson – founder,
President and stalwart supporter of the Top of the Gulf Regatta.
As full details of this spectacular event are produced on
the facing page in this issue of the Pattaya Mail -including the
record-breaking number of entries, categories of competitors and the huge
list of sponsors - there is no need to reproduce them here; rather, this is
a brief look at the man-about-the-Gulf, Bill Gasson who has made it all
possible.
Bill has been the driving force behind yacht racing,
cruising and the marine sector generally, all the way along Thailand’s
coast-line, from Phuket through Koh Samui and now at the Northern Gulf, in
Jomtien.
Starting as a co-founder of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta
in 1987, officiating as the first principal race officer and, eventually
winning the Racing Class of that event four times, Bill then looked
northwards, recognizing the potential of Koh Samui, with its pristine
coast-line, magnificent beaches and generally good winds.
Another important factor was that Samui was much more
accessible for fleets coming from the China Coast and the Northern Gulf, by
eliminating the long route around southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula
to Phuket. Bill thus embarked on a new venture, with a group of
locally-based yachtsmen, to launch the “Tropical Island Regatta,” based at
Samui.
Like the King’s Cup, Samui has been an outstanding
success and continues annually, promoted through the great attraction to the
beauties of Samui and the enhancement of sailing in Thailand, generally.
Then, the ‘master mariner’ shifted his attention to his
own locale, as he was domiciled at the Ocean Marina, building boats and
overseeing the development of the marine sector in the greater
Jomtien-Pattaya area.
His knowledge of the wind and weather patterns influenced
him to establish the Top of the Gulf Regatta (TOG) in 2005, knowing that
sailing conditions, wind and accessibility, dictated an event for Jomtien.
Now, there is no stopping this great sailing extravaganza
which includes the Coronation Cup, celebrating this year, the 62nd
anniversary of HM the King’s accession to the Thai throne, on May 5, 1950.
This trophy is competed for by the Platu Class keelboat, housed at the Ocean
Marina and is one of the most-fiercely contested among the 13 classes
represented in the Regatta.
Also incorporated in the TOG Regatta, is another big
competition among the junior sailors, with some 140 entries from all around
the Kingdom and elsewhere, who will fight for the prestigious Optimist
National Championship of Thailand. A former winner of this event, Noppakao
Poonpat, became the first Thai junior – and, female – to win a world
championship, the Opimist Worlds, in 2009 and 2010.
Another “TOG Graduate”, Kerati Bualong, is heading for
the London Olympics, after qualifying as the Asia Pacific Laser champion.
Much interest this year will also focus on the “Neil
Pryde Racing Series”, bringing to the TOG, for the first time, a component
of a one-design windsurfing class world tour, sponsored by Hong Kong-based
New Zealander Neil Pryde, himself a legend in Asian regattas and development
of yacht racing around Thai and Asian waters.
Bill Gasson has thus placed himself and the TOG in the
vanguard of a huge surge in yacht racing and sailing world-wide, which
recently has witnessed French sailor Loick Peyron setting a new record for
an around-the-world time trial of just a few hours over 45 days, lopping a
monstrous three days off the previous record.
Teenagers, too, are making incredible inroads into the
advancement of sailing. For example, Dutch teen Laura Dekker recently
finished a solo one-year long circumnavigation, following Aussie girl
Jessica Watson’s solo voyage. It was noted that Jessica had the advantage of
age – “experience”? - over Laura, as Jessica was over 16, a few months older
than Laura, with the latter looking to enter the “Guinness Book of Records”,
as the youngest to ever achieve this incredible feat. Another teenager was
not so fortunate, when her attempt ended in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
So, as we started out to show, there is no guess-work,
when Bill Gasson organizes such events as the TOG.
The Regatta runs from 4 – 8 May and all the action is
readily visible from the Ocean Marina, Jomtien. More information is
available in the Regatta preview on the opposite page.
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Tana returns to haunt United
Ex-Pattaya United forward Tana Chanabut led a stirring
fight-back by his Esan United (formerly Sisaket FC) team against his old
employers last Sunday night at the Nongprue Stadium to earn the struggling
northeastern outfit a valuable point from a game they seemed destined to
lose.
Thai Premier League Season
2012
Pattaya stormed out of the blocks from the opening
whistle and Dolphin fans weren’t kept waiting long for the first goal when
skipper Niweat Siriwong blasted in a free kick from 25 yards out that sailed
past the Esan keeper and into the net.
Pattaya should have gone further ahead as they spurned
several good goal-scoring opportunities either side of the break, however,
they looked to have sealed all three points when Paul Ekollo stole in behind
the Esan defence in the 76th minute to guide the ball
past the stranded keeper.
It seemed that all Pattaya had to do was maintain
possession of the ball to run down the clock, however former Dolphin star
Chanabut had other ideas and with 10 minutes to go he pulled a goal back for
the visitors after capitalizing on a dreadful fumble by Narit in the Pattaya
goal.
Worse was to follow for the home team when their two goal
lead was wiped out completely in the dying minutes of the game by Esan’s
Jiewkuntod, who directed a near post cross into the Pattaya goal with a
smart glancing header.
There was still time for some more drama at the end of
the game after the referee adjudged an Esan defender to have impeded Ekollo
in the box deep into injury time and pointed to the penalty spot. Ittipol
Poolsap ran up to strike a clean shot towards the corner of the net but
Munze in the Esan goal flung himself spectacularly to his right to pull off
a dramatic save. The referee’s final whistle sounded immediately after to
bring an exciting game to an end.
With Buriram United having no match last weekend, Muang
Thong United took advantage to leapfrog them at the top of the standings
with a 2-0 win over BBCU. Chonburi FC consolidated their bright start to the
season with a 3-1 home win over Osotspa.
Pattaya United’s next fixture is an away match against
BBCU in Bangkok on Saturday, May 5. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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2012 Top of the Gulf Regatta
looks to re-set the record books
The waters of the Gulf of
Thailand will come alive with colour this weekend as over 300 craft are
expected to take part in the 2012 Top of the Gulf Regatta.
(Photo/MarineScene.asia).
The annual Top of the Gulf Regatta takes place for the
eighth time this year off Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Jomtien Beach, 4th
to 8th May. Unique in its diversity – attracting large
keelboats and multihulls, dinghies, beach catamarans and youngsters sailing
the Optimists – the Regatta has grown to become the largest by boat number
in Asia. 2012 expects to welcome 600+ sailors in more than 300 craft to the
waters of the Gulf of Thailand.
In the keelboat and multihull classes, entries are
looking good with up to 60 boats expected – a record fleet. A strong IRC 1
Class is led by current Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championship leader,
HiFi, who will have their work cut out against a highly competitive
40-foot fleet, as well as the new Soto 30 which will have its worldwide
launch at the Regatta.
IRC 2, IRC 3 and IRC 4 Cruising Class is made up of 15
boats in total with a strong showing from local Pattaya and Thailand-based
boats, while the Multihull Class looks to be one of the biggest in recent
years with 10 entries and the Sportboat Class six entries (largest in recent
years).
In the one-design Platu Class, which will be racing for
the Coronation Cup, a fleet of up to 15 is expected, with many boats
chartered by international crews including a hot-shot crew from Australia –
Team Tiger – which includes Tom Spithill, the younger brother of America’s
Cup winning skipper James Spithill.
The Thailand Optimist National Championship looks likely
to be the biggest yet with 100+ entries signed up from the Yacht Racing
Association Thailand, plus more from around Thailand, ASEAN and beyond.
120-130 are expected in total.
Over 20 Lasers are expected to take part from the Royal
Thai Navy, and together with a large fleet from the Royal Varuna Yacht Club,
plus 420’s, Hobies and more, will likely mean 60 or more boats on the
monohull dinghy and beach catamaran course.
New to this year’s TOG (and a first for Thailand) is the
NeilPryde Racing Series – a one-design windsurfing class world tour that
will race over the first two days of the Regatta, Saturday 5th
and Sunday 6th May, and provide a spectacular display
of close-quarter racing at Ocean Marina Yacht Club.
Designed by Olympic windsurf equipment supplier Neil
Pryde, the NeilPryde Racing Series uses the new, universal one-design ISAF
windsurfing class, the RS:One.
Top Asian athletes will compete on the RS:One along with
local windsurfing heroes and London Olympic Games representatives from
Thailand. The winners of each division will share the US$3000 prize money.
Up to 30 windsurfers are expected.
Top of the Gulf Regatta
training ground for Olympic stars
Since its inception eight years ago, the Top of the Gulf
Regatta has endeavoured to provide an opportunity for Thai and regional
sailors to compete against international sailors of the highest calibre. To
this end, each year the Regatta welcomes national, Asian, World Champions
and Olympians to take part in a varied fleet of dinghies, multihulls and
keelboats.
“Our aim since the beginning has been to organise an
international-standard yacht race in the Gulf of Thailand, in-line with ISAF
(International Sailing Federation) rules, and with international race
management,” explained William J Gasson, Chairman of the TOG Regatta
Organising Committee.
“For Thai juniors, we incorporated the Thailand Optimist
Championships as part of the Regatta and now provide an opportunity for Thai
youngsters to compete alongside international sailors and develop their
skills,” added Gasson.
Success of the TOG Regatta’s approach can be seen in the
number of Thai sailors sharpening their skills at the Regatta and going on
to great sailing achievements.
After a 12 year hiatus, Thai sailors are set to represent
their country again at the Olympics. Current Asian Champion, Keerati Bualong
has taken part in many TOG Regatta’s and following success in the May
Olympic Qualifying event in Germany, will represent Thailand in the Laser
Standard in the London 2012 Olympics. He will be joined by fellow TOG
Regatta regular Kamonwan Chanyim, who will compete in the Laser Radial.
Other TOG Regatta successes include Noppakao Poonpat,
Chaninart Poolsirikot and the Vongtim brothers, Damrongsak and Kitsada.
Spectator Boats
Spectator Boats are available for any individual,
friends, or family to go out and see the racing this year. Organised by
Ocean Marina Yacht Club, for more details contact the Ocean Marina office on
tel: +66 (0) 3823 7427, or email marina@ oceanmarinayachtclub.com.
Sponsors
The 2012 Top of the Gulf Regatta is supported by the
Principal Sponsor Ocean Marina Yacht Club as host venue. Co-Sponsors include
Tourism Authority of Thailand, Land Rover and Range Rover, Singha
Corporation Group, and Mont Clair Wines.
Other sponsors include Thai Airways, Gulf Charters, Mont
Gay Rum, Bank of Ayudhya Plc., Neil Pryde, Minor Group (The Pizza Company
and Dairy Queen), Corsair Marine Thailand Co. Ltd., QBE Insurance (Thailand)
Co. Ltd., SKPF, Thai Numthip Co. Ltd. (Coca Cola), CAT Telecom PCL, Bangkok
Pattaya Hospital, Golden Foods Siam Ltd., Lucaris, Suniture, Sunbrella,
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Buzzcats and Simpson Marine.
Media Partners include Helm Superyacht magazine, SEA
Yachting magazine, Go Yachting, Mix 88.5FM, Pattaya Mail, Guy Nowell
Photography, and Asianyachting.com.
The event is supported by the Yacht Racing Association of
Thailand (YRAT), Royal Varuna Yacht Club and Pattaya City.
For more information about Top of the Gulf Regatta, visit
www.topofthegulfregatta.com.
(Source – Infinity Communications)
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