The final was between Australia and Iran, but the match the local crowd came to Surakul Stadium to watch yesterday was the battle for third place in the Seniors World Cup, between Thailand and New Zealand.

Professional soccer players ranging in age from 38 up – some in their 50s – might be thought to be too far over the hill for a shot at the World Cup. But in Phuket over the next few days one lucky national side has a chance of glory, in the Football Senior World Cup 2010, currently being played out, mostly at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town and Karon Stadium.

As seems to be the case all too often, word has leaked out of the Thai grapevine at the very last minute of a treat for jazz fans tomorrow – May 22.

Heads up all you 40-somethings: androgynous Culture Club icon Boy George will be deejaying in Phuket on May 26, at Seduction disco, just off Soi Bangla.

It’s time to get those smelly old Nike and Adidas running shoes out of the depths of the closet and start getting into shape for the Laguna Phuket Marathon in just over a month’s time, on Sunday June 13.

Mom Tri’s Villa Royal, above the rocks at the south end of Kata, will be the venue for amateur dramatics and fine food on April 23, when the Andaman Players perform the première of their latest thespian work. L-O-V-E is a Four-Letter Word.

Andy Andersen, organiser of the annual Phuket Blues-Rock Festival, which takes place on February 26 and 27, has organised a couple of intimate dinners for small groups of people to get to know the two headliners – Charlie Musselwhite and Richard Clapton.

Apparently undaunted by the way the 2009 Phuket Film Festival fizzled out, organiser Scott Rosenberg is gearing up for another go at it, and has issued a call for entries for the 2010 event.

The 11th annual Old Phuket Festival, which this year will run from February 19 to 21, promises a feast of free entertainment along with the chance to mingle with locals who will also be celebrating the Chinese New Year.

The nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Nimitz, with close to 6,000 crew on board, dropped anchor off Phuket yesterday (January 31) for a few days of R&R. It was accompanied by the guided missile frigate USS Rentz and the destroyer USS Pinckney.