Locals beat TV stars in soccer friendly

PHUKET TOWN: Phuket All Stars’ Anurak In-Ting scored a hat trick and put away a penalty kick for good measure to help his team demolish 168 Hours, a scratch team of visiting TV and entertainment stars. The match, at Surakul Sport Stadium yesterday, drew more than 800 spectators, most of them screaming teenage girls come to see their favorite singers and TV soap-opera actors running around in soccer shorts. First blood went to the Phuket All Stars’ Chai-anan Suthikul. But 12 minutes later, Chao Chao, lead singer of The Killer put his team back in contention. 168 Hours pushed hard, and came close twice, as the match became increasingly physical. Two of the 168 Hours players were injured; one of them, actor Sarin Bangyeekhan, had to be carried off on a stretcher. As the action moved from end to end, numerous attempts at goal went wide or were stopped until finally All Stars hero Anurak scored his first of the match. 168 Hours squared the score at 2-2 with a goal from Taiwanese actor Chay, followed by another from Chai, lead singer of Pong Pong, leaving 168 Hours 3-2 up at half time. After the break, Anurak hit his form, rescuing the All Stars’ reputation by slamming in two goals in the first 10 minutes, bowling over two defenders in the process, and putting the All Stars 4-3 ahead. Another two attempts were successfully saved by 168 Hours’ goalkeeper. Desperate to stop their opponents, 168 Hours brought down an All Star in the area. Anurak stepped up to the penalty spot and made certain of victory. Final result: 5-3. Proceeds of ticket sales for the match and a concert that followed in the evening will go to Patong Hospital’s fund to buy medical equipment for drug addiction treatment. – As a warm-up for the big match, doctors, nurses and a variety of local officials and friends met in a clash of the titans – Men v Women. The women won 4-2. The men were overwhelmed through a simple expedient not often seen on the soccer pitch these days: down by 0-2 at the end of the first half, the women fielded their entire 22-player squad in the second half.