Archive
-
Date
Contract wrangle delays transfer
CHIPPENHAM Town trialist Ben Kirk is desperate to earn a move to Hardenhuish, but any deal will depend on the Bluebirds agreeing a compensation package with his former club. Kirk looks set to be offered a contract by Town boss Steve White after impressing
-
Date
Now there are two Thornes in the side
IT'S a case of brothers reunited at Hardenhuish this season as the tough tackling Thorne siblings join forces to help the Bluebirds' promotion push. Gary Thorne's summer switch from Merthyr Tydfil means he will be lining up alongside his younger brother
-
Date
Teenage starlet has a bright future
RICHARD Bates believes Liam Dawson has a big future ahead of him after he helped Chippenham to a morale boosting 118 run win at home to Frocester on Saturday. The 14-year-old opener, who plays for the Hampshire Academy side, played with a maturity beyond
-
Date
Shardlow happy to take the draw
CORSHAM moved a step nearer to ensuring their West of England Premier League Division One status with a winning draw at home to Bath on Saturday. The result, which leaves Corsham sitting comfortably in mid-table, may also have scuppered Bath's hopes of
-
Date
Derby win keeps heat on top sides
SEAN Maxwell and Mark Coxon-Tenty helped Warminster cruise to a 27 run win at Goatacre on Saturday and keep their title hopes alive. The duo shared a 128 run third wicket partnership to set up a comfortable victory and move them to within a point of the
-
Date
Westbury hit back thanks to Dilena
JOHN Dilena scored an unbeaten 62 on Saturday to help steer Westbury to a three wicket win at home to Portishead. After last week's defeat at Hambrook, Westbury responded in spirited fashion to hit the winning runs with two overs to spare. Westbury made
-
Date
Shock defeat for villagers
BIDDESTONE'S promotion charge suffered a setback on Saturday after a dramatic collapse saw them bowled out for 97 at Malmesbury. Their eight wicket defeat means they have slipped to second place in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire League Division Two as
-
Date
Corsham take over at the top
CORSHAM 3rds took over as Division Four leaders following their easy 108 run home win against Coates. Corsham made 177-8 before bowling Coates out for just 69. Bradford Town surrendered the leadership following a six wicket defeat at third placed Wilcot
-
Date
Firm wins Top Gun contract in the States
A FIRM has won a multi-million pound contract to supply hi-tech kit for the American Top Gun pilots. BCF Designs of Cirencester has just sealed the $20 million deal and will be providing up to 1,025 fuel quantity test sets. These are devices that test
-
Date
Olympic fever will soon infect offices
A NEW survey predicts an outbreak of absenteeism during this month's Olympic Games. The survey, by the Business Software Centre, claims that one in five of the workforce in the south of England admit to throwing a sickie during major sporting events.
-
Date
Box canter to home victory
BOX Rovers came out on top in their first ever six-a-side tournament played in sweltering conditions on Sunday. The Leafy Lane playing fields saw 24 teams play 77 games of knockout football, organised by Box official Tony Harrison. He said: "It was blistering
-
Date
These boots are made for scoring
AFTER firing in 36 goals for Bradford Town last season, no one can accuse Tom Pang of forgetting his shooting boots his only problem is choosing which pair to wear. The prolific young striker has spent over £600 in the last four years on football boots
-
Date
It won't be easy says Percival
TROWBRIDGE Town striker Dave Percival admits pre-season has been a tough learning curve, but he is confident the team will be ready in time for the start of the new season. The Hellenic League new boys have yet to record a victory from their first four
-
Date
Colbourne sets 30 goal target
WESTBURY United striker Toby Colbourne is urging his team-mates to keep their feet on their ground and to learn from last season's slump in form. Colbourne bagged a brace in his side's 3-1 win over Wiltshire League side Bradford Town on Saturday and then
-
Date
Call goes out to find old school pals for reunion
A REUNION has been organised for people who left Wroughton Secondary School in July 1964. The pupils, whose school careers ended at the height of Beatlemania, would now be about 56. Old boy and girl Tim Stroud and Janet Ford formerly Janet Leach have
-
Date
Probation service is most improved in country
WILTSHIRE Probation Service has leapt up the national ratings, according to latest performance figures. Figures released by the National Probation Directorate show the service, which covers Swindon, as the most improved probation area in England and Wales
-
Date
Disruption ahead as rail lines are due to close
Rail passengers face 10 days of disruption as engineers close tracks to install new points. From Saturday, August 21, two of the four tracks on the Great Western mainline between Reading and London Paddington will be closed. The other two tracks will
-
Date
'We don't want you racist Ron'
Ron AtkinsonSwindon Town has been slammed for booking disgraced football pundit Ron Atkinson as a guest speaker. Atkinson was sacked by ITV in April for making a racist comment about a black Chelsea player. He had described Marcel Desailly as a "*****
-
Date
Shrivenham at the double
ALAN DYTON splits his Shrivenham squad into two for a pair of pre-season fixtures this evening. The first batch likely to be the stronger of the two teams take on old rivals Faringdon in the first round of the Faringdon Thursday Cup. A second side travels
-
Date
Teams needed
The new Swindon six-a-side football league is looking for two more teams for the summer season starting shortly. The league will be running on anew artificial pitch at Wootton Bassett between 8-9.30pm on Thursday nights. The league will be professionally
-
Date
Rape helpline in call for support
A CHARITY that operates a helpline for rape victims has issued its own call for help. Victim Support Wiltshire says 12 new volunteers are needed to staff its rape support line. Although it currently has about 50 volunteers on its books, many cannot work
-
Date
Power of flowers boosts our appeal
Ref. 71213-53SWINDON CANCER APPEAL: MARVELLOUS marigolds and delightful dahlias have helped raise money for cancer patients in Swindon. Green-fingered Purton residents threw open their gardens to help boost the Swindon Cancer Appeal. In return for a donation
-
Date
Dropped kerbs to ease parking problems for residents
Penhill residents may be about to gain some much-needed extra parking spaces. Labour councillors for Penhill, David Glaholm and Andy Harrison, have asked highways officers to consider putting in dropped kerbs while the council is resurfacing Ramsbury
-
Date
A huge humanitarian crisis
IN parts of Sudan the mortality rate is almost 25 times the international average. This is just one startling statistic concerning the terrorised citizens of Sudan. The civil war in the Darfur region of Sudan has led to a huge humanitarian crisis. Civilians
-
Date
Cycle ride aims to bring flow of cash
Ref. 71694-104A Honda worker who has organised a sponsored bike ride in aid of charity WaterAid says the crisis in Sudan has made his fundraising more important than ever. Fergal McGrath, a 32-year-old mountain bike fanatic from Wills Avenue, Swindon,
-
Date
Play park is put on hold
PLANS for a second play area in Covingham have been put on hold because of concerns about vandalism. Covingham has previously had problems with its play areas being targeted by vandals, so many residents are worried new equipment could attract troublemakers
-
Date
Festival has forest of fun
WORLD-wide woods is the theme of this year's Great Western Community Forest Festival at the Lawn in Old Town. The event, which takes place on August 28, from 10am until 5pm, has been running since 1999. Art workshops for children and families, live music
-
Date
Picture the past again
EVOCATIVE images of Swindon, captured by local photographer Denis Bird during the 1960s, are on show at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery until the end of the month. Photographs on show depict scenes such as Old Town station and Old Town market. There
-
Date
Think pink in cancer campaign
FIRMS across Swindon are being urged to think pink to help battle breast cancer. Cancer Research UK will be running its annual Think Pink event from now until the end of November. Organisers say it is the ideal chance for people to do their bit to help
-
Date
Our summer is wrecked
Ref. 71212-29Okus residents say demolition work at the Princess Margaret Hospital site has ruined their summer. Householders in Tithe Barn Crescent want to know why hoard-ings were not put up to protect their homes from the noise and dust. The worst affected
-
Date
Lenny set for a fun show
Ref. Lenny HenryLENNY Henry is coming to Swindon. He is scheduled to bring his acclaimed show, So Much Things To Say, to the Wyvern Theatre on November 22. One of the founders of Comic Relief, which helps raise money for developing countries, Lenny has
-
Date
Traders express their fears
Traders fear that if permission is granted for another takeaway in Clive Parade it could take away their business. The owners of Oriental Express Chinese Takeaway and Sammy's Kebab and Burger House have objected to proposals to allow an additional fast
-
Date
Another accident in lane
A SECOND accident happened in Lady Lane within hours of a 25-year-old man being struck in a hit and run incident. A lorry and a four-wheel drive vehicle were involved in a collision at 9am yesterday. Hours before, Paul Boden had been rushed to Great Western
-
Date
Bad drivers come in all ages
WHAT an amazing, ageist outburst from Suzanne B Lake (Your Letters, Monday, August 2). I wonder if Suzanne bothered to read the Evening Advertiser thoroughly that day. For instance, the 20- year-old who borrowed his cousin's Porsche sports car and was
-
Date
WILTS ARE ON TRACK
WILTSHIRE were frustrated by the weather but their bowlers still made a bold bid for victory on the second day of their Minor Counties Championship match at Corsham. Visitors Shropshire, second in the table and unbeaten in the championship this season
-
Date
IT'S TEN OF THE BEST
LECHLADE and Corsham 4ths romped to the biggest victories of the day in vastly different ways. Lechlade, second in Division Two, faced an imposing 211 for victory at Sutton Veny. But openers Matt Coe (140) and Roger Pettifer (57) knocked off the runs
-
Date
No Stranger!
ANDY CATON has come from 'nowhere' in the eyes of many Town fans, but the man who discovered him has revealed that his signature in the summer marked the successful end of a pursuit that had lasted almost three years. The 16-year-old is proof to youth
-
Date
Hervin is keen to show he's number 1
GOALKEEPER Mark Hervin is eager to get back between the posts and prove to the fans he is still Chippenham Town's number one. Hervin has spent the whole of the close season travelling around America coaching football and has missed almost all of the pre-season
-
Date
Captain sets his players new target
TROWBRIDGE slipped further into relegation trouble on Saturday with a four wicket defeat at bottom of the table Winget. The loss has left them one place above the drop zone, third from bottom in Gloucestershire and Wilts League Division One, and captain
-
Date
Spencer eyes the top three
WINSLEY secured their place in Bristol and North Somerset League Division One for next season with a six wicket win at home to Hambrook on Saturday. A second wicket partnership between Andy Ellett (68 not out) and Kunal More (86) did the damage and captain
-
Date
Haines keeps Spye on course for title
SPYE PARK maintained their challenge for the Division Two championship with a 41 run home win over Sutton Veny. They scored 233-8, with Jon Haines making 130, Tom Harding 26 not out and John Bathe 24. For Sutton Veny Rob Robson took 3-73 in 10 overs and
-
Date
Nettleton edge home in top table clash
THE meeting of the top two Division Six sides at Chippenham saw visitors Nettleton successful by just seven runs. They made 157 all out, with Ian Sandell (30) top scoring and Chris Day taking 5-38 in 15 overs. Ray Bullen then hit 43, but Andy Couzens,
-
Date
Peters hits second 100 in eight days
WESTINGHOUSE picked up useful points in Division One as they scored 236-7 at home to Bath Civil Service. John Peters, who made an unbeaten 140 in last week's defeat by Great Bedwyn, scored 135 and John Cleverley added 53 not out as they carried on from
-
Date
Wiltshire ready for tough finish
NEIL Shardlow is relishing the opportunity of playing in front of friendly faces next week when Wiltshire entertain Shropshire at Corsham. Shardlow will be making his 49th Minor Counties Championship appearance but he admits it is always extra special
-
Date
Chippenham crowned champions
CHIPPENHAM under 13s, the East Division winners, have won the Bath League title outright after defeating West Division champions Timsbury in the league play-off. James Bull (27), Uzi Qureshi (20) and David Brown (19) enabled Chippenham to reach 93-6 in
-
Date
Ollie leads Young Guns to tournament triumph
TWELVE teams competed in 85 degree heat on Sunday in Trowbridge Cricket Club's annual six-a-side tournament. The top team from each of the four round-robin groups went through to the semi-finals. In the morning session the Cumberwell Birdie Men narrowly
-
Date
New jab sparks parents' concern
Ref. 71216-04A SUPER vaccine to protect children from five diseases will soon hit GPs' surgeries. The so-called "five-in-one" jab will vaccinate babies against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, haemophilus B hib which can cause a range of diseases,
-
Date
Bluestone announces record half year results
A CONSTRUCTION company with a big Swindon presence has contributed to record half-year results for its parent company. Bluestone, locally based in Ashworth Road, is part of Morgan Sindall plc, which has announced a record turnover of £604 million, up
-
Date
Company shows its caring side
Ref. 71671-44PRINTING firm ESP Colour are producing fundraisers' packs for this year's Children in Need appeal. The presses have been running to bring out the colour packs, and ESP, in Elgin Drive, will print almost two million items for the grand event
-
Date
Ollie happy to be Jack-of-all-trades
OLLIE McAninch is more than happy to be known as a Jack-of-all-trades this season as Biddestone prepare for their first ever campaign in the Screwfix Direct League. The Biddestone striker scored 14 goals last season to help his side gain promotion from
-
Date
An abundance of riches for Kelvin
THE goalkeeping position at Calne Town was a constant source of concern for Kelvin Highmore last season and it is now causing him sleepless nights again. The Calne manager was forced to use six different keepers last season and he now faces a different
-
Date
Gio ready for bit part role
GIOVANNI Sperti is expecting to have only a bit part role for Corsham Town this season but the defender insists he is more than happy with life at the Southbank. The left back, who helped Corsham win promotion to the Screwfix Premier League last season
-
Date
Ranger off for a new challenge
DEAN Ranger has quit Melksham Town in pursuit of a new challenge, but the midfielder is tipping his former team-mates to prove their doubters wrong. After starting pre-season training with Westbury United, Ranger is now impressing at Frome Town as he
-
Date
Burns goes from zero to hero in two weeks
IN the space of just two weeks Lee Burns has gone from being Wiltshire's forgotten man to the top of a number of clubs' most wanted list. The 37-year-old defender admitted he was thinking about quitting the game this summer due to a lack of interest in
-
Date
We will prove you wrong, says Tripp
MELKSHAM Town boss Nigel Tripp has challenged his players to prove their chairman wrong by staying clear of the relegation fight this campaign. Tripp hit back after chairman Mick Perrin told the Wiltshire Times last week he thought the side would struggle
-
Date
Camera on bike traps speeders
Ref. 31118-64A MOTORBIKE-mounted police camera is detecting 50 speeders a day in Wiltshire. The 650cc Honda Deauville was bought with money from the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, which was collected from speeding fines. Its Swindon area
-
Date
New jab sparks parents' concern
Ref. 71216-04A SUPER vaccine to protect children from five diseases will soon hit GPs' surgeries. The so-called "five-in-one" jab will vaccinate babies against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, haemophilus B hib which can cause a range of diseases,
-
Date
Points problems cause delays for commuters
POINTS problems at Wootton Bassett spelled delays for rush-hour train travellers. Network Rail said the points malfunctioned shortly after 4pm yesterday. It took just over an hour for the fault to be repaired but by then the trains were running up to
-
Date
Hit-and-run victim's parents keep bedside vigil
THE parents of a man struck down by a hit-and-run motorist have travelled to Swindon to be at their son's bedside. Paul Boden was walking alone along Lady Lane, Blunsdon, in the early hours of Sunday when he was hit and dragged along a street by a car
-
Date
Camera on bike traps speeders
Ref. 31118-64A MOTORBIKE-mounted police camera is detecting 50 speeders a day in Wiltshire. The 650cc Honda Deauville was bought with money from the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, which was collected from speeding fines. Its Swindon area
-
Date
Nightmare as dream boat sinks
Ref. 71209-18THE owners of a motor cruiser that sank in fog off the Dorset coast have spoken of their dramatic rescue. Robin and Irene Maggs' 45ft boat Freedom lies at the bottom of Poole Harbour after it hit an abandoned anchor at 9.50am on Saturday.
-
Date
Robin leads the way as Avon land club trophy
THERE were some good weights in the inter-club match between Avon and King Billy fished on the Avon at Lacock on Sunday. Avon took team honours with 48lb 4oz to King Billy's 37lb 7oz. Individual honours went to Melksham's Robin Guy, of Avon, with an all-roach
-
Date
Richard ready to meet the challenge in his Challenger
Ref. 71204-21TROOPER Richard Yockney joined the Army for a challenge now he's driving a Challenger. At just 17, the former Hreod Parkway pupil is a qualified Challenger 2 tank driver. Richard, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, returned to his home town
-
Date
Superbug kills five
HOSPITAL superbugs killed at least five people in Swindon during a single year, official figures have revealed. But the MRSA figures, only just released by the Office for National Statistics, cover 2002 and the now-demolished Princess Margaret Hospital
-
Date
Party selects duo for election
THE Liberal Democrats have selected a management consultant and a former leader of the local party to fight its corner at the next General Election. Dr Sue Stebbing, a former Army officer, will be representing the party in South Swindon against Tory candidate
-
Date
Remains of Anglo-Saxon princess go on show
THE remains of a sixth century princess found in a Lechlade archaeological dig have been placed in a museum. Because she was buried among jewellery, archaeologists decided to nickname her Mrs Getty. This was a joking reference to the wealthy American
-
Date
Surveyor makes a splash at Games
Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe 'The Thorpedo'A WOOTTON Bassett surveyor is flying out to Athens on Friday to work as a volunteer press officer at the Olympic games. George Paton, 35, was one of 160,000 applicants for 55,000 positions. Only 250 volunteers
-
Date
'We need help with our son'
Ref. 71679-07THE parents of Aidan Evans feel shattered from constantly watching their four-year-old who has attention deficit disorder. They say Swindon Council's social services department has given them virtually no support in coping with their son's
-
Date
Jail for man who stabbed soldier
A hotel worker who stabbed a soldier outside a town nightclub has been jailed for three-and-a-half years. Peter Andrews, 21, of Stratford Close, Toothill, who has since found religion while in prison, used a multi-tooled knife which he had for work to
-
Date
It's not Coate or nothing
WHEN the University of Bath and the New Swindon Company claim that the proposed educational facility cannot be accommodated in the town centre, the calculations are based on finding land for single storey buildings, apart from the 3,000 student accommodation
-
Date
Fill those empty places at the Chalet
KAREN Turner's concerns about the potential loss, or changed nature of, the Chalet School are well founded (letter, July 26). While the Government claims to be committed to increased choice in matters of education, the reality for many parents of children
-
Date
People should break reliance on the car
I WISH to respond to the letter by Michael Watson, concerning the Swindon & Marlborough NHS Trust's 'two star' rating and parking at the Great Western Hospital. I would be the first to acknowledge that parking still remains an issue for the trust,
-
Date
New captain predicts brighter future
CALNE captain Andy Donegan is relishing the chance of leading his home town club and believes this season could be the start of an upturn in fortunes. The Wiltshire club narrowly avoided relegation from Dorset and Wilts Division One last campaign as they
