LeNoury’s the story

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday, April 1, Green Valley -
White Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter LeNoury (10) 42pts
2nd Mark Wood (6) 39pts
3rd Kris Kritsanajootha (8) 39pts
B Flight
1st Michael Whelan (13) 40pts
2nd Bob Lindborg (16) 37pts
3rd Jerry McCarthy (13) 37pts
C Flight
1st Mol Thongkiew (21) 39pts
2nd Geoff Kubas (19) 38pts
3rd Robbie Bennett (20) 36pts
Near Pins: Sean Murphy, Jim Wickstrom (2), Dene Airey
2’s: Peter LeNoury (2), Kris Kritsanajootha, Jim Wickstrom, Hugh Byrne, Geff Ives, John Hillier, Nick Payne, Fred Theobald, Sugar Ray Handford, Jorn Finnerup
It wasn’t going to take long to justify the ‘Title Guy’ this week as Peter LeNoury was MoM with 42 points off his 10 handicap. That A Flight winning score was three clear of the trio of The Pride of Aberdeen, Kris Krits and Dudley Do-Right. Mark Wood had the best of the count back, while Kris contributed moderately to the Land of Smiles when he landed third. Poor Jim Wickstrom had only the knowledge that his gross 73 was low gross on the day to console himself with.
Irishman Michael Whelan started out this, the last week of his stay, with a B Flight winning 40 points. That was three clear of the Guru and another Irishman, Jerry McCarthy. The count back did not reflect the Luck of the Irish.
It would be redundant to continue to refer to Ms. Mol as ever-improving, unless of course, she was, and she is. Mol’s C Flight winning 39 points were one clear of Geoff Kubas and three clear of her beau, Robbie Bennett.
Monday, April 2, Crystal Bay B & C - White Tees,
Stableford
A Flight
1st Mark Wood (6) 39pts
2nd Mossy Quaid (8) 37pts
3rd Lindsay Semple (12) 36pts
B Flight
1st Dave Driscoll (20) 38pts
2nd Colin Davis (15) 36pts
3rd Vic Hester (14) 34pts
2’s: Mark Wood, Mossy Quaid, Gary Blackburne
It was off to Crystal Bay and that was just fine with Mark Wood who was MoM and the medalist on the day with 39 points and gross 75. Mark’s A Flight winning effort was two points clear of Irishman Mossy Quaid and yet another up on Lindsay Semple.
Dave ‘The Eskimo’ Driscoll continued a dominance he has enjoyed since his arrival as his 38 points were two clear over the GM Donkey and two more over Victor the Inflictor.
Wednesday, April 4, Khao Kheow B & C - Yellow Tees,
Stableford
A Flight
1st Kris Kritsanajootha (8) 38pts
2nd Peter LeNoury (10) 37pts
3rd John Pegrum (10) 37pts
B Flight
1st Sugar Ray Handford (21) 42pts
2nd Lee Adelly (13) 39pts
3rd Jan Eriksen (14) 38pts
2’s: Bob Patterson, Andrew Byrne, Bob St. Aubin, Sugar Ray Handford, Lee Adelly, Bjarne Karlskov, Adam Schoenfeld, Eddy Beilby, Ian Halfpenny
It was a much anticipated return to Pete Dye’s creation after a high season layoff.
Sugar Ray bolted through the pack with his B Flight winning 42 points. That was the best score by three points on the day. That second best score was the property of Ian Woosnam’s top man, Lee Adelly, who had the misfortune of being in Sugar Ray’s flight. The Quiet One snapped up the B Flight bronze.
Kris Krits added a first to his Sunday third, as his 38 points were one better than the Title Guy, John Pegrum and the Senator. When the count back was done Peter was laughing all the way to the title slot, John was smiling and Bob was weeping.
Friday, April 6,
The Emerald -
White Tees,
Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter LeNoury (10) 39pts
2nd Chas Li (7) 38pts
3rd Mossy Quaid (8) 37pts
B Flight
1st Ian Halfpenny (17) 37pts
2nd Vic Hester (14) 33pts
3rd Sugar Ray Handford (21) 32pts
2’s: Peter LeNoury, Chas Li, Bob Patterson, Ian Halfpenny
Removing any controversy over his choice as Title Guy, Peter went out and claimed his second MoM of the week with a scintillating 39 points. That A Flight winning score was one clear of Xian Li and yet another clear of the tandem of Mossy Quaid and Jon Pratt. Irish eyes were similin’ as Mossy took the count back for A Flight bronze.
Ian Halfpenny returned to town with a convincing B Flight victory. His 37 points were four clear of the Inflictor and one more ahead of the three-pack of Sugar Ray, The Man of Leisure and Arqam the Magnificent. It was the guy who brought his own nickname that took the count back.

The Beautiful Game?: Riz Taylor

Reputation precedes English clubs

As much as I’d love to chat about the increasingly enticing battles at both ends of the Premiership, events in Italy and Spain during last week’s matches cannot pass without comment.
Violence erupted amongst travelling fans of both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur last week during their respective European ties against Roma and Sevilla, and instead of discussing what were two cracking games of football, events off the pitch will live a lot longer in the memory.
The story of English fans becoming embroiled in trouble is hardly a new one. Many will remember the bad old days of the English game, when scenes such as those witnessed last week were all too common. Those were the dark days, but to its credit the country that gave football to the world has taken the necessary action to clean itself up in recent times.
After having to take a serious look at itself during English clubs’ exile from European competition during the 1980’s after a catalogue of incidents abroad, the resulting changes have thankfully resulted in the disappearance of sights such as barbed wire fences and intimidating policemen dressed up in riot gear. Let’s be thankful for that.
Whether that’s anything to do with the introduction of all-seater stadia, better policing or spiralling prices that keep your average troublemaker away from football is another subject for another day, but the simple fact of the matter is that, put simply, English football is almost totally trouble free and a safe environment for all the family, young and old.
But hooliganism - known worldwide as the “English Disease” - is far from its deathbed in continental Europe and maybe it’s time for a few nations to take an inward look at the way in which they themselves police football supporters and football matches.
The trouble in Rome began before a single flight had been boarded, when United sent their supporters their tickets for the tie with Roma including a three page letter warning them to avoid certain areas around Roma’s Stadio Olimpico due to violent Roma ‘Ultras’ - the Italian term for hardcore followers of their football teams - known to cause trouble in those areas. Much of Rome was incensed after this news reached Italy, including the Mayor of the city who suggested that Rome was far safer than any of its English counterparts.
Yet the warnings proved to have more than a little substance after United fans were indeed attacked by the Roma fans in the danger areas, but worse was to come. During the match, Roma supporters began hurling missiles into the United following and charging the perspex barrier that separated them. As United fans retaliated they were baton-charged by the Italian police, and amongst the awful scenes that followed was the sickening image of a police officer repeatedly beating a man in his fifties who lay prostrate on the ground.
Naturally we all have our opinions on who was to blame for the incident and I have absolutely no doubt that the United following wasn’t made up of little angels, but whoever you support and whatever your nationality, surely nobody can deny that the reaction of the Italian police was heavy-handed, brutal and entirely unnecessary.
Can anyone answer me why the police were stationed on just one side of the perspex barrier, and why they were so eager to wade into the United supporters? Their reaction to what were largely gestures from the United fans was nothing short of a total disgrace and criminal charges should be handed to those responsible.
After Tottenham’s similar problems in Spain, former striker Clive Allen, now on the club’s coaching staff, condemned the Spanish police’s behaviour towards the side’s fans in Seville on Thursday. “There are stories that women, children and disabled fans were struck by the police,” said Allen. “I find that disgusting really and it’s very, very disappointing.”
There’s only one reason for the reaction of the police, and that’s the reputation of English fans that precedes them. That reputation may be unwarranted and out of date, yet rightly or wrongly the image of hard-drinking English hooligans tearing up cities across Europe has lived long in the memories of their hosts. The fans must realise this and act more responsibly for at least another twenty years before their troublemaking reputation is consigned to the history books, but does this give police the right to attack largely innocent supporters, indiscriminately hitting them with batons?
Whatever the reasons behind the incident in Spain, this was hopefully an isolated incident. The same cannot be said of Italy. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people and occasional beautiful football, but surely it’s about time that the country’s authorities take a hard look at how the game is policed and the spiralling influence of its ‘Ultra’ fans.
Until Italy gets a grip on itself the only answer in my eyes is a blanket ban on European football for Roma and perhaps all of the country’s representatives. Whilst the football club itself can’t be blamed for the actions of the city’s police officers, their Ultra fans outside the stadium are doing more than enough to bring the reputation of both the club and Italian football, already in the doldrums thanks to match-fixing, to its knees. The Mayor of Rome might feel safe wandering around his city but he seems to forget the stabbings of the unfortunate supporters of United, Liverpool and Middlesbrough during recent visits and even the killing of a police officer by rampant Ultras only a couple of months ago.
I’d suggest that Italian football is getting away with murder were it not so close to the mark, and a ban should be the only option. Whether it happens is anybody’s guess, but you can’t help wondering what would happen if continental supporters were attacked by both fans and police on English shores.
This weekend
That’s enough serious talk, so instead let’s look forward to the action in the coming week. The Premiership fixture congestion might be hard on those poor little lambs who pick up millions of baht to play football up to THREE times a week, the poor loves, but that’s great news for the rest of us. There’s Premiership action every day until Wednesday, so now might be a good time to send the wife upcountry to visit the family. See you next week.
Note to Paul Scholes:
Stop tackling, son. It’s not your strong point.

Gerry gets back in the groove

PSC golf from The Bunker

Monday, April 2,
Mountain Shadow, Stableford
For the first game of the month The Bunker Boys played a Medal comp at Mountain Shadow, and with the temperature increasing at this time of year it was a hot and sticky day. Fortunately a strong but pleasant breeze got up later in the round to comfort the golfers but also add to the difficulty of the game.
Mashi Kaneta won the A Flight with 32 points, a single point ahead of Charlie Gooch with 31 whilst Jim Treen and Gerry Cooney shared third spot with 30 points apiece.
In the B Flight Mick Ramshaw won with 34 points ahead of second placed Brian Maddox 30 points and third placed Dave Keats 28 points.
Near pin prizes went to Gordon Evringham, William Macey, Jim Treen and Dave Harvey.
Wednesday, April 4,
Khaow Kheow,
Medal
Wednesday witnessed a Medal comp held at Khaow Kheow and it was to be a winning return to Thailand for Gerry Cooney who won the A Flight with a level par net 72. Glen Cunningham came in second with net 75 and third place went to Jim Treen on net 77.
With the cut at handicap 15 and under Gordon Melia found himself in the B Flight and he duly won with a level par net 72, with Unto Kilvonen second and Mick Ramshaw third with net 76 and net 80 respectively.
Dave Harvey, Gordon Melia, Jim Treen and Mick Ramshaw were the winners of the near pin prizes.
Friday, April 6, The Emerald
A Stableford comp on Friday saw Gerry Cooney win the A Flight again, this time with 36 points. Irishman Brian Downley nabbed second spot with 33 points, just one point ahead of third placed William Macey.
Brian Maddox won the B Flight with the best score of the day and 41 points, whilst Mick Ramshaw took second with 39 points and Frenchman Jean Morel was third with 36 points.
Near pins went to Gordon Evringham, Geoff Hart, Bob St. Aubin and Brian Maddox.

Neil wins by five at Plutaluang

PSC golf from The Oohsa Bar

Tuesday, April 3,
The Emerald,
Stableford
1st Keith Hodges (25) 33pts
2nd Yves Philibert (26) 32pts
3rd Geoff Moodie (24) 31pts
Near Pins: Martin Hayes, Mike Brooke, Jeff Wylie
Long Putt: Ray Allison
With the low season upon us, the number turning out on Tuesdays and Thursdays is lower than in recent weeks. However, competition remains fierce and the courses are less congested and a pleasure to play.

Neil Duncan had a round to remember at Plutaluang.

Thirteen players assembled at the Oohsa Bar before setting off for Ban Chang and the Emerald. All courses have programmes or routine maintenance and on this occasion the front nine hade been hollow-tyned and heavily sand dressed. Putting was very difficult.
Fortunately the second nine had not been done and presented an excellent putting surface. Whether due to the front nine greens or the intrinsic difficulty of the course, scores were on the low side.
Keith Hodges took first place with 33 points, regaining the winning form of a few weeks ago. Yves Philibert came second with 32 points, and last Tuesday’s winner Geoff Moodie, shrugging off the psychological effect of a two-shot handicap cut, took third place with 31 points.
Thursday, April 5, Plutaluang S & E, Stableford
1st Neil Duncan (16) 40pts
2nd Malcolm Smith (36) 37pts
3rd Barry Quirk (14) 35pts
Near Pins: Gary Percy, Geoff Moodie, Mike Brooke, Martin Hayes
Long Putt: Neil Duncan
Once again a lucky 13 players entered the regular Thursday competition at Plutaluang. The West nine was closed so we played the same 18 as last week, South and East. With regular visits to Plutaluang scores are definitely improving. Both courses are difficult, but we now expect the winning score to be better than handicap.
Neil Duncan has been playing consistently well in recent times but this week was special. He opened with a ‘shaky’ 16 points on the front nine which included a number of three-putts, but the story changed at the turn. With consistent ball striking from tee to green, a remarkable back nine of 24 points brought him home five points clear of the field. A deserved winner.
Malcolm Smith came second with a fine 37 points despite claiming to be hung over from the night before; a winning score on many occasions but not this week.
Next week we will be at Greenwood on Tuesday April 17 and Plutaluang on the Thursday April 19. Join us if you can.

Triple Crown at Plutaluang

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral

April 1, and all thoughts of childish games were put aside in favour of some serious Sunday fun in the form of a stableford competition over the South and East nines at Plutaluang. Once again the competition proved popular with the single flight composed of two-dozen keen golfers, under the stewardship of Mr. Denis from the OK Corral.
The day was hot and competition was to be tense and a good day was certainly being enjoyed by all until the pitted and heavily sanded tenth green set the standard for the remaining back nine. From then on it would be like putting on egg-boxes and approach skills would be at a premium. In this respect accurate golfers like David Thomas truly come into their own and he duly set the standard for the day with a return of level par 36 points.
He was to be joined at the top of the lists by John Mason, still enjoying an “Indian Summer” in golf terms, a week before his appointed departure for the UK. Paul Quodomine has “been there, done that” and has several T-shirts to prove it and his mild assertion, during a break at the tenth, that his first nine score of 12 points would be avenged was chillingly true as he posted 24 points on the back nine to take a third share of the victory pot. His final four holes gave up only one shot to the course and it shows the unpredictability of this fine game.
David Thomas (2) and Masashi Iizumi shared the 2’s pot and Rob and Jan Hill’s kind sponsorship of golf balls for those losing the most in water benefited Tony Kitchen, Len Jones and Paul Quodomine especially
Having experienced Plutaluang every Sunday for the last month the PGS are now giving the fixture “official” status and it will appear regularly on the IPGC and PGS schedules.
Easy win for
Birdie Boys
April’s first weekday event for the Pattaya Golf Society took place at Eastern Star on Tuesday, when the usual monthly “fun format” opener was a Pairs BB (better score) stableford event and fourteen teams took part on a hot and breezy day.
The course was empty and generally in good condition as the pairs set out and it was good to have the presence of a large Ban Chang residents contingent, including many old friends again.
From the start the strong breeze would be a factor and the teams which were to benefit most were those who “dovetailed” well. Returns showed how tight things were with only four points covering nine teams, but heading them were the pairings of David Thomas and John Mason and Paul Quodomine and Don Nellis who eventually tied for second place with score of 41 points each.
The clear winners however were the “Birdie Boys” pairing of Roy Thornton and Rick Holmes who found the secret to success in posting an unassailable total of 45 points for the win. Regular team golfers, they had the perfect blend on the day and 24 points on the front nine proved to be the best possible foundation for a sound round.
The 2’s pot was shared by David Thomas, Don Nellis and Rick Thornton whilst the ‘Booby Bevy’ went to the bottom team on the day, big hitters Carl Lovatt and Tony Kitchen. Tony however had the consolation of receiving the PGS’ March “Player of the Month” later in the evening; just reward for him after some very fine performances that saw him fend off the close challenge of Keith Barr.
Mod makes her mark
A warm day, a beautiful golf course, convivial company, a warm welcome, indeed everything was set for a good day at Crystal Bay on Thursday, April 5, as the Pattaya Golf Society played a stableford competition over the “A” and “B” nines.
Old friends were back and some new faces had turned up to enjoy golf with the group for the first time and the field was cut at handicap 20 and under. The course was in excellent condition and this helped the scores on the day.
In division one Les Hall consolidated his game with a steady 33 points to take third place, just one point behind Barry McIntosh whose round was once again the model of consistency. The flight winner was compatriot Aussie golfer Peter Davies, playing his first round with the group, and he made an instant impression with his fine 37 points.
All the surprises were kept for the second flight as visitor Arqam Busaid took third place with 34 points, two behind the stars of the day, lady golfers Umalai “Toy” Chaysa and Mod Churaiska. Toy’s 36 points marked her first taste of success in her first competition with the group and she certainly has the potential to match that of her opponent on the day, Mod, whose 41 point total was the second huge score she had accumulated in just five days, having produced a 45 point haul at Eastern Star at the weekend. The girl is on fire at present and it will be fascinating to see how she copes with the inevitable large reduction in her handicap.
The day’s only ‘2’ was scored by Erik Anttonen on “B” 6th and John Mason who was to return to UK the following day kindly sponsored two near-pins on the shortest par threes, the winners being Mod Churaiska and Jim Ferris. John will be missed but he fell for the mistake of claiming that he had yet not won the ‘Booby Bevy’ in his five months with the group. So how else would the curtain be drawn on his stay? Inevitable really, som nom na!

Chris cans an ‘Ace’

IPGC Jomtien Golf

Monday, April 2, Phoenix, Stableford
Our selected nines today were the Lakes and Ocean courses and yet again on a very hot and sticky day another full house for this popular course.

Chris Knapp being awarded his hole in one prize.

In the stableford competition, Chris Holme’s remarkable 39 points off his 9 H/cap took the top podium position, with Andy Shelley one point behind and Paddy Wilson in third with 36pts. In the lower division, Les Hall finished first with 38 points, three ahead of Cully Monks and Tony Duthie, with a 20/19 count back going in Cully’s favour.
Nearest the pins went to Ted Morris and Andy Shelley in div 1 and Kari Aarnio and Les Winch in div 2.
It was all to play for in the 2’s competition as it was a triple rollover in div 2 and a double in div 1, there would have been a winner in each division but this was scuppered by a spectacular hole-in-one on the 149yd, 7th hole on the Ocean course by Chris Knapp. A double payout ensued and the bell was rung back at Paweenas. Cheers and well done Chris.
Wednesday, April 4, Eastern Star, Monthly Medal
Not the easiest course for a monthly medal but a favourite with our members. The dark clouds bubbled up and the rain was intermittent for the first seven holes, so it was a stop and go for the first two hours or so.
An outstanding net 71 easily won the division 1 medal prize for Mikael Andersson playing off a six handicap; in second place and beating his best mate on count back Andy Shelley finished second with pal Grenville Hill third, both on net 75.
Much to the old mans annoyance, Miss Nom won the second division with a net 75; one point behind was Kari Aarnio and in third place on 78, yes 78 was Miss Am
After Chris’s hole in one on Monday it was a fresh start for the 2’s competition in both divisions, and yet again no winners in each.. The ladies tipple was awarded for a tee shot on the par three 13th that landed on the ladies tee, the second shot went into the water, the fourth into a bunker and finally the tenth into the hole - well done Rick Newman.
Friday April 6,
Eastern Star,
Stableford
In division one today, newcomer David Howe’s 36 points was good enough to beat his playing partner Roger Hill by one shot, who in turn pipped Grenville Hill on a count back of 21/19. In division two, and fresh from his return, the Hideaway’s Colin Mearns came in with 36 points for first place, closely followed by Alan Duckett and Miss Nom two points behind.
Jomtien Golf meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at around 9.15am for a 10.30 tee off time. We meet at Paweenas Bar in Soi 5, Jomtien Beach Road. Please sign up in the bar or ring Glyn on 086 837 5464.

Chiang Mai Cricket Sixes comes to exciting conclusion

Alan Parkhouse
One of the world’s biggest amateur cricket tournaments ended last Saturday in Chiang Mai after one week of exciting competition, socializing and getting to know Thailand’s second largest city.

Former Australian international Trevor Chappell was one of the stars of this year’s Sixes.
A record number of 33 teams from 15 countries took part in the week-long tournament, which was held at the historic 109-year-old Chiengmai Gymkhana Club grounds in the heart of Chiang Mai.
At the end of a long week of tough competition the biggest winners were the many local children who play cricket in Chiang Mai’s junior league, with all proceeds from the annual Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes going towards developing the game locally at the junior level.
An indication of how successful the local junior cricket program has been over the many years the tournament has been supporting it was the inclusion of a team of young local players in the senior competition for the first time.

Troy Harvey slams a six for Australian team Yarrambat on the final day of the Chiang Mai Sixes.
A team of young Thai boys aged between 15 and 17 entered the senior competition and played under the team name of Thai Thevada, and they surprised everyone by doing very well. In fact, the Thai Thevada team did so well against teams of grown men who had played the game all their lives that they made it through to the semi-final, along the way clocking up some great victories.
While the local boys grabbed a lot of attention, a team of Englishmen were having a lot more luck than their national team and quietly making their way through to the finals of the top flight Cup group.
The most exciting match at this year’s Sixes, and one of the most exciting finishes in Sixes history, was this year’s Cup final.
Bangladesh team the Cricketeers batted first in the Cup final against English side the Gloucestershire Gipsies and made a subdued start, taking only 12 off the first over and eight off the second.
Tight bowling and good fielding by the Gipsies held the normally big-hitting Cricketeers to a modest total of 75 in their innings.
The Gipsies then took the game to the Cricketeers when it came their turn to bat, smashing sixes and fours and racing to 46 after three overs.
The match went down to the wire with the Gipsies needing 10 runs off the last two balls and they hit a four from the second last ball and then smashed a brilliant six off the final ball for victory. It was the most exciting finish in the 20 years the Sixes has been held and had the very vocal crowd on their feet.
The rest of the finals were also top quality cricket, if not as exciting as the main game.
In the Bromley Shield final, Irish Pub Gang Green overcame Japan-based team the Tokyo Wombats whilst two Thai expat teams made it into the final of the Bowl group when the Floggers and Robbers took on the Southerners. The Southerners batted first and scored the respectable total of 85 runs for the loss of three wickets, and in reply the Floggers and Robbers stole the match with a winning score of 86 for one.
There was also an exhibition game on the final day between an ‘All Star’ team led by former Australian international Trevor Chappell and a ‘Rest of the World’ side led by former Sri Lanka international Lantra Fernando, and it was one of the best games of the day.
Young Thai player Suranya “Off” Chanai, who has come up through the local junior league and played with the Thai Thevada side, joined Chappell’s team and bowled very well, helping restrict the Rest of the World to 57 runs.
“Off” also played a starring role with the bat and hit the winning runs for Chappell’s All Star team, with a great six off the second last ball followed by a quick two runs off the last ball for a winning total of 58.
The Joe Carpenter Plate final saw two Aussie sides, new team Yarrambat and regulars the Sugar Shack Postels, battling for honours. Yarrambat scored 83 in their innings while the Sugar Shack melted with only 51.
There was also a women’s match between local ladies team and defending champions the Chiang Mai Chassies and visitors the World Women’s Dixie Bells.
The more experienced Chassies knocked up a big total or 71 for victory, while the visiting ladies only managed 48 in reply in an entertaining match which featured champagne bottles behind the stumps at each end.
The last of the finals was in the Spoon division and the Maythais, an offshoot of regular Chiang Mai tourists the Warathais, faced the IOS Malakas in a low scoring game. The Maythais had a good knock of 52 in their innings, while the Malakas knocked up 54 in reply for victory.
Tournament director Maurice Bromley and other officials presented the trophies to the various winners at the end of play.
The final party was held on Saturday night at the Central Duangtawan Hotel where a number of items signed by famous players were auctioned off with the proceeds going towards developing local junior cricket, which is going from strength to strength.
The Sixes official sponsors, European Safety Concepts (ESC) headed by Steve Graham, and the Chiangmai Mail have announced that next year the Cricketers can continue to count on their support. The winning team will be able to return next year with an added bonus of complimentary accommodations while the runners up will enjoy a fun packed weekend in Pattaya. San Miguel Beer, an additional sponsor, provided cold brew throughout the event and all were very grateful.

Local women’s team the Chiang Mai Chassies defended their title this year, then found time to celebrate.

The Thai Thevada team with some of their volunteer coaches and support staff.

The Gloucestershire Gipsies won the Cup title in the most exciting finish in Sixes history. They collected their prize at the final party on Saturday night.

The Square Ring: by Howie Reed

Last Friday in Saraburi, WBC Flyweight Champ Pongsaklek Wongjongkam (65-2) successfully defended his title for the 17th time. The victim was Japan’s Tomonobu Shimizu (10-2), who was in deep trouble from the opening bell. While kissing the canvas only in the seventh, the one-sided show finally ended at the beginning of round eight when Shimizu’s corner asked for surrender to save their fighter.
On the same bill, WBC #1 straw Oleydong Sithsamerchai (23-0) won a hometown split decision (116-114, 115-114, 113-118) over WBC #2 Puerto Rican Omar Soto (11-1-1) in a WBC straw-weight title eliminator bout. The card was held in ‘Land of Smiles’ so “hometown “ may be an understatement. The always-classy Bruce McTavish was the third man in the ring.
For Wongjongkam it was another win against an opponent that probably shouldn’t have been in the same ring. The champ had a warm up fight against Philippine Lito Sisnorio in January of this year. At the time Lito was 4-5-1 and that one sided affair ended in a 4th round KO.
Two months later Sisnorio was matched against former WBC Flyweight king Chatchai Sasakul (58-3). That match also ended with a 4th round KO, and then days later in the death of Sisnorio.
In the official record is the notation: “His record was finished at 11-5-1.” Even in death the truth is withheld. The fact of the matter is that Lito Sisnorio had no business in the ring with either boxer. He had no chance of winning but only of improving the records of two very good boxers. Yet he got those two fights without having a valid boxing license anywhere. Why does this happen - especially in Thailand. Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines?
It happens because of greedy promoters, dishonest managers, shady boxing commissions, incompetent ranking organizations and poor boxers that need money to feed their families. The goal is to build records but some of the factors go beyond sport. There are inherent problems in all but Japan that are rooted in poverty, lack of education and opportunity.
It was just a few weeks ago when ‘The Square Ring’ had to report yet another ring death in Indonesia. When a ring death occurs officials become contrite, with promises of reforms that will help provide more safety for boxers, but in reality nothing is ever done. Maybe the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) of the Philippines’ is actually doing something.
The GAB is the governing body for boxing. They have suspended indefinitely the issuance of travel authority to all Filipino boxers wanting to fight in Thailand. GAB Chairman Eric Buhain is quoted as saying: “Call it abrupt or sudden but until I feel that there is a move to ensure the safety of our Filipino boxers, the ban stays - indefinitely. I expect negative reactions from local promoters and matchmakers regarding their suspension order. With what happened to Lito, I am not prepared to allow even a world title fight in Thailand involving Filipinos.”
Buhain confirmed that the GAB had asked the Thailand Boxing Commission several times before to coordinate with them regarding the sanctioning of fights involving Filipino boxers. The GAB already did it during the time of chairman Villamueva but they were just ignored.
The problem runs very deep as many believe that there are more than a dozen fighters illegally plying their trade in Thailand, some using names of other Filipino fighters with decent records. One lady promoter, Pit Anacaya, said: “Three of my boxers, namely Tata Polinar, Kid Orais and Pit Anacaya are currently in Thailand and are fighting without the approval from GAB.”
One source who asked not to be identified said, “There are a lot in Thailand who assume different names and sometimes the names of those fighters in the Philippines are even used.”
Even if the practice of stolen names is stopped, a more serious is matter is that of grievous mismatches. That problem will only stop when there is some accountability on the part of all involved in boxing. Will that ever occur? Only when Go-Go dancers can actually dance or pigs can fly.
In case you missed it Thailand’s Wethya Sakmuangklang got to 71-4 with a closer than expected UD (116-112,116-113,115-111) over Japan’s Futa Nakagishi (9-2-1) at the Sangyo Hall last Sunday. Probably shouldn’t have been that close but when you fight in the other guy’s back yard, the results are sometimes not what you would expect.
Internationally the big fight of the past week was Joe Calzaghe (43-0) defending his WBO super-middle title against Peter Manfredo (26-4). For the 35,000 plus that packed The Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, which has been the scene of many epic battles, this wasn’t one of them.
The odds on Calzaghe were 1-35, and even that proved to be a great bet if you had enough money. Not only did Manfredo offer little opposition, but referee Terry O’Connor inexplicitly stopped the action at the 1:30 mark of the third. No telling blows had been landed and Manfredo was in no danger of being hurt or KO’d. Bad call by a bad referee.
After watching the fight I checked the Web to see what the ‘experts’ had to say. “Champion Joe Calzaghe scored an impressive third round TKO,” screamed one headline. Impressive? Only if you’re impressed when a hammer pounds in a nail.
The afternoon’s fight did give the world a chance to see wunderkind Amir Kahn, the latest savior of all things in British Boxing. While the commentators marveled at Kahn, it didn’t take a genius to see that he’s still just a young prospect.
The opponent last week was Steffy Bull, who had announced his retirement before the fight and bought a ticket to watch the card from the stands. Given the chance for a ‘payday’, he un-retired, gave the ticket to his Dad and put on a pair of trunks and gloves - although the latter move did seem like a waste of time as he never hit anything.
From the Web came this fight recap: “Khan showed complete disdain for the defensive-minded Bull’s punching power and brutally knocked out Bull with a body shot.”
Smart kid that Kahn, but Bull had no punching power, wasn’t so much on the defense as much as running, and it took him three rounds to find a place to fall. Don’t break out the champagne just yet.
The time has arrived on Sunday for Manny Pacquiao at 43-3-2 to put his WBC international super-featherweight title on the line against Jorge Solis at 32-0-2. Don’t let the Solis record fool you; he’s built that record against very small ‘tomato cans’ fighting in “minor venues”. Does he have a chance? Only in that the last Mexicans that fought at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas had pretty good results.
Of course this isn’t about a competitive fight. It’s about making money. Promoter “Buffalo” Bob Arum has said: “Manny will earn much more than what these two fighters (Marquez-Barrera) got combined. Manny will get close to US$5 million against Solis.”
Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera were paid US$2.75 million for their March 17 fight. Arum adds, “Check with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and you’ll see that one fighter was paid $1.5 million and the other got $1.25 million.” Of course the rest of the story is that the money for the Marquez-Barrera does not include pay-per-view money which is not regulated or handled by the Athletic Commission. Nice try Bobby.
Solis meanwhile has warned Pacquiao, “Be ready - No excuses!”. The noise you hear is Manny laughing.
At the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, WBA champ Nikolai Valuev, whose 47 and nil record probably speaks more about his opponents, takes on Ruslan Chagaev of whom the same can be said. If ever an event should be held in the cloud of darkness this is probably it. Still, the German boxing public will probably be over the moon with a heavyweight championship fight such as it is.
“Your Lordship is always saying that there’s nothing new in boxing news. While doing the research for this column, which one could say is doing the work that a Yank is too lazy to do, I came across a story on the ‘Fightnews’ Web site by Robert Hough. He writes, ‘Andre Ward’s ready to fight, like a malnourished leopard’s ready for a limping gazelle.’ Ward got a 3rd round KO, so the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winner was not speaking with forked tongue. Hough’s no Joe Koizumi - but he’s not too Chablis either.”
Yes Jeeves, I’m familiar with Mr. Ward. I saw his second professional fight at an Injun Gaming place in California. On that night he got rocked and almost KO’d but came back to win. He’s now 11-0 but has to get out of the shallow end of the pool to swim with some sharks that still have teeth. Ward needs to step up his quality of opponents. Like many boxers in the world he’s been building wins to make his record look good.
Remember to be careful Jeeves as it’s Songkram and that’s when the devils come out to play. Oh, you’re going to Phuket to join the Lord of Pattaya and the Baron of Phuket at the Island Lager Bar? Well good for you. How did I know? Why Jeeves, I see you have left me a couple of lagers, a box of cigars and a Diana Krall CD for the music machine. Jeeves, you’re a national treasure.

Mol’s Eclectic is Electric

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday, March 25,
Green Valley – White Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Paul West (10) 41 points
2nd Jim Wickstrom (4) 39 points
3rd John Pegrum (10) 39 points
B Flight
1st John Hillier (15) 41 points
2nd Gerry Hannan (12) 39 points
3rd Dave Potter(16) 38 points
C Flight
1st Bob Lindborg (18) 44 points
2nd Jez Lees (19) 41 points
3rd Mol Thongkiew (24) 41 points
NP’s: Bob Patterson; Bob Lindborg; Fred Theobald; Steve Maxcari
2’s: Mark Wood, Steve Mascari (2), Tony Molloy, Bob Patterson, Liam McGuiness, Peter Henshaw, Bob Lindborg, Jez Lees, Fred Theobald

Well if it needed to be affirmed, Bob Lindborg showed why he deserves to be known as the Guru of Green Valley as be humbled the defenseless Sunday set-up with 44 points. That best of the day and C Flight winning score was three clear of The Principal and Ms. Mol, our Title Gal. Jez showed little chivalry in winning the count back over the lovely Ms. Mol.

Paul West on his second to last outing of this stay sat atop A Flight with a fine 41-point effort that was two clear of the tandem of Jim Wickstrom and John Pegrum. Jim’s medalist round of gross 73 had the better inward distribution than John’s.

In the middle flight, Johnny Hillier edged Irishman Gerry Hannan by two points and The Valet’s Best Friend by three.

Monday, March 26,
Green Valley – White Tees, Stableford & 2-day Eclectic
A Flight
1st Per Ashcan (7) 39 points
2nd Mark Wood (6) 37 points
3rd Hugh Byrne (9) 37 points
B Flight
1st John Hillier (15) 37 points
2nd Dave McFeely (15) 36 points
3rd Serge Straeten (15) 33 points
C Flight
1st Mol Thongkiew (24) 42 points
2nd Sean Murphy (18) 41 points
3rd Noy Pimmoen (29) 38 points
2’s: Per Aschan, Peter LeNoury, Mossy Quaid, Pat Regan, Bob Patterson, Brendan Bird, Matt Andrews

Monday the Society returned to what is tantamount to its home course, Green Valley, to have a daily competition and to complete the Two-Day Eclectic. Ms. Mol, our title gal threw a strong 42 points at the course and her C Flight competitors.

Sean Murphy came within a point of Mol’s best on the day total and had to settle for second. Another of the gals, Noy Pimmoen rounded out the C Flight podium, leaving Sean to look like a thorn between two roses.

Per “I think I am always on time” Aschan topped A Flight with 39 points, two better than the Pride of Aberdeen and Irishman Hugh Byrne. In B Flight Johnny Hillier made it two in a row when his 57 points finished one clear of another of those intrepid ‘Micks’, Dave McFeely. Monsieur Serge rounded out the day’s prize giving when his 33 points came a surprising B Flight third.

2-Day Eclectic
A Flight
1st Paul West (10) 45 points
2nd Jim Wickstrom (4) 44 points
3rd Peter LeNoury (10) 44 points
B Flight
1st Mol Thongkiew (24) 51 points
2nd Bob Lindborg (16) 48 points
3rd John Hillier (15) 47 points

For any reader unfamiliar with an Eclectic it is simply taking the best score the competitor had on each given hole over the, in this case, two day period. The WoM for the two day eclectic and winner of B Flight is none other than our title gal, Ms. Mol.

Mol had a strong foundation on Day One with her third place 41 points. Her 42 points on Monday certainly suggested that there may be some help coming and indeed there was as she added 10 points to her eclectic. That leapfrogged the Guru who could only squeeze out an additional 4 points to embellish his opening 44 points.

John Hillier won the two daily comps but when the scorecards were put together that only provided him 47 points, still good enough for third.

Paul West could only add four points to his Day One total, but it was enough to top out the A Flight of the Eclectic. It was one better than the trio of Jim Wickstrom, Peter LeNoury and Gerry Hannan. The Luck of the Irish failed to save Gerry from podium banishment, as Jim and Peter took the silver and the bronze, respectively.

Wednesday, March 21,
The Emerald – White Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Gerry Hannan (12) 43 points
2nd John Leckie (7) 38 points
3rd Mossy Quaid (8) 37 points
B Flight
1st Dave McFeely (15) 37 points
2nd KeithWorboys (15) 35 points
3rd Dave Driscoll (19) 34 points
2’s: Kris Kritsanajootha, Bill McGarvie, Simon Philbrook, Peter LeNoury, Steve Mascari, Pierre Bietry, Steve Miller, Steve Steele

The lads and lasses went south to play Nick Faldo’s creation which had to be finished up by Desmond Muirhead. The course, which was for years the stepchild of Eastern Seaboard golf, is maturing into one of the area’s best. While many find the course difficult, don’t try telling that to Gerry Hannan who gave the layout a shellacking with his A Flight winning 43 points. Newcomer John Leckie tapped the till for second place, closely followed by Mossy Quaid.

In A Flight, Dave McFeely, the winner, was the only player who bettered his handicap. Keith Worboys and the consistent Eskimo followed David in with 35 and 34, respectively.

Friday, March 23,
Eastern Star – White Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Kris Kritsanajootha (9) net 72
2nd Peter LeNoury (10) net 73
3rd Jim Wickstrom (4) net 74
B Flight
1st Barry Chadbourn (21) net 72
2nd Trudy Chadbourn (22) net 77
3rd Pierre Bietry (21) net 78
2’s: Brett Peter LeNoury, Trudy Chadbourn

Eastern Star can play as tough as any course around and that was certainly in evidence as no one bettered their handicap and only two equaled theirs. Kris Krits topped out A Flight, closely followed by Peter LeNoury and Jim Wickstrom, in one stroke increments.

Barry “Chad” Chadbourn, B Flight’s winner, had a little bit more breathing room than Kris had. Chad’s closest pursuer was none other than his charming bride, Trudy. Monsieur Pierre was a surprised but happy bronze winner with his net 78, but that’s medal play for you.

The Square Ring: by Howie Reed

Jeeves have you put on some weight?

“I fear I have Your Lordship. I went to Bangkok last Monday night and stopped in to see your pal Ned at the Silver Dollar. They had a special of barbecued ribs with all the sides for only 150 baht and a special promotion of hickory smoked pork sandwiches for 70 Baht. I made a real pig of myself.”

I’m sure that somewhere on the magic box that takes pictures out of the air to make them reappear in either your place of residence or favorite beverage salon, the Pongsaklek Wongjongkam (64-2) - Tomonobu Shimizu (10-1) title fight is being shown.

WBC Flyweight champ Pongsaklek has held the title since 2001 when he knocked Malcolm Tunacao down 3 times for a first round KO. At the time Pongsaklek was 38-2, so the win against Tunacao at 11-1 should have come as no surprise.

No need to again quote chapter and verse why this is no more than a paid workout for the champ who should record his 17th successful title defense. With half of Pongsaklek’s fights ending in a KO, this one could go either way. Shimizu’s only loss came at the hands of Thailand’s Kaennakorn Klongpajol who was 1-2 at the time and now sports a 2-10 record. H’mmmmm.

If your name is Wanheng Meenayothin, you weigh 105lbs and have a 3-0 professional boxing record. Should you be over the moon by stopping Ma Wi Ming in his first fight at 2:21 of the first round? Should you make your decision after some jerk writer for a major Eastern Seaboard newspaper informs you that the three guys you beat are a combined 0-13-2? Finally, should you be buoyed by capturing the WBC 105lb Youth title?

Nope. Not when you consider that on the same card last Friday at the Watsingh School in Bangkok, former WBC Fly champ Chatchai Sasakul (59-3) got a 4th round KO and Medgoen Singsurat (48-4) got a 6 round KO. The answer is “maybe”, as Meenayothin is a former Muaythai champ - so there might be hope.

Still more than a week away but grabbing headlines anyway is the Manny Pacquiao - Jorge Solis title match in San Antonio Texas USA. Unfortunately, as seen too often in boxing, it’s not the boxers that are getting the press but promoter ‘Buffalo’ Bob Arum.

There are in life some people that either can’t or just aren’t smart enough to realize that there comes a time when they should “Shut the **** up.” Arum falls into that category. As has been covered “ad nauseam”, Pacquiao signed contracts with both Arum (Top Rank) and Oscar DeLaHoya (Golden Boy) last year. Arum took the opportunity to call the Golden Boy group “creeps”. Remember in the school yard back in the day saying “takes one to know one.”

There are some that thought the April 15 fight between Pacquiao-Solis would never see the light of day. Golden Boy, as expected, attempted to get a court injunction until its’ federal lawsuit could be heard. The request was denied by the U.S. District Judge Philip M. Po, ruling that the suit, “is rich with issues concerning whether Golden Boy or Top Rank will ultimately prevail. The Court cannot at this stage of the proceedings declare which party enjoys a probability of success on the merits, nor that the balance of hardship tips in favor of one party (versus) the other.”

“Oscar ought to be ashamed of himself,” Arum said. “Here’s a guy who is going to make millions upon millions of dollars on May 5, and he goes to court to try to deprive Manny Pacquiao from fighting and earning a living. It’s one thing to sue Top Rank and try to get as much money as you can from Top Rank, because that’s business. But to go to court to try to prevent another fighter from making a living is despicable. If we’re wrong, sue us for damages. The contract they signed with him provides how they would be compensated. “It’s a good measuring stick to use. The damage to a fighter from not fighting is a hell of a lot more than the damage to a promoter from not promoting.”

Think it gets under Arum’s skin that the biggest fight in years between Mayweather jr. and Oscar is being staged in his hometown of Las Vegas, by two fighters he used to promote, and he gets not a dime. Not to mention losing the spotlight he so dearly loves.

Interesting box fight on Sunday from the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Joe Calzaghe will extend his winning streak to 43 when he faces first-year Contender runner-up Peter Manfredo jr. at 26-3.

Lots of credit has to be given to Manfredo’s management as they have parlayed his two losses to Contender winner Sergio Mora into a career. Manfredo really doesn’t belong in the same ring with Calzaghe except as a showcase for “maybe” the best super middleweight in the world.

Manfredo is a good kid and gets a payday but the only “name” win on his resume’ is Scott Pemberton. Pemberton got whacked out in two by Jeff Lacy and then retired. He was still retired when Manfredo jr. KO’d him in 3.

The importance of this fight is that people around the world will be able to contrast Calzgahe’s performance with that of Mikkel Kessler’s two weeks ago. Kessler at 39-0 was impressive when he tossed a shutout at Librado Andrade, 120-108 on all cards, before 25,000 at Copenhagen’s Parken Arena. The Square Ring had it 118-110 for Kessler because we’re always kinder and gentler than most professional judges. When Calzaghe gets by Manfredo jr. Sunday, a ‘super-fight’ with Kessler is in the works.

Also on Sunday, Thailand’s Wethya Sakmuangklang (70-4) travels to Ishikawa, Japan to do battle with Futa Nakagishi (9-1-1) at the Sangyo Hall. Interesting guy is Sakmuangklang, not only for the fact that he’s got 70 wins but also that he’s never won a world title. He’s had two shots - losing to Guty Espasdas jr. in 2000 and getting KO’d by Manny Pacquiao in 2001. Since that loss Sakmuangklang is 29-0 which is a career for most boxers.

Talk about a long time for a rematch. In November of 1996 Henry Maske lost the only fight of his brilliant career to Virgil Hill. More than 10 years later Maske got a re-match which followed his retirement after that loss. Last Sunday Henry Maske (31-1) turned back the clock with a convincing 12-round decision over Hill (50-6) at The Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany.

Doing the television yaking for the fight was pal Benny “I Keek a Touchdown” Ricardo and Al Bernstein, who I’ll bet a baht never said, “it was a close fight” as did one writer. I’ll also bet they never said that the point Maske lost due to a head butt in the 8th, “didn’t play a role in the scoring.” That’s just silly. Of course it did as Maske won easily 117-110, 117-110 and 116-113.

Before the fight the Hill camp protested about having all European officials. Who cares? ‘Tip of the hat’ to Maske who managed to turn back the clock - and it wasn’t even the end of daylight saving time!

WBO Bantam champ Jhonny Gonzalez (34-5) stretched his winning record as a bantam to 20-0 when he destroyed former champ Irene Pacheco (33-2) last Saturday. Pacheco had been the IBF Fly Champ until whacked out in 11 by Aussie Vic Darchinyan in ’04. Thai boxing fans may remember I had trouble with spelling “Jhonny” Gonzales for his 7th round KO of Ratanachai Sor Vorapin last year.

Gonzales took control early and battered Pacheco, especially in rounds 7 and 8, before closing the deal at 1:04 of the 9th. Like to see Gonzales against either Veeraphol Sahaprom (55-3-2) or Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (27-1).

The Square Ring closes this week on a very sad note. It’s sad because a great friend of this feeble effort and the boxing world was buried last Friday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in New York City.

Carol Castellano was a premier boxing judge, not only in the United States but also throughout the world. In the ‘Golden Age’ of boxing it was Carol Castellano’s name that was associated with major world championship bouts. Carol was a pioneer because at important world championship fights she was there to judge. Carol was there because she was very good, not because someone was trying to make a political statement. When you listened on radio or watched a fight on TV very seldom, if ever, was there any disagreement with a Carol Castellano judged fight.

With her husband Tony, the name Castellano became synonymous with quality, knowledge, honesty and integrity. As the boxing bell tolls 10, Carol will be remembered as a good person, with a warm smile and a devilish sense of humor. Unlike many boxing officials Carol knew that boxing was about the boxers and not some officials with over blown opinions of themselves. Carol was a one off who will be missed by a sport and friends alike for a long time. May she rest in peace.