The Mainbrace Spliced

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, September 4, Century Chonburi, Stableford
1st Barry Traynor, 30pts - c/b 15
2nd B.J. Smith, 30pts - c/b 14
3rd Tony Barritt, 27pts - c/b 18
4th Roar Berger, 27pts - c/b 14
Another extremely difficult week of golf with the end result being only one golfer managing to play under par in the three competitions.
It started promisingly after what is now an easy drive up the 331 to the Nick Faldo designed Century, with its inviting fairways and tricky second or third shots into greens that had been shaved down to the glass. By the third hole most of the field were resigned to taking one or two more than their usual number of puts. On the third, one of the groups managed to put three of the four putts back off the green, so slick were the conditions.
Barry Traynor and B.J. Smith were the best of the bunch and it will be a long time before the day is won again with a count-back of 15. Tony Barritt finally got to grips with the Stimp speed of around 14 on the back nine, having amassed a meager nine points on the front to take third place from Roar Berger.
There were no surprises when the “twos” results were read out. No surprises either as “The Doc” announced the CSS at 74 for the day.
Wednesday, September 6, Crystal Bay, Stableford
1st Tom Sathrum, 36pts
2nd Peter Aitcheson, 33pts
3rd Russell Exley, 29pts - c/b 6 13
4th Takeshi Hakozaki, 29pts - c/b 6 11
Tom Sathrum, having missed the previous outing, was one of the few not suffering from the bejeebers on the greens and whilst the rest of the field were very tentative on and around the putting surface, he just keep a level head and a steady hand to match par and take the days honours by three strokes from Peter Aitcheson.
Dragging a further four shots back were Russell Exley and Takeshi Hakozaki, the latter being unable to take advantage of local knowledge and various members bounces and lost out on count back over the back six.
Once again there were no “twos” in either division and once again the CSS rose by two to 74 on the day.
Before presenting the prizes Richard Livingston, the resident PGA teaching professional, welcomed new member Gary Crutchley.
Friday, September 8, Phoenix, Stableford
1st Ron Bridge, 37pts
2nd Phil Groves, 35pts - c/b 6 13
3rd Trevor Schirmer, 35pts - c/b 6 12
4th Chris Knapp, 34pts
At last there was a winner that seemed to know how the game is usually played, but still, even with his member’s local knowledge he could not make a big impression on the course, although the rest of the players did a lot better than earlier in the week with the CSS actually going down a shot.
Ron Bridge played very tidily to take the day by two from the Swagman, who might just have been thinking that one-over would be good enough following the two previous outings. It was not to be, and he had to content himself with second place on count back over Trevor Schirmer on the last six.
Chris Knapp added a little more to his growing reputation as a bell ringer, as he celebrated his fourth place and “twos” in style, as usual. But then, he has had good experience and practice in the past ordering a Splicing of the Mainbrace and an issue of grog as a ship’s captain and is now getting back into the habit, much to the delight of the motley crew that assembles at The Haven following the day’s golf.
Trevor Schirmer slotted the only “two” in the First Division to take the pot and Chris Knapp did the same in the Second Division.
Back at The Haven, Richard welcomed back Frank Pilkington, Arthur Hancock and Peter Johansson, none of whom had been out of the country but all had not played for some time for various reasons.

A close battle at Phoenix

IPGC golf from the Caddy Shack

Tuesday, September 5 was ‘special’ day at the Caddy Shack with a 4-Man scramble at Phoenix followed back at the bar by a buffet and a live Filipino band playing until the early hours.

The winning team, together with ‘gatecrasher’ Mr. Loy and members of the Filipino band celebrate during party night at the Caddy Shack
Out on the golf course the competition was intense and only .50 of a shot separated the top three places. Keith Fortt, Nick Lawrence, Sam Fitzsimmons and Reg Rawdling came third on 61; Ramsey Smith, Dave Strang, Dave Bramley and Dino came second with net 60.80, and the winners were John MacDonald, Paul Davies, Geoff Hart and Clark Alexander firing 60.50.
To the technical prizes and ‘Longest Drive’ was won by Reg Rawdling whilst ‘Near Pins’ were awarded to Paul Smith, John MacDonald and two for Mr. Reg.
Unfortunately, someone had to come last and the team of Gerry Prescott, Dave Horan, Dave Butler and Graham Wilshaw earned that position although they had the consolation of being voted the ‘best-dressed’ team.
After the presentation, the food was served and everyone settled down for a musical evening with the brilliant Filipino band that catered to music lovers of all ages.
Friday, September 8 saw us make the trip to The Emerald for a Medal competition. In-form Brian Jacks took third spot with a net 77, Phil Smith came second with a net 74 and the winner on the day was Don Francis firing a net 73. The ubiquitous Mr. Jacks scored the only “two” of the day.

The Beautiful Game?: ‘Big Boys’ have everything to play for

by Riz Taylor
Settle down for a big one this weekend, football fans, as some of the Premiership’s biggest names go head to head on Sunday in encounters that could easily define this season’s title race.
Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it, especially considering we’re barely halfway into September, and yet already some of the favourites to challenge the almighty Chelsea seem to be falling by the wayside just a month into the season.
Everton hosted Liverpool last week in the Merseyside derby. I won’t bore you with the details as you probably saw it yourself, but it’s becoming quite clear that Liverpool have a mountain to climb if they’re to make any impact on the title race come May. Tim Cahill opened the scoring for the home side before defensive clangers from Jamie Carragher and goalkeeper Jose Reina gave Everton’s Andy Johnson a sniff of goal. It was all he needed. The former Crystal Palace man duly accepted the gifts on offer to give the Toffees all three points at Goodison with a 3-0 victory.
Everton now sit in the top three, and Portsmouth’s victory over Wigan sees them move into second behind leaders Manchester United, who are unbeaten after their first four fixtures after easing past Spurs at Old Trafford.
But whatever United’s early promise, Chelsea are still the side to beat. That’s an achievement that Middlesbrough have already managed this season, but unless the Blues continue to stumble it’s going to be a long road back for some of the sides that have got off to a poor start.
Liverpool are one such side, and the Premiership fixture machine has dealt them an unfortunate hand by serving up a trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Lose that and they could find themselves a staggering thirteen points off the lead.
That’s if United can continue their run, but they too have a tricky weekend as they ‘welcome’ Arsenal late on Sunday. Any clash between these two is always worth a watch, and this should be no different due of the position that Arsenal find themselves in. Without a win this year and sitting fourth from bottom, defeat might see Arsene Wenger’s side slip into the relegation places.
Everton, meanwhile, take on Wigan tomorrow. In his time in charge of the club David Moyes has overseen his side finish seventh, seventeenth, fourth and eleventh. If that trend continues they’re due another strong finish this year, and with Andy Johnson on board that prospect could easily become a reality. For all Liverpool’s expensive signings it could be Everton’s 8 million-pound capture of Johnson that really lights up Merseyside this year.
It’s my team and
I’m picking it
Heart of Midlothian owner Vladimir Romanov has finally come clean and admitted that the three managers he has employed during his time at the Scottish Premier League side have been little more than puppets. It has long been suspected that Romanov has had a part to play in team affairs, but this confirmation from the man himself last week still came as a shock.
“I did and I will,” he replied when asked the question outright, before adding: “If you want to know how the Hearts team is picked, listen to me. I will ask Valdas [the manager] why a particular player has been selected - like Takis Fyssas or Lee Wallace. The coach will say ‘During the training session, Fyssas was stronger and better’.
“Then I will ask ‘But did he have a proper medical test before the game?’ If I see that the coach is in any doubt about his answer, then there is a doubt about if it should be Fyssas or Wallace. Then I ask the club doctor about the two players and if they had fitness tests. That is my level of involvement - I want to know how much the coach knows about each and every player.”
Crouch chases Charlton
Lanky England striker Peter Crouch is on course to become a legend for his country if the stats are anything to go by. The Liverpool forward may have been unable to notch against Everton at the weekend but for his country he’s becoming something of a goal machine. His England tally now stands at eleven, an impressive figure considering he has made only fourteen appearances. Even more remarkable is that he has already overtaken Ian Wright and finds himself level with Teddy Sheringham and Stanley Matthews as he chases Bobby Charlton’s record. Who said Crouch wasn’t good enough for England? Me? Oh.
Loyalty for sale
After having his fill of ever-increasing ticket prices and greedy players, Arsenal fan Steve Brown took a step further than moaning every week in the newspaper by withdrawing his support for the Gunners and offering it to the highest bidder.
Mr. Brown listed his support for sale on E-Bay recently, and after a short bidding war he’s now a fully paid-up supporter of League Two side Shrewsbury Town. The side’s fanzine ‘Blue and Amber’ beat off ten other suitors to secure his support with an offer of just over 100 pounds.
Blue and Amber spokesman Dave Matthias says that Mr. Brown will find exactly what he’s looking for at Gay Meadow: “Shrewsbury is a lower-league club with a loyal fan base and we are proud of who we are and where we are from,” he said. “When we saw this bloke down South was losing his love for the game we thought it was only fair to show a bit of footballing solidarity and let him experience a club where good young local players come through the ranks, you can afford to go and watch games and you see a committed young team fight for the shirt.”
Mr Brown told the press exactly what had led him to desert Arsenal: “This summer I have sat and watched the Thierry Henry saga and then the Ashley Cole situation unfold and it just highlights how far Premiership football has drifted from us, the fans,” he explained. “These players earn more in a week that 99% of their fans earn in a year and yet all you hear about is flash lifestyles, demands for more money and the real fans have to pay through the nose for tickets. This has meant many long-term supporters can no longer go and watch games live. So I decided to put my support for this season up for auction and the lads from Shrewsbury came in with a last-minute bid and they have won me. I have already been learning about the club and it is the most excited about a season that I have been in a long time.”
Matthias said that payment for the winning bid would be given to Mr. Brown in the form of a shirt, scarf and match tickets. “All the money and marketing in the world cannot replace the genuine enjoyment of football as a fan, and that is something the bigger clubs are losing sight of,” he added.
Amen to that. See you next week.

Frank’s flirtations with Phoenix

PSC golf from The Oohsa Bar

Tuesday, September 5 saw 14 golfers make the short trek to Phoenix for our weekly competition. Golfers were to play the Mountain & Lakes layout off the White tees, although many tees were close to or in advance of the yellow tees. The course was in good condition with grassed fairways & true greens, and with Sports Day prices, reasonable value.
With the course playing short it was Jeff Wylie (7M) who led the way home with a solid if unspectacular 39 pts, closely followed by his nemesis of the previous week, the improving Barry Quirke (18) with 38. Third place on a count back was Frank Kelly (15) with 36points, Frank also picking up a Near Pin. The other technicals were picked up by Barry Jones - a Near Pin & Frank Pilkington - a Near Pin & the Long Putt.
Much to Malcolm’s chagrin, 2 birdie “twos” were recorded, with Jeff & Barry Q enjoying his free beer. Just joking about Malcolm’s chagrin, he loves giving away free beers to golfers, ting ting.
If you are looking for a Tuesday game at a friendly venue, with brekky & pre presentation tucker, cold beer & friendly staff, come on up to the Oohsa Bar on Soi Khao Talo, you will be most welcome.

Derek comes up trumps at beautiful Burapha

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Tuesday, September 5, Burapha, Stableford
Burapha A & B - it doesn’t get much better than this, unless of course you want to walk across the road to the other quite decent 27 holes. But then you have to play on a Tuesday, and only about this time of the year ... we shall shortly!
However, on this day all was peaceful and quiet at Bert’s, as the players filled up for the short trip down to Burapha. This is a course that you can get to play, and be back before the well dries up.
Stood on the first tee it was nice to see we were actually going to play the course we wanted, and even nicer to see it was so quiet. Always well manicured, it was no different on this day, with grassy fairways and slick fast greens.
After a warm shower it was a pleasure to sit in the restaurant after and try some of the goodies. Cards in, it was a simple trip back to Bert’s and what was on the menu? Fish and chips. As usual Tim tucked in before announcing the winner, who turned out to be none other than that fine chap Derek Brook, who finished a short head in front of Mike Wing. Änd as it was Tim’s Birthday anyway, we decided to have a few ‘cold uns’.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Ray Spence, Rod White, Vincent Smyth

Ebrahim to the fore once more

PSC golf from The Café Kronborg

Monday, September 4, Eastern Star, Stableford
Eastern Star was host to a Stableford competition in two flights, with the cut at handicap 14.
The course is in better condition than it was a couple of months ago, with the fairways and greens now becoming quite lush.
Roger Strine won the A Flight with 35 points whilst Thomas Johansson was in second on count back from Takeshi Hakozaki, both returning 34-point cards.
In the B Flight, steady Ebrahim continued his fine form of late and took the honours with 37 points, Wayne Koch was second with 31 points and Pete King came in third on count back from Walter Bachli, both with 30 points.
Thursday, September 7, Noble Place, Stableford
Major work is in progress at Noble Place, and this can be seen on arrival as reception, which is now a hive of activity.
So onto the start, and we were informed that the C & A were to be our test, and in that order. It was immediately apparent that all of the first hole was G.U.R., or so it seemed, and we feared the worst. The rest of C nine was not too bad, however, although work is still in progress and it was at least playable so we zoomed around. We were met at the drinks stand between the two nines by the group in front and Tim the organiser. In one of those seemingly ‘Silly’ incidents, the starter had started another full group on A, just as we finished C. If started on C there would have been no hold up. Still worst things have been known, and in time off we went.
A Nine was in fine condition, and only a strong wind caused any concern; still it was the same for all. And while the going was slower, it actually made for a relaxing nine holes, especially if you spent as much time in the woods as we did.
Back in the club restaurant and as the results came in it was clear the same cream had risen to the top. In the A Flight, 0 to 16, the winner was Gene Rooney with 38 points ahead of Derek Brook in second with 36 points and Bob Rasmussen in third with 34 points, on count back over the trio of Donald Henry, Keith Buchanan and Walter Bachli.
In the B Flight, 19 up, we had a repeat winner as Ebrahim came in with 40 points. Ebrahim has been clearing up all the competitions of late in the B Flight, but it was only a couple of months ago he was playing so bad he gave the game up: nice to see him back and soon to play in the A Flight no doubt. Second in the B Flight and also with a fine score, was Peter King with 39 points with Peter Celis third on 33 points.
T.T.F.N.

Paddy’s Day at Paweenas whilst Am just keeps on winning

Jomtien golf with the I.P.G.C.

Monday, September 4, Bangpra, Stableford
Another full house for the ever popular Bangpra fixture, and after seeing the results and hearing the comments, it appears to have been a tough day out for most.

Monthly Medal winners Paddy and Am
In Division 2, second and third place were tied on 31 points but Les Hall’s greater count back of 17 to Colin Mearns’ 15 earned him the higher placing. Miss Nom won the day with her 32 points. A close battle for the Division 1 prizes ensued between Geoff Stubbs and Derek Eastham who both came in with 36 points, but on a back six count back Geoff won with a 14/13 score.
There was no Div 1 nearest the pin winner on the par 3 second, but Paddy Wilson won on the 17th. Beth Lill and Rick Newman won the Div 2 prizes on the 8th and 12th. The ladies drink was awarded for a memorable 3 points scored by Bob Green on the back nine - Bon Voyage to Bob and Nang before their return in early December. There were no prizes today for Andy Mills, so his name came out of the hat for the free freshly baked pizza meal.
Wednesday, September 6, Phoenix, Monthly Medal
It is the first Wednesday of the month, so it is Medal day for all of us at Paweenas. There have been quite a few unclaimed nearest the pin bottles accumulated over the past month and they went into the day’s prizes. Because of this we ran two divisions on all the par threes to even the competition up. With another full field of players, single handicappers included, nobody was able to claim the prizes on the first par three, fourth hole. Chris Holmes and Dennis Byrne came in on the eighth, Derek Eastham on the 11th with Dennis again, and only one winner on the 16th, Glyn Evans. There were only 2 “twos” today, both by the same person, but we won’t mention his name
In Division 1 Paddy Wilson playing off 14 came in with a gross 82, a net 68 to take first prize whilst in second place, level par on the first seven holes of the back nine, came Derek Eastham with a net 71.
Miss Am (now playing off 25) and Miss Nom both netted 71’s to take the Division 2 prizes, but the ‘sand lady ‘ missed out on count back.
The ladies’ tipple was won yet again by Tony Duthie, the only non-returned card of the day. He is sponsoring his birthday bash with a four-man scramble at Burapha on the 25th September, you can sign up at Paweenas, The Peacock or the OK Corral. The free pizza meal at the Rich Man Poor Man guest house was won by the newly wed Miss Noy or should I say Mrs. Byrne.
A fond farewell was bid to the ever-improving 7 handicapper Andy Mills, he will be back with a vengeance in early December.
All the lads and lasses at Jomtien golf wish all the best and a speedy recovery to Dougie Carysforth who was unexpectedly admitted to the Bangkok Pattaya hospital with pneumonia on Wednesday afternoon.
Jomtien Golf meets every Monday and Wednesday at Paweenas on Soi 5 Jomtien Beach Road and departs at around 9.15am for a 10.30 tee off time. Transport and club hire are also available at the bar, please sign up in the bar or contact Glyn on 06 837 5464.

Kenny gets the trophy while Herb gets his groove back.

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar

August 29, the regulars gathered at Pattaya CC for the ritual Tuesday golf session. Kenny Mau again conquered the field with a reasonable score of 37 points. It was the end of the month so Kenny gets his name on the trophy for August. It wasn’t a brilliant score but good enough for the win. The rest of the golfers did not do well as Dale Murphy came in second with 34 points.
Our most recent outing was September 5 and Herb Ishinaga chose this day to finally get his game together and shoot a decent score of 38 points to beat the field. With two wipes on his card it was a pretty good score - enough to collect interest from the rest of the boys. Sus Ige came in a close second with 36 points. He did it the hard way by birdying the last hole. Sus shot a hot 39 off the stick on the front nine but faltered on the back to let Herb slip on by for the win.
We are all waiting patiently for Siam to open up to see what it will be like for our normal venue. When it eventually does open for play, the Three Sisters will most probably move back to Monday golf at Siam as many of us have memberships there.

Tiny Thai tigress wins at Sriracha

PSC golf from the Bowling Green

Saturday, September 2, Sriracha G.C., Stableford
1st Tewin Lamthong (30), 40 pts
2nd Derek Eastham (15), 38 pts c/b
3rd Gordon Everingham (23), 38 pts
4th Donald Hendry (10), 36 pts
The small but power hitter Tewin played a stellar game of golf last Saturday to record a very respectable 40 points, beating all the men on the day. She also managed to win 2 of the closest to the pin awards - All in all a great day for Tewin. Coming in second on a count back was Derek Eastham over Gordon Everingham.

Tewin Lamthong, continued her great form with wins at Sriracha and Green Valley

The course was in good condition and we all had a good day and enjoyed our time on the fairways and greens. Putting for “twos” was still difficult but Fergus the chipper finally got a nice birdie 2 by chipping from off the green. Way to go Fergus!
Nearest Pins: Tewin Lamthong (2), Fergus Brennan and Frank Kelly
2’s: Ferus Brennon
Tuesday, September 4, Green Valley, Stableford
1st Tewin Lamthong (28), 37 pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (15), 35 pts
3rd Derek Eastham (16), 33 pts
4th Tom Herrington (17), 31 pts c/b
Derek Eastham)
Tewin was still in the groove for another victory at Green Valley, even playing with her reduced handicap. Playing conditions were good and the scores indicated this. No one overpowered the course but it did play fair although the weather seemed to be a little warmer than normal and it took its toll on the golfers. The greens were fast and hard to navigate but Derek Eastham managed the only “two” on the day. Well-done Derek!
Nearest Pins: Derek Eastham, Lars Stroll and Bob St. Aubin (2)
2’s: Derek Eastham
Thursday, September 7, Century Chonburi, Stableford
1st Phil Dwyer (18), 38 pts c/b
2nd David Swaine (38), 38 pts
3rd Derek Eastham (16), 35 pts
4th Bob St.Aubin (12), 33 pts
Phil played steady golf to win at Century on a count back from David Swaine. The rain did not seem to detour Phil and David from handing in good scores. The greens played a big part in the scores, as some were hard to judge, especially if you put your ball in wrong position. Its always nice to see a close competition between the players. No one was able to make a “two” so the prize will be carried over to next week.
Nearest Pins: Tom Herrington (2), Bob St. Aubin and Boy Dwyer.
Just a word of thanks to Fergus Brennon for all his work in organizing the golf from the Bowling Green. He runs all the golf days, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Also a big thanks to Reg and the staff at the Bowling Green for their support and great dinners served after the golf.
Remember That if any one is interested in golfing with the Bowling Green we play every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We meet at Bowling Green at 7.45am for breakfast and transportation, and new players are always made to feel welcome

Tough times at Treasure Hills

PSC golf from The Peacock Place

Monday, September 4, Treasure Hills, Stableford
Monday, September 4, our scheduled outing was at Treasures Hills G.C. The car park at the golf club was almost empty except for our party. I think a number of people are dissuaded from visiting the course because of its degree of difficulty, and I must say yours truly found it to be the case on this occasion, but more of that later.
The course was, however in great condition; the tees well set out, the fairways nicely cut and the greens particularly fast. Down hill puts were extremely treacherous. The bunker sand is a little too soft and as a result, plugged lies in them are common.
Talking of plugged lies; on the second hole, a long par three, one of our party’s golf balls embedded itself on the bank of the deep hole to the right of the green where the grass had been cut to about 1 inch but was obviously not fairway. There was some discussion as to whether he could take relief from a plugged lie. We could not agree so we suggested he play two balls and ask for a ruling from our Captain. This the player did and we were later told that he was not able to gain relief so would have to take the score from the original ball. Does anyone have any thoughts on this ruling? Letters to PM Sportsbag please.
Later, and with all the cards in, the winner was declared to be Donald Hendry who scored 36 points with three runners up scoring 34 points. We decided to share second place amongst the three.
As I have said, my score on the day was abysmal and I would have won the free beer for the lowest number of points had I not torn up my card in disgust. In the event, the low score was won by Captain Bob and I take my hat off to him for carrying on under adversity. We left the club in good time and returned to The Peacock for our presentation and enjoy a splendid buffet prepared by Dao’s staff.
Thursday, September 7, Sriracha, Medal
Thursday’s outing saw our group headed for Sriracha GC to play a Medal competition. The gathering was compact so we kept it to just the one flight. The course was in good condition and our scores reflected it. The only hiccough was some lightening and thunder which forced us to shelter for a while in drinks stops. Fortunately they had plenty of beer on hand.
As to the results of the competition; in third with a net 71 was our old stalwart Ken Little, second was Jeff Wylie with a net 70 and the winner was that old perennial Brian Jacks with a great score of net 68. Captain Bob will no doubt be taking the scythe to his handicap I’m sure. Only one “two” was recorded by Jeff Wylie so he scooped the pool.
The party returned to The Peacock for the prize giving and some great food prepared by the restaurant’s chef. Needless to say, a few beers were sunk also.
If you would like to join our group anytime, we meet on Mondays and Thursdays at around 8.00am to 8.30am at The Peacock Restaurant, which is opposite the Mabprachan reservoir on Siam Country Club Road. Alternatively, give Captain Bob a call on 07 941 2474 or David on 07928 7859. We look forward to seeing you there.

The Square Ring

by Howie Reed
“W. Newton Jeeves, Esq. here sitting in for His Lordship who has done a runner for the week, leaving the keys to the store in my capable hands.
The prince of boxing, Naseem Hamed, has extricated himself from the ‘Nick’, Moorlands Prison in Doncaster to be precise, after serving 4 months of a 15-month sentence. He got that sentence for “dangerous driving” which was a gift. Calling his crime “dangerous driving” is an understatement of facts. He hit a car head on then left the scene with the driver of the other motor lying in the road bleeding to death. The victim and his wife were outraged by Hamed’s release. Naz and his camel will both be required to wear an electronic monitoring device.
My spies tell me that former world champion Kostya Tszyu may be about ready to give it one more try. The Russian media is reporting that Tszyu has said, “My people are carrying out preliminary negotiations with Antonio Margarito. A ring return is premature at this point, but I want a meaningful reason to return to the ring, although I haven’t yet made a final decision on whether or not I’ll fight again.”
Tszyu, who turns 37 this month, was last seen sitting on his stool after round 11 with Ricky Hatton saying, “No mas, Nyet, I quit.”
Ricky Hatton, who jumped on the world stage with that win, has recently solved his legal dispute with promoter Frank Warren, which paves the way for Hatton against IBF Champion Juan Urango on January 6. Hatton previously relinquished his WBA Welter title.
It does seem that there are a lot of Mexican fighter popping up in the news. Those in the Kingdom may remember in early August when Juan Manual Marquez scored a TKO win over Terdsak Jandaeg (24-2) at Lake Tahoe in the USA. His Lordship used to live there until he was politely ‘asked’ to leave.
With that win Marquez got the rather prestigious designation as WBO featherweight interim title. Usually that title won’t even get you a smile at a dance emporium. In order to remove the “interim”, Marquez would have to fight and defeat champion Scott Harrison who at the time was either in rehab or spending time in the ‘Nick’. Now out and clean, Harrison is ready to resume his career.
Marquez’s promoter Frank Warren has won the purse bid to promote a match-up between his boxer and Marquez: “I’m delighted that I have secured my man the home advantage for his world title defense against Marquez. It will be a tough fight and every advantage we can get will count in Scott’s favor.”
Warren’s big challenge will be keeping Harrison on the straight and narrow.
There’s a fight on Sunday that promises to be a “jolly good scrap”. The first time that Marco Antonio Barrera (62-4) and Rocky Juarez (25-2) fought was in May of this year. Thailand’s super-judge Anek Hongtongkam scored the fight for Barrera 113-115, as did Ken Morita. The lone dissenter was Las Vegas judge Duane Ford who had Rocky Juarez winning 115-114. It’s not usual for Ford to be on the short side of a “split decision”. He walks to a different beat seeing fights with a different view.
That aside they’ll get together for the rematch this Sunday in Las Vegas. There is some confusion, at least for the temporary caretaker of The Square Ring, in that the fight is listed as “for the WBC jr. lightweight title”. The problem is that the WBC doesn’t have a 130-pound division called jr. lightweight. The official designation is “WBC super featherweight”. Chances are that this may be the time that age finally catches up on Marco Antonio Barrera. This will be his 66th professional fight and last time out many, including judge Duane Ford, thought that Rocky Juarez won the fight. The Square Ring thinks that Juarez will come up short again this time.
One fight on the menu for November 5 is the contest between Floyd Mayweather jr. and Manual Baldomir in Las Vegas. The drum beating for this one will be intense as many think that Mayweather jr. is the best boxer around while others think that Baldomir has been neglected. Case here of maybe everyone being right.
Baldomir promoter Danny Goossen makes the case that Baldomire is the modern reincarnation of the Cinderella Man. The original Cinderella Man of course was heavyweight James J. Braddock who was portrayed in the 2005 film of the same name by Russell Crowe. Old Danny Boy may be telling a few “porkies” here but it makes a good story.
“First of all, we’re ecstatic to see the ‘true grit’ abilities and determination of the modern day ‘Cinderella Man’ taking on the likes of Mayweather, clearly on the road to becoming one of the greatest of all time,” Goossen declared. “Secondly, Mayweather-Baldomir on paper, conjures up thoughts as a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate and from a sports fan’s perspective this bout represents the linear world welterweight champion in Baldomir going against the pound for pound best in Mayweather. Mayweather continues to face champions in higher weight classes. This spectacular extravaganza will determine if ‘size matters’ when Baldomir tries to impose his will and strength on Mayweather or will the “Pretty Boy” show the world once again ‘size doesn’t matter’ when fighting the best pound for pound fighter in the world?”
OK, a little over the top but all in all not bad.
Some don’t buy the hype by Mr. Goossen. America’s Cable Network Showtime will program the heavyweight title fight between WBO heavyweight champion Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich (23-1) and Shannon “Brooklyn” Briggs (47-4-1) on the same night. The difference is that in America the heavyweight title fight will be free while the Mayweather jr. contest will be a pay-per-view.
Liakhovich, who now lives in Scottsdale Arizona USA, has fought the usual suspects losing only to 18-12-2 Maurice Harris via KO in 2002. Shannon Biggs? Biggs probably peaked 10 years ago when he was fighting the likes of Lennox Lewis and George Foreman. He beat Foreman by a decision that was “dodgy” as it appeared that Foreman was just in there for the payday.
Well, I did quite good while the master was gone. Unlike him I didn’t yell at anyone and doing this column is like falling out of bed, the morning after. And now that I’ve finished, ‘Noi could you please bring me a beverage and a nice cigar? Thank you my dear. Of course you can probably move in next week. Bring you Mother and brother? I don’t see a problem with that. Of course, we’ll just have to clear it with the Master.’”

New league kicks-off with Café Kronborg showing the way

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers - Kran, Mio, Ooy and Somrak

Captain Kran got her Café Kronborg team off to a good start as she bowled games of 242, 190 and 213 for a 645 series and a four point sweep over Jack & Tar. Shenanigans took three points from Diamond Shop, House of the Golden Coin got three from Café Ole and Domicil won three from Three Sisters. VFW Post 9876 beat Mai’s Thai Restaurant taking three points and Brother D and Montana split their match at two points each. Mio, House of the Golden Coin rolled a 213 game, 559 series and Somrak, Shenanigans, had a 226 game, 559 series.

Gerry celebrates with a ‘Double’

PSC golf from The Bunker

Monday, September 4, Phoenix Country Club, Stableford
The Phoenix Country Club was the venue for The Bunker Boy’s first Stableford competition of the week.

Granville Swanton tees it up at Phoenix on his way to claiming B Flight honours on Monday.

With the cut made at 15 and under, the competition was fierce in the A Flight with Gerry Cooney coming out on top with 35 points, one point ahead of William Macey’s 34 points and one further point ahead of Paul Smith on 33 points.
In the B Flight Granville Swanton led the way winning with 39 points, Clarke Alexander was second with 34 points and third place was tied between Paul Davies and Bryan Rought.
Near pin prizes were shared between Gerry Cooney, Clarke Alexander, Granville Swanton and Paul Davies.
Wednesday, September 6, Noble Place Golf Course, Medal
A Medal competition was held at Noble Place and Gerry Cooney came out on top again winning the A Flight with a level par net 72. John McDonald found a bit of form at last to finish second with net 73 and third place went to J.J. Harney who shot a net 75.
In the B Flight Jim Payne won with a net 74 ahead of second placed Fred Griffin, net 78 and Jim Wooler claimed third place with net 81. Only two par three greens were hit so the kitty was shared between William Macey and Sunni Ruthsip.
Friday, September 8, Royal Thai Navy, Stableford
The second Stableford competition of the week saw The Bunker Boy’s play the South and East courses at the Royal Thai Navy course Plutaluang. The cut was at 17 and under and Geoff Parker returned to form to win the A Flight with 38 points, second was Donald Hendry with 36 points and third was Tony Scambler with 33 points.
In the B Flight Lee Butler won for the first time scoring 38 points, ahead of Jim Wooler 36 points and third placed Enda Naughton who scored 34 points.
Geoff Hart won two near pin prizes and the other two were claimed by Jim Wooler and Tony Scambler.