24-Hour kart race back at Bira

The race is expected to draw a host of international drivers competing for the first prize of US$10,000.

After the very successful Thailand 24-Hour race last year, held in the pouring rain at some stages, the event was so popular that demand from drivers and spectators ensured that the 24-Hour would be held again.
This weekend, February 10 & 11, the Bira Kart Circuit will again reverberate to the sound of 21 teams from around the world, competing at the local totally revamped world-class facility.
The field is truly international, and with a prize purse for the winning team worth US$ 10,000, there is a huge financial inducement to enter and win! At the time of going to press, there were entries from Thailand, France, Japan, Portugal, UK, Australia and the Philippines.

The 2nd Thailand 24-Hour Kart race takes place this weekend at Bira Circuit.

Last year the event was won by an international team with drivers from Australia, Germany and Holland, with a Filipino team second and the Portuguese team (which had won the European 24-Hour) in third place.
Each team is allowed a maximum of eight drivers, and a minimum of four, and no driver can do more than 50 minutes in one stint, but has to complete a minimum of 90 minutes during the 24 hours.
Amazingly, there was also a 100 percent finishing record for the identical karts supplied for the event. The weight of the kart is also ballasted and weight added if the drivers of any one team average less than 78 kg each, to make the 24-Hour as level a playing field as is possible.
Entrance for spectators is free and both Thai and Western food is available at the track. The start will be at noon on the Saturday, 10th and the victorious team will be seeing the chequered flag at noon on the Sunday 11th.
The Bira Kart Circuit is in the Bira International Circuit complex on Highway 36 (about half way between the International School of the Regents and the 331 overpass).

Thai Polo Caballus crowned Mercedes Benz & B. Grimm Polo Cup champions for 2007

Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha presents the prizes to the winners at the conclusion of the tournament.

The victorious Thai Polo Caballus team with the winner’s trophy.

Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha was in attendance at the Thai Polo Club, Pattaya on January 27 to watch the final of the ‘Mercedes Benz & B. Grimm Polo Cup 2007’ and to present the prizes to the winning team members.

The final match was fiercely contested between Thai Polo Caballus and Royal Pahang from Malaysia.
This annual event is organized by Mr. Harald Link, C.E.O. of B.Grimm & Co. and Mercedes-Benz Thailand, and is held to raise funds for the educational projects of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
The Thai Polo Club was transformed into a veritable fashion show as members of the region’s high society turned up in their hundreds to support the event and parade their chic attire.
A sumptuous buffet was laid on to the accompaniment of music from the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and various entertainment stalls delighted the guests; all as a prelude to the opening match of the Polo tournament.
The polo itself featured 3 teams: Thai Polo Caballus led by Mr. Harald Link, Royal Pahang from Malaysia and led by led by Dato’ Mohamed Moiz and a Greek team captained by Mr. Nicholas Kosmatos.
During the half time interval, many of the distinguished guests took the opportunity to go out onto the field of play to help stomp down the divots, an old polo tradition.
As the tournament reached its finale, an intensely closely-fought final chukka between Thai Polo Caballus and Royal Pahang led to a victory by the Thai team with a score of 8 goals to 5. Having previously secured a victory over the Greeks by the same scoreline, Thai Polo Caballus were duly crowned as deserved champions for 2007.
All that remained was for the guests to enjoy some after-game entertainment in the renowned Chukka Bar, which moved from London to Thai Polo Club especially for polo enthusiasts. Then, following the trophy presentations, a spectacular firework display brought down the curtain on the charity Mercedes Benz & B. Grimm Polo Cup for another year.

Hopefuls hot on the heels of Melgram

San Miguel Lawn Bowls League

Barry Hooper
Melgram retained top place in Division One after another win over the Shoemakers. The win puts them on 16 points but the Hopefuls are still hot on their heels and only 2 points adrift after a close win over the Ying Yangs. Cunning Stunts are hanging on in third place and are not out of things on 11 points. So it’s still all to play for.
In the Second Division, Harvons have extended their lead to four points after a close win over the Lighter Men whilst Odd Couple, Austar and Celtic Warriors are only separated by shot difference from second to fourth places.

Standings February 2 (top 4 teams shown)
Division 1
Pos.	Team	Points	Shot Diff.
1st	Melgram	16	66
2nd	Hopefuls	14	26
3rd	Cunning Stunts	11	17
4th	Bankers	7	0
Division 2
Pos.	Team	Points	Shot Diff.
1st	Harvons	14	50
2nd	Austar	10	47
3rd	Odd Couple	10	22
4th	Celtic Warriors	10	21

Tony ‘Aces’ to find the answer

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, January 29, Pattaya C.C., Stableford
Division 1
1st Arthur Hancock 34pts
2nd Rick Holmes 32pts c/b
3rd Al Rolnik 32pts
Division 2
1st Chris Knapp 38pts
2nd Kjell Christiansen 35pts
3rd Vance Millar 32pts
Having missed out on the previously over subscribed competition, Arthur Hancock rose early, telephoned The Haven at 7am and set off for the course to await the first tee time at 11 am. Whilst he was waiting he spent the time chipping, putting and generally tuning up his game and getting mentally prepared for the task at hand.
All of this careful planning paid off as the rest of the First Division, who were operating without Arthur’s forethought, failed miserably to keep up with his pace and ability as he cruised to a two-shot win ahead of Rick Holmes and Al Rolnik, with Rick getting the edge on count back.
In the Second Division it was almost a carbon copy of this game plan as Chris Knapp took full advantage of the recent hours spent practicing in his garden to roll out his first win at The Haven for some time by what proved to be the biggest margin of the week.
Kjell Christiansen and Vance Millar filled out the balance of the podium in the division.
Gary Nicholas slotted in the only “two” in the Second Division whilst Kenny Moss and Trevor Schirmer shared the First Division with one each
Before presenting the prizes Richard Livingston, the resident PGA teaching professional, welcomed back Yasuo Suzuki who was this time traveling alone and also said bye bye to Alan Hanlon.
Wednesday, January 31, Phoenix, Monthly Medal
Division 1
1st Doug Williams, net 75
2nd Dave Thomas, net 78
3rd Rainer Helling, net 81
Division 2
1st Serge Straeten, net 75 c/b
2nd Vic Barton, net 75
3rd Chris Knapp, net 76
Playing from the Blue tees at Phoenix is never an easy proposition, especially with the wind blowing half a gale and the pin positions determined by some sadistic individual.
Doug Williams, playing with the Haven for the first time could not believe that he could be such an easy winner with his score in the First Division, but when a one-handicapper struggles to keep it to 4-over, then it must be hard. Dave Thomas and the incredulous Rainer Helling filled out the rest of the winners.
Things were a little tighter in the Second Division with the medal specialist Serge Straeten just booking his place in the Gold and Silver finals by count back from Vic Barton, with the resurgent Chris Knapp in third.
There were no “twos” in the first division and Vance Millar had the only one in the second division to sweep the pot.
Before presenting the prizes “The Doc”, filling in for the suffering Richard, welcomed new members Doug Williams and Peter Biggs and also welcomed back Michael Barry and Jay Nakagawa, the latter having arrived to keep a watchful and critical eye on Yasuo San.
Friday, February 2, Greenwood, Stableford
1st Michael Barry 39pts
2nd Brian Beaupre 38pts c/b
3rd Serge Straeten 38pts c/b
4th Tony Barritt 36 c/b
Green Wood, the new name for Noble Place, is still one of the best values for money in the area and with the course also in tip-top condition, it is worth the occasional hassle as the team of starters and managers struggle with the organisation during high season.
Michael Barry took a couple of days to get over his jet lag and having declared a three shot reduction in handicap that he had earned at his home club Clonlara in Eire, he was well rewarded with a one-stroke win over Brian Beaupre. Brian tuned out to be unfortunate twice on the day but he still managed to take second place on count back from Serge Straeten with a very handy back nine. The last place was filled by the man of the moment Tony Barritt, as he slipped past Rick Schramm and Peter Tucker to add to the day’s spoils.
Rick Schramm and Brian Beaupre both had a “two” in the First Division but it turned out to be an unlucky day for the Canadians as Tony Barritt at last found the answer to three putting the par threes. Knock it straight in the hole, and why not choose the hardest hole to do it on, the 12th on C course - a two hundred yard beastie that will live forever in infamy in the hearts of Tony’s playing partners. Tony, however, was left to savour his wonderful achievement late into the night.

A Hat-Trick for Paul

PSC golf from The Three Sister’s Bar

The end of the month for the Three Sisters golf was completed with Paul Kraft pulling off the Hat-Trick. For three weeks in a row Paul has been on top of the heap. Last week Paul shot 34 points to win the day but this week he really clobbered the field with 41 points.
In second place again was Sus Ige. He was a distant second coming in with 35 points with the rest of the field trailing.
Holding up the rest of the group for the very first time was Joe Albright. Coming in with 29 points, Joe thought it should be mentioned since it may never happen again. We will have to see what happens in the future.

Heads turn at Crystal Bay

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral

Crystal Bay afforded its usual warm welcome to the Pattaya Golf Society on Tuesday, January 30, as the group visited to play a medal tournament. The day was fine and the course was well presented, with slick greens, as the large field, cut at eighteen and under took to the “A” and “B” nines.

Andy Parkinson, right, receives his award from Mr. Denis.
In a tight second flight, Len Jones and Jim Parkinson went head-to-head all day to eventually tie for third place with almost credible net 78’s, just one shot behind the joint winners John Mason and lady golfer Mod Churaiska.
The greens had proved tough to master all day as a slew of second-flight scores in the eighties was to show. Division one fared better with Vic Barton, who hails from “God’s own country” (NE England of course!), going one under with an excellent net 71 for third place. His effort was just eclipsed by that of Canadian Rick Schramm who continued his fine form with a splendid net 70 and second place.
In one group heads had turned all day as a winner from last week repeated the feat. Chris Hardy again decimated the course with net 68, with shots full of power and accuracy and it will only be a matter of time until his handicap reflects the quality of his golf.
There were no birdie “twos” and the substantial pot would lie in wait for the heroes at Treasure Hill two days later.
The day’s best gross was again produced by David Thomas, this time a score of 80 indicating the quality of his golf. The ‘Booby Bevy’ was destined for the organiser at one stage as his driving in the outside lane was enough to attract the attention of the police on Sukhumvit, and Bill Hewitt’s discovery of a locker key in his pocket back at the OK Corral also held some merit, but eventually it was awarded to Paul Quodomine who blew a golden opportunity of victory with three wayward holes costing him seventeen (!) shots over par and relegation to fourth in his flight. Crystal Bay had not seen a day like this for a while.
Mason carves fine victory
Thursday, Feb 1st, saw the Pattaya Golf Society take its monthly “fun” event to Treasure Hill in the form of a Stableford Mystery Pairs event and a full house turned out for the competition, which was played in wonderful golfing weather on the toughest track in the province.
Such was the challenge then as the first group set off. Golfers played their Stableford rounds as normal, unaware of whom their partners would be as they would be drawn later after all cards were in.
The hero of the day was to be John Mason, currently in his best Thai form, and he carved his niche in the elite band of Treasure Hill “par-beaters” by recording a score of 37 points, which indeed could have been better if easy putts had not been missed and fairway trees avoided. Elsewhere golfers honestly toiled away but none could get within three shots of the hero, but who would his partner eventually be?
Beware, at the other end of the scale Sweden’s Michael Lindberg was suffering as he posted a score of 20 points for the ‘Booby Bevy’. Adding to the excitement, John Cunningham, Walter Tawler and Jeff Johnson were gathering “tang” as winners of the rolled over “twos” pot.
Back at the OK Corral the cards were drawn and the secret was out. In third place on 62 was the pairing of Jay Nakagawa (32) and Jim Parkinson (30), headed by Jeff Johnson (32) and lady golfer Mod Churaiska (31) with a total of 63. To everyone’s delight and relief John Mason had been drawn with Finn Vesa Turunen and their combined score of 64 was just enough to take the honour and justice was done.
To end the evening Andy Parkinson was presented with the trophy for January’s ‘Player of the Month’ after some seriously good performances which saw his handicap come down by eight shots in as many weeks, as he stormed ahead of David Thomas in the monthly rankings. Well-done Andy! It had been an excellent golfing fun day at Treasure Hill

Phil hits form at Pattaya C.C.

I.P.G.C. golf with The Caddy Shack

Tuesday, January 30, Century Chonburi, Medal
Tuesday saw us take a trip to Century Chonburi for a Medal competition. The course was difficult with lightning fast greens, and this led to some very high scores from both high and low handicapped golfers.
Coming in third place was Jan Eriksen with a net 80, in second came Mike Allidi with a net 76, and once again the winner was Scott Chisholm with a net 75. It’s always worth remembering, if you are having a bad round never give up as most of the field could be struggling with you.
There was no 2’s on the day which made a worthy rollover for Friday.
Friday, February 2,
Friday’s venue was Pattaya Country Club and we played a Stableford competition on a course that was rock hard and crying out for water. This course always seems to be very popular and with no exception today, we split the golfers into two divisions with the cut being 17 and under.
In the First Division, Paul Butler amassed a total of 33 points to take third place, just ahead by one point was Bill Hewitt with 34 points to take second place, but way ahead on his own and the only golfer to break par was Steve Nowell with a very respectable 37 points off his 10 handicap.
Division Two saw some higher scoring with Tony Duthie netting 35 points for third place, in second was Peter Fitton with 39 points, but way ahead of them all was Phil Smith with a great round of 41 points.
The rolled over 2’s pot was shared by Steve Nowell and Janet Kelly and meanwhile the Caddy Shack and all its golfers put out a very warm welcome for the return of the Lancashire lad himself Wilf Latham.
For all golfers wishing to play from the Caddy Shack we leave the Pub at 10am for an 11am tee off. Transport is provided and all are welcome.

Two winners and one accident

PSC golf from the Oohsa Bar

The last two golf trips run from Oohsa Bar have seen good friends and business partners scoop the pool on alternate weeks.

Tuesday winners celebrate at the Oohsa Bar.

Tuesday, Jan 23, we headed off to Treasure Hill where Barry Quirk played extremely well to win with a score of 40 points off his 15 h/cap. He was closely followed by Keith Avery who scored 38 points. Meanwhile, the near pin award was won by Ed Horrocks. The course was in very good condition and all enjoyed their day out.
On January 30, it was off to Century Chonburi where we found once again a course in good condition. The only downside was the condition of the greens, which had been recently shaved and were very dry and lightning fast.
Our winner this day was the boss himself, Malcolm Smith, who shot his best round ever to score 43 points off a 36 h/cap. In second place was Jeff Wylie with 39 points off 7 while third and forth places went to a count back in which Mick Heatley just edged out Gus Dickie, both these players finishing with 36 points.
Near pins were won by Bill Ayrey, Jeff Wylie and David Gardner whilst our golf organizer, Keith Hodges picked up the longest putt award.
The accident mentioned in the headline happened on the way to Century when one of our cars was in a slight collision with a motor cycle causing this group the best part of an hours delay. In the end all turned out well and three of the four people in the car turned out to be place getters on the day.
We all returned to the Oohsa Bar where the always-keenly contested killer pool was won by Pim.
Out next trip will again be to Century Chonburi on Tues, Feb. 13. If you require more information please call Keith Hodges on 087 916 7171 or call into the Oohsa Bar on Soi Kao Talo where you will be most welcome.

Steve scorches Greenwood

PSC golf from the Peacock Place

Monday, January 29, Khao Kheow, Stableford
On a cold and windy Monday morning, 25 players turned up for a game at Khao Kheow. It was so cold that many likened the temperature to one of Captain Bob’s famous ‘frosties’, and, in fact, it was not until the fourth hole that the ‘Ice Maiden’ (Wendy Khan) warmed up enough to actually abandon her thermal undies.
Captain Bob decreed it would be a ‘Rainbow’ game with six shots taken from each of the red, yellow and white tees which made for a most interesting challenge.
First place in A Division went to that fine figure of a man, our hero, Captain Bob with a brilliant 39 points. He was followed home by Jack Mosely, just 1 point shy on 38 and John Desmond, who came into the clubhouse with 34 points.
B Division was won by the ‘Sandwich Man’, Ken Little with 33 points whilst Tony Duthie used the count back to secure silver ahead of Geoff Moodie, both players scoring 31 points.
There was only one ‘2’ which was won with a fantastic putt by Geoff Moodie, and the free beer was won by David Smith who obviously felt the cold as much as the ‘Ice Maiden’ who was also in contention for the ‘freebie’.
Wednesday, January 31, Greenwood, Stableford
Twenty-eight players turned up for a game of single Stableford at Greenwood golf course.
The weather was far kinder to us than on Monday and it obviously had a great effect on everyone’s game as some fantastic scores were returned. Of the 28 players, only 3 returned scores of under 30 points, and Captain Bob was really concerned when working out the prizes as seven people came in with 36 points each. Luckily, John Khan saved “Our Hero’s” headache by shooting 37 points to secure third in the B Division. Above him on the podium were Ray Dell, in second with 40 points, and the flight winner Paul Crosland with 42 points.
In the A Division, Steve Nowell towered over everyone with a fantastic 45 points. In second place came Captain Bob on 42 points and completing the podium was Jack Mosely with 40 points.
There were four ‘2s’ recorded by Jeff Wylie, Captain Bob, Ray Dell, and Frank Frawley.
The Peacock Place runs a very welcoming and friendly Golf Society. If you are looking for a game with a group of really great people, come and join us anytime, or call Bob on 087 941 2474

The Square Ring: by Howie Reed

“Your Lordship was right again. The De La Hoya - Mayweather jr. ‘Cinco de Mayo’ fight was sold out within hours of tickets going on sale. You were also right that not a lot of tickets were available. After the casinos and promoters took their share of tickets only 5,400 were left for general sale. The press release was rather silly: ‘Tickets for the fight, were devoured by fans eager to help establish the record-breaking live gate of $19 million’. I’m sure your Lordship that no boxing fans ran out to buy tickets to set some silly record.
“It seems that former WBO ‘chump’ Scott Harrison just can’t stay out of trouble. Latest report is that he’s been arrested in Glasgow on ‘undisclosed’ drug charges. He was released on bail so he could meet the court date in Spain for the criminal charges that kept him in the ‘old nick’ for 5 weeks. On top of that, the British Commission has banned him ‘indefinitely’ for failure to show up at their hearing. He’s on the road to be like Yank, Aaron ‘The Hawk’ Pryor many years ago.
“One of your favorites Your Lordship, Kostya Tszyu, who has been out of the ring since losing to Ricky Hatton in June of 2005, is thinking about a comeback. The Australian Daily Telegraph reports that Tszyu is planning an exhibition while awaiting a title shot offer. He said: ‘They know I’m available - that’s why I have not announced my retirement.’ Your Lordship I know you have some news of Ricky Hatton.”
Nice segue Jeeves, and yes, I do have some Ricky Hatton news. Last Sunday at the Homebush Sports Centre, which strangely enough is in Homebush Australia, good guy Lovemore “Not Less” Ndou (44-8-1) and Noufell Ben Rabah (24-2) fought in what was advertised as an IBF title eliminator.
With sanction fees paid, the winner by a 12 round TKO, Lovemore Ndou, was in line to challenge Ricky Hatton for the title. Some say not going to happen as Hatton could pass to fight Jose Luis Castillo in what is called a “mega fight” this June.
The IBF has threatened to strip Hatton of the title if he fights Castillo. On the other hand Hatton’s camp just hours before the title eliminator notified the IBF that they would fight the winner. Fact or fiction? In boxing one never knows.
In what became a “not very secret, secret”, Oscar De La Hoya has appointed Freddie Roach as his trainer for the upcoming bout with Floyd Mayweather jr. on May 5. One thing about Oscar, he occasionally says something that everyone knows is false, but they still let it slide. This time? Oscar said the elder Mayweather’s demand of a $2 million fee had “no impact” on his decision whatsoever and that his main reason to drop Floyd Senior was to prevent driving a further wedge between the estranged father and son.
“I didn’t feel comfortable training against his son”, said Oscar. Mayweather Sr., never a candidate for MENSA, called the offer from Oscar of $500,000 with a further $500,000 potential bonus, disrespectful. His final comment was, “Everyone knows that Oscar is a cheapskate.” Bet your last Baht that had Floyd Sr. accepted the $500,000 he would have been in the corner.
Freddie Roach has a lot on his table but insiders don’t think it will be a problem. Nothing happens in boxing without Promoter Bob Arum making some asinine comment and the Roach appointment was no exception.
When Roach accepted the appointment Arum called Roach “an idiot”. Good old Bob always raises the slime level in boxing. Roach’s response? “Bob Arum needs to spend less time trying to get me fired, and more time trying to help Manny. Bob needs to be working with me, not against me.”
What does Manny Pacquiao need to get ready for? That would be his April 28 date with In Jin Chi in Macau. This date could be changed as Pacquiao is running for Mayor of Cebu City, his hometown in the Philippines.
Leonard Ellerbe is one of the loud-mouthed bums that hangs around the Mayweather jr. camp. He’s officially is an “advisor” but the first description better describes him.
“Oscar has two chances to win this fight, slim and none, and slim just left town when he hired Freddie,” Ellerbe said. “I have a lot of respect for Freddie as a great trainer, but to compare Freddie Roach as a trainer to Mayweather Sr. is like comparing (Manu) Ginobili to Kobe Bryant.” Yes right. Bryant ain’t that good.
Boxing fans throughout the world will probably be able to watch two heavyweight championship fights on the same day, March 11. The first bout will be IBF/IBO champ Wladimir Klitschko’s defense against mandatory challenger Ray Austin (24-3-4) at the SAP Arena in Mannheim.
Austin’s claim to fame may be that he lost last out to Sultan Ibragimov (19-0). It’s always nice to give a heavyweight the benefit of the doubt as they tend to develop late in their careers. That aside Austin has lost to Attila Levin and Harold Sconiers. The upside for Austin is that he’s 6’6" and you can’t teach tall.
The other half of the double dipper is from Madison Square Garden where Shannon Briggs defends his WBO title for the first time against the above-mentioned Sultan Ibragimov.
Briggs is one of those that either developed late or had the tenacity to hang in there while others quit. He’s been a professional boxer since 1992. Briggs won the title with a storybook 12 round KO of Serquei Lyakhovich last November. He was trailing on all cards (103-106, 103-106, 104-105) when he took out Lyakhovich at 2:59 of the final round. Good stuff that.
There was a pre-Super Bowl fight card at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee Florida on Sunday. It’s notable because Thailand’s Anek Hontongkam was one of the judges for the WBC light heavyweight match between a couple of undefeated boxers in champion Tomasz Adamek (31-0) and Chad Dawson (23-0). In a “mild” upset, Chad Dawson led from the opening bell, which meant he was able to survive a 10th round knockdown for a title winning performance.
Thailand’s Anek Hontongkam had it 116-110 so that’s the way it was. Conventional wisdom, such as it is in boxing, thinks that maybe Adamek’s two brutal wars with Aussie Paul Briggs took something out of the now former champ. Others think that it’s just another Polish fighter with the “Golota Syndrome.” You pays your money and takes your choice.
“You Lordship you forgot to mention that Luis Collazo and Sugar Shane Mosley will be fighting next Sunday in Las Vegas.”
No I didn’t Jeeves.
“That would mean then that Your Lordship is ready for some lagers, a cigar and the silly Super Bowl on the Telly.”
Jeeves, you are a treasure.

Alfred Rigby notches first win

PSC golf from Bowling Green

Barry Hooper
Tuesday, January 30, Bangpakong, Stableford
A Flight
1st Brendan McGovern (0) 36pts
2nd Tom Herrington (17) 35pts
3rd Steve Hamstead (11) 34pts
B Flight
1st Ray Bloom (22) 38pts
2nd Carl Lovatt (18) 37pts
3rd Tony Holehouse (24) 36pts
C Flight
Eastern Star winners: Alfred Rigby, Tewin Lamthong and Brian Beaupre

1st Joe Kubon (30) 40pts
2nd Brian Rideout (35) 40pts
3rd Patrick Brown (26) 37pts
Near Pins: Bert Mjornrup, John Merritt, Brendan McGovern, Joe O’Driscoll
2’s: Bert Mjornrup, Pete Senard
Three flights again. Enjoyable golf with winners and losers but with everybody trying there best and that is the name of the game. Play was off the White Tees
Thursday, February 1, Plutaluang, Stableford
Flight A
1st Bob Durnley (11) 38pts
2nd Steve Hallstaed (11) 36pts
3rd Derek Eastham (12) 35pts
Flight B
1st Joe O’Driscoll (16) 36pts
2nd Colin Cronin (18) 34pts
3rd Tony Burnett (23) 31pts
Flight C
1st Mam Morel (33) 37pts
2nd William Chang (36) 34pts
3rd Les Burns (34) 33pts
Near Pins: Ron Littler, Mam Morel, Neil Duncan, Darryl Wells
2’s: Colin Cronin, Keith Marsdan, Ron Little
Play off the white tees and three flights again the order of the day.
The course was in magnificent condition and the service was excellent yet again.
Derek Eastham was announced as “Golfer of the Month” for January at the presentations.
Saturday, February3, Eastern Star, Stableford
Flight A
1st Brian Beaupre (6) 37pts
2nd Dave Thomas (7) 37pts
3rd Rick Scramm (11) 37pts
Flight B
1st Tewin Lamthong (16) 37pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (14) 38pts
3rd Jim Duff (15) 36pts
Flight C
1st Alfred Rigby (36) 36pts
2nd Jack Robertson (28) 35pts
3rd John Dennis (36) 33pts
Near Pins: Bob St.Aubin, Joe O’Driscoll, Barry Power, Rick Scramm
2’s: Derek Eastham, Marcuss Mattsson, Rick Scramm, Brian Beaupre, Peter Corry
Another large group of golfers descended on Eastern Star for a Stableford competiton.
In excellent conditions for golf, Alfred Rigby took his first win at the Bowling Green and immediately put his success down to the support of his fellow group player, Tewin Lamthong (Winner of Flight B), whom he watched carefully and saw her swing was slow and accurate. So thought he would give it a try. Well-done Fred.
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. Call Tewin on 086 056 7019 or the Bowling Green on 038-720742 or send an email [email protected].

Mashi claims ‘Golfer of the Month’ title

PSC golf from The Bunker

Monday, January 29, The Emerald, Stableford
The Bunker Boy’s held their first Stableford competition of the week at The Emerald golf course.

Mashi Kaneta - The Bunker Boy’s ‘Golfer of the Month’ for January.

Geoff Hart and “Skinny” Newton won the B Flight with 36 points followed by five players in third place: Jan Van Spellen, Brian Maddox, Andy Pach, Bryan Rought and Fred Griffin all scoring 33 points.
Geoff Parker was third with 35 points in the A Flight but both Jim Treen and Mashi Kaneta scored 39 points to win with ease, this win making Mashi red-hot favourite for the ‘Golfer of the Month’ title.
Near pin prizes went to Brian Close, Trevor Sharman, Mike Allidi and Mashi Kaneta.
Wednesday, January 31, Treasure Hill, Stableford
By popular request it was decided to play another Stableford comp at Treasure Hill on Wednesday. The course is getting drier and harder up that neck of the woods, making Treasure Hill even more difficult than usual. Having said that some good scores came into the clubhouse.
Cyril Wallwork won the A Flight with 39 points, Mashi finished second with 35 points, which was enough to seal the ‘Golfer of the Month’ title, and Jon Reed claimed third spot with 33 points.
Thirty-nine points won the B Flight too where Thea Van Spellen returned to form. Mick Ramshaw nicked second place with 35 points ahead of Geoff Hart who was third with 33 points.
Near pins were claimed by William Macey, Mashi Kaneta, Mick Ramshaw and Cyril Wallwork.
Friday, February 2, Greenwood, Medal
The first game of the month saw the golfers make the long journey to Greenwood golf course for a Medal comp, where we had some good scores winning the prizes.
In the A Flight Tony Scambler won with a five under par net 67, Geoff Parker was only one shot behind to take second place and Rocky Jones claimed third place with a two-under par net 70.
In the B Flight big Dougy Landsborough won with a six-under par net 66, Jack Robertson was second with a net 67, and Trevor Sharman was third with net 68.
Near pin prizes were shared between Lawrence Harding, Roger Privett, Tony Scambler and JJ Harney.

The answer is blowing in the wind

PSC 67th member’s Monthly - Khao Kheow

Tony Oakes, center, presents prizes to the winning team of Michael Winfield, Ebrahim, Robert Brown and Cees Bosman.

Chris John
After the trials and tribulations of last month’s tournament, the PSC road show came to Khao Kheow. A blessed relief for the organizers to visit a professionally managed golf course in excellent condition and with no holdups due to overbooking.
Tony Oakes even managed to find time for a spot of fishing at the island hole. At the best of times Khao Kheow is a demanding course but with near gale force winds prevailing for the first few hours, many a golfer searching for a lost ball was reminded of Mr. Dylan’s prophetic words.
A four-person scramble was the order of the day and with each golfer having to complete four drives, some teams were forced to take their second shots from unfavourable positions. Thirty two teams competed for the four team prizes on offer and the final scores reflected the difficult conditions.
Heading the field with a net 57 were Michael Winfield, Ebrahim, Robert Brown and Cees Bosman, closely followed on 57.2 by Dick Warberg, Colin Cronin, Joel Flor and Steve Hamstad. In third place on a count back with 58 were Staffan Lyrestam, Kale Karlberg, Bengt Borg and Roger Stromstedt, just edging out Jan Johansson, Clive Bruce, Graham Beaumont and Lyndon Armstrong into fourth place.
Near pins went to Gerry McCarthy, Ian Mackintosh, Paul Smith, Lyndon Armstrong, Ebrahim, Andy Redmond, Alan Sullivan, Michael Todd White, Alan Pearce, Stephen Ward, Brian Gable, Mike Corner, Knut Tuvstein, Keith Avery, Leif Linner, Mam Trayling (2), Geri and Marja Lerchenmueller. The long drives were won by Brian Heelan, Keith Johnson, Joel Flor and Chant Schwulera with the long putts going to Bengt Borg , Steve Hamstad, Leif Linner and Harald Gruber.
Back in the clubhouse many golfers enjoyed the famous Khao Kheow beef before the presentation. Tony Oakes the golf chairman welcomed all the golfers and thanked the organizing team of Nigel Cannon, Alan Pearce, Tim Holt, Herb Schwieterman, Mike Wing and Vincent Smyth and all the sponsors for the day.
Notice was given of the next tournament which will be the Charity Classic on 16th of March at Eastern Star. Please book early at the PSC clubhouse for this one which is limited to 144 golfers and is always oversubscribed.

VFW Post keep the heat on Montana

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers – Jim, Dang & Antero.

Montana remains in first place but VFW Post 9876 and House of the Golden Coin both gained on first. Montana only managed to win one point from VFW Post 9876 as Ooy led VFW with a 521 series.
House of the Golden Coin won three points from Diamond Shop knocking Diamond Shop out of second and down to fourth place. Café Kronborg remains in fifth after splitting their match with Domicil with each team getting two points.
Mai rolled a 553 series to lead Jack & Tar to a three point win over Café Ole. Antero bowled a 520 series for Café Ole. Nun bowled a 524 series for Mai’s Thai Restaurant as they got two points from Brother D and Shenanigans and Three Sisters also split their match at two-two.
Scores this week were lower than normal after Pattaya Plus bowl replaced all the old pins with new ones.

Super Bowl XLI ... The Game

by Howie Reed
To the victor go the spoils and so the Indianapolis Colts are the Super Bowl XLI champs. They accept that honor after a convincing, albeit sloppy 29-17 win over the “Toothless” Chicago Bears.
This game was played in a driving rainstorm which would belie the Florida Chamber of Commerce claims that the “weather’s always fine.” This was the first Super Bowl ever played in the rain.
The game started like it was going to be a barn burner when the Bears’ Devin Hester took the opening kickoff back 92 yards for a TD and a 7-0 lead. This was the first time in Super Bowl history that an opening kickoff had been returned for a touchdown. So much for keeping the ball away from Devin Hester and/or even containing him.
While his run-back was a thing of beauty, things got ugly from then on. In a first half that lasted almost 2 hours, there were 6 turnovers, a botched extra point and a missed field goal from a chip shot area.
This game wasn’t as close as the score might indicate though. The Colts out gained the Bears by 430-265 yards while running 81 plays to Chicago’s 48. The Bears on 4 occasions went 3 and out (the Ballet Offense - One, two three, kick), had two interceptions, one for a TD, a couple of fumbles and no idea of where their offense was going or why.
When Indianapolis missed the field goal to end the half, the next time Chicago’s offensive touched the ball was 58 minutes later. Considering all the wind and rain, Bears QB Rex Grossman was still terrible.
Trailing 7-0 the Colts found themselves on their own 47 with a 3rd and 10. The Bears pass rush got to Manning who appeared to be just flinging the ball away to avoid the sack. That may have been what was in the viewer’s mind but on the other end of the pass was a wide-open Reggie Wayne who walked into the end zone for a 53-yard TD strike.
Extra Point holder/punter Hunter Smith, doing his best Tony Romo impression, dropped the ball so no extra point. Bears 7-6.
Indy, proving they had learned something, kicked off short where the ball was caught by reserve tight end Gabe Reid at the Bears 28. He advanced the ball 9 yards before he got rocked by the Colts’ Robert Mathis and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Colts’ Dylan Gandy. Colts QB Manning then fumbled the ball back on the first play.
The Bears’ plan was to run the ball to keep it away from the Colts offense. That didn’t work as the Bears were out gained on the ground 191 to 111. A large chuck of that run yardage came on the play following Manning’s fumble. Thomas Jones went 52 yards to the Colts’ 5, which would lead to a TD three plays later and a 14-6 Chicago lead. This culminated a series of events that encapsulated Super Bowl XLI and was more Keystone Cops then National Football League.
To be fair the Bears running game might have been hurt when Cendrick Benson went out at the 1:33 mark of the first quarter after gaining 4 yards. He wouldn’t return.
QB Rex Grossman fumbled the snap from center twice and managed to just fall down on a couple of other occasions. Both Grossman’s interceptions came when the intended receiver was wide open but the passes were poorly thrown.
As predicted on these pages, Grossman was the car that found the wreck. His first interception came at the 11:44 mark of the fourth quarter and for all intents and purposes provided the “coupe de grace” to the Bears Super Bowl hopes.
Trailing only 22 -17 and surprisingly still in the game, the Bears started on their own 20, which became the 10 after a holding penalty. Thomas Jones got 6 up the middle followed by a neat 22-yard completion from Grossman to Muhammad. Under the theory espoused in these pages of “dancing with the guy that brung you”, Grossman attempted to go deep to Muhammad. His wobbler of a pass stayed in the air longer than a plane circling Suvamabhumi Airport. When it landed in the arms of the Colts’ Kelvin Hayden, he took the ground route 56 yards for a TD and a 29-17 lead. At 11:44 of the 4th quarter the game was over.
The Colts put away their spectacular offensive and looked a lot like the New England Patriots - nothing spectacular, just 24 first downs to the Bears 11.
Colts’ QB Peyton Manning was 25-38 with one TD and one interception. Good but hardly great. Manning won the MVP Award probably because someone had to plus the fact that when comparing him to others, he didn’t screw it up as bad. My vote for MVP went to the NFL ‘Turf Guru’ George Toma who kept the field in great shape despite the rain coming down like insults on a Baht shy punter. Manning said upon receiving the award, “It’s hard to put into words. I’m proud to be part of this team. We stuck together, won this game.”
Colts’ running back Dominic Rhoades had another good playoff game with 113 yards on 21 carries and 1 TD. He was probably overshadowed a bit by rookie Josephs Addai with rushing yardage of 77 yards and 10 catches for 66 yards. He did fumble so that takes some of the sheen off the apple.
Receiver Reggie Wayne only had two grabs, one for 52 yards and a touchdown, which was offset by a couple of alligator arm drops. Marvin Harrison caught 5 for 59 yards but was never allowed to become the deep threat he can be. Maybe the MVP should have gone en-mass to the Colt’ offensive line which allowed only one sack of Manning and opened gaping holes in the Bears bigger defense line.
It was a team effort that barely resembled the highly explosive Indianapolis Colts that pro football fans loved. Take away the 52-yard TD strike to Wayne and the Colts, while inside the Bears 20 on 6 occasions never attempted a pass into the end zone. That would account for their less than impressive 1-6 success inside the “Red Zone.”
Some credit should be given to the Bear defense that held the Colt offense to 22 points which should be enough to win any game. Once Indy got to the playoffs, the Colts offensive looked more like the New England Patriots. Their defense was solid and the offensive conservative. This offensive approach had QB Peyton Manning yelling at the sidelines as he should have during the game. Some lip readers detected more than a couple of “expletives”. The offensive transformation changed Peyton Manning from Peyton Manning into Tom Brady ‘Light’, probably under the theory that the “meek shall inherit” the game.
Much of the attention after the game ignored the fact that this was not a game that will be long remembered for great play on the field or for heroic performances. Maybe the most heroic performance of Super Bowl XLI was Prince playing an electric instrument in the rain. It’s a good bet that neither team will be back in Super Bowl XLII next year. The Bears are a good NFC team but the Saints will be better next year.
The Colts with the new offensive will get run over next year by San Diego, New England and maybe even the Jets. Maybe with Super Bowl XLI, much hyped but delivering little, the pro football fan will turn to the other Futbol now that David Beckham has arrived in the USA. There is a rumor that Beckham’s move to Los Angeles from Madrid was more a desire to be among more Spanish speaking people than for money.
With more media attention paid to the Super Bowl than any other sporting event, it’s always a challenge to come up with stories when the game’s a dud. With no sizzle it’s very difficult to sell the steak. It’s possible to write that Bears QB Wretch Grossman is lousy. Into the breach comes the non-story that has become the post-game focus. We have been reminded “ad nausea” that for the first time two teams with black head coaches met in the Super Bowl. This is like a restaurant critic going ‘ga-ga” over the rancher when the steaks bad.