Latest news with #JamesRichardson
BBC News
12-07-2025
- BBC News
Extra trains for diversion route between Manchester and Mirfield
Extra rail services are to be added between Manchester and Mirfield to help keep people travelling during ongoing engineering Express (TPE) said it would be running three trains per hour rather than two on the Calder Valley route via Hebden Bridge while the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) project McClements, customer experience lead, said the uplift in services would be "vital" when Huddersfield railway station closes for 30 days, from 30 company said services between Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York would also be impacted by the closure, while some Northern services will run to an amended timetable. The line between Huddersfield and Stalybridge will remain open for the coming weeks, but TPE has warned that train services near Manchester are expected to be busy on the weekends of 12/13 and 19/20 July due to engineering advised customers to plan ahead, particularly those attending Oasis' run of shows at Heaton operator said while Huddersfield Station is closed, diverted trains would make additional calls at Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge, Castleton and replacement bus services will be in place between Brighouse and £100m has been spent on improving diversionary routes under the TRU programme, the company Richardson, TRU managing director, said this meant engineers could complete upgrades "safely and on time".He said: "We're really proud how these routes and services keep people on the move during disruption. We're committed to delivering a more resilient railway for the future."TPE said the upgrade programme would bring faster journey times, improved accessibility at stations, and more frequent and reliable trains. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Almost an I can't spake moment' – Darts star hits brilliant nine-darter in ‘one of most insane legs ever seen'
THE Modus Super Series of Darts delivered one of the craziest legs of darts since the iconic, "I can't spake" moment. In January 2023 in the final of the World Darts Championship Michael Smith landed a nine-darter against Michael van Gerwen in one of the craziest legs of darts ever. And two-and-a-half years, later Conan Whitehead and James Richardson repeated that famous leg of darts. The moment came during the fourth day of the Super Series on Thursday. Whitehead, 39, already led the Group C clash 1-0. Richardson, 51, had a perfect response by landing six perfect darts in treble 20. The Barbarian responded in kind by matching his rival. However, Ruthless was then anything but, as he fumbled the chance of a perfect nine by landing a five in his first shot, eventually leaving the board with 96 after nine throws. Whitehead stepped to the oche with 141 remaining. And he was emphatic as he landed a treble 20, treble 19 and double 12 to finish a perfect leg to move him 2-0 ahead in the game. Reacting on social media, one fan said: "Darts heritage." A second said: "Absolutely incredible!!!" A third added: "What a leg of darts." Another said: "Almost a 'I can't spake' moment." Whitehead ended up narrowly winning the match 4-3 after a strong comeback from Richardson. He averaged 99.95 compared to his rival's 87.32. List of all-time Darts World Champions BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions. That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included. 1994 - Dennis Priestley 1995 - Phil Taylor 1996 - Phil Taylor (2) 1997 - Phil Taylor (3) 1998 - Phil Taylor (4) 1999 - Phil Taylor (5) 2000 - Phil Taylor (6) 2001 - Phil Taylor (7) 2002 - Phil Taylor (8) 2003 - John Part 2004 - Phil Taylor (9) 2005 - Phil Taylor (10) 2006 - Phil Taylor (11) 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld 2008 - John Part (2) 2009 - Phil Taylor (12) 2010 - Phil Taylor (13) 2011 - Adrian Lewis 2012 - Adrian Lewis (2) 2013 - Phil Taylor (14) 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 2015 - Gary Anderson 2016 - Gary Anderson (2) 2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2) 2018 - Rob Cross 2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3) 2020 - Peter Wright 2021 - Gerwyn Price 2022 - Peter Wright (2) 2023 - Michael Smith 2024 - Luke Humphries 2025 - Luke Littler Most World Titles 14 - Phil Taylor 3 - Michael van Gerwen 2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright 1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
Wales Online
22-06-2025
- Wales Online
'I got up at 4.29am, like I'm doing something illicit, and now there is no going back'
'I got up at 4.29am, like I'm doing something illicit, and now there is no going back' My legs tingle with the chill of the sea at daybreak. Then I plunge in as my body buzzes with the endorphins of a cold water dip Abbie Wightwick swimming at Penarth beach with Dawnstalkers as the run rises (Image: James Richardson ) It's so early even the cat hasn't woken and the room is dark when my alarm goes off at 4am. The street is silent as I slip outside in the pre-dawn glow. Walking quickly down the hill it feels as if I'm doing something illicit while everyone else is sleeping. I am stealing time while the world is snoozing to swim in the sea at daybreak. I've always been a swimmer and love the beach, but am no fan of very early mornings or cold water. As it turns out, perhaps I am. I'm pumped on adrenaline like I'm off to catch an early morning holiday flight, but when I get there the shore is calm and still. Down on the pebbles a handful of people are exchanging cheerful good mornings. This is the moment when I'll have to introduce myself as a newbie and get into the chilly waves when I could be snuggled down under my duvet. There's no going back. What happens next is a warm embrace from the lovely people known as Dawnstalkers. Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. Article continues below This is the group who swim off Penarth beach every morning as the sunrises, come rain or shine. They've been meeting for nearly five years since the pandemic. Within minutes I'm welcomed and chatting with an eclectic, smiling bunch of people as we wade into the sea. They point to the red orb magically appearing on the skyline as my legs tingle with the chill of the water. And then I've plunged in, my body acclimatising to the temperature and thrill of a dawn dip. This is great. Dawnstalkers welcome the sun on Penarth Beach (Image: James Richardson ) Bobbing in the water is Grant Zehetmayr. It was his lone daily dawn swims when Covid lockdowns eased that inspired what is now Dawnstalkers. It wasn't intentional and is an achievement that happened organically when passers-by saw and joined him. Now hundreds of people are part of the movement with a core group of around 10 meeting every morning. People swimming through the year with Dawnstalkers range in age from children to those in their eighties. They include retired people, students and people heading off to work afterwards. There's even a splinter group, Moon Mermaids, that swims at night when there's a new moon. "It was 2020 and I found lockdown difficult," recalls Grant, "I was missing something and searching for something. There was no structure in the week any more. I started getting in the sea and then I added it to dry January in 2021. I didn't set out to create a swimming group or club. I just got into the sea and people were interested and joined me." Splashing in the waves at dawn (Image: James Richardson ) Grant was drinking too much at the time and felt disconnected. Few people, if any, swam off Penarth beach pre-Covid, let alone at dawn through the winter. His early morning sessions were unusual and soon noticed. As the number joining him grew Grant began posting about it on social media. Now his social life has swapped ends of the day - he meets friends early and with the sea as an ice breaker rather than alcohol. The name Dawnstalkers came from a joke made by Grant's wife Beth who is at home asleep with their daughter Lola. 'A dopamine hit' After swimming Grant will go back and then on to work in his graphic and design business Signs Express at Cardiff Bay. Like most of the dawn swimmers he goes to bed very early in mid-summer as the sun rises just before 5am. "If you socialise at dawn you don't feel the need to drink alcohol. Dawn swimming was a substitute addiction, but I didn't realise that and it wasn't meant to be subversive," says Grant. "Most people wouldn't get in the sea year round. I like pushing boundaries and became interested in the health benefits of cold water swimming later. I did not set out to create a group but it is a real privilege. Cold water swimming is addictive and you do get a dopamine hit from it." Grant Zehetmayr's daily dawn swim during the first lockdown in 2020 encouraged others to join him and the community that is now the Dawnstalkers grew (Image: James Richardson ) Cold water swimming has gained popularity in recent years with lots of discussion about the health and wellbeing benefits, but for Dawnstalkers it is as much about the friendships that have grown up around their daily gathering. With no official membership anyone can come down, join them and swim. Some swimmers like to chat and go in as a group while others prefer a nod and hello and to be in the water solo. There are no rules and no expectations. As I float on my back in the waves watching the sky turn from grey to orange-blue I swear I can feel endorphins flood through. It feels great, but I have to keep moving. It may be June but it's not long past 5am and this is Wales, not the Caribbean. Back on land people tell me how this has literally changed their lives. All say it's more than swimming, that Dawnstalkers is a community of friends and support, that they have found the links they were seeking and their mental health has improved. Sarah-Jane Hocking moved from Lancashire to Penarth to swim with the group after seeing photos of Dawnstalkers on social media. In September she's marrying James Richardson who takes the pictures every morning and posts them to his Instagram. 'I got hooked' Working from home for a textile company meant Sarah-Jane could relocate to Wales: "Dawnstalkers has given me my purpose. I have found me," she says, "I have found friends and my partner. It's the best decision I ever made and all because someone up north sent me a Facebook post from Dawnstalkers." Sarah-Jane Hocking moved from Lancashire to Penarth to swim with the Dawnstalkers four years ago. (Image: James Richardson ) For James, who comes from Penarth and has known this stretch of coast all this life, the joy is its ever changing nature. The 39-year-old professional photographer loves the sunrise, the sea and the swimmers and has a book of his images coming out later this year. "I came down for a coffee and remembered hearing so much joy coming from the people swimming," he says, "The community is incredible. I really enjoy taking photographs here because the light at dawn is always different and always surprises me. I thought it would be a flash in the pan but it wasn't." Facing east Penarth beach catches the sunrise and of course the sun moves from one side to the other as the year changes. The extreme tides also mean the swimmers meet on one or other side of the pier, so every swim is unique to record. George Menzies, a retired marine engineer from Sully, and his wife Alison, a retired civil servant, have been swimming five days a week with the Dawnstalkers for more than two years. They joined, never meaning to stay but got hooked. "We came thinking it would be a one-off," admits Alison, "something to tick off a list of things to do, but we came back. It's the community that is so lovely. "It makes me feel healthier and there is something very therapeutic about cold water swimming and the community around it. It's a very special and unique group." "It's a really nice group of people," agrees George, "It's the swimming and the social side for me. It's a great way to start the day and it's not always howling a gale, but when the sea is rough it's a different experience. We come five days a week rain or shine. It's really beautiful." It's one thing doing this in June, but wading into a grey sea while the rain beats down or picking through frozen seaweed on the shore in midwinter doesn't sound as much fun. The swimmers explain you get used to it and part of the joy is that every day is different. Sometimes hats and gloves are needed, sometimes not. The colours of dawn over the sea at Penarth are always different depending on the weather and time of year (Image: James Richardson ) John Winser joined Dawnstalkers on New Year's Day 2023 and says the sea here never gets much below 6C. Early starts with his job as restaurant retail supervisor at the University Hospital of Wales means he can't come in the week but he swims at dawn most weekends. "When it's cold you do think "what am I doing?," the 54 year-old admits, "but soon you get a buzz and serotonin. It's addictive and I miss it if I don't go. There's never any pressure and no one judges you in the group. You can be yourself. 'Feel a connection' "I started because I had been through a bit of trauma and saw Dawnstalkers as social. I came down because I needed something. It's been brilliant mentally and physically and the community is brilliant. It's also a spiritual experience when you lie in the sea and look up at the sky and the sun rising. "It's also different at different times of the year, When there are big storms and waves the energy is phenomenal, but we always swim safely." Coffee at daybreak. Piotr Skoczylas (centre) at his mobile coffee shop Stol Coffee with John Winser (left) and James Richardson (right) (Image: Abbie Wightwick/WalesOnline ) Of course you can't have early mornings without coffee. Piotr Skoczylas had just lost his job in a coffee shop because of the pandemic when he spotted Dawnstalkers in 2021. He comes each morning with his mobile coffee shop Stol Coffee and its menu including cookies and free hugs. Piotr is an essential part of the group and his bright yellow coffee cart is a well known early morning fixture on the seafront now. Like the swimmers Piotr, who is also a life coach, loves the daybreak and feels a connection to the sea, the people and the moment. As the year turns and the midsummer solstice arrives hundreds of people are expected to gather with the Dawnstalkers to welcome in the longest day of the year at Penarth beach on June 21. It is perhaps the highest profile swim of the year for the group and draws in swimmers not just from Penarth and beyond but from outside Wales too. Article continues below The dawn solstice swim will be followed by a silent disco on the beach and no doubt people will be bringing picnic breakfast and buying coffee from Piotr. It will be a community event for all ages as the sun starts its journey back around the globe again and new connections are forged. When he began swimming off Penarth beach Grant did it alone. Now no one has to swim alone there.
Wales Online
21-06-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
The beautiful scenes captured by photographer who visits the beach every morning at dawn
Scores of swimmers gathered at a Welsh beach at dawn today to welcome in the summer solstice. The Dawnstalkers community swim at Penarth beach for sunrise every morning throughout the year. They were joined today by many more to greet the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Summer solstice marks the day the sun is at its highest point in the sky, before it begins its slow descent to winter. June 21 will be the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year in our hemisphere, a magic moment of midsummer. To welcome the day we are sharing these dramatic images from Dawnstalkers official photographer James Richardson. James lives opposite the beach at Penarth seafront and goes down every morning to capture the daybreak dippers in the ever changing light and weather of the coast. He has kept a record of the group since it evolved in the pandemic after local, Grant Zehetmayr, began taking a morning swim at daybreak, whatever the weather. Now people come from Penarth and beyond to swim with the group. Some have travellled from Wiltshire regularly and one moved from Lancashire to stay swimming with them. James captures the changing moods and seasons as the sun rises every day through the year. Sometimes the glow turns the sea purple, at other times the sea and sky is burnished bright orange. It's these other worldly scenes that captures the imagination and keeps swimmers returning, even when the water gets so cold it takes the breath away. One describes "crunching" across frosty seaweed in the depths of winter to get to the chilly water. By contrast the midsummer water is warm. The warmest seawater temperatures off Penarth are in August and September at around 16.7C and the coldest in March with an average 8.3C, records show. Sometimes the sea is flat as glass and at others wind and storms whip up the waves for a more energetic experience.. Depending on tides, which come very low and very high here, the group swims off one side or the other of Penarth pier. For James this altering landscape is the perfect canvas. "The light at dawn is always different and depends on the clouds and mist," he says, "I love taking pictures here and it's never the same even though you're in the same place." This time of daybreak is known as the "blue hour" in photography and generally considered as the opposite to the golden hour at dusk. The moment before dawn the sky may be light blue, but in moments as the sun peeps above the horizon it can also come ablaze with reds, pinks, orange and even purple. These photos by James show some of the scenes and colours he's captured through the seasons with the Dawnstalkers. He also shares them on his Instagram at @halfit0.5 and @dawnstalkers. An exhibition of James' work to celebrate the group is planned for September at Penarth pier building. More information about Dawnstalkers can be found here Happy solstice! Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
New York Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Could PSG dominate European football for years to come?
Paris Saint-Germain's stunning 5-0 demolition of Inter on Saturday night will go down as one of the most one-sided Champions League finals ever played. The scoreline was record-breaking, marking the largest winning margin ever in a European Cup final. While the performance was just as impressive as PSG outclassed Inter in every single department. Advertisement With such a young and talented squad — and the weight of winning the Champions League now finally off their shoulders — the question now is how much more this PSG team could go on to achieve? On the latest episode of The Totally Football Show, James Richardson was joined by Duncan Alexander, Daniel Storey and Tim Spiers to debate whether this PSG side could dominate European football for years to come. A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on 'The Totally Football Show' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. James: It was a perfect night for Paris Saint-Germain. Did you guys not get a sense that this is a team that's beginning to realise its potential and beginning to bring through players who can take them to another level? Are we witnessing a generational outfit in the way that the AC Milan team of the late 1980s were, or the great Barcelona side of the early 1990s? Duncan: It reminded me in some ways of the previous great performance in the final, which was Barcelona at Wembley in 2011. I remember after that everyone was like 'This team are going to win the European Cup for the next 10 years.' But they've only got to one final since. Unless you're Real Madrid, it's very hard to plan for successive seasons of glory in the Champions League. As it stands: yes, it looks like PSG are not only a great team, but they're almost reshaping how other teams are going to set up for the next few years. So it is exciting from that point of view. But we've all watched enough football in our lives to know that it's never that simple. And in underground layers across Europe, your Pep Guardiola's and Arne Slot's will be planning counter-offensives. So we'll see what happens, but for now let's just enjoy a superb display. Daniel: There's one broad theme of the last two or three years in international and club football. It's these superstar teams increasingly giving chances to teenagers that people hadn't heard of three months ago, and then those players becoming some of the most famous players in the world within a matter of weeks. Spain with Lamine Yamal at the Euros clearly lent on that, and Barcelona have done the same. Advertisement It does feel that by moving on Messi and Neymar, PSG have understood increasingly that not only is Paris one of the most fevered hotspots for creating talent in world football, but also that if you get those players in and give them the chance, then that's how you make them flourish. They can peak at 18 or 19, you don't have to wait until they're 22 or 23 to break into the team. That is perhaps slightly antithetical to how Serie A has always been about using young players and giving those players a chance, because in Italy they rely upon experience. The whole framework is that you're in a final, so you need experience: you need your hardened guys, and you need your Giorgio Chiellini's to get you through. But I don't think that's the case anymore. You can use that exuberance of youth to act as a complete game changer in a tournament because people don't know how to defend these players, and they haven't scouted them as much. It looked like Federico Dimarco had never seen Desire Doue play football before. And obviously he has, but he hasn't played a talent who is just going on pure adrenaline and exuberance of youth. Tim: To the final whistle, they were absolutely incessant and relentless with their pressing. It was 4-0 and they were still going for a fifth. Then you had Senny Mayulu coming on and scoring, and his celebration was just wonderful. In complete contrast to Achraf Hakimi's apology for scoring the first, which was just insane. But it's their aggression which was so impressive. It's Hakimi touching the ball more in the opposition half than he did in his own half as a right-back. It's every time Vitinha was getting the ball, just being unbelievably positive, like the quick dart forward he did for the third goal. It was two one-twos, and then in three seconds he was outside the opposition box having just been outside his own. Advertisement Duncan: And that must have come from the manager instilling that understanding in the players that they don't have to be scared to make mistakes, which probably lessens the mistakes. Even the things that look like mistakes from PSG aren't mistakes. They took the kick-off and kicked it straight out for a throw-in. They questioned it on the commentary, but they've actually been doing that quite a lot in games this season. It's almost to pen the opposition in the corner. So even the stuff that looks bad is actually by design. Daniel: I remember there was a quote from Luis Enrique when he was the Spain manager. Unai Simon had made a really bad mistake and Enrique was consoling him after the game. And he said, 'There's a difference between a failure of process and a failure of execution. If you make the wrong decision, I'm annoyed because I want to teach you to make the right decisions. But if you make the right decision and make a mistake, that's fine — that's just a failure of execution. You're good enough, so you'll get that right.' There's something really scary at any level of football about playing against a team whose players look like they're having fun and enjoying themselves. Inter looked like they had a plan to set up, but it didn't work and they couldn't shift from that. Whereas the flicks from Dembele and Doue, even at 1-0, it just looked like they were having so much fun. That's really scary for an opposition because it was like they were taking the mick out of them, and they were enjoying themselves while doing it. You can listen to full episodes of The Totally Football Show for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. (Top Photo:)
