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Sujarit ‘Iron Legs’ Jirojwong wins the 1st Lions Club
Mountain Bike Championships
Songklod Kaewvisit
National athletics team cyclist, Sujarit Jirojwong
powered ahead of the rest of the field to claim the first place trophy in
the 1st Lions Club Mountain Bike Championships last Saturday.
Sujarit
Jirojwong, winner of the Men’s Open, stands atop the winners podium with
the other top finishers.
Off to
a fast start in the 1st Lions Club Mountain Bike Championships.
"Superman"
is a regular at mountain bike races.
The racing began at 2 p.m. from Mini Siam in Pattaya as
Sansak Ngamphichet, advisor to the ministry of tourism and sports fired the
starter’s gun.
The day was hot and despite the humidity, mountain bike
enthusiasts from around the country entered to compete in 4 categories
including the A level racing at 40 kilometer distance, B level at 30
kilometer distance, C level at 20 kilometer distance, and D level for youth
racing at 10 kilometer distances (results below).
The event attracted national and international mountain
bikers and was aimed at promoting healthy exercise, sports and create
interesting activities for tourists.
Proceeds collected from the event are be used for
charitable projects in Pattaya such as providing educational scholarships.
Results:
Winners Category A (40 kilometers)
Men’s Open: Sujarit Jirojwong
Men’s 30-39 year old class: Herman Verhoeven
Men’s 40-49 year class: Prayu Jareonsri
Men’s Over 50’s class: Prajin Rungroj
Women’s Open Class: Lamooy Pobsamai
Under 18’s Women’s: Jantras Navanu
Category B (30 kilometers)
Men’s Open: Sompong Kongwong
Men’s 30-39 year old class: Somrak Tanomrod
Men’s 40-49 year class: Pairat Rasrirat
Men’s over 50: Surachai Thungsunawan
Men’s Under 18’s: Jan Boonprasob
Women’s Open: Nachaiyani Suwanpong
Women’s over 35year: Rumphai Phanjantuek
Category C (20 kilometers)
Boy’s Under 15: Chadiayu Issraporn
Men’s Open: Peerapong Thungkasen
Men’s 30-39 year old class: Suriya Phankamnert
Men’s 40-49 year class: Niran Nuenjamnong
Men’s over 50: Nares Tupklut
Girl’s under 15: Sunanta Chaiyar
Women’s Open: Malee Limpui
Category D (10 kilometers)
Boy’s Under 10: Viroj Ruengsuk
Boy’s Under 12’s: Kanit Nopsaromkij
Girl’s Under 10: Patraporn Rungroj
Girl’s Under 12: Kuekorn Ruengsuk
*********************
Bira motor racing - some new faces and some old ones!
By Dr. Iain Corness
The first round of the AIM Motor Sports TGTC series
kicked off at the Bira Circuit last weekend. It was a well attended event,
with a Gymkhana championship run on the Bira Kart Track, involving the BF
Goodrich tyre people, being run at the same time as the circuit racing
events, so there was plenty of action for the spectators.
A new
category for Bira, but an old one, was the Mini race, put on by members of
the Mini Clubs in Thailand.
A new category for Bira, but an old one, was the Mini
race, put on by members of the Mini Clubs in Thailand. Proving that old Mini’s
never die, nor do their owners, the event was won by Khun Manus, who only
admitted to being "very old" when I asked him after the race.
The Sport Challenge event was won by Narongchai, with the
two Frenchmen Christophe and Gilles in 2nd and 3rd places.
The Group N+A was a closely fought event, with several
changes of the lead in the huge group. Apatron in the Honda eventually
winning from the works Toyota Altis entry of Nattavud, followed by Hatai
(Honda), "Pete" Panthakorn (Toyota) and the Australian David Auger
(Toyota), who had the bit between his teeth to finish 5th in the class.
The main event, the 35 lap Sport Grand Champion race,
which included a compulsory pit stop for two tyres, was a Singha Beer
benefit, with Birombhakdi family members Piti and Sant coming 1st and 3rd,
split by Chayanin.
As well as the competitive events, the All Japan Gymkhana
champion put on a superb display of trick driving on the main straight,
finishing with a series of doughnuts which would have used up more rubber
than the entire fleet of public busses would use in one month! The Nissan
Cefiro club also managed to rustle up 58 of the old model cars for a
demonstration run around the circuit. (I actually believe the previous model
looks much better than the current shape, and those with the R34 Skyline
fronts look particularly good.)
The next round will include a Pick-Up series. These will all be locally
manufactured 3 litre diesels. Also from the second round there will be
drives around the circuit in a race car for some lucky members of the
viewing public. Other dates for the AIM series events are June 14/15, July
26/27, September 6/7, October 25/26 and December 6/7.
Payne & Baxter on combined form
Jason Payne and newcomer Paul Baxter each contributed an
almost equal share in Shenanigans Pairs Combined Stableford competition at
Pattaya Country Club on Tuesday 29th April, to produce a winning total of
sixty-eight Stableford points. The ‘Banchang Boys’, Arthur Hancock, and
‘in form’ Ken Leadstone, were just two points behind with a combined
sixty-six to take the runners-up spot.
MC Mike
Franklin is flanked by the happy winners, Jason Payne and Paul Baxter.
The field of twenty-four players competed for the
technical prizes on offer, with near pins claimed by Jason Payne, Ken
Leadstone, Paul Baxter and Usa Chaiyusit. Usa also had the longest putt on
the 18th hole, and Banjob Franklin on the ninth.
The course was in reasonable shape and for some reason
the putting seemed unusually difficult. A heavy storm threatened for much of
the round but never quite opened up on the players (the luck of the Irish
again!), apart from a little light rain.
Back at Shenanigans the ‘Tuesday Special’ of pork
chop & french-fries proved very popular and it was another of those
typical social gatherings of Shenanigans Very Friendly Golf Society.
Newcomers Paul Baxter and Matt Tindall were duly welcomed during the prize
giving.
Back on schedule now, the next outing is on Tuesday May 13th. Venue to be
announced, so watch the notice board at Shenanigans or check the web page at
www.shenanigans-pattaya.com
Three Sisters moves into third place
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
Three Sisters has been moving up the ladder and is now in
third place after taking three points from VFW Post 9876 and knocking them
down to fourth. Captain Morn rolled a 222 game, 549 series and Ooy knocked
down 526 pins for Three Sisters. Tukata was best for VFW rolling over 515
pins and Tue had a 202 first game to help VFW win their only point.
200
bowlers: Kran, Toy, Somrak, Morn and Tue
House of the Golden Coin continued their winning ways and
took three points from Shakey Pete’s. Golden Coin was led by Jon who had a
519 series and Mio with a 504 total pins. Toy rolled a 209 game and had a
513 series for Shakey Pete’s.
Cafe Kronborg took three points from Cafe Ole with Kran
leading the way for Kronborg with the best game of the day, tipping over 234
pins. Kran also had the best series of the day with a 582 total.
Nice & Sleazy took all four points from last place
Winchester Club. Somrak rolled a 202 game and 509 series for the Nice &
Sleazy team.
Domicil moved back into fifth place after taking three points from Jack
& Tar with Suraphan rolling a 513 series for Domicil.
Pattaya Marathon 2003 to be held on July 21
This year’s prizes will total over 1 million baht
Suchada Tupchai
City management and TAT officials met with the marathon
planning committee at Pattaya City Hall to work out details of the Pattaya
Marathon 2003, to be held on July 21.
The
planning committee met at city hall to plan out this year’s Pattaya
Marathon, scheduled for July 21.
Pol. Col. Siroj Piasakul represented the Thai Athletics
Association and is president of the organizing committee for the marathon.
This year’s event will yet again be a joint effort involving the
provincial and local government departments, the Tourism Authority of
Thailand and the Thai Athletics association, which is under Royal Patronage.
The goal this year is to further develop and promote Pattaya City as a
center for both sports and tourism, both nationally and internationally.
Pol. Col. Siroj said, "Although we hope for maximum
participation it is possible that the SARS outbreak could reduce the number
of runners from Asian countries. We have increased this year’s first place
prize money by 50,000 baht, bringing overall total to over 1 million in
prizes. H.E. Sontaya Khunpluem will attend the opening ceremonies and has
honored us with a trophy in his name."
The 2003 Pattaya Marathon will again start on the beachfront area between
Sois 4 and 5. Further meetings to finalize details along with a press
conference are scheduled in the middle of June to officially announce the
event.
Mickey Mouse Darts League
Pattaya Pool League
Fitness Tips: On the flip side ... The Top Ten Worst Foods
Part 1 - The first 5
G’Day Readers,
This week we look at the first of the Top Ten Foods that
will minimise your nutrition but maximize your waistline!
Yogurt covered raisins - a little fruit and yogurt sounds
like a healthy snack, right? But buyer beware! These things are coated with
sugar palm kernel oil, partially hydrogenated coconut oil and hydrogenated
palm oil. A quarter-cup of raisins will give you a quarter of your day’s
fat maximum needs. Instead, for zero grams of fat, try sticking to the plain
raisins. You don’t see a lot of these in Thailand but if you open your
eyes I’m sure that you will see the parallels to similar pseudo ‘healthy’
candies and snacks.
Corn chips - The coconut oil that these are fried in is
twice as saturated as lard. A cup will give you almost half of your daily
limit for saturated fat. Try baked, low-fat tortilla chips instead.
Fast food bagel sandwiches - no, not the bagel itself, it’s
the stuff inside the bagel that gets you. The fillings of these types of
foods can yield up to 700 calories, 40 grams of fat, 300 mg of cholesterol
and 1600 mg of sodium. Try a turkey with 1 slice of cheese, lettuce and
tomato for a tasty alternative.
Extra cheese pizza - Even if you split this baby with
three other people (yeah and who is going to share that!), your two slices
will end up with 760 calories and almost a full day’s limit of saturated
fat and sodium. A pizza like this really is a bad version of cheese on
toast. All those calories, fats and sodium still do not include the sausage,
pepperoni (both pretty nasty in themselves) and anything else! Go for the
veggie pizza instead.
Extra large chocolate chip cookies - a single cookie has
more than 300 calories and as much saturated fat as a 12-ounce sirloin steak
plus 7 teaspoons of sugar. If you can’t resist, try going for the oatmeal
cookies or you could always share you cookies! Here is a radical idea, snack
on fruit!
Final thought for the day: get yourself a goal to
complete a rigorous athletic/sporting/exercise goal. Make sure you allow
sufficient time to prepare for it; 1 month at a bare minimum, 3 months is
better. Your preparation for the event should allow for gradual adaptation
of your mind and body to the demands you will have to meet. Training should
be in phases that include base foundation, transition to improve speed per
unit of time, specific speed work and taper into the actual event day to
ensure that all the training niggling injuries and soreness has gone so you
are at your new performance and health peak on race day. So find something
that you think might be interesting to you and get some help, it will change
every facet of your life for the better.
If you don’t want to travel far for the first of your
goals there is a good one coming up in a little over 2 months, so plenty of
time to prepare so you have no anxiety about finishing the event come race
day. The Pattaya Marathon is in mid July and races are 10km, 22km and 42km.
To put those in perspective, a very average or even below average runner
should be able to do the 10km race in 1 hour. The sense of achievement will
boost your ego a little after every training session in preparation and a
whole lot more when you finish the race. Notice I wrote finish, not win,
just completing the thing is enough for 99% of us.
Next week: "The rest of the list..."
Carpe’ Diem
“The good Old days”
PH3 Run #999
Just imagine 999 weeks ago they started the hash in
Pattaya, for anybody who has been here in Pattaya for 999 weeks there is
absolutely no way that you will have the undamaged mental ability to think
back that far, so I will try to help you remember what it may have been like
(In Brackets).
Monday the 28th of April 2003 and it’s the big
celebration of PH3 run #999. The sign up in the Scandi Bar as usual (sign up
in BJ’s bar in "the strip" cars driving past and nobody trying
to sell you a jacket and tie). Two buses this week to accommodate all the
visitors, 171 sign ups in all ride out to the "A" site, an
elevated plateau with a breathtaking view out to Bang Suray and the islands.
Dr Pinky (cheerfully throwing bricks in football grounds) and Blowfly (full
rack of teeth) taking the late sign ups (THB 150).
The Grand Master Fini (natural grey hair) called for a
circle, and as is customary we did a check for any new shoes and surprise,
surprise Hammer’s (average mid west American farmer) latest squeeze (not
yet conceived) are brought in to christen the shoes. The hares for the day
comprise the entire committee though Tampax (Virgin) and Vi Vi (boots with
heels remaining) seemed to know the most about it and informed us that we
should follow pink paper and the checks were grey. The paper was in fact
blue with just the odd glimpse of pink, which is probably exciting if you
are an Eskimo.
I noticed our King Yao Yao (nut brown bare knees) was
tucked in behind some interesting tattoos and hare colours. Karamba
(wrestling crocodiles) tuned into his music, over the hill and into two more
shady gullies, we caught a glimpse of the A site in the far distance and the
beer truck (red colour), we drop into another gully scramble down a small
waterfall on a riverbed through virgin jungle. I follow Apples Turnover
(friendly with sheep) and Fossil (no comment) - suddenly there is a shriek
and there in front of us is a warrior with black fuzzy hair complete with
spear and war paint. For a moment I was fooled until I noticed the eski full
of beer next to him and the boots with no heels. Hash flash (Olympus OM10)
was there to capture the moment, out of the bush and the On In, up and up
the hill to the A site. A truly beautiful run, some, particularly the FRB’s
thought it the best PH3 run ever, a point difficult to find argument with.
Charlie Manson (no bullet holes) eventually came in after
another famous short cut. 1/4 pounder with cheese (Dengs Hot Dog) as always
close to the beer and Energizer Bunny (match stick thin with a red head!)
working hard selling raffle tickets.
It threatened to rain, but this day was meant to be a
success and it held off. The GM called for a circle, we gathered around, it
was a bit of a squeeze with so many hashers, predictably the Aussies
(dressed in stripes, rowing) were a bit vocal joining in the action.
First up was the raffle by the lovely Ewok (1st grade).
15 prizes this week so a nice long session on the ice for some. Next we had
all the mismanagement as hares followed by some selected visitors. Time for
some religion - Sir Airhead (hair on top of his head in equal proportion to
his back) on in, Teeny Weeny (geriatric day care nurse) on ice with Derelick
(Nacho Noi’s boat trip organizer), a vote to see who was hash trash, not
even close it was Derelick.
Apples turnover and Tampax had a song for the Chicken
Fellow (assistant beer truck driver only Singha, Kloster and Amarit) to the
tune of Waltzing Matilda with a chorus of "ice chicken Fellow".
The hash Hymn was sung with gusto and it was back onto
the bus (baht buses) for the ride back to town. A great hash, thanks to the
hares, just like the Good Old Days.
On On BNB (could turn around in crowded bar without injuring snoring
organ)
Spendley’s happy return at Khao Kheow
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the Bunker
On Tuesday, 29th April the Bunker Boys took their weekly
medal play tournament to the delicious Khao Kheow Country Club, journeying
through a very heavy rainstorm which delayed the start of play by almost an
hour. This made the course very difficult to master, with wet fairways and
slow, heavy greens.
The field was split into two divisions, as usual, with
the cut at 16 and under and in division one Michael Dige shot another fine
round on a course he loves. His gross 77, converted to net 72, was too good
for Magnus Johansson (74) and Jeff McLaury (75).
In division two Seamus Brennan made the frame yet again
with a fine net 77, a shot behind a resurgent John Preddy (76), but a long
way behind the hero of the day, Dave Spendley, who fired a super net 70 on
the eve of his birthday. In fact, Dave had sponsored a longest putt prize to
celebrate and the returning Jim Payne will be enjoying his winning putt in
fine style at Dave’s Soi 7 "Love Hearts Bar".
Per Ascan scored the first birdie two in the Bunker’s
last three outings to win the Bunker Super Sawng award whilst the list of
candidates for the Bunker Banana Booby included Seamus, who travelled to the
course without his clubs, Paul Rose who failed to complete the course and
"Fireman" Danny Greer, who showered afterwards, without realising
until it was too late, that he still wore his panama! However, Ciano Glavina,
never short of a quip, gave Mr. Loy the perfect opportunity to present him
with the fruit after a miserable net 87. For Dave Spendley, however, the day
was to provide him with many very happy returns.
Terry purrs with pride at Plutaluang
What better way to celebrate May Day than taking a trip
to the superb Royal Thai Navy course at Plutaluang! This was the choice of
the Bunker Boys for their weekly Stableford challenge on Thursday, 1st May,
and when they arrived there was little room in the car parks and even less
room on the course, but the starter did his job well and all twenty
combatants were safely away on the South and East nines, almost on time.
It was to be a day of resurgence for two of the Bunker’s
regulars and also a day of sadness. It was to be their last round for a few
months as Bill Hewitt, Steve Nowell, Wilf Latham and Remy Guy all returned
to Europe afterwards.
In division two "forgotten man", Norman Brooks,
without a win for so long, finally made his mark again with an assured round
of 37 points, four ahead of visitor Roger Griffin (33) and Len Jones (31).
Division one saw three of the reluctant leavers scrapping
it out for the minor places with Remy Guy scoring 34 points, just being
headed by Wilf Latham and Steve Nowell with 36. At the top of the table, for
the first time an outright winner, was Terry Phur and his score of 38 points
was the best of the day.
Mr. Loy and Wilf Latham took a share of the Bunker Super
Sawng award for their birdie two’s and Bill Hewitt bade farewell with a
special duty free bag of Bunker Bananas as his farewell round of 26 points
bore little other fruit. The good news is that all will be back later in the
year to tackle the superb challenge at Plutaluang again.
Emmerson and McHugh continue their assault
IPGC Golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday April 27
Green Valley - White Tees
Stableford
1st Place A Flight - John Emmerson - 41 points
2nd Place A Flight - John McHugh - 39 points
3rd Place A Flight - Klaus Schackt - 37 points
1st Place B Flight - Joe McArdle - 38 points
2nd Place B Flight - Bob Lindborg - 35 points
3rd Place B Flight - Willy Turnbull - 35 points
The dominance that mates John Emmerson and John McHugh
continue to show on road trips and the wide variety of courses in the area
is becoming so significant that the respective bars who host golf outings
might do well just to co-write a column outlining their successes of the
week past. They were the top two men in the traditional Sunday outing at
Green Valley for what seems like the nth time. Klaus Schackt, himself no
stranger to Victory Row, was left with third despite his better than
handicap 37 points.
Joe McArdle, who has seen his handicap creep rather
steadily up from 13 to 15, served notice that his extended Pattaya stay was
useful in readying him for the his home season in Ireland by taking first in
B flight with 38 points. Bob Lindborg edged Willy Turnbull on count back to
round out B Flight.
The boys bid a fond adieu to Jack Spencer and David
Stockman as they each confronted the distasteful task of working for a
living.
Tuesday April 29
Bangpakong Riverside - White Tees
Stroke/Medal
1st Place A Flight - John McHugh - 37 points
2nd Place A Flight - An Kaesavane - 35 points
1st Place B Flight - John Hillier - 37 points
2nd Place B Flight - Colin Davis - 36 points
In a first for many of the lads, Lewiinski’s took the
No. 7 Motorway north to play the well-maintained, friendly fairways of
Bangpakong Riverside. John McHugh and John Hillier took little time getting
comfortable with the new surroundings as they both bettered their handicap
for the top spot in A and B, respectively. It was John Hillier’s best
return to form since he copped this month’s Monthly Medal.
An Kaesavane showed that her game is starting to catch up
to the meteoric plummet her handicap has taken in recent months, a process
that was finalized in the Friday’s fixture, below. An’s 35 was good for
second in A.
Colin Davis, in need of some pocket money, scrambled
about in 35 points, bettering Joe Sebastian on the back 9 count back of 19
to 17.
Wednesday April 30
Khao Kheow - A & C - Yellow Tees
Stroke/Medal
1st Place A Flight - An Kaesavane - net 71
2nd Place A Flight- Gary Blackburne - net 72
1st Place B Flight - Dave Porter - net 77
2nd Place B Flight - Frank Pilkington - net 77
As mentioned above, An signaled she was ready to go back
down to an 11 handicap as she shot a gross 83, net 71. The significance of
this effort was amplified by the fact she played off the whites, the forward
men’s tee, at this demanding Dye design layout.
Gray Blackburne, himself showing steady progress down the
handicap ladder, saw his level to handicap gross 79, net 72 good for the
silver in A Flight.
The high handicappers were a bit overmatched on this day
but there were no complaints from Dave Porter and Frank Pilkington who
walked out with loot despite lukewarm efforts of net 77, which bettered on
count back Eddie Blackwell’s effort of the same humble magnitude.
Friday May 2
Burapha West -
White Tees Stableford
1st Place - Eddie Blackwell - 45 points
2nd Place - Rick Sharp - 42 points
3rd Place - Mark Grygiel - 42 points
Eddie left nothing to chance on this day after falling to
count back on Wednesday. Eddie shot a career best net 77 that amazingly had
to be adjusted downward to 76 due to a triple bogie! That translated into 45
points but his handicap will not be totally abused as the field handled the
short white tees of the West Course quite handily. That is further
emphasized by the 42 points that Rick Sharp and Mark Grygiel had to round
out the pay podium.
Doc dishes out the medicine
IPGC TAGGS Golf from The Haven
Monday 28th April
Century Ban Chan
Stableford
1st Stephen Beard, 38 points
2nd Bob Morrison, 36 cb9 21
3rd Trevor Edge, 36 cb9 19, cb6 15
4th Richard Garland, 36 cb9 19, cb6 12
Bob Morrison, returning to play with The Haven after a
prolonged rest, found the competition to be just as keen as when he last
played and had to give second best to "The Doc" who is running
into a bit of form as his handicap continues to plummet following a lesson
from Richard in how to stand to his ball, which now seems to be working.
Trevor Edge continued his run of good results to take third place from
Richard Garland after the usual count back with Richard, still suffering
from the jet lag caused by 29 hours of travelling from Costa Rica where he
has to go on a regular basis to count his money.
The twos were shared between John Taylor and Trevor Edge
who had two to take the lion’s share.
Back at The Haven Richard Livingston, the resident PGA
Professional, welcomed new members Seamus Brennan and Alan Grainger.
Wednesday 30th April
Khao Kheow
Stableford
1st Bob Lindborg, 33 cb9 16, cb6 13
2nd Al Rolnik, 33 cb9 16, cb6 10
3rd Dave Spendley, 33 cb9 15, cb6 12
4th Dave Stockman, 33 cb9 15, cb6 8
It would be kindest to draw a veil over the day’s
efforts at Khao Kheow as the field struggled to come to terms with the
woolly greens and wet fairways. Suffice to say Bob Lindborg was the best of
the worst after a count back on the lowest winning score for a considerable
time, from "Big Al" Dave Spendley and Dave Stockman.
Arthur Hancock redeemed an unusually poor round by taking
the twos pool on his own with an extravagant chip in. It being a celebration
day for Dave Spendley’ s Sixtieth Birthday, he donated a prize for the
longest putt, which Mo Bertrand duly won.
Friday 2nd May
Burapha West
Stableford
1st Stephen Beard, 42 points
2nd Trevor Schirmer, 40
3rd Doug Campbell, 39 cb9 20
4th B.J. Smith, 39 cb9 19, cb6 13
5th Mo Bertrand, 39 cb9 19, cb6 12, cb3 6
6th Dave Lacey, 39 cb9 19, cb6 12, cb3 5
Playing from the white tees turned out to be a slight
mistake as the field took the course apart following the previous outing’s
poor performances. But not having played the course for a little while when
the rough was plentiful and extremely deep, that was the original plan. In
the event the players found the course to be in excellent shape with almost
perfect fairways and even greens, which made for the low scores achieved.
"The Doc" following an exceptionally weak p.p.p.
in the previous outing regained some of his composure to lead the field home
by a clear margin even though he only picked up one point on the last hole.
Trevor Schirmer headed the chasing pack by a shot with Doug Campbell taking
third after a close count back involving four players.
Despite having the equal lowest points total, Stefan Hoge
managed the only two of the day to sweep the pool and derive a little joy
from the day.
Prior to the prize giving Richard welcomed back Stefan
from the sand pits of the Middle East and bade a fond farewell to Doug
Campbell, who is travelling to Canada to practice bouncing babies on his
knees, and Dave Lee who is on his way to sunny Blighty to work on his tan.
P.S.C. Golf from the Cafe Kronborg
Monday April 28
Plutaluang South & East Courses
(Stableford)
The Plutaluang Royal Thai Navy’s Golf Course was host
for a Stableford Competition in two flights, A flight 0 to 18 and B flight
19 and above.
Eric O’Brien
Hwang
Yong Hwan congratulated by Mick O’Connor
Peter
Vanderwork congratulated by Mick O’Connor.
Big Eric O’Brien took the A flight with 39 points,
Swiss Philippe Berra, back in form, was second with 38 points and steady
Ebrahim was third with 34 points.
In the B flight Korean Hwang Yong Hwan took the win with
39 points ahead of a count back for second on 36 points which was won by
John Swanson with Claus Thomsen third.
As usual the course services were excellent and the staff
friendly so a good day was had by all.
Thursday May 1
Magical Mystical Tour (Stroke)
One of the good things about playing at the Kronborg is
that the courses to play are booked well in advance by the Thai staff in the
‘Head Office’ who personally phone the courses up and talk to them so no
mistakes can be made, very professional and it works very well.
So it was that an avalanche of cars set off for Noble
Place, a long drive on a difficult road, on May 1st to play a stroke
competition, "After all," as the Admiral said, "Noble Place
always takes care of us".
On arriving at the course I was met by agitated players
who said we couldn’t play till 1230 as, "We had not confirmed,"
as if playing there for years on end and using the same system was not
enough. Enough said, 3 hours of tee times, or honour our bookings.
Off to Treasure Hills, but surprisingly the place was
packed out, so where to next? This is where the mobile phone came in handy -
a call to Pattaya Country Club and lo and behold off we went back down that
dodgy road.
Arriving at Pattaya Country Club we were speedily
processed and proceeded to the first tee where our competition was able to
get underway and the Magical Mystery Tour found a home.
Pattaya is a course that we use a lot because whilst it
is not the most scenic of courses, it has a friendly staff, good fairways
and fast greens, and so it proved this day and thanks to the staff for
reacting so swiftly.
On the course it was just a pleasure to tee off after a
wasted journey on a road I do not like driving on. The game got underway
with our group enjoying the feel of grass under our feet. Some good golf was
played and the front nine completed in short time. Unfortunately, as we went
from ninth green to tenth tee the sky darkened and the rain started. And it
rained and rained, until we started to play in the rain. The back nine
proved very difficult and many a promising score was destroyed.
Back in the clubhouse, after a hot shower, as the scores
started to trickle in, a few good scores were interspersed with some that
left a lot to be desired.
In the A flight, 0 to 19, the winner was Peter Vanderwork
with net 69 ahead of Ebrahim on net 70 and Dave Richardson in third with net
73.
In the B flight, 20 up, the form player of the week Hwang
Yong Hwan ran away with a fine 66 ahead of another good round in the
circumstances by Mick O’Connor, who had nightmare start, and Claus Thomsen
in third with net 74 on count back over Barry Kerr.
What do we learn from this day? Well, we’ve been pretty lucky for a
long time and it is nice to know your friends. T.T.F.N.
PSC Three Sisters Golf
Monday April 28 brought out 6 groups of golfers to battle
it out for the bragging rights at Siam. The course was in great shape and
greens in excellent condition. The group consisting of Gerry Carpenter,
George Davis and Herb Ishinaga fought it out for the bragging rights as all
three played better than their handicaps. At the turn, Herb was in the lead
with 23 points and Gerry close behind at 22. George was drifting back with
only 19 points.
Herb
(left) got the bragging right while Dick (right) doubled up his bag
collection.
As usual, the turning point was the 15th hole. At this
point Gerry Carpenter was in the lead by a couple of points but got tripped
up and did not score a point at the 15th. Herb slowly but surely kept his
game together and pulled past Gerry and scored 20 points on the back to come
in with a blazing 43 points - 82 gross off the stick. This was Herb’s best
game in the past few years. Gerry came in second place with an excellent
score of 40 points but it was not enough for the day.
Holding the bag again this week was Dick Caggiano. Although Dick tried,
he could not get rid of the bag as he lost on count back to old Jim Tully.
Both came in with 28 points but Jim managed to score much better on his back
nine than Dick. I heard that Dick was looking for a trophy if he makes it
three in a row next week.
Colonials abscond with 4th Dream Team Cup
The 4th Dream Team Ride Her Cup was played at Burapha
Golf Course on Monday, April 27. With the enforced absence of the toothless
Kim Fletcher, Team Europe was fortified by the addition of John Kennedy and
multiple Heinekens. Continental USA kept to their tried and tested Kurt
Farnham and Ernie Bakke.
The format of the 2-man scramble saw the European paring
of Jack Levy and John Kennedy start par-par-par before a beer stop brought a
sudden halt to this surge of golfing prowess.
The
Dream Team tribute to Wayne Tischbern - "Gone but not forgotten",
left to right Kurt Farnham, Ernie Bakke, Jack Levy and John Kennedy.
Kurt and Ernie, playing the steadier golf, finished with
an 88 (44-44) against the Europeans 88 (41-47). Thus the Colonial pairing
won on count back.
The Americans also won the coveted beset looking caddy
award, but the Europeans denied them a clean sweep by drinking more beer.
A new and welcome addition to the awards list was the
most balls lost category, and this was claimed by John. With the popularity
of this award and the tight race to win it, in which all competitors
featured, it will surely be in next year’s event.
In an even match the overall victors were friendship and sportsmanlike
behavior. Next year’s event to be looked forward to.
P.S.C. Golf from
Bobby Joe’s 60’s Bar
Friday May 2
Bangpra
(Stableford)
Has the world gone mad? What with SARS and the low season
one would expect I could turn up at Bobby Joes in the morning and peacefully
eat my free breakfast in my post night out daze. But this wasn’t the case,
as I was met with the bustle of a busy restaurant. It appears Bobby Joe’s
culinary fame is spreading and the turnout was excellent, so a cavalcade
departed for Bangpra leaving Bobby behind to prepare the food for our
return.
Giggly
presents to winners John (R) and Andy (L).
Bangpra was in its usual fine condition and it is always
a pleasure to walk around this scenic course and see how this oldest of
courses in the area has matured into a thing of beauty.
With the large field we split into two flights, A flight
0 to 17 and B flight 18 upwards, and that meant we had 8 near pins out and 4
long puts. Bob Benda set off on his round with the cart full of pins.
In the event we had a great day out, the greens were not
at their most vicious and good scores could be posted. Mention must be made
of the eventual A flight winner, John Emmerson, who had one of his best days
ever with a gross 74. John said the highlight of his day was on the stroke
index one hole where the monkeys were up in the big tree on the left,
throwing mangoes at all whom passed. When John threw a mango up to them and
to catch and eat it, one of the monkeys threw a brand new Pro v 1 down at
him. When its your day its your day!
It was still pretty hot so it was a pleasure to have a
cold shower and slip into the big hot bath that is a feature of Bangpra and
allow the aching muscles to be soothed.
Hot bath over it was time to visit the restaurant and so
to the highlight of the day, recommended by resident gourmet Pete Galle, the
Bangpra rainbow ice cream. This after a hot round is worth its weight in
gold.
Back in the transport and back to ‘ranch’ where Bobby
Joe had been ‘stoving over a hot slave all day’ (no, probably correct)
to produce the evening meal, which was a lamb stew.
Meal over Bobby was so tired that he asked ‘Giggly’
to do the presentations and, surprise, surprise, nobody complained about the
change.
Winner A flight: John Emmerson
Near pins A flight: #2 Eric O’Brien, #8 John McHugh,
#12 Derek Brook and #17 Peter Vanderwork.
Long putts A flight: #9 John Emmerson and #18 John
McHugh.
Winner B flight: Andy Evans
Near pins B flight: #2 Claus Thomsen, #8 Mick O’Connor,
#12 Herb Schweiterman and #17 Len Dingemans.
Long putts B flight: #9 Ray Spurling and #18 Herb
Schweiterman.
Lucky draw: Tim Holt & Philippe Berra.
Camel CHARITY Classic
Summer Tournament
Century Golf Course
Saturday 17th May 2003, Tee Off’s : 06.30-11.30
Format : 4 Person Scramble, 5000 Baht per Team
all proceeds to
The Saint Camillus Foundation of Thailand
Sponsorship needed
Remember your Corporate donations are
TAX DEDUCTABLE
Golf Cart’s are limited to 1 per team, please book early
(do not book your own)
To Register please contact Dennis on 0 1822 2896,
Terry, 0 1833 7148 or Ronnie, 0 1831 4050 or
Email [email protected] or sign up at The Camel
Buffet and Presentation of the Trophies
and Prizes will be at
The Camel Pub and Restaurant
at 18.00 afterwards
Koh Samui Regatta shapes up: bigger and better
story and photos by Peter Cummins
The Second Koh Samui Regatta, to be sailed off the lovely
island from Sunday the 25th to Saturday the 31st of May, is well in place
with, what would appear to be, almost all the island’s private and public
sectors in full support - even more than last year.
Nacras
on Royal Varuna Beach await loading on the Thai Navy barge: next stop, Koh
Samui; what a way to go...
A big
fleet of Royal Varuna Nacras will be competing, courtesy of the Royal Thai
Navy transport to Samui
The past year has seen an upsurge in yacht racing in the
Kingdom and many top-class regattas being sailed on the Northern Gulf off
the Pattaya-Jomtien-Sattahip coasts and on the Western shores off Hua Hin
and Prachuab Khiri Khan, as well as the annual Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
Now, for the second time at Koh Samui, the organizers expect a large fleet
of around 25 keelboats and an equal number of beach-launched catamarans
coming from various points of the Kingdom: an exponential leap from the
inaugural number of entries last year.
Bill Gasson, acknowledged as one of the region’s
foremost authorities on yacht racing, has been the driving force behind the
establishment of the Samui regatta. To ensure the success of the venture,
which benefits Samui business and tourism immensely, Bill works closely with
a dynamic team from many sectors of the island’s infrastructure, including
entrepreneur John Stall - also a sailing "Stallwart" - and regatta
manager Peter Plant, amongst many others.
This year’s entry sheet for the keelboat divisions
reads like a round up of the region’s top sailors who are constantly
appearing - and, winning - one or more of the regattas on the Asian Yachting
Circuit.
Thailand’s Naval Academy has again entered two teams
from Sattahip, racing the Farr MRX craft. Schle Wood-Thanan’s all-Thai
team will be racing the Farr 40 "Pasaya" which has been undergoing
intensive tuning and re-fitting, after some gear failures at the 2002 Phuket
King’s Cup.
Scott Duncansen will be pitting his newly-designed
"Phuket Sports Eight" against all-comers, especially David Bell’s
"Fremantle Eight", sailing out of the Ocean Marina, Jomtien.
The
incomparable John - the ‘Stallwart’ of Samui.
Another Pattaya team will be Gary Baguley and his Royal
Varuna co-sailors, racing the Jeanneau 36 which they have just taken over,
also berthed at the Ocean Marina.
Once again, the Royal Thai Navy is rendering great
support to the Samui event, by transporting, in a landing barge, a number of
Royal Varuna-based catamarans. Without this most welcome assistance, the
logistics of moving the boats, the gear and other paraphernalia required for
a hi-tech racing craft would be overwhelming.
Concerning the catamaran fleet, it is going to be all
Nacras. Having just finished the first-ever Nacra Championship of Thailand,
the Varuna fleet is honed to perfection ... and "rarin’ to go".
Curiously enough, it is the petite ladies who are very
proficient in Nacra sailing and the Nationals saw the emergence of two lady
helms coming first and second in the powerful Nacra 5.8 division - Claire
Medd and Saranya Makinson, respectively - while Naifah crewed the winning
Open Class Nacra 17 of Antony Chapman. Second here, too, was Kai Postma
crewing for hubby Jouke. These girls are certainly ready to fight for the
honours at Samui.
The actual racing will consist of five races, all
starting off the Central Samui Beach Resort at Chaweng, from Monday, 26
through Saturday, 31 May, with Thursday allocated as the "lay
day".
One of the great features of this regatta is that most of
the courses are in-shore, allowing spectator viewing while, at the same
time, a different course each day will expose the beauty of Samui to the
sailors and the press.
As in the first regatta last year, a big number of the
business community will be displaying "Regatta Supporter" signs,
too many to enumerate. To mention some: Main sponsors are Bangkok Airways,
Boon Rawd Brewery, Central Samui Beach Resort (the regatta headquarters),
Coconut Land and House, Santiburi Dusit Resort and Strategic Catering.
Co-sponsors include ArtAsia Press, Central Samui Village,
Chez Andy, Impiana Resort, Le Royal Meridien, Paradise Beach Resort,
Poppies, QBE Insurance, Sunsail, Tradewinds and the Weekender Resort.
The Square Ring
by Howie Reed
The Square Ring would like to offer belated
congratulations to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, the 9th in
the Chakri Dynasty (Rama IX) on the celebration of his ascendancy to the
throne. It was on May 5th in the year of 1950 that His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej the Great was crowned. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyedej the
Great has been a active supporter of the sport of boxing, receiving a
lifetime achievement award for the World Boxing Council just a short time
ago.
If the lads at Scots Corner on Second Road have finally
stopped celebrating their pal Dave Stewarts win let’s jumpstart the party
again with an e-mail from Dave: "Howie, I stopped Nigel Senior in the
second round. Hurt him with a right cross, then another put him down. He got
up at eight but the ref stopped it. He also had a bad cut in the first
round. So now I’m 8-0 and the British Masters lightweight champion. Best
to all the lads at Scots and best to all. Dave". I’ll drink to that.
What would a week in boxing be without the heavyweights?
If you said "Nothing", go to the head of the class. Reports out of
New York have British descending heavyweight star Fraudly Harrison entering
the ring in the USA sometime this summer on an all heavyweights TV card. But
first Harrison will take on Mathew Ellis at the York Hall, Bethnal Green on
the 31st of the May. It’ll be Harrison’s 11th professional fight but his
first at the famous East End venue. Big shakeup in the makeup of "Team
Harrison". Gone are advisor Colin McMillan and trainer Kenny Croome.
Typical for a fighter. Look bad, blame everyone but yourself.
The rumors that he would fight Frank "Body by Adonis
Chin By Waterford" Bruno were started by an English scribe in light of
Bruno’s KO at the hand of his now ex wife. As Jerry Reed once sang,
"She got the gold mine he got the shaft." Not going to happen. The
fight. The shaft? Like flowers, it’s forever.
Meanwhile the drums keep beating along the Los Angeles
Freeways as the Lennox Lewis-Kirk Johnson heavyweight class becomes an even
bigger joke than it is. Now it’s been learned that the Staples Center,
where the fight is scheduled, would only put up a little more than 4 million
USD’s if Mike Tyson’s not on the card. He isn’t. He also isn’t going
to make up and play kiss-kiss with Don King as some are reporting. They have
100 million dollar lawsuits against each other.
One solution floated was to add former WBO champ Wladimir
Klitschko to the festivities. Yea that would do it. The big no hearted
Ruskie gets clocked by Corrie Sanders and is going to save a drowning fight
card in LA? Laughable.
Fahlan Sakkreerin is 51-3 but barely known outside the
confines of the boxing world. He’s fought almost under the radar. For
anyone that cares he’s the IBF ("I Been Fixin") jr,. Flyweight.
Last Thursday in Chiang Mai he "battered from pillar to post"
Filipino James Capeceno (9-5). In the sixth round Sakkreerin dropped
Capeceno with a right cross. The referee stepped in and decided that
Capaceno was in no condition to continue.
With a 9-5 record the question is, "Was he in any
condition to take the fight?" Sakkreerin is managed by the Jimmy
Chaichotchuang who most times loves to hear himself talk. "Sakkreerin
is now the top contender for Victor Burgos IBF Jr Flyweight world
championship. I have started negotiations with Mr. Don King and the
Sakkreerin vs Burgos world title fight should happen in 2003." If you’re
negotiating with Don King when you leave the meeting check the following:
watch, ring, billfold, shoes (if expensive) and all appendages to ensure
that you leave with everything you arrived with.
There is just no argument that Veerapol Sahaprom, now
41-1-1, ranks right up there with the elite of world champions. The WBC
bantamweight defended his title for the 10th time last Thursday in Bangkok
when he almost tossed a shut out (117-111, 118-110 twice) against Hugo
Dianzo (29-9-1).
The name Dianzo may not be familiar but he’s fought
some very good fighters and does have some "back class" which is
usually lacking when Thai champs fight at home. Who has he fought? Well he
lost a split decision to WBO Bantam Champ Cruz Carbajal (23-11-1) and a
controversial decision (115-113, 115-113, 115-112) to former IBO and WBC
Champ Paulie Ayala (34-2) who twice has laid a whipping on Johnny Tapia.
On the same card celebrating the first of May WBC
Superfeatherweight Champ Sirmongkol Singmanusak (43-1), in non title action,
TKO’d in 6 someone named Anthony Tezhewa who had no "official pro
fights" and was subbing for Kaiser Mabuza (6-3) who I didn’t know
either.
WBC International Super Bantam Champ Naphapol
Kiattisakchokchai 22-1 defeated Simon Lamoni (0-1-0) via a TKO in 8. Lamoni
was subbing for Thomas Mashaba (10-1-4) who was probably dinning at Bourbon
Street with the other MIA’s. Can’t resist that Cajun Cuisine.
The fight card took place at Bangkae Mall Shopping Center
in Bangkok where the next scheduled world championship fight won’t be
held. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (46-2) will defend his WBC Flyweight belt
against Randy Mangubat (31-17-1) on the 30th at Songkla.
Last Friday WBO #4, IBF #9 bantam Ratanachai Sor Vorapin
(50-8, 34 KOs) successfully retained his WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight title
by stopping Joven Jorda in the 4th at Samutsakorn. Ratanachai is gunning for
a shot at the WBO bantam crown against Cruz Carbajal. How about them apples?
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