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Luke Garbutt has put England duty on the back burner in a bid to help steer Cheltenham to glory in Sunday's npower League Two play-off final against Crewe at Wembley.
The left-back, on loan from Everton, was called up for Under-19 action as the Young Lions face a crucial triple-header against Slovenia, Montenegro and Switzerland.
Bigger fish to fry: Luke Garbutt has turned down an England under-19 call-up to play at Wembley
But a fixture clash means Garbutt has put Town's promotion tilt first and his fledgling international career to one side for the time being.
The promising defender, who has represented England at Under-16, 17, 18 and 19 level said: 'I've spoken to both the gaffer at Cheltenham (Mark Yates) and the England manager (Noel Blake), and throughout all conversations they didn't want to not allow me to have that chance of playing at Wembley in the play-offs.
'Obviously as a player you don't get many opportunities, either to play at Wembley or in a play-off final. So for those two to come in my first full season being in a first team, it's one I want to cherish and be part of.
'He (Blake) didn't want to not let me have that opportunity.'
Garbutt added: 'I gave my views upon it and the gaffer (Yates) really wanted me to stay and play in the play-offs, so England said we're not going to let your opportunity go to waste.'
London calling: Marlon Pack celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Torquay, sealing their trip to Wembley
The 19-year-old, who has made 36 appearances for the Robins this season, missed both legs of the semi-final triumph over Torquay due to a muscle strain.
But he returned to training on Monday and is now hoping to force his way into Town's starting line-up.
'That's the aim,' Garbutt said. 'Obviously it's everyone's dream to play at Wembley and I'll be doing all I can to get in the team.
'I've never played there before but I have been there when we won the European Championship Finals with England's Under-17s (in 2010), we paraded the trophy around the pitch at half-time.
'So it's going to be an exciting day, for sure.'
The game should be a close-fought affair, with the two sides separated by a single place in the league, although Crewe managed to record a league double over Cheltenham this season.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
WEMBLEY HOSTS GOAL-LINE TECHNOLOGY TESTS FOR ENGLAND FRIENDLY - express.co.uk
Sir Geoff Hursts strike at the old stadium, in the 1966 World Cup final, famously brought the issue to prominence as to whether a ball had crossed the line.
Having successfully come through a raft of scientific tests at Southamptons St Marys Stadium last month, the
final hurdle is a series of live tests before the vote in July on whether to licence the system.
The game will be Roy Hodgsons final preparation for Euro 2012.
But the referee will not be able to use the technology to make decisions which will affect the game.
The special watches which receive the goal signal will be worn only by independent testers and FIFA officials.
Source: www.express.co.uk
Wembley set for goal-line technology trial - sportbusiness.com
Hawk-Eye technology will feature in the final friendly played by Roy Hodgson’s side ahead of the tournament, but its readings will not be available to match officials during the game. Independent testers EMPA will observe the system along with representatives from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA. This latest development follows on from previous testing during the Hampshire FA Senior Cup final at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton on May 16.
The trials are being conducted alongside tests of the GoalRef system in Denmark. If the trials prove successful the IFAB could approve the introduction of goal-line technology at its special meeting on July 2, where a final decision on the subject is set to be made by the game’s rule-making body. The IFAB in March reduced the number of companies bidding to implement the initiative to two, rejecting six devices to leave those put forward by Hawk-Eye and GoalRef.
A statement from FIFA read: “FIFA would like to place on record its sincere thanks to The Football Association for their willingness to support the live match tests, a critical part of test phase two for goal-line technology. The phase two test results will be provided to the IFAB in order for a definitive decision on the use of GLT (goal-line technology).”
Source: www.sportbusiness.com
Dorchester Lidl is officially open for business - This is Dorset
Dorchester Lidl is officially open for business
2:30pm Friday 25th May 2012 in Latest
A LIDL store pulled in a big crowd as it opened its doors for the first time.
The new addition to Dorchester’s supermarket scene was officially declared open for business.
New Mayor of Dorchester Andy Canning had the honour of cutting the tape in his first mayoral engagement following a specially written cry by Town Crier Alistair Chisholm.
Coun Canning, who was accompanied by his 15-year-old son James, said: “It’s really good news for the town to have this new retailer coming on board. I’m very pleased to be opening this Lidl store.”
Customers began queuing up ahead of the 8am opening, with county town resident Brian Warren-Peachy and his wife Jennifer receiving a bottle of bubbly in recognition of being the first in line.
Mr Warren-Peachy said: “We know the store in Weymouth and have been going there for many years and we have been waiting for this.”
The opening of the store comes after lengthy delays for a new road layout to be installed at the junction of The Grove by the former Loders Toyota garage site following planning approval back in November 2010.
Source: www.thisisdorset.net
Sussex RNLI warning over warm weather tombstoning - BBC News
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has warned of an increase in people jumping off piers and cliffs into shallow waters in Sussex over the weekend.
They fear the warm weather will seen a rise in so-called "tombstoning".
The RNLI said that taking part could lead to serious injury or death if a person misjudged the water depth.
In July 2011 a man suffered spinal injuries after jumping off Brighton Pier.
Mark Bell, from RNLI Brighton, said: "It's very difficult to judge the depth of the water beneath you.
"It's also surprisingly cold in the water, it's only around 10-11C at the moment and that can do all sorts of shocking things to your body when you jump in."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sussex budget plan may include tax rebate - Delaware Wave
GEORGETOWN -- Sussex County is considering a tax rebate that would effectively cut county property taxes by 7.8 percent in the coming fiscal year.
Because of a 2011 budget surplus, a 3.5 cent property tax rebate is in the fiscal year 2013 budget unveiled Tuesday. To be eligible, property owners must be current on tax payments. The proposed budget keeps tax rates steady at 44.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Overall, the draft budget submitted to the Sussex County Council devotes $121.1 million to operating expenses and capital projects, which is down from $140.1 million in the current budget. Most of the difference comes because of the loss of federal stimulus funds for expanding sewer systems.
The proposal includes a 2.25 percent cost-of-living raise for county employees and a smaller adjustment for retirees with pensions. It also increases grants to local law enforcement agencies to $25,000 per town, the highest level since 2009, and allows for employee merit raises.
"We took a hard look at merits to make sure they are justified when they are requested," said Sussex County Administrator Todd F. Lawson.
The county's real estate transfer tax, its largest share of income, has fluctuated in past years, cresting at $36.3 million in 2005. It's now projected to bring in $13.2 million, about the same level as last year. .
"I feel this is the new norm the county will live by," Lawson said of the projection for the transfer tax.
Increases in one part of the budget reflect pain and strife in the housing market. The county expects revenue generated by the Sheriff's Office to rise to $4 million, up from $2.8 million, with much of the increase generated by fees collected for handling foreclosures.
The county is scaling back its work to expand public sewer pipes now that about $20 million in federal stimulus money is going away. But capital spending for other projects is increasing by 50 percent to $13.2 million. The county expects to spend $4.5 million for improvements to the Sussex County Airport runway.
The budget also supports a plan to expand the public library in Greenwood and make improvements to the Milton and South Coastal libraries. In Greenwood, $3 million in state and county funds will go toward tripling the size of the current library.
Source: www.delmarvanow.com
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