Sport

Stalwart Rex, 80, still going strong

Sherborne FC celebrated their own England hero as the national side struggled against Hungary in the opening Nations League match.

Rex Buttle, 80, made his England debut in walking football against Wales over-75s at Merthyr Tydfil as the oldest player in the 15-strong squad.

Rex, who early in his career was struck with paralysis and told he would never play again, began his footballing life 63 years ago with Yeovil Town in 1959.

His extensive footballing journey saw him play for Sherborne and Westlands. After hanging up his boots – the first time – he began a long run in management with Sherborne, Gillingham, Crewkerne, Street, Weymouth (Youth) and

FOOTBALL Shaftesbury.

He also joined Yeovil Town after bumping into chairman John Fry at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane ground where Rex was taking young players trials – which perhaps cut against the grain for the lifelong Arsenal fan!

In his first season with Yeovil’s 16s side they won everything, and the next season at 18s level, they did the same. Rex went on to manage the Dorset County 16 and 18 age groups and assisted with Somerset under 18s.

He also managed the Blackmore league side on two occasions before stints at Weymouth as a kit man and physio.

Today Rex works with walking football teams and

Rex Buttle has made his England debut in walking football.

Ability Counts, helping disabled players enjoy the game he loves. It is a worthy cause for a man who grew up with blind parents.

Rex was honoured on his 80th birthday with a charity match in his name at Dorchester Town Football Club to raise money for Ukrainian refugees, one of many charity games Rex has been involved with over the years. He is still out either playing or coaching five days a week.

Rex has helped hundreds of youngsters take up the sport he loves and his passion for grassroots football stands as a reminder to those in the highest leagues that they are standing on the shoulders of giants.

Rockies ride high in cup-winning season

Shaftesbury FC 1888 had their most successful season under the management of Ollie Cherrett and assistant Chris Hart last season, with the pinnacle being winning the Wessex League Cup.

They beat Fareham Town 2-1 in the final at AFC Portchester in front of a record crowd of 852, the highest attendance since the tournament began in 1986.

They also won the Salisbury Hospital Cup defeating Bemerton Heath Harlequins 6-5 on penalties, after the match finished 2-2, with Asa Philips scoring twice.

The Rockies finished third scoring a record 126 goals, narrowly missing promotion to the Pitching In Southern League South West Division. Only Bashley’s late season form denied a runners-up finish behind Hamworthy United.

Bashley put the Rockies out of the FA Vase in the second round, 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the New Forest. Having seen off Arundel 5-0 and Longlevens 3-0 away, it was a disappointment for the club to exit the FA Vase after early promise.

Shaftesbury had a record gate of 610 for the narrow defeat to Bath City in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round, after knocking out Southern League Highworth Town in a replay. Progressive chairman Steve Coffen will no doubt have been pleased with the return.

Asa Philips bagged an outstanding 34 goals, Ash Pope (24), Aiden Shepherd (20), Luke Burbidge (16), Luke Delaney (15), Cameron Beard (14), Greg Peel (13) and Luke Delaney (15) with a total haul of 167 goals for a team firing on cylinders. The 126 goals in the league included a 10-0 win over Hythe and Dibden, 9-2 against Amesbury Town and the 9-0 win over Christchurch.

There were impressive doubles over Horndean, Blackfield & Langley, Fareham Town, United Services Portsmouth, Portland United, Bournemouth FC, Amesbury Town and Christchurch, as the team pursued Hamworthy United, who won 2-1 at the County Ground to all but seal the title.

The lows included a 3-0 defeat at Brockenhurst, losing 5-1 to AFC Portchester, a 2-1 loss at home to Alresford Town and a 3-0 defeat to a then on-fire Baffins Milton Rovers at Coppice Street – Shaftesbury won the return 5-0 at the Kendall Stadium in March, however, which was a great response.

The Reserves in the Dorset Premier League had a difficult season finishing 13th. Highlights were a double over local rivals Blandford United and two victories in the last two games after only one win since November.

The club are hoping to attract more support in the new season with gates having doubled in the time Steve Coffen has been chairman. Some 217 fans saw the game with Bashley in early April, compared to just 38 who saw the Alresford defeat.

Sport

Cyclists saddling up for good cause

The Macmillan Dorset Bike Ride returns to The Blackmore Vale next month.

Starting in Corfe Mullen, the ride heads towards Blandford along the River Stour. At Winterborne Stickland, where the routes divide, the 38-mile ride heads down the Winterborne Valley and the longer rides ascend Bulbarrow Hill where the challenging 100-mile course descends into the Blackmore Vale.

Cyclists of all abilities are welcome to enter and help support the needs of those with cancer.

After two years of Covid-19 cyclists are being encouraged to get out and take part in an organised event.

Ride organiser Peter Smith-Nicholls said: “We know lots of people have been out cycling in recent

The annual Macmillan Dorset Bike Ride attracts about 500 cyclists. months, so why not put all that fitness to good use and raise some money for a good cause.” The event on Sunday, 3 July also offers an

opportunity to cycle some of the course the professionals will ride in September when the 2022 Tour of Britain comes to Dorset. The Macmillan Dorset Bike Ride is sponsored by Sunseeker International and supported by Primera Sports, The Hendy Group and Coles Miller Solicitors. All the money raised and donated by the cyclists will go directly to help support people living with cancer. Primera Sports is giving a prize to the top fundraiser for each distance: £38, £48, £63 and £100 vouchers will be awarded to the top fundraisers. Cyclists can enter online at www.macmillanbikeride. co.uk Full support is provided around the course by marshals and bike mechanics, and with refreshment stops. Fun, fun, fun in mud, glorious mud!

The mud has washed out my running clothes, the aching arms have subsided – and now I’m advising you to put 20 May 2023 in your calendar for next year’s Dorset Mud Run!

The event was held at the Stock Gaylard Estate at Sturminster Newton, on a fabulous 6km course, after being cancelled due to Covid-19 in 2020.

Participants were organised into small groups over the weekend and the atmosphere was one of laughter, fun and teamwork.

Cheerful volunteers were on hand to encourage us along – and on occasion to help pull us up out of the steep, slick, muddy river banks!

As we ran through the beautiful scenery in glorious sunshine, we climbed, crawled, pulled ourselves through thick mud, swung over ditches, clambered through rivers and swam across the lake.

From the moment we arrived on site, we were presented with the finishing line, a large inflatable slide into a pool of water already muddied by previous participants.

It looks fun until you need to find the last bit of strength to pull yourself to the top while being sprayed with water.

Half way up, I had my doubts about completing the course, but this is the final obstacle, it had to be done.

Yes, my stomach felt like it was left behind at the top of the slide, but the moment you re-surface, you are ready to book in for next year’s event.

On completion, we

Coming down: The large inflatable slide. collected our finishers’ T-shirts and complementary Gritchie beer, and felt pretty proud of ourselves!

If mud is not your thing, you can run the dry routes, but where is the fun in that? To book visit www. thedorsetmudrun.co.uk

The Secret Reviewer

Sport

Flyers hit the heights in SW champs

Five Blandford Flyers Swimming Club members took part in the South-West Regional Swimming Championships 2022 at Millfield School, Hengrove and the Life Centre, Plymouth, over three consecutive weekends.

They were Harry Silvey, Stephen Quine, Maximus Leigh, Wilfred Leigh and Joshua Yip.

In arguably the most competitive region in the country, Blandford’s swimmers represented the club in 29 events. Swimming numerous personal bests along the way, they made an impressive 19 finals, punching

SWIMMING

well above their weight.

Special mention goes to Harry Silvey, who won a gold medal in both the 50m and the 100m breaststroke, and Wilfred Leigh who competed in 11 events winning 11 medals – six gold, two silver and three bronze.

Club representative Jonathan Creffield said: “We are very proud of our swimmers and hope their achievements will be an inspiration to other young children from Blandford and the local area.”

Parents of youngsters

Blandford’s swimmers made an impressive 19 finals.

interested in getting involved with the club should visit the website at www. blandfordflyers.co.uk The friendly club welcomes all standards of youth swimmers from Learn-to-Swim Level 7 upwards.

In the picture (from left) are Harry Silvey, Stephen Quine, Max Leigh, Wilf Leigh and Joshua Yip.

Strong entry in marathon event

RUNNING

The Dorset Doddlers’ had a huge entry in both the marathon and relay races when they held the North Dorset Village Marathon for the first time since 2019 – and rain could not dampen a great atmosphere around the course.

The 26.2-mile course, which starts and finishes in Sturminster Newton, takes in some of Dorset’s most picturesque villages such as Marnhull, Stalbridge, Todber, Margaret’s Marsh and Child Okeford before coming back along the Trailway.

First male was Stuart Nicholas (Bournemouth AC) in 2h 40m 30s, followed by Martyn Bell (Egdon Heath Harriers) in 2h 44m 42, with third Male going to Graham Sherwin (Egdon Heath Harriers) with 2h 45m 10s.

Daisy Baker (Millfield Tri Club) was first female in 3h 04m 59s, followed by Tracy Cook (Dorset Doddlers) 3h 15m 05s and Alexandra Door (Egdon Heath Harriers) placing third in 3h 15m 27s.

The relay races were a sell-out, with 40 teams lined up at the start. First male team over the line were Chard Road Runners with a combined time of 2h 34m 20s. The first female team were R4T1 (2h 58m 23s) and the first mixed team were Hamworthy Harriers Aces (2h 59m 35s).

The Doddlers would like to thank everyone involved, including the runners and spectators around the course, who provided incredible support.

Local businesses provided sponsorship and prizes which means Dorset Doddlers can make donations to local charities. They would like to thank Dorset Vehicle Rentals, White Hart Ale House, Twisted Cider, Running Free, Stalbridge Linen, Farnfields Solicitors, Dorset Dairy, Spar (Marnhull), Wriggle Valley Brewery.

Further details and full results can be found at www. dorsetdoddlers.co.uk