Memory loss holds Gazettes to a draw

SAPHAN HIN: The Phuket Gazettes and the Bangkok British Club (BBC) battled to a 5-5 draw on Saturday in their annual 15-a-side match. Victory would have gone to the Gazettes, were it not for a mental lapse by Thiti Tandavanitk. Toward the end of the third quarter, he made it past the BBC tryline but forgot to touch down, much to the chagrin of his teammates and the delight of the BBC team, who swiftly wrestled the ball from him. The first points in the match came in the first quarter when Bangkok captain Rod Kerr dodged past the Gazettes defense for a touchdown. Appropriately, Patrick Cotter, captain of the Gazettes, evened matters with a try when his team got its act together in the second quarter. BBC came close again in the third quarter when a scrum was called just a meter from the Gazettes tryline. Battling desperately, they managed to push BBC back and kick the ball away from danger. The fourth quarter saw blood spilled as two players rammed heads, and the teams decided to end the game at full time due to general exhaustion and the numerous injuries incurred by both sides. The captains had only good words for the session. Cotter of the Gazettes commented, “The result was a fair one.” The BBC’s Kerr called the game “the most enjoyable match of the season”. The Gazettes, with two wins, one loss and Saturday’s draw still have a narrow lead in the series. Everyone agrees that next year’s match in the annual series – played in memory of Phil Russell, a BBC player who died in a traffic accident a few years ago – should be a battle of epic proportions.