Neil gets back in the groove

PSC golf from the PJ Pool Bar

Nong James from the PJ Bar (center) congratulates Neil Duncan and Su Murphy, supported by waitresses Ke (far left) and Kung (far right).

Tuesday, May 22, Phoenix,
Stableford
1st Neil Duncan (15) 37pts
2nd Su Murphy (32) 35pts
3rd Yves Philibert (26) 34pts
4th Jeff Wylie (7) 33pts c/b
Near Pins: Peter Mills (2), Neil Duncan (2)
Long Putt: Geoff Moodie.
An excellent turnout of 20 players for the first official competition from our new home base of the PJ Pool Bar on Soi Kanoi.
It was a change to have a hot day and Phoenix was a picture in the sunshine. Indeed it was hard to find fault with any aspect of the course presentation. This was our first visit to Phoenix for some time. Sadly, the prices charged in the high season may be acceptable to the tourists but not to many of our local residents. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day though, even those who didn’t amass many points.
Scoring generally was good with a fair proportion of scores better than 30 points. Neil Duncan returned to his form of a few weeks ago with a fine 37 points in first place. The intense chipping practice we observed just before the start must have paid off. Su Murphy was second with 35 points, also returning to the winners’ circle after a short absence.
Near Pin prizes were divided equally between Neil Duncan and Peter Mills. Peter’s tee shot at the 8th was the closest to an ‘ace’ anyone will get this year, tapping in from inches for his two.
After the golf, it was back to the PJ Pool Bar for the presentation. Before long all the facilities were in full use including the bar, restaurant and swimming pool. It was a hot day after all.
Thursday, May 24, Plutaluang S&E, Stableford
1st Yves Philibert (26) 40pts
2nd Neil Duncan (15) 33pts c/b
Near Pins: Mark Brenton, Barry Quirk, Neil Duncan
Long Putt: Rich Murphy.
At last some sunshine on a Thursday at Plutaluang! Unfortunately not many players took advantage with a field of only eight taking part. Perhaps the diabolical weather of recent weeks had put some of the regulars off, and some had entered the PSC members tournament at Crystal Bay the following day.
The course has recovered well from the rains and was in good shape. The greens putted well but the rough was still very green and thick after the rains and there was a premium on hitting the fairways.
Once again Yves Philibert scored 40 points and took first place with ease. His results over the last month have been outstanding. Two firsts, two seconds and a third place. That handicap will surely come down soon. Neil Duncan, a winner on Tuesday, completed a successful week by coming in second with 33 points, winning on count back from Steve Black.

Uli strolls to victory

Phoenix Golf Members Society

Mike Gerrard
Wednesday, May 23, Stableford
Still playing the Mountain and Lakes course, we had a fine field of 18 players for this week’s Stapleford competition.
Now the threat of heavy rain has abated and the course has dried out a little, the ground staff have done a good job and the greens are once again becoming very fast and tricky.
Nevertheless, some good scores came in as we downed the first beer of the day. (Well for most that is)
Fourth place today went to yours truly. It seemed apt to award a token fourth place after a miserable front nine of 12 points and a back nine of 24 points to finish on 36. This game is crazy at times.
Third place went to Jack Spencer with a fine 37 points playing off 9; second with 38 points went to Mayo Deane, and our winner (again) was Prakong Robinson with 39 points. This after a voluntary manual cut to 18 handicap - Well done Prakong!
Technical prizes went to Ron Bridge, Mayo Deane, Jack Spencer and Peter Herning.
With a couple of birdie two’s and a couple of lucky draws half of the field went home with some sort of a prize.
Sunday, May 27, Stableford
A reasonably good turn out of 17 players showed up today to challenge the Lakes and newly re-opened Ocean courses. I am told the Ocean course was in good condition, but the greens still have a little sand on them. They should be ok in about a week’s time.
As usual our Sunday golf at Phoenix works under its own domestic handicap system so we were expecting a few new names on the winning rostrum today. Not a bit of it!
In-form Prakong Robinson came in 3rd place with 37 points whilst two other form players at Phoenix returned the same score of 43 points: Mayo Deane got the tough end of the count back to leave Uli Leuenberger as our winner yet again. He also won the Friday monthly mug off tiger tees. What an advertisement for golf Uli is: in the twilight years, 69 years old, still walking the course and playing the best golf of his life ... Great!
Technicals prizes went to Bob Deane, Nigel Oakins, Brian Jacks and Mayo Deane.

The Beautiful Game?: Riz Taylor

Milan victory silences Premiership

Another season has come and almost gone, and what a season it was. A full review coming soon to a Pattaya Mail near you, but we’re not quite there yet and so let’s hold fire on the analysis of 2006/07 and instead start by congratulating AC Milan for their functional if unspectacular victory in Athens. We’ll overlook the fact that the team shouldn’t even have been allowed to enter the competition in the first place for their involvement in a Serie A match-fixing scandal, and gloss over the somewhat strange performance of the referee in Greece last week. Despite all that the Italians deserved their win, and The Beautiful Game? salutes the new champions of Europe.
Quite surprising really, especially after a semi-final line-up that saw three Premiership representatives reach the final four for the first time in the competition’s history. Milan’s win might have upset those of us rooting for an English win, but then after sitting motionless through the dullest FA Cup Final in living memory who amongst us wouldn’t agree that an all-Premiership conclusion to the Champions League might have been the ultimate anti-climax?
What’s more, the Italian victory will ensure that English football doesn’t spend the summer patting itself on the back, and that can only be a good thing.
North of the border to Scotland, where Celtic clinched yet another domestic double by defeating the unfortunate Dunfermline by a solitary goal in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park on Saturday. They left it late though, with Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe’s 84th minute winner proving enough to send the valiant Pars home empty handed. As they say in Glasgow, there’s only one Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe.
It was also a fitting send off for captain Neil Lennon. The Northern Ireland international was appearing in his final match for the club, and it was emotional day for the midfielder. “I couldn’t have asked for any more. It was a great way to finish my career here,” he told BBC Sport. “We’ve finished the season as double winners. The boys made a bit of history for themselves and for the club. I’ve had seven unbelievable years and it’s a brilliant way to finish.”
Blackpool beat Yeovil to secure a place in next season’s Championship, whilst Bristol Rovers waved goodbye to League Two as they trounced Shrewsbury Town 2-1. The Pattaya Mail prints too early to cover the Championship playoff but I’m pretty sure that any self-respecting Derby or West Brom fan will be aware of their fate by now.
We now move onto what might be the most exciting part of the year as the rumours, speculation and outright lies begin to dominate the headlines as the transfer window reopens. With more and more billionaires entering the fray there are now an awful lot of very rich Premiership sides, and with the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa and Spurs amongst others all planning to spend big in an effort to break into the big time we can expect a flurry of activity over the coming months and some ridiculous transfer fees for some very mediocre players. Personally I can’t get enough of it.
But that’s all to come. For the die-hards amongst us there’s still more football action hitting our screens, starting this weekend with a huge serving of international fixtures. England take on Brazil in a friendly as they raise the curtain on the new Wembley this Friday evening (2am Saturday, Pattaya time) which might also include a recall for David Beckham, and that’s followed by a glut of European Championship qualifiers Saturday that include Denmark against Sweden, Wales versus the Czech Republic and the unmissable clash between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s and Israel. And with the Asian Cup on the horizon - see next article - you lucky people have never had it so good.
Football fans wanted
Football officials from Qatar are planning to hire thousands of bemused locals to support their team during their upcoming AFC Asian Cup matches in Hanoi, Vietnamese newspaper Thanh Nien Daily reported last week.
Delegates of the tiny Gulf state hope to craftily recruit up to 10,000 fans to cheer on the team in the My Dinh Stadium, where Qatar will line-up against Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam themselves in July.
Army officials managing the stadium said the delegates told them of plans already being in place to buy outfits for the supporters. They were also told to contact local student associations to recruit fans for the July 7-29 event, which Vietnam will co-host along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Thailand kick off their campaign against Iraq on Sunday July 8 at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, before taking on Oman at the same venue on Thursday, July 12. Australian supporters will also get their chance to see the Socceroos in action, as the World Cup quarter finalists are also in the same group. Thailand versus Australia will be played on Monday, July 16, again at the Rajamangala National Stadium.
Owners wanted
Fancy getting your hands on your very own football team? It might sound ridiculous given the current financial climate, but thanks to an idea called ‘My Football Club’ you don’t need to be a billionaire to get involved.
The idea is simple. Fifty thousand signatories are required, each pledging a small amount - around 2,300 baht - to become a shareholder. When the magic number is reached the administrators will make an official bid for a football team within budget.
Each member will have an equal say in every facet of the club. “You will vote on team selection and formation,” says their website. “You will also have a say in tactics by voting for your preferred style of play and substitutions depending on match situations. The Head Coach will field the 11 players, formation and tactics chosen by MyFootballClub members. You will vote on how to allocate club funds, whether it’s on transfers, youth policy or the stadium. You will also vote on major club decisions, such as which kit manufacturer to use.”
Sounds like fun eh? Anyone wanting in should flag down a passing Internet and tell your driver to head to www.myfootballclub.co.uk, but be warned - current voting suggests the takeover will be targeted at Leeds United. Next on the hitlist at the time of writing are Cambridge United, Nottingham Forest and Accrington Stanley.

Alan & Russell triple in the week

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, May 21,
Plutaluang,
Stableford
1st Alan Griffiths 36pts
2nd Terry Hodgkiss 34pts c/b
3rd Russell Exley 34 c/b
4th Bob Maloney 34
Alan Griffiths continued with his good form although the tough conditions and variable greens on the North and West courses meant that it was a fairly modest return for the day. Terry Hodgkiss made it a happy start to his membership taking second place on count back from the local “home-do-it-all-yourself-specialist”, Russell Exley, who is still managing to play reasonably well whilst holding down both a day and night job.
Bob Maloney having shot a very tidy 21 points on the front suddenly remembered where he was and what he had been doing the night before and crashed on the back as he mentally planned the evening’s activities, but he still managed to slip into fourth place.
As usual there were no 2’s in the first division but Noel McKenna and Alan Griffiths had one each in the second division.
Wednesday, May 23,
Mountain Shadow,
Pairs Scramble
1st Russell Exley & Fred Land 50
2nd Alan Griffiths & Kenny Priddy 46
3rd Tony Barritt & John Harris 45
4th Barry Winton & Stephen Beard 43
Trying to break the stranglehold that Trevor Schirmer and B.J. Smith have had on the pairs scramble over the last few months, there were some tactical changes made to the usual make up of several teams. In the event, with Trevor suffering from a virus and B.J. worrying lately more about his children than golf, they were not in the final shake up for the prizes but the new team formats were in the main successful.
None more so than “Every Wife’s Dream” and Fred Land, who had been previously tipped to clean up in the next couple of weeks. They scored a tremendous 14 under which even the dynamic duo in full health may have found hard to beat. It seemed that whenever one of them hit into trouble the other just calmly knocked it 250 down the middle or onto the middle of the green, and with a wonderful 2-under gross on the back nine, the result was never in doubt.
In another new combination, Alan Griffiths and Kenny Priddy combined well to take second spot from the last minute team of Tony Barritt and John Harris. With John shouldering all the putting worries, Tony was at last free to enjoy golf again and be in contention. Fourth place went to the old pairing of the “Bear” and the “Doc”, with the latter making a return after going through somewhat of a recovery from his recent torpid state and Barry getting an appetite for something other than food.
Due to the format the 2’s competitions were suspended for the day.
Friday May 25,
Phoenix - Blue Tees,
Monthly Medals
Division 1
1st Peter Sumner Net 74 c/b
2nd Barry Winton Net 74
3rd Barry Traynor Net77
Division 2
1st Russell Exley Net 71
2ndWayne Harman Net 74
3rd Alan Griffiths Net 76
It is always a bit of a struggle off the blue tees over the Mountain and Lakes courses at Phoenix, and this month’s Medal competitions turned out to be no exception
With only the in-form Russell Exley succeeding in breaking par, the tougher than normal rough took its toll on most of the hopefuls and the greens were almost impossible to read following the previous outing at Mountain Shadow.
In the second division, with the CSS starting at 74, Russell’s was an exceptional round in the circumstances and he was rewarded with the Monthly Medal, a third podium placing in the week and another reduction in handicap: he is now only a knock on the door away from the first division.
Wayne Harman upheld the pride of Gosnells with a very good 2-over and took second place from Alan Griffiths, who was also appearing on the podium for the third time in the week.
The first division Medal was snatched away from Barry Winton on the last hole as one of his playing partners, Peter Sumner, chipped in for an eagle three on the Lakes and then to add insult to injury also nicked the count back to take top spot and a place in the Gold and Silvers at the end of the year.
Barry Traynor just did enough to secure third place with a 5-over round and in so doing ensured that he may well be back in the reckoning at the next “Pot Hunters” selection meeting.
Barry Traynor and Bob Maloney shared the first division 2’s while Alan Griffiths had the only one in the second division.

Ebrahim remains the man in form

PSC golf from The Café Kronborg

Monday, May 21, Eastern Star, Stableford
Eastern Star was host to a Stableford competition on Monday on a course that has had a considerable amount of rain in the last few weeks; the greens have also been under a sanding regime and the rough is knee deep in most places.
Kevin Dinan took first place with 36 points ahead of Ebrahim in second with 35 points. Steady Arthur Bailey was in third with 34 points, and Graham Buckingham in fourth with 33 points ahead of J.C. Lhoste on count back.
Thursday, May 24, Bangpra, Stableford
Bangpra played pretty tough today; a light breeze and hot humid condition seemed to drain most of the players. The course itself was not in bad condition however and was generally a pleasure to play.
The man in form, Ebrahim, came in first with 37 points on a count back over Daryl Evans in second. In third was Marty Allred with 34 points and in fourth was Graham Buckingham with 32 points. Round over it was through the hot tub and then sit down with a great Rainbow ice cream and all was well with the world - and that was before the ‘cold un’.
T.T.F.N.

Eddie on fire as he hits the ‘nineties’

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar

Due to a holiday on the first Tuesday of the month, The Three Sisters Golfing group took a long needed rest. On the following Tuesday, May 8, play resumed with Brian Orr winning the honors with 36 points. Brian edged out Fast Eddie Kristianson - both came in with 36 points but Brian won out on count back.
On May 15 we had some good scores that came in; as a matter of fact one was fantastic. After warming up the previous week, Eddie Kristianson shot the best game of his life as he broke into the nineties and came in with 46 points. Eddie normally has a decent drive but his chipping and flat stick was working wonders on this day.
Sus Ige was in second place with a good score of 40 points which normally would have won the day, but it was a no contest with Eddie’s 46 points. I’m sure that Eddie’s name will be changed to Manual by next week along with the chop from Tony.

Man U star/decorated Reading manager wins in Scramble

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday, May 20,
Green Valley - White Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Phil Mitchell (6) 40pts
2nd Chris Davisson (10) 39pts
3rd Jeremy Masse (10) 38pts
B Flight
1st Andreas Grunenberg (15) 40pts
2nd Jez Lees (19) 37pts
3rd Colin Davis (14) 36pts
C Flight
1st Ken Kutzing (21) 38pts
2nd Oddvar Rykke (22) 36pts
3rd Peter Ring (22) 35pts
2’s: Chris Davisson, Joe McArdle (2), Gary Blackburne, Klaus Schackt, Lindsay Semple, Robbie Bennett
The ol’ Flipper is back at it with the Society and showed his considerable golf skills to have co-MOM honors and Low Gross on the day - the latter with an excellent 73. It should be noted that Phil’s long game emasculates the shrunken Sunday Green Valley set-up. To that extent the Society is looking at having two-tee outings on Stableford Sunday’s to give the big guns a bit of a challenge.
Chris Davisson had a fine 39-point output to capture the A Flight silver whilst Jeremy Masse tabbed the bronze with 38.
Andreas Grunenberg tied Flipper for co-MoM honors with his 40 points which topped out B Flight. The Principal was three back in second, one ahead of The Donkey. K4 captured C Flight, a couple ahead of Oddvar the Tentmaker and three in front of The Lord of the Ring.
Tuesday, May 22,
Khao Kheow A & C - Yellow Tees, Stableford
A Flight
1st Simon Philbrook (6) 38pts
2nd Marc Napier (10) 36pts
3rd Phil Groves (5) 35pts
B Flight
1st Adam Schoenfeld (17) 35pts
2nd Yui Duangkaew (35) 33pts
3rd Don Macleam (28) 31pts
2’s: Phil Groves, Steve Mascari, Peter Bevis, Brian “Pen” Carruthers
Simon of Philbrook, introducing two friends from England to the Society (one of which is our title guy) showed them how the game is played by topping out the day at Khao Kheow with gross 76 and 38 points. Marc Napier shot level to his handicap and followed Simon in A Flight, but two adrift. Big hitting Phil Groves, rounded the premier group out with 35 points.
NY Slim topped out B Flight with 35 points. Newcomer, and like all Thai ladies, quickly improving, Yui Duangkaew (a.k.a. Ms. Bietry), came second with 33 points, two ahead of Don Maclean. Don, who is now appearing on the rostrum and collecting a ‘2’ now and again has had to do so playing off the Society maximum of 28 rather than his actual handicap of 32. So kudos Don!
Wednesday, May 23,
Bangpra - White Tees,
2 Person Scramble Stroke/Medal
1st Steve Coppell (13) & Peter Bevis (7) Net 61
2nd Barry Manns & Wayne Herman (13) Net 63.9
2’s: None
Some may call today’s title selection as pandering to celebrities or name-dropping, but it is not. It’s just plain sucking-up. Actually, Steve and Peter were a great addition to the field on the two days they were able to join us. Even the Americans feigned English football knowledge.
Prior to Steve’s introduction as a Manchester United star (playing in three FA Cups finals, with a winner’s medal in 1977), 2006 League Championship Manager of the Year, 2006 and 2007 League Managers Association Manager of the Year (awarded to a manager regardless of division of play) and 2007 FA Premier League Manager of the Month (twice) at Reading, most American’s thought that Reading was a Railroad on a Monopoly Board.
This Scribe apologizes to Peter Bevis (and for that matter, Barry Manns and Wayne Herman, the second place guys) for not knowing their CV. Their’s might be equally impressive. I also apologize to Steve if his wife didn’t know he was in Pattaya!
Friday, May 25,
St. Andrews 2000 - White Tees, Stableford
1st Place - Jeremy Masse (10) 39pts
2nd Place - Lou Szigligeti (20) 35pts
2’s: Jeremy Masse
Desmond Muirhead’s monster seemed to intimidate the Society as a modest group showed up to take it on.
Jeremy Masse showed no signs of fear however as he bettered his handicap by three on the par 74 layout. The Zigger, freshly arrived from Down Under, stepped to the pay window in quick order on this, his first outing of this stay.
It should be noted that the previously diabolical 4th hole has been re-configured to take out the dual water crossing. The hole now is straight to the right (the old shortcut) but the tee box has been moved across all the rocks and wasteland, roughly as the hole was played in The 10th Classroom Charity Golf Classic a couple of years ago.
Data compiled by the Volkscomputer, and passed on to Khun Niran, indicated that it is the world’s easiest par 6 (as it’s still denoted) or the country’s toughest par 5. 31% of the field birdied it and 15% had a par on it. Another 23 had bogies. 77% of the field scored points on the hole (One double bogie stroked). The 23 % who blobbed the hole were done in by a tee box graphic which did not provide distance on two hidden right side water hazards. That is not the old hole this Scribe remembers.

First time win for Amphan North

PSC golf from the Bowling Green

Barry Hooper
This week was to be another win for the ladies with Amphan North taking the honours on Tuesday at Khao Kheow in her first ever entry in a Bowling Green event with her highest score to date - congratulations Amphan!
Tuesday May 22, Khao Kheow, Stableford
1st Amphan North (20) 34pts
2nd Roger Wilkinson (16) 33pts
3rd Frank Kelly (17) 32pts
4th Tewin Lamthong (23) 30pts c/b
5th Paul Skully (22) 30pts
Near Pins and 2’s: Roger Wilkinson, Fergus Brennan.
Play was competed off the yellow Tees using the A & C courses by one flight and it was to be a ladies day again with Amphan North taking the top honours in her first entry with the club. Amphan achieved her best ever score in any event
The 2’s pot and the near pins was a shared event with a win for both Roger Wilkinson and Fergus Brennan
Thursday, May 24, Plutaluang, Stableford
A Flight
1st Derek Eastham (13) 35pts
2nd Fergus Brennan (10) 33pts
3rd Bruce Lawrence (11) 32pts c/b
B Flight
1st John Morel (27) 42pts
2nd Donald Pearson (36) 34pts
3rd Grant Dawson (24) 33pts
Near Pins: Tom Maude, Amphan North, Takeshi Hakozaki, Fergus Brennan
2’s: Mick Gaussa.
Derek Eastham, having had a break in the UK, came back on very good form despite having a wrist injury to take the day by two points from Fergus Brennan. John Morel took the second flight by storm with an eight-point win over second placed Donald Pearson.
Mick Gaussa made the large 2’s pot all his own.
Back at the clubhouse, Fergus (event organiser) found a necessary opportunity to offer up some instruction regarding the rules on water hazards after a number of players miss dropped their balls at the par three “Island Hole” and found themselves falling foul of the rule book.
Saturday, May 26, Eastern Star, Stableford
1st Mashi Kaneta (13) 33pts c/b
2nd Alan Evans (26) 33pts c/b
3rd Bob St.Aubin (12) 33pts
Near Pins: None
2’s: Bob St.Aubin, Neil Duncan.
It was to be a count back day at Eastern Star with all top three players having the same point score on 33 points: Mashi Kaneta was the one who came out with the most favourable back nine.
In the 2’s event a couple of players had different methods at the 3rd hole to stake their claim. Bob St. Aubin had just a simple twelve-inch putt while Neil Duncan sank a double breaking 30-footer for his ‘2’.

Warburg marches on

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Tuesday, May 22, Laem Chabang, Stableford
Not a lot to say, we wanted the best and it was on a ‘Sports Day’ so we went to Laem Chabang, and they put us on the A & C Nines.
That’s the good bit, Oh, and it is close to Pattaya. The other side is that on the day it was not in its normal prime condition, mind it is still a good course and we will book it again. As usual the book in was excellent and the clubhouse and changing facilities were first class.
So to the first tee and we started on the ‘C Nine’ which is probably the hardest of the three, with plenty of water to put your ball into. The fairways were not too bad but I think the rain of late has resulted in the course becoming ‘patchy’: even the best are plagued with problems. The greens were still in good condition but there was a big difference between the A & C.
Those players who played the course for the first time remarked how great it was, we who play it often know it can be, and will be, so much better. On the day it was still a pleasure to play however.
Round over, and back to Bert’s for the presentation. The Winner with 39 points was Dick Warberg with Rick Evans in second with 37 points, Doug Hubbs in third with 36 points on count back over Gavin Kelley in fourth.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pin: Mark Gosden, Mark Brenton, John Hurst, Mick O’Meara
Long Put: Joel Flor, Bill Knight

The race hots up for monthly award

PSC golf from The Bunker

Monday, May 21, Phoenix, Stableford
The Bunker Boys travelled to Phoenix on Monday for a Stableford competition with the race for the ‘Golfer of the Month’ nearing it’s climax.
In the A Flight Bob St. Aubin threw his hat in the ring by winning with 37 points ahead of John McDonald (the favourite) and Paul Smith, who both finished with 35 points apiece.
In the B Flight Geoff Parker stayed in the hunt by winning with 35 points from Eddie Martin (34pts) in second and brothers Stan and Gordon Everingham sharing third place with 31 points.
Near pin prizes were won by Gerry Cooney, Bob St. Aubin, Paul Smith and Dave Nattrass.
Wednesday, May 23, Green Valley, Medal
Playing in a Medal comp on Wednesday, Eddie Martin rose to the top with a fine two-under par net 70. Mashi Kaneta was close in second with a level par net 72 and three players shared third place - Paul Davies, Roger Privett and Alan Freeman, all with net 75.
Near pin prizes went to Bob St. Aubin, Mashi Kaneta, Frank Pilkington and Charlie Gooch.
Friday, May 25, Eastern Star, Stableford
Another Stableford competition at Eastern Star saw Mashi Kaneta keep up the pressure on John McDonald for the ‘Golfer of the Month’ title by winning with 34 points from Roger Privett and Geoff Hart, who both shared the runner-up spot with 32 points each.
Near pins went to Roger Privett, Geoff Parker, Eddie Martin and Mashi Kaneta.

Brother D takes the lead

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers: Barry, Ooy, Tui & Leo

Brother D, led by Ooy’s 558 series, won all four points from last week’s leader Café Ole and is now in first place. Café Ole is tied for second with Café Kronborg who took three points from Jack & Tar. Kran bowled a 555 series for Café Kronborg.
VFW Post 9876 moved up to fourth place after they split their match with Three Sisters with each team getting two points. Mai’s Thai Restaurant won three points from Beaver, knocking Beaver Bar & Grill down to fifth place. Leo rolled a 215 game, 530 series for Mai”s and Bill Key had a 524 series for Beaver.
Barry bowled a 201 game, 577 series, to lead Montana to a two-two split with Diamond Shop. Aht rolled a 521 series for Diamond Shop and Dang had a 506.

Thomas tops again!

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral

Sunday, May 20, the Pattaya Golf Society availed itself of the Royal Thai Navy’s hospitality at Plutaluang when they played a stableford competition over the South and East nines.
It was refreshing to see two new lady golfers in the field and both, Khun Am and Khun Nom fared well; Khun Am in fact sharing third place on 31 points with Denis Smith. In a worthy second place was cagey Aussie Stu Thompson whose 34 points was marred by three “blobs” on his card.
The day’s winner, as so often in the past, was David Thomas and the consistency of his golf is such that he could allow himself s scratched hole, East 6, and still take a well-earned victory. His best gross figure of 78 was also very pleasing given the nature of the day, with its inevitable delays.
There were no birdie 2’s and Mr. Denis finally caught up with Len Jones and presented him with the ‘Booby Bevy’ for his sins after a frustrating day and a five-and-a-half hour round.
Keith the best,
Barr none
Tuesday, May 22, the Pattaya Golf Society travelled to the tasty course at Mountain Shadow for the first time in three months. The format was a stableford competition on a fine dry day and on a course that has always provided a stern test for the thinking golfer.
The large field set out on an empty golf course and quickly the golfers found that the greens were running at a faster pace than seen anywhere else for the past few weeks. Here good caddies are essential to give the right “reads” on the greatly undulating greens and the challenge was set.
The joust for the minor places was extremely close with Ray Underwood returning 33 points for third place, one behind the 34 points score of Aussie Stuart Thompson, thankfully having shrugged off completely the torment of a damaged shoulder.
Plodding on in his own inimitable way, Canadian Keith Barr was continuing his improvement with a consistent 37-point score and the victory was a fine reward for the golfer from Vancouver.
Not surprisingly there were no birdie 2’s on those greens, thus leaving a substantial pot for the challenge two days later at Green Valley. Mountain Shadow had been a stern test as always.
Wonder-Barr
Green Valley was an absolute treat on Thursday, May 24, when the Pattaya Golf Society called to play a stableford round, with an empty course, well prepared and in good running condition.
The single flight, a feature of the group’s monthly Order of Merit event, made for a tight affair and a twice rolled-over birdie pot added a touch of spice to the proceedings. Three golfers shared third place with 35 points each, Joop Medze, Colin Gorey and Barry Manns receiving the plaudits for some good consistent play whilst local member Len Jones went a few better, posting 38 points for a well-earned second place.
The highlight of the day was the round by Canadian Keith Barr whose score represented his best ever round, 40 points giving him the opportunity to break gross ninety for the first time. His back-to-back wins this week show the progress he is making and there was no more popular a winner than Keith, back at the OK Corral when the awards were made.
For the second successive round the best gross was recorded by Stuart Thompson, again 81, and there were no birdie 2’s for the third consecutive round. A ‘2’ next time out would be lottery winning stuff!
Ian Kidd had the ignominy of the ‘Booby Bevy’ for his drab performance but, to be fair, it could have been shared with Ray Underwood for a similarly unimpressive display. Golf at Green Valley had been the ideal way to end the golfing week with the popular Pattaya golf group.

The Tiger roars, and Suzi swoons

PSC golf from Peacock Place

Monday, May 21, Pattaya C.C., Stableford
Twenty-four players made the short trip to Pattaya Country Club, which is in very good condition but with fast and hard greens.
In the A Flight, Tiger came out on top with 38pts, whilst Terry Phur won a three-way count back for second over Gary Blackburne and Matt Anderson, all on 34pts.
The B Flight saw Nigel Cannon in first with 38pts, Paul Crosland second on 36pts and the two ladies, Wendy Khan and Trudy Chadbourn picking up third and fourth on 34pts and 33pts respectively.
The 2’s pot was shared between Tiger, Bob Drumm and Gary Blackbourne.
Wednesday, May 23, Burapha, Stableford
Suzi Lawnton was the winner of the A Flight today with a fine 40-point haul. Roy Thornton was two points further back in second with Brian Jacks third on 37 points.
Doug Goode took the B Flight with a great round of 43 points over Phil Smith (37pts) second and John Lawton (37pts) third. The C Flight also witnessed some good scores with the day’s honours going to John Morel on 42pts with Ian Dunkley (37pts) and Mark Brenton (36pts) taking second and third respectively.
The 2’s were shared by Bob Philp, Suzi Lawnton and Frank O’Neil.
If you are interested in playing a round with a friendly group of golfers come and join us at the Peacock Place on Soi Siam Country Club where we meet every Monday & Wednesday. Call Bob Philp on 087 941 2474

Dave has the ‘golden touch’ in Hua Hin

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

‘The Golden
Elephant tour’ -
Hua Hin 4-Day Stableford
1st Dave Richards 150pts
2nd Lee Buil 138pts
3rd Paddy Wilson 137pts
4th Glyn Evans 137pts

The top three at this year’s Golden Elephant tour: Dave Richards, Lee Buil and Paddy Wilson.

Other scores: Bob Martin 134, Ken Foster 122, Andy Mills 121, Don Head 112, Martin Anderton 110, Bob Green 109, Alan Bissell 98, Steve Ironside 97
Monday, May 21, Palm Hills
For a few of us this was our 10th annual trip here, and still in good condition, Palm Hills seemed to encourage a few high scores from some. Paddy Wilson’s 39 pushed him into first place that evening on the leader board, closely followed by Dave Richards on 36 and three people fighting for the lower placings on 33 points; Lee Buil, Bob Green and Bob Martin. It was still early days though.
Tuesday, May 22, Lake View
Not many of the group had played here before. We were offered the new ‘Desert’ 18 holes but eventually opted for the original A and B courses to keep with tradition.
After scoring 20 points the previous day, Glyn Evans came in with 41 points today, to be followed home by Bob Martin and Dave Richards with 36 and the old man Ken Foster on 35.
Thursday, May 24, Majestic Creek
After a day off chilling on the beach we arrived at, what is for the majority of us, the most popular course in the area. The greens were the slowest we have encountered for many weeks however, which meant a lot of three putts in the early stages.
Playing off 8 handicap now, Dave Richards 41 points pushed him up to the top of the overall rankings, with Glyn Evans (39pts) in second on the day and Mr. Foster third with 37.
Friday, May 25,
Black Mountain
We switched from Springfield, out normal last day course to Black Mountain as the A course was closed and the C was still not up to the standard of the original 18. What a response we received from the lads, it is a fantastic course in a beautiful setting and everybody had the same opinion afterwards. It’s a toughie and the best we have played for a long time.
Many Thanks go to Jirapol, the old Eastern Star manager who is now the manager here. The clubhouse facilities and the staff are in a different league to the rest.
An amazing score of 38 points was recorded by Lee Buil to top the day’s standings, closely followed by the organiser’s 37 and Dave Richards 34. Ken Fosters 25 points were understandable after he learnt the previous night that his lady had played 5 rounds of golf that week in his absence.
Congratulations to Dave Richards for his fine four rounds to win the Golden Elephant trophy for this year.

Winch winds it up at Pattaya Country Club

Diana Seniors & Ladies Open (May)

Mike Franklin
Due to a forthcoming Bank Holiday, the May Diana Seniors & Ladies Open took place at Pattaya Country Club on Thursday, May 24, a week earlier than usual,

Arthur, Wanida & Les: All three winners from the May Diana Seniors & Ladies Open.
The men’s scores were easily topped by the 44 stableford points from Les Winch who took the Diana Seniors title, with Doug Campbell runner-up on 36 points. A respectable 39 points from Arthur Bailey was enough to win the Super Seniors with David Jones runner-up with 34 points.
Wanida Reed’s 39 points took the Ladies prize and Joyce, the other half of the Jones partnership, was runner-up with 36 points.
John Hurst claimed two of the ‘near pin’ prizes, Mick O’Meara and Terry Phur taking the other two. Arthur Bailey sank the longest putt on the ninth and Wanida potted a long one on eighteen.
It was a fine hot day at Pattaya Country Club, but with a small field as a number of the ‘regulars’ were resting up for the PSC Members Open scheduled for the following day. Newcomers Doug Campbell and Dale Murphy with Noi were duly welcomed.
The date of the next Seniors & Ladies Open has yet to be decided in respect of other tournaments on the ‘majors’ schedule.

Bev shoots his age

IPGC golf from The Caddy Shack

Tuesday, May 22, The Navy Course, Medal
Sattahip was the venue for a Medal competition over the South & East courses on what turned out to be a rather special day. The greens and fairways were in good condition, but Sattahip can always be relied upon to provide a stiff test of golf.

Bev Evans celebrates ‘shooting his age’ with some of the Caddy Shack staff.

Coming in second on the day was Trevor Sharman with a Net 77, but still 3 stokes behind our eventual winner Bev Evans who shot a Net 74. Back at the Caddy Shack for the presentations it was revealed that Bev was also celebrating his birthday and yes, you guessed it, it was his 74th birthday. Bev celebrated in style by buying everyone a drink. Well-done Bev!
Friday, May 25, The Emerald, Stableford
The Emerald was the choice for a Stableford competition on a very hot day.
There was a titanic battle for the top spot with three players finishing with a level par 36 points. Brian Jacks and Paul Smith were the unlucky pair as they lost out on count back to Mike Allidi, who scored 20 points on the back off his one (1) handicap.
There was only one ‘2’ recorded on the day, that by the recently returned Phil Smith who was delighted to take home the huge pot.

Mickey Mouse Friday Night Dart League

Results & Standings May 25 (week 2)

The Rising Sun and The Drum & Monkey go joint top this week. The Drum took both game and beer from Chaplin’s, whilst The Rising Sun took the game but lost the beer to Lucky Time Bar with Simon being the thirstiest scoring a 180 in the beer leg.
Helicopter remains third taking the game but losing beer to The Bunker. Palmers move up to fifth spot winning game but losing beer to OK Corral. This meant that Chaplin’s went to rock bottom.
Londoner, with Mark hitting a 180, took both game and beer from Blue Mountain taking them up to fourth.

The Square Ring: by Howie Reed

‘Your Lordship, I’ve received an email addressed to you. May I read it?’
Of course Jeeves, proceed.
‘Your Lordship it begins: “Dear Jerk. How long have you been sleeping with the WBA and WBC? You should give the World Boxing Organization the respect it deserves. Saying that Taylor could relinquish the WBO belt as the lesser of his belts shows what an incompetent idiot and uninformed ignoramus you are.” It’s signed a real boxing fan and expert. How about them apples Your Lordship?’
Well Jeeves I probably am an ignoramus but that aside, of the 16 current WBO champions only 2 are considered the best “overall” in their weight divisions. Those two are Joe Calzaghe and Jermain Taylor. Only 2 out of 16 doesn’t speak very well for the WBO.
Got something else Jeeves?
‘Yes Your Lordship, I’ve prepared my Manny Pacquiao report for his many fans.
‘First his attempt to gain elected office as a congressman in the Philippines did not go well. He went down to incumbent Darlene Custodio. Early on Pacquiao said: “I am not conceding and may mount a legal case against the validity of some of the votes.” Hard to believe Your Lordship that there could be voter fraud in the Philippines.
‘Then, after that defeat, Manny said he’s now thinking about going to law school to become a lawyer. That sir, as you would say, is a lateral career move.
‘During the campaign, promoter Bob Arum stumped for Pacquiao. “One of the most incredible experiences of my life,” Arum is quoted as saying. The other “incredible experience” must have been that time when he got caught telling the truth.
‘The WBC has ordered that Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez reach a deal to fight by June 18. As Bill Shakespeare once wrote, it’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” If there’s no agreement then a WBC purse bid would be held. Makes no difference as there will be no fight as long as Arum has Pacquiao and Oscar DeLaHoya promotes Marquez. Back to you Your Lordship.’
Thank you Jeeves. Manny Pacquiao will be in New York City next week to receive the “Fighter of the Year 2006” award from the Boxing Writers Association of America. The presentation will be made by Joe Calzaghe and the event, held at the Copacabana, will be the association’s 82nd annual.
New “Yahoo Sports” writer Kevin Iole, formerly of the Las Vegas Review Journal, got the prestigious Nat Fleischer Award for “excellence in boxing journalism.” The “fight of the year” for 2006 was selected as the breathtaking brawl between Somsak Sithchatchawal and Mahyar Monshipour. While not shown on TV, many saw the fight on YouTube via the Internet. The bout took place on March 18 and was described as follows, “It was a mind-blowing bout that became a cult classic among boxing fans.” ESPN.com columnist Dan Rafael called it “raw, unvarnished, jaw-dropping brutality,” adding that the fight featured “more head-snapping uppercuts landed than in all six Rocky movies put together.” Way to go Dan. Somsak got a 10 round KO for the “W”.
Yes, what is it Jeeves? No, I am not of member of the Boxing Writers Association. As Groucho Marks once remarked, “I wouldn’t belong to any club that would have me as a member.” My one exception is the Pistol Club at the TQ, The Silver Dollar, Bourbon Street, Tims and the Island Lager Bar on Phuket.
The saga of the heavyweights never seems to end, especially where Samuel Peter is involved. Always good when talking about “heavyweights” to toss in a little James Toney. Of course there is nothing “little” about James Toney but he is back in the ring. Last week he got a strange majority decision win over Danny Batchelder (25-5-1). The decision was strange in that Toney got the nod on two cards 98-92 and 97-93, which appears to be a comfortable win. The other judge meanwhile had it for Batchelder 96-94! Batchelder has now lost 3 out of 4 but he might be a little better than that. The record of those that beat him with Toney removed is 60-1. H’mmmmm.
It’s the first time Toney’s been in the ring since his back-to-back losses to Samuel Peter. Toney weighed 229lbs, which almost qualified for him to sell advertising on his belly and fly over sporting events. His wife gave birth to their 6th child earlier in the week. “I had my wife’s eating habits (but) I ain’t done,” said Toney. “I just looked that way.”
Writing of which (nice segue, huh?), after Maskaev promoter Dennis “Not ready for Prime Time” Rappaport dilly-dallied around for months, the WBC finally forced him into a purse bid to defend against Peter. The winning bid was US$3,201,000 by Duva Boxing. The usual split of the purse is 70% for the champ and 30% for the challenger. According to the WBC rules, a deviation will only be allowed under “special and unusual circumstances.” This is one of those. In this case the split will be 55%-45%.
“It’s indefensible!” Rappaport proclaimed. “It’s an utter disgrace and they’re destroying boxing,” he said. “When someone tries to abuse a fighter, I resent them. We have just begun the fight. According to the WBC rules a deviation will only be allowed under special and unusual circumstances. What’s so special and unusual about Samuel Peter?”
As the promoter for the champion Oleg Maskaev, Rappaport has given the “rigid digit” to the WBC and boxing ever since Maskaev won the title in August of last year. Rappaport wanted a fight in Russia so the WBC said, “Ok, but you have to fight Peter next.” “No problem”, replied Denny.
Maskaev won over “well-known” (by someone), Peter Okhrllo. Peter had won not one but two title eliminators in that time. Next Rappaport decided that Maskaev would fight Vlad Klitschko, who was retired, in Russia. Minor problem - the Russian gangsters that were going to bankroll the fight did a runner. Backed into the corner, Rappaport is now unhappy with the purse split. “Tough beans” Dennis!
If anything is bad for boxing, it’s lying, two-faced bottom feeders like Rappaport. Maskaev couldn’t give tickets away for his fights. Peter will sell the tickets then whip the heck out of “good guy” Maskaev, who has the bad luck to be associated with a “Bum” like Rappaport.
‘Your Lordship, you should mention that on Sunday Shannon Briggs (48-4-1) puts his WBO heavyweight title on the line against Sultan Ibragimov (20-0-1) on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.’
Not necessary my good man, and you just covered the subject with all the space it deserves. There is some other heavyweight news however as it has been reported that IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has struck up a friendship with tennis star Roger Federer. Hope this isn’t one of those “we’ll pick out furniture next week” deals?
Then there’s the Australian heavyweight that took 14 years between fights. Steve Hudsen (3-6) lost an 8-rounder in 1992 and chucked it in. 14 years later in Geelong, Victoria he KO’d Andrew Dickson in 2. About the only thing in Geelong is a Ford plant and a college. I once played in the Australian Masters darts tournament in Geelong. Also saw the Geelong Bulldogs play the Paramater Ells in a game of Aussie Footie at the MCG in Melbourne.
In the UK, news that Clinton Woods has suffered an injury to his elbow means the defense of his IBF light heavyweight title against Julio Gonzales on June 23 is off. Hatton-Castillo is still a go for that date in Las Vegas though.
‘Your Lordship, last week you mentioned that some journalists and news people are idiots. You got the following e-mail message from your one of your old college pals, “Nice effort!”’
Well Jeeves, at least he thinks I’m trying. Under the “idiot” alert is an unnamed gentleman that has stuff published by a boxing website. In writing about Jermain Taylor’s latest win he commented, “After yet another controversial decision in the champion’s favor.” The decision was controversial because Judge Dick Flaherty had Spinks winning 111-117, which is a clear indication that hopefully his white cane is good for finding water cause it can’t judge fights worth a “tinkers dam”.
One boxer whose career isn’t worth a “tinkers dam” is Scott Harrison. As predicted here a long time ago, it is doubtful the former WBO champion will ever return to the ring. For the second time in less than a year he made it to the “Gray Bar Inn” in Spain. He got the trip to “Old Bill’s House” after getting into a fight in a brothel in Alhaurin el Grande. Don’t know what “Alhaurin” means but el Grande means “The Big” and that’s what Harrison is in - “El Grande Trouble.”
IBF (I Be Fixin) middleweight champ Arthur Abraham (22-0) finally got back in the ring last Saturday at the JAKO Arena in Bamberg, Germany. Abraham had been on the bench for eight months after breaking his jaw in two places and having two titanium plates and 22 screws inserted into his lower jaw. That and a pint of blood is the price Abraham paid for beating Edison Miranda in what has been called the epic “Battle of Wetzlar”.
His welcome back effort was against little tested Sebastien Demers of Canada. Demers’ record looked good at 20-0 but it was filled with NBC opponents. NBC? “Nothing But Canadians.” Abraham should have had little trouble with Demers and he didn’t, getting a 3rd round KO following a “brutal assault.” The time was 2:57.
‘Your Lordship, I bumped into a racehorse owner during my stop over at the TQ last week. He said he took his son “Little Johnny” to a horse auction. Johnny watched as my friend moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse’s legs, rump and chest. Little Johnny asked, “Dad, why are you doing that?” His father replied that when buying horses it’s always good to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape before you buy. Little Johnny looked worried then said, “Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom.”
‘Yes, I know Your Lordship, it’s time for the lager, a few cigars and some music as another award winning column wends its’ way to the Hall of Fame.’