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saturday november 29 2014 | thetimes.co.uk | no 71367

The best show on Earth Tracking the northern lights Travel, pages 52-53

GARETH FULLER / PA

IN THE NEWS Oil companies plunge after Opec decision Billions have been knocked off the market value of leading oil companies as investors took fright at Opec’s decision to leave the cartel’s production quota unchanged. The rout came as Saudi Arabia ended a turbulent Opec conference in Vienna on Thursday with a pledge to block moves to cut oil production, raising the prospect of prices falling below $70 a barrel as the kingdom refused to play its traditional role of balancing global supply. Page 63

UN misses ebola target The spread of ebola is continuing to outstrip UN efforts to bring the outbreak under control in West Africa. Agencies will fail to meet Monday’s deadline for hitting targets because of a shortage of beds and burial teams. Page 62

Mosque bombs kill 64

High notes Canterbury Cathedral’s first all-girls’ choir rehearses its Dancing Day concert, a choice of ancient and modern Christmas music to be sung in the nave next Friday

Top head attacks parents

‘Affluent neglect’ is blighting children’s lives Nicola Woolcock Education Correspondent

Parents at Britain’s leading private schools are terrified of their children’s failure and how it will reflect on themselves, one of the country’s top head teachers has said.

Clarissa Farr, head of St Paul’s Girls’ School in west London, also accused high-achieving parents of “affluent neglect”, where children were not shown enough attention in the evenings. In a series of outspoken comments Mrs Farr said that many parents showed a “frenetic anxiety” and re-

fused to accept their child coming second. She warned that children were growing up unable to cope with failure as a result.

“Their children will succeed above all and they’re not at all on board with the idea of school as a community, learning to come second or that learning to give ground is an important part of education,” she told a workshop at the Girls’ Schools Association conference.

Mrs Farr’s school charges up to £22,500 a year. Entry is by competitive examination and interview, and the school says that it fosters academic excellence and high aspirations. The

difficulties of dealing with some affluent parents were revealed in a session she led on the challenges faced by heads running city schools.

She said: “Parents have very high aspirations — they have a kind of ticking, frenetic anxiety — even the ones who are delightful to deal with are on edge because they haven’t really got enough time to have the conversation they’re trying to have with you.

“Anything that might result in success not happening for their son or daughter, in however small an arena, they’re very frightened of.” Such “snowplough” parents cleared all obsta-

cles from their children’s path and tried to boost their self-esteem at all costs, Mrs Farr added. Their children were left over-protected and unable to cope with failure.

Some parents saw school as a “bespoke, consumer service”. She said: “Again at the more extreme ends I’ve certainly noticed an increase in the expectation among parents that what is arranged for their daughter will be specific and bespoke. If she happens to speak a language that you don’t offer, it will be expected that you provide tuition. Something that shocked Continued on page 6, col 4

At least 64 worshippers were feared dead after bombs rocked a mosque in Nigeria during Friday prayers. The attack bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram extremists. Gunmen opened fire on anyone fleeing the blasts. Page 36

Son’s remains returned The remains of an American soldier who was wounded in one of the bloodiest ambushes of the Vietnam War and later vanished into enemy hands have been returned to his mother and brothers after 47 years. Page 62

Sleeping beauty is back An avant garde painting, Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, was returned to Hungary after 89 years thanks to Gergely Barki, an art historian, who spotted it in the background of the film Stuart Little while watching with his daughter. Page 35 Buying The Times overseas: Belgium €4.00; Bulgaria BGN 7.50; Cyprus €4.00; northern Cyprus YTL 10.50; Denmark DKK 40; France €4.00; Germany €4.00; Gibraltar £2.50; Greece €4.00; Italy € 4.00; Luxembourg €4.00; Malta €4.00; Morocco MAD 55; Netherlands €4.00; Norway NOK 55; Oman OMR1.50; Portugal €4.00 (CONT.); Spain €4.00; Sweden SEK 55; Switzerland CHF 7.80; Turkey YTL6.50 ; UAE AED11

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News INSIDE TODAY

Opinion

News

Sneer today, and gone tomorrow for our oafish MPs

Why today is the day to grab that Christmas party little black dress

Weekend

Sport

Hugo Rifkind, page 18

Harriet Walker, page 15

The maverick who’s bringing the art of protest to the White House

Sathnam Sanghera meets Glenn Ligon, pages 40, 41

Rise of the short ball in cricket has reflected manners and habits of the age John Woodcock, pages 82, 83

Opinion 17 Weather 17 Cartoon 19 Leading articles 20 Letters 21 World 32 Weekend 37-60 Business 63-69 Markets 70, 71 Register 72 Sport 76 Crosswords 60, 96 Please note, some sections of The Times are available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland

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Bed-blocking hits record level as social care budget is slashed Chris Smyth Health Correspondent

Bed-blocking has reached record levels in the NHS, with an all-time high in the number of days spent in hospital by patients well enough to go home.

Almost half of the delays were due to problems getting into nursing homes or waiting for support at patients’ homes, prompting claims that cuts to the social-care budget were piling pressure on the NHS. However, ministers insisted that even though hospitals are much busier, on average patients now leave hospital earlier than they did two years ago.

A record number of patients also needed emergency admission to hospital last week, with A&E units still missing waiting times targets even before cold winter weather brings extra pressure during the winter.

In October, 143,118 bed days were lost because of delays in discharging patients, 57,000 of them the result of waits for care home places, support at home or equipment to help daily living.

The problems affected almost 5,000 patients, 20 per cent more than this time last year.

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Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, said: “It is truly sad that record numbers of older people are trapped in hospital when they are well enough to be at home. This sorry state of affairs is a direct result of David Cameron’s decision to take home-care away from hundreds of thousands of older people. It is a false economy that is piling pressure on hospitals and is a root cause of the A&E crisis.”

Last week the Royal Bournemouth hospital was criticised after threatening to evict patients who did not leave within seven days. The hospital said that some families were leaving frail relatives in hospital while they went on holiday, and the latest figures show that 15 per cent of the delays, 21,000 days, were due to “patient or family choice”.

A patient pressure group said that the Royal Bournemouth was not an isolated example, citing a man who could not go home because his house had been broken into by squatters but was nonetheless forced out of hospital.

Anna Bradley, chairwoman of Healthwatch England, said that it was “nonsense” to blame patients.

“This is a problem that the system

needs to work out itself, and the idea of fining patients is disgraceful. From the moment we are admitted, the doctors, nurses and care services all need to start planning for how and when we are going to leave hospital, to ensure the transfer is safe and that the right care package is in place,” she added.

Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky of NHS England said: “The rise in A&E attendance and emergency admissions continued this week, with 109,300 emergency admissions to hospital; the highest number since weekly records began. Unsurprisingly, this is also leading to more pressure on community services as these extra hospital patients become well enough to go home.

“The NHS is pulling out all the stops, with local hospitals, ambulances, GPs, home-health services and local councils all working hard to open extra beds and seven-day services.”

6 Deaths from cold weather reached a record low last winter. The milder weather saw 18,000 “excess winter deaths”, 40 per cent fewer than the winter before and the lowest figure since records began in 1950, the Office for National Statistics said.

We must fight fear of ebola, says Welby Oliver Moody

The threat of ebola has been magnified by fear, the Archbishop of Canterbury said as he urged the international community to concentrate on the science of the virus instead. In a video message, the Most Reverend Justin Welby said that the epidemic attacked “those things that make us most human”.

He told a World Council of Churches meeting convened in Geneva to discuss the disease: “In the ebola crisis we’re facing something that is extraordinarily unusual in the modern world, which has swept through people we know,

value, care for, have a sense of responsibility, have partnered with very often.

“This is a hidden thing. It just seems to come from nowhere, from anywhere, anyone. You’re infected by the people you love most, and grieve for most — they are most dangerous to you when they’ve died. This is a challenge to the very heart of what it is to be human.”

The archbishop said that fear of ebola had been one of the greatest difficulties faced by those fighting to stem the spread of the virus in West Africa. He also spoke of the intense pressure on the continent’s churches as they struggled to deal with the crisis.

Osborne ready to scrap flight tax for children Matt Dathan

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

George Osborne is to make family holidays cheaper in his autumn statement next week, according to the Conservative MP who has been campaigning to cut tax on flights.

Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, said he was confident that his campaign to scrap air passenger duty for children under the age of 12 would appear in the chancellor’s statement next Wednesday.

The levy adds £52 to the cost of a holiday to Spain for a family of four, or £276 for long-haul trips. Campaigners claim abolishing the tax would help families who face a huge spike in the cost of flying during school holidays, while costing the Treasury just £50 million.

Mr Bridgen proposed the idea at a Conservative party away day last month, when MPs were asked to put forward suggestions for the autumn statement. It was backed by David Cameron, who is understood to have responded: “I really like this one — I have three children under ten myself.”

MPs reacted angrily earlier this week to proposals to hand control over the tax to the Scottish parliament as part of the wide-ranging Smith Commission.

The SNP wants to abolish it altogether,

a move that would heavily disadvantage airports in the north of England.

Writing on PoliticsHome this week, Mr Bridgen said it was unfair to charge children the same amount of tax as adults, saying it was “a well-established principle that children are exempt from taxation, for example VAT on food and clothing”.

“Scrapping APD on family flights would give hardworking families the break they deserve,” he said. “APD is a tax on the passenger, not on the aviation industry, so the benefit of scrapping the tax will be directly felt by families.”

The “Scrap the Tax on Family Flights” campaign has cross-party support in the Commons and is backed by more than 30 travel companies, including Virgin Atlantic. Earlier this week its owner, Sir Richard Branson, condemned the levy for making the UK “less competitive, discouraging investment and growth”.

APD has risen sharply since its introduction 20 years ago, when it was £5 for short-haul flights and £10 for long-haul.

It now generates more revenue for the Treasury than inheritance tax.

The Treasury refused to comment on whether measures to cut APD would be included in the autumn statement.

How to bag bargain flights, page 31

“I think because I’m someone who comes from a religious, a faith background, I’m not a medic, I don’t have the skills to understand this — I want to talk about one word in the international response, and that word is fear,” he said.

“Fear shuts borders to volunteers trying to go back to their own country.

Fear quarantines them for 21 days when they’ve not been somewhere, in a place that gives any reason to be quarantined.

We must go by the science, not the fear.

This is not a political, it is a scientific problem.”

Key ebola targets missed, page 62

MPs challenge Met on 1,700 phone records Richard Ford Home Correspondent

MPs are demanding to know how many of more than 1,700 mobile phone records of people working for News UK sent mistakenly to Scotland Yard were investigated by police officers.

Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, wrote to Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, and Jeroen Hoencamp, the chief executive of Vodafone UK, demanding answers from both men about the data breach which affects staff on The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun. He asks how may times the Metropolitan police has asked companies to provide phone records of individuals, how many details were provided and whether other phone records have been handed mistakenly to police.

Mr Vaz said last night: “My worry is that they just happened to find they had a whole lot of material and did not hand it back. It is very unusual that they did not send it back immediately. . .”

He will question Helen Ball, the deputy assistant commissioner, when she appears before the home affairs select committee on Wednesday.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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News

Bouquets on way for men of ballet RICK MADONIK / GETTY IMAGES

In Russia, male stars receive flowers as well as applause, a tradition that’s on its way here, Jack Malvern writes At the Royal Ballet, as in life, the men do the heavy lifting and the women receive the flowers.

Since the 1930s, there has been a tradition at Covent Garden that ballerinas should be presented nightly with a bouquet while their male partners make do with applause.

Change is afoot, however. The Royal Ballet has signalled that it is sympathetic to calls from male ballet stars that they should be allowed to get a bouquet of flowers too.

The company approved a one-off experiment last year, when the male principals of The Human Seasons were presented with bouquets, and it is minded to dispense with tradition entirely if audience members show a willingness to buy blooms for men.

Xander Parish, who trained with the Royal Ballet before becoming the first British dancer with the Mariinsky in St Petersburg, said that he had become used to receiving flowers when performing in Russia. Over here in St Petersburg, the guys receive flowers just as much as the women during the curtain calls,” he said. “But when we go on tour, usually only the women receive them on stage. Over here, it feels completely normal to receive flowers. In fact, pretty much the only 24-hour shops in the area are flower shops.”

The dancer, who performed as Vronsky in Anna Karenina for the first time this week, said that it would have felt strange to receive flowers in London because it was not traditional, but there was nothing wrong with it in principle. “If someone watching wants to show their support with flowers, then why not? Often the guys here will re-present their flowers to their leading lady in front of the audience, which looks good, but they always give them back once the curtain has closed. It’s part of the show, in a way.”

He said that there was no sensitivity about men receiving flowers in Russia, where ballet is regarded as a sporting endeavour as much as an artistic one. “I guess the Russians don’t equate flowers with being only for women — although that seems to be only within the confines of theatre, as far as I’ve seen. I haven’t seen anyone giving guys flowers in another situation.

“Certainly, when I first arrived in St Petersburg and was given a bouquet during the curtain call after my very

Chan Hon Goh and her son Aveary collect flowers after her final performance with the National Ballet of Canada in 2009. Xander Parish, right, receives bouquets regularly when he dances in St Petersburg

Thanks a bunch 6 It is suggested that anything between £50 and £300 should be spent on flowers, which amounts to a bunch of between 10 and 60 6 It is always expected that white flowers will be given.

Tamara Rojo, the Spanish dancer, was always given calla lilies by her boyfriend before she performed

6 Dame Margot Fonteyn was once struck by a water lily when being presented with flowers, after which she suggested that the lighter daisies and cornflower should be given 6 At the moment, peonies are the flowers to give as they enjoy their six-week window of bloom

6 A lead ballerina is always presented with flowers. If she does not receive them, no one in the performance will 6 Until 1997, two men dressed in white wigs and knickerbockers would present the flowers. Their outfits are now far more conservative.

first show, I was a bit confused and surprised. I thought it was very strange.

Now I’m totally used to it and those bouquets can be very useful to give on to important ladies in the theatre, from my dressers to administration — it keeps them smiling.”

Parish’s thoughts were echoed by Steven McRae, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, who said that he would not object to receiving a bouquet.

Christopher Millard, the communications director at the Royal Opera House, said that the etiquette of giving bouquets only to women had grown up organically and was not set in stone.

“The door is open if there’s a will from the public to start giving flowers to men,” he said. “It would need to be with the agreement of the artists.”

The company does not pay for any of the bouquets, but relies on enthusiastic members of the public. A strict rule at Covent Garden is that no dancer will receive flowers on stage if the lead ballerina has none, although this happens rarely because a generous patron of the ballet has set up a flower fund to cover the cost of emergency bouquets.

Mr Millard said operagoers wanted to reward female dancers because they were usually the central performer, in productions such as Giselle or Swan Lake. “It hasn’t become custom and practice [to give men flowers], as in life,” he said, “[but] we’re open minded.

“We haven’t had to sit down and discuss our policy over flowers. If there are lots more requests to do this, then we will need to look at how that moment is choreographed.”

Men have received flowers under strictly controlled circumstances. David Dawson, the director of The Human Seasons, sought pe permission from Kevin O’Hare, the director of th the Royal Ballet, for the ma male principals to receive bo bouquets on the opening ni night, much to the consternation of some traditionalists.

Leading men have also been presented with a single flower fr from the lead ballerina’s bouquet since the 1960s, when Ma Margot Fonteyn passed a bl bloom to Rudolf Nureyev.

Mark Welford, a former dancer wh who co-owns Bloomsbury Flowers, said that Fonteyn’s floral tributes we were part of her legend. “Curtain calls used to go on for hours,” he said. “You’d see Margot coming out of the stage door at the end of the evening just laden down with bouquets.”

There is one other exception: when men dance in drag, as they do in Cinderella as the ugly sisters and in La Fille mal gardée as the widow.

Leading article, page 20

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News MATT DUNHAM / AP

Learn from Amsterdam drug deaths, says father The two British students who died after taking white heroin in Amsterdam have been named.

Shaun Brotherston, 20, and Bradley Price, 21, both from Plymouth, were found dead in a hotel room. They are thought to have taken the heroin believing it was cocaine while celebrating a 21st birthday. Mr Brotherston was an amateur footballer who played for Plymouth Falcons. Mr Price’s father, Julian, said in a Facebook posting that the pair had been best friends. He described his son as one in a million and urged others to “learn from his tragic end”. Last month another British man died in Amsterdam after taking drugs.

Policeman charged A police officer who was arrested for being drunk and disorderly has also been charged with assaulting two police officers, resisting arrest and obstructing police. Mark Toulson, 33, of the Metropolitan Police, was off duty when he was arrested in Wimbledon. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The status of the officer will be reviewed in due course.” Mr Toulson will appear in court on December 12.

Palace bribes denied

End of an odyssey This marble bust of Homer by Francis Harwood, which dates from 1757, is expected to fetch between £70,000 and £100,000 at Sotheby’s next week

New sat-nav test could signal end of the three-point turn Billy Kenber

For generations of learner drivers, mastering the art of turning the car around in the road in a neat manoeuvre has been an essential rite of passage.

However, the three-point turn could be replaced by a test on using a satellite navigation system under government plans for the biggest shake-up to the practical driving exam in 20 years.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is to ask 1,000 learner drivers to take part in a trial of a new practical exam designed to “better reflect reallife driving”.

It will consider extending the existing “independent driving” section, which requires candidates to find their own way to a destination, from ten minutes to 20 minutes of the 40-minute test.

Under the trial, drivers will be asked to complete their journey by following directions from a sat-nav rather than using road signs.

The trial may also replace the tradi-

tional test manoeuvres of reversing around a corner and turning in the road with “more realistic everyday manoeuvres” including reversing out of a parking bay and pulling up at the side of the road before rejoining the flow of traffic, the agency said.

Under the proposals, examiners will ask one of two safety questions while the driver is on the move, such as prompting candidates to show that they would operate the rear heated screen while driving.

The Driving Instructors Association (DIA), the largest industry body representing driver and rider trainers, said that it welcomed the plans to review the driving test.

Carly Brookfield, its chief executive, said the organisation had been heavily involved in the project and was enthusiastic about the opportunity it presented to assess more realistically a candidate’s ability to drive on real roads.

“The DIA and its members will play a key role in the project as it is critical that

driving instructors and candidates have their input in making the test more fit for purpose and more reflective of modern driving,” she said.

Other motoring groups welcomed the introduction of new elements to the practical tests, although they said that being able to use sat-nav should not be a compulsory requirement.

Stephen Glaister, of the RAC Foundation, said: “We all rely on our sat-navs but they are not infallible, and it is when they have led us down a dead end that we need to know how to do a threepoint turn. It’s fine to add some aspects to the test but we should be cautious about removing the basics.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “It is right that the driving test should evolve. However, not everyone owns or needs a sat nav. In our view a three-point turn is still an important manoeuvre. Eventually, self-parking cars will do away with parallel parking and, who knows, the driverless car might just do away with the test.”

1 in 5 drivers would fail eyesight checks Chris Smyth Health Correspondent

Thousands of drivers are on the road illegally because they do not meet EU vision standards, research suggests.

One in five people with borderline vision would fail one of the standards now used to assess drivers’ eyes, according to researchers, who say the time has come for regular sight checks.

Current rules are potentially dangerous and could encourage drivers to avoid eye tests so they are not told their vision is failing, the experts claimed.

They said that the middle-aged and elderly were the most likely to fail.

Since driving tests were introduced in the 1930s, people have had to show they can read a car numberplate from across a car park. Two years ago rules were changed to meet EU standards and drivers must now also be able to read halfway down a standard optician’s chart. Yet it is up to them to own up to failing to meet this standard.

“People who have been driving quite legally because they can read a numberplate at 20 metres may not reach

[halfway down the chart] so are officially illegal to drive,” said Keziah Latham, senior lecturer in vision and hearing sciences at Anglia Ruskin University.

She tested 120 people with borderline vision, finding that one in five passed one standard but failed the other. Only 2 per cent passed the eye test but could not read the numberplate, but 15 per cent could read the number plate but failed the eye test, she reports in the British Journal of Opthalmology.

Britain is rare in not needing a full eye test to get behind the wheel.

I was asked to see PM, says Paxman Sam Coates Deputy Political Editor

Jeremy Paxman was asked to see David Cameron about becoming the Conservative candidate for mayor of London, the presenter has revealed.

However, the former Newsnight anchorman said in response to a story in The Times yesterday that he would not have run for the post “for all the éclairs in Paris”.

While Mr Paxman attempted to play down the approach by the Tories as a “joke”, it is understood that at least two months passed between the idea being floated and him turning it down. Grant Shapps, the party’s chairman, is thought to have been kept out of the loop.

The presenter was asked to meet with David Cameron

Mr Paxman is due to host the party leaders’ debate on Channel 4 if the debates go ahead as proposed. One theory in Westminster yesterday was that the news of his possible candidacy was leaked to stop him being fit to be chairman, since he may no longer be regarded as politically impartial.

In a statement, the presenter said: “It began life as a Boris Johnson joke. I was indeed approached about the gig and invited to see David Cameron to discuss the idea.

“I decided a week ago that I wouldn’t take it on for all the éclairs in Paris.”

Senior Tories involved in the discussions were unaware yesterday that Mr Paxman had ruled out running.

A senior member of the Queen’s staff denied taking more than £100,000 in bribes to award maintenance contracts at royal palaces. Ronald Harper, 62, who was suspended two years ago, appeared at Southwark crown court to face allegations that he was part of a corrupt network.

Two other men accused of being involved pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. A trial date was set for May 2016.

Disabled workers plea Mark Harper, the disabilities minister, has urged businesses to offer work to disabled people, saying: “Hundreds of thousands of people would get the experience they need and employers could see for themselves the talent and drive of disabled people.” More than 1,100 employers have signed up to the government’s Disability Confident pledge, a campaign to champion disabled talent.

Kiss of life saves dog A dog who had stopped breathing was rescued from a blazing house and revived with the kiss of life by a firefighter. Ernie, a Staffordshire bull terrier, was in a locked cage when the fire broke out in a bungalow in Sittingbourne, Kent, while the owners, Simon and Lyndsey Fletcher, were both at work.

Firefighters broke in and rescued Ernie, along with two other dogs, which were unhurt.

Porridge is just awful An organiser of a group set up to complain about the quality of food at HMP Manchester has claimed that thousands of inmates are turning vegetarian because of the “inedible gristle” they are served.

A report by the Independent Monitoring Board into meals at HMP New Hall criticised the food on offer. It said: “As the supplier is contracted nationally, this board can only assume this is not an isolated problem.”

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

Cameron accused of blackmail over benefit proposals Francis Elliott, Lucy Fisher David Charter Berlin

David Cameron was accused of “blackmail” yesterday as Europe reacted to his demands to restrict benefit payments to EU migrants.

The prime minister raised the stakes with other EU leaders, saying he would veto new members and demand a UKonly deal if a cross-Europe deal to reduce numbers was blocked.

He said he would demand EU migrants be barred from in-work benefits for four years, while child benefit payments for dependents not living in the UK would be stopped altogether.

He also promised a fund to alleviate pressure on schools, health services and housing for communities most affected by record numbers arriving from Europe. Downing Street said later

that further details would be included in the Conservative manifesto.

Mr Cameron joked that he had “set off alarm bells” when his speech was interrupted by a fire alarm. In fact the European Commission said his proposals merited “calm” consideration.

However, Tomas Prouza, Europe minister of the Czech Republic, reacted angrily to what he said amounted to a demand to discriminate. Tweeting a photograph of Czech airmen in front of an RAF Spitfire, he wrote: “These Czechs ‘worked’ in the UK for less than four years? No benefits for them?” In Germany, Der Speigel headlined its report on the speech, “Demands to Brussels, Cameron blackmails the EU”.

“If the migrant discussion is burning you need a fireman not a man who wants to start a new fire,” said Detlef Seif, an MP with Mrs Merkel’s party.

“Freedom of movement of workers and people is one of the core rules of the

EU. We know that Great Britain does not want to work in the fiscal policies, is not our partner in the banking union and opts out of the rules for law and justice. This way just leads towards exit from the European Union.”

Stephan Mayer, a spokesman for the Christian Social Union, part of the German government coalition, warned that there would be no special deal for Britain. “I am not a supporter of cherrypicking. It is not good for the EU if every member country says we need an exception or special regulation,” he said.

Nevertheless Mr Cameron’s speech failed to impress a number of Tory Eurosceptic MPs who had hoped he would promise to repatriate powers to directly control EU migration. John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay, suggested the proposals were misguided. “The danger of this approach is that we are feeding into the narrative linking immigration to our benefits system.

Any benefit reforms are welcome, but in my experience the vast majority of immigrants are genuinely seeking work rather than benefits.

“The main concern remains the pressure large-scale immigration puts upon our already overstretched public services.”

Sir Gerald Howarth, a former minister, welcomed Mr Cameron’s plan “in so far as it goes” but added: “If the objective is to cut the numbers, will tackling some of the pull factors as he is proposing to do with the benefits system — assuming he can negotiate that with our EU partners — be sufficient?”

Although Labour has also pledged to reduce EU migrants’ entitlement to benefits, Ed Miliband derided the proposals saying that Mr Cameron had “no credibility on immigration”.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, —accused Mr Cameron of misleading voters into believing that the proposed crackdown would re-establish control over EU migration. “[He] cannot control immigration from the EU and has revealingly dropped his suggestions of a cap or an emergency brake on numbers coming in,” Mr Farage said.

Jobless migrants lose the right to stay in Germany David Charter

Germany tightened the rules for EU migrants yesterday amid concerns that the country’s generous welfare benefits were acting as a magnet for “poverty migration” from eastern Europe.

Migrants will lose their right to stay in Germany if they have no job and no prospect of work after six months.

Fraudsters caught cheating the system will be banned for up to five years.

Under the new law, which passed the upper house of the German parliament yesterday, parents will only be able to claim child benefit on presentation of a German tax number, to guard against double claiming in Germany and their home country. The crackdown followed a campaign by the Bavarian conservative party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), despite research commissioned by Angela Merkel that found little evidence of abuse of benefits.

Earlier this month the European Court of Justice upheld Germany’s refusal to pay work-related benefits

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to a Romanian woman living in Leipzig who had never worked.

“This is a clear political signal that it is not acceptable that someone comes to Germany only to get payment from the social welfare system,” said Stephan Mayer, an MP for the CSU. Opposition to the benefits crackdown from the Social Democrats was withdrawn after the government agreed to provide more cash to a dozen cities in western Germany trying to manage large influxes of new arrivals.

Net immigration to Germany was 437,000 last year and is expected to be higher this year. New arrivals from Bulgaria and Romania have increased from 35,000 in 2004 to nearly 181,000 in 2012.

While Mrs Merkel and most German politicians strongly defend the EU’s freedom of movement, she had to heed the concerns of her CSU allies and also the rise of a new Eurosceptic party, Alternative for Germany. None of the German reforms challenges EU law.

World, page 32

News KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / AP

Regal view The Queen and Prince Philip at Holyport College, Maidenhead, a state boarding school that opened this year

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, RICHARD POHLE

Free school founded three years ago is beating England’s best

A

tiny free school in a poor part of London has achieved the best results in the country, three years after it opened (Greg Hurst writes).

Every child achieved the expected standard or higher in mathematics at Ark Conway primary academy, the highest in England, and 93 per cent did so in English, which was equalled by one other school.

Its results were better than any others among the 15,000 primary schools in England and those prep schools that submit their results to the Department for Education. Among the schools it beat was one of the most highly

selective independent prep schools, James Allen’s Girls’ School, which had the third highest results.

Damian McBeath, the founding head teacher, said its success was due to strong teaching. Each class has both a teacher and co-teacher, who is a graduate on a teacher training programme, which the school uses instead of classroom assistants. It also uses a maths curriculum adapted from Singapore, which ensures that children master each concept before moving to the next and makes heavy use of pictures and counting blocks that help children to visualise sums or calculations.

The school is housed

Ark Conway pupils have to master each concept in maths, makng use of pictures to help them visualise problems, before moving to the next one

in a disused library in Acton, near a busy trunk road a stone’s throw from Wormwood Scrubs prison. Within three years it has become so popular that it had 140 applications for 30 places this term, of which 77 families listed it as their first choice.

This year, the children also achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in the phonics check, to test

We’ll send in the inspectors, Labour warns private heads Greg Hurst, Rachel Sylvester Alice Thomson

Labour is ready to send Ofsted inspectors into private schools to check they are fulfilling their charitable objectives, the party’s education spokesman says.

Tristram Hunt would take action if the schools tried to block his plan to make them support state schools by removing their business rate relief.

“If it doesn’t work and the militants of independent schools say ‘never’ then we will have to think again and Ofsted could be an answer,” he told The Times.

His warning is likely to increase tensions between Labour and private education. Many independent school heads have not forgiven Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted’s chief inspector, for

denouncing much of their work with state schools as “crumbs from the table”.

Sir Michael would be ready to take on an expanded remit to inspect private schools provided that he was given funds to do so. He has raised doubts about the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which monitors standards in most of the larger private schools and has a less challenging approach.

Mr Hunt accused most private school foundations of doing little to justify their charitable status by sharing their subject expertise, careers advice, extracurricular activities, experience in Oxbridge applications and facilities with state schools.

“Go through some of these schools’ accounts and it is so hard to find what they have done,” he said. “One cited

putting up the children’s artwork on the walls of their own school, another was allowing local groups to rent facilities at market rate — and making a profit.”

Mr Hunt said that it was private schools, and their trade body, the Independent Schools Council, that had been indulging in class warfare. He insisted it was the first time he had talked about them since being appointed shadow education secretary 14 months ago.

He also widened his sights to include England’s 164 grammar schools, saying that they had more work to do “at tutorfree testing”.

“Their trade union is hopelessly reactionary. Once everyone calms down and stops the kulak-style class warfare they will think this is sustainable sensible policy,” he said.

Church says watchdog’s meddling goes too far Oliver Moody

The Church of England has criticised the government’s plans to turn Ofsted into a “schoolroom security service” and warned that inspectors were not equipped for the task.

A senior church officer also said that the watchdog’s “loose” definition of British values was poorly conceived and no basis for downgrading the ratings of faith schools.

The Rev Nigel Genders, the church’s chief education officer, wrote in an authorised blog post that proposals to

make schools monitor their pupils for signs of extremism were “a step too far” and could force teachers to keep track of children’s internet activity.

“As a country, we have access to both counterterrorism experts and educational professionals. Suggesting these groups swap roles in an attempt to build a safer society needs more thought.”

Mr Genders also echoed concerns expressed by the head of Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw, that some inspectors were unreliable.

“At the same time that Ofsted rightly questions the quality of its own inspec-

tors, a number of schools have recently been threatened with or placed into special measures due to a range of concerns loosely grouped under the ‘British values’ umbrella,” he wrote.

An Ofsted spokesman said that while the body could not comment on the bill, the definition of British values followed by its inspectors was “very clear”.

“Inspectors will also seek to see that pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain,” the spokesman added.

the reading of six- yearolds. The first group of pupils to arrive reached their biggest milestone in the spring when they sat the national primary school assessments, known as key stage one tests, which children sit at the age of seven.

These are used to measure the progress that pupils make by the time they sit national curriculum tests at 11.

Ark Conway’s use of co-teachers means that graduates who are in training to be teachers can intervene during lessons to help children who do not understand what is being taught.

This is reversed in the afternoon: a co-teacher takes the class for half an hour while the main teacher works with pupils still struggling to understand.

Rich parents leave children ‘unable’ to deal with failure Continued from page 1

me quite a lot, and I’ve seen it more in the last few years, is the naked impatience with the idea of putting other people first that you see coming from parents. I think that’s a growing trend among city parents who have a sort of Darwinian attitude to their children’s education.”

The urban environment intensified competitive instincts among parents, Mrs Farr said. Although pupils were happy to do voluntary work, some parents were annoyed if this did not count towards an award or the university admissions form. City schools had to train teachers how to deal with highachieving people used to getting what they wanted.

Mrs Farr praised her “Generation Z” pupils for being wised up and aware of global events, such as terrorism, financial crisess and environmental issues. Many did community work and saw themselves as the solution to the “wasteland” created by the materialism and instability of their parents’ generation.

She said: “There’s a lot to be proud of. They’ve seen these cataclysmic, economic environmental and political events playing out in their world, in a context where accessibility of information means it’s right up in your Clarissa Farr: children want to sort out mess of parents’ generation

face. That’s changed the way they look at life.”

Despite her school teaching some of the highest-achieving pupils in Britain, Mrs Farr said that today’s generation was unused to concentrating for long periods. She said of them: “They are over-protected. Snowplough parents is a great description: clearing everything away in front of the child so that nothing can go wrong, self-esteem valued above all other attributes, anything that might threaten self-esteem must be moved to the side.

“Protection from failure: not being selected for a play or the first lacrosse team etc or having the utter disaster of getting only 10 A*s instead of 11.

“A lack of perseverance — when they do come up against some failure or difficulty they don’t have the equipment to deal with it because parents have prevented this.”

This summer 57 per cent of A levels taken at St Paul’s Girls’ School were graded A*, as were 94 per cent of GCSEs, and 99 per cent of GCSEs were A* or A. Mrs Farr’s comments come after Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, attacked private schools for not doing enough to help state school pupils, and threatened to remove their business rate relief. He asked in an interview with The Times published today why private schools should be “subsidised” if they are “increasingly just taking rich foreigners and doing nothing to help children here”.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Thugs had flame thrower and a torture plan, lecturer says The victim of a brutal attack tells Greg Hurst about the terrifying night that four men burst into his home A lecturer who was brutally attacked by Polish thugs in his home believes that they planned to torture him after mistaking him for a drug dealer or somebody who owed them money.

Paul Kohler, head of the law school at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, said that a flame thrower found in his attackers’ car appeared to have been brought as a torture implement.

Four assailants burst into Mr Kohler’s home shouting, “Where is the money?” and spent eight minutes beating him so badly that he feared losing his sight.

They wore surgical gloves, scarves to mask their faces and carried gaffer tape, with which one tried to gag him. They were stopped by the arrival of police, alerted by his eldest daughter who had hidden upstairs. Two were arrested and two fled but were caught later.

Mr Kohler is convinced that they called at the wrong house but believes that the attack could have ended with him being tortured after the flame thrower was found in the boot of a car driven by one of the gang. One of the assailants told police they had a weapon, believing it to be an AK47 rifle.

“Clearly that goes through your mind — what was that doing in the back of the car if what was described as the AK47 was in fact a flame thrower?” Mr Kohler said. “What were they planning on doing? It is just very concerning.”

It took five weeks for his bruised face to heal after the attack in August. He still has blurred vision in the corner of his left eye, owing to a damaged socket, but has otherwise recovered.

Mr Kohler, 55, who has returned to work, was offered counselling but declined. Instead, on being discharged from hospital, he returned to the

family’s four-storey Edwardian townhouse in Wimbledon, southwest London, and decided to lie down in his hall and dining room in the areas where his assailants had pinned him down. He said he did so in an attempt to cleanse his memory.

“I went and lay in each of the places they had beaten me because my vista from that position had been their leering faces as they beat me,” he said.

“Lying there, looking up and seeing my house from that vantage point was quite cathartic. It was reclaiming the space.”

For his wife, Samantha, and their four daughters, it has not been as simple.

Mrs Kohler was not hurt but was forced by one of the men to lie in an upstairs room, hooded and in the dark, while her husband was beaten downstairs.

“Sam is robust, the girls are like her — robust,” Mr Kohler said. “They are not emotional wrecks but they have clearly lost some confidence in the house.

When we go out at night we worry about them being alone in the house even though Saskia, the youngest, is 17, the oldest is 24. I feel concerned when Sam is in the house on her own.”

Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, Pawel Honc, 23, Oskar Pawlowichz, 29, and Dawid Tychon, 29, pleaded guilty at Kingston crown court this week to aggravated burglary. Honc and Tomaszewski admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Similar charges against the other two were dropped.

They will be sentenced on January 29.

However, the family has still not had an explanation for the attack. Neither they nor the police think there is any link to a small burlesque, drag and cabaret bar he co-owns on The Strand.

One of the gang told police they were targeting a Russian drug dealer, a second said they were collecting a debt.

“They kept saying, ‘Where is the money?’ they used the definite article every time. They thought there was a sum of money either owed or in the house. Neither of those things are true.

I’m sure that’s what they thought they were coming for.”

A third assailant told police they came to steal jewellery — Mrs Kohler’s

Benefit-fraud mother ‘tried to transfer cash to Moscow’ Nadeem Badshah

A mother who claimed benefits despite having more than £300,000 in a Swiss bank account was remanded in custody yesterday after it emerged that she had attempted to relocate some of the funds to Russia while awaiting sentence.

Caroline Foxley, 59, who was sending her two children to private schools, also attempted to claim jobseeker’s allowance and housing benefit days after her conviction for fraud last month.

She had been on bail since her conviction but at Gloucester crown court yesterday Judge Jamie Tabor, QC, upheld a prosecution application for bail to be rescinded because of her recent actions and concerns that she might be attempting to flee to Moscow.

During her trial, the jury was told that Foxley earned £306,000 from the sale of a house in the Cotswolds near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, in 2007 but deposited the money in a Swiss bank account and claimed income support from Cotswold district council. Foxley argued that she did not

regard the £306,000 sum as her own and felt that it was her dead former partner’s money and it was being held in trust for her children.

She had previously told Bristol crown court that she was unable to spend £200,000 of her former partner’s money because it belonged to the Mafia and that she would be killed if she tried to access the Swiss bank account.

Martin Steen, the prosecutor, told Gloucester crown court that on November 25 she went into Habibsons Bank, where she deposited more than £300,000 and “it would appear that she asked for some £40,000 to be transferred to her son’s bank account in Moscow”.

Joe Maloney, for the defence, said that his client maintained that she had not done anything wrong because she did not believe the funds were hers.

Foxley denied four charges of dishonestly failing to report a change in her circumstances affecting her entitlement to benefits and dishonestly making false representations to obtain benefits between 2007 and 2009.

jewellery was bundled into a holdall but abandoned. However, Mr Kohler finds this far-fetched, saying that his wife’s jewellery is “the cheap range from Accessorize”.

He was surprised when the prosecution barrister told the hearing at Kingston crown court that their house might have been chosen for an opportunistic burglary because it was a nice house in a smart road, even though it was clear that the occupiers were in.

News TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, JACK HILL

Paul Kohler was unrecognisable after the attack, above, but has now made almost a full recovery

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News Farming

Desperate farmers thrown off the land by high-interest lender

MP accuses lender of seizing properties and selling them off cheaply to its associates, James Hurley writes

Farmers have lost their homes and their livelihoods after being pressured into taking out “unsustainable” highinterest loans, say MPs. They are calling for the government to intervene to protect farmers and have accused UK Acorn Finance of “reckless, if not fraudulent” lending.

Elfyn Llywd, an MP and criminal

barrister who is leading the campaign, said that a major failure of regulation and policing had allowed Acorn and its associated companies to exploit farmers for more than two decades. He said that it was “one of the worst scandals that I have [ever] come across”.

Victims have lost “absolutely everything . . . their income, their livelihood,

their homes, their livestock and the roof above their heads”, he said.

Farmers accuse the Acorn group, which is based in Somerset, of selling them high-interest, short-term “bridging loans” secured against their properties. They say they were promised that a more affordable loan would follow, typically after six months.

When this lower interest loan did not materialise, the farmers were unable to maintain the repayments and Acorn repossessed their homes and land.

Mr Llywd, who used parliamentary privilege, accused Acorn of using an organised network to exploit farmers who were “cash-poor but asset-rich”.

Acorn is accused of using bogus valuations to inflate the value of farmers’ property in order to justify providing a large secured loan in the first place.

When the borrowers defaulted, their properties were repossessed and sold — at a new, lower valuation — sometimes to buyers “connected to the lender”, Mr Llywd said.

The Times has spoken to a number of Acorn borrowers who support Mr Llywd’s allegations. Avon and Somerset police, Acorn’s local police force, have investigated the lender’s activities on a number of occasions.

Arrests were made following an “extensive” criminal investigation in 2006 and 2007 but no charges were brought.

At least 60 farmers have complained to the force since 2006, with police documents acknowledging that borrowers complained that they had been “victims of an organised group of lenders, valuers, brokers and solicitors, [who] deliberately set out from the start to trap them into a financial situation from which there was no escape”.

In response to complaints from a number of farmers that the police had failed to tackle Acorn, the force said that it accepted that the lender was

“aggressive and unpleasant” and had caused distress.

Officers believe that Acorn has benefited from a “loophole” which means that its activities are not “criminal practice”.

Avon and Somerset police have demanded tougher rules on small business lending. The Serious Fraud Office has also looked into the Acorn Finance group but does not have any plans to launch a formal investigation.

Since commercial lending is unregulated, most of Acorn’s activities are not overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority. However, the Office of Fair

‘An organised group set out from the start to trap them into a situation from which there was no escape’ Trading granted a credit licence to UK Farm Finance, an Acorn lender, in 2012 even though Des Phillips, the founder of the group, had a history of failed businesses and personal bankruptcy.

A spokesman for UK Acorn Finance said: “[We] categorically deny all and any of the allegations of wrongdoing or inappropriate behaviour. All borrowers were required to take their own independent professional advice.

“Our approach is always to attempt to engage with borrowers whose loans are in default and to achieve repayment of those loans by agreement, not by the enforcement of our loan security. However, where that is not possible, we are left with no option but to enforce our security.”

Mr Llwyd said: “The authorities appear to be toothless in this matter.”

Leading article, page 20

Loans boss boasts a string of failures James Hurley

“The spider at the centre of the web” is how Desmond Phillips has been described by Sir Nick Harvey, another MP who has constituents who have lost property after getting involved with Acorn Finance.

Mr Phillips is a farmer himself, something that borrowers say he is keen to emphasise in order to win their trust. What he is understandably less forthcoming about is his chequered personal and business insolvency record.

He has gone bankrupt twice — first in 1975, then again in 1992 — and went through another personal insolvency process in 2010. He has also had a string of business failures, and a previous venture — Baybrook — was accused in the early 1990s of employing similar tactics towards farmers as those of which UK Acorn Finance is now accused.

Curiously, his chequered past hasn’t prevented him from winning the trust of high street banks or City financiers.

One of his companies, UK Country Capital, was backed with tens of millions by Barclays to lend to farmers.

When it collapsed in 2011, it left the high street bank out of pocket to the tune of

Desmond Phillips went bankrupt twice but still lives in a £1 million farmhouse

£17 million. The Acorn group has also left private investors nursing losses, after a collapsed £22 million Connaught investment fund lent it money.

All of the Acorn loans backed by Connaught money defaulted.

Despite his financial woes — and in stark contrast to many of his borrowers — Mr Phillips’ main address is a stylish six-bedroom farmhouse worth almost £1 million.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Farming News

Couple are £800,000 in debt and facing ruin

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL ROGERS

James Hurley

A farmer said that when he was visited by a pair of loan agents, he was impressed with their apparent understanding of agriculture.

Kevin Holt said that when Des Phillips and an associate visited the Aberdeenshire farm he runs with his wife to talk about backing a small hydroelectricity project designed to provide another income stream, “they seemed to talk my language”.

“They said, ‘You just need to take a big hit on the chin with a high-interest loan for a while, then we’ll refinance with a cheaper loan from a high street bank, or from [Acorn]’.”

Mr Holt borrowed £370,000 in 2012, which came to £420,000 once numerous fees were added. After six months with no sign of the affordable loan, Mr Holt began to worry. “Months and months went on and we heard nothing and the interest was going up and up. Then I realised other people were having problems with this company.” He now owes almost £800,000 and is fighting repossession; the couple could lose their home and business. “I’m coming unstuck. But there are so many victims all singing from the same hymn sheet. This is not right — it’s been going on for 20 years.”

Sir Nick Harvey, MP for North Devon, recalls a constituent coming to him several years ago to complain that he had lost his home and farm because of an unaffordable loan from a Des Phillips company.

“The loan was based on an unrealistically large valuation, the solicitors on the loan had acted for both him and the lender and he’d been promised a lower-interest loan that never materialised. He lost everything.”

Sir Nick realised that there were other farmers around the UK affected and he has written to agencies and ministers to highlight the issue.

“Absolutely devastating” is how another farmer, who asked not to be named due to a planned group legal action, described his experience of borrowing from Acorn — and losing a farm he and his wife had worked on for 20 years. He tells a familiar tale of a bridging loan with the promise of an “exit route” of a conventional loan.

Lynn Beard, a goat farmer in Wales, took a loan from a company linked to Acorn Finance in 2003 with a bridging loan that was “meant to be changed to a lower-interest provider, but it never seemed to happen”.

With the loan in default, she fears repossession proceedings. “It’s like sitting on a tinder box, because they are going after so many other people.”

She is paying £100 a month extra on top of mortgage repayments in an effort to reduce her arrears, but says “we’re hanging on by our fingernails”.

UK Acorn Finance declined to comment on individual cases, but strongly denies allegations of wrongdoing.

A goat at Lynn Beard’s farm: the loan is in default

Hard work in a land of milk and very little money

I

t is vanity rather than sanity, Michael Oakes said, chuckling in his kitchen atop Beacon Hill overlooking the Cotswolds, Shropshire and the Malvern Hills.

“I like seeing how much milk yield I can get. But you have to love this job, especially at the minute when I am getting a lot of milk out of the cows but no money.”

Mr Oakes, 49, who has spent most of his life dairy farming, produces 10,000 litres of milk every two days from his herd of 180 pedigree Holstein Friesians using technology to finetune his “inputs and outputs”.

He gets paid just under 27p a litre; each costs about 30p to produce. For every 5am milking, one of three daily three-hour shifts with the last ending at midnight, Mr Oakes loses about £50.

Twister Heidi, one of his lumbering udder-swollen cows, could probably work out there’s a problem.

“Dairy farming is more than a way of

life,” Mr Oakes said.

“You need passion to get up at five in the morning because you get shat on, you get cold, it’s wet.

Unfortunately that has been abused.”

The number of dairy farms in Britain has dropped by about 40 per cent in ten years; roughly two farmers a day leave the profession and coroner’s courts regularly hold inquests into farmers’ suicides.

However, Britain is still a player in the global milk market, a prosperous place where China’s billion citizens are discovering dairy and African diets are changing to accommodate milk.

Unfortunately, Britons want cheap milk, and supermarkets are happy to sacrifice their margins and offer it at 85p for two litres. Once you factor in the tankers, the pasteurising, homogenising, packaging and everything else to get milk from Twister Heidi to aisle 13 within 24 hours, there’s not a lot of financial slack.

Michael Oakes and his 180-strong herd. He is paid 27p for every litre of milk that costs him 30p to produce

On a tour of the 350-acre farm — punctuated by the thunderous crash of cows relieving themselves on concrete floors — Mr Oakes said that next year would be even gloomier. “2012 was really poor, so we went into 2013 with more borrowings, increased overdrafts,” he explained. “But prices started to come back

up, China was buying as much skimmed milk as it could get.

Ultimately, in France, Ireland and here we all increased output.

Then the Russian ban [on imports] came in, China took the foot off the pedal and all of a sudden everybody had a surplus. I am not sure I will get through it this time.”

When his father, Trevor, began dairy

farming, they “made a living and grew a business” with a herd of 28 cows. Now with 180 he relies on computers to keep a close eye on feed costs and yields.

He loses on milk, breaks even with a £30,000 European Union single farm payment subsidy, and makes a little with the sale of barren cows (£400) and bull calves

(£25). “Unfortunately what will happen this time is that we will lose the wrong farmers. The young ones who are investing, who are thinking about the long term, they are the ones we will lose,” he said. “The old farmers still driving a 25-year-old Austin Allegro and who live off nothing will be the ones who survive.”

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News

I’ll stand again and hope to wipe slate clean, says Mitchell

Lucy Fisher, Matt Dathan

Andrew Mitchell is planning to stand for re-election as a Conservative MP in a bid to “wipe the slate clean” after losing his libel trial over the Plebgate row, it emerged yesterday.

The former government chief whip may first have to sell off part of his property empire to meet the cost of his failed court case. He faces a legal bill of more than £1 million after losing the libel battle against The Sun for calling Downing Street police officers “f***ing plebs” who should “know their place”.

Mr Mitchell will stand again as the Tory candidate for Sutton Coldfield and aims to restart his political career after the general election in May, he told The Times: “I’m planning to stand again.

“We are faced with a substantial cost, which has yet to be determined, we’ll deal with that when we know what it amounts to.”

It is understood that Fresh start: Andrew Mitchell leaves his home in north London yesterday

he is taking comfort from a precedent set by Cecil Parkinson, the Tory minister who resigned over a sex scandal in the 1980s but who was re-elected and saw his political career was rehabilitated.

Mr Mitchell, a multimillionaire who worked as an investment banker for several years before entering parliament, owns a number of high-value properties in the UK and France. In addition to his £3 million townhouse in Islington, north London, he and his wife, Sharon Bennett, a GP, own a £500,000 house in Sutton Coldfield and a farmhouse of the same value in Nottinghamshire. They also own a chalet in the French ski resort of Val d’Isère.

Mr Mitchell has pursued other jobs while serving as an MP. In the past year he almost tripled his basic salary of £67,000 by earning £118,400 from consultancy roles.

Yesterday the prime minister condemned Mr Mitchell’s behaviour in the September 2012 incident. “Let me be clear, it is never right to be abusive or rude to a police officer.”

David

ISLINGTON TRIBUNE

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

MP’s brother has no truck with critics Lucy Fisher Political Correspondent

The truck-driving brother of the Labour MP who resigned over her picture of a white van and a house with the flag of St George has said that she was the victim of prejudice against Islington.

Ben Thornberry, a builder who was raised with his older sister Emily in a council flat, said that he was dazed by the “wild reaction” over Ms Thornberry’s tweet. He blamed “dirty politics” for her forced resignation as shadow attorney general. He said: “There is a prejuMs Thornberry’s house tweet led to her resignation

Ben Thornberry defended his elder sister Emily against accusations of snobbery

dice about Islington and a weird stereotype of the people of Islington. I don’t think Emily fits into that . . . She works very hard for the rights of the working class.” Ms Thornberry represents the north London constituency.

Mr Thornberry, 50, who has his home town of Guildford, Surrey, tattooed on his chest, recently returned to England after more than 25 years in America. He said that he had owned two trucks in the US but noted that his were “red, not white”.

Hugo Rifkind, page 18

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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News

World’s fastest woman is facing her biggest test Katie Gibbons

Half a lifetime ago she beat a teenage Lewis Hamilton on the track. Now the world’s fastest woman, Susie Wolff, has become the first female test driver appointed by the Williams team.

Wolff, petite and fair-haired, seems an unlikely contender in the macho world of motor sport, but her progress has been impressive. She is on verge of achieving her dream, competing in Formula One. “When I’m in the F1 car you don’t see my gender, you don’t know what I look like,” she said. “It is performance that counts. I do my talking out there on the track.”

Wolff’s gruelling training regime silences any grumblings that she has it easier being a woman. “It is a very tough environment and I face challenges every day,” she said. “Physically, the training I do behind the scenes to get myself ready to drive is very intense. I need to really build up

my neck muscles as the g-forces in the car are so high.”

Wolff, 32, was brought up in Oban, a on Scotland’s west coast. Her parents ran a motorbike shop and she has always been excited by speed. She drove her first motorbike aged two and was racing boys in her go-kart at eight.

“I grew up believing I could achieve anything, I was never told that racing was a boy’s sport,” she said.

“It was only as I got older that I realised I was actually doing something quite unusual for a girl.”

Wolff has had to deal with her fair share of what she calls “chauvinistic gentlemen in the paddock”.

Bernie Ecclestone, chief executive of Formula One, remarked that she was “as quick in a car as she looks good out of” but that, she believes, is a remnant of racing’s macho past.

In July she became the first woman in 22 years to drive at a grand prix weekend at Silverstone.

WESTMINSTER DIARY

ANN TRENEMAN immigration. His first attempt came at his press conference on Monday. When no one cared, his aide was seen with FT editor Lionel Barber and Nick’s views duly appeared in that paper. For this third attempt to makes news on the subject, he went all the way to Berlin and said, er, the same thing. Poor Nick. No wonder he looks so sad.

What is it with the prime minister and extremely large agricultural vehicles? It seems like only yesterday that David Cameron and Nick Clegg renewed their marriage vows in a tractor factory in Basildon. And so what could be more natural for Dave, when thinking about where to make the Big Immigration Speech, then to opt for digger manufacturer JCB. Some would say that if you are in a hole, then why keep on digging, but clearly not Dave who schlepped the Downing Street machine, such that it is, all the way up to Rocester in Staffordshire.

But then it just so happens that Sir Anthony Bamford, chairman of JCB, is a massive Tory donor.

Fancy that.

I’m not sure if the diggers themselves are big Dave fans. You enter the JCB factory by walking under giant yellow arches made from extended digger claws. Dave was overlooked by giant yellow machines as he told us about how he wants to control immigration by not controlling it. But, midway through, an alarm went off. Dave, bravely, carried on until finally he stopped: “This has clearly set off alarm bells in the European Commission,” he said as the bells kept ringing while he began to riff about other speeches he’s given with lots of noise.

When you’re in a hole . . .

At least Dave knows that what he says is going to get widely reported.

Nick Clegg cannot say the same. Nick has spent all week trying to get his message across on

There is only one happy Lib-Dem in the Westminster Village these days. Steve Webb was the only Lib-Dem honoured at this year’s Spectator awards, given Minister of the Year for devising the sweeping pension changes that may be the main thing this government is remembered for. Mr Webb, who has said he was relaxed if we wanted spend our pension pots on luxury cars, bustled up to the stage. “I was almost late because I was trying to find somewhere to park my Lamborghini,” he burbled.

He then announced pensions had become “sexy”. Well, maybe if you’re a Lib-Dem . . .

In the first battle over election merchandise, the Labour party has won hands down. They’ve been flogging bags designed by Grayson Perry for £19. “Some people have asked whether it’s a pig or a lion on the bag,” Grayson writes. “I say, who cares — its voting Labour!”

Meanwhile the Tories want £20 for a “limited edition mug” with the Tory conference slogan “Securing a Better Future for Britain”. Limited edition or, simply, unsold stock?

Hansard recorded a new and extremely ugly word on Wednesday when Pete Wishart, rock star and SNP stalwart, decried the “Ukip-ification” of politics. Mark Reckless, sitting two benches in front, looked pleased. I suspect he was less happy about the office that he was given by the government which is, reportly, so small that he cannot even stand up.

The experience was short-lived, a mechanical fault ending her outing early.

Back in the cockpit, however, she achieved a speed at the Hockenheim track in Germany just 0.227 seconds behind Felipe Massa, her team-mate, who is an 11-time grand prix winner.

She is now closer to becoming the first woman to line up on the F1 grid since Giovanna Amati in 1992.

She has watched Lewis Hamilton and other childhood competitors become world champions while still in their twenties, but does not think this reflects on her own progress.

“I would not have been ready to be a test driver before. It has been a battle to

Susie Wolff: I just ignore men who think it’s wrong for me to be on the racetrack

stay in Formula One and I’m proud to still be here,” she said.

Hamilton, whom she raced against when they were juniors in karting, said: “She’s very, very talented. It’s really cool to see her in a Formula One car. I didn’t race against many girls. Susie was one of the very few, if not the only one.”

Despite having agreed with her husband, Toto Wolff, the Austrian Mercedes motorsport chief executive, that the day she becomes a mother is the day she will retire, Wolff confessed that she is not quite ready to give it all up.

“I’ve worked very hard to come this far and I’m certainly not ready to give it all up yet,” she said.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News JOHN STILLWELL / PA; JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP / GETTY; GARETH COPLEY / GETTY IMAGES

Cricket puts out bats in honour of Phil Hughes

C

ricketers, squash players and even guitarists have been paying tribute to Phillip Hughes, the Australian batsman who died after being hit on the neck by a ball. Cricket bats were

placed outside various locations, including Lord’s, above and top right.

The tributes were posted on Twitter with the hashtag #putoutyourbats, and the best cricketers in the world took part, including Sachin

Tendulkar, Sir Viv Richards and Graeme Swann, the former England spinner.

Swann tweeted a picture of a bat he had used to make 63 not out, the score Hughes had reached before he was hit. Billy Bragg, the singer-songwriter, posted a picture of an upright guitar, prompting a flood of similar tributes. Bragg wrote: “Not a cricket player, so don’t have a bat, but shocked and

sad to hear of the death of Phil Hughes.”

Hughes, 25, died in hospital on Thursday, two days after being struck during a match in Sydney.

Before their match against Pakistan, the New Zealand team placed 11 of their bats, with caps on the handles, outside their dressing room. The England team, who are due to play Sri Lanka in Colombo

today, put their bats and caps out in their dressing room, above. Cricket Australia put 63 bats in the windows of its offices.

Hughes played for Worcestershire, Hampshire and Middlesex. There will be a minute’s applause at Twickenham before today’s rugby union match between England and Australia.

John Woodcock, Sport, pages 82-83

Chef felt like a ‘performing monkey’ Gordon Ramsay felt like “a performing monkey” as he built up his restaurant empire while his father-in-law was “up to no good” in the office, he told the High Court.

The celebrity chef accuses Christopher Hutcheson of using a machine to forge his signature and make him liable for a £640,000 annual rent on the York & Albany pub near Regent’s Park in London.

The chef is asking a judge to declare that the 25-year rental guarantee is not binding because his signature was used without authorisation.

Mr Hutcheson was business manager for the Ramsay group of companies until the chef sacked him and his wife’s brother, Adam, for gross misconduct in 2010.

Gary Love, a film director who owns the York & Albany, has described Ramsay’s allegation as an “absurd” attempt to wriggle out of his commitments.

Romie Tager, QC, for Mr Love, suggested to Ramsay: “You thought of him [MrHutcheson] as treating you like a performing donkey — making you overwork away from the office while he was up to no good in the office.”

Ramsay said he had, in fact, felt like a “performing monkey”. The chef has described his “shock and horror” at discovering Mr Hutcheson had defrauded him out “of hundreds of thousands of pounds” and denies knowing the practice was going on.

The hearing continues.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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News

British jihadists in prisoner swap are free to rejoin Isis John Simpson

Two British jihadists handed to Islamic State by Turkey in a mass prisoner swap are set to join frontline fighting within weeks.

Shabazz Suleman, 19, and Hisham Folkard, 26, have completed weapons training and are understood to be carrying out sentry duty in the Isis stronghold of Raqqa, northern Syria. A picture shows them together for the first time, proudly clutching AK47 assault rifles.

An intensifying diplomatic row has put pressure on Turkey to explain why at least 11 EU nationals were among an estimated 180 extremists exchanged for 49 Turkish consular staff.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office last night confirmed for the first time that Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, had raised the issue with Turkey’s foreign minister. A spokeswoman said: “We have continued to raise this with the Turkish government on a regular basis, including at meetings this week with senior officials in London and Ankara.”

Suleman, a grammar school student from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, who had recently finished his A levels and secured a place at a top uni-

versity, vanished while on holiday with his family. He was arrested in Turkey trying to cross the border with Syria.

His parents, who declined to comment, had clung to the hope that he had travelled to Syria for humanitarian purposes. They were said to be devastated at the news.

Folkard, the son of a Roman Catholic businessman and a Kenyan Muslim, left home in Leicester to live first in Yemen and then in Egypt. He has followed in the footsteps of his elder brother Omar, who is thought to have been killed during the French bombardment of al-Qaeda last year in Mali.

The Britons were among scores of fighters gathered up before September 20, when President Erdogan boasted of a successful “covert operation” to secure the release of 47 Turkish citizens and two Iraqis captured at the embassy in Mosul, northern Iraq.

Lengthy investigations have established that scores of the prisoners traded with Isis were held in the southern Turkish city of Sanliurfa before being loaded into trucks after dark and handed over to the jihadists.

It is likely that Suleman and Folkard were among their ranks, along with relatives of a senior Isis commander known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who

Shabazz Suleman, left, and Hisham Folkard are now in Syria with Islamic State

was killed in fighting between rebel factions in February.

The diplomatic storm surrounding the trade threatens to damage the relationship between Turkey and its Nato allies, with citizens from Britain, Belgium, France and Denmark thought to be involved. It also further undermines any hope Turkey has of joining the EU. The Danish government last week published a damning report on Turkey’s release of Basil el-Cheikh Hassan, 27, the prime suspect in the attempted assassination of an outspoken critic of Islam. He was awaiting extradition in Istanbul after allegedly fleeing the country in the wake of the attempted murder of the historian Lars Hedegaard, 70.

The Danish government is thought to believe that he was freed as part of the clandestine deal, although his name does not appear on the list of EU citizens.

Two other men confirmed to have left to join the jihadists are Emil Magshoud, 22, from Sweden, whose father has not heard from him since he left to study Islam in Mauritania in July, and Johan Castillo Boens, 35, the Belgian son of a retired chemistry professor at the University of Leuven, who converted to Islam.

Sir Richard Ottaway, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: “This is not the way Nato allies should behave. We are trying to stop jihadists getting to the front line, not facilitating it. The Foreign Office is quite entitled to be angry and to demand an explanation from the Turks.

As 11 EU nationals are thought to be involved, it also raises a question mark over Turkey’s EU aspirations.”

A spokesman for the Turkish government said that he had “no knowledge” of any deal.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News

Fighting in the aisles as Black Friday kicks off festive shopping Danielle Sheridan

Police were obliged to intervene as fights, threats and injuries marred a day of bargain-hunting for shoppers in a frenzy of enthusiasm for “Black Friday” offers.

Shoppers stampeded for discounts at leading chain stores such as Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s which opened their doors in the early hours to cope with a rush of business.

A marketing phenomenon imported from America’s Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday has been adopted by British shops with increasing aplomb as a way to kick off Christmas trading. According to Visa, some £360,000 a minute was spent on credit cards, with 3,000 deals on offer and an average price cut of 40 per

cent. A Tesco Extra in Silverburn, Glasgow, had to be shut after police were called to “help manage the crowds safely”.

In Manchester, three people were arrested as police were called to seven different Tesco stores, including to one incident where a woman was hit by a falling television.

Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester police, said the events “ were totally predictable” and said he was “disappointed stores did not have sufficient security staff on duty”.

At an Asda superstore in Wembley, staff handed out chocolates to hundreds of shoppers who queued before dawn for discounts on tablet computers, BMX bikes, games consoles and TVs. “I’m here for the Polaroid 40-inch TV, which is A mother stocks up on children’s toys in Cardiff

going for £139, and the Xbox bundle for £99,” said Kristina Butts, from nearby Cricklewood. “I slept on the sofa last night so I could jump up, pull my jeans on and get down here.”

As the store’s doors opened at 8am, shoppers ran inside, shoving each other aside as they clambered for boxes. One woman threw her body over a TV, but a man pulled it from beneath her.

“Let go, back off, give it f****** back” rang through the store. One employee said: “This is worse than last year.”

In central London, the New West End Company, which represents traders on Oxford Street and Regent Street, said traffic to stores was up by 19.5 per cent on last year, with takings of £150 million expected over the weekend.

Amazon, the first company to bring Black Friday to the UK, started its sales on Monday, dubbing it “Black Friday deals week”. Selfridges launched its online sale on Thursday, offering discounts on everything from bottles of Veuve Clicquot to Paul Smith wallets.

By yesterday morning, high street brands across the country were slash-

Chaos hit the tills of an Asda store in Wembley where bargain-hunters queued

ing prices in the hope of “improving sales after a slow September and October”, Diane Wehrle, the marketing and insights director at Springboard said.

She said footfall across all UK locations in the first five hours of trading increased by 12.3 per cent compared

with last year. Retail parks were the biggest winners with a 19 per cent rise, followed by shopping centres with 15 per cent.

Online sales did well out of the event, with 180 per cent more people shopping between midnight and 1am compared

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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DAVID PARRY / PA

News

. . . and today is the day to get that Christmas pa partyy dress Harriet Walker

before dawn for promised discounts on TVs, computer tablets and games

to an average shopping day, according to research by Postcode Anywhere.

Not everybody got in on the act — Next, the clothing chain, baulked at Black Friday offers. Retail experts questioned whether the event is genuinely good for business, coming at the begin-

ning of the peak selling season. “All Black Friday is likely to do is bring forward business from December, reduce gross margins and undermine consumers’ willingness to pay full-price again before Christmas,” said Nick Bubb, an independent retail consultant.

You’ve survived Black Friday — now get ready to face Black Saturday. Thankfully, it’s a more refined affair than yesterday’s smash and grab discount haul: today, British retailers will sell more little black dresses than on any other day of the year.

Debenhams reports that sales of Coco Chanel’s favourite garment have been 29 per cent higher than average this week. They are expected to peak today. At Selfridges, the LBD’s popularity is up 120 per cent on last year.

The department store is carrying a third more of the style than it did for Christmas 2013.

Kate Moss is a fan of the LBD, as is Kim Kardashian. Victoria Beckham has built not only her own wardrobe but also her fashion label around it, and the Duchess of Cambridge has co-opted it as maternity wear.

“The perfect LBD will take you Victoria Beckham, the Duchess of Cambridge and Alexa Chung are among the many women who favour the little black dress

from a cocktail party to an opera, a Michelin starred restaurant to a nightclub,” says Alain Mehada, head of personal styling at Debenhams. “People shouldn’t underestimate its effect. Customers have more confidence, walk taller and hold themselves with more poise.”

The high street chain has more than 100 versions of the style on its website, ranging in price we from £16 to £140. At Selffr ridges, ridge a black dress by the designer Simone Rocha is on sale for £1,805 — proof that there’s an LBD to suit all tastes and budgets.

Black Saturday is also happening online: Net-aPorter has sold 50 per cent more little black dresses this month than last.

Although some shops see the festive season as an opportunity for sequins and sparkle, Black Saturday is proof that many customers are looking for something more versatile.

According to Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s current creative director, “one is never overdressed or underdressed in a little black dress”. No wonder they are selling so well.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News

Bishop wants Koran read at coronations Coronations of British monarchs should include readings taken from the Koran, a former bishop of Oxford has said (Oliver Moody writes).

Lord Harries of Pentregarth said that religious composition had changed so much that Islamic scripture should be included for “hospitality”. “The relationship of the Church of England to the state has changed, is changing, and could change further,” he said in the House of Lords.

He pointed to a service at Bristol Cathedral where passages from the Koran were read after a request from the city’s high sheriff, a devout Muslim.

“It was a brilliant, creative act of accommodation

that made the Muslim high sheriff feel . . . warmly embraced but did not alienate the core congregation, or indeed Muslims or Christians, by a blurring of boundaries,” Lord Harries said.

He quoted the Queen, who in 2012 said that the Church had “a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths”.

Douglas Murray, a commentator on religious affairs, disagreed. “If you’re going to have the Koran read then you’re going to have to have readings from Hindu scriptures, from Buddhist scriptures, Sikh scriptures, atheists . . . must be represented by some readings in Westminster Abbey as well,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.

Indoor walkies are a hit An indoor dog-walking park in Britain’s wettest city has attracted more than 600 users in its first three months (Simon de Bruxelles writes).

The centre, in a former warehouse in Tremorfa, Cardiff, is popular with owners who prefer not to exercise their dogs outdoors, and provides artificial grass, plants and

trees as well as toys, sleep areas and a ball zone.

Action Petz was set up by Shelley Redding, 37, after her dog, Rocco, was snatched from a park.

She said: “It has been very popular because it is dry and safe in here for people and their pets.”

Users pay £4.50 a session or £30 for a month-long season ticket.

Mother left children and flew to Australia A mother of six who abandoned her children and flew to Australia after telling her son that she was going to the supermarket has avoided jail (Philippe Naughton writes).

The woman from Birmingham, who cannot be named for legal reasons, left the country on New Year’s day to visit a man she had met on the internet. She admitted six charges of wilful abandonment between January 1 and February 20 and was yesterday given a six-month jail term, suspended for two years, after a judge was told she was pregnant.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that the woman told her 14-yearold son she was going to

Asda. He then received a text saying she would not be back until the next day.

The next time she was contacted, she was at Heathrow where she boarded a flight to Sydney paid for by the boyfriend she met online.

She ignored messages from her family and police, switched off her social media accounts and refused to fly home until the end of her trip six weeks later.

Patrick Sullivan, for the prosecution, said that police were alerted when the teenager called his grandparents. Officers found the children — the youngest of whom is aged three — and put them in emergency foster care.

They are now living with their grandparents.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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comment pages of the year

Why we can’t cope with women like Harriet Green Janice Turner Page 19

Opinion

Scotland’s heart may not be that brave after all Tougher immigration rules aren’t half as significant as the future of the Union. But do the Scots really want freedom?

Matthew Parris

O

f two big political events this week, the less sensational is the more important. David Cameron’s proposals for limiting immigration do matter, but are probably only an opening bid.

Still, there’s hard policy here and the case is strong.

But the proposals for Scotland to shape its own taxation are epochmaking. Rational, desirable and overdue, they would have consequences at which we can only guess — although I shall take a stab.

I was not wrong when, after Gordon Brown brokered his “devo-max” plan to bolster the “no” vote in Scotland, I wrote here that “independence may be rejected next Thursday, but the Union is lost”.

What, first, are we to make of the prime minister’s speech on immigration? We must start from an appreciation that Ukip and the fifthcolumnists on the Tory right will reject his ideas as inadequate, and were going to whatever he said.

Here’s the unwritten “line to take” that every irreconcilable carries in his or her head for prime-ministerial announcements on immigration and Europe. We’ll need to get used to it, and discount it. It runs thus: 1 Unless proposals amount to a nonnegotiable demand for everything we could dream of plus the kitchen sink, denounce them as “totally inadequate”; “pathetic fig leaf”, “missing the elephant in the room”, etc.

2 If proposals look surprisingly ambitious, denounce as “pie-in-thesky” and “unachievable” and advise the prime minister to “get real”.

3 If wrong-footed by a favourable public response, denounce Mr Cameron in personal terms as a confidence trickster who won’t keep his word anyway.

My guess is that this weekend the irreconcilables will be dithering between 1 and 2, and ready to fall back on 3 if the speech gets a positive reception.

It deserves a positive reception. I take exception, as all liberal Tories should, to the prime minister’s suggestion that those of us alarmed at the right’s rhetoric “have no direct experience of the impact of high levels of migration . . . have never waited on a social housing list or found that their child’s classroom is overcrowded or felt that their community has changed too fast”.

I live half my life in Tower Hamlets in east London and the other half in rural Derbyshire. That no more makes me a typical East

Cameron should stop pandering to the anti-immigration lobby Ender than a horny-handed farm labourer; none of us can directly experience everything. But we can see, overhear, live among and talk to people. I plead guilty to the charge of being a well-heeled liberal metropolitan but I know Stepney, Whitechapel and Bow better than Nigel Farage does. I speak to more Tory associations than Mr Cameron can. I tramp the Midlands streets delivering Tory leaflets. My daily experience, perhaps more first-hand

than the prime minister’s, is that the less people’s lives are personally affected by immigration, the more anxious they are on the subject — not the other way round. And Mr Cameron is wrong to suggest that people are shouted down for talking about immigration — the noise comes from people who seem to shout about little else.

Well, we Conservatives who think that racist attitudes could become a big problem if politicians indulge them will not be shouted down; and Mr Cameron should not pander to those who want to silence us.

His actual proposals, though, strike me as entirely positive. The withdrawal of immigrants’ benefits for the first four years is a surprisingly strong proposal and the idea of deporting people who don’t get a job within six months very strong indeed (perhaps too strong to be workable); most people will think the reasoning fair. It’s also rather shrewd financially; the mostly young men who come here from continental Europe for work will stay no longer than a couple of years anyway — and pay tax and get no benefits.

Mr Farage’s response, that reducing the “pull” for immigrants does not amount to “control”, strikes me as faintly sinister. What does he want? Whippings? Blubbing rejects frog-marched back on to the ferry?

Whatever turns him on — but for the rest of us, stopping people wanting to come in the first place is certainly a means of control, and a humane and effective one.

I think it will make a big difference. Anecdotal, I realise, but my youngest brother, who is AngloSpanish and has come to Britain with his family not to claim benefits but to find work, was nevertheless startled

Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP may find it does not want income tax powers after all

by the generosity of our incomesupport arrangements. “I didn’t know about this and nor do my friends in Catalonia,” he told me recently, “and that’s lucky. If more people knew about it in Spain I’m sure there’d be hundreds of thousands more wanting to come.”

All power, then, to Mr Cameron’s elbow; he really will have to stick with this now. These are concrete proposals and the way is clear.

Mistier is the future shape of the Union; but through the mist something solid emerged this week.

Those of us who believe the argument matters and that logic must in the end bite, can take heart from the Smith Commission’s clarity on income tax. Now we can ponder the consequences.

Of course further devolution must

include taxation. Of course this must sharpen the West Lothian question.

Of course it will not prove sustainable for Scotland to set its own income tax rates without English MPs being able to do the same south of the border.

I have one warning and one piece of advice. I’d warn that whatever Ed Miliband’s response and despite the enthusiasm of Jim Murphy (standing for Scottish Labour’s leadership), the Labour party in England will find Lord Smith’s income tax proposals very hard to accept.

I believe, too, there is an ambivalence in the Scottish National Party which, in arguing that this does not go far enough, may secretly prefer it to go nowhere at all. I’m still not sure — and I question whether Scots in their hearts are sure — that Scotland really wants to raise her own taxes. The reason, I’m afraid, is too obvious to need stating and is anyway best not stated by an Englishman. But wait and see.

And my advice? Those of us who think that in the end England will have to have devolution too would be sensible to pipe down and be patient.

Let Scotland take powers over income tax; hold back on urgent demands for the same for England.

The logic for this is so stark that in time the argument, perhaps spurred by events, will prove impossible to slither away from, although Labour will try. Federation must come.

There’s no rush.

Red Box For the best in political analysis, comment and exclusive YouGov pollingg thetimes.co.uk/redbox

Today Mainly dry across Europe but with some heavy rain over parts of Spain and France. Max 20C (68F), min -12C (10F) Noon today

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Helsinki Innsbruck Istanbul Lanzarote Las Palmas Lisbon Madeira Madrid Majorca Malaga Malta Milan Moscow Munich Naples

Portugal, Spain, southern France Mainly dry with sunny spells over Portugal and western Spain, but cloudy elsewhere with outbreaks of rain, which may be heavy and thundery in places. Maximum 18C (64F), minimum 7C (45F).

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Northern France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Baltic states Most places will have a dry day with only patchy cloud and sunny spells. Maximum 16C (61F), minimum -6C (21F).

Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece Some bright or sunny spells but cloudy at times with the risk of a few light showers.

Maximum 20C (68F), minimum -3C (27F).

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Norway, Sweden, Finland Some light snow flurries over southern Sweden and northern Finland otherwise fine with some spells of sunshine. Maximum 3C (37F), minimum -12C (10F).

Western Russia, Belarus, Ukraine Some light snow over Ukraine otherwise fine with bright or sunny spells. Maximum -11C (12F), minimum -4C (25F).

British Isles Cloudy over Ireland and Scotland with some patchy rain. Bright and mainly dry over England and Wales. Maximum 13C (55F), minimum 3C (37F).

Outlook Staying unsettled over Iberia and southern France with some heavy rain. Mostly dry elsewhere.

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Speak directly to one of our forecasters on 09065 77 76 75 6am to 6pm daily (calls charged at £1.50 per minute plus network extras) For more information on the services we can provide, visit our website: quest www.weatherquest.co.uk weatherq

thetimes.co.uk

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Opinion

Sneer today, gone tomorrow for our oafish MPs As Mitchell and Mellor have found, the one crime the public won’t forgive is when the powerful treat them with disdain Hugo Rifkind

@hugorifkind

T

here’s an old joke that every social group has somebody in it who always shirks their share of a restaurant bill, and if you can’t identify who it is in yours then it’s you.

The same is probably true of people who are horrid to waiters.

You know that person who is brusque and angry and needlessly incredulous at the bread roll selection — and a right arse about everything else — and leaves you convinced that your spaghetti carbonara will have snot in it? No? Well, your friends do. That’s why you don’t see them much.

I bet David Mellor eats a lot of snot. Just a hunch.

“You sweaty little git!” he’ll shout at Gustav, or Pedro, or whichever starched and elegant kid is hovering at his elbow. “Call that a steak tartare? I’m a QC and an awardwinning broadcaster! And you haven’t even cooked it!”

And so it will be taken away, this steak tartare, and come back quite a lot more chewy. And he will not leave a tip and will think he has won.

I’m not so sure about Andrew Mitchell. I may be wrong — I’ve only met him once — but he did not strike me as a man who got his kicks from picking on the weak. Although

according to Mr Justice Mitting he did indeed call a Downing Street protection officer a “pleb”, and I daresay we have to conclude that the judge was not wrong about this.

If so, though, you have to ask yourself precisely what is it that made this such a terrible thing to do.

It was the disdain, right? It was the furious and arrogant presumption by a powerful figure in the government that his station in life’s ugly pecking order was superior to that of a man guarding a gate. Even though — and let’s be brutally honest about this — it quite obviously was.

Sometimes we all want to speak to people like this. Of course we do.

Call-centre workers, A&E receptionists, traffic wardens. My God, the things I want to say to traffic wardens. But we don’t, most of us. Not even when we know for

Cameron’s worst failing is the sneer he can’t seem to curb certain that we are being buggered around by bloody fools.

Today the greatest political crime is the sneer. David Cameron’s sneer is his worst failing and one that he doesn’t seem remotely able to curb.

Every week it sneaks out at prime minister’s questions and does him no end of harm. You watch and your toes curl along with his lip; as that big, ruddy face of his swells with the simple pleasure of being beastly to people. And yet the funny thing about the PM’s sneer is that it doesn’t happen when he knows he is wrong,

In other countries people would care far less about Andrew Mitchell’s postures

but when he knows he is right. Think of his famous “calm down, dear” jibe at Angela Eagle. At the time he was actually making a very valid point about GPs supporting government health reforms. Nobody remembers that, though. They just remember that he was an oaf.

Ed Miliband sneers too. Not often, but perhaps that’s just because he doesn’t get much to sneer about. He did it last week, though, as Myleene Klass tore into him on ITV about the mansion tax. The eyes rolled, the face convulsed and sagged with weary disbelief; he looked disdainful, impatient, awful.

Yet garages do not, in fact, cost £2 million, even in London, and very few grannies have anything to worry about. He was right and she was

wrong, and it didn’t matter at all.

Frankly, he reminded me of his brother and why I never quite buy the assertion that Labour would be thriving had the other Miliband won.

Some people are simply incapable of being right without being an arse about it. He’s one of them.

We live in an age where we constantly tell ourselves that what we crave in politics is sincerity. But sneers are sincere and that’s precisely what we don’t like about them.

Emily Thornberry was quite sincere when she sneered at that house in Strood with its white van and flags. Whereas Nigel Farage very rarely sneers but isn’t sincere at all.

He knows full well that his rhetoric arouses nasty passions and that his policies are incoherent and opportunistic all at once. He’s too smart a man not to realise it when his supporters spout bilious nonsense, but he never lets on. He just nods gravely and pretends it all makes sense.

If politicians are getting more sneery, I suspect that this says more about our society than our politics.

You don’t sneer at somebody because you believe them to be of no consequence. More likely it’s out of a blind rage that they are of enormous consequence, coupled with a fervent belief that they frankly ought not to be. Today the powerful sneer because they are sneered at; because the deferential presumptions of the past have fallen away and they have not yet learnt the knack of feigning respect for people who they fervently believe are unthinkingly wrong about everything.

Britain is a complicated, old-

fashioned country, and in a strange way our preoccupation with niceness — of which I am a huge fan — is a symptom of all that we have not yet become. When a politician comes face to face with a policeman, the interaction is fraught with an epic and intricate tapestry of subtexts that almost anybody from almost anywhere else would find incomprehensible. Even without the p-word, the accents, vocabularies, lifestyles, professions and perhaps

Britain is in the middle of a long readjustment about who we are

even postures of Mr Mitchell and PC Toby Rowland would have made this an altercation all about class. And in those countries less riven by such things, it strikes me that a politician would actually be far more likely to shriek at a copper for getting in his way, not less so, and if he did, everybody else would give far less of a damn.

There have always been oafs like Mellor. The Mitchell fiasco, though, feels very much of the now. We are in the middle of a long, long readjustment here in Britain, in which we are all, perhaps without quite thinking about it, reappraising who we are, where we are and how we got there. And before it’s done, my hunch is that quite a lot of prominent people will have eaten quite a lot of snot.

Although personally, if any waiters are reading, I tend to tip quite well.

Just so you know.

Jim Dixon Nature Notebook

Victorian values can revive this lost valley

T

he Longdendale Valley is one of the finest landscapes in northern England. Or, it could be. Historically this broad upland valley separated Lancashire and Yorkshire, but today it connects the great cities on either side of the Pennines.

The future of the valley is now a real-life geography exam. If the nation’s decision-makers work through this question to get an A* answer, the valley’s future could be brighter than its past.

Longdendale rises from the edge of Manchester towards the south Pennine moorlands at Woodhead and then falls to the settlements of South Yorkshire. The northern flanks stretch high to Black Hill and Holme Moss. To the south are the moorlands of Bleaklow. These wet, rainy moors fill the valley bottom reservoirs — fine examples of Victorian engineering, built 160

years ago for a growing Manchester.

Our geography examinees should note the historic track ways, built to export salt from Cheshire, which now chart the route of the A628, one of the most congested roads in England. This transport corridor connects the M60 to the M1 and the Manchester conurbations to South Yorkshire. A railway, now closed, was driven through the valley towards Woodhead, where it traversed the Pennine heights through a threemile tunnel. What can today’s transport planners learn from the visionary engineers of the past who created features that were both elegant and met strategic goals?

The valley is being improved in many ways.

Longdendale means “long wooded valley’” although today it is an open landscape with few trees.

The cloughs, or steep valley sides, are part of the largest woodland creation programme in England. The skyline is disfigured by pylons carrying electricity over the Pennines.

These may soon be buried, removing aerial clutter from the narrow valley and transforming the

landscape. The Woodhead pass cuts through the 522 sq km Peak District moorlands, which are being restored on a scale unparalleled in Britain.

Exceptional grades will only be achieved by candidates who can fully explain the complexity of this valley and demonstrate a vision that accommodates great thinking on the economy and the environment.

Lotto winners

T

his month, the national lottery celebrated its 20th birthday. In this era of austerity, lottery funds pl an increasingly vital role in play the conservation of nature, landscapes and historic places.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (on which I sit as a trustee) has become an important source of funds for the work of a huge range of conservation organisations.

Landscape partnerships covering an area the size of Wales, Devon and Cornwall combined, have protected and created habitats and cherished historic land. More than 3,000 conservation pr projects have added to our connection with the countryside.

Longdendale Valley connects the great cities either side of the Pennines

Nature reserves, national parks and world heritage sites are better managed, better understood and loved by more people thanks to regular doses of lottery spending.

Aware of the source of the funds, lottery distributors put a special premium on ventures that connect people with nature and heritage. The bats, newts, birds, rivers, forests and moors, and the people whose lives have been enriched by lotteryfunded nature, owe it all a great deal of thanks.

Getting the bird

O

n a bright, cold afternoon last week, I filled time between parental taxi duties in Sheffield by visiting the John Ruskin

room in the Millennium Gallery.

Ruskin wrote warmly of the Peak District’s “luxuriant colouring, the mingled association of great mountain scenery”.

He acquired art on a vast scale and proposed the creation of a series of collections for the Guild of St George, to widen the horizons of working men across the country. His vision progressed little farther than Sheffield, where he endowed more than 1,000 pieces for the benefit of the city’s metalworkers.

Among the landscape drawings, oriental books and medieval manuscripts (all available online on the museum website) is a terrific collection of prints from the greatest 19th-century bird artists, John Gould, Edward Lear and John James Audubon (left).

Audubon’s Birds of America records accurately and at life-size, birds that the pioneering ornithologist thought were under threat.

It is a monumental work that took 14 years of fieldwork to complete and cost in today’s money $2 million per copy to print and colour by hand.

The Sheffield Museum display changes periodically, so a visit soon may result in a chance encounter with a rare American migrant.

Jim Dixon is a writer on nature and landscape who lives in the Peak District

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Opinion

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Why be nice when you can be extraordinary?

The hasty departure of Harriet Green from Thomas Cook this week shows we can’t cope with tricky, powerful women Janice Turner

@victoriapeckham

T

he brilliant new Danish TV saga The Legacy, features a character called Gro. She is sharp-dressed, indefatigable, self-serving but full of heart. When a man slaps her across the face, she decks him with a right jab; when spitefully double-crossed, she takes a chainsaw to her betrayer’s roof.

Scandi drama has a devoted following because it celebrates women like Gro: Birgitte the prime minister in Borgen, detectives Sarah Lund in The Killing and Saga in The Bridge. They aren’t just clichéd “strong women”. They may be crap mothers, drunks, selfish about their sexual pleasure; they are kind yet ruthless, talented yet flawed. They are as morally ambivalent and as complicated as men.

It is no coincidence that such dramas emanate from the world’s most equal societies. When a nation’s parliament, company boards and public sphere contain a multitude of

women it is harder to file them into lazy archetypes: vamp, good mother, ingenue. You can’t get away with making male protagonists 3-D while the sole female, barely drawn, is simply The Woman.

But in Britain we still can’t cope with tricky, powerful broads as we saw this week with the hasty departure of Harriet Green from Thomas Cook.

Although she had pulled the company back from the financial abyss, its board was reportedly tired of her “personality cult” or, as one insider told the FT, that her leadership was “as much about the Harriet transformation as about the Thomas Cook transformation”.

The board balked most of all at her

Green made the ranks of business-school suits look bland and dreary interview in the Times Magazine in which Ms Green revealed that she lives all week in a five-star hotel, does kettle-bell workouts at 5.30am, sleeps only four hours and relishes buying her own diamonds. Yet Ms Green’s forthrightness, her refusal to beat herself up about her domestic shortcomings and lack of maternal urge, was bracing. She described how on holiday she potters about trying

to behave “like a totally normal, good wife” as if an extraterrestrial pretending to be human.

There are plenty of businessmen with gargantuan egos, bonkers fitness regimes and luxury pied-àterres, who couldn’t bake bread if you promised to double their bonus. Ms Green made the middling ranks of business-school suits look bland and dreary. She dared to stand among the big self-conscious characters of industry such as Richard Branson, who holds photo calls where he manhandles his female air crew, or Alan Sugar sputtering away on reality TV. She was no more blingy than Philip Green with Kate Moss lolling on his superyacht.

But women in public life are judged by different rules. Although you need to be steel-plated to will your way to the top — Harriet Green was one of only 13 women running FTSE 250 companies — you must still appear collaborative, nurturing and above all “nice”. When I’ve interviewed successful women — Martha Stewart or Karren Brady — I’ve found myself reflecting on how seldom they smile. In fact, they smile as much as any powerful man, it’s just that a woman’s failure to perform that deferential, people-pleasing gesture, is always read as scary.

When Jill Abramson, The New York Times’s first female executive

editor, was fired there was much muttering about her “abrasive style”, that she was “brusque” and pushed her staff too hard. It was not, she says, the only reason for her departure but these traits, perhaps prerequisites of running a newsroom and certainly unremarkable in male hacks, were used by rivals to chip away at her standing. Anna Wintour is caricatured as an ice queen, her personal rules — only stay at a party

Female politicians run in fear of conveying too much personality

15 minutes, maintain a perfect appearance by means of 6am blow dries — are seen as evidence of her froideur rather than clever strategies for conserving your energy while steering the in-house journal of a multibillion dollar industry. But as Diana Ross said: “Just because I have my standards, they think I’m a bitch.”

It is rare and always heartening to encounter a powerful woman like Harriet Green unafraid to be herself. At a Downing Street reception for women in media this week, I consoled a brilliant young politico made truly miserable by character attacks that I doubt

would have troubled a man so much.

In her book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg is always getting upset about a spiteful blog or a colleague’s harsh words until her Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg gives her a hug and says the biggest impediment to her success is always trying to be liked.

A generation of women politicians from all parties runs in fear of conveying too much personality, of standing out. They must care about their appearance — but not too much. As Caroline Flint once found out, look glamorous in a photoshoot and you will be damned as a show-off. Theresa May has to feign an interest in fashion when, I suspect, she is merely trying to fit in.

More women should note the line taken by the comedian Amy Poehler, as described by Tina Fey in her memoir Bossy Pants. When Saturday Night Live’s biggest star, Jimmy Fallon, expressed distaste for Amy’s crude, unladylike ad libs in rehearsal, she wheeled around and hissed, “I don’t f***ing care if you like it.” It changed her status in the team for ever. She was not there to play the girlfriend in the male writers’ sketches; she would not shape her personality around what men think is nice.

Because why settle for nice when you can be extraordinary, as Gro or Harriet Green might say.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Leading articles Daily Universal Register

Europe’s Paralysis

The eurozone is locked into a spiral of stagnation and deflation, without the flexibility to respond. It needs structural reforms and encouragement to enterprise Enthusiasts for European integration have long couched their arguments in the ideals of peace and fraternity. If only they had paid equal attention to the most fundamental principle of economics: things add up.

Through bad policy, economic ineptitude and bureaucratic hauteur, the governments of the eurozone have consigned its member states to stagnation and widespread political disaffection.

It is a record of fecklessness in the service of ideology, at the expense of real people’s living standards. Even a change in policy is doomed to failure, however, until the eurozone comes to terms with its fundamental problem. A misconceived currency union has frozen in place an inflexible and dysfunctional economic model.

Europe needs radical supply-side reforms.

The numbers are alarming. At the beginning of this year, the eurozone appeared at last to be recovering, if weakly, from its banking collapse and debt crisis. In reality, it is barely growing at all.

GDP across the 18-member eurozone was stagnant in the second quarter and recovered to an annualised rate of 0.6 per cent in the third quarter mainly because of a technical effect of companies building up inventories. Aggregate GDP in the eurozone is still below the level of 2008.

It may get worse. Figures released yesterday showed that the annual rate of inflation in the eurozone had moderated to 0.3 per cent. Partly this is an effect of declining oil prices. Yet it is also due to a severe shortage of demand and shows how close the eurozone is to a state of deflation.

If deflationary pressures become entrenched, they will impose great hardship. Expecting prices to fall, consumers will defer their purchases and companies will postpone their investments. Weak demand will become self-reinforcing.

At the same time, the unemployment rate in the eurozone is stubbornly high at 11.5 per cent. In Italy, it has hit a record of 13.2 per cent. In Spain, youth unemployment is at an extraordinary 25 per cent. This is all a phenomenal waste of economic resources as well as a human tragedy.

Worse, it could have been predicted.

A single interest rate and a single currency across Europe have removed an essential safety valve for economic growth: the exchange rate.

They have yoked together very different national economies while depriving them of the option of restoring competitiveness by devaluing the currency. Currency depreciation would not in itself be enough to resolve the weaknesses of the heavily indebted southern European economies,

but without that option their only course is a sustained squeeze on living standards.

Even with weak growth, debt levels in the eurozone remain dangerously high, and thereby limit the room for fiscal expansion. France, Italy and Belgium were yesterday given an extension of three months by the EU to cut their bloated budget deficits. That is likely merely to reinforce Europe’s downward spiral. Policymakers have relied on low interest rates to get Europe out of its crisis. That is not enough and it is not working.

There is a key to promoting growth in the eurozone. It requires removing the structural impediments to business expansion. Without supply-side reforms, a loosening of fiscal policy in the indebted economies would be self-defeating and dangerous. A spurt in demand would be strictly temporary and would be accompanied by a rise in these countries’ debt-to-GDP ratios.

A proposal by Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, to boost investment by €315 billion will not be effective while these weaknesses exist, as the plan relies on attracting private investment. Simplifying national tax systems and making it easier for business to hire the right people (and shed underperformers) are essential to Europe’s prospects. All else is detail.

Milk and Money

Shoppers and supermarkets have ruined dairy farmers. Now they must rescue them Early on the morning of August 1, Mike Batkin, a 73-year-old Shropshire dairy farmer, threw himself beneath the wheels of a train. There were two remarkable things about his death. The first is that it was reported in the press at all. On the whole, farmers are a tougher tribe than most and a stern taboo bounds the dozens of suicides in the sector each year. The second is that, after the inquest into Batkin’s death this week, the silence seems to be lifting. Other dairy farmers driven by the prospect of ruin to the cusp of taking their own lives are now being directed to the Samaritans.

The suicides are the awful nadir of a much broader trough of misery. The lights are going out in milking parlours across Britain. There are just over 10,000 dairy farms in the country, of which some 9,500 are family businesses. More than 440 have folded in the past 12 months. The economics of running a dairy herd are horrible. The main reason for this is a savage price war between the supermarkets who are these farmers’ chief customers.

In their desperation to cling on to market share, most leading retailers have dropped the price of a four-pint bottle of milk to £1. Some have brought

it as low as 89p. Something must break in such a marginal trade. All too often the cost falls most heavily on those who can least afford to bear it.

The sudden fall in the market value of the only good they can produce has wiped out most dairy farmers’ margins. Raw milk costs about 30p a litre to produce. Last year, when the average farm-gate price was 31.6p, the majority of herds turned a viable profit. This year, with the price hovering around 24p a litre, many farms are confronted with debt, bankruptcy or oblivion. It is an object lesson in the power of a handful of pennies at the supermarket till.

Free-market doctrinaires might argue that small dairy farmers are a sad but inevitable casualty of globalisation. This view is not just hard of head and heart. It is mistaken. Apart from the fact that the financial slough is swallowing both lives and livelihoods, it risks tearing chunks out of the country’s pretensions to self-sufficiency. In 2008 the UK produced more than enough milk, cheese and butter to meet its own needs. Last year it ran a dairy trade deficit of £1.27 billion.

The task of fixing this mess starts with the con-

sumer. Supermarkets will not bring their prices back up until they are confident that shoppers will stomach them. The caricature of grasping retailers is also complicated by the processing giants that often act as go-betweens. They, too, must be held accountable. Last year the government appointed Christine Tacon as its first supermarket ombudsman, with the authority to fine retailers for abusing their buying power over farmers. Her brief should be stretched to cover processors as well.

Politicians must also deliver more than sympathetic noises. Liz Truss, the environment secretary, has promised to tackle a bizarre labelling convention under which supermarkets can claim British cheese is “produced in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand”. This would be a good start, but she could also do much more to open up new export markets and encourage the public sector to buy British produce.

The opening lines of Gray’s Elegy, depicting a dairy herd winding home as the shades of night fall around it, are among the most potent and enduring meditations on the English countryside.

They would make a dismal epitaph.

Man-Flowers

Let ballet lead the way to equal opportunity giving At the final curtain, every set of lungs on stage bursts after the exertions of the show, and every soul laps up the applause that says it was all worth it. Why then do only the women get the flowers?

It is a question nature might ask, since she designed flowers expressly to attract male bees, and it is a question being asked (and cautiously answered) at the Royal Ballet.

With few exceptions, until now, flower protocol after ballet performances at Covent Garden stipulated that men in tights accept bouquets only at their dressing room doors or after dancing in drag.

Nureyev became accustomed to receiving individ-

ual red roses from bunches hurled at Margot Fonteyn, but so far the huge, fragrant armfuls of freesias and tiger lilies that dwarf tutus and fill whole taxis on the tired, triumphant journey home have been an honour bestowed almost exclusively on prima ballerinas by their admirers.

That could change if the admirers want it to.

Last year clearance was given by the Royal Ballet for flowers to be showered on the male principals of David Dawson’s The Human Seasons. Now senior voices at the company have said that they have no objection in principle to gender-neutral audience participation in curtain calls.

Cue man-flowers — on stage, but in the residual bastions of machismo out on the streets and in the suburbs too. For there is nothing intrinsically feminine about flowers. If there were they would not be lavished as they are on male and female dancers alike in Russia, whose president embodies a strict but wildly popular take on masculinity.

Timid man-flower givers should start with firm green juniper bonsai and braided money trees, in pots, but at the ballet best to stick with soft-edged bouquets. “The door is open if there’s a will from the public,” says a Covent Garden spokesman.

And where there’s a will, there’s a spray.

Today: The verdict is due in Cairo in the trial of the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak; announcement on the choice of new president of the Liberal Democrat party; a two-minute silence takes place in memory of batsman Phillip Hughes, who died on Thursday, at the Sri Lanka v England one-day international.

Tomorrow: Introduction of a free-flow toll system on the Dartford Crossing; a demonstration is held by the Scottish Scrap Trident coalition at Faslane; voting closes in the first round of the National Bird Vote, to find a bird to be the UK’s national emblem.

Birthdays today Dame Shirley Porter, pictured, lord mayor of Westminster (1991-92), 84; Simon Amstell, comedian and screenwriter, Grandma’s House (201012), 35; Dame Kate Barker, economist, chief economic adviser, CBI (1994-2001), 57; Dame Yve Buckland, chairwoman, Consumer Council for Water, 58; Jacques Chirac, president of France (1995-2007), 82; Joel Coen, film director, Fargo (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), 60; Sir Christopher Evans, founder and chairman of Excalibur Fund Managers and Britain’s first bioscience millionaire, 57; Benjamin and Jonathan Finn, co-founders of Sibelius Software, the music notation and composition programme, 46; Ryan Giggs, former Manchester United and Wales footballer, 41; Sir Malcolm Grant, chairman, NHS England, 67; Sir Michael Howard, military historian, The Invention of Peace (2000), and emeritus professor of modern history, University of Oxford, 92; John Mayall, blues musician, founder of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, The Turning Point (1969), 81; Gregor Muir, executive director, Institute of Contemporary Arts, 50; Professor David Rhind, geographer and chairman, Bank of England pension trustees (2009-12), 71.

Birthdays tomorrow David Laws, pictured, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil and minister for schools and the Cabinet Office, 49; Semyon Bychkov, conductor, Klemperer chair of conducting, Royal Academy of Music, 62; Lord (David) Evans of Watford, chairman, Newsdesk Media publishing agency, 72; Roger Glover, bassist, Deep Purple, 69; Professor Veronica Hope-Hailey, dean of the school of management at the University of Bath, 58; Billy Idol, rock singer, White Wedding (1982), 59; Lorraine Kelly, TV presenter, Lorraine, GMTV (1993-2010), 55; Josh Lewsey, England rugby international, 38; Gary Lineker, presenter, Match of the Day, and former England footballer (1984-92), 54; Radu Lupu, concert pianist, 69; Terrence Malick, film director, Badlands (1973), The Tree of Life (2011), 71; David Mamet, playwright and television and film director, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), 67; Patrick McLoughlin, Conservative MP for the Derbyshire Dales and transport secretary, 57; David Nicholls, novelist, One Day (2009), Us (2014), 48; Sir Ridley Scott, film director, Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), 77; Ben Stiller, actor and director, Night at the Museum (2006), 49; Hugo Swire, Conservative MP for East Devon and foreign office minister, 55; Stan Sulzmann, jazz saxophonist, 66.

The last word “Parliament itself would not exist in its present form had people not defied the law.”

Arthur Scargill, in evidence to a House of Commons select committee (1980)

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Letters to the Editor

1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF Email: letters@thetimes.co.uk

Smith paves way for Scottish independence

University or work?

Sir, Labour’s university-focused education polices are in danger of leaving the country without the skills to keep the economy moving forward (“This mindless dash for degrees is pointless”, Ross Clark, Nov 26).

While graduates are battling for a handful of opportunities, trade businesses cannot find enough trained and experienced workers. Students should train in the workplaces of their chosen profession. In my industry, through apprenticeships, it’s the only way forward.

Creating a fully-funded, national apprenticeship scheme will provide employers with a skilled workforce that can take businesses forward. charlie mullins Chief executive, Pimlico Plumbers, London SE11 Sir, A university experience is good for individuals, society and the economy. University students are tomorrow’s teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, business leaders, entrepreneurs and inventors. Students build global connections, experience different cultures and are exposed to a range of arguments and opinions.

The UK university sector offers degrees co-created with employers, work placements, online and parttime learning. I am sure, despite never looking at his degree certificate, Mr Clark’s university experience enriches his life on a daily basis. nicola dandridge Chief executive, Universities UK

Blake’s cottage

Sir, I cannot fault your piece on the Earl of March pub in Lavant (Lifestore, Nov 27). However, I think it only fair to point out to the many followers of Blake and the millions who sing those famous words that they were actually written while he was living in Felpham, in a cottage that the Blake Society is trying to raise the money to buy. The Earl of March pub was not actually there in 1800 and the house in Lavant that he visited nearly every week, and where he spent the night after his acquittal in 1803, is some 200 yards south of where the pub now stands. peter johns Trustee, The Blake Cottage Trust Lavant, W Sussex

Corrections and clarifications 6 It was the Serious Fraud Office that apologised and paid damages to Vincent and Robert Tchenguiz, not the National Crime Agency (“Tycoon starts £2.2bn lawsuit against ‘conspirators’ behind wrongful arrest”, Nov 28). We apologise for the error.

The Times takes complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules and regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that IPSO enforces.

Requests for corrections or clarifications should be sent by email to feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

Sir, You argue that the Smith Commission report could be a significant step towards a federal Britain (“The Price of Union”, Nov 28). That is unlikely: first, because England does not want federalism, and second, because no federal state known to me hands control of income tax to a sub-national unit.

Devolving control of income tax to the Scottish parliament is illogical, since revenue from the tax pays not only for devolved services such as health and education but also for reserved services, such as foreign policy, defence and pensions.

Were Smith to be implemented, Scottish MPs at Westminster would lose responsibility for the main tax paid by their constituents. Further, the prime minister has argued that Smith makes the case for English votes for English laws “unanswerable”. If Scottish MPs no longer voted on parts of the budget they would in effect be steered towards an exit from Westminster.

The SNP adopts a policy of “English votes for English laws” since it is separatist. It is odd that some unionists support a similar policy. Unionists should be seeking to bring the Scottish and English systems together. If implemented, the Smith proposals would be in danger of giving Scottish separatists — through the back door — what they failed to gain through the front door in September’s referendum. vernon bogdanor Professor of government, King’s College London Sir, Nicola Sturgeon is “disappointed” at the Smith commission’s proposals (“SNP wants more power and vows to fight for it”, Nov 28). The commission was set up

‘Pleb’ judgment Sir, It is not for me to speculate on whether Mr Justice Mitting was right or wrong in finding that Mr Mitchell used the word “pleb”, but what does concern me is that a decision of this magnitude, said to cost Mr Mitchell £3 million, should be decided by one person, however distinguished.

It would add little to the cost of a trial if two experienced lay JPs were added to the tribunal trying the case. It

on this day november 29, 1914

LORD DALRYMPLE AS A PRISONER Major Viscount Dalrymple, MP, of the 2nd Scots Guards, has sent two letters to Lady Dalrymple, who has forwarded them to the Wigtownshire Free Press for the information of her husband’s constituents. Lord Dalrymple is interned at Crefeld, Germany: I am afraid there is very little left of our battalion. Colonel Bolton, Major R Menzies, Captain J Coke, Captain Fox, Major Trafford, Lord

to create a more federal Britain by enhancing the powers of the Scottish parliament. The recommendations in fact go further than the original “vow” promised by Gordon Brown.

The proposals, far from being a Westminster betrayal, deliver on the home rule that was promised to Scotland and can bring about a stronger Scotland within a new federal United Kingdom. william beddows St Andrews, Fife Sir, It is understandable why the latest proposals for fiscal devolution to Scotland are encouraging ever greater demands for “English votes for English laws”. However, this is an answer to the “West Lothian question” which will not work, and should be rejected.

Enoch Powell described creating first and second-class MPs as “an abomination”, and he was right. As he explained, “no line of demarcation can be drawn in a unitary state between one set of subjects and another . . . a debate on defence is also a debate on education.”

Rather than demote Scotland’s MPs to “second-class” status, they should simply be reduced in number. richard ritchie London SW18 Sir, The only fair way of devolving power in the UK is to devolve it identically to each of the four nations, including England. We must now have an English parliament at Westminster. However, we cannot afford to have further palaces and politicians, so this should be made up of existing English MPs. A separate UK parliament, formed by would be a safeguard against the possibility of a single judge “getting it wrong” and would give the public greater confidence. alured darlington Hanwell Chambers, London W7

British brigade Sir, Roger Boyes writes that the Spanish Civil War “was for the engaged Britons largely waged in the salons” (“Stop romanticising the Gerald Grosvenor and I were all caught practically together. Fox is slightly wounded in several places, and Grosvenor rather badly about the head and back. We seem to have had better treatment on the way than most of the other prisoners here, which is not saying much. We were eight of us, with nine soldiers guarding us, in a 2ndclass compartment for 48 hours; every seat full and impossible to lie down; not allowed to stand up, lie on the floor, or look out of the windows. After we had been in this compartment about 30 hours, we were given a plateful of potato soup, with a little meat in it. We had not had anything to eat or drink for 24 hours previous to being captured, and had been under heavy fire the whole time.

In the barracks we have roll call at 8am and 9pm. Breakfast consists of coffee and bread and butter. I have not yet had lunch. Dinner is coffee and bread and cheese. We can get eggs and bacon on payment of about 6d. We are compulsory teetotallers and, to add insult to

a sub-set of existing English MPs, MSPs, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assembly members, selected in proportion to their population and party support, can meet as required, on days when the devolved assemblies do not sit, in existing parliamentary or assembly facilities to deal only with UK-wide issues.

The UK government should be determined by the majority party in the UK parliament, with ministers responsible for UK-wide departments such as foreign affairs and defence. The English government should be formed by the majority party in the English parliament with a first minister and ministers responsible for devolved departments such as the NHS. martin herbert Great Waltham, Essex Sir, The majority of Scots voted for the Union and against the SNP and their proposals in the referendum, and yet it looks as though we are now being railroaded against our will into making huge concessions driven by political need and the spectre of a May election next year.

The eventual fierce tax regime will drive business and homeowners away. Who will protect an unrepresented majority that is now disenfranchised and who do not want any of this? stephen m fielding Kirkbrae, Galashiels Sir, The Scots want Barnett formula spending levels or even more and they want the opportunity to pay the higher taxes that such benefits and other spending require. What’s not to understand? What’s to argue with? david j cashman Middlesbrough Kurdish underdogs”, Nov 26). This is not so: 2,500 British men and women volunteered to serve with the Spanish Republican forces. These included labourers, miners, drivers, and seamen who served in the International Brigade. Others served with the Quaker ambulance service and with the anarchist and POUM militias. More than 500 Britons were killed on the Spanish battlefields.

Very few of them were poets. robert laurie East Kilbride, S Lanarkshire injury, other people are allowed to come and drink beer in our canteen where we buy all our necessaries. Of course, we none of us have anything but what we stand up in, and everything like knives, &c, taken away from us. I was allowed to keep my coat, but most people were not. I have a very short and hard and unpleasant looking bed, but I was so dirty last night that I slept in my clothes outside it, with my greatcoat over me. After breakfast, certain days there is a room full of hot shower-baths, where we can all go and stand together and get pretty well cleaned. Lord Garlies got here two days before us. We thought he was dead. We had a real bad week to finish up with. I think Major Hugh Fraser was killed wearing my Burberry, and with my last letter to you, a very long one, in his pocket. sign up for a weekly email with extracts from the times history of the war ww1.thetimes.co.uk

Ransom Sir, Your leader (“Do not pay”, Nov 25) rightly supports the British government’s legislative initiative to combat terrorism by trying to prevent the payment of ransoms to terrorist organisations, particularly IS and al-Qaeda affiliates. What your article does not make clear is that of the $120 million that the US Treasury estimates has been paid to these organisations in recent years in ransom payments, none of this money has been paid or reimbursed by the London insurance market. The government clearly feels that there must be no ambiguity around the legality of insurance companies paying these kind of ransoms. The London insurance market has acted entirely responsibly and in accordance with the law under the current legislative framework. richard fenning chief executive officer, Control Risks, London SE1

Art for the people Sir, As some of the world’s oldest art schools, we are glad that newcomers, such as Open School East, are adding to our number. If they see a niche in painting or drawing, or offer reduced fees, so much the better. However, their emergence is no excuse to claim that we are only educating the rich or have forgotten about fine art (“We are in danger of having a generation of trust-fund artists”, Nov 26).

Thanks to huge investment in widening participation, UK students reflect the country’s socio-economic make-up, even after the fees increase.

Fine art, ceramics and jewellery courses have not been cleared to make way for new technologies. nigel carrington, vice-chancellor, University of the Arts London; simon ofield-kerr, vice-chancellor, University of the Creative Arts; professor john last, vicechancellor, Norwich University of the Arts

Bardic sexuality Sir, Shakespeare would have loved the debate on whether his sonnets reveal homosexual love as well as heterosexual (“Shakespeare in Love . . . with a man?”, Nov 27). He loved to play with the sensibilities of his audience: in Twelfth Night he endorses love for Viola both as man and woman and in The Merchant of Venice he portrays Antonio favouring a man with his eye on the main heterosexual chance. david day Pontefract, W Yorks

Incredible journey Sir, Arthur is not the first dog to attach himself to a long-distance event (“Amazing jungle tale of Arthur the dogged adventurer”, Nov 25). In the 1970s a dog joined a team in the 50-mile Tour de Trigs hike in Oxfordshire. At the end, the dog was handed to the warden of a scout campsite. “Trigs” saw out his days as a much-loved member of the camp staff. trevor e parry Banbury, Oxon

Lullaby Sir, After reading the first paragraph of your leader (“Beauty Sleep”, Nov 27) I was (I am reliably informed) already snoring. lindsay gh hall Theale, Berks

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Opinion

Beware the march of the robot soldiers Armed drones are just the beginning. We need a new Geneva Convention to ensure robo-wars will be fought ethically

could be programmed in such a way that it only engages other robots, a hostile tank or an incoming missile.

Or robots may conceivably be deployed only in those places where they will not come into contact with civilians.

There is also a broader ethical question: whether the finger that pulls a trigger should ever be a robotic, rather than a human, one. Many people are uncomfortable with the idea that human operators may not be present when a robot engages a target. A robotic weapon cannot show pity and it cannot show mercy.

This is a powerful ethical reason for maximising human oversight during each stage of a robot’s deployment.

We must ask, too, whether investment in this kind of technology enhances prospects for peace. One of the key security challenges in

Alex Leveringhaus

@oxmartinschool

S

hortly before stepping down as US defence secretary this week, Chuck Hagel announced a massive investment in new weapons technology. Military robots and similar uninhabited weapons featured prominently on Mr Hagel’s shopping list. Future armed conflicts may well be fought by robots over greater distances, with greater speed than humans, and with even more devastating effects.

A couple of days before Hagel’s announcement, a group of experts meeting at the UN in Geneva debated the possibility of a ban on “killer robots”. As the US and other technologically advanced nations invest heavily in updating their arsenals, doubts abound over our ability to regulate 21st-century warfare.

The use of armed drones against terrorist targets in Pakistan and the Middle East has been controversial but, technologically speaking, they are just the tip of the unmanned weapons iceberg. While the targeting functions in most armed drones are remote-controlled by a human operator, advances in artificial intelligence mean that military robots may soon be able to carry out more complex tasks by themselves.

Such scenarios, once the preserve of science fiction, can already be seen. The X-47B is an unmanned aeroplane that, once programmed, can take off from and land on an aircraft carrier on its own, two of the most difficult manoeuvres in military aviation.

While it is one thing to automate the take-off and landing of an unmanned plane, it is quite another to automate its targeting functions.

But it is possible to create a robotic

Alasdair Palmer Our secular age hampers the fight against Islamic extremism

‘W

e must have the powers we need to defend ourselves,” Theresa May insisted as she announced the new CounterTerrorism and Security Bill this week. She is right.

But enhanced police powers aren’t enough — we can’t arrest our way out of the Islamist threat. We need to address its causes.

The west’s growing secularism is a

What motivates robots is not fear or hatred but algorithms

A robot soldier, such as the sci-fi character the Terminator, cannot show mercy or pity. Below, the US Navy’s X-47B aircraft

weapon that, once programmed, can navigate challenging territory to search for and destroy targets without further human input. The Taranis drones being developed by BAE Systems may lead the way here.

As a stealth system, it can fly into enemy territory and attack radar stations without further input

defence systems are a perfectly legal example of automated weapons.

But a future dominated by robotic weapons raises concerns that go to the heart of the legalities and ethics of armed conflict. The principle of distinction, a cornerstone of inter-

operator It from the operator. has been suggested that the automation of targeting might reduce war crimes because robots, unlike humans, do not act irrationally. What motivates them is not fear or hatred, but algorithms.

And the automation of targeting functions is not illegal; missile major obstacle to our ability to tackle the causes of extremism. Politicians and the police consistently underestimate the role that faith plays in creating a world-view incompatible with our secular, liberal values. Faith can lead some extremists to the conclusion that terrorism in pursuit of God’s law is justified.

Here’s a case in point: most of us regard liberty of conscience as a fundamental freedom. If it means anything, it must mean that people who are born and raised as Muslims should be able to convert to another religion in later life if they want to.

But an increasing number of Muslims who would not be classed as extremist oppose this. They believe that the punishment laid down in Sharia for apostates is the correct one: death.

To those of us without religious belief, or whose religious convictions are of a very tepid kind — and that group includes most people in

national humanitarian law, requires belligerents to distinguish between legitimate military targets and illegitimate ones, such as a school, a hospital or an unarmed civilian.

A robotic weapon that could not reliably identify its targets would be deemed inherently indiscriminate and therefore illegal.

But the principle pr prohibiting indiscriminate we weapons is more complex than that.

True, a robot might not be able to distinguish between an enemy soldier and a child running towards it. But that doesn’t mean that the robot is incapable of distinguishing military from civilian targets. It Westminster and Whitehall — it is very difficult to realise that for people who are devout, their beliefs are by far the most important thing in their lives.

Committed Muslims believe it’s essential to live according to the sacred texts of their religion. We seem to expect them simply to discard the parts that do not conform to our values. But if you are convinced of the truth of the revelation of the Prophet Muhammad, why would you do that? Why would you think that contemporary western values, such as equality of the sexes or equal rights for homosexuals, should be able to veto the parts of Muhammad’s revelation that aren’t consistent with them?

For many Muslims, their commitment to the precepts laid down in those texts is the route to eternal salvation. And compared with that, the value of anything like liberty of conscience or equality

of the sexes is vanishingly small.

That is one reason why there are plenty of conservative Muslims who think that our attempts to get them to adopt certain modern values are an attack on their religion. They feel involved in a life-or-death struggle to preserve their faith. We can tell them that they are wrong — and many British politicians and officials, from

For many people their religion matters more to them than society

the prime minister downwards, have done exactly that. But it has had absolutely no impact: to many believing Muslims, the reply simply reflects the fact that most British politicians don’t have any serious religious commitment at all.

We need to recognise the power of religious belief if we are to have a chance of finding a way to

the 21st century is the stabilisation of societies experiencing internal conflict, whether because of religious, political, or ethnic reasons.

It is hard to see how robotic weapons can contribute to enduring peace and stability.

Existing laws can regulate today’s robotic weapons systems. But a new framework is needed to ensure that the pace of development does not outpace our ability to regulate. A paper published next week by Dapo Akande and I, entitled Robo-Wars: The Regulation of Robotic Weapons, explores some solutions. Society’s ability to govern 21st-century warfare hangs in the balance; we must ensure that as military technology advances, human oversight and control remain the priority.

Dr Alex Leveringhaus is James Martin fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. His co-author, Dapo Akande, is professor of public international law at the University of Oxford

persuade the growing number of fundamentalist Muslims in Britain to adopt British values. By failing to recognise the degree to which their religious convictions conflict with British values, government policy has assumed that this is a much easier task than it actually is. And because of that, we have achieved next to nothing.

If it is to have a chance of success, we need to start by recognising that British values do pose a threat to some popular versions of Islam. We need to realise we are asking very committed Muslims to treat their religion with the same flexibility and willingness to compromise that the Church of England treats Christianity. That will be viewed with horror by many as the equivalent of giving up on their faith altogether.

But we kid ourselves if we pretend there is any other way.

Alasdair Palmer worked in the Home Office as Theresa May’s speechwriter

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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News THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM / CATERS NEWS

Head of steam The Flying Scotsman became the first passenger train to reach 100mph, at Stoke Bank, near Grantham, 80 years ago. It was saved for the nation in 2004, above, and is currently being restored

Abuse doctor took 170,000 pictures of boys on spy pens Fiona Hamilton Crime Correspondent

A paediatrician who sexually abused young boys with cancer collected more than 170,000 pictures of patients on two spy pens, it emerged yesterday.

Myles Bradbury, 41, left the secret mini cameras in his coat pocket but failed in his attempt to capture indecent images of the boys, a court was told.

Bradbury has admitted abusing 18 gravely ill children in his care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge between 2009 and 2013. He was remanded in custody yesterday and is due to be sentenced on Monday at Cambridge Crown Court.

Judge Gareth Hawkesworth warned Myles Bradbury admitted abusing cancer patients

that he faced a substantial prison sentence after admitting carrying out examinations on children “purely for his own sexual gratification” and with no medical justification.

The court heard how he deliberately misled patients into believing that their conditions were more serious, and carried out more appointments than were necessary.

John Farmer, QC, for the prosecution, said that the abuse of his position of trust was extreme, citing the spy pens containing 170,425 images.

Mr Farmer said that Bradbury would leave boys alone behind the examination screen, hoping to capture images

on the cameras, but that “fortunately he was apparently disappointed”.

Bradbury, a consultant haematologist, would also secretly abuse children while their parents sat on the other side of a curtain.

He was caught after one of his victims told his grandmother what had happened and she reported him in November last year.

Bradbury, who has a young daughter, was suspended from the hospital and police later found 20 videos on his computer as well as his two spy pens.

Mr Farmer told the court: “The defendant cared for a number of children who were either seriously ill, recovering from a serious illness or being managed in long-term illnesses.

“The combined effect of illness and treatment can lead to concerns in relation to pubertal development and in particular a need to monitor genital and sexual development. It was this aspect of care that enabled the defendant to exploit his position to indulge in his sexual conduct.”

Victim impact statements read to the court told how some families were receiving medication for post-traumatic stress, with one boy seeing a psychiatrist. Mr Farmer said that many had lost all trust in the medical profession.

One victim, now 21, said: “He was so convincing. I’m being treated for depression and this has been going on since the police investigation.”

Bradbury, of Herringswell, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has pleaded guilty to 22 child sex offences, one count of voyeurism, one of making 16,629 indecent images and another of making 20 indecent films of children.

Somalis jailed for child rapes Simon de Bruxelles

A gang of Somali men who raped vulnerable young girls and forced them to have sex with strangers were told by a judge that they could expect “no mercy” from him.

Seven men in their late teens and early twenties were jailed for a total of 40 years after a trial at Bristol crown court. It was the second of two trials involving Somali men from Bristol accused of sexually abusing young girls.

The first, which ended in June but could not be reported until the conclusion of the second trial, led to six other men

being jailed for a total of 76 years. The court heard that the Somalis told their victims that it was their “culture and tradition” to share girls with their friends for sex.

Said Zakaria, 22, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for organising a “sex party” at a Premier Inn at which he and two other men raped a 13-year-old girl.

Judge Julian Lambert told Zakaria: “You behaved without humanity, and simply took what you wanted, leaving your victim totally humiliated. You were merciless and you can expect no mercy from me.” Six other men were jailed for a total of 20 sex offences.

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News

Pressing ahead for 200 years: the day The Times switched to steam power Simon de Bruxelles

Not all great breakthroughs are announced with a naked man running through the streets shouting “Eureka”.

On this day 200 years ago, The Times leader, in a typically tiny typeface and below the fold on page 3, hailed the “greatest improvement connected with printing since the discovery of the art itself”.

For the first time anywhere in the world, amid conditions of the greatest secrecy, the newspaper had been printed on a mechanised “steam press”.

The edition looked little different from The Times of the previous day. The front page still carried advertisements for anchovies, Pulmonic Elixir and the offer of a “lucrative opportunity for a persevering man of genteel address”. However, instead of being cranked out by hand at a rate of 300 copies an hour, the newspaper was printed on a steam press that could run off nearly four times that number with little human intervention.

It meant that The Times could be in the coffee shops and news stands and on the stage coaches before its rivals. It also meant a saving of 250 guineas a year in printing and labour costs for the proprietor, John Walter II, the 26-yearold son of The Thunderer’s founder.

Walter had carefully prepared for the greatest revolution in printing

Times digital archive

Search 230 years of newspaper history thetimes.co.uk/archive

John Walter II, the proprietor, assembled the machine in secret, fearing vandalism

technology since Johannes Gutenberg invented the press. He feared his workers would smash the new press in an attempt to save their jobs, so it was brought in component by component and assembled in a print shop on the other side of Printing House Square from the offices of The Times.

At 6am, Walter summoned the printers and compositors to the press room on a pretext, then announced: “The Times is already being printed — by steam.”

He promised the workers that they would be paid until they found new positions, but only on condition that there was no violence or vandalism.

The steam press had been invented by the German printer Frederick Koenig, who agreed not to sell it to any other newspaper.

The Times was at the forefront of a similar revolution 172 years later when, in 1986, many of the processes that had been in use since Jo John Walter II’s day were replaced by computers and new technology.

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Great writer remembered by hundreds Patrick Kidd

A packed church of more than 300 readers and colleagues bade farewell to one of the great servants of The Times at a memorial service for Philip Howard, who died last month aged 80.

Howard joined the newspaper in 1964 and filed his final column this summer.

He served as literary editor, leader writer and etiquette expert but above all he was known and loved as a writer of “colour” on subjects from Catullus to Crufts.

Sir Peter Stothard, one of four former editors of The Times to attend the service yesterday at Holy Trinity Brompton in west London, recalled someone who was “not just a good writer but a good man who cared for his trade and the good that journalism could do”.

Howard took a 10 per cent pay cut to join The Times from the Glasgow Herald. Sir Peter revealed that in his application for a reporter’s job, Howard had answered the question “current position” with “sedentary”.

Sir Peter spoke of Howard’s good humour and said that he particularly loved “the comedy of errors”, such as when “pheasants” appeared as “peasants” in a William Rees-Mogg piece on shooting, or when one of Howard’s own articles on biblical scholarship referred, as a result of a bad phone box signal in Leeds, to the Dead Sea Squirrels.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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News

CROSSRAIL / PA

Social worker played God, say couple in adoption win David Sanderson

Underground movement Tunnels beneath Bond Street are part of the 23-mile network already dug by Crossrail’s eight drills. Six of them have now completed their work and 90 per cent of the train tunnels are finished. The 73-mile line is due to open in 2018 and trains will run between Canary Wharf and Heathrow in 39 minutes

Soldier jailed for making nail bomb Sonia Elks

A British soldier who had an obsession with far-right groups and built a nail bomb in the bedroom of his family home has been jailed for two years.

Rifleman Ryan McGee, 20, created the explosive device packed with 181 screws and bits of glass inside a pickle jar. It was designed to cause maximum blast injuries on detonation.

The bomb was found by chance along with a haul of weapons when police searched the three-bedroom house in Eccles, near Manchester, on an unrelated matter last November.

Officers said that items on display in his bedroom showed McGee’s “keen interest” in the English Defence League, though he was not a formal member.

McGee, who was serving with 5th Battalion The Rifles at the time of his arrest, was described in court as a loner.

His Facebook postings included images of him wearing a KKK-style white hooded robe as well as English Defence League merchandise.

Police also discovered a journal filled with pictures of guns, knuckle-dusters, machetes and knives inside a diary decorated with Scooby Doo stickers.

Jottings included references to the National Front, Ku Klux Klan and British National party, the Old Bailey was told.

McGee’s internet history showed that he had watched videos of several gory killings including a neo-Nazi beheading and a man being held bound and gagged in front of a swastika flag.

Roger Smart, for the prosecution, said that the haul of weapons found in the soldier’s bedroom “suggests a preoccupation that goes far beyond any amateur enthusiast’s collection”.

He added: “He surfed the internet, he

bought supplies, and he watched videos and read books about how to make explosive devices.”

The soldier was arrested while posted in Germany, and told police that he had not intended to use the bomb in an Ryan McGee said he made the device out of boredom

attack. He had previously admitted buying the banned explosives manual The Anarchist Cookbook and putting together the nail bomb, which he said he had made “out of boredom”.

The prosecution accepted that he was not a terrorist or intended to help a terrorist group. Antony Chinn, QC, in

mitigation, said that McGee had been an immature teenager. “Although he accepts he made the device he never intended to put it to any violent purpose,” he said.

Brian Barker, the recorder of London, said at a sentencing hearing yesterday that he was sending the soldier to jail to reflect the injuries that the weapon could have caused.

“The fact of the matter is any explosive device in the wrong hands could cause untold misery to anyone on the receiving end,” he said. “Let’s be quite clear that any experimentation by anybody with these kinds of weapons must lead to severe sentences.”

McGee was sentenced to two years for the creation of the explosive, and a concurrent year’s sentence for possession of a document containing information likely to be useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism.

A couple who adopted their grandson against the wishes of a “biased” council have claimed that a social worker had wanted to play God. A judge ruled in favour of the couple who are already caring for the child’s older brother, and gave a stinging rebuke to social workers whose evidence he said was “totally discredited” and “visibly biased”.

The couple, who along with their three-year-old grandson cannot be identified, said that a social worker with North East Lincolnshire Council had refused to explain why he did not support their case for adoption.

They told the BBC that they asked Neil Swaby, the social worker: “Who do you think you are — God?”. He allegedly replied: “In this situation, yes.

Get used to it, your grandson will go for adoption.”

In a ruling published this week, Judge Simon Jack, sitting at Hull Family Court, criticised the evidence of Mr Swaby and two other social workers.

He said Mr Swaby was “very begrudging” in his evidence and “intent” on only supporting the local authority case rather than giving credence to positive features of the grandparents’ case.

The judge said the evidence of Rachel Olley, another social worker, was “totally discredited”. Peter Nelson, another social worker, showed the “same bias” the judge said.

After the child’s mother died, both sets of grandparents applied to assume responsibilities, but the council rejected their approaches and applied to have the toddler put up for adoption.

They claimed that the grandparents had problems.

Judge Jack said that after hearing the evidence of Mr Swaby and Ms Olley, the “local authority’s case was wholly undermined”. He said: “Their concerns appear to be grossly overstated to try and achieve their ends.”

He said the benefits of the child “remaining within his own family far outweighed the negatives which would follow from adoption, and far outweighed any negatives which would be brought about by him remaining within his family”.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News Navy on alert as Russian warships cruise into channel Four Russian warships were monitored by the Royal Navy as they passed the Strait of Dover after carrying out exercises in the North Sea. The destroyer Severomorsk, a landing craft, a rescue tugboat and a tank ship, performed drills before anchoring off France to wait out a storm, a Russian state news agency said. The exercises took place after a decision by France to suspend delivery of a helicopter carrier to Russia in the wake of tensions over the crisis in Ukraine.

The Navy was aware of the ships’ presence and the offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne escorted the ships as they moved from the North Sea on Tuesday. It is understood that the

SWNS

Russian vessels complied with all maritime reporting regulations and defence sources said they expected the ships to head to the Mediterranean.

It is not unusual for Russian ships to pass through the channel. In May, a Russian aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered battle cruiser were tracked by the destroyer HMS Dragon.

Earlier this month, Nato said its member nations had scrambled aircraft 400 times this year to respond to a 50 per cent increase in Russian military activity.

Moscow was also suspected of being behind a mysterious vessel, thought to be a submarine, which was apparently spotted in waters off Sweden in October.

Foraging wild boar ruin children’s playground Wild boar have destroyed a children’s playground near the Forest of Dean, churning up the ground as they searched for food. Residents of Lydney, Gloucestershire, said their gardens had also been damaged.

A rise in the number of incidents has been blamed on an increase in the population of boar in the forest. Ian Harvey, of the Forestry Commission, said: “If they find an area which has a good source of food they will keep coming back. We’ve always had issues like this with the boar but more problems are being caused as their numbers go up.”

The council plans to install fencing around the playground, but has warned that this would cost thousands of pounds.

The force is with us early after Star Wars Twitter error Fans of Star Wars have been given a glimpse of the eagerly awaited new film a year before its release after trailers were accidentally posted on Twitter.

There was a collective sigh of relief as enthusiasts were treated to favourites such as Han Solo’s spaceship, The Millennium Falcon, a light sabre, and a battalion of stormtroopers.

In one clip, a camera pans across the desert as a voiceover declares: “There has been an awakening — have you felt

it?” It continues: “The dark side — and the light”, in a reference to the good and evil sides of “The Force”. Figures are seen jumping in a sink-hole, Chewbacca roaring, and Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford who was injured during filming, saying: “You’re never ready — you know when you’re ready enough.”

The series is being revived by JJ Abrams, the director who breathed new life into the Star Trek franchise. The film is due for release on December 18, 2015.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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When you are lonely, a few kind words can make all the difference Christmas Appeal Georgie Keate

Jean was desperate when she called Silver Line. An appalling experience in hospital two years earlier had sapped all her confidence and energy.

Placed in an Alzheimer’s ward where patients were largely ignored, she could not stand and was reduced to crawling across the floor, begging for help. Then she was discharged and taken home by a medical volunteer to an unheated house at Christmas and left to fend for herself.

“I had defrosted the freezer the day I went into hospital and had no food.

The volunteer bought me two sandwiches and I lived off those for three days. The experience reduced me to nothing, all self-worth left me and I was terribly, terribly lonely.”

Two years later, she saw Esther Rantzen on TV talking about the Silver Line, a charity that offers a helpline for elderly people in need of companionship or advice. “I called the number and spoke to a wonderful young person. I said to her I didn’t really know what the charity did, that I wasn’t housebound, just incredibly lonely and life was very difficult at times.”

After that Jean, 73, was rung every week by a volunteer Silver Line friend. “The conversation was all about me,” she said. “It was so touching. If I said the week before I was planning on going for a drive at the weekend, she would always remember and ask how it was, and if I hadn’t gone, why. I am a retired

probation officer so I used to always be the doer, the asker, and now someone was asking after me. It reduced me to tears.”

Soon she was asked if she would consider working for the charity. It was going to organise Silver Circles, conference calls between elderly people with shared interests. Jean has helped to set up the groups and she tours her local area visiting GP surgeries, libraries and churches to let the elderly know they are not alone.

“Instead of doctors handing out antidepressants, I hand out leaflets,” she said. “You know, we are the generation that survived. We are not asking to be looked after and we can take charge of ourselves, we just need the tools to be able to do that.”

One of Jean’s Silver Circles revolves around music. Elderly people join the conference call and play their violin or piano, or discuss a concert they attended or a piece of classical music they recently heard on the radio.

Another is a collection of Land Girls from the Second World War. “There’s a huge demand for the Land Girl group,” Jean said. “One woman I spoke to was conscripted at 17 to work the fields. She lives alone now and will be alone at Christmas. Silver Line will be ringing her on Christmas day, along with many others we help.”

Jean does not want to give her second name because she does not want her friends and family to discover how difficult her life had become before Silver Line.

No one had predicted the overwhelming need for the charity.

“Being able to come full circle and do the work I used to do has made all the difference to me,” Jean said.

“I was desperate when I called Silver Line but it offers help to every elderly person. They should call us if they want to talk.”

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Christmas Appeal News STEVE PARSONS / PA

Regal splendour An 18ft nordmann fir, grown in Windsor Great Park, takes pride of place in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle

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News

For budding Bonds, the real-life jetpack is ready for take-off Tom Whipple Science Correspondent

There are, doubtless, more romantic ways of announcing the arrival of a technology that, for generations of children, is the ultimate Utopian vision of the future.

After decades of failed promises, failed prototypes — and failed rocket thrusters — there was a comforting banality to the Martin Aircraft Company’s statement. They are, they said, floating their jetpack business ock on the Australian stock market.

What is more, the firstt commercial device is expected not in the next decade, but in the next two years.

Could the age of the jetpack, envisioned in so many comic books and science fiction films, at last be upon us?

Glenn Martin, er the New Zealander who started working on a device 30 years ago, certainly thinks so. His one-man aircraft, the result of much tin-

kering in a garage and £10 million of investment, is technically not a jetpack — instead of hot air it uses a pair of rotors.

It has already proven itself, flying to 5,000ft at speeds of up to 45mph for 30 minutes, and — no small advantage — it has never exploded.

The question is, at a planned cost of about £100,000, who will buy it? While 1950s comic books were united in the belief that the only unknown about 21st centur y commuting would be whether it was by jetpack or monorail, Mr Martin does not see private transpor transportation as the main market for his device, at least for now.

Instead, the company considers its most obvious applications to be in emergency services.

“I think the way to look at it is that it is very much a motorbike in the sky,” Pe Peter Coker, the company’s chief executive, has said to st Australian reporters. With police, fire and ambulances,

MARTINJETPACK.COM; KOBAL COLLECTION

Sean Connery in Thunderball, left, and the jetpack expected to cost £100,000

“rapid deployment is really what you are after, to be able to get the first respondent there relatively quickly.

You can get to a direct point using the jetpack and you can get into some very confined spaces that helicopters can’t get to.”

He also said that there had been interest from farmers, including an avocado farmer, who need to get across their land quickly. Once the company

has built a business in emergency services and farming, it will move on to the personal leisure market, and a cheaper device. Which is a great aspiration, but should you invest?

“I think investors can see the longterm advantage of the jetpack,” he said.

He did say, in words even more apposite than with most initial public offerings: “Obviously, investors have to look at the risk profile.”

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Winter chill on way (with a little sun) Wintry weather is finally on its way after a warmer and wetter than normal November, forecasters warned.

The Met Office said that temperatures will drop towards the December average of 6C (42.8F) from Monday, but only after a mild weekend.

Nicola Maxey, a Met Office spokeswoman, said: “On Saturday we are looking at highs of 13C or 14C in the south of England.

“We may even see 15C. The average temperature for the UK in November is 9C, so we are still looking at above average temperatures.

“On Monday, we will start to see temperatures drop throughout the UK. However, we have an area of high pressure and we are likely to see nice weather throughout the week.

“We are looking at periods of sunshine in between the clouds, and we are looking at nice, dry winter days. But temperatures will drop slightly throughout the week.”

She said that the average UK temperature for the first half of November had been higher than normal, adding: “We also had slightly higher rainfall in the first half of this month.

“We expect to see 121mm of rain throughout the UK in the whole of November. But, up until November 16, we had seen just 93mm of rain, which is only 77 per cent of the average monthly total.”

Forecast, page 17

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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News

Green groups call for longer Stonehenge tunnel GETTY IMAGES

Ben Webster Environment Editor

A road tunnel which the government plans to run past Stonehenge is too short and would have a “highly adverse impact”, according to the advisory body on world heritage sites.

Comments from the International Council on Monuments and Sites threaten to overshadow next week’s announcement by George Osborne of the “biggest, boldest” road improvement programme for 40 years.

The tunnel, which has been debated for more than 20 years and would relieve a major bottleneck on the A303, is the centrepiece of the government’s proposals. The international council is worried that the project would destroy a large part of the 6,500-acre site, which contains more than 350 burial mounds and other prehistoric monuments.

The government is expected to announce that the tunnel will be up to 1.8 miles long, but the Stonehenge Alliance of environmental groups, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said that it should be at least 2.8 miles and ideally more than four.

David Thackray, president of the international council’s UK operation, wrote to Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, and Sajid Javid, the culture secretary, protesting that the impact had not been properly assessed and Unesco’s world heritage committee not consulted.

“We appreciate the very real need to address the issue of the A303 and recognise that a tunnel could have beneficial impacts on parts of the world heritage property,” he wrote. “However, we

are concerned that associated portals and dual carriageways could have a highly adverse impact on other parts of the world heritage landscape that cannot be set aside, however great the benefits of the tunnel.”

The CPRE said estimates showed a 2.8-mile tunnel would cost £1.4 billion, about £300 million more than 1.8 miles.

Ralph Smyth, the group’s transport campaign manager, said an extra £300 million was a small price for protecting one of the world’s finest monuments. “It is unbelievable that the government is refusing to consider a longer tunnel to protect our country’s most important archaeological remains and to restore tranquillity to this unique landscape.”

Kate Fielden, of the Stonehenge Alliance, said she was concerned that the National Trust, which owns the land around the stones, had abandoned support for a 2.8-mile tunnel. The trust

Parents beg Police chief missing girl to could face return home public hearing Simon de Bruxelles

Sean O’Neill Crime Editor

Police in Somerset are worried about a 15-year-old girl who has not been since getting off a school bus on Tuesday.

Jessica Buttigieg was reported missing by her parents when she failed to return home in Locking, Weston-super-Mare.

Despite possible sightings of her in the town later that evening, there has been no trace of her since. Her parents, Jonathan and Jayne Buttigieg, revealed that Jessica had left home after a row and appealed for her to get in touch. In a statement released through police they said: “We’re so worried about you,

A chief constable accused of making sexual advances towards female officers and police staff could face a public disciplinary tribunal for gross misconduct.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is considering ordering all or part of the case against Nick Gargan, of Avon and Somerset Police, to be heard in open court.

Police misconduct proceedings are normally conducted behind closed doors unless there are “exceptional circumstances” or it is felt to be in the public interest.

Mr Gargan, 48, was suspended from duty in May after allegations against him were referred to the IPCC. It interviewed more than 50 people during its investigation, and the police and crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens decided that there was a case to answer for alleged gross misconduct.

If the IPCC wants to hold the case in public it has to consult with witnesses and interested parties. That could prove a bar, as many witnesses are understood to be concerned about giving evidence against such a senior officer in a public forum.

There have only been two public police misconduct hearings. However, the home secretary, Theresa May, has said that she is in favour of cases being more “transparent to the public”.

Mr Gargan, the former chief executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency, was suspended after 13 months as chief constable.

He was a regular user of Twitter but has not posted since his suspension on May 13. He was said at the time to be “devastated” by the allegations.

Jessica Buttigieg has been missing since Tuesday

we love you, we miss you and we want you to come home. Nobody is angry with you; we just need to know you’re safe.

“We’re sorry about the words we had on Tuesday. This is the last thing any of us wanted. All we want is for you to give us the chance to start over. We love you and we just want to look after you.”

Detective Sergeant Phil Clarke, from Avon and Somerset police, said: “We have been making inquiries and speaking with her school and her friends but we are growing increasingly concerned given her age.”

Jessica is white, 5ft 4in and slim, with shoulder-length blonde hair. When last seen she was wearing grey trousers, a maroon sweatshirt and a black hooded top.

The prehistoric monument in Wiltshire suffers from being next to a bottleneck on the A303

this week indicated that it was willing to accept the 1.6-mile plan. Ms Fielden said: “The [shorter] tunnel covers exactly the land the trust owns. That’s all they are bothered about. It would be better to have no tunnel than a short tunnel.”

Cassandra French, a trust spokeswoman, said: “We would love a [2.8-mile] tunnel . . . but what we did was try to take a proactive, pragmatic approach to what might be acceptable to us. This is about what is deliverable long term. The existing road is highly detrimental to the world heritage site. It cuts off two thirds of the site to the south, it affects the setting of the stones and has an impact on wildlife.”

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

News

Good food for the troops but service could be slow AMBERLEYPUBLISHING / BNPS

Simon de Bruxelles

The British Expeditionary Force marched to the First World War carrying a cook book that promised roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, curry and toad in the hole.

The reality of rations on the front line turned out to be somewhat different to the hearty meals promised by the 1914 British Army Cook Book, which is back in print for the first time in a century.

The cook book tackles every aspect of catering for troops, from lighting fires to how to fry bacon and the best way to stack billy cans. However, it was written before trench warfare left hundreds of thousands of men under fire on front lines where even a crafty cigarette could attract the attention of a sniper.

Food had to be carried to the troops through a network of supply trenches under constant shellfire and would often be ruined before it reached them, if it reached them at all.

Rations for the British Army were generous with each man allowed 10oz of meat and 8oz of vegetables providing around 4,200 calories a day, which is more than consumed by

Official rations for soldiers in the trenches were generous but sometimes the food never got there

Recipe for success, circa 1914 Meat pie for 22 Ingredients 16½lb of meat; 5lb flour; 1½lb suet; 1lb onion; 2oz salt; ½oz pepper.

Method make the paste, cut up and stew the onions with jelly from the

meat added, cut the meat into dices and place in a baking dish. Add the cooked onions, season with pepper and salt.

Cover with a light crust and bake in a quick oven for 20 minutes.

most UK adults today. The plain but filling fare suggested in the book was better than the food many of the young, undernourished volunteers would have eaten at home. It even included desserts such as jam roll, bread and butter pudding and treacle tart.

The book was originally written in 1910 by the Army School of Cookery which had been set up in Aldershot, Hampshire, in 1885. It was updated for 1914 before the front lines had ground

to a standstill when everyone thought the troops would be home by Christmas.

Hazel Cochrane, of Amberley Publishing which has produced the reprint, said: “There was an increasing recognition that a well-fed soldier was a longterm investment that produced better results on the battlefield.

“The cookery school trained cooks to make the best of the uncompromising conditions of the battlefield. This included how to keep fires alight through the incessant wind and rain of war — making tea and coffee in adverse weather conditions was not an easy feat.

“There was a heavy reliance on meat and bread in the British Army and meals were not varied, with vegetables often consisting of just potatoes. Although a better diet was possible away from the front line where foraging through the French countryside was possible, those on the front line did receive the most amount of food.”

Those on the front received an allowance of 4,193 calories daily, while those farther back were allocated 3,472.

There may even be lessons for modern cooks in the recipes. Ms Cochrane added: “The recipes focus on making the most of what soldiers had, something relevant to modern-day families feeling the pinch of the recent recession. The recipes have a heavy reliance on cheap cuts of meat and easy-to-grow vegetables.”

Every scrap was made to count. One entry states: “An account of all dripping saved, issued or sold, should be kept by the quartermaster on the forms issued for this purpose.”

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

Don’t book too soon or leave it too late to get a bargain flight Georgie Keate

When the sky is grey and the light begins to fail just a few hours after lunch, it’s hard not to think about planning that next big trip to warmer climes.

Is it better to book six months in advance, in the belief that all the cheapest tickets go on sale first, or to watch comparison websites like a hawk, refreshing the screen every time you break for coffee as your holiday date approaches?

It turns out that the average best time to find cheap flights is five weeks before take-off, according to the website Skyscanner. For budget, short-haul and long-haul flights, the five-week mark is

Inside today

The 20 sexiest hotels in Europe Travel, Weekend, page 47

always best. For scheduled flights, buyers need to be more organised with the cheapest deals going at six weeks.

Mary Porter, of the flight search site, helped to analyse more than 200 million entries to find the five-week average. However, she warned that the study “shows that price patterns can vary significantly between scheduled and budget airlines and between short and long-haul travel”.

She added: “It is therefore very much destination dependent. For instance, flights to Spain and Portugal are at their cheapest just five weeks prior to departure. Greece is three weeks. Holidaymakers booking flights to the US

around four months before departure stand the best chance of getting the cheapest fares, and for Turkey it is 13 weeks.”

The data analysis confirms that there is plenty of time to book a holiday for the cheapest time of year — the third week of January.

Ms Porter’s other tips were to search for return flights with different airlines and booking two singles; avoid weekend flights; and sign up to price alerts, which send out emails every time the price falls. Hayley Smith, who also works for Skyscanner, said that prices this week between London and Milan had fallen £50 in one day.

However, airline operators themselves insist that it is cheaper the earlier a ticket is bought. Drew Crawley, British Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “Our flights are open for sale 355 days in advance. Generally speaking, the earlier you book, the easier it is to secure the lowest available fares.”

The exceptions were the airline’s seat sales, which flyers have to buy several months before take-off. Another factor in plummeting prices is the cancellation of large bookings, which flood the airline with cheaper flights.

EasyJet made a similar claim, although budget airlines are more likely to drop their prices if a flight has low demand, hoping to fill up the seats and make money from customers buying drink and food on the plane.

Loella Pehrsson, managing director of Kayak, another comparison site, said that it was mostly about airlines trying to work out how to become fully booked. “It’s all a matter of demand,” she said.

Airline captains are told to practise without auto-pilot Billy Kenber

Pilots are at risk of becoming too dependent on automated systems and need to fly manually regularly to ensure that they can retain control if the auto-pilot has a problem, the Civil Aviation Authority says.

The loss of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic with the loss of all 228 lives in 2009 has been blamed on a combination of pilot error and technical problems.

Investigators concluded that a problem with the Airbus 330’s air-speed sensors led to the auto-pilot disengaging and the crew losing control of the plane.

The co-pilot responded to a stall warning by raising the nose of the plane, instead of lowering it, and it has been suggested that a lack of manual experience played a role.

Modern commercial aircraft have heavily automated cockpits which require the crew to take off and land but to do little more than monitor systems in the cruise.

A CAA spokesman said: “Automation has been commonplace in aircraft cockpits for a number of years and the UK continues to enjoy one of the best safety records in the world.

“However, we recognise that as technology develops and the cockpit environment becomes more automated, it is vital that pilots are equipped to manage all relevant technology effectively

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across the different types of aircraft they operate. It’s also vital that pilots do not become over-reliant on automated systems and are able to retain the high level of flying skills required to operate as a qualified commercial airline pilot.”

A spokesman for the British Airline Pilots’ Association said: “Increasing automation is a fact of life in modern aviation, but more automation doesn’t necessarily equal more safety. Only one in ten flights takes place as per the flight plan, the rest require pilot input to change routing, deviate around weather or adjust to a de-graded performance.”

The CAA published a report earlier this year in which it warned that the introduction of new technology and further automation in the cockpit could lead to “an increase in the risk of ‘loss of control’ events”.

It said that additional training was needed to ensure crew members monitored each other’s actions when using on-board computer systems and to ensure a pilot’s manual flying skills were kept up to scratch.

In a separate report published last year, the US Federal Aviation Authority found a link between crashes and pilots becoming over-reliant on computer systems.

In two-thirds of accidents it examined, the pilots had difficulty flying planes manually or made mistakes using their aircraft’s computers.

News BEN ANDREW / REX

Smile please Ben Andrew captured the moment a rescued hedgehog that he had been nursing returned to full health

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

World

Sarkozy makes a hard right turn on the comeback trail France

Charles Bremner Paris

The last time Nicolas Sarkozy won the leadership of his party, his wife was seduced by the man who organised the event and left with him. A decade later, a remarried and still bumptious “Sarko” is today set to retake command of his conservative machine, but this time it is France that has fallen out of love with him.

Nearing his 60th birthday and reborn as a hardline Eurosceptic, the former president faces a challenge from a younger rival, Bruno Le Maire, 45, but is likely to win a strong majority among the 270,000 members of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). That will open the way for a campaign to reclaim the Élysée Palace in 2017, yet for all his support within the strife-ridden party, the cabinet star who seemed unstoppable in 2004 is now a tarnished ex-president in an uphill battle.

The “husband of Carla Bruni”, as Mr Sarkozy jokingly describes himself, faces little threat from the discredited Socialists under François Hollande, whose disaster-prone presidency has opened up a boulevard for the opposition to gather pace. In characteristic Soap opera: Sarkozy and Carla Bruni

style, the former president shows contempt for a successor whom he calls “ridiculous” and likens to a “solicitor on antidepressants”.

Instead, his obstacles are five corruption investigations and the public’s aversion to a showy politician who did not usher in a new age of French prosperity as he promised. Mr Sarkozy blames that on the financial crisis of 2008, but polls show that more than 65 per cent of voters do not want a Sarkozy sequel.

While he is credited with toughness and energy, the diminutive ex-leader is remembered for a soap opera personal life. Episodes include his divorce from Cécilia, the wife who left with Richard Attias, the party’s 2004 convention manager; his lightning romance with Ms Bruni three months later; and his courting of glamorous female ministers such as Rachida Dati.

Waiting in the wings is Alain Juppé, a former prime minister and sober-styled elder statesman, who is running for president and is much more popular than Mr Sarkozy.

Mr Juppé, who is mayor of Bordeaux, is not claiming the UMP leadership but he has cast a shadow over the contest. Mr Sarkozy privately mocks “dear Alain”, who is 69.

“He’s ten years older than me. Could

Marine has the stuff of Thatcher, says Le Pen père Charles Bremner

Marine Le Pen is set to win a triumphal endorsement to run for president when the National Front meets this weekend for its first full congress in three years.

However, the gathering in Lyons has been clouded by news that her campaign will be funded by loans from a Russian bank close to the Kremlin.

Ms Le Pen, 46, who succeeded her father, Jean-Marie, at the last congress, will be acclaimed by a party thrilled at the way in which she has partly shed the toxic image of the anti-immigrant National Front and overtaken the established parties of left and right.

With the possibility, albeit remote, of winning the presidency in 2017, Ms Le Pen will set out a plan for government.

She said that she would give the EU six months to return four powers to France — over immigration, currency, legislation and the economy — or ask

the French to vote “yes” in a referendum on leaving the EU. Despite a disagreement with his daughter over her plans to rename the party, Mr Le Pen said yesterday that she was qualified to govern. “She has the stuff of Merkel and Thatcher,” he said.

Mr Le Pen, who founded the party in 1972, said that it would be a mistake to invent a new name, as his daughter wants in order to remove the residue of racism that surrounds the word “front”.

“It is a brand that still allows us to win, that is lasting,” he said.

National Front officials were embarrassed this week by the disclosure of a loan from the First Czech-Russian Bank, whose owner is close to President Putin. Ms Le Pen said that the bank was providing €9 million but other party officials admitted that the final figure was expected to be €40 million.

Ms Le Pen, who is a strong supporter of Mr Putin, vehemently denied that the party’s favours were being bought by the Russians.

I wish for a better rival? He makes me look young,” the former president said.

That is kinder than Mr Sarkozy’s putdown of Mr Le Maire, a mild-mannered former minister who, he said, had the charisma of an oyster.

Both inside the UMP and outside it, Mr Sarkozy is deemed to have stumbled in his return to the stage.

The party had almost collapsed after three former officials were prosecuted over the alleged fraudulent financing of his 2012 campaign. After his defeat, he had withdrawn with the aim of awaiting a call in 2016, in the manner of Charles de Gaulle, to return as saviour after earning a few million euros as a consultant and speech-maker.

In staking his claim to return as head of the Gaullist movement in September, Mr Sarkozy struck a lofty pose, presenting himself as calmer and wiser as he attempted to rally a new broad church centre-right. But the old devils also returned.

In an hour of prime-time television he came over as aggressive, thinskinned and devoted to talking about himself. “Zen Sarko” faded as the old Sarko swung to anti-immigrant, antiEU conservatism to pull in the party’s hardline core and woo supporters of Marine Le Pen, whose National Front is leading the polls.

He caused uproar among UMP moderates a week ago by pledging to reverse France’s two-year-old gay marriage law. Closing his 19-rally national campaign in Nîmes on Thursday, he painted an apocalyptic picture of a France lost in a “clash of civilisations, barbarity and savagery”.

It was his duty to rescue the nation, he said. France had to regain control of its frontiers and block EU business until the Schengen pact on open frontiers was rewritten. France had to reclaim national powers from a dictatorial Brussels and control immigration.

“In France, you adopt the French way of life. You love French culture. We do not want religious war,” he insisted.

He also attacked the EU Commission over its threat, renewed yesterday, to punish France for breaching eurozone deficit limits.

The media have been reporting doubts in Mr Sarkozy’s camp about his commitment. Aides are said to be worried about his erratic policy swings, narcissism and relaxed approach to facts. Mr Sarkozy puts the sniping down to jealousy and is confident that the old magic will work. “I have never seen France so tense, on edge and worried,” he told Le Figaro on Thursday. “But I have never felt among our compatriots such a need for hope.”

He is, of course, sure that he will fulfil their aspirations. He is also certain that he will escape prosecution over allegations that range from bribes in the sale of French submarines to Pakistan when he was a junior minister in 1995 to the alleged subornation of a judge this year.

Flower power Chinese girls in traditional costumes of the Dong ethnic minority at

Worshippers massacred in Nigeria

Ruth Maclean Johannesburg

Scores of worshippers were feared dead after three bombs rocked a mosque in Nigeria in an attack that bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram extremists.

Gunmen opened fire as people ran for their lives in the northern city of Kano. At least 64 people were believed to have been killed.

The explosions happened in the old city as the Grand Mosque’s imam was about to begin his sermon.

“I am face to face with people screaming,” said Chijjani Usman, a reporter who had gone to pray at the mosque.

Aminu Abdullahi, an eyewitness,

said: “Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started.” He added that a third went off nearby.

As the smoke settled, the area was littered with the dead and injured.

Some witnesses said that the gunmen were police officers. One official put the number of injured at 200, while others said that 200 people could be dead.

The assault was being interpreted as a revenge attack. It came two weeks after Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the emir of Kano, urged Nigerians to take up arms against the Islamist terror group Boko Haram.

The emir, who usually leads prayers at the mosque on Fridays, was out of the

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Fading Hollywood star gets into ring for Putin Page 35

IMAGINECHINA / CORBIS

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHY , TOM KINGTON

Redaezghi Tesfay Hagos and Salih, left, have begged Italians to let them stay

They wanted la dolce vita, they got hatred Migrants who survived the Taliban and a perilous journey have a new enemy — Romans, Tom Kington writes

a folk singing festival in Guizhou province in the southwest of the country. More than 2,000 singers were taking part

Boko Haram revenge attack on mosque country yesterday, but one of his sons had a narrow escape. Nigeria is home to 80 million Muslims, and the palace of the emir is the second highest Islamic authority in the country.

Boko Haram, a Sunni group whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, regards the Islamic religious authorities in Nigeria with disdain. The militants have attacked many mosques and churches, targeting those that do not share its radical and bloody interpretation of Islam.

Mr Sanusi’s call to arms against Boko Haram was rare in a country where Islamic leaders usually shy away from open criticism. One of the Nigerian government's most vocal critics, he became emir this year, after being sacked by President Jonathan as

governor of the central bank. He had spoken out about alleged fraud in the president’s administration.

“Those that are endowed as hunters and vigilantes should apply this endowment given to them by Allah as an avenue of earning divine reward in defending their nation,” he told his congregation. “We should not wait for soldiers to come — before they come, the carnage will have been done. Some of them drop their guns and flee.”

Iyad El-Baghdadi, a human rights activist, was certain that Boko Haram was responsible for the bombs. “It’s about time the world acknowledges that Islamic terrorism is primarily Muslim-on-Muslim violence,” he said on social networks.

Boko Haram’s attacks are usually

further east, in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, where a state of emergency was declared in May 2013.

It was in Borno that more than 300 girls were abducted from their school dormitory in April. Despite claims by the government and military that they were to be rescued or bartered for, only the 50 who managed to escape their kidnappers are free.

On Thursday, 40 people died when a bomb exploded at a bus station in Adamawa. Boko Haram is thought to have planted another bomb yesterday in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. It was found before it could be set off and was destroyed by the military. Local vigilante groups said that the terrorists had been waiting until the area was full of people before setting it off.

It was when the explosions started and bricks shattered the windows that Redaezghi Tesfay Hagos broke down in tears and began to pray.

A year after fleeing 12 years of conscription in Eritrea’s army, dodging militias in Libya and risking his life sailing across the Mediterranean, he was again under attack, this time by a mob in the suburbs of Rome.

“When they came, I looked out and saw the anger in their faces, but some were laughing,” he said. “I thought I’d found safety in Italy, but when they showed they didn’t want me, I realised I might never find it.”

Mr Tesfay Hagos, 39, was inside the centre for asylum seekers in Tor Sapienza when about 35 people attacked the building earlier this month — the sharp end of a national backlash against the 150,000 migrants picked up this year at sea by the Italian navy.

Handmade bombs, which did little damage but made a huge noise, were thrown, while bricks shattered windows amid chants of “come out, you pieces of s**t”.

The violence grew the next night, as masked men from far-right groups swarmed into the area, prompting police to guard the centre.

Now, Mr Tesfay Hagos and some of the 35 other asylum seekers who cowered inside have written a moving, open letter to locals, pleading for tolerance.

“We all came to Italy to save our lives,” it states. “We have known war and prison, the conflict in Libya, the Taliban in Afghanistan, in Pakistan . . .

We have left our families, our children, our wives, our parents, our friends, our work, our houses, everything. We did not come here to harm anyone.”

The local community, the letter added, was like a new family for the refugees, “and we don’t want to lose it, after losing everything we had”.

Salih, 26, who also signed the letter, fled Ethiopia after his father was arrested as part of a crackdown on the oppressed Oromo ethnic group.

He then spent time in jail in Sudan,

where he was separated from his wife, and eight months in a cell in Libya.

Nothing had prepared him for Rome. “I am really afraid,” he said. “I get on the bus and they tell me ‘Black, go home’.”

Whether Italy wants to listen to the migrants’ letter is in doubt. Matteo Salvini, the head of the Northern League, is soaring in the polls and helped to press the government into halting its migrant rescue operation in the Mediterranean this month.

Residents of the crumbling concrete estate opposite the migrant centre in Tor Sapienza do not want to listen.

Surrounded by the rubbish-strewn wastelands of suburban Rome, local residents have long been on a war footing over squatters, transsexual prostitutes and a toxic stink from a nearby Roma camp, where hauls of stolen copper are smelted down nightly.

Simmering anger turned to rage this month when a local woman said that she was attacked by a Romanian man.

A group of residents went to confront the man where he was squatting in an abandoned church, but then moved on to vent its wrath at the migrant centre.

Barbara Bartone, 34, who grew up on the estate, defended the protesters, claiming that the migrants were the last

‘I looked out and saw the anger in their faces, but some were laughing’ straw. “The mayor said he would get rid of the gypsies, but added the migrants instead,” she said. “I am not racist, but they are giving funds to migrants when Italians are dying of poverty,” she said.

Other locals grew angry when they saw migrants had more expensive mobile phones than they did.

Ms Bartone singled out a group of Egyptian youngsters at the centre as riling locals. Often dispatched by their parents to Italy, Egyptian teenagers know they will not be granted asylum, but also know Italy does not repatriate unaccompanied minors. After being sent to migrant centres, they often abscond to find cash work.

When the violence flared, the Egyptians were bussed to another centre in Rome. That left the asylum seekers, who now prowl the corridors of the centre, afraid to go out. “The locals are watching us, and we are not comfortable,” said a staff member at the centre.

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World GOKHAN TAN / GETTY IMAGES

Pope pleads for tolerance after Erdogan’s rant

T

he Pope called yesterday for interfaith dialogue to fight extremism as he embarked on a rare visit to Turkey.

A day after President Erdogan launched a tirade against “foreigners”, the Pope said that Turkey had a “great responsibility” to help to bring different communities together.

“Fanaticism and fundamentalism, as well as irrational fears which foster misunderstanding and discrimination, need to be countered by the solidarity of all believers,” the Pope said.

Turkey, the largest Muslim-majority country that he has visited, remains reluctant to join western allies in fighting Islamic State, which has seized swathes of territory across Turkey’s border in Syria and Iraq.

Mr Erdogan echoed

those sentiments in his own address, while dwelling on what he said was the “serious and rapid” rise of Islamophobia in the West.

“We must work together against the threats weighing on our planet — intolerance, racism and discrimination.”

The Pope is the first head of state to visit Mr Erdogan in the £400 million presidential palace that opened last month to protests from opposition parties, who see it as a symbol of the president’s increasingly imperious rule.

Speaking on Thursday at a symposium arranged by the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation, Mr Erdogan lambasted the West, declaring that “foreigners love oil, gold, diamonds, and the cheap labour force of the Islamic world”.

He said: “They look

Pope Francis is the first head of state to have visited President Erdogan since the opening of a £400 million palace that angered many Turks

like friends, but they want us dead. They like seeing our children die.”

He was more restrained yesterday as Pope Francis praised Turkey for having taken in 1.6 million refugees from Syria over the course of the country’s three-year civil war.

“Turkey, by virtue of its history, geographical position and regional influence, has a great responsibility,” he said.

“The choices which Turkey makes and its example . . . can be of considerable help in promoting an encounter of civilisations

and in identifying viable paths of peace.”

Some 99 per cent of people in Turkey identify as Muslim, and the Christian minority has dwindled over the past century in the upheavals that attended the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and

then through nationalist persecution under the Turkish republic.

Today Pope Francis will continue to Istanbul where he will visit His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and “first among equals” of

the various branches of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Turkey’s Orthodox community has shrunk from 200,000 in 1924 to a little over 2,000 today.

More widely there are believed to be 120,000 Christians in Turkey, of whom 35,000 are Catholics.

Squalid Gare du Nord gets clean up Italy’s drones go to war on football hooligans France

Adam Sage Paris

When a British executive described the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris as squalid, politicians and commentators in France expressed outrage.

Now they have launched a campaign to clean up the station that greets five million Eurostar passengers every year after admitting that Andy Street, the managing director of John Lewis, may have had a point after all.

Mr Street compared the station to the far cleaner St Pancras International

in London in a speech last month. “You get on Eurostar from something I can only describe as the squalor pit of Europe, Gare du Nord, and you get off at a modern, forward-looking station,” he said.

His words sparked fury at the time but Parisians seem to have come round to his way of thinking.

Officials have announced plans to open a bigger police station next to the platforms at the Gare du Nord.

Julien Miniconi, the police chief in the district that includes the Gare du Nord, said that officers had been in-

structed to crack down on behaviour likely to disturb tourists. He said that 645 people had been arrested since February in and around the station, including about 200 for drug-dealing. A further 1,300 had been given an official warning not to drink alcohol in public.

Le Parisien said yesterday that the station was blighted by “insecurity, drug-addiction, aggressive begging, dirtiness, prostitution, alcohol and urine”. The newspaper said it resembled “a court of miracles”, the term used to describe slums before the monarchy was abolished in France in 1792.

Italy

Tom Kington Rome

Military drones used by the Italian air force to spy on Islamic militants in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be deployed to keep tabs on Italian football hooligans.

While US drones have been used for missile attacks on terrorist targets, the Italian drones will not be called on to fire on football fans. They will be unarmed, equipped only with cameras for

surveillance. Under a deal with the Italian police, air force pilots will continue to operate the drones.

It follows the reduction of Italian operations in Afghanistan, where drones were used extensively, although operations continue over Iraq.

In Italy, drones have already been used to monitor migrants crossing by sea from Libya. They have also provided surveillance of mafia suspects in Sicily, according to government sources.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Fading Hollywood star pulls on his boxing gloves for Putin ANNA SERGEEVA / ZUMA / ACTION IMAGES

Russia

Ben Hoyle, Matthew Luxmoore Moscow

The fighter who stepped into a boxing ring in Moscow last night was world famous, undefeated and looked like a movie star.

Fortunately for Mickey Rourke’s opponent, the actor last fought in 1994.

The sheen of fame stemmed solely from acting, and those weather-beaten looks reflect the punishment he took in the ring during a brief break from Hollywood.

Rourke, at 62, was more than twice the age of his opponent, Elliot Seymour, a 29-year-old American light middleweight who had lost eight of his previous nine fights.

The actor arrived for the fight wearing silk scarf, tweed overcoat and a Russian fur hat with ear flaps and a ball dangling on a piece of elastic from the brim. At the weigh-in, he sported a necklace bearing a photograph of his pet dog and a toned and heavily tattooed physique.

He and Seymour, both fighters of distinctly limited achievements, were competing on the undercard of Ruslan Provodnikov, a Russian sporting hero.

However, there was little doubt who was the main attraction.

Rourke, who won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for best actor in 2009 for The Wrestler, in which he played a battered, washed-up fighter who could not stay away from the ring, charmed the Russian state media some time ago.

He is part of a select band of western stars, no longer in the prime of their careers, who have visited the country frequently and endorsed President Putin’s leadership. Others include GérMickey Rourke has returned to the ring in Moscow after quitting boxing in 1994.

Right, in Iron Man 2 in 2010; and, far right, boxing in 1993

ard Depardieu, who made a film in Chechnya and was given a free home in central Russia after leaving France for tax reasons, and Steven Seagal, the action film starwho recently sang at a Russian nationalist motorbikers’ show in annexed Crimea.

In Moscow earlier this year, Rourke wore a T-shirt commemorating Mr Putin’s acquisition of the Ukrainian peninsula. During the build-up to the fight, he said that he had met Mr Putin once and said: “He seemed like a really OK guy to me.”

The bout at the Luzhniki sports arena consisted of five rounds each lasting two and a half minutes and was aired live on Rossiya 2, one of the main state television channels. The ring’s corner posts and canvas carried the logo of Rosneft, the state oil company which is the subject of US and EU sanctions as a result of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

The bout was promoted by Mir Boksa, which translates as world of boxing, an organisation led by Andrey Ryabinsky, the deputy head of Russia’s professional boxing federation.

Rourke has claimed that he first fought as a 12-year-old and racked up an amateur record of 27 wins and three defeats between 1964 and 1973, although his stepfather said that he lost his first and only fight.

He turned to acting and became one of Hollywood’s biggest male heart-throbs in the 1980s, starring in the critically acclaimed Rumble Fish and Angel Heart and the commercial hit 9½ Weeks opposite Kim Basinger before his career began to tail off.

He switched back to fighting as a professional boxer, winning six and drawing two of eight fights in the US, Germany, Spain and Japan. After the last of them, he had reconstructive surgery on his face before gradually rebuilding his Hollywood career as a craggy character actor.

World

Moldovan candidate in Russian spy allegations Moldova

Ben Hoyle Moscow

A contender for the leadership of Moldova fled to Moscow early yesterday morning, pursued by allegations that he was a front for Russian secret services and criminal gangs.

Hours earlier Renato Usatii had been barred from running in tomorrow’s elections to choose a new Moldovan prime minister, a vote seen as the most important since the country broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The small landlocked nation, which borders Ukraine and is one of Europe’s poorest states, is caught in a tug of war between the Kremlin and the West.

An audio recording emerged this week that appeared to reveal Mr Usatii admitting to close ties to the FSB, the Russian security service. Mr Usatii, a businessman who made his fortune in Russia before cofounding the Patria (Homeland) party in October, said that his remarks had been taken out of context in a politically motivated smear.

After the electoral commission barred Patria he fled to Moscow on a pre-dawn flight, saying that he feared arrest by the pro-European government. He has threatened to organise street protests against the ban, which authorities fear could turn violent.

Polls suggest that the election is still in the balance, with voters split between those who favour deepening relations with the EU and those who want to turn towards Russia. Patria was on course to win up to 18 per cent of the vote.

As the crisis in Ukraine has unfolded this year Russian politicians have visited Transnistria, a region garrisoned with Russian troops that broke away from Moldova in the early 1990s.

Elmar Brok, head of the European parliament's committee on foreign affairs, said: “Interfering in Moldovan politics is another method by which Russia is trying to prevent Moldova from independently making the decision to follow a European path.”

Lost art found on Stuart Little’s wall Curious incident of the rat Hungary

David Charter Berlin

A long-lost avant garde painting has been returned to Hungary after almost 90 years thanks to an astute art historian who spotted it in the background of the children’s film Stuart Little.

Gergely Barki, 43, an expert on the painter Róbert Berény, noticed Sleeping Lady with Black Vase as he watched the 1999 film on television with his daughter at Christmas in 2009.

Mr Barki, who is writing the painter’s biography, said that he was amazed and began bombarding the film’s production staff with emails to find out how a painting last seen in public in 1928 came to be used as a Hollywood prop.

His investigations have led to the canvas, bought by the studio in an antique shop for $500 (£320), being put up for auction next month in Budapest with a starting price of €110,000 (£87,500).

Mr Barki, a researcher at Hungary’s national gallery in Budapest, said: “I could not believe my eyes when I saw Berény’s long-lost masterpiece on the wall behind Hugh Laurie. Before I saw Stuart Little, I only knew this painting

from a black-and-white photograph taken in 1928, so I started to write emails to everyone involved in the film.

“It was not just on screen for one second but in several scenes of the film, so I knew I was not dreaming. It was a very happy moment.”

Two years after he began his quest to locate the painting, an assistant of the set designer wrote to say that she had bought it at an antique shop in Pasadena, California, while looking for props for the main apartment in the film.

“She liked it so much that she bought it from the film studio and it was hanging on her bedroom wall in Washington,” Mr Barki, who is also writing

Sleeping Lady with Black Vase was spotted in a TV broadcast of the film

the definitive catalogue of Berény’s work, said.

“Within a year, I had a chance to visit her and see the painting and tell her everything about the painter. She was very surprised.”

Berény was an artist and composer who was a member of a pre-First World War avant garde movement called The Eight. He fled to Berlin in 1920 after designing recruitment posters for Hungary’s short-lived communist revolution in 1919 and dated the actress Marlene Dietrich, as well as the imposter believed at the time to be Anastasia, a surviving daughter of Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II. The painting was sold by its American owner to a collector, who is putting it up for sale in Budapest at the Virág Judit auction house on December 13.

Although Mr Barki has not benefited financially from his discovery, he is proud of his detective work. “It means that I can make a more complete publication of [Berény’s] oeuvre catalogue, which I am publishing in January and in which I can reproduce the painting,” he said.

“A researcher can never take his eyes off the job, even when watching Christmas movies at home.”

who became Broadway star

United States

Will Pavia New York

Until a few months ago a white rat, now famed on Broadway, lived in a pet shop — her likely fate being bought by a reptile enthusiast and fed to a python.

Instead, just as Lana Turner was spotted in a Los Angeles ice cream parlour, so she was plucked from oblivion and taken to Broadway. “Toby” is now appearing in New York production of The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time and has become the most famous rodent ever to snuffle about on the Great White Way. Such has been her success with audiences as pet and companion of Christopher, the show’s autistic, teenage hero, that the role has been expanded. Fans at the stage door have been known to whimper with excitement when she emerges on the shoulder of her trainer or a member of the cast.

Robert Shapiro, 58, the founder of an animal rescue shelter, spotted Toby in the Manhattan pet store. “They didn’t have any tame rats so I took two that were marked as feed,” he said, pointing

out that an understudy was needed.

One of the two was not cut out for acting and bit her trainer during rehearsals, but Toby seemed to grow with every passing week. Lydia DesRoche, of Sit Stay Dog Training, had never worked with a rat but found her student quickly bonded with the cast.

She also charmed the show’s assistant director, Katy Rudd, by running up her arm and nuzzling in her blonde hair.

Ms DesRoche said: “Katy said, ‘Can we get her to do that with Alex?’” (referring to Alex Sharp, who plays Christopher).

“She did it for the first time when Julie Andrews was in the audience,” said Ms DesRoche.

She has also proved fond of the cheap vodka which the cast and crew spray on costumes to dispel odours, and of Ms DesRoche’s coffee. She also likes roses in her dressing room to “nibble on the petals”.

At show time, Ms DesRoche ventures into the dressing room that Toby shares with the show’s dog to give her a five-minute warning. “She comes from wherever she is and jumps into her cage,” she added.

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World

General killed as Islamists vow to overthrow Sisi regime Egypt

Bel Trew Cairo

Four people, including two army officers, were killed in Egypt yesterday when security forces clashed with Islamist demonstrators calling for the overthrow of the military-backed government.

Gunfire rang through the streets of Cairo and police helicopters circled overhead after members of the ultraconservative Salafi Front demonstrated against the government of President alSisi, the former army chief who led last year’s overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood president.

Two civilians were killed as street battles broke out between security forces and demonstrators in the working-class district of Matariya. One of the victims was a middle-aged man who was shot in the chest.

The interior ministry had warned of attacks on security forces and vowed to use lethal force. It said yesterday that 145 people suspected of planning violent acts had been arrested.

Armoured cars and additional troops

were deployed, and the authorities used concrete barricades to seal off police headquarters, presidential buildings and the ministry of defence. The interior ministry claimed that it had defused seven bombs across the country.

Early yesterday morning, as small marches left mosques in the capital in preparation for the protests, a brigadier-general was killed and three of his soldiers wounded by unidentified gunmen outside a hotel in east Cairo. Another officer was also shot dead in the nearby Qalyubiyah governorate.

It was the first attempt in months to hold nationwide protests to topple the government. The rallies were backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been blacklisted as a terrorist group in Egypt. The organisation called for a further week of rallies.

Since Mr Morsi was toppled last summer, the country has been racked by violence. The security forces have intensified their crackdown on dissidents and his Islamist supporters.

More 40,000 people have been

arrested in the past 18 months, and thousands jailed. On Thursday, 78 children were sentenced to between two and five years in prison for being part of the brotherhood.

Underscoring the scale of opposition to the government, hundreds also gathered in the Nile Delta’s Fayoum governorate and the second city of Alexandria yesterday.

The crackdown has also galvanised a rising insurgency in the Sinai region, where the government says it continues to face terrorist threats.

The deadliest attacks on security forces have been claimed by the militant Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group, which is spearheading an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula and has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

After an ambush killed more than 30 soldiers last month, the government declared a state of emergency in part of Sinai and razed hundreds of homes to create a buffer zone along the border with Gaza.

More than 500 police officers and soldiers have been killed in terror attacks since last summer.

TASS / BARCROFT MEDIA

England cap A fascinator created in the shape of David Beckham’s head by Philip Treacy, the British designer, is on display at an exhibition in Moscow

Thailand cracks down on surrogacy Bangkok Thailand’s

parliament has voted to ban commercial surrogacy, after the case of Pattaramon Chanbua, right, mother of Gammy, the baby with Down’s syndrome allegedly abandoned by an Australian couple. Those profiting from surrogacy face ten years in jail under a draft bill that passed its first reading. (AFP)

Pelé battles infection on dialysis Sao Paulo The Brazilian

football hero Pelé is on dialysis, but his condition is improving with temporary kidney treatment in a specialist care unit. The Albert Einstein hospital said that Pelé, 74, was lucid and breathing normally without support. The man

considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, with a 1,281-goal career, has been in hospital since Monday because of a urinary tract infection. Pelé said on social media that he was moved to a special unit on Thursday only for the sake of privacy. (AP)

Planes grounded as volcano erupts Tokyo Flights were

cancelled and people warned to stay away as Mount Aso in southern Japan erupted for the first time in 22 years.

Meteorologists said that the volcano on Kyushu island spewed lava and smoke, and ejected ash a kilometre into the sky.

Dozens of flights from Kumamoto, the nearest city, were cancelled. (AP)

Greenland votes after expenses row Copenhagen Voters in Greenland went to the polls in an early election triggered by an expenses scandal. Recession has been a key issue as the island struggles to capitalise on its natural riches amid a debate about allowing mining for

uranium. The vote comes 20 months after elections to fill the 31-member parliament, when full independence from Denmark was at the top of the agenda. Greenland has 57,000 inhabitants, of whom about 40,000 are eligible to vote. (AFP)

Weekend What’s new Pussycat?

Nicole Scherzinger on life with Lewis Hamilton and her debut in Cats

Saturday November 29 2014

Travel Starts on page 47

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the conversation

‘If I touch cats I break out in hives, my eyes water, I can’t breathe’ Nicole Scherzinger, former Pussycat Doll and girlfriend of Formula I champ Lewis Hamilton, tells Ed Potton about her new role in Cats, her ‘schermazing’ time on X Factor, her bulimia — and a most unlikely allergy

O

f all the places you would expect to find Nicole Scherzinger — multimillion-selling pop goddess, former Pussycat Doll and X Factor judge, girlfriend of the new Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton — a youth club on a housing estate in southeast London is some way down the list. But here she is among the ancient arcade machines and the kiosk selling chocolate biscuits, having finished a rehearsal for the new revival of Cats, of which her Grizabella will be the centrepiece.

They appear to be working the 36-yearold Scherzinger rather hard. She still looks amazing: a rhapsody in leggings, trainers and baggy jumper, her glossy mane up in a bun. She’s petting her English bulldog, Roscoe, one of two she owns with Hamilton. The bleary eyes, weak smile and slightly frazzled thought patterns, however, suggest a woman who is being pushed. “It’s, um, quite intense,” she says. “I’m not just an artist now, I’m a proper thespian.”

Scherzinger studied musical theatre at university in Ohio, but this show, which reunites the original team from 1981 — composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Trevor Nunn, choreographer Gillian Lynne — is “another level”. Of punctuality as well as excellence. “If you’re five minutes late for rehearsal they’re starting without you,” she says, in awe. She’ll be doing the full eight performances a week

pole position Nicole Scherzinger, centre, and the Pussycat Dolls; below, with Andrew Lloyd Webber and performing as Grizabella in Cats

for two months, “working with the titans of the theatre — every day I’m totally starstruck”. She’s got the soprano and the dance chops to pull it off, though, plus something extra: global street cred. “I’m bringing another perspective altogether,” she says. Her costume isn’t ready yet but we can expect something with more attitude than Elaine Paige’s. John Napier, the original designer, has “created a cat out of me — it’s a completely different costume”.

Her conversation is a contrast to British luvvy speak, a disarming combination of clichés and candour.

She comes out with some showbiz chestnuts (“being true to myself”, “everything happens for a reason”, “take each day at a time”) but she’s also powerfully frank when talking about frictions in the Pussycat Dolls and the bulimia that she suffered for eight years. The only time she clams up is when I ask her about Hamilton, her on-off partner since 2007.

We’re speaking a week before Hamilton wins the world championship in Abu Dhabi but she is reluctant to even tell me if she will be at the race. “I’d rather not talk about Lewis but I’m always supporting him, even when I’m not there.” So why can’t she tell me if she’s going to see his race? “Because!” she says with mock childishness. “Because

I’m telling you things that I don’t know.”

She laughs nervously. “I’ve got rehearsals every day.”

Sure enough, she does go to the race, tweeting a picture of her and Hamilton with the message: “Ahhh!!! My man @lewishamilton #2014F1WorldChampion #soblessed.” Perhaps her reluctance to answer my question stemmed from not wanting to spoil the surprise — or she had been told to keep schtum.

I also ask Scherzinger if Hamilton will be at the first performance of Cats.

An awkward pause. “I don’t like to speak about Lewis because people kinda take it out of context but I know that he’ll be coming to Cats, I just don’t know if it’ll be opening night.”

Her caginess seems out of character for such an otherwise forthright person. That forthrightness comes in part from her ancestry, she says. “Having Hawaiian, Ukrainian and Filipino blood, there’s a lot

‘You’ve a small town girl asked to wear garter belts, your butt cheeks hanging out’ of depth and passion and oomph in there.”

She was born in Honolulu but her Filipino father left while she was a baby and she was raised in rural Kentucky by her HawaiianUkrainian mother and German-American stepfather, who gave her his surname.

There wasn’t the money for theatre trips when she was a kid so she never saw Cats.

But she loved the music of Lloyd Webber at school and last year she proved she could sing it too, when she performed Don’t Cry for Me Argentina on an ITV special. That

spectacular turn — it is of course on YouTube — exploded a few preconceptions about pop stars’ vocal limitations, and led to a call from Lloyd Webber. “He said how everybody was talking about it . . . and would I play his lead girl in Cats?”

She’s not met Elaine Paige or Betty Buckley, who first played Grizabella in the West End and on Broadway respectively, but she’s seen clips.

“They’re legends but when I do a piece like this I scratch the slate clean.” She’s not even read any of the TS Eliot poems on which the show was based, which seems strange, although she’s had tutorials from Nunn (“He talks to me every day for about five hours”).

The big question is how she will tackle the show’s signature song, Memory. She has referred to it as “sacred”, and refused to sing it before rehearsals. So how is it shaping up? “Memory has been sung 80 million times by everyone under the moon, I’m actually approaching it in a completely different way, as if it were a Shakespeare monologue. I’m taking the singing out of it and just acting it.”

That bodes well, actually. Scherzinger’s acting experience is limited — her biggest role to date was as an alien’s girlfriend in Men in Black 3 — but her rendition of Don’t Cry For Me was impressive in characterisation as well as technique. She is clearly captivated by the story of Grizabella, the Glamour Cat fallen on hard times. The other cats “think she’s some kind of skanky ho”, she says. “But she was once the Marilyn Monroe of all the Marilyn Monroes.”

It helps that the dark side of glamour is also a theme of her new album, Big Fat Lie, in which she sings about bulimia, from which she suffered in the Noughties. “It’s not something I normally speak about,” she says, but she sang about it because “if I’m not being transparent in my music then why are people gonna give a crap?”

Was her bulimia linked to celebrity? Only partly, she thinks. “Everybody struggles with their own demons. I can’t just say, ‘Oh, it’s the lifestyle.’ Obviously something was broken with me from the beginning.” It’s not just about throwing up: “It’s the mental stuff that eats you up as well . . . you feel like you’re imprisoned within yourself.”

Her bulimia coloured her time in the Pussycat Dolls, a burlesque act who rebranded themselves as a girl band with the addition of Scherzinger, and sold more than 50 million records with worldwide hits including Don’t Cha (“Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?”). They were known for their ribald stagecraft: is it true that she cried when she saw her first stage outfit? “Oh yeah, I was really scared.

You have a girl coming from a small town, goes to church every day [who is then asked to wear] garter belts, your butt cheeks hanging out.” Given the apparent

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speed date Nicole Scherzinger, above, with Lewis Hamilton, celebrating his Formula 1 world championship win

ease with which she strips down to her smalls in the video to Buttons, you wouldn’t know how conflicted she was about it.

She was brought into the band for musical reasons, though, having already been in a group, Eden’s Crush, and turned down the chance to join another, the Black Eyed Peas. Scherzinger has said that she sang 95 per cent of the vocals, which must have been hard for the longer-serving Dolls. “I think it was but, um, you learn things. I wasn’t the Pussycat Dolls, I was just the lead Doll.”

A flashpoint came, I suggest, when she collaborated with AR Rahman on a version of Jai Ho, his song from Slumdog Millionaire, which was credited to “the Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger”.

It’s the closest she comes to losing her temper: “It was all the same crap, except for we added ‘featuring Nicole Scherzinger’.

‘Everybody struggles with their demons.

I can’t just say, Oh, it’s the lifestyle’ Whoop de do! Who cares? When do I actually get credited as my own artist? This is my piece, my work.”

Is she still in touch with the other Dolls?

“Most of them, yeah. We were like sisters and all sisters get under each other’s skin but that’s what great about time, time heals everything.”

Another milestone was joining The X Factor in 2010, around the same time the Dolls split. “I’d never felt so comfortable and strong in my skin — to say silly things like “schermazing” [her catchphrase on the show] and not care what anybody thinks.”

She and Simon Cowell had a friendly tussle over whose idea it was to put the members of One Direction together as a group. So who was it: her or Cowell? “Me!” she says firmly. Great, I say, we’ve got that on record. “Yeah,” she smiles. “They don’t, however — they keep burning the footage.”

Our time is up, and Scherzinger opens the door to let in Roscoe the bulldog, who has clearly been missing his mistress. She’s always been a dog person, she says, nuzzling him; her career may have been well populated by felines but she’s actually allergic to cats: “If I touch their fur I break out in hives, my eyes water, my nose gets stuffy and I can’t breathe very well.” Let’s hope this isn’t an omen.

Cats, London Palladium (0844 8740667), Dec 6 to Feb 28; Big Fat Lie is out now

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exhibition

The maverick who’s bringing the Barack Obama and Jennifer Aniston are both fans of the artist Glenn Ligon. Sathnam Sanghera has a private viewing

Ligon doesn’t want his sexuality mentioned ‘unless The Times is some kind of dating service’

Obama obtained Ligon’s Black Like Me No 2.

“No he hasn’t bought it,” he corrects me in his characteristically precise way, explaining that the painting, which makes use of text from John Howard Griffin’s 1961 memoir Black Like Me, an account of a white man’s experiences journeying through America’s Deep South after having his skin artificially darkened, is on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to the White House, and has been installed in the president’s private living quarters. I concede the error and, because very serious people always bring out the moron in you, find myself trilling — “that must feel really cool!” Ligon rubs a hand over his shaved head and responds carefully. “One thing I would say is that it’s gratifying to have a president and First Lady who are not afraid of art — who take their daughters to museums, who invite artists to the White House. Artists are not a ‘problem’.”

Continuing being uncouth, I ask if the money has changed his life. “Remember these are auctions . . . so I’m not getting the money.” Of course. (He later says he cannot verify the aforementioned prices for this reason.)

“But, you know, the prices going up allows me to do other things that maybe I couldn’t afford to do — like video, which is very expensive.” The artist, who once joined 12 other artists to produce a limited edition of T-shirts for Gap and featured in their fashion shoots (“I’m not a fashion model, I’m too short.”), plays with a miniature packet of sugar. “But there’s a downside in that you get caught up in that sometimes, and artists start making work for the market.”

Needless to say, Ligon refuses to simplify his own biography, as much as his work.

The established version is that, born in the Bronx, his life was transformed when, at the age of seven, his divorced, workingCOURTESY REGEN PROJECTS, LOS ANGELES

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can’t think of a politician or a philosopher I’ve met, let alone artist, who is more cerebral than Glenn Ligon. The 54-year-old prefers not to explain his work, which explores themes such as race, sexuality, and identity, believing that it should speak for itself. He deflects questions with other questions, and litters conversation with references to art history. He hates labels, asking for my description of him as an “African-American conceptual artist” to be reduced simply to that of “artist”. And although he is friendly and distinctly unstarry — turning up on foot in the heavy rain and remarking how much cheaper Oyster cards are than oneday travelcards — he is even refined and sophisticated about being refined and sophisticated. In one of his most famous works, Runaways, he uses friends’ descriptions of him — “distinguished-looking”, and “socially very adept . . . yet, paradoxically . . . somewhat of a loner” — in works that resemble the 19th-century posters slave owners used to advertise escaped property.

Frankly, our meeting at the Camden Arts Centre in north London, which is hosting his first solo show in a UK public gallery, and where we talk in an empty cafeteria, feels like an Oxbridge tutorial. And within this context, it is with some trepidation that I ask him about the three things that he is rather famous for, but which I fear he will consider crass. Namely, that Jennifer Aniston set a record price for his work in 2011, buying Stranger #44 for $450,000 (£288,000) at a charity auction, that more recently, Untitled #1 (Second Version), a painting in which the words “I Feel Most Colored When I Am Thrown Against a Sharp White Background” are repeated, sold for $2.6 million at Christie’s New York in May this year; and that in 2009, President

Untitled (Malcolm X); top, Bruise/Blues by Glenn Ligon (main pic)

class parents got a scholarship for him and his brother to attend Walden School, a now defunct private school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that actor Matthew Broderick and Beastie Boy Michael Diamond also attended. But rather sweetly, the man whose commute to school took 90 minutes either way, credits his late mother, a nurse’s assistant, for his career — in particular for sending him to after-school art classes at the Metropolitan Museum where he made pencil copies of paintings

by Cézanne. “I’d still be an artist, I think, if I hadn’t gone to Walden.”

He certainly did not jump straight from high school into a life of artistic success.

After graduating from Wesleyan University in 1982 with a BA in studio art, he worked as a proof reader for a law firm while painting in the abstract expressionist style in his spare time. Eventually, he gained notoriety for the kind of work that features at Camden. The exhibition may only comprise three new pieces, but provides a good introduction to the breadth of

Ligon’s themes and styles. It features a neon work in which the words “blues” and “bruise” are suspended in a white room, in reference to a verbal slip made by Daniel Hamm, one of six black youths (The Harlem Six) arrested for committing a murder during the Harlem Race Riot of 1964 while describing a police beating; an unsettling new multiscreen video work using footage of comedian Richard Pryor’s 1982 standup performance, Live on Sunset Strip, in which Ligon has reorganised footage to focus on the comedian’s body language, and in itself echoes his series of gold-coloured paintings based on Pryor’s comedy routines from the 1970s; and then a new series of large paintings based on the 1966 taped-speech work, Come Out, by minimalist composer Steve Reich, which features the words “Come out to show them” repeated over a large area.

The work is powerful for the same reason that Ligon is at times a challenging interviewee: it is multilayered, cerebral and complex. I tell him that Come Out is partic-

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Read visual art reviews by Rachel Campbell-Johnston thetimes.co.uk/arts

art of protest to the White House BELOW: CHRISTINA HOUSE; LEFT: COURTESY THE ARTIST, THOMAS DANE GALLERY, LONDON, LUHRING AUGUSTINE, NEW YORK AND REGEN PROJECTS, LOS ANGELES

What the leaders like to look at in the office

TRACEY EMIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS 2014. IMAGE COURTESY LEHMANN MAUPIN

Barack Obama, White House Dancer Putting on Stocking by Edgar Degas The only thing we learn from art history is that we never learn from art history. Or at least, we might learn from it but we don’t get jobs from it.

That seemed to be Obama’s message when he said that “folks can make a lot more with trades than they might with an art history degree”. He later apologised. Still, among the things we can learn from art history are that bronzes of women putting on socks look nice. In a slightly sickly sort of way.

ularly affecting, given current US police brutality against blacks in Ferguson and St Louis in Missouri. “Someone asked me if the work is influenced by Ferguson and I said ‘no’ because I don’t see that as an aberration, I see it as part of a continuum.

James Baldwin in ’66 writes an essay about the Harlem Six, and uses the term ‘Stop

‘I wouldn’t say that most of my work is about race, that’s one component’ Search and Frisk’, which is the same term being used now in New York.” So he doesn’t think anything has changed? “Lots of things have charged, partly because social media has given citizens the ability to record things as they happen. Also, with Obama being president, I think there is more of a focus on these kind of issues.

When the president says, ‘If I had a son, he

would look like Trayvon Martin’, that means something.

“There are those who argue that the president’s race makes ongoing racial injustice in America even more depressing. I think that it is a huge change in terms of the history of the country but I don’t think that fact alone changes the country systemically.”

Ligon tops up his coffee, and I ask what it’s like being a black artist making work about race for an art market that is largely white and middle class. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t say that most of my work is about race, that’s one component of what the work is about, but also I would say one doesn’t know who one’s audience is. I just make work.”

I sense Ligon is tiring of the racial theme, so I mention that I initially thought Come Out was a reference to his sexuality and ask if it is harder being black or gay in America. It appears to be a subject the artist, who has exhibitions coming up next year in Liverpool and Nottingham, wants

to discuss even less. “I don’t know, since I’m both . . . those identities form who you are and they mix.” Later, when I check my facts before publication he objects to the phrase “Ligon is gay and describes himself as single”, saying that he prefers the phrase “Ligon is single and sometimes describes himself as gay”, or no reference at all to his sexuality, “unless The Times is some kind of dating service”.

I end by asking another version of a question I’d asked earlier: what’s it like becoming part of the art establishment when one of his dominant themes is being an outsider? He pauses. “What I’m interested in is not an autobiographical sense of ‘I’m an outsider and therefore what I’m interested in is being an outsider’, I’m interested in it generally, as a condition.” Perhaps realising this sounds overly cerebral, he adds: “I think artists are always outsiders”.

Glenn Ligon: Call and Response, Camden Arts Centre, London NW3 (020 7472 5500), to Jan 11. Admission is free

VG BILDKUNST AND HELMUT MIDDENDORF, COURTESY ELENI KORONEOU GALLERY, ATHENS

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON DC

David Cameron, 10 Downing Street More Passion by Tracey Emin Grayson Perry recently noticed a sign in an east London shop advertising “Neon for art pieces”. He decided at that point that “avant-garde is dead”. If Leytonstone killed the avant-garde the appearance of a Tracey Emin neon artwork in 10 Downing St has surely buried it: the words “More Passion” now glow in the Cameron inner sanctum. Which, even if it’s not avant-garde, surely has a slightly postmodern charm to it.

Angela Merkel, Chancellory Häuserpilze

by Helmut Middendorf Angela Merkel recently said that she found the “gigantic” desk used by her predecessor Gerhard Schröder “a bit strange so I have decided to do my normal work from a table in front of it”. Much of the artwork in the Chancellory however remains, like the desk, and like this Middendorf painting, fairly imposing — as it needs to be: the building is ten times the size of the White House.

Catherine Nixey

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL ROGERS

theatre

‘Speak out in the US and you’re seen as unAmerican’ Gossip Girl star Aaron Tveit is going to the dark side to play Lincoln’s assassin. He tells Sam Marlowe why the role is right for the London stage

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aron Tveit is nothing like a Londoner. He was the smooth young politico Tripp van der Bilt in the Manhattan-set hit teen TV series Gossip Girl; and lately much of his working life has been spent in sunny Florida, filming Graceland, in which he stars as a rookie FBI agent. With glowing skin, gleaming teeth and buff bod, he’s wholesome, preppy, all-American. And though he remarks with amusement on our capital’s penchant for beards (“London is the beardiest city I’ve ever seen!”), the neat little whiskers he’s currently sporting would scarcely help him blend in among the Hoxton hipsters. Yet here he is, about to make his UK stage debut at the Menier

‘Sondheim asks you to look at the other side, and empathise with these crazy people’

killer role Aaron Tveit at the Menier theatre in Southwark: “The fact that it’s not polished or pristine is kind of nice”

Chocolate Factory in Southwark. Why? “Yeah, what am I doing here?” he laughs genially, as we huddle in an empty rehearsal room next to a portable gas heater. “Well, I like it — the fact that it’s not polished or pristine is kind of nice.” More specifically, he’s here for Jamie Lloyd’s highly anticipated production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins — a darkly glittering, penetrating and sardonic work about 9 of the 13 men and women who attempted to murder US presidents, and in four cases, succeeded. Tveit (pronounced Ta-VATE) plays John Wilkes Booth, who shot Abraham Lincoln on that fateful night at the theatre. The role — the reason, incidentally, for that dapper beard — will mark his return to the musicaltheatre stage after an absence of three years. “The Menier has a great rep in the States, and Jamie is someone you want to work with,” he says. “And I’ve always wanted to do theatre in London.” Tveit, now 31, was just 7 when Assassins premiered off-Broadway, and has never seen a production; among the Menier cast, only one (Mike McShane, playing Samuel Byck, the would-be killer of Nixon) is a US compatriot. What’s it like performing a show that’s so intrinsically American with a bunch of Brits?

“I feel like because we’re not in America, we can have a more objective view on it,” Tveit says. “The way things are in the States, especially since 9/11, anytime you speak out against certain things it can be viewed as unAmerican. They say that history’s written by the victor, but this show asks you to look at the other side, and try to empathise with these crazy people.”

Booth, who was a successful actor and part of a Maryland theatrical dynasty, is, Tveit says, something of a hate figure in America. Confederate and fiercely proslavery, onstage he was reportedly mesmerising: a raven-haired, scenery-chewing scene-stealer. “Yah, he’s viewed in the States as a terrible, terrible person,” Tveit explains. “Yet he’s from theatre royalty. He lived in the shadow of his brother Edwin, who had the real craft and intelligence, but apparently John was this very physical figure who would force the audience to fall in love with him and command the stage.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with that.”

Tveit allows himself just a hint of a knowing twinkle — maybe because he’s

used to making his own audience swoon.

His fans — mostly female — are deeply devoted, calling themselves the Tveiter tots (after Tater Tots, an American side-dish of deep-fried grated potato).

He also has a track record of muchadmired performances in musicals that deal both with troubling subject matter (Next To Normal, a show about schizophrenia, which coincidentally played at Broadway’s Booth Theatre, named after Edwin), and with the power of personal charisma (Catch Me If You Can, for which, in his most recent stage role, he played the brilliant conman Frank Abagnale, previously portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film of the same name).

Tveit got to experience the Abagnale magnetism first-hand. “Frank’s the most

‘In the States, John Wilkes Booth is viewed as a terrible, terrible person’ fascinating, charming person I’ve ever met. If you’re in a room with a bunch of people, he’s the only person you’re going to look at. He just radiates this . . . presence.

So you kind of get how he was able to pull the wool over people’s eyes for so long. He was such a supporter of our show and so open about his life — how he made his mistakes but he’d served his time and paid every cent back that he ever took. It’s funny, this goes back to Assassins: while that show’s about the American Dream gone sour, Frank believes that he’s proof that the American Dream still exists, because only in America would he have been given a second chance. He works for the FBI, and he owns something like 250 US patents for security — I mean, he’s a genius.”

The show itself was gruelling — “like being shot out of a cannon” — and to stay in shape, Tveit subjects himself to an ascetic regimen. “It’s not a hard formula, you just have to eat right, drink a lot of water, get a lot of sleep. I live like a monk — I go home, read a lot. And I work out — about six weeks before a stage show.

“In my head it’s like I’m going into Olympic training. I don’t like to miss shows, I like to be healthy. I mean, you can go out, you can party, and you’d probably just about get through the show, but one of the worst feelings in the world for me is being onstage in front of people, and even if they don’t know different because they’ve never seen it before, if I feel like I’m not giving 100 per cent, I’m mortified with myself. Maybe that’s just my obsessive, perfectionist brain, but I really don’t like to just shuffle through things.”

He is, though, making time for some socialising. The last time Tveit was in London, he was filming Tom Hooper’s epic screen version of Les Misérables, in which he dashingly portrayed the student revolutionary Enjolras; he admits his first weeks in an unfamiliar city were lonely. But he found new buddies on the barricades, one of whom, David Roberts, plays William McKinley’s murderer, Leon Czolgosz, in Assassins; and he’s already popped into the West End shows Memphis and Miss Saigon to catch up with fellow performers Killian Donnelly and Alistair Brammer.

As for the whole Les Mis experience, “It was incredible. Our barricade was built in almost a quarter-mile-long stretch of a five-storey Paris street on a Pinewood lot — and then we blew it all up! I hope one day I’ll be able to show my kids, look at this amazing thing I was a part of.”

It couldn’t be much further from the intimacy of the Menier — and Tveit is looking forward to the connection with a live audience, close enough to see the actors “thinking, breathing and sweating.

What’s really neat about the piece is that you can be watching a scene and your heart starts to break for someone but then you say, wait a minute — this person is a killer!” And he flashes a smile so dazzling that, for a split second, I almost believe he could get away with murder.

Assassins is at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London SE1 (020 7378 1713)

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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The real face of Dr Fu Manchu Book of the week

From opium dens to espionage, this history of racism shows how lurid stereotyping stoked Chinaphobia, says Roger Boyes Th The Yellow Peril: Dr Fu Manchu and the Rise of an Chinaphobia China

by Christopher Frayling Fr Thames & Hudson, 360pp £24.95 * £22.45

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hina, so big as to be invisible, is a source of confusion to the west and a breeding ground for the crudest of stereotypes. One of the most enduring is the evil, fictional figure of Dr Fu Manchu, a wily Oriental version of Moriarty, who deployed an extraordinary network of dope peddlers, Britain-hating Thuggees, secret societies and acrobatic Indian assassinbandits to spread terror in the western world. Fu Manchu, with his distinctively thin strands of moustache, is for the cultural historian Christopher Frayling the face of the Yellow Peril, the incarnation of a dreaded faraway culture that seemed to challenge all the certainties of empire.

At school in the 1960s, some of our teachers had been scarred by the war with the Japanese. Yet it was Chinese rather than Japanese cruelty that held us spellbound; we inflicted “Chinese burns” on each other and bunked off classes to see the titillatingly sadistic Brides of Fu Manchu at the Gaumont picture house. It didn’t

In Victorian London, the Chinese were synonymous with organised crime get much better in the classroom. Thomas De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater was required reading (“Man is a weed in those regions,” he writes of China). Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, with its detailed and wellresearched account of Chinese-run East End opium dens, was on the syllabus, too.

In Victorian London, the Chinese were synonymous with organised crime. Wapping and Limehouse — today fashionable Thamesside haunts commanding fortunes for warehouse apartments — were crowded with brothels and drug dens run

by Chinese profiteers and their English mistresses, boasting names like Canton Kitty, Opium Sal and Cheeny Emma. The mere presence of the Chinese in the capital seemed to hint at the dark side of British power, our own unacknowledged corruptibility. Their strength; our weakness.

My grandfather’s generation grew up on books positing an invasion of Britain by

Chinese aerial balloons. PG Wodehouse satirised Yellow-Peril-lit with a story that imagined the Germans landing in Essex, the Russians occupying Yarmouth, the “Mad Mullah” taking Portsmouth and the Swiss navy seizing the bathing huts of Lyme Regis. Then the Chinese came into play, swooping upon “that picturesque little Welsh watering place, Lllgxtplll, and despite desperate resistance on the part of an excursion of Evanses and Joneses from Cardiff, seized a secure foothold”.

Chinaphobia may then be less about China itself than about a broader anxiety about being overwhelmed by insurgent powers who covet Britain’s imperial wealth. Some of the nonsense written about China in the first half of the 20th century is interchangeable with the writing about Germany. My firstever political conversation with my father, in the 1960s, was about whether the Chinese communists were going to blow us to smithereens.

Christopher Frayling deftly traces the ebb and flow of British Sinophobia over the centuries and it is plain that much of it is based on ignorance and a numbskulled assumption of racial superiority. When the English are not fretting about the sinister intent of the Chinese, they are unfunnily mocking their accents on music-hall stages. The main thread of the book, how-

chinese burns The Terror of the Tongs (1961) tells the story of a murderous crime gang in Hong Kong; below, an opium den c 1900

ever, remains Fu Manchu, the creation of Sax Rohmer (real name: Arthur Ward).

His works were essentially a version of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, with Fu Manchu’s square-jawed rival Nayland Smith being a rather dimmer version of the Baker Street detective and the narrator being a dead ringer for Dr Watson.

The books were turned into films and Ian Fleming appears to have ransacked them for suitable villains. By the time that the films had turned into a comic strip franchise and had been spoofed by Peter Sellers (The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu, 1980 — his last film), it was plain that intelligent, scheming Chinamen with doctorates from Heidelberg and the Sorbonne were trouble. The message was clear: if you want to scare the public, call in the doctor.

It wasn’t all fear and loathing.

Frayling weaves into the text some touching if clumsy attempts by the British to understand the Chinese. In the late 19th century, Liberty’s of Regent Street started to stock Chinese cushion covers and ginger jars. That was the time too when first tentative attempts were made to introduce Chinese food to the British middle class. A Chinese tea-house was opened in South Kensington to mark the 1884 Health exhibition. In order not to scare away the faint-hearted the menu was

translated into French: Biche de Mer à la Matelote Chinoise; Shark’s Fin à la Bagration; Boule de Riz; Shaohsing wine.

The Punch food critic had problems with the wine, describing it as a mixture of furniture polish and chocolate cream but slowly both the food and the blue-andwhite ceramics caught on. As did the Pekingese lapdogs, ugly pugs which became a fashionable Victorian accessory. There was curiosity about China, and a nose for the commerce that could be won there, but precious little trust. And that really has not changed much over two centuries.

Dismantling popular Sinophobia has becoming a pressing diplomatic task. As Frayling reminds us in this scintillating book, the fiendish Chinese conspiracy may have spruced itself up a bit but it’s not that much different in tone from Edwardian days. Armies of hackers are said to be invading our computers, the hunger for the world’s raw materials, the military buildup, the infiltration of Africa, its product piracy, its trampling on dissidents, its purchase of our nuclear plants — we need to talk about all this and escape the long shadow of Fu Manchu.

*

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

nonfiction

Farewell to old Constantinople This lively guide to Istanbul, told through its grand hotels, explains the city’s past — if not the present, says Norman Stone

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he title of this book is not quite right. Modern Istanbul is a concrete megalopolis, with dreadful traffic, and its birth dates to the 1950s, decades after the glorious Pera Palace hotel was built. You could almost give a precise date: September 6, 1955, when a mob ransacked the European quarter and caused the non-Muslim minorities to pack their bags and emigrate.

It was the worst mistake in modern Turkish history.

There had been about 150,000 Greeks, native to the city and loyal (there were Greek deputies in the governing party).

Their loss held Turkey back for a generation, since they were considerably overrepresented in the professions, and would have made a good bridge to Europe. At the time, all of the big Turkish businessmen protested, but there were grubby wirepullers behind the mobs who calculated that they could take over the Greek properties.

They did, and it went badly wrong: an entire European quarter — Galata — turned into a sinister slum.

In Galata, you could pass across an Italian piazza to the Galata Tower square, dating back to the 14th century, past a gimcrack concrete supermarket, and down God’s General Street, past a fire-ruined palace put up by the Jewish Camondo family, which had trees growing out of its broken roof, then onwards towards the German school and the Anglican church.

In the 1990s, bright Turks recognised the potential, winkled out the squatters and restored most of the buildings. But the damage caused in 1955 was huge, physically and morally.

Charles King’s lively and intelligent book concerns the earlier period, when Istanbul was still a relatively small place, the great monuments surrounded by greenery, and the Bosphorus studded with well-built wooden mansions.

It had its Muslim quarter, Stamboul, and its European one, Pera and Galata, which had been built up by architects, some of them very good, who had Paris or Genoa in mind. Its central avenue, the Grande Rue, largely Armenian or Greekowned, was a place where, in fashionable shops and arcades, you heard a dozen languages. Half of Constantinople was Christian or Jewish, but long co-existence meant mutual tolerance, and even a certain amount of inter-marriage (many of the Young Turk reformers of 1908 had foreign mothers). King writes well of all this — he knows languages, and academic English is not one of them — but the period of which he writes, 1920 to 1950, marks the end of this Constantinople, not the birth of the new Istanbul.

Such a book can easily become just a list of stories and to give it a structure, King centres the narrative on the Pera Palace, the most famous of the hotels in old Con-

turkish delight The Pera Palace, opened in 1892; below, the hotel’s guards c 1923

Mi Midnight at the Pera Pe Palace: The Birth Bir of Modern Istanbul Is

by Charles King Nort 476pp Norton, £18.99 * £17.09; ebook £18.99 stantinople. The Orient Express reached the city in 1889, and grand hotels went up, of which the Pera Palace (opened in 1892 and now restored) is the main survivor.

The other grand hotels give a flavour of the history of Istanbul. The Tokatlian, where German officers met in the First World War, was neighbour to the Grand Cercle d’Orient, the Levantines’ vast (masonic) club, which admitted only the top Turks, including Boris Johnson’s great-grandfather, who was taken away from a shave to be lynched — now it is just a cheap bazaar. The Park, originally a grand vizier’s establishment, became a wonderful art deco extravaganza, but was knocked down in 1988.

The Park Hotel was corruptly replaced by a multistorey car park which the courts stopped but which, half-built, became the worst eyesore on the skyline. It has now gone, but another eyesore is going up on the last green hill on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus — a garish concrete mosque, in line with the religious triumphalism of the stupider elements in the present government. Of the old hotels, the one with most appeal, certainly for the discerning British, is the Grand London, with parrot-cages, obsolete gramophones, chambres garnies in Père Goriot style and friendly staff.

But the Pera Palace is really only a peg on which to hang stories — the kind that will carry you easily enough on a seven-hour plane journey. The story spans Britain’s occupation of the city from 1919 to 1923; the arrival of 120,000 White Russians in 1921; and the terrible story of Jews trying to escape from Romania or Hungary in the Second World War, whose passage to Palestine was held up by Turkish bureaucracy — their boats were event-

ually torpedoed by Soviet submarines.

Along the way there are vignettes. The national poet, Nâzim Hikmet (grandson of a Polish émigré general), was jailed in the 1940s for many years for his communist activities. He was warned by his cousin, a minister in the government, not to foment trouble in the navy but he did not take heed. King forgets to mention that he was the victim of a cruel and unusual torture: his ex-wife was allowed to stay in prison with him at the weekends. Hikmet died, much later, disillusioned, in Moscow.

Trotsky spent four years as an exile on Prinkipo (or Büyükada), the largest of the islands in the Sea of Marmara. Trotsky in distant retrospect is a romantic figure but the story of his exile is wonderfully prosaic.

Stalin, in 1929, was not yet in a position to have him purge-trialled but needing to get rid of him, he asked the Turks to take him in. They did so in return for the Soviets building a shirt factory in Kayseri. While he was on the island, Trotsky discovered a fish, fat and red, with gills in the form of a hammer and sickle — Trotsky called it Sebastes leninii. Stalin, ever aware of his intellectual inferiority, took time off in 1942 to contribute a learned article to the Soviet ichnological journal on this fish.

One of these vignettes is menacingly topical. In the Pera Palace, in the 1920s, there lived an American, Thomas Whittemore, who made Byzantine art his business. He raised money — in 1930: he had genius — to restore and rediscover the Greek Orthodox past of the Hagia Sophia, which the Ottomans had turned into their greatest mosque. The superb mosaics had vanished under paint, and, piece by piece, these were cleaned and displayed. Aya Sofya, as the Turks call it, was then secularised in 1934 and turned into a museum, the greatest monument in today’s Istanbul.

The subject is now topical, because pressure has been building to turn Aya Sofya into yet another mosque. A lesser-known Byzantine jewel, the “little” Aya Sofya in Trabzon, on the Black Sea, which was beautifully restored 50 years ago, has been turned over by the local bumpkins into a cheap-carpets and plastic-chair mosque in which all the frescos and tiled floors have been covered up. That sort of Anatolian stupidity wrecked Charles King’s Istanbul in 1955, to the subsequent regret of any decent Turk. Can we be sure that something of the sort will not happen again? The fate of the Hagia Sophia will be the test.

Norman Stone is professor of history at Bilkent University in Ankara

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Read our new books bulletin PD James has died aged 94 — read Marcel Berlins’s tribute to the great crime writer by signing up to our weekly blast of books news thetimes.co.uk/bulletins

What’s the Cornish for dead language?

JAIME AVALOS / EPA

Monoglots beware: if we let our linguistic diversity slip away, we will lose more than words, says Rose Wild

I

n the Swiss canton of Graubünden the hills are alive with the sound of Romansh. There are 35,000 speakers of Switzerland’s fourth official language, but can they understand each other? Apparently not. The geography of the region being what it is, every valley has evolved its own dialect and, despite sterling attempts to create a standard version, no one in one village can make out what is being said in the next. Just one word from Romansh has been adopted into English.

Thanks to skiers, or 19th-century tourists perhaps, it is “avalanche”.

But Romansh, despite its limitations, is far from the most useless of Europe’s 50odd (some very odd) languages, as defined by the author of this most illuminating book. Gaston Dorren, being Dutch, speaks six languages and reads eight more. The depth and breadth of his understanding and knowledge are awesome but even he throws in the towel when it comes to the Faroe Islands. Of all the official European languages, he tells us, Faroese is learnt by the fewest foreigners. Having no connection at all between spelling and pronunciation it is fiendishly difficult, and everyone there speaks perfect Danish, possibly better than the Danes. Give up, says Dorren.

If you want difficult, go and learn Basque instead.

Dorren tells us how our languages evolved and why they evolved in so many different directions; why Finnish is the easiest of European languages to learn and English the hardest; why Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, which are so close as to be easily mutually understood, have the status of distinct languages while the myriad versions of German, which are incomprehensible each to another, are designated

Lingo: A Language Lin La Spotter’s Guide to Europe

by Gaston Dorren Profile, 256pp £12.99 * £10.99 ebook £7.99

The Faroese language is learnt by the fewest foreigners — it is fiendishly difficult

mexican standoff Manuel Segovia Jimenez is one of only two speakers of the Ayapaneco dialect — however, they have fallen out and the other refuses to talk to him

dialects; why English speakers can’t learn Esperanto and which Celtic language gave us the word “trousers”.

Politics and national sensitivities loom large in this story. In 1928, Kemal Atatürk ruled that Latin script should replace the Arabic alphabet as part of his westernisation of Turkey. This caused consternation in the USSR, where a similar ruling

had recently been made for Turkic language speakers. Fearing that the Turkic peoples would be drawn towards Turkey, Joseph Stalin went on to prohibit Latin script and make Cyrillic compulsory. The unfortunate residents of Azerbaijan who were born in the early years of the last century would find that their official language changed four times by 1995 —

Closing a door on Handel

T

Ge ge Frid George Frideric ic Handel: A Life with Friends

by Ellen T Harris Norton, 496pp £25 * £22.50 ebook £25

To order books at discounted prices call 0845 2712134 or visit thetimes.co.uk/ bookshop

he musicologist Ellen T Harris calls her doorstopper guide to Handel and his world a “fugue in four separate themes”. The fugue is a technique that Handel (and any baroque master worth his salt) specialised in: you take one musical idea and pass it around the orchestra; the more themes you add, the more difficult it is to make a harmonious whole.

It’s not a great analogy for Harris’s book, which better resembles one of Handel’s more unloved operas. There are virtuosic moments, but too much airtime given to minor characters. There are implausible subplots and volte-faces. And, just as one of Handel’s da capo arias (essentially: “from the top”) winds its way round and round the same phrases, so Harris chews over and over the material without coming to satisfactory conclusions.

True, she’s up against considerable obstacles. By the time he died, Handel was a cultural figurehead of Hanoverian England. He later evolved into a Victorian icon and, now, in the 21st century, his stock has never been higher in the concert hall and opera house. Yet we know frustrating-

ly little about him, whether it’s his artistic objectives or his personal relationships (he never married, had no children and we know of no man or woman with whom he was romantically attached).

Harris’s response to this dilemma is to widen the focus. She takes as her starting point the beneficiaries in Handel’s will — a motley group that included painters, publishers, philosophers and an intriguing number of independent-minded women — and follows their stories in tandem with the composer’s.

Harris is an ardent Handelian but as a historian her methods frustrate. It’s a pity that most of Handel’s friends’ lives unspool in dreary letters about inheritance and debt (London, whether it’s 1714 or 2014, is a lawyers’ paradise). And Harris rarely convinces as she tries to second-guess Handel’s motivations. She makes strenuous efforts to imply that his work was political. Early cantatas for Queen Anne are (possibly) a snub for the Elector of Hanover, the future George I. The first Italian operas (perhaps) flirt with Jacobitism. And the religious oratorios — Esther, Joshua or even Messiah — are (potentially) partisan

messiah complex Lack of knowledge of Handel’s personal life makes it easier to construct imaginative theories

statements about the nature of the Protestant god. These parenthetical disclaimers are not mine, but Harris’s: in most cases there is little or no evidence to support her interpretations, or that these sorts of issues were at all important to Handel.

If a picture of Handel does emerge, it’s as

from Arabic to Soviet Latin, Cyrillic and Turkish Latin.

Closer to home, the move to resurrect Cornish illustrates nicely how language is tied up in local pride. The last Cornish speaker died in 1777, but for more than 100 years enthusiasts have tried to kick-start a revival helped, of late, by large grants of public money. The problem, of course, is how to agree on a form of Cornish to revive. The squabbles started early and resulted in would-be Cornish speakers having to choose between Unified Cornish, Common Cornish, Unified Cornish Revised and Modern or Revived Late Cornish, all of which have now evolved — more or less — into standard written form.

As the author comments, unification isn’t a straightforward business.

Cornish is now classed as critically endangered, rather than dead. It is luckier in this than Dalmatian. In 1897 an Italian linguist attempted to record the last living speaker of this Romance language which had succumbed to its Slavic neighbours.

Tuone Udaina, a resident of the island of Krk, made an unsatisfactory research subject. He had not spoken his parents’ language in the 20 years since they had died, and had no teeth. Shortly after making some unintelligible recordings, he stepped on a landmine and was killed — Dalmatian with him.

In a sense, as Dorren points out, Dalmatian was already dead. How can a language survive if its last speaker has no one to talk to — or, as was recently reported from Mexico, if two speakers of a language remain but they have fallen out and refuse to communicate with each other? Theirs is only one of the 500-odd languages in the world that are currently spoken by fewer than 100 people. As an idle monoglot, I’ve been complacent about this erosion of linguistic diversity but this charming, funny and fascinating gem of a book has persuaded me of the richness we are in danger of losing. a pragmatist and businessman: in a market where taste fluctuated according to fashion, aligning himself with any particular faction would surely have been commercial suicide. Harris also ignores the extent to which many of Handel’s works — his Italian operas in particular — were simply taken from “off the shelf” librettos written in some cases many decades earlier. In one of the most ludicrous sections of the book, she compares the experience of Handel’s operatic protagonists to the emotional tribulations of his friend Mary Delany, simply on the basis that the operas in question depict lovers who are forced to part.

On this evidence Delany would find that about 90 per cent of all operas in existence would have mirrored her life, too.

Where Harris does excel is in her musical analysis. She’s excellent on showing how Handel bends musical conventions to suit the text and its emotional drama, and how he dazzled a mass audience (many of whom were music-agnostic) with ear-tickling effects. And she’s moving, too, when concluding with Handel’s late, reflective and rather anguished oratorios, written as Handel was going blind — a fate that befell the hero of Samson, his 1743 blockbuster.

Writing about fugues, Harris is peerless; turning personal history into a fugue, however, is beyond her capacity.

Neil Fisher

the times Saturday November 29 2014

46 Body + Soul

The double-workout craze: cardio in the morning, weights in the afternoon Is there a limit to how much you should work out?

Ruby Warrington reports on the latest fitness craze to hit New York body obsessives

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t was over a late night New York supper on the Lower East Side that my friend Gala let slip that she’d been doing two workouts a day that week. I was still trying to assimilate the fact that this otherwise perfectly normal woman had apparently crossed the body-fanatic divide when she told me the reason why — it had something to do with her dual boxercise/Pilates habit and having to fit around her trainers’ schedules.

“It doesn’t actually feel like that much, just like I’m getting a really good workout,” she told me.

A successful lifestyle blogger, Gala represents a growing tribe of Manhattan women who are taking the city’s way-oflife workout culture to the next level and

regularly fitting in two — if not three — limit-testing workouts in a single day, often many times a week.

It might sound extreme but in a city that attracts a certain competitive “type A” personality and where there are approximately 517 gyms (roughly one for every 20 restaurants, with more opening each week), there is a certain logic to the phenomenon. A case of demand rising up to meet supply. “There are so many classes I want to try now, I’ve been inspired to start working out more often,” says 30-year-old Jen Blackford, a British expat who regularly doubles up her workouts.

Liz Maloy, a 36-year-old marketing executive for an investment bank, says that she started working out twice a day when she became a serious runner.

Having completed eight marathons to date, “I have to do yoga or strength training too to get my body back to normal,” she says. “It’s a snowball effect — the more you work out, the more you have to!”

Maloy does a double “at least twice a week, if not three times and sometimes I’ll sneak one on a Saturday too”, and claims that she often hits a 6am class to juggle her workouts alongside her social life and heavy workload. rkload.

Claiming that her obsession isn’t about weight loss (“I can cutt weight if I stick to eating really clean too, o, but then you’re having no fun”), for her the fact that “I think physically you can tell I work out a lot” is secondary to achieving and maintaining a high level of fitness. “I do a class called the Brooklyn ooklyn Bridge Bootcamp and at the end of the season there’s a two-hour class where the last person to hold their plank wins title of Bootcamp Champion. I won it this year,” she says, as if it was all in a day’s work(out).

Having lived in London ndon before her move to New York seven years ago, Blackford says: “I could never have done two workouts a day there — it takes too long to get around. In Manhattan everything hing is a 15-minute cab ride and there’s a boutique studio on every corner. ner. When I lived in Hackney there was nothing for miles.”

The cost of maintaining this gruelling schedule is not to be sniffed at — with membership at upscale gym chain Equinox uinox costing upwards of $160 (£100) a month, and more specialised “boutique” classes coming in anywhere from $25 to $40 a session. “My friends and I joke that once you throw ow in a cab there and back, a visit to [cult spinning studio] SoulCycle can end up being a $60 class!” says Maloy. y.

“But I’d rather spend my money on this than cocktails or online shopping.”

And if Carrie and Co in Sex and the City were all about the Cosmos and the Manolos, shoes and booze aren’t the only things women are

It’s a snowball effect — the more you work out, the more work you have to do

prepared to sacrifice to support their twice-a-day habit. Publicist Jana Fleishman cites sleep, dining out and taxis as other luxuries she’s prepared to forgo to feed her SoulCycle addiction — regularly rising at 4.30am so she can fit in a 6am class before work.

So at what point does a healthy habit become a potentially dangerous addiction? According to Shelly Dammeyer, of New York’s Eating Disorder Resource Center, “it’s a warning sign when the thinking around exercise shifts from a place of enjoyment to viewing it more as a kind of punishment: ‘I’m a failure if I don’t run that extra mile.’ ” Alarm bells also go off for her if exercise, like anything else, is a way to avoid dealing with other stuff that’s going on, such as work stress.

And is it even worth the effort?

Dammeyer also cites “stress fractures” — where repeated (rather than sudden) mechanical movements cause small fractures to the bones — as another cause for concern. Meanwhile, strength and conditioning specialist Doug Barsanti recommends two shorter workouts to bookend your day — rather than two full-length workouts. “Generally speaking, working out for longer than an hour a day runs your body into the ground. You’ll get so tired that you’ll actually lose strength and therefore lose muscle — not to mention losing the enthusiasm to exercise,” he explains.

But for the women I speak to, it seems their commitment to the cause is mostly about a sense of achievement — with a side order of endorphin-fuelled feel-good factor.

the times Saturday November 29 2014

Travel 47

Travel

Page 50

‘The new way to see the Maldives – just hop on a ferry and see where it takes you’

Tom Chesshyre on a watery journey around paradise

Saint James Paris (2). Below, Dylan, Dublin (3)

20 sexiest hotels in Europe

From Porto to Paris, Annabelle Thorpe picks the best rooms for a romantic break 1 Ca Maria Adele Venice For a little added va-va-voom in Venice, you need opulence and warmth, not über-designed minimalism. Maria Adele is a gorgeous 16th-century palazzo in Dorsodouro, near the Grand Canal.

There’s a distinct bohemian feel, with Murano chandeliers and heavy damask fabrics, and the 14 rooms ooze various levels of decadence. The five “concept

rooms” come with rococo armchairs, rich damask wallpapers and glistening chandeliers. The most spectacular is Sala del Doge, a scarlet and gold smorgasbord of Venetian opulence, but if you want it reined in a little, stick to the deluxe rooms or suites.

Details B&B doubles from £212, Sala del Doge £245 (00 39 041 520 3078, camariaadele.it). EasyJet (easyjet.com) returns from £53.98

2 Saint James Paris

Choosing Paris for a romantic break is the easy part — more difficult is choosing where to stay. In a sea of sexy hotels, the Saint James Paris, close to the Arc de Triomphe, has 48 rooms, all individually designed. There’s also a bar-cum-library with 12,000 books, boudoir-style treatment rooms in the spa — and amazing food in the restaurant, as you’d expect from a Relais & Châteaux property. For the best rooms in the smallest “boudoir” category, go for the black and white

room, which has a view of the fountain.

Among the sleek junior suites, go for No 409 — La Parisienne.

Details Boudoir doubles from £261.60, junior suites from £489 (00 800 0825 10 20, relaischateaux.com)

3 Dylan Dublin Just a ten-minute walk from Grafton Street in a fashionable neighbourhood in the south of the city centre, the Dylan is a sumptuous hotel with lavish rooms and a popular cocktail bar alongside its laid-back Tavern restaurant. It’s perfect for a romantic stay in Ireland’s capital.

All the rooms are slick and sexy, but the stand-out room is its Signature W

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suite with a huge, hand-carved bed. Of the entry-level “luxury” rooms, number 215 is especially spacious and has a good view across the leafy suburbs.

Details B&B doubles are from £150, the Signature suite is from £290 B&B (00353 1 6603000, dylan.ie)

4 Hotel DO: Placa Reial Barcelona

Sip cocktails, stroll the Barri Gothique, indulge in long, lazy tapas lunches — and stay in an indulgently luxurious hotel. The DO, rising above the Ramblas, is a stately 19th-century palacio that now has 18 breezily light bedrooms and a fabulous rooftop pool that feels very Manhattan-esque. Treat yourselves to El Terrat, the rooftop suite with a 17m² terrace and a tiny pool of its own.

Details B&B doubles from £159, El Terrat from £218 (00 34 934 813 666, hoteldo reial.com). Ryanair returns from £39.98

5 Palacio Ramalhete Lisbon

The ideal choice for lovers of vintage style, Ramalhete is a historic building that has a lively, contemporary feel in its antique-filled interiors. The beautiful azulejo-tiled lounges feel delightfully romantic, as do the rooms, with polished-wood floors, clean white decor and vintage furniture. Book the Old Oak Room for chesterfields, wood-panelling and a pleasingly old-fashioned feel.

Details B&B doubles from £126, Old Oak Room from £145 (00 351 213 931 380, palacio-ramalhete.com). Ryanair returns from £39.98

6 L’Hotel Particulier Arles

Francophiles will adore this 19th-century grand mansion, the first of its kind to be built in the town. The 18 rooms ooze

8 Canal House Amsterdam

classic French style, with gorgeous Louis XV armchairs or soft white sofas, grand gilt mirrors and shuttered windows that open out on to juliette balconies. Indulge in a treatment or two in the small spa and hammam, and soak up the sunshine in the pretty garden, where snacks are served all day. All rooms are spacious and there isn’t a bad one in the house — even the chambres classiques (standard rooms) are to die for. The best suites are rooms 2, 4, 22 and 24; these open on to the garden with a view of the pool.

Details Doubles from £228, suites from £308 (00 33 490 525140, hotelparticulier.com). Ryanair returns from £35.98

Dimly lit and wonderfully moody, Canal House hits the right note of sexiness in Europe’s most free and easy city. The style — deep aubergine or muted grey walls, in-room baths and statement artworks — feels pleasingly edgy, but indulgently comfy too. The black and gold Great Room and Bar are good for a post-sightseeing cuppa or a pre-dinner cocktail, and on warmer days the garden is a joy (book room 18 for a garden view).

Details B&B doubles from £137 (00 31 20 622 5182, canalhouse.nl). Flybe (flybe.com) returns from £86

7 Ett Hem Stockholm

9 Soho House Berlin

It’s pricey, certainly, but it’s also unique; other hotels strive to feel like home but Ett Hem pulls it off with spectacular style. It’s achingly chic, but sheepskin rugs, oak furniture and roaring fires keep it cosy. The ethos — guests can have what they like, where and when they like — means that you can sip wine in the garden, have supper in the kitchen or the greenhouse, or simply dip into snacks and drinks whenever it suits you. Ask for room 4, a standard double with a lovely view, though if you want a fireplace you’ll need a deluxe double.

Details Doubles from £251 B&B (00 46 8 20 05 90, etthem.se). Ryanair returns from £35.98

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Open to non-members as a normal hotel, Soho House channels Berlin’s justa-bit-naughty vibe perfectly. Rooms are graded by size; tiny up to extra large, but all come with fun add-ons such as vintage record players and a stack of vinyl, retro-whimsy furnishings and sleek bathrooms. Tiny rooms are exactly that, so it’s worth going up a size — it’s only £25 more for a small. Of these, no 67 and 73 are the best, with good bathrooms.

Restaurant and bar tables look out over the city, and the rooftop pool tops it all off nicely.

Details Doubles from £79 room only, small rooms from £104 (00 49 30 40 50 440, sohohouseberlin.com).

Germanwings (germanwings.com) returns from £67.98

10 Corral del Rey Seville

Few cities match Seville for sun-soaked elegance, and Corral del Rey is a gorgeously restored 17th-century palace in the Barrio Alfafa, with a cool atrium patio, Roman marble columns and antique carved woodwork throughout.

Rooms are crisp and white with 21stcentury add-ons: LED lights, iPod docks.

A junior suite only costs £50 more than a deluxe double but has a third more space, a roll-top bath and kingsize bed.

Details B&B deluxe doubles from £253, junior suite £300 (00 34 954 227 116, i-escape.com). EasyJet returns from £43.98

11 Hotel Unico Madrid

There’s nothing understated about Unico. This luxed-up palace on the city’s Golden Mile has chequerboard floors, twinkling chandeliers and 44 rooms that are the embodiment of Madrileno style: grey, black and cream with angular glass-and-chrome furniture and high ceilings. Rooms at the front can be a little noisy; book a king garden room, which overlooks the hotel’s elegant garden. Book a table too at the hotel’s renowned restaurant, overseen by two Michelin-starred Ramon Freixa.

Details Doubles from £161, room only; king garden from £196 (00 34 91 781 01 73, unicohotelmadrid.com). Ryanair from Stansted and Manchester from £43.98 return

12 Le Boutique Hotel Bordeaux

Heaven for oenophiles, Le Boutique is a gorgeous 18th-century townhouse in the city centre, converted into a slick small hotel. Rooms overlook a pretty palmdotted courtyard, home to the hotel’s wine bar and the perfect spot for comparing vintages and working slowly

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Travel 49 11

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through one of the hotel’s generous cheese platters. For vin with a view, book the Suite Pontet Canet, which has an outdoor whirlpool bath and small private terrace overlooking the garden.

Details Doubles from £134 room only, Suite Pontet Canet from £243 (00 33 5 56 48 80 40, hotelbordeauxcentre.com). EasyJet returns from £57.98

13 The Three Sisters Tallinn, Estonia

Three 14th-century townhouses knocked together, the Three Sisters plays into every Dr Zhivago/roaring fire/snow on the windowsills fantasy you’ve ever had.

Sleek without being minimalist, it’s the perfect base for exploring picturesque Tallinn; go in the depths of winter for thick snow, icy cobbles and cellar bars, and slap-up dinners in the hotel’s thickly beamed Bordoo restaurant. Keep it cosy with room 37; a lovely attic room with an old-fashioned bath for long soaks.

Details B&B doubles from £188 (00 372 630 6300, threesistershotel.com).

EasyJet returns from £71.98

14 Hotel Can Cera Palma

One of Europe’s best weekend-break options, Palma is small enough to get to know in an afternoon with great galleries, shopping and tapas eateries.

Can Cera is an elegant 700-year-old mansion with a classic Majorquin courtyard and large, gracious living rooms filled with a mix of antique furniture and contemporary art. The hotel’s restaurant, Gastro Bar, offers toprate tapas and, if the budget stretches, Suite Can Cera is a dream of a room: elegant wood-panelling, double-height windows and doors on to a gorgeous, tiled terrace. Room 12 is the biggest of the entry-level deluxe rooms.

Details Doubles from £131, room-only,

Suite Can Cera £412 (00 34 971 715 012, cancerahotel.com). Jet2 (jet2.com) returns from £39.98

chesterfields are perfect for a postsightseeing pick-me-up.

Details B&B doubles from £154 (00 90 212 252 04 22, thehousehotel.com).

Atlasjet (atlasjet.com) returns from £144

15 Buddha-Bar Hotel Klotild Palace Budapest

17 Odette en Ville Brussels

Two neighbouring 19th-century palaces in the heart of the city, Buddha-Bar has a distinctly oriental feel in its neo-baroque architecture, with deep-red walls, darkwood furniture and Thai sculptures and statues throughout. Rooms are moodily lit, with muted gold and scarlet against a crisp, white bed. The spacious suites are surprisingly affordable; book a corner suite for a balcony and bath for two.

Details Doubles from £87 room only, corner suite £208 (00 36 1 799 7300, buddhabarhotelbudapest.com). Jet2 returns from £60.80

16 The House Galatasary Istanbul

This gorgeous 19thcentury mansion mixes sweeping marble staircases and ceramic tiling with dramatic, high-ceilinged suites softened by cream drapes and a cool-stone palette on the walls and fabrics (but the shower cubicles are in the bedroom).

Even standard suites feel indulgent and this effortless chic is the perfect foil to the hectic city outside. Of these, No 11 is the lightest and occupies a prime position on the second floor. In the Attic Lounge Bar, the fireside

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In a somewhat unsexy city, Odette en Ville is a real find; a haven of 1950s filmnoir glamour, with eight monochrome rooms, a moody cocktail bar with lacquered floors and vintage black and white photos, and a conservatory restaurant. If you’re in search of intellectual input, you’ll love the library — pick a book or three and curl up on a wide, deep sofa or, if you’ve booked room 3, in front of your own private fireplace.

Details Doubles from £218 room only (00 32 2 640 2626, chez-odette.com). EasyJet returns from £57.98

18 DO & Co Hotel Vienna

One of Europe’s most walkable capitals, Vienna is a lovely winter choice, with cafés to fuel your sightseeing with cake and hot chocolate. DO & Co is in front of St Stephen’s Cathedral: the sleek sixth-floor Onyx Bar has views of the building from its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Rooms are pared down but comfortably so, with warm earthy decor and polished wood floors. Avoid the courtyard rooms, which look into the internal space, and go for a cityview

room (room 302 is best), which overlook either St Stephen’s Square or the Graben.

Details Doubles from £177, room only; cityview rooms from £192 (00 43 1 24188, docohotel.com). EasyJet returns from £57.98

19 The Yeatman Porto

Indulgence of all forms defines a stay at the Yeatman, with an award-winning spa and a focus on wine — the hotel’s cellars hold one of the most comprehensive collections of Portuguese wine in the world. Every room has a balcony with views over Porto, richly coloured decor and sumptuous bathrooms with Caudalie products, while the Michelinstarred restaurant focuses on traditional Portuguese dishes with a contemporary spin. The standard doubles are all stunning, but if you really want to treat yourselves, 008 Tayler’s is the best of the master suites, with the bed set in an enormous oak barrel.

Details Doubles from £134 room only, master suites from £423 (00 351 22 013 3100, the-yeatman-hotel.com). Ryanair returns from £45.98

20 PalazzoVecchietti Florence

There’s something uplifting about being in Florence, surrounded by art, beauty and elegance, all of which is found in abundance in the 15th-century Vecchietti. It’s classic rather than cutting-edge, with breakfast in the light portrait-filled Sala Vespucci. Although there’s no restaurant, there are eateries just outside the door. The roof deluxe Machiavelli room has breathtaking views across the city from its private terrace, and its own kitchen.

Details B&B doubles from £172, Machiavelli from £257 (00 39 55 230 28 02, palazzovecchietti.com). EasyJet returns to Pisa from £61.98

the times Saturday November 29 2014

50 Travel Indian Ocean

Guesthouses in paradise: Maldives on the cheap After years of restrictions, inexpensive B&Bs are opening up on smaller islands — and there isn’t a luxury resort in sight.

Tom Chesshyre goes island hopping

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here’s a party atmosphere on the roof of the ferry from Kulhudhuffushi to Malé.

The sun is beginning to set in a blaze of orange and pink, and locals are sprawled on the roof gossiping, sharing jokes and sipping fizzy energy drinks. I am the only tourist on board for an overnight journey of roughly 200 miles, a southwards route that costs about £30 (or 15 pence a mile). For this princely sum I have a space on A-deck, a comfortable patch of green foam matting beneath softly whirring fans.

On the roof of the ferry, though, there’s a natural breeze as we gaze out at the dramatic sky.

The locals about me, mainly resort workers, are returning on annual leave to their families in Malé, the bustling capital of this precariously watery nation of 1,200 islands — about 80 per cent of the land is at 1m above sea level, making it one of the most at-risk countries in the world from the rising sea. “Flying is too expensive,” says Ahmed, a dive instructor. “Anyway, going by boat is more fun.”

He’s right and he’s also on to something that might well transform the way we go on holiday to the Maldives. In 2009 something quietly changed in this tropical Indian Ocean country. Before then it was illegal for tourists to travel “off piste” to

islands that were not official holiday resorts (of which there are about 100). The reason for this was that officials were fearful that westerners might spoil the Islamic way of life on the 300 or so islands inhabited by locals. However, a new government decided to open up these local communities so more people could benefit directly from tourist cash. And so, slowly, began the construction of a series of guesthouses on remote islands, some of which had not seen “outsiders” for years. In effect, without many foreigners realising that it had happened, a whole new country had opened up, away from the plush glossy magazine world of five-star resorts famous for their high service standards, spas and fancy water villas.

It was to this “new” nation that I spent almost two months travelling on ferries and cargo ships last year while researching my travel book Gatecrashing Paradise. The idea was to stay at the cosy new guesthouses (do not expect anything madly glitzy or flashy), and sometimes in spare rooms, to see the country from a different perspective, enjoying both the quiet and isolation of these islands and their natural beauty.

Ferries such as the one from Kulhudhuffushi to Malé took me from remote islands on Addu Atoll in the far south, beneath the Equator (where I joined a tuna fishing boat and watched the long lance-like rods pull

in skipjacks at dawn), to the very north, 600 miles away. I travelled in a big figure of eight, down to Addu and then back up via little-visited, ancient Buddhist stupas (monuments) on Laamu Atoll, which was rebuilt after almost being washed away by the 2004 tsunami, and onwards to an artificial “emergency island” being constructed 2m above sea level (in case waters rise as a result of climate change).

Utheemu, my most northerly stop-off, is where the great Maldivian hero Muhammad Thakurufaanu lived in the 16th century, leading a revolt against Portuguese raiders who had ruled the country for 15 years until 1573. Staying in a room at a local’s house (for £10 a night), I came to understand the immense pride Maldivians have in being independent for so many years; the period of British involvement in the islands from 1887 to the 1960s was as a

I joined a tuna boat and watched the joust-like rods pull in skipjacks at dawn

“protected state”, with internal affairs run entirely without interference.

From Utheemu I visited the island of Makunudhoo, which is so remote that it does not feature in most guidebooks and is where some locals told me they had not seen a foreigner for more than 20 years. I was lucky to arrive on a festival day, enjoying a feast of barbecued fish during a street jamboree lit by lanterns at a dusty crossroads. The beaches on Makunudhoo were deserted and probably the most picturesque I have ever laid eyes on, the waters alive with a kaleidoscope of glittering fish.

It felt at times as though I had come across a new, Indian Ocean version of Greek island hopping. I could hardly believe so many “undiscovered” little islands existed. I became immersed in the country’s (often dodgy) politics, gossip and intrigue. I fell in love with its rich culture and

the times Saturday November 29 2014

Travel 51 SIMON MCCOMB / ALAMY

The 10 best guesthouses Reveries Diving Village, Gan, Laamu Atoll There are 25 rooms at this popular guesthouse, which includes the former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed among its guests. It’s right by a sandy beach and was one of the first guesthouses to open after the change in rules allowed foreign holidaymakers on “inhabited” islands. The peaceful tropical garden has a swing seat, perfect for lazing with a novel. Rooms are smart and very comfortable, with air conditioning. There’s a central plunge pool next to a restaurant serving excellent fresh tuna dishes. The website guesthouses-in-maldives.net is a good starting point for an island-hopping trip.

Details Full-board doubles are from about £110 (guesthouses-inmaldives.net) Asseyri Inn, Hanimaadhoo, Haa Dhaalu Atoll Run by a young, laid-back couple, Asseyri has great-value rooms and can also arrange scuba diving as well as boat visits to Utheemu, where guests can see the home of the 16th-century national hero Muhammad Thakurufaanu. The guesthouse is close to a beach and comes with a good restaurant serving Maldivian dishes such as garudiya, a clear tuna broth.

The rooms are decorated with bright art.

Details B&B doubles are from about £70 (asseyri.travel/inn)

fabulous food. Yes, the ferries were sometimes difficult — timetables were often unreliable and word of mouth was usually the best way of knowing when to turn up at the docks — but there is, as I soon found, no better way of seeing this remarkable archipelago.

The American humourist PJ O’Rourke once quipped that “there are a lot of mysterious things about boats, such as why anyone would get on one voluntarily”. But that’s not true in the Maldives. Just hop on a ferry and see where it takes you.

Gatecrashing Paradise: Misadventures in the Real Maldives by Tom Chesshyre is published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing (£10.99). To order for £9.89 including free postage visit thetimes.co.uk/bookshop or call The Times Bookshop on 0845 2712134

Laamu Atoll, above.

Far left: Equator Village guesthouse. Left: A traditional Dhoni boat

Need to know Trailfinders (020 7368 1200, trailfinders.com) has return flights from London to the Maldives from £596.

Ripple Beach Inn, Hulhumalé, Malé Atoll Hulhumalé is connected to the island where most flights from abroad land (at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport) and Ripple Beach makes a good first-night stopover for those planning an island-hopping break. The rooms are compact but high-tech, with digital TV, air-conditioning and wi-fi. They also have charming hand-made furniture and polished coconut wood floors.

The restaurant serves great tuna curries and sandwiches, overlooking a sandy beach with calm waters.

There are nearby Maldivian restaurants serving tasty “short eats” such as chilli salt prawns.

Details Doubles are from about £26 (ripplebeachinn.com) The SeaHouse Hotel Top Deck, Villingili, Malé Atoll Another great choice for a first night, the SeaHouse Hotel had a different name (and was referred to as a guest house) when I visited. It’s on the little island of Villingili, close to a stunning beach that’s particularly good for swimming. The 31 rooms are spotless and modern. The island has more character than Hulhumalé and it’s commonplace to see locals playing football at sunset or chilling out on jolies, rudimentary chairs with a string seat. There’s a good Chinese restaurant close to the SeaHouse Hotel.

Details Doubles are from about £40 if booked through booking.com (seahousemaldives.com/topdeck)

Skai Lodge, Malé, Malé Atoll This small B&B is tucked down a tiny lane not far from the artificial beach in the capital. It’s nothing fancy — the rooms are quite basic — but if you are after a feel of the bustle of Malé it’s a good, cheap base near an artificial beach and the Maldivian parliament.

Details Doubles are from about £35 (skailodge.com.mv) Arena Lodge Maldives, Maafushi, South Malé Atoll The suites at this little guest house are colourful and clean, decorated in traditional Maldivian style. There are 12 altogether, each with air conditioning.

It’s an hour-and-a-half south from Malé by ferry; the owners can provide details of timetables. They can also organise barbecues on deserted islands and watersports or snorkelling.

Details Full-board rooms are from £108 (guesthouses-in-maldives.net) Happy Life Maldives, Dhiffushi, North Malé Atoll It’s just 20m to the beach at the Happy Life. This four-bedroom lodge is bright and airy, with one of the rooms having a great sea view. All meals are included and the owners can advise on the best ferries from Malé.

Watersports can be organised.

Details A night’s full board is from £125 (guesthousesin-maldives.net) Charming Holiday Lodge, Hulhumeedhoo, Addu Atoll Way down on the southern tip of the Maldives, Hulhumeedhoo is a ferry hop from the mainland of the atoll, which is linked by a nine-mile road (the country’s longest). This is an isolated place with a laid-back feel and the oldest cemetery in the Maldives, which is not far from the wonderfully named Charming Holiday Lodge. Rooms are contemporary with flatscreen televisions with satellite channels.

Details B&B doubles are from about £55 (charmingholidaylodge.com) Equator Village, Gan, Addu Atoll OK, strictly speaking this is not one of the new breed of guesthouses, but it makes a great spot for a couple of days on an island-hopping break. It’s in the old RAF barracks (the RAF had a base on Gan until 1976) with a laid-back feel and a fantastic pool with a licensed bar.

Details B&B doubles are from about £125 (equatorvillage.com) Azoush Tourist Guest House, Fulhadhoo Island, Baa Atoll With a population of just 300, Fulhadhoo is a tiny, peaceful spot.

It’s about 2km long and less than a kilometre wide, and it holds a historical claim to fame as it is where the seaman Francois Pyrard de Laval was shipwrecked in 1602. Azoush has three comfortable, air-conditioned suites.

Details Full-board doubles are from about £125 a night (guesthouses-inmaldives.net) Ferry timetables: mtcc.com.mv, vermilliontransport.com, atolltransfer.com

the times Saturday November 29 2014

52 Travel Scandinavia

On the trail of the most elusive

A four-day voyage in the Arctic is a fun but freezing way to track down the aurora borealis, says Amanda Linfoot

M

an alive, it’s cold. It’s 9pm, midwinter on the Barents Sea. The thermometer tucked behind the observation deck of the MS Polarlys says it is -18C but we are doing 15 knots, so the wind chill makes it feels like -29C. When I take off my gloves to get a tissue from my pocket, the wind cuts like a scalpel straight through my flesh to the bone. Although my face is so frozen that it feels anaesthetised I am otherwise comfortable, thanks to a genius quilted jacket I bought on the internet. It’s called a Nanok and was designed for use by Norwegian special forces — glamorous it is not, but at least my bum is toasty.

I am on the Polarlys on a four-night northern lights-hunting trip around the northern tip of Norway. Whenever the aurora borealis deigns to put in an appearance, passengers are alerted over the Tannoy. Trouble is, I’ve just discovered that clambering into my ski trousers and boots and Nanok and two pairs of gloves takes a good few minutes and by the time I’m suited and booted and on deck the show is over. Damn.

I boarded the ship in Tromso, 220 miles inside the Arctic Circle, Norway’s most northerly city and a brilliant little place.

The wood-clad houses, clustered along the banks of a handsome fjord, are painted an assortment of mustard yellow, falu red, citrus orange and Nordic blue. There’s also some striking modern architecture, not least the Arctic Cathedral, which dominates the shoreline opposite the main street, where there’s a good array of shops, restaurants and coffee shops.

When I arrive in the city at the end of January, there is a bustle to the place.

People seem quite skittish. It’s hardly surprising — the sun reappeared above the horizon only four days earlier. The Tromsonians have been in total darkness for two months, and daylight has had the same effect as catnip on a cat. By 6.30pm, the time the Polarlys casts off, the sun is long gone, having set five hours earlier. The short hours of daylight limit the scope for excursions off the ship so it’s a relief to find that the Polarlys is very comfortable, if not exactly plush. The cabins are compact and don’t have TV or wi-fi, but they’re warm and homely enough for a short break, with an en-suite shower. And the public spaces are nicely welcoming (even if the soft furnishings are a bit 1996): there’s a bar, restaurant and café, mahogany panelling everywhere and bits of Norwegian modern art dotted about.

In truth, the Polarlys is more of a ferry than a cruise ship. While it is packed with northern lights-watchers, it’s also a maritime bus service for the communities along Norway’s northern coast. The Hurtigruten line has been operating this route, from Bergen on the west coast round to Kirkenes in the northeast, since 1893. This link to the outside world allows 75,000 hardy souls to continue to live in Finnmark, the region that stretches from east of Tromso to the Russian border. They used to be fishermen; now there is petrochemical money flowing into these communities as the opening up of oil and gas fields in the seas north of Norway kickstarts shore-based service industries.

The docking procedure at each port of

The northern lights near Tromso

call is so seamless that sometimes you barely register that the Polarlys has tied up.

We are in and out of the smaller harbours in 15 minutes. By the time we reach Honningsvag the next morning, the stop nominated for the day’s excursions, we have already called in through the night at Skjervoy, Oksfjord, Hammerfest and Havoysund, dropping off locals, cars and freight through a door in the port side.

Honningsvag is the stop nearest to the North Cape, which claims to be the most northerly point in mainland Europe: given that it’s on an island, you have to admire its chutzpah. Marking the point where the Atlantic meets the Barents Sea, it’s only 1,300 miles from the North Pole. The oppressive blanket of thick grey cloud on the 1,000ft cliffs feels as if it’s within touching distance. A fierce wind makes my eyes sting and nose run, and seeps inside my ski trousers. A blanket of cold air has wrapped itself round my legs, and it takes hours to warm up.

The cloud precludes any aurora-spotting later that evening, which means that my fellow passengers and I (it’s a compact ship — a maximum of 619 passengers, most of whom are chatty and friendly) can enjoy dinner without waiting for the PA

the times Saturday November 29 2014

Travel 53

light show on Earth

LOUISE MURRAY / ROBERT HARDING / GETTY IMAGES

Where to catch the northern lights Finland Stay in a glass igloo in Finnish Lapland, and enjoy the northern lights from the comfort of your bed. The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, way up above the Arctic Circle, has 45 glass igloos. Each is en suite and sleeps two people. Special glass is used that prevents frost forming — and obscuring the views.

Details A three-night half-board break is from £969pp with flights to Ivalo, accommodation in an igloo for one night and in a log cabin for two nights, and transfers. Book through Guild Travel (020 7388 4158, guildtravel.com) Iceland Grab a budget flight with WOW Air to Iceland for a weekend break that will not break the bank. The low-cost carrier offers three-night packages that include a night-time bus trip led by local experts who know the best places to go for the lights. If you miss them, another tour is included for free the following night.

Details WOW Air (wowair.co.uk) offers three-night B&B breaks from £212pp staying at the two-star Hotel Cabin

message that causes a mini stampede towards the decks. My trip is full board and, thankfully, the food is good. The menu is very Norwegian and even lunch buffet dishes such as lasagne are given a Nordic twist. It’s hearty: our first dinner is cauliflower soup, baked char and then an oat-based moussey affair served with blueberry coulis. Next night, there is an Arctic buffet with huge platters of crayfish, Kamchatka king crab, smoked salmon, marinated Greenland halibut, prawns and Barents Sea Honningsvåg

Tromsø

Kirkenes NORWAY RUSSIA

SWEDEN

FINLAND 50 miles

mussels. And deep-fried cod’s tongues which are, I’m told, “gelatinous”. For meateaters there is reindeer stew.

The next stop is Kirkenes, which is right on the Russian border so all the road signs are dual language, with Cyrillic translations. This is where the Polarlys turns and heads back south to Bergen — the whole round trip takes 12 days. I’m going snowmobiling, the wisdom of which I question when I find myself paired with a Dutch biker called Hannes and we’re whipping down an inlet of the Barents Sea at 55mph.

But as the pillion passenger I get to take in the snowy splendour and also the dead reindeer, one with half of its body eaten away. While it looks like some grotesque Damien Hirst piece it is actually the work of a lynx, our guide, Ulf, tells us.

Ulf also delivers some good news: the weather is improving, the cloud cover is breaking up and the northern lights are predicted to appear that evening. At last! A few hours later I am taking no chances: after dinner I get into full aurora-watching gear, and can then do nothing except lie on my bed for fear of overheating. But when the call comes I am up on deck in 30 seconds. I had anticipated the classic aurora borealis: “Great curtains of delicate light . . .

pale green and rose pink, and as transparent as the most fragile fabric . . . they swung and shimmered loosely with more grace than the most skilful dancer”, as Philip Pullman describes them in Northern Lights. But the skyscape that greets me is an indistinct silvery grey and looks almost like backlit cloud. Which is what I convince myself it is until a vertical plume rises from it. Like a length of silk caught on the lightest of breezes, the aurora twists and turns imperceptibly. It’s more of a waft than a dance. So subtle is the movement that you feel as though nothing is happening at all — until you look away for just a few seconds and the vista changes markedly.

As pale and slow-moving as it is, this is the real thing and people are desperate to capture a photograph, which proves beyond us all. With cameras hastily set, flashes are firing, which illuminates the sea spray and odd snow flurry, making it look as though we are caught in a glitter storm.

Even such a languid version of the aurora, though, is bewitching. It keeps me entranced for the full 45 minutes of its display. I’ll go back one day to see the full, vivid, take-your-breath-away show.

Northern lights, I’m not done with you yet.

Need to know Amanda Linfoot was a guest of Hurtigruten (020 3582 6642, hurtigruten.co.uk), which has a four-night voyage from Tromso to Kirkenes and back from £799pp, on a half-board basis, including flights and a night in a hotel in Tromso.

The full 11-day voyage from Bergen to Bergen (via Kirkenes) starts at £999pp in an inside cabin, full board, with flights and transfers extra.

Hurtigruten has a Northern Lights Promise whereby, if you book an 11-day voyage for this winter and you don’t see the lights, you will get a second trip next year free.

Canada The Yukon in the far northwest corner of Canada is one of the best spots for the northern lights. Tourism Yukon has created an online forecast that predicts when it’s the best time to see them: travelyukon.com/plan/travel-info/auroraforecast. The peak time of year is usually from September to April.

Details Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers four-day Land of the Northern Lights trips from £1,980pp, with guided aurora borealis viewing each night, accommodation and return flights.

Scotland You don’t have to go abroad to see the aurora borealis. The lights are common in the far north, especially in the Highlands.

One of the best ways to do it is to go on a walking break organised by Wilderness Scotland, led by an expert guide.

Details A four-night break with accommodation, all meals and transportation during the break is from £695pp (01479 420020, wildernessscotland.com) Sweden Kangos is a remote spot in Sweden’s Lapland. Kangos Guesthouse, a series of traditional wooden cabins, is set within dense forest, and makes a great base for seeing the northern lights. There’s a sauna and an outdoor hot tub.

Details Inntravel (01653 617000, inntravel.co.uk) has a week’s stay with meals, flights and several activities, including dog-sledding, from £1,895pp.

Tom Chesshyre

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

55

FGM

Games Samurai Sudoku No 431 — Difficult

7 2

6

3

3 1 5

8

3 1

4 1

5 4

8 6 3

6 3

9

5 8

7 8 1

9 5 1

9

1 6

6 5 4

6

8

6 3

6

3

8 9

4

The Listener solution No 4319

3

2

1

6 9

3

6 4

7 1

7 6 6

9 2

1

5 9

8 6 1

1 9

6 3

7 5

1

7 2

55 min

Solution to last week’s Samurai Sudoku

7

3

2 1 9

5

12

9 2 5 3 4 7 5

21

2 4 1 8

Stuck?

Call 0901 322 5005 to receive four clues for any of today’s puzzles.

Calls cost 77p from BT landlines.

Time to solve

4

2

1

20

1

8

3 2 4 7 6 1 5 8 9

7 5 8 4 9 2 6 3 1

6 1 9 3 8 5 4 7 2

9 6 2 8 3 7 1 5 4

8 3 1 6 5 4 9 2 7

5 4 7 2 1 9 8 6 3

2 3 8 5 6 4 1 9 7

7 1 6 2 9 3 4 8 5

9 5 4 8 7 1 2 3 6

8 2 7 1 3 6 9 5 4

3 4 5 7 8 9 6 1 2

6 9 1 4 5 2 8 7 3

2 8 6 1 4 3 7 9 5 8 1 2 4 6 3 9 1 5 7 2 8

7 8

4 9 3 5 7 8 2 1 6 3 4 7 5 8 9 6 2 7 3 4 1

Killler No 4027 - Deadly (55 min)

Stuck on Sudoku or Killer Call 0901 322 5005 to receive four clues for any of today’s puzzles. Calls cost 77p from BT landlines.

Su Doku/Killer ©Puzzler Media Puzzle content © 2008 Gakken Co. Ltd.

1

1

8

8 6 7

7

4

6

7 5

8

5

Sudoku No 6990 - Fiendish

1 9

The winners are David Meek of London N8, Chris Pickford of Marsden, West Yorkshire, and Keith Razey of Norwich, Norfolk.

7 2

7 5

1

3

9

8 5

Feature Film by Ferret The rings contain the letters of “origami”.

Extra letters in down clues spelt out “cut along diagonals” and “staircase”; those from across clues gave “valley fold dashes, mountain fold dots”. The grid could thus be folded into a model of the Silver Sandal nightclub’s staircase, up which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced in the musical Swing Time. The cuts and folding are shown here for information only.

More details at listenercrossword.com.

9 2

2 3

6

3 2

1 8 6

5 7

3

6

7

3 7

7 5

4

9 1

8

4 9

9 7

5

8

2

Our five-grid Su Doku will test your powers of logic and elimination — against the clock.

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Where the puzzles overlap, the rows and columns do not go beyond their usual length but the interlocking boxes give you more clues — and more complexity!

Remember — don’t try to solve each Su Doku grid in turn, the puzzle has to be tackled as a whole.

14

16

9

20

20

8

14

13

22

23 18

10

11 10 12

13 7 22

8 7 4 6 2 3 9 5 1

6 3 1 7 5 9 8 2 4

9 5 2 4 8 1 7 3 6

9 4 2 8 1 3 5 6 7 2 9 4 3 1 8 2 7 9 4 6 5

5 6 1 2 9 7 4 8 3 1 7 6 2 9 5 3 4 6 8 7 1

7 8 3 5 4 6 1 2 9 5 3 8 6 4 7 5 1 8 2 9 3

1 5 6 9 7 8 2 3 4

4 7 8 3 5 2 9 1 6

2 3 9 1 6 4 8 7 5

8 1 4 6 3 9 7 5 2

6 2 7 4 8 5 3 9 1

3 9 5 7 2 1 6 4 8

1 5 4 7 8 2 6 3 9

7 3 2 9 6 1 5 8 4

8 6 9 4 5 3 1 2 7

9 7 1 6 2 5 3 4 8

5 2 3 8 9 4 7 1 6

4 8 6 1 3 7 9 5 2

Yesterday’s solutions

18 22

1 7 5 9 2 6 3 4 8 9 6 5 1 7 2 3 4 8 5 6 9

20

17 13

Follow standard Sudoku rules, but digits within the cells joined by dotted lines should add up to the printed top left-hand figure.

Within each dotted-line “shape”, a digit CANNOT be repeated.

For solutions to Sudoku & Killer see Monday’s newspaper

Sudoku No 6985

3 1 8 4 9 7 6 5 2

5 7 6 3 1 2 8 9 4

4 2 9 6 8 5 3 7 1

9 3 2 1 5 8 7 4 6

6 8 4 2 7 3 5 1 9

7 5 1 9 6 4 2 3 8

1 9 3 7 2 6 4 8 5

8 6 7 5 4 1 9 2 3

2 4 5 8 3 9 1 6 7

4 9 2 6 8 7 1 5 3

8 3 7 5 1 2 9 4 6

1 6 3 2 5 8 4 9 7

2 4 9 1 7 3 6 8 5

5 7 8 9 6 4 2 3 1

Killer No 4026

3 2 6 7 9 5 8 1 4

9 1 5 8 4 6 3 7 2

7 8 4 3 2 1 5 6 9

6 5 1 4 3 9 7 2 8

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

57

FGM

Win a Collins Dictionary & Thesaurus For your chance to win, call 0901 292 5274 (ROI 1516 415 029) and leave your answer (the 3 numbers in the pink cells) and details or text the 3 numbers to TIMES followed by a space and then your answer and your contact details to 83080 (ROI 57601) by midnight tonight. You can leave your answer numbers in any order.

6Winners will receive a Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus Calls cost £1.02 from BT landlines (ROI € 1.50).

Other networks and mobiles will cost more.

Texts cost £1 (ROI € 1.50) plus your standard network charge. Winners will be picked at random from all correct answers received. One draw per week. Lines close at midnight tonight.

If you call or text after this time you will not be entered but will still be charged. Terms and conditions thetimes.co.uk/sudoku-comp. SP: Spoke, W1B 2AG. 0333 202 3390 / 01437 8815 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x2 box contains the digits 1 to 6.

Developed by Sudoku Syndication G R O U C H E S C R E D I T C H A P P E D F I S H W I F E N A P L E S D E C I B E L

E N T L E M E O A A R D I N A L A D I A L L I N G A N N H M E R G E V G C M A L E F A C N A S OG E R S T E E E L I C A T E R T R A D E S E C N A A T AM A R A I C E H A P P S P A E I A S T E R N T S E S O R O N E

N O N E S S E N T I A L

U S S I N E S U M I N I P P E T T R H H E N O N E S V R O L D E R M A M H U N R E P O R G N T D U L T H A O O A R K S P U R T S H E L O V E S A N E S P E R A D Y W I U P A L L T E L M R A I L L E S E N A Y E R T R

S A T I S F A C T O R Y

B R A N D Y B A L L

S Y C O P H A N C Y

C O E P L P A N A D O R I N D E H O U E T T H E A S T V O R OM S P R E C H I A H L E D I D S I A L L O U S I O I N M E E N I T

H A T O T H D E D E R O P O O F A T H A T

F F O I C U A S G R O L U P F C O U P A B O C A R E D L D O V E

E D S E U H L E A N L R P A D E R H A D I OG L M P U D D L E B A R R A T S E WH L E L E C L O T L P SWA H I A Y I S L S H S M E T O R N P A S S

S M O O N U O M E N T E A L L W V E L E L F M A V C O U E R E D

I C I N R N U P S W I E E S I N E S A R C I S T R L M I L E V E T H E R H R A W H R E E G R A P Y R N M A T E N N S I D E C T O V E R R A E T E R R

U B A T H R C A I O N E I N A S E P C T E R E P E E L L O E N T C E P G S I D L O O N

Solution to Friday’s Codeword B L L W E X E CU T I V S S T N E A S T E RN E E C O S WO R K H W O S I Z E AB L A N E B I GO T MU Y I O U SON ME SM S G B E

J E S T U

Q U A N D L OA E R E Y

D F L U O E R I L N

K RN O I C K D S E N I A P P S E D

Word Watching: Telamon (c) A column in the form of a male figure, used to support an entablature. Lunge (a) A rope used in training or exercising a horse. Neoplasm (b) Any abnormal new growth of tissue; a tumour. Cess (c) A special tax, such as a land tax in Scotland, 16th-century abbreviation of assessment. Polygon galumph, ghoul, halo, halon, hang, haul, haulm, hogan, holm, homa, hula, human, hump, hung, laugh, lough, ogham, opah, phon,

P O T P O U R R I C O A L T I T O M A H A U N I V E R S A L E P I T H E T R O U T E

A L U O S T A R U AM

Solution to Cryptic Jumbo 1119 The winner is Mrs Greeba Ellinsworth of Larkholme, Lancs

N G U K S H L E R H R H E D N G I N A N N T I T I N G R W E S U S

Scrabble ® Allan Simmons

Chess Raymond Keene

Congratulations to UK’s Craig Beevers on winning the Mind Sports International* Scrabble Championships (respected by many as a world championship), following a very exciting, closely-fought best-of-five final against American Chris Lipe. Beevers is only the second Briton to become a world champion since the first such event in 1991. Beevers and Lipe earned their final places by finishing in the top eight after the first 24 rounds and then winning their quarter-final (QF) and semifinal (SF) matches.

To give you an idea of how close some of the games in this event were, 50 of them were won by five points or fewer (11 by just one point).

Such close wins often reflect the calm endgame skills of top players like Beevers who can turn what, to many, would be an unlucky loss into a narrow win. Indeed, five of his games that got him into the QF were won by fewer than 20 points.

Spotting obscure bonus words is the other skill in abundance at this event. One great example noted was by former UK national champion Brett Smitheram. In one of his QF games, he impressed onlookers when, having picked three Is and holding EIIIRRT, he promptly plonked down RETIARII (Roman

The World Championship between Carlsen and Anand which finished last Sunday in Carlsen’s favour reduced ultimately to a catalogue of missed opportunities. The theme was introduced in the very first game where Carlsen overlooked a probable endgame victory. It continued with game two, where Anand utterly overlooked a one move threat and was obliged to resign a position where resistance was still not futile. Lost opportunities reached their apogee in game six, where Anand could have destroyed Carlsen’s position at a stroke, but ploughed firmly on with eyes tight shut. Had he won this game, instead of losing it, Anand would have been favourite to regain his title.

Missed opportunities for Anand also arose in games 10 and 11, in both of which Anand spoiled his chances either by lack of ambition or excessive exuberance in failed situations.

Overall, the match was not such as to add to the gaiety of nations. There was an overriding sense that Anand had lost it, not that Carlsen had won by dint of superior play. In the annals of World Championship contests this will go down with Anand’s title defence against Gelfand in 2012 as one of the least impressive gladiatorial combats at the highest level.

Carlsen has now confirmed himself as world champion and may retain the title for many years, but only if he works at honing his opening preparation.

It lacks the polish required to succeed against the illuminati of the younger generation, such as the highly sophisticated Fabiano Caruana. Anand himself had held the title for a six year period from 2007 to 2013. He defended against Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Boris Gelfand. In my opinion he will enter the world champions’ Hall of Fame, on a par with Capablanca, Petrosian and Kramnik, all of whom held the title for a similar period.

This week’s game is from Larsen Move by Move (Everyman Chess) a further production from the effusive nib of Cyrus Lakdawala. Larsen himself came close to the World Championship title but his volatility prevented him from scaling the absolute heights. On his quest, though, he scalped many of the greats as can be seen from this week’s game.

gladiators) around an A. At other times, the bonus words might not be obscure but still require anagram dexterity.

One of Beevers’ top-scoring bonuses was with this rack and position. What did he play?

7

ADEI 8

9

TY

10 11 12 13 14 15

m u 2L 2L t 2W 2L oe b 3L j wey e 2L hertz 3W

3L

2L

2L

3W

A B

2W

C 2L

D E F

F

3L

G 3W

H

2L

I

However, it was Beevers’ endgame prowess that clinched the first final game against Lipe, and was probably key to his ultimate victory.

With the unseen letters vowel heavy (AADEFOOQTTU), he played VIE keeping BLNS but picked FTT. Lipe played ZOOEA holding AADEOOQ and picked the last tile, the U. The position is shown below with Beevers 366-364. What does he need to play now?

BLFNSTT

Some games from this event, including all five final games, can be played through at: tinyurl.com/orgxyke *mindsportsinternational.com

Collins Scrabble Words is the word authority used.

Word positions use the grid reference plus (a)cross or (d)own.

2L

Solution to Quick Jumbo 1119 The winner is Jean Thompson of Welling, Greater London

E T I A L L T E R Y G E R A E D I S E N N T

plough, ploughman, uhlan, umph.

Two Brains 1 Sealing wax (from The Walrus and the Carpenter).

2 The Beatles (John, Paul, George and Ringo); the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); Richmal Crompton’s Outlaws (William, Ginger, Henry and Douglas); Enid Blyton’s Famous Five (Dick, Julian, Anne and Georgina, forgetting Timmy the dog). Scrabble First position: Beevers played DYnAMITE A8a (167). Endgame position: Lipe has ADQU so Beevers has to block his play out of QUAD N9a (36) or QUADS K8d (16) and be able to score enough with his follow-up play to counter Lipe’s alternative of QUA K14d (27). Beevers does this by playing BELTS M5a (9) to leave FONT K5a (24). Literary quiz 1 Union Street. 2 Hull. 3 The Ruggles, Eve Garnett. 4 On Green Dolphin Street; Faulks’s novel takes its name from the KaperWashington song of the same name, recorded by Davis, among others.

double letter square (dl) 1

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

2

3

4

triple letter square (tl)

3L

5

6

7

8

9

2W

double word square (dw)

triple word square (tw)

10 11 12 13 14 15

3W 2L v 2W 3L v i 2W y 2W jape 2L 2L 2L 2W urao c i oaky pat c i geode 3L mi 2L n 2L manhol E 2L os wiglet xu uta awee b 2L n l 3L friz hie 3L r 2W 2W d o o r i 2L 2W 2L r o g n 2L 2W e e 2L s 2W 2W 3L a e 3W 2L sintered 2L

3W

3W

L

Letter values 1 point:

AEIOU LNRST 2 points:

DG

3 points:

BCMP 4 points:

FHVWY K=5 JX = 8 QZ = 10

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark of J. W. Spear & Sons Ltd ©Mattel 2014

Polygon Roger Phillips

Using the given letters no more than once, make as many words as possible of four or more letters, always including the central letter. Capitalised words, plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending in LY, comparatives and superlatives are disallowed.

How you rate: 14 words average; 19, good; 25, very good; 31, excellent Answers to Friday’s Polygon are to the left. Today’s answers will be published in Monday’s newspaper

Puzzles online

For more of your favourite puzzles and crosswords go to thetimes.co.uk/puzzles

White: Robert Fischer Black: Bent Larsen Santa Monica 1966

________ árD 1rDkD] àD 0 DpDp] ßpD DnDpD] ÞDpDp)nD ] Ý D D D D] ÜD )QD D ] ÛP)BG )P)] Ú$ D $ I ] ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ

Twitter: @times_chess

20 ... Qh4 Looking for complications.

20 ... c5, activating the queenside majority is possible when Black is only slightly worse.

21 Qf1 Nc5 22 g3 22 Bxf5 gxf5 is merely abstract damage. since there is no obvious way for White to exploit the doubled pawns.

22 ... Qc4 23 Qg2 Overestimating his chances.

White was better off heading for a slightly favourable ending after 23 b3 Qxf1+ 24 Kxf1 Ng7.

23 ... Nd3 24 Bxd3 Qxd3 25 Bg5 c6 26 g4 Ng7 27 Re3 This looks ominous. Three white attackers encircle Black’s king. However, Black has adequate resources to defend.

27 ... Qd2 The queen pins the e3-rook and attacks b2.

28 b3 b4 29 Qh3 Here we see a rare example of Fischer falling for an opponent’s tricks. 29 f3 was the only chance.

29 ... bxc3 30 Qh6 This looks strong but after Larsen’s calm response the attack is completely repulsed.

30 ... Ne6 White resigns

Winning move Black to play. This position is from the game Sursock-Larsen, Siegen Olympiad 1970. How can Black win at once?

________ árDbDkgrD] àDpD DpDp] ßp1 0p0 D] ÞD D h D ] Ý D HPD D] ÜDBH D D ] ÛP)PD )P)] Ú$ DQDRI ] ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ

The first correct entry drawn on Thursday will win a copy of

The Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus, also available from The Times Bookshop on

0845 271 2134. The two runners-up will receive a book prize. Answers on a postcard to: Winning Move, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, or email to: winningmove@thetimes.co.uk.

The answer will be published next Saturday.

Solution to last week’s puzzle: 1 Rd7! wins due to the threat of 2 Bc7+, e.g. 1 ... Qxh8 2 Bc7+ Kb7 3 Qb6 mate.

The winner is DC Bensley, Scotton, North Yorkshire

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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The Times Crossword is on the back page Codeword No 2255 3

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Senders of the first three correct entries drawn will each receive a copy of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Write your name and contact details in the space provided and send to: Listener Crossword No 4322, 63 Green Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 6HE, to arrive by December 11.

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The Listener Crossword No 4322 Stiff Listener-like Special by Radix

listenercrossword.com

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Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Below the grid is the key with some letters solved. Completing the first word or phrase will give clues to more letters. Enter them in the key and main grid and check the letters on the alphabet list as you complete them. Yesterday’s solution on page 57

Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 random clues call 0901 322 5000 or text TIMESCODE to 85088. Calls cost 77p from BT landlines plus network extras. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution call 0907 181 1055.

Calls cost 77ppm from BT landlines. Other networks and mobiles may vary. SP: Spoke, W1B 2AG, 0333 202 3390 / 01437 8815 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

Quick Crossword No 6571 1

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Across 1 Those living close (10) 7 Common stag or hind (3,4) 8 Object (5) 10 One inclined to question accepted opinions (7) 11 Part of the psyche (5) 12 Revolving round an axis (6) 15 Implored (6) 17 Business organisation (5) Solution to Crossword 6570 D M B E V I L E B C A T RANS O T RE PRO U F S ANDB N C U A I T R P U D P L A T E Y L N

T A Y E NA E I FORM F A F A L S S AG P E U I UNARO D I OU T S G S

S U N D R I E D U N I T

O RU T A L A F Y A L O ND G DE R

18 French car manufacturer (7) 21 Large group of fish (5) 22 Important part of diet (7) 23 Criminal genius (10) Down 1 Gently prod (5)

© PUZZLER MEDIA

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1

The 40th annual LordsCommons match was won for the second year in a row by the Commons. A very pleasant afternoon was had by all, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Stephen Perry of London Export. Board 11 was one of many fascinating deals, carefully selected by Paul Bowyer.

Dealer South Neither Vul

Solution to Listener Crossword No 4319 on page 55

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More information about Chambers books can be found at chambers.co.uk

3 Roman poet and satirist (6) 5 Irreparably damaging (7) 6 Intersection of ways (10) 9 Racecourse structure (10) 13 Rotating drum game (7) 14 Curl of hair; butterfly (7) 16 Genuine (6) 19 Girl’s name (5) 20 Invert (5)

Need help with today’s puzzle? Call 0906 757 7188 to check the answers. For help with possible words to fit a specific clue text TIMESCROSS followed by a space and the letters that you know, replacing the unknown letters with full stops, to 85088 to receive a list, eg, TIMESCROSS P.P..R to 85088. Calls cost 77ppm from BT landlines. Other networks and mobiles may vary. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. SP: Spoke, W1B 2AG, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

S 1NT 6NT

Name .....................................................................................................................................................................................

Address ................................................................................................................................................................................ .................................... Postcode ....................................... Phone number..............................................................

This is the last Listener puzzle by Radix, who died in January 2014.

Half the clues are really two clues (to words of the given length) side by side, in each of which a letter must be duplicated or deleted, or a new letter inserted, somewhere along its length; repairs always leave real words behind. In clue order, the 36 letters involved give a quotation with one word changed. Entries for these clues require calculations systematically related to the clues’ treatments, with A = 1, 27, 53 etc, B = 2, 28, 54 etc, and so on. The remaining clues are normal, but each answer must be entered with one unchecked letter misprinted such that the entered letters, again in clue order, reveal the source of the quotation. Solvers must write the puzzle’s real one-word title beneath the grid. All entries are real words or proper nouns; one consists of two words. The Chambers Dictionary (2011) is the primary reference.

Across 1 Use bus if I run to echo strike in Perth? Scots long to black active knight (8; 8, two words) 6 Son of adult Chesterfield, say (4) 10 Most maudlin popsies affected it (8) 11 Railway team (drunk) drink but not in station — chipped taters for philosophical customer (6) 12 Buckets of lager entertaining Australia (5) 13 High platform in barn dance chant finally bared to have court added for consul (7) 15 Clay in confusion boxing Sonny initially (4) 16 Criminal notices where honey may be found (7) 17 Rough sketch of ... yes, that is my très wraparound clothing (6) 22 Where I need look to find the answer (6) 23 Good lord — river flower dashes fine aged cassia (7) 24 In Fettes am aware of twenty, having lost books, getting caned — heartlessly, regressive type, see! (4) 27 Brooking T finding the target? (7) 29 Cold drink, litre served by Neddy to ye maids and domestics (5) 30 Denis maybe in archaic festival, absorbed in country dance (6) 31 Backs Salford’s chief don re broken society, mischievously in tow, in country see, taking degree (8) 32 Pater’s dangerous position, shut up in saic (4) 33 John’s late music generates rollicking — not good! (8)

2 That is to say (Latin) (2,3) 4 Discarded film scene (7)

Bridge Andrew Robson

Down 1 Bring up (English) file for a bit: warn it’s probably missing middle section (4) 2 One or more born around April 1 is/are foolish? (5) 3 Rag-and-bone-men Del Boy and Rodney? That’s not right (7) 4 Author blocking dictionary spoke out (6) 5 Tots bar person gives tots (4) 6 For study of animals, buy in haste 150 organs, quietly filing small line once cut up (7) 7 Dirk’s like in Ed’s bar: drink fortified wine and do something Amis put in shot (6) 8 Unnatural muscles on worker? (8) 9 Coveted nut commercial (8) 14 Corruptly lose fey fleet upsetting hard India fundies — convert one religiously? (8) 15 Month wearing earring bursar displays with virtuosity in Paris, one never cooked — more cooked (8) 18 Commander supporting active duty fifty-fifty in flagship (7) 19 CE dumped Sabbath pieces left over for St Andrews brainbox, fluter Aphra, not Ann (7) 20 Aged knight slowing down threefold to begin with (6) 21 Hat from hairline on American émigré trebling course of treatment (6) 25 Commander and reporters weigh men in Hood (5) 26 Sold cocaine, a certain magistrate charmed a kid (4) 28 Doilt bairn living in dingy tenement (4)

Two Brains Raymond Keene

Word Watching Paul Dunn

Literary Quiz Paul Dunn

Question 1 Which subject of conversation is missing from the following: footwear, boats, greens and royalty?

Question 2 Can you identify this quartet of famous foursomes: JPGR, MMLJ, WGHD, DJAG? Answers on page 57

Telamon a. A wardrobe b. A mascot c. A supporting figure Lunge a. A rope b. Obsolete coding c. Energetic rock music Neoplasm a. Artificial blood b. A tumour c. A spirit manifestation Cess a. Rubbish b. Silky c. A tax

Up my street 1 What was Pat Barker’s debut novel?

2 In which city is Terry Street, which gave its name to Douglas Dunn’s first collection of poetry?

3 Who were the family from One End Street and who wrote about them?

4 Which title links Miles Davis and Sebastian Faulks?

Answers on page 57

Answers on page 57

Thanks to Ian Hinton of Cambridge for this week’s first question, and Joseph Chamberlain of Bletchley for the second.

Please send your puzzles to keenebrain@aol.com. All readers who have contributed to this column receive a special mention.

♠ J 10 2 ♥AJ ♦ K Q J 10 3 ♣AK4 ♠KQ5 N W E ♥ 10 5 3 S ♦9752 ♣ Q 10 3 ♠A43 ♥KQ8 ♦A6 ♣J8762 W Pass end

N E 4NT(1) Pass

(1) Quantitative notrump slam invite.

(2) Accepting with a maximum.

Where West led a heart, declarer had a comfortable ride. He rose with the ace and sought to develop a third club trick by leading ace, king and another. East won the queen, but declarer could win his king of spades return with the ace and cash promoted long clubs and red-suit winners, enough (with one to spare) for his slam.

How about on the (attractive-looking) nine of spades?

East covers dummy’s ten with the queen and...

(A). Declarer ducks. He wins East’s red-suit return and cashes the ace-king of clubs on the off-chance that the queen falls doubleton. He runs the hearts (throwing the four of clubs), then the diamonds. On the last diamond, East is squeezed between ♠K5 and ♣Q. Throw a spade and declarer throws his jack of clubs and leads a low spade to the king and ace then crosses to dummy’s promoted jack. Throw the queen of clubs and declarer throws his small spade and crosses to the ace of spades and cashes the jack of clubs. 12 tricks and slam made.

(B). Declarer wins the ace of spades. Technically inferior, declarer can still make if he views to run all his red-suit winners to reduce to a four-card ending, in which East will have to reduce to ♣Q103 and ♠K. He now exits with a spade, forcing the club lead from the queen.

He rises with the jack and scores the last two tricks with dummy’s ace-king. (Technically inferior because he will have to read the ending – and may well go down when the queen of clubs is doubleton.)

What do you think of North’s 4NT bid? You know the bid I like: 6♦. Yes – this must be playable even facing a doubleton. 6♦ by North will make on any lead – even the king of spades. Declarer wins the ace, draws trumps, cashes the ace-king of clubs (making all 13 tricks if the queen is doubleton), but when the queen fails to drop, he cashes the hearts throwing his small club. He then knocks out the queen of spades, establishing a second spade trick. 12 tricks and 6♦ made – without any fancy endplays.

andrew.robson@thetimes.co.uk

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

For more crosswords and your favourite puzzles go to thetimes.co.uk/puzzles Jumbo crossword No 1121 Cryptic clues Across 1 Old money organised for investment in football club (5) 4 Australian friend with line in clothes (7) 8 Do support the governance team (9) 13 Madame embraced by Conservative brought in negative remark from politician? (2,7) 14 Good and very substantial, as regards eating (13) 15 Space in newspaper to deal with petition (7) 16 Speech used when lab gets an extension? (7) 17 Recalled bargain item for angler in sporting goods (7) 18 Military leader’s view of diabolical book? (7,3,2,6) 21 Fail to catch? Take out of slips (4) 23 Sneaky soldier initially doing for five in base (9) 25 Play set around a new town in Scotland (6) 26 Receiving new heart, along with a different transplantable part (6) 28 Glass put in front of motorist — not very good thing if wanting a spin? (7-5) 30 Insect, concealed, nipping poor suffering human? (10) 33 Handwriting? Note his at work in prison chart (10) 34 Heading for base after receiving deployment to battle? Here’s a welcoming event (5-7) 37 Precision of distance and time in US city (6) 39 Old, old boy back in wine shop (6) 40 Top show curtailed by most recent broadcast (9) 42 Collapsed, giving out unpleasant noise as a warning (4) 43 When you scarcely hear anything detrimental? Yes and no (10,8) 46 Recalled back of ammo store containing right weapon (7) 47 Most of receipt’s not for wine (7) 48 City street with entertainment on either side? (7) 50 Some information about team that endangers union arrangements?

(1,3,2,3,4) 51 One with a remarkable knack mostly regarding muscular action (9) 52 K stands for this: King I encountered in teachings (9) 53 Departed French city, abandoning an undiscovered state (7) 54 Watch transfer backfiring (5)

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Disastrous (7) 31 Am I supporting rising banking system with folding stuff? (7) 32 Three names a long time developing neutrality policy (3-9) 33 Criticise course taken to suppress one guy’s expression of anxiety (5,6) 35 Note 50% growth in European country — beginning of resurgence for shopkeeper? (11) 36 Misguided in a belief about carbon being profitable (10) 38 Sexy woman, perhaps, though not between the sheets (5,4) 40 Minor figure, fool, one working to get awareness (9) 41 English in large group imprisoned by scoundrel, controller of resistance (8) 44 Caught seaside resort mostly blocking any fish (7) 45 What makes mom more subject to change? (6) 47 Church restricting theatre material (5) 49 Rhythmic sound? Endless beat’s about right (5)

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Name......................................................................................................... Prizes Address..................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ............................................................ Postcode.....................................

Phone number......................................................................................

The prize for each of the first correct solutions to the Cryptic and times2 Jumbo clues to be opened will be a collection of Times reference books — including The Times Universal Atlas of the World, Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus, and Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary published by HarperCollins — worth £110. Entries should be marked “Cryptic” or “times2” and sent to: Jumbo 1121, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF, to arrive

by December 11. The winners and the solutions will be published on December 13.

Quick clues Across 1 Imitate (5) 4 Took (responsibility) (7) 8 Lacking flavour (9) 13 Item of fast food (9) 14 Vatican attraction (7,6) 15 Nuclear powerplant (7) 16 Scottish engineer; town in Shropshire (7) 17 Substance burnt in church (7) 18 Film celebrating disco music (8,5,5) 21 Prejudice (4) 23 Long-established custom (9) 25 Primate; mischievous child (6) 26 Piece by Ravel (6) 28 Great surprise (12) 30 Written works (10) 33 Gasping (10) 34 Causing cancer (12) 37 Northern or southern lights (6) 39 Film theatre (6) 40 Persevere (7,2) 42 Ark builder (4) 43 Lack any idea at all (3,4,3,8)

46 On enjoying fine food and drink (7) 47 Eat into (7) 48 Refusing to be persuaded (7) 50 TV signal receiver (9,4) 51 Rich biscuit (9) 52 Occurring repeatedly (9) 53 Respectable behaviour (7) 54 Assigned task (5) Down 1 State of western India (11) 2 Venomous African snake (5) 3 A second authorisation (16) 4 North African country (7) 5 Compound acting as a neurotransmitter (9) 6 Incorrect relative positioning (12) 7 Lack of satisfaction (10) 8 Attempted (5) 9 Something used as an example (8) 10 Set of moral principles (6) 11 Covering a wide area (9) 12 English motor racing circuit (11)

19 20 22 24 27 29 31 32 33 35 36 38 40 41 44 45 47 49

Heated sandwich (7) Wistfully mournful (7) A very serious affair (2,8,6) Treat with abuse (6) Springlike (6) Leader, saviour (7) Deprive of confidence (7) Causing sudden damage (12) Problem, puzzle (5-6) Component part (11) Finch-like creator of elaborate nests (6,4) True to life (9) Robert Louis —, Scottish novelist (9) Steep downward plunge (8) Private chapel; art of public speaking (7) Maker of knives, forks, etc (6) Top of a ridge or wave (5) Warning sound (5)

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

Man makes Peru a dark place for bears Peru

James Hider

Paddington made the right choice in leaving “darkest Peru” for London.

Back home in South America the last of his family face an uncertain future, their habitat threatened by human settlement, climate change and hunting.

The spectacled bear is the only species on the continent, and once roamed across Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which rates them as a “vulnerable” species, expects the population to fall by a third within 30 years.

“Hunting is a still a problem, but it’s mainly a social and environmental problem,” said Robyn Appleton, a researcher from the Spectacled Bears Conservation Society, who has lived among them for eight years.

The dry equatorial forest where the bears make their home is not good farmland, but the pressure of population expansion has driven poor farmers on to their land, splitting the bears’ natural wooded habitat into “islands” that prevent the bears from meeting and reproducing.

“People here are having 14 children and dividing the land up,” Ms Appleton said.

Although some bears are hunted for their gall bladders, which are said to have medicinal properties and sell for high prices in China, much of the

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hunting comes from ignorance. People shoot bears because they see something dark moving in the trees and want to know what it is, said Ms Appleton.

“There’s no control over hunting, if they see it, they shoot it,” she said.

In Ecuador, farmers have shot bears for eating their corn, a food they turn to only after their own habitat has been denuded by human activity.

While Michael Bond may have got the look of the bear wrong — the spectacled bear has distinct facial markings — the new Paddington film did get one thing spot on: spectacled bears are playful and mischievous.

Not having to hibernate, they have more time to play and be social, rather than just hunting, eating and sleeping like their northern counterparts. “They are curious, they act up and all have their own personalities.

They really are a beautiful bear,” said Ms Appleton.

One of the new threats they face is climate change: their mating season is closely linked to the mountains’ fruiting season, but that is already starting earlier in the year, leaving them with less food at a vital time.

Peru is a poor country, and human expansion into the Andes and the Amazon has left 400 of its native species in danger of extinction. In addition, several prominent environmental activists have been murdered recently, and their families say not enough has been done to find their killers.

World

ROBYN APPLETON / SPECTACLED BEAR CONSERVATION PERU SOCIETY

Calories on the menu in US diners United States

Will Pavia New York

Spectacled bears are playful and mischievous, like their famous exile Paddington

Over the next two years, Americans dining out will be confronted with some big figures jotted down on the menu beside the listings for country fried steaks and bacon double cheeseburgers.

New rules announced this week by the US Food and Drug Administration will force restaurants, cinemas, convenience stores and vending machine operators to tell customers how many calories they are consuming.

A large box of popcorn, with butter, at the cinema will reveal a calorie count of up to 1,500. At the bottom of the menu will be a notice informing customers that a healthy diet generally constitutes “2,000 calories a day”.

Hailed as a crucial step in fighting America’s obesity crisis, the rules are expected to be challenged by some trade groups who say they will be burdensome and costly.

“The idea that larger portions have more calories, which seems obvious, turns out not to have been immediately obvious to many diners,” said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and public health at New York University.

Pizza restaurants won the right to publish their product’s calorie count by the slice, in spite of fears that they would merely cut pizzas into smaller slices. The rules also cover alcoholic drinks.

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World ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Fresh fears over spread of ebola as key targets missed Sierra Leone

Ruth Maclean Johannesburg

Bloodthirsty deity Women leave Bariyapur village in Nepal after attending Gadhimai festival. Up to a million Hindus travel to the event, during which hundreds of thousands of animals are killed with curved knives to honour the goddess of power

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

The spread of ebola is continuing to outstrip key United Nations targets regarded as vital to bringing the outbreak under control in West Africa.

International health agencies will fail to meet Monday’s deadline for hitting a series of targets, according to the UN, due to the continued widespread shortage of beds and burial teams.

Isolating patients and safely burying those who die of the disease is crucial to stopping it. With 600 new cases every week in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, medical staff, burial teams and logisticians are struggling to keep up.

“Progress is slow and we are falling short, and we need to accelerate our efforts,” Amadu Kamara, the UN’s ebola crisis manager in Sierra Leone, said.

Sierra Leone has just 350 of the 1,200 beds it needs, while Liberia has 670 of 2,500, and Guinea, where this outbreak originated, has 160 of the 490 it needs.

The World Health Organisation set a “70-70-60” plan in early October, which aimed to isolate 70 per cent of patients and ensure that 70 per cent of burials were conducted safely within 60 days.

Guinea is doing well on the first score, with 99 per cent of patients isolated, but the figure is only 23 per cent in Liberia. It is 40 per cent in Sierra Leone, which includes an extremely poor period between late October and early November in which only 13 per cent of patients were isolated.

Burial teams are in short supply in all three countries. Only 130 are operating compared with the 370 needed. Without trained burial teams, victims of

ebola are often buried by their communities in traditional ceremonies that include touching and washing the body, meant to speed their passage to the afterlife. The virus does not die with the patient, their corpses remain highly contagious, and the disease is spread by bodily fluids.

In August, 60 per cent of all ebola transmissions were from burials and the handling of dead bodies. This figure has been brought down through public education, but in many areas it remains a serious problem.

Burial teams in Kenema, Sierra Leone, went on strike this week, saying they had not been paid and dumping 15 corpses outside the main hospital. They have since been fired.

Sierra Leoneans have expressed their outrage at a British-built clinic in Kerry Town for running far below capacity. Dozens of beds are lying empty while ebola victims are turned away from the hospitals. The clinic, run

by Save the Children, has 92 beds — 80 for ordinary patients and 12 for sick medical staff — but has only treated 31 people since it opened three weeks ago.

Save the Children said that it was always the plan to open slowly, in order to ensure the safety of their patients and staff. “We expected to be at 30 beds at this stage, and we are at 20 and are admitting and discharging patients every day,” a spokeswoman said. “This means that we will not always have 20 patients. We aim to open another 10 beds in the next fortnight. We are scaling up as quickly as we can.”

Nearly 5,700 people have died of ebola so far, according to offical figures, though the true figure is thought to be much higher.

Fifty years on, American soldier’s remains go home Vietnam

Leo Lewis Beijing

The remains of an American soldier, who was wounded in one of the bloodiest ambushes of the Vietnam War and later vanished into enemy hands have been returned to his mother and brothers after 47 years.

James Van Bendegom, a staff sergeant, was 19 when he set out on patrol in the Ia Drang Valley, close to the Cambodian border, on July 12, 1967.

The North Vietnamese ambushed the patrol, and at least 55 American lives were lost in a fierce battle.

Richard Perricone, who was among the few survivors, has told of seeing the Vietnamese executing the wounded Americans.

Mr Perricone believes that Van Bendegom — who was badly injured — and a comrade were, for some unknown reason, spared. “They carried them out, and that was the last time we saw them,” said Mr Perricone, who was captured. “The next thing you know a grenade blew up right next to me and knocked me out. I woke up and they were tying me up.

“They told us the two guys captured had died of their wounds.”

In Wisconsin, his parents assumed that their son had become a prisoner of war, like Mr Perricone. The captured members of the patrol were impris-

oned, starved and tortured for nearly six years.

However, it appears that Van Bendegom died shortly after the ambush.

Dozens of missions in both Vietnam and Cambodia were mounted in an attempt to find his remains.

In 1986, a Vietnamese woman living in a Thai refugee camp produced a collection of bones that she had smuggled into the country which she said belonged to Van Bendegom. She handed them to US officials in Thailand. The woman’s account of where the remains had been found and other details were rapidly exposed as lies. The bones were returned to the US and put in storage.

A decade ago, scientists returned to their stores of remains and started conducting DNA tests. While most of the bones were from people of Asian descent, one arm bone showed a close match to the DNA of Van Bendegom’s brother.

Earlier this month, Van Bendegom’s 89-year-old mother, Virginia, received a call from the US Army to say that they had the remains of her son and that he would now be buried with full military honours.

According to the US embassy in Phnom Penh, there are 1,639 American service personnel still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, 52 of whom disappeared in Cambodia.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

Splitting Rolls from Royce

Broker calls for new strategy Page 65

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That sinking feeling (again)

Business

Deflation fear adds to eurozone woes Page 67

STUART C WILSON/GETTY

Red Ed should have saved his energy business commentary Alistair Osborne

D

oes your loft need insulating? Have you tried Drax? Oh, you didn’t realise it did that, what with it being a power generator, producing up to 8 per cent of UK electricity. Neither did Drax, as it happens — until a certain Ed Miliband from the last government forced it into a bonkers diversification (report, page 65).

Predictably enough, it’s ended in a £28 million whack from Ofgem, bizarrely the regulator’s biggest fine.

Sure, Drax screwed up. But you can see why its chief executive, Dorothy Thompson, is so heated: the episode is from the couldn’t-make-it-up school of government.

Rewind to when Red Ed ran the energy department. In a typically desperate attempt to appear green and caring, he popped up with the Community Energy Saving Programme running from 2009 to 2012 — a ploy to force energy companies to bring poor households something they’ve always wanted, a beautiful boiler and padded loft.

Astonishingly, the ten companies included three independent power generators, Drax, InterGen and Eggborough, despite one blindingly obvious fact: they don’t have domestic electricity customers. So Drax had to hire someone who did to do the work, unluckily picking Eaga — even if not as unluckily as Carillion, which bought the company and wrote off £40 million due to its energy-efficiency failures.

Drax budgeted £17 million for the work, based on government estimates, but Eaga loused up. The upshot is that, even after settling a writ against Eaga and hiring fresh contractors, Drax hit only 37.1 per cent of its target customers and now has a fine for failing 3,770 of them.

InterGen’s been fined £11 million.

True, Eggborough hit its (lower) target. Yet, Ofgem is also limbering up for action against British Gas, ScottishPower, SSE and GDF Suez, highlighting two things. First, that the scheme’s been a flop. Second, that the regulator, under newish chief executive Dermot Nolan, is desperate to prove it’s a hard nut — just when Mr Miliband, funnily enough, is threatening to abolish it.

Yet, Drax’s failures are hardly the target for Ofgem’s record fine. As Ms Thompson says, converting three of Drax’s six generators to biomass will save “hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon”. How much should it have saved from its loft insulation work? “Less than one million.” Just the sort of nonsense energy scheme you’d expect, then, from Ed “price freeze” Miliband.

No giveaways

W

hat a massive weekend it is for Canary Wharf, the east London tower block emporium 70 per cent owned by Songbird Estates (report, page 65).

It’s the unveiling of Santa’s grotto in Jubilee Palace Mall, where every kiddie who visits the bearded wonder gets a “golden ticket” in a prize draw. First prize? Let’s not give that away. Just to say the Qatar Investment Authority has as much chance of winning that as carrying off Songbird — unless it adds more than £1 to its current joke offer of 295p a share. How the Qataris, who have teamed up with the Wharf’s other big shareholder, 22 per cent owner Brookfield Property, ever thought their mooted £2.2 billion offer would fly is one of the wonders of the world. The Qataris have two seats on the Songbird board, so must have known how daft it was to pitch in at below the published 319p-a-share net asset value — even dafter now that Songbird has, predictably, got it revised up to 381p.

An independent valuation has adjusted for just the sort of things any property expert could have told you: progress on properties under construction and selling 50 Bank Street have bumped up Songbird’s value, with the shares now up to 354¾p. Yet, even the latest valuation doesn’t account for extras to come, such as the impact of Crossrail, the development potential of another 9.8 million sq ft or the premium a bidder would have to pay for a property company that manages an entire London estate rather than individual buildings. The Qataris have until Thursday to bid or (more probably?) walk. They must know that Songbird won’t be given away — even at Christmas.

Bang for your buck

S

o, were you at work yesterday?

Idiot. Should have been at Black-Eye Friday, best punch-up for years, even if you risked ending up with a Dyson Animal Vac when you went in for a Blaupunkt 40-inch TV — the terrible experience of a shopper in Harringay.

Still, at least it looks like the supermarkets have finally cracked it after all that struggling on the footfall front — get the police to pop in too, a trick Tesco managed to pull off in seven stores in Greater Manchester alone. The shares finished up too, even if only 0.43 per cent — a result at Tesco nowadays.

The big surprise is that the stores weren’t ready for it. Haven’t they been reading up on how more jobs, low inflation and rising wages create the conditions for a retail blow-out?

Yet, you wonder if retail watcher Nick Bubb isn’t right when he says that all this imported US retail gimmick will do is “bring forward business from December, reduce gross margins and undermine consumers’ willingness to pay fullprice again before Christmas”.

Always assuming they haven’t been put off shopping for life.

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

Harsh realities take toll on Harvey Nicks

I

ts designer brands and luxury foods may be absolutely fabulous, but

that is no guarantee of profits at Harvey Nichols (Andrew Clark writes).

The Knightsbridge store, owned by Dickson Poon, the Hong Kong-based millionaire, and lauded by Edina and Patsy of Ab Fab fame, said that its earnings,

excluding exceptional items, fell by 3 per cent in the year to March to £17.6 million. Sales were up by 2.2 per cent at £94.8 million.

Stacey Cartwright, the company’s chief executive, put a brave face on the numbers, calling them “a

solid set of results against a challenging economic landscape”.

In addition to its London store, Harvey Nichols has outlets in five other British locations and seven overseas cities, including Riyadh, Dubai, Istanbul and Kuwait.

Oil price war wipes billions off shares Harry Wilson

Billions of pounds have been knocked off the market value of Britain’s leading oil companies as investors took fright at Opec’s decision to leave the cartel’s production quota unchanged, raising the prospect of prices falling to levels last seen in the wake of the financial crisis.

Brent crude fell by 3.5 per cent, or $2.43, yesterday to $70.15 a barrel — a fresh four-year low — after the Opec meeting and dipped even lower briefly in late trade to below $70. The European benchmark had been trading at $115 as recently as June.

The share prices of Britain’s oil majors took a battering, with BP down 1.6 per cent and Royal Dutch Shell falling more than 2.5 per cent yesterday.

The smaller players took the biggest hits, as Afren fell more than 10 per cent and BG Group dropped nearly 9 per cent during the trading session.

The FTSE 350 oil and gas index was down 3 per cent at the close, wiping £8.4 billion from the market value of top energy companies, leaving investors sitting on a paper loss for the past week of close to £24 billion and just over £50 billion since June.

The rout came as Saudi Arabia ended

a turbulent Opec conference in Vienna on Thursday with a pledge to block moves to cut oil production, raising the prospect of prices falling below $70 a barrel as the Gulf kingdom refused to play its traditional role of balancing global supply.

Deutsche Bank warned that the failure of Opec members to agree to curtail their output, or even to cease production above their quota limits,

Inside today

Rouble among worst hit as petrocurrencies fall Pages 68-69

had thrown the market balance into crisis and that American producers might not be able to react fast enough to avoid a growing glut in global stocks.

Analysts at HSBC said that the failure to reach a deal on cuts would increase deflationary pressures in the world economy and that oil producers would be the largest losers. “We caution against getting too carried away with the good news that comes with lower oil prices. At least in part, falling oil

prices represent an ongoing deficiency in global demand, which is manifesting itself in disinflationary pressures not just in commodity prices but also wages,” the bank said.

Oil services businesses and explorers are expected to be among the worst hit by the price collapse. BG Group shares ended the week close to a six-year low, as did Tullow Oil and Weir Group.

Anthony Lobo, UK head of oil and gas at KPMG, said that the likelihood of oil falling below $70 for a “sustained period” would have a severe impact on the industry’s support sector. “This will add further pressure to exploration budgets, as upstream players reduce their exposure to high-risk prospects,” Mr Lobo said.

“The ability of some companies to service their debt in this market may also be impacted by the lower cashflows. However, there are still investment opportunities for those with significant cash and debt capacity.”

Malcolm Graham-Wood, an oil market veteran, said: “Those who are able to take a longer-term view will find that a combination of some loss of unprofitable production and a pick-up in demand will validate the Saudi view that the markets will stabilise.”

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

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Business

Need to know Your 5-minute digest economics Eurozone: Inflation has slumped to a five-year low, reviving the threat of deflation for the troubled currency bloc.

Consumer prices rose by 0.3 per cent this month compared with last November, from 0.4 per cent in October, according to an initial estimate

by Eurostat, the statistics unit of the European Commission.

Falling energy prices, which declined by 2.5 per cent, pushed down prices, while upward pressure came from food, alcohol and tobacco prices, as well as services.

Page 67

aerospace & defence 0.51% Rolls-Royce: One of London’s leading stockbrokers has launched a withering attack on the aircraft engine maker, questioning its strategy and damning its communications with the City. Rolls-Royce, whose shares are off by a third on the year after multiple trading warnings, shed a further 17½p to 842½p. In a research note, Investec said that the FTSE 100 group should consider splitting its lucrative aircraft engines business from its moribund large diesel engines operations for the marine, train and heavy land vehicle markets. If not, the broker said, the latter businesses should be sold off and the cash raised returned to shareholders. Page 65

banking & finance 0.05% Nova KBM: NKBM, Slovenia’s second-largest bank, made a group net profit of €26.4 million (£21 million) for the first nine months of 2014, compared with a loss of €66.9 million a year earlier.

The state-owned bank, which is set for privatisation after being bailed out by the government last year, is one of two Slovenian banks that failed ECB stress tests last month. These showed NKBM would have a capital shortfall of €31 million at the end of 2016 under an adverse scenario. The lender said that the shortfall would be covered by its 2014 profits. It said that its balance sheet assets stood at €4.46 billion at the end of September, down by 7.2 per cent compared with the end of 2013.

construction & property 0.58% Songbird Estates: The company behind Canary Wharf has named its price after entering into talks with the consortium stalking the east London financial district.

Songbird said that it had held discussions with Qatar Investment Authority and Brookfield Partners after their approach, but a sweetened offer had not been made. The company, which owns 70 per

cent of Canary Wharf Group, dismissed a 295p-per-share cash offer on November 7 as “significantly undervaluing” the company and has put up a price tag 30 per cent higher. In a statement to the stock market, Songbird said that independent valuers had put the net asset value of the company at 381p per share, £2.8 billion, thanks to the recovery in the London property market and the “significant progress” achieved within the Canary Wharf estate. Page 65 House prices: House price growth has slowed for the third consecutive month to its lowest in almost a year. Prices rose at an annual rate of 8.5 per cent in November compared with the same month last year, down from 9 per cent recorded last month.

On a monthly basis, they were up by only 0.3 per cent, according to Nationwide, which derives its index from its own mortgage book. The increase means that the average price of a house in Britain costs £189,388. Page 67

health 0.57% AstraZeneca: Pascal Soriot, the boss of the drugs company, has declared that the White House’s move against tax inversion deals would have scuppered Pfizer’s attempted £69 billion takeover of the company earlier in the year.

In a robust defence of AstraZeneca’s decision to spurn Pfizer’s advances, he claimed the deal would have imploded in “destruction and disruption” even if the British company had agreed to it.

Speaking 48 hours after a six-month cooling-off period ended, giving Pfizer the right to come back with a fresh offer, Mr Soriot robustly defended AstraZeneca’s progress and made clear that he was in no mood to countenance surrender.

BTG: Dame Louise Makin has set her sights on taking BTG, the fast-rising global pharmaceuticals group, into the FTSE 100. The formerly state-owned British Technology Group’s most enduring moneyspinner is the world’s leading cure for rattlesnake bites. CroFab has saved 40,000 lives since it went on the market in 2000.

She has identified four products — for varicose veins, severe blood clots and two types of “beads” to release cancer-busting medicine — as the company’s growth drivers: “Between them, they generate about $150 million of sales. We think we can take that to a billion dollars-plus by 2020 or 2021.”

leisure 1.61% TGI Friday’s: Three private equity firms — Charterhouse Capital Partners, Electra Partners and Lion Capital — have been shortlisted in the estimated £250 million auction of the American restaurant

chain’s UK business, being handled by Rothschild, according to M&C Report.

Merlin Entertainments: The attractions operator is to cash in on the soaring appeal of Lego in Asia by building a £172 million Legoland theme park in South Korea, due to open in 2017. Page 71 Thomas Cook: Harriet Green’s surprise exit from the travel group this week was hastened by a series of approaches from other companies keen to employ her, it has emerged.

The turnaround specialist, who has been widely fêted for restoring the fortunes of the 173-year-old group, is understood to have been approached by at least two retailers, as well as companies in the financial, leisure and public sectors. Page 65 Gondola Group: Bridgepoint, the private equity firm, is in exclusive negotiations to acquire the ASK Italian and Zizzi restaurant chains for about £225 million. The deal would bring down the curtain on the group after the earlier sale of the Byron and PizzaExpress chains.

natural resources 2.04% BG Group: Pressure on the oil and gas group to back down over a contentious £25 million pay-and-perks deal for its incoming chief executive reached boiling point after a fifth influential group expressed its opposition. The Times has learnt that Glass Lewis, a San Francisco-based voting adviser, has circulated a note to shareholders urging them to veto a £12 million “golden hello” for Helge Lund, who is due to take charge at BG in March. BG is also offering Mr Lund, who joins from Statoil, the Norwegian state-owned oil producer, the opportunity to earn up to £12.5 million a year in pay and performance-related bonuses.

Page 69

Oil prices: Billions of pounds have been knocked off the market value of Britain’s leading oil companies as investors took fright at Opec’s decision to leave the cartel’s production quota unchanged, raising the prospect of prices falling to levels last seen in the wake of the financial crisis.

Brent crude fell $2.43 yesterday to $71.15 a barrel — a fresh four-year low — after the Opec meeting in Vienna. The European benchmark had been trading at $115 as recently as June before beginning its rapid slide. Petrocurrencies crumpled after the decision.

The Russian rouble, Norwegian krone, Nigerian naira and Malaysian ringgit hit all-time or multi-year lows.

Pages 63, 68-69

FairFuelUK Campaign: Claims that fuel retailers are denying motorists the full benefit of falling oil prices have prompted calls for a competition inquiry into the way costs are set on the forecourts. The FairFuelUK Campaign wants the Competition and Markets Authority to intervene and has

World markets FTSE 100 6,722.62 (-0.80)

6,900

FTSE 250 15,851.76 (-37.90)

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Dow Jones (midday) 17,875.95 (+48.20)

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Nikkei 17,459.85 (+211.35)

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Commodities Gold $1,171.88 (-17.81)

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Quote of the week ‘I would not have done it. Everybody has their own style. I can only repeat that it is not my style’

Graph of the day

After a short, sharp session Wall Street ended its holidayshortened trading day mostly flat. The energy sector came under huge downwards pressure after Opec failed to cut output and it took a strong performance from retailers to leave the Dow Jones Industrial Average half of one point higher at 17,828 for its sixth straight weekly gain.

18,000

Jones Industrial average a age Dow Jone

17,000

16,000 2014 May

Jun

retailing 0.85% Black Friday: Fights broke out yesterday among shoppers trying to score Black Friday deals, while the websites of large stores buckled under the flood of bargain-hunters.

Police were stationed at shopping centres as people rushed to enter stores. Two people were arrested in Manchester as some shoppers resorted to scuffles and a woman in the city was hit by a falling television. Several shops were forced to close their doors in the face of crowds and brawling. Other shoppers joined long queues for the day of discounting. An import from the United States that has been gaining popularity in Britain, it is seen as important for retailers as they clear stock in advance of Christmas. The websites of Tesco Direct, Currys and Argos struggled to cope with online traffic.

transport 0.08%

Frank Meysman, chairman of Thomas Cook, on former chief executive Harriet Green’s frank interview with The Times Magazine before her departure

Jan Feb Mar Apr Source: Thomson Reuters

urged the chancellor not to increase fuel duty in next week’s autumn statement.

With oil prices below $75 a barrel, George Osborne has the right to increase fuel duty by inflation plus 1p a litre to compensate for lower North Sea oil tax revenues. Page 68

Jul

Aug Sept

Oct

Nov

15,000

Results in brief Name

Pre-tax figure Profit (+) loss (-)

Helical Bar (property HY) Pennon (utilities HY)

£42.9m (£68.9m) £114.9m (£110.9m)

Dividend 2.10p p Dec 30 9.98p p April 2

6 Results in brief are given for all companies valued at more than £30 million. f = final p = payable

The day’s biggest movers Company AO World Further consideration of results Pennon Lifts the dividend Carnival Cheaper oil Kingfisher Retailers sought on “Black Friday” Vodafone A push by UBS Fresnillo Cheaper silver Tullow Oil Oil companies friendless BG Group Controversy over pay Premier Oil Crude at a fresh four-year low EnQuest Oil tanks

Change 7.2% 5.6% 4.6% 3.4% 2.9% -2.6% -8.4% -8.8% -13.4% -14.9%

National Air Traffic Services: One of the next big candidates for privatisation is to pay out another bumper dividend to the Treasury. National Air Traffic Services, the air traffic control company, said that it would pay a total of £77 million to its shareholders this year.

The business, which was part-privatised at the turn of the millennium, continues to be 49 per cent-owned by the taxpayer, who will be receiving more than £38 million as a result of the latest dividend, taking the total in the last three years to nearly £90 million. Page 66

utilities 0.35% Drax: The North Yorkshire power generator has been fined a record £28 million by Ofgem after failing to meet targets to provide energy efficiency measures to homes.

Alongside the largest penalty handed down by the energy regulator, InterGen, another power generator, was also fined £11 million. Under the Community Energy Saving Programme, power generators as well as suppliers were required to deliver energysaving measures to households by the end of December 2012.

Page 65

Pennon Group: The owner of South West Water announced a fall in profits at both its main businesses, but increased the halfway dividend by well ahead of inflation. Pre-tax profits across the group were off by almost 10 per cent in the six months to the end of September to £100 million.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Business SIMON DAWSON/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES

Songbird calls the tune on Canary Wharf

T

he gap between would-be bidder and unwilling seller of Canary Wharf grew wider last night after Songbird Estates said that the east London business district was worth significantly more than the original offer made for it (Kathryn Hopkins writes).

The directors of Songbird, who confirmed that they had not yet received a further offer from the Qatari Investment Authority and Brookfield, a Canadian investment firm, told the stock market that it had carried out an early annual valuation of its net assets that valued them at 381p a share, or £2.82 billion.

This was 19.2 per cent higher than a previous valuation in June and 30 per cent more than the QIA and Brookfield’s original offer of 295p a share, or £2.16 billion, which was swiftly rejected by the board on the grounds

Vodafone ‘on verge of bid for Liberty Global’ Nic Fildes Technology & Communications Editor

that it “materially” undervalued Songbird.

As a result, the Qatari-Canadian consortium is understood to be more uncertain than it

was on Thursday over whether to increase its offer. If an approach is made, it will most likely be hostile, sources suggest.

However, analysts are

speculating that the offer will have to rise to at least 400p a share in order to secure a takeover, as Songbird believes the value of its estate will rise

substantially on the back of future developments.

Shares in Songbird, which owns about 70 per cent of Canary Wharf Group, rose 4¾p to 354¾p.

Break up the company or explain why not, broker tells Rolls-Royce Robert Lea Industrial Editor

One of London’s leading stockbrokers has made a withering attack on RollsRoyce, questioning its strategy and damning its communications with the City.

Shares in the aircraft engine maker, which are off by a third on the year after multiple trading warnings, were on the slide again last night, closing down 17½p at 842½p.

In an excoriating research note, Investec said that the FTSE 100 group should consider splitting its lucrative aircraft engines business away from its moribund large diesel engines operations for the marine, rail and heavy land vehicle markets. If not, the broker said, the latter businesses should be sold off and the cash raised returned to shareholders.

Investec also offered a third option:

carry on as a diversified industrial company, but with a better explanation of the business model to shareholders that over the 12 months appear to have voted with their feet.

“The significant share price decline this year should be a catalyst for RollsRoyce’s board to reconsider the optimal strategy,” Rami Myerson, the Investec analyst, said of a share price that has fallen from a record high of £12.89 about this time last year.

He criticised a much-commentedupon failure by Rolls-Royce to keep the investment community onside. This month the crisis brought about the dismissal of Mark Morris as finance director and his replacement by Dave Smith, the former Jaguar Land Rover executive, and the hiring of Fergus MacLeod, BP’s former firefighting investor relations chief.

Investec remains unconvinced by the

changes. “Investor confidence has been shattered during 2014 through a combination of weaker trading, poor communication and a realisation that the group remains operationally immature,” Mr Myerson said.

He believes that the strategy of building additional businesses outside the now-booming but famously cyclical aerospace industry is frustrating shareholders, which would prefer a pure-play operation that they could opt into or out of.

“We believe this [strategy] has resulted in a dislocation between the board and shareholders, compounded by poor communication,” Mr Myerson said. “The majority of investors still convey to us their preference for a purer-play asset.”

The analyst said he believed that there may be large share price upside in retaining the status quo, but he needed

to hear the story. “ If the board is going fully to re-engage shareholders, then we believe it must reconsider all options, even if the answer is to continue along the current path.

“We see this discipline as a prerequisite to regaining trust, but it must be combined with better communication and delivery — even if end markets remain difficult.”

Rolls-Royce declined to comment on the Investec note last night. However, one supportive analyst said that the company knew that it needed to be less arrogant and to communicate better, but that the basic strategy remained intact.

He cited Rolls’ great aircraft engine industry rivals: Pratt & Whitney is part of United Technologies, the diversified American industrals group, while GE’s engines business operates within the world’s largest conglomerate.

No time for holiday as suitors beat path to Green’s door Dominic Walsh

Harriet Green’s surprise exit from Thomas Cook this week was hastened by a series of approaches from other companies keen to employ her, it has emerged.

The turnaround specialist, who has been widely fêted for restoring the fortunes of the 173-year-old travel group, is understood to have been approached by at least two retailers, as well as companies in the financial, leisure and public sectors.

In the aftermath of her abrupt resignation as chief executive on Wednesday, when it was revealed that she will leave Thomas Cook with nearly

£10 million in shares, much of the focus has been on a mooted breakdown in relations between Ms Green and Frank Meysman, the tour operator’s chairman.

Although most sources seem to agree that dealings between the two were becoming increasingly fractious, it has emerged that the approaches to Ms Green, right, also accelerated the timing of her departure.

Until events this week, Ms Green’s stock in the business world could scarcely have been higher, as she rescued the tour operator by cutting £500 million of costs, shedding 2,500 jobs and pushing through a £1.6 billion debt refinancing. She became almost as

famous for her lifestyle, notably her Margaret Thatcherlike aversion to sleep, a punishing fitness regime and an obsession for tweeting and emailing colleagues and customers alike at all hours of day or night.

To investors, she acquired almost legendary status, as the shares, trading at 14p when she took the helm in July 2012, soared more than tenfold, boosting the company’s market value

to almost £2 billion. In her resignation statement Ms Green declared: “I always said that I would move on to another company with fresh challenges once my work was complete. That time is now.”

Some sources claim that Mr Meysman engineered her early departure by persuading his fellow non-executive directors that the “cult of Harriet” was out of control.

Vodafone was reported last night to be preparing a potential blockbuster offer for Liberty Global, the cable company that owns Virgin Media, that would test the nerve of regulators across Europe.

Vodafone’s top executives have been locked in a strategy meeting in a hotel in London since Thursday to discuss the way forward for the company’s British business, which has triggered speculation that a move for a fixed-line rival could be on the cards.

The company has said that it will enter the consumer broadband and television markets next year under its own steam, but BT’s decision to consider an acquisition of O2 or EE has forced all telecoms companies to consider their options. One source said that Vodafone’s strategy discussions amounted to “war gaming” and that all telecoms companies were weighing options in light of BT’s move.

Three, which is owned by Hutchison Whampoa, has also been linked with a bid for O2 and EE and rumours swirled yesterday that Canning Fok, the Asian company’s managing director and rainmaker, had flown to Britain to discuss its options.

Vodafone has long been seen as a natural home for Liberty Global, which is controlled by John Malone, the billionaire, and a deal would create a European mobile and cable powerhouse. Vodafone has a market value of £83 billion, while Liberty is worth $34.5 billion. The two companies compete across Europe in cable markets and have fought each other to acquire assets in Germany and Spain over the past two years.

Drax is fined for failing to insulate homes Robert Lea Industrial Editor

One of Ed Miliband’s bungled initiatives as energy secretary in the last Labour government has unwound and landed Britain’s largest electricity generator with a record fine from Ofgem.

The regulatory clampdown on energy companies that did not properly implement the insulation-for-free Community Energy Saving Programme continues, with some of the country’s biggest power providers still under investigation.

Drax, which runs the giant North Yorkshire power complex that provides up to 7 per cent of Britain’s electricity, has been fined £28 million for failing to implement CESP. According to the regulator, it left 3,000 homes without energy-saving upgrades promised by the Labour government. Drax says that it should never have been in the scheme because it is a generator, not a supplier.

CESP was launched as a way of better insulating houses in poorer communities and therefore saving energy, all paid for by the privatised energy industry.

Drax effectively was told to provide 5,000 homes with better insulation, despite the company’s lobbying that it had no domestic customers and no interaction in the retail market. Drax, which employed Eaga, the former listed company, to carry out the work, dealt with fewer than the equivalent of 2,000 homes.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Business TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER /RICHARD POHLE

Big dividend on the radar for Nats

O

ne of the next big candidates for privatisation is to pay another bumper dividend to the Treasury (Robert Lea writes).

National Air Traffic Services said that it would pay a total of £77 million to its shareholders this year.

The air traffic control

followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Heathrow holds 4 per cent. The other 42 per cent was shared equally among Britain’s biggest airlines, but that holding has changed over time.

Within that 42 per cent, the biggest investor is the Universities Superannuation Scheme.

It is understood that British Airways, easyJet and the pension scheme of Monarch Airlines retain their 6 per cent holdings in Nats.

company, which was part-privatised at the turn of the millennium, continues to be 49 per cent-owned by the taxpayer, who will receive more than £38 million as a result of the latest dividend, taking the total in the past three years to nearly £90 million.

The rest of the shares are spread among Nats employees, with 5 per cent, and aviation industry interests.

After a £130 million recapitalisation in the industry downturn that

Debt fears prompt credit rating cut at Standard Chartered Harry Wilson

Standard Chartered has suffered the first cut to its credit rating in two decades after one of the world’s leading agencies warned of growing risks at the struggling emerging markets lender.

Standard & Poor’s cut the bank’s rating by one notch from AA- to A+ yesterday, saying that the bank faced increased problems in its corporate loans book, as well as the likelihood that it would receive no support from the British government were it to get into trouble.

In a statement, S&P said: “[Standard Chartered Bank] is going through a tough period of late, after many years of solid growth and strong financial performance. The group’s pre-tax earnings fell in 2013 from the year before, and results for the nine months to September 2014 suggest that a further moderate but meaningful decline is likely in 2014.” The agency added that it was concerned by Standard Chartered’s “complex operations” and “some single-name loan concentration”.

S&P said that it was becoming highly unlikely that Standard Chartered could would receive support from British taxpayers were it to face severe financial distress, with bondholders and shareholders expected to face the bill from rescuing the bank.

Next month, Standard Chartered, along with Britain’s other big lenders,

will publish the results of the latest Bank of England stress tests that are expected to be the toughest yet. The bank is not thought likely to fail the test.

Standard insisted that it had no need to raise fresh capital and intended to maintain its dividend. Last year the bank paid $2 billion to shareholders.

Over the last year analysts have warned about the risk to the bank from a deterioration in the finances of several of its largest corporate clients, with attention focused on its loans to big Asian conglomerates that some think could lead to significant losses for the lender. Among the loans under scrutiny is $1 billion lent to PT Borneo Lumbung Energi & Metal, a Jakartalisted miner, as well as loans to Essar, the Indian energy company.

In its results for the first six months of the year, Standard Chartered said that the pool of loans classified as closest to turning bad had grown by 205 per cent to $5.1 billion. Its share price has fallen by a third in the past 12 months and last month the stock fell below £10 for the first time since the financial crisis. The shares closed down 0.32 per cent yesterday at 937.1p.

Peter Sands, the chief executive, has insisted he will not go as he tries to convince investors of his plans to turn around the bank’s performance. Mr Sands has announced a cost-cutting programme aimed at adding $400 million to the bank’s bottom line.

Young economists take step towards the national stage The 15th annual Target Two Point Zero Bank of England and The Times Interest Rate Challenge is under way, with 307 teams nationwide competing for the trophy and £5,000 for their school or college.

In 42 regional heats, teams of four students, aged 16 to 18, are analysing British and global economic data and their possible impact on inflation and the outlook for the UK — as the Bank’s monetary policy committee does each month. The winner from each regional heat will advance to one of six area finals. The national final will be contested in March at the Bank of England.

Results from the latest heats were: Birmingham: winner: King Edward VI Handsworth School, Birmingham; runner-up: Edgbaston High School for Girls, Birmingham; London: winner:

University College School, Hampstead; runner-up: The Tiffin Girls’ School, Kingston-upon-Thames; Manchester: winner: Bury Grammar School; runenr-up: Oldham Hulme Grammar School; Reading: winner: Reading School; runner-up: Sir William Perkins’s School, Chertsey; Tonbridge: winner: Cranbrook School; runner-up: Caterham School; Cardiff: winner: Stanwell School, Penarth.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Business

Philip Aldrick

House price juggernaut hits brakes a third time

Germany seems to have forgotten that rules are made to be broken

‘‘

Philip Aldrick is economics editor of The Times We all love an underdog, the plucky little contender who stands firm against insurmountable odds. Cassius Clay defeating Sonny Liston, Hereford beating Newcastle in the third round of the 1971-72 FA Cup, David slaying Goliath, the eurozone’s Pigs versus the troika.

Great tales, all of them, but nobody ever sheds a tear for the defeated favourite. In Europe, Germany is today’s Goliath. So much so that the image of a Berlin behemoth sadistically battering the eurozone’s peripheral weaklings into austerity has become a caricature and does the country no justice.

Germany is more strict parent than playground bully. It has the region’s best interests at heart, but, to the euro’s wayward children, it’s a stern technocrat. If they want to be part of the euro family, though, they could ask for worse.

To understand Germany’s peculiar, and frequent, objections to the obvious quick-fix eurozone remedies, you need to understand its economic philosophy, ordoliberalism, a free market ideology that believes in the guiding hand of the state.

Unlike laissez faire neoliberalism, ordoliberalism is governed by rules to prevent markets being captured by vested interests or cartels. Regulators, the central bank and politicians, in turn, are kept honest by separate rules to ensure that the state does not succumb to lobbyists or tyranny.

The philosophy developed in the 1930s during the Great Depression as a counterpoint to the totalitarianism of the far left and Hitler’s far right.

Between 1929 and 1933, Germany suffered the kind of hardship that would make even Greece and Ireland blanch today. Trapped by strict rules on its unaffordable First World War reparation debt, after the hyperinflation of 1923, Germany was prohibited from devaluing its currency just as key trading partners ditched the gold standard.

The only way to compete was to devalue internally, which meant cutting wages and prices. In the four years after the Wall Street crash, German wages plummeted by 27 per cent, GDP collapsed by 15 per cent and unemployment hit 30 per cent. In 1933, a desperate nation voted in Hitler. It was this era of austerity, and the

horrors it foreshadowed, that shaped German economic thinking. The point, though, is not that others should suffer as Germany did but that no country deserves to go through such pain.

As Hans-Werner Sinn, Germany’s leading ordoliberal, writes in The Euro Trap: “What the German example shows is that real depreciations of the magnitude needed by Portugal, Greece and Spain can have dire consequences.” The lesson that Germany learnt was that prevention is better than the cure. Hence the rules, and a strict principle of individual responsibility, to stop market abuse and ensure politicians do not dodge difficult decisions.

All that ought to make ordoliberalism the perfect economic doctrine for a single-currency bloc governed by strict rules, such as the eurozone. Without the release valve of currency depreciation available to members, and with a no-bailout clause enshrined in the treaties,

members were, in theory, obliged to manage their economies sensibly.

In 2003, Gerhard Schröder’s government demonstrated what that meant by reforming Germany’s labour markets, slashing welfare and undertaking an internal devaluation.

Over five years, wages fell by 3.3 per cent and unemployment hit 12 per cent, triggering a recession that cost Mr Schröder the chancellorship.

As Mr Sinn writes, the country had “no other option” because the euro had “starkly exposed the German workers’ lack of competitiveness”.

Other nations did not quite see the euro project in the same way. Where Germany understood it as an arrangement demanding responsible government, others saw it as an economic version of splitting the restaurant bill. As a 2004 Israeli study published in The Economic Journal found, diners who paid their own way spent on average 37 shekels. That rose to 51 shekels when the bill was split

equally and 82 shekels if someone else picked up the tab. Similarly, assuming group responsibility, some eurozone members shirked the obligation to reform.

As late as 2011, Italy under Silvio Berlusconi was refusing to adjust, despite German concessions. That made Berlin, as Timothy Geithner, the former US Treasury secretary, put it, “just paranoid that every act of generosity was met by sort of a ‘f**k you’ from the [political] establishment of the weaker countries in Europe”.

Germany decided that it would “never let a crisis go to waste” and held truculent governments’ feet to the fire. The principle since has been to make concessions in return for reforms, and Germany has made plenty of concessions. The no-bailout rule was subverted, France, Italy and Belgium are being given extra time to cut their deficits, the European Central Bank is taking far more risk on to its balance sheet than Berlin believes is permitted and quantitative easing is discussed openly.

At the same time, Germany is stimulating domestic demand and helping to equalise competitiveness in the currency bloc. The government has introduced a minimum wage and has endorsed the biggest pay rise for engineers in 20 years.

It is not only Germany that seems to believe in an ordoliberal eurozone.

This week, Mario Draghi, the ECB president, all but proposed setting central rules to short-circuit populist politics. “There is a strong case for sovereignty over relevant policies to be exercised jointly. That means, above all, structural reforms,” he said.

The problem with ordoliberalism is Germany’s inflexibility. Stimulating growth now would help to cushion reforms, assuming that eurozone governments delivered on their promises. The Germans seem to have forgotten that rules are made to be broken, particularly in times of crisis.

With the rise of the far-right Golden Dawn in Greece, the National Front in France, the Finns party in Finland and the Dutch Freedom Party, the irony is that the more Germany becomes an unsympathetic Goliath, the more it pushes other nations towards the very outcome that ordoliberalism was conceived to oppose.

’’

Kathryn Hopkins, Rebecca Clancy

House price growth has slowed for the third consecutive month to its lowest in nearly a year.

Prices rose at an annual rate of 8.5 per cent in November compared with the same month last year, down from 9 per cent recorded last month.

On a monthly basis, they were up by only 0.3 per cent, according to Nationwide, which derives its index from its own mortgage book.

The increase means that the average price of a house in Britain costs £189,388.

“Housing market activity levels have remained relatively weak in recent months,” Robert Gardner, the chief economist of Nationwide, said. “The number of mortgages approved for house purchase in September was almost 20 per cent below the level prevailing at the start of the year.”

He added that there was something of a disconnect between the slowdown in the housing market in recent months and broader economic indicators, which have remained relatively upbeat.

In particular, employment has risen strongly.

The Land Registry, whose data is based on prices paid, said that the average cost of a home in England and Wales rose by 0.1 per cent last month to £177,377. On an annual basis, prices were 7.7 per cent higher.

The figures from Nationwide and Land Registry add to growing evidence of a slowdown in the housing market.

This month, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders showed that mortgage approvals had fallen for a second month running, and Halifax reported that house prices declined by 0.4 per cent month-on-month in last month.

The Financial Conduct Authority’s introduction of the mortgage market review, aimed at curbing risky lending combined with the prospect of an interest rate rise, have made lenders and would-be buyers more risk-averse, and that has been weighing on house prices.

Howard Archer, the chief UK and European economist for IHS Global Insight, said: “With housing market activity appreciably off its early 2014 highs, we suspect house prices will generally rise at a much more sedate rate over the coming months, compared with the peak double-digit annual growth rates seen earlier in the year.”

Falling inflation increases pressure for eurozone QE Alex Ralph, Kathryn Hopkins

Eurozone inflation has slumped to a five-year low, reviving the threat of deflation for the single currency bloc and increasing the pressure on Mario Draghi to unveil a full programme of quantitative easing.

Consumer prices rose by 0.3 per cent this month compared with November last year and from 0.4 per cent in October, according to an initial estimate by Eurostat, the European Commission’s statistics unit. The fall in inflation was in line with economists’ expectations.

Prices were pushed down by sliding energy prices, which declined by 2.5 per cent. Oil prices have collapsed over the

past six months and are expected to fall further after Opec members opted this week not to cut production.

Inflation has not been near the European Central Bank’s target of about 2 per cent since the beginning of 2013 and has remained below 1 per cent for the past 14 months. The core inflation rate, which strips out volatile prices such as energy, remained at 0.7 per cent.

Colin Bermingham, an economist at BNP Paribas, said: “The scale of the disinflation problem facing the ECB becomes increasingly concerning as time progresses. Three of the four big eurozone economies have reported inflation for November and all three are

6 An American executive has turned down the opportunity to buy the Goodyear tyre plant in France after comparing the country to Russia (Adam Sage writes). Maurice Taylor, the chief executive of Titan International, blamed France’s labour laws for ending talks on the factory in Amiens, northern France, saying that he would have been obliged to take on so many employees that the factory would be loss-making: “It’s stupid. It’s the dumbest thing in the world. France should just become communist and then when it goes all bad like Russia did maybe you’d have a chance.”

below 0.5 per cent.” He is expecting the Frankfurt-based central bank to lower its projections for inflation in 2015 by 0.3 percentage points to 0.8 per cent and he said that downward revisions to its inflation and growth forecasts would be “key to justifying” a full-blown QE programme in the future.

Jonathan Loynes, chief economist at Capital Economics, said that the figures “give the ECB yet another nudge to take urgent further action to revive the recovery and tackle the threat of deflation”.

Vitor Constâncio, vice-president of the ECB, admitted this week that the bank would consider launching a QE programme if existing policies failed

to stave off deflation and rekindle growth.

The eurozone’s difficulties were underlined yesterday when separate figures from Eurostat showed that unemployment remained at 11.5 per cent in October, with the rate as high as 24 per cent in Spain, albeit a fall on September’s 26 per cent. The number of people out work rose by 60,000 across the 18-nation bloc month-on-month.

Economic growth has stalled in the eurozone, with Germany faltering. This month, the European Commission cut its growth projections for the eurozone from 1.2 per cent to 0.8 per cent for this year and from 1.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent for 2015.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Business

Opec decision hits producers in the pocket as currencies slump Philip Aldrick

Petrocurrencies across the world crumpled yesterday after Opec’s decision to maintain production levels forced down the price of oil.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude collapsed to a four-year low of $71.12 in early trading, as traders speculated that the new resistance level might be as low as $60. It rebounded but remained down by 60 cents at $72.20 in late trading.

The rout affected the currency markets. The Russian rouble, the Nor-

wegian krone, the Nigerian naira and the Malaysian ringgit hit all-time or multiyear lows. Since early June, the rouble has dropped by 30 per cent, tracking the fall in the oil price. It slumped to record lows of 49.56 roubles against the dollar and 61.76 roubles against the euro yesterday.

Norway has been second hardest hit, with the krone off 15 per cent against the dollar in six months, having fallen by 4 per cent this week alone to a fiveyear low.

The Canadian dollar and the Mexi-

can peso both dropped by more than 1 per cent yesterday.

Daragh Maher, an HSBC currency strategist, said that traders were dividing countries into oil producers and oil importers. “The reaction is pretty conventional,” he said. “Producers get less profit, and importers should do better.

“One of the peculiarities, though, is that while producers have been hit grievously, importers haven’t capitalised as much.” He blamed lingering concerns about the global economy.

In Russia, where energy comprises

It’s not fair, claims petrol price campaign Miles Costello

Claims that fuel retailers are denying motorists the full benefit of falling oil prices have prompted calls for a competition inquiry into the way costs are set on the forecourts.

The FairFuelUK Campaign wants the Competition and Markets Authority to intervene and has urged the chancellor not to increase fuel duty in next week’s autumn statement. With oil prices below $75 a barrel, George Osborne has the right to increase fuel duty by inflation plus 1p a litre to compensate for lower North Sea oil tax revenues.

As Wm Morrison became the latest

retailer to cut fuel prices, by up to 2p a litre, analysis suggested that retailers are not passing on the full extent of cost savings to drivers.

The price of Brent crude has fallen by more than 36.5 per cent since its six-month peak of $115.06 a barrel in mid-June to trade yesterday at about $72.97. According to the AA, however, prices at the petrol pump have dropped by only 7 per cent, from a high of 131.7p a litre in early July to an average of 122.4p a litre.

The AA said that the exact price paid on the wholesale market was rarely known and that companies often bought their fuel in advance at a

different price. They also buy in dollars rather than sterling. It also said that taxes set a floor for petrol prices, with VAT of 20 per cent and fuel duty of 57.95p together accounting for about two thirds of today’s price.

Motorists’ lobby groups responded angrily. A spokesman for the Alliance of British Drivers said: “Our members are concerned about this. It has been alleged that there is a cartel of oil companies and not a competitive situation.

“Many of our members think the oil companies are too quick to raise prices and too slow to drop them. Some retailers are owned by the oil companies.”

two thirds of exports, the rouble slumped by 1.2 per cent as it headed for its biggest monthly loss since 2009. The Russian central bank hit back by saying that it would limit rouble liquidity through its foreign exchange swap operations to the equivalent of $2 billion a day for the next fortnight.

It introduced the limit as part of a series of measures to restrict speculative attacks on the rouble. The rouble has been targeted by currency traders because the economy is suffering from international sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine. Economists estimate that Russia needs oil prices to be above $90 a barrel to balance the books and avoid a recession.

In Nigeria, the naira fell by 1.3 per cent as emerging market oil producers were hit. Angola and Kazakhstan were also caught up in the currency rout.

Oil weighed on currencies more than other fundamentals. In Canada, the “loonie” fell against the dollar in spite of strong third-quarter GDP numbers, showing the economy had grown by 2.8 per cent in the year to September.

Mr Maher said that markets would be watching for signs of a pick-up in Chinese and global growth before moving into oil-importing currencies. Opec’s decision to hold production levels at 30 million barrels a day for at least six months ensured that petrocurrencies would remain under pressure, he added.

Trouble in the pipeline How oil companies have fared over the past six months Share prices

-20%

-28% Weir Group

-30

-35% Petrofac -40

-44% Ophir Energy -48% Premier -50% Tullow oil

-50

-60

-65% EnQuest -66% Afren -70

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Business

Taking aim at America

Cost of producing one new barrel of oil Price per barrel

Analysis Tim Webb

Arctic

Oil Sands

US Shale Oil

$115-$122

$89-$96

$70-$77

Deepwater offshore

$54-$60

North Sea

$46-$53

West Africa offshore Russia onshore Middle East onshore

$38-$44

$15-$21

-66%

$10-$17

Source: Reuters survey of oil industry experts

O

pec’s decision not to cut production is aimed at inflicting further damage on American shale oil producers.

Most need oil prices of about $80 to break even, but US oil prices are lower even than Brent, tumbling 8.4 per cent to $67.46, compared with Brent’s $71.33.

The companies behind the US shale oil boom have funded their phenomenal growth through debt, which stood at about $62 billion at the end of the second quarter, nearly a third higher than the year before.

Because production from a shale oil well declines rapidly, by as much as 80 per cent after the first year, these companies need to keep raising funds to drill new wells and maintain output.

Richard Mallinson, of the Energy Aspects consultancy, said that funding to these companies could dry up as oil prices tumble.

He said: “You could quite quickly see a reaction in terms of a slowdown in the growth rate of production if capex is cut. If sentiment was about to change, it would trigger a slowdown in capex and investment. Those with less valuable acreage could be in trouble. A lot of companies came in after the cycle had started and spent a lot of money.”

Anger at chief’s £25m pay deal hits new high Miles Costello

Pressure on BG Group to back down over a £25 million pay-and-perks deal for its incoming chief executive reached fever pitch yesterday when a fifth influential group urged investors to oppose it.

Glass Lewis wrote to shareholders yesterday expressing its “severe concerns” about a £12 million one-off payment for Helge Lund.

The San Francisco-based voting adviser said in its note: “In particular, we firmly question the performance criteria attached to the award, which are based on a range of somewhat vague personal objectives that appear to set the bar quite low, with the only stated criteria for vesting being that Mr Lund’s performance must not fall ‘significantly below the level expected of him at grant.’ ” BG Group is also offering Mr Lund, the former boss of Statoil, of Norway, who joins in March, the opportunity to earn up to £12.5 million a year in pay and performance-related bonuses.

The offer of the lucrative package has further infuriated BG Group’s shareholders, as the oil and gas producer convened a special meeting for a vote on the plan just over six Helge Lund is joining from Statoil, a rival

months after investors approved a binding pay policy that the new plan flouts.

BG has been moving behind the scenes to try to calculate the level of opposition to the pay deal and has come under intense pressure from shareholders to scrap the meeting and go back to the drawing board.

Legal & General Investment Management, Railpen and Royal London Asset Management are among the shareholders that have gone public with their opposition to the package, but BG Group’s investors are also desperate to avoid a potentially damaging public clash at the vote, due to take place next month.

Institutional Shareholder Services, also based in the United States, as well as Pirc, the pension funds adviser, Manifest, the Investment Management Association and the Institute of Directors have publicly opposed the plan.

Mr Lund is due to be paid a base salary of £1.5 million, plus the chance to earn up to £3 million a year as a short-term bonus, and £9 million under annual long-term incentive schemes.

BG has said previously that it has to pay to get the best person for the job and that it is not paying more than its peers for a new boss.

BG Group’s shares, buffeted by the sliding oil price, dropped 8.77 per cent to 900¼p.

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

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Nov 28 midday

wkly +/-

Nov 28 midday

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Nov 28 midday

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36.69 160.52 44.48 69.12 86.36 114.38 270.13 73.62 87.27 59.80 144.50 17.29 194.56 213.77 284.74 68.08 50.35 339.95 57.59 92.48 105.55 54.88 132.07 164.97 53.57 79.26 54.59 92.47 64.28 118.90 23.95 53.14 35.45 85.74 580.40 93.51 162.00 56.90 40.03 17.06 72.95 37.61 140.56 148.85 308.00 359.35 134.93 130.16 12.90 59.11 43.04 83.37 82.13 44.05 100.97 54.77 112.89 40.83 64.47 109.07 666.14 103.02 103.13 27.58 53.97 84.59 44.89 54.25 69.75 57.01 36.39 66.15 63.18 96.59 21.01 142.92 101.29 83.46 36.52 145.18 91.66 83.93 76.47 86.93 73.44 47.11 59.02 87.56 65.57 66.74 72.89 48.84 74.02 81.74 71.62 81.15 67.69 55.00 110.03 63.60

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Eli Lilly 68.20 EMC Corp 30.42 Emerson Elec 63.71 Entergy 83.45 EOG Res 86.84 Equity Res 71.43 Estee Lauder 74.25 Exelon 36.10 Express Scripts 83.08 Exxon Mobil 91.17 Facebook 78.18 Fedex 178.55 Fifth Third 20.16 FirstEnergy 36.93 FIS 61.22 Fiserv Inc 71.59 Ford Motor 15.68 Franklin Res 56.82 Freeport-Mcm 26.90 Gap 39.95 Gen Dynamics 145.44 Gen Electric 26.57 Gen Growth Props 26.92 General Mills 52.79 General Mtrs 33.44 Genuine Parts 103.39 Gilead Sciences 100.63 Goldman Sachs 188.72 Google Inc 540.24 Google Inc Class A 547.72 Grainger (WW) 247.37 Halliburton 41.99 Harley-Davidson 69.88 Hartford Financial 41.39 HCP 45.04 Health Care REIT 73.94 Hershey 100.42 Hess 73.11 Hewlett Packard 39.28 Home Depot 99.77 Honeywell Intl 99.01 Host Hotels 23.41 Humana 138.17 ICE Group 225.83 Illinois Tool 95.23 Ingersoll-Rand 63.00 Int Business Mach 162.74 Intel 37.46 Intl Paper 53.98 Intuit 94.17 Intuitive Surg 517.31 Invesco 40.42 Johnsn & Johnsn 108.69 Johnson Cont 50.20 JP Morgan Chase 60.38 Kellogg 66.22 Keurig Green 141.97 Kimberly-Clark 116.57 Kinder Morgan 41.08 Kraft Foods 60.24 Kroger 59.97 L Brands 81.25 Lincoln National 56.92 Lockheed Martin 192.12 Loews 41.59 Lorillard 63.21 Lowes Cos 64.06 LyondellBasell 79.47 Macy's 65.11 Marathon Oil 29.09 Marathon Petroleum90.81 Marriott Intl 79.13 Marsh & McLenn 56.68 MasterCard 87.73 McDonald's 96.95 McGraw Hill Fin 93.30 McKesson 209.64 Mead Johnson 103.93 Medtronic 74.04 Merck & Co 60.64 Metlife 55.71 Michael Kors Hdgs 77.17 Micron 36.01 Microsoft 48.11 Mondelez 39.16 Monsanto 120.62 Monster Beverage 112.71 Moodys 100.91 Morgan Stanley 35.13 Mosaic 45.94 Motorola Sols 65.89 M&T Bank Corp 126.04 Mylan 58.07 Natl Oilwell 67.06 Netflix 349.51 NextEra Energy 104.49 Nielsen Holdings 41.78 Nike 99.64 Noble Energy 49.77 Nordstrom 76.94

+0.84 +0.52 -1.88 +1.05 -14.90 +1.12 +1.21 -0.15 +2.18 -5.64 +4.43 +4.09 +0.03 -0.28 +1.32 +1.53 +0.25 -0.17 -2.69 +1.49 +0.85 -0.42 +0.65 +0.94 +1.31 +1.97 +0.05 -0.87 +2.74 +1.83 -0.84 -8.64 +1.22 +0.05 +1.19 +1.22 +4.13 -12.10 +2.02 +1.49 +0.78 +0.60 +1.75 +5.54 -0.67 -0.47 +1.82 +1.87 +0.36 +2.45 +1.88 +0.16 +0.83 +0.03 -0.07 +0.75 +1.60 +2.96 +1.33 +1.02 +1.60 +2.38 -0.77 +4.19 -1.35 -0.33 +0.80 -11.74 +1.78 -4.74 -6.11 +3.15 +0.56 +3.01 +0.27 +1.31 +4.47 +1.60 +1.55 +0.98 -0.10 +3.17 +1.71 +0.13 +0.16 -0.19 +3.26 -0.03 -0.40 -1.27 +0.62 +1.36 +2.28 -6.76 -10.77 +0.75 +0.62 +2.22 -7.95 +1.85

Norfolk Sthn 111.75 Northeast Utilities 50.46 Northern Trust 67.89 Northrop Grum 141.40 Nucor 53.60 Occidental Petr 80.17 Omnicom 77.33 Oracle 42.41 O'Reilly 183.17 Paccar 66.98 Parker-Hannifin 128.56 Paychex 47.43 PepsiCo 100.28 Perrigo Company 159.82 Pfizer 31.28 PG&E 50.59 Philip Morris Intl 87.00 Phillips66 73.77 Pioneer Ntrl Rscs 144.87 PNC Finl 87.74 PPG Inds 219.25 PPL 35.57 Praxair 128.91 Precision Cast 238.09 Price T Rowe 83.47 Priceline.com 1163.27 Principal Fin 53.31 Procter & Gmbl 90.55 Progressive Cp 27.27 Prologis 42.39 Prudential Finl 85.35 Public Serv Ent 41.69 Public Storage 188.62 Qualcomm 72.87 Raytheon 107.21 Regeneron Pharm 415.41 Reynolds Amer 65.97 Rockwell Auto 114.86 Roper Inds 158.54 Ross Stores 91.71 Salesforce.com 60.10 SanDisk 104.02 Schlumberger 86.07 Schwab (Charles) 28.33 Seagate Tech 66.61 Sempra Energy 112.09 Sherwin-Williams 247.67 Sigma Aldrich 136.39 Simon Prop 181.93 Southern Co 47.40 Spectra Engy 37.76 St Jude Medical 67.95 Stan Blk & Dkr 94.26 Starbucks 81.33 State Street 76.91 Sthwest Airlines 41.99 Stryker 93.31 SunTrust Banks 39.38 Symantec 26.15 Sysco 40.30 Target 74.48 TE Connectivity 64.33 Texas Insts 54.50 Thermo Fisher 129.04 Time Warner 85.14 Time Warner Cab 149.17 TJX 66.40 Travelers 104.40 TYCO INTERNATIONAL PLC42.56 Union Pacific 118.07 UPS 110.25 US Bancorp 44.29 Utd Health 98.99 Utd Tech 110.58 Valero Energy 48.92 Ventas 71.99 Verizon Comm 50.67 Vertex Pharma 118.23 VF Corp 75.17 Viacom 75.65 Visa 259.24 Vornado Realty 112.03 Walgreen 69.07 Wal-Mart 87.64 Walt Disney 92.88 Waste Mgt 48.75 WellPoint 127.77 Wells Fargo 54.46 Western Digital 103.70 Weyerhaeuser 35.23 Whirlpool 186.48 Whole Foods Mkt 49.12 Williams Cos 52.02 Wynn Resorts 178.61 Xcel Energy 33.96 Xerox 13.98 Yahoo 51.88 Yum Brands 77.21 Zimmer Hldgs 112.30 Zoetis 44.98

-3.61 +0.10 -0.03 +2.27 -0.80 -7.43 +2.31 +0.97 +4.13 -3.28 +0.11 +1.39 +5.32 +0.83 +0.52 -5.65 -31.32 +0.89 +3.90 +0.06 -1.64 +1.10 +0.62 +11.81 -0.13 +1.95 -0.08 +1.15 +0.77 +0.69 +3.14 +1.40 +1.43 +10.16 +0.68 +1.22 +0.32 +2.41 +1.91 +3.19 -11.81 +0.05 +1.67 +1.76 +5.62 +0.59 +3.48 +0.15 -1.47 +1.15 -1.05 +1.57 +0.34 +3.97 +3.20 -0.08 +0.82 +0.60 +2.97 +1.31 +1.94 +2.50 +5.09 +6.65 +2.84 +0.59 -0.33 -3.78 +2.90 +0.32 +2.28 +0.28 -1.37 +2.27 +0.46 +6.83 +1.54 +1.94 +5.02 +1.43 +1.48 +2.99 +3.92 +0.22 +1.88 +0.65 +2.00 +0.88 +2.81 +0.89 -3.46 -1.03 +0.28 +0.40 +0.84 +1.35 +1.82 +1.11

London Financial Futures Long Gilt 3-Mth Sterling

3-Mth Euribor

3-Mth Euroswiss

2 Year Swapnote 5 Year Swapnote 10 Year Swapnote FTSE100 FTSEurofirst 80

Period Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15 Dec 14 Mar 15

Open 118.54 117.68 99.440 99.390 99.320 99.220 99.100 99.915 99.915 99.925 99.925 99.910 100.04 100.09 100.12 100.12 111.59 127.74 149.09 6713.0 6656.0 3924.5

High 118.70 117.86 99.440 99.400 99.330 99.240 99.120 99.915 99.920 99.930 99.930 99.915 100.05 100.10 100.13 100.13 111.59 111.56 127.75 100.00 149.18 100.00 6739.0 6684.0 3924.5

Low 118.36 117.51 99.430 99.380 99.310 99.220 99.100 99.905 99.910 99.925 99.920 99.910 100.03 100.08 100.10 100.11 111.58 111.55 127.69 100.00 149.09 100.00 6668.0 6618.0 3924.5

Sett 118.37 117.54 99.430 99.390 99.330 99.230 99.110 99.910 99.915 99.925 99.925 99.915 100.04 100.08 100.11 100.12 111.58 111.90 127.71 127.71 149.08 149.08 6731.0 6676.5 4292.5 4294.0

Vol 24269 136434 12167 20725 21441 42313 32632 11507 16083 13963 24845 24016 5029 3749 4698 1488 61 104 224 3 299 3 86768 137 1

Open Int 52543 437463 391886 413237 480396 326310 342167 448603 400315 351115 331400 302058 69178 81172 62546 29784 21869 11262 6034 584962 21986

Eurotop 100

New York (midday) Dow Jones Nasdaq Composite S&P 500

17822.14 (-5.61) 4790.88 (+3.56) 2066.89 (-5.94)

Tokyo Nikkei 225

17459.85 (+211.35)

Hong Kong Hang Seng

23987.45 (-16.83)

Amsterdam AEX Index

425.86 (+0.11)

Sydney AO

5298.10 (-83.30)

Frankfurt DAX

9980.85 (+5.98)

Singapore Straits

3350.50 (+9.54)

Brussels BEL20

3287.91 (+3.64)

Paris CAC-40

4390.18 (+7.84)

Zurich SMI Index DJ EURO Stoxx 50

9150.46 (+21.31) 3250.93 (+6.01)

London FTSE 100 6722.62 (-0.80) FTSE 250 15851.76 (-37.90) FTSE 350 3658.98 (-1.72) FTSE Eurotop 100 2821.51 (+2.27) FTSE All-Shares 3593.32 (-1.30) FTSE Non Financials 4173.22 n/a techMARK 100 3410.35 (-6.69) Bargains 1237663 US$ 1.5630 (-0.0089) Euro 1.2571 (-0.0047) £:SDR 1.08 (+0.00) Exchange Index 86.7 (-0.1) Bank of England official close (4pm) CPI 128.50 Oct (2005 = 100) RPI 257.70 Oct (Jan 1987 = 100) RPIX 257.20 Oct (Jan 1987 = 100) Morningstar Long Commodity 805.78 (-9.31) Morningstar Long/Short Commod 4502.37 (+0.00)

Commodities ICIS pricing (London 6.00pm) Crude Oils ($/barrel FOB) Brent Physical Brent 25 day (Jan) Brent 25 day (Feb) W Texas Intermed (Jan) W Texas Intermed (Feb)

70.20 71.20 71.60 67.45 67.55

-1.50 -1.35 -1.30 -1.60 -1.60

Products ($/MT) Spot CIF NW Europe (prompt delivery) Premium Unld 726.00 728.00 Gasoil EEC 662.75 664.75 3.5 Fuel Oil 365.00 369.00 Naphtha 587.00 588.00

+0.00 +13.50 +2.00 +12.00

ICE Futures Gas Oil Dec Jan Feb

648.25-648.00 645.25-645.00 655.50-655.25

Brent (6.00pm) Jan 71.74-71.73 Feb 72.18-72.15 Mar 72.78-72.67

Mar Apr

658.00-656.50 671.25-660.75 Volume: 165271

Apr May

74.50-72.75 91.30-72.84 Volume: 750517

Mar May Jul

1870-1771 1844-1770 1750 BID

LIFFE Cocoa Dec Mar May Jul Sep Dec

1942-1852 1907-1888 1924-1820 1889-1845 1873-1751 1875-1801

RobustaCoffee Nov 2094-1910 Jan 2098-2000 Mar 2109-2050 May 2144-1955 White Sugar (FOB) Reuters Mar May Aug

516.50-406.20 437.80-410.00 443.40-420.00

Volume: 17771 Jul Sep

2105-1860 2200-2060 Volume: 17426

Oct Dec Mar May

520.00-436.90 524.00-410.00 459.20-450.00 461.40-457.70 Volume: 6764

London Grain Futures LIFFE Wheat (close £/t) Jan 131.80 Mar 134.30 Jul 136.25 Nov 142.15

May 135.80 Volume: 559

AHDB meat services Average fatstock prices at representative markets (p/kg lw) Pig Lamb Cattle GB 85.65 175.43 192.88 (+/-) -0.97 -1.64 -0.86 Eng/Wales (+/-) Scotland (+/-)

85.65 -0.97

176.43 -1.15

192.29 -0.30

unq

171.18 -2.94

196.38 -5.59

London Metal Exchange (Official) Cash

3mth

15mth

Copper Gde A ($/tonne) 6515.0-6515.5 6460.0-6461.0

7310.0-7320.0

Lead ($/tonne) 2026.0-2027.0

2031.0-2032.0

1980.0-1985.0

Zinc Spec Hi Gde ($/tonne) 2226.5-2227.0 2224.5-2225.0

1943.0-1948.0

Tin ($/tonne) 20170.0-20175.0

20200.0-20225.0

Alum Hi Gde ($/tonne) 2071.0-2071.5 2025.0-2027.0 Nickel ($/tonne) 16080.0-16090.0 16150.0-16160.0

20215.0-20265.0 2280.0-2285.0 18770.0-18870.0

AP Moller-Maersk A Dn Kr AP Moller-Maersk B Dn Kr ABB Ltd S SF Air Liquide Fr ¤ Allianz G ¤ Anglo American UK p Anheuser-Busch InBev B ¤ ASML Holding Nl ¤ Assicurazioni Generali SpA AstraZeneca UK p Atlas Copco A Sw Kr Atlas Copco B Sw Kr AXA Fr ¤ Banco Santander Es ¤ BBVA Es ¤ Barclays UK p BASF G ¤ Bayer G ¤ BG Group UK p BHP Billiton UK p BMW G ¤ BNP Paribas Fr ¤ BP UK p British Am Tob UK p BT Group UK p Centrica UK p Christian Dior Fr ¤ CS Group S SF Daimler G ¤ Danone Fr ¤ Deutsche Bank G ¤ Deutsche Post AG Deutsche Telekom G ¤ Diageo UK p EON G ¤ EDF Fr ¤ Enel It ¤ ENI It ¤ Ericsson B Sw Kr EADS Fr ¤ GDF Suez Fr ¤ GlaxoSmKline UK p Glencre Xstrata Heineken NV Nl ¤ Henkel KGaA G ¤ Henkel KGaA Pref G ¤ Hennes & Mauritz Sw Kr Hermes Intl SCA Fr ¤ HSBC UK p Iberdrola Es ¤ Imperial Tobacco UK p Inditex Es ¤ ING Nl ¤ Intesa Sanpaolo It ¤ Linde G ¤ Lloyds Bkg Gp UK p L'Oreal Fr ¤ LVMH Fr ¤ Munich Re G ¤ Natl Grid UK p Nestle S SF Nordea Sw Kr Novartis S SF Novo Nordisk B Dn Kr Orange Pernod Ricard NV Fr ¤ Philips Elect Nl ¤ Prudential UK p Reckitt Benckiser UK p Repsol SA Richemont S SF Rio Tinto UK p Roche Hldgs S SF Rolls-Royce UK p Royal Bank Scot UK p Royal Dutch Shell A UK p Royal Dutch Shell B UK p SABMiller UK p Sanofi-Aventis Fr ¤ SAP G ¤ Schneider Electric Fr ¤ Siemens G ¤ Societe Generale SA Standard Chartered UK p StatoilHydro No Kr Swatch Gp BR S SF Swatch Gp Reg S SF Swiss Re AG S SF Syngenta S SF Telefonica Es ¤ Telenor No Kr TeliaSonera Sw Kr Tenaris SA It ¤ Tesco UK p Total Fr ¤ UBS AG S SF UniCredit It ¤ Unilever UK p Unilever NV Nl ¤ Vinci Fr ¤ Vivendi Fr ¤ Vodafone Group UK p Volkswagen G ¤ Volkswagen Prf G ¤ Volvo B Sw Kr Zurich Fin S SF

FTSE volumes Close

+/-

12mthhigh

12mthlow

Yield

P/E

12230.00 12480.00 21.69 101.20 138.45 1321.50 94.46 84.93 17.39 4743.39 215.00 198.10 19.42 7.25 8.64 245.33 73.01 120.95 912.63 1517.00 91.95 51.56 414.64 3797.96 410.20 284.60 154.00 25.82 67.80 56.75 26.29 26.72 13.70 1983.17 14.26 24.08 3.88 16.07 93.90 49.00 19.82 1485.00 321.94 63.25 79.64 89.22 319.40 269.25 637.00 5.95 2960.00 23.42 11.78 2.48 151.75 80.11 137.20 144.50 165.65 930.00 72.55 93.15 93.50 272.90 14.17 95.31 24.26 1548.00 5233.45 18.05 90.85 3034.38 283.25 842.50 392.38 2132.50 2192.37 3541.02 77.86 56.68 65.60 95.16 39.89 937.10 132.50 477.50 88.95 82.60 318.30 12.88 148.10 53.20 13.30 185.82 44.99 17.15 5.95 2705.19 32.76 43.48 20.48 229.90 181.90 185.20 81.60 302.80

-90.00 -130.00 -0.31 +0.25 +0.45 -30.50 +1.16 +0.38 +0.11 +22.89 -3.50 -2.80 +0.14 +0.07 +0.06 +1.53 -1.49 +0.60 -74.07 -50.00 +0.46 +0.28 -11.56 +56.96 +4.90 -3.10 +2.00 -0.14 +0.69 +0.58 -0.05 +0.32 +0.23 +49.17 -0.04 +0.18 -0.01 -0.45

14660.00 15220.00 24.75 106.85 138.45 1648.00 94.46 15220.00 17.43 4823.50 220.30 220.30 20.50 7.89 9.93 296.50 87.36 120.95 1351.50 2096.00 95.51 60.85 523.90 3794.50 418.10 347.70 154.00 30.08 70.44 56.95 39.95 27.93 13.70 2003.50 15.31 29.73 4.46 20.40

11710.00 12140.00 19.16 89.68 117.00 1226.50 69.55 12140.00 14.79 3447.00 186.40 186.40 16.94 6.04 8.17 207.90 65.61 94.73 900.20 1517.00 77.41 45.45 416.70 2881.00 356.20 284.60 127.35 23.77 56.01 48.83 23.34 22.30 10.35 1709.50 12.56 21.56 3.02 15.86

1.75 2.38

16.52 16.86 21.91 21.05 10.30 289.93 22.31 27.94 17.82 94.96 22.32 20.57 9.30 16.17

-0.80 -0.09 +6.50 -5.26 +0.51 +0.39 +1.76 +6.40 +3.60 +5.20 +0.04 +71.00 +0.15

55.91 21.09 1690.50 377.50 63.25 79.64 89.22 319.40 271.60 682.00 5.95 2960.00 119.90 11.95 2.61 157.30 86.30 137.20 146.25 166.45 960.50 72.55

0.00 16.17 1324.00 297.00 44.96 67.00 67.74 262.10 226.90 589.00 4.43 2182.00 19.89 8.95 1.65 144.60 70.94 115.20 122.50 143.00 746.00 63.10

93.50 284.00 14.17 95.31 28.10 1548.00 5495.00 20.88 94.35 3627.50 289.90 1289.00 395.30 2453.00 2592.00 3740.00 89.56 61.12 71.37 100.25 48.38 1448.50 194.80 107.90 600.50 83.70 363.00 12.88 156.90 53.20

67.80 230.50 8.55 79.36 20.98 1204.00 4537.00 16.33 75.20 2865.00 233.40 779.50 295.50 2013.50 2096.00 2661.00 69.40 50.90 54.73 82.34 34.39 909.20 132.50 75.80 429.50 71.05 283.50 10.87 129.60 45.81

348.15 54.52 19.10 6.85 2729.00 32.76 56.85 21.25 252.30 194.95 197.55 102.50 302.80

168.75 41.56 0.00 5.02 2306.00 27.16 41.41 17.35 184.50 150.70 150.25 72.70 241.50

+0.02 -1.25 +0.16 +0.90 +1.50 +1.05 -7.00 +0.40 -2.65 +0.50 +3.20 +0.18 +0.78 +0.33 +9.50 +43.45 -0.12 +1.55 +22.38 -1.50 -17.50 +1.78 -46.50 -73.13 -3.98 +0.63 -0.09 -0.02 -1.24 +0.21 -3.00 -10.50 +0.10 +0.10 -1.80 +0.14 -2.60 +0.05 -0.60 +0.17 -0.91 +0.30 -0.03 +28.19 +0.31 -0.23 +0.15 +2.55 +0.40 +0.75 -0.05 +1.10

2.53 3.75 3.74 1.73 0.60 2.03 3.65 2.55 2.77 4.20 6.87 0.72 2.65 3.62 1.70 2.06 4.53 2.77 2.85 3.75 2.41 5.97 1.52 2.64 3.25 2.57 1.96 2.93 2.68 2.47 4.12 5.22 2.70 5.51 3.19 1.50 7.61 5.39 3.01 1.20 1.11 0.99 2.99 1.01 4.71 2.57 3.93 1.35 1.62 1.99

3.32 13.81 27.94 17.15 10.01 10.57 19.81 16.73 21.94 18.20 71.55 9.87 31.31 15.64 27.32 21.39 12.61 11.19 11.33 22.35 23.61 17.34 19.43 26.71 12.81 14.35 27.12 34.32 12.37 18.03 41.37 31.12 13.06

2.17 2.61 4.14 0.10 3.79 2.74 2.61

21.92 244.22 28.03 21.45 8.15 16.29 24.48 12.82 24.43 28.37 24.02 24.80 33.35 18.57 20.30 19.04 24.42 15.38 22.82 6.97

5.50 5.13 1.81 3.52 1.27 3.51 3.17 2.45 5.25 5.61 1.02 1.68 4.91 2.04 4.50 4.98 3.94 1.75 7.92 5.56 1.42

13.57 14.15 25.71 25.79 21.05 19.64 16.52 8.94 9.22 8.79 14.35 13.36 7.54 20.46 13.77 32.05 16.79 13.02 17.67 10.53 19.12

3.22 3.11 4.10 4.78 5.96 1.61 1.59 3.67 5.89

18.80 18.11 9.61

1.83 2.16 4.28 4.52 1.92 4.19 2.74 1.16 5.68 1.76

64.45 7.52 7.66 29.99 11.76

3i Aberdeen Asset Admiral Aggreko Ang Am Antofagasta ARM Hldgs Ashtead AB Foods AstraZeneca Aviva Babcock BAE SYS Barclays BG BHP Billiton BP Brit Amer Tob Br Land BT Group Bunzl Burberry Grp Capita Carnival Centrica Coca Cola HBC Compass CRH Diageo Direct Line Ins Dixons Carphone Easyjet Experian Fresnillo Friends Life Gp G4S GKN GlaxoSmKline Glencore Hammerson Hargreaves L HSBC IMI Imperial Tob Intercont Htls Intl Cons Air Intertek Intu Properties ITV Johnson Math

2,044 7,837 1,029 782 4,918 4,072 3,020 2,500 632 1,851 6,252 1,203 7,700 33,525 24,250 13,731 61,059 2,529 3,619 33,904 591 1,251 1,525 1,699 16,114 575 4,007 2,058 5,197 3,272 4,807 4,455 1,458 1,626 6,906 5,044 5,854 7,976 47,363 1,784 878 20,830 1,258 2,379 837 15,680 700 2,036 8,825 387

(000s)

Kingfisher 13,174 Land Sec 2,139 Legal & Gen 9,594 Lloyds Bkg Gp 105,643 Lond Stk Ex Gp 658 Marks Spencer 5,968 Meggitt 1,991 Mondi 1,191 Morrison (W) 8,705 Natl Grid 13,086 Next 723 Old Mutual 9,140 Pearson 2,013 Persimmon 819 Petrofac 4,108 Prudential 3,365 Randgold Res 677 Reckitt Benck 1,496 Reed Elsevier 2,567 Rio Tinto 4,973 Rolls-Royce 5,724 Ryl Bk Scot 13,248 Ryl Dtch Sh A 6,845 Ryl Dtch Sh B 7,636 Royal Mail 2,126 RSA Ins 2,282 SABMiller 1,886 Sage Gp 2,688 Sainsbury J 10,826 Schroders 271 Severn Trent 736 Shire 1,155 Sky 2,344 Smith & Neph 4,425 Smiths 1,599 Sports Direct Intl 2,065 SSE 1,929 St James Place 1,588 Stand Chart 5,321 Standard Life 4,955 Tesco 26,255 Travis Perkins 695 TUI Travel 3,895 Tullow Oil 12,002 Unilever 2,105 Utd Utilities 3,110 Vodafone Gp 119,591 Weir 2,370 Whitbread 536 Wolseley 761 WPP 2,646

European money deposits % Currency 1mth Dollar 0.10 Sterling 0.50 Euro -0.13

3mth

6mth

12mth

0.15

0.23

0.48

0.55

0.68

0.97

-0.05

0.05

0.21

Gold/precious metals Bullion: Open $1189.70 Close $1171.62-1172.15 High $1190.60 Low $1171.62 AM $1184.50 PM $1182.75 Krugerrand $1159.00-1231.00 (£741.36-787.42) Platinum $1204.00 (£770.15) Silver $15.53 (£9.93) Palladium $811.00 (£518.76)

Dollar rates Australia Canada Denmark Euro Hong Kong Japan Malaysia Norway Singapore Sweden Switzerland

1.1740-1.1743 1.1433-1.1436 5.9835-5.9860 0.8043-0.8045 7.7548-7.7557 118.73-118.75 3.3945-3.4005 7.0198-7.0216 1.3039-1.3043 7.4592-7.4642 0.9662-0.9665

Other Sterling Argentina peso

13.318-13.330

Australia dollar

1.8352-1.8354

Bahrain dinar

0.5857-0.5932

Brazil real

4.0248-4.0404

Euro

1.2571-1.2576

Hong Kong dollar

12.122-12.124

India rupee

97.152-97.353

Indonesia rupiah

19143-19168

Kuwait dinar KD

0.4547-0.4572

Malaysia ringgit

5.2041-5.4053

New Zealand dollar

1.9920-1.9932

Money rates %

Singapore dollar

2.0380-2.0391

S Africa rand

17.320-17.338

Base Rates Clearing Banks 0.5 Finance House 1.0 ECB Refi 0.05 US Fed Fund 0-0.25

U A E dirham

5.7394-5.7457

Halifax Mortgage Rate 3.5

Exchange rates

Treasury Bills (Dis) Buy: 1 mth 0.48; 3 mth 0.46. Sell: 1 mth 0.38; 3 mth 0.38 1 mth

2 mth

3 mth

6 mth

12 mth

0.5026

0.5253

0.5540

0.6797

0.9721

Clearer CDs

0.58-0.43

0.60-0.45

0.65-0.50

0.80-0.65

1.07-0.92

Depo CDs

0.58-0.43

0.60-0.45

0.65-0.50

0.80-0.65

1.07-0.92

Eurodollar Deps

0.03-0.13

0.15-0.20

0.17-0.24

0.35-0.45

0.42-0.56

Eurodollar CDs

0.15-0.08

0.18-0.12

0.22-0.15

0.36-0.21

0.52-0.38

Interbank Rates

Sterling spot and forward rates Mkt Rates for Copenhagen Euro Montreal New York Oslo Stockholm Tokyo Zurich

Range 9.3348-9.4014 1.2637-1.2549 1.7817-1.7927 1.5630-1.5728 10.890-11.007 11.492-11.720 185.31-185.89 1.5073-1.5185

Close 9.3524-9.3580 1.2576-1.2571 1.7870-1.7878 1.5630-1.5633 10.972-10.979 11.660-11.668 185.58-185.65 1.5102-1.5109

1 month 34ds 3pr 10pr 3ds 101pr 29ds 15ds 10ds Premium = pr

3 month 131ds 11pr 25pr 10ds 269pr 105ds 33ds 27ds Discount = ds

Australia $ Canada $ Denmark Kr Egypt Euro ¤ Hong Kong $ Hungary Indonesia Israel Shk Japan Yen New Zealand $ Norway Kr Poland Russia S Africa Rd Sweden Kr Switzerland Fr Turkey Lira USA $

Bank buys Bank sells 2.010 1.750 1.930 1.680 10.090 8.850 12.420 9.880 1.380 1.210 13.130 11.550 425.870 350.370 22086.700 17617.600 6.730 0.000 200.460 173.610 2.240 1.890 11.780 10.180 5.820 4.770 79.710 66.380 19.170 16.230 12.480 11.100 1.670 1.440 3.890 3.120 1.720 1.510

Rates for banknotes and traveller's cheques as traded by Royal Bank of Scotland plc yesterday

Data as shown is for information purposes only. No offer is made by Morningstar or this publication

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

71

FGM

The manifesto Business ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/GETTYIMAGES

Martin Waller Tempus Buy, sell or hold: today’s best share tips

Santa’s a myth but is his rally?

of their portfolios. Fund managers do not act in unison, though.

Laith Khalaf, a senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, agrees.

“There’s a trend there. The whole window-dressing thing I don’t really buy. I think it’s probably an over-cynical interpretation.” It also fails to explain the “January effect”, the fact that share prices also do well at the start of the year. If fund managers are buying in December to inflate the indices, logically they should then sell unwanted stock in ny children under ten January. According to Mr Khalaf: but with a precocious “I think you can tie yourself in interest in investment knots over this. Some people say the columns might care to Santa rally is people pre-empting turn to another page the January effect.” now. All gone? Father Christmas Tim Edwards, director, index doesn’t exist. strategy at S&P Dow Jones, says: “I The “Santa Claus effect” on stock don’t think you should rule out pure markets does. The statistics show coincidence.” that equities markets tend to Some months do seem to display outperform in December, by a degree of consistency. October contrast with other months. is traditionally bad for Research by S&P Dow Jones markets — it was this year Indices published this week — but if you take the 1929, shows that not only is this follow me 1987 and 2008 October demonstrably true, on on twitter crashes out of the analysing an enormous for updates numbers, that month’s amount of data, but that it @MartinWaller10 performance does not look is true even in markets especially bad. where they don’t celebrate There are two possible Christmas.

What S&P Dow Jones did, slightly explanations for the Santa effect: herd instinct and momentum. If tongue-in-cheek, was to produce a fund managers believe in the measure than analysed December’s phenomenon, they are likely to buy relative profitability for investors.

The research divides the average performance each December by the ‘Some people say annualised total return over that year, going back 19 years. the Santa rally The average “Santa score” should is people have been a twelfth, logically, or 0.08. In the 12 main equities pre-empting the markets, every one scored at least twice this, meaning that December January effect’ outperformed the other months’ shares ahead of it. As a result, the average by at least two times. markets rise. Thus it becomes a The best performer was, bizarrely, self-fulfilling effect, rises following Japan, where they don’t even have a Christmas. The outperformance was share purchases in the expectation 14 times there. On average across all of such rises.

The second theory is a the markets, December has been momentum effect, that in years four times’ more profitable than at when the market has already other times. performed well, and in most years If you look at the London market over the past 19 years, and this is my over those two decades it has, the performance will accelerate into analysis, in all but three years that December. This is confirmed by December outperformance is seen. research from S&P Dow Jones.

In three cases, the market as a This shows that in years where whole was down over January to the market has already performed November, but December was up. well, outperformance in December The correlation is strong. No one is better than in years when it seems to be able to explain why. hasn’t. This seems to apply across The lazy theory is that fund the markets, from Japan to the managers, whose bonuses rely on United States, Britain and their performance over the year, continental Europe. I suspect this is somehow “dress up” their portfolios the key to the Santa effect. by ensuring a last-minute burst in The conclusion, as we approach share prices, a “Santa rally”. Except the start of December, is that shares that it is never properly explained will perform well, because in terms how they can do this. Theoretically, of actual returns the market in 2014 if fund managers acting in unison is ahead. Probably. And we don’t all buy shares in December, the indices will rise and so will the value really know why.

A Lego ready to snap pieces into place in South Korea

O

pening this Legoland park in Malaysia was nowhere near enough, it seems, to satisfy demand in Asia (Dominic Walsh writes). Merlin Entertainments announced yesterday that

it would open a new park in South Korea in 2017, having already said that it will a Legoland in Japan in the same year.

The new £172 million park will be on the island of Jung-do, about an hour’s drive from Seoul.

Merlin will invest about £57 million, with the rest funded by a local consortium. The theme park operator operates six Legolands and it plans to open a seventh in Dubai in 2016. Its shares rose 12¼p to 379p.

Australia isn’t out of range for angry shareholders Gary Parkinson Market report

W

International, Mike Ashley’s trainer empire, rose 16½p to 660½p.

AO World, the online fridge and washing machine retailer, rallied 16¾p more to 249¾p after further consideration of its results.

Vodafone, up 6½p at 234p, was pushed by UBS, its broker. Profits at Pennon were lower but the water company still lifted its dividend. The shares followed, rising 47½p to 894½p.

New Britain Palm Oil slipped 17½p to 670p as investors were unsettled that the offer period for its £1.1 billion takeover by Sime Darby, the

Wall Street report Ekeing out gains has become an art on Wall Street, with almost every day in record territory, just.

Yesterday was a classic of the genre, though, the Dow Jones industrial average ending 0.49 points up — or 0.00 per cent — at 17,828.24.

Malaysian conglomerate, was extended to give the European Commission more time to look it over.

On AIM, Rose Petroleum was marked 7.9 per cent lower to 2.05p.

The American shale oil and gas play was rumoured to be looking to raise about £8 million by selling new shares.

Finally, Optibiotix, a £16 million food sciences company, floated at 8p a share in August, rose another 2.9 per cent to 22¼p, a record. Its weight management yogurt will be on show at the Health Ingredients Europe conference in Amsterdam next week.

Optibiotix is developing drugs to “modify the human microbe” to alter the way that microbes in the gut digest food to prevent and manage disease in human beings.

The Santa effect

How December has outperformed over 19 years

Index Japan Italy Germany India US small caps Canada UK France US mid caps Hong Kong Europe US

S&P TOPIX S&P Italy BMI S&P Germany BMI S&P BSE SENSEX S&P 600 S&P TSX60 S&P United Kingdom S&P France BMI S&P 400 S&P HKEx large cap S&P Europe 350 S&P 500

December average

Annualised total return

Santa score

2.2% 2.6 2.8 3.8 3.4 2.4 2.1 2.0 3.0 2.1 1.9 1.7

1.9% 5.3 8.4 11.8 11.6 9.2 8.0 8.2 12.9 9.2 8.6 9.9

1.13 0.51 0.34 0.32 0.29 0.27 0.26 0.25 0.23 0.23 0.22 0.17

Source: S&P Dow Jones indices

hundred million. Range’s is a touch ith oil prices still cratering, it was never more than £33 million. Deprived of the financing on which their business going to be an easy models depend, too many small oil day for junior and gas plays and miners find exploration and themselves scuppered operationally. production companies. For Range Oil shares weighed on the stock Resources, it was a doozy. market generally, with the FTSE 100 Range is one of the those high-risk, treading water, down less than a point high-reward plays that draw a certain at 6,722.6 yesterday and down 27 on cast of friskier private investor to the the week. Continental markets traded Alternative Investment Market. in tight ranges, too.

Trouble is, for Range’s backers there With crude falling to a fresh has been precious little reward over four-year low after Opec failed to the past couple of years. Shares that agree production cuts, oil shares changed hands for north of 20p in accounted for the three biggest fallers April 2011, that still held above 10p a in the top flight as Nomura turned year later, retreated inexorably to more bearish towards the sector. BG 0.69p, where trading in them was Group, also under pressure over pay, suspended yesterday. fell 86½p to 900¼p, while Tullow Oil At a poorly attended annual slid 39p to 426p. In a FTSE 250 37.9 meeting in Perth, Australia, beamed points lower at 15,851.8, but still up live to investors in London, 160 on the week, losses were steeper shareholders speaking for less than a still. Premier Oil tanked 29p to 187p fifth of the stock voted out of the blue and EnQuest was clobbered 8¾p to to throw every director off the board, 49½p. save two. Rory Scott Russell, the chief Lower oil prices also hit gold executive, is out. So, too, are and silver — classic hedges Graham Lyon, Christian against inflation. Hochschild Bukovics and Marcus Mining lost 4p to 93¾p Edwards-Jones. follow us after it revealed that it Because Australian law on twitter would cut production requires a company to have for updates a minimum of three @timesbusiness targets at two of its Peruvian mines to try to save directors and Range now has cash amid weaker silver prices. but two — David Riekie and There are some shares that Ian Olson, both non-executives — benefit from cheaper oil. Gas-guzzlers trading in the shares was halted on such as airlines — more than a third AIM, while those who remain try to of all their costs is fuel — were in work out what to do next. demand and easyJet added 20p to Their task is not an easy one. £16.53. Carnival, whose cruise ships Resources minnows generally, burn through billions in bunker fuel, formerly the go-go shares on AIM, advanced 123p to £28.20. have been wholly friendless for a With the import of “Black Friday” couple of years. Heavyweight fund shopping promotions from the United managers, notably BlackRock, which States, bargain-hunters picked up had been big backers of small natural retail shares, too. Kingfisher, the resources plays, have dumped their owner of B&Q DIY, was 10¼p better holdings and won’t touch anything at 312p, while Sports Direct with a market value of less than a few

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Register Obituaries

Jack Kyle Fly half whose elusive running made him one of Ireland’s greatest players Jack Kyle was one of Ireland’s greatest rugby players. Known for his deft, elusive moves, he was nicknamed the Ghost and the Scarlet Pimpernel.

When a new scrum half once asked him where he should pass the ball, Kyle replied, “Just pass it as far as you can and I’ll catch it.”

On the British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 he was acclaimed as the best fly half they had seen; a view widely shared in the northern hemisphere. “There would have been no tour without Jack Kyle,” said his captain Karl Mullen.

However, to thousands of people living in Africa, he was simply “Dr Kyle”. When his playing career ended he moved to the continent as a surgeon and spent three decades working in a hospital in a mining town in Zambia.

He was the only surgeon in the area and became a household name. On one occasion he was presented with a man who had a stab wound to his heart — an operation he had never performed before. By the 1990s 80 per cent of his patients had Aids, still a relatively new condition. Despite his protestations, he was regularly pressed into service as a GP. He used to refer to a huge medical encyclopaedia on his desk and could be found asleep in front of it late at night.

A deeply modest man, Kyle said: “I was only the second opinion. They always saw the witch doctor before they saw me.”

At the weekends he flew up into the bush to treat broken bones or other

He was asked to remove a chimp’s finger — his easiest operation he said problems in remote clinics. All the children from the villages would line up on the landing strip when they heard his plane.

Kyle’s modesty meant that few people in Zambia realised they were being treated by a famous international sportsman. When Kyle’s daughter, Justine, who was born in Zambia, returned to Ireland to boarding school and was taken to watch a rugby match, she recalled: “All these men came over and they were going on and on and on about dad.” She later wrote a memoir about his life. “He always felt that rugby was a gift which just came naturally to him because he played on instinct. But I think he felt that the surgery was much more difficult to achieve.”

Of his rugby, Kyle agreed. “These things are done on a subconscious level.

The ball goes into your arms, and suddenly an opening appears and away you go.”

He was born John Wilson Kyle in Belfast in 1926, the youngest of four children of a businessman. Sport ran in his blood — his father was a football enthusiast, his elder brother Eric got as far as a final trial for the Irish rugby team, and one of his sisters became a hockey international while the other played hockey at representative level.

At Belfast Royal Academy Kyle starred at boxing and cricket as well as rugby.

The headmaster Alex Foster, a former rugby international, was an early mentor.

REX FEATURES

Kyle remained modest about his fame

Kyle studied medicine at Queen’s University, Belfast and quickly established himself as fly half on their team and played for an Irish XV against the British Army in Belfast in December 1945. Kyle’s father would grumble to his other son: “Does that brother of yours ever intend to graduate in medicine?”

When official internationals resumed in 1947, Kyle was in undisputed possession of the fly-half position and the following year saw him in full bloom as Ireland swept all before them.

It was said if Kyle played well, Ireland won. He was remarkably quick on the break and a most elusive runner, rarely caught in possession. He was unerring as a tactical kicker and had uncanny anticipation in defence. After one game the Irish Independent wrote: “They seek him here, they seek him there, / Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. / That paragon of pace and guile, / That damned elusive Jackie Kyle.”

Kyle sent the Ireland wing in to score one of the two tries that defeated Wales at Ravenhill giving Ireland a first triple crown for 49 years and a first grand slam. The following season it was a wellplaced cross kick by Kyle, taken by his regular henchman Jim McCarthy, that overcame Wales at Swansea to secure another triple crown.

On tour with the Lions in the summer of 1950, Kyle scored a try and made another to enable the touring team to hold the New Zealanders to a draw in the first international. Although the All Blacks won the next three matches, Kyle was proclaimed one of the stars of the series. He also played in the two internationals when the Lions defeated Australia.

The team was dubbed the “singing REX FEATURES

Kyle on a typically thrilling burst in an international match against Scotland

lions” because it included 13 Welshmen.

Kyle recalled how singing sessions relieved the tedium of long journeys across vast stretches of New Zealand and Australia by bus and train.

He returned to another vintage year in 1951 with victories — albeit narrow — for Ireland over France, England and Scotland but, in the final game, they were denied the triple crown when, under the rules then in force, a Welsh penalty was enough to equal a try by Kyle, which was one of the most brilliant solo runs of his career.

Kyle succeeded Mullen as Ireland captain in 1953. However, a torn thigh muscle knocked him out for most of the following season and deprived him of the extraordinary acceleration that had been such a key part of his game. In 1958 he played on the team that defeated Australia in Dublin — the first Ireland victory over a touring team — and went on to surpass the previous record of 42 caps for any international player.

He was appointed an OBE in that year.

Kyle was always the perfect sportsman, modest in victory, gracious in defeat, eschewing confrontation of any kind on the field or off it. He loved the game for itself and it was wholly in character that he went on playing club rugby at a junior level until 1963 when he was 37.

He had qualified in medicine in 1951 and worked in various hospitals in Northern Ireland. But he had acquired a taste for travel and answered the call for medical personnel in the third world, moving to Indonesia and then settling in Chingola in Zambia.

He took with him his wife Shirley, a law graduate, whom he met while studying in a library at Queen’s. When they later divorced, Kyle looked after their two children, Caleb and Justine, now a language teacher. His house was on the edge of a golf course, where he played regularly, doing battle with monkeys who would dart out of the trees to pinch his golf balls. It was not his only experience of Zambian wildlife.

His skills as a surgeon meant he was once called on by an animal sanctuary where a chimp’s finger needed amputation. It was, he said, the easiest operation he ever performed.

Both his children settled in Ireland and, finally, in his mid-70s he followed them, retiring to a house in Co Down. He had always maintained close links with his homeland. No Ulsterman was more popular in the Republic than Kyle. He expressed pleasure that it was for the whole of Ireland that he played rugby.

He was still fêted as a guest at rugby occasions across the country and was at Cardiff's Millennium stadium in March 2009 when, in a thrilling finish, Ireland defeated Wales to win the Grand Slam for the first time since 1948. He was the only survivor of the 1948 team present.

Jack Kyle, rugby player and surgeon, was born on February 10, 1926.

He died on November 28, 2014, aged 88

Gibbs starred in Casualty in an acting career that began with appearances in a

Rebekah Gibbs Actress who played a feisty paramedic in the Rebekah Gibbs endeared herself to millions of television viewers on Saturday nights playing the feisty independent-minded paramedic Nina Farr in more than 100 episodes of the BBC’s medical soap opera Casualty. She went on to win the admiration of many more for her courage and good humour in the face of breast cancer that was diagnosed just after she had given birth.

Gibbs was seven months pregnant when she discovered a lump in her breast that was eventually diagnosed as cancer in January 2008, ten weeks after the birth of her daughter Gigi. The West Country actress had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a double mastectomy. She wrote a book about her experiences, Because of You, and a weekly column in the Daily Mirror, which she kept as lighthearted as possible with details such as the challenge of getting your hair done when you don’t have much left. More poignantly, she wrote of her conflicted feelings about feeding her new-born

baby from a cancerous breast. “Although Gigi was crying with hunger, the last thing I wanted to do was to get out my breast and start feeding her, knowing there was something alien and poisonous growing in there, but I knew she needed my milk.”

She was given the “all clear” last year, but had a seizure on holiday in Devon and discovered the cancer had spread to her brain and lungs.

Rebekah Gibbs was born in Torquay in 1973 and attended the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in Sidcup in Kent. She appeared in a string of stage musicals, including The Rocky Horror Show, Starlight Express, Grease and Fame before being cast as the ambulance technician Nina Farr in Casualty in 2004.

It was her first significant television role and provided steady work for the next two years. Casualty storylines often focused on her character’s complicated personal life. She had a difficult relationship with a manipula-

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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BBC

Harry Arnold Journalist who revelled in the pursuit of a scoop

number of West End musicals. Her character was known for her fluctuating private life and was eventually written out

Saturday night soap Casualty and wrote a newspaper column about cancer tive half-sister, Ellen, and a boyfriend, Abs, who was a staff nurse at Holby City hospital. Nina’s boyfriend ended up marrying Ellen because she faced deportation, or so everyone thought.

Ellen was eventually killed in a road accident, leaving Abs and Nina to live

She met the health secretary to discuss NHS treatment of cancer happily ever after. However, their relationship fell apart when Nina revealed she was bisexual. Nina left Holby City Hospital and Gibbs left the series.

After discovering the lump in her breast, Gibbs was told by two doctors there was no cause for concern and that it was probably a blocked milk duct — despite the misdiagnosis she later wrote to defend general practitioners and acknowledge the pressure they are

under. She eventually visited a private consultant who immediately suspected cancer. Although she was exhausted by the treatments, she later revealed in her Mirror column that she found the energy to make her own Christmas cards.

She also wrote about how “heartbreaking” it was to be separated from her baby during the radiotherapy, but how the child helped her to pull through. “On the day I started to lose my hair from the chemo, I was changing her nappy and she reached up and stroked my head. She gave me such strength through the toughest of times.”

Gibbs later campaigned to raise awareness of cancer issues. In 2009 she took part in the Race for Life, organised

by Cancer Research UK, in Hyde Park, and she also met the health secretary Alan Johnson to discuss her own experience and the National Health Service.

“From the day I first visited my GP with a lump in my breast to the moment I

was finally diagnosed with breast cancer, three long months elapsed,” Gibbs wrote in her column. “In that time, I was misdiagnosed twice, had given birth to my daughter Gigi and was unwittingly breast-feeding.

“When I was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer, the tumour had already spread to my lymph nodes. To this day I have no idea if those vital months made the difference between my cancer spreading. But I can’t help but wonder.”

Gibbs is survived by her daughter and her husband Ashley Pitman, a garage owner.

Friends remembered the almondeyed actress for her fun-loving antics.

“She was quite outrageous,” said her best friend Michelle Grant. “She was all about high heels and lip gloss and she’d be on the dance floor high kicking.”

Rebekah Gibbs, actress, was born on March 17, 1973. She died of cancer on November 11, 2014, aged 41

It was a life and death moment in international diplomacy — but for Britain’s top tabloids it was more important than that. In May 1990, Paul Ashwell, a British long-distance lorry driver, was arrested in Greece while unknowingly transporting the barrel of a “supergun” with which the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein hoped to attack Israel from a distance of more than 500 miles. As far as Ashwell was concerned, the largebore metal tube he was carrying was intended to form part of an oil pipeline.

But, after a tip-off by the Israeli secret service Mossad, he was stopped en route to Turkey, charged with weapons smuggling and held in jail.

Unsurprisingly, the story made frontpage headlines in Britain. The Sun was determined to be first on the scene, but was beaten to the punch by Harry Arnold, working for the rival Daily Mirror, who had posted Ashwell’s £19,000 bail and secured a notable exclusive.

But The Sun was not done yet. The following day, Ashwell was pictured, apparently wearing a Sun T-shirt, thanking the paper for its help in freeing him and providing full details of his ordeal. Arnold was incandescent and so was the Mirror, describing The Sun as a “lying, thieving, cheating, crooked newspaper, with countless convictions and no principles”.

As it happened, Arnold was better placed than most to know how The Sun operated. He had been the paper’s royal correspondent for 14 years and had only recently joined the Mirror after falling out with The Sun’s editor Kelvin MacKenzie.

While the two papers were bitter rivals, reporters covering the same beat found a way of working together. When he was covering Buckingham Palace for The Sun, Arnold was a close friend of the Mirror’s James Whitaker, a former Sun writer. According to Arnold, their rivalry was intense, yet leavened by a shared need never to be scooped for more than an hour at a time. Thus, when one obtained an exclusive, he would share it with the other, the only proviso being that it not appear in the competition’s first edition.

Arnold’s original focus on the royal beat had been Princess Margaret, but it was the emergence of Diana, Princess of Wales that put a renewed spring in his step. It was Arnold who first revealed the relationship between the Prince of Wales and the then Lady Diana Spencer.

As it happened, Arnold was torn. He always saw himself as a hard-news man and seized every opportunity to report on events of national and international importance. It was what he saw as the traducing of his coverage of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 that brought to a head his simmering conflict with MacKenzie. Collating The Sun’s coverage in London, Arnold reported the claim by the South Yorkshire police that Liverpool fans were largely to blame for the tragedy, only to be horrified when his editor elevated the allegation into established fact beneath the infamous banner headline “The truth”.

The Mirror provided him a fresh lease of life. As chief reporter he travelled extensively, covering the first and second Gulf wars, the Balkans conflicts and the floods in Mozambique in 2000.

Harry Alan Arnold was born in Chatham, Kent in 1941 and was orphaned as a child. An uncle and aunt raised him in straitened circumstances, enabling him to attend Rochester Mathematical school on a scholarship, but lacking the

The arrival of Diana, Princess of Wales put a new spring in his step means to send him to university. He joined the Chatham Observer in 1958, switching three years later to the Extel news agency and then, shortly after its founding, the broadsheet Sun. He married four times and is survived by his fourth wife, the former Times journalist Mary Gold, who recalled: “He always used to say that you would not be remembered for your biggest scoops but for how nice you were to people.” He is also survived by two children from his second marriage; Daniel, an estate agent in France, and Rachel, a BBC executive, plus Rebecca, a daughter from his third marriage, who works for the Greater London Authority, and Katya, whom he and his fourth wife adopted from a Russian orphanage in 2007.

When Murdoch bought The Sun in 1969 and turned it into a tabloid, Arnold was one of those who chose to remain, revelling in its brash, determined pursuit of news. He never lost his appetite for a good story and a striking headline.

Harry Arnold, journalist, was born on March 28, 1941. He died of cancer on November 8, 2014, aged 73 NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD

Arnold talks to Lady Diana Spencer in 1980; her arrival changed royal reporting

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Register Births, Marriages and Deaths

thetimes.co.uk/advertise

Collecting

London moves up the antiquities league Huon Mallalieu

The departure of art and antiques dealers from their traditional homes in Old Bond Street is almost complete. The few remaining galleries, such as Colnaghi and John Mitchell, are behind the scenes or upstairs and no longer have shop fronts.

Although the trade retains a presence in New Bond Street, Clifford Street and Dover Street — where the Oriental dealer Rossi & Rossi (rossirossi.com) opens a new gallery at No 27 next week — most of those driven out by the fashion industry have moved to reinforce other traditional art dealing locations in the neighbourhood, either in the streets east of Berkeley Square, or south of Piccadilly.

Among the most recent to leave are two leading antiquities dealers, Rupert Wace and Charles Ede. Wace (rupertwace.co.uk) has moved to Crown Passage, a 17th-century enclave between Pall Mall and King Street, St James’s, almost opposite Christie’s, where his Christmas show, from £500 to £50,000, runs from December 3 to 19, and Ede (charlesede.com) to larger premises at Three Kings’ Yard off Davies Street in Mayfair.

In recent years dealers in both old and modern art have seen the wisdom of encouraging collectors to mix periods and disciplines, and among the most successful marriages are those between antiquities and contemporary works.

This has led to a reassessment of London’s place in the international antiquities market, which was previously some way behind Switzerland, Paris and New York. In October Phoenix Ancient Art, of Geneva and New York exhibited at the Pad

A Parthian gold brooch of the 2nd to 1st century BC

fair in Berkeley Square for the first time. They had enjoyed a remarkably good Biennale in Paris a couple of weeks earlier, and did unexpectedly well in London also.

A second leading New York antiquities specialist, Ariadne Galleries, has gone further, taking a permanent space with another Bond Street émigré, Daniel Katz, in his splendid new premises at 6 Hill Street. Katz is best known for Renaissance bronzes, which he has sold to the world’s greatest museum collections, but also deals in sculpture, works of art and even paintings, from antiquity to date (katz. com). On December 4 Katz, Ariadne and Ede, together with the Kallos Gallery in Davies Street (kallos-gallery.com), are holding an evening of receptions to introduce the new Mayfair hub. The Kallos Gallery, which was opened by Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza in May, is devoted exclusively to ancient Greek art.

Making the point that ancient and contemporary are excellent bedfellows is The Shape of Things, an exhibition of three decades of British Modernist sculpture. There are 16 works on a domestic scale by Epstein, Moore, Hepworth, Butler, Chadwick, Meadows, Lanyon and Paolozzi.

Court Circular Abdullah Gul) at the Tarabya Presidential Palace.

The Duke of York this evening attended the British-Turkish Tatlidil Reception at Esma Sultan Yalisi Palace.

Mr James Upsher is in attendance.

Buckingham Palace 28th November, 2014 The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, this morning opened Holyport College, Ascot Road, Holyport, and was received by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire (the Hon Mrs Bayliss), the Headmaster (Mr Walter Boyle) and the Chairman of Governors (Mr Simon Dudley).

Her Majesty, escorted by the Headmaster, and His Royal Highness, escorted by the Chairman, toured the School, viewing classrooms and a science laboratory, a boarding house and the sports hall, and met pupils, staff members and governors.

Buckingham Palace 28th November, 2014 The Duke of York this morning departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India, for Turkey and this afternoon arrived at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport and was received by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey (His Excellency Mr Richard Moore).

His Royal Highness this afternoon called upon the former President of the Republic of Turkey (His Excellency Mr

Buckingham Palace 28th November, 2014 The Princess Royal, Patron, Restorative Justice Council, this morning visited Oxfordshire Youth Offending Service, 4660 Kingsgate, Cascade Way, Oxford Business Park South, Cowley, Oxford, to mark its Fifteenth Anniversary and was received by Professor Graham Upton (Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire).

Her Royal Highness, Colonel-inChief, Royal Corps of Signals, this afternoon attended a 3rd Signal Regiment Kiwi Trophy March and Shoot Competition, Picton Barracks, Bulford Camp, Salisbury, and was received by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire (Mrs Sarah Troughton).

Kensington Palace 28th November, 2014 The Duchess of Gloucester, President, Royal Academy of Music, this afternoon presented the Royal Academy of Music Kohn Foundation Bach Prize to Mr Murray Perahia at the Academy, Marylebone Road, London NW1.

St James’s Palace 28th November, 2014 The Duke of Kent, Patron, this evening attended a Concert given by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1.

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Television & radio

Today’s television BBC ONE

6.00am Breakfast 10.00 Saturday Kitchen Live 11.30 James Martin: Home Comforts 12.00 BBC News; Weather 12.10pm Football Focus 12.50 Saturday Sportsday 1.00 Live Snooker: UK Championship.

The second round gets under way at the Barbican Centre in York 2.00 Live International Rugby Union: Wales v South Africa (Kick-off 2.30) 4.30 Final Score 5.25 Celebrity Mastermind 5.55 BBC News; Regional News; Weather 6.10 Pointless Celebrities 7.00 Strictly Come Dancing 8.15 Atlantis 9.00 Casualty 9.50 The National Lottery Live 10.00 BBC News; Weather 10.20 Match of the Day 11.50 The Football League Show 1.15am-6.00 BBC News

BBC TWO

6.00am CBBC 11.00 The Blue Planet 12.00 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey 1.00pm Escape to the Country 2.00 Live Snooker: UK Championship. The second round continues at the Barbican Centre in York 5.30 Restoring England’s Heritage 6.00 Natural World: Jungle Gremlins of Java 7.00 Flog It! 8.00 Perry and Croft: Made in Britain 8.30 Dad’s Army 9.00 QI XL 9.45 Tomorrow’s Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction 10.45 Intruders 11.30 Snooker: UK Championship 12.20am-2.20 Snooker: UK Championship Extra

ITV London

6.00am CITV 9.25 Dinner Date 10.20 Murder, She Wrote 11.15 ITV News; Weather 11.20 All Star Family Fortunes 12.05pm Surprise Surprise 1.05 Doc Martin 2.05 Keep It in the Family 3.10 FILM: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) 6.00 Regional News 6.15 ITV News; Weather 6.30 New You’ve Been Framed! 7.00 The Chase: Celebrity Special 8.00 The X Factor 9.45 I’m a Celebrity. . . Get Me Out of Here!

10.50 Jonathan Ross 11.55 ITV News 12.15 FILM: Coogan’s Bluff (1968) 1.50 Jackpot247 3.00 Jeremy Kyle Show USA 3.45-6.00 Nightscreen

Channel 4

6.15am Snowman Triathlon 6.40 Cycling 7.40 A Day at the Races 7.55 The Morning Line 9.00 Weekend Kitchen 10.00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10.30 Frasier 11.00 Big Bang Theory 11.55 Simpsons 12.25pm Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 1.25 Live Channel 4 Racing. From Newbury and Newcastle 4.00 Come Dine with Me 6.30 Channel 4 News 7.00 Woolly Mammoth: The Autopsy 8.00 Walking Through History: England’s Last Battle: West Country 9.00 FILM: The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

11.00 FILM: The Sitter (2011) Comedy 12.40am FILM: Boomerang (1992) 2.40 Hollyoaks 4.40 SuperScrimpers 5.00 Location, Location, Location 5.55-6.20 NFL

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76

FGM

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Sport

Eubanks still talk a good fight ANDREW COULDRIDGE / ACTION IMAGES

Ron Lewis Boxing Correspondent

When Chris Eubank Jr defied his father’s orders to train to become a boxer, it was clear that he did not lack self-belief. But the son of the former WBO middleweight and supermiddleweight champion was never likely to be short on confidence.

Tonight, Eubank Jr’s fledgeling professional career takes a huge step into the unknown when he challenges Billy Joe Saunders for the British, Commonwealth and European middleweight titles at the ExCeL, in East London, tonight. On all known form, it is a bout he cannot win, but listen to father and son and they seem to believe that defeat is not even a possibility.

Both are 25 — Eubank is 20 days younger — yet Saunders has achieved so much more. Saunders boxed at the Olympics at 18 and in just 20 bouts of his professional career, he has hoovered up every significant title available to him short of a world title. Eubank, by contrast, had only a handful of amateur contests and has not got anywhere near title class in his 18 professional bouts.

However, the Eubanks exude confidence and have plenty of tales of holding their own in sparring with Carl Froch and James DeGale. Eubank Jr looks the part, talks the part and is not short of believers.

“This is the fight where I become a champion in my own right,” Eubank said. “I will have three titles and the public will be able to see that everything that has been said about me, and everything I say about myself, is true.

“I am the real deal. After I’ve proved that, the public will see me as a genuine fighter. I’ve shown what I can do in my previous fights, now I can do it against a higher level of opponent.”

Eubank did not have a regular upbringing. At 14, his family appeared in a reality television programme and, at 15, he and his younger brother were sent

fathers and sons 6 Alan Minter became undisputed world middleweight champion in 1980. His son Ross won the English welterweight title 6 Jack London was the British heavyweight champion in the 1940s.

In the subsequent decade, his son Brian won the title 6 Julio César Chávez was a three-weight world champion from Mexico. His son Julio Jr won the WBC middleweight title 6 Leon Spinks won the world heavyweight title in 1978, beating Muhammad Ali. His son Cory won world titles at welterweight and light-middleweight 6 Wilfredo Vázquez was a world champion at three weights. His son Wilfredo Jr won the WBO super-bantamweight title 6 Thomas Hearns was a five-weight world champion. His son Ronald challenged unsuccessfully for the WBA middleweight title Locking horns: Eubank Jr, left, and Saunders square up at the weigh-in yesterday

by his father to live in Las Vegas, meaning that his early bouts as an amateur were in Nevada. When he returned to the UK, Eubank Sr did his best to discourage his son, taking him at one point to Cuba, where he took a beating in sparring from a promising heavyweight. The logic was to toughen him up, mirroring what had happened to Eubank Sr when he was 16 and sent by his father to live with his mother in the Bronx.

Since he turned professional, though, Eubank Sr has been keen to play a leading role, talking his son up to the media by likening him to Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson, and taking over the

role of chief cornerman, where he seemed more interesting in posing than passing on useful information.

Eubank Jr, though, does not feel he has been burdened by his father’s shadow. “How could it be a burden?” he said.

“To have a man like that in your corner, by your side, guiding your career is only ever an advantage. He has done a lot for me.

“Of course pressure comes from having the second name Eubank.

You’ve got a lot to live up to and people constantly compare, even from my first professional fight. There is a pressure but I thrive under it.”

Eubank Sr has done his best to appear

Words by Ron Lewis

aloof to all around him, declining to attend four press conferences in the build-up. The time for posing is over, however. Saunders is unlikely to give Eubank Jr a moment’s peace, although the challenger believes he has coped better with the build-up to what could be a life-changing night for both of them.

“He [Saunders] has let all this hype affect him,” he said. “I have not because I know emotions need to be kept out of it if you want to be successful. I’m a fighting man, old-school, through-andthrough purist. This is what I live for.”

6 Fury v Chisora and Saunders v Eubank are live on BoxNation from 7pm

Fixtures Today Football Kick-off 3.0 unless stated Barclays Premier League: Burnley v Aston Villa; Liverpool v Stoke; Man United v Hull; QPR v Leicester; Swansea v Crystal Palace; West Ham v Newcastle; Sunderland v Chelsea (5.30); West Brom v Arsenal (12.45).

P W D L F A GD Pts Chelsea................12 10 2 0 30 11 19 32 Southampton......12 8 2 2 24 6 18 26 Man City..............12 7 3 2 24 13 11 24 Man United.........12 5 4 3 19 15 4 19 Newcastle...........12 5 4 3 14 15 -1 19 West Ham...........12 5 3 4 20 16 4 18 Swansea..............12 5 3 4 16 13 3 18 Arsenal................12 4 5 3 20 15 5 17 Everton ............... 12 4 5 3 22 19 3 17 Tottenham Hotspur12 5 2 5 16 17 -1 17 Stoke...................12 4 3 5 13 15 -2 15 Liverpool.............12 4 2 6 15 18 -3 14 West Brom..........12 3 4 5 13 17 -4 13 Sunderland..........12 2 7 3 12 19 -7 13 Crystal Palace.....12 3 3 6 17 21 -4 12 Aston Villa..........12 3 3 6 6 17 -11 12 Hull......................12 2 5 5 14 17 -3 11 Leicester ............. 12 2 4 6 11 18 -7 10 Burnley................12 2 4 6 8 20 -12 10 QPR ..................... 12 2 2 8 11 23 -12 8 Sky Bet Championship: Birmingham v Nottm Forest; Bolton v Huddersfield; Bournemouth v Millwall; Brentford v Wolves; Brighton v Fulham; Charlton v Ipswich (12.15); Leeds v Derby; Middlesbro v Blackburn; Norwich v Reading; Rotherham v Blackpool; Sheff Wed v Wigan; Watford v Cardiff.

P W D L F A GD Pts Derby...................18 10 5 3 35 17 18 35 Bournemouth......18 9 5 4 35 18 17 32 Middlesbrough....18 9 5 4 27 13 14 32 Ipswich................18 8 7 3 27 19 8 31 Brentford ............ 18 9 4 5 26 24 2 31 Blackburn............18 8 6 4 29 25 4 30 Watford...............18 8 5 5 31 21 10 29 Nottm Forest......18 7 7 4 29 23 6 28 Charlton .............. 18 6 10 2 20 18 2 28 Norwich...............18 7 6 5 28 22 6 27 Wolves................18 7 6 5 22 25 -3 27 Cardiff.................18 7 5 6 23 22 1 26 Sheffield Wed.....18 4 10 4 12 14 -2 22 Huddersfield.......18 5 6 7 25 31 -6 21 Reading...............18 6 3 9 23 29 -6 21 Leeds...................18 5 5 8 21 26 -5 20 Fulham................18 5 4 9 28 33 -5 19 Millwall...............18 4 7 7 19 24 -5 19 Birmingham........18 4 7 7 15 29 -14 19 Brighton..............18 3 9 6 20 23 -3 18 Bolton..................18 5 3 10 21 28 -7 18 Rotherham..........18 4 6 8 15 25 -10 18

Fury a racing certainty in his own mind Ron Lewis

Tyson Fury, who faces Dereck Chisora in tonight’s top-of-the-bill bout, is another boxer never short on superlatives when describing himself, but an impressive win over Chisora should clear the way for a shot at the world heavyweight title next summer.

“I’m a one-off, I don’t believe there has ever been somebody like me before,” Fury said. “There are not many 6ft 9in fighters in the world and not many who can move about and do things like a smaller fighter, like I can.

“I don’t have massive legs or a big muscular body. That’s not an athletic build. If you look at my legs, I have the legs of a racehorse, I don’t have the legs of a carthorse. I am built for speed and movement and athleticism, but not squat and power. If I had done any sport, I would have been successful at it because I am built for sport.”

Because the original July date was postponed, neither has boxed in nine months, so both will be keen to make an impact, especially as Anthony Joshua, the Olympic gold medal-winner, has begun to get all the attention among Britain’s heavyweights.

Chisora lost to Fury in 2011, but has improved since and is planning to “do a Joe Frazier” on Fury, by copying the rolling aggressive style of the former world heavyweight champion.

“I know what Tyson brings to the ring,” he said. “I’ve learnt from our last fight and I’m ready for him. This is going to be my easiest fight, because I know how he boxes and I’m going to beat him at everything he does. He doesn’t know what he’s in for.”

Frankie Gavin looks to get back on track towards a world title shot when he defends his British welterweight title against Bradley Skeete on the show.

Results Wigan..................18 3 8 7 19 23 -4 17 Blackpool.............18 1 5 12 12 30 -18 8 League One: Barnsley v Scunthorpe; Bradford v Leyton Orient; Coventry v Walsall; Crawley v Chesterfield; Crewe v Doncaster; Gillingham v Port Vale; MK Dons v Colchester; Rochdale v Oldham; Swindon v Fleetwood; Yeovil v Preston.

P W D L F A GD Pts Bristol City* ....... 18 10 6 2 33 19 14 36 Swindon..............18 10 5 3 35 20 15 35 Preston................18 10 4 4 30 19 11 34 MK Dons..............16 9 4 3 32 18 14 31 Sheffield Utd*....17 9 3 5 24 20 4 30 Notts Co*............17 8 5 4 24 16 8 29 Rochdale..............18 8 3 7 32 21 11 27 Peterborough*....18 8 3 7 26 21 5 27 Oldham................18 6 9 3 25 20 5 27 Fleetwood Town.18 7 4 7 19 17 2 25 Chesterfield........18 6 6 6 25 25 0 24 Bradford..............18 6 5 7 23 24 -1 23 Barnsley..............17 6 4 7 27 28 -1 22 Walsall................18 5 7 6 15 16 -1 22 Port Vale.............18 6 4 8 23 25 -2 22 Doncaster............16 6 3 7 17 23 -6 21 Crawley Town.....18 5 6 7 18 28 -10 21 Coventry..............18 5 5 8 21 28 -7 20 Leyton O..............18 4 7 7 23 26 -3 19 Gillingham...........18 4 6 8 18 25 -7 18 Colchester...........18 4 5 9 24 28 -4 17 Yeovil..................18 4 5 9 14 28 -14 17 Scunthorpe..........17 4 4 9 21 32 -11 16 Crewe..................18 4 3 11 14 36 -22 15 *Does not include last night’s result League Two: AFC Wimbledon v Cambridge; Bury v Dagenham & Redbridge; Carlisle v Newport; Cheltenham v Oxford United; Hartlepool v Wycombe; Luton v Mansfield; Plymouth v York; Shrewsbury v Burton; Southend v Northampton; Stevenage v Morecambe; Tranmere v Portsmouth.

P W D L F A GD Pts Wycombe............18 10 5 3 28 16 12 35 Burton Albion ..... 18 11 2 5 25 21 4 35 Luton...................18 10 4 4 20 12 8 34 Shrewsbury.........18 10 3 5 29 15 14 33 Southend.............18 9 4 5 19 15 4 31 Plymouth.............18 9 3 6 21 10 11 30 Bury.....................18 9 3 6 27 21 6 30 Newport County . 18 7 7 4 25 19 6 28 Exeter* ............... 18 7 6 5 24 23 1 27 Portsmouth.........18 7 5 6 21 19 2 26 Morecambe.........18 8 2 8 19 20 -1 26 Acc Stanley*.......18 8 2 8 26 29 -3 26 Cambridge Utd....18 7 3 8 29 23 6 24 Northampton......18 7 3 8 27 25 2 24 Stevenage...........18 7 3 8 26 26 0 24 AFC Wimbledon..18 6 6 6 23 25 -2 24 Mansfield Town..18 6 4 8 15 21 -6 22 Cheltenham.........18 6 4 8 17 27 -10 22 Oxford Utd..........18 5 5 8 19 23 -4 20 York.....................18 3 9 6 17 22 -5 18 Dag & Red ........... 18 5 3 10 23 30 -7 18

Carlisle................18 5 3 10 23 34 -11 18 Tranmere ............ 18 2 6 10 16 25 -9 12 Hartlepool...........18 3 3 12 13 31 -18 12 *Does not include last night’s result Vanarama Conference: Telford v Grimsby; Altrincham v Kidderminster; Barnet v Macclesfield; Bristol Rovers v Welling; Halifax v Alfreton; Forest Green v Dartford; Gateshead v Dover; Lincoln City v Southport; Nuneaton v Chester; Torquay v Eastleigh; Woking v Braintree; Wrexham v Aldershot.

P W D L F A GD Pts Barnet.................23 14 4 5 50 21 29 46 Grimsby...............23 11 7 5 38 18 20 40 Macclesfield........22 10 9 3 27 16 11 39 Bristol Rovers.....22 10 8 4 26 20 6 38 Woking................21 10 6 5 36 23 13 36 Gateshead...........21 9 8 4 35 28 7 35 Forest Green.......21 8 10 3 29 22 7 34 Kidderminster.....22 9 7 6 28 22 6 34 Eastleigh.............19 9 6 4 33 25 8 33 Torquay United...21 9 5 7 38 29 9 32 FC Halifax ........... 21 9 5 7 32 24 8 32 Aldershot............22 8 6 8 25 24 1 30 Wrexham ............ 22 8 6 8 26 26 0 30 Chester FC...........22 9 3 10 28 37 -9 30 Dover...................22 8 4 10 29 31 -2 28 Braintree Town...23 8 3 12 24 25 -1 27 Lincoln City.........21 7 6 8 34 36 -2 27 Welling................22 6 7 9 27 30 -3 25 Altrincham..........22 7 4 11 24 40 -16 25 Southport............21 6 5 10 24 36 -12 23 Dartford .............. 22 4 8 10 22 34 -12 20 Alfreton Town .... 21 5 2 14 19 41 -22 17 Nuneaton Town..21 4 3 14 16 40 -24 15 AFC Telford.........21 3 4 14 26 48 -22 13 William Hill Scottish Cup: Fourth round: Dundee v Aberdeen (12.15); Bo’ness United v Arbroath (1.30); Alloa v Hibernian; Annan Athletic v Brechin; Berwick v Albion; Falkirk v Cowdenbeath; Motherwell v Dundee United; Partick Thistle v Hamilton; Queen of South v Brora Rangers; Spartans v Morton; St Johnstone v Ross County; St Mirren v Inverness CT; Stirling v Raith Rovers; Stranraer v Dunfermline.

Basketball

BBL: Leicester Riders v Surrey United (7.30); Bristol Flyers v EGE Eagles Newcastle (7.30).

Cricket Second One-Day International: Colombo: Sri Lanka v England, 4.30

Hockey Women’s Champions Trophy

Mendoza, Argentina: Group stage: Pool A: Netherlands v China (11.30), New Zealand v

Japan (2.0). Pool B: Australia v England (4.30), Argentina v Germany (7.0).

Football

Rugby union

Europa League

Kick-off 3.0 unless stated International matches: England v Australia (2.30, at Twickenham); Wales v South Africa (2.30, at Millennium Stadium).

Aviva Premiership: Leicester v Wasps; Exeter v Saracens (4.30).

Guinness Pro12: Zebre v Edinburgh; Leinster v Ospreys (5.15); Connacht v Scarlets (7.30).

American football

B Pts P W D L F A Ospreys 8 7 0 1 225 120 22 30 Ulster* 8 6 1 1 204 98 23 30 Munster* 8 6 0 2 196 113 20 28 Glasgow 8 6 0 2 202 146 22 27 Leinster 8 4 1 3 208 136 25 24 Connacht 8 5 1 2 148 131 16 23 Scarlets 8 4 2 2 186 146 19 22 Edinburgh 8 3 1 4 120 195 11 15 Cardiff Blues* 8 1 1 6 161 228 15 8 NG Dragons 8 1 0 7 113 192 8 7 Zebre 8 1 0 7 90 217 8 5 Treviso* 8 0 1 7 100 231 10 4 *Does not include last night’s result British & Irish Cup: Pool One: London Scottish v Connacht. Pool Two: Rotherham Titans v Ulster. Pool Three: Munster v Nottingham; Worcester v Moseley. Pool Five: Leinster v Carmarthen Quins.

Tomorrow Football Barclays Premier League: Southampton v Man City (1.30); Tottenham v Everton (4.0).

William Hill Scottish Cup: Fourth round: Rangers v Kilmarnock (12.45); Hearts v Celtic (3.15).

Hockey

Women’s Champions Trophy Mendoza, Argentina: Group stage: Pool A: New Zealand v Netherlands (11.30), China v Japan (2.0). Pool B: England v Germany (4.30), Argentina v Australia (7.0).

Rugby union

Aviva Premiership: London Irish v Gloucester (1.0), London Welsh v Northampton (2.30), Newcastle v Sale (3.15).

Guinness Pro12: Glasgow v NG Dragons (4.0).

British & Irish Cup: Pool One: Bristol v Pontypridd (3.0).

Group E: Estoril Praiai 3 PSV 3.

NFL: Dallas 10 Philadelphia 33,Detroit 34 Chicago 17, San Francisco 3 Seattle 19.

Cricket Third Test match Pakistan v New Zealand

Sharjah (second day of five): New Zealand, with nine first-innings wickets in hand, are 102 runs behind Pakistan Pakistan: First Innings (overnight 281-3) Mohammad Hafeez c Boult b Sodhi 197 *Misbah-ul-Haq c Watling b Southee 38 Asad Shafiq c Sodhi b Craig 11 †Sarfraz Ahmed c Watling b Craig 15 Yasir Shah c Taylor b Craig 25 Mohammad Talha c Latham b Craig 0 Rahat Ali c Taylor b Craig 0 Zulfiqar Babar not out 0 Extras (lb 4, w 4, nb 1) 9 Total (125.4 overs) 351 Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-131, 3-160, 4-285, 5-311, 6-313, 7-336, 8-336, 9-346.

Bowling: Boult 21-6-54-0; Southee 24-4-54-1; Vettori 19-5-41-1; Anderson 12-4-28-0; Craig 27.4-5-94-7; Sodhi 22-3-76-1.

New Zealand: First Innings T W M Latham c Ahmed b R Ali 13 *B B McCullum not out 153 K S Williamson not out 76 Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 3) 7 Total (1 wkt, 45 overs) 249 L R P L Taylor, C J Anderson, D L Vettori, †B J Watling, M D Craig, T G Southee, I S Sodhi and T A Boult to bat.

Fall of wicket: 1-51.

Bowling: Talha 7-0-62-0; Ali 8-0-24-1; Babar 101-71-0; Yasir 10-0-59-0; Hafeez 10-2-31-0.

Umpires: P R Reiffel (Australia) and R J Tucker (Australia)

Fourth one-day international Bangladesh v Zimbabwe

Dhaka (Bangladesh won toss): Bangladesh win by 21 runs.

Bangladesh (balls) Tamim Iqbal c Masakadza b Mire 16 (34) Anamul Haque lbw b Madziva 5 (12) Imrul Kayes c Taylor b Madziva 5 (18) Shakib Al Hasan c Maruma b Mire 1 (4) †Mushfiqur c Chigumbura b Kamungozi 77 (78) Sabbir Rahman c Chakabva b Kamungoz i 4 (10) Abul Hasan c Chigumbura b Mire 1 (3)

*Mashrafe Mortaza c Moor b Madziva 39 (25) Rubel Hossain Not out 7 (5) Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 13, nb 1) 19 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 256 Mahmudullah, and Jubair Hossain did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-31, 3-31, 4-32, 5-166, 6-175, 7-177, 8-256.

Bowling: Chatara 10-2-39-0; Madziva 10-0-603; Mire 10-0-49-3; Sibanda 1-0-7-0; Kamungozi 10-0-36-2; Chigumbura 3-0-19-0; Masakadza 5-0-30-0; Maruma 1-0-11-0.

Zimbabwe (balls) H Masakadza b Al Hasan 28 (40) V Sibanda lbw b Al Hasan 17 (27) T Maruma b J Hossain 6 (19) B R M Taylor c Rahim b M R Hossain 63 (69) S F Mire c Mahmudullah b J Hossain 52 (54) R W Chakabva c J Hossain b M R Hossain 26 (34) *E Chigumbura c Hasan b Mortaza 4 (14) †P J Moor run out 13 (25) N Madziva not out 3 (4) T L Chatara not out 16 (15) Extras (lb 4, w 2, nb 1) 7 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 235 T Kamungozi did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-51, 3-60, 4-166, 5-172, 6-183, 7-211, 8-217.

Bowling: Mortaza 10-0-34-1; Hasan 10-0-480; Al Hasan 10-1-28-2; Hossain 10-1-48-2; Hossain 6-0-42-2; Mahmudullah 4-0-31-0.

Umpires: Anisur Rahman (Bangladesh) and CB Gaffaney (NZ).

Golf Emirates Australian Open The Australian GC, Sydney: Leading scores after round two: (Australia unless stated) 137 G Chalmers; 138 R McIlroy (N Ire), C Shindler (US), T Sinnot, A Crawford; 139 B Rumford, G Drakeford, J Spieth (US); 140 R Pampling, A Scott, R Allenby, R Gibson, J Higginbottom, R Green; 141 S Gardiner, M Griffin; 142 J Senden, N Cullen, L Tighe, J Lovemark (US), Jin Ho Choi (S Kor), J Norris, M Jager, D Bransdon.

Ice hockey NHL: Nashville 1 Edmonton 0.

Tennis Coca-Cola International Tennis Premier League Philippines: Group stage: Indian Aces bt Singapore Slammers 26-16; UAE Royals bt Manila Mavericks 29-24.

P Indian Aces..............1 UAE Royals...............1 Manila Mavericks .... 1 Singapore S’mers .... 1

W 1 1 0 0

L L20 L10 Pts 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1

GW 26 29 24 16

GL 16 24 29 26

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

77

FGM

Comment Sport

Flair team offer hosts beacon of hope Paul Ackford

S

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, MARC ASPLAND

alvation is at hand. Australia are at Twickenham. If England could choose a “top-three” side against whom to play their get-out-of-jail-free card, the Wallabies would be that team. I’m using the “top-three” tag historically here because Australia have been slipping down the pecking order of late. At the beginning of October, the Wallabies were ranked third in the world behind New Zealand and South Africa, but defeats by Ireland and France have dropped them to fifth.

No matter. Slightly bedraggled, they are still a decent scalp, especially as England will be up against them at the same ground in under a year, shooting for a place in the knockout stage of the World Cup. Why are they good for England? Because on any number of occasions in the past, during the reigns of at least four England coaches, victories against Australia have been seen as beacons of hope, progress, redemption.

It started with Will Carling and Geoff Cooke in November 1988. That was a side going nowhere, coming off the back of a miserable inaugural World Cup where they were beaten in the quarter-finals by Wales, who were then smashed by New Zealand.

“Where do Wales go from here?” Clive Rowlands was asked at the time. “Back to beating England,” said the Wales team manager.

It was Carling’s first game as captain and the first indication that English rugby, with Cooke’s organisational skills husbanding the nation’s huge resources, could be a force in Europe, if not the world. Australia, defeated

‘And now it’s the turn of Stuart Lancaster to use Australia as a makeover’ 28-19, were the significant step along the road that led to grand slams in 1991 and 1992 and the first identifiable confection of rugby players (Brian Moore, Dean Richards, Wade Dooley, Mike Teague, Peter Winterbottom, Rob Andrew, Jeremy Guscott, Rory Underwood) since Bill Beaumont’s crew of 1980.

Fast-forward to 1995 and a World Cup quarter-final in Cape Town. Jack Rowell — tall, cerebral, Machiavellian — was the man in charge of his country’s rugby team and on a run of nine consecutive victories. But Australia were the world champions with a back line to die for: Matt Burke, David Campese, Jason Little, Tim Horan, Damian Smith (OK, there’s usually one dud nestling among the sensational), Michael Lynagh and George Gregan.

No one expected England to prevail, but Rob Andrew landed a wonderful dropped goal and they did. The euphoria didn’t last long, though. Next up were Jonah Lomu and the All Blacks, the only occasion Rowell faced New Zealand in 29 matches, which shows just how much the international calendar has changed.

Another World Cup quarter-final, in 2007, and this time Brian Ashton’s team were on the rack. Walking to the ground that day, I bumped into John O’Neill, an influential and flamboyant Australian administrator, coming out of a pre-match luncheon. I had never seen a man so confident about the outcome of an international rugby match.

And why not? England had been humbled by South Africa 36-0 in what was seen as their crucial pool

Back in black: Ashton shows Australia a clean pair of heels during a morale-boosting victory for Johnson’s team at Twickenham in 2010

encounter and there were rumours of escalating unrest among Ashton’s squad.

Cue Andrew Sheridan and his one-man demolition of the Australia pack, a performance of such devastating competence that England scrambled a 12-10 victory and ended that World Cup losing 15-6 to South Africa in the final, with Mark Cueto claiming that his foot was not in touch and that his “try” should have been awarded, an opinion he holds to this day.

Even Martin Johnson benefited from Wallabies’ largesse, first in Sydney in June 2010, when a 12-10 win laid to rest the complaint that Johnson’s Andrew gave England an unexpected victory against Australia in 1995

England couldn’t buy an away victory against a decent side, and later that same year when a fabulous 35-18 annihilation of Australia proved that his England did have brio and could score tries.

Leaving Twickenham that evening, with the irrepressible Chris Ashton’s length-of-the-field try fresh in the memory, it was legitimate to think that everything was rosy, that a decent showing in the World Cup was possible.

And now it’s the turn of Stuart Lancaster to use Australia as a makeover, to show that the latest red-rose incarnation has something of value. That’s not meant as an insult to the Wallabies. There have been many occasions when they have dispatched good England teams with ruthless efficiency. It’s just that it is easier to play well against the Aussies because they do not have the all-round abilities of the All Blacks and they don’t shut you down as completely as the Springboks.

Australia will bring a bunch of gifted, clever backs and an outstanding open-side flanker to Twickenham, because that’s who they are and what they’re about. Phil Waugh, George Smith, David Pocock and

the incumbent Michael Hooper have been some of the best sevens the sport has produced. As have Campese, Nick Farr-Jones, Lote Tuqiri, Chris Latham, Stirling Mortlock, Joe Roff and Stephen Larkham in terms of backs.

Aussies are clever players and the present crop, if not quite at the level of their predecessors, are true to that tradition. They will be imaginative. They will play with width, tempo and variety to make the most of Hooper and Israel Folau. They will also not be quite as bad as they are made out to be up front, but not so good that England can’t crank up an advantage there.

But they are beatable, and in a way that might, just might, redeem England’s miserable autumn. Australia let teams play against them, partly because they haven’t the forwards to control possession and territory and partly because the looser and quicker the action, the more their natural rugby intelligence comes into its own. Sides who beat Australia often do so with style.

So, welcome Australia. You’ve given the careers of Cooke, Rowell, Ashton and Johnson a boost when they were struggling.

How about giving Lancaster a leg-up?

78

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

FGM

Sport Racing

Smad Place has Hennessy appeal ALAN CROWHURST / GETTY IMAGES

Rob Wright

Alan King has his stable in flying form and Smad Place is fancied to keep his good run going by landing the Hennessy Gold Cup (3.00) at Newbury today.

This race regularly goes to a classy second-season chaser and Smad Place fits the bill, having gone down by just a neck to O’Faolains Boy in the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

That was his third consecutive placed effort at the Festival, having finished third in the World Hurdle for the previous two years, and King has aimed him at this prize ever since.

The RSA form has worked out extremely well and there is no doubt that Smad Place has the potential to be some way ahead of his mark on his handicap debut over fences here.

A further positive is the fact that he has won on both previous visits to this galloping track, most recently when proving too strong for the useful Sam Winner on heavy ground in February.

Smad Place, right, was a fine second in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham and looks well treated in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury today

Rob Wright’s midday update thetimes.co.uk/ sportsbook

Sunday best

Zaidiyn (12.50 Carlisle) 3.00

Newbury Rob Wright

12.20 Carrigmoorna Rock 2.25 More Of That 12.50 Jumps Road 3.00 Smad Place (nap) 1.20 Midnight Appeal 3.35 Solar Impulse (nb) 1.50 Albert Bridge Thunderer: 3.00 The Druids Nephew (nap). 3.35 Rody.

Timekeeper’s top rating: 1.50 First Avenue.

Going: soft (heavy in places on hurdle course) Racing UK Tote Jackpot meeting

12.20

Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Mares' Novices' Hurdle

(Listed: £11,888: 2m 110y) (8 runners) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

21 14-21 4141-2 -352P0 1 1-2142 010-12 11

A DOLL IN MILAN 18 (D,S) N Twiston-Davies 4-11-0S Twiston-Davies ARDNAHOE 28 (D,S) D McCain 4-11-0 N Fehily AVISPA 29 (D,BF,S) A King 5-11-0 R Johnson BILIDN 7 (B) Mrs L Young 6-11-0 D C Costello BROXBOURNE 23 (S) N Henderson 5-11-0 B J Geraghty CARRIGMOORNA ROCK 29 (S) R Tyner (Ire) 6-11-0 A P McCoy MIDNIGHT JAZZ 35 (D,BF,S) B Case 4-11-0 D Jacob TANIOKEY 29 (D,S) O Sherwood 4-11-0 L Aspell

119 113 109 114 116 v139 106 109

11-4 Carrigmoorna Rock, 4-1 Broxbourne, 9-2 A Doll In Milan, 6-1 Avispa, 7-1 Taniokey, 10-1 Ardnahoe, 20-1 Midnight Jazz, 50-1 Bilidn.

12.50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2-2132 231215 4416-1 150P-3 25-411 0100-2 244-25

bet365.com Novices' Limited Handicap Chase (£10,948: 2m 1f) (7) TURN OVER SIVOLA 28 (D,G,S) A King 7-11-8 D F O'Regan SEVENTH SKY 20 (T,P,D,G,S) C Mann 7-11-1 G Sheehan THE CLOCK LEARY 28 (G,S) Miss V Williams 6-10-13 A Coleman ROYAL REGATTA 26 (BF,G,S) P Hobbs 6-10-13 R Johnson TARA ROAD 8 (T,D,G,S) Miss R Curtis 6-10-13 B J Geraghty JUMPS ROAD 24 (C,D,G,S) C Tizzard 7-10-11 D Jacob KELTUS 28 (T,D,G) P Nicholls 4-10-5 S Twiston-Davies

v143 139 141 -141 141 127

7-2 Royal Regatta, 4-1 Tara Road, 9-2 The Clock Leary, 11-2 Jumps Road, Turn Over Sivola, 7-1 Keltus, 8-1 Seventh Sky.

1.20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

-0420P F0-053 2F3-20 P5P-53 1F30-1 41/3-1 614-00 4P4014P-412 2F1105132-1 -12424

bet365 Handicap Chase (£10,010: 2m 6f 110y) (12)

COUNT SALAZAR 17 (P,D,F,S) Tracey L Bailey 9-11-12 G Sheehan MIDNIGHT APPEAL 7 (B,D,F,G,S) A King 9-11-11 T Bellamy (5) BABY SHINE 16 (C,D,G,S) Mrs L Wadham 8-11-9 L Aspell NOBLE LEGEND 14 (D,G,S) Mrs C Bailey 7-11-6 A Thornton BERTIE BORU 30 (S) P Hobbs 7-11-6 R Johnson LISTEN BOY 29 (G,S) N Twiston-Davies 8-11-2 S Twiston-Davies BOBCATBILLY 25 (G,S) I Williams 8-11-2 W Kennedy ON TREND 256 (B,D,G,S) N Gifford 8-11-0 P Moloney DUSHREMBRANDT 27 (T,P,BF,G,S) R Tyner (Ire) 8-10-13 R Walsh FARBREAGA 253 (CD,S) Jamie Poulton 8-10-13 N Fehily TOLKEINS TANGO 17 (T,G,S) V Dartnall 6-10-6 Jack Doyle PHONE HOME 8 (P,G) Nick Mitchell 7-10-4 D Jacob

138 137 134 127 135 130 135 137 130 133 v139 130

6-1 Dushrembrandt, Midnight Appeal, 13-2 Bertie Boru, 15-2 Baby Shine, 8-1 Listen Boy, Noble Legend, 9-1 On Trend, Tolkeins Tango, 11-1 Farbreaga, 12-1 Bobcatbilly, 14-1 others.

1.50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

22211/0-215 6-6116 33/F-2 421116 51/11400-1133 2050-U 01-422

bet365 Handicap Hurdle (£19,494: 2m 3f) (10)

SILSOL 218 (T,S) P Nicholls 5-11-12 J Sherwood (7) BORDONI 121 (S) J Ferguson 5-11-8 A P McCoy FIRST AVENUE 7 (G,S) Mrs L Mongan 9-11-8 L Aspell HAMMERSLY LAKE 43 (S) N Henderson 6-11-7 B J Geraghty EXITAS 13 (T,G,S) P Middleton 6-11-5 C Shoemark (3) ALBERT BRIDGE 34F (S) Miss E Lavelle 6-11-1 A Coleman VICE ET VERTU 266 (S) H Daly 5-10-10 R Johnson GERMANY CALLING 5 (T,BF,G) C Longsdon 5-10-8 N Fehily HOME RUN 9 (B,D,BF,G,S) D Pipe 6-10-7 T Scudamore TRIUMPHANT 38 (V,BF,S) G L Moore 5-10-6 J E Moore

C4 135 138 v144 141 143 134 118 143 140 138

7-2 Hammersly Lake, 11-2 Home Run, 6-1 Exitas, 13-2 Albert Bridge, 8-1 Bordoni, Silsol, 9-1 Triumphant, 12-1 Germany Calling, 14-1 First Avenue, 16-1 Vice Et Vertu.

Rob Wright’s choice: Albert Bridge looks well-in after a close third in the Irish November Handicap on the Flat Dangers: Hammersly Lake, Silsol

2.25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1202-1 /1111111-43 P0-16P 2205-2 /60-21 13212-

bet365 Long Distance Hurdle

(Grade II: £22,780: 3m 110y) (7)

COLE HARDEN 28 (T,C,D,G,S) W Greatrex 5-11-8 G Sheehan MORE OF THAT 261 (T,D,G,S) Jonjo O'Neill 6-11-8 A P McCoy LAC FONTANA 7 (G,S) P Nicholls 5-11-4 S Twiston-Davies AMERICAN SPIN 153 (D,G,S) L Dace 10-11-0 J E Moore MEDINAS 28 (C,G,S) A King 7-11-0 R Johnson PECKHAMECHO 34 (D,G,S) Miss R Curtis 8-11-0 B J Geraghty SHOTGUN PADDY 263 (D,S) Miss E Lavelle 7-11-0 A Coleman

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

4306U1310P/225-2 /P13-2 /U112O/11-5 PP02-0 12B4-1 310304150-2 2120-3 65P-11 4/11FF2P-12 F11F-3 1U2111141-1 34P2-1 53P4-3

He falls just below the best in grade one company, but this race offers Smad Place the chance to gain the big-race success that his consistency deserves and he rates good value at the 8-1 offered by William Hill.

Djakadam, from the powerful Willie Mullins yard, is another who is unexposed over fences and could be well

Hennessy Gold Cup Chase

(Grade III: handicap: £99,663: 3m 2f 110y) (19) HOUBLON DES OBEAUX 217 (G,S) Miss V Williams 7-11-12 A Coleman TRIOLO D'ALENE 238 (CD,G,S) N Henderson 7-11-12 B J Geraghty ROCKY CREEK 28 (T,S) P Nicholls 8-11-11 S Twiston-Davies BALLYNAGOUR 214 (T,G,S) D Pipe 8-11-10 T Scudamore SMAD PLACE 262 (C,BF,S) A King 7-11-10 D F O'Regan FINGAL BAY 212 (C,G,S) P Hobbs 8-11-8 R Johnson VINO GRIEGO 28 (V,G,S) G L Moore 9-11-7 J E Moore MANY CLOUDS 27 (S) O Sherwood 7-11-6 L Aspell UNIONISTE 238 (C,G,S) P Nicholls 6-11-6 N Fehily MONBEG DUDE 49 (G,S) M Scudamore 9-11-1 P Moloney ANNACOTTY 26 (B,BF,S) M Keighley 6-11-1 G Sheehan WHAT A WARRIOR 28 (T,G,S) D Skelton 7-10-11 H Skelton DJAKADAM 261 (S) W Mullins (Ire) 5-10-11 R Walsh THE DRUIDS NEPHEW 14 (P,BF,G,S) N Mulholland 7-10-10 D N Russell WYCHWOODS BROOK 31 (S) E Williams 8-10-10 A Wedge MIDNIGHT PRAYER 263 (D,G,S) A King 9-10-10 T Bellamy (5) VIA SUNDOWN 17 (S) G L Moore 6-10-9 Joshua Moore LE REVE 21 (P,S) Mrs L Wadham 6-10-8 D C Costello MERRY KING 28 (P,S) Jonjo O'Neill 7-10-7 A P McCoy

C4 147 143 158 154 160 -158 156 156 156 158 156 156 v164 160 157 156 155 158

Leg 1 1.20 Newbury Leg 2 1.50 Newbury Leg 3 2.05 Newcastle Rollovers: Win £83,181 1.35 1 2 3 4 5 6

60PP11 34/254-1324 FF34-4 02P1/3 64P-4F

Leg 4 2.40 Newcastle Leg 5 3.00 Newbury Leg 6 3.35 Newbury Bonus £73,844

Coopers' Marquees Handicap Chase (£3,769: 2m 4f) (6)

MONTOYA'S SON 37 (CD,F,G,S) K Dalgleish 9-11-12 W Renwick KAI BROON 546 (P,C,F,G,S) Miss L Russell 7-11-11 C Nichol (3) PURCELL'S BRIDGE 37 (H,D,BF,G,S) Mrs R Dobbin 7-11-7G Watters (5) ROMANY RYME 206 (G,S) G Bewley 8-11-4 J Bewley (5) AYE WELL 21 (S) W S Coltherd 9-10-13 J Kington (3) OSCAR LATEEN 17 A Thomson 6-10-1 P Buchanan

115 115 v116 91 115 115

11-4 Montoya's Son, 3-1 Purcell's Bridge, 7-2 Aye Well, 5-1 Kai Broon, 7-1 Oscar Lateen, 10-1 Romany Ryme.

Wright choice: Smad Place took well to fences last season and has the right profile for this prize Dangers: Fingal Bay, The Druids Nephew

2.05

3.35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

145-60 -1642F P03F-4 051-21 00PP-3 0123-U 021-25 0-3322

bet365 Handicap Chase

C4

(£18,768: 2m 1f) (8)

NEXT SENSATION 15 (T,D,G,S) M Scudamore 7-11-12 R Johnson ANQUETTA 15 (D,G,S) N Henderson 10-11-9 Mr S Waley-Cohen (3) RODY 192 (T,P,BF,G,S) T George 9-11-3 P Brennan SOLAR IMPULSE 28 (T,D,G,S) P Nicholls 4-11-2 S Twiston-Davies MONETAIRE 15 (D,BF,S) D Pipe 8-10-9 T Scudamore RIO DE SIVOLA 15 (S) N Williams 5-10-7 D Jacob UT MAJEUR AULMES 15 (S) V Dartnall 6-10-7 D F O'Regan ARTHUR'S SECRET 10 (D,S) N Twiston-Davies 4-10-4 R Hatch (5)

v145 143 104 142 144 137 144 136

5-2 Solar Impulse, 3-1 Monetaire, 9-2 Anquetta, 7-1 Ut Majeur Aulmes, 8-1 others.

Wright choice: Solar Impulse did well to win after a bad blunder at Wetherby and can follow up Dangers: Monetaire, Ut Majeur Aulmes

Rob Wright

12.05 Ballyben 12.35 Notonebuttwo 1.05 Chidswell 1.35 Montoya’s Son Going: soft At The Races

12.05

2.05 Arctic Fire 2.40 Broadway Buffalo 3.15 Sir Vinski

/13P-1 24-234 46-211 2P-051

J Reveley D Cook C Nichol (3) W Renwick

134 v135 133 130

15-8 Stopped Out, 2-1 Ballyben, 7-2 Moyode Wood, 4-1 Straidnahanna.

12.35

Gem Premium People Fifth Anniversary Handicap Chase

(£2,144: 3m) (10) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

/40-4U 11P-P4 24F-5P 0-34F0 /3PP-0 PU12-4 -40005 545-61 0-U04P 465P-1

PRESENT LODGER 22 (T,S) Miss L Russell 6-11-12 P Buchanan ARC WARRIOR 22 (T,S) W Amos 10-11-5 B Harding DINGO BAY 17 (CD,S) J Wade 8-11-4 B Hughes BENEFIT IN KIND 37 (T,P) Michael Smith 6-10-10 D Cook MY FRIEND GEORGE 37 (P,CD,S) Mrs E Slack 8-10-10 H Brooke SAMSON COLLONGES 22 (S) R Menzies 8-10-9 T Kelly (3) VERKO 60 M D Hammond 5-10-5 W Renwick NEWYEARSRESOLUTION 195P (G,S) S Waugh 10-10-0 Miss A Waugh (7) MASTER BUD 131 S Corbett 9-10-0 J Corbett (7) NOTONEBUTTWO 15 (T,P,C,D,S) C Grant 7-10-0 D O'Regan (7)

-73 40 -81 v94 76 -86 --

157 v171 152 140 163 147 142

1.05 1 2 3 4 5 6

3-1123 1-1 U-31 0230/5 1110-1 510-22

ARCTIC FIRE 29 (H,D,BF,G,S) W Mullins (Ire) 5-11-7 IRVING 21 (D,BF,G,S) P Nicholls 6-11-7 SEA LORD 238 (D,F,G,S) J Ferguson 7-11-7 SWALEDALE LAD 131 (D,F,S) R Ford 7-11-7 VOLCANIC JACK 20 (G) M Chapman 6-11-7 AURORE D'ESTRUVAL 28 (D,G,S) J J Quinn 4-11-0

P Townend N Scholfield B Hughes H Challoner J Cornwall J Reveley

C4 v153 152 141 130 80 147

11-10 Irving, 5-2 Arctic Fire, 3-1 Aurore D’Estruval, 12-1 Sea Lord, 50-1 Swaledale Lad, 250-1 Volcanic Jack.

Rob Wright’s choice: Arctic Fire is unexposed and should be sharper for a recent second in grade two company at Down Royal Danger: Irving

2.40 P015-3 62FP-2 1210-0 P/2P-1 13-1P3 361P-1 -12343 1113-0 24-224

At The Races Rehearsal Chase (Listed handicap: £28,475: 3m) (9)

HEY BIG SPENDER 35 (T,CD,G,S) C Tizzard 11-11-12 B Powell VINTAGE STAR 19 (D,G,S) Mrs S Smith 8-11-9 J Reveley INDIAN CASTLE 14 (P,C,D,G,S) I Williams 6-11-7 B Hughes VICTORS SERENADE 49 (D,S) A Honeyball 9-11-6 N Scholfield FENTARA 21 (T,C,D,S) M Walford 9-11-6 P Townend LIE FORRIT 35 (D,G,S) Miss L Russell 10-10-13 P Buchanan BROADWAY BUFFALO 15 (T,B,C,D,BF,G,S) D Pipe 6-10-11K Edgar (5) TUTCHEC 27 (CD,S) N Richards 7-10-10 B Harding MISTER GREZ 15 (G,S) D Skelton 8-10-2 Miss B Andrews (7)

C4 144 144 146 143 141 140 146 146 v148

Wright choice: Broadway Buffalo is fitted with blinkers after failing to pick up on the run-in at Cheltenham Dangers: Lie Forrit, Indian Castle

Weatherbys Stallion Book Novices' Limited Handicap Chase

STOPPED OUT 19 (P,F,G,S) P Kirby 9-11-8 STRAIDNAHANNA 9 (S) Mrs S Smith 5-10-9 BALLYBEN 17 (G,S) Miss L Russell 6-10-8 MOYODE WOOD 10 (F,S) B Ellison 9-10-3

342-12 1110-F 111262-1142 0-1660 2125-1

StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle (£56,270: 2m) (6)

4-1 Broadway Buffalo, 5-1 Hey Big Spender, 6-1 Indian Castle, Lie Forrit, Victors Serenade, 7-1 Vintage Star, 10-1 Fentara, Tutchec, 12-1 Mister Grez.

(£6,498: 3m) (4) 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Newcastle

3-1 Notonebuttwo, 7-2 Dingo Bay, 5-1 Arc Warrior, 13-2 Samson Collonges, 15-2 Present Lodger, 8-1 My Friend George, 12-1 Verko, 16-1 Benefit In Kind, 20-1 others.

Wright choice: More Of That is a top-class stayer and will be hard to beat if somewhere close to full fitness Danger: Cole Harden

Totescoop6

6-1 Djakadam, 7-1 Smad Place, 8-1 Fingal Bay, Many Clouds, 10-1 The Druids Nephew, 11-1 Rocky Creek, 14-1 Merry King, 16-1 Unioniste, 20-1 Midnight Prayer, 25-1 others.

C4

1-2 More Of That, 7-2 Cole Harden, 10-1 Medinas, 14-1 Lac Fontana, Peckhamecho, 16-1 Shotgun Paddy, 100-1 American Spin.

treated, although his position at the head of the market surely owes more to his connections than his form.

He has not been seen since falling four out in the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March, is unproven at this trip and is attempting to become the first five-year-old to win this prize.

A greater threat can come from Fingal Bay. He, too, has plenty of classy form over hurdles, inflicting the only defeat of Simonsig’s career and showing a good attitude to win the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham. He has not tackled fences since crashing through the wings of the third-last fence at Exeter nearly two years ago, but had jumped well up until that point.

The Druids Nephew looks the pick of the remainder. He travelled best for a long way at Cheltenham last time, but a slow jump two out put him on the back foot and he was unable to collar Sam Winner. Nonetheless, he pulled 25 lengths clear of the third there and, off the same mark, should again make his presence felt.

Weatherbys Printing “The French Furze” Novices' Hurdle (£11,261: 2m 6f) (6) MISTER SPINGSPRONG 43 (S) Michael Smith 7-11-6 D Cook CHIDSWELL 33 (C,G,S) N Richards 5-11-3 B Harding NATIVE RIVER 30 (D,G) C Tizzard 4-11-3 B Powell BOWDLER'S MAGIC 11 (T,BF) D Thompson 7-10-12 S Mulqueen DEFINITLY RED 13 (S) S Gollings 5-10-12 B Hughes DONNA'S DIAMOND 21 (S) C Grant 5-10-12 P Townend

v137 126 123 110 -127

7-4 Definitly Red, 3-1 Chidswell, 4-1 Mister Spingsprong, 5-1 Native River, 8-1 Donna's Diamond, 50-1 Bowdler's Magic.

3.15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

6132-6 10-P 2350 134/20/0-F0 3-064 0-53 0-0 50-5 10540000-0

EBF Stallions “National Hunt” Maiden Hurdle (£3,119: 2m) (12) AGHA DES MOTTES 192 (S) I Williams 4-11-0 W Renwick CLAN CHIEF 37 (T,D,S) N Alexander 5-11-0 Lucy Alexander HEAR THE CHIMES 28 Shaun Harris 5-11-0 D Crosse ISLAND CONFUSION 567 (H,D,BF,F,S) Miss L Russell 6-11-0P Buchanan KILQUIGGAN 27 A Thomson 6-11-0 D Cook KINGFISHER CREEK 30 C Tizzard 4-11-0 B Powell MICKY FINGERS 14 Mrs S Smith 5-11-0 J England (3) SEVENTEEN BLACK 17 (H) W S Coltherd 6-11-0 J Reveley SIR SAFIR 18 P Niven 4-11-0 B Hughes SIR VINSKI 252 (D,G) N Richards 5-11-0 B Harding BOSSY BECCY 243 James Walton 5-10-7 Miss C Walton (5) CEILIDH 42 (T) N Alexander 6-10-7 S Mulqueen (7)

72 -101 v110 73 99 99 -84 --99

7-4 Sir Vinski, 4-1 Island Confusion, 7-1 Kingfisher Creek, 8-1 Hear The Chimes, 10-1 Micky Fingers, 12-1 Ceilidh, 14-1 Clan Chief, 16-1 Kilquiggan, 20-1 others.

Course specialists Newbury: Trainers P Nicholls, 40 winners from 187 runners, 21.4%; N Henderson, 42 from 205, 20.5%; Miss V Williams, 13 from 81, 16.0%; W Greatrex, 5 from 34, 14.7%.

Jockeys R Walsh, 13 winners from 51 rides, 25.5%; B J Geraghty, 31 from 136, 22.8%; A P McCoy, 26 from 129, 20.2%.

Newcastle: Trainers J J Quinn, 6 winners from 12 runners, 50%; D Pipe, 5 from 17, 29.4%; Miss L Russell, 26 from 145, 17.9%; N Alexander, 11 from 62, 17.7%. Jockeys J Reveley, 24 winners from 131 rides, 18.3%; J England, 4 from 23, 17.4%; C Nichol, 3 from 19, 15.8%; H Brooke, 10 from 67, 14.9%.

Blinkered first time: Newbury 1.50 Triumphant. Newcastle 2.40 Broadway Buffalo. Towcester 2.50 Nash Point. Wolverhampton 9.15 Flumps.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Racing Sport

MIKE HEWITT/GETTY IMAGES

Many Clouds shows Sherwood still has an eye for a winner Saturday interview Trainer tells Alan Lee that he has experienced the best and worst of times

Coneygree, ridden by Nico de Boinville, soars over the water jump en route to winning the novice chase at Newbury

Coneygree’s happy return keeps success running in the family Alan Lee Racing Correspondent

In the long history of the Hennessy Gold Cup, there have been few more emotional winners than Carruthers.

His 2011 victory came in the final months of his owner Lord Oaksey’s life but the spirit of this remarkable man was revived yesterday by a horse that could be contesting the Hennessy next year.

For Coneygree, a valuable novice chase was restorative justice for his controversial withdrawal on veterinary insistence at Plumpton last week. Even as a headstrong front-runner, the future is bright for a horse delayed by two injuries and having his first run in 22 months.

Lord Oaksey, who rode Taxidermist to win the second running of the Hennessy, in 1958, bred Coneygree out of Plaid Maid, the same mare that supplied Carruthers. His daughter Sara, wife of the trainer Mark Bradstock, had little need to emphasise what the horse means to the surviving family.

She was not entirely mollified by victory, though. Having heatedly criticised the Plumpton vets last week, Bradstock reiterated that legal action

could yet ensue. “If a miracle happens and he wins at Cheltenham, we would miss out on the bonus put up by Plumpton,” she pointed out.

Bemoaning the state of her husband’s yard, Bradstock added: “Year after year, we prove that we can beat the big guns but we’ve still only got 12 horses.”

Paul Nicholls, who will run that many on a busy Saturday, watched the chasing debutant Saphir Du Rheu unseat his rider at halfway behind Coneygree but he had already achieved

‘Mullins has failed to win a handicap chase in Britain for nine years’ a personal landmark. A double in the first two races meant Nicholls has now saddled more winners in November than in any month in the past five years.

He seeks to become the second most successful Hennessy trainer with a fourth winner today and affirmed that both Rocky Creek and Unioniste will relish the testing conditions. “Rocky was second last year and although he has 5lb more now, he’s a better horse,”

he said. “He stays forever, he’s had a run already and he’ll improve from it.”

Rocky Creek is twice the price of Djakadam but Nicholls was sceptical about the prospects of the favourite becoming the first five-year-old to win the race. If history bears him out, so too does the remarkable statistic that Willie Mullins, trainer of Djakadam, has failed to win a handicap chase in Britain for nine years.

The Paparrazi Kid, a beaten favourite in the £50,000 feature won by No Buts yesterday, was his 72nd consecutive loser in that sphere. Mullins suffered another setback when Annie Power, a dual grade one winner, was found lame just hours after being declared for her seasonal return at Fairyhouse tomorrow.

Mullins immediately scratched her from the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and Ruby Walsh switches to his other contender, Zaidpour. There are no British-trained horses on a card containing three grade one races but of more immediate concern is the dearth of domestic runners. Bangor plumbs new depths today with just 33 horses declared and not a single race attracting more than six.

Yesterday’s racing results Newbury

Going: soft (heavy in places) 12.25 (2m 110yd hdle) 1, Old Guard (Sam Twiston-Davies, 6-1); 2, Karezak (5-6 fav); 3, Mick Jazz (7-4). 7 ran. NR: Sheer Poetry. Nk, 4Kl. P Nicholls.

12.55 (2m 2f 110yd ch) 1, Wilton Milan (Jack Sherwood, 3-1); 2, Quick Decisson (11-4 fav); 3, Comeonginger (3-1). 8 ran.

NR: Highway Code. 13l, 2Ol. P Nicholls.

1.30 (3m 110yd hdle) 1, Tullyesker Hill (T Scudamore, 10-1); 2, Junction Fourteen (7-1); 3, Little Boy Boru (8-1). Unique De Cotte (5th) 4-5 fav. 9 ran. NR: Garde Fou. 4Kl, nk. D Pipe.

2.05 (2m 4f ch) 1, Coneygree (Nico de Boinville, 2-1); 2, Dell’ Arca (4-1); 3, Horatio Hornblower (22-1). Saphir Du Rheu (ur) 11-10 fav. 5 ran. 1Kl, 45l. M Bradstock.

2.40 (2m 4f ch) 1, No Buts (T Scudamore, 6-1); 2, Sound Investment (7-1); 3, Lamool (7-1). The Paparrazi Kid (5th) 5-2 fav. 8 ran.

NR: Rolling Aces. 8l, 2Nl. D Bridgwater.

3.15 (2m 5f hdle) 1, Out Sam (B J Geraghty, 3-1); 2, Thomas Brown (15-8); 3, Tea For Two (13-8 fav). 4 ran. NR: Port Melon. 3l, 2Nl. N Henderson.

3.45 (2m 110yd hdle) 1, Different Gravey (Nico de Boinville, 5-1); 2, Ballagh (10-1); 3, Days Of Heaven (2-1 fav). 10 ran.

NR: Simon Squirrel. 1Kl, 8l. N Henderson.

Placepot: £191.20.

Quadpot: £80.90.

Doncaster

Going: good to soft (soft in places) 12.15 (3m ch) 1, Tales Of Milan (Harry Haynes, 9-1); 2, Dundee (11-2); 3, Many Stars (10-1). Fergal Mael Duin (4th) 3-1 fav. 10 ran.

NR: Jimmy Shan. 2Nl, 2Ol. P Middleton.

12.45 (2m 110yd hdle) 1, Glingerburn (Brian Harding, 16-1); 2, Relic Rock (10-11 fav); 3, Novirak (11-4). 18 ran. 2Nl, 1Ol. N Richards.

1.20 (2m 3f ch) 1, Un Ace (D Bass, 8-15 fav); 2, Minella Forfitness (16-1); 3, Flementime (7-2). 4 ran. NR: A Tail Of Intrigue. 29l, 8l. K Bailey.

1.55 (3m 110yd hdle) 1, Wicked Spice (D N Russell, 4-1 fav); 2, Streams Of Whiskey (8-1); 3, Frontier Vic (7-1). 12 ran. NR: The Winking Prawn. 3l, 15l. N Richards.

2.30 (2m 3f ch) 1, Premier Grand Cru (Lucy Alexander, 11-4); 2, Shadrack (9-2); 3, Tregaro (10-1). Big Water (4th) 11-8 fav.

6 ran. Nk, 2Ol. J Ewart.

3.05 (2m 3f 110yd hdle) 1, Ergo Sum (D Bass, 2-1 fav); 2, First Of Never (20-1); 3, The Kvilleken (4-1). 12 ran. NR: Exclusive Dancer. 2l, 3l. B Pauling.

3.35 (2m 110yd flat) 1, Rainy City (Miss Megan Nicholls, 4-6 fav); 2, Magnimity (9-4); 3, Tropical Sunshine (50-1). 6 ran.

NR: Charlie Cook. 18l, 3Nl. P Nicholls.

Jackpot: not won.

Placepot: £55.40.

Quadpot: £14.10.

Musselburgh

Going: good 12.05 (3m 110yd hdle) 1, One For Hocky (Harry Challoner, Evens fav); 2, Ballyreesode (3-1); 3, Discoverie (6-1).

7 ran. 15l, 2l. N Richards.

12.35 (2m hdle) 1, Thankyou Very Much (Joe Colliver, 9-2); 2, Tara Mac (11-4 jt-fav); 3, Catchthemoonlight (10-1).

Knocklayde Sno Cat (5th) 11-4 jt-fav.

11 ran. 1Kl, 1Nl. J Bethell.

1.10 (2m 4f ch) 1, Bearly Legal (G B Watters, 5-1); 2, Cobajayisland (6-1); 3, Better B Quick (16-1). Boruma (f) 9-4 fav.

9 ran. 6l, Kl. Karl Thornton.

1.45 (2m 4f hdle) 1, Fly Vinnie (Danny Cook, 25-1); 2, Red Spinner (15-2); 3, Tradewinds (6-4 fav). 12 ran. Nk, 7l.

A Thomson.

2.20 (2m ch) 1, Un Anjou (Jamie Bargary, 4-1); 2, Chestnut Ben (11-2); 3, Wot A Shot (11-1). Tweedo Paradiso (5th) 100-30 fav. 10 ran. Nk, 4l. David Dennis.

2.55 (2m hdle) 1, Endeavor (Emma Sayer, 11-2); 2, Claude Carter (7-1); 3, Dalstontosiloth (7-2). De Chissler (6th) 3-1 fav. 10 ran. Nk, 1Ol. Mrs Dianne Sayer.

3.25 (2m flat) 1, Im Too Generous (Mr S Crawford, 15-8 fav); 2, Leading Score (22-1); 3, Chain Of Beacons (12-1). 8 ran.

4l, 3Kl. S Crawford (Ire).

Placepot: £89.20.

Quadpot: £21.90.

Wolverhampton

Going: standard 3.55 (5f) 1, True Course (A Kirby, 9-4); 2, The Dapper Tapper (13-2); 3, Pancake Day (16-1). Frozen Princess (5th) 2-1 fav. 10 ran. NR: Bahango, Most Tempting, Torridonian. Nk, Ol. C Appleby.

4.25 (5f) 1, Invincible Ridge (L Morris, 6-4 fav); 2, Thorpe Bay (11-2); 3, Dynamo Walt (6-1). 12 ran. Nk, 1Kl. E Alston.

4.55 (6f) 1, Shotgun Start (G Baker, 2-1 fav); 2, Seven Lucky Seven (14-1); 3, Jolly Red Jeanz (10-1). 13 ran. 2l, hd. M Wigham.

5.25 (1m6f) 1, John Reel (J F Egan, Evens fav); 2, Royal Battalion (11-10); 3, Har– monical (33-1). 6 ran. NR: Renewing. 11l, 5l. P Evans.

5.55 (7f) 1, Khatiba (G Lee, 15-2); 2, Majeyda (8-11 fav); 3, Badr Al Badoor (11-4). 6 ran. Hd, Kl. R Varian.

6.25 (7f) 1, Know Your Name (J F Egan, 9-2); 2, Smokethatthunders (7-2); 3, Dream Scenario (66-1). Showboating (6th) 11-8 fav. 10 ran. Nk, nk. P Evans.

6.55 (7f) 1, Lucky Lodge (P J McDonald, 28-1); 2, Woodbridge (7-2 fav); 3, Beautiful Stranger (7-1). 10 ran. Ns, hd.

M Brittain.

7.25 (1m 141yd) 1, Brocklebank (J Duern, 16-1); 2, Lacan (9-4 fav); 3, Almanack (12-1). 13 ran. Kl, 2Ol. S Dow. Placepot: £24.60.

Quadpot: £7.10.

I

t is a meeting close to his heart and his home, yet Hennessy week evokes starkly different memories for Oliver Sherwood. He won the title race in 1990, when his training career was still in the first flush of innocence. Three years ago, his house in Lambourn burnt down on the eve of the meeting, a brutal parody of his straitened times.

Aside from coping with trauma, insurance and rented accommodation, Sherwood trained only 19 winners that season and his prize money dipped to a career low. Personally stressed, professionally stretched, Sherwood discovered a lot about himself.

“You certainly find out who your friends are,” he said. “The fire frightened the daylights out of me — and it could have been a lot worse — but we were also having a tough time training. We were down to 30-odd horses and owners I’d known a long time had abandoned us, which really hurt.

“You lose your confidence, start questioning yourself. This life is a drug, we all know that — we love doing it, yet often hate it too. I don’t like being in the second division and there were plenty of times when I wanted to walk away from it, I put my hands up to that.”

Sherwood credits two people for his survival. Tarnya, his wife of 21 years, was a constant, barracking supporter.

“She kept on at me that we had to keep going. I’m amazed we’re still together, after the stress of the fire, but they were character-building times and we are a real good team.”

The other human factor is Tim Syder, who arrived as a new owner and has advertised his faith in Sherwood through horses such as Puffin Billy and Deputy Dan that may soon restore the Festival glory days of two decades ago.

“If Tim hadn’t come along when he did, I don’t think I’d be doing this now,” Sherwood said.

And that would be a shame, for today he is back on his favourite racecourse and his favourite raceday with a serious chance of winning a second Hennessy Gold Cup, 24 years after the first. Many Clouds is owned by Trevor Hemmings, himself one of the great survivors of jumps horse ownership, and the demanding slog through Newbury’s mud holds no terrors.

“I’ve always had this race in mind for him,” Sherwood said. “It’s a good race for second-season novices, because the handicapper may not have caught up with their improvement. He acts on soft ground, that doesn’t bother me, and I have no qualms about the trip.”

Newbury, like Sherwood, has been through some challenging times. “It will turn round, it’s got to,” the trainer said. “It’s very important for all of us in Lambourn that it does so.”

Sherwood has lived his whole racing life in the snug Berkshire village a

dozen miles from Newbury. He cut his teeth as assistant to the late, great Fred Winter and married one of his daughters, Denise. His divorce, and Tarnya’s from the champion trainer, Paul Nicholls, led to a more lasting liaison.

For 30 years, he has trained at Rhonehurst, behind Lambourn’s Malt Shovel pub. “Lambourn went through a slump until the Jockey Club started investing in it,” he said. “Now, you wouldn’t find a better place to train.”

Sherwood recalls his early training years with eloquent wonder. “It was boom time in the City,” he said. “Money was no object and horses just kept turning up. It was a great time to train and, yes, it did seem easy. I don’t think it was as competitive back then. Martin Pipe raised the bar and we all had to try and catch him up.

“It’s so much tougher, in all sports, now. In a way, it’s sad that the romance has gone. In racing, it seems you need a degree in chemistry and biology more than you need common sense. I’m a

In the spotlight

Name Oliver Sherwood Age 59 Trains at Rhonehurst, Lambourn Married since 1993 to Tarnya. They have two children Started training 1984 Best horses of early years Large Action, The West Awake, Coulton Best horses now Puffin Billy, Deputy Dan, Many Clouds Weekend wish A second Hennessy victory

traditionalist, though, and I won’t be dictated to by science. The sets of eyes I trust are more important. I train on instinct.”

Doubtless, he did so with Arctic Call, his 1990 Hennessy winner. “He was a big slob of a horse but very laid-back, with a great attitude,” he said. “We hadn’t taken him to Cheltenham that March, so he got into the Hennessy with a good weight. Many Clouds has a few pounds more than I’d like but every trainer would say that.”

Whatever happens today, Rhonehurst is a buoyant place again. Last season, Sherwood secured more winners and prize money than for 15 years. He is just a dozen winners short of a career 1,000 and when he turns 60, next March, he should have serious Cheltenham prospects once again.

“I’d still like to have more horses but I’ve never been good at selling myself,” he said. “You have to keep on your toes in this game. New owners are likely to go for the younger brigade but I’m just as hungry as any of them — and I do think experience counts for a lot.”

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Sport Murray loses twice on Premier League debut Tennis Andy Murray could not

stop the Manila Mavericks falling to defeat on his International Premier Tennis League debut.

The Scot’s team were beaten 29-24 by UAE Royals in Manila, after Murray lost both his sets yesterday. Murray and Maria Sharapova were beaten 6-4 by Nenad Zimonjic and Kristina Mladenovic before he lost 6-5 to Marin Cilic in the men’s singles.

In the team competition, each of the five ties is played over a single set with no advantage points, and the first player or doubles pairing to six games wins.

Ana Ivanovic took 15 minutes to thrash Daniela Hantuchova on her first appearance in the competition yesterday, but was sceptical about the future of the format. She said: “I think it will be hard to imagine [it replacing the conventional format].”

McIlroy’s mood swings Golf Rory McIlroy, the world No 1, remained confident despite having only five pars in a rollercoaster second round at the Australian Open in Sydney yesterday. McIlroy had an eagle, six birdies and six bogeys for a second successive two-under-par round of 69 at The Australian golf club to finish a shot behind Greg Chalmers, the leader. “Eliminate the bad stuff and you turn that into a low score,” McIlroy said.

“I’m very happy with my game.”

Record for McCullum Cricket Brendon McCullum

smashed the fastest Test century by a New Zealand batsman to give his team the upper hand on the second day of the third and final match of the series against Pakistan in Sharjah yesterday.

The captain completed his tenth Test hundred off 78 balls, and had reached 153 when bad light ended play seven overs early with New Zealand 249 for one, 102 behind.

Mark Craig took seven for 94 as Pakistan were bowled out for 351.

Inside today

Susie Wolff steps up to be official test driver of Williams Formula One team News, Page 11

Towcester Rob Wright

12.15 Jennys Surprise 2.15 Delgany Demon 12.45 Vinnieslittle Lamb 2.50 Nash Point 1.15 King Of Glory 3.25 Mon Petit Ange 1.45 Pure Science Going: heavy (soft in places) At The Races

12.15 1 2 3

Novices' Hurdle (Mares: £3,249: 2m) (3)

/32-1 JENNYS SURPRISE 26 Fergal O'Brien 6-11-2 P Brennan -120P NOSEY BOX 2 (T,B) N Kelly (Ire) 8-11-2 Steven Fox (7) 23-2 MIGHTY MINNIE 37 H Daly 5-10-10 J Greenall

2-5 Jennys Surprise, 3-1 Mighty Minnie, 10-1 Nosey Box.

12.45

Handicap Chase (£3,249: 2m 110y) (5)

1 3-F42 VINNIESLITTLE LAMB 26 (BF) D Bridgwater 6-11-12 A P Cawley T Cannon 2 13143 WICKLEWOOD 6 (H,T,CD) M Gillard 8-11-7 3 1P045 RED WHISPER 96 (T,CD) B Summers 10-11-3 J Hodson (7) Mr M Kendrick (7) 4 -PP52 TOP BENEFIT 6 R Harper 12-10-0 Mr M Legg (7) 5 44P-P CHAPEL HOUSE 12 R Harper 11-10-0 13-8 Vinnieslittle Lamb, 5-2 Wicklewood, 7-2 Red Whisper, 9-2 others.

1.15 1 2

Handicap Hurdle

(£6,330: 2m 3f 110y) (8)

5510- VOLT FACE 227 (H,T,C,D) D Pipe 5-11-12 55-30 TOBY LERONE 21 (D) D Skelton 7-11-10

C O'Farrell R Mahon

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

‘I definitely wouldn’t play snooker if I had my time again’ Ronnie O’Sullivan tells Giles Smith about the many demons that lurk in the dark corners of his chosen profession

itself [ankles permitting] be read as a dazzling flight from snooker’s usual constraints. “I try to make it into a game of intensity,” he said. “I play with adrenaline and passion, I try to draw my opponent into an atmosphere where he’s on edge, and the only way to do that is by playing hard, attacking, aggressive snooker, where you don’t give your opponent time to rest. If I feel I’m playing it slow, I lose interest, I get bored. I play the game to come alive.

Then again . . .

“If my son said, ‘Dad, I want to be a snooker player,’ I would be devastated,” he said. “You’re on your own, you’re indoors, no one really speaks to anyone, it’s a solitary scene — you end up becoming a non-communicator without knowing it.

“I see a lot of players really struggling, physically and emotionally. A lot of them are tired, they’re down, they’re

insular, there’s anger in there, because it’s that type of game, it can turn you into that person. I’ve seen it happen to the best of them. I can see it in their addictions, where it comes out in their eating, their drinking, their smoking: I know that they’re just doing it to mask what snooker is doing to them.

“Because I’ve been there. Snooker turned me into the kind of person that drank a lot, ate a lot, did anything to take me away from what really was the issue, which was that I was struggling with my snooker and the darkness of the sport.

“In snooker, it all comes back to you.

You’ve a lot of time to analyse yourself and sometimes that can be like a cancer in itself. It’s a tough sport mentally and if I had my time again, I definitely wouldn’t pick snooker to play.”

The backdrop for our conversation was, ironically, a WPBSA CueZone Into Schools event in Harlow, Essex, designed to increase participation in the sport by young people. Around us, uniformed schoolchildren got among the balls on scaled-down tables.

O’Sullivan, unshowy in jeans and a grey T-shirt, was there to interview the project’s leading light, Steve Davis, for The Ronnie O’Sullivan Show, his snooker magazine programme on British Eurosport. But he did his share of diplomacy, too: signed autographs, smiled for phone snaps (“My dad loves you”), kept quiet about the darkness and the anger.

A school lunch awaited the rest of the crew, but O’Sullivan had brought his own food in tin trays: smoked mackerel, beetroot, rice. (“The cheap burgers, the pizzas — I’ve been down that road.”)

He sees his television show as a chance to “learn a bit of a trade”, he said.“My mum always told me I should get some qualifications in case snooker didn’t work out. But I never doubted that it would. I’ve come to that stage, though. I’m 39 next week. I need to start getting some qualifications for the next 30 years.”

He claims to be in a new zone altogether these days. In 2011, after “a tough few years”, he made one of his periodic threats to dump snooker entirely. His manager suggested he see Dr Steve Peters, the sports psychiatrist.

“I remember thinking, ‘I just hope

P Moloney 3 0-312 PHOENIX RETURNS 27 G A Swinbank 6-11-9 4 4040- EXPERIMENTALIST 287 (T,D) T Vaughan 6-11-2 A Johns (7) T Cannon 5 P3463 FAMILY MOTTO 13 C Gordon 5-11-2 6 /624- KING OF GLORY 247 Miss V Williams 6-10-10C Whillans (5) S W Quinlan 7 31005 CAFE AU LAIT 4 (T,P) A Middleton 4-10-9 113 COME ON SUNSHINE 29 (P) B Ellison 3-10-9 A Tinkler 8

2.50

1.00

4-1 Phoenix Returns, 9-2 Come On Sunshine, 5-1 Volt Face, 6-1 others.

3.25

the uk masters Stephen Hendry World titles 7 Professional titles 74 Maximum breaks 11 Centuries 775 Retired but contemplating a comeback, Hendry took over from Steve Davis as the dominant force in the 1990s with a fearless and attacking brand of snooker.

H

e called it “the evil sport”, referred at one point in our conversation to “the darkness of snooker” and returned several times to the topic of the game’s suffocating insularity. “I’d rather be a golfer,” Ronnie O’Sullivan said. “Golf’s still a solitary sport, but you’ve got your caddie you can unload on between shots. You can let it out a bit.”

At the same time, he talked eagerly about “that little fix that only snooker can give me”, and recalled winning the BetVictor Welsh Open in May, when he produced a masterclass maximum break to complete a 9-3 victory over Ding Junhui in the final and “came off thinking there’s no drug in the world that can give me this feeling”.

But then O’Sullivan has never fought shy of contradictions. This week, arguably the greatest cue-wielder of them all became, surely, the first player in snooker history to arrive for the UK Championship with an ankle injury sustained during a training run through woodland.

Having limped and winced through his first-round match on Thursday, his continuing participation tomorrow hangs on the efficacy of a bottle of painkillers. Will he bale out or will he stick around and win the tournament on one leg? As so often with O’Sullivan, two diametrically opposed outcomes seem equally plausible.

Has any other sportsman been so open and eloquent about the quandary of being incomparably gifted in a sport that, periodically, drives him to hatred of it? Probably only Andre Agassi, and he waited until he had retired before he spoke up (in a book that, unsurprisingly, O’Sullivan devoured. “I totally identified,” he said).

The struggle is even embedded in O’Sullivan’s playing style, which can

1.45 1 2 3 4 5

Novices' Limited Handicap Chase (£6,498: 2m 3f 110y) (5)

12P-3 FLEMENTIME 1 M Keighley 6-11-8 A Tinkler 1B-13 GARRAHALISH 28 (C,D) R Dickin 6-11-7 C Poste 314-1 PURE SCIENCE 14 (P,D) N Twiston-Davies 6-11-5J Bargary (10) 240-2 THEATREBAR 18 T Symonds 6-11-2 Felix De Giles 5420- CASTLETOWN 273 (T) Mrs L Young 6-10-11 R Dunne

9-4 Pure Science, 11-4 Garrahalish, 7-2 Flementime, Theatrebar, 10-1 Castletown.

2.15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Novices' Hurdle (£3,899: 2m 3f 110y) (8)

21-21 MONBEG THEATRE 19 (T) J Snowden 5-11-4 M Nolan (3) 2PP COPPERFACEJACK 14 P Webber 4-10-12 C Poste /215- DELGANY DEMON 315 (C) N King 6-10-12 T Whelan 60-05 KILLSHANNON 16 D Bridgwater 5-10-12 A P Cawley 03-24 KINCORA FORT 28 N Williams 5-10-12 J Banks (3) P6-32 URBAN STORM 23 B Pauling 4-10-12 D Bass 4-200 VESUVHILL 19 (H) B Case 5-10-12 K K Woods WADSWICK HAROLD B Pauling 4-10-12 H Beswick (10)

7-4 Monbeg Theatre, 7-2 Delgany Demon, 9-2 Urban Storm, 6-1 Kincora Fort, 10-1 Vesuvhill, Wadswick Harold, 16-1 Killshannon, 66-1 Copperfacejack.

Steve Davis World titles 6 Professional titles 81 Maximum breaks 1 Centuries 338 Davis, 57, is hailed for his remarkable longevity and community and broadcasting work, but in the 1980s he was the undisputed king. That his shock world final loss to Dennis Taylor in 1985 is still so well recalled reflects that hegemony.

Ronnie O’Sullivan World titles 5 Professional titles 55 Maximum breaks 12 Centuries 764 Had O’Sullivan been as at ease with himself for the past 15 years as he has for the past three, all Hendry’s records would be safely tucked away. Seen as the most naturally gifted player of all, some of those milestones are still within reach.

Words by Hector Nunns

Handicap Chase (£2,599: 3m 110y) (4)

M Nolan 1 0-632 LORD LIR 2 (T) T Vaughan 8-11-12 C Ward 2 2-525 MONTY'S REVENGE 10 (CD) M Keighley 9-11-8 A Johns (6) 3 40-03 NASH POINT 26 (T,V) T Vaughan 5-10-13 T Whelan 4 -P243 WHEELAVHER 6 (H) Miss C Dyson 8-10-0 7-4 Monty's Revenge, 9-4 Nash Point, 11-4 Lord Lir, 6-1 Wheelavher.

NH Flat (3-Y-O: £1,949: 1m 5f 110y) (6)

3 DALAMAN 39 T Vaughan 10-12 M Byrne 1 5 KALIFOURCHON 39 (BF) D Pipe 10-12 C O'Farrell 2 MON PETIT ANGE D Bridgwater 10-12 J Hodson (7) 3 POETIC JUSTICE C Gordon 10-12 T Cannon 4 4 FLOWER POWER 23 T Coyle 10-5 J Quinlan 5 MORNING HERALD M Keighley 10-5 A Tinkler 6 7-4 Dalaman, Kalifourchon, 7-1 Flower Power, Mon Petit Ange, 8-1 others.

Bangor

Rob Wright 12.30 The Last Samuri 2.35 Kilmurvy 1.00 Take The Crown 3.10 Wilcos Mo Chara 1.30 Presented 3.45 Hatton Bank 2.00 Winter Walk Going: soft (heavy in places) Racing UK

12.30 Novices' Chase (£6,498: 3m 110y) (2) 1 2

10-1P LOOKSLIKERAINTED 21 Miss R Curtis 7-11-7 K Cogley (10) 110-2 THE LAST SAMURI 21 (C,BF) D McCain 6-11-2 J M Maguire

1-2 The Last Samuri, 7-4 Lookslikerainted.

Handicap Chase

this guy can’t help me,’ ” O’Sullivan said.

“I’d made up my mind I was out — done with snooker, pleased to see the back of it. And I’ve always sought help — from coaches, religion, spirituality, rehab.

“And they work for a bit, but I just give up on them, really. Or I wear them down to where they’ve got nowhere to go. But my manager said, ‘You’ve just been seeing people who polish the car.

This geezer gets under the bonnet.’ And I was intrigued.”

O’Sullivan couldn’t get in to see him at first; Peters was too busy preparing the Team GB cycling team for the London Olympics. “But eventually I went to his house and within five minutes he had my attention. He said, ‘I’m not going to try and get you to think positive, because that’s a waste of time with someone where you are. I’m going to show you why you’re thinking the way you are, what’s going on in your 2.35

(£3,899: 2m 1f 110y) (5)

1 P-121 CODY WYOMING 2 (T,D) C Mann 8-12-4 2 54231 UN ANJOU 1 D Dennis 6-12-5 (7ex) 3 240-F KING ROLFE 20 (T) T Vaughan 6-11-9 4 20446 TAKE THE CROWN 16 H Oliver 5-10-7 5 400PB INDIEFRONT 31 (B) Jo Davis 5-10-4

Frame of mind: O’Sullivan’s career has

T Dowling (10) J M Maguire Tom O'Brien James Davies Sam Jones

1 2 3 4 5

Handicap Hurdle (£6,498: 3m) (5)

5-11P VOLCANIC 35 (C) D McCain 5-11-12 J M Maguire 2PP-S WHO OWNS ME 8 (D) M W Easterby 8-11-8 Mr H Bannister (5) -0102 SERIENSCHOCK 17 (T,B) D Pipe 6-11-8 L Heard 42-35 KILMURVY 21 (T,P) J Scott 6-11-2 Tom O'Brien 0341/ LOWER HOPE DANDY 591 (D) Miss V Williams 7-10-8 L Treadwell

5-6 Cody Wyoming, 7-2 Un Anjou, 11-2 King Rolfe, 6-1 Take The Crown, 25-1 Indiefront.

9-4 Kilmurvy, 5-2 Lower Hope Dandy, 100-30 Serienschock, 9-2 Volcanic, 10-1 Who Owns Me.

1.30

3.10

1 2 3 4 5 6

Handicap Chase (£7,798: 3m 110y) (6)

-1236 VIF ARGENT 138 (B) D Pipe 5-11-12 M Heard (7) -5134 AZURE FLY 20 (T,P,BF) C Longsdon 6-11-12 C Deutsch (5) PP3-2 CASTLE CONFLICT 30 (CD) H Daly 9-11-4 Tom O'Brien 150-6 HEAVENSTOWN 20 (B,C,D) J Spearing 8-11-1 N De Boinville (3) P-022 WITHOUTDEFAVOURITE 17 H Oliver 6-10-13 James Davies 62P-4 PRESENTED 14 (D) B Ellison 7-10-12 J M Maguire

1 2 3 4

3.45

2.00

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5

3-21 SUPER SAM 24 (D) Miss V Williams 5-11-5 L Treadwell 0 PORTMONARCH 208 C Mann 4-10-12 T Dowling (10) P-125 SIMPLY THE WEST 19 (T,BF) C Longsdon 5-10-12 Tom O'Brien 2-006 TRUCKERS HIGHWAY 14 J Groucott 5-10-12 N Slatter (7) 331-2 WINTER WALK 24 Miss R Curtis 5-10-12 J M Maguire

11-10 Simply The West, 9-4 Super Sam, 11-4 Winter Walk, 25-1 others.

R McLernon L Heard Tom O'Brien J M Maguire

6-5 Wilcos Mo Chara, 2-1 Pied Du Roi, 5-1 Moncarno, 15-2 Bo's Return.

15-8 Castle Conflict, 4-1 Vif Argent, Withoutdefavourite, 9-2 Presented, 7-1 Azure Fly, 14-1 Heavenstown.

Novices' Hurdle (£3,249: 2m 4f) (5)

Novices' Hurdle (£3,249: 2m 1f) (4)

0-0 BO'S RETURN 24 T Vaughan 4-10-12 0-300 MONCARNO 30 (T) D Pipe 4-10-12 2-04 PIED DU ROI 37 C Longsdon 4-10-12 /11-2 WILCOS MO CHARA 17 D McCain 6-10-12

National Hunt Flat Race (£2,053: 2m 1f) (6)

ANOTHER COBBLER H Daly 4-10-12 J Greenall 0 BRIERY BUBBLES 212 (T) T Symonds 6-10-12 B Poste (5) 0 DASHUL 31 J Scott 5-10-12 Matt Griffiths (3) HATTON BANK Miss E Lavelle 5-10-12 R McLernon 0 SISTER SUZIE 49 D McCain 5-10-12 J M Maguire 3-3 THE WAY IT WORKS 29 (T) M McNiff (Ire) 4-10-12 Tom O'Brien

8-13 The Way It Works, 5-1 Sister Suzie, 6-1 Dashul, 8-1 Hatton Bank, 12-1 Another Cobbler, 100-1 Briery Bubbles.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

81

FGM

Sport

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

Hendry ready to take his cue again for elite return Hector Nunns

Stephen Hendry resisted personal appeals from Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams to play in this year’s Coral UK Championship, but the fivetime winner of the title admits he would be “surprised” if he did not emerge from retirement to play competitively again.

The Scot, 45, called time on his glittering career two years ago, signing off with a maximum 147 break at the World Championship in Sheffield, where he enjoyed unparalleled success in the professional era, lifting the trophy on seven occasions.

At the time, Hendry was heartily sick of the snooker treadmill and the growing number of smaller events played in open-plan settings. But in April he, along with Steve Davis, was offered a wild-card route back by Barry Hearn, the World Snooker chairman.

Davis, 57, has never been able to give up and although the end may finally be near, he says he is like a “firework that will just peter out”. Hendry has not yet made use of his golden ticket, but says that the comeback is still on and that Hendry has got back his appetite for the game

been punctuated by periods when he seriously considered retirement. “You’ve got a lot of time to analyse yourself and sometimes that can be like a cancer in itself”

mind and how to rechannel the flow to get you into a happy state.’ I bought into it. It was like a recipe. Do A, B, and C, and get D.’ He now carries a list of notes from Peters on his phone. “I keep doing the work,” he said. At the same time, as Peters told him, “it isn’t ever going to go away,” and there are lapses. Just two months ago, O’Sullivan was in a hotel room in Shanghai, “feeling depressed and hating myself, full of anxiety, smoking 20 to 30 a day, eating Toblerone and Snickers bars, feeling fat.”

So what went wrong? “I fell back into the trap,” he said. “I forgot to look after myself.” But he went back to the notes, back to Peters and regrouped. “I think what Steve gave me the ability to do is to come back stronger, not spiral down so low until the only way is up. I can accept playing rubbish now. I don’t give up, I don’t show everyone that I’m

Wolverhampton Rob Wright

5.45 Middle East Pearl 7.45 Personal Opinion 6.15 Ingleby Angel 8.15 Moccasin 6.45 Copper Cavalier 8.45 Katmai River 7.15 Rahmah 9.15 Jersey Cream Going: standard Draw: 5f-7f, low numbers best At The Races

5.45

Maiden Stakes

(2-Y-O: £2,911: 5f 20y) (13)

J Egan 1 (13) 45406 COME UPPENCE 52 P D Evans 9-5 C Beasley (3) 2 (12) 3220 GROSMONT 147 (BF) J Given 9-5 SIR KELTIC BLUE B Ellison 9-5 D Swift 3 (10) G Baker 4 (9) 4423 WINNING HUNTER 16 (T,P) P Hide 9-5 44 COLOMBIA 119 Mrs A Duffield 9-0 P McDonald 5 (1) 00 EQUITA 7 R Stephens 9-0 L Jones 6 (4) D Probert 7 (3) 40423 FUJIANO 41 D Haydn Jones 9-0 0 MIDDLE EAST PEARL 45 J Tate 9-0 Luke Morris 8 (7) 04 MILITARY MUSIC 23 M Usher 9-0 Charlotte Jenner (7) 9 (6) MILLY ROYALE P Makin 9-0 S Drowne 10 (2) 4 SACRED BOND 21 R Fahey 9-0 T Hamilton 11(11) 4 SOFT LOVE 191 K A Ryan 9-0 T Eaves 12 (8) 0 TRANQUIL GLEN 17 M Appleby 9-0 13 (5) Alistair Rawlinson (5) 11-4 Sacred Bond, 4-1 Winning Hunter, 8-1 Fujiano, Middle East Pearl, Soft Love, 9-1 Grosmont, Sir Keltic Blue, 10-1 Milly Royale, 14-1 others.

‘You end up becoming a non-communicator without knowing it’ p***ed off, I fight to the death and at the end, I say to myself, ‘I played badly and I hated every minute, but at least I haven’t walked out like I did against Stephen Hendry [in 2006, in the quarterfinals of the UK Championship]’. I haven’t told the world I want to retire.’

And then I go back and work harder.”

He also thinks he has reached a workable compromise by slimming down his schedule. “I know I could be like a Shaun Murphy or a Mark Selby and go to every tournament, but that’s not what I want to be,” he said. “I do them in batches now: two or three tournaments, then five or six weeks at home. I try to think of my life as a port6.15

Handicap (£11,828: 1m 141y) (12)

Sam James 1 (5) 03132 EARTH DRUMMER 23 D O'Meara 4-9-7 2 (3) 013-0 HAAF A SIXPENCE 315 (C,BF) R Beckett 5-9-7 G Gibbons M Harley 3 (10) 0-044 ENERGIA FLAVIO 23 (P) M Botti 4-9-5 G Baker 4 (1) 00552 INGLEBY ANGEL 14 (D) D O'Meara 5-9-4 S Levey 5 (8) 14424 FLOW 81 (T) D Brown 4-9-4 J Fanning 6 (7) 05506 KOSIKA 9 M Johnston 4-9-2 D Swift 7 (2) 05213 TY GWR 25 (C,D) B Ellison 5-9-1 Doubtful 8 (12) 00000 SLEEPER KING 36 L Cumani 3-8-13 J Mitchell 9 (4) 32023 PLUCKY DIP 2 (C,BF) John Ryan 3-8-10 J Haynes (3) 10 (9) 14100 ISHIKAWA 9 (C) K Burke 6-8-10 11 (6) 00001 STEVENTON STAR 14 (V,C) M Scudamore 3-8-10 W Twiston-Davies 12(11) 50210 MELVIN THE GRATE 21 (BF) A Balding 4-8-9 D Probert 3-1 Earth Drummer, 5-1 Ingleby Angel, 7-1 Ty Gwr, Energia Flavio, 8-1 others.

6.45

Handicap (£2,264: 7f 32y) (12)

S Drowne (1) 25500 KOHARU 30 (P) P Makin 4-9-7 (4) 04652 HAMIS AL BIN 15 (T,C) J M Bradley 5-9-6 Luke Morris (8) 06300 PRINCE OF PASSION 15 (C,D) D Shaw 6-9-6 T Hamilton J Fanning (11) 35050 BONJOUR STEVE 14 (P) R Price 3-9-6 (12) 15303 HIDDEN ASSET 15 (C,BF) M Appleby 4-9-6 Hayley Turner L Jones (6) 00040 TABLEFORTEN 29 (P) J Moore 3-9-6 (9) 05001 PRIGSNOV DANCER 15 (P,C,D) Mrs D Sanderson 9-9-6 D A Parkes (7) 8 (2) -2025 LITTLECOTE LADY 15 (V) M Usher 5-9-5 Charlotte Jenner (7) 9 (5) 00000 OFFICER IN COMMAND 25 (P,C) J Butler 8-9-4 L Keniry R Da Silva 10(10) 20065 BALTIC PRINCE 36 (C,D) A Carroll 4-9-4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

folio: I’ve got my snooker, I’ve got my running, I’ve got my Eurosport work and I’ve got my kids [two children with Jo Langley, his former girlfriend, and a daughter from a previous relationship.

O’Sullivan is at present with Laila Rouass, the actress]. There’s certain things that I need to do to be happy. And then the snooker can happen automatically.”

Hearteningly, the consequence of playing less has been a return to form.

“I’m playing my best snooker,” O’Sullivan said. “At times, I’m feeling invincible. Perspective tells me I had a good season last year. I played really poorly in the Champion of Champions and I managed to win that. Come the Masters, I was about to pull out the day before because I was having terrible anxiety about playing and I just thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ But a friend talked me into going and I ended up winning that tournament and playing

some of the best snooker I’ve ever played. And I won the Welsh Open.

“Then I hit a period just before the World Championship and my game wasn’t in great shape, but I still made the final and I was still 10-5 up. I came up against an opponent [Selby] that I needed to be on my best form against, and I wasn’t. But even then I was four frames away from winning a third world title on the trot.

“There have been spells where it felt like turning the tap on; it was there. And I felt, this is easy, this is lovely, I could do this until the day I die.”

Shame, then, about the ankle. But then perhaps it was always true that no one stops Ronnie quite like Ronnie.

6 British Eurosport HD broadcasts 19 tournaments per season, including the UK Championship. The latest episode of The Ronnie O’Sullivan Show airs today at 12.30pm on British Eurosport 2.

11 (3) 60000 STUN GUN 16 (D) D Shaw 4-9-4 12 (7) 41423 COPPER CAVALIER 7 (V,C,D) R Cowell 3-9-2

5-1 Copper Cavalier, 11-2 Baltic Prince, Hidden Asset, 6-1 Hamis Al Bin, Littlecote Lady, 7-1 Prigsnov Dancer, 12-1 others.

5 6 7 8

7.15

11-4 Cerutty, Personal Opinion, 7-2 Art Scholar, 11-2 Esteaming, 7-1 Vivat Rex, 16-1 Aladdins Cave, The Lock Master, 20-1 Uramazin.

D Swift M Harley

Maiden Stakes

(2-Y-O: £2,911: 7f 32y) (12)

ACCLAMATE (T) M Botti 9-5 M Harley 1 (7) 6 ACE OF MARMALADE 16 B Ellison 9-5 T Eaves 2 (2) 35 CHINA CLUB 19 (H,BF) J Gosden 9-5 R Havlin 3 (3) 0 CIAO CIELO 96 (BF) T D Barron 9-5 G Gibbons 4 (12) 0 MUHAAFIZ 52 D Brown 9-5 S Levey 5 (11) A Kirby 6 (10) 3343 RAHMAH 42 R Cowell 9-5 5 ROYAL BLESSING 49 G Peckham 9-5 Luke Morris 7 (6) 54 WAALEEF 17 M Botti 9-5 P Sirigu 8 (1) WHAT ASHAM R Beckett 9-5 P C O'Donnell (7) 9 (8) KELLOURA R Fahey 9-0 G Chaloner 10 (4) 00 MARSOOMAH 33 R Fahey 9-0 T Hamilton 11 (5) J Egan 12 (9) 0632 TAMARIN 39 (BF) P D Evans 9-0 11-4 China Club, 7-2 Rahmah, 6-1 Tamarin, 8-1 Ciao Cielo, 10-1 Acclamate, What Asham, 12-1 Royal Blessing, 14-1 Kelloura, 16-1 others.

7.45

Handicap (£7,246: 1m 4f 50y) (8)

G Gibbons 1 (3) 62540 ESTEAMING 21 (D) T D Barron 4-9-10 2 (5) 10000 THE LOCK MASTER 23 (C,D) M Appleby 7-9-8 Alistair Rawlinson (5) G Baker 3 (1) 00000 URAMAZIN 23 (H) P Hide 8-9-8 4 (6) 60-00 ALADDINS CAVE 15 (T,V,D) R Watson (Ire) 10-9-1 S Donohoe

(4) 12000 PERSONAL OPINION 97 (C,D) C Appleby 3-9-0 A Kirby R Tate (3) (2) 04453 ART SCHOLAR 15 (C,D) M Appleby 7-8-11 J Fanning (7) 100 VIVAT REX 24 (B,D) A Bailey 3-8-10 Luke Morris (8) 65331 CERUTTY 26 (CD) M Botti 3-8-8

8.15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Handicap (£2,911: 1m 4f 50y) (9)

K Lundie (7) (8) 00260 EL BRAVO 36 (C,D) Shaun Harris 8-9-10 P McDonald (1) 02444 MOCCASIN 12 G Harker 5-9-7 0-004 RUGGERO 35J (H,D) R Brotherton 4-9-4 T Eaves (2) G Baker (9) 33356 MISS CRYSTAL 36 (H) C Hills 3-9-4 A Kirby (3) 50100 THANE OF CAWDOR 17 (D) J Tuite 5-9-3 Luke Morris (4) 63403 HESKA 23 (T,P) M Appleby 3-9-2 M Harley (7) 040 FRONT RUN 82 M Botti 3-9-2 (5) 56502 ANJUNA BEACH 7 (D) Miss A Stokell 4-9-0 Ann Stokell (5) (6) 41230 GIANT SEQUOIA 42 (T,D) D Donovan 10-8-11 S W Kelly

7-2 Anjuna Beach, 4-1 Heska, 5-1 Moccasin, 11-2 Miss Crystal, 7-1 Front Run, 17-2 Giant Sequoia, 9-1 El Bravo, 10-1 Thane Of Cawdor, 16-1 Ruggero.

8.45 1 2 3 4 5

Handicap

(Div I: £2,264: 1m 1f 103y) (13)

R Da Silva (4) 54600 DESTINY BLUE 25 (T) S France 7-9-7 C Beasley (3) (8) 30260 INDIAN GIVER 14 (V) J Riches 6-9-5 P McDonald (7) 51160 CATCHING ZEDS 8 (P,C,D) K Frost 7-9-4 (3) 40000 KATMAI RIVER 92 (C) M Usher 7-9-3 Charlotte Jenner (7) (6) /4200 LORD OF THE STORM 79 (D) W G M Turner 6-9-2 R While (5)

among the exhibitions and pool promotion work in China, he cannot imagine not lifting a cue in anger one more time. “I’m not right to play snooker just at the moment,” Hendry said. “I’m not practising, so I’m not going to be going and embarrassing myself just for the sake of a bit of publicity.

“But I do miss playing and I have thought about it. I make centuries in exhibitions and can feel good about it.

Snooker is in my blood and always will be, it is my life. And standing here right now, I would be surprised if I never played any competitive snooker again.

“The UK appeals because you are straight to the venue, so maybe next year. If the tournament remains the way it is now in 12 months’ time, there is a good chance I would play a top seed on a table in the main arena.

“The World Championship this season is a bit different, you’d have to psych yourself up for winning several matches at Ponds Forge. But if I had had the chance to pick and choose like Ronnie O’Sullivan is now under the prize-money ranking system, I’d probably still be playing.”

Luke Morris 6 (1) 00000 OVERRIDER 10 (T,P,C) S Lycett 4-9-1 A Kirby 7 (9) 30006 CHERRY TIGER 11 (H) G McPherson 4-9-0 R Tate (3) 8 (2) 42244 ROYAL MIZAR 8 (P) Ralph J Smith 4-9-0 M Harley 9 (10) 06-04 ROCK CHARM 39 S C Williams 3-8-13 Amy Scott (3) 10(12) 02001 SARLAT 8 (CD) W M Brisbourne 3-8-12 11(11) 20400 PERSEVERENT PETE 8 Mrs C Dunnett 4-8-12 L Keniry 12(13) 0-060 MOISSANITE 16 (T) S Regan 5-8-12 Danielle Mooney (7) S Donohoe 13 (5) 34226 MOULIN ROUGE I Williams 3-8-9 9-2 Rock Charm, 5-1 Royal Mizar, Sarlat, 11-2 Moulin Rouge, 17-2 Cherry Tiger, 9-1 Catching Zeds, 10-1 Indian Giver, 11-1 Katmai River, 14-1 others.

9.15

Handicap

(Div II: £2,264: 1m 1f 103y) (13)

1 (4) 65345 YORKSTERS PRINCE 14 (P,D) Mrs M Fife 7-9-6 J Fanning Renato Souza 2 (10) 35430 ASSOLUTA 31 S Kirk 3-9-4 H Burns (7) 3 (11) 44403 SNOW DANCER 8 (P,C,D) J Riches 10-9-3 S W Kelly 4 (9) 35004 CALEDONIA LAIRD 15 J Hughes 3-9-3 A Kirby 5 (1) 55500 BUZZ LAW 3 (T) J Weymes 6-9-1 Luke Morris 6 (13) -3401 SAN QUENTIN 24 (P) A Carroll 3-9-1 00005 IT'S TABOO 30 M Usher 4-9-0 L Keniry 7 (12) D Probert 8 (7) 03050 JESSY MAE 36 D Haydn Jones 3-8-13 Martin Lane 9 (3) 06400 JERSEY CREAM 89 A Brown 3-8-12 S Donohoe 10 (8) 05300 MY NEW ANGEL 79 D Loughnane 5-8-12 E J Walsh (5) 11 (2) -6036 FLUMPS 9 (V) J Stimpson 5-8-12 L Jones 12 (5) 64500 DARK PHANTOM 14 (B) P Makin 3-8-10 R Tate (3) 13 (6) -5000 PERCYS PRINCESS 56 M Appleby 3-8-9 4-1 San Quentin, 11-2 Snow Dancer, 6-1 Dark Phantom, 13-2 It's Taboo, 8-1 Caledonia Laird, Yorksters Prince, 9-1 Assoluta, 11-1 Flumps, 12-1 others.

82

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Sport Cricket

Rise of the short ball has reflected manners and habits of the age John Woodcock says that intimidation has become central to a fast bowler’s armoury in a more aggressive world

I

ronic as it may seem, the chances are that the ball that struck Phillip Hughes on the head on the Sydney Cricket Ground this week with such tragic consequences was of just the type that he was hoping for. He was well set and as an inveterate, if not always convincing, hooker, he would have relished the challenge presented

by Sean Abbott’s bouncer.

If the lofted straight drive for six is the game’s most majestic stroke, the late cut the deftest and the cover drive, which is essentially the creation more of timing than power, the property of the few (David Gower, Len Hutton and Colin Cowdrey), the hook has an exhilaration of its own, owing to the daring and dangers it involves. And the faster the bowling the more dramatic and hazardous it is.

This element of danger surfaced most famously during the Bodyline tour to Australia in 1932-33, bringing with it such rancour, especially among the spectators in the Adelaide Test, that the England team were given instructions by their captain, Douglas Jardine, as to who should do what if the crowd came over the pickets.

“I’ll take a stump and guard Harold [Larwood],” he said. “You Bob [Wyatt,

the vice-captain] take a stump and guard Bill [Voce] and the rest of you run for your lives.”

Yet it was many years before fears for the safety of batsmen, brought about by short-pitched bowling, became more than an occasional issue. In the 1950s when England, unusually for them, had four outstanding fast bowlers — Fred Trueman, Brian Statham, Frank Tyson and Peter Loader — they all used the bouncer sparingly, especially Tyson, the fastest of them, who used it hardly at all. By the time of the next bumper crop, as it were, of bowlers capable of 90mph and serial intimidation — Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee among them — the world was becoming a more impenitently aggressive place,

‘It is no longer the beautiful, sanctified game I grew up to love’ and cricket has always reflected the manners and habits of the age.

Finally, of course, came the battery of West Indies firebrands, and with them a rapidly rising concern for the safety of batsmen and the charm of the game.

Among umpires everywhere, too, there was a wanton reluctance to grant batsmen the protection that the Laws prescribed, just as there was a reluctance by the legislators to tighten the Laws, partly for not knowing how best to do it, but also for fear of seeming to be prejudiced against West Indies.

To this day, I shudder at the recollection of the closing overs of the

third day’s play of the Old Trafford Test match against West Indies in 1976. West Indies had declared their second innings with a lead of 551, and during the 70 minutes left for play Brian Close and John Edrich, two bare-headed veterans, were fortunate to escape with their lives. The pairing of these two had first been mooted when Surrey were playing Sussex at Guildford that year.

Tony Greig, then England’s captain, had said to Edrich that he would be pressing for him to go in first in the Test matches. “All right,” Edrich said. “But I am getting on a bit, you know. I’m 39.

Who’d my partner be?” “Probably Closey,” came the reply. “But he’s 45,” Edrich said. “Yes, I know that,” Greig said. “But I want you to protect the younger players.”

So it was that Close and Edrich walked out together that evening at Old Trafford, and gave a performance of extraordinary courage. Given a free rein by the umpires, Bill Alley and Lloyd Budd, both highly regarded and greatly experienced, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts could, to all the world, have seemed to be trying to decapitate the batsmen. It was horrid and a great worry.

None too soon, albeit sadly, came the batting helmet to change the face of the game. It may have answered the call of realism, but it was inevitably unsightly.

Even now, to see tiny toddlers walking to the wicket weighed down by a helmet, yet feeling thoroughly grown up for wearing one, distresses me. How, thus encumbered, can they discover their full potential and feel the beauty of freedom? Think of W G Grace, Don

Bumper year: Close evades a ball from Holding at Old Trafford in 1976, when he

Bradman or Denis Compton in a helmet. I’d rather not.

Yet even Sir Donald Bradman , much as he disliked helmets, told me that he might well have worn one in the Bodyline series had they been available.

And while watching Australia playing

West Indies at Melbourne in 1988 with Leo O’Brien, who had played for Australia as a batsman in the Bodyline series, he said, as two, three or even four balls an over had Australia’s batsmen ducking for cover, “Bodyline was not as bad as this, you know.”

Cricket fixtures Key: (F) denotes floodlit match

March

Sunday 22: Champion County match (four days): Abu Dhabi: MCC v Yorkshire.

April

Thursday 2: MCC University matches (all three days): Fenner’s: Cambridge MCCU v Northamptonshire.

SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Cardiff MCCU. Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Loughborough MCCU. The Parks: Oxford MCCU v Worcestershire. Taunton Vale: Somerset v Durham MCCU. Hove: Sussex v Leeds/Bradford MCCU. Tuesday 7: MCC University matches (all three days): Fenner’s: Cambridge MCCU v Leicestershire. Emirates Durham: Durham v Durham MCCU. Bristol: Gloucestershire v Cardiff MCCU. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Loughborough. The Parks: Oxford MCCU v Middlesex.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Leeds/Bradford MCCU. Sunday 12: LV= County Championship: First division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Sussex.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Nottinghamshire.

Taunton: Somerset v Durham. Worcester: Worcestershire v Yorkshire. Second division: Leicester: Leicestershire v Glamorgan.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire. MCC University matches (all three days): Fenner’s: Cambridge MCCU v Derbyshire. Chelmsford: Essex v Cardiff MCCU. Canterbury: Kent v Loughborough MCCU. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashirev Leeds/Bradford MCCU. The Parks: Oxford MCCU v Surrey. Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Durham MCCU. Sunday 19: LV= County Championship: First division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire. Hove: Sussex v Worcestershire.

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Hampshire. Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Lancashire.

Chelmsford: Essex v Kent. SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Surrey.

Sunday 26: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Sussex.

Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Nottinghamshire.

Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex. Headingley: Yorkshire v Warwickshire. Second division: Bristol: Gloucestershire v Derbyshire. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Kent. Leicester: Leicestershire v Northamptonshire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Essex.

May

Saturday 2: LV= County Championship: First division: Lord’s: Middlesex v Durham.

Sunday 3: LV= County Championship: First division: Worcester: Worcestershire v Somerset. Second division: Chelmsford: Essex v Gloucestershire. SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Derbyshire.

Canterbury: Kent v Leicestershire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Lancashire.

Friday 8: One-day international: Dublin: Ireland v England.

Tour match (four days): Taunton: Somerset v New Zealanders.

Saturday 9: LV= County Championship: First division: Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire.

Sunday 10: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Nottinghamshire. Hove: Sussex v Middlesex.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Hampshire. Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Northamptonshire. Canterbury: Kent v Glamorgan. Emirates OId Trafford: Lancashire v Gloucestershire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Leicestershire.

Thursday 14: Tour match (four days): Worcester: Worcestershire v New Zealanders.

Friday 15: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Northamptonshire. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Leicestershire (F). Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Birmingham Bears (F).

Headingley: Yorkshire v Derbyshire (F). South division: Bristol: Gloucestershire v Middlesex.

Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Essex (F).

Canterbury: Kent v Sussex (F). Kia Oval: Surrey v Glamorgan (F).

Saturday 16: NatWest T20 Blast: South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Surrey.

Sunday 17: LV= County Championship: First division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Middlesex.

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Somerset.

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Durham. Second division: Leicester: Leicestershire v Lancashire.

NatWest T20 Blast: South division: Hove: Sussex v Gloucestershire.

Monday 18: LV= County Championship: Second division: SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Essex.

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Kent. Northampton: Northamptonshire v Surrey.

Thursday 21: First Investec Test match: Lord’s: England v New Zealand.

Friday 22: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Worcestershire (F).

Emirates OLd Trafford: Lancashire v Durham (F).

Leicester: Leicestershire v Derbyshire. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire (F). South division: SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Essex

(F). Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Kent (F).

Taunton: Somerset v Sussex.

Sunday 24: LV= County Championship: First division: Taunton: Somerset v Yorkshire. Hove: Sussex v Warwickshire.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Durham. Second division: Bristol: Gloucestershire v Essex. Beckenham: Kent v Surrey. Liverpool: Lancashire v Derbyshire.

Thursday 28: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Leicester: Leicestershire v Durham.

Derby: Derbyshire v Lancashire. South division: Lord’s: Middlesex v Kent.

Friday 29: Second Investec Test match: Headingley: England v New Zealand. NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Yorkshire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Birmingham Bears (F).

Worcester: Worcestershire v Leicestershire.

South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Somerset (F). SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Hampshire (F). Beckenham: Kent v Surrey. Hove: Sussex v Middlesex (F).

Sunday 31: LV= County Championship: First division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Worcestershire.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Warwickshire. Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire. Chelmsford: Essex v Leicestershire. SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Northamptonshire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Lancashire. NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Durham. South division: Taunton: Somerset v Kent.

June

Monday 1: LV= County Championship: First division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Sussex.

Thursday 4: NatWest T20 Blast: South division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Middlesex (F).

Friday 5: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Derby: Derbyshire v Durham. Northampton: Northamptonshire v Worcestershire. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Lancashire (F). South division: SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Middlesex.

Beckenham: Kent v Gloucestershire.

Taunton: Somerset v Hampshire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Essex.

Saturday 6: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Birmingham Bears. Tour match (one day): Leicester: Leicestershire v New Zealanders.

Sunday 7: LV= County Championship: First

Worcestershire’s tough start Richard Hobson

Yorkshire, the winners of the LV= County Championship last season, will begin the defence of the title against promoted Worcestershire when the competition begins a week later than in 2014, on Sunday, April 12. “They have certainly given us a nice, warm welcome back to division one, playing against the champions,” David Leatherdale, the Worcestershire chief executive, said.

The NatWest t20 Blast, increasingly the showpiece of the season, will be played again through the campaign, mainly on Fridays, rather than in a division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Somerset. Hove: Sussex v Hampshire.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Middlesex. Second division: Bristol: Gloucestershire v Lancashire.

Canterbury: Kent v Derbyshire. Leicester: Leicestershire v Surrey.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Essex.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire.

Tuesday 9: First Royal London one-day international: Edgbaston: England v New Zealand (F).

Thursday 11: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Northampton: Northamptonshire v Derbyshire (F). South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Gloucestershire (F).

Friday 12: Second Royal London one-day international: Kia Oval: England v New Zealand (F). NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Nottinghamshire (F). Emirates Durham:

block, despite a drop in average attendances last summer. The competition is due to begin on May 15 and finals day is at Edgbaston on August 29.

The Royal London Cup, again 50 overs, will start on July 25 and the Lord’s final will be on September 19. The date in the second half of the month will present another challenge to sell tickets.

England are sure to dominate proceedings in the second half of the season, when Australia visit for a third Ashes series in two years. New Zealand will face England before then, while the England women are also due to take on Australia.

Durham v Worcestershire. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Derbyshire (F).

Leicester: Leicestershire v Northamptonshire.

South division: Bristol: Gloucestershire v Glamorgan. Canterbury: Kent v Hampshire (F).

Taunton: Somerset v Surrey. Hove: Sussex v Essex (F).

Saturday 13: NatWest T20 Blast: South division: Glamorgan v Somerset.

Sunday 14: Third Royal London one-day international: Ageas Bowl: England v New Zealand. LV= County Championship: First division: Taunton: Somerset v Nottinghamshire. Worcester: Worcestershire v Warwickshire. Second division: Chelmsford: Essex v Derbyshire. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Leicestershire. NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Headingley: Yorkshire v Northamptonshire. South division: Richmond: Middlesex v Gloucestershire. Arundel: Sussex v Surrey.

Monday 15: LV= County Championship: First division: Arundel: Sussex v Durham. Second division: Guildford: Surrey v Glamorgan.

Wednesday 17: Fourth Royal London one-day international: Trent Bridge: England v New Zealand (F).

Thursday 18: NatWest T20 Blast (all F): North division: Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire.

Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Worcestershire. South division: Canterbury: Kent v Essex. Lord’s: Middlesex v Hampshire.

Friday 19: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Leicestershire (F). Northampton: Northamptonshire v Lancashire (F). Worcester: Worcestershire v Derbyshire.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire (F).

South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Glamorgan (F). Bristol: Gloucestershire v Somerset. Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Sussex (F). Kia Oval: Surrey v Kent (F).

Saturday 20: Fifth Royal London one-day international: Emirates Durham: England v New Zealand.

LV= County Championship: Second division: Northamptonshire v Kent.

Sunday 21: LV= County Championship: First division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Somerset.

Uxbridge: Middlesex v Worcestershire.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire.

Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Surrey.

SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Sussex.

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Essex. NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Yorkshire.

Monday 22: LV= County Championship: Second division: SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Leicestershire.

Tuesday 23: Sixth Royal London one-day international: Emirates Old Trafford: England v New Zealand (F).

Thursday 25: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Lancashire. Tour match (four days): Canterbury: Kent v Australians.

Friday 26: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Derby: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire (F).

Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Birmingham Bears (F).

Leicester: Leicestershire v Yorkshire. Worcester: Worcestershire v Northamptonshire. South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Hampshire (F).

SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Surrey (F).

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Sussex. Uxbridge: Middlesex v Somerset.

Saturday 27: LV= County Championship: Second

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

83

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Cricket Sport

PATRICK EAGAR

Australia begins safety review Richard Hobson Deputy Cricket Correspondent

and Edrich faced a sickening onslaught from West Indies’ battery of fast bowlers

Cricket will get over the shock, if not the sadness, of the past few days.

There is no need for the game to have it on its conscience, nor for the bowler to do so, as there would have been had Close or Edrich met the same fate as Hughes.

division: Kia Oval: Surrey v Gloucestershire.

NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Northamptonshire.

Sunday: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Yorkshire. Lord’s: Middlesex v Hampshire.

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Sussex. NatWest T20 Blast South division: Somerset v Glamorgan.

Monday 29: LV= County Championship: First division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire. Second division: Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Northamptonshire.

July

Wednesday 1: Tour match (four days): Chelmsford: Essex v Australians. NatWest T20 Blast: South division: Kia Oval: Surrey v Gloucestershire (F).

Thursday 2: NatWest T20 Blast: South division: Lord’s: Middlesex v Sussex (F).

Friday 3: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Derbyshire (F). Emirates Durham: Durham v Leicestershire. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Yorkshire. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire (F). South division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Glamorgan (F). Taunton: Somerset v Gloucestershire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Middlesex (F). Hove: Sussex v Kent (F).

Saturday 4: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Leicester: Leicestershire v Birmingham Bears.

Sunday 5: LV= County Championship: First division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Middlesex. Taunton: Somerset v Sussex.

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Yorkshire. Second division: Leicester: Leicestershire. NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Northamptonshire. Worcester: Worcestershire v Durham.

Monday 6: LV= County Championship: First division: Worcester: Worcestershire v Hampshire. Second division: Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Glamorgan. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Essex.

Wednesday 8: First Investec Test match: SWALEC Stadium: England v Australia.

LV= County Championship: Second division: Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire.

Friday 10: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Leicester: Leicestershire v Lancashire (F).

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire (F). Headingley: Yorkshire v Durham (F).

To me, cricket is no longer the beautiful, sanctified, urbane game that I grew up to love with such a passion.

But nothing has ever been what it was, and it still has a singular attraction, many incomparable moments and rivalries going back for centuries.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Birmingham Bears. South division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Surrey. Canterbury: Kent v Somerset (F).

TBC: Middlesex v Essex. Hove: Sussex v Glamorgan (F).

Saturday 11: LV= County Championship: First division: TBC: Middlesex v Somerset.

Sunday 12: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Warwickshire. Second division: Chelmsford: Essex v Glamorgan. NatWest Blast T20: North division: Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Yorkshire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Leicestershire. South division: Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Kent.

Monday 13: LV= County Championship: Second division: Kia Oval: Surrey v Kent.

Tuesday 14: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Headingley: Yorkshire v Worcestershire (F).

South division: Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Hampshire.

Wednesday 15: LV= County Championship: Second division: Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire. NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Nottinghamshire (F).

Thursday 16: Second Investec Test match: Lord’s: England v Australia.

Friday 17: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Lancashire (F).

Derby: Derbyshire v Worcestershire (F).

Emirates Durham: Durham v Nottinghamshire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Yorkshire (F). South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Middlesex (F). TBC: Kent v Glamorgan. Kia Oval: Surrey v Somerset (F). Hove: Sussex v Hampshire Saturday 18: LV= County Championship: First division: Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Somerset.

Second division: Northampton: Northamptonshire v Derbyshire. Sunday 19: LV= County Championship: First division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Durham. Horsham: Sussex v Nottinghamshire. Scarborough: Yorkshire v Worcestershire. Second division: Colwyn Bay: Glamorgan v Lancashire.

Tunbridge Wells: Kent v Essex.

Tuesday 21: First Royal London women’s oneday international: Taunton: England v Australia.

Wednesday 22: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Edgbaston: Birmingham Bears v Northamptonshire (F).

Thursday 23: Tour match (three days): Derby: Derbyshire v Australians. Second Royal London women’s one-day international: Bristol: England v Australia. NatWest T20 Blast: South

Cricket Australia is to launch a review into player safety after the death on Thursday of Phillip Hughes, who will continue to be mourned at all levels of the game across the world this weekend.

James Sutherland, the chief executive, said that officials will be working with manufacturers and regulators to assess whether improvements can be made after Hughes failed to recover from a blow to the head from a bouncer during a state game on Tuesday.

“Statistics say it is clearly a freak incident, but one freak incident is one too many,” Sutherland said. “Of course, that puts us in a position of looking into the issue.”

Alastair Cook, the England captain, said that the tragedy was “a real reminder to everyone to take nothing for granted” and that safety must continue to be improved. He added: “Improvements even since I started playing have gone through the roof, especially technology going into helmets, but we need to keep working as hard as we can.”

Doubts remain over whether the first Test between Australia and India will go ahead on Thursday as the home squad continue to grieve. “It does not seem too far away, but in other ways it is a million miles away,” Sutherland said. “We will get there when we can.”

A memorial service will be held at the Sydney Cricket et Ground (SCG) , where Hughes was felled, at a date to be arranged. A date is yet to be

division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Somerset (F). Lord’s: Middlesex v Surrey (F).

Friday 24: NatWest T20 Blast: North division: Leicester: Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Durham.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Lancashire.

Headingley: Yorkshire v Birmingham Bears.

South division: Chelmsford: Essex v Kent.

SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Gloucestershire. Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex. Kia Oval: Surrey v Sussex.

Saturday 25: Royal London Cup: Group A: Northampton: Northamptonshire v Durham.

Group B: Welbeck Colliery CC: Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire.

Sunday 26: Third Royal London women’s oneday international: Worcester: England v Australia Women. Royal London Cup: Group A: Leicester: Leicestershire v Surrey. Taunton: Somerset v Derbyshire. Scarborough: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire. Group B: TBC: Kent v Essex.

Lord’s: Middlesex v Warwickshire. Welbeck Colliery CC: Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan.

Horsham: Sussex v Lancashire.

Monday 27: Royal London Cup: Group A: Derby: Derbyshire v Yorkshire (F). Emirates Durham: Durham v Worcestershire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Northamptonshire (F). Group B: Chelmsford: Essex v Lancashire (F). Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Sussex (F).

Tuesday 28: Royal London Cup: Group B: SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Kent (F).

Wednesday 29: Third Investec Test match: Edgbaston: England v Australia.

Wednesday 29: Royal London Cup: Group A: Bristol: Gloucestershire v Derbyshire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Leicestershire (F). Taunton: Somerset v Durham: Kia Oval: Surrey v Yorkshire. Group B: Chelmsford: Essex v Warwickshire (F).

Blackpool: Lancashire v Middlesex.

Thursday 30: England Under-19 match: Loughborough: England Under-19 v Under-19 Unicorns. Royal London Cup: Group A: Worcester: Worcestershire v Yorkshire. Group B: Canterbury: Kent v Hampshire (F). Hove: Sussex v Nottinghamshire (F).

Friday 31: Royal London Cup: Group A: Derby: Derbyshire v Northamptonshire (F). Emirates Durham: Durham v Surrey. Leicester: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire. Taunton: Somerset v Worcestershire.

Group B: SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Essex (F).

Radlett: Middlesex v Kent.

August

Saturday 1: Royal London Cup: Group B: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Middlesex.

set for the funeral and Cook said that he has to consider whether he might leave the one-day tour in Sri Lanka to represent England as the head of the team.

England players were among those to support #putoutyourbats, which grew into a huge show of respect for Hughes after an initial gesture by a cricket supporter in Sydney. People were asked to prop up their bats in windows, yards or public spaces to present a picture of unity across cricket-playing nations.

At the highest level, members of the Australia squad, plus Sean Abbott, the bowler who inadvertently struck Hughes, met at the SCG where they were addressed by Peter Brukner, the team doctor, and Michael Lloyd, the team psychologist.

Cricket Australia issued a number of suggestions for Hughes to be remembered at grade and school matches today and tomorrow. These include allowing children to retire on 63 — his unbeaten score in his final innings — rather than the standard 50, and reducing adult games to 63 overs per side. It also recommended a 63-second period of silence before play. bef Tributes continued to pour in and Cook said that England’s second game in the sevenmatch series against Sri Lanka today (4.30am GMT start) may lack the usual intensity, even though both sides “would try to put on a good show out of respect”.

Sunday 2: Royal London Cup: Group A: Emirates Durham: Durham v Yorkshire. Bristol: Gloucestershire v Somerset. Guildford: Surrey v Derbyshire. Worcester: Worcestershire v Northamptonshire. Group B: Chelmsford: Essex v Nottinghamshire.

SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Hampshire. Canterbury: Kent v Sussex. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Warwickshire.

Monday 3: Royal London Cup: Group A: Northampton: Northamptonshire v Somerset (F). Headingley: Yorkshire v Leicestershire.

Group B: Hove: Sussex v Middlesex (F).

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Glamorgan (F).

Tuesday 4: Royal London Cup: Group A: Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire (F). Bristol: Gloucestershire v Durham. Kia Oval: Surrey v Worcestershire (F). Group B: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Essex (F). Canterbury: Kent v Northamptonshire. Liverpool: Lancashire v Nottinghamshire. Under-19 international match (four days): Emirates Durham: England v Australia.

Wednesday 5: Royal London Cup: Group A:Worcester: Worcestershire v Gloucestershire. Scarborough: Yorkshire v Somerset. Group B: Colchester: Essex v Middlesex. Swansea: Glamorgan v Sussex.

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Hampshire (F).

Thursday 6: Fourth Investec Test match: Trent Bridge: England v Australia. LV= County Championship: Second division: Swansea: Glamorgan v Gloucestershire. Royal London Cup: Group A: Leicester: Leicestershire v Durham.

Group B: Lord’s: Middlesex v Nottinghamshire.

Friday 7: LV= County Championship: First division: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Warwickshire. Lord’s: Middlesex v Sussex.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire.

Scarborough: Yorkshire v Durham. Second division: Colchester: Essex v Surrey. Leicester: Leicestershire v Derbyshire.

Saturday 8: Royal London Cup: Group B: Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire.

Tuesday 11: First Royal London under-19 international: TBC: England v Australia. Kia women’s four-day international: Canterbury: England v Australia.

Wednesday 12: NatWest T20 Blast: Quarterfinal (F).

Thursday 13: NatWest T20 Blast: Quarter-final (F).

Friday 14: NatWest T20 Blast: Quarter-final (F). Tour match (three days): Northampton: Northamptonshire v Australians. Second

As well as both being left-handed opening batsmen, Cook also shared a love of farming with Hughes. Sheep and cattle became unlikely subjects of conversation between the pair after the 2013 Ashes.

“He was an outstanding talent,” Cook said. “There is no doubt in my mind that he would have become a fantastic player for Australia and to be cut short like that is an absolute shame and a tragedy.”

However, Cook does not intend to change the way he plays, even if the loss has served as a reminder of inherent dangers.

“The game of cricket will move on,” he said. “What it has certainly clarified in my mind is that it is just a sport, and a real reminder that we play hard because we represent our country, but there is a right way of doing that.”

Jeremy Snape, the former England player working as a psychologist for the Sri Lanka team, predicted that some players may struggle to retain their toughest competitive edge in the short term. “The world of cricket will have a more pensive mood over the next few weeks,” he said.

But asking bowlers to slow down or not bowl bouncers was like asking Formula One drivers to obey the speed limit on the track, he said. “I do not think the game will change for ever,” Snape added. “We have to be philosophical about what Phil would want.

He was a tough competitor himself, a fantastic team man, and would probably love the battle as much as anyone.

He would want the game to carry on.”

Inside today

Cook said players should take nothing for granted

Royal London under-19 one-day international: TBC: England v Australia.

Saturday 15: NatWest T20 Blast: Quarter-final.

Monday 17: Royal London Cup: Group A: Emirates Durham: Durham v Derbyshire.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire. Taunton: Somerset v Surrey.

Worcester:Worcestershire v Leicestershire.

Group B: Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Lancashire (F). Lord’s: Middlesex v Glamorgan. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Kent (F). TBC: Warwickshire v Sussex. Third Royal London under-19 one-day international: Derby: England v Australia (F).

Tuesday 18: Royal London Cup: Group A: Derby: Derbyshire v Worcestershire.

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Surrey.

Leicester: Leicestershire v Somerset. Headingley: Yorkshire v Northamptonshire.

Wednesday 19: Royal London Cup: Group B (all F): Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Glamorgan. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Hampshire. Hove: Sussex v Essex. Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Kent.

Thursday 20: Fifth Investec Test match: Kia Oval: England v Australia. Third Royal London under-19 one-day international: Leicester: England v Australia.

Friday 21: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Middlesex. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire.

Taunton: Somerset v Worcestershire. Hove: Sussex v Yorkshire.

Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Kent.

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Surrey. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Glamorgan.

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Leicestershire.

Saturday 22: Fourth Royal London under-19 international: Worcester: England v Australia.

Tuesday 25: Royal London Cup: Two quarterfinals (F).

Wednesday 26: Royal London Cup: Quarterfinal. First NatWest women’s Twenty20 international: Chelmsford: England v Australia (F).

Thursday 27: Royal London Cup: Quarter-final (F). One-day international: Belfast: Ireland v Australia.

Friday 28: Second NatWest women’s Twenty20 international: Hove: England v Australia (F).

Saturday 29: NatWest T20 Blast: Edgbaston: Finals day (F).

Monday 31: NatWest Twenty20 international: SWALEC Stadium: England v

Players and fans sign up to Twitter bats tribute News, page 12

Australia. Third NatWest women’s Twenty20 international: SWALEC Stadium: England v Australia.

September

Tuesday 1: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Hampshire. Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Middlesex. Worcester: Worcestershire v Sussex. Headingley: Yorkshire v Somerset.

Second division: Chelmsford: Essex v Northamptonshire. Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire. Leicester: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire. Kia Oval: Surrey v Derbyshire.

Thursday 3: First Royal London one-day international: Ageas Bowl: England v Australia (F).

Saturday 5: Second Royal London one-day international: Lord’s: England v Australia.

Sunday 6: Royal London Cup: Semi-final.

Monday 7: Royal London Cup: Semi-final (F).

Tuesday 8: Third Royal London one-day international: Emirates Old Trafford: England v Australia (F).

Wednesday 9: LV= County Championship: First division: Lord’s: Middlesex v Yorkshire. Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Durham. Taunton: Somerset v Hampshire. Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Essex. SWALEC Stadium: Glamorgan v Kent.

Friday 11: Fourth Royal London one-day international: Headingley: England v Australia.

Sunday 13: Fifth Royal London one-day international: Emirates Old Trafford: England v Australia.

Monday 14: LV= County Championship: First division: Emirates Durham: Durham v Worcestershire. Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Yorkshire. Hove: Sussex v Somerset.

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire.

Second division: Canterbury: Kent v Gloucestershire. Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Surrey. Leicester: Leicestershire v Essex. Northampton: Northamptonshire v Glamorgan.

Tuesday 22: LV= County Championship: First division: Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Hampshire.

Taunton: Somerset v Warwickshire. Worcester: Worcestershire v Middlesex. Headingley: Yorkshire v Sussex.

Second division: Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire. Chelmsford: Essex v Lancashire.

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Glamorgan. Kia Oval: Surrey v Northamptonshire.

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Allardyce has no gripe with Ashley despite Newcastle exit Around the grounds Sport Staff

Sam Allardyce said yesterday that he does not hold any grudges against Mike Ashley, despite his departure from Newcastle United almost seven years ago. In fact, the West Ham United manager praised the owner for his financial stewardship of the Tyneside club.

Allardyce was in charge of Newcastle for just 24 games of the 2007-08 season before he left by “mutual consent”.

His present and former clubs meet at Upton Park today and Allardyce said: “We didn’t know each other. I wasn’t his choice and he moved me on. I don’t have any problems with that any more and I haven’t for a long time “In fairness to Mike Ashley, my view is that [Newcastle] is a financially stable club. Financial stability was the first and foremost thing he wanted — and from there he has learnt a lot of lessons from his early days. He has learnt how to run a football club better and better.”

Steve Bruce will mark his 700th match as a manager today on familiar territory, when Hull City visit Manchester United today. Bruce has set his sights on 1,000 games despite the heavy workload.

“I get up at 5.30am and I’m straight in the shower,” Bruce said. “I’ve still got that enthusiasm. Could I reach 1,000?

I’d be heading towards 60 by then, so maybe. If I still feel the same as I do now then why not?

“Enthusiasm-wise, I’m still the same.

Allardyce’s team take on his former employers today

I wish I could join in training on a morning. I would give anything.”

Nigel Pearson, the Leicester City manager, admits that all three promoted sides have found it tough to adjust to the demands of the Barclays Premier League. Leicester, who won the Sky Bet Championship, travel to Queens Park Rangers, last year’s play-off winners, today with the pair in the bottom three along with Burnley, who were runners-up last year.

“When you look at the table, the three sides that got promoted from the Championship last year, it has not been an easy baptism,” he said. “I’m sure all three sides fancy themselves still to do well, but the adjustment is not easy.

“All three sides have shown at times that they can cope and do pretty well, but none of us have done it consistently enough.”

Tim Howard, the Everton goalkeeper, raised the stakes before tomorrow’s match against Tottenham Hotspur by setting a top-four spot as the target for the Merseyside club this season. Everton and Spurs had pre-season aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League, but their exploits in the Europa League have tested resources and both sides are situated in mid-table.

“Last year, we finished fifth and I think we are a stronger team this year,” Howard said. “It doesn’t matter what I think, though. Our performances have to speak for us and we are not a top-four or five team, but we will get there.

“The purpose is top four. We’ll fix our sights on that and see how we go. We are on 17 points with a couple of teams above us on 19. One weekend can change everything.”

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Bridcutt gets ready to bite hand that reared him Sunderland midfielder tells Matt Hughes he owes his career to the generosity of his former club, Chelsea, but hopes to show how far he has come

M

ost players relish matches against their former clubs, whether hoping to prove a point to the manager who sold them or simply for a reunion with former colleagues, but Liam Bridcutt has a special reason for looking forward to his first meeting with Chelsea today.

Without the indulgence and assistance of his old employers, the Sunderland midfielder might no longer be involved in the game, at least not professionally.

Bridcutt was at Chelsea from the age of 7 to 21, yet it is the period immediately after leaving the club that he recalls most fondly. He experienced the sinking feeling of being told he was being released in the summer of 2010, but Chelsea did not give up on a player they had never deemed good enough to select for the first team.

Despite having enjoyed lengthy loan spells at Yeovil Town, Watford and Stockport County in each of the previous three seasons, Bridcutt struggled to find another club, with trials at Crystal Palace, Wycombe Wanderers and Torquay United coming to nothing, and by the time his peers were reporting back for pre-season training a month later, he felt his situation was being compounded by a lack of fitness. A phone call from Neil Bath, Chelsea’s head of youth development, provided a lifeline, however, as he was invited back to do Bridcutt was on the books of Chelsea for 14 years

some fitness work at his former club, where he stayed training with the reserves for most of the summer.

“Chelsea went above and beyond for me,” Bridcutt says. “A lot of the time when young players are released, the clubs just say, ‘See you later’, but Chelsea were very helpful and I appreciated it. They gave me a stepping stone for the rest of my career.

“I think it made a massive difference.

There’s only so much you can do on your own to keep fit, basically going for runs and stuff, so the extra training helped to keep me sharp and focused.

“It can be hard when you leave a big club like Chelsea, as most lower-division clubs assume you’re on massive money, yo looking for a big contract, but I’d loo have been willing to play for nothing. I just wanted another chance. My contract expired in May and I went unpaid for two months, but I was delighted to have the chance to keep training, even for free.” trainin Chelsea were also influential in Bridcutt’s big break, with Ray Wilkins, the assistant manager at the time, recommending him to Gustavo Poyet, who ended Bridcutt’s unwanted summer sabbatical by taking him to Brighton & Hove Albion four days before the end of the transfer window. His debut came transf in the inauspicious setting of a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie against Leyton Orient, for which he was not even given a shirt number, but he made a big enough impression to establish himself quickly as a

Familiar face: Bridcutt came off the bench in the draw away to Leicester City and

regular, to such an extent that he followed Poyet to Sunderland in a £3 million move last January.

Chelsea provide references for the dozens of players they release each summer, and since Bridcutt’s departure have introduced a formal scheme whereby former scholars are given a bursary equivalent to a year’s salary to ease their transition to a new club or a different career, as well as paying travelling expenses for those offered trials

elsewhere. Bridcutt’s progress at Sunderland and call up to Gordon Strachan’s Scotland squad last year is a testament to the dividends that such assistance can pay.

“It was because of Chelsea that I eventually got another club,” Bridcutt says. “I’d eventually got the offer of a short-term contract at Torquay, but to be honest I was holding out for something better. I remember driving down to Torquay when I got a call from Ray,

Mourinho won’t be a party pooper again Matt Hughes Deputy Football Correspondent

José Mourinho is planning to reward his squad for their unbeaten start to the season by hosting a Christmas party for the players and their families.

The Chelsea manager cancelled last year’s party at the last minute after a midweek Capital One Cup defeat bv Sunderland but, before another trip to the Stadium of Light this evening, Mourinho revealed that he is willing to indulge in some festive cheer.

Chelsea’s cancelled party caused ructions last year, with Ashley Cole, Ryan Bertrand and André Schürrle defying their manager by going out in London to attend Arsenal’s rival bash.

All three were fined and barely played for the rest of the season, with Cole leaving the club last summer and Bertrand now on loan at Southampton.

Partly as a result of that fiasco, this year’s seasonal celebration will be a family affair, with all of the players’ wives and children expected to attend.

“The club is preparing a little Christmas party for them and their families,” Mourinho said. “There are Christmas parties and ‘Christmas parties’. This one I think the families deserve, and the boys are very happy to be with their families.

“You know, my kids are 14 and 18, so I don’t think they belong to this party.

But I think I have to go to say a couple of words and, after that, to leave them

there with their families and kids. For good things, we’ll find the time.”

Chelsea are at full strength for the visit to Sunderland, with Diego Costa having recovered from the knock he suffered against Schalke on Tuesday, and given such good fortune with injuries, Mourinho is adamant that he has no plans to add to his squad in January.

“Hopefully, we are the same for January,” he said. “That for me is the perfect situation. I don’t want people to leave. I don’t want people to come in.

We started our project this way, and I’d like to go until the end. If other teams do it in January, then good for them. It’s no problem for me, but hopefully everything goes OK and we have no emergency needs for January.”

Costa is fit to play against Sunderland despite suffering an injury in midweek

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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PLUMB IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES

Young achievers Chelsea have not produced a firstteam regular of their own since John Terry 15 years ago, but in recent years have become adept at buying some of the best young gems in the world and polishing them up for others, increasingly at a profit.

6 Ryan Bertrand — signed from Gillingham aged 16, started the 2012 Champions League final, but is on loan at Southampton.

6 Scott Sinclair — teenage recruit from Bristol Rovers who was unable to establish himself before breaking through at Swansea City.

6 Nemanja Matic — spent two years at Stamford Bridge from the age of 21 before leaving for Benfica, who sold him back to Chelsea for £21 million this year.

6 Romelu Lukaku — identified at 18 as a potential replacement for Didier Drogba, but ran out of patience after ten Premier League appearances in three years and Chelsea cashed in with his £28 million sale to Everton last summer.

6 Kevin de Bruyne — made three league starts in two seasons, but Chelsea made an £11 million profit from a £7 million investment by selling the Belgian to Wolfsburg this year.

hopes to extend Sunderland’s unbeaten run if he plays against his former club

who said Gus was interested. He’d seen me play for the reserves and the recommendation from Ray obviously helped, as Gus took me on. I went down to Brighton the next day and signed a contract straightaway.”

Bridcutt played in a pre-season friendly against Chelsea for Brighton two years ago, but featuring in this evening’s game at the Stadium of Light would mean far more, even if he is likely to start on the bench after Lee

Cattermole’s return from suspension last weekend. The 25-year-old missed last season’s shock win at Stamford Bridge as he was on compassionate leave caring for his newborn son, who spent his first three weeks in hospital because of a heart condition but has since made a full recovery.

Bridcutt’s thoughts were understandably elsewhere while his teammates were halting José Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten home run with a

victory that effectively ended Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes, but is now fully focused on helping to end the west London club’s 19-match unbeaten start to the season, not to mention a sequence of nine straight wins at the Stadium of Light.

“Chelsea are unbeaten, but anything is possible,” he says. “Mourinho was unbeaten in how many home games until last season, but we beat them.

Maybe we can be the ones to cause another upset.”

His son’s difficult start in life has helped to place his footballing frustrations in perspective, though the game still has the power to shock and hurt, most recently in last month’s 8-0 defeat away to Southampton, where Bridcutt scored an own goal after coming on at half-time. Sunderland lost their next match to Arsenal, but are unbeaten in their past three games, showing a fortitude that should stand them in good stead against the runaway leaders.

“There’s no explanation for what happened at Southampton,” Bridcutt says. “It was embarrassing. Gus was upset and showed he was upset. He didn’t have to tell us anything, though, as we all knew.

“We had a few days off afterwards and it felt like the longest two days of my life. Everyone was talking about the 8-0 and it was on TV every time I flicked it on. That result was always going to make or break us, and it’s been the making of us. We were all desperate to show it was a one-off and we’ve done that.”

Poyet’s players must ‘believe’ once more George Caulkin Northern Sports Correspondent

Chelsea may be unbeaten this season, but Gustavo Poyet understands better than anybody that they are far from unbeatable. When José Mourinho and his players arrive at the Stadium of Light this afternoon, it will be with deep reserves of confidence, but they would not be human if there was not a minor note of trepidation, too, given that Sunderland have an opportunity to inflict disappointment on them for the third match in succession.

While their manager has used the word “perfection” to describe his side’s recent performances, if ever there was an opponent to nudge Chelsea about

the perils of complacency, it is this one.

In April, Sunderland put an end to Mourinho’s sequence of 77 league games without defeat at Stamford Bridge and a heavy dent in their title challenge, as well as invigorating their attempts to avoid relegation.

Four months earlier, Sunderland had dispatched Chelsea from the Capital One Cup, winning 2-1 after extra time and although neither of those results may have a bearing on this evening’s game, and Mourinho’s side may no longer be demonstrating signs of brittleness, they do provide a warning. If they were to lose on Wearside, it would represent a familiar sort of surprise.

Not that Poyet is counting on it. “If nothing strange happens, they’re going

to win the league,” Sunderland’s head coach said of Chelsea. “I wouldn’t expect to be in the position now of asking who is going to be the first to beat them this season, but as a team they are very difficult to play against and they are unique because they defend well and are difficult to beat, they pass the ball well and they’ve always got options.”

“They’re better than us technically and physically, and they’ve been outstanding as a team, so we need to be very strong mentally and have a good day. If we don’t cope with the inferiority then we’ve got no chance. You can combat that with your own mental strength, and it’s a good feeling that we’ve been there and somehow we’ve done it. We have to play them with belief.”

Injury-hit Arsenal facing long run of black Saturdays Rory Smith

Arsène Wenger has warned that it will be difficult to address the holes in Arsenal’s injury-plagued squad in the January transfer window, raising the prospect that the club could go through the rest of the season without signing the cover in defence and midfield that many believe they need.

That Wenger’s side will travel to West Bromwich Albion today with their resources stretched almost to breaking point — as many as ten players are definitely ruled out through injury and Danny Welbeck will need a late fitness to test to see if he has recovered sufficiently from knee and hamstring problems to play some part in the game — is almost the norm at the club now, given how frequent their problems seem to be.

If Wenger can take some solace, it is that several of the absentees will return in time for the busy Christmas period.

Mikel Arteta, Wojciech Szczesny, David Ospina, Mathieu Debuchyy and Theo Walcottt should recover in the next two weeks, but the likes of Jack Wilshere and Mesut Özil will need rather longer.

Although the club’s manager insisted yesterday that Wilshere, fresh from surgery on damaged anh kle ligaments, has the mental strength to thrive after the injury, there can be no Welbeck faces a fitness test before the lunchtime game at The Hawthorns

question that another three months on the sidelines represents a considerable blow for the 22-year-old, and the club.

His absence will increase pressure on Wenger to follow up the most lavish spending spree in Arsenal’s history last summer with further purchases, particularly in central defence and the holding midfield role, when the transfer market reopens in January.

The Frenchman, though, cautioned yesterday that buying players, particularly in mid-season, is rather more complex than a Black Friday shopping spree, particularly because several of Arsenal’s rivals at home and abroad are desperate for players in the same positions.

Instead, Wenger said, he may need to be “creative” with his use of the money at his disposal.

“To buy football players is not like going into a supermarket and saying, ‘I want a right back or a centre back,’ ” he said. “It is important to find the right quality. If you go out tomorrow, you will see that everybody is looking for the same positions everywhere.

“It is not as simple as it looks, and in January it is even more difficult, because players are less available. We will try to be creati and have one or two creative good ideas.

“The process never stops. Your scouts work all year, all over the world, and all the clubs do the same.

I have lists of players that I am constantly readjusting, because you come in on Monday and someone has seen a player.

“You have to follow up, watch him again, and again, someone else has to watch him, then I have to wa watch him. It takes time.” wa

Irvine hatches counterplot Brendan McLoughlin

The glare of the spotlight on Arsène Wenger might not be intense after victory for Arsenal in midweek, but they will come up against a West Bromwich Albion side this lunchtime in no doubt about how to expose the flaws that have impaired the north London club’s season to date.

Progress for the 15th successive time to the knockout phase of the Champions League after a win over Borussia Dortmund has, for now, mollified the Frenchman’s detractors.

The picture remains less positive on the domestic front, however, after successive top-flight defeats. It all amounts to Arsenal’s worst start in 32 years. They arrive at The Hawthorns in eighth place, 15 points off the top, after being pickpocketed on the counterattack by Manchester United last weekend.

Alan Irvine, the West Brom head coach, plans to follow suit. He concedes, though, that executing his game plan against a side of Arsenal’s quality is easier said than done.

“They play in such an open and expansive way,” the Scot said. “They can come in for criticism when in transition. They get so many players forward.

On the one hand that gives you a huge problem dealing with all those players.

“I can give you video clip after video

clip where they have eight players in the final third. That leaves three, and one of them is a goalkeeper, so you can see the difficulties they’ve got and how you can break out and hurt them. But you’ve got to stop them first and Arsène’s philosophy has been, ‘We attack and in order to be effective we have to commit a lot of players forward.’ ” If Wenger is looking for an ally among his counterparts, he should, however, look no farther than Irvine.

“I don’t know how many times he Irvine says Arsenal can be undone by a quick breakaway

needs to prove people wrong, but he’s clearly done an exceptional job there,” Irvine said. “He has brought in things that have changed the way people go about things in English football.

“They haven’t been the biggestspending team there. They have spent a bit more money recently. When they’re playing at their very best, people say they’re a great team to watch, then everybody hammers them when they go and get caught on the counterattack.

You probably can’t have it both ways.”

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Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Sport Barclays Premier League Netbusters

The ultimate Premier League guide 2014-15

Club top goalscorers this season

shock if they won tomorrow. Dejan Lovren, the centre back, must wish he would receive the same amount of protection from the midfielders at Liverpool that he was given last season at St Mary’s by Victor Wanyama, Morgan Schneiderlin and Co. They are the heartbeat of Southampton, who have improved this season while almost every City player aside from Sergio Agüero has gone backwards

TONY CASCARINO

Manchester United v Hull

Manchester United would have lost even more games if David De Gea, main picture, had not been in the team. He looked like a little boy in goal when he arrived at Old Trafford three years ago but it feels like he’s a man now. He has much more of a presence in his penalty area now and he’s become very consistent. I thought he should have been in the PFA’s Premier League team of last season. There is still a lot wrong with United – they were second best for long periods despite beating Arsenal last week – but this is a good chance for them to pick up more points. No one is battering Hull but they are slipping towards the bottom three

If you selected an XI from these two teams there would be few Tottenham players involved: Hugo Lloris, below, and Christian Eriksen would be in, but that’s more or less it.

Everton are a far more complete side and more aggressive. Kevin Mirallas has returned to fitness and Romelu Lukaku can get them goals. Lukaku will relish playing against Tottenham’s central defenders because none of them will match him physically. Tottenham are an average outfit who are there for the taking.

They only beat Aston Villa and Hull because their opponents were reduced to ten men. Those results have masked their deficiencies

I can’t wait for this one.

Southampton have enjoyed an incredible start and now they need to push on again as they face all the big teams. I feel it wouldn’t be the biggest

How they stand P

W D

L

F

A

GD

11

12

Pt

1

Chelsea

12

10

2

0

30

19

32

2

Southampton

12

8

2

2

24

6

18

26

3

Manchester City 12

7

3

2

24

13

11

24

4

Man United

12

5

4

3

19

15

4

19

5

Newcastle

12

5

4

3

14

15

–1

19

6

West Ham

12

5

3

4

20

16

4

18

7

Swansea

12

5

3

4

16

13

3

18

8

Arsenal

12

4

5

3

20

15

5

17

9

Everton

12

4

3

5

22

19

3

17

10

Tottenham

12

5

2

5

16

17

–1

17

11

Stoke

12

4

3

5

13

15

–2

15

12

Liverpool

12

4

2

6

15

18

–3

14

13

West Brom

12

3

4

5

13

17

–4

13

14

Sunderland

12

2

7

3

12

19

–7

13

15

Crystal Palace

12

3

3

6

17

21

–4

12

16

Aston Villa

12

3

3

6

6

17

–11

12

17

Hull

12

2

5

5

14

17

–3

11

18

Leicester

12

2

4

6

11

18

–7

10

19

Burnley

12

2

4

6

8

20

–12

10

20

QPR

12

2

2

8

11

23

–12

8

West Brom have Claudio Yacob suspended. Danny Welbeck and Wojciech Szczesny are doubts for Arsenal, who are without Jack Wilshere. In 12 of the past 14 years Arsenal have exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage or quarter-finals; they have come third or fourth in the past nine league seasons

TODAY 12.45pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

MANCHESTER UNITED GOALKEEPER

West Brom (4-4-1-1) B Foster – A Wisdom, C Dawson, J Lescott, C Baird – G Dorrans, C Gardner, Y Mulumbu, C Brunt – S Sessègnon – S Berahino

Arsenal (4-1-4-1)

W Szczesny – C Chambers, P Mertesacker, L Koscielny, K Gibbs – M Flamini – A Oxlade-Chamberlain, A Ramsey, S Cazorla, A Sánchez – O Giroud Ref C Foy (8 games)

22

3

Man City Agüero

11

Chelsea Costa

8

Arsenal Sánchez

7

West Brom Berahino

6

QPR Austin Southampton Pellè Tottenham Chadli West Ham Sakho

5

Everton Lukaku Leicester Ulloa Swansea Bony

Tottenham v Everton

Southampton v Manchester City

Arsenal TV Live, BT Sport 1 RADIO BBC 5 Live

BY BILL EDGAR

Touchline Tony

David de Gea

West Brom v

4

Crystal Palace Jedinak Hull Diamé, Jelavic Man Utd Rooney Newcastle Cissé Sunderland Fletcher

3

Aston Villa Agbonlahor, Weimann Burnley Ings Liverpool Sterling Stoke Diouf, Walters

Could face former club this weekend Charlie Adam for Stoke against Liverpool

James Chester for Hull against Man United

Andy Carroll for West Ham against Newcastle

Kevin Nolan for West Ham against Newcastle

Appearances

Fabien Barthez

139

De Gea

145

Edwin van der Sar

266

Peter Schmeichel

398

Burnley v Aston Villa TV Highlights, BBC One, 10.20pm

Michael Duff is a Burnley doubt. Villa have Christian Benteke suspended. Fabian Delph, Ron Vlaar and Philippe Senderos are injured. The top flight’s most active Scott this term (Scott Arfield, 11 games for Burnley) meets its longest-serving managerial Scot (Paul Lambert, of Villa) and its only refereeing Scott (Graham Scott)

TODAY 3pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

Burnley (4-4-2) T Heaton – K Trippier, M Duff, J Shackell, S Ward – M Kightly, D Marney, D Jones, G Boyd – A Barnes, D Ings

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)

B Guzan – A Hutton, J Okore, C Clark, A Cissokho – A Westwood, C Sánchez – A Weimann, C N’Zogbia, T Cleverley – G Agbonlahor Ref G Scott (0 games)

0

0

Liverpool v Stoke TV Highlights, BBC One, 10.20pm RADIO Absolute

Liverpool are without the injured Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge. Erik Pieters and Marc Wilson are both over injury for Stoke, who miss Victor Moses, Peter Odemwingie and Robert Huth. At this stage last season Liverpool had two players with nine league goals (Suárez and Sturridge); now no player has more than three

TODAY 3pm THE GOALS Highlights 5.20pm

De Gea remains among the top flight’s youngest goalkeepers, despite being in his fourth season at Old Trafford

Liverpool (4-3-1-2)

S Mignolet – J Manquillo, M Skrtel, D Lovren, G Johnson – A Lallana, L Leiva, J Allen – S Gerrard – R Sterling, R Lambert

Stoke (4-2-3-1)

A Begovic – P Bardsley, R Shawcross, M Wilson, E Pieters – S Sidwell, S N’Zonzi – J Walters, Bojan, M Arnautovic – M B Diouf Ref C Pawson (9 games)

27

Premier League’s youngest first-choice goalkeepers

22 years 24 years 24 years 6 months 0 months 7 months

3

Manchester United v Hull TV Highlights, BBC One, 10.25pm RADIO Absolute

TODAY 3pm THE GOALS Highlights 5.20pm

Marcos Rojo and Radamel Falcao could be fit for United but Luke Shaw is out. Abel Hernández, of Hull, is on leave in Uruguay as his partner is due to give birth.

Since mid-February United have won six matches, drawn one and lost none against London sides; in other games they have won seven, drawn five and lost ten

Manchester United (3-4-3) D De Gea – P McNair, C Smalling, T Blackett – A Valencia, M Carrick, M Fellaini, A Young – Á Di María, W Rooney, R van Persie

Hull (4-5-1)

A McGregor – A Elmohamady, M Dawson, C Davies, A Robertson – H Ben Arfa, J Livermore, T Huddlestone, M Diamé, R Brady – N Jelavic Ref A Taylor (10 games)

38 0

QPR v Wayne Routledge for Swansea against C Palace

145

De Gea seems set for a long stay at United Most Manchester United appearances since 1990

Leicester TV Highlights, BBC One, 10.20pm

QPR have Richard Dunne suspended but Rio Ferdinand’s ban has ended and Eduardo Vargas is back after paternal leave. Adel Taarabt and Sandro are still out. Leicester have Dean Hammond injured and Matt Upson is not yet match fit.

Thirteen of QPR’s past 15 defeats in all competitions have come away from home

TODAY 3pm THE GOALS Highlights 5.20pm

QPR (4-4-2) R Green – N Onuoha, R Ferdinand, S Caulker, Yun Suk-Young – E Vargas, J Barton, K Henry, L Fer – R Zamora, C Austin

High mileage in Euro zone English clubs run about 5 per cent farther in Champions League matches than in the Premier League, based on this season’s figures, as the chart shows. The four teams who are playing in both competitions run an average of 3.3 miles farther on the European stage (Chelsea and Liverpool 4.3 miles more, Arsenal 2.4 miles more and Manchester City 2.3 miles more). There is a similar gap in the distances run by the quartet’s opponents in England and abroad

Average distance run Manchester City, Liv In Premier League Opponents

In Champions League Opponents

Spri Di Offi Ind

Leicester (4-4-2) K Schmeichel – R De Laet, M Wasilewski, W Morgan, P Konchesky – R Mahrez, E Cambiasso, M James, J Schlupp – L Ulloa, J Vardy Ref R East (2 games)

7

0

EXCLUSIVE

Wa mo

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

87

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Barclays Premier League Sport GRAHPIC: JACK KINGHAM FOR THE TIMES

Stat attack Today

0

West Brom v Arsenal

Arsenal league wins this season against teams in the top 13 in the present table

105

Burnley v Aston Villa

Seconds between Ings’s two Burnley goals last week, fastest top-flight double for eight months

110

De Gea has become a hugely reliable figure Fewest errors leading to a goal in Premier League since start of last season*

0 1

Julián Speroni

2

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

David de Gea (Man Utd) (Crystal Palace)

*minimum of 35 appearances

Liverpool v Stoke Stoke league games for Crouch (once of Liverpool); his first such century for any team

1

Man United v Hull Player (Evans) to have started two United games this season fewer than six days apart

3

QPR v Leicester Sides who, at one point this term, have gone five top-flight games in row without scoring: Leicester, Burnley, Villa

0

Swansea v Crystal Palace

Weeks Swansea have spent in bottom five after September since promotion in 2011

63

West Ham v Newcastle

Years since a side (before Newcastle) were winless in at least first seven top-flight games of season but won next five

13

Sunderland v Chelsea

Points gap from first to fourth in table, joint biggest at this stage since move to three points for win, 1981-82

tch this season by Chelsea and Arsenal

592

67.5 miles 67.7 miles

70.8 miles 71.3 miles

tesy of EA Performance courtesy ofSPORTS Uefa andPlayer EA SPORTS Player Index, Performance ating Index ofIndex the Premier League League Player Rating of the Premier

l the goals on your ablet and online

Tomorrow

3

Southampton v Man City Changes to Southampton’s starting league back four this term; City have made 19

4

Tottenham v Everton

Goals for away side in first four minutes of Everton games this season; they scored and conceded two each

Swansea v

Predictions

Crystal Palace

Burnley v Aston Villa

TV Highlights, BBC One, 10.20pm

Swansea have Federico Fernández injured but Wayne Routledge is fit. Damien Delaney and Adrian Mariappa, the Palace defenders, are both injured.

Four of Swansea’s past six games have seen the home team come from behind to win 2-1 (Swansea have won one of those four matches and lost the other three)

TODAY 3pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

41%

Swansea (4-2-3-1) L Fabianski – Á Rangel, K Bartley, A Williams, N Taylor – Ki Sung Yueng, J Shelvey – N Dyer, G Sigurdsson, J Montero – W Bony

Crystal Palace (4-4-1-1) J Speroni – M Kelly, S Dann, B Hangeland, J Ward – J Puncheon, J Ledley, M Jedinak, Y Bolasie – M Chamakh – D Gayle Ref M Atkinson (10 games)

West Ham (4-3-1-2)

19%

Adrián – C Jenkinson, J Tomkins, J Collins, A Cresswell – A Song, M Noble, C Kouyaté – S Downing A Carroll, E Valencia.

H

T Krul – D Janmaat, F Coloccini, P Dummett, M Haïdara – C Tioté, J Colback – R Cabella, M Sissoko, S Ameobi – A Perez Ref M Dean (9 games)

41%

40 2

H

A

26% 33% D

A

65%

Sunderland (4-3-3) C Pantilimon – S Vergini, J O’Shea, W Brown, A Réveillère – S Larsson, L Cattermole, J Gómez – A Johnson, S Fletcher, C Wickham

Chelsea (4-2-3-1)

T Courtois – B Ivanovic, G Cahill, J Terry, C Azpilicueta – N Matic, C Fàbregas – Willian, Oscar, E Hazard – D Costa Ref K Friend (7 games)

31

14% H

21% D

A

Swansea v Crystal Palace 52% 26% 22%

1

D

A

West Brom v Arsenal 55%

TOMORROW 1.30pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

23% 22%

Southampton (4-2-3-1) F Forster – N Clyne, J Fonte, T Alderweireld, R Bertrand – V Wanyama, M Schneiderlin – D Tadic, S Long, S Mané – G Pellè

H

J Hart – P Zabaleta, V Kompany, M Demichelis, G Clichy – J Navas, Y Touré, Fernandinho, S Nasri – S Jovetic – S Agüero Ref M Jones (7 games)

18

D

A

West Ham v Newcastle

Man City (4-4-1-1)

43% 26%

31%

1

H

Tottenham v

D

A

Fink Tank DANIEL FINKELSTEIN

Are Chelsea the new Invincibles?

W

atching Chelsea in their past two

games - their domination of West Bromwich Albion and their destruction of Schalke - it is easy to see how the talk of being the new “Invincibles” started. They are strong and creative and hard to beat.

Yet how realistic is this?

Let’s do a little data work.

Dr Henry Stott, Dr Mark Latham and Dr Dinish Vatvani have been taking a look at Chelsea’s progress. The first point to note is that there was a 91 per cent chance that Chelsea would have lost a game by now. This looks, at first glance, like quite a striking figure, suggesting that something remarkable has been going on.

Think about it a moment longer. This means that there was a 9 per cent chance that with Chelsea’s class at the beginning of the season, a measurement that does not account for their new players, they would be unbeaten.

That’s reasonably large.

Then consider this further point. Chelsea are only one of the clubs who might have remained unbeaten until now. It could have been someone else.

Manchester City, for instance. The chance of

Chelsea's chances of becoming the next invincibles will not reach the 10% chance threshold until February, the 25% chance until April and their chances won't reach 50% until May

Southampton v Man City

Everton Emmanuel Adebayor, Younès Kaboul and Etienne Capoue are Tottenham doubts.

Everton have doubts over Leighton Baines, James McCarthy, Gareth Barry and Steven Naismith. Under Roberto Martínez, Everton have lost five and drawn two of seven away games against sides who finished in last season’s top six

D

TODAY 5.30pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

Manchester City

TV Live, Sky Sports 1 RADIO BBC 5 Live

10%

Sunderland v Chelsea

Southampton v

Steven Davis is a Southampton doubt and Jay Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse are out. City still miss David Silva, Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov. This is only Southampton’s third league game this season against a team from the top seven last term; they have lost the other two: Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur

A

QPR v Leicester

Newcastle (4-2-3-1)

H

TV Live, Sky Sports 1 RADIO talkSPORT

D

71%

TODAY 3pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

Chelsea Ricky Álvarez, of Sunderland, has recovered from a knee injury and Sebastián Coates may also be fit to return, but Patrick van Aanholt, Billy Jones and Emanuele Giaccherini are still out.

Chelsea’s only injury absentee is Nathan Aké.

Chelsea have lost none of their past 14 away games in all competitions

24% 23%

Man Utd v Hull

Sunderland v TV Live, Sky Sports 1 RADIO talkSPORT

A

54%

H

Newcastle Winston Reid is suspended for West Ham. Stewart Downing and Cheikhou Kouyaté are fit but Alex Song, Mark Noble, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho are doubts. Tim Krul is a Newcastle doubt but Fabricio Coloccini and Cheik Tioté could play. The division’s three Uniteds, including these two, are together in fourth to sixth position

D

Liverpool v Stoke

39 0

West Ham v TV Highlights, BBC One, 10.20pm RADIO talkSPORT

H

29% 30%

at least one team being unbeaten after 12 matches in any given season is 35 per cent. In other words, you would expect this to happen once every three seasons.

So a string of unbeaten games this long is really not that remarkable and should not, by itself, lead people to expect an “Invincible” season to result.

Set against this, an entire season of unbeaten matches is very unusual indeed. If a team are absolutely exceptional and have, say, a 90 per cent chance of avoiding defeat in any one game (which is better than, in truth, any team is) the chance of losing very quickly builds up as matches continue. By the end of the third match there is a 27 per cent chance they will have lost.

There is a 0.6 per cent chance that any team will have made it through the season without losing, which chimes with the fact that it has happened only twice, and once in the past 100 years (Arsenal in 2004-05) Chelsea, however, have already gone through 12 games without losing, so how does that leave their chances?

It is much too early to talk of unbeaten status.

There is, as of this weekend, only a 1.7 per cent chance of it. The chance of becoming the next "Invincibles" will not even reach 10 per cent until February, and even if they are unbeaten until April, the chance will be only 25 per cent of it staying that way.

In May, when it reaches 50 per cent, we can all start talking about it.

2013

100%

2014

90 80

TOMORROW 4pm THE GOALS Live goal updates

30% 25%

Tottenham (4-4-2) H Lloris – E Dier, F Fazio, J Vertonghen, B Davies – E Lamela, R Mason, M Dembélé, C Eriksen – R Soldado, H Kane

Everton (4-2-3-1)

37

D

70 60 50

A

40

Tottenham v Everton

30 20

T Howard – S Coleman, P Jagielka, S Distin, A Hibbert – L Osman, G Barry – A McGeady, R Barkley, K Mirallas – R Lukaku Ref M Oliver (9 games)

H

45%

40%

1

27%

10

33%

0 13th game

18th game

23rd game

28th game

33rd game

38th game

88

FGM

Saturday November 29 2014 | the times

Sport Comment

Southampton knocking on glass ceiling Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent

I

n the week that he marked his tenth anniversary as Everton manager, David Moyes reflected on the frustrations of English football’s class divide. “We’ve touched the top teams,” he said. “We’ve always been in a top league position, trying to challenge, but we’ve never quite . . . got our hands over the top of them and dragged them back.”

After Moyes’s unhappy, brief time at Manchester United, some might rush to declare that this said more about him than about the strength of the elite, but, broadly speaking, he was right. At that time, the Big Four — or five or six — were just too strong. Everton finished fourth once under his management, in 2004-05, but never quite achieved his ambition of bringing Champions League football to Goodison Park. It was similar last season under Roberto Martínez — close, but no cigar — just as it had been for Newcastle United in 2011-12 and Aston Villa when they came sixth three years running under Martin O’Neill.

The perception is of a glass ceiling and, given the financial strength of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, United and Tottenham Hotspur, even a top-six finish has become a daunting challenge for those teams who cannot afford to pay any player, let alone a glut of players, six-figure sums every week. In the era of tightened financial regulation, where it is no longer even worth dreaming of winning the newowner lottery and spending your way to the top, the stratification of the Premier League threatens to be even more pronounced.

That is what makes Southampton’s surge in the opening months of this season so extraordinary and so exciting. Off the pitch, with the sales of Calum Chambers, Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert to bigger and richer clubs, along with Mauricio Pochettino’s departure to Tottenham, the south coast club felt they had little option but to acquiesce, accepting their place in the league’s class structure.

On the pitch, under Ronald Koeman’s management, they are showing a refusal to accept any such limitations.

Southampton have taken 26 points from their first 12 Premier League matches — five more than Everton had at the same stage last term, en route to finishing fifth with 72 points, a record that would usually have been enough for a top-four finish. What is more, this time last year Everton were merely one of nine clubs, including Southampton, with 20-plus points. Right now Southampton, in second, are seven points clear of fourth-placed Manchester United (who signed Shaw), nine points clear of Arsenal (who signed Chambers) and Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur and 12 points clear of Liverpool, where Lovren, Lallana and Lambert are discovering that the grass is nothing like so green.

The tests will get much harder for Southampton now, their next nine league opponents including City tomorrow,

6 In honour of his 100th appearance for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bakary Sako has had a pair of yellow Nike boots embossed with Swarowski crystals. “A special day deserves special boots,” he says. They look like something borrowed from Julian Clary, who is appearing in pantomime in Wolverhampton — Cinderella, appropriately. Sako will be wearing them at Griffin Park, Brentford, playing for a Wolves team who have conceded eight goals without reply in their last two matches. Please let this be the moment that triggers a backlash against flashy boots. Encouragingly, even Cristiano Ronaldo has gone back to black at times in recent weeks.

STU FORSTER / GETTY IMAGES

6 José Mourinho is right. Football’s growing obsession with the Ballon d’Or reflects spiralling egos and the desperation of clubs to indulge them. Witness that embarrassing official statement from Real Madrid yesterday. When Michel Platini ventured that the award should go to one or other of Germany’s World Cup winners, the world’s biggest club reacted with all the dignity of a Cristiano Ronaldo fansite.

In a team game, individual prizes are not worth losing sleep over — a lesson the Chelsea manager has evidently learned since claiming in January 2013 that Fifa’s Coach of the Year award was a fix.

On a related note, how on earth did a diminishing Iker Casillas end up on the shortlist for the Fifa/FIFPro World XI? The Real Madrid goalkeeper has had a wonderful career, but performance-wise he has had a dreadful year. According to FIFPro, the nominations are based on a survey of tens of thousands of professional footballers worldwide. Evidently some are either starstruck or have not been watching closely enough. The omission of John Terry, who has had an outstanding year for Chelsea, suggests the latter.

Exclusive to members

Exclusive video Tony Cascarino on why Southampton can finish in the top four Online and on tablet thetimes.co.uk/football

Upwardly mobile: Pellè has been one of the astute acquisitions by the south coast club that has enabled them to punch above their weight and challenge the Premier League hegemony

Arsenal (twice), United (twice), Everton and Chelsea between now and January 11, a run of fixtures, coupled with the intense Christmas programme, that would test even the strongest squad.

It is a reasonable bet that the Southampton bandwagon might be slowed over the next six weeks, but why should it be brought to a standstill? Look at the statistics. They have conceded just six goals in 12 games. They have had more possession than the opposition in all but one of their league matches (an unfortunate 2-1 defeat

by Liverpool on the opening weekend), yet they have made more tackles (275) than any other Premier League team. They have faced far fewer shots on target (25) than any other team (49 apiece for Liverpool and Manchester United). On the occasions their back four has been breached, Fraser Forster has had a higher saves-to-shots ratio (76 per cent, as opposed to Simon Mignolet’s 64 per cent) than any other goalkeeper in the league.

These statistics and others will be challenged over the coming weeks. That includes the one about Southampton’s

remarkably settled team — Forster, Nathaniel Clyne, Jose Fonte, Ryan Bertrand, the eternally underrated Morgan Schneiderlin, Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pellè have all started every league game — even if injury prevention is not quite the lottery that some of the bigger clubs would have you believe.

6 Terry Burton, sounding ever so slightly like a man with an axe to grind after being overlooked for the job as Arsenal’s youth academy manager this summer, suggests his former club have fallen behind Chelsea not only in the recruitment of young players but in “all aspects” of youth development. In several aspects, they, Liverpool, Manchester United and others have indeed fallen behind, but until Chelsea — and Manchester City for that matter — produce a pathway that produces players rather than merely stockpiles them at great expense, only to spit them out again a few years later, it is alarming that they should be cited as standard-bearers for youth development.

In this of all seasons, though, with so many of the elite performing so joylessly, Southampton have a right to believe that the glass ceiling can be broken. Arsenal, Liverpool and United will surely all improve on their miserable offerings to date, but none is performing with the relentlessness, style or spirit to suggest that the elite is as entrenched as it has been in seasons past.

Certainly none of those three teams have come close to Southampton where defending is concerned; if Chambers, Lovren or Shaw imagined that standards would be higher at their new clubs, they have so far been proved wrong.

Proving people wrong has been Southampton’s forte this season. After the summer exodus, they were widely expected to drop back into mid-table mediocrity, or even to be sucked into a relegation battle, but they have shown that, with the right organisation, vision and strategy — identifying Toby Alderweireld, Bertrand, Tadic, Pellè and Koeman as more than adequate replacements for Lovren, Shaw, Lallana, Lambert and Pochettino — and the right attitude, it is possible for a club to continue punching above its weight.

Nobody should aspire to be a selling club, but Southampton are demonstrating that, even in this age where so much is dictated by finance, it is possible for a club to do more than simply accept its place. Through careful, sensible reinvestment, through a culture that emphasises the collective above individuals, through hard work and organisation, as well as the continuing promotion of home-grown talent from that outstanding youth academy, Southampton are giving hope that the established order can be challenged, at least in the short term.

It would be wonderful, not least in imparting lessons to the money-obsessed English game, if they can keep it up.

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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City confident Agüero can rule the world ALEX LIVESEY/GETTY IMAGES

Ian Whittell

Sergio Agüero makes his 100th Barclays Premier League appearance for Manchester City away to Southampton tomorrow with Manuel Pellegrini saying that the Argentina forward is ready to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the debate over the identity of the world’s best player.

The argument gained momentum on Tuesday, when Agüero’s hat-trick stunned Bayern Munich in a 3-2 victory that not only maintained his team’s hopes of advancing in the Champions League, but also added to the unavoidable feeling that City are wholly dependent upon the 26-year-old.

His manager is keen to reject that view but, nevertheless, in describing Agüero as “irreplaceable”, Pellegrini left no doubt that he considers his player to have the ability to earn the title of the world’s best player in the near future.

“Of course,” Pellegrini said when asked if he considers Agüero irreplaceable. “I don’t think anybody can replace Messi at Barcelona or Cristiano at Real Madrid, or Sergio here. They are very important players.

“It is not the same playing without Agüero as it is playing with Agüero. But I always say we have a squad and if, for some reason, Sergio cannot play, we must have another one who can do it.

We won the title last year without Sergio for a lot of games, but of course when he plays he makes a difference.

“I said three or four weeks ago that we are always trying to demand that Sergio be a top player and be the best player in the world, because he can do it.

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Harry Redknapp has backed Rio Ferdinand to carve out a successful career as a manager.

Ferdinand is available to Redknapp again, having served a three-match ban and paid a £25,000 fine for the use of the word “sket” — a reference to a promiscuous girl or woman — on social media, and could return to the Queens Park Rangers side for their match against Leicester City today.

Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker

Van Persie’s place under threat from rookie Wilson Pete Oliver

Most valuable player: Agüero’s 12 Barclays Premier League goals this season represent half City’s total in the competition

“I hope he will continue in the same way and I am sure he is one of the top five players in the world at this moment.

I don’t want to say he is better than Messi or Cristiano, but he must be very near.”

Agüero’s 99 league games to date have produced a remarkable 64 goals, a strike-rate in 100 appearances bettered only by Alan Shearer and Ruud van Nistelrooy in Premier League history.

“It is difficult to compare the careers of very important players. Van Nistelrooy has already finished his career,” Pellegrini said. “Sergio is not starting his career, but he is only 26 and has a lot more years to play here.

“I always say I am always demanding that he try to be the best player, because he has all the conditions to do it. I am very glad for him that he improves every day.”

Those improvements have continued since Agüero was eased back into the City line-up after his efforts for Argentina in the World Cup and, despite Pellegrini’s claims to the contrary, that he has now scored precisely half his team’s 24 league goals suggests any enforced absence could

prove calamitous to a title defence that is already under severe pressure from Chelsea, the leaders.

However, the manner in which Pellegrini and his staff have handled Agüero’s fitness to date augurs well and there has been no repeat of the niggling muscle injuries that plagued him last season.

6 Fees paid to agents by Premier League clubs jumped by more than £18 million last year, rising to £115.3 million. Chelsea spent the most on agents’ fees — £16,771,328 — with Liverpool footing the second-highest bill of £14,308,444.

Liverpool’s spending was almost £5 million up on the previous year.

Manchester City and Tottenham both spent more than £10 million while Manchester United paid out £7,975,556, more than £3 million up on the previous figures.

Only Burnley, who were promoted last season, paid less than seven figures, paying agents just £711,024.

6 Full figures online www.thetimes.co.uk/football

“You never know when a player will be injured, but I think that this year we prepared him in the correct way because if you remember in the first four games including the Community Shield, we didn’t play with Sergio, we just gave him 20 to 25 minutes, no more,” Pellegrini said.

“So he could have a good pre-season because he needs that after the last season when he has a lot of injuries. He is fit and we hope he will continue in this way until the end of the season.”

David Silva, the playmaker, has been less fortunate with injuries and remains on the sidelines with a knee problem, along with the injured Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov. Pellegrini concedes that his team, eight points behind Chelsea, must beat Southampton, who are second, to stay within touching distance of the leaders.

“Yes, it is an important game because we need the three points and we can be in the second place,” he said. “It is always better to be second than third.

This is the first game of the three we play this week in the Premier League, and I hope after the three we can be in second place and near to Chelsea.”

Redknapp backs Ferdinand to make managerial step-up Alec Shilton

Football Sport

have formed a steady centre-back partnership in Ferdinand’s absence, although Dunne is suspended today.

Nedum Onuoha may step into the breach because of his extra pace, however, with Ferdinand having been on the substitutes’ bench for two games before his suspension.

Ferdinand has already admitted that he is likely to retire at the end of the season and Redknapp, the manager, believes the former England defender can still add value to the club’s future, including their bid to escape relegation

from the Barclays Premier League, whether he makes the team or not.

“He’s a good lad and I think he’s management material one day,” Redknapp said. “I like him a lot, he talks to the younger players. The kids look up to him and know what he’s done, they see what good shape he keeps himself in — he’s not fat and overweight, lazy.

“He’s a good person to have around the place because he’s a good pro, a good trainer and sets a good example to everybody on the training pitch. He’s a laid-back character and is always

confident in his own ability, so I’m sure he will be OK. He could go into TV, though. It’s probably easier and sounds a better bet — no aggro.”

Redknapp also believes his player’s punishment was excessive, but that Ferdinand is ready to move on from it.

“I think he didn’t like it but accepted it in the end,” the manager added.

“It’s nonsense really to get done for that, but it’s over now, he’s back and available. I don’t think Rio has to prove anything to anybody, really, his career has been so good.”

Robin van Persie has been left in no doubt that more is expected of him if he is to hold off the challenge of James Wilson, the 18-year-old, for his starting place in Manchester United's attack as the team prepare to face Hull City at Old Trafford today.

Van Persie has scored just three times for United this season. The last of those goals came four games ago to rescue a point against Chelsea, and many thought it might have been the catalyst for an improved run of form. That has not been the case, with the 31-year-old looking off the pace in recent matches.

Louis van Gaal, the manager, has hitherto been unable to relight a fire that seemed to go out under David Moyes last season. Van Persie touched the ball only 13 times in United's 2-1 win away to Arsenal, his former club, last weekend before being replaced by Wilson with 15 minutes to go.

Van Gaal said: “I also had a striker, an international striker, Mario Gómez, who touched the ball nine times in matches at Bayern Munich in my time.

I want to improve that, but I do think 13 is too few for a striker.

“More importantly is how he is playing. It was a very bad game from him and that is why I changed him.

When I change a player it is not because he is the best player on the pitch, or I would be doing something wrong.”

With 152 Premier League goals behind him, Van Persie is surely not a busted flush and Van Gaal is clearly still hoping the player can regain the form Van Persie had 13 touches of the ball away to Arsenal

that has made him one of English club football’s top strikers over the past decade. The United manager said: “It’s a question also of confidence, maybe a question of scoring a wonderful goal at the right moment.

“You know how strikers are. They have to score goals. They feel like that, it’s not that I’m asking that. I have said to them, ‘You have to be at an attacking point, you have to help our team, come and search for space.’ For me, it is not important who is scoring. The team have to score.”

Whether Van Persie gets the next chance remains to be seen, though.

Radamel Falcao may return to United's squad after missing four games with a calf injury, but is highly unlikely to start as United look to build on a run of just one defeat in eight games that has taken them into the top four. Marcos Rojo could also be back in the squad after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, but Luke Shaw is out with an ankle injury.

The next cab on the rank is Wilson, who is regarded highly enough at Old Trafford for Danny Welbeck to have been sold to Arsenal in the summer so as not to block his path.

Wilson has made five appearances as a substitute this season. His sole Barclays Premier League start came in May, when Ryan Giggs, then the interim manager, gave youth its chance and Wilson scored twice in a 3-1 win over Hull, leaving Van Gaal seemingly tempted to seek a repeat. “We shall wait to see,” Van Gaal said. “You shall see if I give him that confidence.”

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Lambert left in the lurch after juggler Keane drops Villa ball Brendan McLoughlin

Aston Villa were plunged deeper into crisis last night after Roy Keane resigned from his role as assistant manager on the eve of a potentially pivotal fortnight for the Midlands club and Paul Lambert.

Less than five months after joing Villa, the Irishman informed Lambert, the manager, he had found it “impossible” to juggle the dual demands of being No 2 with the club and the Republic of Ireland as well as his family life.

Keane has always made no secret that he viewed his job with Ireland as his uppermost priority — even previously indicating that he would quit his position at Villa Park in the event of a poor run of results for Martin O’Neill’s team.

Given Keane’s reputation for controversy and conflict, his appointment had appeared a gamble from the outset by Lambert. So it has proved.

And, with Keane’s predecessors, Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa, having been sacked amid allegations of bullying, the premature and sudden exit of Keane does not reflect well on the Scot’s judgment.

Conspiracy theories surrounding his exit have been robustly dismissed, yet the timing of his departure still comes as a huge surprise owing to the gravity of the next fortnight awaiting Villa, as well as Ireland not being in action again until March.

In fact, the departure of his closest lieutenant, 24 hours before a crunch match away to Burnley, could not have come at a worse time for Lambert.

Villa are eight games without a victory — a sequence that has left them just two points above the bottom three — and today marks the beginning of a run of key fixtures for both club and manager that continues with Crystal Palace, Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion.

GETTY IMAGES

Gary Jacob

Monday night’s 1-1 draw with Southampton featured the lowest crowd at Villa Park for a Premier League match since December 1999 — an alarming barometer of mounting apathy over the club’s direction, or lack of it.

“Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland, and combining my commitment to these, have become too much,” Keane said.

“It isn’t fair to either Villa or Ireland, so I’ve made this decision.

“I’d like to thank Paul for giving me a great opportunity to come to a brilliant football club, I’ve really enjoyed my experiences at Villa and I wish the management team, the players, the supporters and the club nothing but the best going forward.”

Keane, of course, is no stranger to walking away. Despite a stellar playing

‘Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland have become too much’ career, he is best remembered — in his homeland, at least — for quitting Ireland’s World Cup squad in 2002 after a simmering feud with Mick McCarthy, the manager, and the FAI. He is, though, the type of character who will only commit to something if he can give it 100 per cent and, as the responsibilities of each role became evident — not to mention his commute from his home in the northwest — he finally came to the realisation he had bitten off more than he could chew.

“Roy came to me Friday morning and he informed me that, ultimately, the difficulty of combining both roles has prompted his decision, which I respect totally,” Lambert said. “I understand his reasons for leaving.”

Among the reasons behind Keane’s appointment was Lambert’s eagerness to add presence to a dressing room deemed too quiet.

Walking the walk: Keane is as well remembered for quitting Ireland’s World Cup squad in 2002 as he is for his playing career in Manchester United’s midfield

As his career — as a player and pundit — testifies, the Irishman has never been afraid to voice his opinion, ferociously at times, and it is understood that his intense approach was not universally welcomed by the players.

Ron Vlaar, the captain, was among those angrily confronted after a defeat

by Queens Park Rangers.

After a promising start — Villa claimed ten points from their first four matches — the circus surrounding Keane grew and was in danger of becoming a distraction.

He gained column inches aplenty after taking aim at Sir Alex Ferguson,

among others, in his new autobiography, The Second Half.

The father of Jack Grealish, — Villa’s teenage winger who recently withdrew from Ireland Under-21 duty to allow him to mull over his international future amid interest from England — has also been the target of public criticism from the former Manchester United captain.

While Villa have vowed to fill the position “as soon as is practically possible”, more pressing is navigating their way through a hectic period of fixtures.

The likelihood, then, of a swift appointment is remote.

When the going gets tough, the tough heads off Tony Cascarino Commentary

P

aul Lambert could not have been more polite. Barely a few hours after Roy Keane had told the Aston Villa manager that he was leaving his post as his assistant, the Scot was thanking the Irishman for his work, talking about his respect for his decision and describing how “great” he had been at his job.

Inside, though, Lambert must have been fuming. Villa have taken two points from their past eight games and have slipped to 16th in the Barclays Premier League. Now his assistant manager, the man who is supposed to stand beside him in the trenches, has quit. It is not

immediately apparent why Villa should feel anything but anger and disappointment towards Keane.

If his decision is to be taken at face value — that he felt he could not commit fully to his roles at Villa Park, with the Ireland team, and at ITV — then he has walked out on his club when they need him most, at a time when his country hardly need him at all. Ireland do not play again until March.

If it was anyone else, there would be dark mutterings of a lack of professionalism. If it was anyone else, the suspicion would be that they do not need the work and that they want their Christmas off, or that he has moved tactically, because he does not want the stain of relegation on his CV. Because it is Keane, though, things are different.

It is a pat on the back and a thanks for your trouble.

It was much the same, before Ireland’s crucial Euro 2016 qualifier

Uefa may seek closure over Tottenham pitch invasions

with Scotland, when Keane’s book launch — and his confrontation with an old acquaintance outside the team hotel in Portmarnock — overshadowed Martin O’Neill’s side’s preparations.

Anyone else, and there would have been hell to pay. Because it is Keane, not a bit of it. O’Neill simply praised his assistant’s work and dismissed the notion that his presence might have provided an unwanted distraction.

Football treats Keane differently.

There are hundreds of coaches toiling away at all levels of the game who would be desperate for the opportunities he has had. In the past few months alone, even though his last involvement with football was his unhappy spell at Ipswich Town, he has been offered roles with Villa and Ireland, and turned down the manager’s post at Celtic for good measure.

Doors that remain closed to the

vast majority of people seem to open, as if by magic, for Keane, despite what is at best a mixed record as a manager.

He was always going to be a special case, of course, thanks to the success he had as a player, but there has to come a point where those opportunities stop coming. That he continues to be given chance after chance simply on the strength of his name eventually becomes embarrassing for the sport, as though it is completely in thrall to his reputation.

By all accounts, Keane was a good coach at Villa. He was popular among the players, who enjoyed his training sessions, even if they could not quite work out where they stood with him. Nobody ever can, not with Roy. Now it is time for him to work out where he stands with himself.

He has had more doors opened for him than most. After a while, he is going to have to stop closing them.

Tottenham Hotspur face the possibility of a partial ground closure after Uefa opened an investigation into three pitch invasions in the Europa League match against Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night.

Uefa will not take into account that the three men may have been a part of a publicity stunt and the European governing body may judge that Tottenham did not take sufficient action after the first two men entered during the first half of the 1-0 win that put them in the last 32.

The governing body could fine Tottenham, close parts of White Hart Lane or deduct points, if the club are found guilty when the disciplinary committee meets on December 11, the same day that the north London club play their final group C game away to Besiktas.

Heart of Midlothian were fined £4,000 by Uefa when two fans ran on to the pitch to celebrate taking the lead in a Europa League tie away to Liverpool two years ago.

Tottenham will argue that they have a good disciplinary record but have no defence against supporters running on the pitch. Mousa Dembélé and Roberto Soldado, the players, escaped sanction for confronting two of the intruders.

The club are also reviewing their ticketing procedure after one individual bought four tickets for the seats where the three men who invaded the pitch were seated.

Two of the intruders emerged from the east stand while the third ran on to the pitch from the Paxton Road stand.

The club had put tickets for the Dembélé tackled an intruder but has not been charged

match on general sale. Three men, two aged 23 and the other 26, were being questioned by police yesterday.

The oldest faces a charge of handling stolen goods. No further arrests were made.

Harry Kane, the striker, said that the Tottenham players maintained their focus despite the disruption. “The first one was quite funny but then it got a bit stupid in the end,” Kane said. “We dealt with it well, going in and then coming back out.”

A company, whose logo was emblazoned on the shirts of the men, released a statement condemning the disruption, but another group appeared to threaten to repeat the stunt.

“The question is Emirates Stadium or Stamford Bridge?” was the message posted on its Twitter account.

Tottenham will finish top of their group if they can avoid defeat in Turkey in a fortnight and so be handed a potentially more favourable round-of32 tie in February.

In the shorter term, their domestic form is a concern. They have lost four of their six league matches at home that have followed European games this season.

“That is what we have got to look to change if we want to do well in the Premier League and hopefully we can start on Sunday against Everton,” Kane said. “There can be no excuse just because Everton played [on Thursday] night as well. It is going to be a good game.”

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

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Rugby union Sport

Heavyweight reunion too late for England Rob Wildman

A trio of formidable England forwards, Tom Youngs, Tom Croft and Mako Vunipola, return to action today too late to strengthen Stuart Lancaster’s squad for the final game of the autumn series.

However, for Leicester Tigers and Saracens the return of these combative figures is a significant boost for this weekend’s round of Aviva Premiership matches. With the resumption of the European Champions Cup six days away, club rugby is about to recapture centre stage.

6 A group of MPs is urging rugby league fans to boycott the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award after the omission of Sam Burgess from the shortlist. Greg Mulholland, MP, filed an early day motion yesterday for debate in the House of Commons. Burgess, who now plays rugby union with Bath, last month became the first British player to win the Rugby League International Federation Player of the Year award and led the South Sydney Rabbitohs to an NRL grand final victory. The 25-year-old was named man of the match in the final, winning the Clive Churchill Medal despite playing for 80 minutes with a fractured cheekbone.

aviva premiership Northampton Exeter Bath* Saracens Leicester Wasps Sale Harlequins* Gloucester Newcastle London Irish London Welsh

P W 8 6 8 6 8 6 8 5 8 4 8 4 8 4 8 4 8 3 8 3 8 2 8 0

D 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

L 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 8

F 246 256 250 233 164 235 199 161 187 149 156 59

A 130 145 154 173 179 179 188 166 201 186 225 369

B 6 4 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 1 4 1

Pts 30 28 28 25 21 20 20 19 16 13 12 1

*Does not include last night’s result

Leicester, who reintroduced Dan Cole, England’s regular tight-head prop, this month after a serious neck injury, will give a start to Youngs, the hooker, while Croft, the flanker, is on the bench for the visit of Wasps to Welford Road.

Vunipola, a regular partner of Cole’s at loose head, is also among the replacements for Saracens, who play away to Exeter Chiefs, having recovered from a knee operation that has sidelined him since the end of last season. Youngs (shoulder) and Croft (knee) have not figured for Leicester since the 45-0 defeat away to Bath on the second weekend of the season, a result that started a slump in form that led to the departure of Paul Burke, the former Ireland fly half, from the coaching staff led by Richard Cockerill, the club’s director of rugby.

Leicester, who confirmed the appointment on Monday of Aaron Mauger, their former player and a former New Zealand centre, in a head coach’s role from next summer, have shown some improved form this past month, rising in the Premiership table from eighth to fifth.

Besides the return of Youngs and Croft, Leicester have three players back from international duty in Marcos Ayerza, the Argentina loose head, Vereniki Goneva, the Fiji centre, and Leonardo Ghiraldini, the Italy hooker.

Wasps include two returning internationals in Andrea Masi, the Italy full back, and Alapati Leiua, the Samoa centre, but start without Elliot Daly, the centre, who is banned for three weeks for swearing at officials during last week’s defeat by Exeter.

Saracens, smarting from Sunday’s home defeat by Northampton Saints, the leaders, follow Wasps today to Exeter. A settled team has helped Rob Baxter, the Exeter head coach, to plot wins away to Northampton and Wasps.

Saracens will be delighted to see Vunipola back in their ranks as

Kyle, Ireland’s paragon of pace and guile, dies at 88 Alex Lowe

Jack Kyle, regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest players, died on Thursday night at the age of 88. As a stylish fly half for Ulster, Kyle won 46 caps for Ireland and six for the Lions on the 1950 tour to New Zealand.

Kyle was a member of the Ireland side who won the grand slam in 1948 and Five Nations Championship titles in 1949 and 1951. He was remembered yesterday by Rory Best, the Ulster captain and Ireland hooker, as one of those rare players who could transcend the generations.

“I remember my father and grandfather talking about Jack Kyle and what a great player he was in his time, but for him still ill to be looked upon by modern-day players as a genius of the game shows what a legend he was,” Best said.

“When you look back at clips of Kyle helped Ireland to win their first grand slam in 1948

some of the stuff he did, he was well ahead of his time. We talk about his playing achievements but he was a real gentleman as well as a rugby great.”

Kyle was a playmaker of style and grace, whose try-scoring performance against France at Ravenhill in 1953 led Paul MacWeeney, the journalist, to adapt the lines from The Scarlet Pimpernel. “They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere. That paragon of pace and guile, that damned elusive Jackie Kyle.”

When Kyle retired in 1958 he was the world’s most-capped international player. He was appointed OBE in 1959 before embarking on his career as a surgeon, first in Indonesia and then in Zambia, where he settled fo 34 years. for Kyle retired in 2000 and moved back to Northern Ireland. He was voted Ireland’s greatest player in 2002.

“Jack is a true legend and gentleman of the game and he will be fondly remembered by everyone in the world of rugby,” Louis Magee, the Irish Rugby Football Union president, said.

November has been blighted by several scrum calls going against them, especially in the draw away to Leicester two weeks’ ago.

Times Sport

Download the latest version of our app for our brilliant new Aviva Premiership video section, with archive and near-live clips Download it from Google Play or the App Store

London Irish will also be pleased by the return of six of their strongest forwards, led by the Scotland pair of Geoff Cross and Blair Cowan, for tomorrow’s visit of Gloucester, who have lost their past three league games.

Gloucester will hope the return of four internationals, led by Greig Laidlaw, the Scotland captain, will regain momentum. They have decided to give starts to James Hook and Richard Hibbard, the Wales pair, who were not considered by Warren Gatland for the fixture today against South Africa in Cardiff because the game falls outside the official window

for international rugby.

In contrast to the struggles of London Irish and Gloucester, Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks, who meet at Kingston Park, have shown improved form in recent weeks.

Sale not only demolished London Irish, but won away to Harlequins last weekend while Newcastle have won three of their past four Premiership games.

It is a sequence of results that has put the northeast team 12 points clear of bottom-placed London Welsh, who host Northampton at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow.

BEST FOR RUGBY

JUDGMENT

DAY THE TOUGHEST TEAM IN RUGBY GIVE THEIR VERDICT ON ENGLAND’S NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN STUART BARNES

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO

STEPHEN JONES

Inside today

The fly half who was one of the early greats Obituary, page 72

PLUS: HUGH McILVANNEY ON THE MAGIC OF MOURINHO

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Sport Comment

Australia’s appliance of dark arts could spell trouble GRAPHIC: FIONA PLUMMER FOR THE TIMES

Ben Kay

Slick back division poses threat to England

England 2001-09

TACTICS England need to be on their guard even if they win the set-piece battle and slow Australia’s ball at the breakdown. Australia’s slick back division pulled off this

G

raham Rowntree admitted this week that he does not trust Australia; he called them “canny”, and that describes the Wallabies to a T. It is not a negative thing, they are probably the smartest team in world rugby.

I remember talking to Scott Johnson, the Sydney-born coach, on the Lions tour in 2005. He was saying that Australia have limited resources because rugby is their third winter sport and so they have to play smart. They have to realise where they are not strong and adapt their game. They outsmart opponents, and that applies as much in the backs as it does up front. forwards One of Australia’s traditional weaknesses is the scrum and they have a full box of tricks, either to nullify the opposition’s superiority or use it against them, one of which is a classic technique that I have not seen employed for a long time.

The Wallabies want to make the scrum a mess so that it never settles and the opposition pack can never get into a rhythm. They had more collapses and re-sets than any other team in the Rugby Championship.

Australia will front-load their effort in the scrum and if they lose that battle then the front row are happy to take a step backwards, wheel their backsides out and then drive again at a slight diagonal angle.

Another technique the Wallabies use is the old step drive. They engage, the scrum stabilises and as the ball comes in, the whole Australia front row take two half steps to the left and then drive. With the opposition pushing straight they almost fall forward as the weight comes off.

Australia can then come under them at an angle.

The other thing I have noticed is that the Australia front row will back out when they are under pressure.

They take a step backwards and then

move against Ireland A: Bernard Foley (No 10) runs on the angle, makes the pass and then loops around as Australia, playing right in the faces of the Irish defence, move the ball across the field. The aim is to

get on the outside of the defence B: Henry Speight (No 14) is shadowing Foley across the field, tracking the play. If a defender rushes out to make a tackle, he will straighten his run, call for the inside

pass and attack the gap C: If the defence remains connected, Foley and Speight accelerate onto the outside, combine to fix the defenders and create the overlap for Rob Horne (No 11) Exclusive to members Watch the interactive version online and on tablet at:

11 Horne

thetimes.co.uk/rugby

11 Horne

10 Foley

drop their shoulders, easing the opposition players down. You can tell it is deliberate because the opposition players end up flat on their stomachs and the Australia front row have hinged at the hips. They do it because scrummaging is really hard work and constant re-sets can take the sting out of a dominant team, it tires them out.

The key is to make the scrum longer, adopt Argentina’s style and slowly build the pressure, rather than attack it from the start. This is a big area of dominance for England if they get it tight. Australia want to take the

Pass

14 Speight

C

David Wilson: The England tight-head prop and his front-row colleagues will need to be on their mettle to cope with the “canny” Wallabies scrum.

If England give Australia a platform to attack they are dangerous

Run Run with ball

13

Henry Speight

The Fiji-born wing is making only his second international appearance but looms as a major threat to England

12

B

Speight 14

scrum out of the game and then it becomes more about the back play. backs The Wallabies are so good at making decisions under pressure and their handling is so slick that they can execute moves like the one in the graphic, which they used successfully against Ireland, when they are playing right in the face of the defenders.

This is no standard loop move.

Australia are looking to attack the outside channel, but they play so flat it can tempt a defender into stepping

10 Foley

A

9

out of the line to make the tackle and that can open a gap.

Henry Speight (No 14) is sprinting across the field to track the ball and if a defender does commit to the tackle then the Australia wing can straighten his run, call for the inside pass and attack the space that has been left.

If the defence remains organised, Speight will accelerate around the corner to be on the outside of the ball as Australia look to fix the defenders and create the overlap.

The Wallabies will then work hard to get up in support so that if the

scramble defence gets across, there are more options back on the inside.

To stop it, England’s defensive line must drift rather than rush right up.

You may give up five metres of territory, but that is better than a try or the 35 metres that Australia gained using this move against Ireland.

Brad Barritt is an important figure in organising the defence but it is best to stop it at source. If the forwards can dominate the set-piece and Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood deny the Wallabies quick ball, then they do not have the platform to attack like this.

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Why Hartley turned the tables on internet critics DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES

Alex Lowe

Dylan Hartley is used to being abused on social media — the hooker has given the Twitter trolls plenty of ammunition during a controversial career — but even he was shocked by the level of bile that came his way after England’s 31-28 defeat by South Africa.

Hartley was sent to the sin-bin for stamping on Duane Vermeulen, the Springboks No 8, who had been trying to pull down an England maul. The Northampton Saints captain maintains it was a case of over-zealous rucking rather than a stamp but he accepts it was a poor decision and took his punishment. Not only was Hartley shown a yellow card but he was dropped to the bench for last weekend’s 28-9 victory over Samoa.

What he refused to accept was the reaction from foul-mouthed members of the online community, who branded him a “scumbag”, a “coward” and far worse. Hartley knows Jessica EnnisHill was similarly targeted after she withdrew her support for Sheffield United during the controversy surrouonding Ched Evans, the convicted rapist, and decided to retweet some of the abuse to highlight the problem.

“Those were the nice ones as well,” Hartley said. “I get quite a bit of that on a regular basis and I wanted to highlight that it’s going on. People shouldn’t accept it. I wasn’t upset or drunk or anything, I just thought the best way was for some people to see what they write.

Hopefully I made some people realise that. Then I get others saying, ‘Thanks for the retweet, glad you’ve learnt your lesson, hashtag rugby family’.

“Who are these people? Jess EnnisHill is a pretty young lady who you shouldn’t bully. You shouldn’t do it to anyone. Just because I’m a big, burly rugby player, I have feelings too. You can’t cyber-bully anyone.”

Hartley has served suspensions totalling 48 weeks for gouging, biting and swearing at a referee, suspensions which cost him the chance of appearing at a World Cup and for the Lions, but he said the Vermeulen incident was not another of his ‘red mist’ moments.

He insists the South African was on the floor, trying to bring down the England maul. Hartley warned him to

Rugby union Sport

Wales seek victory to ease pressure on Gatland John Westerby

Taking a tough line: Hartley confronts two South Africa players at Twickenham two weeks ago, but he refuses to accept Twitter abuse about his yellow card

move, tapped his leg and then decided to take action. “Usually when people do crazy things there isn’t a thought process, they just react,” Hartley said.

“It wasn’t crazy. I knew what I was doing. There was a thought process. There was a guy lying there and I went tap, tap, tap and I told the ref he was in the way

Exclusive to members

Exclusive video Watch Dylan Hartley, Ben Morgan and Danny Care in action in their early years and see them reunited with their coaching mentors thetimes.co.uk/rugby

and wasn’t moving. I even told Vermeulen, ‘I know what you are doing’. I knew stamping with the studs was illegal so I walked over him. I thought, ‘This is rugby, this is mauling, I’m going to go that way and you’re in the way’.

“I didn’t go for a knee, I went for a fleshy part. If that was me at the bottom of that maul trying to pull it down I’d expect a shoeing. In most club games, you would get away with that, but on the big stage you can’t do that.

“They are looking for all sorts of things these days, with all the different camera angles so it was stupid but it wasn’t red mist or anything like that.”

Hartley and the forward pack have been impressive this autumn, earning a penalty try against New Zealand and scoring twice from rolling mauls against the Springboks, but England have not played to those strengths.

“One of the highlights has been our forward pack,” Hartley said. “Our set piece, kick-off receipts and our mauling game have been an anchor for us. In any team I have played in the key messages are to find something that is working — and don’t get bored using it.”

Wales fans have become conditioned to curbing their excitement if their team happens to be leading opponents from the southern hemisphere with more than ten minutes remaining. There has been a grim inevitability, either that their illustrious opponents will find a way to win the game, or that Wales will find a way to lose it. This happened against Australia and New Zealand, and against South Africa in June.

So here we go again. Just this once, as they search for a second victory in 30 matches against South Africa, perhaps Warren Gatland’s side should aim to be trailing by five points after 70 minutes before making the late burst themselves. Clearly, they do not make the best front-runners.

Will it be any different today? Certainly, Wales expect to be in better physical condition in the last ten minutes than they were against Australia.

Before their meeting with the Wallabies, on November 8th, Wales had been subjected to an intensive conditioning programme. This week, after their defeat by New Zealand, the training has been relatively light, leaving the emphasis on mental preparation.

An encouraging performance last Saturday has become obscured during the week by a kerfuffle over the extent to which Gatland is under pressure for a result against southern-hemisphere opposition, Wales’ run of consecutive defeats against the big three now stretching to 22.

Gatland began this series asking to be judged on the World Cup next year, not results in the shorter term, Jenkins returns to the Wales pack today at loose-head prop

contending that the long summer together before a World Cup is the only chance he is given to prepare players properly for international rugby, and he returned to the theme this week. Qualifying for a quarter-final from a pool including England and Australia would represent success; anything less will be a failure.

“What we’re going to be judged on is our performance in the World Cup and our whole focus is on getting out of that pool,” Gatland said. “That’s been the emphasis of this campaign and it’ll be the same with the Six Nations.”

Equally, Gatland is aware of the rewards that a victory over South Africa would bring in terms of his players’ selfbelief. However powerful the coach’s powers of persuasion, the inability to haul themselves across the line can only chip away at a side’s confidence.

Both teams at the Millennium Stadium today have been weakened because the game falls outside the agreed international window. Wales have lost Richard Hibbard and Paul James to their Aviva Premiership clubs, so Scott Baldwin makes his second start at hooker and Gethin Jenkins returns alongside at loose-head prop. George North has been ruled out by concussion, so is denied the chance to face opponents against whom he made a spectacular debut, as an 18-year-old, four years ago.

Heyneke Meyer, the South Africa coach, must cope without Bryan Habana, who is required by Toulon, while J-P Pietersen and Schalk Burger have returned to their clubs in Japan.

The stubborn narrative of near-misses against the southern hemisphere nations includes one-point defeats to the Springboks at the World Cup in New Zealand three years ago and the most recent meeting in Nelspruit in June, during which Wales led 17-0 before succumbing to the inevitable and losing 31-30.

Inevitable? Surely if Wales ke going so close, they will keep beat one of the big three eventually.

Then again, they have been saying that for a few years now.

how they line up Wales (to play South Africa today): L Halfpenny; A Cuthbert, J Davies, J Roberts L Williams; D Biggar, R Webb; G Jenkins, S Baldwin, S Lee, J Ball, A W Jones, D Lydiate, S Warburton, T Faletau. Replacements: E Phillips, A Jarvis, R Jones, L Charteris, J King, M Phillips, R Priestland, S Williams.

South Africa: W le Roux; C Hendricks, J Serfontein, J de Villiers, L Mvovo; P Lambie, C Reinach; T Mtawarira, B du Plessis, C Oosthuizen, E Etzebeth, V Matfield, M Coetzee, T Mohoje, D Vermeulen.

Replacements: A Strauss, T Nyakane, J Redelinghuys, L de Jager, N Carr, F Hougaard, H Pollard, D de Allende.

Referee: J Lacey (Ireland).

TV: Live on BBC One from 2pm (2.30pm kick-off).

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Sport Rugby union

Lancaster hoping England’s big guns can start firing at the same time again Owen Slot says that the likes of Billy Vunipola, Brown and Care are in need of return to best form

O

nce more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. For the fourth week running, in fact.

How Stuart Lancaster must be wearying of exhorting his troops.

It is tempting to see England’s headto-head with Australia today as something tumultuous, a battle royal between two teams desperate for a win, with Twickenham crying: “God for England and George Ford!” Yet even if England do stitch together a fourth consecutive performance of underwhelming efficiency and inaccurate execution, it is not remotely a kind of D-Day. It is not the end of anything, not the end of the world, nor even a World Cup campaign. The same army will be back under the same leadership for the RBS Six Nations Championship in February, wounds healed, smiles returned and ready to go again.

Win or lose today, then, the response of Lancaster next week will surely be almost exactly the same. He needs to go through the same review process, he needs to analyse the same issues that all revolve around the same single question: why were we not as good this autumn as we should have been?

Even romping over Australia today — as unlikely as that sounds — will not change that.

Michael Cheika, the Australia head ght coach, had it right yesterday when observing the apparent highstakes element of this final autumn game. “I’ve been in rugby long enough to know there’s no tipping point,” he said. “Every week’s the tippingg point.”

So abandon hyperbole (which we in the media may

struggle to do from time to time). This is not a massive game because of what it says about the past or the future. We know the recent past — disappointing.

We know the immediate future — must do better. For today, it is just about winning a big game, about feeling the joy and the confidence rush of the victory and having it reverberate around the stadium more convincingly than a Twickenham Mexican wave.

Here is another line of Cheika wisdom yesterday: “I have been involved in too many teams where I have been slagged off early days and have been able to come back later on. So I know you just have to weather that storm,” he said.

It is not exactly early days for Lancaster, but the point still stands.

This is his storm. He withstood another two years ago when his England team dug deep and found the mother of all performances to slay the world champions. He could withstand the storm again today, but no matter how far the clouds have receded by 5pm, Lancaster will still retreat back to the planning department and ask himself where he could have done better.

In public, it is his duty to exude a calmness and confidence, but he is far too intelligent and self-aware a leader of men to cling belligerently to flawed preconceptions and plans that have not worked.

I suspect that he is not content with how he has performed as a selector this autumn. Shuffling and reshuffling, as England have, is in no coach’s success manual. He is in a no-win gamble on his latest No 10-12 configuration because if Ford and Billy Twelvetrees prove to be the winning combination this afternoon, he will only ask himself: why did I not find it earlier?

As much as today is about personnel, it is about their delivery. Yes, it would indeed be splendid if England had solved the riddles of their midfield, but another way of sifting the information is to ask: what happened to my big players? One of the arts of management is to bring all your players to the boil at the right time, yet this campaign has seen Danny Care and Billy Vunipola, Owen Farrell and even Mike Brown go slightly off the boil instead.

Andy Farrell, the attack coach, yesterday demanded “willpower and a bit of English fightback attitude”.

Another view was that of Tom Wood. “We’ve come in for a lot of criticism, a lot of flak.” he said. “A lot of things have been questioned. If we’ve not played for 80 minutes, if we’ve underperformed so gravely and are so far away gra from where people expect us to be, yet have only lost by three points to the two top Lancaster will go back to the drawing board whatever the outcome against Australia today

teams, then it’ll be interesting to see what happens when we get it right.”

Fair enough. According to Wood, it was in a huddle after the South Africa game that they acknowledged that it was time to “batten down the hatches” and “pull tight”. But he was adamant that “we don’t feel we’re a million miles away. We haven’t become bad players overnight”.

Despite the past three weeks, Wood sounds convincing. Lancaster’s teams have had some mighty performances within themselves and they still do if they can get their selection, preparation and gameplan right. Just a few minor matters to deal with there.

Today, the focus is on how and where they play. One of the messages of the week has been: find something that’s working and don’t get bored of using it.

That sounds very much like the scrum, as good a weapon as England have.

It also sounds as though England will go further away from the attacking game that they advanced so far during the Six Nations. In the space of a few months, Australia have retained this identity as the ambitious and open team and England have lost it.

“I am not sure if my wife is happy with it but I am inherently a risk-taker,” Cheika said yesterday.”

Is there therefore an ambition gap between the two? “No,” Farrell said.

“Without a shadow of a doubt.”

The forecast, at last, has blessed Twickenham with a dry day to play.

England will be torn between finding something that works — the set piece — and the inviting open spaces. It is exactly the kind of test of intelligence and match temperament that they have been failing of late.

For once, Lancaster needs them to pass one.

England v Australia ENGLAND

Calling the shots: Ford gets England moving in training at Twickenham where Referee Jérôme Garcès (France) Kick-off 2.30pm Live Sky Sports 2

AUSTRALIA

15 Mike Brown

(Harlequins)

15 Israel Folau

(NSW Waratahs)

14 Anthony Watson

(Bath)

14 Henry Speight

(ACT Brumbies)

13 Brad Barritt

(Saracens)

13 Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW Waratahs)

12 Billy Twelvetrees

(Gloucester)

12 Matt Toomua

(ACT Brumbies)

11 Jonny May

(Gloucester)

11 Rob Horne

(NSW Waratahs)

10 George Ford

(Bath)

10 Bernard Foley

(NSW Waratahs)

9 Ben Youngs

(Leicester)

9 Nick Phipps

(NSW Waratahs)

1 Joe Marler

(Harlequins)

1 James Slipper

(Queensland Reds)

2 Dylan Hartley

(Northampton)

2 Saia Fainga’a

(Queensland Reds)

3 David Wilson

(Bath)

3 Sekope Kepu

(NSW Waratahs)

4 Dave Attwood

(Bath)

4 Sam Carter

(ACT Brumbies)

5 Courtney Lawes

(Northampton)

5 Rob Simmons

(Queensland Reds)

6 Tom Wood

(Northampton)

6 Sean McMahon

(Melbourne Rebels)

7 Chris Robshaw

(Harlequins, capt) 7 Michael Hooper

(NSW Waratahs, capt)

8 Ben Morgan

(Gloucester)

(Western Force)

Replacements

Rob Webber (Bath), Matt Mullan (Wasps), Kieran Brookes (Newcastle), George Kruis (Saracens), James Haskell (Wasps), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Marland Yarde (Harlequins)

8 Ben McCalman Replacements

James Hanson (Queensland Reds), Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs), Ben Alexander (ACT Brumbies), Will Skelton (NSW Waratahs), Luke Jones (Melbourne Rebels)Nic White (ACT Brumbies), Quade Cooper (Queensland Reds), Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs)

Pair banned for two years after abuse of referee Owens Owen Slot Chief Rugby Correspondent

Two people were banned from Twickenham yesterday for homophobic abuse aimed at Nigel Owens, the Welsh referee, during England’s game against New Zealand three weeks ago.

The bans follow the RFU’s investigation into complaints of abusive behaviour during that game.

The two people have not only been banned from all matches at the stadium for two years, they will also each pay £1,000 to a charity of Owens’s choice.

The RFU has thus responded quickly and decisively to a situation that was broadly reported and reflected poorly on a game that is not reticent in

the times | Saturday November 29 2014

95

FGM

Rugby union Sport DAVID ROGERS / GETTY IMAGES

Know your rivals Australia

alex lowe

israel folau (NSW Waratahs) Commanding at the back, he is a strong attacking threat, with 17 tries in 28 matches henry speight (ACT Brumbies) Newly qualified for the Wallabies and already a devastating attacking threat adam ashleycooper (NSW Waratahs) Versatile veteran switches from wing to preferred position at No 13 matt toomua (ACT Brumbies) Close to the complete deal at inside centre, a creative No 12 who also plays fly half rob horne (NSW Waratahs) Moved from centre to wing for his club and was key to their Super Rugby triumph bernard foley (NSW Waratahs) Nicknamed the “Ice Man” after a late penalty goal settled the Super Rugby final nick phipps (NSW Waratahs) Has partnered Foley at university, for the Waratahs, Australia and the sevens side

England will be eager to end their run of defeats by leading southern-hemisphere sides against Australia this afternoon

celebrating its values. Ian Ritchie, the RFU chief executive, said: “While instances of this nature are exceptionally rare, the RFU takes rugby’s values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship very seriously, and is determined to uphold them.

“We are all guardians of these aspects of the game, on and off the pitch, and it is these values which make the sport special.”

Fans at Twickenham will be asked today to stand to mark the passing of Phillip Hughes, the Australia cricketer who died on Thursday after being struck on the back of the head by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and and South Australia. This will be the first game played by an Australian international side since his death.

Michael Cheika, the Wallabies head coach, said yesterday that he had cried when he learnt of Hughes’s death. His team will be wearing black armbands in today’s game to mark the batsman’s life and death. It was agreed that, rather than honouring Hughes with a minute’s silence, the stadium itself will be asked to stand to share in a round of

extended applause. “I think some of the lads will have crossed paths, and it’s just, I don’t know why, there’s that connection for some reason,” Cheika said. “I suppose being in a professional sports game as well you can really identify with that.

“I’d never met Phil but, when I heard, I cried because there’s something that

Ford, above, practises his kicking after being handed the No 10 shirt with Twelvetrees picked alongside him

touches you about it, how unfortunate it is. We just want to show that we care; show respect to the family and maybe make people remember the man for another moment.”

Andy Farrell, the England attack coach, discussed yesterday how his son, Owen, had responded to being dropped from the England team. Owen Farrell had been a mainstay at fly half for two years but will start today on the bench while George Ford occupies the No 10 shirt with Billy Twelvetrees outside him at inside centre.

Farrell said: “Owen’s reaction is very much what you would expect from a professional rugby player — not accepting that it is the right thing.

“You want a player to be on edge and a little bit disappointed that he is not starting. But when it comes down to preparing for the game he will put the team first and make sure he helps the team to win. We’ve seen nothing but the right signs of that.

“You can overplay these things in your head when you have been demoted and try to do things you shouldn’t on the field, but the team comes first and he has to play the game and read the game as it happens.”

james slipper (Queensland Reds) Schoolboy fly half is now a prop who has embraced Michael Cheika’s power game saia fainga’a (Queensland Reds) Has been selected for every international on tour after going four years without a start sekope kepu (NSW Waratahs) The tight-head is a key part of a unit Graham Rowntree described as “canny”

sean mcmahon (Melbourne Rebels) Man of the match off the bench against the Barbarians and made his full debut a week later against Wales michael hooper (NSW Waratahs) The Australia captain is a genuine open-side flanker and a real handful at the breakdown ben mccalman (Western Force) Versatile and uncomplicated, he plays No 8 today but can play on either flank and also cover the second row

Replacements james hanson (Queensland Reds) Made his debut against New Zealand in 2012 and had to wait nearly two years for his second cap. He now has eight benn robinson (NSW Waratahs) Veteran prop is a dynamic presence in the loose, but has not started for Australia since 2013 ben alexander (ACT Brumbies) Spent 2006-07 season playing alongside Dan Cole and Tom Youngs for Bedford Blues will skelton (NSW Waratahs) A lock of comic-book proportions: 6ft 8in, 22st and a hugely powerful runner luke jones (Melbourne Rebels) Won his first cap against France on this tour. Can cover second and back rows nic white (ACT Brumbies) Started season as No 1 scrum half. Now selected on bench ahead of Will Genia

sam carter (ACT Brumbies) His father, David, played five times for the Wallabies, before retiring in 1989

quade cooper (Queensland Reds) Maverick playmaker missed most of the Super Rugby season and has been on bench duty this tour

rob simmons (Queensland Reds) Broke into the starting side after the Lions series and will win his 50th cap at Twickenham today

kurtley beale (NSW Waratahs) Joined tour late after ARU took action for his role in scandal that led to Ewen McKenzie resigning

sport

Saturday November 29 2014

Lancaster throws dice

Head coach gambles on yet another midfield formula in desperate bid for victory against Australia, pages 92-95

Times Crossword No 25,957 Times Crossword 25,957 1

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