The Sussex League season is boiling up nicely for Chichester Priory Park and Stirlands - both won their latest games to remain in the hunt for promotion.
Here are the latest reports...
Chichester Priory Park v Haywards Heath
Sussex League division three
Chichester Priory Park kept up the promotion pressure on the top two with victory over fifth-placed Haywards Heath.
After showers moved away, Chichester captain Johnny Heaven won the toss and asked the visitors to bat.
Next up for Stirlands - now level on points with Rottingdean in the race for second place - is a visit by league leaders Slinfold.
Haywards Heath made a cautious start with just 63 runs trickling off 20 overs. Opener Chris Blunt made a patient 38 before he was bowled by Heaven. Blunt’s innings summed up Haywards Heath’s batting: plenty of batsmen made starts but no-one kicked on.
Credit to bowlers Dan Joseph (4-72) and Matt Geffen (3-54), who had a knack for dismissing batsmen at crucial times. Runs flowed towards the end of the innings as Haywards Heath captain Callum Smith (44) and David Woodfield (39) pushed the score along.
The visitors sclosed their innings on 204 for eight.
Chichester got a lifeline when both openers were dropped in the slip cordon before the score reached double figures.
Will Futcher didn’t last too much longer and was caught behind for 14. Simon Hasted followed not long afterwards, dismissed ‘hit wicket’ when he fell on to his own stumps.
As last week against Mayfield, George Stephens helped to steady the ship with an entertaining 41. His innings included two huge sixes that threatened to clear the Roman Wall that surrounds one side of Priory Park.
His aggressive partnership with Sam Harvey took the match away from the visitors. Even when Stephens was dismissed, Harvey found another able partner in Ben Caldera (26).
The loss of two late wickets took a little gloss off the performance but Chichester schased down their target with two overs to spare, winning the match by four wickets.
Later, news filtered through that the two teams above Chichester, Burgess Hill and Portslade, had both lost. Chichester have closed the gap on Portslade to 13 points and they are only 27 points off the leaders.
Chichester’s final home game couldn’t be more critical – they take on Portslade in what could prove to be a winner-takes-all match for promotion. The message from the club is: Please gete down to Priory Park on Saturday to offer your support to the team.
Rottingdean v Stirlands
Sussex League division four
Stirlands held on for a draw away to promotion rivals Rottingdean.
Things started well for the home side, winning the toss and batting first and finding runs rather easy to come by as openers Islam and Ledden punished the youthful bowling line-up, putting 54 on for the first wicket before Stirlands’ overseas Ajinkya Deshpande struck.
Dark clouds began to roll in and there were three breaks for rain. For the visitors these proved a welcome relief as the home side were scoring with ease; peppering the boundary, assisted by sloppy fielding.
Stirlands finally broke the second-wicket stand of 95 and captain George Coles’ introduction of spin at both ends proved a game-changer as Rottingdean slipped from 149 for one to 203 for nine, with young George Briance taking his first five-wicket haul of the season – leaving Stirlands 47 overs to chase.
The home side removed the dangerous Leo Wilkinson-Beal and George Briance cheaply to leave the visitors 14 for two.
Stirlands found scoring tricky against a well-drilled fielding side as the experienced pair of Will Gubbins and Torquil Deacon looked to rebuild.
But 49 for two suddenly became 50 for six as home captain George Ledden’s canny off-spin ripped through the middle order, leaving captain Coles and Deshpande with the task of saving the game.
Coles refused to be drawn into any attacking shot as the overs were ticked off. Entering the final over, with Deshpande already out, Coles was trapped lbw for 19 off 71 deliveries.
Rottingdean couldn’t find the final two wickets and the match ended as a draw.
Next up for Stirlands - now level on points with Rottingdean in the race for second place - is a visit by league leaders Slinfold and as now they are level on points with Rottingdean; 30 points if they want to secure promotion.
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Chichester and Stirlands keep up promotion pressure


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A flaming car outside the entrance of Butlins could have caused problems for holidaymakers arriving at the site.
A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to reports of the car fire at the entrance to Butlins holiday camp in Bognor Regis, on the A259 roundabout.
They sent one fire engine to the scene at 6.10pm yesterday and said the car, a blue Mercedes, was well alight on arrival.
There were no reports of any injuries, and the fire was extinguished using two breathing apparatus and two high pressure hose reels, they said.
The fire crew left the scene at just before 6.40pm and said the cause was accidental ignition.
West Sussex County Council’s Resilience and Emergencies team was also at the scene, and took a picture of the flaming vehicle.
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Job losses at a sub-contractor working on Sussex’s patient transport service have been announced.
Since private company Coperforma took over the contract from South East Coast Ambulance Service in April, patients have complained about numerous incidents of crews being late or not turning up at all.
While performance has improved recently, one of the company’s sub-contractors VM Langfords went into administration earlier this year, forcing Coperforma to step in to guarantee jobs, pay, and conditions.
Now Docklands Medical Services (DMS), which took on some of the former Langfords employees, said it would be informing some of its staff that the company will be ‘terminating their employment’.
In a letter to staff, Christopher Arnall, chief executive officer at DMS, said: “I have no choice as my company finances dictate that I act quickly and decisively in order to secure the stability of the company and maintain a solvent and stable company going forward in order to provide our valuable service to the patients and maintain stable secure jobs for employees who remain with the business.”
He added: “When former Langford’s employees joined DMS I gave an undertaking to these employees that all such staff would remain on ‘the same terms and conditions that they were previously on’.
“At this time I was hoping to attract additional business/work into DMS in order to be able to finance this undertaking. Again sadly this has not happened.
“Having now had the time to review the finances of my business, my work load and also my resourcing requirements I can advise that unfortunately I am no longer in a position to be able to sustain the current headcount or the previously mentioned terms and conditions.
“Over the coming days I will be meeting with employees to discuss this situation in more detail and unfortunately I will need to advise some of our colleagues that I will be terminating their employment.”
He explained that any former Langfords employees who stayed with the company would be offered DMS’ standard terms and conditions.
Last week the GMB union, which represents staff at Docklands, called on Coperforma to be stripped of its contract, and is due to hold a strike on Monday September 5.
Gary Palmer, GMB organiser, said: “No more chances, no more waiting until the dust hopefully settles, the time has come to remove Coperfoma and all those that would put profit before patients and staff.”
A spokesman for Coperforma explained that after ‘early teething problems’ the PTS was now ‘working well’, and the contract dispute between DMS and its employees would not affect the service ‘in any way’.
Working with the CCG, Coperforma had put in place a plan to mobilise extra vehicles from other providers to fill any shortfall should the need arise during the dispute.
The spokesman said that all contractual payments from Coperforma to DMS, totalling £525,000, were up to date, and justified claims from previous employees at VM Langfords would be paid, but since many of these went back several months it would take the company some time to verify them all.

Job losses at patient transport service sub-contractor planned


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Albion signed Belgium international defender Sebastien Pocognoli from West Brom on a season-long loan last night.
The 29-year-old left back adds competition to Brighton’s full-back areas, with Gaetan Bong the only recognised senior left-back in the squad, while Liam Rosenior missed the Newcastle game with the ankle injury he sustained at Reading.
Albion boss Chris Hughton said: “We are delighted to add Sebastien to our squad, as the injury to Liam has left us a little bit short of cover in both full-back positions.
“Sebastien has a vast amount of experience having played in some of the top divisions in Europe, as well as in the Champions League. He is the type of quality player we want to add to the squad, and we are looking forward to working with him.”
Pocognoli began his career in the youth team at Standard Liege before moving to Genk at the age of 15.
He made his first team debut aged just 16, and went on to make a total of 46 appearances before moving to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. After 70 appearances and five goals for the Dutch outfit he returned to Standard Liege, where he played 98 times, scoring twice. A move to the Bundesliga followed with Hannover 96, before switching to the Premier League with West Brom in July 2014. He has made 21 appearances for the Baggies. Pocognoli has represented his country at under 16, 17, 19 and 21 levels, as well as making six appearances for Belgium in the Beijing Olympics. He has won 11 senior caps.
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Pocognoli joins Brighton on season-long loan


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The makers of popular ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has recalled four batches of its product after pieces of metal were discovered in them.
Unilever said it had identified a period of production where small pieces of metal may have found their way into tubs of Cookie Dough ice cream.
As a precaution it is recalling all potentially affected items.
The affected batches are 500ml cartons of Cookie Dough, with batch codes L62110L011 / L62111L011 / L62112L011 / L62113L011.
Unilever has urged anyone who bought the affected product to dispose of it immediately and contact its customer care line on 0800 146 252 to arrange a replacement.

Metal flakes found in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream


Liam Rosenior has been ruled out of Brighton’s Championship trip to Newcastle United on Saturday.
The full-back suffered an ankle injury following a late challenge by Yann Kermorgant in the 2-2 league draw at Reading.
Albion boss Chris Hughton admitted with strong swelling still around the area, Rosenior will not be included in his side’s squad for the trip to St James’ Park.
He said: “Liam will miss out. He is still a little bit sore, we are still having to assess that one and are waiting for a little bit of the soreness to go before we are able to assess it.”
Dale Stephens is available but Hughton is still to make a decision on whether the midfield man will travel.
Solly March continues his comeback from injury with an under-23 game tomorrow, while defender Connor Goldson is pencilled in for a under-23 match next week.
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Bognor blew away neighbours and big rivals Worthing with a five-star show in front of a 1,006 bank holiday crowd at Nyewood Lane.
The Rocks dominated from the first kick to the last and were well on their way to victory by the time Worthing had a man sent off just before half-time at 2-0 down.
There was only gonig to be one result from the moment Thomas Byrne headed them in front, and further goals from Ollie Pearce, James Fraser (2) - the second of his being a goal of the season contender - and Dylan Barnett made it a perfect day for Bognor and an awful one for Worthing.
The neighbouring sides were meeting in a league game for the first time since 2012 following Worthing’s promotion from Ryman one south via the play-offs.
Both sides went into the game on the back of good starts to the season and Bognor were sixth and Worthing fifth at the start of play.
Pearce was first to threaten with a shot on the turn in the fourth minute that took a deflection and flew out for a corner as the Rocks began by doing most of the attacking.
Soon Fraser went close with a near-post header from a corner that was just kept out by a defender’s block.
Bognor were playing some lovely stuff early on. Byrne took too long to try to put the finishing touches to one forward move - then the same player had an effort blocked after Barnett and Pearce’s exchange of passes set him up 12 yards out.
On 13 minutes Pearce’s run down the left ended with a cross that was perfect for unmarked Fraser, but he didn’t make a clean connection and it trickled wide.
The Rocks’ early enterprise deserved a goal and it came on the quarter-hour mark as Barnett’s long, straight cross from the left was glanced in by Byrne to send the home fans wild.
Bognor were forced into a change when Doug Tuck had to be replaced by Darren Budd, apparently after picking up an injury.
Scorer Byrne was booked for a late challenge on Harvey Sparks on halfway as Worthing tried to break to get back on level terms.
Pearce was close to doubling the lead after a smart 1-2 with Barnett down the left led to him cutting inside and curling a right-foot shot that brought an excellent diving save out of Rikki Banks.
Pearce was just as close a minute later with a curling effort that this time beat the keeper but went the wrong side of the post.
When Worthing did find space for a shot on goal, Reis Stanislaus sent one over the clubhouse roof.
Dan Beck was booked for a challenge on Stanislaus as the visitors finally managed to get some possession in the Rocks half.
Byrne was perfectly placed on 33 minutes to meet a Barnett cross but his low sidefooted effort was smothered by Banks.
Then Byrne twisted in the box to create an opening but a defender slid in to deny him.
Ex-Selsey man Omar Bugiel ought to have made it 1-1 ten minures before the break as Stanislaus played him in on goal, but with only Billy Granger to beat, he dragged his shot wide - and immediately pulled his shirt over his head, knowing what a good chance he had missed.
There was a minor scare for the Rocks when Sami El-Abd left a free-kick as it was lofted goalwards - he thought it was going out but Stanislaus kept it in, but Granger gathered the ball in from the byline.
It was 2-0 thanks to Pearce on 42 minutes. Pearce himself made the goal, twisting and turning in the box and sqauring to Byrne - andwhen the keeper pushed out his shot, Pearce connected with the rebound and put it past Banks.
Worthing were rattled and Zak Newton was sent off in the dying minutes of the first half. It came after he tangled with El-Abd after the pair challenged for a high ball.
Soon after, El-Abd went into the book - rather harshly - for a foul on Stanislaus. From the free-kick, Granger made a good save to prevent Worthing getting one back.
As the players came off for the break, there were a few comments flying around and one or two players from both sides had to be kept a safe distance from one another.
The referee had picked up a glass and a bottle which ended up on the edge of the pitch behind Granger’s goal.
HT 2-0
Walter Figueira came on for El-Abd at the start of the second half - perhaps because the booked defender was involved in a couple of flashppoints just before the break.
Budd almost took advantage of a defensive mix-up seven minutes into the second half, forcing a good save from Banks after a defender had headed the ball out to him as the keeper was about to gather a high ball.
It was a relatively-sedate start to the second half but it was the Rocks doing most of the attacking.
Bognor had the ball in the net again on 59 minutes after dispossessing Worthing just outside their box but an offside flag was up.
Five minures later it was in the net again and this time it did count as Fraser shot low past Banks.
Pearce was keen to get his name on the scoresheet and won a corner as his shot was halfp-blocked at the end of a surging run down the inside right channel.
Both sides made a change - Worthing brought on Matt Axell for Matt Piper and Bognor replaced Pearce with Jimmy Muitt.
There was a bit of unrest behing Granger’s goal with one fan escorted from the ground and a section of the Worthing fans setting off some kind of smoke bomb.
Budd was the latest in a long line of players shown a yellow card foe=r pulling back an opponent.
Fraser ought to have scored the Rocks’ fourth when he was sent through with Bank to beat but he rolled the shot wide of the far post.
The same player saved the best til last when he doubled his tally and put Bognor 4-0 with 11 minutes to go. Again he was played in down the right, but with work to do. Not unlike Gazza in England’s Euro 1996 win against Scotland, he lifted the ball over a defender then smashed a volley beyond Banks and into the far corner.
Bognor weren’t content with four and Fraser almost completed a hat-trick but couldn’t force the ball in at the near post from a corner.
It was 5-0 with two minutes to go as Worthing were robbed of possession deep in their own territory. Sub Figueira weaved his way to the byline and cut it back for Barnett who drove a right-footed effort into the top corner to complete a perfect day for Bognor and a miserable one for Worthing.
Byrne’s solo run might have earned a sixth in stoppage time but he shot narrowly wide.
Rocks: Granger, Sanders, Crane, Tuck, Charman, El-Abd, Fraser, Beck, Byrne, Pearce, Barnett.Subs: Wild, Budd, Figueira, Robinson, Muitt.
Worthing: Banks, Piper, Rents, Wills,Elphick, Metcalf, Newtown, O’Neill, Stanislaus, Bugiel, Sparks. Subs: Axell, Edwards, Brodie, Punter, Fagan.
STEVE BONE
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Five-star Rocks romp to win over Worthing


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Nodding off in the middle of the day may be down to pollution generated by traffic, suggests new research.
The study shows exposure to traffic pollution is a trigger for daytime sleepiness - and may also trigger SNORING.
More than 12,000 adults were included in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study.
The findings show that people exposed to high levels of pollution had a 65 per cent greater chance of suffering from daytime sleepiness, compared to those who had no exposure.
Traffic noise in the bedroom was also a trigger - with people 46 per cent more likely to feel sleepy in the day if exposed.
And the research also suggests that people are also 29 per cent more likely to be a habitual snorer if they are exposed to traffic noise while they sleep.
Daytime sleepiness affected one in five people involved in the study, while one in four reported habitual snoring.
Ane Johannessen, an epidemiologist at Bergen University in Norway, wrote the study together with Professor Thorarinn Gislason and other Northern European researchers.
She said: “Exposure to traffic should be taken into account when planning treatment for patients with sleep disturbances, because reducing noise and pollution exposure in the bedroom may have a beneficial effect.
“Reducing exposure through relocating the bedroom away from pollution sources or making the bedroom more soundproof to protect against traffic noise, as well as mapping alternative and less polluted outdoor everyday routes may help patients with their sleep disorders.”
The study also showed that men, older subjects, smokers and those with lower education were more likely to report habitual snoring.
They were usually less physically active, with a higher BMI, and more likely to have a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
Women, older people, smokers, and those with lower education were more likely to report daytime sleepiness.
The new research is due to be presented at the European Respiratory Society’s International Congress in London next month.
Professor Jorgen Vestbo, President of ERS and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, said: “The question of who snores may be a running joke in some households but for many snoring is a serious issue, with direct links to physical and mental well being and the same is true for daytime sleepiness.
“We want people to think more about the environment around them and the impact it can have - from the way they sleep to the air they breathe.”
To coincide with Congress, the ERS will be holding some free public lung function testing, starting in Trafalgar Square on September 2 and 3.

Sleepiness linked to traffic noise and pollution


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This delightful Grade II listed period cottage is situated in the heart of Midhurst.
The property, in Market Square, is believed to originate from the 15th century and is beautifully presented with delightful accommodation set over four floors, including the cellar which has been converted to provide a superb studio.
The property has been updated, but retains many period features, including an open fireplace and wooden square paned windows with external shutters.
The front door opens to the dining room with a coat cupboard and display cupboard.
The sitting room, which has an open fireplace, is dual aspect and overlooks the market square to the church and the courtyard garden respectively.
To the rear of the property is the kitchen which leads out to the courtyard.
From the sitting room, stairs lead to the first floor where there is the family bathroom and two double bedrooms, each with views over the market square.
On the second floor is a third, spacious double bedroom with an en suite bathroom.
From the courtyard, steps lead down to the cellar, which has been converted to form a studio with quarry tiled floor, built-in shelving and telephone/TV points.
There is a further store room housing the gas fired boiler.
Also accessed from the courtyard is the studio/utility room.
The courtyard is south facing and has a fruit producing lemon tree and prolific clematis.
Guide Price £495,000.
For more information, or to arrange a viewing, contact Jackson-Stops & Staff, Market Square, Midhurst. Telephone 01730 812357.


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Motorists from around Sussex are being advised to avoid using the M20 if travelling to Kent after a bridge collapsed.
Kent Police said that officers were called at 12.10pm today to a report of a bridge collapsing between Junction 4 and Junction 3 on the M20 London-bound.
Police said a lorry collided with a pedestrian bridge which collapsed onto the carriageway below.
Officers are in attendance along with Kent Fire and Rescue Service and South East Coast Ambulance Service.
No people are believed to be trapped in the debris, however one person is believed to have suffered injuries, not reported to be life threatening at this time, Kent Police said.
Police are treating this as a major incident and the M20 has been closed in both directions to allow this incident to be dealt with.
The scene on the M20 between Borough Green and Leybourne in Kent after a lorry hit a foot bridge and it collapsed. Picture: @emmaraphaelx / SWNS.com
Motorists are advised to avoid the area and take an alternative route.
Highways England has said that the road closure will last until at least tomorrow. For the latest updates, click here.
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The scene on the M20 between Borough Green and Leybourne in Kent after a lorry hit a foot bridge and it collapsed. Picture: @emmaraphaelx / SWNS.com
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COUNTY NEWS: Traffic chaos as bridge collapses


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This beautifully refurbished four bedroom detached bungalow is situated in an enviable location in Felpham.
This stunning single storey residence is on the private Beach Estate within a few hundred yards of the beach.
The property, in Copeland Road, has been tastefully refurbished throughout by the current owner and offers beautifully presented accommodation and fittings.
Particular features of the property include a large dual-aspect sitting room which enjoys a southerly aspect and an archway leading to the stunning kitchen/dining room.
The kitchen benefits from granite worktops, an integrated oven with a contemporary extractor, integrated dishwasher, fridge and hob.
There is also a washing machine included in the utility area.
There are four bedrooms, two of which have en-suite facilities, and there is also a further bathroom/WC.
Outside, to the front of the property is a newly-laid driveway which provides covered parking. The rear garden is paved for low maintenance.
An internal inspection is recommended to appreciate the quality, size and versatility of the accommodation.
Guide Price £485,000 Freehold.
For more information, or to arrange a viewing, contact Henry Adams, Old Bank House, 128 Middleton Road, Middleton-on-Sea. Telephone 01243 587687.


Police are preparing for a second night of discussions with an armed pensioner holed up in a house.
The 72-year-old man remains inside the house with police security cordons and a road closure in place as negotiations continue.
Emergency services were first called to the property at around 4.10pm on Sunday to a report of threatening behaviour.
A woman known to the man was also in the house in Harbour Road, Pagham, at the time, but she left shortly after police arrival and is safe and well.
The man, who is on his own and believed to have a gun, continues to communicate with trained police negotiators.
Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor said: “I appreciate this must be a little disconcerting and frustrating for local residents having a continued large police presence outside their homes.
“The safety of the local community is paramount and we are doing all we can to resolve this ongoing incident in a controlled way.
“The road closure and cordons remain in place but residents are still free to come and go as and when they need to with police support.
“We would once again like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding.”
An earlier report from Sussex police confirmed armed officers were at the scene as negotations continued.
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COUNTY UPDATE: Armed siege enters second night


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Goodwood bosses believe race-goers are in for an ‘amazing’ afternoon’s racing on Saturday with a top-class card set to be the centrepiece of an action-packed three days on the Downs.
The Group 2 Doom Bar Celebration Mile - the biggest race Goodwood stages each year outside of Glorious - has attracted a high-calibre field.
It will be the highlight of a day that wouldn’t be out of place at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and also features the Group 3 Prestige Stakes and two good-quality handicaps.
Past Goodwood performers including Toormore and Arod are in the frame and Sir Michael Stoute’s Thikriyaat - likely to go off favourite - has been added late to the line-up after fine performances at Newmarket and Royal Ascot were followed by victory in Goodwood’s Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes at Glorious a month ago.
Lightning Spear and Zonderland make up the field of five in the Celebration Mile.
There are nine in the Prestige Stakes and a pleasing 75 runners for the whole Saturday card.
We’re all set for a wonderful weekend. The forecast is looking pretty good and we are delighted by entries. Alex Eade
Goodwood’s August Bank Holiday Festival begins this evening (Friday) with six races including the Chichester Observer Maiden Stakes, followed by a spectacular fireworks finale.
Sunday’s seven-race card includes the Group 3 Doom Bar Supreme Stakes.
Racecourse general manager Alex Eade said: “We’re all set for a wonderful weekend. The forecast is looking pretty good and we are delighted by entries.
“The theme for the whole weekend is on seaside holidays of yesteryear and there will be plenty of entertainment to appeal to all ages.”
Fire-eaters, flame dancers, Batala drummers, acrobats, stilt walkers and a musical firework display will all help create a carnival atmosphere at the racecourse.
Racegoers of all ages can enjoy an interactive circus, a petting zoo, a vintage Punch and Judy show, face-painting, an inflatable golf net, an old-fashioned fairground, a mock beach-front, fish and chips and ice creams.
The Class of 58 band will be rock‘n’rolling the Saturday and Sunday to a close.
Eade said: “We are thrilled to welcome back Starlight – the award-winning firework team that did the display for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations – who will be providing another incredible show on the Friday night.
“This fixture is a real highlight of our season and is so popular with families, so it is great that we’re able to offer free admission for children under 18.”
Our tips for Friday: 5.00 Guanabara Bay, 5.35 Celestial Spheres, 6.05 La Casa Tarifa, 6.40 Tyrell, 7.10 Laugh Aloud, 7.45 Baltic Prince.
Tips for Saturday: 2.10 Bella Alissa, 2.45 On Her Toes, 3.20 Mister Universe, 3.55 Platitude, 4.30 Toormore, 5.05 Dawn Mirage, 5.40 Kismet Hardy.
* Tickets for the August Bank Holiday fixture start from £10, with complimentary admission for accompanied under-18s.
Gates open at 3pm on Friday and 11.30am on Saturday and Sunday. For more, please visit www.goodwood.com or call the ticket office on 01243 216610.
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Students at Chichester High School were celebrating in the sunshine after receiving their GCSE results.
Teachers and staff spoke of their pride at seeing the students reap the benefits of their hard work and go onto college and sixth form.
Students continued to achieve highly in English and maths with 65% of girls and 55% of boys achieving top grades in both. Sixteen-year-old Tom Hodgson gained four A*s and five As.
He said: “I’m really happy, absolutely delighted.
I plan to go on to sixth form to study music, maths, ancient history and geography. I play drums and percussion.”
Amy Rock, 16, received 12 A*s and one A. She said: “I am really proud of myself, absolutely elated. I put in so much effort.
“I’m planning to study geography, chemistry and biology at sixth form. I will also be doing the extended project.”
Both Tom and Amy are from Kingsham School.
Jonathan Smith was very pleased with his A in catering, while Georgina Burgoyne Morris, Megan Geall, and Anna Taylor planned to celebrate their top results with a picnic.
Georgina said: “I’m really happy, ecstatic. I’m now planning to study maths, chemistry, physics and government and politics at sixth form.”
Megan said: “I’m so happy! I’m looking forward to studying chemistry, biology, English literature and geography at sixth form.”
Anna said: “I feel really, really happy - I did much better than I expected! I’m going on to South Downs College to study creative writing, English literature and history.”
Altogether, the school reported a positive Progress 8 score, with around 30 pupils achieving a whole string of top grades.
For many students leaving this year, good grades will be a gateway to further education.
Harry Coppin, the school’s head boy, said: “It’s really positive - I’ve glad to have got into sixth form!”
Joe Allison, 16, said: “I’m very happy with the results - I’m going on to Seaford College to study business, economics and English.”
Head of the school, Mrs McEwan, said it was a ‘privilege’ to see the results of pupil’s hard work.
Executive headteacher Yasmin Maskatiya added: “We are all so excited for the young people who have worked very hard to achieve these results.
“It has been a pleasure teaching them over the past few years and we look forward to their continued success in the Sixth Form. “Thank you to their teachers and parents for all their support and guidance.
“These results combined with the very satisfying A-Level achievement this year means that we have a really positive and encouraging start to the new Chichester High School in September.”
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Chichester High School pupils ‘delighted’ with top GCSE results


Selsey golfers have been able to play plenty of matches over the summer and some great results have been achieved.
The Godding Bowl and Tom Keep Cup both see players picking their own partners.
Conditions proved testing, with a strong wind not helpful and the greens proving as difficult as ever.
The Godding Bowl was won by Rita and David Green and the runners-up were Brian Chamberland and Beverley Guest. The Tom Keep was won by Sue Bligh and Craig Newman; runners-up were Teddy and Peter Senft.
The third mixed competition was between the veterans and the ladies for the Silver Gauntlet. The lady Ccaptain has to swipe the silver gauntlet round the veterans’ captain’s face (only gently!) then throw the gauntlet down to start the challenge.
This year it was won by the veterans.
The lady captain congratulated the vets but vowed the ladies would do better next year.
Selsey veterans had their presentation day, starting with a 14-hole competition. There were 40 members on the course which was in very good condition and the greens ran quite fast.
Afterwards the presentations took place in the clubhouse and many members received their bottles of spirit or wine for earlier competitions.
The Arthur Powis Cup was presented by Eddie Williamson, daughter of Arthur, and veterans’ captain Peter Senft to winner John Mustoe.
The Eddie McGhee Trophy was presented by Eddie’s widow Sylvia to ohn Williamson.
Flowers were presented to the ladies by the vets’ captain while the monthly medal glass was presented by the vets’ captain Peter Senft to winner Terry Chapman.
COWDRAY PARK
Cowdray seniors’ August Stableford marked the return to competitive action of captain Derek Smith following a serious spinal operation.
Conditions proved testing, with a strong wind not helpful and the greens proving as difficult as ever. There were many good players recording disappointing scores.
Best score of the day came in division one from Bill Birnie, who returned an outstanding score of 41 points. Long-time leader John Hall finished second with 39, from Dave Balfour on 38.
In division two Dave Darby kept up his recent good form to win with 39 points, having gone out in the second group, alongside John Renwick, who finished third on countback with 38, pipped for second place by Alistair Proctor.
Five players recorded twos in division one, including Howard Morley, who scored two, on the 11th and 17th.
Five recorded twos in division two, including Arthur Mayson, who, only a week before, had scored a hole-in-one on the ninth hole, the same hole he scored his two.
Leading scores: Div 1 - 41 Bill Birnie; 39 John Hall; 38 Dave Balfour; 37 Pat Harrison; 36 Chris Hutchings. Div 2 - 39 Dave Darby; 38 Alistair Proctor, John Renwick; 37 David Tulip, Barry Overington; 36 Bernie May. Twos - D1 Terry Adsett (11), Peter Hallt (3),Howard Morley (11&17), Mike Briant (11). D2 - Rob Doney (11), Arthur Mayson (9), Rob Knight (17), Dave Darby (9), John Renwick (9).
Cowdray seniors travelled to Worthing to face one of the strongest teams in Sussex, who had lost 5-3 at Cowdray earlier in the season.
The five matches teeing off at the first, bar one which was halved, went to the hosts. The remaining three matches teeing off at the 17th were won by the visitors.
After Worthing had taken a 4-0 lead, Trevor Edwards and David Wickham arrested the flow with a half – before the pairs teeing off at the 17th turned things round.
Good friends Brian Brockhurst and Dave Darby edged home by one up, Chris Hutchings and Mark Kelly had a comfortable win by 3&2, before Mike Briant and Mike Cardiff closed out with a one-up win, to make the final score 4½-3½ to Worthing.
Cowdray can console themselves with the fact that, over the two legs, they came out on top by 8½-7½.
Results (Cowdray names first): Sam Howes & Peter Hallt lost to Ian McDonald & Bob Dargan 3&2; Ian Heustice & Barry Overington lost to Ron Turner & Alec Price 4&2; Colin West & George Crouch lost to Mike Hall & Gordon Harrison 5&3; Chris Hoare & Colin Tebbutt lost to Brian Quaife & John Wood 3&1; Trevor Edwards & David Wickham halved with Ricky Cannons & Neil Bowen; Brian Brockhurst & Dave Darby beat Mike Hyatt & Mike Smith 1 up; Mark Kelly & Chris Hutchings beat Ron Simcock & Mike Machin 3&2; Mike Briant & Mike Cardiff beat Phil Gobeil & Maurice Huggett 1 up.
Bramley have proved a thorn in the side of Cowdray Park teams over the years, but this year Cowdray had a fine 6½-1½ home win before losing this return 4½-3½.
The first match, featuring both team captains, ended in an honourable half. The teams were level after 12 holes, but the hosts won the next three holes. Cowdray’s pair of Roger Poat and Rodney Fisher dug in and fought back winning the 16th courtesy of a 60ft putt from Poat.
A par was sufficient to win the 17th, before the comeback was completed on the 18th by Fisher, using his long-handled putter to good effect from off the green to secure the half.
A narrow defeat followed before Chris Hutchings and Rob Doney overcame former Surrey vets’ captain Mike Whitaker and Bruce Holton 2&1.
Mike Holden and Jon Fife gave Cowdray the lead with a 4&3 win before Bramley levelled by the same margin. Mike Cardiff and Philip Singer edged home by one up before the hosts levelled the scores again. Bramley took the final match to clinch the match.
Results: Roger Poat & Rodney Fisher halved; David Wickham & Dave Fowler lost 2&1; Chris Hutchings & Rob Doney won 2&1; Mike Holden & Jon Fife won 4&3; Wally Mitchell lost 4&3; Mike Cardiff & Philip Singer won 1 up; Terry Adsett & Colin West lost 1 down; Richard Burden & Clive Brine lost 4&2.
Teeing off in a regular roll-up, Cowdray seniors 28-handicapper Arthur Mayson scored a hole-in-one on the ninth, his first-ever ace.
His joy was tempered as he did not see the ball enter the hole. When he arrived at the green he thought his ball had run off the back.
Not content with that, he scored a two on the same hole a week later in the monthly Stableford.
Cowdray seniors held their annual invitation, whereby a member invites a guest for the day.
Thanks to the efforts of organiser Pat Harrison, a full field off 40 pairs gathered. It was a superb day weather-wise, with temperatures in the mid-20s and the course in impeccable condition, although a number of players still found the greens difficult.
The players were sent on their way by David Wickham and Mike Hughes, with the format a better-ball Stableford.
Winners on countback with a superb score of 43 points were Cowdray’s top senior Dave Hirons and his guest Bill Houlton from Bognor, beating Cowdray’s Alan Godfree and Mike Vansittart (Worthing).
Four pairs were tied on 42 points, with third place going to Paul Owen and Jeff Harper (Ferndown), fourth Bill Hummerston and Steve Lewis (Goodwood) and fifth Dave Balfour and A Matthews (Burhill). Chris Hoare and Jim Jewell (Slinfold) just missed out on a prize.
Nearest the pin on the ninth was local member Tony Sapsworth, on the 17th it was John Buchanan (Littlehampton) and the 16th in two, Cowdray’s John Hall.
After a buffet, seniors’ captain Derek Smith thanked organiser Pat Harrison for his hard work in making the event such a success, Pat’s wife Sheila who ran the raffle and Tessa Stockwell, Solveig Burton and Margaret Curwood from the ladies’ section, who acted as receptionists and assimilated the scorecards.
The raffle raised £375 for Chestnut Tree children’s hospice.
Twelve Cowdray ladies bravely set off in hot sunshine to play 36 holes, battling for the title of 2016 club champion.
This year the field included Lille-Beau Thorpe, a 11-year-old junior member. After the first 18 holes, she came in as joint leader with Wendy Street, both with gross 83 (nett 71) and three shots ahead of nearest rival Sue Brown, who shot a very respectable 86.
After a light lunch and a little shade, the second 18 saw Lille-Beau consolidate her lead with a gross 85 (73) while Wendy dropped back to a gross 91 (79).
Jill Parry took second place with a gross 90 with Wendy and Solveig Burton both shooting gross 91. Tea and presentations followed and Lille-Beau took the Munro Trophy with Wendy taking the runners-up salver. Sue won the Curwood Salver for nett rounds of 74 and 81. Lille-Beau is thought to be Cowdray’s youngest-ever female club champion.
Stableford results: Div 1 winner Gaynor Dudman 30pts; Div 2 winner Jo Fife 36; Div 3 winner Pat White 31.
BOGNOR
More than 90 men played in the Crouch Cup. Club captain Chris Hickling won with an amazing 44 points, earning a two-shot handicap reduction.
Mick Garrigan was second with an excellent 40 points, normally enough to win. In third was Rob Kissell with 39.
Bognor’s Kindred Cup team won 3-2 at home to Stoneham Golf Club. They rogress to the finals at Lee-on-the-Solent GC in Hampshire for the second year running.
Bognor seniors made the short trip to neighbours Chichester GC. On a glorious day for golf, Chichester ran out 5½-2½ winners.
The opening match involving the two senior captains, Jim Robertson of Chichester and Jim Catt of Bognor, with their respective partners, was even until the last three holes when the Bognor pair managed two birdies and a par to edge a 2&1 win. Bognor won and halved the next two pairs but Chichester took the remaining five pairs to claim the match.
Results: (Bognor names first) Jim Catt & Mike Oates beat Jim Robertson & Nick Hobbs 2 and 1, Alan Fitzgerald & Tony Wells halved with Richard Holden, Alan Delves & John Chapman beat Mike Hunter & Gordon Williams 2 and 1, Peter Bell & Ray Leggett lost 3 and 1 to George Bell & Campbell Goldsmith, Clive Millett & Chris Hickling lost 7 and 6 to Bruce Santer & Nigel Wood, Bryan Madgwick & David Tirner lost 7 and 6 to Chris Penny & Micky Mould, Mike Matthews & Ken Catt lost 2 and 1 to Norman Moore & Peter Green, Steve King & Hugh Diaper lost 2 and 1 to Phil Mitchell & Bill Dunstone
Bognor seniors played two homes games in quick succession. The first was halved 3½-3½ with Selsey before Bognor beat Ifield 4-3.
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Golfers sharing out the silver at Selsey


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Join Clare Balding for an afternoon of family entertainment to mark the publication of her first children's book, The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on Saturday, October 1 at 3pm.
The number-one bestselling author and broadcaster will share stories from her own childhood growing up surrounded by animals, give a reading from her new book and offer expert advice on working with and caring for animals.
The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop introduces Charlie Bass: a horse-mad ten-year-old who dreams of owning her own pony. So when she accidentally manages to buy a racehorse, Charlie is thrilled. The horse she buys, Noble Warrior, looks the part: strong, fit and healthy. There's just one problem – he won't gallop. In fact, he won't even leave his stable without his best friend, a naughty palomino pony called Percy.
This event will end with an audience Q&A and a chance to have your book signed, as well as some funfair-style foyer entertainment for all the family.
Clare became the face of the BBC’s horse racing coverage in 1998 and now works across a wide range of sports for television and radio. She has been a lead TV presenter for the Olympics, Paralympics, Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
In 2012, Clare was awarded Achievement of the Year at the Women in Film and TV Awards, the Media Award at the Red Hot Women of the Year Awards, was made TV Personality of the Year by Attitude magazine and won Racing Broadcaster of the Year for the second time.
Tickets on 01483 440000 or www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk.


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Police have confirmed they are looking for a missing swimmer at Camber Sands – days after five men lost their lives at the beach.
A coastguard helicopter is circling above Camber Sands, and a spokesperson for the RNLI confirmed they had lifeboats at the scene.
Sussex Police said they were called to the scene after a member of the public contacted them and the coastguard at Camber Sands after seeing an abandoned pair of flip flops next to the sea and a female diving into the water at this location.
A spokesperson added: “Officers at the scene are doing coastal checks to see if there are any persons swimming having difficulty”.
An RNLI spokesperson said the search for the ‘potentially missing swimmer’ was being co-ordinated by Sussex Police and the coastguard, and that their lifeguards were keeping watch from the beach with binoculars.
This search comes after five men lost their lives at Camber Sands last week, and the RNLI donated lifeguards to patrol the beach over the Bank Holiday weekend. Click here to read more.
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Search for ‘missing swimmer’ at beach days after tragedy


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Sussex motorists who are travelling to Kent can now use the M20 motorway after it reopened following a bridge collapse.
Highways England said the northbound lanes were fully reopened and two out of three of the southbound lanes had reopened after being closed between junctions one and four for more than a day.
The collision on the M20 is causing problems for anyone driving to Kent. Picture: Eddie Mitchell
The closure comes after a lorry struck a footbridge in Kent yesterday, causing it to collapse. Read more here.
Prior to the reopening, Highways England south east operations manager Gary Coleman said everything was being done to reopen the motorway again, but safety had to come first both for workers and drivers.
“We are facing a real challenge to lift two HGVs and a motorbike clear of the scene and deal with all of the rubble from the collapsed bridge strewn across both carriageways. “There is also the issue of the remaining part of the footbridge, which is still in place over the coast-bound side of the motorway. We have crews on scene ready to take action as soon as the police have completed their investigation. We also have cranes en route and lighting so work can continue through the night.
“We are doing everything we can to safely reopen the motorway, but we’d ask drivers to please bear with us as this is a complex operation and it will take time and skill to complete. We’ll keep everyone updated.”
The collision on the M20 is causing problems for anyone driving to Kent. Picture: Eddie Mitchell
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TRAFFIC UPDATE: Motorway reopens after bridge collapse


Bosham FC are celebrating after almost doubling their record victory as our local football teams enjoy a goal-laden start to the new season.
It was raining goals at Glebelands on Tuesday night as Bosham beat a hapless Ferring side 15-1.
Jake Lafferty helped himself to five, with Marco Giambelardini hitting four.
Assistant player-boss Neil Redman weighed in with two, including a rare header, while new signing Ollie Gilbert and Graeme Dowden also hit two each. It was 2-1 at one stage with Jack Nieve scoring for Ferring before the Reds raced into a 7-1 half-time advantage.
The scoreline dwarfs Bosham’s previous best win, an 8-0 victory – ironically also at Ferring – on the opening day of the 2014-15 season.
It is not quite the freak result it appears – Ferring went into the game on the back of an 18-0 demolition in their season opener at newly-promoted Jarvis Brook.
Ferring have a new team and young manager who are clearly struggling to find their feet at this level.
Bosham have had many tussles with Ferring over the years and say they hope their rivals can turn their fortunes around as the season progresses.
The romp is the highlight of what has been a goal-feast of a start to the season for our local SCFL teams.
Bosham, with 17 goals in two games, sit second in division two with six points from six, though they are still behind Jarvis Brook on goal difference.
Sidlesham are also in division two this season and as Bosham were hitting 15 in midweek, they were suffering a relative goal drought at home to Clymping. They won by a mere 5-0 margin as new boss Daren Pearce got his first win under his belt and the Sids moved into the top six.
Callum Dowdell (2), John Phillips, Tom Jefkins and Tom Bayley scored the goals.
Reports from last weekend
Roffey 2 Sidlesham 1
Southern Combination division two
Roffey began with apprehension and Sidlesham took advantage whe a long ball forward and some mis-communication in the home defence saw Adam Wicking head into his own goal.
Roffey began to grow into the game and snuff out any threat from Sids, much of which came from Tom Bayley.
Ben Chowney was denied from inside the six-yard box by Connor Kelly in the Sidlesham goal and other home chances were spurned.
Excellent last-ditch defending from Sidlesham’s Matt Roberts prevented an equaliser - but one did come in the 44th minute as a well-worked short corner was converted by Wicking.
The second half began with further Roffey chances.
Sidlesham looked to counter-attack and John Phillips looked to support Bayley, while Joe Jefkins and Callum Dowdell attacked well down the flanks.
Roffey were looking to turn one point into three and managed it in the 88th minute when a delightful ball curled to the far post saw sub Harri Nourse power a header back across Kelly and into the far corner.
Sidlesham looked a very good side and hope to be among the frontrunners for the league title.
SIDLESHAM: Kelly, Williams, Sandalls, Robinson (c), Leggat, Roberts, Jefkins, Parsons, Bayley, Phillips, Dowdell. Subs: Jefkins, Williams, Watts, McCoy, Bassil.
Lancing Utd 0 Bosham 2
Southern Combination division two
Bosham began their new SCFL season with a firm statement of intent in sealing a comfortable win at newly-promoted Lancing United.
The Reds, division two cup champions were looking to start with a bang and send a message to the other teams and two second-half, goals saw them do just that.
It was a very blustery afternoon at the Croshaw ground, with Bosham taking advantage of the wind in the first half.
In their change blue strip they struggled to cope with conditions.
Marco Giambelardini looked sharp and fellow strike partners Graeme Dowden and Alex Barnes ably supported him but chances were few.
Close to the half-hour, Dowden unleashed a strong effort that smacked the crossbar with keeper Steve Allfrey rooted to the spot.
Right on half-time Lancing had their best chance when Mark O’Regan got in on goal but he sent his effort wide.
Bosham settled the better from the re-start and, though the harsh wind was against them, they used their quality well.
Bradley Miles was creating, Barnes and Dowden finding gaps and the reward came when Barnes got free in the box and was found unmarked to fire a cross-shot under Allfrey and in.
Late on, Giambelardini settled any Bosham nerves with a typically classy finish, curling an exquisite effort from the edge of the area into the bottom corner, past the outstretched hand of Allfrey.
Bosham held firm and kept the Lancing dangermen quiet to the delight of the management team of Andy Probee and Neil Redman.
Although fellow promoted side Jarvis Brook, won 18-0 (eighteen) against Ferring, Bosham can be pleased with the start to their campaign.
They have a trip to Montpellier Villa on Saturday and a first home game of the season on bank holiday Monday against Clymping at Walton Lane.
Bosham: Magee, Docherty, Bulbeck, Colinese, Bell, Barnes, Miles, Lafferty, Giambelardini, Dowden, Probee. Subs: Redman, Gilbert.
ALAN PRICE
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15-1 - but it wasn’t biggest win of season so far


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Sussex headteachers have shared their concerns about the rising cost of university education.
With a number of universities in England announcing they would be raising their annual fees above the £9,000 limit, there are fears higher education could once again become the playground of the elite.
Michael Ferry, Headteacher at St Wilfrid's, Crawley. Pic Steve Robards SR1520189 SUS-150820-140229001
Michael Ferry, head of St Wilfrid’s School, in Crawley, said the idea of increasing fees was “alarming” and added: “This will only put students off from entering university as they will be saddled with increased amounts of debt.
“Although many schools, including St Wilfrid’s, spend a lot of time demystifying what you pay for and when, it will certainly put people off from applying if fees rise.
“If we are not careful as a society, we will go back in time to an age when only a small minority were able to access a university place and even they were given a grant to do so.”
Peter Woodman, head of The Weald School, in Billingshurst, said he did not think students had been put off by the high fees, but were more selective about their choices.
We should do everything we can to ensure that access to university is fair and that people get in on merit, not because of which school they went to or how much money their parents have. Michael Ferry, headteacher, St Wilfrid’s School
He added: “They want to go to a university where the teaching is good and the support first class. They do not just want a degree.
“They want the right course that is also value for money and provides them with the right educational experience for their next step in life.”
When it came to earning a place at university, Mr Woodman felt the increasingly difficult A-levels would lead to a fall in the numbers making the grade.
He agreed the rising fees could also see students from less well-off backgrounds deciding the cost was too high.
Currently, any student debts not paid back after 30 years are wiped out and there are that, if that safety net was withdrawn, talented youngsters would choose to enter employment or an apprenticeship rather than achieving their full potential at university.
Mr Woodman recognised the difficulties faced by the government when it scrapped free university education.
He pointed out the percentage of students participating in higher education had risen from 10 per cent in the 1980s to more than 40 per cent and added: “This comes at a cost.
“Providing virtually free higher education to 10 per centr of the population was one thing but providing it to over 40 per cent of the population is expensive.”
Summing up his feeling, Mr Ferry said: “Universities are great places for their further development and although not everyone wants to apply, we should do everything we can to ensure that access to university is fair and that people get in on merit, not because of which school they went to or how much money their parents have.”
Mr Woodman agreed, describing a framed extract of a speech made by playwright Alan Bennett, which hangs in his office.
Called Fair Play, it reads: “We all know that to educate, not according to ability but according to the social situation of the parents, is both wrong and a waste.”
He said: “I whole heartedly agree. As such, I worry that increasing university fees yet again will allow the sons and daughters of those who can afford university to go and those who cannot afford it, not to go.
“Unless mechanisms are put in place to encourage and support those students and families this would be both unfair and a tragic waste of potential.”
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Heads share concerns over university fees


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Firefighters are tackling a van fire in Felpham this morning.
A crew from Bognor were called out at 8.23am after reports of a vehicle ‘well alight’ in Flansham Lane, a fire spokesperson said.
They added that breathing apparatus and one hose reel are in use.
It is believed that fire services are still at the scene.
The A259 Upper Bognor Road has been closed off because of the incident between the Upper Bognor Road junction and the Downview Road junction, according to travel reports.
More to follow.
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UPDATE: Firefighters tackle ‘well alight’ van in Felpham


Tom Davies savoured his Pompey league debut and reflected: I seized my chance.
Davies is hopeful he’s given Paul Cook no choice but to leave him in the side after an impressive showing in the 1-0 success at Exeter.
The defender put in a powerful performance at St James Park as the Blues picked up their third shutout in four outings.
Victory was also Pompey’s first maximum on the road this season as they chalked up back-to-back successes.
Davies feels he’s had to show patience following his summer arrival from Accrington Stanley.
But he’s now confident he’s laid down a marker and seized his opportunity.
Davies said: ‘It was nice to finally start in the league for my new team.
‘It’s been a while coming and I’ve had to be patient. The lads who’ve come in have done really well.
‘So I knew when I had the chance I had to grasp it. Hopefully I’ve given the gaffer a problem when it comes to picking the team.
‘There’s a lot of good players there, although Jack (Whatmough) has had the injury and it’s been tough for him.
‘So I’ve had to bide my time but hopefully I’ve given the gaffer no option but to leave me in.
‘I came here to play. I’ve not come to Pompey to get away from home or move to the seaside.
‘So I’ve hopefully shown the gaffer what I can do and he’ll leave me in.’
Davies formed a sound partnership with Christian Burgess at the back as they repelled Exeter.
That was after he came in at the expense of Adam Barton in one of two changes from the win over Colchester.
Davies feels the players have the right attributes to form a strong link-up in the middle of Pompey’s back four.
He said: ‘Burge is a great player.
‘I’ve watched him from the sidelines for the last few weeks.
‘I know what he can and can’t do and hopefully I complemented him.
‘I don’t mind who I play with really, but being selfish I want to be on the pitch myself.
‘Hopefully me and Burge can start something good, though, and we can keep more clean sheets now. I think we blend together quite well.
‘He’s been good so far this season.
‘I’m a bit more aggressive and put my head on things and go out and put in tackles.
‘He keeps me in check, though, because I have a tendency to be a bit too aggressive at times.
‘All of the experience across that back five helps.’
Gary Roberts’ 85th-minute penalty was the difference between the two sides on Saturday.
But that paved the way for late Exeter pressure as the home side pushed for an equaliser.
There were also a number of blocks from Pompey in the second half which were important to the success.
Davies said: ‘It felt solid and to keep a clean sheet is important.
‘Teams aren’t going to come up against us and just give us the win.
‘You could see how desperate they were for the result and how much they stepped up their game because they were playing us.
‘They threw everything at us after Robbo scored the pen.
‘But, by hook or by crook, we stopped them.’

Defender hopeful he made his point to Cook


Visit now for the latest Pompey news - direct from the Chichester Observer


Tom Davies is hungry for a Yeovil run out.
The Pompey defender wants to build on the momentum created by his first league start tonight in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Paul Cook is expected to ring the changes at Huish Park for the southern group stage fixture.
The competition rules state a club must pick six of 11 players who started the side’s previous or ensuing fixture.
Alternatively, a manager can select six of his top 11 appearance makers from domestic league and cup competitions.
The competition is clearly low on Pompey’s priorities – but it’s a clash Davies, 24, is keen to feature in.
He said: ‘There’s a game against Yeovil now and it would be nice to keep the momentum going.
‘We all know the main focus is the league.
‘We’ve got a couple of home games coming up now.
‘We need to keep the wins coming and keep the clean sheets coming.
‘Every player likes to play and, of course I want to.
‘It would be nice to keep the momentum going from a personal point of view, too.
‘But that’s not my decision to make and that’s why the gaffer and coaching staff are paid to do their jobs.
‘If I get the call I’ll play and I’ll be to keen to play.
‘That should be the case for any of the lads.’
The appearance at Exeter was Davies’ second in Pompey colours following his summer arrival from Accrington Stanley.
A back injury slowed his progress but he is confident that issue is now behind him.
He said: ‘It was tough for me in pre-season getting the back injury.
‘Hopefully now I’ve got my feet under the table a bit more.
‘I feel a bit more relaxed in the company of the players on the pitch.
‘It maybe was a bit too much running during pre-season which I wasn’t used to.
‘I worked with the physios to keep it at bay. It’s behind me now, though.
‘Now I’m champing at the bit to play. It’s out of my mind and I want to kick on and stay in the team.’
– JORDAN CROSS


Ian Christie will be challenging perceptions of the great Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky 30 years after his death.
The Chichester International Film Festival at the New Park Cinema will be offering a Tarkovsky retrospective during which Ian will give a talk on the man and his work (Saturday, August 27, 4pm).
“I defer to no one in my admiration of the man, but I do think we must take him off a pedestal and have a more rounded view of him.
“I have been involved in Tarkovsky’s work for a long time really in different ways. I interviewed him on his first-ever visit out of the Soviet Union in the early 80s. It was a strange encounter. He was suddenly told that he could travel abroad, and he arrived in London with his minder whom we assumed to be a KGB minder, and he was a bit like a frightened rabbit. He was very self-contained. It was a public event at the National Film Theatre, and people queued around the theatre. The thought of actually seeing him in the flesh was very exciting. People jumped at the chance.
“Really my job was to try to put him at ease and not to ask him difficult questions with somebody in the front row listening to his answers. I tried just to say ‘Tell us what the film process is like for you, how does it go?’ rather than asking him questions about censorship that he would not be able to answer. And he gave me very straight answers, that he had had a lot of opportunities and a lot of support.
“People build up this image of him as beleaguered, censored and muzzled, but in fact he was working in an era where there were incredible privileges and freedoms for film-makers in Russia. He didn’t have to worry about finances. People have nurtured this view of him as a victim of the Soviet system, but I would say that in many ways, he was one of its proudest products. The Soviets really did believe in the art of cinema.”
However, Tarkovsky did go into exile, encouraged by the cellist Rostropovich: “It was a huge decision. He knew that things would be difficult, but like a lot of Russian artists, he was very attached to Russia in a very deep emotional way. He was encouraged by other people to make the jump and that things would not get better.
“It was a very difficult time. At the time, nobody realised that Perestroika was coming. That was his tragedy. I was there a lot at the time, and we didn’t really believe it was going to happen. By the time he left, I would not say he had burnt his bridges, but he had made his decision. And he had a support network in the west. He also got ill with cancer not long after he decided to leave. Even when he died, at the end of 86 (aged 54), nobody knew how Perestroika was going to go.”
But it is important to remember the respect he was still held in back in Russia.
“I was in Russia when the news came of his death in Paris, and I remember the KGM man who was monitoring us just said ‘We have just lost our greatest film-maker’.”
Tarkovsky had been part of the great optimistic era under Khrushchev in the early 60s, but then in 67-68 the shutters had come down: “Party discipline was imposed. He did and he didn’t have artistic freedom. He could make films, but it was a question of whether they would be shown. In the end, he decided to leave.”
It is a fuller picture of the man that Ian is intending to give in Chichester…
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Ian Christie offers a new perspective on Tarkovsky


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Five men who died off the coast of Sussex this week have now been named by police.
They are Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, and his brother Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 22, both of Normandy Way, Erith.
Their friends Nitharsan Ravi, 22, of Admaston Road, Plumstead, Inthushan Sriskantharaja, 23, of Chadwell Road, Grays and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, of Elsa Road, Welling, also died in the tragic incident.
Police say the men all travelled together to Camber Sands for the day on Wednesday (August 24) where they sadly died. Their deaths have now been passed to the coroner.
Ajirthan Ravi told national media his brother Nitharsan was studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Brighton and was just about to start his second year.
RNLI lifeguards will be patrolling Camber Sands over the Bank Holiday weekend, following the tragic deaths.
The RNLI, working with Rother District Council, says it aims to provide reassurance to the public by providing the temporary service.
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “The charity will provide a team of five or six lifeguards and appropriate equipment over the Bank Holiday weekend (Saturday – Monday) 9am-6pm on Camber Sands who will work alongside the Local Authority Beach Patrol teams.
“The Royal National Lifeboat Institution offered to provide lifeguards over the weekend and the council accepted our offer.
“In addition to the lifeguard service the RNLI will also be providing a face-to-face team who will be on hand to provide key safety information to all visitors at the beach.”
A Rother District Council spokesman said: “We very much welcome and appreciate the support the RNLI are offering to provide a temporary lifeguard service.
“People are understandably concerned in the light of the tragic incident at the beach this week and this service will provide reassurance to the public in one of the busiest weekends of the year at Camber.
“We continue to work with the RNLI, the emergency services and other partners to identify any additional measures we might need to introduce at the beach in the future.”
The RNLI added: “The RNLI provides lifeguard cover on over 240 beaches throughout the UK. The lifeguards are there to provide safety cover and advice and we would advise anyone who is not familiar with the area to come and chat with the lifeguard.
“Before visiting the coast you can visit www.RNLI.org/respectthewater”
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COUNTY NEWS: Police identify five men who died off Sussex coast


Get the latest breaking news from the Chichester Observer - politics, transport, education, health, environment and more, updated daily.


For young people around the UK, now is one of the most important times in their lives for deciding what they want their future to look like.
While many will take the university path, the rising popularity and continued government emphasis on apprenticeships, means they are an alternative option being preferred by a large number of school leavers.
But is the apprenticeship pathway suitable for everyone; and if you or your children are considering one, what can you do to stand out from other candidates as you look to secure an apprentice position?
Watch the video for some first-hand advice from those in the know – young people who chose the apprenticeship route.
Daniella Tubb-Whittington, an early talent recruitment specialist from GSK who sees its apprentice scheme as a vital tool in recruiting amazing young talent, also gives shares some pointers on what employers are looking for when it comes to the ideal apprentice candidate.

Advice from apprentices on how to secure one in 2016


Visit now for the latest business news - direct from the Chichester Observer


Video News Story - Another Homeless Shelter?


Solitude in the wilderness is still available in B.C., between holiday weekends when demand peaks at B.C.'s most popular parks.
Foreign visitors and those on package tours are a small fraction of the demand for B.C. Parks campgrounds around the province, but B.C. resident campers are still using a few tricks to get spaces for high-demand parks.
Some have protested the use of online reservations by motorhome tour operators who sell them as part of a package for tourists.
"Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.," Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said this week.
Environment Minister Mary Polak told Black Press numbers are being tracked for the current year, and the proportions haven't changed much. In 2015, fewer than one per cent of reservable B.C. Parks spaces were booked by tour operators, who also use private camping facilities.
Three quarters of reservations are from within B.C. The second highest share is from Alberta at 14 per cent, the U.S. accounts for 3.6 per cent, the rest of Canada 2.8 per cent, and all European countries combined are 6.6 per cent of the total.
The BC Parks system has 10,700 camping spaces in total, and 5,600 are reservable, to manage demand for the most popular spots.
First-come, first-served sites are kept out of the reservation system in some popular locations to accommodate travellers who drop in along the road. For high-demand periods like the recent Canada Day weekend, savvy campers work the reservation system.
At Golden Ears Provincial Park, one group booked for two weeks as soon as the 90-day eligibility window opened, then dropped the first week, giving them the coveted Canada Day weekend dates before they were generally available.
"Every year we look to change things to keep people from cheating, and every year they find new ways," Polak said. "Really the only answer is going to be finding a way to expand the number of sites that we have available."
It's shaping up as a record year for the Discover Camping reservation service, with 92,000 bookings so far this year.
B.C. Parks has added four new sites for this summer. Reservations can be made for Garibaldi Provincial Park in the Whistler area, Ruckle Provincial Park on Saltspring Island, Okanagan Falls Provincial Park, Inland Lake Provincial Park near Powell River and Dry Gulch Provincial Park near Radium Hot Springs.

Provincial campsite rush mostly B.C. residents


Few BC Parks bookings going to commercial operators, solution is more campsite spaces, Environment Minister Mary Polak says


Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council
With patients in urban areas having difficulty finding a family doctor, the situation in rural B.C. is going from bad to worse, MLAs on the province's health committee were told Monday.
Ed Staples, a member of the B.C. Health Coalition, described his efforts to improve the situation in Princeton, a community of about 5,000 people that four years ago was down to one doctor providing on-call service.
Princeton now has four full-time doctors and two nurse practitioners, but there are still people who can't find a doctor in the region, including Penticton an hour and a half away. A recent search of the College of Physicians and Surgeons website turned up the nearest doctor accepting patients in Courtney on Vancouver Island, Staples said.
Health Match BC, the province's web portal for recruiting doctors, nurses and other health professionals, currently has more than 400 general practitioner vacancies, with 37 communities seeking 85 doctors. The result is "bidding wars" between communities to offer incentives to relocating doctors, and foreign doctors using a rural community as an entry point before relocating to the Lower Mainland, he said.
The B.C. government has announced its latest videoconferencing service for health care, linking psychiatrists with young people in Cranbrook. The service is available twice a month at the local Children and Family Development office, supplementing visits by specialists in communities such as Cranbrook and Princeton. Health Minister Terry Lake says video conferencing and electronic health records are a key part of the solution for reaching patients across B.C.
Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council, told the committee of an Abbotsford doctor who travels to Carrier Sekani territory around Prince George for part of his practice, in a pilot project with Northern Health.
Kelly said video links and nurse practitioners are part of the solution to delivering rural and remote care, but the main obstacle is the business model for doctors that has them cycling through as many as 20 patients an hour to bill enough to cover their office overhead.
Committee members were also reminded that graduating doctors are increasingly reluctant to take on the demands of family practice, especially in smaller communities where they may find themselves on call around the clock.

Video links grow as rural health care shrinks


Small communities have more than 400 doctor vacancies, with 'telehealth' and visiting specialists filling gaps


Daycare spaces are in short supply in some areas of B.C. and costs are high.
More than 1,800 new child care spaces should be under construction by this fall, with the latest round of financing from the B.C. government.
New or expanded facilities in 30 communities have been selected from funding applications received in January, said Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux. The $11.3 million budget for this year is the third phase of a child care expansion project funded by the ministry.
The province's goal is to have construction underway by September.
"It will vary somewhat from provider to provider, depending on whether they are building a facility from the ground up with this money, or whether they are adding to an existing facility," Cadieux said.
Projects in the Lower Mainland include six sites in Surrey, two each in Abbotsford, Langley and Coquitlam and one each in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Burnaby, Delta and Squamish.
On Vancouver Island, funding goes to three projects in Duncan and one each in Nanaimo, Victoria, Comox, Port Hardy and Tofino.
In the B.C. Interior, three projects are approved for Kelowna, two in Penticton, and one each in Naramata, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Enderby, Princeton, Houston, Kamloops, Merritt, Vanderhoof and Dawson Creek.
For a full list of facilities and number of spaces, see backgrounder here.
The ministry has posted a new child care map on its website to help parents locate facilities here.
The province provides child care subsidies to qualified low-income parents, and covers about 15 per cent of daycare operating costs. But the cost of land and operations drives the price of child care up to $1,400 per month or more in urban areas. Cadieux said the province is working with municipalities to review regulations.
"We're looking at the restrictions we put on child care providers in terms of outdoor space, in terms of sun access," she said. "We want to make sure that child care is safe and that we have quality, but we also want to make sure that we're not creating a situation that is unreasonable."

Child care spaces funded for 30 BC communities


1,800 new spaces in 30 communities to start construction this fall, minister Stephanie Cadieux says


Premier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak plug in an electric car at an announcement of the government's latest climate change plan in Richmond Aug. 19.
A B.C. Liberal operative was out with the online spin hours before Premier Christy Clark confirmed the much-leaked news in a Friday afternoon announcement at an obscure location in Richmond.
The, er, freeze is continuing for B.C.’s ground-breaking, world-saving carbon tax, which hasn’t changed since before Clark was elected in 2013.
The spin was Olympic-themed, with a picture labeled to show B.C. as a swimmer far out in the lead in the pool, to symbolize that it’s the other provinces that need to catch up in the race to save the planet.
Clark has been saying that for years, and there is merit to it. Even without a tax on “process emissions” such as from cement kilns, B.C.’s carbon tax encourages imports of non-taxed cement from the U.S. and China.
Alberta business professor Andrew Leach, who advised the Stephen Harper and then Rachel Notley governments on greenhouse gas policies, summed up the problem this way.
“Until the rest of the world has policies that impose similar cost, you’re not actually reducing emissions to the extent you think,” Leach said. “You’re just displacing the emissions and the economic activity to other jurisdictions.”
Alberta is moving to join B.C. with a modest carbon tax, but the NDP government plans to spend the proceeds rather than return them in income tax as B.C. has done. And Washington state and most of the rest of the world have no carbon tax as such, so their businesses benefit from B.C.’s “climate leadership.”
B.C.’s foreign-funded eco-radical community was, needless to say, appalled. The Pembina Institute’s Matt Horne and career protesters Tzeporah Berman and Merran Smith were named to the premier’s advisory committee last year, along with business, academic and aboriginal representatives.
They concluded that increases to B.C.’s broad-based tax on carbon fuels should resume its upward march in 2018.
Other committee members, including the mayors of Surrey, Comox and Burns Lake, were not heard from. Public discussion on this issue is now reduced to a staged conflict between those who demand a holy war on deadly carbon dioxide “pollution,” and those who don’t care if their grandchildren perish in a hell-fire of fossil fuel use.
We’ve just come off another El Nino year, like the hot year of 1998. Regular readers will recall the last time I discussed this topic was this spring, where I questioned the premier’s dire warnings of another horrendous forest fire season.
What followed has been one of the slowest forest fire seasons in the last decade, although dry conditions have finally emerged this month. Climate predictions, like next week’s weather forecast, are less than consistent.
I am regularly sent messages calling me a “climate change denier,” the nonsense term that continues to be used by federal Environment Minister Catharine McKenna among many others. I know of no one who denies that climate is always changing, at times dramatically.
If you wish to believe that paying an extra seven cents a litre for gasoline in B.C. is helping to slow the very gradual increase in temperatures we’re seeing in the northern hemisphere, you are free to do so.
You may even be persuaded to take a government subsidy and buy an expensive, short-range electric car. Me, I’m off to Prince Rupert and Revelstoke pretty soon, so I’ll stick with my little four-cylinder gas sipper for now.
Hydro-powered B.C. represents a small fraction of the less than two per cent Canada contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. We’re not the problem, and no, the world is not looking to us for guidance.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc


Premier Christy Clark isn't going into next year's election with a promise to jack up Canada's only significant carbon tax


Modified versions of the 1969 Camaro SS and other popular vehicles will soon be eligible for B.C. collector plates, allowing occasional use for parades and car shows.
The B.C. government is expanding its collector vehicle licence system to include eligible modified cars made between 1958 and 1974, to capture the popular "muscle car" era of the 1960s.
The ICBC collector plate program gives car enthusiasts a lower-cost licence plate that allows occasional use for parades and classic car shows. ICBC plans to take applications starting in 2017 for eligible modified vehicles up to 1974, and replica cars resembling North American production cars from 1942 and earlier.
With strict rules that the cars must be in "collectible condition," changes will take in modified popular cars from the Dodge Duster to the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as replicas of the popular Ford "deuce coupe" from the 1930s.
Premier Christy Clark announced a break for older cars this spring, allowing vehicles from 1940 or earlier and their replicas to run without fenders or mud flaps when the highway is dry and paved.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the collector car industry is significant for B.C., with registered collector vehicles having doubled to 26,000 in the past 10 years.
"We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times," Stone said. "That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."
Currently, the standard collector plate is available to cars 25 years or older, as well as discontinued or limited production vehicles 15 years or older. It requires a stock engine with no performance enhancements, no rust, dents or "significant wear and tear" of the interior.
Modified vehicles from 1958 or older are currently eligible for collector plates, if they retain the shell of the original body but have parts replaced or modified in the chassis, engine, suspension, steering or brakes.
Owners have to apply for a collector or modified collector plate, with purchase and parts bills, photos and inspection reports.
Applications for collector and modified collector programs are available on ICBC's website, www.icbc.com, and can be dropped off at Autoplan brokers.

Collector program expanding to 'muscle cars'


Collector plates will be available next year for modified as well as stock cars made between 1958 and 1974


The B.C. government's plan B for income assistance cheques and other time-sensitive documents could be re-activated as the long-running Canada Post labour dispute reaches another deadline.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is in a legal position to strike as of Monday, but postponed threatened rotating strike action after weekend talks with a federal mediator. Its initial action would be an overtime ban rather than a full-scale walkout that would disrupt mail delivery.
Canada Post served lockout notice in July, with the two sides far apart on issues including pension changes for future employees and pay for rural carriers.
Income assistance, rent subsidy and other B.C. government payments are not affected if they are direct deposit. For mailed cheques and information, updates on possible postal strike effects to the Ministry of Social Development will be available as necessary at this website or at 1-866-866-0800.
Phone and online contacts are set up for questions about affected provincial departments:
• Ministry of Advanced Education and StudentAidBC online here.
• Ministry of Children and Family Development 1-877-387-7027
• Medical Services Plan payments online here or 1-877-405-4909
• ICBC inquiries 1-800-663-3051
• Family Maintenance and Enforcement program 604-660-2528
• Public Guardian and Trustee online here or 604-660-4444
• Vital Statistics 1-888-876-1633
• WorkSafe BC online here or 1-888-967-5377

B.C. prepares for possible postal disruption


Province has alternatives if Canada Post employees begin strike action


Jordan Bateman, Canadian Taxpayers' Federation
The B.C. government is hearing objections from businesses and individuals faced with increasing Canada Pension Plan contributions in the coming years, and is the last province needed to ratify the increase.
Instead of joining other provinces in meeting the federal government's July deadline to adopt the change, the B.C. government launched a consultation phase expected to run through August. And they are getting push-back on a plan that would increase payroll deductions and employer contributions starting in 2019.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, said he's receiving hundreds of responses to his call to supporters to make their views known to the B.C. government. Most concerned are employers who would pay higher contributions for each of their employees.
Employer and employee contributions are to go up from the current 4.95 per cent of earnings to 5.95 per cent by 2023. For each employee earning $54,900, the employer contribution goes up $7 to $8 per month in each of the first five years of the phase-in.
"Obviously, lots of people are concerned about having to pay more," Bateman said. "But the interesting ones are the small business owners who talk about just how close to the edge they are financially."
B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong joined other provinces in agreeing in principle to the expansion in June. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he is concerned about the decline in workplace pension plans and wants the CPP to move from replacing one quarter of employment income to one third by 2025.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed its members nation-wide when the CPP plan was announced, and more than 80 per cent wanted consultation and a delay of implementation. Morneau has indicated he plans to table legislation this fall.
B.C.'s refusal to sign on could derail the federal plan, but it shows little intention of doing so.
"British Columbia is committed to engaging with stakeholders in advance of ratifying the agreement in principle," said the statement from de Jong's office announcing the consultation.
The province's consultation website and feedback address can be found here.


B.C. stands in the way of Justin Trudeau government's plan to hike Canada Pension Plan contributions, but likely not for long


Canada's softwood lumber agreement with the U.S. expired last fall, and U.S. interests are pushing to reduce the share allowed to go south.
Premier Christy Clark and other provincial and territorial leaders have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to refute the latest lumber trade action by U.S. interests.
"Unfair and inaccurate allegations of Canadian lumber subsidies" have been made by 25 U.S. Senators to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, seeking a reduction in the cap on Canadian lumber sales, the premiers wrote from their meeting in Whitehorse this week.
The premiers cited decisions by the World Trade Organization and NAFTA in 2006 that found Canadian subsidies to be less than one per cent and ineligible for trade action.
Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama reported progress on negotiating a new softwood lumber deal after their meeting in Ottawa in late June.
Trudeau and Obama's joint statement acknowledged the increase in cross-border ownership of forest products producers, and said a key feature a new agreement would be "designed to maintain Canadian exports at or below an agreed US. market share to be negotiated."
The last Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement expired in the fall of 2015, leaving trade unrestricted as Canadian producers benefit from a stronger U.S. dollar and housing construction.

U.S. Senators 'inaccurate' on lumber claim: Premiers


Premier Christy Clark protests to Prime minister Justin Trudeau about latest claims of softwood subsidy


Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months.
In a statement, Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
The tentative agreements, however, still must be ratified by the members.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post's largest union, representing more than 50,000 postal workers
The Canadian Press

Canada Post, postal union reach tentative deals


Two sides avert job action that has loomed for months