While some boats in the slower sections of the 11 classes only managed one race, the two fastest keelboat classes and one of the multihull classes squeezed in three races, largely because of their speed around the ocean courses.

In the hotly contested IRC Zero Class for racing keelboats, experienced Australian skipper Ray Roberts’ boat Team Hollywood won the first two races, but finished fourth in the final outing. THA 72 ended the day in second place after finishing behind Team Hollywood in the first two races and getting a third place in the final race of the day.

Sarab Singh on his boat Wind Sikher took the honors in the third and final race in the IRC Zero Class. Little separates the top three TP 52-design boats on the water with Ray Roberts new campaign proving the solid leaders.

In the second-tier IRC 1 Class for keelboats, Australian Craig Nichols finished first on his boat Aquari after the three races contested on Wednesday. Aquari won the first two races and finished fifth in the final race. Scott Bradley’s East Marine Emagine ended the day a close second overall after two third placings and a second place.

In the multihull section, the mostly Phuket-built Firefly 850 Sports Class boats also squeezed in three races, with Great Britain’s John Newham taking first place overall on Twin Sharks. Very little separates the field in this tightly contested class of almost identical racing catamarans, with Germany’s Hans Rahmann finishing second overall on Voodoo. Brit Neil Ayre on Mamba ended the day a close third.

Dan Fidock maintained his lead in the Racing Multihull Class on his small but speedy trimaran Fugazi, again seeing off the challenge from the large 60-foot speed machine SHK Scallywag Fuku Bid. Few boats can even go close to matching the speed of the much larger Scallywag in strong breezes, but Fugazi proved to be no slouch and came out on top after handicaps were taken into consideration.

Closer to shore on Wednesday, racing was underway in the International Dinghy Classes, with a large number of junior sailors testing their skills off Kata Beach. Almost 100 junior sailors are contesting the various dinghy classes, with the racing held off Kata Beach on Wednesday.

Experience King’s Cup keelboat sailor Commander Peera Sagultan of the Royal Thai Navy is the Dingy Race Officer, overseeing the 97 young sailors on the water.

“We had good wind today of 15 to 20 knots and some exciting racing,” he said. “We had four races today (Wednesday) and will have a total of 12 races by the time we finish up on Saturday. We have Optimists, Lasers and 420s racing.”

One result that surprised no one was a first place finish in the Optimist Class on Wednesday by 13-year-old Panwa Boonak, an Asian Sailing Championships winner and a member of the Thai World Championship team. Up-and-coming sailor M.L. Weka Bhanubandh Na Ayuttaya showed great skills despite his young age in the Optimist Class with a second place finish, followed by Patihan Vorrasart in third place.

While the International Dingy Sailors will be racing on Thursday, it will be a rest day for the rest of the fleet at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, giving crews a well-deserved rest and skippers and owners time to fine tune or repair their boats. The keelboat and multihull action gets underway again on Friday off the southern tip of the resort island.

Arsenal extend their unbeaten run to 20 games and went ahead through Shkodran Mustafi and Alexandre Lacazette in each half only for United to respond almost instantly.

But Mourinho’s men remain eight points off the top four in eighth place after a fourth straight league game without a win.

Mourinho had opted to leave out-of-form big name stars Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku on his bench and when United conceded first, for the 11th time in 21 games this season, his supporters might have feared the worst.

Indeed, Arsenal’s opening goal featured that rarest of collector’s items, a mistake by United’s Spanish international goalkeeper David de Gea.

Chris Smalling slipped at Lucas Torreira’s 26th minute corner, allowing Mustafi the space to send a free header bouncing into the ground and goalwards.

It looked a routine save for United’s number one but he succeeded only in pushing the ball into the air, two-handed, over his own head and over the goalline, despite Ander Herrera’s desperation clearance.

Yet, as so often has been the case this season, United responded to going behind.

Rojo, playing for the first time this season after a long-term knee injury, unleashed a terrific shot which Bernd Leno kept out at the foot of his left-hand post.

Herrera responded quickly, although replays suggested he may have been fractionally offside, reaching the loose ball on the by-line and turning it into the six-yard area where Martial was able to convert.

That dramatic pattern would be repeated after 68 minutes when Arsenal regained a lead they could only hold, on this occasion, for 74 seconds.

Lacazette played a one-two with fellow substitute Henrikh Mkhitaryan and advanced into the area where Rojo tackled him from behind and succeeded only in turning the ball off the French international and into the net.

But there could be no faulting United’s response as Arsenal panicked at a long ball punted forward, almost directly from kick-off.

Lukaku caused uncertainty in the visitors’ area and as Sead Kolasinac tried to turn the ball back to his goalkeeper, he allowed Lingard to ghost in and complete a simple finish past Leno.

Error-strewn as it might have been, there could be no faulting the entertainment in the first Manchester United-Arsenal fixture since 1986 to take place without either Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger in one of the dug-outs.

De Gea made amends for his first-half error with two fine saves to deny in-form Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Mkhitaryan also wasting a good close-range chance in between.

Neither Mkhitaryan nor the injured Alexis Sanchez have shone since a January swap deal between the clubs, but only the offside flag denied the Armenian coming back to haunt United in stoppage time when he rifled home after another decent De Gea stop from Torreira.

Wolves also overturned an early deficit to inflict just Chelsea’s second defeat of the season in a 2-1 win at Molineux, allowing Tottenham to move back up to third with a comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton.

Chelsea and Arsenal are now tied on 31 points in fourth, still eight clear of United in eighth.

Given the relentless pace being set by City at the top of the table, Liverpool couldn’t afford any slip ups at Turf Moor despite Jurgen Klopp making seven changes with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino left on the bench and Sadio Mane missing through injury.

Their firepower was badly missed as Liverpool laboured in the first-half and went behind early in the second.

A huge error by £67 million ($75 million) goalkeeper Alisson Becker for Burnley’s shock opener when Jack Cork bundled home after the Brazilian fumbled in the wet conditions.

However, the visitors quickly rallied to stretch their unbeaten start to the league season to 15 games.

James Milner levelled just after the hour mark and then turned provider for Firmino to turn the game around just three minutes after coming on as a substitute before Xherdan Shaqiri sealed the three points late on.

“The character we showed after going behind, to come back in that fashion is what we expect from this team,” said Milner.

Arsenal stretched their unbeaten run to 20 games, but failed to take advantage of two gifts from the hosts as United’s winless run in the Premier League extended to four matches.

Amid an underperforming side this season, goalkeeper David de Gea has remained in almost impeccable form, but the Spaniard spilled Shkodran Mustafi’s header over the line to hand Arsenal the lead 26 minutes in.

Four minutes later the hosts levelled when Anthony Martial turned home Ander Herrera’s cross after Bernd Leno saved Marcos Rojo’s cross.

– Spurs go third –

Both second-half goals came in a crazy minute as firstly Rojo turned the ball off Alexandre Lacazette and into the United net in his attempts to make a last-ditch tackle.

“We scored four goals and drew 2-2! As always we made mistakes and we paid for the mistakes,” said United manager Jose Mourinho.

“Today was more the same, but with great spirit and people ready to have a go and fight hard, it was a credit to the team.”

Arsenal were barely done celebrating when the ball was in the net at the other end as a misunderstanding between Sead Kolasinac and Leno allowed Jesse Lingard to nip in and equalise.

De Gea redeemed himself with two fine saves from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also had a late Arsenal goal ruled out for offside.

Wolves registered their first win in seven games despite going behind to Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s 18th minute opener for Chelsea.

“We played very well for 55 minutes and then suddenly we were another team,” bemoaned Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.

Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota struck in a four-minute spell either side of the hour mark.

“This doesn’t mean all the problems are solved. It means we have to maintain these standards,” said Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Spurs took advantage of Chelsea and Arsenal dropping points to move back up to third with a comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton, whose new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl watched on from the stands at Wembley.

Harry Kane turned home Christian Eriksen’s cross to give Tottenham a half-time lead before Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min scored twice in four minutes after the break to bounce back from a painful North London derby defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

Fulham edged to within a point of safety despite blowing the lead in a 1-1 draw with Leicester.

Honours were also even in a 1-1 draw between Everton and Newcastle as Richarlison cancelled out Salomon Rondon’s opener.

Thailand and Malaysia completed their first leg of the semi-final at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last Saturday with a 0-0 draw. The Kingdom therefore must beat the visitors only in order to advance to the finals but that didn’t happen.

The host struck the first blood due to an own goal by Irfan Zakaria in the 21^st minute before Sayahmi Safari found an equalizer seven minutes later.

Thailand surged ahead in the 63^rd minute through a header from Pansa Hemviboon before Norshahruk Idlan Talaha levelled the tie with a beautiful kick in the 71^st minute.

During the injury time Adisak Kraisorn could have turned the tide for Thailand with a penalty kick from the 12 yard but his shot unbelievably flew over the horizontal bars.

The 24-year old martial arts icon will be stepping into the One Super Series ring for a third time at One: Destiny of Champions on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia against England’s Liam “Hitman” Harrison.

The two-division Lumpinee Stadium world champion will get the chance to bounce back from his loss to Alaverdi “Dagger” Ramazanov back in October.

More than just getting wins inside the ring, Petchmorrakot is happy that he is able to display the full beauty of “The Art of Eight Limbs” to a bigger global audience, thanks to the One Super Series.

“This is a chance for me to showcase my skills to the world, and to show fans the beauty of Muay Thai,” Petchmorrakot said.

Moreover, it gives the Thai star a brand new challenge to chase.

A veteran of nearly 200 professional Muay Thai bouts, there’s very little left for Petchmorrakot to prove.

“You can say that I’ve done it all in the sport but it’s not yet over for me. I am still grinding every day,” he said.

In the One Super Series arena however, Petchmorrakot finds himself motivated to chase the most prestigious prize in the game: the One World Championship.

“One Super Series is the right path for me and my professional career. The desire to compete, it’s still in me,” he said.

Immediately, Petchmorrakot made a splash in his promotional debut, defeating Fabrice Fairtex Delannon via second-round TKO at One: Pinnacle of Power in Macau.

While he was not able to translate his momentum into a win over Ramazanov in Bangkok at One: Kingdom of Heroes in Bangkok, he gets the opportunity to get back on track against Harrison, an English newcomer with an impressive resume of his own.

“I am glad that I was able to make a One Super Series debut earlier this year, because it has already given me the feel of what the future holds. It’s a great opportunity for every practitioner of Muay Thai,” Petchmorrakot concluded.

Milovan Rajevac and Chatchai Budprom 

The 31-year-old Bangkok Glass player warned the visitors they would get a taste of their own medicine after the War Eelephants had to cope with huge pressure from more than 80,000 fans in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, when the first leg game ended goalless.

“Malaysia played so well and made it tough for us, which was not a surprise as they played at home,” said Chatchai. “But it will be different tomorrow. I’m sure they have known that what they will have to deal with from the moment they touched down. Different place and different people will make them realise the support here is only for us.”

Chatchai therefore urged the Thai fans to show up in as big numbers as possible to intimidate the neighbours and stand by his side no matter what.

“We have been working so hard and are willing to give it a fight out there,” he added. “I hope to see huge support for us, even in the bad times.

“I wish Malaysia a pleasant sleep because when they wake up there will be a nightmare on Wednesday. I can guarantee that.”

Meanwhile national coach Milovan Rajevac said he was ready to play however long it takes to reach Thailand’s fourth successive final since 2012.

“Even if there is extra time or a [penalty] shoot-out, our target is to win. What happened at Bukit Jalil will motivate our players to maximise their efforts and score goals at home,” said Rajevac, whose side is chasing a hat-trick of Suzuki Cup crowns and has won it five times, in 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2014-16.

Malaysian manager Tam Cheng Hoe hopes his players will maintain the momentum they created in last week’s home leg and go for goals to send the defending champions out of tournament.

“We are aware how tough Thailand are at home but if we are determined and feel confident we can stop Thailand and bring home a good result,” said Hoe.

The game kicks off at 7pm and will be shown live on Channel 7.

The 10-time Tour champion is one of the three Thais to triumph on the LPGA tour this year: the others are older sister Moriya (at the LA Open in April) and Thidapa Suwannapura (at the Marathon Classic in Ohio in July).

With another big contingent due to be involved in the upcoming season, Ariya is brimming with confidence that one of her compatriots will finally become a first-time tour winner in 2019.

“I believe there will be a new Thai champion next year,” said Ariya on Tuesday. “All of the 11 players on the tour are capable of winning.”

One of her tips to win is Pornanong Phatlum, the “Big Sister” of the Thais on the LPGA, who turned 29 on Tuesday. Pornanong became an LPGA member in 2009, making her Thailand’s longest-standing LPGA tour player, but she is still to claim her maiden title.

She has come close to winning several times, the latest being the British Open in August, when she blew her chance by carding a double bogey on the penultimate hole.

“Pornanong is talented, hard-working and is willing to do every thing that will pave her way to a maiden title,” Ariya said.

“I think it also depends on timing. Sometimes things just don’t come our way when we’d like them to. But I know one day her time will come. I believe that she is good enough to become an LPGA champion anytime.”

Ariya says the other Thais need to remain focused on their goals if they hope to emulate the success enjoyed so far by herself, Moriya and Thidapa.

“If they set their goal and stick to it to become an LPGA champion, they will find a way. Commitment to your goals can grow ever bigger and continuously. They just have to keep working and never give up,” she added.

The in-demand Ariya is spending her off-season at home, where she is busy with various activities.

Nevertheless she will soon return to the practice range and believes with the right attitude she can have an even better year in 2019, even bettering this year, when she scooped all the major LPGA awards.

“I still have room to improve. At least I have to think more positive and have better self-talk to cheer myself up on course,” she said.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat took part in the reward presentation ceremony attended by a whole host of key sportsmen and sportswomen as well as representatives from sports bodies and coaches.

An Asian Games gold medalist received Bt2 million while a silver medalist and a bronze medalist earned Bt1 million and Bt500,000 respectively. The same reward patterns were applied to Youth Olympic medalists.

For Asian Para Games, a gold medalist, a silver medalist and a bronze medalist took Bt1 million, Bt500,000 and Bt250,000 respectively.

Thailand won 11 golds, 16 silvers and 46 bronzes from the 18^th Asiad in Jakarta held in August. The country also won 23 golds, 33 silvers and 50 bronzes from Asian Para Games staged in Indonesia in October.

Thai teenagers won five golds, five silvers and two bronzes from Youth Olympic Games in Argentina in October.

    Averof Panteli — a 57-year-old grandfather — will face a charge of throwing a missile after police judged it not to be a racially aggravated offence.

Panteli — who says he will plead guilty to the charge when he is in court on December 18 — has also been informed by Tottenham he will be banned from their games for life.

“The police were happy to say it was not racism,” he told The Sun.

    “I phoned Tottenham to apologise and they said they would be getting in touch with me to ban me for life.”

Panteli, who says his only previous brush with the authorities was when he ran onto the Spurs pitch aged 14 and was ejected from the stadium, said he had been irked by Aubameyang celebrating in front of the Tottenham fans.

The Gabonese star’s spot-kick gave Arsenal an early lead and the Gunners eventually ran out 4-2 winners.

“I am not racist whatsoever,” said Panteli.

“I am actually a Greek Cypriot. I am 100 percent not a racist. I swear on my kids’ lives that I am not that kind of guy.

“The Arsenal player was gloating in front of the away fans. He came up towards the away fans about 10 metres away and he is basically nodding his head and clapping at us.

“Without thinking, I picked up this banana skin from the ground and threw it on the edge of the pitch.

“I didn’t throw it at the players. It was just on the edge of the pitch.

“I am not condoning what I did and I regret it already.”

    The awards co-host in Paris provoked a torrent of complaints about sexism with his question about the sexually suggestive dance, which received a blunt “No” from the unamused Norwegian striker.

The incident was a major talking point despite Hegerberg’s achievement in becoming the first winner of the women’s Ballon D’Or, an award which has been handed to male footballers since 1956.

Solveig, a musician and radio host, apologised in person to Hegerberg and said he was “astonished” at the reaction.

    “Guys I’m a little bit amazed, astonished by what I’m reading on the internet,” he said in a video posted on Twitter.

“Of course I didn’t want to offend anyone. This was from a distortion of my English level and my English culture level which is obviously not (high) enough.

“This was a joke, probably a bad one and I want to apologise for the one I may have offended,” Solveig added.

Hegerberg, 23, whose goals propelled Lyon to a record fifth Champions League title and their 12th consecutive domestic crown, played down the controversy and said it hadn’t marred her evening.

“I didn’t feel it was like that at all to be honest and I am sad if people thought about the situation like that,” Hegerberg said after the show.

She added: “He came to see me after and apologised. The Ballon d’Or is the most important thing.”

Before the ceremony, Hegerberg told The Guardian that she found it “really frustrating” that sport remains “such a man’s world”.

“Sometimes it’s really frustrating, I must say. Sometimes you have episodes or situations where you feel like, damn, we’re in such a man’s world,” she said in an interview.

“But at the same time I’ve never looked at myself different from men’s football. I’ve always felt the same — I work hard to try to achieve my dreams, like every other girl out there.”