Latest news with #SimonHughes
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cricketers hit for six as council bans matches
Village cricketers have been hit for six after a temporary ban on the sport was extended through the summer. The ban was imposed in Danbury, Essex, after a passer-by was hit by a ball as he unloaded his car on 17 May. Parish councillors have been exploring whether a 20m-high (66ft) net could be installed around the cricket pitch at Dawson Memorial Field, but warned it could cost £100,000. Stuart Ayris, captain of Oaklands, who play at the ground in the centre of the village, said the situation was "a massive shame". The 11th-tier side shared the facility with two other clubs, Tuskers and Danbury, who have been searching for new homes for the summer. A temporary ban on them playing there has since been extended until a meeting in September, Danbury Parish Council said. The decision came after the authority commissioned a report looking at the danger of a repeat incident. The report found "it would not be possible for cricket to be played at Danbury for the remainder of this season", the council said. It was agreed in September the viability of installing a large protective net would be explored. The council added it remained committed to supporting sport while ensuring the safety of the public. However, cricket analyst and former county player Simon Hughes said the authority's response had been "pathetic". "To ban cricket from somewhere it's been played for 200 years is excessive and disgraceful – there's got to be another solution," he said. Early records kept by Danbury Cricket Club found a game had been played at the ground in 1799. Mr Ayris said the incident that led to the ban had been blown out of proportion. "They deemed that to be a high-risk incident, despite the fact no person has been hit in living memory," he claimed. "There's been six cars hit in 10 years, and that's over 50,000 balls bowled." The captain, who is also club secretary and treasurer, said not playing in a league would turn people away from the sport. "We might be left with just playing friendlies every now and then which would be a massive shame," he added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story 'Cricket has been here for centuries, now we can't play' Related internet links Danbury Parish Council
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Danbury cricketers hit for six as council bans matches in Essex
Village cricketers have been hit for six after a temporary ban on the sport was extended through the ban was imposed in Danbury, Essex, after a passer-by was hit by a ball as he unloaded his car on 17 councillors have been exploring whether a 20m-high (66ft) net could be installed around the cricket pitch at Dawson Memorial Field, but warned it could cost £100, Ayris, captain of Oaklands, who play at the ground in the centre of the village, said the situation was "a massive shame". The 11th-tier side shared the facility with two other clubs, Tuskers and Danbury, who have been searching for new homes for the summer.A temporary ban on them playing there has since been extended until a meeting in September, Danbury Parish Council said. The decision came after the authority commissioned a report looking at the danger of a repeat report found "it would not be possible for cricket to be played at Danbury for the remainder of this season", the council was agreed in September the viability of installing a large protective net would be council added it remained committed to supporting sport while ensuring the safety of the cricket analyst and former county player Simon Hughes said the authority's response had been "pathetic"."To ban cricket from somewhere it's been played for 200 years is excessive and disgraceful – there's got to be another solution," he said. Early records kept by Danbury Cricket Club found a game had been played at the ground in Ayris said the incident that led to the ban had been blown out of proportion."They deemed that to be a high-risk incident, despite the fact no person has been hit in living memory," he claimed."There's been six cars hit in 10 years, and that's over 50,000 balls bowled."The captain, who is also club secretary and treasurer, said not playing in a league would turn people away from the sport."We might be left with just playing friendlies every now and then which would be a massive shame," he added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Construction to begin on new air ambulance base that will 'save lives'
Construction is set to get underway at the massive new air ambulance base near Southampton Airport in a move that will "save lives". The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance's new airbase, on George Curl Way, near Southampton Airport, is set to undergo construction ahead of its opening next Spring. This moves the charity from its current airbase in Thruxton, Andover, to a more central part of the region and will dramatically improve response times for the majority of the missions. Clinical lead Simon Hughes said: "It is going to transform what we do going forward. "In those life-threatening situations, literally seconds count, so being able to shave off time is going to save more lives." Simon Hughes (Image: Cristiano Magaglio) Teams will be able to reach almost every patient in the region within 10 minutes of take-off. In fact, during the press event, one of the air ambulance's land vehicles was called to an incident; its sirens could be heard as it immediately found its way onto the motorway from the base. Senior paramedic lead Pat Andrews has been with the charity since it started 18 years ago. He said: "This is going to make a massive difference for us." READ MORE: Hundreds of extra school spaces expected in Southampton as birth rate drops Pat Andrews (Image: Cristiano Magaglio) Pat adds that the new centre would mean that the service could attend an incident on the Isle of Wight in just 15 minutes, as opposed to the current 25. So far, more than £1.6 million has been donated towards the build, with a further £2 million needed. The air ambulance charity has appointed local building contractors Rosewood Building Services to convert the current building into a purpose-built airbase. Chair of the charity, Rebecca Brackwell-Slade (Image: Cristiano Magaglio) Chair of the charity, Rebecca Brackwell-Slade said: "We are so excited. It feels quite surreal to be here today. "It is in an optimal location. In many ways, it was an immediate front runner from when we saw it." READ MORE: We go inside Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Thruxton HQ Handover of the key to the developer (Image: Cristiano Magaglio) It is hoped that the charity's doctors, pilots and paramedics will be fully operational from the new base in March. The 4,273 square metre, two-storey site will feature a hangar to house the helicopter, a helipad, office space, aftercare facilities, on-site crew accommodation, training and briefing rooms and a garage for the charity's fleet of emergency response vehicles. The back of the building, where the helipad will be built (Image: Cristiano Magaglio) A dedicated visitor centre which overlooks the helipad will provide a space for the charity's community CPR and AED training. Richard Corbett, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance CEO, said: 'Every step we take towards our goal of moving into our new home is hugely significant. 'A huge thank you to everyone whose kindness and generosity has turned this long-held dream for the charity into a reality.'
New York Times
27-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Horror at Liverpool title parade, nearly 50 injured as car ploughs into crowd
The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic's daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox. Today, we're bringing you news of frightening scenes and multiple injuries at Liverpool's Premier League title parade. Plus: Alonso's first Real Madrid press conference, Napoli confident of Kevin De Bruyne signing and the TV pundit banned from Nottingham Forest. Last week, The Athletic's Simon Hughes published a poignant feature about 'Liverpool's lost fans'. These were supporters who died during the Covid-19 pandemic and didn't get to see the club's 19th top-flight title in 2020, or their 20th this season. Liverpool waited more than three decades for championship No 19 and, since the pandemic prevented en masse gatherings that year, even longer for a proper, in-person celebration. Yesterday, with social distancing rules long gone, thousands flooded the city's streets for a bus parade of the Premier League trophy — unaware of the terrifying ordeal awaiting some of them. Towards the end of the event, a car collided with pedestrians on a packed road near Liverpool's town hall, causing panic and almost 50 injuries. This is a live story, with further updates to come. Here's what we know so far: Video footage shot by members of the public showed a vehicle moving slowly through a large crowd before accelerating and knocking people to the ground. A representative of the local Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service explained how response crews were met with 'numerous injured people and four persons trapped under a vehicle'. Advertisement Parades are the high point of any championship-winning season. Liverpool were last able to show off the English title in 1990, which goes a long way to explaining why yesterday's turnout was so vast. In Leeds, 150,000 people took to the city centre to mark Leeds United's Championship promotion three weeks ago. Over in Spain, almost 700,000 watched Barcelona take La Liga's trophy for a ride. Eyewitnesses described the unfolding shock and confusion in Liverpool. One, Chelsea Yuen, told UK outlet Sky News: Another, Dan Ogunshakin, told BBC News: Before the collision, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot captured the mood by saying the parade was 'by far the number one (best football experience).' At that stage, he and those gathered were euphoric, caught up in a moment that ought to have yielded happy memories for life. There has to be a difference between the prospect of managing Real Madrid and actually managing Real Madrid. It's as big (and ruthless) a coaching job as football has to offer, and life inside the bubble is definitely no picnic. Fortunately for Xabi Alonso, a highly decorated spell as a Madrid player means he knows what he's walking into and his arrival as the club's new head coach yesterday, watched intently by Mario Cortegana, left no doubt that he's a logical pick for a team and hierarchy under pressure to turn the corner. The 43-year-old made the right noises about the man he was replacing, Carlo Ancelotti. He avoided firm commitments to one tactical plan but said Jude Bellingham was 'obviously' a midfielder and implied that Madrid would keep hold of unsettled forward Rodrygo. Significantly, he expects to influence transfer policy — something which wasn't true of Ancelotti. 'It's not that I come with demands,' Alonso said, 'but to work as a team to improve.' Mario was in the press conference room, so I asked him how Alonso came across. 'He showed throughout Monday the class and self-confidence that made the Bernabeu fall in love with him as a player,' Mario told me. It's naive to count chickens but I'd back this to work. We've got sight of Ancelotti's first Brazil squad for a couple of World Cup qualifiers next month. The main headline is the former Madrid head coach recalling Manchester United pair Antony and Casemiro. Gary Neville is one of England's most prominent and opinionated TV pundits. On Sunday, the ex-Manchester United defender planned to work as a co-commentator for Sky Sports at Nottingham Forest's Premier League home game against Chelsea. That was until Forest informed him that he was banned from the City Ground. Advertisement Clubs shutting out media employees isn't entirely rare in the UK. I spent time exiled from Leeds United when Ken Bates was chairman, in a dispute over the content of certain stories. Sir Alex Ferguson went through a long period of refusing to speak to the BBC. Forest have taken issue with some of Neville's criticism and Premier League rules allow teams to allocate accreditation as they see fit. My assumption is that sports in the United States would consider the treatment of Neville as odd. Media access in the U.S. is generally far more open than in Britain. Neville called Forest's action 'unprecedented' and, as Dan Sheldon points out, we're on uncertain ground when a club start crossing swords with the broadcaster which pumps the most cash into the Premier League. The dialogue behind the scenes must be fun. Time for a slice of humble pie. Shortly before the 2024-25 season set sail, The Athletic asked its writers to predict how the Premier League table would finish. It wasn't our finest hour. Not a single one of us picked Liverpool for the title. For reasons unknown, we had Tottenham Hotspur in fourth and Manchester United in sixth. Brentford were getting relegated and Nottingham Forest languished in 16th. We were, miraculously, spot-on about Arsenal but you know what they say about broken clocks.
Metro
28-04-2025
- Metro
One-year-old girl dies after collision at holiday campsite
A one-year-old girl has died after a collision at a Welsh holiday camping site. The unnamed youngster was struck by a vehicle at the Bryn Gloch Caravan and Camping Park in Betws Garmon at about 10.20am. She was airlifted to Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool about 80 miles away but died this afternoon. Sergeant Simon Hughes said: 'Our profound sympathies remain with the girl's family at this extremely difficult time.' 'The investigation to establish the cause of the collision is well under way and I would like to thank all those who assisted on the site today,' he added. The coroner has been informed. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Girl, 14, detained for 15 years for stabbing two teachers and pupil at school MORE: The swear words Brits find most offensive revealed MORE: Exact date 'mini-heatwave' will hit UK with temperatures as high as 27°C
