Cheltenham Standard 9th April 2015

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JOBS would be at risk at Chel-tenham Town Football Club if it isrelegated from the football league,the chairman has warned.

Paul Baker commented thatadmin jobs would be axed if theLeague Two club drops into theFootball Conference next season.

Cheltenham are currentlybottom of the league with only *vegames left to play.

Mr Baker said: “People wouldlose jobs all over the football cluband we would have to trim downthe team.”

TV REALITYSTARS INTOWN PG7

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CHELTENHAM TOWNJOBS RISK

Paul Baker

club chairman admits that joblosses could be on the horizon

Meet thePoliticians...have your say PG4

2 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 9 APRIL 2015

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MILS Muliaina, 34, who playsfor the Connacht province inthe Irish Republic, was arrestedfollowing a match in Glouces-ter last Friday evening.Gloucestershire Police said a

man in his thirties had been ar-rested at Kingsholm Stadium inrelation to the assault inCardiff.South Wales Police said a 34-

year-old man was in theircustody.The ex-All Black, earned 100

caps during his nine years withthe international side.Connacht rugby club said in

a statement: “Connacht Rugbycan con?rm that player MilsMuliaina is currently assistingthe SouthWales Police with en-quiries relating to an alleged in-cident in Cardiff in March ofthis year.“As this is a legal matter,

Connacht Rugby will bemaking no further comment atthis time.”

Former New Zealand rugby player arrestedat Kingsholm on suspicion of a sexual assault

CAMPAIGNERS are saying thatthe new NHS contract-awardingrules for GPs are a “disgrace” asthey create a con@ict of interest.GPs on Gloucestershire Clini-

cal Commissioning Group(CCG) have been given thepower to award GP services.Campaign group 38 Degrees

is concerned this will in@uencethe way contracts are awardedbecause the GPs themselvesoversee the decisions.But, the CCG said its deci-

sion-making committee's con-stitution will avoid thispotential issue.David Perry, from 38 Degrees,

said: “This announcement is adisgrace, introducing a con@ictof interest with GPs commis-sioning GP services.“It is similar to the con@ict of

interest in parliament whenlarge numbers of MPs with ?-nancial interests in privatehealthcare companies voted forthe 2012 Health & Social CareAct which has led to the privati-sation of many more NHSservice.”Gloucestershire CCG is the

only one in the SouthWest thathas been given the go-ahead forthe committee.Campaigners believe as long

as GPs are on this committeethey will always be open to theaccusation they are featheringtheir own nests.Previously, GPs sitting on

CCGs only controlled the pursestrings for buying hospital andcommunity services.Mary Hutton, the account-

able of?cer at GloucestershireCCG, said: “This provides theCCG with a great opportunityto better meet local needs bycommissioning more joined upservices for patients from GPcare, to care at home, rightthe way through to hospitalservices.”

GP’s can buy their own servicesTWO people fromCheltenham died in sepa-rate car crashes inGloucestershire over theEaster Bank Holidayweekend.Police have con?rmed

that a motorcyclist died ina collision on the A40near Sherborne.Paramedics and police

attended the scene butthe 41-year-old sadly losthis life.An occupant of the

other vehicle involved inthe crash was taken tohospital in Oxford fortreatment, but their in-juries were reported to notbe life-threatening.Also in the early

hours of Good Fridaymorning, a driver died ina single-vehicle collisionon the A38 at WaterwellsRoundabout in Glouces-ter.The driver was aged 36

and from Cheltenham.Both men's next of kin

have been informed.Anyone with informa-

tion about either crash isasked to contact Glouces-tershire Police on 101.

Road deathmisery overEaster weekend

9 APRIL 2015 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 3

The club recently ap-pointed former Bristol Cityand Yeovil Town managerGary Johnson to try

and help the team avoidrelegation.“We'd have to look at all

aspects of the business,” hesaid. “You have to trim allof your costs.“Hopefully we’ll be able

to retain the academy andhopefully we’d be able to

retain the training facility.“But the key thing will

be the wages and theplaying budget which willhave to be signiGcantlyreduced.”Cheltenham lost to York

and Stevenage over Easterweekend.

POLICE in Cheltenham areappealing for informationafter an elderly man wasrobbed in the town lastTuesday afternoon.The incident happened in

an alleyway next to the TwoPigs pub at about 3.50pm onTuesday 31st March.The 70-year-old victim

had just collected severalthousand pounds in Eurosfrom the post ofGce when aman approached him andtold him there was a womanwhowanted to speak to him.The victim returned to thecashier at the post ofGce but

left again when she told himit wasn't her.He walked to a nearby bus

stop but just before the ’D’route bus arrived the sameman approached him againand told him the womanwas waiting for him in apub. The man told thevictim he would take him toher and escorted him downan alleyway next to the TwoPigs pub. The victim, realis-ing he may have beentricked, turned to walk backbut was then attacked by theman.The victim managed to

hold on to some of the cashbut was left with injuries in-cluding multiple fractures tothe eye, bruises and grazing.The attacker is described as

white, around 30 years old,of slim build, 5ft 8ins to 5ft9ins tall and wearing a dis-tinctive blue and whitejumper and sandy/beigechino style trousers.A CCTV image of the man

has been released by police.Anyone who recognises

the man or has any informa-tion about this incident isurged to call 101, quoting in-cident 330 of 31 March.

Appeal after man left with fractured eye socket

Chalk calls for cheaper parking in Cheltenham

Potential jobcuts for robins>> CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

CHELTENHAM’S Tory MPhopeful, Alex Chalk, hascalled on Council bosses to“look again” at the town’sparking charges. He believesthe high cost of parking isdamaging the town’s highstreet and deterring shoppersfrom visiting. If Mr Chalkgets his way, it would meanfree parking in designatedtown centre car parks after4pm and more free parkingdays during less busy shop-ping periods.Cheltenham Borough

Council are responsible forsetting off-street parkingcharges in the town. Lastyear the town’s car parksraised over £3 million lastyear for Council coffers.Town hall bosses point tothe fact they have frozencharges for the last Gve yearsas evidence of their supportfor local businesses. But MrChalk is not impressed.Speaking to the Standard,

the man who wants to beCheltenham’s next MP drewa comparison with neigh-bouring towns: ‘‘The cost ofparking in our town is toohigh.While Tewkesbury andGloucester have adopted amore Hexible approach inrecent years, Cheltenham’sLib Dems have refused tofollow suit. For example, you

can park all day in Glouces-ter on a Sunday for £2, but itwould cost you £10 in Chel-tenham for the same period.In our town centre you haveto pay to park until 8pmevery evening (includingSundays), compared to 5pmin Gloucester’s key towncentre car parks. With inter-net shopping and out-of-town retail parksincreasingly popular, weneed to do everything wecan to support our highstreet. Cutting parkingcharges would make a bigdifference.’’Mr Chalk also accused his

Lib Dem opponents of nothaving a proper parkingstrategy. He cited theexample of the North Placecar park, which was closed inDecember last year to makeway for a new Morrisons su-permarket and housing de-velopment. The closure was@shortsighted’’ according tothe Conservative candidate,as ‘‘the Council didn’tensure replacement spaceswere available, thus leavinga key gap in capacity over akey shopping period.’’It’s not just here in Chel-

tenham where parking hasplayed a key part of the elec-tion campaign. Last month,the Minister responsible for

local Government, EricPickles, announced he wasintroducing a ten minute‘grace' period for drivers, al-lowing them extra breathingspace to Gnish their shop-ping without facing a ticket.Opponents argued that MrPickles’ move was a gimmickthat didn’t go far enough.


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THE grand opening of the re-stored Pittville Gates tookplace on Tuesday of this weekat 3pm by Cheltenham’sMayor, Simon Wheeler. Theevent takes place four yearsto the day since the Friendsof Pittville launched thefundraising campaign.

The Mayor and Mayoressrode from Pittville PumpRoom to the gateway in a

horse-drawn carriage. Asthey approached, the newgates opened to allow thecarriage to pass through andCheltenham’s Town Crier,Mr Ken Brightwell, an-nounced theirarrival. The Mayor then un-veiled a plaque in front of thegates marking the beginningof the restoration workin 2012, the Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee year.The celebrations con-

cluded with a reception,sponsored by Mr and MrsAdam Lillywhite, at thenearby Cheltenham Town-house hotel. The guests in-cluded major donors andothers who have helped withthe restoration project. Thecarriage then returned to thePump Room carrying

members of Friends ofPittville who have been suc-cessful in a draw for the car-riage ride.

Judie Hodsdon, chair ofthe Friends of Pittville projectcommittee said: “Thegateway now looks evenmore magni8cent than wehoped it would and has

helped transform what waspreviously a rather dismalcorner of Cheltenham. Weare very grateful to everyonewho has contributed in anyway to the success of theproject. It has been a realcommunity effort.”

Simon Wheeler, mayor,added: “The gates look in-

credible and have consider-ably improved theappearance of a prominentcorner of the townscape.I feel honoured to havebeen asked to unveil theplaque and I give my per-sonal thanks to everyone in-volved in this importantrestoration.’’

Pittville Gates in Cheltenham grand opening

THE PANELLISTS...

MartinHorwood

Alex ChalkConservative

Christina Sim-monds

Your chance To puT ThepoliTicians on The spoT!

Come and join us for our very own ‘Question Time’at Cheltenham Town Football Club

This is your opportunity to put our local politicians on the spotand ask them why you should vote for them in the General Election

It’ll be a no holds barred evening of debate where the starsare you the audience and voting public.

Entrance is free and the evening is being televised.Want to have a voice? Then this is your chance to ask ourlocal politicians the questions that really matter to you.

When: Thursday 30th AprilWhere: Cheltenham Town Football Club,

Robins Nest Function SuiteDoors open 7pm. Debate begins at 7.30pm finishing at 9pm prompt

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THE speed cameras will beout and about this month inCheltenham.

Priority sites for April areas follows:A4013: Princess ElizabethWay CheltenhamA46: Bath Road

The sites chosen re=ect on-going speeding issues at thesesites as evidenced throughoutthe last year. Some haveshown an improvementsince being previouslynamed as priority sites andPolice say it is hoped thistrend will continue.

april sites for mobile speed camerasYou have been warned!

ST Paul’s Church in Chel-tenham was packed out for achoir concert with a differ-ence last Friday evening. Fivechoirs led by Cheltenhambased music teacher and di-rector Rachel Bowen met to-gether on Friday evening tosing Alexander L’Estrange’sAhoy!; Sing For The MaryRose.The <ve choirs have been

separately practising L’Es-trange’s multi part choralcantata since January last yearand the concert on Fridaywasthe culmination of months’of work. The singers ranged

in age with young childrenfrom the Ridge AcademyChoir, the junior and seniorsections of CheltenhamYouth Choirs, staff fromCheltenham Festivals andHSBC who sing as A ChoiredTaste and the more maturevoices of Midlife ChoirSis.Over 100 voices came to-gether for the concert withaccompaniment provided bya specially assembled band ofpiano, violin, double bass,drums and accordion.“This was the hardest piece

thatmany of the singers haveever performed,” said Rachel.

“They had all worked incred-ibly hard and learnt theirparts brilliantly. The combi-nation of adult voices withthe gorgeous youth choirchildren and the little onesfrom The Ridge actually blewme away. None of the singershad auditioned for a place intheir choir but it sounded asif they’d all auditioned and Ihad chosen the best in thewest! We put together anamazing band to accompanythe choirs and they made ahuge difference adding anextra dimension to thepiece,” she added.

Five choirs, 100 voices for st Paul’s

LIB Dem Leader NickClegg made a whirlwindvisit to Cheltenham thisweek to rally Liberal De-mocrat activists ahead ofthe General Election.Mr Clegg delivered a

motivational speech toMartin Horwood and his

Lib Dem supporters.With polling day less

than a month away nowthe Deputy Prime Ministerpaid a visit to the party'sof<ces in Hewlett Road.He delivered a motiva-

tional message to support-ers of Martin Horwood,

the Lib Dem candidatewho is hoping to be re-turned as the town's MPon May 7thMr Clegg said to a

s t and ing - r oom -on l ycrowd: “Our message isreally starting to getthrough.”

nick Clegg visits Cheltenhamsupporting liberal democrats

To adverTise in TheChelTenham sTandard Call

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CHELTENHAM College has a long tra-dition of strength in Sciences. As withall the great public schools of England,College led the way in the introductionof science to the school curriculum inthe nineteenth century and many OldCheltonians have gone on to make animpact in their specialist scienti?c areason the world stage.Students aged 9-18 will now be able

to undertake experiments and investi-gations beyond the scope of the cur-riculum.John Jones, Head of Chemistry at

Cheltenham College said: “The refur-bished laboratories will transform ourpupil’s experience of practical science –they ensure that College can continueto put practical skills at the top of thescience agenda.”Specially commissioned for the newly

renovated Science Centre, and inspiredby Theodore Gray, international sellingauthor, the periodic table is the ?rstlarge-scale installation of its kind inEurope, bringing the concept of the pe-riodic table to life.The display presents hundreds of

carefully curated objects, showing howelements are used in civilisation, as wellas an interactive video display featuringexperiments and demonstrations.

Cheltenham College unveil 3 metre periodic table display

PEG and washing line salesare rocketing by 600% as the?rst spring sun liberates thenation’s laundry.During April 4th - 10th –

the earliest dry and warmweek of the UK year so far -Morrisons expects to sell atleast 500,000 pegs and100,000 metres of line –enough to stretch a washingline from London toSouthampton.1.2 million packs of

laundry detergent are alsolikely to be sold. This would

wash an estimated 30million loads or 60,000tonnes of washing – theweight of a large containership.Chris Watson, Laundry

Buyer at Morrisons said:

“Since last October, ourhomes have been litteredwith wet clothing and bedlinen on radiators, airers anddoorframes.“The hot weather has

arrived early this year, withthe Met Of?ce predicting20°C temperatures for therest of Easter school holi-days. Pegging laundry outwill not only save dampnessin the home and moneyspent on tumble dryers, butwill leave your washing bothsoft and smelling fresh.”

Half a million pegs and 100,000 metresof washing line sold by Morrisons


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Castle opens an A-MAZE-ING new attraction

POLICE are appealing forwitnesses to a sexual touch-ing incident that took placein the High Street onMonday 30th March.A woman was the victim

of sexual touching as shewas walking up CheltenhamHigh Street at about 4.45pm.As she walked past WH

Smith she was approached

by a man walking in the op-posite direction whotouched her in a sensitivemanner as he walked pasther. The woman was ex-tremely shocked.The suspect is described as

being white, in his 30’s,about 5’10” tall with a slimbuild and dark hair. He waswearing blue camouEagetrousers with black shoes

and a black jacket. He haddark hair and a very palecomplexion with possibly asmall thin moustache.It is believed a number of

witnesses saw the incident.Anyone with any informa-

tion about the incident isasked to contact Gloucester-shire Police on 101, quotingIncident Number 367 of 30March.

SUDELEY Castle & Gardenslaunched its latest family at-traction with a bang lastWednesday 1st April.The historic home invited

visitors to the opening of‘Lost in theWillows’, a livingwillow maze and dippingpond with the ribbon beingcut by Lady Ashcombe, theMayor of Tewkesbury, andRoger Mortlock, CEO ofGloucestershire WildlifeTrust.

In addition, Chloe theMidnight Story Teller readchapters from Wind in theWillows and from Lady Ash-combe’s new book, ‘Brock theBadger: The Tale of theFamily Pet’.Working alongside

Gloucestershire WildlifeTrust, the maze is based onclassic children’s novel, TheWind in the Willows and ismade up of a series of inter-connected areas where chil-dren can run free and haveadventures exploring andDnding the burrows ofBadger, Ratty and Mole.

The maze also contains awildEower meadow, a smallorchard, a pond and a freeplay area, so there’s plenty forchildren to explore.Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe,

who owns and lives atSudeley Castle & Gardens,said: “The launch was a huge

success, with adults and chil-dren alike delighted by theunveiling of the maze. “It isclose to my heart, as itweaves in the story of Brock,our family badger. We can’twait to share this andwelcome guests to our won-derful new attraction.”

Located only eight milesfrom Cheltenham andBroadway, Sudeley Castle &Gardens is the only privatecastle in England to have aqueen buried within thegrounds. The last of HenryVIII’s six wives, KatherineParr lived and died in the

castle, where she still remainstoday entombed in a beauti-ful restored 15th centurychurch found within theaward-winning gardens.Other highlights include a

unique Katherine Parr exhi-bition, which allows guests toview personal items of the

queen including rare copiesof original books she wrote.An owlery, pheasantry, ad-

venture playground withpicnic area, gift shop andrestaurant in the old me-dieval banqueting hall com-plete the perfect day out.www.sudeleycastle.co.uk

Sexual touching incident in High Street

A POLICE sting operation inPittville Park has successfullytrapped two cocaine dealerswho sold the Class A drugs topolice ofDcers posing as cus-tomers, Gloucester CrownCourt has heard.Jack Linton, 23, of Rose-

berry Street, Swindon, Wilt-shire, and 25-year-old KaneDavies, of Cobham Road,Cheltenham, pleaded guiltyto six counts of supplyingcocaine over a four-monthperiod last year, GloucesterCrown Court was told onTuesday of this week.Prosecuting barrister Paul

Cook said: “Undercover ofD-

cers approached a group ofyoung people in Pittville Parkin September of last year andasked if they could buycocaine.“A meeting was arranged

and Davies handed over anamount of cocaine, whichwas of a high purity.’’ He alsoadded: “OfDcers again con-tacted Davies with anothersimilar request but this timeLinton conducted the supply,again in Pittville Park.“This occurred a number

of times and was clearlystreet dealing for proDt.“Linton has a substantial

list of previous convictions,including burglary, disor-derly behaviour andcannabis possession, whileDavies only has three previ-

ous convictions for affrayand assault.“They supplied the drugs

to fund their own habits andbitterly regret the situation.They pleaded guilty immedi-ately to the offences whichwere committed over a rela-tively short period of time.”The Court Recorder Peter

Towler said: “For four-months these two men sup-plied cocaine to undercoverpolice ofDcers in Pittville Parkwhich has a high studentpopulation.’’Both men were given two

year jail sentences suspendedfor two years and made thesubject of 12 monthssupervision and six monthsof a drug rehabilitation re-quirement.

Cocaine dealerscaught in Pittville


APRIL 18th will see a host of reality starsarrive in the townNot only is Geordie Shore holding its

Season 10 launch party at Moo Moos, butthe son of footballing legend George Best,Calum Best (pictured) will be making an ap-pearance at V Club.The club which is under new manage-

ment is running a competition for fans topick Calum up at the start of the night in alimousine. Jump onto their Facebook pageto Jnd out how to enter.Calum's visit comes as he is launching an

autobiography detailing his relationshipwith his father, footballing legendGeorge Best.

Star studded night inCheltenham looming

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WHAT an utter disgrace thatNINE British Muslims are ex-pected to be returning backhere from Turkey later thisweek after they attempted tojoin ISIS.Scores of these wannabe ter-

rorists are re-entering ourcountry after security servicesapprehend them in their at-tempts to cross into Syria.However – many of them, likethis latest batch, are likely re-turning to the UK without anyterror charges to face.It’s a total farce and high-

lights the vulnerability thisputs our great nation at.I Jnd it ludicrous that in the

war against radicalisation(where an estimated 600 Britshave joined the terror group)we can’t bend the laws toprotect our streets.Who cares if there’s no con-

crete, photo evidence ofyoung ‘Waheed’ wieldingan AK47? I don’t need tosee a photograph of him point-ing it at some poor bloke’s head

and I don’t need to wait forhim to cross into Syria beforeit’s too late for us to act. His in-tentions were to commit massgenocide and that should bethe only thing we take intoaccount.As far as I’m concerned he’s

frittered away his citizenship inthis country and is no longer Jtto possess a British passport.Simply telling them we don’twant them back is not enough.We should be telling themthey’re not allowed back underany circumstances.Alas, from my grasp of law, I

fear we cannot do this due torestrictions imposed on us bythe EuropeanUnion. Becausehe’s ‘one of us’he hash u m a nrights

and we should hold our armsopen for his return back toRochdale; doubtlessly with afree house, some beneJt cashand perhaps even some treat-ment on the NHS?The EU simply doesn’t work

for our country. It’s a lovelyidea but when we can’t closeour borders when it’s appropri-ate for us (like in this instance),I say enough is enough.The general election is

looming and I’m extremelyworried about the result for anumber of reasons that I’m sureI’ll write about it in the comingweeks. But the Jrst and mostimportant concern boils downto immigration. Irrespective ofmy views to how crowded weare, or my take on the rights offoreigners to set up home here,I want us to have the funda-mental right to keep terrorists

out.We shouldn’t haveto tip toe arounddraconian lawswritten up by non-

Brits and we certainly shouldn’thave to honour the humanrights belonging to a radicalMuslim who is threatening thesecurity of our country.Quite simply: if one of our

citizens is a terrorist threat weshould revoke their citizenshipand either deport them to theirplace of origin or lock them upin prison for life. FYI – lack ofprison space should never be anexcuse for shorter or no custo-dial sentence. For pity’s sakebuild more of them.Come May 7th I’m voting

Conservative: the only partypromising a referendum on theEU. It’s reason enough for meto pledge my support to ourlocal Tory candidate AlexChalk. God help us if we getstuck with the hapless Milibandwho’ll hand any rights wehaven’t already given to the EUover to the Scots!

Get more of Tom’s insightsby following him onTwitter @thurlow

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these articlesare theirs alone, and do not necessarily re�ect the views, opinions or positions of The Cheltenham Standard

Venting spleen Local man about town, Tom Thurlow lets loose

HAWES & Curtis, the oncetraditional Jermyn Streetshirt-maker will take thewraps off its Jrst Chel-tenham store on the Prome-nade.Chairman Touker Suley-

man, who last week was un-veiled as one of the new facesfor the BBC’s Dragons Den,said shoes, chinos, casual-wear and swimwear will beadded to complement themarket-leading shirts andsuits.Suleyman, who rescued

Hawes & Curtis for £1 in2001 and transformed it intoa £30m business, said,“Hawes & Curtis has alwaysbeen an affordable luxurybrand, predominantly forofJce wear. As the brand hasevolved into celebrating theBritish lifestyle, we have ex-tended our product offeringto include outerwear, shoesand casual wear.Andwith a clientele which

has included icons from pastand present - from the Dukeof Edinburgh and Duke of

Windsor through to ClarkCable, Cary Grant and FredAstaire through to the likesof David Hasselhoff, MorganFreeman and Martin Kemp -it’s easy to see where the in-spiration has come from.The expansion in the UK

mirrors that of the companyabroad, which is opening 26stores throughout theMiddle East as part of a land-mark franchise operation.The Cheltenham store is

due to open on July 2nd thisyear.

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aCRoss1. Take in water when the plug is out (4)3. Quietly change nappies with an in-strument (8)9. Beat an animal in front of a holy man(7)10. Steel is terribly loyal (5)11. Party of the right and not vice versa,perhaps (12)13. Nudity is made out to be slovenly(6)15. The doctor sees 11 across aboutfungal decay (3,3)17. Talk of conservation? (12)20. Strange enigma when I leave a girl(5)21. A fir cone falls from this tree (7)22. Is 'artist' appropriate for this type ofwriter (8)23. Mary goes around with soldiers (4)

DowN1. An iron or where you might use it(4,4)2. Fruit eaten when out of melon? (5)4. I have followed the law of movement(6)5. Dressings are not for an impossiblyvirtuous person (7,5)6. A friend has to state that it's a tediousdiscussion (7)7. Some nasty eye infection (4)8. I wanted river to be diverted by thedowser (5,7)12. Fish which might be straying (8)14. Tottenham Hotspur should haveconsidered ... (7)16. ... a summary of changing prices (6)18. Deduce that the fine will turn outright (5)19. I take politicians to be little devils (4)

Cryptic Crossword No38

Last week’s solutions (2nd april 2015): aCross: 6 Caution; 7 Colon; 9 Deuce; 10 Decimal; 12 Round of golf;14 Masterpiece; 18 Ignores; 19 Heist; 21 Brian; 22 Seminar. doWn: 1 Layer; 2 Stucco; 3 Bow; 4 Moving;5 Notable; 8 Deposit; 11 Unarmed; 13 Dangers; 15 Trojan; 16 Credit; 17 Islam; 20 Ken.

7 1 4 9 35 1 69 21 7 3

8 9 4 59 4 5 6 73 6 91 5 8 3 4

3 7 2

standoku

taRgetL R YE CT S G

A

make as manywords of four lettersor more as you can.each word mustcontain the centerletter and eachletter must onlybe used once.Target:25 words good;35 very good;40+ excellent.

By LJ RobeRts

THE countdown is on for one ofthe biggest sporting fashionevents of the year, the AintreeGrand National this Saturday11th April.

While some race-goers arebusy picking out their bets othersare focusing on their out2ts.

Dodgy spray-on tans, heavymake-up and skimpy attire, oftenextremely inappropriate for theApril weather, have becomecommon sights to grace thepages of the press in recent yearsand spotting the fashion fauxpas’ have become a sport in itselffor the paparazzi.

It is a pastime, however, theymay have to relinquish, as bossesat the Liverpool course have aplan to preserve their visitors'dignity by actually banning pho-tographers from taking picturesof badly dressed women.

John Baker, managing directorof the racecourse, hopes the banwill put an end to what he claimsis ‘unfair coverage of customersgetting drunk or 3ashing toomuch 3esh at the event.’

The racecourse feel it is themedia coverage of some womentaking advantage of the 'lax'dress code which has put otherpeople off attending themeeting.

Worst dressed photosbanned at Grand national

medium

To adverTise in TheChelTenham sTandard Call

01242 257019

POLICE in Gloucestershire are testing twonew devices to combat people giving themfalse details at the roadside.

Of2cers now have two mobile 2ngerprintmachines that they will be using in thecounty on a trial basis.

Gloucestershire road police took to twitterto showcase one of the devices.

They said one of the devices is linked tothe immigration database.

Pointing the finger


THE new “loneliness maps“ could be used totarget limited resources at the people andplaces that need them most.The Hidden Citizens report, published by

the Campaign to End Loneliness, said thishas already been done successfully inGloucestershire and Essex.Studies have suggested loneliness con-

tributes to health problems.Laura Alcock-Ferguson, director for the

Campaign to End Loneliness, said: “If localcouncils and services do not act now to Hndthe people experiencing severe loneliness,we are likely to see the consequences in ourhospitals and social care services.“Loneliness and isolation in older age is a

serious public health issue and increases therisk of conditions including dementia, high

blood pressure and depression.“The report, published in conjunction with

the University of Kent, describes howGloucestershire County Council adapted amodel used by Essex County Council whencreating its own loneliness map.The map was created using existing data

about people living in the county.Factors such as low income, living in a

household with one occupant and notowning a car were taken into considerationwhen assessing the potential for loneliness.Neil Dixon, the council's joint strategic

needs analysis manager, said: “The mapwe've adapted from a model by EssexCounty Council means that we can work outhow many people could be lonely andwhere those people need us most.“

Maps created showing whereolder people are likely to be at risk

PHILIP Treacy will design 12bespoke pieces for the Gif-fords Circus 2015 summertour entitled Moon Songs.Headwear by the interna-tionally famed milliner isgoing to form part of the cos-tumes for the 12 members ofthe company’s Ethiopiantroupe.Giffords Circus founder

Nell Gifford visited Philip’sLondon studio along withcreative designer LindsayPugh and Director Cal Mc-Crystal.Nell said: “We are privi-

leged to be working withPhilip and thrilled to an-nounce our collaboration.I’ve been an admirer of hiswork for many years and weare very excited to see himbring his touch to MoonSongs.”Moon Songs will run from

May to September across theCotswolds and the SouthWest with a short foray intoLondon. The tour opens atGiffords Circus’ new HQ atFennells Farm, Stroud on15th May. Along the way,

Giffords Circus will visit thefollowing locations: SudeleyCastle, Stadhampton VillageGreen, Blenheim Palace,Oxford University Parks,Daylesford Organic Farm,The Fox Inn at Barrington,Frampton Village Green,Minchinhampton Common,Marlborough Common andCirencester before returningto Fennells Farm until 20thSeptember.For a full list of tour dates,

locations and to book tickets,visit the Giffords Circuswebsite at www.giffordscir-cus.com or call the BoxOfHce on 0845 459 7469.Tickets are priced at £22 foradults and £14 for childrenwith the exception ofChiswick House & Gardens.Tickets for these perform-ances are priced at £25 peradult and £15 per child.Under 3s are free to all showsif they are sitting on a lap.

HATS ON FOR GIFFORDS CIRCUS

A 37-year-old nursewalked free from Glouces-ter Crown Court followingadmitting stealing drugsfrom CheltenhamGeneralHospital.On March 13th,

Natashia Penhale wasfound guilty of threecharges of theft, one ofpossessing a controlleddrug and eight of fraud.She was remanded incustody ahead of thisweek’s sentencing hearing.Ms Penhale was sen-

tenced to 42 days in jailwhich meant she was re-leased immediatelybecause of the time shehad already spent incustody.NHS counter fraud spe-

cialist Sallie Cheung said:"Ms Penhale worked in aposition of trust which sheabused for her personalgain. She put the reputa-tion of her employer andcolleagues at risk butthanks to the professional-ism of another member ofstaff her patients’ safetywas not compromised.’’A staff member blew the

whistle after non-stock

medication was found tobe missing and Penhalewas later arrested for theftof drugs. An investigationfollowed, led by theGloucestershire NHS LocalCounter Fraud Service.Penhale stole painkillers

she was prescribed forback pain caused by herjob.The mother-of-three,

who worked in intensivecare at the hospital, hadalways maintained her in-nocence – even after thecourt jury convicted herlast month of stealingdrugs and fraudulently ob-taining painkillers. Butthis week in court sheHnally admitted her guilt.

Judge Jamie Tabor QCtold her it would be a con-dition of her sentence thatshe gets help from the ISISwomen offenders' centrein Gloucester.He also ordered her to

pay £5,000 towards the£20,000 cost of her 10-daytrial.She was found guilty of

three charges of stealingdrugs, eight of fraudu-lently obtaining thepainkillers and one of pos-sessing the Class C drugdiazepam illegally.The jury cleared her of

one charge of theft, two offraudulently obtainingpainkillers and two offorging prescriptions.

nurse caught nicking drugs

PHO

TO:K

evin

Dav

ies

THE shops and sights ofCheltenham can still beenjoyed by those with mo-bility difBculties, thanks toan invaluable ‘meet andgreet’ service offered byShopmobility. The service isespecially important duringthe current High Streetclosure which means thatsome buses cannot taketheir passengers to theirusual destination.The road is closed to buses

between Boots Corner andHenrietta Street whilst theexciting Brewery phase 2transformation takes shape.It means that for themoment, some buses areunable to bring passengersto their normal town centrestops. That’s why Shopmo-bility is reminding shoppers

that they can beneBtfrom equipment includingpowered scooters andwheelchairs.A spokesperson from

Shopmobility said: “Ourmeet and greet service reallyhelps people who, for what-ever reason, have difBcultiesin getting around independ-ently. As long as people areregistered and trained to usethe equipment, they canbook the service in advance.Then they can relaxknowing that they can getoff the bus and meetsomeone from Shopmobil-ity who will have what theyneed to make their shop-ping trip easy and enjoy-able.’’There is a small charge for

the service - £7.50 per day or

£28 for annual member-ship - and users need to beregistered and trained forinsurance purposes. This isa very quick and simpleprocess which can be doneat Shopmobility which isbased at level 1 of the carpark at Beechwood Shop-ping Centre.The meet and greet

service needs to be appliedfor at least 24 hours inadvance and applicationswill be treated on a Brstcome, Brst served basis. Attimes of high demand, ap-plications may not be pos-sible.For more information,call the team on01242 255333 or visitwww.cheltenham.gov.uk/shopmobility

Shopmobility reminds shoppersof meet and greet service

EVERY year, hay fever suffer-ers endure a host of unpleas-ant consequences, includingpoorer performance at work,impaired driving perform-ance not to mention socialmisery. But, surprising newsurvey statistics from Nasal-Guard reveal that over a Bfthof hay fever sufferers in thecounty wait up to two weeksafter the onset of their symp-toms before starting a treat-ment, whilst three quartersstart up to 7 days later. Overhalf of sufferers in thecounty have also spentmoney on ineffective treat-ments.Certain months last year

saw the numbers of hayfever sufferers seeing theirGP more than double com-pared to 2013 so hay feversufferers should prepare inadvance for the forthcomingseason.With the tree pollen

season getting underway,why not take the time tostart thinking about hayfever prevention, before un-wanted symptoms get out ofhand.

SIMPLE STEPS TO HELPPREVENT HAY FEVER:

1. Timing is key. Hay feversymptoms are likely to bemore severe when the pollencount is high, usually on hotdry days. Start keeping aneye on the Met OfBcewebsite’s pollen forecastingtool to ensure you’re pre-pared to block pollen beforehay fever symptoms start.2. Avoid alcohol. Many al-coholic drinks contain hista-mine, which is the chemicalthat triggers allergic reac-tions, so alcohol can increaseyour sensitivity to pollen.3. Stub it out. Smoking orinhaling other people’s

smoke can irritate yourairways and exacerbatesymptoms, so cut out thecigarettes and don’t letothers smoke around you orin your home.4. Stop the spread. Pollencan be brought into thehome from outdoors on ourclothing and hair. Take ashower and change yourclothes after being outdoorsto avoid spreading pollenaround the home, where itcan get trapped in things likecarpets and fabric, fuellingsymptoms. It’s also best tokeep windows closed and toclean them regularly with adamp cloth to avoid pollenbuilding up indoors.

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HAYFEVER – TIME TO TAKE ACTIONNow is the time for the town to get planning for hay fever

STEPHANIE Marshall,former BBC Radio Bristolreporter has been madehead of regional and localprogrammes for BBC in theWest, incorporating BBCRadio Bristol, Gloucester-

shire, Somerset and Wilt-shire.The former BBC Radio

Bristol reporter replacesLucio Mesquita who hasbeen appointed director ofBBC monitoring.

She takes charge of aregion which covers fourlocal radio stations, plus thenightly news programmesPoints West, Inside Out,Sunday Politics and BBCNews Online websites.

New boss for bbC loCal radio

Trouble brewing for First Great WesternTHE RMT union has de-clared a dispute over FirstGreat Western's plans to axeguards and buffet cars onthe new Hitachi Inter CityExpress trains.The union said it was

taking action to retain aguard on every train, “not adiluted customer servicerole“ and full buffet car fa-cilities.First Great Western denied

claims that jobs would belost.The train company said

having drivers operating thedoors using in-cab CCTVwas safer and quicker.The Brst Hitachi trains

will run on the GreatWestern main line from2017.The new trains are being

introduced under the Inter-

city Express Programme(IEP) on routes betweenLondon Paddington andOxford, Bristol and SouthWales.RMT General Secretary

Mick Cash said: “First GreatWestern are pressing aheadwith proposals that willallow for driver only opera-tion with the sacking and re-ducing of the safety criticaloperational role of trainguards/conductors.“The train Brm said drivers

would be in sole charge ofdoors on the new trains.

It said research showed in-cab CCTV allowed closemonitoring of the platformby the driver and would cutjourney times.About 2,500 rail workers,

including drivers, guardsand station staff, will voteon whether to launch acampaign of action, theunion said.Buffet cars could also be

replaced with just a trolleyservice under the plans.The RMT said it was

seeking an urgent meetingwith the company.

On Wednesday 20th May the Centaur atCheltenham racecourse will welcome fourlegends of their sports for a two course galaDinner hosted by David Flatman, aP McCoy, MattLe tissier, Michael Vaughan and shane Williams.

it’s rare to get so many sporting icons in oneroom; aP McCoy OBe, record-breaking 19 timeschampion jockey with over 4,315 winners, whorecently announced his retirement from racing;Matt Le tissier an exceptionally technicalattacking midfielder who is best known for over400 appearances playing for southampton;Michael Vaughan OBe a former england cricketcaptain, once ranked as one of the world's topcricket batsmen, winning the ashes 2005 andfinally shane Williams MBe, Wales rugby's toptry scorer and former irB World rugby player ofthe year.

the evening will we compered by thethoroughly entertaining David Flatman, formerBath and rugby legend. a delicious two course

meal will be served as well as coffee and petitfours.

Lee Moulson, regional Head of sales of JockeyClub racecourses south West, commented:“With a place already steeped in racing history it’sfantastic to have icons from other sports at theHome of Jump racing.”

aP McCoy said: “i'm looking forward to beingback at Cheltenham racecourse in May - when ican eat! – and to chat with the likes of MichaelVaughan, shane Williams and Matt le tissier.there will certainly be lots to talk about.”

tickets are priced at £90 per person. sharedtables are available as well as individual places.Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start.

For more information or to enquireabout exclusive sponsorship packagescall 01242 539538 or [email protected] information can be found atwww.cheltenham.co.uk


WHAT’S ONSporting legendS come tocheltenham racecourSe

SPORTING ICONS DINNERWEDNESDAY 20th MAY 2015

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DAVID FLATMANOur MC and former Bath & England rugby legend,

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MATT LE TISSIERAn exceptionally technical

attacking midfielder who is best known for over 400 appearances

playing for Southampton.

MICHAEL VAUGHAN OBEOnce ranked as one of the

world’s top cricket batsmen, winning the ashes in 2003

and retaining them in 2005.

AP MCCOY OBERecord breaking 19 time champion

jockey with over 4,315 winners, who recently announced his

retirement from racing.

SHANE WILLIAMS MBEWales Rugby’s top try scorer and former IRB World Rugby

player of the year.

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FresH from releasing his globally acclaimednew studio album ‘Duets: reworking theCatalogue’, which features collaborations withthe likes of gregory Porter, Michael Buble,Clare teal and others, pop maverick VanMorrison has been confirmed to perform atthe opening night of this year’s CheltenhamJazz Festival. the visionary songwriter joins analready star-studded line-up that includesgregory Porter, Beth Hart, Martha reeves,gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, Lee Konitz,squarepusher, Laura Mvula, sun ra arkestra,tony allen and many more.

Festival Director ian george said: “We areobviously delighted to have been able to add

Van Morrison to the programme for this year’sfestival. He’s universally regarded as one of thefinest, most singular artists of all time and ican’t think of a better way to kick offproceedings.”

Cheltenham Jazz Festival runs fromWednesday, 29th april – Monday, 4th Mayand is hosted in a tented festival village inCheltenham’s Montpellier gardens.

Van Morrison performs at the Big top onWednesday, 29th april.

Tickets are available to CheltenhamFestivals members on Wednesday, April 8and then to the general public on Thursday,April 9 at www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz

VAN MORRISON atCheltenham Jazz Festival

Lee Nelson bringing his new livestand-up show, Suited & Booted, toCheltenham Town Hall on 22nd April

in the new show Lee’s swapping his shortsand baseball cap clobber for a more maturelook, and an outlook to match. now suitedand booted, a more thoughtful Lee hasbegun to engage with life outside his estateand is grappling with bigger issues, offeringhis unique spin on religion, politics andimmigration.Cheltenham Town Hall, 0844 576 2210

Lee Nelson LIVE

Featuring edd Donovanand the WanderingMoles, Delicate Holly(acoustic) and DaleCampbell.

Hosted by Cheltenhamgreen Party candidateadam van Coevorden atThe Frog and Fiddle,CheltenhamMonday 13th AprilADMISSION FREE

Green Party Cheltenham and Paper LabelRecords present an evening of live music

Edd Donovan

editor’sDesk


BUSINESS

Withonly Mve games leftin the footy season wemay be seeing Chel-

tenham Town FC being relegatedto the next league down. Bad forthe team and bad for the town.Very often a small town football

club can be at the beating heart ofsome elements of the community

and Cheltenham is no different. Let’s hope theymanageto scrape through and survive to Mght another day.This week has also seen the Tory hopeful Alex Chalk

let loose (at last) on the infernal parking problems wehave in the town. I just hope the county and boroughcouncils are taking note and if Mr Chalk becomes ourlocal MP then let’s hope that he keeps to his promisesand delivers a parking solution for the town.I note with some real interest that our very own Tom

Thurlow has put on his boxing gloves and gone all outto have a pop at the ridiculous immigration situationwehave in the UK at the moment. His comment piece thisweek nicely captions the UK citizens traveling to Syria tojoin Islamic State.It’s a boldmove to put your neck above the parapet to

voice this kind of no-nonsense opinion and say whatreally needs to be said.As I’ve commented before, we as a newspaper won’t

be lax or sit on the fence in our approach to saying whatmost people think.It may stir up local tensions but in doing this it creates

debate and that is surely what the media and pressmust do?As you will also note in this week’s edition we are

hosting our very own Question Time at CheltenhamTown Football Club on the evening of Thursday30th April.I would urge our readers to make an effort and come

along to this free evening of colourful debate and dare Isay public anger?It’s your chance to really put these politicians on the

spot and get the answers you want about the local andnational issues that affect you.As a newspaper I see it as our public duty to try and

ensure all our readers do actually vote on May 7th andmake that difference. No votemeans no opinion, simpleas that.So on Thursday 30th April at 7pm do come along and

have your questions answered by the very folks whowant to represent you at Westminster.

Eric Barton, Editor

Cheltenham Standard is published weekly by Cheltenham Standard Ltd isregistered at Suite 104, Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham, GL50 1TA.Reproduction of any material, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without theprior written consent of the publishers. All material is sent at the owner’s riskand whilst every care is taken, heltenham Standard Ltd will not accept liabilityfor loss or damage. Dates, information and prices quoted are believed to becorrect at time of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibilityis accepted for any errors or omissions. Neither the editor nor publisheraccepts responsibility for any material submitted, whether photographic orotherwise. All rights reserved. ISSN no. 2055-2092. Terms and conditions atwww.cheltenhamstandard.co.uk

Got a comment?Please contact us at

[email protected]

The Co-operative Food haslaunched a “Swipe and Win”loyalty promotion in whichCo-operative members couldshare in almost two millionprizes during April.Between 8th – 29th April

customers of The Co-operativeFood – which operates a storein every postal area - whopresent theirMembership cardat the checkout will be enteredinto a prize draw withthe chance of winning a

range of prizes.Each week, ten prizes of

£2,000 worth of Co-operativeGroup vouchers will beawarded by the communityretailer which can be used topurchase items at its family ofbusinesses including its onlineelectrical shop and food stores.In addition, there are hun-dreds of thousands of instantwin prizes and coupons.Maria Sloan, Head of Mem-

bership Marketing, said: “We

hope our members will enjoytaking part in Swipe & Win.With nearly twomillion prizesup for grabs, by simplyhanding over their card at the

checkout, members have achance of winning £2,000worth of Co-operative Groupvouchers or receiving instantwin in-store prizes andcoupons.“Of course, there are many

other facets to membership ofThe Co-operative whichenables people to have a say inthe running of the business,join campaigns and to takepart in organised events withother members.”

Co-op members share two million prizes as they “swipe and win”

GLOUCESTER “wouldwelcome” discussions over thepotential sale of the Premier-ship club, according to chiefexecutive Stephen Vaughan.A report in the Sunday

Times claims the club hasbeen put up for sale for £25m.Vaughan conMrmed

Cavendish Corporate Financehas been asked to conduct astrategic review of the club.“If the right calibre of new

ownership is found that canaccelerate the club's objectivesthen we would welcomethose discussions,” he said

in a statement.Gloucester, currently ninth

in the Premiership and in thesemi-Mnals of the EuropeanChallenge Cup, have beenowned by Walkinshaw familysince 1997.They are currently con-

trolled by 27-year-old RyanWalkinshaw, who took overfollowing the death of hisfather Tom - a former Formula1 team owner - in 2010.However, it’s reported that a

deal to sell the club could becompleted within weeks.Vaughan said Gloucester

would be an attractive propo-sition for potential investors.“Gloucester Rugby is a well-

run club,” he said. “We makeproMt on a regular basis, own

our own ground, generateincome fromoff-Meld activitiesand are proud to be hostingfour RugbyWorld Cup Mxtureslater this year.”

GLOUCESTER RUGBY“WOULDWELCOME”TAKEOVER TALKS

MAYBE Solutions Ltd, a start-up business creating a uniqueshopping app, has beneMttedfrom some expert advice onbranding and product inno-vation from The Growth Hub.Polly BarnMeld OBE (pic-

tured), who has several ex-tremely successful businessesto her credit, is developingthe business; however, this isthe Mrst time in ten years shehas found herself back instart-up land.The Maybe App will enable

people to collect items theyare considering buying, fromany online or ofNine retailer,and allow the shopper to askthe opinions of their friendsand family before they decidewhether to buy or not. Maybecreates the space and supportshoppers often need to makea decision on what to buy.The app is in the develop-

ment phase and it is hoped it

will be sat on people’s tabletsand mobile phones by theend of the year.Polly approached The

Growth Hub seeking their ex-pertise and was given Mnan-cial support via an Innovation

Voucher (part of the Euro-pean Regional DevelopmentFund Programme), which hashelped her to accelerate thegrowth of her business. TheGrowth Hub is a partnershipbetween the University of

Gloucestershire andGFirst LEP and is theplace to go for busi-nesses that have thepotential and ambi-tion for growth.Polly said: “The

Maybe app will helppeople make buyingdecisions. Today,choice is endless.Shopping is a 24/7activity that is nolonger simply onlineor ofNine. It is ablended, multichannel, multidevice experience.Yet, despite so manyoptions of where and

how to shop, word-of-mouthstill drives most purchase de-cisions. We know that sharinga decision makes it easier,trusted and more rewarding.Maybe brings together themost important people in ourshoppers’ lives to help makelife’s fun decisions.Laura Crabb, Director of

Business at The Growth Hub,said: “We are delighted withPolly’s response to thesupport that ‘Maybe’ has re-ceived from us. This is aproject with many differentelements including businessgrowth advice, providingdirect access to the targetmarket for focus groups,product developmentsupport, innovating brand-ing, and access to Mnance. Itshows how The Growth Hubtruly is the single front doorto business support inGloucestershire.”

Unique shopping app gains the support of The Growth Hub

Stephen Vaughan

THE BEST FLOOR SHOW IN TOWN

Roger Oates • Crucial Trading • Harvey MariaCARPETS WOOD AMTICO NATURALS33 Prestbury Road | Cheltenham | Gloucestershire | GL52 2PP

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CRICKET / RUGBY UNION / HORSE RACING / FOOTBALL


SPORT

DETAILS of the biggest re-structure of league cricket inthe West in more than adecade have now been K-nalised.Changes affecting all of

the region’s 390 clubs willcome into play in 2016 fol-lowing discussions betweenWest of England PremierLeague (WEPL) and its fourfeeder leagues: the Bristoland District Cricket League,Gloucestershire CountyCricket League, SomersetLeague andWiltshire League.The shake-up will see the

WEPL become a 70 teamcompetition with seven divi-sions across three tiers. Theseinclude a Premier One thatwill remain unchanged, twoleagues (Glos/Wilts andBristol/Somerset) in thesecond tier and four divi-sions (Glos,Wilts, Bristol andSomerset) at the third level.The restructure has been

made in response to the

ECB’s 2014 National CricketPlaying Survey which high-lighted major dissatisfactionwith travel time, the lengthof day and the competitive-ness of the cricket on offer,particularly at second XI.One of the main changes

will see the league becomelinear with no independentsecond XI pyramid and anumber of second XIs com-peting against Krst teams.From 2016 the top four

second XI teams in WEPL’sPremier One Second Divi-sion moving into the thirdtier of club cricket and theother WEPL second XIs willjoin their relevant feederleague (based on geography).As a result of the latest dis-

cussions between WEPL ofK-cers, feeder leagues andcurrent players promotionand relegation for 2015 hasnow been Knalised.It has been agreed that the

top eightWEPL Premier Oneteams at the end of 2015 willremain in Premier One in

2016. The bottom two willmove into the relevantsecond tier division – theGloucestershire and Wilt-shire or Bristol and Somersetstrands – and be replaced bythe top two teams fromPremier Two.The third to ninth placed

teams will be placed into theappropriate second tier divi-sion for 2016 but the bottomclub will be relegated to tierthree.Teams in the WEPL

Bristol/Somerset andGloucestershire/Wiltshire di-visions in 2015 will be placedinto the new tier two divi-sions in order of their Knish-ing position, for exampleKrst place teams will beplaced Krst, then secondplace and so on.This process will continue

until the division has 10teams with the others beingplaced into the appropriatetier three.The permutations for pro-

motion and relegation from

WEPL and the three feederleagues are wide-rangingthese principles have alsobeen agreed.Along with his counter-

parts in Wiltshire and Som-erset, Gloucestershire CricketBoard chief executive SteveSilk has been a major part ofthe discussions about the re-structure.He said: “It has been fan-

tastic to see clubs and leaguesrespond so quickly and deci-sively to make changeswhich we believe will helpprotect the future of clubcricket.“Every effort has been

made to ensure that allcricket in 2015 remains com-petitive with promotionsand relegations taking placeso that there are no ‘deadrubbers’. Instead the changesmean that more clubs willhave something to play forthan ever before so I expectthis year to be one of themost exciting league seasonsin memory.”

CRICKET

Club cricket set for major overhaul in 2016

BY RIDING his 10th winnerover chase fences only lastSaturday at Haydock Park 17-year-old Sean Bowen quali-Ked to ride Mon Parrain, forchampion trainer PaulNicholls in the Grand Na-tional.Sean, son of Welsh trainer

Peter Bowen, has impressedmany this season and is seenas a future Champion jockey.His riding style is evocative

of much more experienced

jockeys despitehis youth and heis likely to beChampion con-ditional (appren-tice) jockey thisseason in what isvirtually his Krstrace riding year.The horse Mon Parrain, is

no forlorn hope eitherhaving won nicely over theCheltenham fences in theNew Year over three milestwo furlongs with Bowenaboard and is temptingly

weighted down towards thebottom of the Nationalhandicap.The last 17-year-old to win

the National was BruceHobbs on Battleship in 1938!Time for another perhaps.

HORSE RACING

the race.Trained in Somerset by

likeable trainer PhilipHobbs and ridden by topjockey Richard JohnsonBalthazar King has therequisite stamina, is nor-mally a good jumper andruns well fresh.The downsidemight be

the going underfoot as asoft surface would makethe horse vulnerable andgive more of a shout toRocky Creek who Kn-ished Kfth last year butwho has improved thisseason and won its preprace nicely.Ridden by local lad

Sam Twiston Davies andcarrying less weight thanlast year Rocky mightwell land the knockoutblow this year.Obviously the fairytale

ending would be for TonyMcCoy to win on Shut-thefrontdoor in McCoy’slast season. The horsehaving won the Irish Na-tional last season and itsprep race at Carlislewould be in with everychance.Trained by local trainer

Jonjo O’Neill Shutthe-frontdoor is likely to startfavourite for the race andwill be the popularchoice of the once a yearpunter.Saint Are is another im-

proving horse. Now anine-year-old it ran in the

race two years ago as aseven-year-old and Kn-ished a credible seventh.Trained by TomGeorge

it only has 10 stone 6lbsto carry and makesplenty of appeal at abigger price each wayparticularly on good orgood to soft ground.Among others that

could be given a chanceare The Druids Nephewprominent in the bettingsince winning well atCheltenham but prone tothe odd mistake and maynot take to the uniquefences, stamina laden GasLine Boy off a low weightparticularly if the groundwent very soft, likewiselaid out for the raceSpring Heeled in thesame ownership as LordWindermere and Al-varado a good fourth inlast year’s race.As however the last threerunning’s of the racehave produced startingprices of 25/1,33/1 and66/1 there is plenty to besaid for looking for lessobvious horses that arefurther down the bettingmarket as luck can stillplay a big part in the race.Advice in any eventwould be to ‘take a price’on the morning of therace and with a book-maker offering ‘best oddsguaranteed’.

Selection: Balthazar KingSaver: Rocky CreekBest Outsider: Saint Are

Balthazar king set for NationalHORSE RACING

>> coNTiNued from Back PaGe

Gloucester 14Connacht 7

GLOUCESTER reached theirKrst European semi-Knalsince 2006 after a lowscoring, but eventful victoryover Irish side Connacht atKingsholm.They led 14-0 at half-time,

scoring two good tries and

generally controlling pro-ceedings, but Connachtfought back after the breakto make it a tense Knish.Gloucester's tries came

from Charlie Sharples andBill Meakes, with GreigLaidlaw converting both.They will play Exeter

Chiefs in the last four atKingsholm on April 18 afterthey beat Newcastle Falconsin their quarter-Knal.

GloucesTer edGe TeNse Thriller To make euro semi-fiNalRUGBY UNION

THIS was the Krst timeCheltenham AssociationFootball League had or-ganised a Plate competi-tion and it was certainly asuccess.Both these teams were

riding high in DivisionThree and the rivalrymadefor an excellent game inthe GMB Plate CharitiesCup Junior Knal at AllSaints Academy.Dowty had an early

shout for a penalty but it

was Brockworth whoopened the scoring 10minutes into the gamewhen Ian Taylor added tohis season’s tally of goals.Five minutes later

Dowty were back on termsthrough Andy Ryman.Both keepers were nowbeing kept busy and Olly

Wood in the Dowtygoal had to makesome sharp saves.Dowty took the

lead in the 75thminute throughgood work in their

midKeld allowing Tom Jef-fries to tuck his shot home.Brockworth had their

chance to level the scoresfrom close in but the shotwent wide. Dowty made itsafe when they wereawarded a penalty in the85th minute and Tom Jef-feries slotted it home.

Teenage jockey Bowen qualifies forride on lively outsider in National

Dowty claim inaugural Plate with win over BrockworthCHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Pho

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FOOTBALL


Gala Wilton Res 0Kings FC 1

KINGS will have a lot tothank the Grif>ths familyfor as they took all threepoints to secure their Divi-sion One status in the Chel-tenham Football League,sponsored by Bristol StreetMotors Cheltenham Ford.With several players >rst

team missing, Ivor and SolGrif>ths were brought infrom the reserve team andbetween them made the dif-ference to a battling perform-ance by Kings at Plock Court.In the >rst 10 minutes

Gala Wilton took the gameto Kings, with Dorian Collingcontrolling the Gala attack.Despite this, the Kingsdefence held >rm.As the game progressed,

Kings with Howe, James andFebery getting to grips withthemid>eld, there was a shiftin the balance of play.However it was Gala whoalmost opened the scoring inthe 26 minute but a bravesave by Ivor Grif>ths at thefeet of the Gala striker pre-vented it.

As if to counter this effort,his brother Sol then pickedup a pass from Alex Febery,made space and then buriedhis shot to put Kings aheadon 28 minutes.Gala tried to hit back and

although Gala’s strikerslooked dangerous, the Kingsback four were more than amatch for them. When Galadid get through, they foundIvor Grif>ths was amajor ob-stacle as he pulled off twogreat saves to thwart them inthe 41st and 43rd minutes.The second half saw Gala

pushing Kings back andHowe taking a more promi-nent role in front of the backfour. He made numerous in-terceptions during thisperiod and this started to

frustrate the Gala mid>eldwho were kept at bay.Biggs could havemade it 2-

0 for Kings on 56 minutes,but his shot went well overthe bar. Grif>ths also had achance but was not able toconvert it. On 65 minutesColling had a chance forGala, but his shot hit theKings post and was clearedby Hencher.On 71minutes there was a

good move by Grif>ths andMorran which created anopening for Grif>ths to get agood shot away but the Galakeeper did well to push it outfrom under the bar. This wasfollowed by a Biggs attempton 75minutes, which hit thebase of the post.The last 10 minutes saw

end to end play and on 85minutes Ivor Grif>ths againcame to Kings rescue whenhe stood upwell to beat awaya one on one attempted shot.Chandler was brought on

in the dying minutes toreplace Grif>th and whenJames broke down the rightand put in a low level crossinto the six yard box, but fora de?ection, Chandler wouldhave converted it from closein.The three points have put

Kings above Hanley Swanand Bishop's Cleeve andwithHanley having >nished their>xtures and Star FC havewithdrawn from the league,they have avoided whatlooked like certain relegationa few weeks ago.

SPORT

CHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Kings stave off the drop with win at Gala

Chelt Civil Service 3Chipping Sodbury 3

CHELTENHAM Civil Serviceare seven points clear at thetop of the County Leaguetable and now require sixpoints from their last six >x-tures to secure the title.They were held to a 3-3

draw at home to secondplaced Chipping SodburyTown onMonday in front ofa crowd of 128.Service started well and

took the game to their oppo-nents for the >rst 15minutes. Teejay Bick sent a25 yard free-kick over the barin the second minute.In the seventh minute the

home side almost wentahead when a long ball intothe Sodbury six yard box hadgoalkeeper George Haletrying to >st the ball clear

but he only succeeded inpunching it across goal andJosh Cann cleared off theline as Paul Holmes closedin.Jack Sklenar, starting his

second game after a longinjury problem, broke cleardown the left but could notkeep his shot down as it dis-appeared over the bar.Sodbury’s >rst attempt on

goal after 20 minutes camefrom Ben Weaver a low shotthat home keeper Tim Grif->ths did well to keep out.A couple of minutes later

Chris Pates had to head theball over his own bar from awell taken free-kick fromSodbury.On 25minutes the visitors

were awarded another freekick 20 yards out and to theleft of the box. Ollie Clark’swell-?ighted shot gave Grif->ths no chance and it was 1-0 to the visitors.

The home side had a goodchance to pull a goal backfrom the edge of the box butSklenar hit the free-kick wellover.A minute later cross from

Sodbury’s BenWeaver foundJustin Cattle with a freeheader but the striker headedover the bar.The home side were fortu-

nate in the 34th minutewhen Jonny Evans wasbrought down in the boxand Sklenar levelled thescore from the spot.The home side almost

took the lead on 39 minutesbut Sklenar’s >erce drive hitthe underside of the crossbarand was cleared. Sodbury gotback in front in the 41stminute when Liam Barrett’sdrive was handled in the boxbut the ball >nished up inthe net and the refereeallowed the goal.Just a minute before the

break a long ball up >eldfrom the Sodbury keepercaught the home defenceand their keeper out as JamesMackie slipped the ballaround Grif>ths to roll itinto an empty net.For the >rst 32 minutes of

the second half neither sidewere able to create anythinguntil Mackie made a goodbreak down the left ?ankbefore striking his shot justwide.Service had their >rst shot

on target in the second halfafter 36 minutes whenHolmes hit a low shot intothe corner of the goalmaking Hale dive to save.A minute later and out of

the blue Service pulled a goalback from a harmlesslooking cross from the left tothe edge of the box forCameron Smith to drive theball into the corner of thenet.

A rare attack from the visi-tors a few minutes laterended with a shot fromMackie that had Grif>ths atfull stretch to push to ballaway.At the other end Holmes

>red over with the goal at hismercy and then in the lastminute of the game Service

scored the all-important goalto give them a point.Bick sent the ball up to

Holmes and he headed itdown for Jonny Evans todrive the ball past Hale.

Service play Gala Wiltonat home on Thursday(6.30pm).

COUNTY LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Service held at home but title still within their grasp

Merthyr Town 9Bishop's Cleeve 0

BISHOP'S Cleeve now needa minor miracle to escaperelegation from DivisionOne South andWest of theSouthern League.They went down 9-0 to

newly crowned championsMerthyr Town onMonday,leaving them eight points

from safety with threematches left.Their goal difference is

also vastly inferior tonearest rivals WantageTown, so boss Steve Cleal'smen looked doomed to thedrop.They play Bashley at

home on Saturday, round-ing off the campaign withtrips to AFC Totton andGloucestershire rivalsShortwood United.

Cleeve on verge of the dropafter 9-0 defeat by champions

SOUTHERN LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Kings defend an attack by Gala

Steve Cleal

Pho

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Lan

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FootBall


SPORT

WITH the top two not inaction, the focus was on thebottom of the table in Divi-sion One of the Chel-tenham League, sponsoredby Bristol Street MotorsCheltenham Ford.Kings' impressive run of

recent results continued asthey beat Gala Wilton Re-serves 1-0.The three points took

them a point above Bishop'sCleeve III and Hanley Swanand with Swan having com-pleted their league AxturesKings are guaranteed toavoid bottom spot.Cleeve currently occupy

bottom spot on goal differ-ence but with four games toplay they will be looking tograb the point they need tomove ahead of Swan.Whaddon United, the

table toppers, will haveplayed two games by 5pmnext Saturday. They lead FCLakeside by four points andhave a game in hand.United need nine pointsfrom their remaining Avegames to guarantee top spot.Cheltenham Civil Service

Reserves captain NeilWheeler kept his recentgood scoring record going ashe lead his team to victoryat WMK. Wheeler and JoeMcCauley were on the mark

as Service secured a 2-1win.With one game left to

play Service head the table.Victory against Andovers-ford in their Anal game willguarantee them secondplace with their attentionturning to Stanton andCorse, the only team able toovertake them.Corse still have six games

left to play and will becrowned champions if theytake 14 points from theeighteen available.With the Division Three

title already going toWelland, Brockworth AlbionReserves and LeckhamptonRovers are Aghting it out for

the runners-up spot.Albion lead the way by

two points but have playeda game more than theirrivals. Rovers play theirgame in hand on Saturdayat Falcons Reserves. Victorywill see them leap-frogAlbion with two games re-maining.A 4-1 defeat at the hands

of GalaWilton Reserves con-Aned Shurdington RoversReserves to bottom spot.They trail their nearest rivalsby seventeen points withAve games left to play.Cheltenham Civil Service

III hopes of competing forthe Division Four title tooka blow on Saturday whenthey went down 3-2 atBourton Rovers III. Theyremain in second place butwith leaders Northwayholding a three point ad-vantage, as well as havingtwo games in hand, theirtitle hopes look to haveslipped away.Winchcombe Town Re-

serves remain rooted to thefoot of the table followingan 8-3 defeat to SouthsideReserves. With just a gameto play Town need to take allthree points to avoid Anish-ing bottom due to their in-ferior goal difference.FC Lakeside Reserves

remain at the top of Divi-sion Five following their 6-0

win at bottom club Sher-borne Harriers. They leadCheltenham Civil Service IVby two points although theyhave played two gamesmore.

Service kept up the pres-sure at the top with a 2-1win over Bredon Reserves.With four games left to playService will be champions ifthey take nine points fromthe 12 available.Sherborne’s loss at Lake-

side means they will Anishthe season in bottom spot.They currently trail PittvilleUnited Reserves by sixpoints with just one gameleft to play.Fintan Reserves com-

pleted the Arst of a doubleheader last Saturday whichwill decide their season. A 4-1 defeat of CheltenhamUnited all but put to bedUnited’s title hopes. Fintanlead their opponents by four

points with just two gamesleft to play.Their next big challenge

comes on Saturday whenthey face Malvern Vale ateam that trail the leaders byseven points but have twogames in hand. Malvern willneed maximum points ifthey are to grab the initiative.Fintan will be on course

for the title if they avoiddefeat against Malvern. Asthe only team in the wholeleague to remain unbeatenthis season, Fintan will gointo the game as favourites.Having already completed

their league games Chel-tenham Saracens III are con-Armed as the team that willAnish bottom of the league.With two wins and a drawthe seven points they accu-mulated were not enough toavoid bottom spot.

cheltenham league round-up

This week’s player profileis of Matt Brown who isplayer manager of An-doversford first team whoplay in Division Two.

The club currently runteams in the league; theReserve Xi in Division Fiveand the newly-formedthird team debuting in Di-vision six.

While none of theteams are competing forhonours this season theycontinue to be competi-tive opposition who aremore than capable ofbeating title contenderson their day.

Name: Matt BrownNickname: Browner/ ZiZiposition: Defensivemidfield, always wearnumber sixprevious clubs: st James',Endsleigh, st Mark's, Lake-sideMost memorable game:Recently, beating Church-down at the end of lastseason to end their un-beaten run in the league

Worst game: Losing bydouble figures to Lake-side last season.toughest opponents:shipton when they had ateam. Very tough as it wasour local derbyBest club player: in thepast, Robbie Elliot (nowretired), but present daythere are a number ofyoung players that arevery talented: Ryan Cleal,Billy Frewin, Josh horsfall,to name a few. We have avery young first teammost are in their early 20sapart from myself as i'mnow player manager atthe age of 36!team supported: Liver-poolFavourite player: LotharMatthaus

playEr proFilE oF thE WEEk

cheltenham Football league, sponsoredby Bristol street Motors Ford cheltenham

THERE will be six newtrophies to be won in theCheltenham AssociationFootball League this season,all thanks to League's con-tinued sponsorship dealwith Bristol Street Motors,Cheltenham Ford.The new cups were un-

veiled at the showrooms byIain Sercombe, representingBristol Street Motors, alongwith Nick Oram and IanHamilton, who are chair-man and general secretaryof the League respectively.There is a new champi-

onship trophy for each ofthe League's six divisions

and the awards will be madeto the divisional winnersover the course of the nextmonth as the 2014/15season reaches its climax.

The really good news forthe six champions is thatthey will not just hold thetrophies for a season – theywill be theirs to keep!

This is a new departurefor the Cheltenham Leagueand one that is bound to bewelcomed by its memberclubs.“For years now, players

have picked up medals aftera successful season but theclubs that come out on tophave never had anything toshow for it,” Hamilton said.“Now, thanks to the rela-

tionship of the League withBristol Street Motors andthe generosity of the spon-sorship deal, each champi-onship winning club willhave a lasting memento oftheir success.”

New silverware up for grabs in Cheltenham League

CHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Got a local sports story? Email [email protected]

Joe McCauley


Looking for a venue to hold your:WEDDING |WAKEBIRTHDAYPARTYCONFERENCE or

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Classy Grandnational fitfor a ‘King’By JAMES dALy

THIS Saturday’s Grand Na-tional sees both last season’sCheltenham Gold Cupwinner Lord Windermere andthis season’s Hennessey GoldCup winner as intendedrunners which add un-doubted class to the race.Both horses however might

Dnd it difDcult to give weightaway to some in form rivalsand both did run disappoint-ingly in this year’s Chel-tenham Gold Cup.Horses with the right proDle

for the race include RockyCreek, Balthazar King, Shut-thefrontdoor and Saint Are.Of these four, Balthazar Kingprovided the ground on Satur-day is no worse than good tosoft is a tempting win andplace bet having Dnishedsecond in the race last yearand having been laid out for

TURN TO PAGE 21 >

SPORT with JON PALMER, SPORtS [email protected]

Where betterto learn?

www.shaneduffsoccer.co.uk

Visit our website for futurecamps and further details

horse rAcing

We must groW upquickly – JohnsonGARY Johnson says Chel-tenham Town’s playersmust “grow up quickly” ifthey are to pull off a greatescape act this season.The new manager’s Drst

two matches in chargeended in 1-0 defeats byYork City and Stevenageover the Easter Weekend.The Robins travel to au-

tomatic promotion chasingWycombe Wanderers onSaturday three points adriftof the safety line.Former Yeovil Town and

Bristol City boss Johnsonhad a long chat with hisplayers in the dressingroom after Monday’snarrow reverse at thehands of Stevenage.“There were a few home

truths because I felt somecould have done a bit moreand I have to be honestwith them,” Johnson said.“Some of them don’t

have the Dtness or mentaltoughness to get on theball in our situation.“It’s going to be about

picking the right team nowand individually I havegone round and told themtheir strengths and weak-nesses and they have togrow up very quickly now.“The message is to grow

up and be more profes-sional. If you are going toshoot you have to believeyou are going to score, notjust Eash at it.“I thought we were quite

brave, which you have tobe against Stevenage to winthe aerial battles and the

second balls, but they werecleverer than us.”Johnson said that

nobody at the club canafford to throw in thetowel, with 15 points stillto play for and only threepoints to make up.“They have a manager

who won’t give up and Iwill try to be a 12th manthrough the game,” hesaid.“There are not many

leaders in there and it’sprobably got to come fromthe line and hopefully oneor two of them will stepup.“They need a result to

get that conDdence back inthemselves and we are nota millions miles away, butit’s getting that goal at theright time. I won’t allowanyone to give up.”Cheltenham are likely to

be without Will Packwoodon Saturday after the Birm-ingham City loan defenderhobbled off in the secondhalf with a hamstringinjury.“Will is a big miss for us,

but other people now haveto step up to the plate andif they do, we are still in it,”Johnson said.“It’s not mathematically

impossible for us to get

out of trouble.”Stevenage’s goal came in

the 78th minute from thepenalty spot after Pack-wood’s replacement JackDeaman fouled BenKennedy in the box.Kennedy stepped up to

beat Trevor Carson fromthe spot and it was enoughto earn Stevenagemaximum points.Cheltenham had a goal

disallowed for offside inthe Drst half whenShaquille McDonaldraced through and put theball in the net, withJohnson adamant he wasonside.

CHELTENHAM TOWN:Carson; Vaughan, Pack-wood (Deaman 53), Brown,Braham-Barrett; Hanks,Richards; Wynter, Manset(Harrad 73), McDonald(Haynes 65); Burns. Subsnot used: Gould, Kotwica,Sparrow, Berry.STEVENAGE: Day; Bond,Wells, Dembele, Okimo;Whelpdale, Walton(Andrade 65), Parrett,Martin (Deacon 76); Beard-sley (Kennedy 57), Lee. Subsnot used: Beasant, McAllis-ter, Pett, Conlon.REFEREE: R Clark.ATTENDANCE: 2,858 (205from Stevenage).

PHO

TO:T

HO

USA

ND

WO

RDM

EDIA

Documents

Cheltenham Standard 9th April 2015