AWOL 2014 Issue 307 28th November | Page 17

Advertise here from only 40 baht per week to hull and back Mags Meanderings: From Som Tam To Mushy Peas one of the boys Women have been taking part in sports at a professional level since the early 1930’s. Although limited at first to events such as tennis, gymnastics, archery, skiing and skating, by the second half of the 1900’s it was clear that women could in fact manage most of the sports traditionally seen as male domains. And now of course people don’t bat an eyelid at women footballers, boxers or jockeys. Along with that levelling of the playing fields, it would be reasonable to expect an increase in female sports ‘pundits’ - commentators and experts - but with a few notable exceptions that doesn’t seem to be the case. Certainly not in the UK anyway. Yes we have Michaela Tabb, the first woman ever to referee a professional ranking snooker tournament which, in 2002, happened to be a match between Thailands’ own James Wattana and Ken Doherty. (Which Doherty won 5 frames to 2.) Then there is Clare Balding, born