EDITION 669 VIRTUAL LEADER

No 669

Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

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T H R I L L I N G F I N A L S D AY D I R E C TA N AT I O N A L S

fter two full weeks the 2017 Línea Directa Spanish National Bowls Championship reached its’ conclusion on Saturday evening. During the fortnight of competi-

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tion we witnessed some great bowling and a number of very close games and the finals certainly didn’t disappoint.

In the Mixed Triples the San Miguel team of Noel Davis, Gail and Fred Willshire played against last year’s Champions, Grace, Robert and Graham Cathcart of Teide, Tenerife. The San Miguel trio were on top form and took the title after only 17 ends.

BRINGS LÍNEA TO A C LO S E

The Mixed Pairs saw 2 nonlocal teams. Mother and son, Grace and Graham Cathcart of Teide taking on David Sewell and Jan Dando of Indalo. This final produce some superb bowling and with the Teide pairing needing 4 shots on the

last end to force an extra end Graham killed off the end. In the replayed leg David put in a great bowl so that the 4 wasn’t possible and the Indalo twosome took the Mixed Pairs title.

Continued on Page 20

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637 227 385 E-mail office@theleader.info Website www.theleader.info Advertising Sales 637 227 385 office@theleader.info Journalists 600 228 616 office@theleader.info The Costa Blanca and Costa Calida Leader, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for claims by advertisers nor can it be held responsible for any errors in advertisements which are reproduced from poor artwork, low quality electronic data or inadequate instructions for text or other layout features. Further no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error, inaccuracy or non-appearance of any advertisement, although all advertisements produced are checked prior to insertion. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE incorrect insertion and that no re-publication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. E&OE. NO PART OF THIS NEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS.

T

he new Community Care Association Drop In Centre at Roman de Campoamor Centro Civico Cabo Roig, for residents of Orihuela Costa are holding 2 Induction Days on 7th and 14th June between 1pm and 4pm.

The Drop In Centre will hold sessions for Arts & Crafts, to include a Sewing and Knitting group, Card making and floral arranging. Watercolour, Drawing & Oil painting.

Information / Advice & Spanish Lessons, Music Therapy sessions, to include Fitness to music, singing and musical instruments /drum workshops. Camera & IT sessions. Cultural & Discussion groups plus Bereavement Counselling.

We intend to organise First Aid Training courses

by Cruz Roja and support for those who have had a stroke or have Alzheimers / Dementia.

By popular demand, a regular telephone ring round will be organised to contact people living alone, a befriender service.

If you wish to join us and meet new friends, pop along either on 7th or 14th June where you will be warmly welcomed with a nice cup of tea or coffee and cake.

Celebration Open Day - Wednesday 21st June from 2 to 4 pm with entertainment and refreshments.

We need volunteers and members to attend the sessions, to improve our quality of life living in Orihuela Costa, we believe you matter, we all want to have fun in the sun by the Med. We look forward to meeting you at one of our Induction Days, 7th or 14th June.

Contact us by email at : oc.communitycare@gmail.com

We look forward to meeting you at one of our Induction Days, 7th or 14th June.

ADAPT Metal Detecting Club Saturday 3rd June 2017 Meet the ADAPT Metal Detecting Team & Display from 10.15am- 12 noon We will be at the Hogar del Pensionista San Pedro del Pinatar, Calle Floridablanca, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain The ADAPT Metal Detecting Club invites you to an open morning where you can see a plethora of different Metal Detectors, retrieving tools and other gadgets that we use when we meet up on the local beaches.

There will be membership experts on hand to answer any questions you might have about this exciting hobby.

You can see different metal items that we pull out of the sea, and on the beaches.

You will be amazed at the metal junk we also find including mobile phones, toy cars, keys, knives,

forks, spoons, pesetas not to mention the very sharp items which could seriously hurt you if you stepped on them.

Hope to see you there............

Woody on song for RBL The ever popular ‘Woody’ entertained at the recent charity night, held at Restaurante Don Calveto, in Torrevieja. A great night was enjoyed by all, and 508.20 euros was raised for the Torrevieja branch

of the Royal British Legion.

Organisers report that they are already selling ticket fast for their next charity fund-raising night, on Wednesday 14th June. This will be held at Quesada Fish & Chips, with entertainment being provided by “Best of British”. A new group made up of 4 very experienced and talented musicians, who will be pleasing diners with hits from the 60's and 70's.

Tickets are priced at just 10 euros for a 2 course meal and superb entertainment. All money raised will be donated to Torrevieja Stroke Support.

Tickets are available from Quesada Fish & Chips, The Post Room Benijofar, The Card Place in Benimar and REDZ cafe bar in Quesada. More than half the tickets have already been sold, so get yours Organisers, Marlene Brown and Joan Rampton present the fast if you don' want to be disapcheque to Gerry Lynch, Chairman of the Torrevieja RBL pointed.

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Torrevieja and Orihuela in contest over tourism Q

uite a lot has been written about tourism during the last few weeks as the battles amongst the Costa Blanca’s holiday spots begin in earnest in their attempts to attract both national and international tourists during the upcoming holiday seasons.

Torrevieja took the Tour Operators on a boat trip around the local area

Most of the work for the summer has already been done but looking beyond that both Torrevieja and Orihuela were hosts last weekend to a group of 30 tour agents belonging to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators.

Made up of more than 2,400 members from 93 countries, as the name suggests, the association specialises in golf tourism, through tournament organizers, travel agencies, accommodation providers and the media.

In Torrevieja on Saturday they were met by the Councillor for Tourism, Fanny Serrano, who was accompanied by the Provincial Tourism Deputy, Eduardo Dolon.

After a brief on Torrevieja and it’s facilities Serrano, took the party on a boat trip along the torrevejense coast "during which they could see the proximity of Torrevieja to the golf courses of Orihuela and discover the multiple possibilities that the municipality has to offer complementary to the golf".

The councillor said that "initiatives like this are aimed at promoting the city's tourism, as Torrevieja is a tourist destination located in a

privileged area, because of its proximity to the 8 golf courses in the south of the province of Alicante."

The following day the group made the short journey to Orihuela, the reference city for five championship courses, where they were met by the Councillor for Tourism, Sofía Álvarez, The party toured the main streets of Orihuela as they enjoyed a walk along the Calle Mayor, while visiting the exterior of the Cathedral, where the singers of the Passion

entertained them with their traditional singing.

They were then taken to the Palace Hotel Tudemir, where they sampled a number of local delicacies as they met the managers and directors of a number of local golf courses. Álvarez said that "with this type of initiative we can make sure that Orihuela is firmly placed on the map of golf worldwide, as the sport is complemented by many additional opportunities."

The following day the Councillor presented a municipal campaign carried out under the slogan "Discover", as she announced the sites of 15 bus shelters displaying images and publicity about many different tourist products.

She explained that gastronomy is reflected by a still life of paella and products from the garden while the city is depicted by the cloister of the Cathedral. It also includes the Holy Week and Moors and Christians, as well as the golf and the beaches. Álvarez also said that in this special year in which Orihuela commemorates the 75th anniversary of Miguel Hernández's death "his poems are also part of the visual composition as is his (house) museum."

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Nelson’s Flagship venue for award to local veteran H

aving moved over to Cabo Roig in Spain on a semi-permanent basis a little over a year ago, Carl and Nicola Louden have quickly established themselves with the expatriate community.

The couple quickly became members of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion and the Torrevieja Royal Naval Association and, when is Spain, they can regularly be seen supporting both of these very worthwhile causes.

However, as a former Lieutenant Commander who has only recently retired after 39 years of service, Carl still has many commitments back in the United Kingdom. One such liability is to serve in the Royal Naval Reserve for a further 5 years, to which he was transferred at the end of last year.

As all veterans know, continued service on the Reserve Lists requires annual refreshers and training which is just one reason why Carl currently finds himself back in Portsmouth.

Part of that commitment will see him participating in the annual RN/RM Charity sponsored Field Gun Competition as part of the RNR team, which we will be following in the coming weeks, but more recently his attendance was required at a rather more formal military ceremony where he received an award on board Nelson’s former flagship, HMS Victory, from Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock OBE. The award was for the period that he undertook in the role of Royal Naval Staff Officer (RNSO) from Sep 13 to Aug 16 in HMS KING ALFRED, the RNR unit located in Portsmouth Hampshire, and his final RN appointment before retiring.

The testimonial was written by the Commanding Officer of HMS King Alfred, Cdr Chris Webb, in which he spoke of Carl’s professionalism and determination in support of part time reservists who were being deployed to the Future Reserves 2020 Programme and to the critical role that he played in the delivery of the largest trained strength figure in an RNR Unit.

Carl can be seen in the photograph with his wife Nicola shortly after the presentation ceremony onboard HMS Victory.

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Torrevieja to be promoted as Gay Friendly Municipality The Councillor for Tourism, Fanny Serrano

The Councillor for Tourism, Fanny Serrano, announced last week that Torrevieja will be included in the Gay Friendly Guide to the Valencia Community, an initiative that will confirm the town as a welcoming destination for the LGBT community.

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New commercial centre opens at Consum, La Zenia

By featuring in this publication, Serrano said that she is very "happy" with the possibility of being able to develop "a new tourist product for the city." She went on to explain some of the actions that will need to be carried out to ensure that the town meets the necessary criteria after which she told the assembled press "we are interested in participating and promoting this type of tourism, and in doing so we are delighted to open new market paths."

Initially the councillor visited a number of the establishments in the town that are Gay Friendly in Torrevieja asking if they wanted to be part of the guide. "Everyone I saw was delighted with the idea and many have since provided the data for us to include."

“At the moment, in the province of Alicante, Benidorm is the municipality with more facilities for this type of tourism but I am sure that we can quickly improve the number of things that Torrevieja has to offer and this publication will allow us to afford them with greater visibility".

Serrano also announced that the city will be present at both the Gay Pride Day parade in Valencia on 22 June and in Madrid on 1 July 1, albeit via a video link which will show off the Drag Queen Gala held during the carnival and "I Pride Torrevieja 2017" to be held on 22 June in the town.

LONG QUEUES IN EL ALTET DUE TO POLICE SHORTAGES Three trade unions have complained at the lack of police in Alicante Airport. They say that they were promised that additional staff would be employed to deal with new EU legislation but this has not yet happened. As such there are long delays with people spending far too long in unnecessary queues.

This was especially frequent last weekend when at least two women fainted and had to receive medical care. This has now been denounced by the CEP, SUP and UFP, stating that the Directorate General of Police has not increased the staff at Passport Control to be able to implement the new European Union regulations that require control of passports following the Schengen agreement to which the United Kingdom is now an exception.

This new EU regulations were put in place on 7 April with the aim of guaranteeing the security in the airports following the increased security threat.

According to the unions, in the Province’s police stations there is a deficit of almost 400 police officers and this is also reflected in the shortages at Alicante airport where staff levels are similar to those back in 2007 despite a massive increase to flights and passenger numbers.

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hen I was told a little over a year ago of the plans to attach a commercial centre to the side of the Consum Supermarket in La Zenia I must admit to some concern. I really couldn’t see how the architects would make it work.

But 12 months down the line the results and the finished product is superb.

And when the new centre was recently opened by Consum officials along with Orihuela’s Deputy Mayor Juan Ignacio López Bas, the chance to see the extension first hand was too good an opportunity to miss.

There are four units which are occupied by 3 local

The new European Union regulation obliges police officers to check every travel document on their database for all passengers who do not travel within the Schengen area. According to the SUP, CEP and UFP, until April 7, agents performed only minimum checks on flights to and from the United Kingdom, a requirement that has now changed.

The trade unions state that the EU regulation require that Member States deploy adequate staff and facilities to carry out such systematic inspections. Their failure to do so at the 5th busiest airport in Spain is putting everybody’s safety at risk.

companies. LA PONDEROSA, has taken a double unit in which is specialises in jewellery and quality gift items, bringing together some of the very best high street brands in one convenient space.

A further unit has been occupied by VALENTIN SANCHEZ, with it’s store dedicated to the sale of furniture, relexation products and mattresses, under the brand Comfortissimo while the electricity energy marketer SIESTA ENERGY has also opened its new offices in the complex where it offers reduced prices and a better service to those customers who want to reduce the cost of their electricity bill.

Go along and check the centre out. It will prove, I am sure, to be a welcome addition to the area.

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Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

Military clean-up on Aguamarina sea cliffs

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contingent of soldiers from the MOE "Teniente MorejĂłn" detachment, located by the Marina in Cabo Roig, and, commanded by Major David Vicente Vives, has been helping municipal workers to carry out cleaning tasks along the Aguamarina seafront during the last week or so.

Their particular expertise was required to clean up along the cliff face in areas where the council staff were unable to reach.

Luisa BonĂŠ, councillor for Beaches, thanked ever-

yone involved in the exercise, saying that their efforts had improved the appearance of the seafront dramatically, especially in those parts that the municipal staff were unable to get to with mechanical equipment.

She said that that front gets especially dirty and accumulates a lot of waste paper, plastic and cardboard, following the weekly Aguamarina market.

It is especially important that the micro reserve where a number of endangered plants can be found, is kept free from such waste.

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Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

Wonderful support for Flamenca Beach Fundraiser There seems no end to the number of charity days that are currently being organised and supported by the kind people of the region, the most recent of which was held at Flamenca Beach last Sunday afternoon in aid of both the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and Help at Home Costa Blanca.

The event, organised by local fundraiser Eddie Coleman, was attended by yet another bumper crowd who spent a very pleasant Sunday afternoon listening to some of the Costa Blanca’s very best entertainers, all of whom provided their services absolutely free.

Once again the master of ceremonies was the selfless Simon Morton from Sunshine FM who seems to spend just about every minute of every waking day helping to raise money for one cause or another in the local area. Not only does he provide his expertise and his network of amazing performers but Simon also takes along all of his own equipment which many people take for granted but which is absolutely essential to the success of any such venture.

The afternoon got underway as the military standards were processed into Flamenca Beach led by the Torrevieja Pipes and Drums.

Pupils from Phoenix School

Following a very enjoyable display by the regions favourite pipe band Sinead Hansard then took to the stage to open up the afternoon’s entertainment,

She was joined by birthday boy Dan Davy who was then followed by the popular Cindy Fitzpatrick. Cindy sang in between the Crazy Ladies routines, once again proving especially stylish and chic with their regular changes of costume.

The afternoon also saw the debut at the charity event of a small choir from the Phoenix School, a group of nine primary school children who had the opportunity to show off their wonderful performing talents. They were joined on stage by three slightly older girls, including 14 year old dancer Lili, who would certainly impress the judges in any talent show.

Entertainers Grace Goghlan and Rebecca Holt brought up the rear in taking a thoroughly enjoyable showcase of Costa Blanca’s very best young performers to a very enjoyable and most charitable end.

Thankyou once again to you all.

Dan Davy and Sinead Hansard

14 year old Lili

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Community Adminstrator OCSI wins 4.5 million euro in compensation for El Mirador de los Altos

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he Community Administrator Comunidades OCSI who are based in Cabo Roig, along with their solicitors Trino CĂĄmara and Carlos Valls, have recently won a court case in favour of their clients, the Community of Owners El Mirador de Los Altos in Orihuela Costa, against the Torrevieja construction company Promoplus Internacional SA, for breach of contract.

As a result of the judgement the company have been ordered to pay compensation to the 200 owners of 4.5â‚Ź million The problem goes back many years to when the urbanisaton was first built by the Torrevieja constructor, who claimed at the time that the purchase of a property on the urbanisation included a share in the ownership of the communal green areas and the pool. Unfortunately this had never been the case as the facilities were actually constructed on municipal land belonging to the Orihuela Council.

In reaching its judgement the court stated that all promotional material distributed by the builder to potential purchasers also included a statement regarding pool and communal area ownership but the assertion was completely untrue and this had never been the case.

The owners also stressed they had understood the

prices paid for each of their properties included shared ownership of these communal areas which, as the nearest beach was some distance from the urbanization, were a critical part of each property purchase.

The judge said that the situation allowed that the property owners could only be compensated financially as the courts had no authority to apply any other resolution. The pool and the green areas were still in the ownership of the municipal authority which they had no mandate to change.

On receiving the court judgment administrators OCSI have now said that they intend to approach the council with a view to forming and agreement that would allow it at least to attribute exclusive use of the pool to the owners within the complex.

OCSI are located along Cabo Roig strip. Office: C/. Mar, 13. Edif. Faro, 2Âş B. 03189 Orihuela Costa (Alicante). Tel.: (0034) 96 532 24 50 / Fax: (0034) 96 532 28 58 E-mail: ocsi@ocsi.es

OCSI have said that they will approach the council with a view to forming an agreement for the complex owners.

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GARAGE SERVICES All Mechanical Repairs Tel - Chris +34 634 04 83 39

The opposition said that they were engaged in tasks related to traffic regulation and public security, which the mayor, Antonio Perez, wholly denied. He said that this was not the case and that these additional staff are contracted every year during the fiestas of San Isidro.

Now with over 36 years’ experience Chris was apprenticed to a Ford Main Dealer in South Croydon which he joined straight from school.

He now has a fully equipped vehicle repair shop in Benijofar where, with state of the art equipment, he can carry out any car or vehicle repair, no matter how complicated it might be. Chris can undertake full diagnostic tests on all vehicles, and, campervans and even trucks, regardless of make or model. He can carry out engine rebuilds, bodywork and crash repairs, servicing and ITV’s.

According to the PP, however, during Friday night, when asked about their duties, they were told that "they were controlling parking and the traffic flow into the area of the fiesta.”

For this reason the PP insists that "they were being required to carry out duties that would otherwise be performed by the police.”

Chris is fully time served so you can be assured that for all your car repairs and motoring repairs needs your car could not be in better hands.

So if you are in the Torrevieja, Quesada and Costa Blanca area and you need the services of a top notch English speaking mechanic then just contact Chris McCarthy at Garage Services car and auto repairs, car mechanic Costa Blanca and leave us to solve your problems.

Until recently Chris was allied to Checkatrade, a directory of trades and services which vetted it’s clients to the highest standards in all areas of their business activity, and where insurance, technical qualifications and professional memberships were all fully scrutinised. He left purely because of the logistical difficulties associated in working with the UK company whilst operating from Spain.

Checkatrade monitored his work on an ongoing basis by collecting feedback directly from customers. During the period that Chris

ROJALES PP QUESTION DUTIES OF HIRED SECURITY GUARDS

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Garage Services - Car and Vehicle repairs, based in Benijofar, just across the road from Greenlands Sports Complex, is owned by Chris McCarthy, an experienced and time served motor mechanic.

You will find our car repair and mechanical service second to none and our prices extremely competitive. Our customer service and attention to detail is also all that you would expect from a reputable English speaking business.

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he Popular Party (PP) in Rojales has criticised the Town Council for their employment of 11 private security guards last week which, they claimed, were taken on because of a police shortage caused by an overtime strike in protest at their working conditions.

All car and van servicing, All Diagnostics, Laser wheel alignment, exhausts, cambelts and welding

So don't take chances with your valued possession - trust the experts!

Garage Services car and auto repairs is a top quality English speaking garage company which covers Torrevieja, Quesada and the Costa Blanca area.

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worked with Checkatrade they collected almost 300,000 customer reports which highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of their listed companies.

Garage Services had 315 reports submitted about their standard of work and gained a fantastic overall rating of 9.8 out of a maximum of 10.

Areas covered and average scores achieved included: Estimating 9.6 Tidiness 9.8 - Timekeeping 9.8 - Courtesy 9.9 - Workmanship 9.8 Value for Money 9.7 - Reliability 9.8 - Overall Service 9.8 Some of the Testimonials received by Chris during that period: 1-"Very good service, with help and understanding - would recommend to grey and old, the elderly would not be overcharged. He's become a friend".......

2-"Fully satisfied with work carried out on my vehicle and will be using his service again. I would recommend"...

3-"I cannot fault his work in any way a pleasure to do business with in any capacity. He knows his trade"...

4-"Excellent quality of workmanship, courtesy and punctuality. I would recommend them"...

5-"I am very pleased with the service and the courtesy from Mr McCarthy. I can recommend him" 6-"Polite and very good at his job. I would recommend him" ...

7-"Very good - on time and less than budget" ...

These are just a few of the hundreds of positive recommendations that Chris has received over the years – So Why take chances!

Garage Services. Ctra de Beniofar-San Miguel de Salinas, Finca Garroferos-Nave13, Algorfa 03169 (Just across the road from Greenlands Sports Complex). Contact Chris on (0034) 634 048 339 and have your car repaired by a reliable, expert and time served mechanic. Email: Email: christophermccarthy1964@gmail.com See main Garage Services ad on page 3.

The security staff added that "in order to carry out any enforcement action they had to be accompanied by police officers, who, as a result, were required to leave the duties that they were otherwise engaged on themselves.” It is understood that only three police agents were employed in the area at that time.

Meanwhile the mayor defended his position stating that this security has been contracted by the council for many years during the San Isidro fiestas and denied that they were required to carry out the duties of the Police. "They were not directing traffic, they just monitored and reported. The PP should check its facts before making irresponsible statements," Pérez concluded.

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D LY NEW RBISHE U REF

Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

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QUICKIE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS QUICK ACROSS: Prophet; 7 Robot; 9 Worry;

10

Confine;

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Remonstrate; 14 Contentment; 18 Strange; 19 Strip; 21 Layer; 22 Absolve.

DOWN: 1 Brook; 2 Sparse; 3 Bet; 4 Coffer; 5 Connote; 8 Consume; 11 Coinage; 13 Portray; 15 Travel; 16 Notion; 17 Sieve; 20 Ebb. CRYPTIC ACROSS: 6 Charger; 7 Raven; 9 Crave; 10 Clearly; 12 On both sides; 14 Compartment; 18 Strings; 19 Steak; 21 March; 22 Recover.

DOWN: 1 Charm; 2 Craven; 3 Red; 4 Safari; 5 Replied; 8 Alchemy; 11 Courage; 13 Postman; 15 Prince; 16 Nation; 17 Wages; 20 Den.

ACROSS 1.

Drama (4) 3.

Keep (8) 9.

Capacitated (7) 10. Possessor (5) 11. Amendment (12) 13. Generous (6) 15. Angle (6) 17. Improbability (12) 20. Bury (5) 21. Restrict (7) 22. Uniformly (8) 23. Formerly (4)

DOWN 1.

2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

12.

14.

16.

18.

19.

Introduction (8) Grant (5) Diminish (6) Deficiencies (12) Disparage (3,4) Merit (4) Outdated (3-9) Discretion (8) Risk (7) Intellectual (6) Frequently (5) Sibilation (4)

L EA D E R T R I V I A Q U I Z

SUDOKU CHALLENGE

Solution on Page 21 CAN YOU MASTER THE SUDOKU CHALLENGE? Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

QUIZ ANSWERS

Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran). c. The Summer Wind (Frank Sinatra). d. The Boys of Summer (Don Henly). e, Summer of 69 (Bryan Adams). f.

Summer Wine (Nancy Sinatra Lee Hazelwood). g. Summer Breeze (Seals and Croft). 11. Carnation. 12. Genghis Khan. 13. a. Brazil. b. Australia. c.

DOWN 1. Vagrant was in front getting trodden on (8) 2. A labyrinth that will astonish (5) 4. Erratic DIY nut is far from neat! (6) 5. Not enough corresponding insurance business? (12) 6. Bet deal is made after it should have been (7) 7. Lift sound beams (4) 8. Scholarly postman? (3,2,7) 12. On which to lie about dead bets? (8) 14. A chore for smoothing things over? (7) 16. Specimen offered by politician in auction (6) 18. Go up about victory which is due (5) 19. Let out red mark left by wound (4)

ing in the sun. e. Me and some guys from school had a band and we tried real hard. f. I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled. g.

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind 11. Which clove like scented flower, also a registered trade mark, is known as 'the flower of God'?

12. Who terrorized the world first, Genghis Khan or Kubla Khan?

13. In which country would one find the following beaches? a. Ipanema. b. Manly Beach. c.

Rimini. d. St. Paul's Bay. e. Cox's Bazar Beach. f. Bluefields Beach. g. Diani 14. Which tragic Open Air Concert in December 1969 was documented in the film Gimme Shelter?

15. Which Latin scientific expression translated means 'Spring Equal Night'? Two words 16. In which European capital is Bonnie Prince Charlie buried?

17. Until 1949, what was Indonesia called?

18. What was the Anglo Saxon word for a nobleman or retainer for a King? Five letters 19. Which opera shares its name with a novella from Herman Melville?

20. Which bruising 19th century American was the first athlete to earn one million dollars in sport?

1. Paparazzi. 2. Four. Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Brunei. 3.

My Way. 4. Fabian Barthez (France 1998) and Gianluigi Buffon (Italy 2006). 5. South America and the Antarctic. 6. Carrageenan. 7. Monaco.

8. Abba. 9. Khartoum. 10. a. In the Summertime (Mungo Jerry). b.

ACROSS 1. Return some - it's a catch (4) 3. Comparatively cool creeper? (8) 9. It's very hard for a mad backward worker (7) 10. Two learners within 24 hours amuse themselves (5) 11. Pretend a rope is prepared to carry more weight (12) 13. Belied being suitable for consumption (6) 15. The captain's game? (6) 17. Devices to make points on cart (12) 20. Rebuke first children going to conceal themselves (5) 21. Writers I have taken to be thoughtful (7) 22. Record of voice-range (8) 23. Our suffrage definitely includes the old (4)

1. Which word that stems from the 1960 film 'La dolce vita' can annoy celebrities?

2. How many Asian countries start with the letter 'B'? (modern names only) 3. Which English version of a French song holds the record for the most weeks within the top 40 in the UK? 4. Which two FIFA World Cup-winning keepers hold the record for conceding only two goals during an entire tournament?

5. Which two continents does the Drake Passage separate?

6. What is the name of the seaweed used in chocolate milk, ice cream, dog food, toothpaste, shoe polish etc? Eleven letters 7. The coat of arms of which country depicts two soldiers disguised as monks carrying swords?

8. A famous band and the name given to a Coptic bishop. One word.

9. The name for which extremely hot and arid African capital means 'end of the elephant's trunk'?

10. The following words are from songs with the 'Summer' somewhere in the title. Can you name the song? a. If her daddy's rich take her out for a meal. b. No dice son you gotta work late. c.

Like painted kites those days and nights went flyin by. d. But I can see your brown skin shin-

20. John L. Sullivan Thane, Thegn, Thayn. 19. Billy Budd.

(Rome). 17. Dutch East Indies. 18.

Vernal Equinox. 16. The Vatican City Jamaica. g. Kenya. 14. Altamont. 15.

Italy. d. Malta. e. Bangladesh. f.

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‘Letters from the Atlantic’ He enjoys life in the sun as a columnist and author, and continues to write a series of popular novels, books for expats, as well as designing mobile apps and websites to promote the Canary Islands.

By Bar rie Mahoney

Many expats continue to pay taxes to the UK government, based on UK earnings and pensions even though they left the UK many years ago. It is therefore right that expats should continue to express a view as to who should spend their taxes and on what priorities

Taking the ‘Brit’ Out of Britain

The electoral system in the UK is by no means perfect, since it fails to represent the wider range of views of a complicated and increasingly vocal population. We are told that the current ‘first past the post system’ continues to have many advocates, but in recent years it has not served us well, and many voters feel disillusioned and disenfranchised by most politicians. The opportunity to change the voting system was put to a referendum vote several years ago, and rejected by voters, and so we have to make the best of what we have.

L

ike many expats, I completed and posted my voting form for the UK General Election yesterday. In some ways, it was a significant moment, and I should have taken a photo of the event, since this may be the last time that my partner and I will be allowed to vote as expats living in Spain. We will soon hit the 15year rule that applies to expats, after which we are no longer eligible to vote under current UK rules.

Despite the shortcomings of the current electoral system, which fails to represent the views of a wider constituency through proportional representation, we should always take the opportunity to use our vote. There are some expats who claim that expat voting is a pointless exercise and even morally wrong, since we no longer live in the country, do not claim benefits, and do not use the health service.

Many expats rarely visit the UK after they have left, and only return for the occasional family wedding or funeral, so they question

15

conditions linked to receipt of the UK state pension or company pension, and the amount received, is determined by government policies. Exchange rates and currency fluctuations are also the direct result of government policies that form the economic health of the nation. The levels of state benefits, even winter fuel payments to British expats residing in some of the colder European countries, and reciprocal health services are all determined by the UK government of the day.

Barrie Mahoney was a head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands to launch and edit a new English language newspaper.

There has been pressure, including court action, over many years to force the UK Government to change the 15-year rule for expats to one where expats may vote for life, but this has always been thwarted, delayed and convenient reasons given for not proceeding. I guess much depends upon the way that the governing party views expat votes; are we likely to support the current Government or not?

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Expat votes are now even more important since the UK is about to leave the European Union, where relationships, deals and agreements with our host countries will become even more important in the years ahead. We may feel that a simple cross against the name of a person that we do not know, and support for a political party that will eventually let us down is a pointless exercise, but it is all that we have and it is right to use it. whether they have the right to express an opinion that can seriously affect the conditions of the population remaining in the UK. Expats do have a right to express an opinion as to who should form the next UK Government. Many expats have children and elderly relatives living in the UK, and feel the need to have even a minor involvement in the future direction of the country. The old saying that “You can take the Brit out of Britain, but you cannot take Britain out of the Brit’ is so true in these circumstances. Many UK expats receive a pension of some kind from the UK. The level and

FER

SPECIAL OF

I hope that whichever political party eventually forms a government, they will recognise the need to ensure that British expats can continue to exercise this simple democratic right to be involved. The 15year rule should be abolished and expats should be allowed to vote for life.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: http://barriemahoney.com and http://thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Footsteps in the Sand’ (ISBN: 9780995602717).

Available in paperback, as well as Kindle editions. © Barrie Mahoney

16

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Car and Vehicle Sales The Car of the Month at Automoviles Crespo is a 2016 Ford Mustang GT which is on Special Offer priced at just 45,900 euro. Come along to our showroom in Elche and see our vast range of used cars or call 96 666 22 60 for all our latest offers.

The biggest and best for price, choice and quality. (69148)

Social and Clubs The next meeting of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion will be on 20 April at the Olympia Restaurant in Mil Palmeras starting at 7.30pm. The Torrevieja Branch meets at the Casa Ventura in San Luis at 7.30 pm on the 2nd Friday while the La Marina/Gran Alacant Branch meets on the 1st Monday at The London Bar, behind Dial Prix in Gran Alacant at 6pm. Everyone Welcome.

Volunteers are urgently needed in all areas by the Age Concern LIFELINE Team visiting people in their own homes to assess their needs, reporting back to the Lifeline Team Leader. There are many people who live alone, are lonely and need some form of social contact. Please call Age Concern on 96 678 6887.

(69185) HAH CB need you to help us help those in need in their own homes in areas surrounding Quesada, San Luis, La Siesta Torrevieja, La Mata, Orihuela Costa, Villamartin to Campoverde, short or long term medical conditions of all ages and nationalities.

Contact our head office on 965 328 794 or email charity centre helpathomecb@gmail.com.

Girlguiding group for Orihuela Costa. The Orihuela Costa Rainbows and Brownies. This is a brand new Girlguiding group for girls aged 5-11 years.

Rainbows 5-7 years, Brownies 711 years. We will meet every Wednesday at the Madhouse in El Galan. Parents can find our more on our Facebook page Orihuela Costa Brownies and Rainbows Samaritans Recruitment, La Zenia Boulevard 31st May and Punta Marina 7th June. Curious about work of Samaritans in Spain?

Interested in becoming a listener? Have a few hours a week to help with the charity shop, fundraising or admin? To find out more, come and join us for refreshments and a chat at our Centre in the Punta Marina Shopping Centre, by the Punta Prima roundabout, on the N332 on 7th June or at the La Zenia Boulevard on 31st May. (Volunteer positions are unpaid but certain expenses can be claimed). 31st May ALL DAY at La Zenia Boulevard. 7th June from 10am to 2pm at Punta Marina. www.samaritansinspain.com Email: janeatsams@outlook.com

Churches and Services La Siesta Evangelical Church hold services each Sunday and everyone is welcome. Our 11am Services are held every 2nd and 4th Sunday in the month (and on the 5th Sunday, if this applies.)

On the 1st and 3rd Sunday’s our Services are at 9.30 am. Our choir sings at our 11 am Services and there is also a Sunday School, Stepping Stones, on these Sundays. We welcome residents, visitors and children. For information see our website

Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

www.lasiestaevangelicalchurch.org or phone Pastor Keith on 666 180 108.

Pets Delmonte Catotel Cartagena. The cattery that cares! Tel 968 168 711 or 616 276 379 (69083)

Personal Torrevieja. Shirley - the best massage. Tanned, young Brazilian beauty! Stunning figure, great breasts. I welcome you alone in sexy lingerie. By appointment please.655 677 738 MALE/FEMALE Viagra, cialis, kamagra available mail order viagra4you19@gmail.com 603255411

Items For Sale Why not use the power of the Leader to sell your unwanted goods or to advertise your business. Classified advertising is available on these pages from just 6 euro per entry. Email office@theleader.info

Vacancies Panache Hair and Beauty, Quesada, are seeking an Experienced Beauty Therapist / Nail Technician and an Experienced Hairdresser. Contact: Salon 966 716 690 or Mobile 645 445 249

Property for Rent San Miguel, large 2 Bed Flat, Fully Furnished, Air Con, Sky TV, Com Pool, Lift with Underground parking available, €350pcm plus only Elec and Water. Call Dean 639 288 935 Property to rent in Roda village. 2 bed apartment and 2 bed townhouse with communal pool.

Rents from 300-400 euro (+ utilities). Please call 628 931 306

Property for Sale Country Finca in Redovan Comprising of 2 buildings on a good size plot, each with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Plot size 500 sq mtrs. The property is in excellent decorative order and is sold furnished. Beamed ceilings in lounge. Euro 170,500. Ref: 000076. Tel 617 537 866 San Miguel de Salinas - A really nice first floor 3 bed apartment in a very well looked after community, just a short walk to supermarkets, restaurants, and bars.

Fitted wardrobes in all bedrooms, main bedroom having walk in wardrobe. Euro 79,995 Ref: 000075. Tel 617 537 866 Detached Villa Torremendo - A fantastic 2 bed countryside home on a 5000sqm plot. Constructed from wood and in perfect condition with countryside and lake views. All modern services, connected to electricity, water, mains sewerage. Also a separate selfcontained cabin. Euro 149,995 Ref: 000074. Tel 617 537 866 This three bedroom, two bathroom mid-terrace townhouse is within walking distance of the lively La Fuente Commercial Centre with its fabulous selection of bars and restaurants. It is also close to supermarkets and just a short drive to beautiful, award-win-

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ning Blue Flag sandy beaches.

Access to lovely communal gardens and a large communal swimming pool. Euro 79,995 Ref 000057. Tel 617 537 866 Redovan - Surrounded by lemon groves and fields of artichokes and broccoli, this lovely three bedroom, two bathroom detached villa is situated on a plot of 600m2. It has its own 10m x 5m private swimming pool and a separate garage with access to a rooftop solarium. The property is distributed on one level with a tiled patio area leads into the main living and dining areas. Private Pool, Fully Furnished, Stunning views, Private Garden. Euro 210,000 Ref 000058. Tel 617 537 866 Sierra de Orihuela - This fabulous detached property is on a plot of 1.900m2 and has breath-taking views of the Sierra de Orihuela mountain range. The total built area is 135m2 which is distributed across four double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lounge / dining area, and a modern openplan kitchen. Covered car port, manicured gardens and a private swimming pool. Fully Furnished.

Private Garden. Kennels and a chicken coup. Euro 249,995 Ref 00059. Tel 617 537 866 San Miguel de Salinas - Modern 3

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bedroom house in the sought after area of Balcon de la Costa.

South facing and in a quiet area.

The house has been refurbished to a very high standard and ready to move into. Large paved patio with high walls for your privacy, ideal for barbecuing or just relaxing in the sun. Fully Furnished.

Private balconies.

Stunning views. Air-Cond. Euro 79,500 Ref 000060. Tel 617 537 866 San Miguel de Salinas - A nice ground floor apartment in the heart of San Miguel de Salinas. It has 2 good size bedrooms with fitted wardrobes. The 2nd bedroom has an enclosed galeria for extra storage. Good size lounge / diner and open plan kitchen. The family bathroom comes with a 4 piece suite and shower enclosure.

Popular Spanish village. Fully furnished. Communal Pool.

Large Terrace. Euro 52,995 Ref 000061. Tel 617 537 866 Detached Villa Torremendo. A fantastic 2 bed countryside home on a 5000sqm plot. Constructed from wood and in perfect condition with countryside and lake views. All modern services, connected to electricity, water, mains sewerage. There is also a separate self-contained cabin. Private pool, fully airconditioned, part furnished, ideal for conservationist €149,995 ref: 000074. Tel 617 537 866

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20

Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

www.theleader.info Línea Directa National Bowls 2017 From Page One

The Ladies Pairs was once again a San Miguel/Quesada affair. Peta Rhodes and Carol Broomfield (last year’s losing finalists) were looking to go one better, while Gail Willshire and Lynn Greenland were attempting to retain the title for San Miguel, won last year by club mates Lin Miller and Chris Parsons. The game was very close and produced some great shots but it was the Gail and Lynn who took the trophy back to San Miguel.

The Men’s Pairs had one of last year’s Champions, Paul Parkes, playing with new partner Pat Heaney representing the Emerald Isle, against the popular father and son pairing of Gary and Johnny Raby of San Miguel. All four played great bowls. The game went down to the wire but Gary and Johnny took the honours.

The Ladies Singles was another all Quesada affair. Carol Broomfield playing club mate Jacqui Johnston. Carol struggled to play to her usual form while Jacqui bowled consistently to become Ladies Singles Champion 2017.

The final of the Men’s Singles was the best Singles final in a major competition that I have seen in a long time. Brian Robertson of Mazarron against John Rimmer of Country Bowls. John started in top form building up a match winning 11-0 lead, however Brian pegged back to trail by just 2 shots at 14-12. John then picked up a 4 on the next end. A single to Brian followed by a 2 to John and the score stood at 20-14. John only needed a single shot to claim the title. As we all know that last shot is quite often the hardest to get and so it proved with Brian winning the remaining 4 ends to narrowly become Men’s Singles Champion 2017.

Grace and Robert Cathcart from Tenerife

Following the finals Bob Donnelly (National Director) thanked all the sponsors, the co-ordinators, umpires, markers and scoreboard flippers. He gave special thanks to the Championship committee for their work before and during the event. Thanks also were given to both venues who gave up their greens free of charge. The Greenlands co-ordinators were then presented with a bottle of their “tipple” as a token of thanks.

During the competition the free raffle for the Linea Directa hamper drew a healthy entry, the only stipulation was that the winner had to be in attendance at the presentation in order to claim the prize. After 7 attempts a name was eventually pulled out and Allen Bowen, San Luis, was able to claim his prize.

Onto the main presentations. Neil Reardon of The Leader presented the triples prizes on behalf of Linea Directa. Lorraine, representing Seagate, presented the Mixed Pairs. Steve Simmons and daughter presented the Ladies pairs and also gave each lady a lovely bouquet of flowers. Carla representing Avalon presented the Men’s Pairs with both the Men’s and Ladies singles trophies presented by Bob Donnelly on behalf of Greenguage.

Samantha Biddles of QuirónSalud presented a plaque and a 400€ voucher for a private health check to ‘Personality of the Tournament.’ The recipient of this award is chosen by the Championship committee and this year they voted unanimously for Gary Raby. Gary, who always wears his heart on his sleeve showed immense energy and enthusiasm throughout and was a popular choice with spectators too.

The final presentation was made by Bob Donnelly to Competition Secretary Suzi Cooper for all her hard work.

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National Singles Champions, Jacqui Johnston of Quesada and Brian Robertson of Mazarron Bowls Clubs

Men’s finalist John Rimmer realises his final effort is just short

San Miguel Bowls Club

By Pat McEwan

Defending singles champion Martin Foulcer went out at the semi final stage Gary and Johhny Raby celebrate their final success

Photo: Allen Bowen

Dando and Sewell on their way to victory in the Mixed Pairs

A forlorn Broomfield was unable to match the pace set by winner Johnston

Friday 26th May.... What a brilliant day for San Miguel bowlers, winning both the Ladies Pairs and the Mens Pairs in the Linea Directa National Lawn Bowls Championships. Excellent games by Gary and John Raby playing against Emerald Isle and Gail Willshire and Lyn Greenland who were up against a home team from Quesada.

Congratulations to you all. The final of the Mixed Triples should have also taken place today, but Graham Cathcart of Tenerife took ill yesterday, and their game was postponed until today... the final now to be played on Saturday..... Our very own Gail Willshire, Noel Davis and Fred Willshire will be playing a team from Tenerife..

Good luck guys. In the Mixed Pairs, Linda & Cliff Plaisted reached the semi finals, but after dropping a 7 on the 4th end, they fought hard to get the shots back, they pulled up, but unfortunately lost to an Indalo team. Val Collier and Ann Eagle also reached the semi finals but lost to a Quesada team... well done for reaching the semis.

If there was a trophy for the best club supporters, San Miguel would win easily!!!!!!

For further details on San Miguel Bowls Club please contact our President, Rosamond Stockell, telephone 965329778 or Secretary, Pat McEwan telephone 966714257.

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EL RASO GOLF SOCIETY

at Altorreal

On Friday 26 May El Raso played at Altorreal, a course we have not played for some considerable time. Apart from the greens being difficult to read, the course was in excellent condition, very lush and pleasant surroundings. Twenty-two members, including our two new members Pete Gartside and Kev Bonser, and two guests travelled from the Quesada area to play the monthly Stableford.

Best guest prize went to Brent Hollings with a super score of 37pts.

The par threes on this course are quite long and well protected by bunkers. No one managed to get a ball onto the 10th green however Brent managed it on the 5th and Jan Shorley and Dave Nicholls hit the 8th and 17th respectively. John Hill won the best front nine with 18 pts and Bob Shorley won best back also with 18 pts. Third place went to John Fairhurst with a score of 31 pts and second, on countback, was Steve Sayers with 37 pts. The overall winner was Kev Bonser also with a magnificent 37 pts.

After the game we travelled back to Quesada for prize giving, and as always, our thanks to Grant and his staff at the Olde 9th for the post game welcome refreshments.

Our next game at La Marquesa on Friday 30 June is the Captain´s Day. A fun day is promised with various prizes to be won, organised by our Captain, Marilyn Eckersall.

Member’s GS @ Hacienda del Alamo

Founders Trophy - La Marina GS

Eventually 29 members and guests made what should have been a 1 hour journey, for a few it proved to be more of a contest to find the course than to play it! Several members arrived late indicating that it took them 2 hours to find it.

Mick Kennedy and his ever present golfing partner John Hettrick apparently missed several turns and eventually found themselves in CARTAGENA! They decided to recompose themselves over a spot of breakfast before eventually making their way to the course.

With the first battle completed, the 2nd was about to begin and proved just as much of a challenge if not more. The N.T.P. winning photo is a little light as only one player managed to hit any of the greens, well they are all 180m or more and with the ever present wind of approximately 25 km per hour it was not surprising. The other added obstacle was the greens, having been hollow tinned just a few weeks ago they still hadn’t fully recovered although there were quite fast.

Results; N.T.P. Competition, hole 8 J. Eyre. Best guest was Mr. Landsvik with 33 points. Bronze category, 3rd J. Hillier 25 pts. 2nd P. Sabine 26 pts. 1st P. O’Dowd 28 pts. Silver category; 3rd M. Kennedy 32 pts. H/H 2nd D. Sullivan 32 pts. 1st A. Kilnes 36 pts.

Gold category; 3rd V. Brown 30 pts. 2nd J. Eyre 32 pts. 1st G. Gooch 34 pts.

If you would like to join us on any of our Competition days and enjoy every reasonable green fees full information can be found at www.tmgs.org Facebook/TMGSGOLF or call 661 524 101

We were blessed with beautiful weather on our first visit of the year to the difficult Roda course. The founders trophy was presented to the society by previous member Barry Martin to celebrate the 10th anniversary. Unfortunately Barry returned to theUK and was unable to be here for the presentation.

Scores in general were reduced from the previous meeting Altorreal, although Gerry McCabe, despite a two shot handicap cut ,managed to win the silver award with a very creditable 36 points.

However, winner of the Founders trophy and the gold award with a brilliant 38 points was Barry Thorogood. I was in his group and saw how well he played the course.

Nearest the pins went to Vic Smith, Iain Lyall Barry Thorogood and Mike Green. The 2's pot was shared by John Thompson and Mike Green.

Our next meeting is at las Colinas on 8th June, first tee 10.00 at a cost of 60 euros. We have only managed to get 24 tee times and being a popular venue only reserve places are available. If you have put your name down already but are unable to make it, please let Alan know.

Our next social function is the dinner on 22nd June. Cost is 15euros with a 3-course meal and entertainment provided by diverse duo.

Please let Elspeth know on elspeth4mcd@yahoo.co.uk and she will advise you of the meal choices available.

21

Marabu Golf Society In association with Costa Blanca Green Fee Services at La Marquesa on 25th May 2017.

For this month’s meeting a group of 22 players visited the established course at La Marquesa taking advantage of the excellent society deal obtained from Costa Blanca Green Fee Services.

The course was in excellent condition and the weather beautiful and this reflected in good scoring.

The winning scores on the day were as follows: 1st – Mike Belson -38 points, 2nd – Brian Smith – 34 points 3rd – Jan Svensen – 32 points, 4th – Mike Probert – 32 points Nearest the Pins – Probert,Svensen (2) and Fanning Dog of a Day – Jim Nicholson Best Front Nine – Morten Kristensen - 18 points Best Back Nine – Jack Fanning – 17 points Football Card – Barry Allsop After the game we returned to LEAF's Restaurante, which is located at Pueblo Brava, Quesada for a welcome meal prepared by the bar and the prize presentation and we give our thanks for their continued support.

Our next interim fixture is at Alicante on the15th June 2017 followed by the society day at Lo Romero on 29th June 2017 which will be the Captain vs Vice-Captain Challenge match.

We will have our annual away trip to Benidorm on 5th and 6th June 2017 and this year this is in collaboration with the Spanglish Golf Society and we will play Don Cayo and Alicante.

Report by Mike Probert of Costa Blanca Green Fee Services on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or www.costa-blanca-greenfees.com.

Las Ramblas Golf Society On a lovely cool Monday morning we played a “Mulligan” where you get 4 chances to correct a bad shot that could ruin your score.

Scoring was good and close. The winner was Rod Doel with a great score of 42pts. 2nd on a count back was Alan Douglas 41pts. 3rd, keeping it in the family, again on a count back was Olga Douglas with 41pts, 4th was John Drakesmith with 40pts.

Wednesday we played round 6, the last round, of out Eclectic Joker competition and the results were as follows: Cat.1: 1st Dave Pulling 43pts, 2nd , on a count back, Olga Douglas 38pts 3rd Bryan Neal 38pts.

Cat.2 : 1st Ellen Drakesmith 41pts, 2nd Geoff Biggerstaff 41pts on a count back. 3rd Rod Doel 36pts.

2´s Club: Tom Hardie and Dave Pulling with 2.

On another beautiful day we played a “Waltzer”and the winners on a count back were Liz & Ken Robertson, Peter Reffell and John Conway with 41pts. 2nd were Dave Pulling, Rod Doel, Annmarie & Friedel Weisheit also with 41pts.

Mike Mahony

SUDUKO SOLUTION

EL PLANTIO GOLF SOCIETY On Tuesday 23rd May, 14 members and a guest competed in a tricky individual competition involving the use of 2 clubs and a putter each player choosing the clubs to be used before play commenced.

The winner turned out to be the solo guest, Jason Mainwaring, who had a very creditable return of 37 Stableford points and will be rewarded for his efforts with a handicap cut.

Competing in his first club competition since returning to Spain for the summer from Dubai - TO GET OUT OF THE HEAT - was John Wilby, who very nearly scooped the prizes with 2 nearest the pins and 3rd place. Pride of place, however, must go to Bryan Watson, who recorded a Hole-in-One on Hole 8 - the 2nd time he has performed the feat on this hole.

Nearest the Pin, Holes 2 & 5 - John Wilby. 3rd Place, Handicap 3 John Wilby, 33 points.

2nd Place, Handicap 7 - Ian Henderson, 34 points. 1st Place, Handicap 14 - Jason Mainwaring, 37 points.

The picture shows from left to right - John Wilby - Jason Mainwaring - Ian Henderson - Bryan Watson.

If anyone would like to join our Society, we play at El Plantio Golf Club on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. We use both courses - the Par

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by David Swann

3 nine hole course and the main 18 hole course, so we cater for all abilities. The membership rates are very competitive, so call for more details. Anyone who wishes to play in the Society as a guest or join as a new member, contact Ian Henderson on 966 716 616 or 636 116 230

22

Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

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Ivie Davies Memorial Golf Day Ruby’s Golf Society The Ivie Davies memorial day turned out to be a fantastic day for all of the 24 players that went off to Fonte Del Llope, but it was the ladies that dominated the golf this day, Ivie would have liked that. The weather played its part and the course which was in great condition played well. The results were as follows; Nearest the pin on the par 3's were greedy Mike Thomas (3) Rob Vaughan and Dave Shelton. Nearest the pin in 2 was Steve Wild, best front nine Rob Litton, best back nine Steve Wild. In third place was Rob Vaughan with 33 points, in second place Glynis Thomas with 35 points and in first place was Michelle Evans with 41 points, I think there may be a handicap cut coming her way. We returned to Rayz bar on El Raso where our hosts provided a fine meal for all the players and their wives, this was followed by a large raffle for generous prizes provided by various golf courses and businesses on and around El Raso, we thank them all for their generous support for this event. An auction followed for a couple of other prizes, and with the generosity of all the people that bought raffle tickets and had a bid in the auction the total raised for Cancer Research was 1000 euros.

Ivie Davies

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Possibly the hottest Wednesday meet so far found a course very much returning to its once excellent condition, indicative of the investment made by the relatively recent new owners.

Gold category that the real fight for the Linda Rennie trophy took place. but it was Noel Bannon, just pipping Paul Guest on count back with a likewise superb 40 points, who came in the winner.

The day’s stableford competition results, by category and in reverse order, were the following: Bronze Category: 4th Kyree Skarsmoen (30), 3rd Norman McBride (31 on CB), 2nd Mike Inns (31 on CB), and 1st, way out ahead, Mick Roscoe with 36 points.

MIKE PROBERT TALKS GOLF

‘Western Movies’ For those of you of ‘advanced’ years you will understand what I am about to say.

Those of you that are ‘younger’, just ask your parents.

Do you remember those Saturday afternoon matinees at the ‘flicks’ where you went to see your film favourites such as John Wayne, Alan Ladd and Randolph Scott in the good old western movies?

Although the films were different, the theme was the same, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again and all while fighting the bad guys.

Now I want you to use your imagination again.

You should consider your golf swing and thoughts to be like a western movie.

The good guys are fighting the bad guys and in this case the ‘girl’ is enjoyment success and satisfaction.

Still with me?

In terms of your ’swing’, the good guys are the key fundamentals for good golf of posture, grip and alignment.

For your ‘swing’ the bad guys are usually too strong a right hand grip, bad posture over the ball, poor alignment, not releasing the club from the top and deceleration of the club head.

All of these will cause inconsistent and poor golf resulting in the, slices, hooks, pulls, duffs, thins, shanks and total misses that you see every day on the golf course.

In terms of your ‘mind’ the bad guys are negative thoughts, bad atti-

Silver Category: 4th Hugh Reilly (34 on CB), 3rd Mike Jordan (34 on CB), 2nd Eva Petterson (35) and 1st Ivan Hanak with 36 points.

Gold Category: 4th Keven Mitchell (37), 3rd Jamie Rorison (38), 2nd Paul Guest (40 on CB) and 1st Noel Bannon, also with 40.

The Abacus was won by Ralph Tilbrook.

Nearest the pins on the par 3’s (open to all) went to John Osborne (5), Barry Roehrig (8) and Gary Garbett (17). Nobody made the green on hole 10.

The best guest prize went to Steve Chitham with an excellent 40 points.

Keep up to date with all SMGS matters by logging on to our website www.smgs.org or simply give Captain Theo Boelhouwer a call on 694 494 824 to find out more about the society and its weekly golf get-togethers. Next Wednesday we will be at Mar Menor.

ROCKETS GOLF SOCIETY For our May away day we went south to the Jack Nicholas course at Hacienda Riquelme where we played a Medal for the Organisers Trophy. Course in lovely condition, Greens very fast, but our members could not keep out of the bunkers, which made for a lot of high scores.

The Gold Category did better than the Silver Category with last years winner Malcolm Anderson coming in with a nett 78 to defend the Trophy. Andy Nicholls was close behind in second place with a nett 79 and in Third place was Shay Martin with a Nett 81.

In the Siiver Category Ken Hopkins took First place with a nett 82 followed by Ron Chambers in Second place with a Nett 86 and in Third place was Graham Knight with a nett 87

Here on the Costa’s golf is one of the biggest leisure time activities for both tourists and resident alike and with this in mind we have secured the services of Mike Probert of Costa Blanca Green Fee Services to provide a weekly round up of local golfing events and topics and in conjunction with us at THE LEADER will provide discounted golf prices to all of our readers and run our golf competitions.

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Linda Rennie Trophy. San Miguel Golf Society

Greens were a little slow but consistent and fairways actually had grass on them, unlike some of the shorn courses played lately. Scoring was, as it often is here, significantly different amongst categories, with lower handicappers fairing much better than those are higher.

Many thanks also to Robert Scott and Tony Harrison who provided the trophy's for this event.

All in all a great day with great support and the overall winner being Cancer Research.

For information regarding the above or any other fixture on our calendar please contact rubysgolf@yahoo.co.uk

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Hacienda Riquelme

NEAREST THE PINS Hole 5 P Mutter, Hole 7 & 15 Arfur, Hole 17 Nada Longest Drive went to M Anderson and Best Guest was C Johnson Nett 87 Next game is at our home course Vistabella with a tee off time of 08,15 on the 13th of June which is 3 weeks away. Please be there for 08.00 and have the correct money for the Green Fee. After the game we returned to Bar Patricia in Torreta 3 for refreshments and meal supplied

by Chris which we thank him for.

Anyone who would like to join our Society or just want a game Contact Ron on 678 849 142 or email sanmigron@gmail.com

(Sponsored by Costa Blanca Green Fee Svcs).

tude, lack of focus, over stating your own abilities, low confidence, poor preparation, anger and fear.

The ‘mental’ good guys are a good attitude, positive thoughts, relaxation, calmness, good preparation, goal setting, control of anger, concentration, course strategy and most importantly visualisation.

So there it is, your overall golf game is like your favourite western movie, make sure that the good guys beat the bad guys and win the girl, which in this case is success, satisfaction or just plain enjoyment.

Will this be easy?

The answer is no but do not be scared or afraid because help is at hand and if you call the number below the ‘sheriff’ will arrive on his Andalusian stallion, complete with silver star to drive the bad guys out of town.

Go on you know it makes sense and as they say in the movies “a man has got to do what a man has got to do”.

Go ahead and make my day.

We at THE LEADER are committed to providing to our golfing readers affordable golf without the need to join a club or apply for a card but simply contact the number below to have instant access to discounted golf prices, many of which are exclusive to us.

The deals shown in the table are some of the best currently available to you until 31/05/17: Golf Course Price Comments Alenda €118 Two Players and Buggy Alicante €98 Two Green Fees and Buggy (2pm) Altorreal €106 Two Players and Buggy Bonalba €100 Two Players and Buggy Don Cayo (Altea) €94 Two Players and Buggy El Plantio €112 Two Players and Buggy (after 12pm) Font Del Llop €122 Two Players and Buggy La Finca €110 Two Players and Buggy La Marquesa €48 Single Green Fee (weekends) La Serena €128 Two Players and Buggy Las Colinas €90 Single Green Fee Las Ramblas €94 Two Players and Buggy Lo Romero €39 Single Green Fee (after 2.30pm) Roda €100 Two Players and Buggy (after 2pm) Villamartin €102 Two Players and Buggy Villaitana Poniente €114 Two Green Fees and Buggy Vistabella €88 Two Players and Buggy (w/e) Deal of the week : New Sierra Golf 2 players and buggy for €85 For Bookings and info Mike at info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com quoting the reference LEADER or on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 Hollow Tine Watch All the following start hollow tining on 29th May 2017: Bonanla,Campoamor,El Plantio,Font del Llop,La Finca,La Marquesa,Roda,Saurines,Valle del Este and Villaitana Quotation of the Week “To help your concentration,don't take too much time” Pam Barnett

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Monday 29th May - Sunday 4th June, 2017

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PERFECT RACING Playa Flamenca ‘stroll’ to win over San Miguel WEATHER FOR SAAM

S

unday May 7th, 10am and SAMM officials and competitors arrived at CTD for the third race day of the Spring 2017 season. The sky was blue, the sun warm but where was the wind?

Don’t worry, the forecast says it is coming and by the time the first race was due to start it had arrived at a gentle 7 knots.

The two Sailfish 18’s were first away at 11.45am followed 10 minutes later by one two man and five single handed dinghies for the planned four lap race. The Sailfish maintained their lead for the first lap but were passed by three of the dinghies during the second lap. Due to the conditions the pace was slow and unexciting so the Race Officer shortened the race to three laps.

San Miguel Strollers Walking Football Club has Just celebrated its first year as a team by holding an invitation competition at the San Miguel football stadium, where they play on Wednesday evenings.

The invitation competition had 8 teams playing this all day event and teams participating came from Hondon, Deja Vieja La Marina, Playa Flamenca and San Miguel. The competition was played with 2 leagues of 4 with a semi-final and a final.

The 1st semi-final for 2nd and 3rd place was played between Frails Fliers and Pilar Horadada which went to a penalty shoot-out with Pilar the eventual winners to come 3rd and winning the

Plate.

The 2nd semi-final was played between San Miguel Strollers 1st team and Playa Flamenca Walking Wanderers with Playa Flamenca the outright winners taking the Invitation Cup. With all teams playing the game in good spirit and was refereed by Bill, Mick, and John who kept the games flowing with whistles blowing mainly for overdoing the walking and breaking out into a run.

Should you want any further information on this rapidly growing Sport, do not hesitate to contact.

Bob or Maggie at: bobbyg2542@hotmail.com (Playa Flamenca) or Bill Whitehouse at: smstrollers@gmail.com (San Miguel)

The wind was up to 9 knots by the start of the second race at 2.30pm and gradually increased to 12 knots, which produced the excitement missing in the first race. The Sailfish were again away first.

Mistral got the best start but was soon overtaken

by Sirocco. The Laser 2000 and RS Quba Kiwi had the best start of the six dinghies and these two and the Topaz Duo were soon fighting for the lead.

The Skipper 12 was struggling especially when trying to tack to get through the gate and lost so much time in the process that she retired after three laps. The finish was difficult, requiring a tack to finish up-wind. The RS Quba Kiwi got it

wrong and hit the finish mark requiring a 360° penalty and re-finish. The RS Quba Lola almost did the same as did the Sailfish Mistral.

A bit of fun ensued when the Sailfish Sirocco twice dropped their boat hook overboard when trying to pick up their mooring under sail because the outboard would not start. Thankfully it was recovered both times by some skilful manoeuvring and they eventually were safely secured.

TORRY ARMY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Torry Army AGM will be held on 21 June at Casa Ventura, 8pm start. All members welcome.

If there are any items which need to be discussed

at the meeting, please drop in at the San Luis office, or contact a committee member asap.

Torry Army are also holding a fun quiz at Casa Ventura at 8pm on 10 June. Entry fee of 6.50 euros for members, or 7.50 euros guests, which include a hot and cold buffet.

Carp R Us Fishing

Cadena Sunrise 10 - Pin Bowling 24 May Week 31 Pin Pushers Alley Cats Sol Amigos Sunrise Colegas S***T Happens

6 8 2 8 6

-

2 0 6 0 2

Top Performers Hi/Game Hi/Game+H/Cap Hi/Series Hi/Series+H/Cap

Ladies Sue Walsh 167 Sandra Baker 220 Sue Allen 454 Sue Kenyon 598

Gi Gi's Hookers Alley Cats Sunrise Colegas Pin Pushers S***T Happens Sol Amigos Alley Gators 999's Pin Pals The Bandits

P W 93 75 93 71 93 71 93 70 93 67 93 63 93 62 93 52 93 44 93 42

D 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0

L 49 52 53 53 55 60 62 71 80 82

999's Gi Gi's Hookers The Bandits Alley Gators Pin Pals Gents Maurice Allen Maurice Allen Maurice Allen Diego Mu?oz

232 251 582 651

Tot Gms Av Hi-G Hi-S Pts 70631 93 759 858 2431 150 70287 93 755 881 2417 143 70186 93 754 869 2402 142 69970 93 752 857 2418 141 70616 93 759 901 2485 136 68085 93 756 881 2412 127 70054 93 753 902 2472 124 68558 93 737 823 2391 105 68849 93 740 855 2424 88 68016 93 731 823 2383 84

The club fished its annual Pairs Competition at the Embalse de Beniarres on 25th May. We found the water several metres higher than on our last visit.

The previous match stretch was well under water causing us to confine ourselves to a short peninsula. Most swims dropped immediately to over 7m depth with snaggy bottoms. Although carp were topping it proved difficult to induce them to feed high or low. Jack Burrelly had a small bank before him and using the short pole with paste wrapped corn caught small carp steadily to weigh in 7.72Kg. His pairs partner Jackie Breslin managed 1.48kg whilst no-one else caught. Not in the match, Ann Fowles caught her very first Zander. The venue looked idyllic in the sunshine as the temperature climbed to above 30°C. Further information about the club can be found on its website www.carprus.weebly.com or on our Facebook page CarpR-Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

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