Costa Blanca Leader Edition 700. by The Leader

No 700

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

Tel: 637 227 385

Rojales horse rescue centre to feature on British TV

n English couple who run Spain’s only registered horse rescue foundation will feature in Channel 5’s popular ‘Bargainloving Brits In the Sun’ television series next week. Sue and Rod Weeding, who moved to the Costa Blanca to retire, but launched Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre in 2008

after witnessing horse cruelty, are thrilled to be included in the first episode of season three, launching next Thursday. Film crews visited the Rojales rescue centre multiple times last year, capturing the highs and lows of the Weedings’ life caring for more than 100 rescued horses, ponies and donkeys. Continued on Page 2

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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Continued From Page One EHCC on British TV

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637 227 385 E-mail office@theleader.info Website www.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.

“We are very excited to be on English TV. We’re hoping that people will see the program, enjoy it and maybe understand a little bit of what we’re trying to do here,” Sue said. “It’s definitely not easy, but we will continue to move forward to create animal welfare in Spain. This is our long-term goal, to continue working with Spanish police to rescue abused, neglected and abandoned equines – and at some point get some sort of recognition from the government or councils. “We are on call 24 hours a day now because we are providing a service to Spanish police. But unlike England, where charities enjoy a certain status and get help, here in Spain we have absolutely nothing. It’s just people like Rod and I doing it, using our own money. “But we are giving it everything we’ve got. We must move animal welfare forward – and we are doing it with a passion.” Bargain-loving Brits In the Sun episode one airs

next Thursday, January 25 at 8pm on Channel 5. The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre relies entirely on donations to fund its important animal welfare work. Donations of cash or items for the centre’s network of six charity shops across the Alicante province are gratefully welcomed. A pick-up service is available to collect large donated items such as furniture and each shop also offers a delivery service for large items purchased in-store. Anyone interested in making a donation, becoming a long-term sponsor, or volunteering at the rescue centre or in the charity shops can call Sue on 652 021 980. The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, located just outside Rojales at Partido Lo Garriga, 59, opens to the public on the first Sunday of every month between 1pm and 4pm. A free horse tour with centre co-founder Rod Weeding begins at 2pm and refreshments are available in the café. For more details and directions, visit www.easyhorsecare.net. For regular updates, follow us on Facebook at @EasyHorseCare.

Sue and Rod Weeding opened the horse rescue centre in 2008

Christmas all wrapped up in Hondón Valley

Members of the Hondón Valley Branch of The Royal British Legion were concerned about the plight of some of the families in their area and have for several years now, donated presents and supplies to needy families. So each year presents are wrapped and then handed to the local Social Worker and Christmas 2017 was no exception.

Members of the Branch were delighted to hear the children were pleased with all their presents!

Our photo shows members of the Branch together with the local Social Worker Doña Librada Mira Iñesta and just a few of the many presents.

We are delighted to welcome new members each month and it is not necessary to have an Armed Forces background to join in all Legion events.

The Branch starts the New Year with a full social calendar and anyone who would like to come along to any events, please contact the secretary on secretary.hondonvalley3577@gmail.com or ring 648 86 02 51.

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Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

Helping Campoverde to become heart-healthy

A defibrillator in place next door to The Rusty Nail

Jim and Clare presenting the cheque to Pilar town hall

hrough the generosity of a Campoverde bar owner, his wife and their customers, the municipality of Pilar de la Horadada is now the owner of three pieces of life saving medical equip-

ment.

Jimmy and Clare McGill, together with the patrons of The Rusty Nail, have raised over 6,500 euros which was used by the Pilar council to purchase three defibrillators, one of which has now been located adjacent to the Campoverde bar. Following the death of a client in the bar last year, Jimmy and Clare were absolutely devastated. The customer felt unwell so an ambulance was called. Unfortunately the man died so there was nothing that the medics could do. Jim said that the event impacted on the pair so much, “We felt shocked and so very helpless because we just couldn’t do anything to help. We were told that he had died of a heart attack.” When Jim mentioned the terrible experience to his daughter, a nurse in England, she told him about defibrillators, and how they could be used in such situations, often able to save the lives of those involved.” “We asked the Pilar Council where they were installed in the municipality and were absolutely amazed to find out that there was not a single defibrillator available, and neither did the council have the funds to buy them.”

Still impacted by the memory of their deceased client, Jimmy and his wife then decided to organise a series of charity galas, with the intention of raising enough money to buy a defibrillator for Pinar de Campoverde, but they were absolutely amazed by the response of their regulars as more that 6500 euros was raised from fundraisers and galas in a very short time. The money has now allowed the purchase of three defibrillators that have already been installed in Pinar de Campoverde, one at the sports complex, a second in Avenida del Pino at the entrance to the commercial area, and the third next tdoot o The Rusty Nail, although Jim said that he hopes never to use it. Already, however, a successful course has also been run by the bar in English so the defibrillator could be used should the need arise. It is now planned to install a further six machines around the municipality which will be paid for by the town council. Unfortunately the need for these defibrillators was first identified because of a tragic death but what has resulted from it is the emergence of a number of anonymous heroes who have demonstrated that there is still a great deal of goodness to be had from people who selflessly help others to live a better life. And in Campoverde, amongst the expat population, and thanks to this gesture of unanimity, this small Spanish village has now become a heart-healthy municipality.

Direct ferry route launched from Ireland Brittany Ferries to launch first ever direct ferry service from Ireland to Spain Brittany Ferries have announced that they will be launching the first ever direct ferry service from Ireland to Spain later this year. The company are scheduled to run two weekly direct return sailings from Cork to Santander. Tickets will be available for sale at the end of January and the service is set to run until November. The journey will take around 26 hours and will depart from Cork every Wednesday and Friday. A new ship with the capability of carrying 500 passengers and 195 cars will be chartered to serve the route. General Manager of Brittany Ferries Ireland, Hugh Bruton, said, “This is a significant move for Brittany Ferries, offering haulage companies a direct route to Spain and passengers a far greater range of holiday options from Cork”.

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The man met the prostitute, a hostess in a Torrevieja club in December 2016. Apparently, he had several sexual encounters with her. Everything seemed to go well until she began asking for large amounts of money in exchange for her silence. The first time was 40,000 euros. The man agreed and made the payment through the prostitute’s bank account. He thought that would be an end to the situation, but he was wrong.

A prostitute’s price for silence Two women have been arrested and charged by the Guardia Civil for blackmail and threatening behaviour after they extracted over 90,000 euros from a resident of San Miguel de la Salinas. The man had paid one of the women, a 32-year old Romanian, for sex, over 12 months ago, since which time she had been threatening him. Either he paid her money or she told his wife that she was a prostitute who had regularly been providing her husband with sex. He chose the former and in the ensuing period he is understood to have given the woman two cars and over 90,000 euros in cash.

Shortly afterwards she demanded another 25,000 euros. On that occasion, it was not to her bank account, but to that of a male relative. Once again the sanmiguelero agreed to the request and paid for her silence, but it did not work either. The woman asked again for another 25,000 euros and this time she wanted it paid in cash. She also asked for two cars which he gave to her and which he never saw again. With the situation having gone on for over a year the man finally chose to denounce the prostitute to the San Miguel Guardia Civil who opened their investigation in December 2017. They found that it was not one but two women who have been pocketing the cash, the Romanian and her 36-year old Bosnian friend. Both were subsequently arrested and charged with crimes of extortion and threatening behaviour. The two women appeared in court last week but after being charged the pair were released and are now awaiting trial.

New 210 plot campsite opens in Santiago de la Ribera

Youths arrested for arson in Callosa The Civil Guard has arrested seven Spanish children, all residents of Callosa de Segura, for setting a series of fires in the town on 31 October, the night of Halloween, last year. They carried on with their exploits, committing further arson attacks, for another 6 weeks. In total, 19 waste containers were destroyed together with a car and an abandoned house. Six of those arrested were known to the police while one of them, just 13-years of age, has no previous criminal record. The first attack took place on the afternoon of 31 October last year when, in what appeared to be an organised operation, a number of intentional arson attacks were committed to containers and paper bins situated in various streets and parks around the town. The police and emergency services were called to attend to the incidents throughout the afternoon

With 29,000 square metres of land next to the San Blas pine forest, and just two kilometres from the Mar Menor beach, the new Camping Park has plots available for up to 210 motorhomes, each with its own electrical supply, lighting, drainage and waste deposits and a modern shower room. Campers will also have facilities and washing machines to do their laundry. Within the enclosure, an outdoor recreation area has been set up, with Wi-Fi access, a petanque court and a leisure area. There is also a cafeteria and restaurant for campers who prefer to get away from the oven. In order to compete in the caravan sector, the promoter of Camper Park, Antonio Fructuoso, has opened the site with offers from 7 euros per day, all inclusive. "If the number of users allows us to do so, we will maintain these prices at a flat rate throughout the

year. There will be no summer and winter prices," he said. "The strong season for the European caravanista is from September to May as they seek an area with a climate like the Mar Menor. Many of them will take up residence in the area, while the bulk of the national caravanistas will use the site in the summer," said Fructuoso. The General Director of the Mar Menor, Antonio Luengo, who attended the official opening of the site said "this type of sustainable infrastructure helps to flatten the tourist seasonality throughout the year along the Murcia coastline". His namesake, the mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo, said, "Until today there was no facility in San Javier for these tourists to enjoy our climate" The mayor added "the arrival into the municipality of this new brand of tourism, will allow holidaymakers to enjoy varied cultural and gastronomic services, which will increase when the quality of services and the competitive prices become better known."

The fires not only affected containers and bins, but one also spread to a vehicle parked nearby as well as to an electrical transformer and an abandoned house. The car was completely destroyed. Similar attacks continued in the following days, with the damage finally exceeding 20,000 euros. The seven detained are all of Spanish nationality and all of them are minors, five boys aged 14, 15 and 16, and a 16 year old girl. The seventh child identified with the gang, has no criminal liability, and is just 13 years of age. The investigation has found that the youths set fire to the containers purely for their entertainment, using firelighters impregnated with petrol. They were all made available to the Office of the Children's Prosecutor in Alicante, after which they were released with charges pending.

Extinguished Firefighters The Quesada branch of Help at Home Costa Blanca has been gifted 170€ thanks to the efforts of retired fire-fighters living in the area. The donation came from the Distinguished Fire Fighters who meet monthly at the Green Baize Snooker Hall, Quesada. The Extinguished Firefighters, as they are called, are a group of retired firefighters and fire service personnel who have retired to Spain and boast members from Fire Services all over the U.K. They meet on the first Thursday of every month at

Santiago de la Ribera now has a new attraction after one of the largest campsites in Europe opened its doors to campervans last Thursday.

and night.

the Green Baize in Ciudad Quesada (next to Quesada Fish and Chips), starting at 3pm., also having a dining out night, usually in the second week of each month. Any retired fire fighter in the area is free to join the group - just turn up at the next meeting.

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Brighter BREXIT outlook sees Pound peak against USD Currency Matters

Snow report

The pound is at its highest level against the US Dollar since the EU Referendum, breaking GBP/USD 1.39 earlier today (Friday). It has also climbed against the euro, rising 1.2% midweek to 1.1350. Brighter Brexit

Orihuela Costa Beaches in need of further investment The Beach Satisfaction Report 2017, recently carried out by the Orihuela council, shows an improvement in the overall assessment of the beaches, based on the responses obtained from the members of the public.

This pound-positive activity is due to a brighter Brexit outlook; both Spain and the Netherlands suggested they would support the UK remaining closely aligned with the EU in terms of trade and Jean-Claude Juncker hinted that Britain could rejoin the EU after Brexit. This new-found optimism had a positive impact on the markets but as we know everything is temporary and there are bound to be more Brexit hurdles very soon.

But there is still no room for complacency as there were still many areas in which the survey indicated a great deal of dissatisfaction.

US Budget Crisis More interesting is the weakness of the US dollar which is sensitive to a potential government shutdown. The clock is ticking for lawmakers to pass a new budget or a shutdown will be triggered. Why? Congress failed to agree a spending plan for 2018 so the US is currently operating under a temporary funding measure which expires on 19 January. Unless Congress and the White House agree on a spending plan, the government will run out of money. By law it would be forced to stop many services and close facilities until a new budget is agreed.

Significant fresh snow is forecast for 4 Spanish Ski Resorts: Baqueira-Beret, Boí Taüll, Cerler and Formigal. One minute the sun is shining, the next you can’t see the tips of your skis - very much like the currency markets! Make sure you are prepared for unexpected conditions and get a good pair of currency goggles! www.thecurrencyexchange.co.uk

Torrevieja celebrates el dia de la Policia

orrevieja has celebrated el Día de la Policía on the occasion of the 184th anniversary of the formation of the Policia Local at which its officers were presented with awards for both long service and for exceptional work during the course of the year.

The mayor and senior officers laying a wreath

In addressing the officers, Torrevieja’s mayor, José Manuel Dolón, who is also the Councillor of Police, said that the service had performed extremely well, regardless of whether or not they received individual recognition. "We have to congratulate everyone individually," he said. "Each and every member must be thanked for their energy and commitment, in making the city safe, despite the difficulties that they regularly encounter. Thanks to your efforts and collaboration with other security forces the crime rate has fallen and life has been able to continue in a peaceful and harmonious way ". In his speech he also asked for their understanding and cooperation "to try to overcome the challenges we have, and to make the force work to ensure that Torrevieja remains as a safe city, and in which the public can have full trust in the security forces and its officers.” Following the speeches the mayor presented awards ranging from meritorious service to outstanding work in the prevention of crime, including the overpowering of a man who was holding 3 women at knifepoint in his home. He also made mention of the numerous interventions by officers in leading members of the public to safety as their homes were engulfed in fire, the location of a girl who was lost, a number of especially risky arrests, the regulation of traffic at events, the battle against street vendors, noise pollution, alcohol and drug controls, and of course their attention to the public. The mayor presented medals that recognised of 25 years of service to Luis Alarcón López and José Ramón Cano Oña; 30 years to Inspector Juan Carlos García González; and 35 years to Daniel

Gálvez Costa. A medal for 35 years of loyal service was also awarded posthumously.to José María Ramón López Vera. The mayor also had words of thanks for the families of all members of the Local Police, as well as for all officers and agents, the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Army that were also present at this celebration. The Unión Musical Torrevejense, accompanied by the Ricardo Lafuente choir, sang the hymns of the Police, Torrevieja, the Valencian Community and Spain. They also played and sang 'Death is not the end' as two agents and the mayor laid a laurel wreath in front of the statue of the Guardian Angel, as a tribute to those agents who had passed away,

Almost everyone surveyed made suggestions that would improve the Costa’s beaches including the removal of algae (23%), more litter bins (23%), more and better footbaths (11%), better cleaning of the sand (11%), more and better toilets (5%), more and better walkways (4%), improvement of access for people with reduced mobility and adapted bathing areas (4%). Having carefully studied the results the FAOC (the Federación de Asociaciones de Orihuela Costa-Alicante), has written to the Mayor and the Councillor for Beaches requesting that the 2018 Budgets include the necessary resources to meet these needs, previously detailed in a report published in September 2016, but still outstanding. This proposal also included the modification of La Caleta (Cabo Roig) as a winter beach together with the improvement of its access stairs, as well as the addition of handrails and railings, to avoid the current dangers resulting from the steep incline.

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Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

Local students and new food By Raymond Kearney

s ex-pats living in Orihuela Costa, we are rarely involved with university students, unless they are serving us a beer or a meal. We just don’t move it the same circles. Our interests and pastimes are different, our lifestyles are planets apart. As a coastal representative on the Orihuela Chamber of Commerce, I get invited to all sorts of meetings and events related to business, commerce, economy and employment that I would normally not even know about. Recently I was invited to an event called “Conference New Food” in La Lonja, a popular venue in Orihuela. Here students from EPSO University Miguel Hernandez in Orihuela presented New Food Innovations and healthy food products to businesses in the food processing sector, the Orihuela Chamber of Commerce, local government representatives, the press, the university faculty and interested members of the public. Prizes were sponsored by different companies, entities and the Orihuela Chamber of Commerce. The University Miguel Hernandez (UMH) of Orihuela is an agriculture, food technology and marketing university. Students learn traditional farming methods, food innovation and getting what they produce into the marketplace. Market research, marketing, planning, cost management, advertising and product development are integral parts of the university syllabus. This farming university helps to develop practical skills but as it is also a food university, students also explore how to turn basic food commodities into products that people want to buy and eat. They develop exciting new uses for fruits, vegetables and dairy from South America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. Cauliflower and carrots were nowhere to be seen at this “New Food” event. Food technology students began their various different projects in September and over the last three months they literally developed their ideas into healthy tasty marketable products that could be produced in a cost-effec-

tive way. They developed marketing plans, product names, logos, packaging, promotional material and even TV advertisements. The students costed their products, found suitable production methods, estimated shelf life, examined target markets and methods of distribution. At the event there were 9 different stands with 9 different products, each developed by teams of 4 students. The products included delicious crisps made from sweet potato, a low-fat sugar-free ice cream made from cabbage and dates, a tasty low-fat pork pate with quinoa, a sweet pomegranate sauce for meats, gnocchi pasta made from sweet potato and beetroot, a wholesome crunchy bar consisting of chia, quinoa, dates, rice and oats, a sugar-free sweet flan with chia, pomegranate and 50% less egg, , a spicy meat roll with a redberry sauce, and finally a (sugar-free palm oil-free) cricket flour chocolate paste with sweet potato and dates. As a diabetic, my favourite was the sugar-free ice cream. It tasted good and didn’t have that artificially sweet taste that lasts forever in your mouth and that you get fed-up with after a few spoonfulls, it really was delicious. It is also low in fat and high in fibre. One of the main ingredients was cabbage, I couldn’t believe it, cabbage never tasted so good before. The crisps, which were made from sweet potato and came in three flavours, regular, salt and pepper and extra hot. All three flavours were very tasty and won the prize from the Orihuela Chamber of Commerce. The pate was the favourite with both the public and the main jury. Two young boys attending on their lunch break, gave their first prizes to the chocolate flavour cricket spread and the crisps. Well done to the students and faculty of the University Miguel Hernandez of Orihuela, I admire your vision and energy. All that is needed now is for the food industry to invest in, support and encourage these young creative food technology students. Raymond Kearney has lived and worked in Orihuela Costa since 1998. He is a prominent businessman, community leader, president of OC Avanza business association and represents the coast in the Orihuela Chamber of Commerce.

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Ryanair Baggage Policy – Smoke and Mirrors Ryanair's latest baggage policy? Again, it's another case of smoke and mirrors. Ryanair’s recent press release indicates that passengers have to pay for priority boarding if they wish to carry two bags. This is misleading. In reality, as before, passengers can take the standard sized cabin suitcase plus a second handbag/laptop/duty free bag. The only difference is that the cabin sized suitcase will be taken from the passenger at the gate and placed in the hold AT NO EXTRA CHARGE.

For anyone who has flown with Ryanair in the last year, it has become customary for approximately 40 queuing passengers to have their cabin baggage tagged and placed in the hold. So why the change? Ryanair's attempt to get passengers to pay for additional hold luggage failed, ending up that there was not enough overhead luggage space to carry all the cabin bags. In addition, priority boarders have been placing their bags in the first available bins to ensure a speedy exit upon arrival. This has resulted in other passengers having to place their luggage further down the aircraft, past their allocated seat. Combined with Ryanair's policy of deliberately splitting up passengers who haven't paid for their seat, chaos has ensued upon arrival at the destination airport. But it is important to make your readers aware that it is not compulsory or necessary to pay the additional priority boarding fee to continue to take two bags when travelling. The only thing that has changed is that the cabin sized suitcase will be taken and placed in the hold at the boarding gate. So it would be important that anything they require during the flight such as passports, medication, reading glasses etc., should be put into the smaller handbag. An article in your paper clarifying this for your readers would help especially the more senior travellers who may be uncertain and confused by Ryanair's latest attempt at bleeding more money from them. Submitted by Noel Kelly

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El Galeón Andalucía ties up in Alicante The Galeón Andalucía is open to the public until 28 January

he Andalucia, a replica of the Spanish galleons that traded with America during the 16th to the 18th centuries, and which helped to establish trade routes between Spain, America and the Philippines, has moored in the Port of Alicante. The ship belongs to the Nao Victoria Foundation, an organisation that specialises in the promotion and development of events through it’s replicas of historic ships. The galleon can be visited by members of the public intil Sunday, 28th January.. It is a floating museum that shows the Spanish maritime culture that travelled around the world making naval history.

El Galeon was built during 2009 - 2010 by the Nao Victoria Foundation. Designed and developed by Ignacio Fernández Vial at the Punta Umbria shipyard (Huelva, Spain), the boat was launched on November 30th, 2009 and then the masts were added at the beginning of 2010. The ship has already sailed more than 50,000 nautical miles around the world, taking in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian Oceans, the China Sea, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. It has recently returned to Spain from the USA. and Canada, where it visited the east coast, the Great Lakes and more than 70 cities

including New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Toronto and Quebec. It took three years to research the main historical and maritime archives in Spain and compile all necessary information about galleons’ details and measurements so that this replica could be built. During its stay in Alicante, the Galeón Andalucía will open to the public until 28 January. Opening hours are 10am to 7pm at Pier 10 (Volvo Ocean Race) - Port of Alicante. Tickets: adults € 6 / Children (5-10 years) € 3 available on the boat or the web: www.fundacionnaovictoria.org/es/tickets/el-galeon-en-alicante/

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REIKI . . The wonderful energy of our universe INTRODUCTION There are as many paths to enlightenment as there are people. Reiki is one of those paths and each person who practices it will walk the path in their own way. No one person owns it – it has been given to all of us as part of the essence of our human being.

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Reiki is primarily perceived as a practice for healing the body, but it is also a method for healing the mind and spirit. Ultimately, Reiki has the power to reunite the trinity of Mind-Body-Spirit in their optimal state of harmony. All of us need to start the process of returning to that state of harmony. Reiki, with its power and simplicity and its methods for healing both the self and others, offers the way to start taking what I call the “the journey home” THE MEANING OF REIKI Reiki is one of the most ancient healing methods known to mankind. It originated in Tibet and was rediscovered in the early 1900’s by a Japanese priest named Dr Mikao Usui. The tradition of Reiki is referred to 2500-year-old writings in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. The Usui system of Natural Healing, named after Dr Usui, has been passed down by Reiki Masters since that time and is today practiced worldwide. As humans we have Universal Life Energy all around us and within us. The Japanese word Reiki consists of two syllables: “Rei” which describes the cosmic, universal aspect of this energy and “ki”, which means the fundamental life force flowing and pulsating in all living things. This life force energy is given to us at birth. We bring with us a certain amount of “ki” to life, and we use it up in the business of ordinary daily life. We then have to create a daily supply of new energy. When we are unable to make up for the energy consumption for a prolonged period, we may become physically or emotionally ill. If our supply of life force energy is very low and depleted, we suffer from physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, and tend to be much more irritable, bad-tempered and depressed than usual. WHAT IS REIKI? Reiki is a natural and simple healing method which allows you to absorb more life force energy. The Reiki method vitalizes your life force and balances the energies in your body. This natural healing energy flows in a powerful and concentrated form through the hands of the Reiki healer. The laying on of the hands directs the healing energy into the body of the receiver. The Reiki healer is used as a channel to conduct the Universal Life Energy. As a result, no personal energy is drawn or drained from the healer, who is simultaneously charged and strengthened. (The Reiki healer does not remove energy to give them theirs. Reiki energy balances and harmonizes – when there is an imbalance, there is a potential for illness) WHAT DOES REIKI DO? Reiki usually helps healing of all kinds and relieves pains and acute symptoms very quickly. Reiki makes it way to areas of imbalance during a treatment. It also has a positive influence on spiritual growth as it works on many levels, Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being are all enhanced with Reiki energy. After a treatment, you may feel mentally much clearer about things and experience deep insights into particular questions or problems you are facing. Reiki then can help you to make the right changes and decisions in your life, if that is what you need or want to achieve. Reiki affects each person differently, but it always acts wherever the receiver needs it most. However, there are common effects that everyone experiences. Energy used up in everyday life is replaced, so that when you feel exhausted or drained, the imbalance, which may adversely affect you physically, emotionally and mentally, can be put right. If you suffer from stress, you may react with physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomach aches, frequent colds, kidney pains and general disorders. These symptoms are the expression of excessive negative stress, accompanied by an imbalance of the energy system. To relieve these symptoms your energy needs to restored. For example, a lowered immune system or a weak organ that is not functioning properly and needs recharging with extra energy. Reiki can balance the energies in the body, helping you to let go and relax, so reducing stress. At the same time, it promotes the development of positive reactions to stressful situations. In other words, not only the symptoms but also the causes can be healed. Reiki strengthens and harmonizes the immune system. We continually use up life force energy without replacing it. Reiki helps us to

replenish and add to our energy and, in this way, helps to create a healthy body HOW REIKI AFFECT THE EMOTIONS When you receive Reiki treatments or when you take part in a Reiki seminar/workshop, your emotions may be profoundly affected. Emotional “blocks” are often released and you come into closer contact with feelings that you may have suppressed in the past- perhaps sadness or anger. It is important to accept these “negative” feelings. They are energies which transform themselves into creative forces as soon as you “own” them and give them attention and expression. Reiki helps you to become more aware of inner processes, both emotionally and mentally. During a Reiki treatment, the mind and the process of thinking are relaxed. You will often feel clearer and might discover and dissolve negative beliefs about yourself and others that you have struggled with for many years. Reiki supports you in your spiritual growth. People who open themselves to Reiki and practice it can get to know themselves better and can experience greater consciousness, intuition, and self-awareness. The most frequent experience which arises during a treatment is the feeling of peace, relaxation and security. IS REIKI ALWAYS SAFE? The purpose of Reiki is to supply the body with additional energy which it can use for healing itself. Reiki can be used safely regardless of whatever illness the receiver is suffering from. Reiki makes no diagnoses and is intended to be used as a complementary healing method. In the case of acute disorders such as imflammations, influenza, colds, digestive disorders, gall or kidney stones, backaches and headaches, Reiki often acts very quickly and directly by easing the pain and accelerating healing. Reiki can also be applied as first aid as it stops bleeding in open wounds and has a very calming influence on the nervous system, particularly when people are in shock after an accident. With Reiki, you can also provide relief from allergies, arthritis and other chronic disorders. As Reiki supports and complements other medical and natural healing techniques, you can combine it with other treatments, for example with allopathic or homeopathic treatments, body therapies, counselling and speech-therapy and other psychological treatments. A Reiki healer is charged with energy and becomes a channel for Universal Life Energy. Reiki is a gift of the universe, and is available to us all. THE EFFECTS OF REIKI In summary, Reiki is all-embracing in its effect. It involves your mind, body and soul and then attempts to set all these aspects of your being into a harmonious balance. Your personal energy, as a giver, is not transmitted to the receiver during a treatment, you are merely a channel. If (without having attuned to Reiki) you try laying your hands on someone else, energy is still passed on, but at a much lower intensity than if you are attuned to Reiki. This is because Reiki is a highly powerful vibrating force, or light energy. While the Universe Life Energy flows through you, as the giver, during the treatment, it is also fortifying and harmonizing you at the same time. You may also experience Reiki as a force which brings you more closely into contact with yourself, opening you up and allowing you to be more loving with yourself and with others. It is a unifying force which brings you closer to a condition of oneness and connection with

the “whole” So let me summarise the many benefits: Balances the organs and glands and their bodily functions Releases blocks and suppressed feelings Promotes natural self-healing Adapts to the natural needs of the receiver Balances the energies in the body Enhances personal awareness and helps meditative states Relaxes and reduces stress Promotes creativity Strengthens life force energy Treats symptoms and causes of illness Heals holistically Strengthens the immune system Relieves pain Clears toxin Reiki is a simple technique anyone can learn. Most people experience a huge leap in personal growth after receiving the attunements. This feeling of such loving healing energy is a truly uplifting and empowering experience. I WAS TOLD THAT REIKI WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE. IT DID. IT WILL CERTAINLY CHANGE YOURS A REIKI BREATHING EXERCISE If you want to experience a “taster” of Reiki before committing yourself to Reiki attunement or just to allow yourself to get an idea of what Reiki may feel like, try this exercise. The exercise will have the same relaxing effects as Reiki but without the added power and impact provided by the Universal Life Energy through attunement. Make yourself comfortable, either sitting down or lying on your back and close your eyes. Pay attention to your breath and follow its rhythm. Notice how it flows in and out. Now take three deep breaths Now put your hands on your body wherever you feel drawn to or where you feel tension. Use your intuition to locate the spot in your body that needs relaxation the most. Now direct your breath consciously and repeatedly to this place. Imagine that your breath is the Universal Life Energy which flows through you. Let it collect and expand under your hands. Notice how a feeling of relaxation and peace gradually spreads from that place beneath your hands throughout your entire body After a short while (about five minutes) place your hands on another part of your body. Once again breathe into your hands during the whole exercise. You may find that your breath changes in some positions as the body stores memories and experiences which may now be awakened. It is not necessary to consciously probe feelings or initiate stronger breathing. Just allow yourself to let go and plunge into this feeling of flowing. Move on to two further places on your body and charge them with energy Slowly open your eyes, stretch yourself, and return to your normal daytime consciousness. You will feel more relaxed, calmer and more centred. If you would like to experience the wonderful energy of Reiki as a treatment, please contact CHRISTINE QUINLAN ON 966 795 103 or email me on...bodyharmony44@gmail.com

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Popular Villamartin restaurant Elche and Orihuela to reopen after refurbishment share lowest crime rate

lche and Orihuela are the towns, of more than 60,000 inhabitants, according to the annual report of the Ministry of the Interior where there was a rate of just 21 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants.

The Villamartin Restaurant will reopen early next month

id you know that Quesada Fish & Chips 2 in Villamartin Plaza is closed for the whole of January for a complete refurbishment? All the regular clients will have to take the whole month off enjoying their delicious home comforts of Fish & Chips, Steak Pies, Bread & Butter Puddings, Mashed Potatoes and all the many other tasty dishes They will reopen at the beginning of February. The renovation will mean that there will be additional seating and space inside. The new look fish and chip restaurant will be decorated in the same theme and colours as that currently used at Quesada Fish & Chips in Quesada which was renovated last year. Quesada Fish & Chips 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Villamartin values your custom and looks forward to welcoming you to the new and spacious restaurant when it re opens in February 2018. When the restaurant re opens there will be a fantastic competition taking place in the newly refurbished premises throughout February and March for a prize valued at over 600 euros. Further updates will be available on Facebook and the Quesada Fish & Chips website: . www.villamartinfishandchips.com

agencies to "cover" many of the outlying areas. However, they add that the coordination of Local, National Police, Civil Guard and Autonomous Police has done much to reducing criminal activity.

The figure produced in respect of Benidorm is 43.87 infractions per thousand inhabitants and Torrevieja 42.36.

In Alicante, with a population of almost 330,000 people, the crime rate is 27.25 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants whilst in Villajoyosa the report shows 22.52 crimes per thousand inhabitants

Experts say that the figures are rather surprising in respect of Elche and Orihuela, since both cities have a large population area, with many districts and country areas, where robberies are traditionally more frequent due to the difficulty of the police

Police sources say that the towns with a higher incidence of crime are usually in coastal areas where many of the properties lie empty for much of the year, thereby proving to be a major attraction to criminals.

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Life on the Costa Blanca after a Stroke

Paul and Patricia Owen with Branch President, Pastor Keith Brown

aul and Patricia Owen, the President and Secretary of the Stroke Association, Spain, based in Benijófar, were the guests at last Thursday’s meeting of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion. The pair, who have been working with the charity for almost 10 years, told RBL members of how the need for stroke support has grown in the region in recent years. Paul explained that there is little community support for stroke sufferers on the Costa

Blanca after their discharge from hospital. Following a short period of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, usually a dozen or so sessions, sufferers are largely left to their own devices as a result of which the speed of their recovery can dramatically reduce. Hence the formation of Stroke Association, Spain. Largely assisting expats, the group meets every Wednesday and Friday at their rehabilitation centre, based in the Casa de Cultura in Benijófar, where qualified staff and carers

provide specialist and rehabilitative support to sufferers of all nationalities and ages. There is no need for referral. Those people requiring assistance can just turn up on the day, although it would be wise to call in advance. With state of the art equipment the centre allows visitors to take part in a vast range of therapies, with the aim of restoring physical and mental abilities, such as painting, singing, exercising, games, quizzes and much more, activities which are provided to assist with recovery for those people who have suffered a stroke. The centre also provides a speech and language therapist which includes assessment and practical help and advice on coping strategies for aphasia, the communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language. Staff also provide information on how your stroke might have occurred, stroke care and stroke prevention to enable stroke sufferers and their carers to better cope. The SSG is a registered charity and depends on the generosity of the local community for its funding. It provides a safe and therapeutic environment to assist with stroke recovery and it also welcomes suitably qualified volunteers with the skills, knowledge and commitment to support their activities. More info of the Stroke Association, Spain is available by calling 654 801 260, by emailing strokesupportgroup@hotmail.com or by logging on to their website at www.strokeassociationspain.org

New Year New Donation from Stagestruck S tagestruck Theatre Group started the new year by donating 2000 euros to the Torrevieja Alzheimer's Association. Despite having to cancel their 2017Pantomime, the money was raised from a couple of Showcase revues put on at Leaf's bar in Quesada and Murder Mystery evenings. The donation is accepted by the President of the AFA Alzheimer.

Stagestruck have now started rehearsals for their Summer show which will be presented at the Cardenal Belluga Theatre in San Fulgencio in May this year. The show is a musical comedy, an original script written by Director Leigh Humphries. The production, 'From a Jack to a King' is set in an East End of London pub in the 1960's and features a range of comical characters and songs from the era. The story follows the ups and downs in the lives of the landlord and landlady and their dealings with their customers. If you would like to be informed of where and when tickets will be available, please email Leigh at leigh.humphries58@gmail.com and request to be added to the Stagestruck mailing list. All proceeds from ticket sales go to local charities.

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Community Care at the Orihuela Costa Drop In Centre The Orihuela Costa Drop in Centre has an extensive range of activities that it will continue to expand in 2018 but, unsurprisingly, it is the Spanish language classes that continue to attract most interest. Whether it be learning Spanish for the first time or the improvement of your language skills there are sessions for everyone at the Lomas de Cabo Roig complex. Wednesday 17th January is the first monthly Coffee Mornings of the year from 10.30am till 12pm, with a Guest Speaker from the De Vere Group. Coffee, Tea and cakes are available for a donation. Since opening on 11th September, only 4 months ago, 85 members of many different nationalities have now joined the Orihuela Costa Association, proof of a desire to integrate whilst living in the Orihuela Costa and enjoy our time in the sun. TIMETABLE: Mondays: 12.30 - 2 pm. Spanish Beginners. Full 2.30 - 4 pm Spanish Beginners. New class. 2 - 3.30 pm Spanish Intermediate. New Class Wednesdays: 2 - 3.30 pm Spanish Beginners. Full Class 2pm - 4 pm. Art sessions, oils, sketching and watercolours. Wednesdays: 2.30 - 4 pm IT Class. Mobile phones and Tablets Thursdays: 1 - 3.30 pm. Card making sessions with Instructor Jackie Cameron, great fun, making personalised birthday, anniversary and Xmas cards, a wonderful way to relax with friends. Thursdays: 12.45 - 1.30 pm. Gentle exercise to music with Instructor Angela Nicholson. Angela also is a Craft Instructor and can stay on to demonstrate her knowledge to anyone wishing to learn.

Thursdays:

1 - 2 pm. Drumming and percussion work shop with Instructor ‘Nick’.

Classes and activities continue to expand at the centre.

We hope to encourage music sessions to be held Mondays and Wednesdays as well as Thursdays. There are suggestions to hold Singing sessions and Tea Dance sessions for all ages and nationalities, these can be organised if enough people want them. The Thursday drumming group is now gaining popularity but we need more instruments, a cajon box drum, snare drum, any small instruments. Contact the centre if you can help. Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. Craft sessions will start once there are enough students. We only have 3 people, we need 5 or more. The Drop In Centre is somewhere for everyone to enjoy social activities, all ages and nationalities. It also houses a wellstocked lending library which operates every Monday – Thursday from 1-5pm. If you would like to join any of these activities, contact Norah or Eva by email: oc.communitycare@gmail.com The centre is also close to opening a branch of the Cruz Roja Alicante, (Red Cross) which will offer First Aid Training Courses and support to the Community of Orihuela Costa. It also intends to develop a Stroke Support Branch for Orihuela Costa. Over €5000 was raised by the Christmas period for the Tasha Appeal Campaign with the support of the Card making group and Floral arranging group at Alfonso’s Restaurant but to continue to raise the funds needed for her care and treatment. We now need volunteers to help with daily bucket collections at Zenia Boulevard and Saturday collections at the Celtic Isle. Please contact oc.communitycare@gmail.com if you can help.

Christmas cheer for Spangles

The holiday season started for Spangles Ladies’ Harmony Chorus with three events – the first at the Spanglish Bar in Balsicas, with the ladies helping turn on the Christmas lights. This was swiftly followed by a Christmas Fair at the Iceland in San Javier, raising money for APAH animal rescue charity and a Singout the following day at La Zenia Boulevard, supporting the Pink Ladies’ Santa Walk, raising money for the AECC. Four days later, they were singing at the Nosmo King function at the Restaurante Paraiso, Torrevieja. Spangles held their traditional Christmas Concert at Las Claras in Los Alcázares on 8 December with their traditional Christmas lunch following on 14 December, but it wasn’t over! They had been invited back to the C Breeze Cocktail Bar in Playa Flamenca to help raise funds for charity where they raised 200€ for Los Hermanitos Children’s Home in Altea and Los Infiernos Perrera The chil-

dren wanted a new TV and it was plain that 100€ would not be enough, so the chorus members rallied round and chipped in. Wendy and Lyn went to Altea on 6 Jan to present them with their new TV. It was straight back into rehearsals at Las Claras, Los Narejos, Los Alcázares in January, as they now get ready to compete in the Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers’ (SABS) national chorus contest in April. Are you looking for a New Year resolution? Want to meet new people? Sing a bit? Fancy joining this champion chorus? Spangles always welcomes new members and it’s a great way to make new friends, so why not visit when they rehearse at Las Claras from January onwards? The group meets every Thursday from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm. To find out how to join or to book Spangles for an event, call Lyn on 693 017 617 or Anthea on 968 334 527 or visit: www.spangleschorus.com.

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QUICKIE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ANSWERS QUICK ACROSS: 1 Salacious; 8 Ill; 9 Impecunious; 11 Current; 12 Sabre; 13 Manure; 15 Bridge; 17 Arras; 18 Augment; 20 Half-hearted; 22 Obi; 23 Erroneous. DOWN: 2 Aim; 3 Cycle; 4 Ornate; 5 Sponsor; 6 Disobedient; 7 Placement; 10 Partnership; 11 Companion; 14 Resolve; 16 Lather; 19 Grain; 21 Emu. CRYPTIC CRYPTIC ACROSS: 1 Disgusted; 8 Ole; 9 Sailing boat; 11 Bayonet; 12 Erect; 13 Abused; 15 Temple; 17 Holst; 18 Canvass; 20 Air Minister; 22 Ass; 23 Lip-reader. DOWN: 2 Ida; 3 Union; 4 Tights; 5 Diocese; 6 Potted plant; 7 Temptress; 10 If you please; 11 Beachwear; 14 Enthral; 16 Scrimp; 19 Naive; 21 Eve.

ACROSS 7.

Drone (5)

Purify (7)

Bother (7)

10.

Smell (5)

12.

Fawning (10)

15.

Pirate (10)

18.

Shatter (5)

19.

Uncompromising (7)

21.

Conflict (7)

22.

Caper (5)

DOWN 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 11. 13. 14. 16. 17. 20.

Fighting (10) Permit (5) Snatch (4) Plan (6) Determined (8) Disclose (7) Elasticity (10) Infancy (8) As (7) Exaggerate (6) Trivial (5) Rip (4)

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

Solo rendered by egghead is lacking in control (5)

Watch prospect (4-3)

Admirable feature in the field? (4,3)

10. Requirements of necessity (5) 12. Temporary fashion to show every bit of violent anger (3,3,4) 15. Apparently having fun quite early (2,4,4) 18. A fitting comparison to hand? (5) 19. Not an egg-layer, but a crow producer (7) 21. Roars to make the fire roar? (7)

SUDOKU CHALLENGE

Solution on Page 22 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

Brown (Stranglers), f. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John), g. White Rabbitt (Jefferson Airplane), h. Babys in Black (Beatles), i. Paint it Black (Stones), j. Lily the Pink (Scaffold). 18. William Wyler. 19. a. St. Petersburg, b. Florence, c. Cleveland, d. Washington. 20. Burma (now officially named Myanmar). 21. Lutetia. 22. Melbourne

22. Ring for a sandwich (5)

Rainbow Warrior, f. Edmund Fitzgerald, g. Achille Lauro, h. Torrey Canyon. 13. The Godfather. 14. a. While You Were Sleeping, b. Good Bye Lenin, c. Reversal of Fortune, d. Sleeping Beauty, e. 28 Days Later, f. Forever Young, g. Kill Bill. 15. Curacao. 16. As a sniper. 17. a. Golden Slumbers (Beatles), b. White man in Hammersmith Palais (The Clash), c. White Room (Cream), d. Black Velvet (Alannah Myles), e. Golden

DOWN 1. Animosity resulting from malaise, perhaps (3-7) 2. Injury closely wrapped (5) 3. Inventor one could ring? (4) 4. Trivial insult (6) 5. Ray of light with doctor on right track (8) 6. He is in charge right among the enemy (7) 11. Giles hired for Santa's journey (6-4) 13. Stray carton to put a horse in? (5-3) 14. Glib one becomes despicable (7) 16. Songster halves that hurry-scurry (6) 17. Clearly not a drink for slimmers (5) 20. Go back again to evil giant (4)

14. The following are the initials of film titles that deal with the theme of comatose. Can you name the film? a. W Y W S, - b. G B L, - c. R O F, - d. S B, - e. 28 D L, - f. F Y, - g. K B 15. What is both the name of a small island and a bitter orange liquor? 16. During World War II Lyudmila Pavlichenko became the first Soviet citizen to be received by a US President while visiting the White House. In Canada she was greeted by thousands of people at the main railway station in Toronto. She was quite a popular figure; even Woody Guthrie wrote a song about her. How did she shoot to fame during the war? 17. The following words are from songs with a colour in the song title. Can you name the song? a. Sleep pretty darling do not cry, b. If Adolf Hitler flew in today they'd send a limousine, c. I'll wait in this place where the sun never shines, d. Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell, e. West from far away stays for a day, f. Hunting the horny backed toad, g. One pill makes you larger, h. Oh dear what can I do, i. I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, j. Mr. Freers had sticky out ears and it made him awful shy 18. Which William was nominated 12 times for the best director Oscar, a record? 19. In which cities are the following museums located? a. Eremitage, b. Uffizien, c. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, d. Smithsonian Institute 20. Robbie Williams had a hit with the song 'Road to Mandalay'. In which country is Mandalay? 21. What was the Latin name of Paris in Roman times? 22. Which city was the capital of Australia from 1901 to 1927? 1. Where Have All The Flowers Gone, 2. Hawaii, 3. Traditional (non-energy saving) light bulbs, 4. Bonn, 5. John L Sullivan, 6. Cricket, 7. Vindaloo, 8. Bob Dylan, 9. Zorro, 10. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA. 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins. Collins was at times 5,456 km (3,400 miles) from his colleagues Armstrong and Aldrin, 12. a. Amoco Cadiz, b. Admiral Graf Spee, c. Exxon Valdez, d. HMS Compass Rose, e.

ACROSS

1. Britain's last surviving World War 1 veteran Harry Patch died recently aged 111. He requested that which famous Pete Seeger song be sung at his funeral? 2. On the flag of which US state is the Union Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Jack) found? 3. What everyday lightweight household object has been illegal to buy or sell in the European Union since September 2009 (Clue: we all have them in our houses)? 4. Which city became capital of West-Germany in 1949? 5. Which bruising 19th century athlete and international celebrity was the first American to earn one million dollars in sport? 6. Which activity is practiced 'over and over' in all of the following films? Seven letters - Vertical Limit, The Beach, King Ralph, Master and Commander, The Dish and Syriana. 7. In gastronomy, the name of which popular dish stems from the Portuguese words for 'wine and garlic'? 8. Which prolific songwriter wrote Manfred Mann's hit song Mighty Quinn or Quinn the Eskimo? 9. Which popular fictional film character's name means 'fox'? 10. Over the last ten years, in which four countries have the most people been executed? 11.Measured in kilometres from the nearest human being, who was the most isolated person in history for a few hours in the summer of 1969? 12. Complete the names of the following famous or infamous ships. a. Amoco, b. Admiral Graf, c. Exxon, d. HMS Compass, e. Rainbow, f. Edmund, g. Achille, h. Torrey 13. The horse Khartoum plays a very deciding role in which Oscar-winning film?

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‘Twitters from the Atlantic’ 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.

o you speak English?

I wonder if anyone has made a New Year’s resolution to learn a new language? I admire any expats who make a determined effort to learn the language of their host country and are willing to try to avoid asking that embarrassing question “Do you speak English?” at every opportunity. After all, without a basic knowledge of the language, culture and customs, much of the new life that was hoped for will never be achieved. No, I am not talking about not seeking translation support when dealing with medical, legal and financial matters, where it is often important to seek professional assistance. I won’t pretend that learning a language is easy as one gets older; it is not, since learning a new language takes perseverance and effort. I was pleased to read in the papers this week that both Prince George and his sister, Princess Charlotte, are learning Spanish at their young age. They do have one major advantage, of course, in that their nanny is Spanish. As well as an acceptance of the need to reach out to a wider world, the appreciation, skill and some proficiency in communicating in another language will help these young people to recognise that they do not live in a solely English speaking world and will help to give them a wider perspective of countries and cultures outside the United Kingdom. During my time as a school inspector working in Wales, as well as England, I was always pleased to meet many young children who were confident in speaking both Welsh and English. The very act of

b y Bar rie Mahoney

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. learning a second language at such a young age makes the brain more receptive to the learning of other languages later in their school life. I recall detailed research reports that indicated that children learning both Welsh and English achieved far higher success rates when it came to learning other languages than their English counterparts. The message is clear; to be a successful linguist, it is important that youngsters start learning a second language, any language, early in life. I often hear from would-be expats who wisely make a determined effort to learn the language for some years before they even attempt to move to Spain. Others arrive in Spain and suddenly realise, and panic after a few brusque encounters at the Town Hall, that some grasp of the language would be useful. It is at this stage that those long forgotten Linguaphone tapes suddenly see daylight after many years. Sometimes, newly arrived expats find themselves attending overcrowded language classes provided by the Town Hall, whilst others seek private lessons or attend a ‘crash course’. Whatever the approach, a recognition that not everyone in the world speaks English is a good start. Many teachers of Spanish will confidently assure expats arriving in Spain that anyone over the age of 50 can successfully learn the language. I question this assertion as basically a ploy to gain more generous fee paying students, although I am sure that many will contradict me. Let’s be honest, most older people find that learning a new language later in life to be challenging, but certainly not impossible. Whatever the result, the effort is always appreciated by the locals, and the ability to speak a few sentences, and to understand what is going on is invaluable when starting a new life in Spain, or any other country for that matter. Many experts maintain that a grasp of English, Spanish and Chinese

Time to dig out those long forgotten Linguaphone tapes is all that is needed to conquer the linguistic world. I believe this to be true, since Spanish is the second most used language in the world after English. It always pleases me when I hear that Spanish is being taught in British schools, since I have always believed that this is the natural second language, and considerably more useful than French in today’s world. No, I am not a great enthusiast for the teaching of French in British schools, but it is certainly better than nothing at all. I was once told that the best way for expats to learn a new language is to have an affair with a new partner from the country of your choice. Now, I am not suggesting that expats go in for partner swapping, but the point is that for learning to be successful, it requires a thorough immersion in the culture and traditions of the country, and not only learning the language as a dry academic exercise. Available in paperback from Amazon, Waterstones and all good bookshops, as well as on Amazon Kindle. Join me on Facebook: @barrie.mahoney

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Car and Vehicle Sales The Car of the Month at Automoviles Crespo is a 2015 Ford CMax Diesel which is on Special Offer priced at just 16,500 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.

Social and Clubs The next monthly meeing of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion will be on 15 Feb 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. Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur is here to help you. Our aim is to assist with problem solving for

the over 50’s and promote their well-being. We need volunteer Drivers and people to join our Residential Home Visiting Team. You will visit people who live in a Residential Home, and take them out for a coffee either in a wheelchair or walking. If you think you can help Age Concern in this respect call into our centre at C/Paganini s/n, Urb. La Siesta 03184 Torrevieja or ring 966 786 887. Or you can email: costablanca@ageconcern.org.es 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: charitycentre helpathomecb@gmail.com. TORREVIEJA Official Liverpool FC Supporters' Club, Costa Blanca. - Why not join us at Kennedy's Pub, Playa Los Locos, to watch the games? www.lfc-spain.com. Curious about work of Samaritans in Spain? Interested in becoming

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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. (Volunteer positions are unpaid but expenses can be claimed). www.samaritansinspain.com Email: janeatsams@outlook.com The Orihuela Costa Drop In Centre is now fully open in C/Cipres, Lomas de Cabo Roig, where we can offer you a full range of activities every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday including music, language classes, drawing and painting, sewing, general information, bereavement advice and much more. Further info is available at: oc.communitycare@gmail.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 www.lasiestaevangelicalchurch.org or phone Pastor Keith on 666 180 108.

Job Opportunity Top Neumaticos are seeking a Fully Trained Mechanic for their Los Dolses Depot. Must speak English. Call 645 425 457 for further information

Personal Torrevieja Brazilian mature lady. The best massage, relax, tantra, anti-stress. I also do body and intimate waxing, manicures, pedicures, and facial cleansing and rejuvenation. Me and my silky hands are the perfect combination. Call Victoria on 687 131 005. Torrevieja. Shirley - the best massage. Tanned, young Latina

beauty! Stunning figure, great breasts. I welcome you alone in my sexy lingerie. By appointment please.655 677 738 Sexy, elegant Spanish lady. Playa Flamenca. Punta Prima. Private house. Erotic massage. All services. From €40. Call Ana on 657 603 495. Speak English. Male and female Viagra, Cialis, Cialis Kamagra jellies mail order cash on delivery call 604 385 476 viagra4you19@gmail.com

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 5 euro per entry. Email office@theleader.info

Property for Sale Country Finca in Redovan - 2 buildings on a good size plot, each with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Plot size 500 sq mtrs. 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-winning Blue Flag sandy beaches. Access to lovely communal gar-

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dens 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 three bed, 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 bedroom house in the sought after area of Balcon de la Costa. South facing and in a quiet area.

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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. 2 bed countryside home on 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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Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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SOUTHERN LEAGUE 2017/18 RESULTS AND TABLES

DIVISION A Vistabella Lanzadores Vistabella Picadors San Luis Lions Quesada Swallows Mazarron Miners

111 94 127 99 100

Quesada Swallows San Luis Lions Vistabella Lanzadores El Rancho Mustangs Emerald Isle Cavaliers La Marina Ospreys Vistabella Picadors Mazarron Miners San Miguel Jaguars Montemar Matadors

(10) (5) (11) (6) (10)

Em Isle Cavaliers (4) San Miguel Jaguars (9) Montemar Matadors (3) La Marina Ospreys (8) El Rancho Mustangs (4)

108 95 85 102 93

P 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

W 42 40 37 36 35 30 27 27 24 21

Pts 99 98 93 85 83 73 64 63 62 44

D 1 2 5 1 1 1 4 2 4 1

L 23 24 24 29 30 35 35 37 38 44

Win 7 8 7 6 6 6 3 5 5 2

Diff 299 184 46 139 113 -7 -153 -58 -253 -310

141 128 127 93

(12) (10) (10) (4)

Em Isle Outlaws Horadada Royals Quesada Swifts San Luis Tigers

P W D 10 32 4 10 32 6 10 30 2 10 31 5 9 30 5 10 30 2 10 26 3 9 23 3 10 14 2

San Luis Tigers La Siesta Blues Greenlands Oaks Quesada Swifts Emerald Isle Claymores Horadada Royals San Miguel Cougars La Marina Merlins Emerald Isle Outlaws

L Win 24 8 22 6 28 7 24 5 19 5 28 5 31 3 28 4 44 1

(2) (4) (4) (10)

63 72 81 124

Diff 193 128 142 34 128 -57 -117 7 -458

Pts 84 82 76 76 75 72 59 57 32

DIVISION C La Manga Crusaders Montemar Toreadors Country Bls Geckos El Rancho Broncos San Luis Pumas

139 91 111 91 121

Country Bowls Geckos La Siesta Golds Quesada Swans La Manga Crusaders San Luis Leopards Greenlands Cedars El Rancho Broncos Montemar Toreadors San Luis Pumas Vistabella Conquistadors

(10) (6) (11) (6) (10)

Greenlands Cedars La Siesta Golds Quesada Swans San Luis Leopards Vistabella Con’dors

(4) (8) (3) (8) (4)

78 103 93 133 88

P 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

W 40 37 37 37 35 31 27 25 25 23

Diff 125 69 217 399 107 -40 -238 -281 -153 -205

Pts 96 93 91 89 85 74 66 58 55 55

D 3 3 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 3

L 23 26 25 26 28 33 37 39 40 40

Win 7 8 7 6 6 7 5 4 2 3

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Emerald Isle Bowls Report

by Barry Evans

with Elwyn Morris Monday took the Titans to Vistabella, and the home team won 12-2, aggregate of 80-134 Winners for EI were J Pooley J Rimmer A M Stevenson 19-17

On Friday 19th we were away in the Southern league against La Marina Merlins. We suffered some heavy rink defeats going down 72 to 128 overall. Our two winning rinks in a 4 to 10 points defeat were, Irene Graham, Wayne Jackson and John Bailey 13 – 11, Jack Linehan, Jeff Hier and Barry Evans 20 – 13

The Moonrakers played at home against San Luis Trekkers and got beaten by 5-9, aggregate of 82--111 , the winners were K Griffiths R Fooks F King 19-14, S Adams G Inwood B Donohoe 15-12, and there was a 16-16 draw by B Taylor T Roche B Smith

Our next two Southern league games are at home and we need to pick up some useful points.

Wed took the Emerald Isle to Greenlands in the Winter league and they had a good 10-2 win aggregate 84-62, winners were C Thomas S Westall A M Stevenson J Rimmer 18-10, M Riley P Coffey M Veale M Stacey 20-13, J Pooley D Jones B Eldred C Lindgren 20-14, A Brown J Westall M Odell J Mulloy 15-12,

San Luis Bowls Report with Sheila Cammack Monday 15th: Klingons v LM Explorers; points 6-8, shots 91-100. Winners: Kath Reid, Neil Morrison, Ian Kenyon 19-18, Janet McEneany, Ann Holland, Peter McEneany 18-16, Margaret Morrison, Sabrina & Russell Marks 18-10. Trekkers away v EI Moonrakers 9-5, shots 111-82. Winners: Shirley Verity, Jo & Jules Pering 20-12, Helen Hammond, Barry Roseveare, Scott Malden 26-9, Marina Beardsall, Les Bedford, Brian Pocock 16-16, Ros Holmes, Bill Webb, Barry Edwards, 23-11. Vulcans, v HO Falcons, rain postponed.

DIVISION B Greenlands Oaks La Marina Merlins San Miguel Cougars La Siesta Blues

637 227 385

Horadada Bowls Club Not a very good week. The match at home against San Luis, scheduled for Monday, was cancelled due to bad weather. This is to be played on Saturday 20th.

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Romulans v Mazarron Miners, good result 10-4, shots 119-86. Winners: William Holtham, Ralph Jones, Harry Epsom 18-18, Pat Baylis, Mary Fromson, Terry Baylis 36-8, Tony Davies, Lyndon Johnson, Danny McErlean 21-14, Marion Davies, Chris Phillips, Tom Fromson 16-16, Rhys Davies, Robert Bruce, Malcolm Ayton 15-12. Wednesday 17th Winter League away v La Siesta; excellent 12-0, shots 102-54. Winners: Lynne Morris, June Jones, Peter McEneany, Keith Jones 19-9, Shirley Verity, Ray Clarke, Jules Pering, Russell Marks 27-9, Kath Reid, Neil Morrison, Scott Malden, Ian Kenyon 19-10, William Holtham, Keith Phillips, Giuseppe Galelli, Sabrina Marks 17-8, Lynne Morris, June Jones, Peter McEneany, Keith Jones 18-13, Irene Everett, Ann Holland, Brian Pocock, Tom Hill 21-14. Berleen team winners: Sheila Cammack, Charlie Marigold, Jo Pering, Vic Slater 16-15. FED 4’s league Thursday 18th Condors away v SM Apaches, good result 6-2, shots 56-50. Winners: Ros Holmes, Les Bedford, Peter McEneany, Mike Regan 23-11, Steve Simmons, Margaret & Ray Clarke, Brian Pocock 20-18. Bazas home v CBowls, good result, 6-2, 57 shots-47. Winners: Pat Tilley, Ralph Jones, Mary Fromson, Charlie Marigold 16-15, Kath Waywell, Bob Bromley, Harry Epsom, Drew Russell 30-6. Friday 19th Southern League: Lions, v MM Matadors, good result 11-3, shots 127-85. Winners: Pam Lockett, June & Keith Jones 20-9, Kath Reid, Neil Morrison, Ian Kenyon 26-12, Bob White, Sheila Cammack, Giuseppe Galelli 14-9, Janet McEneany, Steve Simmons, Peter McEneany 21-21, Lynne Morris, Ray Clarke, Tom Hill 38-8. Tigers v LS Blues, good points 10-4, 124-93. Winners: Beryl Regan, Marina Beardsall, Mike Reagan 38-10, Irene Everett, Bill Webb, Vic Slater 19-12, Ros Holmes, Mike Smith, Barry Edwards 20-19, Shirley Verity, Jo & Jules Pering 17-15. Leopards; away v ER Broncos 8-6, shots 133-91. Winners: James Wright, Kath Waywell, Bob Bromley 20-15, Ray Watmough, Marie Henly, Dave Steadman 30-6, Derek Barker, Chris Jackson, Drew Russell 41-9. Pumas v VB Conquistadors, no details 10-4, 121-88. Information: www.sanluisbowls.byethost7.com or contact June Jones, Club Captain: 691 903 773.

Neptunes game at Greenlands was cancelled

The Emerald Isle Leprechauns played at Quesada on Thurs and against a very strong home team they lost 8-0 aggregate of 70 -30 On Friday the Cavaliers played at Vistabella Lanzadores and got beaten 4-10, aggregate 108-111, EI winners were C Thomas Thomas D Birkett 20-13 P Coffey S Johnson J Rimmer 25-1 Friday took the Outlaws to Greenlands Oaks and the home team won 12-2, with an aggregate of 63-141, the EI winners were B Taylor E Brookes T Kelly 17-13.

San Miguel Bowls Club By Pat McEwan Mondays SABA games saw the Pulsars and the Comets games called off due to the wet conditions, both will be played at the weekend. The METEORS managed to play in the afternoon at home to Monte Mar Matadors, with a great result of 12 points to 2. Very well played by Linda Plaisted, Brian Miller, Len Rudge 26-14: Margaret Rogers, Lee Sinclair, Steve Cantley 16-14; Val Collier, Stuart Hemmings, Don Whitney 22-8; Margaret & Allan Patterson, Cliff Plaisted 22-14: David Johnson, Mary Dyer, Gail Wilshire 22-17: hard lines to Fred Willshires team beaten by 1 shot! Total shots 126 to San Miguel, 86 to Monte Mar. The WINTER LEAGUE travelled up to Benitachell and managed to get 4 points. Shots were close 87 to SM 90 to BBC. Well played by Dave Johnson, Brian Miller, Don Whitney, Mary Dyer 20-13; Noel Davis, Val & Chris Collier, Lin Miller 18-17. Steve Cantleys team lost by 1 shot! In the Fed Fours, both the CHEROKEES and the APACHES were at home to teams from San Luis. The CHEROKEES certainly took some scalps against SL Ospreys winning on all rinks. Brian Miller, Val Collier, Len Rudge, Steve Cantley 11-10: Cliff Plaisted, Dave Johnston, Chris Collier, Lin Miller 19-9; Noel Davis, Gail Willshire, Lynn Greenland, Fred Willshire 20-13; Shots 50 to SM and 32 to SL. Well Done. The APACHES only managed 2 points against SL Condors, winning rink was Pat McEwan, Ken Hope, Brian Allen, Dave McEwan 2113. Shots for 50, against 56. In the Southern League, the COUGARS had a good win over Quesada Swifts, winning 10 points to 4. Well done to Dave Champion, Frank and Barbara Scotthern 37-3, yes that's right, 37-3: Bill Brownlee, Val Davis, Alan Dobie 18-12; Barry Jones, Jim Jarvie, Mick Rogers 19-9; Sheila Errington, Bob Honeywell, Brian Errington 23-15. Shots for 127, against 81. The JAGUARS were away at Vistabella against the Picadors, winning 9 points to 5. Well played by Alan Booth, Brenda Rees, John Staden 19-13: Pat McEwan, Jan Farmer, Dave McEwan 25-11: Paul Hayward, Janet Thomas, Eddie Cowan 14-13; Ian Hope, Anita Brown, Derek Farmer drew 16 across. Shots were 95 to SM 94 to VB, very close. Good Result team. Club Mornings and WASPS carrying on as normal. Further information on San Miguel Bowls Club, please contact the President, Rosamond Stockell, telephone 965 32 9778 or Secretary, Pat McEwan, telephone 966 71 4257

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Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

La Marina Bowls Club Played the Premier 20 last Saturday against Vistabella and lost overall 10-6. Away at Vistabella we had two winning rinks with the Hadaways taking the credit. Dave, Tom Spencer and Dave Taylor in the trips won 24-12 while Shirley, Mike and Carol Smith and Maureen Kidd won 24 -11 in the rinks. At home we weren’t as good when we only won one discipline when Don Fowkes and Margaret McLaughlin beat their opponents by one shot. So on to Monday in the Enterprise Division where the Explorers away to San Luis Klingons clung on for a narrow victory to win 8-6 and only just with overall tally of nine. Peter Parsons, Tom Spencer and Steve Douglas won 16-13, close. Margaret Finlayson, Jim Reeves and Kathy Manning a nice win19-13 and finally Alex Whyte, Cliff Rawlinson and Ron Maiden won with a creditable 21-10. On the other hand in the Discovery Division the Pathfinders at home to Monte Mar Toreadors had a great time winning by 12-2. Two of the rinks won by one shot. Len Daniels, Angie Butler and Gina Hindle 17-16 and not to be out done Steve Hindle, Dave McGaw and Jean Tregoing won 13-12. Dave Taylor, Berni Carr and Paul Tregoing defeated their opponents 25-10 and another not to be out done were John Withers, John Rae and Barbara Forshaw winning 21-13. It’s a funny old game. One minute you are on a high, the next down a bit. Mind you the

with Barry Latham

Winter League were playing the League Leaders at La Marina and we took 4 points off them, losing 8-4. Our two winning rinks were Don Fowkes, Mike Stone, Barbara Forshaw and Mo Taylor 18-15 and Barry Latham, Peter Parsons, Wendy Latham and Dave O’Sullivan winning 23-10. Must admit win or lose it was great again meeting up with old friends and having a meal afterwards, Long may it last. So to Friday and the Merlins played at home against Horadada Royals and beat them convincingly 10-4. John Morgan, Angie Butler and Barbara Forshaw won 19-15. The next three rinks won handsomely to give us the overall score. Bill Jones, Dave McGaw and Reg Jackson won 27-9. Barry and Wendy Latham and Jean Tregoing came good to win 30-12 while topping the lot was our cheeky chappie John Withers, Berni Carr and Martin Butler, 28-3. Wow. The Ospreys flew over to Quesada to play the other birds, the Swallows and came away with a fine win even though they only got the overall score by three shots. Alex Whyte, Jim Reeves and Kathy Manning won 16-13. Peter Parsons, Mike Stone and Carol Smith won by seven shots and Tom Spencer, Cliff Rawlinson and Anne Stone did the same. Well done.

Vistabella Bowls Club Report with Lynne Bishop Well done Vistabella for winning the second round in the PREMIER TWENTY knockout , playing La Marina we had two home and three away wins, we meet San Luis in the semi final...everything to play for! SAL ENTERPRISE LEAGUE. The Albatrosses gave the Emerald Isle Titans a run for their money by winning five rinks to one..thanks to S Kemp, C Watkins & M Furness 32-11. L Watkins, S Burrows & P Whitehall 24-12. G Fisher, S Allman & Gordon Fisher 23-13. O Ratcliffe, SJ Broadhurst & K Cuthbert 22-15 and N Burrows, A Brown & B Zelin 16-10. Shots, VB 34(12) - 80(2) EI. The Drivers game was cancelled due to inclement weather and the Discovery league Eagles had a bye. WINTER LEAGUE at home vs Quesada. Three good wins plus the points for the long game. Wins from S Kemp, T French, B Zelin & G Thorpe 22-8. L Watkins, S Burrows, P Whitehall & E Bishop 197. G Fisher, M Foulcer, C Thorpe & Gordon Fisher 18-12. Shots, VB 78(8) - 72(4) Q. Quesada won the Berleen. FED 4’s. The Vikings at home vs San Miguel Mohawks picked up a

good win from the teams of D Gunning, F Barclay, B Ray & L Barber 25-13 and G Fisher, P Ray, A Brown & Gordon Fisher 20-11. Shots, VB 58(6) - 40(2) SM. SOUTHERN LEAGUE Div A. Lanzadores at home vs Emerald Isle Cavaliers. L Bishop, C Watkins & Peter Whitehall 20-14.The following three teams turned their games around on the last couple of ends, well done. S Kemp, B Norris & B Zelin 23-17. S Whitehall, SJ Broadhurst & B Dunn 21-18. L Watkins, A Brown & M Furness 1614. Shots, VB 111 (10) - 108 (4) EI. Picadors at home vs San Miguel Jaguars won on two rinks and a drawn game. K Hardy, B Pointon & C Thorpe 21-9. D Leggatt, Mo & Martin Foulcer 20-12. P Ray, J Neve & G Thorpe 16-16. Shots, VB 94 (5) - 95 (9) SM. Div C Conquistadores away to San Luis Pumas. Two winning rinks, R Smith, D & J Harwood 25-11. K Rennison, S Kirk & R Pownall 17-14. Shots, VB 88(4) - 121(10) SL. Well done everyone.

Linea Directa Offer Linea Directa provide a great deal of support to Lawn Bowls and, once again, they will be sponsoring both the National and the Valencian Championships. However, if they are to continue to do so they need the support of bowlers in return. They are currently offering a 25% discount to bowlers on all new insurance policies so please consider them next time you need such services.

Call 900 123 116 and quote C007698

SOUTH ALICANTE WINTER TRIPLES RESULTS AND TABLES / WEEK 11 - 15 January ENTERPRISE DIVISION Quesada Pearls P-P Vistabella Albatrosses 134 (12) San Luis Klingons 91 (6) San Miguel Meteors 126 (12) La Siesta Apollos P-P

San Luis Klingons Vistabella Albatrosses San Miguel Meteors Emerald Isle Titans Quesada Pearls Vistabella Drivers La Marina Explorers La Siesta Apollos San Miguel Pulsars Monte Mar Matadors *

In the The Fed 4’s the Parakeets kept up their good start with a win on two of the three rinks away at Montemar against the Lords. Winners for La Siesta were Pat and Trish Reilly with Florence and Mike Edwards 26-11 and Derek Smith, Tony Campbell, Irene Mangan and Alex Morrice winning 14-11.The overall shots margin being 51-40 to La Siesta, so six points to the Parakeets. The Hoopoes started their campaign with a loss on all 3 rinks away at Greenlands losing by 72 shots to 40. The Winter League team had a disappointing match at home to local neighbours and could not repeat their away victory of the beginning

of the season losing all rinks with the shots margin being 102-52. The Blues entertained San Luis Tigers and lost by 124 shots to 93 winning on two rinks. Winners for the Blues were Bill and Sue Jordan with John Ball 21-15 and Jo Elkin with Mike and Florence Edwards by 16-15.So 4 points to the Blues and 10 to the Tigers. The Golds travelled to Montemar Toreadors and kept up their winning form with a narrow 8 points to 6 win in a match played in a wonderful friendly spirit. It is unfortunate that Montemar are struggling with players with illness at present and we wish them a better situation shortly. The overall shots were close until the final couple of ends but La Siesta managed to come out best by 103-91.Winning rinks for La Siesta were Barbara Cooper, Tony Campbell and Johnnie Ryder 25-2, Ken Stringfellow, Sid Gallup and Alan Mawer 17-7 and Wendy Ralph, Trish Reilly and Gordon Dall 20-17.

El Rancho Bowls Club Report Monday afternoon found the Pintos at Greenlands playing the Maples, on a very wet mat after many hours of steady rain, the weather having turned into a lovely afternoon. Both teams struggled to adjust to the mat, but in the end the Maples took control of all but one match, we did however see some good play on all rinks from both teams. Meanwhile the Raiders played the Rubies at Quesada and although they came away without a point, 3 of the rinks weren’t too far adrift, sometimes we just don’t play well and on other occasions the opposition outplays us. But it is only a game! Friday morning found the Mustangs at Mazarron against the Miners with rinks close in play if not always in result; the Miners took the rinks by 4 to 2 and the shots by 100 to 93, not a bad away result. Diane Yates, John Skipper and Bob Taylor 12-18. Jan Bright, Malc

Sykes and Bob Morgan 12-20. Geoff Jones, Henry Ryder and Richard Lee 29-5. Judy Foley, Keith Cunningham and David Whitworth 13-22. Ann Taylor, Shirley Edwards and Jim Taylor 9-20. Irene Thomson, Jim Gracie and Eddie Thomson 18-15. Meanwhile the Broncos played host to San Luis Leopards and did well to share the rinks3-3, but lost the overall shots by a reasonable margin. Sheila Cox, Tony Robinson and Brian Harris 9-41. Gill Bartlett, Chris Ziepe and Mike Cox 19-11. Gary Dunstone, Bob Easthope and Barry Bright 6-30. David Baker, Ron Edwards and Mick Ager 25-15. Ann C Taylor, Denise Morgan and Malc Elmore 15-20. Marion Haynes, John Richards and Dave Haynes 17-16. For membership details contact Brian Taylor on 965077093 or at briantaylor_es@yahoo.co.uk or Carolyn Harris on 966774316 or at elranchobowls.secretary@gmail.com.

P 11 11 11 11 10 10 11 10 10 11

Vistabella Drivers P-P Emerald Isle Titans 80 (2) La Marina Explorers 100 (8) Monte Mar Matadors 86 (2) San Miguel Pulsars P-P W 44 42 36 35 31 29 27 23 20 22

D 3 2 2 2 2 3 1 0 2 1

L 19 22 28 29 27 28 38 37 38 43

O/W 8 9 8 5.5 5.5 4 5 3 3 2

Diff 264 300 77 25 155 -37 -119 -158 -236 -271

Pts 107 104 90 83 75 69 65 52 48 47

* 2 ) deducted for failing to field a full Side

DISCOVERY DIVISION Emerald Isle Moonrakers San Miguel Comets Greenlands Sycamores Greenlands Maples La Marina Pathfinders

82 (5) P-P P-P 143 (12) Bye

San Luis Trekkers 111 (9) Quesada Diamonds P-P Emerald Isle Neptunes P-P El Rancho Pintos 72 (2)

San Luis Trekkers Greenlands Maples Quesada Diamonds La Marina Pathfinders Emerald Isle Neptunes * El Rancho Pintos San Miguel Comets Greenlands Sycamores ** Emerald Isle Moonrakers

P 10 10 8 9 9 10 9 9 10

D 4 1 1 2 0 2 0 2 2

La Siesta Bowls Club Report by Rod Edgerton With torrential overnight rain no matches to report on in the SABA Enterprise League as the rink at La Siesta was waterlogged in the morning and as the rain continued until lunchtime and it was still not in a condition to enable afternoon play.

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W 37 36 31 30 27 28 24 16 16

L 19 23 16 22 27 30 30 36 42

O/W 8 6 5 5 7 3 4 3 1

Diff 279 169 175 122 126 -12 -7 -369 -483

Pts 94 85 73 72 66 64 56 36 36

* 2 ) deducted for failing to field a full Side ** 4 point deducted for failing to field a full Side

VOYAGER DIVISION La Siesta Pioneers Horadada Falcons Quesada Rubies San Luis Romulans Vistabella Eagles

P-P P-P 140 (14) 119 (10) Bye P Mazarron Mariners 10 Quesada Rubies 9 Horadada Falcons 9 San Luis Vulcans 9 La Siesta Pioneers 9 Vistabella Eagles * 9 C Bowls Flamingos # 9 El Rancho Raiders 10 San Luis Romulans * 10

Country Bowls Flamingos P-P San Luis Vulcans P-P El Rancho Raiders 73 (0) Mazarron Mariners 86 (4) W 37 33 29 26 27 30 23 20 14

D 5 0 4 5 2 2 2 2 4

L 18 21 21 23 25 22 29 38 42

* 2 ) deducted for failing to field a full Side # 1 point deducted for reporting infringement

O/W 8 4 5 7 6 4 2 4 2

Diff 336 165 121 47 36 30 -58 -277 -400

Pts 95 74 72 71 68 68 51 50 34

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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Mike ProBert talks golf

(in assN with Costa Blanca Green Fee svcs)

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. Around and About the courses - Vistabella Update On the 2nd January 2018 the full 18 hole course was opened to the public incorporating the new long awaited 7 holes and we thought it prudent to provide an update further to previous articles. Since the previous article on the subject the new scorecards have been printed and are in use,the RFEG slope calculation has been conducted and published and the distance markers have now been installed on every hole BUT the hand held gadgets used by many golfers are still to be updated by the providers. The initial feedback from players is very positive in that the course is well designed and the amount of grass growth in such a short period of time is incredible. As the grass is new and already hibernating there is little strength in the grass in the rough which despite being relatively short is good at hiding balls so there are some delays on the early holes as players look for golf balls just missing fairways and this will improve in time and in the meanwhile players are warned to watch there shots carefully until the ball comes to rest to prevent these problems. The greens were laid nearly 2 years ago and have a good surface with some wicked possible pin positions but are still a little firm in places taking little back spin. The bunkers are full with new sand which will take some time to settle but in the meanwhile shots from any height may tend to plug or partially plug in the bunkers but again this will improve with time. In terms of course layout the only negetive comment are that on some holes the player must travel back towards the next tee in the direction of players playing down the previous hole so care has to be taken here to avoid any accidents. In general the only repeated critisicm is the speed of play with many rounds taking in excess of 5 hours so perhaps some tougher mar-

shalling on the early holes is necessary. In summary what the owners and course staff at Vistabella have achieved in such a short time is truly remarkable and the course will without doubt improve in time to be considered one of the best courses in the area. 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 31/01/18 Golf Course Alenda Alicante Altorreal Bonalba Don Cayo (Altea) El Plantio Font Del Llop La Finca La Marquesa La Serena Las Colinas Las Ramblas Lo Romero New Sierra Golf Roda Villamartin Villaitana Poniente Vistabella

Price €108 €114 €90 €100 €86 €112 €86 €128 €45 €112 €144 €104 €136 €95 €96 €110 €57 €86

Comments Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy (after 12pm) Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Single Green Fee Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Green Fees and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Single Green Fee and Buggy Two Players and Buggy

For Bookings and info Mike at info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com quoting the reference LEADER or on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 Quotation of the Week Confusius DIDN'T say: “Man who wants pretty nurse must be patient”

San Miguel Golf Society visits La Serena

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On a lovely winters morning off we headed to the lovely course of Font de Llop. Most members know that this course can be quite cold at this time of the year if the wind gets up, so most members were dressed for the occasion, with only one member wearing shorts! Only one member could not turn up because of the dreaded Spanish cold that is going around at the moment, so after a bit of juggling around with the groupings, off we went. The course was in a really good condition, trouble was that they were spraying green dye on certain areas and forgot to turn of the spray when passing some of our members. Buggies and clothing ended up with green speckles all over, hopefully it will wash out of the clothing. Results for this outing: Gold and overall winner with 36 points was Andy Trefry Silver division winner with 30 points - Buck Taylor Nearest the pins on par 3`s: Bill Martin, Ray Muttock, Andy Trefry and 2 new members Alex Bolton & Eric Owens, Nearest pin in 2 on par 4: Andy Trefry, Nearest the pin in 3 on par 5: Andy Trefry 2`s pot was won by Dave capper with a magnificent 65 foot putt (that’s what he told everyone). Football card winner: buck Taylor x 2 Thanks to Steve and his staff at the Med Bar and Bistro. Our next outing is at Altorreal on 30/1/18 Anyone wishing to join our society is welcome and we can either be contacted by e-mail at: medbargolf2016@gmail.com or pop into the bar where all details can be left and we will get in touch with you

Spanglish Golf Society @ Font Del Llop In association with Sapphire Properties and Costa Blanca Green Fee Services on 17th January 2018. For this months meeting the Spanglish Golf Society and a group of 27 players visited the established course at Font Del Llop taking advantage of the excellent society deal obtained from Costa Blanca Green Fee Services. This was our first FULL society day of the ne year and the course was in good winter condition as normal but played with extreme difficulty with very high winds whipping up the valley all day but was still enjoyed by all. Gold Division: 1st Chris Pinder – 33 points, 2nd – Merv Evans – 32 points 3rd – Bob Hewitson – 30 points, 4th – Mike Probert – 30 points Silver Division 1st – Ruddy Wattley - 27 points, 2nd – Gerry Graves – 22 points 3rd – Barry Dexter – 21 points, Best Front 9 – Brian Prockter, Best Back 9 – Jack Fanning Nearest the Pins – Dexter, Hewitson, Fanning and Cooper Football Card – Fanning After the game we returned to the Spanglish bar, which is located at Dona Pepa, Quesada for a welcome snack prepared by the bar and the prize presentation and we give our thanks for their support and that of our sponsor Sapphire Properties. Our next home fixture is at Vistabella on 31st January 2018 followed by the monthly fuxture at Altorreal on 14th February 2018. If you are interested in joining the society call Paul Cawte on 966731223 or Graham Hall on 664692638 or better still pop into the bar.

Thirty seven members and two guests turned out for round one of the President’s trophy. The 1st tee time was at high noon in warm sunshine and a bit of a breeze which died down as the afternoon slipped by. Serena's three main characteristics were present for all to try and master – tight fairways, slick greens and......oh, yes, nearly forgot – plenty of very wet water !! Some recent re-jigging of the stroke indices throws up a couple of rarities in an early par 3 being stroke 1 and a par 5 on the back 9 being stroke 18. It's certainly a tricky track but sticking to the 2 words, KEEP LEFT, which are adequate to sum up the day's course management certainly helped to minimise any unscheduled visits to the water. The only 2 “dry” holes, 11 and 12, do give you a chance to become more acquainted with your golf ball but the 13th is far from the doddle that it appears with the wet stuff once again swallowing up its fair share, with the exception of Robin Eastman who holed out his second shot for an eagle 2. Our thanks to the helpful team at La Serena who contributed to an enjoyable day which saw a wide range of scoring with quite a

healthy percentage up in the 30's. The results panned out as follows: The day’s stableford competition results, by category and in reverse order, were the following: Bronze Category: 4th Marg Birtwistle (32) c/b, 3rd Mick Roscoe (33), 2nd Ken Flaherty (36), and 1st Kyrre Skårsmoen with 39 points winning the President’s Trophy R1 over all on c/b. Silver Category: 4th Ivan Hanak (31), 3rd Peter Girenas (33) c/b, 2nd Roger Webb (33), 1st Paul Kelsall (35). Gold Category: 4th Stuart Greyson (33) c/b, 3rd Paul Guest (38) c/b, 2nd John Osborne (38), and 1st Mark Preston with 39 points. Nearest the pins on the par 3’s (open to all) went to Norman Cahill (hole 3), Ron (Shakey) Stenhouse (hole 9), Phil de Lacy (hole 15 ) and Roger Web (hole17). The Abacus was awarded to Norman Bride. Keep up to date with all SMGS matters by logging on to our website www.smgs.org or simply give Captain Tony Smale a call on 628227687 or Robin Eastman 672 900 510 to find out more about the society and its weekly golf get-togethers. Next week we will be at La Finca.

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

Las Ramblas Social Club Golf by Mike Mahony Monday we had some much needed rain so needless to say no golf was played. Wednesday we played round 1 of 6 of the Medal Competition and the results were as follows: 1st Ken Robertson 71, 2nd Geoff Biggerstaff 73, 3rd John Conway 74, 4th Benedicte Kruse 75, 5th Olga Douglas 76, 6th Ann Marie Weisheit 77. 2´s Club: Liz Robertson, Bryan Neal and Tom Hardie. Friday we played a “Waltzer” 123, and the winners with a score of 81pts were Geoff Biggerstaff (Again!) Benedicte Kruse, John Conway and Heinz Lie.

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EUROGOLF Stableford and Tuesday TOFFS

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Ruby’s Golf Society The 2018 player of the year season kicked off with our first fixture at Alenda and although we were hampered by very strong winds the sun was shining and the course was up to its usual high standard, which made an enjoyable outing. The results were, nearest the pins on the par threes were Theresa Wright, Alan Corder and Jim Mc Carthy (2) Best front nine Colin Bailey, best back, Jeff Evans, silver division winner was Buck Taylor and Gold and overall winner David Johnston. Back at Rayz bar on El Raso the presentation took place after our buffet and the football card was won by Andy Bailey.

On Thursday 18th January Eurogolf played their monthly stableford off the plates. Although rather chilly first thing it turned out to be a lovely day for golf but only one person managed to break par!. Cat 1 1st Felix Mallon 37 2nd Bob Buckeridge 36 3rd Bill Martin 35 Cat 2 1st John Fairhurst 33 2nd Carin Van De Kruijs 32 3rd Ian Pegg 31 Cat 3 1st Jeff Lynch 36 2nd Debbie Weedon 33 3rd David Horne 31 Cat 4 1st Lauraine Walker 36 2nd Phyllis Venables 35 3rd Frances Buckeridge 34 NTP´s 5th Hadge Armstrong 11th Pete Gartside 12th in 2 Linda Lynch 15th Gary Grierson 17th Martin Welsh

Best front 9 Colin Hobden 17 36, Best back 9 Pete Gartside 19 January Stableford winner Felix Mallon. Football draw Gary Grierson Fred Reeve Bev Fairhurst Dave Nicholls and Bill Martin.

TUESDAY TOFFS On Tuesday 16TH January Toffs played their weekly stableford competition and the results were: Cat 1 (0-15) 1st Felix Mallon 36 2nd John Barraclough 35 3rd Sue Forbes 34 Cat 2 (16-22) 1st John Fairhurst 35 2nd Albert Cook 34 3rd Martin Welsh 32 Cat 3 (23-28) 1st Bruce Gordon 37 2nd

David Valentine 36 3rd John Hill 31 Cat 4 (26+) 1st Brian Jones 44 2nd Frances Buckeridge 26 3rd Lauraine Walker 25 Overall Toffs winner Brian Jones Best front 9 Bev Fairhurst 18, Best back 9 Malcolm Foskett 19 NTPs 5th John Barraclough, 11th Steve Yoxall, 12th in 2 John Barraclough 15th David Gregson 17th Glenn Roberts Football draw Phyllis Venables Arthur Crammon David Valentine Robin Richards and Monique Reeve. If you would like to play at La Marquesa Tuesdays and Thursdays with one of the largest societies on the Costa Blanca visit the website www.eurogolf-quesada.co.uk.

Fleetwood wins Seve Ballesteros Award

WO LF PA C K’S D O U B LE D I P P E R AS S O C I ET Y C E LE B RATE S TE N YEAR S (AN D J U ST A B IT M O R E WITH B RYAN) The Wolfpack Celebrates with Bryan.

This month’s Wolfpack Society Day was a double dipper. Not only was this the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of the Yorkshire Cup - but it coincided with the 80th birthday of its sponsor - Bryan Hirst. Champagne flowed in the halfway house cafe at Campoamor as we celebrated the arrival of the great man. The tee times were fully booked and 24 players assembled to fight for the honour of being champion. Before the off, we had a rendition of “On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘At” - much to the bemusement of some of our Spanish friends. I must admit I got lost after "Wheear 'ast tha bin sin' ah saw thee, ah saw thee?”. The weather was glorious and Bryan saw us off with the first tee

shot and then retired to his buggy resplendent with a “Happy Birthday” balloon which no-one admits to fixing. Play seemed to slow on the back 9, perhaps our older contingent were feeling the pace, but we made it around. Overall, the consensus was that the golf was enjoyed. With so many players and the scoring tight it was quite a feat to determine who won what. Bryan generously gave all of the players a memento of the day and then it was on to the main prizegiving. The prize for the best guest went to Mick “The Grip” Reeves who amassed 30 points. Mick also took the overall prize in the sweep. There was no winner of the nearest the pin on the 15th and in a novel turn of events we had an “honesty” auction to award the prize to the "nearest the green” player - which turned out to be ……. Mick “The Grip”. At this point he was glad he had turned up ! Nearest the pin on the 17th was Ray Phillips. The front nine prize went to Dennis Fox who scored 17 points and the back nine was won with the same number of points by his partner in crime Peter Palmer. In fifth place overall, 27 points, was Dennis Fox, fourth was Bob Eno, also with 27. In third place was Ron Colclough who scored 29 points, losing out on second place on a countback with Peter Palmer. Bryan presented the Yorkshire Cup to the winner Ted Harris who scored 30 points - a very good return on the day. After all the excitement we tottered off home to bed and reminisced on a fantastic day which was executed to perfection. Happy Birthday, Bryan ….. Bryan Hirst presents the Yorkshire Cup to winner Ted Harris

D. Howell, T. Fleetwood y K. Pelley ©Getty Images Tommy Fleetwood has been awarded The Seve Ballesteros Award – formerly the Players’ Player Award - winning the 2017 vote by his fellow professionals at the end of a breakthrough season which saw him claim the Race to Dubai for the first time in his career. The award is voted for by every European Tour Member at the end of a season and carries the name of the legendary Spaniard, who remains one of golf’s most inspirational icons and will always be considered one of the European Tour’s greatest ever ambassadors. It would be a year to remember for Fleetwood as he broke inside the top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career and produced ten top-ten finishes to see him sit just 256,737 points ahead of his fellow countryman Justin Rose going into the season-end DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. Fleetwood said: “Winning the Seve Ballesteros award has actually made me the most emotional out of all the things I’ve won. It is voted for by the players and for me there's still so many guys that when I come out, I was looking up to and you watch people on the range and you try to learn from them.It's a very flattering and very humbling.” Fleetwood was presented with his award by European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley and Tournament Committee Chairman David Howell at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA. The Seve Ballesteros Award – an impressive silver and gold circular plate 46cm in diameter – has the names of all the European Tour members who have won Major Championships, starting with Seve’s own Open triumph at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1979, inscribed around the central image which is of his famous fist-pumping celebrations on the 18th green of the Old Course at St Andrews after his Open win there in 1984.

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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EURONICS THURSDAY DART LEAGUE “THE ELECTRICAL SHOP” - BLUE LAGOON Match Results for 18th January 2018 (pts for win/draw) Angels * Amigos Misfits ** Porter House Junction Jackals *** Hub Hellraisers El Capitan Wee Rockers

P-P 7-0 2-10 7-0 4-8 9-3 8-4

Las Rosas Ale House Hub Hyenas Hen's Teeth Pint depot Queens Tavern Oldies Porter House Bees

*Game rescheduled to 30/1 due to bereavement **Ale house came with only 3 players, minimum is 4 so Amigos awarded the win points and 7 legs ***game conceded due to lack of players- only 3 available

Hub Hyenas Junction Jackals El Capitan Porter House Las Rosas Tavern Oldies Angels Ale House Wee Rockers Junction Jaguars Pint Depot Queens Amigo's Misfits Porter House Bees Hen's Teeth Hub Hellraisers

P 11 11 11 11 11 12 10 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

Pts 22 20 19 16 15 13 13 12 12 7 5 5 3 3 1

Legs 103 88 94 80 82 77 72 66 64 52 45 42 43 42 25

back courtesy of P. Ayres then Hyena J Eyres took the second 100x2 then D4 to finish with G Todd hitting a 125. Mr Durrant finished the third for Hyenas with T16-D8 with cocky J. Ward scoring 121 for the Porters. The Hyenas dominated the singles although both sides scored highly through-out, B. Townsend with 154 and D4. R. Sanderson hitting 100. They were followed by J. Ward 100,105 (MOTM), before P Durrant MOTM finished D2. Diminutive J. Eyre 100, 140 then finished D5. Mr Tufty P. Ayres gave Porters their second game of the evening with a shot out on D12. Lovely Boyo R Hayes then scored 100, 125 but D. McCauly nipped that in the bud and finished D8. The final game went to C. Harrison with D5. Thanks to the new bar, Pati's, for excellent food and service on Porters first match at the venue and a big thanks to Simon and his team for a great evening. On a sadder note we say goodbye to another local lad, Jimmy Elliott, owner of Nicky’s bar in Los Dolses, who passed away recently. Report by Brian Nash with secretary Sim embellishments (so don’t blame Brian!) Hens’s Teeth v Junction Jackals match conceded 0-7 This was due to a lack of players. The same will happen to their next fixture against Hub Hyenas as they only have 2 players to hand.

180’s John Walker x 2 (El Capitan); Joe Miller (Hub Hyenas); Harvey Lane (Porter House Bees); Aroldas Klimonis (El Capitan), Eugene Gillespie (Tavern); Paul Durrant (Hyenas) Jeff Ward (Porter House); Andy Rutter (Junction Jackals); Angela Garside (Tavern Oldies), Mark Todd (Junction Jackals) Highest Check-out: Jordan Johnson (Ale House) 141 Porter House v Hub Hyenas 2-10 Well the Porters’ new venue didn’t bring them much luck in its first usage but none the less, Hub captain Simon Williams rated the venue 10/10. The first three trebles all went to Hyenas: - Cyzzle Harrison D20. D McCauly D7 and P Durrant D4. In the doubles, Porters pulled one

Wee Rockers v Porter House Bees 8 – 4 This was the Bees first visit to the Wee Rockers venue Chemies Lounge, VillaMartin, a warm, inviting bar with friendly staff and a good throw area which set the scene for a fun evening of darts. The Rockers set the pace in the first trebles with a slick win D4 from Graham White. Bees trio Eddie, Terry and Mel quickly snatched one back thanks to a D14 finish from Eddie. Mighty Molly Mills rocked her way to a D14 finish to settle the trebles 2-1 to the Rockers. Bees duo Terry and Ivan paired up well to take the first double from Graham and Alan with Ivan smashing a 20+16, D2. Bees Eddie and Mel followed suit with Mel taking the second double with a D1 finish. Mighty Molly might be wee but showed great strength when, along with partner Jim, she took out Gilly and Helen with her D10 finish to earn her the title of Lady of the match. Onto the break where a fine fare of Scottish pies were served piping hot, irresistible! Bees Captain Eddie was fired into action by the lovely hot pies I think as he won the first single against Winnie, D16. Sadly, the Bees lost their sting in the singles as The Wee Rockers smashed the next 5 legs thanks to Mark D13, Steven 121 and D10, Ruth v Helen saw the double one rule invoked and despite Helen's 106 and many tries at

Torrevieja Darts - Ladies Organisation Primadonnas 4-5 El Balcon Chicas 4-5 Friendly's Chicas 6-3 Wildcats @Macklins7-2

Wildcats at Macklins Gap Ladies El Balcon Chicas Friendly Chicas Macklins Dolly Mixtures Black Dog Ladies Friendly's Temps Primadonnas

P 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Macklins Dolly Mixtures Gap Ladies Friendly's Temps Black Dog Ladies W 3 3 2 2 2 0 0 0

L 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 3

Pts. 9 9 7 7 7 3 3 3

This week’s Hot Darts: Lorraine Veale 130+121, Denise Grove 121+100, Mitch Halliday 121, Groa Bryndis 111+101, Maz Jackson, Shirley Stephenson 111, Ellen Attwood 105, June Hawkins 101+100, Margaret Boden 101, Liz Cowan 100x3, Chris Greenwood, Jane Barnes 100 Ladies Pairs: Captains will be advised tomorrow which venue their players will be playing at. Venue 1 is the Gap Bar and the Gap Ladies are doing the Raffle. Venue 2 is the Friendly Bar and Friendly’s Chicas are doing the Raffle. Registration for the Playing Draw at both venues is 19.45h for 20.00h start. Pam Horton, 96 571 0066, Ladies Darts Coordinator, Emails: Dartess501@gmail.com

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the D1, Ruth's closer attempts prevailed. James 5+1+D2 and Jim finished the night with T1, 6, D7. Man of the match for the Bees - Ivan Jones. Report by Gilly Kirby Hub Hellraisers v Pint Depot Queens 4 – 8 (AKA Cherylgate) Well what a night. Always love the atmosphere at the Hub as all girls together and Cheryl M makes great food and even better cakes (yummy profiteroles) although perhaps not as raucous as normal as Hellraisers only had 6 players. Queens got off to a great start in the first trebles. Sarah, Sharon (63, 71) and Christine v Cheryl S, Maggie and Pam (94). Both sides got on to a double which kept eluding them. Went to 5 goes each on d1 but luckily and surprisingly Cheryl hit the d1 before all darts counted. The next triples Lesley, Cheryl M(91) and Sue (68,73) v Debbie (75,80), Rachel (65,106) and Vi and Lesley levelled with d10. Third triple Lesley, Sue, Cheryl M v Rachel, Alison, Pam (89). Down to double again and Sue took Hellraisers into lead 2-1 with d1. On to the doubles. 1st doubles game Cheryl M, Sharon (110,76) v Lynn (81), Maggie. Queen Lyn pulled the score back to 2-2 with d17. It certainly looked set for a long and close night as the Hellraisers took the lead again 3-2 Lesley, Sue (95,121,70 against Vi and Alison where Sue hit D1. The last doubles: Sarah, Chris v Debbie, Rachel saw the Queens, Debbie d5 level again to make it 3-3 at the break. All to play for in the singles. Sarah v Lynn (71,81,83) when Lyn took the Queens into lead with D1. Sharon (79) v Cheryl S and yet again surprisingly Cheryl S hit d5 even though she was 200 odd behind Sharon who could not get her double after many attempts. Looked like the Queens were on a roll when the Queens won again in the third single Chris v Rachel (75). After numerous attempts, far too many to count as both failed to get the double when what seemed like an hour Rachel hit D1. So the score now was 6-3 to the Queens. Safe in the knowledge they could not lose, Lesley (63) v Maggie (83,91) where Lesley hit d2 to give Hellraisers a chance of a draw. All to play for for both teams in the last two singles Sue v Vi and Cheryl M (67,61) v Debbie (77,93). Fantastic play and nail biting times watching but Vi hit D1 and Debbie d7 to make the overall score 8-4 to the Queens. Looking at the doubles, d1 proved to be the most popular double of the night! Thank you Hellraisers for a great evening and we finished on the Friday but only just, (5 past midnight) where it did look like we were going to have to camp there at one point as the doubles took quite a long time to get! Report by Queen Cheryl Sleath

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Torry let two-goal lead slip away at Villena T

orry went into this potential play off clash at Villena's polideportivo stadium, down into 8th place following earlier weekend results.

Devastating news was received midweek from the Valencian FA concerning star striker Marwane. For in their wisdom, the authorities announced that the Algerian hit man (in more ways than one!) had been awarded a massive EIGHT match ban following his sending off at Almoradi last week. He was given 5 matches for violent conduct, plus a further 3 for abuse to the referee. Whether Torry decide to appeal this verdict or not remains to be seen, but this has come as a huge blow to their playoff aspirations. For this latest Preferente league encounter, manager Pedreño elected to replace Marwane with young Geordie lad Lewis, who was given his club debut. Lewis The Torry squad at training last Thursday evening

has come through the ranks, and joined fellow ex-pat Booker in a side hungry to prove a point (and hopefully gain at least one!). In a half that lacked excitement and skill, Torry took the lead through a well worked goal by Manu Amores on 17 mins, then 10 minutes later Juanpe doubled their advantaged. Despite Villena fighting hard to reduce the arrears, Pedreño’s men held firm until 1st half stoppage time, when a moment of defensive hesitancy allowed the hosts to open their account. The 2nd half started much as the first half finished, with hosts Villena very much in the ascendancy. Raul had been a menace all match, nearly scoring on at least 3 occasions, but on 62 mins he gave Torry keeper Buyo no chance with a rasping drive that nestled into the back of the net. Both sides created good openings, but were foiled by 2 competent keepers, therefore a final scoreline of 2 goals apiece was just about a fair result. Earlier in the day local rivals Thader Rojales beat another Vega Baja side Orihuela 1-0, lifting them above Torry.

Villena CF .......................2 CD Torrevieja .................2

This hard earned point leaves Torry in 8th position, amazingly still only 2 points off the last playoff place, but a whopping 9 points away from leaders Hercules 'B'. Next weekend sees a 4th away trip in a row for Torry, who visit another side with playoff aspirations, University of Alicante. Torry line up - Buyo, Vicente, Mario, Borja, Zaragoza, Lewis, Ramiro, Booker, Beltran, Manu Amores, Juanpe.

Spain Women beat European Champions at Pinatar Arena Arsenal’s Dominique Janssen (20) pays close attention to Atletico’s Amanda Sampedro (19)

Carp R Us Fishing Club We fished round 8 of the Winter Series on the Rio Segura in Murcia town centre. Last time we fished there only one fish was caught so we were all a bit concerned about what today would bring. In the event, it was much better. Alan Smith won with 11.40 kg of carp and bleak, mainly caught using punched bread over liquidised bread. Second was Dave Hoare with 5.46 kg, a couple of carp, a barbel and a few bleak caught using maggots. Third was Steve Fell with 2.70 kg and fourth was Derek King with 0.90 kg. The club is always keen to get new members. If you are interested contact the secretary, Steve Fell, on 634 379 081. Further info on the website www.carp-r-us.weebly.com or on our Facebook page CarpR-Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

Cadena Sunrise Bowling - Week 11 999s Alley Gators Sol Amigos Strike Force The Phantoms Pin Pushers

Spain Women ..................2 Holland Women ..............0

pain Women carried on where they left off against Austria in Palma when they achieved a comfortable 2-0 win against the European Champions, Holland, on Saturday evening, in front of 1,500 spec-

tators at the Pinatar Arena. A rather dour game sprang into life in the 67th minute when a disputed second half header from Barcelona’s Putellas broke the deadlock after it was adjudged to have crossed the line. The ball bounced off of the post and into van Veenendaal’s gloves with the Arsenal keeper adamant that the ball had not crossed the line..

The game opened up after the goal but that crucial touch of finish and polish was lacking with both sides. La Roja then doubled their advantage with the last kick of the game as Putellas took advantage of a slip by Ajax defender Merel van Dongen. The Barca woman was smart enough to square the ball to the far for Mari Paz to slot home.

0 2 6 8 0 4

8 6 2 0 8 4

S***T Happens Alley Cats Pin Pals The Bandits Gi Gi's Hookers Sunrise Colegas

Top Performers

Ladies

Gents

Hi/Game Hi/Game+H/Cap Hi/Series Hi/Series+H/Cap

Ingrid Wilms 189 Ingrid Wilms 215 Ingrid Wilms 460 Ingrid Wilms 538

Diego Munoz 243 Diego Munoz 267 Diego Munoz 615 Diego Munoz 687

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

P 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33

W 31 27 26 26 25 25 24 22 21 19 18 0

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

L 13 17 18 18 19 19 20 22 23 25 26 44

Tot Gms 22797 33 23152 33 22763 33 22487 33 23139 33 22403 33 22551 33 22063 33 22444 33 22361 33 22472 33 17160 33

Av Hi-G Hi-S Pts 690 822 2193 62 701 851 2418 54 689 772 2228 52 681 770 2187 52 701 785 2259 50 678 831 2234 50 683 815 2241 48 668 728 2055 44 680 827 2245 42 677 775 2143 38 680 766 2164 36 520 520 1560 0

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JOB OPPOR TUNITY Wanted, Fully Trained Mechanic for Los Dolses Depot. Must speak English. Call telephone number below

Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th January, 2018

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