Costa Blanca Leader Edition 705 by The Leader

No 705

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

Tel: 637 227 385

Walking the walk for Animal Welfare nimal welfare has still a long way to go in Spain where support organisations are barely recognised and promoted and where, in Spanish law, animals are still described as inanimate objects, so Sunday’s initiative by the Orihuela Town Hall, in conjunction with ASOKA Animal

Protection Centre, was hugely welcomed across the region. With the support of the Councillor for Orihuela’s International Residents, Sofía Álvarez, and the Councillor for Health, Noelia Grao, the very first Orihuela Costa Dog Marathon was held at Villamartin. Continued on Page 2

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Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

Continued From Page One Walking the walk for Animal Welfare More than a hundred dog lovers and their pets, of all nationalities, gathered together in the car park across from Villamartin Square, where they registered their animals prior to joining together in a 3 km solidarity walk, the aim of which was to promote animal awareness and responsible animal ownership to everybody in the region. Many had travelled with their pets from Orihuela City and its outlying villages because, in the words of one dog walker from Hurchillo, “as human beings, it is our duty to have feelings toward animals that, without us, are completely voiceless. Cllr Alvarez said that “Awareness amongst the public, in a country where more than 140,000 animals are abandoned every year is a must, and it is up to the 40% of Spanish homes that have at least one pet, to educate the remainder. The correct management of animals does not only mean improvements in animal welfare, but it can be beneficial for the wellbeing of humans as well.” The ASOKA Animal Protection Centre was also on hand where they were displaying and selling a variety of pet products and merchandise, profits from which will help with the running costs of their

home. Only partially funded by the Municipal Government, volunteer Nick Moore said that the charity takes in upwards of 1000 abandoned animals every year. He added that the centre has a ‘no kill’ policy, and the intention is always to rehome locally wherever they can. He then said that on finding a stray animal, members of the public should not take it direct to the centre but should always call the Local Police on 062 who will then notify ASOKA. Speaking of the walk itself, Cllr Grao said she was delighted by the participation emphasising the firm commitment of the Government to animal welfare, and promising that the walk would now become an annual event in the council’s programme. She added “Although the council has a major role on solving animal welfare issues, we as individuals should also realise our duties towards animals. It will help them a lot.” Mahatma Gandhi once said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” More information on ASOKA can be found at: www.protectoraoriolana.org

Stepping out on the 1st Orihuela Dog Marathon

Return of the Torrevieja Expo

Do you enjoy the finer things in life? Have a penchant for improving your quality of life while living on the Costa Blanca? If so, then don't miss the opportunity to visit the region's premier International Lifestyle event: Expo Torrevieja. More than 10,000 people attended the first two editions of Expo Torrevieja. Next month the event is moving to the spectacular foyer of Torrevieja's International Auditorium. Expo Torrevieja III takes place over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, 2018 with the exhibition's doors open to the general public, from 10.00am until 3.00pm. Admission and parking are free, the entire location has excellent facilities for those that have mobility difficulties and with over seventy exhibitors at the event, it offers something for everyone. Expo Torrevieja is an innovative concept in lifestyle events. Taking place in one location, in the heart of the community, where you shop, dine and socialise, you will discover a collection of

products and services that unequivocally define “quality of life and luxury living” in the most beautiful of venues that’s available in the entire southern costa blanca. A tapestry of products and services spanning the scale from the large: luxury and vintage automobiles, to those on a more modest scale: solar energy, telecommunications, contemporary fine art, fashion and design, fine wines and the most innovative in home décor and technology. Discover all these finer things of life at Expo Torrevieja. The possibilities are endless and the rewards: priceless. The International Auditorium is located beside Hospital QuironSalud and offers more than 700 car parking spaces in the auditorium’s car parks. Bring your sense of discovery and appreciation of the exquisite and enhance your quality of life on the Costa. The entire event takes place indoors so you don;t have to worry about wind, rain or inclement weather. More information from: www.ExpoTorrevieja.com.

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Royal British Legion Concert Band launched on Costa Blanca

There are still a number of vacancies in the band for musicians of all nationalities and in all sections.

ne of the Costa Blanca’s favourite band’s has decided to change it’s name and reform as the Royal British Legion Concert Band Spain.

The original band was formed in 1993 when seven musicians from various musical backgrounds came together and formed The Oompah band. With no other bands in the region they were in great demand so the Oompah Band formed two additional bands, The Vega Baja Big Band and the Phoenix Concert Band. Since those days, the band has played at hundreds of events around the Costa Blanca. It has also seen the arrival of their new Musical Director, David Last. David has vast experience of the music world, including service with the Queens Own Buffs and at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. He was also the principle at the Lyceum School of Music in Manchester, he had his own youth band and for a time he was also a woodwind player with the Territorial Army Band of the Royal Artillery. Following the arrival of the new MD, many of the band members felt that a new stimulus was needed for the band, so after consultation with senior members of the Royal British Legion, the decision was taken by the band to reform under their new name. However the transition is not quite complete as the MD is determined to provide the band with a completely new image as they join

the long list of bands that are currently affiliated to the Military Charity. He is now in the process of having formal jackets tailored for every member of the new band, together, of course, with new banners for their music stands. It is hoped that the costs of the new clothing and equipment will be covered by sponsorship and donations from local businesses. Already, two pledges of 500 euro each have been made by 'IBEX Insurance' and by the UK company 'Surface Protection' with a number of smaller dontions also trickling in during the last week. More funds are still needed though to cover the remaining costs, so the RBL are now seeking any company or business that might like to help with those costs. Additional information can be obtained by email at: orihuelacosta.chairman@gmail. We do know that the music of the RBL Concert Band Spain will be wide and varied, ranging from swing, through classical to musicals. Since their new launch, the Royal British Legion Concert Band Spain continue to rehearse every Tuesday 1.30pm – 4.30pm at the Municipal Library in San Miguel de Salinas. Currently there are a number of vacancies in the band for musicians of all nationalities and in all sections. For more information please call David Last on 638 10 80 78 or Gloria on 679 576 591

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'Cinema afternoon' to raise awareness about mental illness

Moroccan Jihadist Arrested in Torre Pacheco Raid Mohamed La Morte explained how he was lying in bed at 5am on Tuesday morning when a dozen hooded and fully armed members of the Guardia Civil broke into his house as part of an anti-terrorist operation. “I was absolutely petrified,” he said. “There was so much noise and we had no idea what was going on. It was a very frightening experience for all my family.” Like any other day, Mohamed and his brothers were still asleep prior to their usual 6 o clock alarm call, after which they would eat breakfast and prepare their lunch prior to spending another hard day working in the fields. "One of the police told me that my brother was doing bad things. That was the only explanation that I got.” He has subsequently learned, however, that his 31 year old brother Khalid E, had been active on the internet since 2014 during which time he had been regularly disseminating content, in which he openly supported the Islamic State, praised terrorist leaders and clerics, shared videos of the terrorist organisation, including chants which incited armed jihad, as well as sharing images depicting executions of American soldiers at the hands of a jihadist sniper. Khalid E was born on April 11, 1986 in Oued Zem, close to the tourist city of Casablanca. The Ministry of the Interior confirmed his participation in crimes of indoctrination and the promotion of Salafist jihadist terrorism, in favour of the terrorist organization Islamic State (EI or Daesh). Plainclothes officers had the neighbourhood of La Tejera under surveillance for some time. Once inhabited by workers of a brick company it is currently a home to families that have moved to Spain from Morocco and Ecuador. The officers had studied the settlement, and the suspects home in particular, to ensure that they were full aware of all routes of access and escape into and from number 15 Calle El Caribe. The operation was carried out Tuesday morning under the supervi-

sion of the Central Court of Instruction number 3 of Madrid. The agents burst in at dawn, entering through the main door of the house, startling the residents, Mohamed, his wife, Fatima, their two children and two brothers, Abdul and Khalid. "We were terrified," said Fatima, the prisoner's sister-in-law. “I am still shaking and since the raid I haven’t been able to take my children to school.” During the search the officers also arrested brother Abdul who was unable to produce residency papers". Since 2015, the Security Forces have arrested 269 jihadist terrorists in operations carried out across Spain. Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said that in the case of Khalid E., arrested in Torre Pacheco, he was "about" to go from online indoctrination to the organization and execution of a "hypothetical attack." Mohamed said “My brother had a contract of employment and every day he was picked up in a van where he joined a crew of day labourers to go to a melon farm in La Manga, where he worked from sunrise to sunset, from 8 am to 7 pm. He was not a dangerous person so I can’t understand why the officers acted in this way.” The ministry disagreed, saying that over the last three years or so, Khalid E had undergone a "radicalization process" and he had "evolved dangerously" to now being "on the point of taking part in violent terrorist actions." Tuesday also saw three people arrested in a joint operation between French police, Spanish Civil Guards and the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan regional police). The three were detained in the French regions of Gard and Tarn and are suspected of being closely associated with Dris Oukabir, who is currently in prison for his role in the terrorist attacks which claimed 16 lives in Barcelona and Cambils, in Spain, last year..

Swearing alleigance to the Spanish Flag Mayor José Miguel Luegno and the Commanding Officer of the Academia General del Aire (AGA), Colonel Miguel Ivorra announced that the act of swearing allegiance to the Spanish flag by civilian will take place on Saturday, 3rd March at 11am in the Plaza de España in San Javier. The Colonel said that this civil act of swearing on the flag is framed within the activities of the 75th anniversary of the Academy General of the Air "where on July 28, 1943 the first 251 cadets arrived at the base to begin their training as officers of the Air Force.” People who interested in taking the oath or promise before the flag, must register, by tomorrow 27th February at the Department of Culture, in the San Javier Town Hall. Of course, only Spanish Nationals are allowed to take the oath where kissing the Flag represents the Oath or promise to defend Spain, even at the cost of one’s life. As a foreign resident it might be interesting to go along and watch the act which will begin by honouring the Flag. After the oath to the flag and a speech by the colonel director of the AGA, the Air Force and the National anthems will be played.

The Psychiatry and Mental Health service of the University Hospital of Torrevieja is running a series of "Movie afternoons" in which are aimed at providing a better understanding of mental illness to medical staff as well as members of the general public Last week the first film to be shown was the 2011 American comedydrama starring Charlize Thero which tells the story of Mavis Gary, a divorced, alcoholic 37-year-old ghost writer who is on deadline with her editor to finish the last book of the soon-to-be-cancelled series. Her situation deteriorates when she tries to get back with her high school boyfriend. After the screening of the film, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers joined in a debate around the different clinical problems that were presented through the characters in the film. A spokesman for the department said that, “with a good movie you can enjoy the plot, its music, its images ... and most of all you can learn many things related to psychology and psychiatry. Films can often be and attractive showcase to make these types of disorder better known to the general public, and the film “Young Adult” deals with issues across a broad spectrum of mental illnesses and disorders.

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Come along and join the International Cofradia

By Paul Mutter

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Rojales Neighbourhood Watch Group The Rojales Neighbourhood Watch Group is holding its Annual Meeting in the Municipal Centre, Ciudad Quesada on Monday 5 March at 11am. It is open to anyone living in the 03170 postal area. This is your opportunity to say how you would like the Group to be composed and to function. We have been in existence for 15 years and many changes have taken place in this area in that time. There has been a lot of new building and many new people of different nationalities have come to make Rojales their home. We want people to be proud of the place where they live and to know that we can all help the Security Agencies to keep crime at bay. If you are not already a member of the Group but would like more information please see the Neighbourhood Watch in Spain website at www.neighbourhoodwatchinspain.com or contact me on 663316310. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Helen Tudor - Secretary (Rojales)

Arrest for Sexual abuse to minor Orihuela’s Local Police Unit GESC (Special Group for Citizen Security) have arrested a man in Orihuela for sexual abuse and incitement of the prostitution of a minor. The man, a Columbian National, was arrested last Sunday night following a report from a neighbour.

The

processions in Torrevieja during Semana Santa (Holy Week) attract thousands of residents and visitors to the town to witness these spectacular events chronicling the Passion of Christ. This year will be the 14th year that the International Cofradia has been involved in taking the paso of Jesus in the Garden of Olives (Cofradia de Nuestro Padre Jesús en la Oración del Huerto de los Olivos) through the streets of Torrevieja during Holy Week. We take part in the Monday night and Friday night processions which this year will be on Monday March 26th and Friday March 30th. For the first thirteen years the paso was carried on the shoulders of around 100 costaleros from a number of different countries but mainly the United Kingdom. Last year however we had to push the paso as we had insufficient numbers to carry it. Each year we need to recruit new members to replace those who for one reason or another are unable to take part. This is a fantastic opportunity to participate in one of the most important events in the local Spanish cultural and religious calendar. Those of us who have carried or pushed the paso in the processions will testify to the fact that it is a unique experience and one which all of us will remember for the rest of our lives. You do not have to be

super fit to take part; most of our members are retired and certainly not in the ‘first flush of youth’. Neither do you have to be a member of a particular church. You simply have to have respect for the event.

He told the police that he had seen a man escorting underage boys into a ruined building and that he had witnessed similar events on many previous occasions which had made him suspicious.

If you are interested in taking part please contact David McLachan on 865 661 937 who can give you a further details.

On attending the scene officers from the GESC saw a child, who was clearly under 15 years of age, leave the house in what they described as ‘a nervous and agitated state.’ On entering the property the police found the man who was later arrested.

The first official meeting of the International Cofradia will be on Thursday, March 1st. This is principally for registration of existing and new members but new members are welcome at any of the practices. We will then be meeting on each of the following Thursdays, March 8th , March 15th , and again on March 22nd when the paso will be taken down to be parked behind the Inmaculada church in the centre of Torrevieja ready for the Easter processions during the following week. The meetings will be held at the Semana Santa Museum on the outskirts of Torrevieja starting at 7:30 pm in the evening. If you are an existing member please make sure you come and attend the meetings and if you have not already done so why not bring along a friend to become part of this unique group of people. If you are an existing member and are not taking part this year please can you bring your uniform along to one of the meetings or contact Paul Mutter on 671 218 285 to arrange an alternative handover.

Belgian woman sexually assaulted in Torrevieja Torrevieja Civil Guard has arrested a 27 year old man of Moroccan nationality as the alleged perpetrator of a sexual assault, with penetration, on a 32 year old Belgian woman. They are also looking for several other people who took advantage of the struggle, to rob the victim. It is alleged that the woman was walking her dog at about 6am when a man approached her and began to speak to her in several languages. She was on holiday in the town and did not understand what was said. As such she continued with her walk but the man grabbed her arm from behind and sexually assaulted her. During the struggle, a number of other people appeared on the scene but instead of going to the assistance of the victim they took advantage of the situation to steal the mobile phone and several other items from the woman, who was in a state of total helplessness. The woman had to be assisted by the Emergency Medical Service, after which she filed a complaint with the Civil Guard, giving a description of the alleged perpetrator of the attack, although she had not been able to see the people who committed the robbery. As Civil Guard agents made their enquiries they also carried out surveillance of several local nightspots in the area, as it was thought that he had committed the assault when leaving one of them. The agents managed to find several suspects, whose description

was similar to that provided by the victim, eventually managing to reduce the number to one. On carrying out a search of the alleged offender’s home they found a number of items of clothing thought to belong to the victim. The man was promptly arrested and placed at the disposal of the Court No. 3 of Torrevieja, which has detained him in custody. However the operation still remains open as agents continue to search for the individuals who robbed the victim while the assault was taking place.

According to the minor, the accused offered him money for "sexual favors", which he agreed to at first. Later he refused saying that he did not want to continue, but the detainee took him by the arm saying that he had paid him and he needed to keep his side of the agreement. Thanks to the arrival of the local police officers, the detainee released the minor and he was able to leave the house. Following their intervention, the agents contacted the minor's mother and accompanied them to the Vega Baja Hospital where a medical examination was carried out on the child. Subsequently, they filed charges with the National Police and the detainee will now appear before the courts.

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Corvera airport ready for December take-off On Saturday morning Jaimie GarcíaLegaz formally signed the contract for the operation and maintenance of Corvera Airport for a term of 25 years alongside Murcia’s President, Fernando López Miras. López Miras also confirmed that the airport will be named after Juan de la Cierva, the inventor of the autogyro. ON signing the contract AENA President, Jaime García-Legaz, said that the airport will be ready to operate from December. However, the specific timing of the commencement of flights will depend on the airlines, although he believes that it will not be beyond that date. The process of certification of facilities and controls by the State Security Agency will get underway today, Monday, and will take several months, although during this period, a plan to attract the interest of airlines will be initiated in parallel. The transition of civil operations from the current San Javier airport to Corvera will be led by Mariano Menor, and flights will not overlap, that is, one day the last flight will depart from San Javier and the next will be the first flight from Corvera, explained García-Legaz. He also added that neither San Javier employees nor franchise holders and con-

tractors should have any concerns about the move stating that Corvera airport will be a first class airport that it will be in the same league as Alicante airport. He added, "the Region of Murcia has nothing to envy Alicante over from the tourist point of view." It is also understood that Corvera will gener-

ate more jobs than San Javier, and will function for longer hours, mainly because its operations will no longer be limited by the military. The airport will have capacity to accommodate about 4 million passengers a year, figures that will strengthen the tourism and economic growth of the Murcia community.

Campo fence puts an end to 30 years of Country walks As well as upsetting the Residents Association la Asociación de Vecinos San Miguel Arcángel, the landowner at the centre of the ‘fencing’ controversy, reported in edition 703 of the Leader Newspaper is now very much at odds with residents of Urb Blue Lagoon. It seems that he has now fenced off access to a country walk that people from miles around have enjoyed for the last 30 years. As a result there will be no more country walks, dog walks or cycling excursions that have been so popular in the local campo with citizens of all nationalities. Perhaps this is another matter that la Asociación de Vecinos San Miguel Arcángel should look into. Where are those 16th century rights of way when you need them?

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Women of the Year Torrevieja’s Department of Social Welfare and Equality is encouraging residents to vote in the ‘Women 2018' award but you only have until Tuesday 27 February, to do so. Councillor Fabiana Ibarra, said that for the first time the award is firmly committed to equality, as the honour aims to distinguish the performances of women in a sector traditionally considered to be an area dominated by men. Thus, the two sections this year will be: 'Woman 2018' that rewards women who have forged themselves a professional career, through their personal efforts and social and the award 'Woman in Equality 2018' that recognises women in a sector or activity where the participation of women is a minority, valuing their effort and support in overcoming sexist barriers and stereotypes. Candidates will only be considered if they are women who are linked to the municipality of Torrevieja either because their work has had a direct impact on municipal life or because they reside or developed their social and professional activity entirely in the municipality. Votes, which may be submitted by Torrevieja residents or by any club or municipal association, must be registered at the City Council for the attention of the Department of Social Welfare and Equality or by email: igual@torrevieja.eu. The closing date for voting is tomorrow, Tuesday 27 February 2018 and the same individual or association can only vote for a maximum of three candidates. The proposals must contain the following information: Name of the person or persons proposed Reason for the proposal with supporting documentation as appropriate How the nominated individual is linked with Torrevieja The award will consist of a commemorative plaque which will presented at a commemorative gala on 8 March, International Women's Day.

Next "Orihuela en Ruta" to take place on 11 March Flamenca Beach Promenade

Torrevieja mayor joins in pension protest The next ramble, organised by the Orihuela Council, will take place on the coast on Sunday 11 March starting at the Vistamar urbanisation in Mil Palmeras at 9am. The walk will cover a distance of about 12.5 kms and will travel along the Orihuela coast fromMil Palmeras, through Campoamor, Cabo Roig, La Zenia and ending up in Punta Prima. The councillor for the environment, Miguel Ángel Fernández, said that "the aims of the walk are to combine health through sports whilst learning about our natural heritage,

he mayor joined more than 300 people on Thursday in a protest held in Torrevieja’s Plaza de la demanding "decent pensions." Organised by the Platform for the Defence of Public Pensions of the Vega Baja, the group criticised the "miserly" annual increase of just 0.25% The protest, which was held in many state capitals and cities across the whole of Spain,

was joined by the mayor, José Manuel Dolón, and several councillors, who prior to joining had authorised the display of a brown ribbon from the town hall balcony in support of the mobilisation. The mayor and the councillors, who all expressed their full support, mingled with the crowd speaking to many of the protestors as they did so.

The Platform was protesting against the pension rise of just 0.25% that has been applied annually since the economic crisis first began, and which they rejected as "miserly." Also within the climate of exasperation at the situation and a lack of future expectations several of the protesters chanted slogans, including “the thieves are stealing our pensions.”

Along the route, walkers will be able to enjoy different points of interest such as the Cabo Roig tower, the La Glea viaduct, and the flora micro-reserves of Cala Mosca and La Glea in Campoamor, , where several native species, some in danger of extinction, grow in the shelter of a ravine ". "We will also walk along "the fossil beach, with 125,000 years old and where we can find fossil remains in the sand and rocks with imprints of molluscs." Said Fernandez. Anyone wishing to take part can register by sending an email to: orihuelaenruta@orihuela.es The council have said that they will provide a bus service for inland residents wishing to take part.

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Val del Sol residents threatened with loss of water suppy

he area, which is situated near the La Torre Polaris development in Murcia, post code 30590, contains some 300 plus houses-villas etc and on Tuesday the residents were informed that their water supply would be cut off permanently in two months’ time.

BREXIT sounding more like a dogs dinner every day

hether you are for or against Brexit there is no denying that it’s a bit of a shambles. The British government seem to be both arrogant and disorganised while the EU negotiators come across as quite annoyed that the UK is leaving and they are being spiteful as a result.

The meeting will be held on Sunday 4th March the Teleclub Bar in the main street that runs through the village of Gea y Truyols, and is scheduled to commence at 8.30 am. Although it is very short notice, several hundred people are expected to attend. More information is available by contacting Paco Lopez on 612 261 133.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney recently suggested that the government’s lack of clarity and purpose is the reason that the UK has slipped from “the top of the class to the bottom” compared to other G7 economies. Brexit uncertainty has already reduced British wage growth by 3.5%, and Mr Carney said it could fall further by the end of the year. He also said the pound’s decline made workers poorer since it caused inflation to squash wage growth.

But at least Brexit has managed to unite the UK: All of us think that half of the rest of us are insane.

The homes are owned multinationally, mostly Spanish but many English, German, Dutch, Russian etc. Some are used as holiday homes but most of the population reside permanently. Resident David Allen says that it is an infringement of our basic human rights under EU law and the supply of water cannot be allowed to be denied.

But Brexit has a huge impact on the currency markets - clearly demonstrated by its 10% devaluation after the vote in 2016 and every twist and turn continues to affect both the pound and the euro today.

On Thursday the UK cabinet met at Chequers (the prime minister’s country house) to thrash out their differences and present a united front on Brexit policy. They managed to agree a collective ‘harder line’ but this is not the view of a majority of MPs and wouldn’t survive a vote especially as the Labour party seem to be softening their stand.

Obviously this has caused a lot of concern and a meeting has been hastily arranged and will be chaired by the mayor of Gea y Truyols and other officials of the Water Company as well as representatives from Murcia Town Hall.

The meeting will be held at the Teleclub Bar in the main street

Message: Be careful: politicians can seriously affect your wealth by upsetting the currency markets. When buying a large amount of currency, protect yourself and talk to a currency broker. Currency ‘scores on the doors’ at midday Friday 23rd Feb GBP/EUR 1.136 (up over the week) GBP/USD 1.398 (down over the week) EUR/USD 1.231 (down over the week) www.thecurrencyexchange.co.uk

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Cruz Azul’s Fundraiser exceeds expectations Cruz Azul’s fundraising event ‘Rock My Soul - Take Two’ proved a huge hit, raising 1038.00€ on the night for the charity, which helps with vet bills for pet owners on low incomes and works with local communities to control feral cat colonies in a humane way. Las Claras Cultural Centre in Los Alcázares provided the venue for the event, which was organised by John “J. J. Soulman” whose friends in the music business were keen to take part. Rock My Soul was a sell-out event and guests were treated to some great performances by super compere and DJ, Paul Allen, Red Strokes, Eastern West duo and the great J. J. Soulman. “Words cannot describe how grateful we are to everyone who came and helped raise such an amazing amount at our second Rock My Soul fundraiser. We are overwhelmed by people’s generosity” remarked Lyn Baines, Cruz Azul President. “We’re grateful to local businesses who donated raffle prizes and to our fabulous volunteers for helping with the organisation - what a team! Thanks must also go to The Post Room in Los Lyn Baines and Alcázares who helped make this event a success Volunteers with by selling so many tickets for us and, of course, Red Stokes and to all the people who bought them and came to JJ Soulman support us.” she said. Thanks to the continuing generosity and support from the public and local businesses, the fantastic amount raised at this event and the growing success of the Donation Centre in San Javier, Cruz Azul can continue to help more pets whose owners are on low incomes and continue its ‘Trap, Neuter and Return’ campaigns. “We lost Sue Thomason las year, but she is never far from everyone’s thoughts and I know that she would be proud of the fact that we are continuing her legacy and driving forward the way she would have wanted. We are keen to move forward with other initiatives in the near future to encourage

responsible pet ownership, such as sterilization, microchipping and vaccination” commented Lyn. Cruz Azul’s Donation Centre is situated on the Avenida de la Unión in San Javier, next door to Yorkshire Linen and is open Monday to Saturday from 10.00 am until 2.00 pm. They sell clothes, accessories, jewellery, household goods, furniture, bric-abrac and lots more, so why not pay them a visit? Even better, donate your unwanted clothes, furniture and items to show your support. Call 693 017 616 for more information. Cruz Azul Murcia is a registered charity and exists to provide veterinary care for sick and injured pets of people in need and to promote responsible pet ownership. If you or someone you know needs help, or you would like to volunteer or donate, please call 693 017 616 or visit their website: www.cruzazulmurcia.es

It’s Good to give I

t’s that time of the year when the arrow on the temperature gauge rises on the thermometer. Spring is in the air and, for some of us, our thoughts turn to having a good clear out in readiness for the yearly spring clean.

We all like to renew and refurbish our homes and wardrobes, throw out the old and shop till we drop finding the perfect replacements. We end up with piles of unwanted items and clothing then the realisation hits us as to what to do with the piles of last year’s fashions, the bargains we bought we believed we needed and gifts received that we are never going to use. The answer to relieving you of these hair pulling decisions, which have to be made, is to donate to Age Concern. Due to an exceptional past three months of sales our shelves and rails are looking a bit bare and need topping up so we have the top answer to your question ‘What am I going to do with ALL this stuff’? Age Concern will willingly accept donations of clothing or household items, small pieces of furniture such as coffee tables or bedside cabinets, but not large furniture as we do not have enough room in our shops. We will even collect from your home if you are too far away. You can drop items off at our shops in Patricio Zammit 41, Torrevieja or Avenida del Mar in Los Montesinos or our centre at Calle Paganini in La Siesta. All money raised from our shops goes to maintaining the myriad of services Age Concern provides helping and supporting the over 50’s in our area of which you may, in the future, need to use. To arrange collection simply telephone our centre on 966 786 887, Monday – Friday between 10.00 – 1.30pm.

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Masons donate bed lift to Torrevieja Hospital Last Monday, Caledonia Lodge No. 68 from Quesada, presented a patient bed lift to Torrevieja Hospital. It was purchased some time ago for their own use but having been stored for a while, and only having been used once, it was decided to donate it to the hospital where it could be put to far better. The picture shows WBro Sid Formby, the current Master of the Lodge and Miss Maria Jose Pinille, the social administration and manager. It is always a pleasure to be able to assist our local hospital, who are so greatfull for any help. It is very important that we all support our hospitals and their staff for their great work and dedication. It was therefore a great pleasure to be able to help out in this way, Should you have an interest in the work of Freemasonry, or be interested in joining, please contact: prensa@glpvalencia.com

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Day of planting in Natural Parks

day of tree planting took place across the region last Monday supported by all of the Ayuntamiento’s and local authorities. In Torrevieja the Environmental Councillor Fanny Serrano, took part where the objective was to plant native species of trees in the Natural Park of La Lagunas de La Mata and Torrevieja, on the occasion de la Festividad del Árbol, the Day of the Tree. The day was part of the Mare Natura program, a joint project with the IES Mare Nostrum in the city, through which different environmental activities and initiatives are carried out, and all of which are aimed at the encouraging the recovery of ecosystems and the

increase of biodiversity. Also taking part was an environmental education team and the forest brigade from the Natural Park, along with Director of the protected area, Francisco Martínez. They were joined by approximately 100 students and together they planted espinos negros, algarrobos, lentiscos and coscojas (black thorns, carob trees, mastic trees and oaks), all of them native species of the area’s ecosystem, and which were provided by the forest nurseries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, Climate Change and Rural Development. Francisco Martínez, director of the Natural Park, stressed the

importance of this type of initiative in such arid areas, "stating that they raise social awareness in environmental matters." Planting of trees also took place on the Orihuela Costa in the Pinada de Campoamor where around 100 children planted 500 pines of the indigenous species Aleppo and stone pine, which the Municipal Departments of Infrastructure provided. Once again the main objective was to teach the children about he care and the preservation of the environment. Hidraqua’s managing director, Juan José Alonso was on hand to provide the necessary material such as: Hoes, carrying baskets, a water tank, watering can and compost.

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

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QUICKIE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ANSWERS QUICK ACROSS: 6 Shackle; 7 Rural; 9 Box; 10 Unhelpful; 12 Prevaricate; 15 Affiliation; 17 Decadence; 19 Cry; 21 Scull; 22 Garnish. DOWN: 1 Throw; 2 Act; 3 Glen; 4 Suspicion; 5 Faculty; 8 Secret; 11 Irritable; 13 Veiled; 14 Offence; 16 Trust; 18 Coax; 20 Ink.

ACROSS

CRYPTIC CRYPTIC

Select group (5)

ACROSS: 6 Groomed; 7 Whole; 9

Raise (7)

Dun; 10 Allotment; 12 Down-to-

Commerce (7)

earth; 15 Contracting; 17 Carollers;

10.

Wrong (5)

19 Ale; 21 Flash; 22 Husband.

12.

Significance (10)

DOWN: 1 Argue; 2 Top; 3 Meal; 4

15.

Carelessness (10)

18.

Meander (5)

19.

Cyclone (7)

21.

Unfriendly (7)

22.

Foreign (5)

Champagne; 5 Planets; 8 Got out; 11 Boathouse; 13 Nearly; 14 Totally; 16 Fling; 18 Rout; 20 Ebb.

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

Curbed (10) Essential (5) Riches (4) Resound (2-4) Schoolmasterly (8) Uncomplaining (7) Fascinated (10) Continue (8) Versus (7) Respect (6) Swift (5) Genuine (4)

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

See 18 Across

This goes under the table when letters are sorted (7)

10. Could it be entitled “The Start of New Love Ruined”? (5) 12. Its members regularly go to court (6,4) 15. Payment for subsidence (10) 18 & 8Ac. They cushion sounds when people use flights (5-7) 19. His law I translated into African tongue (7) 21. Business establishment to cause anxiety (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

North End, 17. The Life Guards which is the senior regiment in the British Army. 18. Ken Norton who won the first of his 3 fights against Ali by split decision, and controversially lost the latter two fights by split and unanimous decisions, respectively. 19. Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 20. Quadrophenia

22. See 7 Across

to June 1388, at which many members of Richard II's Court were convicted of treason. 8. Niccolo Paganini, 9. Buddhism, 10. The Italian Saint Clare of Assisi who was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. 11. Bette Midler. 12. Orange, 13. Iceland, 14. Compulsive talking or an uncontrollable desire for excessive talking or making speeches, 15. Z.E. 16. Preston

(5,5)

DOWN 1. Lady chasers (10) 2. Plumped for a brief composition by Edward (5) 3. Almost record what is served by law (4) 4. Show a picture of a wind-shield (6) 5. Splendid lad two generations removed (8) 6. In unrestrained revels I will be submissive (7) 11. Licentious types getting wild tribe into rows (10) 13. Makes more of the general’s new order (8) 14. Stocks filters (7) 16. Fine pottery holds us in contemplation (6) 17. Sounds like the highest point of vexation (5) 20. An account by the man will produce discomfort (4)

Franciscan order, and The Order of Poor Ladies.? 11. Which American singer and actress had a debut album entitled The Divine Miss M which was also the moniker given to her by thousands of adoring fans? 12. The kumquat is a small Chinese variety of which fruit? 13. The Althing, one of the oldest parliaments in the world, is located in which country? 14. A sufferer of cacoethes loquendi would be doing too much of what activity? 15. All postcodes in the Shetlands begin with which two letters? 16. Just before making his Premier League debut for Manchester United in 1995, David Beckham played on loan for which club? 17. The Household Cavalry consists of two regiments: The Blues and Royals is one, which is the other? 18. Which boxer was nicknamed The Black Hercules and was one of only 5 people to have defeated Muhammad Ali in the latter's professional career? 19. Which poet wrote Sonnets from the Portuguese, the Portuguese being an affectionate nickname used by her husband (also a famous poet) for her? 20. In which 1979 film, based on a rock opera by The Who does a scooter fly off a cliff in the final scene? 1. Cushions, 2. Barbados, 3. Coronation Street, 4. Euphorbia, 5. Cornwall, 6. FIE, is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. 7. The Wonderful Parliament was an English Parliamentary session of November 1386 which pressed for reforms of King Richard II's administration. The Merciless Parliament refers to the English parliamentary session of February

ACROSS 7 & 22Ac. Where the bedrooms are situated for the Lords

1. Traditionally, what items do the audience throw towards the ring after a sumo wrestling contest in which a yokozuna has been defeated by a lower-ranked wrestler? 2. If you were called a Bajan, of which country would you be a native? 3. There was a campaign many years ago among large numbers of U.K. residents to free 'the Weatherfield One'. In which soap opera was 'The Weatherfield One' a character? 4. Which of these genera of flowering plants does not produce exclusively yellow flowers: Kerria, Hypericum, Forsythia, Euphorbia? 5. Tom Bawcock's Eve is a festival celebrating the efforts of the eponymous Tom Bawcock to lift a famine from the village of Mousehole in which English county? 6. The F.I.E., or Federation International d'Escrime, is the international governing body for which Olympic sport? 7. The 'Wonderful' Parliament and The 'Merciless' Parliament were sessions convened during the reign of which English monarch? 8. Which classical violinist, said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his remarkable talent, composed the 24 Caprices for solo violin? 9. The Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths are important concepts in which religion? 10. Which saint, patron of televisions, telephones and clairvoyance, founded the

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What you should know before fitting a Dash Cam DASH CAMs are cheaper, smaller and easier to use than ever before. They also have the potential to make a significant contribution to road safety and to save you money on your car insurance, according to GEM Motoring Assist.

A surge in popularity to over 3 million UK users and big steps in technology have led to prices fall in UK to as little as 25 GBP

Road safety expert Sandra MacDonald-Ames says dash cams offer safety and financial benefits for many drivers. "A surge in popularity and big steps in technology have led to a price drop, and a reduction in size, so they are now affordable for most of us. Properly positioned, they won't restrict visibility. They are readily available online and on the high street, with prices starting around £25. Sandra explains that insurers love the clear and irrefutable information a dash cam provides. “If you’re a safe, conscientious driver, a dash cam helps protect your no-claims bonus, as well as guarding against dangerous drivers, road rage incidents, ‘crash-for-cash’ scams and even minor car park knocks,” she says. GEM has prepared a selection of questions and answers relating to fitting and using a dash cam. What is a dash cam? It’s a video cameras that is mounted on the dashboard or windscreen of a car. Genrally powered by the car’s 12v system, it continuously records the view of the road and traffic through the windscreen. How does it store footage? Typically a dash cam continuously records video footage either on an internal memory or a removable card (such as an SD card). When

Can I save on insurance? The installation of a dash cam could see a discount (typically 10% or more) from some insurance company, so it is always worth asking what they can offer. Can I share my footage of anincident with the police? An increasing number of police forces are accepting dash cam submissions showing dangerous driving, driving without due care and attention, using a mobile phone, not wearing a seat belt, contravening a red traffic light, contravening solid white lines and other offences where the driver is clearly not in proper control of the vehicle.

the memory fills, the camera automatically overwrites the oldest files. So you should be able to set it up then leave it until you need it. Where’s the best place to fit it? Fit your dashcam in the centre of your windscreen, behind the rear view mirror. Ensure it does not obstruct your forward vision. What are the advantages of a dashcam? As fraudulent insurance claims increase, a dash cam provides vital evidence of what actually happened and who may have been involved. Following a collision or incident on the road, a driver's memory of events or the position and action of other motorists can

CUPRA, A Special Brand

CUPRA Ateca – The brand’s first model SEAT has announced the launch of CUPRA, a new brand with its own distinct identity. The announcement was made at an exclusive event held in Barcelona last week, where the new brand’s first model was revealed, the CUPRA Ateca. Beginning now, CUPRA, which has always been SEAT’s ultimate expression of sportiness, is born to captivate car enthusiasts around the world. CUPRA stands for uniqueness, sophistication and performance. The time has come to introduce a special brand for enthusiasts. CUPRA becomes its own entity, created to develop models in conjunction with SEAT and with the firm commitment to grow independently. With this move, the brand will have dedicated floor space in approximately 260 specially selected SEAT dealerships across Europe. “CUPRA is a big opportunity for SEAT, for our customers and for the business”, said SEAT President Luca de Meo. “The whole project has surfaced as

sometimes be unclear, while a dishonest motorist may be less likely to pursue a claim knowing that video evidence is available.

the dream of a group of people who were looking for a way to conquer a new group of car lovers.” The CUPRA logo, which was revealed a few weeks ago, is inspired by the attitude of tribal civilisations and reflects the values that the new brand is keen to transmit – passion, precision, determination and courage. CUPRA Ateca – The brand’s first model Iconic and powerful. The CUPRA Ateca is an SUV that signals the start of a new era and is the perfect car to launch CUPRA. It is a unique model in its segment, until now only reserved for premium brands. The new CUPRA Ateca’s 2.0 TSI engine delivers 300 PS (221 kW). It is one of the most technologically advanced engines on the market. It also comes with the 4Drive traction system, one of the safest, most advanced integrated traction systems in the world. Read the complete article at www.the.leader.info

GEM road safety officer Neil Worth says dash cams have a big role to play in helping to make our roads safer. “Fitting a dash cam is a good move for road safety,” he says. “Once installed, it’s good to know it can protect you in incidents where it might otherwise be your word against someone else’s. “But however helpful a dash cam may occasionally be, we still encourage everyone to drive with the original GEM values of care, courtesy and concentration. These cost nothing, and if every driver committed to upholding them, then we would see a significant and sustained reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. Follow GEM on Twitter@MotoringAssist for the latest industry news.

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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. Clasicos Legendarios have the following used vehicles for sale: Jaguar XKR V8 2007 Black, with all the extras, 115,000 km for 35,000 euros, Jaguar XJS Convertible V12 1988, 159,000 km 17,950 euros, Lexus SC 430 2003, 165,000 km, 7,995 euros. Visit our showroom in Redovan on Poligono San Carlos or call 965 030 924

Social and Clubs The next monthly meeing of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion will be on 15 March 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 9th

March 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 the work of Samaritans in Spain? Interested in becoming a listener? Have a few hours a week to help with the charity shop, fundraising or admin? To find out more, come

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

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 in C/Cipres, Lomas de Cabo Roig, where we can offer you a full range of activities Monday, Wednesday and Thursday including music, language classes, drawing and painting, sewing, general information, bereavement advice and much more. Further info available at: oc.communitycare@gmail.com

Churches and Services La Siesta Evangelical Church hold services each Sunday and everyone is welcome. Our 11.15am 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 11.15 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 The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) in Torrevieja meet at 10.00 each Sunday in their chapel at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia, 104. All Welcome. You can phone or whatsapp the missionaries on 667 533 597.. International Christian Assembly, Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja - Evangelical nondenominational church. All nationalities welcome. Sunday service 11.0 a.m.; Sunday school; Prayer meetings; craft and computer clubs. Ladies Bible Study: Thursday 11.0 a.m. Church Bible Study: Thursday 1.30 p.m. House groups in Torrevieja, La Siesta – Contact: 966 752 543 / 617 215 463. For other church matters: Phone:

966 799 273 / 966 752 543 / 617 215 463. www.icatorrevieja.org

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 Villamartin, gate enclosed topfloor apartment with lift. Two bedroom, two bathroom, large lounge / dine, kitchen, store room, large sun terrace, communal pool in well-maintained gardens, off-road parking, 800m to nearest bars / restaurant. Fully furnished. Air-conditioning. Roof top solarium with stunning views. € 110.000. Tel. 672 921 851 or 604 152 124. (705) Country Finca in Redovan - 2 buildings on a good size plot, each with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Plot size 500 sq mtrs.

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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 gardens and a large communal swimming pool. Euro 79,995 Ref 000057. Tel 617 537 866 Redovan - Surrounded by lemon groves and fields of artichokes and broccoli, this 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

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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. 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

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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.

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.

It is illegal to scatter ashes on land or at sea without obtaining a special licence

shes to ashes

I received a very moving email from a regular ‘Letters from the Atlantic’ reader and correspondent this week. Janice lives in the UK and has been a regular visitor to the Canary Islands over the last 47 years with her husband, Bob. Sadly, Bob died a few weeks ago, shortly after their 47th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated on their favourite Canary Island. Janice and Bob had visited the same island each year since their honeymoon, and in the same fishing village, which they both loved. The couple were true Canary Island lovers and there was only one year that they did not manage a visit, which was shortly after the birth of their son. Janice told me that Bob had cancer, and it was during their last visit to the island that he had commented in his favourite restaurant that he would like to have his ashes scattered in the sea from the Canarian village that they had visited and enjoyed so much. Bob had remarked that it would be rather like “coming home”. In her email to me, Janice asked if scattering ashes was allowed, since she had read that it was forbidden to scatter human remains in the Canary Islands. Janice is correct, since it is illegal to scatter ashes on land or sea without obtaining a special licence, yet getting a licence remains a mystery. My enquiries on behalf of Janice at several town halls on the larger islands have led nowhere, so if anyone has further infor-

mation about the procedure, do please let me know. There is a potential fine of around 2000 euros if caught scattering human ashes in public places. Despite this restriction, I do know that one of the islands, Tenerife, has a ‘Garden of Ashes’ in La Laguna where ashes can be scattered without a fee, but this facility does not exist on all the islands. My best advice to Janice is for her to make enquiries with local funeral directors on the island. The other, slightly riskier, alternative is to ask a local fisherman in the village to sail well out of the harbour area and to discretely scatter the ashes whilst out at sea. Surely this can be no worse than some of the pollution that regularly finds its way into the sea? I know from personal experience that scattering ashes is not always

b y Bar rie Mahoney an easy thing to do on these islands, since by their very nature these islands can be very windy and ‘ash blowback’ from a traditional urn can be a highly distressing experience. The best approach is to ask the funeral director to provide a plastic tube that is designed both for plane transportation, as well as for scattering the remains of a loved one, which Janice and her son are planning shortly.

Readers may like to know that human ashes can be carried on an aircraft, although a plastic container should be requested from the funeral director to allow for the container to be easily scanned by airport security. Although the ashes can be checked in as cargo inside suitcases, it is probably better to include them as part of hand luggage. Do ensure that airport check-in staff know that human remains are being carried. The death certificate of the deceased should also be available, together with any other information given by the funeral director. Losing a loved one is always a distressing affair, but it can be made easier in the knowledge that we have done our best to meet their wishes. Let us hope that Janice and her son take some comfort by revisiting a place that she and Bob loved so much by “Coming home”. 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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La Siesta Bowls Club By Rod Edgerton The Apollos lost at home to San Miguel Meteors 85 shots to 109 picking up 5 points to the Meteors 9.Some good bowling with Ramsey Sinclair, Irene Laverick and Alex Morrice winning from start to finish to gain victory 20 shots to 11.Dave Davies, Norman Adcroft and Sue Jordan were 7 shots behind after 9 ends but persevered winning 6 of the last 9 ends to win 14-12.Pat Moore, Bill Jordan and John Taylor trailed by 6 shots after 15 ends but won the final 3 ends to draw 17 apiece. The Pioneers played Quesada Swans and despite wins for Gary Randall, Rod Edgerton and Alan Mawer by 20 shots to 11 and Dennis Andrew, Ken Stringfellow and Sid Gallup winning 20-19 the remaining rinks lost narrowly, so just 4 points to La Siesta with the shots going to the Swans by 123 shots to 108. In the Fed 4’s the Parakeets entertained Montemar Lords lost 5-3 and overall by a single shot 56-57. Sheila Chorley, Tony Campbell, Irene Mangan and Alex Morrice won31-13 whilst Pat and Trish Reilly with Florence and Mike Edwards drew 19-19.The Hoopoes had a poor day losing 8-0 to Greenlands the overall shots being 30-71. The Winter League played Quesada and won on the rink of Derek Smith, Trish and Pat Reilly with Jean Cooper winning 17-14 obtaining 2 points. The shots went to Quesada by 98 shots to 56. In the Berleen an excellent win for Dave and Irene Laverick with Jim Eastwood and Pat Harman by 24-8. The Golds continued their strong challenge with a 11-3 win against Vistabella Conquistadores by 125 shots to 95.Strong finishes from all rinks saw Wendy Ralph, Ann Edgerton and John Porter win 29-9 .Ron Sheldon, Derek Smith and Vic Mahomet won 27 -10 and Sheila Millward, Alan Ralph and Fay Beattie won 29-18.Barbara Cooper, Tony Campbell and Johnnie Ryder were 4 shots down with 4 ends left but won on the final end to claim a 19-18 victory whilst Gary Randell, Rod Edgerton and Alan Mawer were 11-4 down after 10 ends but eventually a determined effort by all players claimed a single shot on the final end to obtain a 14-14 draw.

La Marina Report

by Barry Latham

Sorry there haven’t been any reports for the last two weeks but I took a short holiday in hospital. Out now and hope that I will be back bowling soon. Saying holiday I think one of our drivers trying to get to San Miguel thought she was off on holiday. No it wasn’t Mo. Ask the two in Alan Castle’s rink. Perhaps looking at the score most of the team thought they were on holiday. The Pathfinders travelled to play the Comets at San Miguel only to lose 12-2. Ahh well I keep getting told it is only a game. We did have one winning rink so well done John Morgan, Mike Brain and Jeff Collins. Unfortunately the Explorers at home against Vistabella Albatrosses didn’t do much better as they lost 10-4 with Margaret Finlayson, Kathy Manning and Hilary Cronk doing it for the ladies 22-13 and Don Fowkes, Mike Smith and Anne Stone winning 22-10. Wednesday and the Winter League game gave us more hope as it was so nearly a draw with us losing the overall score by one shot. Our two winning rinks were Dave Hadaway, Carol Smith, Martin Butler and Anne Stone who won 15-8 followed by another seven shot winner with John Rae, Mike Smith, Kathy Manning and Janet Parsons winning 20-13. Come Friday cometh a win. The Merlins playing at home against Emerald Isle Outlaws we won by 10 shots to four. Our John Rae, Dave McGaw and Mo Taylor won 20-15. Dave Taylor, Garth Slater and Lorita Rae carried on the winning 20-15 and not to be outdone John Morgan, Arthur Cronk and Gina Hindle did the same and won 18-14. Then to outdo them all that great singer Bill Jones helped George Furzer and Reg Jackson to a great 33-5 win. Well done, Sirs. I said the Winter League had lost the overall score by one shot well; it was even closer with the Ospreys away at San Luis playing the Lions as the overall shots were 96 apiece. However it didn’t stop the Lions roaring to a 9-5 win. Peter Parsons had narrow win 16-15 with Phil Pape and Andy Bartlett and doing herself proud was Maureen Kidd taking her rink of Mike Smith and Janet Parsons to a 26-9 win.

Emerald Isle Bowls Club By Elwyn Morris The week began with the Titans travelling to play Monte Mar Matadors, and they had a great 12-2 win aggregate of 128-73, winners were P Willicott A M Stevenson D Gerrard 26-8, C Thomas J Pooley J Rimmer 24-9, P Coffey M Thomas J Mulloy 22-11, C Parsons M Veale M Odell 18-10, P Heaney S Johnson I Brewster 24-17 The Moonrakers played at home against Quesada Diamonds and slipped to a 2-12 aggregate 65-135 defeat, winners were D Martin L Bath R Ede 19-16 Wed brought Monte Mar to play the Isle in Winter league and the home side came out winners by 8-4 aggregate 97-78, winners were D Jones M Whitelock J Mulloy J Rimmer 29-12, P Coffey M Riley M Veale M Stacey 19-13, C Thomas R White A M Stevenson D Gerrard 21-18 Thursday brought Quesada Panthers to the Isle in the Fed4s league the visitors took the game 6-2 aggregate 49-59 I winners were S Kavanagh M Shatwell E Morris B Kavanagh 26-20 Friday saw the Cavaliers play San Miguel Jaguars at home and went down 6-8, aggregate 118-83, winners were P Coffey M Odell J Rimmer 34-5, D Jones K Joliffe D Gerrard 27-4 The Claymores played at home on Friday against La Siesta Blues and they won 10-4, aggregate 108-87, the winners were, R Adams A Malcolm M Breen 24-13,D Horne S Watson T Harris 22-17, S Kavanagh E Morris B Kavanagh 21-14, L Harris M Petty G Shatwell 16-11 The Outlaws travelled to La Marina Merlins and lost 4-10 aggregate 85-113, winners were, B Taylor A Gower A Fay 19-12, M Elliot L Bath R Ede 21-3

Greenlands Bowls Club By Dave Webb The Maples were at home to San Luis Trekkers and had mixed fortunes, Final score was - total shots for - 82. against - 97. Points for 4. against - 10. Winning rinks were - Dave Fryatt, Ann Butterworth, Mike Kelly. - 27 shots to 9. Margaret Stephens, Phil Lockley, John Obrien. - 17 shots to 11. The Sycamores were away to El Rancho Pintos. Final score - total shots for - 67. against - 134. Points for - 4 Against - 10. Winning rinks - Pat Wray, Doreen Watt, John Wray. - 19 shots to 14. Dave Field, John Newell, Mike Casssidy. - 19 shots to 15. In the Fed 4s we were away to La Siesta and came away with a very good result. So final scores on the doors was - total shots for - 71. shots against - 30. Points for - 8, points against - 0. Winning rinks were -- Margaret Stephens, Doreen Watt, Dave Thompson, Dave Webb. - 24 shots to 13. Jean Giddings, Jean Thompson, Dave Giddings, Mike Kelly. - 33 shots to 8. Zoe Wilcock, Graham Watt, Jim Wilcock, John Wray. - 14 shots to 9. In the Winter league we were at home to Javea, the sun came out and jumpers came off for a very pleasant game against friendly opponents. final score was total shots for - 91. shots against - 87. Points for - 8. against - 4. Winning rinks were -- Margaret Stephens, Doreen Watt, Graham Watt, Dave Webb. - 21 shots to 12. Jean Giddings, John Wray, David Giddings, Mike Kelly. - 28 shots to 9. Jean Thompson, Janet Webb, Val Duchart, John Obrien. - 19-14. And in the C Division The Cedars up against San Luis Pumas. Final scor was - total shots for - 94. shots against - 84. Points For - 9. against - 5. Winning rinks were - Norman Stephens, Ron Stansfield, Tony Hodges. - 17 shots to 11. Janet Bliss, John Dowell, Neville Pulfer. - 17 shots to 13. Jean Giddings, Doreen Watt, Dave Giddings. - 22 shots to 10. The club championship matches were completed on the weekend so congratulations to all the winners and finalists, the mini club competition matches are now in progress with the Mens Plate and Ladies plate nearly completed. More names are still required for the Mixed Singles and Partners competitions which have to be drawn this week so the Finals can be played on 31 March. for all enquiries please contact Haley on 966 84 4399.

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Horadada Bowls Club

By Barry Evans

In the South Alicante league we had a difficult away match against Quesada Rubies.While there were some close games we only got 2 points in a 71 to 118 shot defeat.Our winning rink was, Ron Odell,John Goddard and Bryan Eatough 20 – 14. In the Southern league we again had an away match,this time against San Miguel Cougers.We managed to pick up 5 points in a 85-105 shot defeat.Our points were obtained by John Jukes, Dennis Wade and Wayne Osguthorpe 24-18, Linda Hier,Wayne Jackson and John Bailey 16-14 and Pat Patton,Fred Trigwell and Brian Patton 17-17 We had a bye in the Fed fours but it is back to business next week.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE 2017/18 RESULTS AND TABLES FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY

DIVISION A Mazarron Miners 85 Quesada Swallows 128 San Luis Lions 96 Vistabella Picadors 116 Emerald Isle Cavaliers 118

(4) (14) (9) (9) (6)

Vistabella Lanzadores (10) El Rancho Mustangs (0) La Marina Ospreys (5) Montemar Matadors (5) San Miguel Jaguars (8)

111 69 96 87 83

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

P 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

W 66 62 55 47 47 47 39 36 36 29

Diff 438 334 162 194 59 48 -238 -376 -168 -453

Pts 155 151 138 116 114 114 93 89 83 61

D 1 4 6 2 1 4 5 5 2 2

L 29 30 35 47 48 45 52 55 58 65

Win 11 11.5 11 10 9.5 8 5 6 6 2

DIVISION B La Marina Merlins 113 Emerald Isle Claymores 108 Quesada Swifts 111 San Miguel Cougars 105

(10) Emerald Isle Outlaws (10) La Siesta Blues (8) San Luis Tigers (9) Horadada Royals

(4) (4) (6) (5)

85 87 93 85

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

P W D 15 49 4 14 46 2 15 46 6 14 43 5 14 43 5 14 43 5 14 39 3 14 35 4 14 22 2

Diff 211 200 100 65 106 35 -113 -57 -547

Pts 122 116 112 108 105 103 93 84 50

L Win 37 10 36 11 38 7 36 9 36 7 36 7 42 6 45 5 60 2

DIVISION C San Luis Pumas 84 Montemar Toreadors 154 El Rancho Broncos 115 Country Bowls Geckos102 La Siesta Golds 125 Montemar Toreadors 122

(5) (14) (12) (14) (11) (14)

Greenlands Cedars (9) La Manga Crusaders (0) Quesada Swans (2) San Luis Leopards (0) Vistabella C’dors (3) San Luis Pumas (0)

94 72 91 66 95 66

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

P 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

W 61 57 50 49 49 48 47 41 34 29

Pts 146 142 119 119 114 112 112 99 83 64

D 3 4 3 4 2 3 2 3 4 2

L 32 35 43 43 45 45 47 52 58 65

Win 11 12 8 9 8 7.5 8 9 5.5 2

Diff 273 240 316 178 -96 44 -202 -146 -237 -370

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Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

San Miguel Bowls Club By Pat McEwan In the SABA league, the PULSARS were at home to Vistabella Drivers, only winning on 1 rink, drawing on 2. Well played by Pat McEwan, Jan Farmer, Dave McEwan 16-13; Alan Booth, Paul Hayward, John Raby 19 across; Peter Ross, Derek Farmer, Ron Nairey 13 across; Dave Youngs team had hard lines losing by 1 shot. 4 points to San Miguel 10 to Vistabella. 88 to 107. Great result from the COMETS winning 12 points to 2, with shots 129 to 68. Very well done by Meg Brownlee, Sandra Hannan, Bill Brownlee 28-5; Sheila Errington, Val Davis, Jack Jackson 27-8; Stan North, Mike Bayfield, Mick Rogers 24-12; Bob Nesbitt, Bob Graham, Ann Eagle 19-14; David Champion, Carl Eagle, Bob Donnelly 16-13; Rob Honeywells team lost by 1 shot. The WINTER LEAGUE had also had a

great result winning 10-2 at home to Bonalba. Very well played by Noel Davis, Mary Dyer, Lynn Greenland, Gary Raby 386; Ann Allen, Dave Johnson, Brian Miller, Steve Cantley 26-12; Margaret Patterson, Val & Chris Collier, Lin Miller 18-11; Alan Patterson, Lee Sinclair, Gail & Fred Willshire 41-5, Stuart Denholms team lost by 1 shot. Super scores. Total shots 141 to 53. In the Fed Fours, the APACHES were away to San Luis, losing on all 3 rinks. In the Southern League, the JAGUARS were away to Emerald Isle Cavaliers winning 8 points to 6, but losing the shots 83 to 118. Great bowling by Paul Thomas, Sue Miler, Alan Campbell 17-14; Alan & Sheila Booth, Mike Douglas 16-15; Ann Young, Anita Brown, John Marshall 22-13; Pete Masters, Dave Young, Ron Nairey 19-15;

The other 2 teams lost heavily!!!! The COUGARS had a good result against Horadada Royals winning 9-5, with shots 105 to 85. Well played by Bob Nesbitt, Bob Graham, Rosamond Stockell 17-12; Dave Champion, Frank & Barbara Scotthern 17 across, Meg Brownlee, Brian Errington, Bill Brownlee 17-8; Sandra Hannan, Bill Knight, Bob Donnelly 22-8. No other results received. PLEASE NOTE the Finals of the Club Championships will take place this weekend 3rd and 4th March - THERE WILL BE NO CLUB MORNING ON SUNDAY. Further info contact the President Rosamond Stockell telephone 965 32 9778 or Secretary Pat McEwan, telephone 966 71 4257.

Monte Mar Bowls and Social Club Sponsored by The Belfry, The Pub, Bowling Abroad, Avalon, Lounge D and Rogers. Friday 16th February - Monte Mar Toreadors v Greenlands Cedars Away at Greenlands the Toreadors had a good win against the Cedars. Winning on four rinks well done to Cliff Norris, Howie Williams and skip Graham Smyth, Marilyn Gibb, Rita Towle and skip Ian Gibb, Sheila Roberts, Chris Harding and skip Joan Harding, Sue Bounds, Joe Ridley and skip Diane Ridley. Shots 111-85, Pts 10-4. Monte Mar Matadors v Quesada Swallows At home to the Swallows the Matadors had a tough game. Well done to our one winning rink. Shots 92 – 113, Points 2 – 12. Monday 19th February - Monte Mar Matadors v Emerald Isle Titans Another tough game for the Matadors at home to Emerald Isle Titans. Well done to our one winning team. Shots 73 128, Pts 2 – 12 Tuesday - Fed Fours Monte Mar Lords v La Siesta Parakeets A good result for the Lords winning on one rink and drawing on one rink. Well done to the winning rink Tanya Oliver, Jean Chamberlain, Joe Ridley and skip Diane Ridley and the drawing rink Lynne

Armitage, Jan Gatward, Howie Williams and skip Colin Armitage. Shots 55 – 54, Points 5 – 3 Monte Mar Toreadors v San Luis Pumas The match with the Pumas turned out be a very good day for the Toreadors winning on all rinks. Shots 122-66, Points 14 – 0 Wednesday - Winter League Monte Mar v Emerald Isle We played away to a strong Emerald Isle Team. We had two winning rinks well done to Jan Soars, Cliff Norris, Howie Williams and skip Alan Ashberry, Lesley Jones, Chris Harding, Val Hignett and skip Ron Jones. Shots 78 – 97, Points 4 – 8 Friday - Monte Mar Toreadors v La Manga Crusaders This rounded off a great week for the Toreadors with the second 14-0 win of the week. Beating the Crusaders on all rinks, a positive response to the heavy defeat we had at La Manga before Christmas. A big well done to everyone in both matches it was a good boost to our position in the league. Shots 154 – 72, Points 14 – 0. Further info check out our website www.montemarbowls.com or email us at info@montemarbowls.com. We are also on Facebook.

Vistabella Bowls Club

with Lynne Bishop

SAL ENTERPRISE LEAGUE. Albatrosses away at La Marina equalled their home win against the Explorers with four wins plus shots . S Whitehall, SJ Broadhurst & B Norris 23-12. S Kemp, C Watkins & M Furness 21-9. L Watkins, S Burrows & P Whitehall 19-17. N Burrows, A Brown & E Bishop 12-11. Shots, 98(10) - 93(4) L M.

Thorpe & Gordon Fisher 17-14. Shots, VB 78(8) - 77(4) LM.

Drivers away to San Miguel Pulsars had three wins & two draws. D Leggatt, Mo & Martin Foulcer 22-7. F Barclay, A Leggatt & B Corbishly 23-17. D Howard, H Marshall & L Barber 17-16. K Hardy, J Donnelly & C Thorpe 19-19. D Gunning, B Ewart & G Thorpe 13-13. Shots, VB 88(10) - 88(4) SM.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE Div A. Victory at Mazarron for the Lanzadores. G Fisher, S Burrows & Gordon Fisher 24-10. B Norris, B Zelin & B Dunn 23-11. N Burrows, A Brown & M Furness 18-13. L Watkins, S Norris & E Bishop 18-14. Shots, VB 111(10) - 85(4) M.

VOYAGER LEAGUE. The Eagles had a home draw against Mazarron Mariners. D Graham, P Tomkins & Penny Tomkins 27-12. I Irwin, S Kirk & T French 17-11. S Dibble, P Cadwell & M Blight 19-19. Shots, VB 104(7) - 101(7) M. WINTER LEAGUE. Away at La Marina winning on three rinks. C Watkins, S Norris, B Dunn & M Furness 20-13. L Bishop, N Burrows, J Harwood& S Allman 20-15. G Fisher, P Tomkins, C

FED 4’s. A full house at San Miguel. G Fisher, P Ray, A Brown & Gordon Fisher 28-6. F Barclay, B Ewart, G & C Thorpe 20-14. T French, B Ray, C Watkins & M Furness 19-15. Shots, VB Vikings 67(8) - 35(0) SM Mohawks.

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San Luis Bowls Club by Sheila Cammack A mixed week for our teams; with some struggling to have enough players due to illness. Monday 19th February: Klingons good result, home v Q Pearls; 104, shots 103-99. Winners: Janet McEneany, June & Keith Jones 1615, Kath Reid, Neil Morrison, Ian Kenyon 21-15, Colin Jackson, Keith Phillips, Mal Hughes 19-13, Margaret Morrison, Ray Clarke, Russell Marks 18-17. Trekkers, useful points away v GL Maples; 10-4 shots 97-82. Winners: Bill Webb, Les Bedford, Brian Pocock 29-3, Beryl Regan, Allen Bowen, Barry Edwards 14-12, Helen Hammond, Barry Roseveare, Scott Malden 16-10, Mags Haines, Jo & Jules Pering 18-13. Romulans home v ER Raiders; no information. Vulcans away v CB Flamingos; excellent 12-2, 119shots-94. Winners: Ray Watmough, Derek Barker, Dave Steadman 20-12, Audrey Ford, Brenda Brown, Bob Bromley 20-12, James Wright, Margaret Clarke, Geoff Shand 22-16, Chris Jackson, Chris Brooks, Drew Russell 24-20, Denis Jackson, Kevin Hull, Charlie Marigold 17-13. Wednesday 21st Winter League home v Benitachell, excellent result; 10-2, shots 116-67. Winners: Shirley Verity, Ray Clarke, Jules Pering, Russell Marks 17-14, William Holtham, Ann Holland, Peter McEneany, Mal Hughes 27-15, Kath Reid, Neil Morrison, Scott Malden, Ian Kenyon 28-9, Irene Everett, Jo Pering, Brian Pocock, Tom Hill 29-12. Berleen Trophy, hard fought game, winners: Pam Lockett, Sheila Cammack, Vic Slater, Roy Cordell 16-15. FED 4’s: Thursday 22nd, Ospreys home v SM Cherokees; 2-6, shots 47-59. Winners: Ann Holland, Giuseppe Galelli, Neil Morrison, Mal Hughes 17-14. Condors home v SM Apaches great result; 8-0, 73-45. Winners: Steve Simmons, Ros Holmes, Jan Pocock, Les Bedford 32-16, Sally Cordell, Mags Haines, Mike Regan, Peter McEneany 24-13, Bill Webb, Margaret & Ray Clarke, Brian Pocock 17-16. Bazas away v CBowls 6-2, 55 shots-48. Winners: Ian Ross, Mary Fromson, Sue Ross, Charlie Marigold 22-10, Ralph Jones, Danny McErlean, Cas Blay Tom Fromson 22-10. Friday 23rd Lions home v LM Ospreys; 9-5, 96shots-96. Winners: Colin Jackson, Keith Phillips, Mal Hughes 15-10, Margaret Morrison, Ray Pollock, Roy Cordell 18-14, Pam Lockett, June & Keith Jones 18-15, Lynne Morris, Ray Clarke, Tom Hill 21-15. Tigers away v Q Swifts; 6-8, 93shots-111. Winners: Shirley Verity, Jo & Jules Pering 16-12, Ros Holmes, Peter Fuller, Derrick Cooper 18-17, Irene Everett, Mike Smith, Vic Slater 21-18. Leopards away v CB Geckos, tough day; 0-14, 66 shots-102. Pumas home v GL Cedars; no details, 5-9, 84 shots-94. Club information: www.sanluisbowls.byethost7.com or contact June Jones, Captain: 691 903 773.

EL RASO GOLF SOCIETY

The Picadors at home playing MonteMar Matadors had three wins and a drawn game. F Barclay, B Ewart & G Thorpe 36-13. D Leggatt, Mo & Martin Foulcer 20-12. P Rafferty, P & B Ray 17-13. D Gunning, H Marshall & P Rafferty 15-15. Shots, VB 116(9) - 87(6) MM. Div C. Conquistadores found the going hard at San Luis. Playing their Golds they had one win & a draw. Y Ware, P Cadwell & S Wilson 26-7. R Smith, D & J Harwood 14-14. Shots, VB 95(3) 125(11) S L.

El Rancho Bowls Club

Monday morning found the Pintos entertaining Greenlands Sycamores and what a glorious morning it was, just makes you glad that you aren’t wintering in the UK. The Pintos played well against some good play from the Sycamores, with the home mat advantage the Pintos took 4 rinks to the Sycamores’ 2 and also took the overall shots by a reasonable margin. As always one or two didn’t find the form they may have wished for, but we’ve all been there. Judy Foley, John Skipper and Jim Gracie 14-10. Irene Thomson, Liam Foley and Eddie Thomson 328. Diane Yates, Keith Cunningham and David Whitworth 14-19. Barry Bright, Jan Bright and Stew Hamill 15-19. June Whitworth, Sheila Cooper and Carolyn Harris 34-4. Val Ryder, Henry Ryder and Richard Lee 25-7. In the afternoon the Raiders were at San Luis playing the Romulans and came away with 2 rinks, a good result at San Luis.

On Friday morning the Mustangs were at Quesada playing the strong Swallows, who proved too strong on the day for us. We did however play some good bowls, though came away without a point, but we enjoyed the occasion as well as the company. Meanwhile at El Rancho the Broncos were entertaining another Quesada team, the Swans, they put on a really good show in taking 5 rinks and the overall shots. Bob Day, Peter Bagwell and Jean Bagwell 13-12. Sheila Cox, Pam Harris and Brian Harris 30-11. Gary Dunstone, Bob Easthope and Barry Bright 14-29. Gill Bartlett, Peter Blackburn and Rob Clark 21-12. Tricia Elsam, Graham Day and Keith Longshaw 18-15. Ann Abbott, John Richards and Tony Robinson 19-12. 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.

On Friday 23 February 29 members arrived at our home course La Marquesa on a chilly and windy morning, however as the day progressed we were able to remove one or two layers. It was a good day for Arty Crammon, he managed to bag three of the four nearest the pins, on holes 5, 11 and 17. Nearest the pin on the 15 went to Kev Bosner. Bob Shorley won the best front nine with 18 on c/b and the best back nine went to Phylis Venables with 19 on c/b. Third place went to David Valentine with 36, second was Arty Crammon with 39 and the overall winner with a magnificent 40 pts was Robin Richards. After the game we returned to the Olde 9th in Quesada for refreshments and prize giving. Thanks, once again, to Grant and his staff for their continuing hospitality

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

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THE KABUL GOLF CLUB, first opened in 1967, was frequently used by Afghanistan's royal family until the last monarch got the boot in a 1978 coup. Years of war turned the course into a battlefield, with landmines, rocket launchers and burnt-out Russian tanks. In 2004 pro golfer Mohammad Afzal re-opened the grim, grassless course and kept it going in the face of death threats from the Taliban who shot and killed his brother. Now wealthy golfers are flown in by armed helicopter just to say they have played the world’s most dangerous course. Next time you are about to complain about the state of the greens, think of poor Abdul. DICTATORS HAVE BEEN KNOWN to stretch the truth about their golfing abilities. During the official grand opening of a Jack Nicklaus- designed course, Turkmenistan’s president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, (no kidding) hit the ceremonial first tee shot. A voiceover claimed: “Our nation’s leader scored a hole in one from 246ft despite windy conditions.” Jack Nicklaus diplomatically made no comment. LANNY WADKINS won the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach after fending off Gene Littler in a playoff to claim his only major. His most memorable feat, however, was at the L.A. ‘Genesis’ Open, (then the Northern Trust Open) played in February 1985 at the Riviera Country Club. No one has since touched his 20under par 264, the longest-standing record on the PGA Tour. Wadkins shot 63, 70 and 67, and then set himself a target for the final round to keep a 5 off his card. He shot 64. The L.A. Times’ Jim Murray commented: “Lanny played a concerto for woods and 2-irons”. If you missed the Chicago Bears beating the Washington Redskins 73 – 0 never mind, just watch Lanny Wadkins beating up Riviera.” Wadkins says: " I couldn’t lose, I just saw shots that day.” I know just what he means, I often have that feeling. It lasts right up until I hit my first shot. BEFORE THE HAWAII STATE GOVERNOR apologized for the recent nuclear missile panic, saying an employee had pressed the wrong button, golfers on the island prepared for the worst. John Peterson tweeted: “Under mattresses in the bath with wife, baby and

in-laws.” Justin Thomas, playing in the Hawaii Open, kept his cool, saying aferwards: “I just sat on the sofa with a can of beer thinking ‘There’s not a thing I can do, if it’s my time, it’s my time.” He must have British Blood in there somewhere. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LUXURY Turnberry Golf Resort has received a tax rebate of £109,580, as part of a programme designed to help ‘small businesses.’ As the resort is expecting a turnover of £18m this year it hardly qualifies, but apparently the tax relief is ‘mandatory’ due to a 12.5% cap on rising business rates for bars, hotels and restaurants. Donald can treat himself to a new pair of gold bath taps, courtesy of Revenue Scotland. AT LAST SOMEONE HAS LISTENED to all the moans concerning the calculation of handicaps. Welcome to the new World Handicap System, courtesy of the R & A and the USGA. From 2020 a consistent handicap that is portable from course to course and country to country will come into existence, with key features designed to provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability. These include: 1: Flexibility in formats, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes and ensuring that a golfer's handicap is more reflective of potential ability. 2: An average-based calculation of a handicap, taken from the best eight out of the last 20 scores. 3: A limit of Net Double Bogey on the maximum hole score (for handicapping purposes only) 4: A maximum handicap limit of 54.0, regardless of gender. (For more info check out the R & A website.) The object is to encourage as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a handicap, and to enable golfers of differing abilities, genders and nationalities to compete on a fair basis. From 2020 all golf federations all over the world will be implementing the new handicap rules. Good luck with that! Until next time: Happy Golfing. Contact Mick for all your regripping and repairs. 638 859 475.

Paddy’s Point Golf Society

Eurogolf Texas Scramble

A very windy Las Colinas was the venue for our President’s Day but despite this we all enjoyed the excellent condition of the course. President’s Day is one of our main outings and was once again well supported. As it was Valentine’s Day a special meal was laid on at Paddy’s, thank you Rory, Hazel and all your staff for making it such a special evening. Nearest President’s Drive - David McBride. NTP - Paul Cullen, Colin McInerney, Sean Wynne, Chris Smith & David McBride. LONG DRIVES - Shaun P Murphy & Myra Coull. 2’s President John Pot- Wally Bates, Bryan with Terry Fitzgerald, Winner Terry Pat Foley, Shaun P Fitzgerald. Murphy, Colin McInerney, Chris Smith x2. BEST GUEST - Sean Wynne 33pts. 3rd Pat Foley 32pts c/b, 2nd Shaun P Murphy 34pts 1st Terry Fitzgerald 37pts.

On Thursday Eurogolf played a Texas Scramble off the blocks . Although a very chilly start the sun did appear eventually to make a perfect day for golf. The overall winners was the team of George McCallum, Ian Pegg Sharon Cotgrove and a ghost player with the amazing score of 55.5. 2nd Sue Forbes, David Blanchette, Debbie Weedon and Cindi Green 61.8. 3rd Jack Simpson Carjin Van De Kruijs Ken Brett and Gill Gordon 62.5 NTP´s - 5th Jack Simpson 11th David Blanchette 12th in 2 Ian Pegg 15th Colin Daye -Grayton 17th George McCallum Football draw Barry Wilson Bev Evans Ken Enever Debbie Weedon x 2

Our next outing is to the Mar Menor on 14th March.

Tuesday Toffs 80 players took part in the Toffs weekly stableford competition on Tuesday and the results were: Overall1st Robin Richards 38 c/b 2nd George McCallum 38 3rd Clive Horne 36 4th A. Cowley 36 Cat 1 1st Fred Reeve 35 c/b 2nd Paul manning 35 Cat 2 1st John Holland 36 2nd Bruce Gordon 35 Cat 3 1st Brian Jones 34 2nd Ken Brett 33 Best front 9 Franz Berndt 21 Best back 9 Jean Goodwin 20 NTPs 5th David Gregson 11th Clive Horne 12th in 2 Arty Crammon 15th Clive Horne 17th Cindi Green

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Gold category winners 30 members and guest made the hour or so trip down to this oasis in the Alamo. The sky looked grey and with the wind buffeting the car it was obvious that we were in for a tuff day on this long course. Sure enough you needed a driver and a good 3 wood and for some a 7 iron to cover the 357m on the first hole! As always the greens were slick and this just added to the difficulty of the day. To give you an idea of the strength of the wind, Captain John Eyre, playing the 371m par 4 13th managed to hit his tee shot but alas didn´t even reach the Ladies Tee and this one played DOWN wind!! Considering the conditions some good scores were returned but the €20 in the 2´s pot is being carried over to Alenda next week. Results : N.T.P.´S Hole 5 J. Dean, hole 8 & 12 NADA, hole 15 T. Svensen. Best guest this week was R. Malmgren 30 pts. Silver category: 3rd R. Hagfoss 25 pts. 2nd A. Rickers 27 pts. 1st L. Holmberg 29 pts. Gold category: 3rd T. Svensen 29 pts. 2nd S. Sonesen 29 pts. (L/H) 1ST h. Woerdemann 32 pts. .More about our Society at: www.tmgs.org or www.facebook.com/TMGSGOLF

Lo Crispin Golf Society At Roda The Society played an Individual Stableford competition at Roda. The weather was cold and breezy, but dry but by the time all the 28 members and guests had finished their rounds, the wind had abated and it was somewhat warmer, and still dry! There was a general consensus that Roda is one of the better courses that the Society plays, if a little long and hard. It is probably true to say that there are very few easy courses on the Costa Blanca. After the game, the staff at the Lo Crispin Tavern as usual supplied us with Tapas and a warm welcome, where the winners were announced and the prizes distributed. The winners were as follows :- Gold Division - 1st: Mike Johnson (31 pts), 2nd: Harry Wilcock (29 pts), 3rd: Adrian Aspbury (28 pts) Silver Division: 1st: Ian Blincoe (26 pts) - on count back, 2nd: Paddy Shea (26 pts), 3rd: Ian Fogarty (25 pts) NTPs: Hole 2 - Harry Wilcock, Hole 7 - Brian Milne (Guest), Hole 11 - Mike Johnson, Hole 13 - Paddy Shea Best Guest prize was won by Ron Perkins (33 pts. off 15) who also was the only player to achieve a 2! Free Game Raffle Rod Pullen. The next game will be played at Alicante on 7th. March and we will be playing for the first of our 4 majors for 2018, the Claret Jug! Our next interim game is at Font Del Llop on 28th. February. Anyone wishing to join the Society or would like to play as a guest should contact a member of the Committee (Details on the website).

Las Ramblas Golf Society by Mike Mahony Monday we played Best 2 from 4 all on the par 5´s and with a score of 99 pts the winning team were Bryan Neal (who contributed 40 pts), Maria Oldenzeil, Ian Stones and Bernie Stones. On a cold and blustery Wednesday we had the 3rd round of our Eclectic Joker Competition and the results were as follows: 1st (Again) Bryan Neal 39 pts. 2nd Olga Douglas 38 pts. 3rd Rod Doel 36 pts. 4th on a count back Geoff Biggerstaff 36 pts, 5th on a count back Ulrika Barth 36 pts. 2´s Club Once again only one taker this week John Conway AGAIN! Friday we played the Counters Game and the winning team coming in with a score of 78 pts. were Lindsay Forbes, Ulrika Barth, Nick Campbell and Albert.

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Mike ProBert talks golf

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

(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. Golf Course Review – La Marquesa The course was designed by Justo Quesada and opened in 1989 as the Club de Golf Quesada with the name being changed in 1994 to La Marquesa Golf and Country Club and in 2010 was the first course in the Valencia region to receive the ISO 9001 award for quality and excellence. The golf course is located only 500 metres from the edge of the town of Rojales which is best served from the AP7 motorway taking exit 740 or 745 in the direction of Rojales and then look for the numerous signs to the course. As you would expect the clubhouse facilities include café, restaurant, pro-shop, changing and shower rooms and the course has a covered driving range with chipping and putting greens and you can hire buggies, trolleys and electric trolleys. This course is located in the valleys running amongst the hill top urbanisation that is ‘Quesada’ and is tight in places with water hazards and out of bounds close to a number of fairways and hence caution and good course management are a necessity. The course is a par 72 layout of 6,115 metres (6,726 yards) from the white tees and 5,971 metres (6,568 yards) and 5,098 metres (5,607 yards) from the yellow and red tees respectively. With the exception of the 570 metre (627 yard) 18th hole the par 5’s are in reach with two good shots for the bigger hitters and the par 3 holes are not overly long although finding the green and the right part of the green on the re-structured 15th hole can be difficult at times with a water hazard immediately behind the elevated and sloping green. At first glances this course is there for the ‘taking’ but beware because danger lurks close to many fairways and greens and your score can quickly escalate and without doubt the key to success on this course is to hit the fairways

Med Bar Golf Society, El Raso @ VISTABELLA

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 01/03/18 Golf Course Price Comments Alenda €120 Two Players and Buggy Alicante €138 Two Players and Buggy Altorreal €120 Two Players and Buggy Bonalba €120 Two Players and Buggy Don Cayo (Altea) €110 Two Players and Buggy El Plantio €112 Two Players and Buggy (after 12pm) Font Del Llop €134 Two Players and Buggy La Finca €160 Two Players and Buggy La Marquesa €45 Single Green Fee La Serena €41 Single Green Fee (after 2pm) Las Colinas €99 Single Green Fee Las Ramblas €116 Two Players and Buggy Lo Romero €156 Two Players and Buggy New Sierra Golf €95 Two Green Fees and Buggy Roda €110 Two Players and Buggy (from 2pm) Villamartin €136 Two Players and Buggy Villaitana Poniente €48 Single Green Fee and Buggy Vistabella €106 Two Players and Buggy Deal of the week: Villaitana Levante @ €63 each including shared buggies for booked 4 balls from 1st-17th March 2018.

Quotation of the Week “Golf is a game where the slowest players in the world are in front of you and the fastest one behind you” - Kevin McCarthy.

Marabu GS @ Vistabella In assn with Costa Blanca Green Fee Services 22nd Febr

The weather was better than expected with no rain,bright sunshine but a stiff wind making scoring difficult. The winning scores on the day were as follows: 1st: Chris Pinder – 36 points 2nd: Danny Wheatley – 32 points 3rd: Andy Junes – 31 points 4th: Mike Probert – 31 points

Results for this outing: 1st pairing of Ray Muttocks and Martin Morgan with combined score of 36 points

Runners up – Phil Harris and Keith Smith with 35 points Nearest the pins on par 3`s: hole no.2 Peter List, hole no.11 John Goulder 2`s pot was won by John Goulder and John mc Adams Football card winners: Alan Gifford & Jeff Ellis Thanks to Steve and his staff at the med bar and bistro, our next outing is at El Valle on 27/2/18 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

El Plantio 2 Golf Society

by David Swann

A 'waltz' competition works best when the number taking part is divisible by three as no adjustments need be made. When one of our number withdrew with a severe case of the bug, leaving 11 starters, the competition, on 20th Feb, looked in jeopardy. However, making a welcome return after several months incapacity, Ian Henderson made up the numbers, and immediately claimed nearest the pin and captained his team to second place. Welcome back Ian. Nearest the Pins, Hole 2, Ian Henderson and Hole 5, Ray Housley. 3rd Place, Dave Swann, Brian Coupe, Lyn Young - 66 points. 2nd Place, Ian Henderson, Rod Loveday, Brian Edwards - 66 points on C/B. 1st Place, Ray Housley, Chris Linathan, Mirielle Michels - 67 points. If anyone would like to join our Society, we play at El Plantio Golf Club every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. We use both courses - the Par 3 nine hole course and the main 18 hole course, so we cater for all abilities. The membership rates are very competitive, so call for more details. Anyone who wishes to play in the Society as a guest or join as a new member, contact Ian Henderson on 966 716 616 or 636 116 230

For Bookings and info Mike at info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com quoting the reference LEADER or on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931

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

Our first “fun day” outing of the year took us to our nearest golf course of Vistabella, the format for the day was to be 2 ball Texas scramble with combined handicaps. If that was not daunting enough for the high handicapper, we paired them off with the low handicappers. As I have said it was supposed to be a fun day and boy did we have some fun! To add to the enjoyment, the majority of the society had not played the new 8 holes but after completing their rounds, all commented on how much they had enjoyed it

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NTP’s:Mike Probert (2),Colin MacDonald and Mick Martin Dog of a Day – Ron Nowland Front 9: Brian Smith – 19 pts Back 9:Rod Allen – 15 points Football Card – Graham Hall After the game we returned to Leaf's Restaurant, which is located at Pueblo Brava, Quesada for a welcome meal prepared by the bar and the prize presentation and we give our thanks for their continued support. Our next interim fixture is at Vistabella on 15th March followed by the Society Day at Hacienda Del Alamo on 29th March. Report by Mike Probert of Costa Blanca Green Fee Services on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or see our web-site at: www.costa-blanca-greenfees.com.

Rod Loveday, Ian Henderson, Mirielle Michels, Brian Edwards, Ray Housley, Dave Swann, Chris Linathan, Brian Coupe

San Miguel Golf Society at Las Colinas Las Colinas usually sets very high standards. So it came as a surprise to find the greens were in such poor condition, when, for so many other courses in the area the opposite is the case. The greens were patchy, uneven, almost impossible to stop the ball, many holes were crowned, very disappointing Las Colinas. Putting the former aside, thirty one members and two guests braved the cold and the wind to play the weekly stableford. A change to the par three neary's being open to all meant some holes were open only to Gold, Silver, Bronze divisions leaving the tougher holes for all, meaning more chances for all to be in the prizes. Also the recent focus on rules and speed of play meant all groups were round in four and a half hours or less, well done all. Two members bested the course; Scotty Philips and Theo Boelhouwer recording 40 and 37 points respectively. Sadly, Norman Cahill was later disqualified for pointing out he had returned a lower gross score than actually taken, a timely reminder for all to check their gross (not points) score. The day’s results, by category and in reverse order, were the following: Bronze Category: 4th Kyrre Skarsmoen (30), 3rd Chris Hamblett (31), 2nd Brian Butler (31 on CB ), and 1st Mike Inns (33)

Silver Category: 4th Ken Flaherty (29), 3rd Kevin Albright (32), 2nd Nick Spicer (35), and 1st Scotty Philips (40 points) Gold Category: 4th Ivor Turkington (30), 3rd Andie Imrie (31), 2nd Russell Bailey (33), and 1st Theo Boelhouwer (37 points) Nearest the pins on the par 3’s (G, S,B & open to all) went to Ivan Hanak, Brian Butler Scotty Philips and Kev Albright. The Abacus, sponsored by Glendale Engineering, was won by Pete Cunniff. Only one guest played, Mick Seymour (now a member) was awarded a sleeve of balls for turning up. Welcome Mick! Our thanks to the staff at Las Colinas for their contribution to the day. Keep up to date with all SMGS matters by logging on to our website www.smgs.org or simply give Tony Smale a call on 628 227 687 to find out more about the society and its weekly golf get-togethers. Next week we will be at Vistabella.

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

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EURONICS THURSDAY DART LEAGUE “THE ELECTRICAL SHOP” - BLUE LAGOON Team and Auxiliary Knock-Out Cup Round 2 results TEAM KO CUP Hub Hyenas Junction Jackals El Capitan (Default) Wee Rockers

7-0 Angels 7 (9)-3 Amigos Misfits 7-0 Porter House Bees (No team available) 7 (8)-2 Ale House

AUXILIARY CUP Las Rosas Porter House Pint Depot Queens (Default) Hens Teeth

7-0 (5) Hub Hellraisers 7 (10)-2 Junction Jaguars 7-0 Tavern (no-show) bye

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 x (Junction Jackals); Lee Maiden (Junction Jackals); Angela Garside (Tavern Oldies), Mark Todd (Junction Jackals), Edmundus (Daddy) Klimonis (El Capitan) Highest Check-out: Jeff Ward (porter House) 147 [T20, T17, D18] Hub Hyenas V Angels Well not sure what happened to the Angels who can normally muster a few points even against the leviathans but this night it wasn’t to be. The Hyenas took the first, well only, 7 legs with John Eyre awarded MOTM and captain Glennon getting it for the Angels. A couple of 140’s (Miller, Eyre) and it was all over and goodnight as capt Willams commented ‘they all went in’ with regards to the Hyenas finishing. Shame the night couldn’t have lasted a bit longer though lads, mainly for the sake of the host venue but also for the Angels to see if their singles players could have made it a more even match. Junction Jackals v Amigos Misfits Captain Phil de Lacy reports that the triples and pairs were only notable for the fact that nobody seemed to be able to finish them. This scenario changed however, when Hugh Jackalman Galloway completed a 17-darter which included 3x 100 and T10-D18 (66) for the finish. Paul Chick provided some resistance for the Amigos in

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

Wildcats at Macklins Black Dog Ladies Friendly's Temps Gap Ladies P 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

W 7 6 4 3 3 2 2 1

L 0 1 3 4 4 5 5 6

Pts. 21 19 15 13 13 11 11 9

This week’s Hot Darts: Lorraine Veale 135, Ann Wharton 135, Marylyn Jackson 134, Gail Murray 132, Simone de Lacy 130+125, Martelle

By Simone de Lacy

Las Rosas v Hub Hellraisers What a wonderful night that was! Good bunch of girls and definitely the best night so far in two years. Las Rosas started by winning all their triples and doubles then the first of the singles but we thought we would carry on and play the final 5 ‘singles’ two against one of us and they absolutely beat us, so final result was 7-5. We gave Porter House, Cocky, Roofie, Gnasher, Toddy, Cnl Sanders, Hazey, Siddie the Eel Man and Mike woman of the match to all of the Official Score 7-2. In the spirit of sportsmanship and custom for the girls and they did the same for us so you can imagine what a great neutral host venue (Hen’s Teeth) the final two singles were played night it was?! The food was lovely and thanks to Leah Chesworth with a fine performance from Ivill but an eventual finish from for looking after us. Hazey. Siddly Eel Man brought the match to an end with a 125, PS We’re gonna miss the girls in next rounds! (by Carlos Montes) 100, S8-D20 as Sneeze Green sauntered out ‘well that’s that then’ for a farewell fag. (Final Score 10-2). MOTM Jeff Ward (PH) and Porter House v Junction Jaguars Simone de Lacy (JJ). The Jags looked to be getting off to a flying start in the first of the triples with de Lacy, Eagles and Ivill gaining a 200 point lead and all 2ND HALF SEASON. three had a chance at a finish but Roofie, Cockey and Hazey fought back and pipped them to it. The Porters then went on to take the next Next week see the start of the second half of the season where the big boys face each other to see if anyone can beat the mighty Hyenas triple with Siddie the Eel Man and Cnl Ray Saunders both nailing this year. With a 3-point lead over their nearest contenders, El 140’s before Sid checked out on D4. Cocky also thought he would Capitan, it looks sure to be their year again but who knows. Their have a bit of that and got 140 in the third triples before checking out S18-T20-D4 (well he does hold the current highest check-out for this first match will be against a slightly depleted Jackals. Division B teams look forward to welcoming The Fire Station into season). the league and their first opponents in the Euronics League will be In the first of the doubles, Roofie (100) and Siddly’s D16 got them Sonya’s crew from Amigo’s who will meet the team on the newbies the fourth leg on the bounce but Eagles and de Lacy’s D4 halted the home ground. The Jaguars are looking forward to a lovely night onslaught bringing it to 4-1. Cocky and Toddy then dispensed with with the Hellraisers, The Queens have got the Bees and the Ale Simpson and Ivill when Cocky scored a second 140 and finished House have only to walk 5 yards for their match against the Hen’s T18-D16. After half time curly sausage creations and a few more Teeth. fags, the first singles was a head to head between former singles Chairman Alan Nash reports that the fixture list was not at all easy to champs Patty Poo Schofield and do and some teams may be disappointed that they ended up being Roofie. Poo managed an impresdrawn away again against the same teams in the first half or last seasive 116, 100 only to be countered son. It is engineered so that venues that have two teams do not end by Roofie’s 121, 100 in reply and up having two home games on the same week. More than that and a two-darter out (S10-D10) for the logistics and effort of making sure that all teams are happy and point number 6. Teetering on the are having a completely opposite draw from previous seasons is brink of defeat, de Lacy pulled one beyond the wit of man I’m afraid, as it is not always the same teams back for the Jags (D2) against Cnl Saunders. Toddy of the Porters put in the division split. the final nail in the coffin though As there are 7 games to play, half the teams will get 4 home games with a D16 against our Shazzles. and 3 away games and for the other 8 teams it will be vice versa.

Torrevieja Darts - Ladies Organisation 4-5 3-6 4-5 1-8

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the 9th leg with some good scoring, 100, 120 and D4 against de Lacy. Then Super Nige of the Jackals got the al- important 7th point to see the Jackals into the semi’s.

Carp R Us Friendly's Chicas El Balcon Chicas Primadonnas Macklins Dolly Mix

637 227 385

Cheater 130, Cynthia Jevons 125+105+100x2, Jane Barnes 125, Jenny Binfield 121, Sheerin Seedat 113+111+100, Sue Cam 112, Ann Bartlett 111, Angie Mullen 105+101, Bliss Wright 105+100, Doreen Dobbs 105, Carol Hurley 101, Pamela Taylor 100 Least Darts:23 Darts Lorraine Veale Ladies Singles: The Ladies singles take place on tomorrow Tuesday. Please check with your Captains because there will be two venues and you do not want to turn up at the wrong venue. In the meantime, good luck everyone. Another good week had by all. Keep up the good work and enjoy your darts. Pam Horton, 96 571 0066, Ladies Darts Coordinator, Email: Dartess501@gmail.com

The first round of the Spring Series saw the club fish the drain near Mercadona in Guardamar. Each time we have visited this venue the fishing seems to have got harder. There are always plenty of fish visible, but they just don’t seem to be feeding at the moment…roll on Spring! First was Geoff Tempest with 2.04kg caught on pole and corn, second was Steve Fell with 1.76kg caught on pole with bread and third was Jeremy Fardoe with 1.74kg using the same. The club is always keen to get new members. If you are interested contact the secretary, Steve Fell, on 634 379 081. Further info can be found on its site www.carp-r-us.weebly.com or on our Facebook page Carp-R-Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

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Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

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Debutante Samu scores in exciting Torry Victory

orry waited 3 months for a victory, then 2 of them come along! This latest triumph inside the compact Luis Rocamora stadium, was not one for the faint hearted. Antonio Pedreño’s men had to roll their sleeves up, admirably displaying battling qualities, reminiscent of early season successes.

Benferri CF ..........................1 CD Torrevieja .....................2

later Pablo almost doubled Torry's lead via a firm long distance drive, which rattled the crossbar before bouncing to safety. How ref Lopez failed to award Torry a penalty following a blatant push on Samu, only he knows, but straight up the other end, Benferri equalized through a Cristian acute angled drive on 33 mins.

The hosts finished the half stronger, forcing 2 corners in quick succession, before the half time whistle was gratefully received by the visitors.

These hard earned 3 points, lifted them up to 9th in the table on 35 points, and with many more winnable matches on the horizon, maybe a playoff berth is not beyond the realms of possibilities?

wretched winless run.

Good news off the field filtered through, regarding the proposed takeover by investors Chimo and David. It transpires that they are very much committed to the club, so much so that they are currently in talks with players in South Africa, with a view to them moving to Spain. But that's for the future, whereas the present is looking decidedly healthier by the day.

After a slow start, Cata struck a rasping 20 yard drive, skimming the top of Torry's cross bar on 6 mins. Against the run of play, the visitors took the lead on 14 mins. A delightful assist by Borja (the last time he played (pre xmas) was without the bushy beard he now sports!) fed Samu, who from the edge of the box struck an awesome drive on the half volley, giving keeper Roberto no chance.

Borja and new boy Samu replaced Ramiro and Calderon, from the team that last week ended that

Midway through the half, Vidal pulled off a top drawer save from a firm Ivan header. Moments

Zaragoza woke up a dreary start to the 2nd half, with a fearsome drive which was well saved by Roberto on 58 mins, as Torry grew in belief that they could win this match. Team mate Pablo blasted just over on the hour mark, then moments later he could only watch as the defence lived a charmed life during a series of comical errors. That all important 2nd goal arrived on 67 mins, which was greeted with wild celebrations. Although Beltran's drive was well saved, Walid was alert enough to hammer home the rebound through a smattering of defenders legs. From then on twas all Benferri, starting with a dangerous shot by sub Toni which nestled into the side netting.

24 year old Samuel Tomillero has joined from Ibiza

as the Benferri striker's headers sailed harmlessly past the post. All hell let loose when full time was blown, leaving ref Lopez and his assistants to run a gauntlet of Benferri players and fans alike, whilst the Torry faithful were celebrating their teams first double of the season. Next Sunday (4 Mar, ko 1145, but do check club website as times can change - and often do!), Torry will seek revenge when lowly Pinoso visit Vicente Garcia stadium. Back in October, Pinoso nicked a late goal to deny Torry a deserved share of the points, and my money’s on Pedreño’s men to extend their winning run.

Huge controversy arrived on 75 mins, which thankfully was a big let off for the Salinas men. Having initially awarded a penalty to Benferri for a foul by Tenza, ref Lopez chose to consult his flag waving assistant. He then rightly changed his mind, by positioning the ball just outside the box, much to the disgust of Benferri players (3 of which received yellow cards for their trouble). The resultant free kick was tipped over for the first of 3 consecutive corners. In stoppage time, Cristian was guilty of missing not 1 but 2 open goals,

The Plaza Golf Society - Las Ramblas

The Plaza Golf Society returned to Las Ramblas on this fine winter morning ??. It's not everyone's favourite but no-one could criticise the condition of the course which was as usual excellent. The greens where super fast and caught out a lot of players. Particularly Gordy Brindley who came last with 10pts ??. The 2’s pot was won by Nick McSpicer and Kev Adamson. NTP'S where kindly donated by honest John Williams and were won by Nick McSpicer x 3, Tom Cornwall and Keith Parker. Best lady was Liz Sully and her husband Phil won the scratch card which was ironic really when you see the state of his face after colliding with the pavement earlier in the week ?? Alan Carter won the Silver division, John Aird and Liz came 2nd and 3rd respectively. Mike Thornton was 3rd with our iconic ?? captain Simon Lee pipping him on countback to 2nd with 31 pts. The winner by some margin with 36 pts was deadly Declan O'Cowley. Our next game is at the newly renovated Vistabella on Friday 9th March and places are selling out quicker than the lovely sausage rolls in the Ale House! So register pronto at www.theplazagolfsociety.com

San Javier Golf Society Individual Stableford Qualifier Our first visit to the new 18 hole layout at Vistabella and the almost unanimous verdict was positive. The new 7 holes still have quite hard fairways and the tee boxes are very sandy but things will improve in the coming months. Vistabella in general has very difficult but true-rolling greens, which contributed to a very low scoring day for most people (except Jenny O’Neill.....well played Jenny!). The winners on the day were: Division 1: First was Paul Newman with 31, Second - Ian Price on 31, Third - Paul Matthews with 30. In Division 2: First was Kev Parker with 33 points, Second Danny Scott on 29, Third - Mick Hardy on 28. In Division 3: First was Jenny O'Neill with 40 points, Second - John Hillier on 34 and Third - Jeff Belt with 32. Nearest the pins were won by Jim Moffatt, Mark Pollitt, Danny Scott and Barry Beale. The gross 2 (for 50 euros) was won by Dave Furze and the monkey was awarded to Steph Brooke. Our next competition is an individual stableford qualifier for "Captain's Day" at La Serena, teeing off at 12:32pm on Monday 5th March. This is our final qualifier for the prestigious society flagship competition and this year it is an extremely close situation in both the mens and ladies sections. Full details will be emailed to all members. Payday will be on Saturday 3rd March in the bar area of La Serena Club House, between 11:00am and 12:00. For further information on our society, to play as a guest, or to join, please phone Barry Beale on +34 649 245 889 or look at our webDivision 1 winner: Paul Newman, with Monkey site at www.sanjaviergolfsociety.co.uk and Facebook page at winner: Steph Brooke. www.facebook.com/sanjaviergolfsociety

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

Monday 26th February - Sunday 4th March, 2018

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