Pattaya Mail — Sports

Nagyova outlasts Van Roost for exciting Volvo Women's Open title

Just three weeks before her 19th birthday, Henrieta Nagyova from Slovakia upset second seed Dominique Van Roost from Belgium to win the 1997 Volvo Women’s Open Singles Championship on Sunday, November 23 at the Dusit Resort in Pattaya.

It what turned out to be the most exciting final in the short history of the event, Nagyova held on for a three set, 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5 victory that took almost three hours to complete, earning Henrieta US $17,700 of the US $107,500 total purse.

Henrieta Nagyova is no stranger to upsets. Unseeded, Nagyova first upset second seed Barbara Paulus to win her first tour title in 1996 at Warsaw; defeated Amanda Coetzer in the first round at the 1996 Luxembourg; upset top seed Sabine Applemans and sixth seed Naoko Kijimuta at 1996 Cardiff. Henrieta also teemed with WTA sensation Martina Hingis to win the 1994 French Open junior doubles title.

Photo: Henrieta Nagyova from Slovakia upset second seed Dominique Van Roost from Belgium 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5 to win the 1997 Volvo Women's Open Singles Championship.

To reach the finals of the 1997 Volvo Women’s Open in Pattaya, Henrieta defeated top seed and defending champion Ruxandra Dragomir from Romania 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Saturday.

In the finals, Nagyova powered over a half dozen aces, and used consistent ground strokes to keep the ball in play, then watched as Van Roost double-faulted a dozen times, some coming at crucial points in the match. Simple as it sounds, it appeared as though Nagyova was content to keep the ball in play and allow Van Roost to dictate the match.

Van Roost did just that, at times looking brilliant, at other times seeming to lose her concentration as she hit shot after shot into the net. Van Roost lived and died by her powerful ground stroke play. Allowing for only a tiny margin of error, Van Roost was unbeatable when she cleared the net. Her downfall, however, was too many unforced errors, putting her deep into holes that she had a difficult time climbing out of.

Nagyova stormed out to a three game lead in the first set, most points coming off Van Roost errors. Dominique was able to battle back to three all before falling back to five three. She battled back again to tie the set at five, but momentum switched to the other side of the net, with Henrieta winning the first set 7-5 when Dominique double faulted on set point.

In the second set, both players held serve, forcing an exciting tie break that Van Roost won 8-6 to even the match at a set a piece.

Nagyova stormed out to a large four games to nil lead in the deciding set and looked poised to run away with the match. But once again Van Roost battled back to tie the set at four in a sequence that produced some of the most exciting, hard fought, and long volleys of the tournament.

With the final set tied at five, Nagyova broke Van Roost’s serve after a very long deuce to take a six to five edge. Serving for the match, Nagyova quickly surged ahead to double match point. Yet Van Roost again battled back, saving both match points to force yet another deuce.

With the capacity crowd in a frenzy, most seeming to pull for the "Comeback Kid" Dominique Van Roost, Henrieta Nagyova finally cashed in on her third match point to win the final set 6-4.

When the match finally ended, the crowd seemed stunned, as most came to expect Dominique’s come from behind effort to continue. When it finally sank in that Henrieta Nagyova deservedly won the championship, both players received a standing ovation for their remarkable display of competitiveness and sportsmanship.

Although she was exhausted, Dominique Van Roost’s day was not yet over. The Belgian teamed with Florencia Labat from Argentina to take on Kristine Kunce from Australia and Corina Morariu from America for the doubles championship.

After the sun had set and the bats busily flew around the court catching mosquitoes, Kunce and Morariu jumped out to early 3-0 and 2-0 leads in the two set final and seemed to have little trouble with Van Roost and Labat.

Kunce and Morariu overpowered the smaller duo to win in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 for the doubles championship.

A pair of squeakers

Pattaya Sports Club Softball

After fourteen innings of softball at the weekly PSC softball game on Sunday, November 23rd, Rick’s Rangers and Alan’s Cowboys each finished with twelve runs scored and appropriately split a doubleheader.

In the first game, the Cowboys jumped out to an early lead on Mike (Mr. Ice) Berg’s two run homer in the bottom of the first. The Iceman added a two run double in the fifth and wound up with five RBI.

Down four nothing in the fourth, the Rangers finally got on the board when Kiwi (The Thunder) Clayton belted a long homer to left. The Cowboys added to their lead behind the consistent hitting of Dick (The Trick) Cagg, Sterling (Silver) Bechtel and Jimmy (The Key) Lockhead.

Down nine to four in the last inning, the Rangers pushed three runs across the plate on the hard hitting of John (Baypoint) Bechtel, Kiwi (Pudding) Rick, and Craig (Top Gun) Lewis, in a valiant attempt to snatch victory from defeat. The Cowboys defense held on though, and prevailed nine to seven.

The second game was a scoreless battle until each teams’ final at bat. The Rangers defense was sparked by two great over the shoulder catches by Nick (The Stick) Siemens at third. And when Daytime Danny (The Knight) of the Cowboys threw out a Ranger runner at the plate from right center, the goose eggs continued.

In their final at bat, the Rangers pushed five runs across the plate with the help of the Cowboys rather lethargic defense.

The Cowboys then mounted their own comeback but only managed to score three before the rally was snuffed out. Final score: Rangers five, Cowboys three.

If you would like to join in on the excitement, games are played every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Pattaya School #7 on Sukhumvit Highway just past Greenway driving range and Caltex gas station. The equipment is provided and hot dogs, beer and soda are available. All are welcome.

Australian Arthurs battle to two titles

Wayne Arthurs from Australia battled to both the singles championship and the doubles title at the US $25,000 ITF Men’s Satellite circuit at the Siam Bayshore courts on Saturday, November 22, 1997.

Arthurs defeated Alexey Gavrilov from Russia 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-5) in a tough three set final for the singles title, powering three aces in the third set tie break.

Arthurs then teamed up with Brent Larkham to defeat Liu Chen-jung and Chen Chih-jung of Taipei 6-2, 6-4 for the doubles championship.

En route to his singles title, Arthurs defeated Thailand’s top prospect Paradorn Srichapan 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the semi-finals, denying Paradorn his chance to represent the host country in the finals. It was the second time Arthurs has defeated Paradorn in the three times they have met.

Gavrilov reached the finals by defeating tournament top seed Hideki Kaneko of Japan 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) in a hard fought semi-final match on Friday.

Big John putts to first round lead

Big John carded a net 7 under par 65 to jump out to a big lead after the first round of the 1997 Pattaya Golf Society Club Championships played on Tuesday, November 18 at Sriracha International Golf and Country Club.

Some were saying he has taken over the title of "bandit" from Les Winch, others went so far as to call him "Jesse James". Big John just smiled that wry grin of his as he went round the course, mounting his assault on the rest of the pack.

Whatever they say, Big John played a good round, carding a scratch 101 off his 36 handicap to take a nine shot lead. It remains to be seen if it will be enough for him to keep his lead, especially with round two being played at the tough Khao Kheow course.

Peter Johannson is chasing John from second place after putting together a round of 2 over par net 74. Both Peter and Les Winch overcame the tough conditions made by the rolling and sanding of the greens. Although the green on the 501 yard par 5 No. 2 looked like a big bunker as they walked up the fairway, neither Peter nor Les were daunted. Both were on the green in 3, and both sunk their 25-30 foot bouncing putts for birdies.

Tony Davies will head into round two in third place after carding a net 5 over par 77. Brian Kelly is right behind Tony in fourth with a net 6 over par 78. Les Winch and George Meigh are currently tied for fifth, each at 8 over par net 80.

Nearest to the pin prizes in round one were claimed by Tony Davies on #3, Big John on #8, No One on #12, and George Meigh on #17.

Les Winch won the long drive competition on #16.

Round 2 was played Tuesday, November 25 at Khao Kheow, and will be followed by the Pairings on Tuesday, December 2 at Green Valley.

The Annual General Meeting of the Pattaya Golf Society will be held on Saturday, December 6th at Big John’s Place, Soi Chaiyapoon.

Cheers and Rising Sun still battling

On which island did King John set his seal to Magna Carta? Which actor killed a double of Winston Churchill in the movie The Eagle Has Landed?

The November 16 Sunday quiz saw Rising Sun achieve an excellent top score of 88% but they have still not managed to unseat Cheers in the running totals. The November 19 Wednesday quiz witnessed Rising Sun being defeated by Fawlty Towers in a tight match, whilst Cheers won their match against Bob’s. So Cheers are still out there in front in both quizzes. At any rate for the time being.

Special mention should be made of Sixties Bar who achieved a rare win on Wednesday November 12, although they resumed their traditional role in the next week. Numbers in all the bars at the twice weekly trivial pursuits bouts are now rising sharply, a good indication that the incoming high season in Pattaya is set to be a bumper one.

Answers to the above questions are Runnymede and Michael Caine. All bars are still welcoming newcomers in the eternal quest for truth and wisdom in Sin City, so turn up at the hostelry of your choice any Sunday or Wednesday just before 8.30 p.m. The question sections in the two bar leagues are different, but both are a group effort and there is no singling out of individual players. Well, not usually.

The latest scores are:

Sunday Quiz

Cheers 250 points
Rising Sun 249
Bob’s 240
Pleasure Dome 228
Palmer’s 212
Billy & Da Bar 212
Londoner 210
Poteen Still 206
Mick’s 204
Tippy’s 177

Wednesday Quiz

Cheers 32 credits
Rising Sun 28
Billy & Da 28
Bob’s 25
Fawlty Towers 25
Palmer’s 22
Rovers’ Return 17
Sixties 14

Splash, Crash and Dash Triathlon Results

No one knew there were so many swimmers, cyclists, and runners in the Banchang/Pattaya area until about two weeks ago when last-minute training for the Splash, Crash, and Dash team triathlon was in full force. The training tapered two days prior to the main event and all gathered on Saturday, November 8 at Eastern Star Clubhouse to prove their training had been worthwhile. This triathlon, organized by the International Baccalaureate students of Garden International School under the direction of Suzy Olds, was great fun for all involved and at the same time raised over 50,000 baht for local charities.

Competition was fierce as over 50 people arrived early Saturday morning to enter the child (ages 8-12) and family competitions while another 100 showed up in the afternoon for the teen and adult races. Competitors of all ages and abilities came out - 8 year old children, adults in the "masters" division, couch potatoes, the Thailand Princess Cup cyclist champion - some with a hunger to win, others just to have fun. Contestants came from all over the region, with the students and teachers of Garden International School and International School of the Eastern Seaboard well-represented, as well as the employees of the two major sponsors, RRC and SPRC.

Since the morning races were of various ages and abilities, two race distances were established. Teams in the 8-9 year old division swam 50m, cycled 2k, and ran 1k, while race teams in the 10-12 and family divisions swam 150m, cycled 4k, and ran 2k, and in doing so set the pace for the remainder of the day. The 8-9 and 10-12 groups competed for the fastest times while the family teams competed for best predicted time; they tried to complete the race as close as possible to the time they predicted (without wearing watches). The morning competitors’ determination to compete to the best of their abilities and their support of their teammates was a fine example for the adults to follow in the afternoon.

The afternoon race course for the older groups was a little longer than the morning course - 400m swim, 8k bike, 4 k run. Both fun and competitive events were held as well. Young adults in the 13-15 and 16-19 categories were in the competitive field while adult teams had two options. Adult teams looking for a little fun entered the predictor category and tried to put forth just enough energy to finish the race in the time they estimated. Adults in the competitive groups, however, used up every bit of energy in their glycogen stores to finish the race as fast as possible.

Since the pool was not big enough to accommodate all teams at once, several heats were necessary and participants had to wait for the evening awards ceremony to find out who took top honors. One of the very fast all-male teams was a little nervous as they feared that perhaps an all-female team beat them. At the awards ceremony, however, their fears subsided. The overall winners - the team of Hans van Elk, John Abbott, and Jos Reekers, put in very strong swimming, cycling, and running performances to finish in a time of 38:41. They were very secure in their position, as the second place finishers (an all-female team) took over two minutes longer to complete the course.

The top 5 places in the afternoon competition (both adult and teen teams) were:
Hans van Elk, John Abbott, Jos Reekers 38:41 all male
Suzy Olds, Ronelle du Toit, Mary Anne Hobbs 40:57 all female
Cindy Gunn, John Raven, Dan McMahon 44:03 mixed adult
Songho Moon, Nigel Grant, Jan Geister 45:01 16-19
Saunders van Lienden, Simon Lees, Caroline Reiche 45:08 mixed adult/teen
Laor Tiagrlap, Cameron McMaster, Ralph Clim 45:08 all male

In the Adult Fun (predictor) category, the team of Jill Stevenson, Michelle Simpson, and Laura Zubrod finished in a time that was only 28 seconds different than their predicted time. Rounding out the top three places in this event were Brooke Mussared, Razime Samy, and Anders Peterson with a time exactly one minute different than their predicted time, and Anne Maree Leonard, Dave Leonard, and Frans van de Gevel who finished 65 seconds faster than they predicted.

The evening ceremonies were enjoyed by all. A delicious buffet dinner was held outside at Eastern Star Clubhouse while a raffle and an American auction with prizes donated by local businesses helped raise over 50,000 baht for the Banchang Hospital and the Eastern Child Welfare Protection Institute. Sponsors of this very successful and well-organized event include: RRC, SPRC, Seastar Properties Limited, Eastern Star Golf Club, Watanavarin Ltd., Promode, Pattaya Sports Club, Lucky Golf Shops, Amari Hotel, JS Technical Services, Glyn Jenkins, Honolulu Restaurant, Moti Mahal, Snap Computers, Eastern Photo Express (Konica), Jochen Austel, Juliet Abbott, and Dana Kerrigan.

Strub Werner makes it a double

In near perfect conditions, Strub Werner set the pace in the ‘B’ Flight by winning both tournaments. John Olafssen also featured strongly by taking 2nd and 3rd places at Natural Park Resort and Great Lake respectively, and taking near-pin prizes on both occasions.

Best Stableford score of the week was returned by Bob Walton at Natural Park Resort with 40 points winning the ‘A’ Flight.

Natural Park Resort, Monday 17 November (Stableford)

‘A’ Flight
Winner: Bob Walton 40 points
2nd: John Elofssen 37 points
3rd: Willie Mercer 35 Points
4th: Terry Worth 34 points
‘B’ Flight
Winner: Strub Werner 37 points
2nd: Ray Hurd 35 points
3rd: Mike McKay 32 points
4th: Don Antonio 31 points
Near-Pins: B4 Milan, B6 John Elofssen, C4 Bob Greenfield, C7 Dave McMenemy. Long Drive: Nalinee Suriya.

Great Lake, Thursday 20 November ( Stableford)

‘A’ Flight
Winner:
Hubert Hammerschmidt 35 points
2nd: Fred Teifel 34 points
3rd: John Elofssen 33 points C/B
4th: Neils Villadsen 33 points
‘B’ Flight
Winner: Strub Werner 39 points
2nd: John Moore 38 points
3rd: Rudi Huber 38 points C/B
4th: John Cahill 37 points C/B from Ray Matti
Near Pins: #5 Strub Werner, #7 Ebrahim, #12 John Olafssen, #16 Alec Chilcott.

PSC golf next week

December is here and once again PSC Golf offers a full programme of 30 fixtures right through to New Year’s Eve.

On Monday December 1st there is the choice of Bangpra from the Cafe Kronborg or Natural Park Hill from the Green Bottle. Soft Rock Cafe go to Rayong Green Valley on Tuesday and on Wednesday there is a second chance to play Bangpra from the Green Bottle, or go to the challenging Faldo links course at Century Banchang with Hare House. On Thursday the Cafe Kronborg go to the Pete Dye championship course at Khao Kheow.

Friday the 5th of December is the King’s Birthday and a public holiday.

For more details of December fixtures visit our Web site at www.pattayasports.org

Chonburi Region Tennis Championships

Pattaya will host the 16th edition of the annual Chonburi Region Tennis Championships from November 29-30, 1997 at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.

Around 200 players from Bangpakong, Bangsaen, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Pattaya, Laem Chabang, Sattahip and Sri Racha will participate in the "fierce but friendly" team tournament, which will be staged at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s 6 court facility.

The tournament exclusively features doubles matches and is divided in age categories.

According to tournament director Khun Saichol Saejew, the Chonburi Region Tennis Championships is the largest tennis meet in East-Thailand and Pattaya’s Royal Cliff Beach Resort has, over the years, proven to be an excellent venue for this major sports gathering.

Copyright © 1997 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Created by Andy Gombaez