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Rugby Union scrums down in Chiang Mai
Adam Head
 Johnny
Wilkinson feels the pressure, and elects to phone a friend. It’s true,
this really hap-pened!
The Prince Royal’s College is the venue for the
new-look Chiang Mai Rugby Union scene. Assembling every Sunday afternoon for
the next month, six teams will play against each other in a “round
robin” tournament, which represents the first known unification of Rugby
Union in Chiang Mai.
The six teams in the competition are Mae Jo, Chiang Mai
University (CMU), the Barbarians, Rajabhat University, the host team Prince
Royal’s, and an international team that plays under the name “Chiang Mai
Suas”. Just in case your Thai language skills are not as finely honed as
you might like, the word “Suas” translates as “Tigers”.
Unfortunately, the Tigers took a bit of a mauling this
Sunday, defeated by a Thai team, the Barbarians. However, the match final
score of 20 – 17 suggests that the teams were pretty evenly matched, and
that maybe, just maybe, a rematch could produce a reversal. In the earlier
game, CMU defeated their rivals from Rajabhat by a score of 17-5.
Tigers’ coach Sandy, philosophical in defeat, perhaps
after the previous week’s handsome victory over Mae Jo, simply reminded
his players of their midweek training commitments. When asked for his post
match comments, he wisely opted to extol the virtues of finally uniting the
disparate elements of Chiang Mai’s Rugby Union scene. The first time in
maybe one hundred years, and possibly ever, that all the teams have all come
together in organized fashion. Now, that certainly is a momentous moment for
any sport in any region, and the atmosphere at the Prince Royal’s College
rugby grounds this Sunday certainly matched the occasion. The grandstand was
well stocked with supporters who were clearly knowledgeable, and pleasingly
vocal in their support.
On the pitch meanwhile, the games were competitive yet
sporting, as one would expect in a sport with such pedigree. Moreover, the
teams were exhibiting a remarkable level of teamwork and technique. Rucks
and mauls were set up, promptly supported, and the ball frequently recycled.
Passing was often admirably adept, and when some of the more fleet-footed
players dropped a shoulder or feigned a pass to get past their man, the result was truly impressive.
A nice
neat scrumdown from Mae Jo and Prince Royal College. A great cure for a
hangover, apparently.
Not to mention the crunching tackles on the hard surface!
Several of the players after Sunday’s game were proudly sporting bruises
and bleeding wounds (just skin deep mind!), and one or two were limping. God
knows it’s a man’s game! None of this prancing around in shiny shirts
like those soccer floozies, and then falling to the ground at the slightest
touch, before rolling around in pseudo-agony for the cameras and Aunt Polly.
No, none of that nonsense, just good old bone-shaking, jaw smashing, spine
twisting, intestine squashing….fun!!
So if you would like to support Chiang Mai’s rugby scene, and be duly
entertained in the process, then please come along to Prince Royal’s
College Rugby Grounds. If you’re not sure where that is, then you might
know CMIS, which is next door, all only a drop-kick away from the banks of
the Ping River. Admission is free, at least I got away with it, and you can
sit in comfort with an excellent view in the shady grandstand. Matches start
at 1 p.m., and run pretty much all the way until 5.30 p.m.
“Can Do” Kendo at CMIS
Nicki Gamble
The CMIS
Kendo Club warms up with their “swords”
Children in full body armor wielding bamboo swords are
not what you would usually expect to see on campus at CMIS, but if it’s a
Kendo Club day, that’s exactly what you’ll find. Eiji Osato (Osato
Sensei) is the Kendo master who has been training CMIS students in the
martial art of Japanese fencing for four years. This year he has eight
returning students who range in age from six to seventeen years. All of them
are very enthusiastic about their chosen sport. Naomi (age 11) and Dubin
(age 12) say that they enjoy the social aspect of Kendo, and they also like
the way it makes them feel strong and safe. Theo (age 11) has been
practicing Kendo for four years and said that the sport has not only made
him more physically fit, but also it’s a lot of fun. Supaporn (age 14) got
involved because she has always been interested in Japanese culture. She
especially likes the way the sport has strengthened her arms, and she
aspires to become a Kendo teacher herself one day.
Kendo means “The Way of the Sword” and is rooted in
the tradition of Japanese Samurai warriors. It is a physically demanding
sport that also emphasizes mental development. Kendo can help improve
fitness and health through its focus on physical and mental speed and
agility. The training also fosters development of the power of
concentration, alertness, good reflexes, posture, and poise.
 The
winners of ‘The Sawasdee Tournament’
Kendo equipment consists of a bamboo practice sword, a
uniform made up of a woven cotton top and pleated, skirt-like trousers, and
a four-piece set of armor which includes a helmet, body protector, gloves,
and a hip and groin protector. Competitors in Kendo tournaments use two
types of attacks – strikes and thrusts – aimed at specified areas of
their opponent’s body. Points are awarded by three judges, and the winner
of a match is the first person to score two points.
CMIS’s Kendo teacher, Osato Sensie, is the only Kendo
Master in Chiang Mai. He became involved in the sport as a young boy in
Japan, and through many years of dedication and practice has achieved the
fifth rank, or ‘dan’. The first rank in Kendo is equivalent to a black
belt in Karate, and the eighth rank is the highest rank attainable. Only
Kendo practitioners who have reached the fifth dan or above are considered
masters.
Osato Sensie estimates that there are between 200-300
people practicing Kendo in Thailand. He believes that much of the appeal of
the sport, besides the obvious gains in fitness and self-discipline, is that
people of all ages and abilities can take part. Osato Sensie emphasizes that
whether you are five or 85, age is no barrier to your participation and
progress in Kendo.
If you’d like more information about Kendo, you can con-tact Eiji Osato
at eijiosato@ hotmail.com or 0 5322 0519.
Cricket Montfort College
Eric Little
 The
winners of ‘The Sawasdee Tournament’
Montfort College is one of the founding members of the
Chiang Mai Schools Cricket
Association (CMSCA) and won its first tournament in 2001.
However it has been lean pickings for them since. Last Saturday turned that
all around with a solid win in ‘The Sawasdee Tournament’ held at Prince
Royal’s College (PRC).
The field at PRC was an ideal setting for the Sawasdee tournament. Skills
and cricket acumen are developing quickly amongst the younger players and
they came well to the fore on Saturday, particularly in the PRC team which
has three very skilled girl cricketers. They are also the keenest players
and without them, PRC would have had a very ordinary team. The evenness of
the competition was evident with the closeness of the results with even the
smallest school Sahagon2 competing well with the other much larger schools,
including Saimoon and Montfort B.
Schools celebrate their centenary with a football match
Preeyanoot Jittawong and Kittiyaporn Kanjam (student trainee MFLU)
Football
teams exchange flags.
Yuparaj Wittayalai School and Prince Royal College
jointly arranged a traditional football match, their ninth, on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary of King Rama VI giving names to the two educational
institutes.
The game was held on November 26 at Chiang Mai
municipality stadium and joined by many alumni of both schools.
Kritsadaporn Siampakdi, Chiang Mai deputy governor,
presided over the opening ceremony. He said the game aimed at creating unity
between the students of the two schools.
Yuparaj Wittayalai School celebrated its centenary on
December 23-24 while Prince Royal College will celebrate on January 2.
The schools were competing for a trophy from HRH Princess Petcharat
Rajsuda, which was taken home by the team of Prince Royal’s College. In
addition to the match there was a parade from the Three Kings Monument to
Chiang Mai municipality stadium.
Chiang Mai Pool League:Half Moon outshines Blue Sky Garden
Pat Black
 Tan
of Enjoy Place enjoying the limelight
On a day that saw Half Moon Pub stretch their lead to 4
points in the Chiang Mai Pool League, Blue Sky Bar shot up to second, as
other top contenders suffered surprise defeats. Last week’s mid-table
results created changes of positions and Happy Bar won their second game of
the season.
It’s beginning to look as if Half Moon Pub’s destiny
rests in their own hands, as they eased past Blue Sky Garden 8-1 at home to
extend a leading tally to 14 points from a possible 16.
However Blue Sky Bar showed they’d far from conceded by
moving back into second place with a comfortable win over near neighbors
December Bar. They won’t have forgotten that lowly opposition took two
points from the favorites, who can barely afford to repeat any slip-ups.
At The Wall, the home side soon found themselves with a
3-0 advantage against The Local. But “The Grinders” turned the match
into a grueling encounter by moving into snooker mode and clawing back the
next four frames. This absorbing exhibition of safety pool went to 4-4
before The Local clinched the points at well past bedtime.
The standard of play in the Chiang Mai Pool League
continues to improve and despite the odd runaway victory, most matches are
closely fought. It was no surprise to me, therefore, that La Villa beat high
flying Chiangers and Bangers 6-3 after losing only one singles, and Rock
Hard Bistro ended a bad run by defeating Number 1 Pub, which recently
recorded wins against Half Moon Pub and The Wall.
Enjoy Place can also be pleased with their success at the
expense of Out Back, with this week’s Ladies Hall of Fame girl, Tan,
winning both her matches.
And there’s no longer sympathy for Happy Bar, who
triumphed again against Friend’s Corner. At 4-2 up, Happy hearts went in
their mouths as a fierce Friend’s Corner fought back to level the score.
But the Bar’s David kept a cool head in the last frame to plop the black
home with only one other ball left on the table.
Some pool players say that team responsibility can add
pressure to the game and affect their performance. I guess everyone who
plays sport is influenced by conditions in one way or other and I remember
Frank.
People laughed when Frank staggered drunk from his bar
stool to challenge all-comers at pool. His eye would twitch and cue wobble
when he bridged, and one wondered if he’d stand up again after playing a
shot. But the guy could rattle off 12 or more consecutive wins in dazzling
style.
One Friday, I caught him before he’d reached a bar and
asked him to turn out for us in the league. We watched with anticipation as
he broke off and disbelief when he missed the pack. After that, if he
managed to hit the ball he was aiming for it went miles wide and he ended
the frame by sinking the black before he should have.
He apologized for playing badly, and I asked if he was
nervous about letting the side down. “No,” he replied. So I queried his
bar performances around town. “Oh!” said Frank. “I only play like that
when I’m pi**ed.”
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