Flyers A win Patong 7s soccer

PATONG: Patong Flyers A won the 2nd Annual Patong Sevens soccer championship yesterday, beating their opponents 3-1. The win, however, came at the expense of their good friends on the Patong Flyers B squad – both teams are sponsored and managed by Peter Koch, owner of the Austrian Restaurant in Patong. Organizers were considering canceling the final game of the tournament, held in Loma Park next to the beach road, as only five players of the Flyers B squad were on hand – the rest were still playing in another tournament on the other side of the island. After an hour’s wait, however, the three remaining players in the squad showed up and gave their best in a game that was better than the final score indicated. Despite three goals in the first half by the fresher Flyers A squad, Flyers B fought back with two goals of their own in the second, though one was disallowed. Flyers A went home with 40,000 baht and a big trophy for their effort, while Flyers B netted 20,000 and a smaller trophy. Earlier in the day, Novotel beat the Big One to capture 3rd place, 10,000 baht and an even smaller trophy. 43 teams from around the island took part in the month-long tournament, which is an offshoot of the bigger Patong Elevens tournament held every December.