Matt K's Comments, Thoughts and Musings

Carr-Miller the champion at the SEAA Indoors

2011-01-16T04:25:00.001-08:00

Croydon Advertiser report

Peter Chambers excels at the Surrey XC Champs

2011-01-16T04:23:00.001-08:00

Croydon Guardian report

Croydon Advertiser report

Pick of the Net - 12th November

2010-11-13T03:40:00.000-08:00

http://bit.ly/d1zKH2

Surrey Combined Events, Horsham, 11th-12th September

2010-09-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hyperlink to article

Southern Women's League - Exeter, 4th September

2010-09-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

Hyperlink to article

2010 NATYAL Southern Area Final

2010-09-14T05:45:00.001-07:00

Filmed and edited by Matthew Kiernan

Harriers Vets finish 3rd overall in 2010 SCVAC league

2010-07-15T02:13:00.000-07:00

Harriers Vets finish 3rd overall in 2010 SCVAC league

Croydon Harriers qualify for Rosneheim League Final

2010-07-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

For the full story click here

Joscelynn and Twinelle Hopeson on form in Hillingdon

2010-06-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

SWTFL and SML match at Hillingdon.

26/th June 2010.

Full report HERE

Matt the Stat - World Cup (Group A, 1st game)

2010-06-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mexico
Rafael Marquez's equaliser against South Africa was his 11th goal on the international stage. It was also his 91st cap for Mexico, ranking him 9th on the all-time list for his country.

The result is only the second time Mexico have drawn their opening World Cup encounter in their long history, the last time coming in 1970 on home soil where they went onto reach the last eight.

South Africa
Siphiwe Tshabalala meanwhile notched up his 6th international goal, and will make his 50th appearance for South Africa in the next game of the tournament against Uruguay.
The hosts also opened up with a draw in South Korea in 2002, sharing four goals with Paraguay. They narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout stages on that occassion due to goal difference.

France
Shouldn't be too downhearted with a draw to open proceedings. They drew 0-0 with Switzerland in a similarly under-par encounter, but eventually found their feet to make all the way to the final.

Uruguay
As a nation, Uruguay hasn't won a world cup game in their last five attempts, having gone out to Italy in Italia 90' and failing to break their duck in 2002.

World Cup 2010 - Group H preview

2010-06-08T07:39:00.001-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=858

World Cup 2010 - Group E Preview

2010-06-01T08:50:00.001-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=803

2010 Virgin London Marathon - My journey, mile by mile

2010-05-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=568

Croydon Harriers at the Virgin London Mini-Marathon

2010-05-08T06:09:00.001-07:00

Edited by Martin Rowe

Croydon Harriers battle in opening Southern Men's League fixture

2010-05-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/sport/athletics/8135460.Sprinters_lead_the_way_for_Croydon

Filmed by Graham Fanner, edited by Martin Rowe

2010 Virgin London Marathon blog #4

2010-04-22T00:29:00.001-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=498

Temi Ladega makes history

2010-04-22T00:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/sport/athletics/8109549.Croydon_Harrier_Temi_makes_history/

South London Athletic Network open meeting - report

2010-04-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.croydonharriers.com/Fixtures%20and%20Results/?event=119

Carshalton Athletic v Billericay Town, 3rd April, PREVIEW

2010-04-01T05:20:00.001-07:00

Carshalton Athletic will hope to immediately bounce back from a disappointing loss to Margate this past Tuesday, when they host struggling Billericay Town on Saturday.
The Robins are now two points adrift from safety, but should feel confident against the Essex based outfit who parted ways with manager Brian Statham earlier this week.

When these sides last met back in November, Carshalton came out runaway winners in a resounding 4-0 victory.

Billericay Town – The Form Book
With Billericay Town just three points above the relegation zone with seven games of the campaign remaining, the club parted ways with manager Brian Statham this past Tuesday.

But in fairness to Statham, his side had been showing promising signs of recovery as the season reaches its climax.

Having spent the majority of the season in the lower regions of the Ryman Premier, Billericay enjoyed a successful March with a hat-trick of impressive wins over leaders Dartford, and mid-table Hendon and Horsham.

It is the draws however which have proven to be the sticking point with Billericay fans, with the sides lack of firepower really coming to the fore in the recent stalemates against Wealdstone, Canvey Island and Cray Wanderers.

The outgoing Brian Statham on Billericay Town
"I felt we were at last slowly turning everything round and whilst the results over the season have not been up to expectations I genuinely believe we were at last on the right road," he told thisistotalessex.co.uk.

"I knew it would be a long rebuilding job with the first team squad and for me it was a long term commitment and I felt we were getting there. I think defensively we have done that and had the Hadrian's Wall in place and the goals conceded, reflects that. The biggest problem has been in attack and finding a pair of goalscorers who will regularly find the net and get you 35 goals a season between them.” he added.

Ian Hazel – Margate, post match
Carshalton caretaker boss Ian Hazel has urged the Robins to move on and look ahead, after his sides 2-1 defeat to Margate on Tuesday evening.

“We do not have time to sulk or be too hard on ourselves. We have to brush ourselves down and get on with it,” Hazel told the Surrey Comet.

“Yes it was a blow but we have some big games coming up and we still have a good chance of staying up. We have to get back into training on Thursday night, stay positive and focus on what is ahead of us,” he added.

Billericay Town - Players to Watch
Billy Bricknell has netted on twelve occasions this campaign and has attracted interest from a number of League Two clubs as a result.

Ashlee Jones is a recent addition to the Billericay squad, and possesses league experience between the sticks for Darlington.
Harrison Chatting is a promising left sided midfielder who is a youth product of Billericay. He is particularly dangerous from set-pieces.
Ex-Robin Jamie England is another new addition to the Billericay set-up, making his debut in the 1-1 draw against Cray Wanderers.

The Stats
Carshalton Athletic
Carshalton are two points adrift of safety, but hold a game in hand over Margate who sit just above the drop zone.

Are ranked in 14th in the Ryman Premier in terms of their performances at home.

Average 334 fans per game when hosting - a figure which ranks them 9th in the league.

Billericay Town
Do not enjoy a great deal of success when travelling, with five wins away from home this campaign.

Their impact up-front is amongst the weakest in the league, having scored only 36 goals all season.

On the defensive side of things though, things couldn’t be more different, as they currently possess the best defence in the entire division based on goals conceded.

Harriers masterful at BMAF Indoor Champs

2010-03-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

http://croydonharriers.com/News/77/Harriers-masterful-at-the-National-Indoors.htm

Teen Plackett wins Banstead Woods Parkrun

2010-03-30T07:36:00.001-07:00

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/sport/headlinesport/5546765.Teen_Plackett_wins_Banstead_Woods_Parkrun/

Carshalton Athletic v Margate PREVIEW, 30th March

2010-03-29T05:03:00.000-07:00

Carshalton Athletic will look to make it two wins out of two, when they host Margate this Tuesday evening, in what is a real relegation six pointer.

The Robins are now just one point from safety with a game in hand and will know there is all to play for with Maidstone in a similar relegation battle against Bognor Regis Town on the same evening.

Margate are definitely not to be underestimated however, with The Gate currently enjoying a six-match unbeaten run in the league.

Margate - The Form Book

Despite being in the relegation zone for much of the season, Margate have begun to hit their stride in recent times, since Iain O'Connell has been at the helm.

Currently on a six-match unbeaten run, Margate will undoubtedly be encouraged by their 1-0 win over runaway league leaders Dartford last Tuesday, although perhaps disappointed they could only manage a 1-1 draw when they took on Boreham Wood on Saturday.

Margate went ahead against the playoff challengers thanks to a close range strike from in-form Leroy Huggins, although conceded an equaliser five minutes shy of half-time.

And manager Iain O'Connell revealed that the squad was dejected at the result.

"We took our foot off the pedal, let them back into the game and conceded a goal just before half-time which was very disappointing," he told Gate Radio.

"But I think that when you look at the game on the whole, a draw is probably a fair result. Although when I got back in the changing room afterwards the players were very disappointed and I think that shows how far we're come."

Ian Hazel on new signing Bryon Harrison

"Byron has been thrown in at the deep end a bit and I still think there is more to come from him. He seems to be finding his feet and getting better with each game, and I am hoping that that first goal will really see him kick on," Hazel told the Surrey Comet.

Margate - Players to Watch

Leroy Huggins has enjoyed a good run of form of late, with the forward netting four goals in his last six games.

Sam Jones has developed quite the reputation on the wing for Margate since he signed from Ramsgate in February. He is dangerous on either flank.

James Pinnock is enjoying his third spell with Margate, and netted the winner against Dartford upon his recent to return to first team action.

Grant Cooper has league football experience with Wimbledon and has been an excellent addition to Margate's defence since joining in February.

Jay Saunders is a dynamic midfielder who has notched up over 250 club appearances for Margate during his career. He was Iain O'Connell's first signing last month.

The Stats

Carshalton Athletic

Unbeaten in two matches, the Robins will now play five of their remaining eight games at Colston Avenue.

Normally come away with something while at home, with six wins and four draws out of their 16 games at Colston Avenue.

Average 331 fans per game when hosting - a figure which ranks them 9th in the league.

Margate

Have a reasonable away record, with six wins on their travels this campaign.

Their impact up-front is quite weak however, averaging only just above a goal per game.

Lloyd Blackman is the 9th highest goal-scorer within the Ryman Premier, with 13 goals. The same number as Bryon Harrison, and two more than Richard Jolly.

For more information visit www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk

Mark Plackett storms to Parkrun win

2010-03-28T03:49:00.002-07:00

http://croydonharriers.com/News/76/Plackett-storms-to-Parkrun-victory.htm

Ken Crooke is the new Surrey Athletics Association President

2010-03-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

http://croydonharriers.com/News/75/Ken-Crooke-named-new-Surrey-President.htm

Virgin London Marathon blog #3

2010-03-28T03:47:00.001-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=341

Hendon v Carshalton Athletic PREVIEW

2010-03-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

Carshalton Athletic will be looking to give their Ryman Premier survival hopes a shot in the arm come Thursday evening, when they travel to Hendon.

And the Robins certainly stand a good chance of doing so when they line up at Vale Farm, with the clash being the Greens third game in six days.

There will certainly be all to play for, with Carshaltons 1-1 draw away to Margate, with Ian Hazels side four points adrift of safety and now only two points separating the four sides in the drop zone.

Hendon – Post 0-0 on the 13th March
After their goalless draw with Carshalton just over a fortnight ago, Hendon have struggled for form in the three matches they have encountered since.

Despite a precious three points secured at the hands of Canvey Island in their 2-1 victory, they have also exited the London Senior Cup to lower league Brimsdown Rovers and were comfortably beaten by relegation threatened Waltham Abbey.

They did however pick up another vital win on Tuesday evening, defeating bottom of the table Bognor Regis Town 2-0.

Hendon manager Gary McCann meanwhile was disappointed in his sides performance at Colston Avenue: "It was as frustrating as it was on Tuesday (against Billericay)," he told the Hendon Times, "and it felt like a defeat. We lacked a cutting edge, guile, imagination and width today."

"I thought the sending off (of Karl Murray) was very harsh and it galvanized them. I told the players to try shooting a bit more, which we did in the first half, but in the second half we were again trying to score the perfect goal," he added.

Carshalton meanwhile will hope to replicate some of the tenacity they showed when they were reduced to ten men when these two sides last clashed. A win will also edge them closer to struggling Maidstone United, who have only won one game in their last six.

Hendon - Players to watch
Scott Cousins will be familiar with Carshalton Athletic fans, having the spent the 2008/9 season with the Robins. The left sided midfielder has enjoyed a solid run with the Greens since he departed at the start of the season.

Dave Diedhiou has just completed his 50th club appearance for Hendon. The 21-year-old defensive midfielder continues to improve, since signing for the Greens in 2008.

Lubomir Guentchev is a well travelled attacking midfielder who has also enjoyed spells with Ipswich Town and FC Union Berlin.

Jamie Busby is a club favourite at Hendon, and has racked up over 150 appearances for them. The 23-year-old is an extremely energetic midfielder.

The Statistics

Hendon
Their home record is relatively poor, ranked 16th in the league, although only 14 games have been possible at Vale Farm all season.
Possess the 8th strongest defence in the league, in terms of goals conceded throughout the season.
Have one of the lowest attendance records in the entire division, with just 176 fans attending each game on average

Carshalton Athletic
Only have two wins away from home this season.
Although their home record is much better by comparison, with six wins, four draws and six losses, ranking them in 14th in the league.
Have gone five games without a win in the league.

Preview: Margate v Carshalton Athletic, 20th March

2010-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Carshalton Athletic face their most crucial game to date this Saturday, as their Ryman Premier survival battle steps up a gear when they travel to Margate.

With just three points separating the four clubs in the drop zone, Carshalton will need to draw on all their resources to garner the desired three points they so desperately need.

And with Margate also struggling and just ten games of the season remaining, there will be all to play for when the Robins line up at Hartsdown Park.

Margate - The Form Book
Placed in 21st and two points behind the Robins, Margate have endured a dismal campaign for much of this season.

With one of the worst defenses in the league, conceding nearly two goals a game on average, the Gate have struggled for consistency.

But since Ian O'Connell took over the managerial reigns in March, things have started to look more positive for Margate who are currently on a run of three games unbeaten.

They have picked up wins against Tooting & Mitcham and Billericay Town of late and most recently enjoyed a tenacious draw against high flying Sutton United.

"And Margate Manager Ian O'Connell is understandably impressed with his teams recent run of form.
One thing I believe in as a manager is continuity and I think that comes from playing under Chris Kinnear", he told www.thisiskenttoday.co.uk.

"Some managers like to rotate their team. We have not got the squad to do that anyway but I believe in keeping a winning side," he added.

Margate - Players to Watch
Leroy Huggins is the in form player for Margate at the moment, with the forward scoring three goals in his last three games.

Jamie Turner is a vastly experienced goalkeeper, who is a recent signing for the Gate. Has made over 100 Conference South appearances for Tonbridge Angels between 2005 to 2008.

Lloyd Blackman is a dangerous centre-forward who has scored 13 goals so far this campaign. Formerly of Brentford before injury forced him out of the professional game.

Aaron Lacy is a right sided defender who is particularly dangerous from long throws. The 29 year-old spent six years with Maidstone United.

Wayne Wilson made his debut for Margate against the Robins in 2008, and is prolific with his long range efforts. The 21 year-old midfielder played all but twice last season.

The Stats
Margate
Have one of the worst home records in the Ryman Premier, with just three victories from a possible 17.
Also have one of the worst defences in the league, having conceded 61 goals in total this campaign.
Lloyd Blackman is the 8th highest goal-scorer within the division.

Carshalton Athletic
The Robins will hope to replicate the form they showed in the three solid away draws they secured against Worcester City, Dartford and AFC Hornchurch, back in January.
But they have only won two games away from home all season.
And they are without a win in their past eleven away league fixtures.

For more information visit - www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk

London Marathon countdown - blog 2

2010-03-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=269

London Marathon countdown - blog 1

2010-03-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/?p=84

Dartford FC Vs Carshalton Athletic preview

2010-01-21T05:53:00.000-08:00

Dartford FC Preview
After an embattled performance in the FA Trophy, Carshalton will need to draw on all their resources come Saturday when they face they toughest opposition to date, in the form of runaway league leaders Dartford.

With a solid 1-1 draw against Blue Square South’s Worcester City still fresh in their memories, the Robins will be confident of providing another good account of themselves.

Dartford though will undoubtedly be imperious opponents, as they currently lie eleven points clear at the top of the table, with four games in hand over their nearest rivals.

Dartford’s Form
Dartford’s campaign has gone flawlessly thus far, dominating the league and having only lost one game all season.

Tony Burnham’s side haven’t played since the 2nd January, where they enjoyed a hard-fought 2-1 away win at relegation threatened Cray Wanderers.

Despite taking a two goal lead, thanks to first half strikes from Lee Burns and James White, the Darts were forced onto the back foot for much of the second half, although eventually held on.

Averaging just under three goals a game and with a staggering goal difference of +41, it becomes abundantly clear why Dartford have been top of the division since the season began.

Robins fans can take some solace though from Dartford’s only league loss this season, which came at the hands of AFC Hornchurch, a side who Carshalton downed 1-0 in October.

Dartford – Players to watch

Rob Howarth – Journeyman forward and formerly of Carshalton having spent a brief spell with the Robins in 2007. He has nine goals so far this campaign.

Elliot Bradbrook – An attacking midfielder who is tipped to make his highly anticipated return after suffering from an ankle injury.

Andy Young – A useful goalkeeper, formerly of Blue Square South’s Bishops Stortford and has been in commanding form of late.

Adam Gross – A solid left-back and a former youth international for Wales.

The Stats

Dartford
Ø Have the best home record in the league, with seven wins from a possible eleven.
Ø Undoubtedly have the best home attendances within the division, with an average of over a thousand people a game.
Ø Currently enjoy a 100% record away from home, with nine wins out of nine.

Carshalton Athletic
Ø Haven’t won a league game in six outings.
Ø The Robins have also only won once on their travels in their past six away games in the league.
Ø Lost 4-0 to Dartford when the two sides last met in September.

The Key battles

Dartford possesses a formidable line-up, with the most successful attacking frontline in the division.

On Saturday though, the Darts will be without key striker Lee Burns, who begins a three match suspension.

The fact that he’s also the second highest scorer in the league, the news will no doubt come as a relief for the likes of Rob Watkins and Justyn Roberts who will already be in store for a tough afternoon.

With Burns suspended, Carshalton’s backline will be focussed even more on former Robins’ striker Rob Howarth, who comes face to face with his former side.

Dartford will also be without attacking midfielder Lee Noble, who is serving a one match ban.

Wimbledon Inter-Club XC race - 16th January

2010-01-18T02:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/sport/4856239.Harriers_take_fourth_in_Wimbledon/

Re-print: Whatever happened to British wrestling?

2010-01-15T02:37:00.001-08:00

http://www.thetalkofsport.com/kiernan22.html

Croydon Harriers promotion all but sealed

2010-01-14T05:51:00.001-08:00

http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/athletics/Croydon-Harriers-impress-Lloyd-Park/article-1620943-detail/article.html

Match Preview: Carshalton Athletic Vs Sutton United 02/01/10

2010-01-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

Carshalton Athletic will be looking to get 2010 off to the best possible start, when they host local rivals Sutton United at Colston Avenue.

The two sides are still fresh from their Boxing Day clash at the Borough Sports Ground and the Robins will hope to avenge the 3-0 defeat they suffered.

Charlie Taylor’s brace and a penalty from Steve Watts was enough for the U’s, and Carshalton will seek to produce sterner resistance this time round.

Sutton United Vs Carshalton Athletic– post Boxing Day
Sutton’s win over the Robins elevated them to 6th in the league, just one place outside the playoff berths.

Paul Doswell’s side largely dominated the Boxing Day encounter but he’s since warned against complacency for Saturday’s reverse fixture.

“I know how important it is for the supporters and it gives them the first part of the bragging rights over Christmas, but Carshalton will be looking to get their own back next Saturday so the supporters shouldn’t get over excited,’’ said Doswell.

Veteran striker Steve Watts, who has made over 100 football league appearances, is also expecting a Carshalton fight-back.

“The local derbies can be passionate games and I am sure Carshalton will come out firing. We have to be up for it and expecting a tough game,” said the former Leyton Orient striker.

Meanwhile, Sutton’s Charlie Taylor and Alan Pouton will face late fitness tests for Saturday after the two picked up knocks on Boxing Day.

Sutton United – Players to watch

Kevin Scriven – An experienced goalkeeper who has kept five clean sheets in the league this season.

Danny Phillips – An attacking midfielder, formerly of Blue Square Premier’s Weymouth.

Sam Gargan – Sutton United’s leading goalscorer, and has netted on no less than eight occasions this campaign.

Matt Hann – A dynamic right winger, who represented Great Britain in the 2005 World Student Games.

The Stats

Carshalton Athletic
Ø Haven’t won in the league since November.
Ø The Robins have won two out of their last six home games.
Ø Will still be without leading goalscorer Richard Jolly, who is on holiday.

Sutton United
Ø Set the 2nd highest attendance figure in the league on Boxing Day, when 1,027 fans witnessed the clash against Carshalton.
Ø They have the 7th best away record in the league, with five wins out of nine.
Ø The U’s also have the third best defensive in the division, based on goals conceded.

The Key Battles

Carshalton’s Joe Dolan and David Woozley will again come face to face with the man who breached the Robin’s defence twice on Boxing Day, in the form of Charlie Taylor.

The former Grays striker has been prolific since his arrival in the autumn, and will be the main threat once again when the U’s visit Colston Avenue.

Sutton’s Steve Watts will be the one to watch in midfield, and no doubt the likes of Carshalton’s Barry Stevens and Karl Murray will look to close him down.

Meanwhile Carshalton’s new signing Kenny Beaney, who had been on loan from Sutton before signing permanently this week, is expected to start against his old club.

Sutton United Vs Carshalton Athletic PREVIEW

2009-12-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

Carshalton Athletic and Sutton United will continue their fierce rivalry come Boxing Day, when the Robins make the short trip to the Borough Sports ground.

A gripping spectacle is always guaranteed whenever the local rivals meet, often attracting some of the biggest crowds in the Ryman League.

And there'll be all to play for, with only four points separating the two sides and with Carshalton looking to follow up their 5-0 demolition of Northwood in the FA Trophy.

Sutton Utd - Form
Sutton currently find themselves placed just outside the playoff berths in 9th, having endured an inconsistent campaign thus far.

Most recently, the Us enjoyed a 1-0 win in the Surrey Senior Cup away to league counterparts Tooting & Mitcham, thanks to a goal from autumn signing Charlie Taylor.

In a game which the Us largely dominated, Paul Doswells team would have been disappointed they didnt score more, having essentially played a 4-2-4 formation and with Tooting down to ten men in the 2nd half.

Sutton's most recent league result, was a dogged 1-1 draw to highflying Kingstonian, albeit following two straight defeats at the hands of Tooting and Hornchurch.

Arguably Sutton's high point of the season so far, has come in the FA Cup, where they tenaciously fought their way to the 1st round proper, before succumbing to Hereford United 2-0.

Carshalton meanwhile, have gone four games without a league win, but a convincing win over Northwood in the FA Trophy would have helped boost morale.

Sutton Utd - Players to watch
Kevin Scriven - An experienced goalkeeper who was a part of the Havant & Waterlooville team that played at Anfield in the FA Cup last year.

Sam Gargan - Sutton United's leading goalscorer, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Matt Hann - A dynamic right winger, who has football league experience with Peterborough United.

Steve Watts - An experienced striker, who has made over 100 football league appearances. Currently making his way back to full fitness.

The Stats
Carshalton Athletic
-Haven't won in the league since November.
-The Robins have also only won once on their travels in their past six away games.
-Will host Sutton United for the return fixture to Colston Avenue, just eight days after this encounter.

Sutton United
-Have the 2nd highest average home attendance record in the league, behind Dartford, of 560.
- But they've only picked up one win in their past six home matches.
- They have the fourth best defence in the division, based on goals conceded.

The Key Battles
If there is one glaring weakness of Sutton United then it is their lack of firepower up front. So much so, that Sutton boss Paul Doswell admits this: "Talking to the supporters after the game I think they realise that were playing some decent football but that the results have been frustrating. And rather like last season I think if we had a Bobby Traynor or a Richard Jolly, someone to guarantee you twenty goals a season, then we'd be fine," he said after their 1-0 win over Tooting.

Stirker Charlie Taylor was signed from Grays in a bid to cure Sutton's goal scoring troubles and itll be interesting to see how he copes against the likes of Carshalton's Joe Dolan and David Ray.

Meanwhile for the Robins, Richard Jolly and Craig Faulconbridge will be hoping their partnership continues to flourish, having netted 22 goals between them so far this campaign.

Match Preview: Carshalton Athletic Vs Northwood

2009-12-09T14:09:00.001-08:00

FA Trophy 1st Round preview for the match taking place at Colston Avenue on Saturday 12th December:

http://www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk/cafc09/firstteam_news.asp

Impressive start for Plackett

2009-12-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

Latest Croydon Harriers report:

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/sport/athletics/4780270.Impressive_start_for_Plackett/

Patrick Lucas shines at Roundshaw

2009-11-30T01:24:00.001-08:00

http://www.epsomguardian.co.uk/sport/4766873.Lucas_impresses_at_Roundshaw/

East Surrey XC Race

2009-11-08T03:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/sport/athletics/4717013.Chambers_wins_league_opener/

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/sport/athletics/4717032.Buchanan_leads_Harriers_home/

The Death of Polaroid - CNN Video

2009-11-01T01:50:00.000-07:00

During my six week placement with CNN this autumn, I played a crucial role in helping to compile a number of packages that were aired on the network.

This story "The death of Polaroid" is a piece by business correspondent Jim Boulden. My contributions included - researching the piece, helping on the shoot and securing the interview of the polaroid user.

It aired on Quest Means Business:

http://myprops.org/content/The-death-of-Polaroid-film/

Ask Emmanuel Adebayor your questions!

2009-10-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Want to know why Emmanuel Adebayor left Arsenal to go to Manchester City? Want to know what he really thinks of Arsene Wenger? And what was behind his provacative celebration at the City of Manchester stadium earlier this season?

Well now is your chance to find out! Send your questions to Emmanuel Adebayor now, as part of CNN International's renowned sports coverage.

Click on the link below:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/football/10/20/football.ask.emmanuel.adebayor/index.html

Whatever happened to British Wrestling?

2009-10-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

This year celebrates the 25th anniversary of World Wrestling Entertainment’s global phenomenon of Wrestlemania; but from the 1950’s right through to the 80’s, even this American heavyweight couldn’t compete with the wrestling Britain had to offer. Matthew Kiernan looks at the rise and fall of British wrestling.

It’s a Saturday afternoon in 1981 and on ITV’s World of Sport Big Daddy is about to grapple with his arch-nemesis Giant Haystacks. All the family, including the grandparents, are gathered around the TV to witness the ensuing spectacle with millions of others across the UK. What they saw was a true clash of the titans and one where Big Daddy would claim a famous victory.

It was this weekly battle of good and evil that captivated a nation for over thirty years. For families and the working man, this was the staple diet of television viewing. Placed in the schedules at 4pm every Saturday, in order to fill time prior to the football final scores, it quickly became a British institution.

While the BBC broadcast rugby and football on Grandstand, ITV fought back with World of Sport a quirky sports programme showcasing all the disciplines, including wrestling that the BBC didn’t want to show. The results were staggering. Ever since its regular weekly television conception in 1955, interest quickly grew until every week around six million viewers would tune in to see their favourite ‘grapplers’ do battle.

GOOD VS EVIL
National treasures, and indeed villains, such as Mick McManus, Adrian Street, Mark Rocco and the mysterious masked Kendo Nagasaki, were born. Coupled with the enigmatic commentary of Ken Walton, suddenly this was a winning formula. When these stars came to your local town, you could be sure that your local civic hall would rapidly fill up in a flash.

Mal Mason was in the industry at the time, as a referee in the ring and also driver to one of the stars of the time Jackie “Mr TV” Pallo. “It was absolutely fabulous of course. Now it is phoning and asking for a job, then it was phoning and asking if you could have a night off. We would be working seven nights a week and in the summer you would be at a holiday camp during the day and then a show at night. TV created British superstars, it created national heroes and also around the world and it did this long before WWE.”

BEHIND THE SCENES
The secret to this success was largely down to the organisation behind the scenes thanks to Joint Promotions and in London the Dale Martin Promotion. Split up regionally all over the UK, during the 60’s the company was running over 4,000 shows a year and some cities even had a weekly event. So why exactly was it so popular?

Alan Bamber, founder of www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk, links the success down to boxing’s popularity. “Boxing was really in its heyday in the 50’s and 60’s, so wrestling based itself around it and grabbed an audience. It was mainly a working class sport. Tickets were cheap, all the family could get involved and it was an outlet.”

Wrestling’s television success in the UK may well be remembered for its heyday in the 1960’s but in reality audiences across the country for their live shows began to slowly decline towards the end of that decade. Local shows were cut back and future stars were prevented from coming through the ranks. With the same names of Pallo, McManus and Kellet continuously topping the bill, the public stayed away.

There was also the added problem of Joint Promotions’ owners starting to retire and sell up to investors without any prior knowledge of the sport. Things were looking bleak, and the business needed a new injection of life if it was to emulate its previous decades of success. It needed something that would reinvigorate the industry and re-capture the public’s interest. It came in the most unlikely of forms.

WHO’S THE DADDY?
In 1975, Max Crabtree picked up the reigns of Joint Promotions as he set about to unveil the next star of British wrestling to the world. The result was the birth of a legend, in the form of “Big Daddy.” A six foot two ex-bodybuilder, well into his forties and weighing around 26 stone with a 64-inch chest, Big Daddy (real name Shirley Crabtree) was hardly an archetypal athlete. Hulk Hogan he certainly wasn’t. Having seemingly quit the sport in 1960, Crabtree had been out of work for 15 years until lured out of retirement by his brother; newly appointed promoter Max.

Despite his apparent lack of conditioning, the public lapped it up. Adored by senior citizens and kids alike, Big Daddy was the new face of British wrestling. He defeated virtually all opponents who came before him, normally with the thorough use of his infamous “belly splash.” His feuds with Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks and his notorious unmasking match with Kendo Nagasaki brought in the ratings and breathed new life into the sport. As his popularity grew so did UK wrestling as a whole. He even had brief foray in children’s television, and in 1982 was due to front the replacement show for Tiswas but he withdrew at the last minute for unknown reasons.

The Big Daddy craze appeared at first to do the trick for the industry. There was genuine interest once again, but it was only a short-term success. The shows were now being targeted primarily at children, interested in the Big Daddy character, while the older audience began to become unhappy.

Robert Cope is the founder of www.gianthaystacks.co.uk, a Website dedicated to another leading light in the industry during that period, the near seven foot tall, 46 stone Giant Haystacks. He feels that the Crabtrees made some crucial errors, which ultimately proved fatal. “I think it had got very stale. Some guys could see the way it was going and joined other promoters. In my opinion it was the Crabtrees. Everything was centred on Big Daddy. The first year or two were great, but then he was dishing out the same formulaic tag match. People were starting to get bored.”

A LONG GOODBYE
The beginning of the end of the World of Sport era of British wrestling came in 1985. ITV controller of sport Greg Dyke had to drop a sport from the programme and his choice came between snooker, darts and wrestling. Unfortunately for the Crabtrees, it was wrestling which was dropped. It was his decision, which caused irreversible damage.

After another three years of being moved around the television schedules as a sole entity, it would be removed all together in 1988, and after 33 years on our screens British wrestling was gone forever. Dyke’s decision though was a controversial one. Wrestling still had high turnouts for live events and their viewing figures were still in the millions. So why was it dropped from the shedules?

One wrestler who had enjoyed exposure on World of Sport, was Eddie “The Amazing Kung Fu” Hamill. He feels that Dyke misjudged the market. “Greg Dyke pulled the plug on wrestling on TV because for a start, he didn’t like wrestling, to him it was neither a sport or entertainment. He thought the only people that watched it were old grey haired OAPs and that it did not appeal to the younger generation, which was rubbish, as even today, I still get fan mail from people who watched me when they were kids.”

Meanwhile the influx of American wrestling could also have played its part. Phil Allely, is a wrestling correspondent for The Sun. “I think it may not have been taken seriously as a legitimate sport. It takes someone to have the interest in it and it didn’t have the following or the backing at the time. Wrestlemania was taking off and that’s when we started having these big muscular guys like Hulk Hogan appearing, it was different.” Indeed Wrestlemania began in 1985 the same year British wrestling was dropped from World of Sport.

THE ‘FAKE’ DEBATE
The major debate though which surrounded wrestling was the issue of the legitimacy of the sport. Arguably one reason for wrestling’s success was that the majority of those watching thought they were seeing a real fight. The debate constantly raged within the crowds about whether it was fixed, while newspapers tried to expose the industry. The credibility of wrestling was dealt a major blow when Jackie Pallo revealed in 1985 in his autobiography that all his fights were fixed. In the same year, The Sun also got in on the act, with Tommy ‘Banger’ Walsh exposing that he used to cut his face to please “blood thirsty” fans. Only a few months later, Greg Dyke had made his decision.

When the television coverage had gone British wrestling began to decline. As we moved into the 1990’s, the Crabtree’s retired, including Big Daddy and the rest of the World of Sport stars soon joined them. The US promotions of World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment quickly began to boom and British wrestling appeared to be long forgotten.

RETURN OF THE RING?
So as we pass over 20 years since British wrestling was last on our screens, can it ever return? The Sun’s pro wrestling correspondent Rob McNichol believes that a TV route might be too big a task. “TV is a ‘lookist’ medium. If the setup doesn’t look right, then of course you are going to discriminate. If I were a UK promoter I would just concentrate on being a solid base for these young wrestlers to develop and hopefully break into the big time.”

The Amazing Kung Fu, also fears it can’t return. “It was great to be part of the wrestling in the 70s and 80s. I wish I could go back to those fabulous times, I really miss them. The good old days of World of Sport have gone, never to return. They’re gone but not forgotten”.

There may though be some cause for optimism. Fast forward through to the present and the industry seems to be enjoying somewhat of a resurgence. With the WWE and now Total Non-stop Action wrestling, touring in the UK twice a year, the interest in the British form has picked up as well. After a tough period in the 90’s more promotions than ever are in business and importantly attracting the crowds. One of the market leaders is All Star Promotions, which is now the biggest promotion in Europe.

Run by Brian Dixon (one of the Crabtree’s main rivals in the 70’s), the company performs at Butlins all year round and travel all round the UK. Being present at one of their events at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, the signs are certainly positive for the British industry. The tickets are reasonably priced, there’s a 600+ strong crowd (mostly of kids) screaming the house down, and most importantly the wrestling performances are impressive. It may not be the thousands of twenty years ago, but wrestling in Britain looks set to remain for many more years yet.

Kent Cricket Club round up - August

2009-09-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Kent County Cricket Club wrapped up promotion to the top flight of the LV County Championship after securing the 2nd division title this month.

The Spitfires have been top of division all season, and secured their 1st division status after drawing with Leicestershire at New Road.

Robert Key’s men ensured they only spent a sole season in the competition’s lower tier, having been relegated from the 1st division in the 07-08 season.

Kent overcame the disappointment of missing out on the 20/20 cup, with comprehensive wins against Northamptonshire and local rivals Surrey.

They are also in contention for promotion in the one-day format too, currently lying in third position of the 2nd Division of the Natwest Pro40, just one place short of automatic qualification.

Having enjoyed a four match winning run at the start of the competition, they have since suffered two straight defeats at the hands of Lancashire and Warwickshire, with one match remaining.

Film review: GI Joe - Rise of the Cobra

2009-09-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

What an atrocious film. Overbearingly loud, a plot which insults your intelligence and so much CGI its hard to tell what's real and what's not, are all factors which make for an uncomfortable vieiwing.

The story (such as there is one) pivots around the fighting force of the 'Joes' (pumped up versions of masculinity) and their bid to protect to world from evil.

Sound simple?

Well in truth the narrative doesn't get more complicated than that, and in a nutshell that is the fundamental problem.

The plot is so basic, that you don't feel emotionally invested in the film, and when a 'twist' does come, its signposted so obviously that its not surprising in the slightest.

The script is also a total dog's dinner. All the characters sound the same and are two dimensional, while there are numerous cringeworthy one liners which fall well short of the comedic barrier.

Further disappointment comes from virtually all the main perfromances, where seemingly everyone has a dodgy accent.

Christopher Eccleston (although an excellent Doctor Who) is a Brit playing a Scot (with disastrous consequences) while Jonathon Pryce (another Brit) is the US President yet has an English accent.

Sienna Millar runs around scantilly clad for no reason whatsoever, Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans were as wooden as they come, while the CGI was used so heavily it became irritating to watch.

Thankfully I'm not the only one of this opinion, with the average score currently on IMDB only 6 out of 10, a low score for such a high-profile blockbuster.

What's not so thankful is that there's a sequel rumoured...

Verdict: Rubbish of the highest order that will make you want to tear your own hair out while watching it 3/10

News: BU are playing it fair

2009-08-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

BOURNEMOUTH University’s Fairtrade status has been successfully renewed for another year writes Matthew Kiernan.

The Fairtrade Foundation granted the award based on the University’s commitment to promoting Fairtrade products and policies around the campus.

The foundation highlighted the range of Fairtrade products on sale in the SU shop and the two Fairtrade coffee shops - in Weymouth House and outside the library - as its particular
strengths.

BU’s Environmental Officer Amanda Williams said: “The progress over the past two years has been incredible and this is thanks to the co-operation of so many people at the University, including the Students Union, the Catering Manager from Scolarest and the Staff Common Room.

“This award is just the beginning. To maintain our status, the University must continue to develop in this area and report to the Fairtrade Foundation on an annual basis.”

Examples of Fairtrade products on campus include cotton-hooded tops in the SU shop and Fairtrade fruit sold in the refectory.

The Fairtrade foundation was set-up to ensure third world and disadvantaged producers of goods are not exploited.

Published in The Wire - www.bwire.co.uk

Press Release: OCCC Open afternoon

2009-08-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

Old Coulsdon Congregational Church will be holding an open afternoon this Saturday.

The event’s aim is to engage the local community with the church’s activities and showcase its role within the area.

Pastor Malcolm Newman said: “This is an ideal opportunity for the church to open it’s doors to the local community, for them to see round the building and enjoy some fellowship in the process.”

The event will run from 1.30pm to 5pm and the entrance is through the main doors of the church.

Cream teas will also be on offer between 2pm to 4.30pm

Kent CCC early season summary

2009-07-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

As T20 World Cup fever sweeps the nation, it’s the domestic form which has seen Kent County Cricket Club’s most success in the opening months of the season writes Matthew Kiernan.

Thanks to seven wins out of a possible ten, Kent topped the Southern division and booked their place in the quarterfinals, with guaranteed home advantage.

The 2007 winners and last year’s runner’s up, racked up home and away victories against Hampshire, Middlesex and local rivals Surrey as they cruised into the knockout phase.

Their latest victory came at Beckenham, where got the better of a beleaguered Surrey side by 16 runs.

Meanwhile in the four day format, it was fundamental for Kent to get off to a good start, with the heartache of relegation from the LV County Championship top flight last year undoubtedly still in their minds.

And that’s exactly what they did, thanks to two victories and two draws in their first four encounters.

The pick of their wins came at Chelmsford with a crushing defeat of Essex by 192 runs.

But when Essex made the return trip to Beckenham they would exact revenge and inflict upon Kent their first defeat of their 2009 division two campaign. They currently lie in fourth position with a game in hand.

However, in the Friends Provident Trophy, a fifty over competition, Kent were to enjoy less success after being eliminated in the group stages.

After opening the tournament with a heavy defeat at the hands of Somerset, the Spitfires then set themselves up nicely with three victories in a row.

Off spinner James Tredwell took 6-27 as Kent overcame Middlesex by six wickets, before opener Joe Denly amassed an unbeaten 97 to record an impressive win over Scotland.

Their third victory was largely thanks to former South African International Justin Kemp who’s quick-fire 45 from 52 balls guided Kent home against Warwickshire.

From thereon, the Spitfires couldn’t live up to their high standards and suffered three losses and a draw to miss out on qualification for the knockout stages.

Published in Bromley Life Magazine

Surrey CCC early season summary

2009-07-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

Surrey County Cricket Club have endured a torrid start to the 2009 season, winning just six matches out of a possible 24 in all competitions writes Matthew Kiernan.

The Brown Caps, who currently hold a mix of youth and experience within their squad, have enjoyed their most success in the four-day LV County Championship, where they currently lie 2nd in Division two.

After opening with a rain-affected draw against Gloucestershire at The Brit Oval and a disappointing loss to Derbyshire, Mark Butcher’s side have since remained on a four match unbeaten run.

The highlight of their season came in the form of an away win against Northamptonshire.

Surrey won by an innings and 95 runs after racking up a formidable total of 530, largely thanks to ex-England international Usman Afzaal’s 204 not out.

But despite being well placed for promotion back to the top tier, Surrey’s one-day form has been far from encouraging by comparison.

In the Friends Provident Trophy, a 50 Over competition, they slumped to five defeats in their eight group matches.

Flashes of brilliance were present though, especially in their emphatic 164 run win over Gloucestershire, which included a century from Mark Ramprakash.

But the consistency required to qualify for the knockout stages ultimately eluded them, unceremoniously finishing last in their division.

Their 20/20 campaign has been similarly tough, with only three wins from their ten matches in the southern division.

The inaugural 20/20 champions in 2003, the Brown Caps lost their final group game in a local derby against Kent at Beckenham.

They will be hoping their one-day form improves significantly ahead of the Natwest Pro40 competition, which begins later this month.

Published in Croydon Life Magazine

News: The heart of detection

2009-07-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

A Bournemouth lecturer has discovered a new method of detecting heart defects, by using planet formation-modelling software.

The new technique has already helped surgeons at Bournemouth hospital to identify a potentially life threatening blood clot in a patient.

Geologist Nick Petford came across the idea when analysing how meteorites formed and the way in which liquid metal flowed within them.

Using image based modelling the meteorite was replaced by the heart, while the small cracks in the rock were replaced by the veins. Human blood then took the form of the liquid metal.

"If you have an image and you know fluid flows in it, you can solve the fluid flow for that specific geometry," said pro vice-chancellor Petford.

An MRI scan at Bournemouth hospital revealed a trapped flow of blood within the patient’s heart, but surgeons were unclear as to its whereabouts.

When the modelling software was implemented, led by Petford, the method correctly identified the location of the blood clot.

Although the technique is still in it’s formative stages, it could become commonplace within the industry in the future.

"The next step is to get funding to expand on the project. It could be good for a PHD student to take on."

News: Central Asia conservation is the key for Bournemouth lecturer

2009-06-30T02:22:00.000-07:00

A Bournemouth conservation lecturer has launched a new preservation scheme in Central Asia to protect the region’s endangered forests.

Professor Adrian Newton, from the school of Conservation Sciences, will lead the project that will seek to prevent the extinction of 44 species of fruit and nut trees.

The work will branch over Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

"We held a meeting between all the nations three years ago and it was the first time any of them had met, since the break up of the Soviet Union. We discovered that many of the species of tree are genuinely threatened and extinction for some remains a real possibility," said Newton.

The three-year project is mainly centred upon the Tian-Shan region of Kyrgyzstan, with members of the local community also being trained by Bournemouth practitioners.

The university hopes to assist in sustaining the harvesting of fruit, nuts and crops, as well as combat deforestation.
"We need to understand the needs of the local people. We need to involve them, train them and if they are willing then they can take ownership. We don’t want to completely protect the forests, as these communities survive from them. This is their livelihood," added Newton.

With work underway, the project is set for completion in April 2012.

Info http://darwin.defra.gov.uk/project/17001/

Can Janelle bring a new melody to the urban music scene?

2009-06-15T02:24:00.000-07:00

In recent years, British urban artists have been flocking to the US in their droves in search of fame and fortune. But does everyone need to follow this path? Matthew Kiernan caught up with up and coming performer Melodic Janelle, who hopes to prove that you can be a success without swapping continents.

It’s been a common theme for British urban artists. Release an album or two in the UK, enjoy moderate success, but then jump ship, fly to America for the lucrative urban market, enjoy impressive results before returning firmly in the spotlight. Now though one artist is hoping to prove that that doesn’t need to be the case, as she attempts to break the mould and show that you don’t have to fly to America to be a success. And her name is Melodic Janelle.

The 21-year old R&B and gospel singer, hails from South London, and is looking to break into the public’s consciousness when her album Best Kept Secret is released in May. Until now, Janelle has enjoyed a steadily increasing amount of success. Indeed if her career path was plotted on a graph, then it would read as a progressive upward curve, peaking towards the crunch day in May. “At the moment we’re aiming to release the EP for then. We’re just looking to get something out there, and letting people know that I’m here.”

Janelle’s position is akin to thousands of other unsigned urban artists up and down the UK. A part of a generation brought up in a technological era of Channel U and Myspace, everyone and anyone nowadays can have their five minutes in the limelight if they want it. This is certainly a group of artists who are fighting to be heard. Is it any surprise then that British urban musicians are flying to America to broaden their careers?

Last year, in terms of urban music undoubtedly belonged to Estelle. But her success only came after becoming the latest artist from the UK to join the US market. Before she made the trip, Estelle was better known as a prolific rapper, but only achieved lukewarm success in the mainstream charts, with her album 18th day peaking at 35th in the UK album charts in 2004. Once in the US however, and after a collaboration with a certain Kanye West on single “American Boy”, the result was a Grammy award winning song that would top the UK charts for four weeks. And she is not the first to do this either. Natasha Beddingfield, Lemar and Joss Stone have followed suit, while in the past Sade and Floetry have made the jump as well.

For Janelle though, despite the potential fruits that the US has to offer, her priorities firmly lie with Britain. “I don’t think you have to go to America to make it. The British scene is strong, it could always be better, but people are making the breach. Tinchy Stryder, Sway, K.I.G are all doing it so it can be done.” Michelle Adabra, from www.britishhiphop.co.uk, feels that it’s the problems inherent in the UK industry, which cause artists to do this. “There are countless artists that have done what Estelle has. They often have to release in America first because no one has given them of a chance here. Race is still an underlying issue here. Urban artists are signed to major labels and they are still not being given enough attention. The scene in America is bigger, they have special urban charts as there is more demand and generally people have more time for you.”

Janelle faces a difficult journey then, into an industry which appears to be struggling to be accepted as mainstream nor to match its American counterparts. The Brit Awards looked to be celebrating urban music when it introduced the urban music category in 2003 but only four years later unceremoniously dropped the gong from the event. Even at this year’s ceremony, urban music was severely underrepresented, with Estelle being the only urban artist performing live on the night. There are though still some positive signs with urban radio station BBC 1Extra now firmly established in the mainstream media and with the Music Of Black Origin music awards in its 14th year, urban artists are now well represented in the public domain.

Janelle can also take heart from the media exposure unsigned artists like herself are receiving. While the main players at the peak of the industry up and leave to the US, the British unsigned scene is strong and competition to attract the attention of record labels is as fierce as ever. Fiona McKinson is a freelance music journalist, believes that unsigned acts have never been in a stronger position, “The strength comes in being proactive. Once these unsigned acts make enough noise, the mainstream major players want to get a slice of the action. Increasingly, unsigned acts are learning to play the game. It’s quite a strong position in that it is almost cool to be unsigned as the media clamour to capitalise on the appeal of the next big thing. It’s almost like championing the underdog – the X Factor philosophy.”

While the unsigned are now becoming empowered, the inevitable comparison of the British urban scene to America, threatens to undermine the industry. McKinson, adds “Many fans of urban music here still look at UK talent as a poor relation, to the US, and for various reason won’t give British accents on an R&B song or rap, a chance. But with grime, bass line or jungle before that, British fans had something to claim as their own and be proud of. It’s a big sticking point.”

Determined to stay in Britain and avoid being enticed by the American market, Janelle needs to stand out from a highly competitive field of artists. And the signs are encouraging. Few of her rivals are likely to have a CV or passion for the industry as strong as hers. Having sung all her life in her local church, it was when Janelle was 14 she was discovered by well renowned gospel singer Noel Robinson, who has played with Chaka Khan, East 17 and Mica Paris amongst others. “It’s been a blessing to work with Noel really, as he was the one who told me to believe in myself and that I can do this. Sometimes it’s the people behind the scenes that do the most.”

Another potential perk of the US, so attractive to budding British performers, is the connections with major industry contacts. For Janelle though, things have been going well in this department already, having teamed up with an impressive array of stars. The stand out of which is MOBO award nominated reggae star Watchman. She’s also performed in some stellar venues to boot with the world famous Jazz Café, the Brixton Academy and The Bob Marley Tribute restaurant in Florida all take pride of place in her experiences. But despite these top venues, it’s her performance at a small festival, which means the most to her. “Performing at Stonebridge carnival in south London every year was incredible. I would go back and people would be singing my songs, it was amazing.”

Janelle could also take another path into the industry, albeit a risky one, which many have used before with mixed success. It’s so hit and miss in fact, that artists seem to fall into two camps, there are those that embrace the route and others who firmly shun it in favour of going alone. The bone of contention is reality television and shows like the X factor. Interestingly Janelle agrees with those who avoid the reality TV journey, although with Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke (who both have R&B roots and incidentally now in the US) winning the last two contests it can be appealing at times. “It is certainly tempting, but I know that I’m a sing songwriter as well, and if you don’t get far enough then record companies don’t have respect for you. You are just another X Factor contestant. It is more beneficial to graft from day one, and if you do and stick at it, then you’ll get respect and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

So as Janelle prepares for a busy few months ahead, what is the future of the industry she is trying to enter? Kwaku, editor of www.britishblackmusic.co.uk, believes there is every reason to be optimistic. “There will always be a British urban music sector. The level to which it is exposed or sustains careers of artists will depend on their will and us as consumers to support their musical activities. On the underground, there's definitely an expansion due to mix CD releases, free downloads, streaming, showcases and open mic nights, so things are improving all the time.”

It seems then that new artists such as Melodic Janelle, who are on the cusp of breaking into the industry are now in a stronger position than ever to be fully heard.

And she may not have to get on a flight to the US to do it either.

Max Waller profile

2009-03-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

http://rapidshare.com/files/208426571/maxwaller.pdf.html

A profile of Somerset cricketer Max Waller, complete with Indesign layout.

Discgolfering a new sport

2009-03-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you cross golf with frisbee? Well if you had to answer, it is likely to be close to disc golf. Played in the UK for over 20 years, the sport is rapidly expanding all over the country and it could take place in a future Olympics. Matthew Kiernan went to Lloyd Park in Croydon to find out more.

"It’s a deer feeder isn’t it?" one woman asks as she approaches the pod like metal structure from across the park. "No it’s not, it is a booster cable for television signals," suggests another, prodding it like an alien habitat from Close Encounters. Such conversations have become commonplace across the country, as puzzled onlookers attempt to discover what these multiple steel constructions truly are. The answer of course is that it’s a disc golf target…obviously. Welcome to the world of disc golf.

A sport of US origin, disc golf has formally been in existence for nearly 50 years. A game full of flying discs and metal caged targets, the sport has been steadily growing here in the UK over the last few decades and now London has its very own course. So what is like to play?

The rules are simple. It’s basically just like golf, except instead of flagged pins as targets you have metal cages to aim at, and you use round plastic discs instead of a set of clubs. There are different types of discs too, with "drivers", "approach discs" and "putters." Again like golf, there are 18 holes each with a par difficulty level and plenty of hazards to guard the targets such as trees, hills and brambles.

Quite a change then from what I'm used to. As an experienced weekend golf hacker, who churns up courses on a weekly basis it was with some trepidation I met the Croydon Disc Golf club on a Sunday morning for their weekly practice. The reason for my apprehension is that its golfing counterpart has such a staunch upper class air about it. If you are not of a high standard, you are generally looked down upon and that can be quite intimidating for a beginner. As enjoyable as it is, to me it just seems to be about what clubs you have, having the right dress code and acting with the correct etiquette, and that's even before you've started.

With disc golf though, things couldn't be more different. There's no dress code to speak of, I'm sharing some discs from my group and everyone appears to be more relaxed than on a golf course; certainly ideal for a beginner like me.

Needless to say, despite these initial fears being calmed, there's the quite fundamental problem of me having never thrown a Frisbee since childhood. Surely they'll all just laugh at my inept lack of skill? And surely I'll just be holding them up during the round? The fact it's raining, near freezing and blowing a gale doesn't help settle my nerves ahead of my inaugural round. Why is this a good idea again?

We begin with a quick lesson, courtesy of Richard Wood, the chairman of the club. "So have you ever played disc golf before?" he asks.
"Er no..." I reply.
"Have you ever played Ultimate Frisbee before?"
"Er no...," fully expecting him to banish me from the course before we've even started.
"Great! A real novice then," he smiles and the lesson continues.
It’s this welcoming, ‘open to all’ attitude, which is definitely the most attractive things about the sport. Anyone of any age can go along and give it a go. I haven't touched a Frisbee since I was a kid, and yet these experienced guys, who happen to be brilliant, are prepared to let me join them.

As the lesson continues, I learn that the perfect technique involves standing side on to the target, followed by a run up, before a full 180-degree side on arm rotation to the release. In order to assist with the technique, I’m told it’s akin to flicking a towel at another school kid in the PE changing rooms. Sadly I was the regular recipient of such an act in my youth rather than the instigator, so such an analogy is lost on me.

With the imagery not working, the first hole understandably goes horribly wrong. After seeing my more technically versed partners produce perfectly curved attempts to within metres of the target, mine isn't worthy of comparison. With the wind bordering almost upon gale force proportions and the rain continuously beating down, my disc heads high and left, 45 degrees to where I'm standing to be precise, and into the adjacent playground.

"Don't worry it'll get better," say the others. Personally I'm not so sure...

Still at least I can take solace from the fact that I’m not the only one going through this as the sport itself is now steadily on the up in the UK. There are now nine British courses available and a year-long British tour of events to compete in. Croydon’s course is the newest of these and is the first of its kind in London. "It is not a massively serious game," explains Richard Wood. "You can make it serious if you want to, but generally speaking its people getting out there enjoying the fresh air, enjoying the social side of things and having fun." Another major plus point is that it is really cheap to play. You only need three discs to start off with, which will cost about £15-£20 and it’s free to play a round, which you can do at any time of the year. In these difficult economic times, it’s certainly a credit crunch beating sport to say the least.

Despite these clear benefits though, attracting new members to the sport has been a challenge. "Attracting local interest into actually playing is very difficult. We’re a small club and have 20 members, but in the long term we hope to have 100 plus members regularly playing and just get the game more widely known." With a substantial number of local Croydon schools having already having been trained and are teaching the sport; this looks like a strong contender for the national curriculum.

Back on the course, and things aren’t going well. We’ve just finished the front nine and I’ve just been informed things are about to get harder. Thus far, my wayward throwing has ensured I’ve spent more time out of bounds in the bushes than on the course itself. To hear things are about to get worse isn’t exactly appetising.

As we approach the 10th hole, I reflect upon my previous perceptions of the sport and how staggeringly different they are from reality. I thought you’d just stand a couple of feet away from the target, throw the disc in with little fuss and repeat 18 times and it would all be over within half an hour. How hard can that be? But halfway through, I’ve spent the last 90 minutes throwing a disc about 10 metres on average and been attacked by every type of bramble the park can throw at me when attempting to retrieve my wayward discs. I’m also about 50 over par (that’s not good if you are asking) and despite the best efforts of my colleagues showing little signs of improvement. I now find myself staring blankly at the traversing downhill tenth hole, with the tiny target a spec on the landscape, and it happens to be flanked by holly bushes and brambles and guarded front on by trees and puddles. Brilliant…

But just as I was about to give up something amazing happened. After what felt like a lifetime, I finally produced an effort that resembled a throw close to my playing colleagues. This was much to the delight of my mentor for the morning Jerry, who has been valiantly attempting to keep my spirits up during the round. "Now we’re getting somewhere," he says excitedly. For the first time today I actually believe he’s right and suddenly the remainder of the round doesn’t look so daunting.

So with team GB conquering all sports before them, could disc golf become their latest event in which they excel in 2012? Er…well… no, as the line up for the London Games has already been decided. It may well be included in the future however, and with notoriously physical sports like chess and darts being Olympic demonstration events in the past, Britain might be topping the podium yet. There is even a petition running to get disc golf into the 2016 Olympics with over 1400 signatures. Andy Cotgreave of the British Disc Golf Association isn’t so sure it can get there though. "Any sport has the potential to be an Olympic sport, but it involves a lot of politics and money and it’s all about the International Olympic Committee’s preferences. I don’t think we’ll see disc golf in the Olympics for the next 40 to 50 years." At least you’ll have time to train for the2060 Games then. But although its place in the Olympics may be far away, Cotgreave feels there are more pressing challenges ahead for the sport. "Disc golf is steadily growing. Quarry Park and Croydon have opened up recently and have been doing a great job, but in terms of disc sports we’re definitely in the shadow of Ultimate Frisbee. There used to be a steady flow of players changing from ultimate frisbee to disc golf as they got older, but that’s not happening as much any more. We’ve just got to keep spreading the word."

Meanwhile back on the course, we’ve just finished the 18th and I must say I’m absolutely shattered. Both physically (there were about ten hills too many for my puny legs) and surprisingly mentally as well. The concentration level needed on every shot is phenomenal. One slight lapse or slip of the fingers and the disc will simply fly in the wrong direction or worse still, not go anywhere at all, in my case! I’m now on first name terms with every bramble Lloyd Park has to throw at me. It makes the skill of my playing partners even more impressive. Match this with their enthusiasm in abundance for the sport and welcoming attitude to new players and it makes for a winning combination. So despite being soaked through from torrential rain and shivering from head to toe, this reporter is certainly converted.

And with such committed and welcoming players involved in the sport already, I’m sure I won’t be the last either.

For more information about Croydon Disc Golf visit http://www.croydondiscgolf.com/

Ancient footprints found by BU professor

2009-03-01T05:04:00.000-08:00

A Bournemouth University professor has helped to discover ancient footprints thought to be around 1.5m years old in Kenya.

Matthew Bennett, who is a Geography and Environmental Science lecturer, led the ground breaking research team who have been studying the vital find over the last three summers.

The footprints, the second oldest ever recorded, reveal new evidence of early human development and have modern human traits.

They are thought to belong to our unfortunately named ancestor Homo erectus, while also having similar foot and anatomical movements to what we're used to today.

“Now we know that 1.5 million years ago, Homo erectus had feet with an anatomy very similar to modern humans. It could essentially walk with the same biomechanical efficiency as you or I,” said Bennett.

He was also able to analyse the footprints using a digital laser scanner to create 3D images in order to determine their age.

The oldest footprints ever discovered were found in Tanzania and thought to be 3.75 million years old.

Film Review: Taken

2009-02-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Director: Pierre Morel

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

If your after a multi-dimensional plot full of twists and turns then this probably isn't going to be a film for you. In fact, this film synopsis can be very easily summarised in one manageable sentence.

Daughter gets kidnapped, father (and ex-CIA agent of course...) spends entire film shooting, punching, electrocuting and just about every other unspeakable thing to bag guys in a bid to get her back.

Ok so maybe that sentence doesn't roll off the tongue but you get the idea.

Its important to stress that this is certainly an easy watch and can't be taken too seriously. Which is a shame as its from the same writing team who brought us Leon, a film which managed to be a shoot'em'up and heart rendering at the same time. Taken though couldn't be more different.

The script is not a strong one. The dialogue is at best acceptable, and Liam Nesson puts in a respectable performance, but with so many descrepancies and loose ends never tied up, you can't help but think about what was happening five minutes ago rather than following with the narrative.

It also is seems really rushed in places. Kim (the daughter played by Maggie Grace) runs around like a spoilt five year old from what little we see of her in the opening scenes, that when it comes to her being kidknapped I don't actually care. It just doesn't seem to have been thought through. Surely you would build up the person who is at the centre of the story! Ransom is an excellent example of how to do this effectively.

Thankfully, the action sequences to an extent make up for the hole filled plot. The fights are so real its as if your in them and being punched and kicked as well. But there was so much violence caused by Neeson's character, its difficult to be able to fully back him in his attempts to find his daughter. Can we really support someone who has brutally killed 100 or so people?

All in all this is an ok watch if you switch your brain off, and as long as your into blood, guts, guns and gratuitous violence then generally this is 90 minutes well spent.

6/10

Review: The Brit Awards 2009

2009-02-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, the Brits. The awards ceremony which is supposed to represent the pinnacle in British and international music. And in fairness, it terms of who was performing and present at the show, this was a very British affair. Certainly an improvement on the internationally dominated affairs of previous years. But the ceremony just came across too cheesy, and at times was truly cringe worthy.

Lets start with the positives, and the majority of the live performances were brilliant. The Kings of Leon were excellent, Duffy was pitch perfect and Take That stand out although I strongly suspect they mimed. There were, sadly, some exceptions (I'm looking at you Ting Tings and Estelle), but on the whole these were the highlights of the evening.

Unfortunately the rest seemed just too tacky to be taken seriously as the highlight of the British music year.

Kylie and co generally did a good job of hosting. But some crash and burn one liners and constant unnecessary references to Craig David often let them down.

Meanwhile how the presenters of the awards were chosen is mysterious to say the least. They were either incredibly famous (and more importantly music related) or personalities who simply looked lost and out of place.

Joe Calzaghe, a true sporting great, couldn't even remember what award he was presenting when being interviewed backstage, Jamie Cullum looked utterly dour while presenting Best British Male, and actor Nic Frost came out and said he didn't like live music...and then presented the Best Live Act award. At least guys like Sir Tom Jones and Lionel Richie were around to pick up the pieces.

The worst kind of crash and burn television though was the horrifically awful backstage segment sfronted by Ferne Cotton. I know you've got to fill time during these things, but this left a lot to be desired. Flanked by a plastic foliage and backed by a tacky caravan, Ferne's interviewing technique consistently came up short, a typical segment went as follows:

FC: How are you?
Interviewee: Fine.
FC: Are you having a good night?
Interviewee: Yes.

Ask open ended questions and you might get longer answers! Surely she does this all the time on her radio show and at places like Glastonbury?

All in all though, it was a solid live show, but let down by the chaos and just about everything else that was going on around it.

Verdict: 6 out of 10

Profile: Jillian Drouin

2009-02-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

The British University Championships in Sheffield represent the pinnacle of varsity sport. With over 24 sports taking place and over 5,000 athletes involved in competing, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Matthew Kiernan caught up with one of Bournemouth’s top medal prospects, Canadian heptathlete Jillian Drouin.

To fight to the finish and never give up. That’s the attitude of Jillian Drouin, Bournemouth’s highly rated multi-eventer. Last year proved to be the Canadian’s best season of her career, but after also simultaneously facing the anguish of missing out on qualification for the Beijing Olympics by the smallest of margins, she almost walked away from the sport altogether. Now though Drouin is back stronger than ever, and has London 2012 firmly in her sights, and hopes that the Indoor Championships in Sheffield later this month, is the first step to her achieving her Olympic dream.

Drouin has already enjoyed unprecedented success in varsity athletics, across the Atlantic in her native Canada. While representing Syracuse College she won back to back Eastern Universities titles in the heptathlon in 2007-8. In the process, she also recorded an Olympic B qualifying standard of 5,890 points, agonisingly close to the A standard 6,000 mark needed to automatically qualify for Beijing. Unfortunately for Drouin, she would ultimately just miss out on selection.

“At the time, it was a big disappointment”, said the 21 year-old. “But it was also a big jump up in points, and it was a real improvement for me, so I’ve got to be happy.” Such optimism is pleasing to see after what could have been a potentially fatal blow and cause some athletes to leave the sport completely. Not Jillian though. Despite not being at the Games and having to watch fellow countrywoman Jessica Zelinka power to 5^th place in the heptathlon, Drouin is now targeting London in three years time. “My goal is definitely 2012. I want to reach for it. It was tough not being in China, but now I’m more determined than ever to get there.”

Having arrived in Bournemouth in September to pursue a chiropractic career at the Anglo European Chiropractic College at Lansdowne, Drouin took a cautious approach when returning to training. “I took three months off in the autumn, to settle down, get my studies in order and adjust to living in a new country. But it was also to recover after such a demanding

season. The heptathlon is so demanding, you can only ever do three or four competitions a year.”

Things also haven’t been easy in terms of re-locating. New students are almost always accustomed to swapping cities to move here to Bournemouth; Drouin though also had to swap continents. But while some may miss the traditional home comforts like television and home cooking, Drouin misses something else, namely her political activism. “I do miss being active like I was at Syracuse. Obviously there was a lot going on with George Bush was President, as a lot of people disagreed with what he was doing. But I still keep up with the latest while here.”

Now though the Canadian is fully settled. Having based herself at Kings Park athletics stadium in Boscombe, training has been going well and is injury free. During her three-month break she has also been part of the university basketball team, who currently lie in third place in their division one conference. “It was tough starting up again, but I’ve been steadily getting back into it and things have been going well. Competing in multi-events is so different and your always prone to injuries, so that was part of the reason for why for not committing to 2012 right away, as it takes a lot of work and commitment to get there.”

This is an important factor. Britain’s number one decathlete Dean Macey retired last year after battling with injuries for over a decade. Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft is now just concentrating on single disciplines because of injury worries. With a history of tendonitis and previous sprained ankles already in her career, Drouin may also follow suit. “I have thought about stopping heptathlon and specialising in high jump. Its certainly my fav

ourite event and enjoy the most. I started out as a high jumper before switching to multi-events so to return to it is always a possibility.” For now though, the heptathlon will continue to be Drouin’s event of choice.

With no multi-events available at the BUCS Championships in Sheffield, Drouin will be having a busy time over the two-day event, as she’ll be competing in no less than five events; the 60 metres, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump and shot putt. But ever the professional, she’s not fazed at the challenge before her. “For indoor competition it’s always hard to predict. You always look to peak for the outdoor season and use the indoors as a comparison. At this time of the year, I would just like to be in decent shape. Obviously I’m going to try and win as many of the events as possible. I’ll just be happy if I’m at the same level that I was last summer.”

With such confidence and self-belief, it would be hard to bet against her.

The BUCS Championships will be held in Sheffield between the 11^th-15^th March. The indoor athletics will be held over the weekend.

Note: This is set to be published in Spring edition of The Wire and on www.bwire.co.uk

Photos taken by Jeff Chui and Rich Predoncelli

The Facebook Debate

2009-02-10T05:18:00.000-08:00

Facebook has taken over the world. Surely this is just stating the obvious?

Now though the social networking site is causing a furore on campus at Bournemouth University after an official motion for a blanket campus ban is set for discussion at the latest Union General Meeting.

The debate is likely to be a fierce one, after all, this is the site that provides the staple diet of student's daily lives.

I for one, think this could be the ideal opportunity to rid Facebook from the campus for good as its largely counter productive for being available.

At the end of the day, we've all been there. With a few hours in hand between lectures, you need to find a computer to work on an essay or tackle some group work.

The likelihood is that you'll be unsuccessful in finding one available, especially in the peak hours from 10am-2pm.

Most people put this down to the lack of PC's on campus as a whole. A valid point. But what is even more frustrating is the sheer volume of students that aren't even doing work, but updating their status or messing around looking at drunken photos from the previous night.

If you ban this possibility altogether then this would surely put off people from dossing around and actually encourage them to do some work! Goodness forbid. Its not as if we're University students or anything...

The problem is also in classrooms of course. I can recall numerous occassions when a workshop in a computer room has had to be halted because a lecturer has had to tell people to exit the site.

Despite this though, a blanket ban is not the right way forward. Manchester University may have gone down this route, but Bournemouth shouldn't follow suit.

There are students who don't have Internet access at home and solely rely upon the use of the Internet on campus. It wouldn't be right to remove this access.

What Bournemouth should do is have dedicated Facebook computers. How about banning it from the library (a place of work after all?) and making it solely available in the Open Access Centre?

Or how about banning it from classrooms (where the problem persists) and keeping it available everywhere else?

Its a complicated issue, and one that is sure to reach boiling point when the UGM on Thursday comes around.

TV project - 2012 grass roots Olympics

2009-02-09T10:30:00.001-08:00

Opinion: The refinery strikes

2009-01-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

These days its all about the economy. In the biggest global depression for over 70 years you can hardly blame the media for the extensive coverage the 'meltdown' has received.

Today then is no different, although this time oil refineries are involved.

Up and down the UK, hundreds of British workers have walked out and gone on strike, protesting against the number of foreign employees being used on the country's oil refineries.

So here's a quick for and against commentary on the issue.

For the British workers decision

The whole situation centres around the Total owned oil refinery in Lincolnshire. A California based company had the contract to build it and it was then subcontracted to an Italian based firm called IREM. But five British companies were also in the running to get this contract as well, so why did IREM get the nod? It probably sounds a bit nationalist, but surely you should look inward first before looking externally?

In 2007, Gordon Brown specifically said he would create "British jobs for British people", so this surely contradicts this?

It is estimated that around 60% of power stations will need to be replaced within the forseeable future. So if foreign companies are going to continually be brought in to do these tasks, then why not make a statement now and let you voice be heard?

Against the British workers decision

Technically speaking, none of the Licolnshire workers have lost their jobs because of IREM. According to Total, there's actually been 1,800 local workers on the site up till now. Also, its not as if the foreigh workers are NOT getting paid less or indeed more to do the same job. They're getting paid exactly the same and its their legal right to do so because of European law.

The workers, as well as trade union UNITE, are claiming they've been discriminated against in their field. But surely protesting against it, is discriminating against the foriegn workers as well? In fact, they aren't doing anything wrong, its the legal right to be able to work in the UK.

These protests are also illegal. They are unofficial and their trade unions can't back them. If they truly wanted a result, then going down the proper channels should have been the better thing to do perhaps?

Conclusion

Its difficult to speculate when you can't see the contracts which have been signed by IREM. The situation is obviously less than ideal. In times of recession, foreign workers are hardly going to be welcomed with open arms by UK nationals. Its not something I agree with, but its definitely am issue that exists and trying to deny it is naive. In this case though, the overseas workers aren't earning any less or more than their UK counterparts, so any argument is surely going to be discriminatory one way or the other.

Ultimately in times of recession, no-one wants to see others out of work or made redundant. But in this case, no-one has been let go...yet. If heads do begin to roll however, then this story could take an even more volatile route in the very near future.

Opinion: Bournemouth Uni & politics

2009-01-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

Tuesday marked a landmark day in the history of the United States of America.

It's an over used expression of course, but in this case it does it justice.

Barack Obama's Presidential inauguration was a truly remarkable for all concerned and the vast majority of Americans, and indeed the world, believe this is the start of something truly special.

The aura around him is astounding to say the least.

But for me, this occasion's significance was brought home while walking through the Bournemouth University campus in order to catch a bus.

What I witnessed, literally stopped me in my tracks.

In the Atrium (a walkway to lecture theatres), a plasma screen (usually containing gratuitous advertising) was actually broadcasting Obama's inauguration and around it were 30 students, stood intently, hanging on his every word.

This is without a doubt, the first time in two and a half years since being at the Uni, I've felt that my peers have wholeheartedly engaged with politics and actually shown a genuine interest in what's happening in the political world around them.

Now this isn't to say I haven't met some top quality thinkers and really kind people while here. Not at all. This is isn't have a bash at BU time. In fact I've met them in abundance.

But there just seems to be more emphasis on what happened last night when everyone was hammered, or when we're next going out, rather than questions like "did you see the news this morning?"

Still if Obama's inauguration can force 30 students, from what I would argue is a largely politically apathetic Uni (controversial I know...) then surely there's hope for this generation and BU students yet.

But as the speech drew to a close and as I walked away, my illusions were quickly shattered when I overheard a bloke say "so why is this so important then?"

Some things never change...

Opinion: Graduating in DisMay

2009-01-14T03:19:00.000-08:00

Life certainly isn't rosey at the moment if you are a final year student set to graduate in the summer.

Deadlines are mounting, the overdraft is beginning to bite and of course time is allthewhile rapidly disappearing into the ether.

Such New Year blues are probably not helped then, with today's new research that students graduating this summer are to do so in the worst job environment in over two decades.

The top 100 graduate recruiters in the country are cutting back on recruiting students by 17% and most positions for 2009 on graduate schemes have already been filled due to increased demand.

Investment banking opportunities have also declined by 44%.

Just what we need to hear...

On a personal level, this all hit home on Monday when Deputy Editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo Nick Perkins visited our University to deliver a careers talk.

He recalled that Peter Kay once described comedy as being all about timing. Unfortunately as students we could have timed our course a bit better.

Still, one crumb of comfort in such a depressing economic climate is that at least those lucky few who do break into the industry will be the ones who truly want to achieve in journalism.

They'll be the ones who'll work for free, write to every editor in the land, apply for every job going and prepare to jump ship and re-locate in order to succeed.

I for one aspire to be a part of this category.

There certainly won't be any easy jobs in this climate.

Perkins ended his talk by amusingly describing budding multi-media trained reporters as the industry's "garlic bread" and more employable as a result due to more diverse range of skills.

As a multi-media journalist set to graduate in May, one can only hope he is right.

Opinion: Gordon Brown's internships...

2009-01-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

"Credit crunch", "Economic downturn", "Sub-prime", ah yes the media do love a good soundbite to repeat to death, I should know, I want to work as someone who makes them up.

But with journalists being named one of the three biggest industries to have been affected by the current economy, that ambition may well be some way off when this budding reporter graduates in May.

So when, Gordon Brown said he was about to unveil a new scheme set to help soon to be graduates like myself, it was with much anticipation I tuned in to listen to what the PM had to say.

On reflection, it wasn't worth the effort.

An estimated 300,000 students are set to graduate this summer into the worst economic crisis since the depression of the 1930's.

Something, obviously, needs to be done and you have to applaud the PM for at least recognising that the issue exists. But that's about the only positive you can take from this scheme which leaves a lot to be desired.

The idea is for highly respected employers, such as Microsoft and Barclays, to take on 3,500 graduates for a 3 month internship this summer. This will be funded by the government.

This is bizarre on so many levels.

Firstly, where's the money going to come from? Surely the debt of this country is great enough already.

Then there's the fact that only 3,500 students will be awarded places on these schemes. Its a drop in the ocean in comparison to the bigger picture, what about the rest of the new graduates?

Of course, even if you do gain admission to one of these internships then you are only going to be there three months and then you're just going to be shown the door, and you'll have the same problem as before only three months down the line.

The thinking behind this is that its supposed to make graduates appear more employable, but isn't paying £3,000 a year for your degree supposed to do that in the first place?

At least Brown is trying, but the embattled PM is only putting up a short term solution here in a time which needs long term planning for the future.

The lack of which, in fact, got us into this mess in the first place...

TV Preview: The Krypton Factor

2008-12-29T05:29:00.000-08:00

Cross Mastermind with Gladiators and the result is likely to resemble something close to The Krypton Factor.

Yes that’s right, the bright coloured tracksuits, 3-D logic puzzles and army assault course are back after a 14 year hiatus from our screens.

The previous incarnation, with George Burns at the helm, was always a dull low-key affair where nerds revelled in the brainteasers and mind bending problem solving. It’s a Knockout it certainly wasn’t.

Now Ben Shepherd takes up the reins, in what promises to be a more glamorous affair as a new set of contestants attempt to put their minds and bodies to the ultimate test.

Expect baffling questions and the always-amusing sight of boffins tackling an assault course, as ITV try and breath new life into this old family favourite.

TV Preview: Celebrity Big Brother

2008-12-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

Is this wise? With memories of Shilpa Shetty’s infamous time in the house just about faded into the past, Channel 4 are set to dance with the devil once again with the return of Celebrity Big Brother.

After last year’s mundane Celebrity Hijack, programmers are certainly taking a risk, in bringing back what many see as an ailing concept especially after the furore caused during its last outing.

This time round though there won’t be a Goody in sight, as Davina McCall returns to play host, as do the unnecessary army of spin off analysis shows Big Mouth and Little Brother.

In this year’s Celebrity (a term used loosely), Vorne Taylor (Mini-Me from Austin Powers films), Ulrika Johnson and Ben Adams (of boy band A1 fame) have all been tipped to enter the House.

But whoever does feel that their career can go no lower and choose to participate, producers will certainly be hoping that the contestants will be slightly less controversial than the last batch.

Opinion: Bournemouth's student problem...

2008-11-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

This story makes me particularly sad. I've been a student at Bournemouth for three years now and the record has never changed, students in Bournemouth are a social menace and counter-productive to the area.

My feelings have been exasperated by a recent meeting hosted through the Winton Community Forum where over 100 residents (few were students I may add) packed into a hall to complain about the "student epidemic".

And as much as I hate to admit it, they've got a point.

I live in the student hub of Bournemouth, Winton, and the problems are plain to see. Front gardens are a mess, bins lie dormant outside homes after collection (or not collected at all), cars are parked bumper to bumper. And this is just on my road, which must be at least 70% student housing.

Things get worse at night, where parties go into the early hours, the undesirable sport of trying to fill up taxis (that can never be done quietly...) is a regular occurrence and of course there's the drunken shouting in the return from the clubs.

The issue is so bad, that families (if not already) will soon no longer wish to live here. One person I know in his 30's trying to sell his house lost his potential buyer on Stanfield Road, while fellow church goers are scared to go out into town at night because of the thriving club scene and notorious anti-social student behaviour.

Everyone in the area has an opinion on this subject, but there's a distinct danger now that there's now going to be a student witch hunt from local residents; a blanket stereotype on all who study at the Uni.

The outcome of the meeting was that the Uni, the police and the community were going to work cohesively to solve the ongoing issues.

The open welcome meeting set up by BU for December (in a bid to improve the relationship between the Uni and local residents) is certainly a good start, although I would argue that there will be a poor showing. Residents are happier to complain about the problem rather than attempt to have an open mind and try and change it, as the problem is the students living on their street, not the Uni.

What can be done is even more frustrating equation. The solution ultimately lies with us, the students. It's commonsense to take your bins in and keep your front garden tidy, its commonsense not to let off fireworks at 4am, yet its happening.

What I would say is that its not all of us who are guilty of such practice. It's wrong to just generalise students as anti-social entities with nothing to offer other than noise; we're not all bad. This isn't just a Bournemouth problem, every Uni town in the UK has this very debate, which if anything heightens the need for change to happen and fast. This town is a new University town, the residents aren't used to having so many students on their doorstep and their behaviour to boot. But why should they have to put up with it?

If students don't change (and I'm sad to say that I feel they won't) then original residents who moved here will be alienated forever, and believe me, as uncompassionate and dis-respectful as we may appear, no student would want that to happen.

Opinion: Why WWE have got it wrong with their recent firings

2008-11-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

WWE recently released Paul London, Kenny Dykstra and Elijah Burke from their respective rosters. This announcement speaks volumes about the stagnation that the company is currently experiencing and the stale product their producing across their brands.

Obviously, as outsiders it's always difficult to know what's gone on behind the scenes. For all we know, these guys have played up behind the scenes, no showed, and just generally been counter-productive to the company. The mystery over Lance Cade's (another guy who was looking destined for the top) aeroplane seizure is a clear example of this.

But as a fan its infuriating to see these younger guys being stifled and not being allowed to progress. Especially when there is such a dull rotation of talent at the top of the card on Raw and Smackdown.

Kenny of course was a member of the infamous Spirit Squad, a brash group of upstarts, who although had an irritating gimmick, were at least something new and innovative to the industry. But they were quickly extinguished when older faction DX unceremoniously dumped them out of the company.

Why would you remove five talented young guys from your roster, thats your future mid-high carders five years down the line. It was encouraging when Kenny was re-hired. He moved well in the ring, and his mic skills were promising, but he's been released in favour of older more established names.

Paul London worked wonderfully well with Brian Kendrick in a team that was essentially just thrown together, why was London just left to languish in the doldrums when the pairing was split? Kendrick has been nothing short of brilliant since he turned heel, why was the equally talented London allowed to dwindle into obscurity? Similar can be said for Elijah Burke, who has hardly appeared on our screens since the Royal Rumble.

What WWE has to be aware of is that it doesn't fall into the same trap as WCW did when it folded. WCW relied heavily on older established names to push the main events, but didn't allow the younger stars to come through. They had Jericho, Meysterio, Benoit and Eddy on their books and left them stranded on the mid-card.

WWE have similar talent. Evan Bourne looks an exciting prospect. Shelton is improving all the time. Mr Kennedy is solid, when he's not injured. It was great to see CM Punk win money in the bank, but he's been left to dwindle since. These guys have to be given more attention at the top of the card soon, otherwise the WWE will follow the same disastrous path WCW did.

And no-one surely wants to see that.

Wimborne 10 race report

2008-11-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

Local athlete Nigel Leighton took home the honours in the Wimborne 10 mile road race at the weekend.

The Bournemouth based VOTWO club runner, led the near 500 strong field from start to finish, crossing the line in a time of 52:54, just a dozen seconds ahead of Poole Runner George Miller.

And it was Poole Runners who dominated the front of the field, filling four of the top ten positions, with returning Willard Chinhanhu (3rd, 53:22), Lee Rodriguez (4th, 53:49) and Martin Lewis (6th, 55:59) ensuring the club took the team prize.

Lewis though was forced to succumb to Bournemouth AC club captain Jon Sharkey (5th, 55:43). Fresh from guiding Dorset to Bronze last week in the South West Inter-Counties championships, Sharkey’s strong finish was enough to snatch 5th place and retain his County road running title.

Bournemouth AC’s Steven Way also enjoyed a good outing, finishing 10th in 58:33, a mere two weeks after his New York marathon exploits, where he was first British male home in 2:35:12.

Team mate Dawn Broom was the only local runner on the women’s podium. A year best time of 1:04:36 took second behind race winner Melanie Ellis of Shaftesbury Barnet (1:01:13).

In the team competition Littledown Harriers were triumphant with Heather Khoshnevis (9th, 1:08:46) spearheading the scoring trio, while colleagues Janice Chapman (11th, 1:09:20) and Jacqueline Goldsmith (13th, 1:12:35) were in close attendance.

BU athletics team off to a flyer

2008-11-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

The Bournemouth University athletics team has got their winter season off to a flying start with athletes enjoying success as far afield as New York as well as closer to home.

The team’s home event, the AECC Dashback road race, was well supported and it was Carley Rose who led from the front to take the 10km women’s title.

The 19 year-old Chiropractor College student, cruised round the Boscombe based course, heading the 100 strong field in 43:31; seven seconds clear of her nearest rival.

Ally Hanks (46:53), SUBU clubs & societies co-ordinator, gained a top ten berth to place ninth, while Henny Olofsson debuted at the distance to clock 49:11 for 21st.

Paul Hindle also grabbed a podium placing in the men’s category, finishing third in the 5km race, despite being more accustomed to shorter sprinting disciplines.

The team also enjoyed success in their cross-country fixture of their winter programme in the Hampshire league at Goodwood.

Again it was Carley Rose who was first home for the Uni in the women’s race, with a solid run of 23:32 for 25th over the tricky 6km course.

Michelle Pank (36th, 24:11) provided good support and Sarah Bolton (44th, 24:32) completed the scoring trio to ensure the team finished an impressive sixth out of the 24 clubs competing.
In the men’s race, Laurent Kelly was 86th out of the 253 competitors.

Meanwhile, swapping continents, Max Lutostanski completed the New York marathon three minutes under the five-hour mark.

With such a solid start to the season, the club will now look to build on this early momentum ahead of the BUCS indoor athletics championships in March.

BU @ The BUSA Indoor Athletics Championships 2008

2008-03-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

Bournemouth University's athletics team at the BUSA Indoor Athletics Championships in Sheffield on the 15-16 March.

BU stalwart dies

2008-03-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Bournemouth University’s oldest ever graduate has died, aged 91.

Harry Cracknell, who was a grandfather, gained a Masters degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management three years ago.

He also gained a BA Honours degree at Bournemouth in International Hospitality Management in 2002.

Having recently successfully recovered from a quadruple bypass operation, he soon re-discovered his love of the classroom.

Cracknell has long been a stalwart of the University, joining on the first day it opened as catering production manager, as well as working as a part-time lecturer.

Indeed during his life, Cracknell has achieved some remarkable things, including working in the kitchens of the Savoy and Dorchester hotels.

In addition to this, in 1979 he teamed up with another university lecturer to produce a full translation of the world famous Auguste Escoffier's Guide Culinaire, often described as the "Culinary Bible".

He also enjoyed a brief stint as a television chef in the 1960s on the programme Woman’s Hour.

Cracknell died peacefully at his home on the 14th March.

Drugs in Sport - Radio Feature

2008-03-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.zshare.net/audio/91226932ad94e6/

Earth Charter chance offered to council

2008-02-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

Bournemouth may become one of the first towns in the world to become a member of the Earth Charter.

In an impassioned speech at the Bournemouth Council meeting last week, Rabbi Neil Amswych stated: "There is a difficulty facing local government, in that everything has to be solved in the short term. The Earth Charter offers a long term solution to problems that may get over looked".

The Charter was set up to promote justice and democracy across the world. It also urges for a peaceful co-existence along with a respect for life, and outlines this under 16 major principles.

Rabbi Amsych, from the Bournemouth Reform synagogue, also added: "The Earth Charter is a long term social vision that more people want to see more than any other. We can be one of the first towns in the world to be a part of this and we can take that step together".

Many religious groups and organisations have signed up to the Earth Charter, but few towns have agreed to the charter.

After the meeting Rabbi Amsych told the Inquisitor that the initial signs are positive for the council to adopt the Charter.

"I don't know how the Council will respond. Early indications are positive, and I've had a request to bring it to Poole Council".

The decision will now be deferred and the decision will be revealed at the next full council meeting on the 21st February.

The Inquisitor is a student based newspaper at BU

Art is a splash for school children

2008-02-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Boscombe library’s facelift is complete, thanks to new water inspired artwork created by local schoolchildren.

Pupils from Bethany School, Kings Park Primary School and Sharp school created the specially designed panels.

The artwork stretches along the exterior of the library and is the length of the building.
Lead artist Peter Dunn told the Inquisitor: "The artwork is a based upon the reflections made when near water".

He added: "It acts as a metaphor for people reflecting on their lives, what it means to live in Boscombe, and what the library means to them".

The glass was also specially pressed and polished to add to the effect of creating a reflection in water.

The project was privately funded by the East Dorset Housing Association, Bournemouth council, the Housing Corporation and Arts Council England.

The Inquisitor is a Student project newspaper at BU

You rally got me going

2008-02-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

The 2008 MSA Gravel Rally Championship has announced they will stage an exhibition of vehicles at the Littledown Leisure centre.

The demonstration will be held in conjunction with the annual Turbo Mechanics Rallye Sunseeker event between the 22nd-24th February.

It is the first time that race organisers have included such an event in the race itinerary, which is now in its 23rd year.

With the exhibition in the afternoon, the drivers will then begin their race on the Friday evening, starting from Bournemouth lower gardens and finishing on Boscombe sea front.

The rally then moves onto further stages in Wareham, Ringwood and Somerley Park.

Published in the BU Student Press

Apprentice candidate to speak at BU

2008-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Former Apprentice candidate Dr Sophie Kain is set to give a business lecture to Bournemouth University students early next year.

The quantum physicist will provide a business innovation talk to entrepreneurs looking to start their own business.

The 33 year-old shot to fame on the BBC reality show, with her energetic and determined approach to the tasks set by Sir Alan Sugar.

The talk is a series of lectures hosted by the University’s latest society "Business Mania".
The business-based society is set to fill a gap in the University’s Clubs and Socs listing, which are mainly sporting and socially oriented.

Business Mania President Maris Kuklis said, "We’re all about helping students to start up and grow their own business. We offer advice and help provide links with local businesses so they can get a foothold in the community".

The Tourism Management student added, "There is nothing like this around at the University at the moment. So we decided to set ourselves up to appeal to those students who want to take their first steps into starting their own business".

The latest series of Business Mania events is the "START Programme" lectures run by the University Innovation Centre.

Rhyannan Hurst, Enterprise assistant at the Centre of Research and Knowledge Transfer, said, "The aims of the START programme are to provide a practical introduction to key disciplines required to successfully run a business, along with business mentorship, support and advice.

She added, "We would like this society to form a hub for students to discuss and share their skills, ideas and experiences".

To see Sophie Kain in action on The Apprentice and find out more about Business Mania visit www.bwire.co.uk

Dorset Fire Brigade offer advice to students

2007-11-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Dorset Fire and Rescue were on hand this week to offer advice to Bournemouth University students regarding fire safety.

The stand, which provided information ranging from smoke alarms to how to fireproof your home, were promoting free fire hazard inspections to students.

John Gaunt, Crew Manager of Dorchester fire station, stated: “We don’t get called to student houses very often but when we do it is normally very serious”.

He also highlighted the problems of some student housing with problems from estate agents.“We have come across places that haven’t had adequate safety checks. But we can inspect the premises and make appropriate recommendations”.

He added that the main reason for fires in student accommodation is the vast amount of equipment that students now own."If students attempt to cook after drinking too much then fires are going to happen, but if you take specific precautions then it could be the difference between life and death".

Caroline Atkins - Feature

2007-11-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, Caroline Atkins set a world record opening partnership in international cricket and yet just three games later, she was dropped from the England set-up. Now, Atkins is back, and is out to prove that she belongs on the international stage.

"Only thirty seconds to go and the pain will be over", or at least that is what I tell myself as I carry out my pitiful attempt at a press up. It is University circuit training and by some cruel twist of fate, I’ve ended up with my least favourite exercise to round off the session. "Twenty seconds!" a voice cries from the background, as my aching muscles valiantly try to muster one last effort. "Its no good" I think to myself inches from collapsing, when I hear the same voice shouting the times say, "Keep going, you can do it". Alas although my mind wants to take heed of the voice’s advice, my body can’t take anymore and within the blink of eye I’m in a heap on the floor.

The voice is in fact that of Caroline Atkins, international cricketer and head of Strength Conditioning at Bournemouth Univeristy. But although she is a reliable leader at circuit training, trying to track the England international down proves to be a difficult task. "No-one knows where anyone is in this place", jokes a representative on reception. Thankfully, after much searching, I do eventually find her, albeit swamped by a group of rugby players. "It’s a tough job but I enjoy it, it provides balance in my life, and when that balance exists, that’s when the cricket starts to go well", she tells me. The right mix of work and cricket is certainly beginning to pay off, with Atkins holding down a regular test and one-day place since 2005. A major feat considering there her England career looked in jeopardy when she was dropped in both forms of the game in 2002.

Due to the busy nature of the department on a Tuesday (the day before all the sports teams compete) we’ve had to seek refuge in the cafeteria. But for Atkins it comes with the territory and how far Bournemouth has come in the time that’s she’s been there. "We’re starting to build a reputation now and it is exciting to be a part of". As she speaks there’s a sense of pride in her work, and enjoyment from the nature of her job. Success away from the cricket pitch it seems certainly appears to have brought success on it.

As is the case with any top-flight sporting career though, the path to that success is far from straightforward and Atkins is no exception. After enjoying unprecedented success at county level, Atkins was thrust into the limelight in 2001 making her test debut against Australia at the age of 21. And after setting a world record for an opening partnership with Aaran Brindle against India, things were looking promising for the future. But just three games later, in January 2002, Atkins found herself dropped from the England set-up and worse still came under heavy criticism from the media who accused her of not scoring quickly enough. "It was frustrating at the time as I was just starting to enjoy some success with England, and of course setting the world record goes down on a personal level as a career highlight. But I can accept it when someone doesn’t think I’m good enough. And if anything in the time I was out I became a stronger person and better cricketer because of it". From the way she reminisces on the decision, there’s not a hint of resentment present in her voice. Just that of optimism for the future, what’s done is done, and now its time to look forward.

During her three years out of the international scene, Atkins set about rebuilding her career and in early 2005 the breakthrough came in the form of a call up to the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) Young Cricketers scheme based at Lords. "I was at the home of cricket everyday, you can’t help but hit the ball then". Another key factor that came with her time at the MCC was rediscovering her passion for the sport. "I was enjoying it again. I was getting too caught up in worrying whether I was ever going to get another chance with England. Thankfully it did and it came at a time when I was getting better and better". Atkins was rewarded with a re-call for the tour to India in 2005, and hasn’t looked back since.

As Atkins strides off with the air of someone going places, no doubt with another crowd of sports students lurking around the corner, it is hard to bet against her achieving great things in the future. And with the small matter of defending the Ashes next year and competing in the 2009 World Cup, she has the ideal opportunity to show that she truly belongs on the international stage.

Croydon Harriers Promotional Video

2007-06-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

In 2006, I put together this promotional video for my A-Level Media Studies project and also my athletics club Croydon Harriers.

It won an award for "Best Promotional Video" at the Wilson's 6th Form Media Oscars 06!

Grade: A

Subways Press Release (Fictional Story)

2007-06-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Urgent meetings are to be held between senior figures in Oxdown, in a bid to improve the subways at James Street.

Phillip Rush, Chairman of the Oxdown Chamber of Trade, confirmed it was looking to meet Oxdown Council and Police, to take "drastic action" to re-energise the subways.

He claimed that muggers, vandalism, litter, graffiti and beggars have tarnished the reputation of the subways and they are not prepared to let the situation further deteriorate. "We believe we have one of the best shopping centres in the region, and we want to encourage people to visit us, not to see them put off", Mr Rush stated.

The action comes just a week after an elderly man suffered a blow to the head, during a scuffle with a group of teenagers, in the James Street subways.

Although the man is making a good recovery and his head wound is not serious, its just one of a series of incidents that has given the subways a bad reputation.

The subways linking Oxdown Bus Station with the town market and shopping centre have now become a prime location for muggers to target passing shoppers.

Other proposals that the Chamber aims to bring forward are plans to re-decorate the subways with murals and reduce the amount of rubbish presently left there.

It is thought that the deteriorating state of the pedestrian links has led to many residents avoiding using the subways, which have been in place since 1995.

No Feeback As Of Yet

Animal Cruelty Case

2007-06-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

A married couple has had their ban from owning pets reduced from 5 years to 2, after their appeal case at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday.

Mr Recorder Fitton QC ruled that the behaviour of Mr and Mrs White, of Pine Road in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, ruled the ban was "appropriate but not for 5 years".

The case came to court after Neil and Selina White pleaded guilty, in January, to causing unnecessary harm to their pet cat Elliot, which was resultantly put down.

Concerned neighbours called the RSPCA, who discovered the Persian cat with a severe maggot infestation under its skin and faeces over its body.

The prosecutor, Barrister Richard Martin, quoted the RSPCA description of Elliot stating that "the maggots had eaten its back left leg".

The Whites were fined £500 each for their part but wanted to appeal against the ban imposed, which now leaves their other two cats to being re-homed.

The defence, Barrister Robert Griffiths argued that Elliot’s health had only deteriorated in the last few days of its life, in late August of last year.

Neighbour Lynn Riggs, has been the White’s neighbour for eight years, and said, when called to the stand, "They have always cared for Elliot and their pets".

Barrister Griffiths also told the court that the Whites had locked the Persian cat up in the house for 3 months in order to groom it.

But Elliot grew increasingly restless at this and it could have contributed to it failing to groom itself in the last few days of its life.

RSPCA inspector Graham Hammond, who found Elliot, said, "Putting any animal to sleep is distressing, but at least its not suffering any more".

No Feedback as of yet

Cargo Ship & Ferry Crash (Fictional Story)

2007-06-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

A collision between a cargo ship and a ferry has left Poole Harbour in chaos this morning, with two people dead and a toxic chemical leaking into the sea.

The victims, a man and a woman, in their 70's, both jumped into the sea seconds before a passenger ferry hitting a cargo ship.

The pair are rumoured to be related, although their identities are yet to be confirmed by Dorset Coastguard.

The remaining 30 passengers on the ferry though are safe, although some are suffering from hypothermia and shock.

There had been some doubt over the number of passengers that were safe, due to the confusion in the safety checks, but all passengers are now accounted for.

The situation at the Harbour worsened as it became clear that the chemical Lindane was leaking into the sea.

The highly toxic chemical, which is a banned pesticide in 52 countries, began leaking from the "Taurus" cargo ship after the collision.

The area has now been cordened off so the environment agency can assess the chemical's potential threat to life.

Tolden Lee, an environment agency spokesman said "it's vital that we can fully investigate into what has happened".

The beach has been evacuated and will remain so for the next 12 hours, altough could re-open sooner if the investigation goes to plan.

The incident happened at 10:15am when Taurus, which was in the wrong sea lane at the time, resultantly crashed into the chain link ferry in its path.

Torbay Seaway, the company of the cargo ship that was on its maiden voyage, have now taken full responsibility for the incident.

The managing director, Bridget Verdon stated: "We are an inexperienced team, there's no point in pretending, we are sorry".

Despite the doubt that now surrounds the company's future, Mr Verdon was quick to state that there would be "no scapegoats".

He also defended the company boldly stating that we will take "full corporate resonsibility" and a full internal inquiry in the coming weeks will be launched.

Tracksuit Saga Continues

2007-06-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Bournemouth University has announced that their sports tracksuits will not be delivered this year, due to problems with their suppliers.

The news leaves many of the University’s athletes with no alternative but to compete without them.

It comes as a blow to Bournemouth who are striving to be one of the top 25 sports Universities in the UK, by June this year.

The University has had a meteoric rise up the sports rankings since 2003, gaining almost 100 places to their current position of 36th.

As a result of this, looking professional when competing has become an all-important ingredient of success.

But this aspect has been difficult to fulfil with suppliers Surridge continuously failing to meet growing demand.
Jason Atkins, Head of Performance Sports, at Bournemouth accepted that the "suppliers have let us and our athletes down".

The problem has been ongoing for several years.

Lucy Fogarty, a first team hockey player, has experienced the delays and also the implications upon the team.

"Half the girls missed the order deadline by a few days and because of that, half of us have a tracksuit and the others don’t".

But even then, the 18 year-old added that an error was made with their order.

"We didn’t get the right shade that we wanted, so our socks don’t match our tops and we are still waiting for the replacements".

The lack of delivery has had ripple effect on the other faculties in the University.

Sports Psychology and Coaching Sciences student James Eccles was promised a free tracksuit with his course.

But with recent developments coming to a head, he feels pessimistic about his chances of this happening now.

"I haven’t been told anything about it since enrolling. We were told it would be a small compensation for the tuition fees, but it looks like that isn’t going to go through".

Mark: 70

Plane Crash (Fictional Story)

2007-05-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

A plane crash has left two people dead and a third seriously injured after a charity parachute jump went horribly wrong.

A mechanical failure caused the plane to crash land on a military firing range in Bere Regis, Dorset, where the two fatalities were confirmed as the pilot and the parachute instructor.

The four remaining passengers aboard the plane, owned by Dorset Parachute club, jumped out just prior to impact.

Matthew McGrath, who was parachuting for Leukaemia Research, praised the pilot and instructor’s bravery "We owe our lives to those guys, we wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for them".
Laura Cameron, who was also jumping, fractured her leg from the crash, but Kate Tong, Debbie Smith and McGrath are all unharmed.

There had been growing anxiety for the four charity jumpers who leapt from the plane, a mere 500ft in the air, half of the emergency parachuting height.

Having survived that, they were feared dead after landing on the military shooting range, where there are potentially hundreds of unexploded mines.

They were later rescued when, after gaining refuge in the woods, the army discovered their whereabouts.

Roger Daltrey, Lt of the Royal Armoured Core battalion, emphasised the dangers from which the group escaped "There’s a reason why this is a no go area, we fire over 70, 000 tank shells every year and they can ricochet anywhere".

He added that the crash itself was "the worst I’ve ever seen. The plane has literally been atomised".

The private passenger CESSNA 337 plane crashed at 10:20am, a mere 20 minutes after it took off from a private airfield en route to the jump.

The crash comes as a shock to Dorset Parachuting club, who recently checked the aircraft to ensure it met safety standards.

Big Mac, as he’s known at the club, stated "We’ve recently had an overhaul of our aircraft, so for this to happen is deeply distressing".

The co-owner though was quick to decline the pilot and instructor were at fault adding, "I’ve lost two great friends. They would have done their best not to harm anyone".

Mark: 72 (1st)

Film Review: Casino Royale

2007-05-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

Casino Royale (12A)
Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench
**** (4 stars)

If we were to believe the pre-release criticism facing Daniel Craig’s selection as the new 007, Casino Royale could be the worst Bond film of the franchise; it couldn’t be further from the truth.

In this daring prequel, Campbell goes to the very heart of what makes James Bond the suave, womanising secret agent that we’ve all come to know.

It’s this analysis of characterisation that sets this film apart from its predecessors, but be warned this is not a traditional Bond film.

This is made explicit from the outset, as the silver tinted opening sequence reveals Bond brutally beating a Russian henchman, before drowning him; no Roger Moore quips here then.

There also isn’t room for Q and Moneypenny, but they aren’t essential for Campbell’s dark take on the secret agent’s beginnings.

James Bond has just been promoted to being a "00" and his mission is to prevent French banker "Le Chiffre" (Mads Mikkelson) from funding terrorists in Africa.

He must achieve this by stopping Le Chiffre winning a multi-million dollar poker tournament, by entering himself.

But with enemies trying to hunt him down, new love Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) to look after and the government’s money at stake, will Bond succeed in saving the world?

It is Daniel Craig’s portrayal of James Bond that deserves the highest praise.

After being accused of being too "dead-pan" and even too "blonde", before filming had even begun, Craig has truly silenced his critiques akin to his AK47.

He displays a tough rugged character, relentlessly dispatching his enemies, but at the same time maintains the humour connected with the secret agent.

In one scene, when asked how he would like his Vodka Martini, Bond snaps "Does it look like I give a damn!" typifying his no nonsense character.

There’s also a treat for female viewers, as Campbell reverses the iconic Halle Berry scene from "Die Another Day", as Craig emerges from the sea wearing…very little.

The rougher 007 is well supported by new feisty Bond girl Eva Green who gets the difficult mix of sensitivity and headstrong independence off to a tee.

She portrays the character with such tenacity that separates her from the submissive female counterparts that have gone before her.

But reversing the franchise norm comes with big risks, and one downfall of this film is the (at times) incomprehensible plot.

It’s only a minor flaw though, in a film with spectacular stunts, fights and a truly remorseless villain in Mads Mikkelson that shocks the audience with ease.

By the time Daniel Craig closes the film on the classic line "The name’s Bond. James Bond", very few can argue against the fact that Bond is back with a bang.

Mark: 60 (2:1)

Opinion: The Loneliness of the Cross Country Runner

2007-05-18T02:38:00.001-07:00

As I stand on top of a hill with 300 other students as mad as myself, I’m thrilled at the prospect of running 12km against the finest cross-country runners in Britain.

A daunting prospect for even the most seasoned of long distance runners, buteven more so considering I’m the only the student from my University here.

By the way, did I mention that there are a thousand sets of eyes watching us?

The maths of course speaks for itself. 15,000 students go to Bournemouth butthere’s only me running here.

I’m the first to admit I have no chance of winning this, but it would be nice to have a companion to share in my plight.

The situation I find myself in though, is not too far away from the problem facing the sport in the UK.

British distance running is in rapid decline and we are struggling to mix it with the world’s finest.

The problem is simple, there aren’t enough people competing in every event from the National championships to the Mickey Mouse open.

It’s hard to see why though. We live in a health conscious age and runningis surely a way to keep fit against life’s temptations.

Being honest though, jogging for fun is a far cry from this deadly serious, competitive event. The gun has already gone, and I’ve found myself at the back of the field, still on the up side, only 11 and a half kilometres to go…

Trident Vox Pop

2007-05-18T02:34:00.000-07:00

By Luke Starre & Matthew Kiernan

The Labour party has announced potential plans for the £20bn renewal of Britain’s nuclear deterrent Trident.

Investment in the programme will be spread over the next 30 years and Tony Blair is eager to push the proposal through Parliament before he stands down in 2007.

But even given the state of the current world climate does the British public think the scheme is worth it?

"Depends on how much they’ve got in the budget," says Anthony Davis, a 27-year old graphic designer from Sutton Rd, Charminster.

"Is national security still that important? It’s debatable and it won’t make any difference to my life."

"We’ve already got some and if we needed to use them it would be a nuclear war and all countries would loose out," laughs Chris Cox, 20, a sports management student at Bournemouth University.

It’s a view reiterated by Sue Barrett from Stanfield Rd, Winton.
"If there’s going to be a nuclear explosion they’ll be mass death anyway, so what’ s the point?"

Should we be trying to get along instead of out doing each other then? 19-year-old Carl Arreghini thinks so.

"They’re effectively weapons of mass destruction," mused the Law student. "It would make me feel safer if no one had them rather than us having more then someone else."

"The more countries who have them the more likely they’ll be used," agrees Christine Howland of Cranmer Rd, Winton.

"Nuclear weapons do more damage than good", adds Tessa Gustafsen, a waitress from Copenhagen, Denmark. "Actually, I don’t think they do any good".

So is no one bothered about protection?

"It’ll come to a sad time if we need nuclear weapons to feel safe at night", says Tanya Davis, 28, from Charminster.

What about the costs?

"Money should be channelled into education and children", adds Ms Davis.

Liam Henderson from St. Luke’s Rd in Winton thinks ‘they’ll spend it on the military anyway, plus we can use the ones we have’.

"We shouldn’t spend it on a nuclear deterrent," says retired builder Roger Anderson. "Instead it should be used to help stop climate change."

It’s not an opinion shared by all though.

Jack Salisbury feels efforts need to be stepped up saying, "money should be spent on more aggressive tactics – not war however".

Peace keeping and negotiation are what the 19-year-old business student suggests.
So perhaps Andrew Wilson sums up the public consensus.

"I don’t like nuclear weapons anyway and I’d hope they’ll all disappear eventually," dreams the 38-year-old market trader from Lymington.

Mark: 60 (2:1)

What Makes A Good Reporter?

2007-05-18T02:30:00.001-07:00

Lawrence Booth’s advice for being a good reporter is to be "structured", "show initiative" and "be dedicated".

The 31 year-old is more than qualified to comment; he currently edits the "Spin" cricket supplement for the Guardian.

According to Booth, these key traits to succeed in journalism are put to the test by the route you take into the industry.

"There are 2 main routes.

The work experience route and the Journalism course route".

It is indeed the former of these two paths, which Booth used to work in the field.

After graduating from Cambridge University, with a modern languages degree, Booth undertook a 3 month work placement at "Wisden Cricket Monthly" magazine.

It was this particular summer of 1998, where his outlook on writing changed forever. "I essentially got one to one tuition from the editor at the time.

He helped me to write engaging articles instead of essays".

This advice has stayed with Booth, throughout his career.

It is fitting then that with his new writing skills at the forefront of his thinking, Booth got his first big break.

With no one following on from him on work experience in the magazine, he was offered a part-time position; his dedication had paid off.

"It was only £500 a month, but we all have to start somewhere!"

What followed was the chance to work on the Wisden Website, as well as the "Wisden Almanack".

This continued until 2002, when he became freelance, which he has remained ever since.
In the present though it’s the Journalism course route that Booth recommends.

Partly due to job preparation, but also due to another key trait in being a good reporter; networking.

"Watch out for those who you think may be successful and try and stick with them!".

A hard work ethic, having a passion for writing and having an interest in you’re writing area, are all important then in the make-up of a good reporter.

Lawrence Booth is living proof.

Mark: 66 (2:1)

Interview: Alan Belshire

2007-05-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

Mr Alan Belshire is someone I feel I’ve known all my life and yet a month a go we hadn’t met.

As we sat in his study, the 66-year-old gave an insight into his relaxed approach to life – "it’s important to laugh at yourself, otherwise what’s the point!"

It’s this fun loving character that’s led to a running joke in the house.

A storyteller at heart, Alan used to tell his children when younger, many tales about "Dogsbody Hollow".

The name derived from Alan’s imagination and also due to their home being situated on a hill.
When they grew up, they created a "Dogsbody Hollow" plaque, which takes pride and place in the porch – "I often find people staring at it bemusedly!"

It is with fondness that Alan speaks of his children and indeed he also fondly remembers his own childhood.

"It was the 4th year of the war", Belshire recalls, "and my Dad had to remove a wasp’s nest stuck in our car".

"My dad attached a hose pipe to the exhaust of our Austin, to drench them out!"
It goes without saying it was an extermination even the Daleks would have saluted.

"It was very impressive!" Alan adds amusedly.

For 35 years Belshire worked as a solicitor, running his own firm "Alan Belshire & Co." in Winton.

However, although he enjoyed it, it wasn’t always clear what would happen next.

"Once a month, I had to represent the local bad lads in prison.

But you had to be nice, otherwise you could be stuck in a cell with them, if the police forgot you were there!"

Alan’s family consists of 7 grandchildren as well as his 3 children (Carol, Katy and John).

It’s not always a good thing though – "It can cause a headache at Christmas!"

Now retired, Alan now shares time with his wife Wendy and also works for Victoria Park Methodist Church.

As pastoral secretary, one of the hardest tasks he finds is to stick to word limits writing church news articles.

I couldn’t agree more.

Mark: 67 (2:1)

Day In the Life of...Matthew Kiernan

2007-05-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

In October, Matthew Kiernan will embark on a BA Honours degree in Multi-Media Journalism. In a bid to be financially prepared, the 18-year-old accepted a Customer Advisor role at a local school uniform outlet. A member of Croydon Harriers athletics club and Trinity (Oxley) Cricket Club, the budding athlete lives with his family in South London.

Dragging myself out of bed at 7am is the most difficult part of the day in my life. I’m not a morning person and soon find myself attempting to avoid attracting my family’s attention so I’m not forced to grunt at them.

The painful process of slowly coming round to reality is sped up somewhat though, whilst listening to the "Today" programme, on Radio 4, at breakfast time. It is all the more satisfying to hear hard-hitting journalism from John Humphreys to remind just exactly why I’ve woken up this morning. After all, I’d love to be in his position one day.

Still, that’s the long-term goal and any brief moments of solitude found in daydreaming are abruptly ended when I realise my short term objective is in jeopardy…getting to my Summer job on time.

My efforts to arrive punctually aren’t helped on a daily basis with the buses constantly running late. I made the decision not to learn to drive so I could save funds, so it’s my own fault. However with Sir Ken Livingston letting youngsters travel for free, it would be nice to think those who have to pay for it can get value for money. If you’ve ever heard the comedy adaptation of the song "London Underground", you can guess what I would like to tell Sir Ken to do with his Oyster card.

It all seems worthwhile though when I arrive at the shop (albeit after a slow and claustrophobic journey) as my colleagues are so kind and easy to get on with. When the shop opens at 9am, we receive our orders from our managers. It’s a hormonal affair in which a lot of power hunger comes to the fore, with the most effective way to combat the obsessive ordering being copious amounts of automatic nodding.

Once that specific hurdle is cleared, the second more daunting challenge is upon me. Tasks such as making stacking shirts, putting labels on packets and dusting blazers seem more entertaining than watching paint dry is a difficult one indeed. On the bright side though, things take a much-needed upturn when lunchtime arrives; but even then I cannot always be sure. Lunch can only be an hour of sheer bliss (in comparison to the shop floor) if I’ve managed to avoid the dreaded 12pm slot…the hour in which the managers eat. If I’ve been unlucky enough to receive that particular pleasure, then thoughts of sharp blades meeting my wrists quickly become predominant in my imagination.

Thankfully though, having such good friends to work with helps the time pass. Its amazing how close we’ve all become within just 3 months of working together; I feel like I’ve known them for 3 years. That is of course meant in a good way and I’m sure we’ll remain in contact for many years to come.

When the clock finally ticks down to the sacred 5:30pm (closing time), its time to recover from the monotony that is selling school uniform, and instead turn my attention to the other main interest of my life; athletics.

When I tell people I’m a long distance runner I often get an immediate reaction of shock, closely followed by the question of "Why?" My response is a simple one; I find it relaxing (at this point the person I’m speaking to will probably faint). It’s the physical and mental challenge of being able to compete for a sustained period of time that keeps me training. This ironically is the most popular reason why people don’t find distance running attractive.

Imagine my surprise then, when 8 of my fellow customer advisors came with me to the evening’s training session at the track. What began as an initial joke on my part to get one chap running for the first time in years, has turned into everyone else coming down for a run as well. They all enjoyed it (or at least I hope they did) and hopefully I’ll be able to encourage them to maintain their good work whilst at university.

Training ends at around 9pm and its often then a trip to the local pub for a cheeky beverage. Although the other guys indulge in various alcoholic concoctions, I always treat myself to a juicy J20. I’ve never drunk in my life, mainly due to the taste and due to the sick related after effects of being hammered that inevitably comes with it. However, despite the fact I don’t drink or smoke, I always make the effort to go out, otherwise I think you are not living life to the full.

I get in at 11ish, and normally eat something that my parents have kindly cooked for me, before hitting the hay at 12am, ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

"Despite the fact I don’t drink or smoke, I always make the effort to go out, otherwise I think you are not living life to the full"

Mark: 63 (2:1)