|
Cricket and Science hand in Hand
Eric Little
Cricket took the scientific approach to fitness recently
when the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) hosted the Asian Cricket
Council’s (ACC’s) Sports Medicine and Fitness Course at Prem Center in
Chiang Mai.
 Young
Chiang Mai cricketers
The five-day course was initiated to standardize the Peak
Performance Program for test and non-test play-ing countries in the region,
through the scientific approach. Doctors, phy- siotherapists, coaches and
trainers, in total 43 representatives from the Asian cricket playing
countries of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia,
Hong Kong, Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China,
Myanmar, Bhutan, Kuwait, Oman and Maldives were in attendance.
Dr. Vece Paes the ACC’s Consultant for Sports Medicine
and Fitness was the Chief Presenter. Former International and Test
cricketers in attendance were ACC Development Officers; Iqbal Sikandar,
Pakistan; Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka; Venkatesh Prasad, India; and Champaka
Ramanayake, Sri Lanka,
A particular highlight for the young Chiang Mai
cricketers was their participation in the physical fitness testing section
on the Sunday. During the fitness test ‘Chai’, beat all comers, even
for-mer Indian Test fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad, in the endurance phase of
the program. The boys enjoyed the challenges put to them, as they were
subjected to many skill tasks to enable the course participants to evaluate
their individual performance objectively.
This is the second seminar held at the Prem Center, where the facilities
are excellent; an earlier program was the Coaches Specialist Course in July
2005. The ACC is delighted at the success of the course and would like to
schedule more Seminars in Chiang Mai.
Tour of Thailand 2006
International cycling competition from Chiang Mai to Suvarnabhumi Airport
Nopniwat Krailerg
The Thai Cycling Association, under the Royal Patronage
of His Majesty the King, is to hold a Tour of Thailand 2006 International
cycling competition to compete for a trophy sponsored by HRH Princess Maha
Chakri Sirin-dhorn. The 999 Km.course will be from Chiang Mai to
Suvarnabhumi Airport and will start on January 24 th,
2006. Lasting five days, the Tour will be joined by almost 300 competitors
coming from many countries worldwide.
Choochoke Thongta-luang, Head of Chiang Mai Provincial
Public Relations Office disclosed that on the occasion of the 60th
Anniversary of the King’s Ascension to the Throne, the Thai government, in
cooperation with many private sector and state enterprises, will hold
various activities for the celebration of this occasion. The Thai Cycling
Association, an organization supported by government to encourage
long-distance cycling, organized this competition. The route will commence
in Chiang Mai and will
pass through Lampang, Sukhothai, Phetchabun, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon-ratchasima,
Khao Hin Son and Pattaya ending at Suvarnabhumi Airport after 999
kilometers. It is expected that the many foreign tourists who will come to
Thailand, both to watch the tour and support their favorite individual
competitors, will see parts of the country that are not usually on the
tourist map. It might be said that this competition could introduce a new
form of tourism to Thailand, “See Thailand on a Bike!”
He added that the opening ceremony is to be on January
24, at 8 a.m. at Chiang Mai Night Safari, presided over by Pracha Maleenon,
Minister of Tourism and Sport. The competitors will ride along Muang Chiang
Mai middle ring road to Huay Tung Thao.
The Association will also present 100 bicycles to poorer youngsters
living in the more remote areas of Chiang Mai Province. On the opening day
of the competition, the Association will also present shirts specially made
to mark the occasion of the 60 year anniversary of the King ascending the
Throne to local residents who watch the competition and to the athletes who
compete.
Maejo University wins regional Honda Econo Power Contest
Chiangmai Mail Reporters
The Faculty of Engineering, Maejo University, achieved
the highest level of efficiency in the northern region with their entry in
Honda Econo Power Contest.
 Fuel
economy vehicles that competed in the contest.
The 8 th Honda
Econo Power Contest 2005 for the northern region offered an
opportunity to Education Institutes to present a fuel-saving vehicle in any
of the following four categories: northern made vehicle, 100 cc market
vehicle using gasohol, general 125 cc market vehicle and 125 cc vehicle
using gasohol.
Maejo University’s Engineering and Agro-Industry
faculty students entered the contest, fielding two teams. There were 225
teams competing and Vehicle Number 569, entered by the Yom Phae Team, who
were students of Maejo University, won the first prize with the best fuel
efficiency statistics of 1,126.4988 kilometer per liter (benzene 91). This
result was the lowest fuel usage in the Northern region in any kind of
home-made vehicle.
Members of the team weare Jirawat Wongsatiam, Pakhanan Sooksamran,
Chai-wat Ratana, Salinee Piangjai and Adchara Janphong. All four are in
their fourth year at Maejo University and majoring in agricultural
engineering. This team will now go through to the national round, to be held
on February 11-12, 2006, in Bangkok.
The
championship winning team from Maejo University receiving their awards.
Chiang Mai Pool League: Playing away
Pat Black
While matches in the Chiang Mai Pool League were underway
last week, I was watching my family take our bankbook to the cleaners in the
shopping emporiums of Hong Kong. And a day trip to the tables in Macau only
made matters worse. But while my wife and daughter ran their fingers through
cloth and tried on shoes, I had plenty of time to think about pool.
For an obscure reason my thoughts turned to the time I
plucked a house cue from the rack at a local bar and began testing it like
an aficionado. I rolled it up and down the table to see if it was straight
and waved it about in the air to test its weight.
Once satisfied, I crou-ched down to take my first shot,
which made an awful clunking sound as the cue ball skewed off at right
angles. After the giggling had died down, someone told me there was no tip
on the cue - and I stood staring at the bare brass bush like an idiot.
It’s surprising how many players fail to check the tip
of a cue before starting, especially when they take a lot of trouble about
everything else. After all, the tip is the most important part by being the
only means of controlling the cue ball. Really good pool players could play
with a bow and still make their shots providing they have a good tip.
Originally, pool or billiards was played with a mace –
a wooden or metal headed instrument that resembled a croquet mallet. For
shots along the cushion or rail, some players found it easier to use the
handle - or tail as it was often called. Tail is the French word for queue
and after a bit of jiggery-pokery with the spelling, the cue was born.
In France during the early 1800s, a certain Captain
Mingaud was taken political prisoner. As a billiard table was made available
to him, he spent most of his time totally obsessed with the physics of shot
making.
While serving his sentence, he invented the leather cue
tip and became entranced by the magic it performed. So much so, that on his
day of release from prison, he asked to stay in longer in the name of
research.
He had discovered how to put brakes on the cue ball,
screw it back or enable it to continue rolling forward, and send it off at
different angles by applying various amounts of spin. He then held the cue
in an almost vertical position and stabbed down on the ball, sending it into
a 90 degree spin, and this shot became known as the masse, which is French
for mace.
Today’s top players take very good care of their cue
tips by filing, picking and frequently chalking them. Many say that the
leather tip should be soft and rounded to enable maximum maneuverability.
And it’s interesting to note that modern chalk comprises fine abrasives
and not one speck of actual chalk.
So, take a tip from me and check the end of your cue
before you take the first shot. See you next week in more familiar
surroundings.
|
