The Engleson Files

Ah yes, the serenity of the Ko Phi Phi Bocce Club; located on Tohko Beach (east side of Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand) you will find the remnants of the original playing field for this grand game. Yes, for eleven illustrious days in February this site was the stage for some of the greatest drama ever recorded in the annals of bocce. The players: Adrian Conradi versus Craig Engleson. The equipment: fallen coconut shells. The competition: as fierce as the day is long. The first stage saw Conradi easily sweep Engleson in the first two games (games to 11) to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. “Engleson’s time has come to an end,” scoffed an over confident Conradi at the post-game press conference. Deflated but not broken, Engleson walked the beach for hours in a sleepless night desperately searching for his infamous bocce fortitude. Then, the next day the tides turned and Engleson found his magic touch! One game after another Engleson reeled in Conradi with ease and tied the series 2-2, and then put the final nail in the coffin in the fifth and deciding game with an 11-7 victory - it was Conradi’s time that was over. On that glorious day Craig Engleson achieved what no other player in the history of the Ko Phi Phi Bocce Club has ever been able to do, fight back from a 2-0 deficite to win a series. An absolutely brilliant performance indeed from the undisputed champion!

Oh, and yes…Conradi won another game that both players dubbed the “King of the Beach”, but nothing really exciting happened in that game.