Vol. XVI No. 22
Friday May 30 - June 5, 2008

Snooker ace Hendry makes appearance at the Queen Vic

Auction of autographed shirts raises money for charity

Paul Strachan
Eight times world snooker champion Stephen Hendry MBE was in Pattaya for a whirlwind visit and spent some time at the Queen Victoria Inn on Soi 6.

Newly elected Mayor Itthipol Khunplome gets in on the fun.
The poolroom was packed as Stephen took on some local players. Making a surprise visit on the night was newly elected Mayor Itthipol Khunplome with Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay. Itthipol played a frenetic frame with the champ.
Then it was autograph time with Stephen posing for the cameras and signing tour programs for the crowd. In a speedy interview with your correspondent, Stephen said that he had lost a few games during the evening, explaining that pool wasn’t really his game - he added that there were a few sharks here in Pattaya.

Stephen Hendry signs polo shirts to raise money for charity.

John Smiths and Strongbow sponsored the event. Stephen had pre-signed a bunch of polo shirts that were raffled off and two of the shirts were then put up for auction. The first reached 1,500 baht and the second just over 300 baht.
Kevin Fisher, a man who has a long relationship with the Queen Victoria Inn as well as raising money for charity, told everybody that he was going to auction the shirt that he had just won to raise money for two people who desperately need some help.
The first is a man who requires some spinal surgery and the other a baby girl who sadly fell into an open fire. After the telling of their plight, many of those who had won a polo shirt handed them back and an impromptu auction took place. The final tally was a massive 34,000 baht - all from a few polo shirts and the endorsement by one of the heroes of snooker, Stephen Hendry.

Vic King (left), proprietor of the Queen Victoria Inn,
greets eight times world snooker champion Stephen Hendry.

Stephen Hendry pots the yellow during an exhibition match at the Queen Vic.

And the following week - from the letters page

We stand corrected…

Hello,
I was in the Queen Vic on the night of Stephen Hendry’s visit. It was one of the best evenings I’ve had here in Pattaya. I would like to mention, though, that your report in the Pattaya Mail was slightly inaccurate. The amount raised by the auction for one shirt was an amazing 15,000 baht, not 1,500 baht. Even for Amazing Thailand this was exceptional.
Bernard Walker
Ed replies: Thanks for correcting us. We certainly have an insufficient number of fingers and toes in the office and appreciate the help. 15,000 baht surely is an exceptional amount, and for such a good cause.

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