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More volleyball successes
Norm Robinson, Athletics Director APIS
Following on from a very enjoyable series of home and
away matches in volleyball this quarter, APIS has had some surprising, but
well-deserved, success in the final volleyball tournaments.
The U16
Girls’ Volleyball team with Khun Aey (umpire), Ajarn Por (coach) and Khun
Sasikarn (parent). Standing: Aey, Kungten, Leena, Cat, Aj. Por, Sasikarn.
Kneeling: Nan, Tip, Sacha, Ran, Bua.
In the U20 competition, the girls’ team placed third
and our boys’ fourth. The fact that all were very competitive in the play
was underlined by two APIS students being awarded the prizes for the best
individual players in the tournament: May Zaw for the girls and Richard
Barclay for the boys. These awards were voted on by all of the coaches and
referees on the day.
On Tuesday, at the U16 tournaments, the boys’ side
again played in some really good, close matches against top opponents, and
then were able to cheer on U16 girls’ side, who won the championship.
Interestingly, these girls had only won one match against
the other schools during the quarter, but at the tournament were undefeated.
It just goes to show that if you keep trying and learning and you believe in
each other as a team there is no limit to what you can achieve!
Congratulations to everybody, teams and individuals, and
to the coaches (Mr. John and Ajarn Por) who produced such great results for
APIS again.
What a great follow-up to Spirit Week! Go Dragons!
Farangutans shoot down Thai Air Force!
Lee Stevens
It was a particularly bedraggled bunch of Farangutans who
turned up to meet for our first match in the annual Chiang Mai FA Cup (or
something like that). To say it was raining cats and dogs would be an
understatement and most of us turned up at the meeting point already soaked
to the skin.
The rain had depleted our team somewhat and we only had
nine fit and ready to play. A quick call from our veteran war reporter
(O.A.P. striker) Colin Hinshelwood found the hardened Scotsman cowering at
home frightened to get his hair wet. We eventually scraped together enough
players but still thought that with rain like that the games would have to be
cancelled. The ever enthusiastic Jimmy Farrell suggested that even though
there was monsoon-like rain in Chiang Mai, Mae Rim (where the match was
taking place) would be dry as a bone. James showing his little known
meteorological knowledge was exactly right and as we drove down the Mae Rim
road the rain stopped and the sun even peeked out from behind the clouds.
So there we were, our first match in this exciting cup
competition, 16 teams, four groups and only one winner to be decided over the
next six weeks with the winner taking a 10,000 baht first prize. As usual we
were in the group of death with three of the best teams in Chiang Mai (I keep
wondering why we were always put in with all the best teams? Conspiracy?
Never!)
On Sunday we were playing the Royal Thai Air Force who had
trounced us 6-2 in the league just a few short months ago and to say that our
form had been patchy would be an understatement, we were on a Sunderland like
run of very few wins in a lot of games. Although; hope springs eternal and
with the arrival of new continental players Mickael, Olivier and Arek we
thought we might have a chance.
The first half found us in the familiar territory of being
1-0 down, due to some defensive rustiness and our new team not really gelling
together. But us Farangutans are resilient if nothing else, and with added
spirit and some much improved play we started to pile on the pressure at the
beginning of the second half. The defense was back to its usual solid nature
and our attack was starting to play with increased fluidity. The breakthrough
had to come and after some good work from Mickael and Olivier, Arek coolly
shot past the goalkeeper from an acute angle.
The referee tried his best to gift them the game with some
contentious decisions, but as we were starting to think he’d been bribed he
missed a blatant penalty when our usually cool headed right back pulled down
their player in the box. Bizarrely the referee gave them a free kick outside
the box and we were able to claim the winning goal in the dying seconds of
the match. Leandro bulldozed down the left wing, riding a couple of tackles
to cross and gift Arek a goal from two yards out. 2-1 to the Farangutans and
only seconds left.
Despite the referee then adding an extra 10 minutes injury
time we held on for the three points. A very satisfactory day for all
involved, especially when our sponsors the Irish Pub gave us a few free beers
afterwards. With the return of Bunny Howe, Rick, Rossco and Mark from there
various trips around the world, we should be raring to go for our next match.
10,000 baht will buy a lot of beer, maybe we can go the whole way.
Chiang Mai HHH Corner - “On On!”
CH3, the oldest hash club (males) in Chiang Mai runs on
Mondays every 2 weeks. If you need a lift from the H3 Pub on Moon Muang Road
(corner of Soi 2) at 4 p.m. please Call 09 99 358 27 before 3 p.m. Website:
http://www.geocities.com/chiangmaih3/
CUMH3 is now the most popular Male hash in Chiang Mai and
pick up is every week on Tuesdays from the Fish n Chips Shop on Ratchawithee
Road (tel. 053-418210). Website:
http://www.geocities.com/chiangmaih3/cumh3.html
CSH3 is a mixed hash. Runs every Saturday. Pick up from H3
Pub on Moon Muang Road (corner of Soi 2) at 3.30 pm. Website:
http://www.geocities.com/chiangmaih3/
Chiang Mai’s Happy H3 is a mixture of traditional values
and progressive thinking. Very democratic, good runs and “on on’s”
guaranteed. Pick-up from Fish ‘n Chip Shop, Ratchawitti Road, 4 p.m. every
Saturday. Website: http://www.geocities.com/chiangmaih3/CH4.html
BH3 female hash (Harriettes) runs once a month on the last
Sunday of the month. Pickup from H3 Pub on the corner of Soi 2 at Moon Muang
Rd. is at 3.30 p.m. during the winter and 4 p.m. during the summer.
It’s great fun and you surely get value for your money
plus you get to meet all the long-time expats here!
Chiang Mai Pool League: Half Moon stays in orbit
Pat Black
Half Moon Pub stayed top of the table, as the leading
contenders crashed to earth in last week’s Chiang Mai Pool League. In a
dour struggle at Rock Hard Bistro, games were nip and tuck up to 4-4 when
Half Moon, who led 3 times during the match, clinched the point with just
one opposing ball remaining on the table.
 Anny
(left) and Gip from Happy Bar.
Other results left only three league points separating
the next 11 sides. In a derby match at Rajchamaka Road, Blue Sky Garden
planted a 4-2 lead and dug in to beat second placed Blue Sky Bar, 6-3.
Chiangers and Bangers completed all the hard work by
clawing back from two games down. But in the deciding frame, away side Enjoy
Place ran out winners after Chiangers scratched on the black. It’s a tough
life!
In the alfresco environment at La Villa, the home side
was confident of furthering their league progress, with scores level at the
break. However, No.1 Bar had other ideas, and steamrollered all the doubles
to take their fourth point of the season.
Two teams made giant steps forward when The Wall climbed
up to third after an expected win against December Bar, while Out Back took
full advantage of playing lower opposition by dropping only one game in
their last two matches. Last week they overcame Happy Bar 8-1 and leaped up
the ladder from 8th to 5th.
Meanwhile, there’s never an easy match at Friend’s
Corner, where The Local went down 3-6 after losing all their doubles.
As the situation heats up in the league and things are
taken a tad more seriously, there seems a growing need for referees.
Everyone has a copy of the rules, but when disputes occur True Blue John
regularly sorts them out by mobile phone - and what about those times when a
dangling sleeve or ponytail touches the ball?
Currently, it seems that Friend’s Corner is the only
venue that provides a regular ref and he is affective. Home teams could be
made responsible for appointing a neutral official or one of the players not
in action could do it. But before this can become a rule, all sides must
agree by contacting John at the True Blue.
More information has come in about Frances Anderson - the
first woman pool player that turned out to be a bloke. Supposedly born in
Indiana, USA, “she” was self-proclaimed Champion of the World, began
hustling against men and women, and offered US$5,000 to any female who could
beat her.
In 25 years no one took the kitty and by the 1920s
“she” was being paid large sums of appearance money for challenge
matches and exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic.
Nothing has been recorded since Frances revealed
“she” was Orie from Kansas. No doubt he’s still strung up by the balls
somewhere.
Anyway, the two ladies in our Hall of Fame this week are definitely girls
- Anny and Gip of Happy Bar - take a look at the photo.
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