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Monday, 2 July 2012

After Nadal's loss, anything possible at Wimbledon - NBC Sports

After Nadal's loss, anything possible at Wimbledon - NBC Sports

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -No matter what happens in Week 2, this Wimbledon will be remembered.

Most of all, for 11-time major champion Rafael Nadal's second-round defeat to a player ranked 100th - a player who also lost two days later.

"This is not against Rafa, but it was nice to see it's still possible," Roger Federer said. "I think 15 years ago, you had matches like this so much more often on the faster surfaces, that a guy could catch fire and just run through you. Today, it's virtually impossible."

Nadal, Federer and top-ranked Novak Djokovic have combined to win 28 of the past 29 Grand Slam titles, and the last nine at the All England Club.

As action was set to resume Monday with all 16 men's and women's fourth-round matches after the middle Sunday's traditional day off, this much was certain: There will be a first-time Wimbledon men's finalist.

It could be No. 4 Andy Murray, who lost in the semifinals each of the past three years, including to Nadal in 2010 and 2011. Or No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a semifinalist last year.

Monday's matchups on the bottom half of the draw: Murray vs. No. 16 Marin Cilic, Tsonga vs. No. 10 Mardy Fish, 126th-ranked qualifier Brian Baker vs. No. 27 Philipp Kohlschreiber, and No. 7 David Ferrer vs. No. 9 Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion who is the only member of that eight-man group with a Grand Slam title on his resume.

On the top half, Djokovic - seeking to win his fifth title in the last seven majors - and Federer - aiming for a record-tying seventh Wimbledon championship - are on course for a semifinal showdown.

The fourth-round pairings: Djokovic vs. Viktor Troicki, Federer vs. Xavier Malisse, No. 18 Richard Gasquet vs. No. 31 Florian Mayer, and No. 26 Mikhail Youzhny vs. Denis Istomin. Only Djokovic and Federer have won major championships; none of the other six has made so much as one Grand Slam final.

"I have been around the block, obviously, and I know how hard it is to, every day, beat the guy ranked 25, 65, 105. ... They all present their challenges," Federer said, adding that Nadal's earlier-than-expected exit "does give many other players great belief in playing us in the future."

Even 16-time major champion Federer found that out. A day after Nadal's loss, Federer dropped the first two sets of his third-round match ... before coming all the way back to win.

Those were only two of the surprising happenings during a wild Week 1. Really, what could Week 2 possibly have in store to equal what the first six days offered?

There was five-time champion Venus Williams' departure on Day 1; the only other time in 16 appearances at Wimbledon that she lost in the first round came during her debut in 1997 at age 17. Her younger sister, four-time champion Serena, is still around, but only barely. She pounded a tournament-record 23 aces to escape the third round with a 9-7 third-set victory.

As superb as both of the Williams siblings are, neither has pulled off what Serena's next opponent managed to do Saturday: a perfect set. No woman had ever won all 24 points in a set in a professional match - and only one man had done it - until 65th-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan began that way against 10th-seeded Sara Errani of Italy, who was the runner-up at the French Open.

"Hopefully I'll be able to win a point in the set," Serena Williams said, looking ahead and keeping a straight face. "That will be my first goal, and then I'll go from there."

On and on and on it went last week.

Baker, who wasn't even ranked a year ago because he was forced off tour for more than half a decade by a series of operations, continued his remarkable comeback. Fish picked up three victories in his first tournament in about 2 1/2 months after being treated for an accelerated heartbeat.

Another U.S. man, three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick, wouldn't say whether he plans to be back after blowing a kiss to the Centre Court crowd after his third-round loss to Ferrer. And yet another, Sam Querrey, lost a 17-15 fifth set to Cilic after 5 1/2 hours, the second-longest match in tournament history.

Errani was on the good side of another oddity, when she and her second-round opponent, CoCo Vandeweghe of the U.S., were sent home at match point one evening because it was too dark to play. When they returned the next day, Vandeweghe double-faulted right away, allowing Errani to wrap up a victory after seven seconds of "action" - and not a single swing of her racket.

There was more, too.

The tournament seemed to become enamored of its retractable roof, pulling it shut over Centre Court so much that defending champion Djokovic remarked: "I was a little bit surprised, when I saw sunshine, that the roof is closed. Obviously, they're relying on a forecast that I don't think is very reliable here."

Let's hope he's right about that last part, because the outlook called for a chance of rain Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament that takes a day off midway through. It's also the only one that schedules 16 matches on the second Monday.

In addition to Williams vs. Shvedova, the other matches in the bottom half of the women's draw are No. 2 Victoria Azarenka vs. No. 14 Ana Ivanovic, defending champion Petra Kvitova vs. No. 24 Francesca Schiavone, and No. 21 Roberta Vinci vs. Tamira Paszek.

On the top half, it's No. 1 Maria Sharapova vs. No. 15 Sabine Lisicki, No. 8 Angelique Kerber vs. four-time major champion Kim Clijsters in her last Wimbledon appearance, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. 145th-ranked qualifier Camila Giorgi, and No. 17 Maria Kirilenko vs. No. 30 Peng Shuai.

"Everyone is playing everyone tough nowadays," Serena Williams said. "You can't underestimate anyone."

---

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich


More news
What's next in wild Wimbledon?

Federer and Serena survived close calls, while Nadal and Venus are already home. Could Week 2 be as good when it resumes on Monday?


Source: nbcsports.msnbc.com

Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier Division round-up - Kent Online

Hartley's Sam Billings

A superb century from Kent youngster Sam Billings steered Hartley Country Club to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Lordswood in the Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier Division on Saturday.

After dismissing third-placed Lordswood for 216, Billings and fellow opener Dan Stickels figured in a stand of 129 for the first wicket. But Stickels' departure signalled a dramatic collapse as the home side slid to 149-7, due mainly to a terrific spell from Amjad Khan who claimed 6-43, including a hat-trick.

Billings (pictured), however, marshalled the tail cleverly, finishing unbeaten on 106 to lead Hartley home with five balls to spare.

All the top three teams lost at the weekend. Leaders Sevenoaks Vine went down by seven wickets at Bromley, where an unbeaten century from Richard Clinton proved decisive. Sevenoaks made 189-9 batting first, with Wayne Morgan taking 5-38, and then Clinton (101 not out) and Miguel Barbosa (55) steered Bromley to only their second win of the season.

Second-placed Blackheath missed the opportunity to take over from Sevenoaks at the top as they went down to a six-wicket defeat at home to Tunbridge Wells.

They looked well placed for victory, however, after setting a target of 276-2, thanks mainly to an impressive 136 from Craig Wood. But the Wells openers had other ideas, with Alex Williams (123) and Gregor Patterson (108 not out) putting on 215 for the first wicket to lead their side to victory.

On a day of upsets, bottom-club Canterbury cruised to a 10-wicket success over fourth-placed Bexley. Ryan Minter produced career best figures of 7-38 as Bexley were whipped out for just 88 and then Dominic Chambers (45) and James Lilley (41) saw Canterbury home without loss.

The final game at Bickley Park saw the home side defeat Beckenham by six wickets. Asked to bat first on a wicket offering the bowlers some assistance, Beckenham were removed for 113 and then skipper Chris Coulson (33) guided his side to victory.

Monday, July 02 2012

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Source: www.kentonline.co.uk

Wimbledon 2012: Roger Federer and Andy Murray in Action on Day Seven Preview and Where to Watch Live - ibtimes.co.uk

Over in the men's section, 30th seed Andy Roddick bowed out to Spaniard and seventh seed David Ferrer, losing 6-2, 6(8)-7(10), 4-6, 3-6, while local favourite Andy Murray registered a stirring four set victory over Cypriot Marco Baghdatis. Murray, whose last opponent - Croatian Ivo Karlovic - alleged bias treatment in his game against the Scot, dropped the second set in a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 win, to advance to the fourth round. Also through was fifth seed Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who took less trouble to dispose of Lukas Lacko - 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The remaining results went pretty much to form, with ninth seeded Argentinean Juan Del Potro beating 19th seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori in straight sets and 16th seed Marin Cilic finding his way past American Sam Querrey - the game was decided by a mammoth fifth set - the Croatian winning 17-15 in the end.

 Day Seven:

The highlight of Monday's play will be women's top seed Maria Sharapova and men's third seed Roger Federer, both of whom will play their fourth round games today, against 15th seed Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Xavier Malisse of Belgium, respectively. Also in action will be Azarenka and Murray, who will face five-set marathon man Marin Cilic. The big names will be out in force today, for Serena Williams, David Ferrer and Del Potro will also play (the latter two against each other), as will former women's number one Kim Clijsters and Tsonga. Finally, men's defending champion Novak Djokovic will taken on Serbian compatriot Viktor Troicki on Centre Court.

This is the order of play on the four major courts:

  • Centre Court (play starts not earlier than 1 pm BST; all matches are fourth round) -
    • Roger Federer (SUI)[3] vs Xavier Malisse (BEL)
    • Ana Ivanovic (SRB)[14] vs Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[2]
    • Novak Djokovic (SRB)[1] vs Viktor Troicki (SRB)
  • No 1 Court (play starts not earlier than 1 pm BST; all matches are fourth round) -
    • Maria Sharapova (RUS)[1] vs Sabine Lisicki (GER)[15]
    • Marin Cilic (CRO)[18] vs Andy Murray (GBR)[4]
    • David Ferrer (ESP)[7] vs Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)[9]
  • No 2 Court (play starts not earlier than 11.30 am BST; all matches are fourth round) -
    • Serena Williams (USA)[6] vs Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)
    • Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)[3] vs Camila Giorgi (ITA)
    • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[5] vs Mardy Fish (USA)[10]
  • No 3 Court (play starts not earlier than 11.30 am BST; all matches are fourth round) -
    • Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[24] vs Petra Kvitova (CZE)[4]
    • Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs Angelique Kerber (GER)[8]
    • Richard Gasquet (FRA)[18] vs Florian Mayer (GER[31]

Where to Watch Live:

You can follow all the action live, from 11.30 am to 3.25 pm BST and from 5.50 pm to 8 pm BST, on BBC2. Live action will also be available from 1.45 pm to 6 pm BST on BBC 1. For country specific and broadcasting details and times, check out the BBC television programming Web site. You can also follow the matches live on Wimbledon's official Web site. Catch the highlights of Day Seven from 8 pm to 9 pm BST on BBC 2.


Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk

Wimbledon 2012 Live: Biggest Surprises so Far at All England Club - Bleacherreport.com

The world was stunned last Thursday when men's No. 2 seed and reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal was ousted in the second round at Wimbledon. 

Lukas Rosol's five-set victory over the two-time Wimbledon champion has to this point been the upset of the tournament, but not the only surprise after one week of play at the All England Club.

Here are the biggest surprises so far heading into Monday's Day 7 action (Steam live at ESPN3.com). 

 

Brian Baker

The unseeded American has made it to the fourth round and second week of Wimbledon in his first attempt at the Grand Slam tournament. Baker has won an impressive nine of 10 sets through the first three rounds at the All England Club, and will face off against German Philipp Kohlschreiber on Day 7, who is seeded 27th in the men's draw.

Baker began Wimbledon ranked No. 126 in the world, but has proved over the past week that he is a contender on grass. Baker's story is one that many tennis fans have already and will continue to rally behind. Baker was sidelined from the sport for years after recovering from a number of surgeries on his hip, elbow and sports hernia. 

 

Kim Clijsters

Despite entering this summer's Grand Slam tournament unseeded, 29-year-old Kim Clijsters is into the fourth round of Wimbledon. Clijsters has won four majors, but has never been past the semifinal at the All England Club. The Belgian tennis star has only competed at Wimbledon twice now in the last six years; she made it to the quarterfinal in 2010.

Knowing that this will be her last chance to win the prestigious Slam (she will retire after the 2012 U.S. Open this summer), Clijsters has been on top of her game. She hasn't lost a set yet through three rounds, and took down the No. 12-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the previous round after the Russian retired with Clijsters leading 4-3 in the second set. 

Clijsters will face No. 8-seeded German Angelique Kerber on Day 7 at Wimbledon, hoping to advance to the quarterfinals at the All England Club for just the third time in her career.

 

Xavier Malisse

Belgian tennis player Xavier Malisse will attempt the impossible on Day 7 when he faces off against world No. 3 Roger Federer on Centre Court. Federer hasn't lost before the quarterfinal round at Wimbledon since he fell in the first round back in 2002. Still, Malisse's journey to the fourth round at the All England Club has been an impressive one. 

Entering Wimbledon as the No. 75-ranked player in the world on the men's side, little was expected of the 31-year-old veteran. But after two consecutive match wins over ranked players (Gilles Simon and Fernando Verdasco), the world is learning of just how good Xavier Malisse can be on grass. Malisse cracked the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2002; his best career finish at a major.

 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter for more reaction on The Championships from Wimbledon. 

Follow _Pat_Clarke on Twitter


Source: bleacherreport.com

Wimbledon: Murray in night-time thriller - BBC News

In one of Wimbledon's best ever third round battles, Andy Murray won against Marcos Baghdatis in four sets.

The match got exciting on Saturday evening with the centre court roof closed and the lights on.

Officials said play could continue until 11pm, but with six minutes to go the match didn't look like it would be finished.

But then Murray powered through the last three games of the fourth set to win the match 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Murray will now take on Croatian Marin Cilic in the fourth round on Monday.

Cilic himself had an epic encounter on Saturday - he took part in the second-longest match in Wimbledon history.

He took five hours and 31 minutes to beat America's Sam Querrey, with a score of 17-15 in the fifth set.

Murray has played Cilic six times and has beaten the Croatian in five of those matches.


Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Kent’s street-by-street Olympic Torch relay route - Kent News

See where the iconic flame will travel

Communities across Kent are getting set to welcome the iconic Olympic Torch as it makes its way across the UK.

Hundreds of people are expected to line the county’s streets to welcome the Olympic flame as it passes through Kent between July 17 and 20. Celebrations are planned for overnight stopovers in Dover on July 18 and Maidstone on July 19.

Chair of LOCOG Sebastian Coe said: “We bring the Olympic Torch Relay to life.

“The flame symbolises the Olympic spirit and its journey around the UK will bring the excitement of the Games to our streets.

“Now the people know the route the Olympic flame will be carried along and the Torchbearers for their community, they can start planning how they might celebrate and make it Kent’s moment to shine.”

Tuesday, July 17

Torch enters Kent briefly after leaving East Sussex to visit Tunbridge Wells.

Route through Tunbridge Wells (from approx 11.24am)

A264 Mount Ephrain Rd from Bishop’s Down Rd

A264 Mount Ephrain Rd

A264 Mount Ephrain Rd - To roundabout 2nd exit

A26 Grosvenor Rd - Left Turn

A26 Upper Grosvenor Rd - Right Turn

A26 Meadow Rd - Veer Right

A26 Goods Station Rd - Left Turn

A26 Grosvenor Rd

A26 Mount Pleasant Rd

A26 Mount Pleasant Rd - Veer Left

B2023 High St

B2023 High St - Left Turn

A26 London Rd

A26 Eridge Rd

The Pantilles Archway - Right Turn

The Pantilles - Right Turn

Linden Park Rd - Left Turn

A26 Eridge Rd to Summervale Rd

A26 Eridge Rd

Torch then leaves to continue journey in Crowborough

Wednesday, July 18

Torch begins its day in Hastings before making its way along the coast and into Kent.

Route from Hamstreet (at approx 10.30am)

Hamstreet Rd From Sign for Hamstreet village

The Street

Ashford Rd To Hamstreet CP Primary Sch Junction

CONVOY: Hamstreet - Ashford

10:49am

Ashford

Wotton Rd From Ellingham Way Junction- Right Turn

Kingsnorth Rd

Kingsnorth Rd- Right Turn

B2229 Beaver Rd- Left Turn

Beaver Rd

A2042 Beaver Rd- Left Turn

A292 Elwick Rd

A292 Elwick Rd- Right Turn

Bank St

High Street

High Street- Left Turn

A292 Wellesley Rd- Right Turn

A292 Mace Lane

A292 Hythe Rd

A292 Hythe Rd- Right Turn

Essella Rd- Right Turn

Crew Break

Essella Rd- Right Turn

A292 Hythe Rd To Leys Rd Junction

CONVOY: Ashford - Hythe

Hythe

A261 London Rd From Turnpike Hill Junction

A261 Military Rd

A259 Prospect Rd

A259 Prospect Rd- Right Turn

A259 East St

A259 Seabrook Rd

1346

Sandgate

A259 Sandgate Esplanade

A259 Sandgate High St

14:02

Folkestone

A259 Sandgate Hill

A259 Sandgate Rd

A2033 Sandgate Rd

Sandgate Rd

Sandgate Rd- Right Turn

Church St- Left Turn

Rendevous St- Right Turn

Bayle St- Left Turn

Old High St- Left Turn

A260 Tontine St

A2033 Dover Rd

A260 Dover Rd

A260 Hill Rd

A260 Hill Rd- Left Turn To RA 2nd Exit

CONVOY: Folkestone - Samphire Hoe

16:03

Samphire Hoe

forecourt From Service Tunnel

Samphire Hoe Eurotunnel forecourt- Left Turn

Samphire Hoe Eurotunnel forecourt- Right Turn

Samphire Hoe Eurotunnel forecourt- Left Turn

Samphire Hoe Access Road- Left Turn

Samphire Hoe car park

Samphire Hoe car park roundabout

Samphire Hoe car park roundabout- Left Turn

Nature reserve path

Access road- Left Turn

Samphire Hoe To Samphire Hoe access Rd

CONVOY: Samphire Hoe - Dover

18:08

Dover

Prince of Wales Pier From Rescue Boat

Pier forecourt

Port forecourt

Union St

Esplanade- Right Turn

Snaregate Street

A20 Snaregate Street- Left Turn

A256 York Rd

A256 High St- Right Turn

Ladywell

Ladywell- Right Turn

A256 Maison Dieu Rd

A256 Maison Dieu Rd- Left Turn

A258 Castle Hill Rd

Dover Castle lane

Dover Castle lane- Right Turn

Constable’s Rd- Left Turn

Gatehouse Lane

Gatehouse Lane- Left Turn

West Norman Rd- Right Turn

Gangway

Outer Dover Castle forecourt

Dover Castle

Dover Castle roof

Outer Dover Castle forecourt

Gangway- Left Turn

West Norman Rd- Right Turn

Constable’s Rd- Left Turn

A258 Castle Hill Rd

Castle St

King St

Live Site

Live Site- Right Turn

King St

Pedestrian tunnel underpass

Cambridge Terrace pedestrian area

Pedestrian area- Left Turn

1920

Evening Celebration - Marine Parade

Thursday July 19

Torchbearer route starts first full day in Kent - on its way to Maidstone

08:27

Start Deal Pier

Deal Pier - Right Turn

Beach St - Left Turn

King St - Left Turn

High St

A258 - Left Turn

Sondes Rd - Right Turn

A258 Prince of Wales Terrace

A258 Prince of Wales Terrace - Veer Right

A258 Deal Castle Rd - Right Turn

Guildford Rd

Park Ave

Park Ave - Left Turn

A258 London Rd

08:56

Sholden

A258 London Rd

A258 London Rd to Sholden New Rd

CONVOY: Sholden - Sandwich

09:12

Sandwich

Deal Rd from Dover Rd

Deal Rd

New St

Cattle Market

Harnet Street

Harnet Street - Right Turn

Strand Street

Strand Street - Left Turn

High Street

Ramsgate Rd

09:30

Great Stonar

Ramsgate Rd

Ramsgate Rd to sign 50 speed limit

CONVOY: Great Stonar - Cliffs End

09:47

Cliffs End

A256 Sandwich Rd from Foads Ln

A256 Sandwich Rd

A256 Sandwich Rd to Cliffs End Rd

CONVOY: Cliffs End - St Lawrence

09:57

St Lawrence

A299 Canterbury Rd East from Windermere Ave

A253

B2054 London Rd

10:13

Ramsgate

B2054 London Rd

B2054 London Rd - To roundabout 3rd exit

B2054 Grange Rd

B2054 Grange Rd - veer left

B2054 St Augustine’s Rd

10:19

Ramsgate

B2054 Royal Parade

B2054 Royal Parade - To roundabout 2nd exit

B2054 Military Rd - Left Turn

Harbour St - Right Turn

King St

A255 Hereson Rd

A255 Ramsgate Rd

10:44

Broadstairs

A255 Ramsgate Rd

A255 Queens Rd

A255 Queens Rd - Left Turn

Broadstairs

A255 High St

A255 High St - Right Turn

B2053 St Peter’s Park Rd

B2053 Albion Road

B2053 Albion Road - veer right

11:36

St Peters

B2053 Church St - Left Turn

B2053 Westover Rd

Green Ln

Green Ln - Left Turn

B2052 Northdown Park Rd

11:55

Cliftonville

B2051 Queen Elizabeth Avenue

B2051 Queen Elizabeth Avenue - Left Turn

Northdown Rd

B2055 Northdown Rd

B2055 Trinity Square

B2055 Trinity Square - Veer Left

B2055 Hawley St

12:22

Margate

B2055 Hawley St

B2055 Hawley Sq - Right Turn

Mill Lane - Right Turn

High St

High St - Right Turn

B2051 Marine Dr

B2051 Marine Dr - To roundabout 2nd exit

A254 Marine Terrace

A254 Marine Terrace - To roundabout 3rd exit

A28 Canterbury

13:02

Westgate-On-Sea

A28 Canterbury

A28 Canterbury

A28 Canterbury Rd Westgate

A28 Canterbury Rd Westgate

A28 Canterbury Rd Westgate

14:36

Birchington-On-Sea

A28 Canterbury Rd, Birchington

A28 Canterbury Rd, Birchington to Quex View Rd

CONVOY: Birchington-On-Sea - Upstreet

15:03

Upstreet

A28 Island Rd from Grove Ferry Hill

A28 Island Rd to NSL sign

CONVOY: Upstreet - Sturry

15:16

Sturry

A28 Island Rd from Oaklands Way

A28 Island Rd

A28 Island Rd - Veer Left

A28 Sturry Hill

A28 Mill Rd

A28 Mill Rd to Pole # SQA003

CONVOY: Sturry - Canterbury

15:34

Canterbury

A28 Sturry Rd from Vauxhall Rd

A28 Sturry Rd

Northgate

Borough - Veer Left

Palace St - Veer Left

Sun St - Left Turn

Cathderal Precincts

Mercery Ln

St Margarets St

Castle St

Castle St - To roundabout 2nd exit

A28 Wincheap

16:36

Thanington

A28 Wincheap

A28 Wincheap to Ada Rd

CONVOY: Thanington - Faversham

16:52

Faversham

B2040 Love Ln from B2040 Love Ln

B2040 Love Ln

B2040 Love Ln - To roundabout 1st exit

B2040 Whistable Rd

B2020 Whistable Rd - Left Turn

Jubilee Way

Jublilee Way

B2040 Whistable Rd

B2040 East St

East St - Left Turn

Preston St

Preston St - Right Turn

B2041 Forbes Rd

B2041 Forbes Rd - veer right

B2041 The Mall

B2041 The Mall - Left Turn

A2 Canterbury Rd - Right Turn

A251 Ashford Rd to entrance to Kent Fire and Rescue Service

CONVOY: Faversham - Challock

17:51

Challock

A251 Faversham Rd from sign for Challock village

A251 Faversham Rd

A251 Faversham Rd - To roundabout 3rd exit

A252 Canterbury Rd

A252 Canterbury Rd to High Snoad Wood

CONVOY: Challock - Harrietsham

18:19

Harrietsham

A20 Ashford Rd from Downlands

A20 Ashford Rd

A20 Ashford Rd to Lenmead

CONVOY: Harrietsham - Maidstone

18:33

Maidstone

Leeds Castle entrance lane from Leeds Castle entrance lane

Leeds Castle entrance lane - Right Turn

The Causeway Castle Approach Lane - Right Turn

Leeds Castle Gantry

Leeds Castle forecourt

Leeds Castle steps

Castle Gantry - Right Turn

Main Drive

Evening Celebration

Friday July 20

06:42

Maidstone

Mote park car park

Mote park car park - Left Turn

Mote Park entrance

Mote Park gates - Veer Right

Mote Ave

Mote Road

Mote Road - Right Turn

Wat Tyler Way

Wat Tyler Way - Left Turn

Kings St

High Street

High Street - Left Turn

A229 Bishops Way - Veer Right

A229 Mill St - Right Turn

Archbishop’s House entrance - Right Turn

River approach path to jetty

07:05

Maidstone

ALT - Rowing boat from Archbishops Palace

ALT - Rowing boat to Maidstone Rowing Club

Maidstone Rowing Club

jetty forecourt - Veer Left

James Whatham Way to A229 Royal Engineers Rd

CONVOY: Maidstone - Gillingham

07:50

Gillingham

A231 Canterbury Road from Crosley Road

A231 Canterbury Road - Veer Left

Canterbury Street

Skinner Street

Skinner Street - Left Turn

A231 Jeffrey Street - Veer Left

A231 Arden Street - Veer Right

A231 High Street

08:09

Chatham

A231 Brompton Road

A231 Wood Street

A231 Dock Road

A231 Dock Road - Right Turn

A2 Globe Lane - Right Turn

Medway Street

Medway Street - Right Turn

High Street

Victoria Street

08:42

Rochester

East Row

East Row - Right Turn

Vines Lane - Right Turn

St Margaret’s Street

St Margaret’s Street - Veer Right

Boley Hill

Boley Hill

Boley Hill - Left Turn

A2 Corporation Street

A2 High Street

A2 High Street - Veer Left

A2 Commercial Road

A2 Commercial Road - Veer Right

A2

A2 High Street

A2 Castle View Rd

A2 Castle View Rd - Right Turn

A226 Gravesend Rd

A226 Gravesend Rd to ‘Thank you for visiting Medway’ sign

CONVOY: Rochester - Higham

09:37

Higham

A226 Gravesend Rd from Copperfield Crescent

A226 Gravesend Rd

A226 Gravesend Rd to 50 speed sign

CONVOY: Higham - Gravesend

09:51

Gravesend

A226 Rochester Rd from Thong Lane

A226 Rochester Rd

A226 Milton Rd

A226 Milton Rd - Left Turn

Wellington Street - Left Turn

Saddington Street

Saddlington Street - Right Turn

The Grove - Left Turn

A226 Milton Road

King St

New Road

New Road - Left Turn

A226 Darnley Rd

A226 Pelham Rd

A226 Pelham Rd - Left Turn

B261 Old Rd West

B261 Old Rd West - Right Turn

A227 Wrotham Rd

A227 Wrotham Rd to 40 mph signs

11:20 CONVOY: Gravesend - Borough Green

ALT - Paralympic Bicycle on Brand’s Hatch Circuit

12:04

Borough Green

A227 Wrotham Rd from Wye Rd

A227 Wrotham Rd

A227 Wrotham Rd -Veer Right

Western Rd

Western Rd - Right Turn

A25 Borough Green Rd to NSL sign

CONVOY: Borough Green - Seal

12:19

Seal

A25 Maidstone Rd from sign for Seal village and 30 speed sign

A25 Maidstone Rd

12:26

Sevenoaks

A25 Seal Rd

A25 Seal Rd - Left Turn

A225 St Johns Hill

A225 Dartford Rd

A225 Dartford Rd - Right Turn

Pembroke Rd - Right Turn

A224 London Rd

A224 London Rd - Left Turn

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    Source: www.kentnews.co.uk

    Sunday, 1 July 2012

    All white on the night: Chloe Sims and Jessica Wright show off their curves and Essex tans in similar plunging dresses - Daily Mail

    All white on the night: Chloe Sims and Jessica Wright show off their curves and Essex tans in similar plunging dresses - Daily Mail

    By Kimberley Dadds

    |

    They both hail from TOWIE so they've got their Essex looks perfected down to a T.

    But it seems both Jessica Wright and Chloe Sims have adopted styles a bit too similar to each other.

    That was certainly the case when they both stepped out to party the night away last night.

    All white on the night: TOWIE's Chloe Sims and Jessica Wright headed out in similar plunging white mini-dresses for separate nights out this weekend

    They headed out separately, with Jessica hitting Liverpool with boyfriend Ricky Rayment, and Chloe choosing to let her hair down in London with best pal Lauren Pope.

    Both girls had a common theme with their get-ups as they wore similar ensembles.

    They showed off their Marbella tans as they revealed their ample curves and legs in short white dresses with their dark hair worn down.

    Chloe wore a white and beige geometric patterned bandage 'Polly' frock from Celeb Boutique.

    Girls' night out: Chloe Sims was joined by Lauren Pope, who wore a Bullet For My Valentine rock T-shirt with a white mullet skirt

    Girls' night out: Chloe Sims was joined by Lauren Pope, who wore a Bullet For My Valentine rock T-shirt with a white mullet skirt

    On show: Chloe flaunted her Marbella tan and cleavage in the revealing dress as she stepped out in London to Jewel Bar

    And she was styled to perfection as she flaunted her large chest and had her make-up crafted on.

    She headed to a party at Jewel Bar in the capital as she was joined by Lauren Pope, who covered up slightly more in a Bullet For My Valentine rock T-shirt.

    She wore it tucked into a white mullet skirt as she walked along with Chloe.

    Letting their hair down: Chloe shared this photo on Twitter of them dancing closely with each other

    Letting their hair down: Chloe shared this photo on Twitter of them dancing closely with each other

    Dressed up: Jessica Wright, meanwhile, was in Liverpool to launch her new single Dance All Night and wore a similar outfit to Sims'

    Surprise! She was shocked when boyfriend Ricky Rayment decided to show up and support her at the event

    Surprise! She was shocked when boyfriend Ricky Rayment decided to show up and support her at the event

    And they had clearly had a good night as Sims took to Twitter to share a picture of themselves dancing closely in the club.

    Meanwhile, Jessica headed to Moniques Bar to launch her debut single Dance All Night.

    She opted for a white peplum dress and white heels with gold studs for the appearance and was treated to a surprise when boyfriend Ricky showed up.

    Happy couple: Ricky and Jessica looked loved up as they posed for photographs on their way to Moniques Bar

    Happy couple: Ricky and Jessica looked loved up as they posed for photographs on their way to Moniques Bar

    The loved up pair grinned for cameras and were seen as they cuddled and kissed.

    She wrote on Twitter afterwards: '@RickyRayment surprised me in liverpool last night little cutie, now were both off to work miss him already xxxx.'

    Jessica then added: 'Liverpool done! On way to final gig of the weekend then home. My bed is gona feel like a dream tonight.'

    Night out: Lauren Pope showed off her legs in a mullet skirt while Chloe went for a tight mini-dress

    And she seemed to be pleased with the reaction she got on Twitter following the PA.

    Mark Wright's sister added: 'Thank you for all being so nice... I'm so grateful going through my tweets and havin so much support I'm a lucky girl xxxx.'

    Party time: Frankie Essex was also out and about in east London wearing a gold and black printed bodycon dress

    Party time: Frankie Essex was also out and about in east London wearing a gold and black printed bodycon dress at the same time

    It was a busy night on the town for the TOWIE stars as Frankie Essex also let her hair down for the night.

    But she also headed out separately as she turned up to the Doll House club in east London.

    Frankie wore a figure hugging gold and black bodycon 'Lacey' dress also from CelebBoutique.com as she showed up with friends.


    Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

    The comments below have been moderated in advance.

    Very bad taste in shoes, all of them!

    Chloe and Popey are sweet girls. Pity they stopped making Are you being served. They would have been perfect as old Mr Grace's saucy secretaries.

    Mess the lot of them

    I wonder if Lauren has ever heard of the band Bullet for my Valentine, or if she thinks it is just a nice t-shirt. Dumb girl

    What is it with these girls doing these stupid poses? They look ridiculous!

    Trashy, why bother?

    I wonder how they remain so thin. I doubt any of them eat very much, probably all surviving on 800 cals or less per day. And I doubt Ricky Rayment showed up to support her, it was probably more about a photo opportunity for himself.

    The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.


    Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

    Eastbourne cricketers hit bottom after T20 defeat at Roffey - eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne played out a T20 game at Roffey in a rain-hit Sussex Premier League clash.

    Eastbourne won the toss and decided to bowl as as the hosts posted at total score of 171-4.

    Josh Fleming was on top-form for Roffey and cracked 85 not out from 69 balls. Tom Johnson, Matthew Green and Matthew Cooke took one wicket each for Eastbourne.

    In reply Mark Tomsett made 51 from 49 balls and Matthew Green fired 29 but Eastbourne fell 25 runs short of the total and finished on 146-5. Roffey bowler Matt Davies took 2-14 from his four overs.

    Roffey took 16 points and Eastbourne claimed 10. The result leaves Eastbourne bottom of the Sussex Premier League table.

    Elsewhere, Preston Nomads won their top of the table clash with Hastings at Fulking to give them their seventh outright win of the season to allow them to open up a gap of 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals. Horsham won by five wickets against Brighton and Hove to move into third place.

    Chichester were beaten at Worthing to give the home side their third victory of the campaign and lift them clear of the relegation zone and Bexhill enjoyed a welcome second win of the season to take them out of the bottom two Roffey were frustrated by wet surrounds and the umpires played a short game to T20 rules.

    Hastings were well below strength at Preston Nomads but reached a challenging 235 for 7 declared as Toby Finzel made 117, which included a six and 15 fours, and shared a 131 partnership with skipper John Morgan who made 61.

    For Nomads Carl Simon took 4 for 86. Nomads then cruised to 236 for 5 with more than four overs in hand as skipper Jeremy Green hit 65 not out, Hugh Richards made 51 and Luke Schildkamp 44. Joynal Ahmed was the pick of the Hastings bowlers, he took 3 for 57.

    Horsham skipper Craig Gallagher hit 120 not out to lead his side to a five wicket win at home to Brighton and Hove.

    Brighton were put in and held to 220 for 6 with Steve Crosby, as top scorer, run out for 98. Tim Jarvis made 47 as Michael Munday took 5 for 61.

    Gallagher’s century saw his side win with time to spare at 222 for 5, the most successful visiting bowler was Chris Atherton who took 2 for 63.

    Bexhill put East Grinstead in at the Polegrove and sent them tumbling to 97 all out as off-spinner Jamie Bristow-Diamond took 6 for 20. The home side then moved smoothly to 100 for 2 in 25.2 overs as Shaun Johnson made 34.

    Worthing won an exciting home game against Chichester by 16 runs with just 3 balls to spare. Batting first the home side made 183 all out with 68 from skipper Darryl Rebbetts and 55 from Michael Gould as Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa grabbed 6 for 57.

    In reply Chichester were bowled out for 167 with Chris Kirkham making 50 and Zampa 44. The bowling hero for Worthing was teenager Mason Crane who took 5 for 44 whilst Luke Vinter grabbed 3 for 29.



    Source: www.eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne cricketers hit bottom after T20 defeat at Roffey - eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne cricketers hit bottom after T20 defeat at Roffey - eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne played out a T20 game at Roffey in a rain-hit Sussex Premier League clash.

    Eastbourne won the toss and decided to bowl as as the hosts posted at total score of 171-4.

    Josh Fleming was on top-form for Roffey and cracked 85 not out from 69 balls. Tom Johnson, Matthew Green and Matthew Cooke took one wicket each for Eastbourne.

    In reply Mark Tomsett made 51 from 49 balls and Matthew Green fired 29 but Eastbourne fell 25 runs short of the total and finished on 146-5. Roffey bowler Matt Davies took 2-14 from his four overs.

    Roffey took 16 points and Eastbourne claimed 10. The result leaves Eastbourne bottom of the Sussex Premier League table.

    Elsewhere, Preston Nomads won their top of the table clash with Hastings at Fulking to give them their seventh outright win of the season to allow them to open up a gap of 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals. Horsham won by five wickets against Brighton and Hove to move into third place.

    Chichester were beaten at Worthing to give the home side their third victory of the campaign and lift them clear of the relegation zone and Bexhill enjoyed a welcome second win of the season to take them out of the bottom two Roffey were frustrated by wet surrounds and the umpires played a short game to T20 rules.

    Hastings were well below strength at Preston Nomads but reached a challenging 235 for 7 declared as Toby Finzel made 117, which included a six and 15 fours, and shared a 131 partnership with skipper John Morgan who made 61.

    For Nomads Carl Simon took 4 for 86. Nomads then cruised to 236 for 5 with more than four overs in hand as skipper Jeremy Green hit 65 not out, Hugh Richards made 51 and Luke Schildkamp 44. Joynal Ahmed was the pick of the Hastings bowlers, he took 3 for 57.

    Horsham skipper Craig Gallagher hit 120 not out to lead his side to a five wicket win at home to Brighton and Hove.

    Brighton were put in and held to 220 for 6 with Steve Crosby, as top scorer, run out for 98. Tim Jarvis made 47 as Michael Munday took 5 for 61.

    Gallagher’s century saw his side win with time to spare at 222 for 5, the most successful visiting bowler was Chris Atherton who took 2 for 63.

    Bexhill put East Grinstead in at the Polegrove and sent them tumbling to 97 all out as off-spinner Jamie Bristow-Diamond took 6 for 20. The home side then moved smoothly to 100 for 2 in 25.2 overs as Shaun Johnson made 34.

    Worthing won an exciting home game against Chichester by 16 runs with just 3 balls to spare. Batting first the home side made 183 all out with 68 from skipper Darryl Rebbetts and 55 from Michael Gould as Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa grabbed 6 for 57.

    In reply Chichester were bowled out for 167 with Chris Kirkham making 50 and Zampa 44. The bowling hero for Worthing was teenager Mason Crane who took 5 for 44 whilst Luke Vinter grabbed 3 for 29.



    Source: www.eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne cricketers hit bottom after T20 defeat at Roffey - eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne cricketers hit bottom after T20 defeat at Roffey - eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Eastbourne played out a T20 game at Roffey in a rain-hit Sussex Premier League clash.

    Eastbourne won the toss and decided to bowl as as the hosts posted at total score of 171-4.

    Josh Fleming was on top-form for Roffey and cracked 85 not out from 69 balls. Tom Johnson, Matthew Green and Matthew Cooke took one wicket each for Eastbourne.

    In reply Mark Tomsett made 51 from 49 balls and Matthew Green fired 29 but Eastbourne fell 25 runs short of the total and finished on 146-5. Roffey bowler Matt Davies took 2-14 from his four overs.

    Roffey took 16 points and Eastbourne claimed 10. The result leaves Eastbourne bottom of the Sussex Premier League table.

    Elsewhere, Preston Nomads won their top of the table clash with Hastings at Fulking to give them their seventh outright win of the season to allow them to open up a gap of 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals. Horsham won by five wickets against Brighton and Hove to move into third place.

    Chichester were beaten at Worthing to give the home side their third victory of the campaign and lift them clear of the relegation zone and Bexhill enjoyed a welcome second win of the season to take them out of the bottom two Roffey were frustrated by wet surrounds and the umpires played a short game to T20 rules.

    Hastings were well below strength at Preston Nomads but reached a challenging 235 for 7 declared as Toby Finzel made 117, which included a six and 15 fours, and shared a 131 partnership with skipper John Morgan who made 61.

    For Nomads Carl Simon took 4 for 86. Nomads then cruised to 236 for 5 with more than four overs in hand as skipper Jeremy Green hit 65 not out, Hugh Richards made 51 and Luke Schildkamp 44. Joynal Ahmed was the pick of the Hastings bowlers, he took 3 for 57.

    Horsham skipper Craig Gallagher hit 120 not out to lead his side to a five wicket win at home to Brighton and Hove.

    Brighton were put in and held to 220 for 6 with Steve Crosby, as top scorer, run out for 98. Tim Jarvis made 47 as Michael Munday took 5 for 61.

    Gallagher’s century saw his side win with time to spare at 222 for 5, the most successful visiting bowler was Chris Atherton who took 2 for 63.

    Bexhill put East Grinstead in at the Polegrove and sent them tumbling to 97 all out as off-spinner Jamie Bristow-Diamond took 6 for 20. The home side then moved smoothly to 100 for 2 in 25.2 overs as Shaun Johnson made 34.

    Worthing won an exciting home game against Chichester by 16 runs with just 3 balls to spare. Batting first the home side made 183 all out with 68 from skipper Darryl Rebbetts and 55 from Michael Gould as Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa grabbed 6 for 57.

    In reply Chichester were bowled out for 167 with Chris Kirkham making 50 and Zampa 44. The bowling hero for Worthing was teenager Mason Crane who took 5 for 44 whilst Luke Vinter grabbed 3 for 29.



    Source: www.eastbourneherald.co.uk

    Family plea over murder of Paisley shopkeeper Javaid Ali - BBC News

    The family of a Paisley shopkeeper who died after being stabbed in his store has appealed for information to help catch his killer.

    Javaid Ali, who was married and had three sons, died in hospital two weeks after the attack in his Sunshine Grocers shop in Green Road on 15 June.

    In a statement relatives said they were devastated.

    They described him as a "wonderful father and husband and a great friend to many."

    Police have repeated their appeal for people who were in the area at the time to come forward.

    The family statement said: "He was a great provider for his family and everyone who knows him would describe him as an exceptional hard-worker who had great warmth in his heart for those less fortunate.

    "He was loved by his friends and family because he was simply just a very nice guy.

    "His loss is devastating for us and it will take a very long time for us to accept it. It is the nature of his death that is so traumatic for us to deal with."

    Det Ch Insp Duncan Sloan, who is leading the murder inquiry into Mr Ali's death, said he believed information which could help solve the case lay within the local community.

    He added: "I have previously appealed for specific people to come forward and I would like to reiterate this appeal as these people have not yet made contact with police."

    Detectives are still keen to speak to a driver of a car that stopped outside the shop shortly after the incident. The driver is female, in her 30s with short brown hair.

    They also want to trace a man, who was seen walking near the store at about 15:00 on the day of the attack. He was carrying a loaf of bread and he may have stopped to speak to another man who was standing near a public phone box.

    Officers are still looking to trace a young woman, aged about 18, wearing an apron and carrying Aldi shopping bags. She was walking in the direction of the cycle track towards Green Road.


    Source: www.bbc.co.uk

    Policing the riots: fear, frustration – and a deep sense of pride - The Guardian

    Two police carriers packed with officers sped through Tottenham's suburban streets. In the front passenger seat of the lead vehicle was a 29-year-old constable, sweating and using an iPhone to navigate the way to the riots.

    By their own admission police had been slow to call for reinforcements, but around midnight teams of officers from across London were pouring into Tottenham. "I knew that police officers had been hurt and things were on fire and it had all got crazy," the constable said. "And I had to get our guys there."

    As the two vans got closer, the police radio relayed a steady stream of bad news. "It's one guy after the next guy after the next guy … 'Officer down, officer injured, we need a medic, officer down, we can't find so-and-so, does anyone know where he is?'"

    The vans travelled 20 miles from Sutton, south-west London, inadvertently into the very centre of the riot on Tottenham High Road. "Suddenly bricks and bottles and scaffolding started being thrown at us. And we were like, jeez, OK, it's actually happening now. It's so loud in the van when those things hit the side, it echoes around a sort of big tin chamber."

    They carried on driving, past burnt-out police cars and a flaming double-decker bus. "Just endless smashed windows and bricks, and I thought: this is not real, this is like a movie set."

    The constable – one of 130 police officers of all ranks interviewed for the Guardian and London School of Economics study into the English riots – was heading for an experience likely to stay with him for the rest of his life.

    "I just thought: how much longer will this go on? This is almost a living hell," said a 52-year-old inspector who was knocked unconscious shortly after arriving in Tottenham. "If some of my officers start going down now, we'll get overrun. They will kill us."

    1am Sunday 7 August

    Tottenham had been rioting for four hours. A protest outside the police station over the police shooting two days earlier of a local man, Mark Duggan, had turned violent. Looting was beginning to take place two miles west, in Wood Green. Still using his iPhone, the constable guided the two vans through brown smoke, past blazing buildings and along streets carpeted with debris.

    The vehicles were forced to stop when they came across an obstacle in the road next to an Aldi supermarket. "All of the shopping trolleys from the Aldi had been pulled out in one big chain, flipped on their side, and just used as a barricade," he said. "You can't drive over the shopping trolleys. So we stopped there. Everyone had a quick note to check their helmets were on, and they had all the kit they needed."

    When the van door slid open, he was struck by the noise. "Chanting, shouting, things smashing, bricks, bottles, sirens in the distance." He and his colleagues joined a line of about a dozen police who were battling 300 rioters. "It's difficult to breathe with the smoke. The helmet steamed up immediately, so I could just about see where I was going."

    In the distance, the constable saw the rioters had access to a building site. "You could see a hole in the fence. And that was just this infinite source of brick and scaffolding and everything that you want to throw."

    The trolleys formed a natural dividing line over which a nonstop barrage of missiles came flying through the air. The police repeatedly tried to get over the trolleys. "That was like a bridge too far," the constable said. When he and a handful of officers finally made it across, they found themselves isolated and under attack from the mob.

    Making a hasty retreat, the officers managed to scramble back over the trolleys – except him. "I couldn't quite get off [the trolley]," he said. "Next thing I knew, all I could feel were hands clawing down the back of my overalls, trying to grab me and pull me back. There was a moment where I thought: if I get dragged back, there's so many people here, it's so dark and it's so chaotic, that might just be it. I might just be gone. Just disappeared."

    6am Sunday

    The incident occurred 500 metres from where PC Keith Blakelock had been stabbed to death by a mob during the Broadwater Farm riots 26 years earlier. Blakelock had 40 cuts and wounds, several fingers missing and, according to a pathologist, a facial wound indicating a blow "almost as if to sever his head".

    For the bronze commander on the ground, the Tottenham riots prompted memories of 1985 when, as a wide-eyed 20-year-old constable, he had served alongside Blakelock. Now in his 40s and a chief inspector, he said: "I did have concern that someone was going to die that night [in 1985]. And I would put the first night [of last year's riots] on a parity with that.

    "I only had about 50, 60 officers in my command the whole night. So a lot of my decision log was: I am aware that these people are spent, I'm aware these people are tired, I have no option but to keep using them."

    As dawn broke, the chief inspector returned to the station. There were police lying asleep on the floor; in the canteen, vending machines had been smashed open by officers desperate for food and drink. After a debrief, he went to bed at 10am. He awoke four hours later, as crowds began to gather for the second night of riots, in Enfield and Lambeth.

    9pm Sunday

    Although the start of the English riots was notable for intense violence against police, the second night consisted mainly of roaming gangs who targeted shops and warehouses. Some of the most frenzied looting was in Brixton.

    When a 25-year-old female constable arrived in a bus full of officers, she saw people sprinting along the roads carrying TVs and laptops. The police parked next to a branch of Currys. "The inspector just said: 'It's being looted, we need to surround it to stop them getting out.'"

    The constable and two officers stood guard by one exit, watching the nervous movements of looters inside and shouting: "Stay back, you are surrounded, don't come out." But as the looters poured out, one pointed a fire extinguisher into her face and fired foam. "I had my visor down, but [it went] right in my face, and it went all up to the inside as well … I don't know what it was – it didn't taste nice."

    She struggled blindly, waving her baton and "snatching at anything", until the foam cleared enough for her to see a colleague grappling with a suspect on the ground. "Then, all of a sudden, I presume it was my inspector just shouted: 'Everyone, get out of here now.'"

    A large crowd was descending on the police, switching the balance of power. The constable scrambled into her van. Inside were two other police officers and three prisoners, including a woman who was "screaming her head off". The driver tried to find a way through the crowd, driving forwards, then backwards. "We weren't moving anywhere," said the constable. "I was just super-scared of that side door coming open and being dragged out."

    As the officers tried to bolt the door, a brick was hurled inside. "My colleague at the back suddenly starts shouting: 'The window's broken, the window's broken!' [My other] colleague was still trying to keep the door shut – I don't think he'd got the bolt on properly, so he had his hand on the door," she said. "Obviously there was a big hole in the window now, and then suddenly this machete knife came through and started, like, hacking at his hand. Thank God he had his gloves on which protected him."

    5pm Monday

    In Hackney, east London, a 25-year-old part-time actor had just begun his first day of work as a Met special constable, a volunteer role with the same powers as paid officers. London was set for its third, most intense night of rioting. Police, by their own admission, were unprepared as unrest spread to 22 of the capital's 32 boroughs.

    Called to the assistance of officers being attacked by gangs of youths in Mare Street, the special constable stepped out of his vehicle with no helmet, shield or riot training, and no sense of what would happen next.

    "I remember somebody said to me: 'You need to keep with your driver.' And I was like: 'I've lost her already.' Another officer drew his baton and I was like: 'Oh yeah, my baton.' That kind of epiphany moment: oh shit, I might need this."

    Rioters in front of him were breaking paving stones to use as missiles. Others had attached utility knives to poles and spades. "Bloody hell! What do you do? I remember just thinking: God, I really want a shield right now."

    The special constable found his driver, cowered behind her shield and watched a brick fly through the air, strike the ground and split in two. "It bounced up at such an odd angle," he said. "It just went boof, straight into my face."

    He was knocked over but got back to his feet. In his words, adrenaline, stupidity and a desire not to miss out on the action led him to decline treatment for his injured eye and instead plunge back into the chaos.

    Nearby, a 33-year-old inspector had just received a call over the radio, saying an 80-year-old woman had been struck by a brick on nearby Clarence Road. He assembled a convoy of three carriers for the rescue. "There were just youths on all sides … smoking barricades and fires," he said. "As we were making our way, I started to think to myself: oh my goodness, we are literally just going to drive straight into the eye of the storm."

    He shouted at his driver: "Whatever you do, don't stop. Because I was literally thinking: in this road, if we came up to a barricade and we were forced to stop … I honestly believe they would have turned [the van] over. They would have managed to get the door out and, I honestly believe, got us out, one by one, and – I'm not exaggerating – I think they might have killed us."

    Around that time, the special constable on his first day in uniform was taking a petrol can off a man and pouring the fuel down the drain. He got a phone call from his girlfriend. She was in tears, watching the disorder live on television. "Just don't die, please don't die," she told him.

    Soon he found himself stationed alone outside a looted branch of JD Sports. A crowd gathered round, goading him and taking photos of his eye. Unsure how to respond, he wrapped his arm around one of his tormenters and posed for photographs. "You think: I'm going to use any tactic I know to try and win these people over. I was stood there, quite naive in a sense, just thinking: if these people decide to go at me, they could kill me."

    By now, tens of thousands of people were out on English streets to riot and loot – most of them in London. Police deployed in the capital that night would use words like "outnumbered", "frustrated", "scared" and "overwhelmed" to describe what happened.

    10pm Monday

    Around the time rioters were taking over parts of London, others were having less success in Liverpool. Despite repeated attempts over 48 hours, they never got into the city centre. Police put that down to disciplined lines that contained gangs of rioters in areas around Toxteth.

    But the violence towards police was just as intense. "The instruction came to put your visors down, and everyone's shields come up then," said a 35-year-old sergeant. "It was like a scene from [the film] Zulu – you know that scene when they all come over the hill? Three hundred people literally came round the corner into the side street and started attacking us … Because I had my visor down, it was like watching a TV screen."

    He added: "They started pushing a burning car towards us and we were told to stand fast by the inspector. Some of my officers were saying: 'Sarge, they're pushing a car towards us here.' And I said: 'Yeah, I'm aware of that.' Luckily it fell short and hit the curb and just caught fire – and then they all ran off."

    How did it feel? "Truthfully? Excitement! There was not one point [where I felt] scared or anything. My adrenaline was pumping."

    Police were attacked with golf clubs and petrol bombs. A female mounted officer saw rioters pull estate agent signs out of the ground and use the sharpened posts as a stake to attack horses. Another constable said he was horrified when a rioter approached the line of police and began masturbating. Many described a visceral anti-police sentiment.

    "They hate us, with a vengeance," said another Liverpool officer, adding that the rioters were not dissimilar to the officer's son, who had "fallen by the wayside" ... "He's grown up in a hard area, you know. [He wears] the black trackies, the black trainers, the hoodies. The way that they are, if one person hates [the police], they all club together. There is a gang element; it's like a wolf pack."

    11pm Monday

    While police in Liverpool fought to keep rioters out of the city centre, in Birmingham officers accepted the battle was already lost. Not only had large parts of the city centre been attacked by looters, a police station in Handsworth had been broken into, ransacked and set on fire.

    A 31-year-old sergeant from a specialist riot unit was ordered to secure the police station and escort firefighters. "All you could see in front of you were cars overturned on fire. The petrol tanks and the tyres were obviously burning to the point of exploding."

    The burning debris in the road forced their convoy of vans down a single, narrow route. "They funnelled us into a small gap where we were ambushed," he said. "They bricked all of our windows as we were driving through – there wasn't one van window that was kept intact, including the driver's, who had to drive with his head out of the window."

    He added: "[They] tried to lure us into alleyways and then set fire to the alleyway. They set fire to vehicles in front of us, trying to lure us into them, so when the fuel tank exploded the vehicle exploded."

    The battles would last almost until daybreak. "They were aiming shotguns at us from a distance and waving them in the air, which meant we had to slow our progress." The firearms were not just a threat: the following night close friends of the sergeant were lured into another ambush, outside a pub that had been set on fire. Twelve bullets were fired at police who attended the scene, peppering a wall just above their heads.

    11.45pm Monday

    In London, more and more people were exploiting the chaos. A convoy of three police vans drafted in from Surrey snaked past a retail park in Lewisham that had been overrun by 300 looters. A 41-year-old constable inside a van was struck by how relaxed and calm the crowd looked.

    "The people were trying on shoes and hats and T-shirts, and passing stuff around to each other; it was really surreal. There didn't seem to be any concern," he said. There were too many looters and too few police to make any arrests, but they got out of the van and tried to disperse the crowd.

    "There was one fella I remember who was really upset because he'd got the one shoe that he wanted, but didn't have the other one. He kept waving his shoe at us, saying: 'You know I need to get back in there and get my other shoe.'"

    The constable was in a group of four who crawled under the roller shutter of a nearby casino that had been broken into. "It was like a movie – there was slot machines on the ground and they were still playing their music and the lights were flashing … sort of hundreds of pound coins lying all over the floor. Smoke and lights and noise and shouting and all kinds of stuff and it was just … phew, mind-blowing."

    Midnight Monday

    In the control room in Lambeth, a bank of screens relayed CCTV footage to the chief superintendent in charge of the Met's tactics. Adrian Roberts, silver commander, had decided early on to divide the capital into five areas, allocating a borough commander to each, in the hope of bolstering resources.

    There was a constant feed of reports of disorder. Rioters were in Hackney, Enfield, Catford, Queensway, Notting Hill, Kilburn, Barnet, Woolwich, Barking, Balham, Southwark and Camden. Two people, in Croydon and Ealing, had been killed.

    Commanders were calling Roberts on his mobile phone, pleading for help. "But you get to the point [when] there is nothing left in the pot. It was extremely frustrating. We didn't have enough people, we ran out of people very quickly … We were overwhelmed – no one has ever denied that."

    Lynne Owens, then an assistant commissioner at the Met, was in the same command room. She said: "You can come up with different theories – and yes, there's an issue with engagement, an issue with social media – but the bottom line is: there were lots of criminals on the streets of London over the four nights and, certainly on the first night, we just didn't have enough officers to stop it happening."

    The Met blames a failure of intelligence for its delay in getting larger numbers of officers on to the streets. By the third night, there were 6,000 deployed. Twenty-four hours later, 16,000 police were on London's streets – an immense show of force that many police believe helped bring the disorder to an end.

    In the meantime, Roberts, 46, was having "soul-destroying" radio conversations with officers on the ground, the most difficult of which was with a commander in Croydon. "I can remember … talking to him on the radio, watching what he's having to deal with – the fire's breaking out and watching the cops being completely outnumbered, and I said to him: 'I know you're feeling really vulnerable right now, but I think there could be people trapped in that building. You've just got to go forwards.'"

    Roberts added: "It's where I was brought up: I'm a Croydon lad, I was married in Croydon. To watch that happening, knowing I'm not there, and knowing I'm that borough commander, was really, really hard."

    He had a similar conversation with the fire brigade commander standing next to him in the control room. "They have a policy where [firefighters] have to be escorted, and quite rightly so, because they were under attack, but it got to a point where I had to say: 'I haven't got anyone left.'"

    11am Tuesday

    The most intense riots in modern English history had engulfed London, Birmingham and Liverpool, with further outbreaks of disorder in Leicester, Bristol, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Reading, Huddersfield and parts of Kent. England felt on the brink of social collapse.

    "I rang my dad and said: 'I don't want to go today, I think something terrible is going to happen,'" said a woman police sergeant. "And he picked me up and said: 'This is what you're supposed to be doing.'"

    The sergeant, in her 30s, was deployed to West Bromwich, where police were not expecting disorder. Her team, comprising another sergeant, two constables and two police community support officers (PCSOs), were told to deliver a very specific message to residents: business as usual. "Those are the three words that will stick with me, because there was nothing [further] from the truth," she said. By late morning it was clear something was brewing. A crowd appeared, having learned via social networks there would be riots in the high street at 2pm.

    "I could sense the fear in everybody and I thought: OK, this isn't business as usual, and I'm not happy to deliver that message. I really didn't scaremonger, but what I said was: if you feel uncomfortable, then please close down your business."

    Eighty young people sitting on empty market stalls began putting on masks and balaclavas. The sergeant realised her role was to "keep up the ridiculous pretence" that she and five untrained officers could stop any disorder. She walked into the group of masked youths and tried talking to them.

    "[Then] this mass of people I had just been talking to became a mob, and they just started to smash all the shops. They were smashing the amusement arcade, and I could see inside the shop – I've never been so shocked in all my life that they were doing this in front of us."

    When the crowd grew to more than 200 and a car was overturned and set on fire, the sergeant felt "in charge [but] completely alone and isolated". She screamed down the radio for assistance, asked one PCSO to direct the traffic, and ordered the remaining five to take out their batons and form a line to seal off the high street to would-be looters.

    Then a group of bare-chested men came up to the line and one stepped forward to attack her. "I really growled, and I didn't get into a debate with him about who was the biggest," she said. "I was like [the cartoon heroine] She-Ra. I was going: 'Raaaa!' And everybody was going: 'Get back!' We made ourselves so much bigger than we were."

    5pm Tuesday

    By the time police regained control of West Bromwich, disorder was returning to Birmingham, where three people would be killed. There would also be a second night of disorder in Liverpool, Gloucester and Nottingham. In Manchester, most police saw riots on their patch as inevitable.

    "As a police officer, you develop this sixth sense," said a 39-year-old constable. "Everybody knew something was going to happen." The challenge was working out where the disorder would begin. Initially, most resources were deployed in Manchester city centre. The level of unrest in Salford was underestimated. The constable was in a group of 25 officers who were first on the scene. "Five-, six-hundred people stood around this roundabout, vehicles parked everywhere … people piling up ammunition at the sides of the road, helicopters up. Some [people] were laughing, you could see the anger in the faces, and you're thinking: it's only a matter of time."

    There was silence in the van. "It was very, very quiet – almost eerie, like when you jump into a swimming pool and you can't hear anything." Then the crowd began hurling blocks of concrete at the vans. "We were shouting at each other: 'Get your shields up – the window's gonna go in!'" They fled, took stock, and returned on foot to disperse the crowds. The Greater Manchester police Twitter account announced: "Reports of 'stand off' between gangs and police in Salford exaggerated. 20 or so youths dispersed by police – one brick thrown, no injuries."

    On the ground, the constable saw things differently. "You could see this crowd of about 1,200-1,300 people stood there shouting, some with balaclavas on, some with bandanas covering their faces, people dressed in shorts and T-shirts, some dressed in all black; different ages, men, women, kids, launching things at us," he said. "The sky just went black due to the sheer number of missiles up in the air."

    One of the missiles – a breezeblock – struck him on the head. "I've dropped to the floor, my shield is on the floor. For that period of, like, five to 10 seconds, I just took blows all over the body … After I'd been hit in the head and [got] back up on my feet, somebody was shouting: 'Kill the fucking pigs!' That's when I almost felt a shiver through my spine."

    The bronze commander who issued the order to withdraw from Salford – "van up and get out!" – was a 45-year-old superintendant. He likened what happened in Salford to the movie Black Hawk Down, the 2001 war film about disastrous operation by US armed forces in Somalia.

    His officers had become the focal point of violence, were seriously outnumbered and were "just making it worse", he said. The superintendent clambered on to one of the departing vans. Sat in the same vehicle was a 35-year-old constable, who described his boss as looking dishevelled. "He had no shield," he said. "We just got absolutely annihilated and battered."

    11 months on

    At the height of the chaos, the riots may have felt like defeat to the police. But after months of reflection, the widespread view among officers appears rather different. They admit there were times they lost control, but ultimately, officers point out, they regained order – with fewer injuries and deaths than might have been expected.

    Many police believe they averted civil unrest on a grander scale: the disorder in 2011 was, at times, more intense than the riots of the 1980s, but it lasted four days rather than several months. Others say the criminal investigations into the riots, which relied heavily on CCTV evidence, have been a big success, with more than 4,000 people arrested in London alone.

    Despite the public criticism, there remains a deep sense of pride among police deployed during the riots, who feel they fulfilled their duty to protect the public and helped bring the country back from the brink. As a Met chief inspector deployed on the first night put it: "Those officers that were with me on the night did everything that they possibly could. They pushed the boundaries in terms of safety in order to make sure that we saved lives … There wasn't a single officer that said: 'No, we're not going any further.'"

    But what of the impact on those officers who went beyond the call of duty? For most who participated in this study, the interviews represented a rare opportunity to take stock and reflect. Several said the memories seemed so unreal that it felt as though the riots had never actually happened. For a few, the psychological imprint is only now beginning to appear.

    The constable with the iPhone, who was almost dragged off a shopping trolley in Tottenham into a mob of rioters, only realised the full impact of that night when he went to see a counsellor. Asked to fill out an "anxiety indicator" questionnaire, he was told: "You know, we start to get concerned when people score about 20 or more. You've scored 86."

    The constable wrote out his experiences on a piece of paper, and reflected: "I genuinely thought there was a chance I was going to die when I got stuck on those trolleys."

    He added: "I've dealt with all sorts of horrendous things at work and you're fine – you have a laugh with your colleagues, get it all out, feel fine. So the idea that [the incident on the trolley] had bothered me that much never really occurred to me. But yeah: that little incident will stay with me forever."


    Source: www.guardian.co.uk

    London borough pension funds "small, not beautiful" - Reuters UK

    London borough pension funds "small, not beautiful" - Reuters UK

    LONDON | Sun Jul 1, 2012 10:01am BST

    LONDON (Reuters) - London's borough councils need political impetus to reform an illogical pension fund system for their employees which is squandering money in administrative and management costs, the head of one of the capital's largest funds told Reuters.

    The idea of pooling London's 34 separate local authority pension schemes to create a single fund with around 30 billion pounds ($47 billion) in assets was pitched to council leaders three months ago as a means of shaving some of the 30 million pounds annual administrative costs.

    On Monday a debate will be held by British think-tank Demos between several council leaders and academics on the benefits and drawbacks of such a merger.

    "Some people believe small is beautiful, others believe in economies of scale," said Mike Taylor, chief executive of the London Pensions Fund Authority, which manages over 4 billion pounds and is one of the main proponents of the plan.

    "We believe that 50 years after the London boroughs were set up it's time to review the arrangements, particularly for the pension funds which seem one of the more illogical arrangements to have 34 funds doing the same thing in London."

    The initiative comes at a time when pensions funds around the world are having to adjust to major shifts in demographics as people live longer as well as dwindling asset returns as markets whipsaw in thrall to the current financial and economic crises.

    But any change is likely to take some years as well as much effort. Taylor says that at a time of major change in public sector pensions as the recommendations of a government-sponsored review are implemented, he would look at a target date of 2016.

    Before a plan can even properly be conceived political consensus needs to be reached by the leaders of London's councils and then a proper cost benefit analysis can be commissioned, says Taylor.

    He said leaders are due to get together for a formal summit in September or October to discuss the proposals further but anecdotally they have not yet been endorsed by a majority.

    Opponents argue that autonomy over investment decisions for each individual pot of money might be taken away. But Taylor suggests that more needs to be done to persuade local leaders that within a pooled structure there could be several investment options.

    He also says that in addition to the administrative and management costs that could be saved with a larger pool of assets, the option of an in-house manager would also be possible enabling greater investment choice and further synergies.

    Proponents have also suggested that a pooled pension fund could then invest around 7.5 percent of its assets or around 2 billion pounds into infrastructure funds, which would be a welcome boost to government efforts to raise money for UK infrastructure projects.

    The Pensions Protection Fund (PPF), the national lifeboat for struggling pension funds, and the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) is hoping to raise 2 billion pounds from 10-12 pension schemes to launch a government-backed infrastructure fund in January 2013.

    This has also raised concerns that any pledge towards infrastructure projects might be politically motivated given the UK government's drive to attract funds into the sector.

    "Infrastructure is the carrot to combine the fund," said Taylor.

    "There are many opportunities for local infrastructure projects provided the investment case remains paramount."

    ($1=0.6429 pounds)

    (Editing by Greg Mahlich)


    Source: uk.reuters.com

    London Olympics 2012: Michael Phelps on course to repeat eight medal run at London Games - Daily Telegraph

    London Olympics 2012: Michael Phelps on course to repeat eight medal run at London Games - Daily Telegraph

    After he received his medals, the sell-out crowd of more than 13,000 sang "Happy Birthday" to Phelps who, on the assumption that he finishes in the first two of the 200m butterfly and gets picked for the three relays will again be chasing eight gold medals at the London Olympics.

    Meanwhile Lochte was fairly upbeat, if tired. "The best thing about swimming is racing and stepping up against the world's best but tonight was probably the most pain I've endured in a swimming competition," he said.

    Elsewhere Jessica Hardy, who missed the Beijing Games while serving a drug test, won the women's 100 freestyle in 53.96 secs with emerging star Missy Franklin in second place.

    Rebecca Soni secured a second individual race in London with a comfortable win in the 200 breaststroke. She was slow off the blocks but surged to the lead on the second lap and steadily pulled away, winning in 2:21.13, the fastest time in the world this year.

    "I'm always a little nervous to push it too soon. I felt great the first 100, nice and long," said Soni, who will be looking to defend her 200 Olympic title. "I know I've trained the hardest I can so if I can hopefully bring home a gold, that would be amazing. If I can get back to my best time, that would also be great. I'm just going to have fun with it."


    Source: www.telegraph.co.uk