The Wokingham Paper April 15 2016 by The Wokingham Paper

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Friday, April 15, 2016 No. 52

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Lamb.I.Am Newborns delight visitors at lambing weekend page 4

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Low incomes forcing families to foodbank

Report reveals demand for emergency food remains extremely high

By GEMMA DAVIDSON gdavidson@wokinghampaper.co.uk

MORE than 1,500 people were helped by Wokingham Foodbank last year, new statistics have revealed. Around 560 emergency food parcels were given to local people in crisis in 2015/16, providing three days’ worth of nutritionally

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balanced food to those in need, down from 831 in 2014/15. Of those referred to the Foodbank in Rose Street, 41% were on a low income, while 21% had issues with benefits. Around 8% were referred to the service because they were struggling with debt problems. n Continued on page 6

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

FAMILY NOTICES v Deaths John Robert BAKER Passed away on the 30th of March 2016. Wonderful brother, uncle, and friend to many. Funeral service to be held at Easthampstead Park Crematorium on Friday 29th of April at 3pm. All enquires to Co-operative Funeralcare Earley, 572 Wokingham Road, Earley RG6 7JD. Tel: 0118 966 7922

stolen from Share your family news Tools vans in Woodley in The Wokingham Paper TOOLS have been stolen from Is there a new addition in your family? Is your son or daughter getting married this summer? Has someone you know recently passed their exams? Maybe a work colleague is retiring and you would like to wish them well in the future. Contact The Wokingham Paper to post your announcements today. We offer a range of packages designed at helping you share your news without breaking the bank.

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vans during a number of thefts in Woodley. Between 10pm on Wednesday, April 6 and 7.45am on April 7, someone broke into a locked van in Rose Close and stole tools left inside. At some point between Wednesday, April 6 and Friday, April 8, someone broke into a BT van parked outside a house in Shackleton Way and stole two drills from inside. A second van in the same street was also broken into, the van had been left unlocked and tools were stolen. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “There have been a number of theft from vehicles and Ford transit vans are being targeted and tools stolen. “Some of the vans appear not to have any damage to opening them and the offenders may have a signal blocker or skeleton key to open doors. “Make sure your van is left secure and if possible any tools taken out overnight.”

Vegetables swiped with a chainsaw VEGETABLES and a chainsaw were stolen during burglaries in Shinfield last week. Between 8.35am and 11am on Friday, April 8 someone broke into a van in South Oak Way and used a crowbar to prise open a toolsafe inside. Overnight Saturday into Sunday, someone went into an unlocked garage in School Green and stole a chainsaw and vegetables.

Club prepares to model Wokingham railway station MODEL railway fans were able to enjoy a special show recently. Sindlesham Baptist Church was the venue for a gathering organised by the Berkshire Area Group of the British N Gauge Society. There were a number of tableaus to explore, including the group’s special fourtrack modular layout and an electronically controlled hump shunting yard. David Calderwood, a member of the society, told The Wokingham Paper that they had a record turnout. “Everyone had a great day,” he said. “Our audience ranged from visiting members of other Clubs, we particularly

Anyone with any information relating to these incidents should call 101.

Britten’s concerto at classical concert A DIFFERENT take on classical music is promised at a concert in Crowthorne this weekend. On Saturday the Crowthorne Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Russian soloist Elizaveta Tyun, a finalist of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2014, to take on Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto in the glorious surroundings of Wellington College. The programme also includes Sibelius’s haunting Swan of Tuonela, Malcolm Arnold’s Peterloo Overture, and Aaron Copland’s Billy The Kid, all of which are relatively short so perfect for concertgoers who are after something a little different.

Tickets are £13 in advance, or £15 on the door, which includes an interval drink. The performance starts at 7.30pm. For more information and to book tickets visit www. crowthorneorchestra.com.

Spring showcase in Twyford THE very best that spring has to offer will be on display at the Twyford & Ruscombe Horticultural Association’s seasonal show this weekend. Categories including flowers, fruit and vegetables, handicrafts, photography, art and floral art will have something to satisfy every interest, with tea and homemade cakes also on offer at the Loddon Hall, Twyford. Exhibits are open for public viewing from 2.30pm, entry is £1. For more information visit www. trha.org.uk.

WIN £200 FOR YOUR GROUP THE Wokingham Paper and TradeMark Windows have teamed up to present Community Cash Tokens. The scheme is simple – cut out the tokens we’ll print each week. Send them in to us, as many as you like, and once every two months we’ll pull one at random from the editor’s hat. One lucky group will win £200, courtesy of TradeMark Windows. The more tokens that you and your group send in, the more chance you have of your group being picked at random. The Community Cash Tokens are open to charities and other non-profit making groups within Wokingham borough and offer a great way of boosting your funds. We’re able to offer Community Cash Tokens thanks to the generosity of Mark

Ashwell, managing director of TradeMark Windows. The Wokingham Paper’s publisher Phil Creighton said: “The Community Cash Tokens were a hugely popular ingredient of The Wokingham Times, and thanks to Mark’s support for the community of Wokingham borough, we’re delighted to be able to bring them back. “Whatever your group, charity or good cause is, Community Cash Tokens offers your supporters a fun way of helping you raise funds and awareness of your cause. “Make sure you don’t miss an issue.” Send your tokens to: Community Cash Tokens, The Wokingham Paper, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS. Please note, only original tokens can be accepted.

have close relations to The Loddon Vale Railway Club who had a display, to enthusiasts and families with young children for whom Thomas The Tank Engine made regular appearances.” The group welcomes new members, particularly beginners. Mr Calderwood added: “We are about to start a new exhibition layout based on Wokingham station which will be a good learning ground for new modelling skills and a chance for members to work on a project of a scale generally not possible at home.” n For more details, log on to bagladdies. weebly.com/calendar.html

Artists’ opportunity BUDDING artists are invited to show off their work at a special exhibition taking place in Spencers Wood next month. The church of St Michael’s is holding an Art for All exhibition on Saturday, May 7. This is the 10th year that the show has run and the event is open to all. There is no fee for exhibiting and crafts as well as artworks are invited. All entries should be registered with Dawn Clarke by Tuesday, May 3. For more details, call 0118 988 3366 or email id.clarke.mays@btinternet. com

Correction

IN last week’s Wokingham Paper, we said that up to 50,000 people would attend the Wokingham Lions May Fayre. It should have read between 4,000-5,000 visitors. Apologies.

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Lockey’s lambs a hit

Lucy and Dennis Eaglesham (21 months) meet a lamb. On the front page: Emily (7) and Llly (4) Tucker

Man dies after fall AN ELDERLY man who went missing from his home in Binfield has died in hospital. John Hayes, 84, who had Alzheimer’s, was reported missing on Monday and found in the early hours of Tuesday morning having suffered a fall. A photo of Mr Hayes was widely shared across social media, with his name ‘trending’ on Facebook on Monday evening as people joined the search to find him. He was discovered in a field by members of the Lowland Search and Rescue team at 5am on Tuesday and taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Sadly, on Wednesday evening Mr Hayes’ granddaughter Laura Runham confirmed on social media that her grandfather had since passed away, and thanked members of the community for their help in locating him. Ms Runham has set up an online fundraising page where people can make donations to the Lowland Search and Rescue team in memory of Mr Hayes. At the time of going to press the page had raised more than £200. To donate visit www.localgiving.org/ fundraising/inmemoryofjohnhayes.

A LAMBING weekend has been so popular that it has been extended. Lockey Farm in Arborfield is inviting people to get down on the farm and take a look behind the scenes - as well meeting the new born lambs. Last weekend it held the first of two sessions, with the second due to take place tomorrow. Visitors can enjoy a guided tour, find out how eggs are produced and packaged, meet cows, horses and lambs and also enjoy a play area with a barbecue and a craft tent. Graham Adams, who runs the farm with his wife Caroline, is delighted with the success of the event. “People are genuinely interested in what goes on and we’re not a closed door farm. The weekends are about opening up the farm to the public - it’s about transparency. “The baby lambs have got that cuddle and wow factor, but it’s about education really and getting people on the farms.” It’s a busy time for the farm - in additional to the visits, it is in the middle of lambing season. Up to 450 lambs are expected to be born. Lockey Farm is open from 10am to 4pm tomorrow and Sunday. There is a charge for the tours and wearing wellies is advised. For more details, log on to www.lockeyfarm.co.uk

Ren McCallum (3) and Frankie Glen (2) enjoy a ride in Lockey Farm’s play area Pictures: Phil Creighton

Guardian angel saves wheelchair user pulled towards speeding train EXCLUSIVE

A teenager in a wheelchair could have faced a serious injury when a gust, thought to be caused by a freight train, caused her chair to head to the tracks. Picture: Phil Creighton

By GEMMA DAVIDSON gdavidson@wokinghampaper.co.uk A MOTHER has spoken of the terrifying moment her disabled daughter was pulled towards a speeding freight train at Twyford Station last week. Jane Holmes was travelling to London for a day out with her 14-year-old daughter Kitty on Thursday, April 7, when the frightening ordeal unfolded. The pair were waiting for the 10.54am train on platform 4 when a freight train sped through the station, and the force of the air sent Kitty flying towards the tracks. Jane said: “It was awful, I still don’t know completely what happened, it happened so quickly. “We had arrived at the station early so we could get a disabled parking space, we bought our tickets and made our way to the platform. We were stood well back from the edge and I had applied the brakes on Kitty’s wheelchair before I went to get myself a coffee from the kiosk. “A freight train was coming into the station and I looked down the platform to see if our train was behind it, I was looking for only a matter of seconds but when I turned back Kitty was gone. “I looked round and saw she was several feet down the platform and had actually hit the side of the train.” Jane said that a fellow passenger had managed to grab hold of Kitty, who has cerebral palsy, to stop her from hitting the train again and pulled her away to safety. She said: “Kitty was screaming and was terrified. “Her wheelchair had taken the brunt of the impact, and my bag that I had put over the handles was pretty much destroyed. “Amazingly Kitty is OK, she had quite a bruised foot and she was really shaken up for a couple of hours afterwards, but she is OK, that is the main thing. “Kitty has a manual wheelchair which is perhaps a bit lighter than an electronic one, but the total weight would have been around 100kgs, and the brakes were

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on. It is just incredible that she managed to travel so far. “I checked the chair afterwards and amazingly the brakes were still on. “If she had fallen between the carriages she would have been killed, there is no doubt about that. My blood runs cold whenever I think about it. “I was just in shock, I didn’t manage to get the woman’s name or number or anything, all I know is that she was Kitty’s guardian angel that day, she very well may have saved her life.” Mrs Holmes said that a member of staff from the ticket office ran over to see if her daughter was ok, and the incident was referred to Great Western Railway’s specialist investigation team to try and discover exactly what happened. Jane said: “I honestly don’t know if she was pulled or pushed towards the train, but if it was something to do with the train safety measures will need to be put in place. “Disabled people quite often travel alone, and I dread to think what would have happened it this had

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happened to someone in a wheelchair travelling on their own. “We are just so lucky that Kitty came out of this OK, I feel like I am going to wake up from a dream and the reality would have been so much worse.” A spokesperson for Great Western Railways said: “There are many potential risks around the railway, but stations are perfectly safe if very simple rules are followed: • Always stand behind the yellow line while waiting for a train • Listen to instructions from members of staff on the platform • Pushchairs and wheelchairs should never be left unattended, and brakes should be engaged • Listen out for safety advice and look out for information posters about “We are investigating an incident at Twyford Station where an unattended wheel chair rolled towards a passing freight train. We are incredibly grateful that no one was seriously injured, and are conducting an internal investigation. “On completion of our investigation we will be more than happy to discuss the findings with the family involved.”

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Thieves steal chickens FOUR chickens have been stolen from an allotment in Spencers Wood. Overnight Sunday, April 3 into Monday, April 4, someone broke into the locked allotment in Clares Green Road and stole the chickens from a run. Anyone with any information relating to this incident should call the Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101.

Railway centre in focus DIDCOT’S famous railway centre is under the microscope in a new talk taking place this month. Members of the town’s Railways and Transport Club are inviting people to come and hear Frank Cooper share his knowledge of the centre, which includes vintage engines and is frequently visited by Thomas the Tank Engine. The talk takes place from 7.45pm on Tuesday, April 19 at the Bradbury Centre in Rose Street. For more details, call Wokingham Methodist church centre on 0118 977 6898.

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Marathon runners raise thousands for charities By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Wokingham Theatre was represented by Tony Sanders

Roger Pritchard represented Reading Roadrunners Charity

Mike and Adam Sneddon received a cheque for the Baden Powell Scouts Beth Hobbs collected a cheque on behalf of Girl Guiding Wokingham

LOCAL charities had 18,000 reasons to thank runners who took part in February’s half-marathon – that’s how much was donated. On Monday, Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Parry Batth presented cheques to a number of local charities on behalf of the race which saw more than 2,000 people take part. Beneficiaries included WADE, The Emmbrook School and Daisy’s Dream. Peter Evans, who organises the event with the help of his committee, hosted the event, held in the council offices at Shute End. He thanked everyone for attending, for the committee, including his wife Barbara and reflected on the event’s 30+ years “We’re immensely proud of what we’ve achieved,” he said. Cllr Batth also thanked people for coming, added that he was delighted to represent the Council at the event. “Any event like this needs an incredible amount of organisation,” he said. “The borough appreciates your [the committee’s] efforts.” Anne Wylie represented Crossroads Care Wokingham

Craig Johnson was present for The Emmbrook School

Emma Lawrence collected a cheque for the Wokingham Explorer and Network Scouts

David Lumsden was present on behalf of Jumbulance

Glebelands was represented by John Butterworth and Sue Bickerstaffe

The Emmbrook PTA provided refreshments at the half marathon and received a cheque from Liz Reed and Susan Keogh

Charles Gallagher, the vice president of the Wokingham Catenians Presidents Charity, receives a cheque from Cllr Parry Batth

Brian Willatts and Val Codd represented the Red Diamond charity

Daisy’s Dream was represented by Gill Stevens

John Acton was present for the Coram Life Education Thames Valley group

Victor Forsyth collected a cheque on behalf of WADE

Wokingham Borough Council’s Sports Sponsorship Fund received a grant collected Amber-Leigh Hall was present for Berkshire by Beverley Thompson Schools Athletics

Neil Dunlop represented Wokingham Volunteer Centre

Home-Start Wokingham District was represented by Helen Diffenthal

Jane Holmes and Peter Wood collected a cheque from Cllr Parry Batth for Building For The Future

From one mayor to another – Cllr Philip Mirfin, the town council mayor, receives a cheque for his charity, Macmillans Cancer Care, from borough mayor Cllr Parry Batth

Peter Evans presents a cheque to the mayor for his charity, ARC Counselling

Mandi Eagle and Sam Jones were present on behalf of The Link Visiting Scheme

Pictures: Phil Creighton

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Roger Pritchard collected the Derek Bradfield Memorial trophy from Herrington Carmichael Solicitors on behalf of Mark Worringham, the first man back

The Wokingham Half Marathon committee with their £18,000 cheque. From left: Graham Clements, Brian Bacon, Stella Bacon, Barbara Evans, Peter Evans, Adrian Evans and Kate Thurling

Simon and Chris Judge received a cheque on behalf of Berkshire Raynet

Anthony Boddrell collected a cheque for Hurst Bowling Club

Reading Athletics Club was represented by Lydia Blythe

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Town’s foodbank helps feed 1,500

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Masons open their doors

Colin Hayes, the deputy Provincial Grand Master of Berkshire, rides a bike watched by Clive Hitchen, Mike Warner and Neil Harvey, members of the Thames Valley Motorcycle Lodge

“It is all too easy when you look n From front page As well as providing emergency at figures to forget the real people food, Wokingham Foodbank provides behind the statistics. Each food essentials like washing powder, toilet parcel represents a family struggling, rolls, nappies and hygiene products to struggling to cope with a relationship breakdown, with an unexpected bill, families who are struggling. More than 17 tonnes of food was with a problem with their benefits donated to the Foodbank last year, and or with the high cost of living in more than 50 people volunteered their Wokingham. “That’s why the Foodbank is so vital. time to help sort through donations We are very grateful for the ongoing and make up parcels. The charity’s winter appeal, ‘Are You support of the community, and hope Sitting Comfortably?’, was a success in that one day there will be no need for helping struggling families to heat or us in Wokingham. But until that day light their homes through the coldest comes, we will continue to offer the Graham Reynolds (second left) explaining the Masons’ ceremonies to Ravindran best possible service we can to help time of the year. Krishnamurthi, Mark Wiltshire and Lee Collins Pictures: Steve Smyth local people facing a crisis.” The service works closely with 80 The Foodbank relies on donations to A CHANCE to look behind the scenes at local agencies who refer families in “It was a great success for us, we had plenty need of help, and allows the Foodbank cover its running costs including rent, the Wokingham Masonic Lodge was on of people come in to have a look around to signpost clients to those services utilities and insurance, which total offer last weekend. and take an interest in what we do. which can help them deal with the around £18,000 per year. The lease on The Wokingham Freemasons threw “There are a lot of myths and its current venue is due to expire in open the doors of the hall in Reading cause of their food and fuel poverty. preconceptions around the Freemasons David Atkinson, Wokingham September so the charity is welcoming Road on Saturday to let members of the which we wanted to debunk, and opening Foodbank manager, said: “It is offers of help with funding or low-cost public find out a little bit more about the up the Masonic Hall to the public helped encouraging that the numbers seeking premises to allow it to continue with its group. change some people’s ideas about us and help from the Wokingham Foodbank vital work. A cheque for £4,000 was also presented possibly spark some interest in joining.” were lower lastblueprint_advert_190x137mm_TKT5119_07B_PRINT_READY.pdf year, but we are still n For more information on Wokingham to representatives1from22/03/2016 local charities to For more information on the 18:14 feeding over 10 families a week. That’s Foodbank, log on to www.wokingham. highlight the fundraising work of the lodge. Wokingham Freemasons visit www. foodbank.org.uk. a huge number for a wealthy town. Event co-ordinator Steve Croston said: berkspgl.org.uk.

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Jonathan’s run the world for his sister

Every dog has their day DOG lovers from across Wokingham borough will be descending on Dinton Pastures this weekend for an international charity event. The Dogs Unite global sponsored walk will see Berkshire-based Guide Dogs UK join forces with its counterparts in Australia and New Zealand to celebrate all things dog and raise money for the charity’s vital work with blind people. As well as a sponsored dog walk at the Hurst country park, the day will feature a host of family fun with a global theme, including a kiwi and spoon race and an aerial acrobatics display. Meanwhile on the other side of

the world, supporters of Guide Dogs Victoria and Blind Foundation New Zealand will be doing the same. Event organiser Rebecca Mills at Guide Dogs said: “This is the first ever global Dogs Unite event and we’re really excited. Not only is Dinton Pastures a great place to walk your dog, but you can be part of something international and raise money to help us change the lives of people with sight loss here in the UK.” The event takes place on Sunday from 10am. Entry is free but parking is £6 for the whole day. For more information on how to get involved visit dogsunite.org.uk/dinton or search for Dogs Unite on Facebook.

Explore the clothes of the 1920s THE ROARING twenties is the focus for a special costume presentation taking place later this month. Wokingham Library will welcome Meredith Towne for Romance In The Raj, a journey through fashion from almost 100 years ago, through the eyes of a

young lady on the hunt for a husband in India. It takes place from 2pm on Wednesday, April 20 at the Denmark Street venue. Places must be booked and cost £5. For more details, call the library on 0118 978 1368.

Table sale BARGAINS will be available at a table top sale this weekend. St Mary The Virgin in Church Close, Winnersh will be hosting the event. Stalls include household goods, books, children’s toys, small antiques and knick knacks. Children will be able to get their face painted and there will be refreshments to enjoy as well. It takes place from 2pm to 4.30pm on Saturday, April 16.

Come and join a walk WALKERS will be able to explore Swallowfield when a walking group meets this Sunday. The Swallowfield Parish Walk takes place from 2pm from the car park at All Saints’ Chruch. It will be led by Graham Symonds, one of the group’s regular members, and all are welcome.

Jonathan Miller has trained for the London Marathon by running in Brussels, Hamburg, Tokyo and Manila

By GEMMA DAVIDSON gdavidson@wokinghampaper.co.uk A MAN from Twyford will be lacing up his running shoes next weekend as he takes on the world-famous London Marathon. Jonathan Miller, 39, who lives in New Road, will be running the 26.2-mile course on Sunday, April 24 to raise money for national disability charity United Response after his sister suffered brain damage as a child. Jonathan said: “My eldest sister suffered brain damage when she was young. My parents were told she would never live a normal life, but thanks in part to support from organisations such as United Response, she gained an education, has worked in a variety of roles and is married with a son who is now in sixth form.”

Jonathan’s passion for the cause has helped him focus on training and made him determined to exceed his fundraising target of £1,500. “I’m really looking forward to the big day and am sure there will be a lot of emotions going through me. “When running long distances you get a lot of time to think through why you’re doing it and being part of the United Response team really gives me that extra drive when I need it. “The response has been as staggering as my running style, with friends, family and colleagues all pledging generous amounts. “My wife Elizabeth and my two sons James, 8, and Oliver, 4, have been amazing and keep telling me how proud they are of both the running and the fundraising.

I couldn’t ask for a better support team.” Jonathan, who works for a business software development company, has done the Reading half-marathon several times but felt he could push himself further, and is determined to conquer the ‘big one’ before he turns 40 next year. His job involves travelling, which means he has had to train in a variety of conditions. He said: “I have had to fit in runs in Brussels, Hamburg, Tokyo and Manila on the way. “Manila was the hardest with uneven pavements, smokebelching trucks, temperatures of over 35ºC and high humidity, but it definitely kept it interesting.” n To help Jonathan reach his target, visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ jonmtmiller

New partner sought for sports centre Talk celebrates the silver screen group’s national body it is now THE search is on for an organisation to rejuvenate a leisure facility which has been closed for nearly six years. Ryeish Green Sports Centre was closed alongside the former Ryeish Green School in Hyde End Lane in 2010, but Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) has remained committed to reopening the facility for the local community. Following a selection procedure to consider expressions of interest from potential providers, the Berkshire Junior Badminton Association (BJBA) had been chosen as the council’s preferred partner to run the centre, but due to a lack of funding from the

not able to take on the project. A spokesperson for WBC said: “Despite this setback, the council’s remains committed to the principle of re-opening the sports centre for the benefit of the local community. “A consultation held last year showed that respondents were keen to see the centre used by the community and also made available to Oakbank School pupils and these remain the aspirations of the council. “In the light of this recent development the council is going to take a few weeks to consider its options for taking the project forward.”

THE golden age of the silver screen forms the focus of a new talk coming to the Cornerstone this month. The church’s Mothers’ Union group is welcoming Peter Wiggins to explain more about Old Tyme Cinema, a talk they promise will be fascinating and informative. The group meets at the Cornerstone in Norreys Avenue on Wednesday, April 27. Doors open at 7.45pm and new members are welcome. For more details, call the church office on 0118 979 2797.

Have Your Say

Phase Three—Parcels A-G

Crest Nicholson are holding a Public Consultation event for residents and the wider community to view and comment on the detailed proposals for the third phase to come forward at Arborfield Green, Parcels A-G

Where: Garrison Community Centre, Sheerlands Road, Arborfield, RG2 9ND When: Saturday 23rd April, 1pm– 5pm Members of the project team will be on hand to answer any questions or queries you may have, and for more information, please contact: Email: stevec@curtinandco.com

Telephone: 020 7399 2295

Please visit our website for Arborfield Green: www.arborfieldgreencommunity.co.uk

8 | NEWS

Parish noticeboard Saturday, April 16 Wokingham Town Council Councillors’ surgery. 10am. Wokingham Town Hall, Wokingham

Monday, April 18 Wargrave Parish Council Full Recreation and Environment meeting. 7.45pm. Old Pavilion, Wargrave

Tuesday, April 19 Arborfield Parish Full Council Meeting. 7.30pm. Pavilion, Arborfield Park, Swallowfield Road Wokingham Town Council Full Council Meeting. 7.30pm. Wokingham Town Hall, Wokingham Woodley Town Council Planning Meeting. 7.45pm. The Oakwood Centre, Headley Road, Headley Road, Woodley, RG5 4JZ

Wednesday, April 20 Finchampstead Planning Meeting. 8pm. California Ratepayers Hall, Finchampstead

Tuesday, April 26 Wokingham Town Council Planning and Transport meeting. 7.30pm. Wokingham Town Hall, Wokingham Wargrave Parish Council Annual Parish Assembly. 7.45pm. Old Pavilion, Wargrave Woodley Town Council Strategy and Resources meeting. 8pm. The Oakwood Centre, Headley Road, Headley Road, Woodley, RG5 4JZ

GET THE LATEST NEWS FACEBOOK & TWITTER: SEARCH FOR WOKINGHAM PAPER

To advertise email advertising@wokinghampaper.co.uk A WOMAN from Wokingham has been fined £220 for using a television without a licence. Maria Gregory, 34, of Spooner Place, was found to have used a colour television receiver at her address on September 18 last year without a licence. She was fined £220, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £22 and costs of £120. Mrs Gregory was not present for the hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on February 26. A MAN from Earley has admitted watching television without a licence. Andrew Mackellar, 31, of Wokingham Road, admitted using a colour television receiver on August 24 despite not having a licence at his address. He was fined £40, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20 and costs of £120. Mr Mackellar was not present for the hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on February 26. A 23-year-old man from Earley has been given a conditional discharge for possessing a class C drug. Jamie Carl Benger, of Mallard Close, pleaded guilty to possessing a quantity of cannabis in Wokingham on February 4. He was given a conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £85. Mr Benger was present for the hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on February 29. A MAN from Wokingham has been fined £375 and disqualified from

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

From the courts

holding a licence after pleading guilty to driving offences. Anthony James Lake, 31, of Longs Way, admitted driving while over the alcohol limit, driving without an appropriate licence and driving without a licence on February 7 this year. He was fined a total of £375, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £28, and costs of £85, and banned from holding a licence for 16 months. Mr Lake was present for the hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on February 29. A WOMAN from Woodley has been given a conditional discharge of receiving stolen goods. Lorraine Wicks, 56, of Crockhamwell Road, admitted receiving Playmobil items to the value of £206.19 belonging

to Brightons Newsagents, knowing or believing them to be stolen. Ms Wicks was handed a conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £185. Ms Wicks was present for the hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on March 1. A WOMAN from Finchampstead has been fined £440 for travelling on a train without a ticket. Tracy Kelly Bowers, 21, of Nine Mile Ride, was proved to have travelled on a Great Western Rail service at Reading on July 30 last year without having paid a fare of £24.60. Miss Bowers was fined £440, ordered to pay compensation of £24.60, a victim surcharge of £44 and costs of £160.

Miss Bowers was not present for the hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on March 4. A MAN from Earley is due to appear in court on offensive weapon and public order offences. Thomas Wilkin, 25, of Chatteris Way, is accused of possessing a finger mounted blade in Maiden Place on September 12 last year. He is also charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress on the same day. Mr Wilkin denies both charges. He has been remanded on conditional bail until May 24 when he is to appear at Reading Magistrates’ Court for trial. A 24-year-old man from Charvil has been given a community order for stealing meat, cheese, ice cream and cream for mouth ulcers. Nathan James Archer, of Fairway Drive, appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court on March 7 where he admitted stealing the items during three separate incidents. On January 28 Mr Archer stole ice cream, cheese, drinks and Bonjela to the value of £28.40 from the Texaco garage on the Bath Road. On January 30 he stole meat items to the value of £35 from the BP garage in Twyford, and on March 3 he stole meat items to the value of £33.20 from the same service station. Mr Archer was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £60 and ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid supervised work within the next 12 months.

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10 | BUSINESS

To advertise email advertising@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Business

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Got a business story? Email news@wokingham paper.co.uk. or write to The Wokingham Paper, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS

Clifton Ingram promote Nicholas Exciting future for Wokingham’s NatWest branch A TOWN centre solicitor said that it is delighted to announce the promotion of one of its staff members. Clifton Ingram LLP Solicitors, which has offices in Broad Street, is pleased to announce that Nicholas Rodriguez has been promoted to Partner, effective from next month. Mr Rodriguez qualified as a solicitor in 1990 and advises on divorce, dissolution and financial relief and high net worth clients. The company says that his private law children work includes complex cases with multiple parties. Nick is a member of the Law Society Family Panel and Children Panel, the Thames Valley Family Law Society and the Association of Lawyers for Children. He is also a trained Mediator, a Collaborative Lawyer and an accredited specialist with Resolution. Congratulating Nick on his promotion, the firm’s managing partner Tim Read said, “Nick is a highly

valued member of Clifton Ingram and his advancement to Partner is well deserved.” Nick Rodriguez’s appointment brings the total number of partners at Clifton Ingram to 14, with almost 100 staff spread across the firm’s two offices in Reading and Wokingham.

Chance to have your say on key business issues in the borough WOKINGHAM Borough Council is inviting local businesses to take part in a survey to help identify their key issues to shape how the council works with them in the future and help them flourish. The survey includes questions about their experiences conducting business in the Wokingham Borough, if they are planning to grow, what barriers they face, and also covers apprenticeships. Businesses can complete the survey online. The closing date is Friday, May 20, and the results will be published on the council’s website. Wokingham Borough is home to leading service sector and hi-tech companies, as well as

a strong mix of small to medium enterprises and small businesses. There are also great opportunities in the borough for small knowledgebased entrepreneurships. During the coming years there will be a significant growth in housing, town centre regeneration and a new science park will be built. “It’s important we understand more about the needs of our businesses and emerging issues,” said Andrew Nicholls, the council’s economic development officer. “For the local economy to continue to grow, any barriers to growth and gaps in support need to be understood.”

The Streets of Wokingham (IN Need) Have you seen the Homeless and Needy Within the streets of Wokingham “Kicking up the papers with their worn out shoes” Why is this happening to many people in our own town We need to help and provide care, shelter and a new life Join Wokingham IN Need and make a difference How can you help us to help those in need And provide the love and help they require “Let us take you by the hand And lead you through the streets of Wokingham” Wokingham IN Need will show you how to make a difference. Contact Us Now: wokinghaminneed@gmail.com

A NEW look has been given to a town centre bank. The NatWest branch in Broad Street, Wokingham was officially reopened on Tuesday by town mayor, Cllr Philip Mirfin. Customers were given free cakes, coffee and keyrings as part of the celebrations. Improvements include a new open-plan seating area, new cash machines and more meeting spaces. Cupboards have been removed to create new rooms and there has been a specially commissioned panorama of the town centre on market day installed in the branch. A counter service remains in place, and there are also hi-tech ways to interact with the bank, including iPads as state-of-the-art cash machines. Doors have been widened to make access easier for wheelchair users. The branch’s manager, Aaron Gosling, was delighted with the changes. “Every branch is getting refurbished,” he said. “We have our own local pictures. “It’s one of the biggest pictures we’ve done and it takes in the whole of Market Place.” Mr Gosling added that the reaction to the improved branch has been really positive. “Customers have been really positive and it’s a nicer working environment. “The size of the bank hasn’t changed, but we’ve removed all the clutter.”

Town Mayor Cllr Philip Mirfin cuts the ribbon to officially open the improved Nat West branch in Wokingham town centre. Pictures: Phil Creighton

Hairdresser’s plea to fellow businesses to pick up litter By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokinghampaper.co.uk A WOKINGHAM hairdresser has been making a clean sweep of his store inside and out – now he’s encouraging others to do the same. Mack Zeinedin, who runs Mac’s Hair and Beauty in Peach Street, said that he spends weekends tidying up the area outside his store, becoming a Litter Hero in the process. He is hoping that he can encourage other businesses to do the same. “I go outside and clean the roads every Saturday and Sunday morning. It doesn’t take long, just 10 minutes, but it makes such a difference to the area. “I took a picture of me doing it and it got so many likes on Facebook. There were lots of positive comments such as ‘Good job Mack”. But I’m not doing this for Likes, I want to be part of the community. “I want to encourage other shops to be responsible for their area.” Mr Zeinedin, who has run the popular hairdressers for over two years, said that the majority of litter he collected was papers and drinks cans.

Mack Zeinedin points to the Wokingham Litter Heroes sign in the window of his Peach Street salon Picture: Phil Creighton

He said that he was inspired to take part after meeting someone from the Wokingham Litter Heroes group, which asks people to clean up the borough. “I thought if he could do it, I could too,” Mr Zeinedin said. And to prove he’s serious about his litter campaign, he’s got a Wokingham Litter Heroes sticker in his window – along with a signed Reading FC shirt.

The barber came to the UK to study, but stayed here after falling in love with the country. He said: “The people of Wokingham are really, really nice and friendly. “The salon has lots of regular customers including footballers from Reading FC’s first team. “I treat everyone the same, no matter if they’re famous or not.”

Entrepreneurs graduate from business workshops ENTREPRENEURS looking to boost their business acumen found help from the borough’s team a lot easier than a session in Dragon’s Den. Seventeen people took part in the Strive training workshops organised by Wokingham Borough Council. Over six weeks of interactive

workshops, entrepreneurs received support and guidance on a range of aspects important for starting a business; from researching the market and business planning, to marketing and managing risk. This is the third time the council has delivered Strive – this time during February and March – with

training provided by Enterprise Cube; a social enterprise specialising in unlocking business start-up opportunities for local people. Businesses taking part included wedding planning, natural therapy, jewellery and teaching music. At the final Strive workshop

at Wokingham Library on Friday, March 18 the entrepreneurs were presented with certificates of achievement from Cllr Stuart Munro. n To find out more about Strive please contact the council’s economic development officer Andrew Nicholls on (0118) 974 6018.

NEWS | 11

Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

The California Gardeners’ Club committee (from left) Hermione Lewis, Chris Spinks, Peter Jourdan, Dick Hawes, June Triggs, Peter Turner, Judy Thomas, Stuart Slocombe and Lynn Potts Pictures: Phil Creighton

WINDOWS & DOORS

CONSERVATORIES

Club’s dazzling daffodil display By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokinghampaper.co.uk DESPITE an early spring, Finchampstead was blooming with bright colours as a local gardening club held its first show of 2016. On Sunday, daffodils, tulips and narcissi were showcased by members of the California Gardeners Club with prizes awarded to the best entrants. However, organisers were worried that entries would be down as a result of a mild winter. Club chairman Dick Hawes said: “It’s been an early season and the daffodils have been out since September. “We thought no way would there be any daffodils, but our members have come up trumps. We’re over the moon.” Mr Hawes added that the members responded well to a challenge to enter the floral arrangement categories, praising a magnificent response. “It’s been difficult to judge,” he added. “The judges said that the quality is such a good standard they had to nitpick to decide between first, second or third.” The exhibition was held at the California Association Ratepayers Hall and included a tombola and a raffle. Gardening tools and plants were on sale and the event ended with an auction.

REPLACEMENT ROOFS

Gwen Harvey’s narcissi won a special merit award for best novice exhibit, as well as first prize

Pauline MacBrayne scooped first prize for her rhubarb sticks

BI-FOLD DOORS

The winners Chapman Rose Bowl Terry Miller Spring Challenge W.R Fulton Moyle Spring (Best in Classes 23-27 Vase of Spring Flowers) Kath Coutts Knighton (Best in Flowering Shrubs/Trees) Kath Coutts Howard (Best Pot Plant Class) Jean Potter Award of Merit (best Daffs or Narcissi) W.R.Fulton Award of Merit (Best Daffs, Narcissi or Tulips Novice) Gwen Harvey Award of Merit (Best in Tulips) Gwen Harvey Award of Merit (Best Floral Arrangement) Kath Coutts Woodthorpe (best novice Floral Art) Sylvia Hawes St John (Best Young Exhibitors) Juliette Lavelle California (Best Young Exhibitors (7 and under)) Rosanna Lavelle Hawthorne (Best Domestic Section) Sylvia Hawes Handicraft Jean Potter Award of Merit (Best Photographic) Ros Slocombe Award of Merit (Poem) Lynn Potts

Terry Miller took silver for these tulips

SALE

NOW O

Winning displays by, from left, Kath Coutts, Ros Slocombe and Ann Blakeman

Arabian nights is a feast A LOOK at Iranian food is coming to Swallowfield later this month. The SPEG group is presenting what it says is partthriller and part-feast with The Iranian Feast. It aims to tell the story of a family working out how life will be in the future, offering a surprising and uplifting celebration of life.

Ann Blakeman’s woodland landscape

FASCIAS AND SOFFITS

As well as the theatre there will be a chance to taste food from a Persian kitchen. The event takes place from 7.30pm on Sunday, April 24 at Swallowfield Parish Hall. Tickets can be bought from Swallowfield Parish Stores. For more details or to reserve a place call 0118 988 5659.

For your inner engineering A COURSE that aims to correct people’s inner engineering through yoga is coming to Wokingham next week. Isha is a form of yoga that aims to explore the higher dimensions of life and organisers say that it will give participants tools to “optimize all aspects of health, inner growth and success.” The sessions will be held

at the Wokingham Waterside Centre in Thames Valley Park It starts with an introductory talk at 6.30pm on Thursday, April 21, followed by the first sessions at 6.45pm-10pm on Thursday and Friday, followed by a weekend event from 8.30am to 6.30pm on Saturday and 8am to 7pm on Sunday. For details call 07789 070539 on log on to www.ishauk.com.

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12 | NEWS

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Come and see plans INGHAM for Arborfield Green

S&&LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING

RESIDENTS will be asked their opinions on the third phase of the Arborfield Green development next Saturday as Crest Nicholson unveils its proposals for around 223 new homes in the south west the former Tel:section 0118of9733414 garrison. Mob: 07920 Plans and designs for “Parcels A-G”,524500 an area to the west by Eversley Road (A327), south Email:bounded wokinghamdriveways@gmail.com of Tyler Drive and east of Sheerlands Road will ad Road | Wokingham | Berks | RG40 Centre, 3RB be on display at the Garrison Community Sheerlands Road, Arborfield, RG2 9ND on Saturday DRIVEWAYS & LANDSCAPING 23rd April from 1-5pm. Parcels A-G will be submitted as one Reserved Matters application which includes the provision for allotments. Sarin Crest Nicholson representatives, and of Tel:members 0118 9733414 .Tony . FENCING . TURFING PATIOS & GATES the project team, will be on hand toMob: answer questions 07920 524500 . SHED . designs. and explain BASES the detailed BLOCK-PAVING Email: wokinghamdriveways@gmail.com Crest Nicholson’s director Hugo Reeve said: . REPAIRS OR DRIVE EXTENSIONS 436 Finchampstead | Wokingham | Berks | RG40 3RB “Crest NicholsonRoad has committed to consult residents . throughout the development of the new Garden GARDEN MAINTENANCE ngs Village at Arborfield Green. . PROFESSIONAL DRIVEWAY CLEANING “There has been extensive discussion with DRIVEWAYS DRIVEWAYS &LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING local people over&the past two years and their input, along with that of local councillors, tical illness & income protection plans tical illness & income protection has proved invaluable to date plans crafting n the convenience of to your home various changes the design n the convenience your home and layout Tony Sarin Tel: 0118 9733414 .of . TURFING of. the village. PATIOS FENCING & GATES ngs & child trust funds Mob: 07920 524500 ngs & child“This trust funds . SHED . BLOCK-PAVING consultation exhibition will build on that BASES Email: wokinghamdriveways@gmail.com performance analysis valuable contribution.” . performance analysis REPAIRS Road OR DRIVE EXTENSIONS 436 Finchampstead | Wokingham | Berks | RG40 3RB market options . GARDEN MAINTENANCE market options . PROFESSIONAL pensions Life assurance, critical illnessDRIVEWAY & income protection plans CLEANING Life assurance, critical illness & income protection plans pensions Financial reviews in the convenience of your home . . anning s@googlemail.com wokinghamdriveways.co.uk Financial reviews the convenience of your524 home500 0118 in973 3414 07920 anning Investments, savings & child trust funds Investments, savings & child trust funds nsfers nsfers With profits fund performance financial analysis Independent advice With REGISTRATION profits fund performance analysis Independent advice is now financial Annuities & open market options for a secure future Annuities & open market options open foraone of the for secure future Personal & group pensions borough’s newest Personal & group pensions . wokinghamdriveways.co.uk Inheritance planning an By PHIL CREIGHTON wokinghamdriveways@googlemail.com charityTax events, The Inheritance Tax planning news@wokinghampaper.co.uk Life assurance, critical illness & income protection plans ISAs & ISA/PEP transfers Wokingham Walk. Life assurance, critical illness & income protection plans Authorised and regulated by the FSA ISAs & ISA/PEP transfers Authorised and regulated by the FSA Financial reviews in the convenience of your home ents Financial reviews in the convenience of your home Walkers can choose Investments, savings & child trust funds THE RISE in car park fees will help the Investments, a savings & child trust funds to complete five-mile With profits fund performance analysis borough tackle its pothole problem and With profits fund performance analysis or Annuities a 15-mile walk in & open market options Annuities & open market options help it move towards self-sufficiency support the Mayor’s Personalof & group pensionsAuthorised and regulated by the FSA Personal & group pensions he when its Government funding is stopped Authorised and regulated by the FSA chosen charity ARC, which . wokinghamdriveways.co.uk Inheritance Tax planning wokinghamdriveways@googlemail.com Inheritance Tax planning in 2020. ISAs & ISA/PEP transfers offers free and confidential ISAs &320430 ISA/PEP transfers 3 Mobile 07768 Email tony@independent-ifa.co.uk That’s the view of the leader of 38978 Mobile counselling 07768 320430 Email tony@independent-ifa.co.uk support to children320430 and adults across the 07768 , Crowthorne,Mobile Berkshire RG45 6HS the borough council, Cllr Keith Baker, , Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6HS Fleck Associates Ltd borough. Tony Welsh of Susan Tony The Welsh of Susan Fleck Associates Ltd responding to criticisms for plans to onywelshifa.co.uk event starts andAuthorised finishesand at regulated Elms Field with by the FSA Tel/Fax 01344 466173 Mobile 07768 320430and Email tony@independent-ifa.co.uk introduce parking charges at evenings, Authorised regulated by the FSA Tel/Fax 01344 402 466173 Mobile 07768 320430 Email tony@independent-ifa.co.uk walkers registering from 9am before setting out Tel 0118 8978 Mobile 07768 320430 Address 5 The Paddock, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6HS Sundays and bank holidays. Addresson 5 The Paddock, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6HS their chosen route. The longer route goes down Email towards tony@tonywelshifa.co.uk The Council’s executive committee Sandhurst and back through Finchampstead Tony Welsh of Susan Fleck Associates Ltd Independent Financial Adviser Tony Welsh of Susan Fleck Associates Ltd voting to introduce charges to its car and California Country Park, while the shorter route Tel/Fax 01344 466173 Mobile 07768 320430 Email tony@independent-ifa.co.uk Tel/Fax 01344 402 4661738978 Mobile 07768 320430 Email tony@independent-ifa.co.uk parks at evenings and weekends. Tel 0118 Mobile 07768 320430 heads toward Nine Mile Ride before turning back Address 5 The Paddock, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6HS Address 5 The Paddock, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6HS Last month, before the Council broke towards Wokingham town centre. Email tony@tonywelshifa.co.uk up for the election period, it was agreed Entry costs £15 for those 18 years and over, £5 for to implement the new £1 fee, except walkers aged 12 to 17, and free for under 12s. in Woodley which will have its own nd regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority The walk takes place on Sunday, May 15. For horised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, registration no. 447018 daytime rate and no evening charges. horised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, registration no. 447018 information and to visit www.Authority nville Road,more Maidstone, Kentand ME14 2BJ Authorised regulated byregister the Financial Conduct Registration Number AJW00121 Susan Fleck Maidstone, Associates LtdKent is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, registration no. 447018 nville Road, ME14 2BJ However, the decision has been called Susan Fleck Associates Ltd is authorised and regulated byKent the Financial Head Office: Granville House, Granville Road, Maidstone, ME14 2BJServices Authority, registration no. 447018 wokinghamwalk.co.uk. Registration Number AJW00121 Head Office: Granville House, Granville Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2BJ

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A crafters’ showcase

dent dent financial financial advice advice GS cure cure future future

WOKINGHAM Town Hall was the venue for a special craft fair on Saturday. Local crafters had stalls in the Market Place centre to sell their handmade items including paintings, knitted goods and tasty cakes. Picture from left are Jenny and Jaki Knox, who sold cakes to raise funds for the Marie Curie charity. Above is Jessica Hope with some of her artwork and, top right, Lana Ringshall with her Snuggletot Creations. Pictured inset is Emma James with knitwear she has made. Pictures: Steve Smyth

WOKINGHAM

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in by the Liberal Democrats and no start date has yet to be announced. Speaking to The Wokingham Paper, Cllr Baker said that the parking fees had to be introduced to help the council balance its books. “We haven’t changed our car parking prices since 2008, which is a long, long time,” he said. “There’s extra income being raised right across the council, there isn’t a jewel sitting somewhere that we haven’t tapped into that we can sell. “Everywhere across the whole council there is either a cap on spending or looking for extra income. The extra income is in essence ring-

fenced – for example the £150,000 from Sunday charges will be ploughed back into roads projects. “What they means if we don’t get an £150,000 extra we won’t be able to spend them on potholes. “We have to move the council into a position where it’s more selfsufficient – ultimately totally self-sufficient.” Cllr Baker added that he felt the borough’s residents would be pleased with more money going into repairing the roads, including a grant announced last week from central Government boosting the pothole fund. He said: “I'm sure our residents

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Local opticians can see a move in store The staff from the Wokingham Market Place branch of Specsavers will soon be working from new offices in Denmark Street

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will say we should be spending as much as we can on sorting out the potholes. “£150,000 won’t solve every single pothole in the borough at all. £300,000 will give us double chance of doing things but it still won't solve every pothole in the borough.” Cllr Baker also said that the recent rises in Dinton Pastures car park charges will go back into maintaining the country park. He said: “We have to fund it from somewhere, we’ve decided to do it through income rather than take money from [for example] children’s services.” Cllr Baker added that parking meters are not being considered. “There are no plans to change anything with on-street parking,” he said.

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The larger store will also allow them to increase the number of sight-testing rooms from three to six and a brand-new dedicated hearing room will be set up. Digital Precision Eyecare is cutting edge technology that takes a customer’s facial measurements when dispensing glasses to give a personal fit. The will also be able to offer a same-day service, supported by the latest software in optical technology that makes the process of dispensing frames smoother and quicker. Specsavers Wokingham retail director Susan Caskey says: “The team is working really hard at the moment to ensure that our newly revamped store will provide a leading service in both optical and hearing care for the area. “We are delighted with the look of the new space so far, and thrilled to have the very latest technologies arriving. It

will provide the community with a greater level of service.” And when the new facility is open there will be a special celebration. Ms Caskey said: “We have invited the local mayor to meet the team and our patients on the morning of

Saturday, May 21 to help celebrate our new store and celebrate our 15 year anniversary in Wokingham. “We opened for the first time on Tuesday 29 May 2001 and now look forward to another successful 15 years in the community.”

NEWS | 13

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Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

Views sought on orange bus changes

That’s a lot of lettuce! Giant rabbit hops to Hare Hatch Hear hear Pictured above: Amelia Freeman aged 5, from Henley with both Peter, a giant rabbit, and Austin the tortoise. Inset: Victoria Costanza from Charvil learns all about Rainbow the panther chameleon from Luke Quirk

New buses are planned for Woodley this autumn

By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokinghampaper.co.uk WOODLEY’S bus services are being revamped from September, with plans in place to introduce state-of-the-art vehicles. Reading Buses has announced a consultation with users ahead of the autumn relaunch. The new buses will be similar to the ones used for the Lion Leopard services that connect Wokingham town centre with Reading. The mod-cons include free WiFi and phone charging points via USB. Buses will also have next stop announcements. The company is also promising some added extras that it says it will reveal closer to the launch date. But to help finalise the plans, the company say that it wants to hear from its customers. A spokesperson said: “We want your thoughts on how to improve

the orange 13 and 14 timetables. “We have had internal sessions with our employees to hear their ideas and now we want you, our customers, to have your say.” Options for discussion include the frequency of buses – whether more peak-time services are needed or at a certain time of day. The company also wants to know if there are certain journeys that cause users frustration such as “it doesn’t get you into town or home when you need it”. Feedback can be sent by emailing the company at feedback@readingbuses.co.uk. Reading Buses said that the deadline for comments is Friday, April 29. n All bus stops on the 4/X4 route throughout Wokingham have now been fitted with QR code plates. To use them, scan the QR Codes with a smartphone and you will be able to find out when the next bus will arrive at your stop.

A GIANT rabbit and a tortoise were the star attractions of an animal roadshow at a Twyford garden centre last weekend. Peter, a 7kg rabbit, and Austin, a 16-year-old tortoise, visited Hare Hatch Sheeplands, in London Road, on Saturday as part of the Quirk’s Animal Roadshow. Children and adults alike had great fun petting and learning more about the animals, which also included a lizard, chameleons

Academic achievement is valued highly at Reading Blue Coat School

and several snakes. Luke Quirk, who runs the educational roadshow, said: “Visitors are showing a lot of interest in our lizard. “The lizard is native to the Sahara Desert. I have to keep it at minimum warmth of 32ºC so that it doesn’t get too cold. Strangely

they don’t really need to drink much water because in the Sahara they get enough from the vegetables they eat.” Sheeplands owner Rob Scott said: “Our customers always enjoy a visit from Luke and his wonderful collection of creatures. “It is both instructional and fun.”

for poet AF Harrold ONE of the Thames Valley’s greatest living poets will be celebrating the spoken word later this month. AF Harrold, who has written a number of books and hosts a poetry cafe in Reading’s South Street Arts Centre, will be visiting Wokingham Library with performance artist Steven Camden, aka Polarbear, for a night devoted to reading aloud. The programme includes stories, poetry and tales old and new. It will be held at the Denmark Street venue on Thursday, April 28 from 6.45pm. Tickets cost £4 and must be booked in advance. n For details, call 0118 978 1368.

Join coffee morning A COFFEE morning takes place on Tuesdays at the newly opened Shinfield View residental home in School Green, Shinfield. It starts at 10.30am and runs until noon.

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HE NURTURE and development of every pupil as a well-rounded individual lies at the heart of all that we do at Reading Blue Coat School. This is most evident in the pupils who leave the School, not only with a handful of impressive A-Level results, but also having accomplished excellence in the arts and in sport, having learned invaluable life lessons and having made lasting friendships along the way. The School is situated in a beautiful 46-acre site by the Thames in the village of Sonning. The new dedicated Psychology and Geology building complements other recent additions to the school’s impressive facilities, including the 23-classroom Richard Aldworth Building and a new IT Centre. Upcoming projects include a new Design Technology building and a new Performing Arts Centre.

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There is a buzz and excitement about academic life at Blue Coat, where our friendly and supportive environment enables pupils to flourish and thrive. Academic achievement is valued highly and the school has enjoyed strong results in recent years. Learn more about our results and university destinations on our website at www.rbcs.org.uk. Pupils are also encouraged to participate in a wide range of co-curricular activities, and the school offers generous provision in a wide variety of sports, music, drama, public speaking, the CCF, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise and a wide variety of additional activities. Blue Coat is an independent day school for boys aged 11-18 and girls aged 16-18. For further details, please contact Mrs Jane Jarrett or Ms Audrey Fernandes in Admissions on 0118 944 1005 or admissions@rbcs.org.uk. Further information is also available on the school’s website: www.rbcs.org.uk.

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14 | NEWS

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Taxi driver’s ankle injured in late night station assault By GEMMA DAVIDSON gdavidson@wokinghampaper.co.uk

See the threads come together Rachel Blunden, Sarah Cook and Carol Crowdy are members of the Berkshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. The group is currently exhibiting at Dinton Pastures in Hurst. Called Threads on the Wing, the show is at the Emmbrook Room until Sunday, and showcases the members passion for fibre, including wool, silk, flax and even banana. Visitors can also watch demonstrations, meet craftsmen and women and also take part in taster workshops in spinning, weaving, knitting and felting. It is open from 10am to 4.30pm, but closes at 3pm on Sunday. Picture: Steve Smyth

Eggheads wanted for quiz night

Vicar moves to Loddon Reach

EGGHEADS will be able to get cracking on a charity quiz night. It is being held on Saturday, April 23, in Earley and all proceeds will help the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service. Teams of up to 10 will be pitting their wits against each other from 7pm at St Nicolas Church Hall in Sutcliffe Avenue. Tickets are £6, which includes a cheese platter, and everyone is asked to bring their own drinks – email davidweversham@talktalk.net to book a place.

A LOCAL vicar is making a move from Earley to Loddon Reach. The Revd Maureen Devine, who is part of the ministry team of St Nicolas Earley, is joining the churches of Shinfield, Swallowfield, Farley Hill and Spencers Wood for a few months – a role that she held a few years ago. The Revd Paul Willis, team leader for the Loddon Reach churches, said: “An experienced and gifted minister, we are extremely grateful that Maureen is with us once more, strengthening our team through a stage of transition.”

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“Two members of the group were arrested at the scene in connection with the matter and we worked swiftly over the weekend to arrest a third person. “This appears to have been a nasty, unprovoked assault on a man who was simply doing his job. “I would urge anyone else who was at the station and witnessed the incident to get in touch.” Anyone with information can call BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting reference 249 of 13/04/16. Alternatively, details can also be given to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

New Bishop makes disadvantaged his priority THE new Bishop of Oxford says he is looking forward to getting to know the people of Wokingham. The Rt Revd Steven Croft was announced as the new incumbent for the post, which covers Anglican churches in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. He is currently the Bishop of Sheffield, but is no stranger to the region having studied at Oxford. To mark the start of his new ministry, which will formally commence with an installation service at Christ Church Oxford in October, he took part in a whistlestop tour of the diocese on Tuesday. Venues included serving lunch to homeless people who attend CIRDIC – the Churches In Reading Drop-In Centre. He was joined by the Rt Revd Andrew Proud, the Bishop of Reading. In one of his first interviews, Bishop Steven said he wanted to ensure the region’s churches worked more closely together. He also wants to the Church to play a part in addressing poverty in the region. Bishop Steven said: “This homeless drop-in centre is a magnificent way for churches to respond, offering not just food

The new Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, with the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Andrew Proud serving lunch at CIRDIC homeless centre in Reading. Picture: Phil Creighton

and physical nourishment but fellowship, hospitality, treating people with dignity, a safe space for people where they can come. “One of the priorities I have throughout my time as Bishop of Oxford is engaging with the poorest people in the community and with areas of deprivation so that the prosperity of this region is shared and enjoyed by everyone who lives and works here.” Churches in Wokingham have

been ‘cakebombing’ new residents moving into new houses being built as part of the borough’s regeneration project. They visit, offering a gift of cake and a warm welcome. This is something that Bishop Steven very much wants to encourage. “Immediately before I became Bishop of Sheffield I worked for five years encouraging Fresh Expressions of Church across the whole of the Church of England

and Methodist Church and other churches,” he explained. “The Fresh Expressions movement is all about the Church going outside, to places where people are, serving people, loving and caring for them, and by those means, where they can, introducing them to Jesus Christ, so I absolutely want to encourage all the churches of this region to be creative, entrepreneurial, to be missional and to grow together.”

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A TAXI driver suffered a fractured ankle after being assaulted by a group of people outside Wokingham station last week. The man was attacked at around 1.30am on Friday, April 8 on the rank at the front of the station. Officers from British Transport Police (BTP) arrested two people at the scene – an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl, both from Wokingham – on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and criminal damage. A 20-year-old man, also from Wokingham, was arrested on Sunday evening (10 April) in connection with the incident. All three have since been released on bail, pending further enquiries, and

detectives are appealing for anyone who saw what happened to come forward with information. Detective Constable Mat Harvey from BTP said: “Our enquiries so far lead us to understand there was a group of five people – two women and three men – who wanted to get into the taxi, but became aggressive when they were refused travel as the driver could only carry four. “The driver was then subjected to a vicious assault, during which he was pulled to the floor where he was kicked and punched, resulting in a fractured ankle. “His vehicle was also damaged during the attack.

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Green fingers wanted for garden contest GARDENERS in the town centre are being encouraged to get into their gardens and make Wokingham blooming lovely. The town council has launched its annual Green Fingers gardening campaign and, as usual, it has a range of categories so that every home can enter, even those without a garden. There are classes for front gardens, back gardens, window boxes and containers and the latter for entrants with physical or sensory impairments. There is also a category for residential care homes within the town.

Judging will be undertaken by members of Wokingham Horticultural Association in early July. Gardens can be given gold, silver, bronze or highly commended awards, with vouchers as prizes. Gold award winners also receive prestigious engraved trophies to hold for a year. Prizes start at £10 and the Best in Town winner receives £75. A prize-giving evening in the Town Hall hosted by the Town Mayor on Wednesday, October 5. The Town Council’s Green Fingers initiative is just one of its gardening events.

Campaigns are also concurrently held for schools, commercial premises and allotment tenants. Collectively these also, very importantly, form part of the town’s entry in the regional Thames and Chilterns in Bloom event. This year the Bloom theme is ‘greening grey Britain for health and happiness’. Cllr Mark Ashwell, chairman of the Amenities Committee, said: “We invite everyone with an interest in gardening to take part. “If you enjoy your garden and are pleased with the results

of your efforts do enter – it’s the taking part that counts. “Our town’s entry into Thames and Chilterns in Bloom is very much boosted by the gardening campaigns. “This year it would be very much appreciated if you could use red, white and blue flowers in recognition of Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday.” Entries can be made at www. wokingham-tc.gov.uk, in person at the Information Centre at the Town Hall in Market Place (Monday-Friday from 10am2pm; Saturday 10am-3pm) or via a form which can returned to the Town Hall.

Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

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THE WOKINGHAM PAPER N E W S W I T H A H E A RT F O R T H E B O RO U G H

How do you see the borough yet to come? THIS week, we publish the names of the candidates who are putting themselves forward for election next month. It’s a diverse crop of candidates, representing all kinds of backgrounds and political views. Some are standing for the borough council, others are looking to serve on town and parish councils. Each wants to serve the electorate. Over the next few weeks, on the doorsteps, in the coffee shops, in the Market Place and in these pages, you will hear a variety of arguments from each of the parties vying for your vote. And each of the parties will be making pledges about how they see the future of the borough. As we stand on the cusp on regeneration projects, we are at one of the most important points of the borough’s history. Everywhere you look there are houses being built, roads being installed and renovations taking place to our shops, leisure centres and other facilities. It is a massive undertaking and one that will affect not just this generation, not just the new neighbours yet to move in, but the generations and neighbours to come. Each of the parties will be putting forward strong arguments for why they should be entrusted with running the borough in the year ahead. With the ballot box getting closer, it is time for you to decide how you see the borough and its future. It is important, as in any election, to make an informed choice. We hope our coverage will help you make your mind up. But more than anything, we want you to play your part in democracy and vote.

CHURCH NOTES

Let’s walk alongside our neighbours PART of the joy of being a vicar is the variety of my job, of each day. So far today I’ve spoken to a keen sportsperson facing hospital tests, and a couple about the baptism of their longed-for baby, and to a family wanting a particular headstone to be put up in the churchyard – all before 10am. Every day is different. Every conversation is unique and important. In every pastoral conversation – happy or sad, calm or animated, passing or planned – I must speak of the God I believe in and love. The message of God’s love can’t be altered to suit the occasion or to make my job easier. We don’t know each other. And we don’t know where to root our values and our attitude to others, which raises two questions for all of us, whether we are people of faith or not. The first is that it is getting harder and harder to know our neighbours, and walk alongside them. We don’t ask after each other anymore, or support each other in the way we used to. It takes only a little longer to talk to someone when you meet each other putting your bins out or to invite each other round at Christmas for a drink and a mince pie. And it makes a huge difference. How can we be better neighbours? The second is that it’s getting harder and harder to know where we stand. Broadly speaking, we identify with individual issues more and with a specific political party less. We are shy of overarching explanations of the ills of society which makes it harder than ever to think through our place in the community and our hopes for the world around us. Where do we get our hopes for society from? Perhaps both questions are the same. How can we build the world we long to be part of? Father Richard Lamey is Rector of St Paul’s Church, Reading Road, Wokingham

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Your views

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016 We love to hear from you! Send us your views on issues relatingto the borough (in 250 words or less) to The Wokingham Paper, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS or email: letters@wokinghampaper.co.uk We reserve the right to edit letters

Send your thoughts to letters@wokinghampaper.co.uk

We must keep on supporting Hare Hatch I am an employee and long standing customer (over 20 years in the area) of Hare Hatch Sheeplands Garden Centre. I am writing in response to your article about the submission of a petition to Wokingham Borough Council on behalf of HSS. This was presented to the council on March 24. The petition which was signed by over 8,000 people, calls on the council not to take enforcement action against the garden centre for planning breaches. It was presented byPatrick Heather a former Chairman of Twyford Village Partnership and now Chairman of Board of Trustee at the Age Concern Day Centre. Mr Heather was allocated one minute to speak in support of the petition and was cut off abruptly when this time elapsed, even though it would have taken a few seconds to finish. This attitude is typical of the council’s stringent and unyielding approach in dealing with all the planning applications and appeals for compromise that will allow the garden centre to survive. As well as being extremely discourteous to Mr Heather it also shows a blatant disregard to the views of over 8,000 people who strongly support Hare Hatch Sheeplands and understand its need to trade in way that makes the business viable. If all the council’s hardline uncompromising demands are met then the garden centre would not be able to continue. Some have said that perhaps HHS should have adhered to all the instructions given by the council and they have already made great efforts to appease them such as closing down the play area and mini-farm and the removal of Amazon Windows from the site. However they still need to trade in a manner that can make the business viable and retain employment for their staff as well as pay for all the planning applications and appeals that have been rejected so many times by WBC. Perhaps in view of the upcoming Elections this year the council should remember that the views of their local electorates should be considered and not totally ignored. I also strongly feel that ratepayer’s money can be better spent than using it to go against local opinion and take actions that result in the loss of a highly regarded local business that employs over 100 people and supports local traders and does so much for charity and the local community. I hope that all supporters of Hare Hatch Sheeplands continue to insist that their views are considered. Perhaps the arrival of thousands of letters from them to Wokingham Borough Council planning department would not be so easy to ignore. Maria Lee, via email

The adventures of Manny the Dog tickled reader Colin Livingstone

What a happy and funny story Can I compliment The Wokingham Paper and your reporter, Gemma Davidson for an excellent story about “Manny going walkies and taking a train ride” (April 8). In a time when all news seems to be bad news, it was such an uplifting little story with a happy ending. Manny himself looked a bit of a lad and the thought of him walking off for a day out made me giggle. The owner then popping into the local shop to be told he had been in 20 minutes earlier made it even funnier and then the clever pictures of him waiting for his train to Reading did it for me. Best little story for ages. The good news was the diligence of a fellow passenger looking after him and passing him over to the police in Reading and the subsequent return to his owner. What a hoot, but with a happy ending. I hope Manny tucked into a nice steak and chips after his trip and had a good sleep afterwards. Well done The Wokingham Paper and Gemma for a great piece of reporting. Colin M Livingstone, Wokingham

Let’s introduce red plaques

Now Wokingham Borough Council has got its way on Elms Field /Town development (praise to the two councillors who voted against) it’s time for the Wokingham Society to extend its erection of blue plaques for heritage buildings in Wokingham to award red plaques ones for the “anytoen” architectural insults the council is determined to impose to ruin the town. Prime candidates are the Bracknell-style multistorey car park, “gateway” bog-standard motorway junction style hotel dominated by a sixth floor

rectangular lift shaft and the industrial estate foodstore warehouse overlooking Elms Field. Deserving a special florescent pink plaque is the councils gesture of contempt for the town centre’s architectural heritage by the 1960s design of the rehab of the building at junction of Rose Street and Peach Street, ruining the town hall setting. P Williams, Wokingham

Your views on parking charges

We announced that Wokingham Borough Council will introduce charges to park in its car parks at evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The idea was criticised on Facebook: Thanks councillors, you must have shares in everywhere but Wokingham! Bye to shopping in Wokingham, hello new Bracknell’s shopping centre or Reading or Windsor.... Craig Wingfield, via Facebook I am seriously unimpressed with WBC decisions on Elms Field and now evening parking charges. May 5 I will be ready to express my frustration. Let’s go viral with this and get rid of the people who don’t represent us any more. Peter Barrett, via Facebook I only said the other day.... The only way for the town to stay vibrant is for the parking to be free or as cheap as possible. Alex McDowell, via Facebook It’s only £1 for the whole evening, and although no one likes to pay it’s much much more in Reading. I’m more concerned about so many houses being built, loss of green areas and wildlife, and the constant congestion because of said houses. Juliet Hurwitt, via Facebook

GOOD ADVICE

Managing affairs for someone else Or, it could be that you will want someone else to manage your affairs

HERE are different ways of managing someone’s affairs. Choosing the right one will depend mainly on the circumstances of the person whose affairs need to be managed, and whether or not they have mental capacity. You can look after someone’s affairs in one of the following ways: a letter or third party mandate, as an agent to deal with someone’s welfare benefits or tax credits, with a power of attorney or as a deputy appointed by the court of protection. If all that is needed is for someone to be able, temporarily, to operate your bank account you can just write to your bank. Many banks have their own form, called a form for third party mandate,

which they will need to be completed and returned. However, if you need someone to be able to operate more than one account, or it needs someone to manage your financial affairs on a more long-term basis, a power of attorney might be more appropriate. When you make a power of attorney, you appoint someone else to act on your behalf. The person making the power of attorney is called a donor and the person appointed to act on their behalf is called an attorney. A power of attorney gives the attorney the legal authority to deal with third parties such as banks or the local council. Some types of power of

attorney also give the attorney the legal power to make a decision on behalf of someone else such as where they should live or whether they should see a doctor. In order to make a power of attorney, the donor must be capable of making decisions for themselves. This is called having mental capacity. There are three different types of power of attorney: n Ordinary power of attorney. If you need someone to look after your financial affairs for a long period of time, you can give them an ordinary power of attorney. You might want to give someone an ordinary power of attorney if you have a physical illness, a physical injury or you will be abroad for a long time. You should not use this type of attorney if you have a condition that could lead to mental incapacity. n Lasting power of attorney (LPA). You should use this if you are at any

risk of losing your mental capacity. You can make an LPA for your personal welfare, as well as one to look after your property and financial affairs. It must be registered before it can be used. The LPA replaces the Enduring power of attorney. n Enduring power of attorney (EPA). It is no longer possible to make a new EPA. However, if an EPA was made before 1 October 2007, it can still be registered and, if it is already registered, it will still be valid. An EPA cannot be used to look after someone’s personal welfare, just their property and financial affairs. n You can get help, information and advice from your local Citizens Advice or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk or contact Citizens Advice Wokingham at Second Floor, Waterford House, Erftstadt Court, Wokingham, RG40 2YF. Tel: 03444 111 306. email: public@ wokingham-cab.org.uk

VIEWPOINTS | 17

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Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

NELLIE KNOWS

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Celebrating your photography

Nellie Williams www.nelliepompoms.co.uk

FTER our hustle and bustle full throttle weekend in the West Country followed by a mighty spring clean and massive washing escapade the rest of my family returned home complete with a healthy glow courtesy of the French Alpine sun and of course the dreaded crutches. Mook has seen the consultant and has had an MRI so we are now waiting for the results of that before we do anything or plan any jaunts so I am going to be Berkshire-based for a while. Well, not entirely true as I am off to Wales to stay with friends in Llangyndir before heading to the Glanusk Estate in Crickhowell for the Cwtch the Bride festival which promises to be a fantastic show case of all things weddingy set in the glorious surroundings of Glanusk. I am not about to get married (or remarried) but I am always on the look out for new finds to share with people and am looking forward to meeting people I have been chatting to on Social Media.

Books

The guys from MyLocal in Wokingham’s Market Place were in the right (market) place at the right time last week – they snapped a rare double rainbow overlooking the Town Hall. It’s a fantastic picture and it’s great to be able to share it with you, our readers. We love to showcase your photos in our Picture of the Week feature. If you have a picture – landscape in format, not portrait – email it to news@wokinghampaper.co.uk. Pictures should be hi-res, landscape, 300dpi and taken by yourself, preferably within the Wokingham borough.

TONY JOHNSON

Upcycling and new homes

Unexpected item in bagging area

O they mean me? They surely do. Have you noticed how much technology is creeping into matters of everyday life? As someone who’s been developing this stuff all their career, until recently I’d not paid it much attention. For most of us, the ATM, or “hole in the wall”, was our first encounter with day-to-day automation of what used to be a person’s job. But while they’ve got their faults, in general these machines are pretty simple, work reliably and are unobtrusive. This can’t quite be said for the current generation of Automated Checkout Machines at the supermarket. Either I’m getting old (fact) or stupid (other’s opinion) but my fumble fingered attempts to use these blisters of Beelzebub are nearly enough to drive me back into the shop to find the drinks aisle. From the moment one starts until the moment one leaves, trailing clouds of steam in one’s wake to the rapidly receding and fading call of “Thank you for shopping at Blank-blanks”, I seem to be able to provoke every error, problem or delay that’s humanly possible. Humanly??? What am I gibbering about – the darned thing’s a machine, not a person. But the dulcet voice tones, along with the ever so positive and nicely worded phrases seem to have been precision engineered to drive a saint to strychnine.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

OK – I don’t usually buy that much, so there’s only a handful of items. But when the barcode scanner doesn’t scan, you have to call for assistance. When the paper, bread or milk isn’t squarely on the bagging area, its weight isn’t recorded correctly, so you have to “please call for assistance”. If you put your own bag in the bagging area and it has anything more than a sweet wrapper in it, you soon find it saying “unexpected item in bagging area”. Yes, you mixed up machine of miscellaneous mischief there’s an unexpected “item” in the area, where bagging might be taking place some time later today, it’s me. “Please remove unexpected item from the bagging area” By now, the air is turning a bit blue in the vicinity of this simple shopper, while the error count is climbing. Next comes the bit where you just want to grab your purchases and run. But you can’t do that yet, you’ve not paid, and if you did there’d likely be some “unexpected bagging” as the security team remove you to an area that’s entirely different. OK – successfully got the items perched on the weighing scales, feed in the money and go. “Have you swiped your Blank Blank card?” No, I don’t even have one of your blankety blank cards, so I can hardly swipe one can I ? So just put the coins in the slot … and they all come tumbling back out. Ho-hum, it isn’t

Social Media plays a huge part in so many people’s lives these days and with everything at your finger tips it is so easy to dip into the news and features without having to lug everything around with you. I am a dedicated book worm and love to lose myself in a book however I am coming to terms with and getting to grips with the Kindle app on my iPad. Yesterday I downloaded All Desires Known by Georgie Newbery (her of Common Farm Flowers) and am gripped, intact I was gripped from the first page so I expect to have finished it really soon. Back in the day before Social Media really took off there was no quick way to tell an author, agent or publisher that you have read and enjoyed a book but nowadays with reviews being so widely read it is much easier to see what people are saying and of course it is a real boost for the author to see how much people have enjoyed their hard work. Writing is fun but it is also time consuming, lonely and hard work. I am in the process of writing and one of my characters isn’t turning out how I thought she would do so I am busy gnashing my teeth and working out how she fits in with the rest of the characters. I’m sure it will all come good in the end!

accepting coins today, let’s feed it a fiver in instead. More scrabbling – no, that doesn’t work either, the note won’t accept. OK, put a card in the “please remove card from the reader” slot. No that doesn’t work either. “Excuse me sir, may I be of assistance?” Yikes! This time it isn’t the machine, it’s a real live person who’s been observing your antics these last few minutes as you’ve tried to purchase just four items. They reach past you and press the “NONE” button on the screen – because you’re not buying any of the supermarket’s bags at 5p a pop. Now the penny drops. The instructions were there on screen but you didn’t notice them while you were busy looking down at the payment area trying to feed money in – but it wasn’t having any. Pink of cheek, you finally feed it some cash, grab the receipt and try to get your goods be “please remove your items from the bagging area” ‘fore the blasted bucket of bolts tells you to. Words fail me – I can’t get away quick enough – but if I look back in anger or embarrassment at the sign above the people waiting to use the next available machine (mine), it usually says something like : For Queue Please weigh tear Enough of the comedy, I’ve shed enough tears. You weigh them, you adipose assembly of atrocious apps.

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The spring cleaning has been a huge weight off my mind. While I might swish a duster around and zoom the Sebo about there is no greater sense of relief to have moved all the furniture, cleaned behind it and then put it back, minus some things that no longer used. I have bags of clothes for First Days, a box of books that are dog eared that will be given to a friend who makes things out of them, the furniture that is no longer in use is off to Pedlars Place in Warfield and I have a pile of clothes that I will take to Vintage Turnaround in Henley for Penny to do her magic and find a new home for. It may come as a surprise to some of you that I have entered my clutter-free stage (again) and where my house was once full of everything I now only have stuff in my house that I use or enjoy looking at. I have not binned it all but have found them new homes. I have a load of spring loaded cake tins that aren’t remotely springy so I have painted the bases with blackboard paint and have hug them up so I have magnetic and chalkboard dotted around. The tins will be sprayed with a textured finish to place in the herb garden to reduce the slug damage. I can’t be doing with spending hours in the garden for it to ruined by slugs.

Tried and tested Of course all this spring cleaning means using lots of cloths and cleaning equipment and I have stepped right back to the olden days and used old, tried and tested methods which I have remembered from my childhood as well as from a great book I have called Forgotten Ways for Modern Days. One of the things I miss about my grandparents is their wise words. One granny told me to put mustard powder in the bath when I had fallen off my horse, she swore by it and would have a mustard bath after a fall. Another thing my grandfather used to do was only butter and marmalade a mouthful of his toast. He said it was something that he did during the war and if he went out to the battlefield leaving a plain piece of toast then someone else could put what they wanted on their toast should he not return. I’m far too much of a gannet to do that but I was telling my youngest about it and she was agog. One thing I have learnt from my eldest is that when you have a bunch of bananas you should separate them before putting them in your fruit bowl to stop them over browning, it does work and I shared that tip when I was on BBC Radio Berkshire with Andrew Peach last weekend. Speaking of weekends, I can smell it and it smells good! Almost as good as the rhubarb and ginger cake I am determined to make. Have a great week and do drop me an email with any old wives’ tales and hints and tips, I always enjoy your emails.

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Wokingham’s people

VOLUNTEER CORNER

With Helena Badger

So, who do you think you are? The Who Do You Think You Are? exhibition gave inspiration to many researching their family trees, including those who found they had Royal Air Force connections (inset pictures). The Berkshire Family History Society wants to help people find out more Pictures: Who Do You Think You Are?

Tracing our family trees might seem daunting, but help is at hand. GEMMA DAVIDSON meets family history expert Richard Ashberry

AMILY history has experienced somewhat of a revival in recent years, with BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are? sparking the imaginations of a whole new generation of amateur genealogists. The show’s popularity has led to a spin-off exhibition, Who Do You Think You Are? Live, which took place in Birmingham last weekend, which sees thousands of people, eager to find out more about their family’s past, attend special research workshops and speak with ancestry experts. Members of the Berkshire Family History Society, which is based in Reading, attended the show at the Birmingham NEC to offer tips on how to get the best from your research. Richard Ashberry from Berkshire Family History Society said: “Although it’s tempting to hop online and start Googling your surname straightaway that really isn’t a good way to kick off your research and you could end up wasting a lot of time. “It’s best to start with a targeted approach: write down what you know already and get in touch with family members to see what gaps they can fill in. “I got into family history by accident really as I was looking at evening classes and came across a beginners class in family history. This was an excellent introduction and was followed up the second part of the course the following year. “I then started researching my paternal line because I thought the less common surname would make life easier and spent some considerable time in the now defunct Family Records Centre in Islington lifting heavy books of birth, marriage and death indexes off shelves and ploughing through each page individually until the eureka moment of the day that was when I actually found something relevant. “To access the censuses in those days was also a laborious task as I had to find the correct reel of film relating to the place I was interested in and then look through all the census returns until I found something of interest. To get a printed copy involved rewinding the film, taking it to the printer and finding the relevant piece again.” Starting a family tree is not always straightforward, and can involve a lot more work than simply typing your surname into Google. A good place to start would be to speak with relatives to

find out what they know about the family and note down anything of interest. Richard said: “Be methodical and work backwards through the generations. Have a plan, stick to it and don’t assume that a person with the right name that you find is the right person for your tree, keep looking until you have a reasonable degree of confidence in your discovery. “Don’t make links back to the 12th century just because a member of the nobility happened to have the same name as you – trace back through the ages and note that

not many people get back further than the middle of the 17th century and most stop at the earliest census of 1841.

“Keep notes on what you discover even if it doesn’t appear to be any use at the time. Family trees grow exponentially and it may be of use later. Ideally use a computer programme to record your findings. Don’t assume every record is on line and that every record is accurate – you will sooner or later come across some extremely strange transcriptions in the records. “Family History requires a multitude of skills and a vast amount of knowledge – the Berkshire Family History Society has an excellently resourced research centre in Reading where you will find lots of local information and records as well as free computer access to all the major family tree sites. Volunteers from the Society are there to advise and help you as much as possible. “I have been doing it for 15 years, have taken a diploma course, have access to all the main subscription websites but still I hit brick walls which can often take a long time to solve if at all.”

Richard’s top tips for delving into your past: CONTACT RELATIVES SOME of the best material you will come across as a family historian (photographs, letters, diaries and memories) will be in the possession of other family members. Start with the oldest members of your family but don’t ignore cousins or your parents’ cousins. Even experienced family historians can benefit from looking at lines of descent and contacting more distant cousins.

DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCES

WORK BACKWARDS

You need to be really organised in family history to keep track of everything. Most online family tree builders allow you to attach digital copies of records to facts or at least a clear note as to how you came by the information. It’s also worth recording where you have looked for documents you haven’t found so you don’t waste time repeating searches.

IT’S important in family history to begin with yourself and work backwards. Your research needs to be built on solid foundations or you could waste a lot of time researching people who aren’t your ancestors!

It has become easy to benefit from the research of others, but be sensible. With just one click you can attach ‘facts’ you have found on other

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

people’s family trees to your own, but make sure you record where this ‘fact’ has come from. Either contact the other person and ask them if they can share their evidence, or search for it yourself.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND There are millions of records online, but it’s not always easy to pinpoint the one you want. If you can’t find a document you are sure should exist, then try different spellings, different record sets or look for other family members. The important thing is to know the extent of the record set you are searching. The hunt is all part of the fun of family history! n For more information on the Berkshire Family History Society visit www.berksfhs.org.uk.

n The Wokingham Elevate hub supports people of all ages into work, training or employment, including work experience and apprenticeships. They are looking for volunteers as Reception/ Administrators to meet and greet people who come into Elevate at Wokingham Library, directing some to the library services and others to partners who will offer advice and guidance sessions, answering the phone and taking messages or directing the caller to an advisor, recording information such as local jobs available and general administration support. Volunteers must have a pleasant personality, enjoy speaking to people, reliable and good time keeping skills, good literacy for supporting people to complete registration forms. Basic IT would be an advantage but not essential. There are slots available Monday-Friday, mornings and afternoons (apart from Wednesday afternoon when the library is closed.) n The Wokingham Winter Carnival was started in 1994 and is a major community event for the town as well as a significant fund raiser. The event takes over the whole of Wokingham Town Centre and is held on the last Sunday of November and is attended by roundly 120 stallholders, plus a funfair and attracts between 10,000 and 20,000 visitors. The objective of the Carnival is to provide a vibrant, free to attend, fun event, which adds to the cultural status of Wokingham, and which enhances the standing of Wokingham in the eyes of its residents. The event also generated funds on the day and this money is donated to local charities/organisations. The Carnival committee is composed totally of volunteers. It is looking for a volunteer as a Pitch Organiser (and committee member.) The role will include the selling and all the administrating the pitches for the stalls. The volunteer will need to have a basic knowledge of Excel and be an excellent communicator. There are no formal hours that the volunteers needs to do, the role can take place from home but there will be meetings to attend on a monthly basis running up to the winter carnival. n Samaritans are people from all walks of life who provide a service for the suicidal and despairing. Callers can telephone us, visit our Centre, or contact us by e-mail or SMS. Samaritans have to listen, attentively, unhurriedly and at length. The group’s supporters have to share the pain, often knowing that there is nothing it can do: it cannot wave a magic wand and produce jobs, accommodation, money, friends, or instant happiness. Above all, it does not give advice to our callers. Samaritans instead try to support them in working through problems themselves, offering “non-directive” support. Samaritans are also recruiting Support Volunteers who help with fundraising, publicity etc. All Samaritans give are expected to do one 2½ -3 hour shift every week (except for holidays, times of illness, etc). Once a month this weekly shift will be at night, either three hours (called the twilight shift) or five hours (called the night shift). It is the only lifeline that provides 24-hour coverage and is based in Bracknell. The next information evenings are; Thursday, April 21 and Thursday, May 19, both from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. These are just three of the roles we are recruiting for, but we have more than 100 different roles on our books. To find out about these or any other roles, call us on 0118 977 0749, email wok-vol@btconnect.com or visit www.volunteercentrewokingham.org.uk

John Smith will return next week

WELLBEING | 19

Friday, April 8, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

Good health

You’re under doctor’s orders to read this page!

HEALTH MATTERS with Nicola Strudley

Mental health services turning away 23% of under-18s referrals

ENTAL health services turn away nearly a quarter of the children and young people who come to them for help, new research has revealed. A report from the think tank CentreForum shows that mental healthcare providers nationally refuse to treat an average of 23% of the under-18s referred to them by concerned parents, GPs, teachers and others. The analysis also reveals that the longest waiting times endured by users of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) have doubled in the last two years. Some Wokingham young people are waiting up to 22 months for an assessment and diagnosis. The way in which CAMHS is set up doesn’t encourage professionals from different agencies to see themselves as part of a single continuum of support. Because of the level of specialist and intensive interventions this is commissioned by NHS England, adding to the complexity. Demand is increasing with scarce supply available. Among the reasons reported for turning under 18s away included services feeling they lacked the capacity to deal with the problem, the child or young person not having being unwell for a long enough period of time or their condition not yet being serious enough. The former mental health minister Norman Lamb, who chairs CentreForum’s commission on child and adolescent mental health, said the findings went against what was known about the importance of early intervention. “Intervening early can prevent a condition reaching crisis point,” he said. “This is a scandal which has existed for too long. These shortcomings must be addressed.” A Department of Health spokesperson said the Government was delivering on its commitments on young people’s mental health. “The full £1.4bn will be made available over the next five years, funding the biggest transformation the sector has ever seen, with every local area in the country revolutionising their services,” they said. We need a model based on a shared understanding that mental ill health problems are far more commonplace issues than we think for our young people. We need that system to cut through the complexity. Demand management, new service models, and multiagency work and support offer unique opportunities to change the way we commission and deliver CAMHS services. Signs of change have started in Wokingham Borough, with a new Taskforce set up to considered how to make it easier for children, young people, parents and carers to access help and how and to improve young people’s mental health services’ organisation, commissioning and provision. The Future in Mind transformational funds are being used to bring professionals together to promoting resilience, focus on prevention and earlier intervention, in the hope that escalation will not be needed. Healthwatch want to hear your experience of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Get in touch!

How to contact us : Facebook @healthwatchwokingham Twitter @HWWokingham Phone 0118 418 1 418 Website www.healthwatchwokingham.co.uk E-Mail enquiries@healthwatchwokingham.co.uk Walk in via Citizens Advice at 2 Waterford House, Erfstadt Court, Denmark St, Wokingham RG40 2YF. Nicola Strudley works two days a week as the manager for Healthwatch Wokingham Borough. Opinions expressed in this blog are her own

Don’t grumble, give a whistle … this’ll help things turn out for the best Research reveals that singing helps boost your mood and your immune system. GEMMA DAVIDSON explains

EW research has shown that singing not only helps to improve your mood, but can also help boost your immune system. The study, carried out by Tenovus Cancer Care and the Royal College of Music, has found that singing in a choir for just one hour boosts levels of immune proteins in people affected by cancer, reduces stress and improves mood, which in turn could have a positive impact on overall health. The research raises the possibility that singing in choir rehearsals could help to put people in the best possible position to receive treatment, maintain remission and support cancer patients. The study tested 193 members of five different choirs. Results showed that singing for an hour was associated with significant reductions in stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increases in quantities of cytokines - proteins of the immune system - which can boost the body’s ability to fight serious illness. Dr Ian Lewis, Director of Research and Policy at Tenovus Cancer Care and co-author of the research, said: “These are really exciting findings. We have been building a body of evidence over the past six years to show that singing in a choir can have a range of social, emotional and psychological benefits, and now we can see it has biological effects too. “We’ve long heard anecdotal evidence that singing in a choir makes people feel good, but this is the first time it’s been demonstrated that the immune system can be affected by singing.

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Need to regular dental visits? Singing can boost your immune system according to new research. Picture: Julia Eisenberg/ freeimages. com

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Our membership scheme is ava Our membership scheme is available You do notfor need to be dentally fit to join butaa new patienta examination onlyforBMS £21 month Our membership scheme is available only £21 month is You do not need to be dentally fit to join BMS but a new patient examination is as singing some of It’s really exciting and could required before signingcould up.reduce If treatment this stress-induced suppression, enhance the way we support helping improve wellbeing and people with cancer in future.” during isthe needed theto12 month contract quality of life amongst patients Choir members gave samples of 15% is best given. and put them in the position of their saliva beforeaanmember hour of discount

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singing, and then again just after. The samples were analysed to see what changes occurred in a number of hormones, immune proteins, neuropeptides and receptors. The study also found that those with the lowest levels of mental wellbeing and highest levels of depression experienced greatest mood improvement, associated with lower levels of inflammation in the body. There is a link between high levels of inflammation and serious illness. Dr Daisy Fancourt, Research Associate at the Centre for Performance Science, a partnership between the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London and co-author of the research, said: “Many people affected by cancer can experience psychological difficulties such as stress, anxiety and depression. Research has demonstrated that these can suppress immune activity, at a time when patients need as much support as they can get from their immune system. This research is exciting as it suggests that an activity as simple

to receive treatment.” Team leader of Wokingham Rock Choir, Sarah Washington, isn’t surprised by the findings. She said: “Singing makes you buzz! Our members say that after rehearsals and performances they are on a high. The positive effects genuinely make us feel better. “We have members who are recovering from cancer, suffer from anxiety, depression and other serious illnesses and the results on their well being is palpable.” Following on from this research, Tenovus Cancer Care is launching a two year study looking in more depth at the longitudinal effect of choir singing over several months. It will look at mental health, wellbeing, social support and ability to cope with cancer, alongside measuring stress hormones and immune function amongst patients, carers, staff and people who have lost somebody to cancer. n To find out more call the Tenovus Cancer Care free Support Line on 0808 808 1010 or visit tenovuscancercare.org.uk.

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| HERITAGE 20 Friday, August 21, 2015 TheWokinghamPaPer

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WokinghamRemembers

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

HERITAGE | 17

In association association with with In

Exploring Exploringour ourheritage heritagewith with wokinghamremembers.com wokinghamremembers.com

Emmbrook – one m or two? The amazing story of the hamlet REVIEW

The past which has shaped our present...

In the first of a new series, PETER SHILHAM takes us on a potted history of the This week MikE ChuRChER reviews the Wokingham Remembers articles Emmbrook village, which of theback pastto four months dates at least theand discusses some of the factors which contributed 18th Century, changed hands to the making of Wokingham several times and ultimately and its environment. became a growing village in major impact they had on the town and the past months the its ownVER right

O T

Wokingham Remembers page has been providing an early picture HE origins of this part of of how a small market town and a Wokingham remain, so far, few villages on the edge of a forest is today unknown. ranked as one of the country’s leading An early reference that has communities. been found is in an Indenture dated Education, religion, industry, transport, 4th October 1785 innational which three closes social structures, politics and oflocal arable land etc commonly called government are all important and known as Emmbrook otherwise pieces in building the great Wokingham Turnbrook Ground is sold by Thomas jigsaw. Here now is a summary of our Mattingley of Waltham St Lawrence, contributions to date and a few ideas on carpenter, to William Douglas of the next round of articles. Wokingham, yeoman. Education, It consisted ofEducation, seven acres adjoining toEducation a heath called Toutley Heath in the parish of Hurst, for which Today’s Wokingham is William renowned as Douglas paid £155 andcentres in addition the one of the country’s of excellence sum of £17.1s.6dthis timber value.due to strong for education; is partly school performance and the motivated It further appears that Thomas parents who liveadvantage in one of the most Mattingley took of the highly educated communities inReading, the UK. bankruptcy of Thomas Round of If we scrivenor. look into the history of a money Wokingham’s we can Prior to this schools it had been heldsee first by howSegore education woven intobyits DNA. John andisafterwards John Prior to the War, Wokingham Pidgeon, JohnGreat Crockford and Henry Nash. was surrounded manor inherited houses and In 1802 Edwardby Douglas the members of the landed who land from his father, andgentry he then sold it toLong be close to the levers of power; towanted William in 1837. i.e.This the 7royal ofaWindsor. acreshouseholds belonged to messuage these house upper with echelons farmIn(aturn dwelling outbuildings possessed a serious duty and land assigned to sense its use)ofcalled and a responsibility to ensure their Toutley’s. community received atRose leastInn a basic At an auction at The in 1815 education. had a 100 acres ofWokingham land referredalso to as Toutley powerful professional class, a strong Heath was described as extending church (including each sidecommunity of the Turnpike (nowthe Oldnonconformists) and together they shared Forest Road) and as an “eligible dry and a strong belief thebuilding importance picturesque spotinfor and aof teaching. object for the investment of prominent The result was with the skills, the capital”. motivation and the finance available, The Turnpike referred to is described there developed a culture of education by William Cobbett in his Rural Rides. which still holds strong to this1822 day. His entry for 9th November Wokingham transport describes his journey from Egham, across Transport is through probablyWinkfield the singleand Windsor Forest, most important in Wokingham’s Binfield where hefactor stopped for breakfast development, in both its and The road “at a very nice country innrail called systems. Stag and Hounds”. Future articles look at the He described thewill route here as the introduction railwaystract and the “north border of the a villainous of

we have already made a start with the road system by mapping out the course of the old Forest Road. While the building of the M4 had a major influence on the introduction of the high tech businesses which now surround Wokingham, it is the A329M which in 1975 cut off the Forest Road and its natural connections between Emmbrook and the villages of Hurst and Binfield. The love and hate relationship with our rail and roads continue to this day!

Wokingham’s military heritage

As 2015 is the bi-centenary of the Wokingham Railway Station viewed from Wellington Road looking towards St Pauls Church. Battle of Waterloo, there have been a The One Stop store in Reading Road was once known as the Embrook Post Office –the single M difference showed the way in which the spelling varied over the years. number of articles commemorating this The story was told in June, and also historians, Sarah Huxford, also took itsthe replacement: local government. Below: Emmbrook’s village schoolroom was built on site that is now home to the village hall. world changing event. commemorated the 800th anniversary us on a journey to the old battlefields Wokingham’s wild side present Village Hall. country” which “much extensive lawn called Toutley Common, Evening Lecture held on Wednesdays, The area haspassed alwaysthrough been noted for of the Magna Carta, signed at nearby the in searchEmmbrook of their graves. This story Before believe in the idea of land but newly and “it Mrs Bullock commenced her duties within onewe mile and atoo halfmuch of Wokingham, Reading andinRecreation Room (including itsthe contribution to theenclosed” nation’s military Runnymede 1215. reflects only a microcosm of the losses thatfive Wokingham’s development wasaa was really not worth a strawREME, before it there asthe teacher in of 1858. and from Reading, commanding draughts and bagatelle) during the winter capability, with Arborfield’s around county Berkshire, but solidly sedate experience, May’s article Shining a light on was with theconnections fruit of the and labour RFAloaded and Remount the Arthur Saltmarsh was athe member ofthe variety of beautiful prospects and near a months, with provision of newspapers affirms the importance of wars in told the story of the rioting in the town of the people living in the parts of the Wokingham’s Ages’ Sandhurst and Wellington Colleges all adevelopment family of independent means from turnpike road. (paid for by Edward‘Dark Nicholson of of our local character. centre during the time of the 1857 General country from the Fund Wen. What To bring Green us up to date the August situateddistant very nearby. Howden in Yorkshire. A coach goes by the door to and from Matthews (now called Cantley). Election. Wokingham and articles focused the kids whonot are injustice!” Even the Duke of Wellington took to In 1838, at the age of 56, he married London every day.” Teasare were held atonwhich it was Such events were a common sight in now enteringfor into their summer holidays. the Royal Forest Moreincan be found in Emmbrook living Stratfield Saye, which today– is 20-year-old Caroline Oswald. She was This then lay in the parish of St uncommon there to be an address the town and this short and bloody battle Lookinginat1864, today’s community, What betterTemperance way to use this month’s More available at only Unfinished 30 minutes History away from Wokingham’s widowed being very well it is Nicholas, withand Emmbrook from Reading Society. between Hurst, the Whigs the Tories also difficult tofor. visualise just how rural the editions than to tellan the storiesChristmas of the Embrook Post Office. Note the variable town centre. provided then being in the parish of All Saints’ There was also annual highlighted the Bush and Rose hotels in area oncelater was and in part explains the a Romans, the Celts andEmmbrook the Saxonschildren spelling of Emmbrook that persisted until Wokingham, but later being transferred A year the Revd Henry Gamble, Tree (a party for the Wokingham’s Market Place as the headquarters of these sometimes fragile relationship between on the area before Wokingham after about 1945, the Post Office next to Presbyterian minister, married her and by influence into Paul’s when that church was built with the gift of buns and oranges). twoSt feral groups. benefactor culture the old new wasBenefactors even a twinkle in this old Wocca’s The Rifle Volunteer keeping history alive. 1867 theand land andWokingham; buildings onfew the corner in 1864. for all includedeye? the The story was also able to reflect TheReading area around Wokingham was areas in the UK have witnessed such David Nash Ford provided a set of The Mercury and Oxford of Emmbrook Road, known as Toutley Bill the Hillnational was another, and more notable, Leveson Gowers from Bill Hill, Mr and upon scene and the corrupt surrounded byNovember many remarkable extraordinary growth and change in the articles and puzzles which makes Gazette of 17th 1788 carried a Roundabout, was conveyed by deed to the Mrs Viall from Emmbrook House, the house immediate area, but inthe natureinofthe general elections before individuals they (to were profile of its population. history fun for the young and no doubt notice of theand auction be instrumental held at The in Rector and Churchwardens of St Paul’s Hurst (the parish Perambulation Nicholson family and later the Paley introduction of the private ballot.of the building much needed infrastructure Although Wokingham’s history will also catch the interest of the parents Rose Inn) the of Toutley Hall, describing it Wokingham. Boundaries, by thewill parish officers, in 1838 family from Matthews Green (Cantley). Future articles include further which underpinned the establishment of has always been intertwined with who will be looking over their child’s as a modern built brick villa “completely tales of anarchy and revelry in this old It continued as a school for Emmbrook commenced at The Brick Kiln, Emmbrook, For the winter months, the Heelas a strongfor community. the surrounding villages by providing shoulder. adapted a small family with coach market children when they were near Billtown. Hill). family provided blankets Weand willstabling later be telling storyand of the a marketuntil place1894 for agricultural and Here’s to the next roundfor of those articles! house for fourthe horses, received at St Paul’s School, Reading Road The Bill Hill estate extended into needing them. This was first notedSteve in Walter family and their contributions to commercial produce, it was also a Forest Thanks go out to our contributors: Wokingham at War two acres of rich meadow adjoining, most (recently converted to private dwellings). Emmbrook and for some time it had been 1888 and by October 1899 20 pairs were the building of Wokingham but in April Town. The term ‘forest’ did not mean a Bacon, Jim Bell, David Nash Ford, Sarah There are watershed moments in agreeably and delightfully situated on an However, by 1871 had been home of themark Leveson Gower family. distributed. first weekly issue, we told the story of the the cluster of trees, but aCaroline system of laws laid Huxford, Roger Long, Trevor Ottlewski history which the moment of great widowed once again andprotection was livingofin was there a bazaar was heldWar in of scheme was operation in much loved Arthur Hill, the 6th Marquess Itchange down by royalty for the in a that society and the Great andThe Peter Shilham forstill all in their continuing Broad Street, Wokingham at the home of August 1856 being November 1932. of Downshire. their hunting grounds. 1914-1918 is (it onethen such time.the residence contributions. George Goad, a practising surgeon.local of Arthur Saltmarsh) onof behalf of the While enlargement Although one of Britain’s wealthiest These onerous rules restricted Therefore a number centenaries All this the work is provided of bythe ourParish She later to Torquay where Church Missionary Society, Church of St Paul’s in progress landowners, Arthur Hill doubled as the people fromremoved using large parts of the land between 2014 and 2018 willin aid of the local historians freewas of charge and in she died in 1894, aged 76. led to the building of a Ragged School. 1873, service Emmbrook chief of the local Fire Brigade and was a for sustenance and in part commemorate the great losses of war can beafound onwas the held frontatpage of the School Room at Emmbrook riseThe of local highwaymen and general The sales of articles realised above when the church was notwebsite available for major financial contributor to this part of which scarred the people of Wokingham Wokingham Remembers lawlessness. As a result, for the of the century. www.wokinghamremembers.com Wokingham’s public services. became the social centrethe forsubsequent the village. £100, norest mean sum20th of money in those weekday services. Black 1723Lending came down heavily May’s edition followed the story Thanks alsoThe to Mark Ashwell at Later articles will illustrate the It wasAct theof local Library for on days – about £9,680 in today’s money. n Next week: story of Emmbrook these ‘Wokingham resulted in ofIttwo brothers TradeMark for supporting paper’s demise of these great manors and their Wokingham LibraryBlacks’ (open and the first would seemfrom that Langborough this was for the continues with a look at thethe schools, shops either their transportation execution. Road inschool Wokingham Oneofofthe our commitment to thisWar project. incumbent social system and the rise of Monday in the month), the or venue for the village built ontown. the site and its First World dead

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EDUCATION | 21

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Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

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Scouts popularity growing – so more adults wanted

Peasy does it!

By JOHN WAKEFIELD news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

SCHOOLS in the borough are being asked to take part in a growing challenge. The WWF is asking children years 1 to 6 to have a go at planting peas. The charity says that this is the perfect way to learn about nature and healthy eating as spring finally gets underway. Any child can have a go at ‘sowing, growing and showing’ homegrown crops of delicious green peas, either in a window box or small growing patch. Every school that registers for the challenge before the end of April will receive a free Easy Peasy Pea Seed Kit provided by WWF and the Seed Pantry. The kit includes a pack of Sugar Ann pea seeds, a simple growing guide and a tasty pea recipe card from Alpro. Peas only take 10 weeks to grow, so young growers can sow the seeds at school and share their progress using the hashtag #Plant2Plate and tweeting a school selfie with the seed packet @wwf_uk. WWF wants schools taking part to share news of their first green shoots, when their peas begin to climb, first pea pods, how tall the peas grow and to hear the most unusual and inventive pea recipes. Neil Whitehead, director of the Seed

Pantry said: “We’re excited to be involved in the Easy Peasy Pea Challenge. Growing peas at school is a great way for children to re-connect with, and understand food, from seed to plate.” The Easy Peasy Pea Challenge is part of WWF’s exciting Plant2Plate school campaign. Sponsored by Alpro, Plant2Plate focuses on what can be done to produce and consume food in a sustainable way that is not harmful to our shared planet and that is healthier for people. Cherry Duggan, Head of Schools and Youth at WWF said: “WWF believes we should all encourage children to have a go at planting, growing and cooking with fresh ingredients. “Changing to healthier diets – with more fruit and vegetables, less meat, and different sources of protein – is very much in the news, but we rarely hear how what we eat and the ways in which we are growing, producing and processing food has a massive impact on our planet, contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss.” n To take part in the Easy Peasy Pea Challenge, register for a seed kit at www. wwf.org.uk/plant2plate. Deadline for registering for free peas is April 29.

SCOUTING is celebrating the silver anniversary of admitting women into the movement - and new research shows that it’s been a hugely popular move. In the past 25 years, the number of girls and young women signing up means that a quarter of Scouts are female. There are 144,000 female Scouts and 2,600 of them live in Berkshire. The trend is continuing - The Scout Association’s latest annual membership figures released on Wednesday revealed that 179 girls and women joined Berkshire Scouts in the past year, alongside a growth of 334 young men and boys. This means that there are now 9,356 young people involved in Scouting across Berkshire – up 4.7% on 2014. Including adult volunteers, total membership today is up by 6.4% and now stands at 11,633. Scouting continues to be the largest coeducational youth movement in the UK with eleven consecutive years of growth in its youth membership. But this growth has had a knock-on effect and a call has gone for more adult volunteers to step forward and help the movement flourish. The Association said that despite 93 more adults joining in the past year, there is still a huge need for more volunteers to cope with increased demand from young people. Betony Taylor, one of two Local Development Officers for Berkshire Scouts, said: “Scouting in Berkshire is proving ever-more popular and in the last few years we have seen fantastic increases in our membership numbers.

Scouting provides all kinds of opportunities for children and young adults including water-based activities and circus skills

“This increased interest is not without its challenges. We work with our existing Scouts Groups to grow and expand by opening more sections as well as opening brand new groups to offer as much provision as we can. “For example last year we opened a brand new group in Bracknell, providing spaces for over 30 young people and welcoming eight new adult volunteers. “We are always working with our volunteers to help and advise on recruiting more adult volunteers to groups. “With more volunteers we can offer even better opportunities to even more young people in Berkshire.” The movement’s Chief Scout has added his voice to the call for more adults to step forward. Bear Grylls said: “I am super proud to see so many young people and adults learning

new life skills, and achieving personal rewards through Scouting in the UK. “I am excited to see Scout numbers continue to rise across the UK, especially the numbers of girls. “What I’m most pleased about is that Scouts across the UK are putting their time into helping their local communities. Through our A Million Hands campaign we are pledging one million hands to supporting four of the biggest social issues currently facing the UK and the wider world, but we can’t do it on our own. “We want all young people to come and give Scouting a try and to get involved. This is how we can all play a vital role in shaping tomorrow’s world for the better.” The record growth in young women and girls joining Scouting is a testament to the Scout Association’s commitment to fostering diversity and social integration within our local communities. n For more, log on to berkshirescouts.org.uk

Memory boy Henry takes on China watched by 100million people A 13-year-old schoolboy has become a star in the Far East after appearing on the popular Super Brain China memory challenge show, watched by more than 100m viewers late last month. Henry Bole, a year 9 pupil from Crowthorne, had received months of extra tuition from his mentor James Paterson, a teacher at leading independent all-ability school LVS Ascot. This preparation almost paid off as he narrowly lost out to a 21-year-old university student from China whilst representing Great Britain. He was even chased by autograph hunters and fans wanting to have their pictures taken with him during filming of the show. LVS Ascot has a pedigree in memory skills, with Psychology teacher James Paterson a fourtime runner up in the UK Memory Championships, holder of a world memory record, and participant in Super Brain China himself in 2015. Henry has featured in the TV documentary Memory Slam, about the UK Schools’ Memory

Championships, in which he reached the final four aged just 12 and smashed a national schools’ record by memorising 104 random objects in order in just 15 minutes. The Chinese TV company who make Super Brain China heard about Henry’s exploits and he was subsequently selected to join threetime World Memory Champion Ben Pridmore, current UK Memory Champion Marlo Knight and former World Mental Calculation

Champion Robert Fountain in the Great Britain team that flew out to the Nanjing to take on China’s memory experts in one of the country’s biggest tv shows. He told the show’s presenter: “I am here to avenge my mentor, James Paterson, who lost here last year”.

However, the producers could not find anyone to represent China in Henry’s age group who could match his skills, so his selected opponent was a 21-year-old university student who had taken part in the show before and competed at the World Memory Championships. Their head-to-head challenge

involved memorising the order of 100 models of pandas which were situated on unique grass mats, and then working out which four pandas had been moved by the judges, who were all Chinese celebrities. Whilst Henry was defeated by a slightly faster and more accurate rival, it was a gallant effort as Great Britain lost by two challenges to one with one drawn event. The memory techniques taught

to Henry are commonplace at LVS Ascot, where James Paterson leads revision classes for students, and even parents so they can help their children revise. These are complimented by additional sessions for students before and after school to hone skills such as memory palace recall and mind mapping in preparation for their exams. James said: “I’m really proud of Henry, he was unfazed by being part of a team of adult memory champions or by taking on a much older contestant in front of a huge audience. “The training sessions at LVS Ascot have really helped him progress and gain confidence, and it is a huge benefit that we are able to provide memory coaching such as this to all our students in the build up to exams. “They are beneficial in reducing stress and our learning techniques will help them be successful in GCSEs and A-Levels and beyond.”

Your weekly puzzle challenge

22 | LEISURE

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Quiz Challenge

CROSS CODE 2 4

1 13

18 10

22 13

18 20

1. Who was nicknamed ‘The Beard’ by the United States intelligence services? 2. In which county is Sedgemoor, scene in 1685 of the last pitched battle fought on English soil? 3. The small town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is home to which theme park? 4. What is the only sign of the zodiac to start and finish with the same letter? 5. The major operational command of the British Army is based in which Hampshire town?

2 21

23 18

18 13

2 20

18 25

21 13

11 22

4 22

18 21

6 21

NONAGRAM

Each number in our Cross Code grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. You have three letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you get the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and control grid. Check off the alphabetical list of letters as you identify them.

MAGIC SQUARE

PRESSURE MAY JAM UP

Spell out a 15-letter word or phrase by moving from one chamber to another within the pyramid. You may only enter each of the chambers once and may only proceed R through openings in the walls. The L first letter may appear in any chamber. S E

C P R

E M O

How many words of four letters or more can you make from this Nonagram? Each word must use the central letter, and each letter may be used only once. At least one word using all nine letters can be found. Guidelines: 33 Good; 39 Very Good; 46 Excellent.

3 9 4 2

G H

D O

A H

1 5

2 8 1 3 6 4 7 5 6

Here are two miniature fivesquare crosswords using the same grid – but the letters have been mixed up. You have to work out which letters belong to which crossword.

EQUALISER 4 9 12 1 2 2 7 3 2 2 8 5

Hard

Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box.

1 9 2 7 8 2 6 5 9 3 4 6 3 7 6 7 1 9 5 3 8 6 2 5 3 9 5 6 2 7 3 8 2 7 6 4 5

SUDOKU Easy

6 7

Place the four signs (add, subtract, multiply, divide) one in each circle so that the total of each across and down line is the same. Perform the first calculation in each line first and ignore the mathematical law which says you should always perform division and multiplication before addition and subtraction.

2 1 9

All puzzles on this page are supplied by Sirius Media Services. To try more of our puzzles interactively online go to www.puzzledrome.com

8 10

10 13

13 15

17 21

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

FIVE ALIVE

Any word found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary (Tenth Edition) is eligible with the following exceptions: proper nouns; plural nouns, pronouns and possessives; third person singular verbs; hyphenated words; contractions and abbreviations; vulgar slang words; variant spellings of the same word (where another variant is also eligible).

Using all 16 letters of the phrase above, form four words each of four letters which will fit in the grid to form a magic square in which the words can be read both horizontally and vertically.

6. Which current MP for a Yorkshire seat has been both Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Home Secretary? 7. In which US state is all of the land at least 1000 metres above sea level? 8. Which German word is used in English to mean the spirit of an age and its society? 9. Which Kent port town had a station specifically serving its harbour until it was officially closed in 2014? 10. Actor Aaron Paul plays Jesse Pinkman in which TV crime drama series?

WORD PYRAMID

S O U

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

ACROSS DOWN 1. Happen to turn the opposite 1. Immediate way of paying for way in the main (4,5) fish (3) 2. Am confused over sound of 6. Dispose of during Friday (3) crow or parrot (5) 8. Noted medico? (6,2,5) 3. Yet coal could have been distributed by a follower (7) 9. Wordy exchange involving a 4. Old boy is to become a disorderly person (5) member of the orchestra (6) 10. Colonist who pays his bills? (7) 5. Try like the devil? (5) 6. Decide to clear up again (7) 11. One who is certain to lose 7. Create odd design that was weight more quickly (6) honoured (9) 13. Most uneven? (6) 9. Recently added grass outside revived (9) 16. Lo, cheap rebuilding is of its 12. After a point nought will age (7) come of this weapon (7) 18. Disheartened when it 14. Heretical creed I’d comes to fruit (5) condemned (7) 20. He gets the lot when no one 15. Thatcher’s successor? (6) 17. He may be spotted laughing (5) else can afford it (7,6) 19. They always meet in the 22. Large number at home middle of the ring (5) make a noise (3) 21. Man shortly trapped by 23. Shortening a loan (9) Gregory (3)

QUICK CROSSWORD 1

11 13

18 22

22 23 29

29 31

SOLUTIONS

30 31

ACROSS 2. Italian ice cream (7) 7. London gallery (4) 8. Frozen (4) 9. Discussed formally (7) 10. Destiny (4) 12. Fake (4) 15. Aspect (5) 17. Gruesome (6) 18. Keep (6) 19. Desire (6) 21. Affected by bacteria (6)

22. Fried lightly (5) 23. Rave (4) 26. Formerly (4) 28. Clap (7) 29. Jester (4) 30. Dull (4) 31. Dead body (7) DOWN 1. Heroic tale (4) 2. Yield (4) 3. Underpass (6) 4. Deer’s horn (6) 5. Helps (4) 6. Greek cheese (4)

10. 11. 13. 14. 15. 16. 20. 21. 24. 25. 26. 27.

Combatant (7) Teaching (7) Encourage (7) Wrist restraint (7) Dental twine (5) Native American tent (5) Interfere (6) Layers (6) Biblical prophet (4) Body powder (4) Likelihood (4) Rugged rock (4)

1 8 3 2 6 4 5 7 9

5 2 4 3 7 9 6 1 8

9 6 7 5 1 8 2 3 4

2 4 8 1 3 6 7 9 5

7 5 6 8 9 2 3 4 1

3 9 1 7 4 5 8 6 2

4 3 2 6 8 1 9 5 7

6 1 5 9 2 7 4 8 3

6 8 9 4 7 5 1 2 3

8 7 9 4 5 3 1 2 6

EASY SUDOKU

14 1

15 2

16 3

CROSS CODE

3 5 4 1 2 6 7 9 8

1 7 2 9 8 3 5 6 4

7 3 6 2 1 4 9 8 5

4 2 5 8 3 9 6 7 1

9 1 8 5 6 7 3 4 2

2 4 7 6 5 1 8 3 9

5 9 3 7 4 8 2 1 6

8 6 1 3 9 2 4 5 7

HARD SUDOKU

17 4

18 5

19 6

20 7

21 8

22 9

WORD PYRAMID: Go head over heels. EQUALISER: Clockwise from top left – divide; subtract; multiply; add. Total: 10. MAGIC SQUARE: jump; user; mesa; pray.

24 11

D W

7 Decorated; 9 Refreshed; 12 Shotgun; 14 Decried; 15 Slater; 17 compo; compose; composer; COMPOSURE; coop; cooper; cope; Hyena; 19 Radii; 21 Reg. coper; copse; corps; corpse; corpus; coup; coupe; crop; croup; crump; cusp; mope; moper; oops; opus; perm; peso; poco; poem; pome; poor; pore; porous; pose; poser; poseur; pour; proem; prom; promo; prose; puce; pure; purse; recoup; romp; rope; roup; rump; scoop; scooper; scope; scrump; scup; soup; spec; sperm; spoor; spore; spruce; sprue; spue; spume; spur; sump; super; supremo; uprose. QUICK CROSSWORD: Across – 2 Cassata; 7 Tate; 8 Iced; 9 Debated; 10 Fate; 12 Sham; 15 Facet; 17 Grisly; 18 Retain; 19 Thirst; 21 Septic; 22 Sauté; 23 Rant; 26 Once; 28 Applaud; 29 Fool; 30 Drab; 31 Carcass. Down – 1 Saga; 2 Cede; 3 Subway; 4 Antler; 5 Aids; 6 Feta; 10 Fighter; 11 Tuition; 13 Hearten; 14 Manacle; 15 Floss; 16 Tepee; 20 Tamper; 21 Strata; 24 Amos; 25 Talc; 26 Odds; 27 Crag.

Down – Gamma; Unsay; Dorks. CRYPTIC CROSSWORD: Across – 1 Come about; 6 Rid; 8 Doctor of Music; 9 Rowdy; 10 (2) Across – Manly; Tonic; Start. Down – Moths; Nanna; Yacht. Settler; 11 Faster; 13 Oddest; 16 Epochal; 18 Cored; 20 Highest bidder; 22 Din; 23 Abridging. NONAGRAM: Down – 1 Cod; 2 Macaw; 3 Acolyte; 4 Oboist; 5 Tempt; 6 Resolve;

QUIZ CHALLENGE: 1 Fidel Castro; 2 Somerset; 3 Dollywood; 4 Sagittarius; 5 Andover; 6 Yvette Cooper; 7 Colorado; 8 Zeitgest; 9 Folkestone; 10 Breaking Bad.

(1) Across – Glued; Miser; Abyss.

FIVE ALIVE:

Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

Leisure

Your guide to what’s happening around Wokingham

REVIEW

PREVIEW

There’s something in the wire

The cast of Wokingham Theatre’s production of Hacktivists/Chatroom. Picture: Nicky Allpress

Hacktivists/Chatroom The Wokingham Theatre Until April 16

HE rise of social media in the last ten years and its negative impact on young people is the focus of Wokingham Theatre’s current production. This double production of Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent and Chatroom by Enda Walsh looks at the way the internet users can be manipulated both online and off. Hacktivists follows a group of secondary school students who spend their free time honing their ‘hacking’ skills. Their activities are fairly innocent and mundane, until a new girl at school, Beth, joins the ranks and quickly seizes control. When the group is publicly ridiculed at a house party, Beth swears revenge on the most popular boy in school and convinces the hackers to intercept his medical records and pretend that he has a condition that will make his hair fall out. Having taught the bully a lesson, Beth sets her sights on a much bigger target: BT. Will the group unleash a virus on one of the biggest telecommunications companies in the world, or will they realise the consequences of their actions before it is too late?

Following a similar vein, Chatroom focuses on six teenagers who only interact online. They have never met in person, yet feel comfortable enough sharing their deepest thoughts and feelings with each other, without realising how vulnerable they have made themselves. Before long, the conversation turns sinister, and suicidal Jim is being talked into ending his life on-camera for the rest to watch. Is there any kindness online, and can it reach Jim in his hour of need? The problem with plays that focus on the internet and social media is that they can become dated very quickly. But the themes of peer pressure and personal safety will always be relevant, which is where these productions shine. The plays raise some important questions which should resonate with a younger audience as well as seasoned theatre-goers. Hacktivists touches on the way people ‘overshare’ with complete strangers through Facebook and Twitter, leading to personal information being compromised, while Chatroom shows how that information can be used to manipulate the sharer. It also raises the worrying concern that some people feel it is easier to share their problems with strangers rather than someone in the ‘real’ world.

Hacktivists poses the ever-real problem of the ‘keyboard warrior’ and ‘trolls’, people who hide behind their computer screen, saying or doing whatever they like because they can’t be seen. The play shows the realworld consequences of such actions, and reminds the audience that what happens online doesn’t always stay online. While the street-dance sequences between scenes in Hacktivists, complete with LEDs and thumping Dubstep, seem like they are trying a bit too hard to be relevant and edgy, the overall performance is good and the characters are believable, mostly because they are played by secondary school-age teens. Chatroom is the more compelling of the two, using only chairs to signify the characters’ locations and a screen projecting the key excerpts of dialogue being typed out. As standalone plays, these two productions would probably be lost in the ether, but by combining them the directors have managed to emphasise the underlying themes, and show that the internet can reveal its dark side in a number of sinister and disturbing ways. n Hacktivists/Chatroom is running until Saturday, April 16. Tickets are £10, £5 for concessions. For more information visit www. wokingham-theatre.org.uk. GEMMA DAVIDSON

What would a world without women be like? AN EVENING of dance is coming to South Hill Park next week. 2Faced will bring a special double bill to the Bracknell-based arts centre on Tuesday. The all-male dance company will present Dreaming In Code. which has been described as “a breath-taking collision of kinetically charged dance and theatre”. It comprises two pieces; milk night, choreographed by Eddie Kay for Frantic Assembly and Lucid Grounds, by the company’s own award-winning Artistic Director Tamsin Fitzgerald. Boasting an original soundtrack from composers Angus MacRaeand Tony-nominated

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Alex Baranowski, and a cast of five male dancers, 2Faced Dance explore what the future could look like in this powerful new work. Talking about his piece, milk night, Eddie Kayhas said: “When I was approached to work with an all-male company I became instantly absorbed by the thought of the absence of women. “We can only imagine what would happen in this situation but, while exploring the idea with the performers, it became apparent we were all afraid of the same thing: forgetting. “What would men have to do in order to hold onto the ever-fading memories of being with real women?”

Tamsin said of her piece: “Over the years I have become fascinated by the power of the brain and its ability to both control and disable the body. This led me to look at my own recollection of childhood events and memories. Is what we remember the truth or a series of small truths pieced together to create a new event or story? What would happen if we were able to directly experience each other’s memories or dreams?” Dreaming in Code is at 7.30pm on Tuesday. Tickets cost £14, £13 for concessions and £9 for under 21s. n For more details, log on to www. southhillpark.org.uk or call 01344 484123.

The sounds of Frankie Valli A SHOW that has taken the UK by storm is returning to its home next week. Bye Bye Baby is a show that pays tribute to the sounds of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It’s the brainchild of a local musical director, Marc Ryzer and it takes audiences through the journey of the Four Seasons with all its highs and lows; right from how the group formed; to how they were admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It features a huge set list including classics Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man and Will You Still Love me Tomorrow. It’s coming to The Hexagon in Reading next Thursday as part of a UK tour, direct from London. Musical director Marc said: “We are very much looking forward to visiting Reading. The dates we have played in the UK since the show launched earlier this year have been unbelievable – we have been playing to packed houses and the response has been incredible.” The show features a four-piece live band. Marc adds: “Our singers are of an

incredible vocal range and quality. Take our lead singer Jamie Ledwith. He sings in the same vocal range as Frankie Valli (falsetto) and if you close your eyes, it really could be him.” Tickets for the show cost £21.50 and can be bought by logging on to www. readingarts.com or calling 0118 960 6060.

Animal Corner with Gemma Davidson CAN you offer these adorable animals a loving forever home? Each week, we team up with the folk at Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre in Nelsons Lane, Hurst, to try to find new homes for the animals currently in their care EMMA This eightmonth-old spaniel was found as a stray, and despite strenuous efforts to locate her owner, no-one has come forward to claim her. She is a beautiful dog, found in a very good condition, and is incredibly happy and friendly. As with any dog of her age, she is very bouncy and active and full of fun. Emma will definitely need to go to dog school and will need general training as well as an active and interesting lifestyle. She loves people, but we think she is too bouncy for children under 10. She loves other dogs and would happily play with them all day! She will need an owner who can be around most of the time. We don’t want to see this lovely dog be let down again so if you think you can give her the life she deserves please come and see her.

REBEL This four-and-a-half-year-old collie came to DBARC from a dog pound. He has

been assessed as between four and five-years-old, but he does look a bit older, maybe he has just had a hard life. Despite his name, he is not rebellious at all, but is a perfect gentleman who loves to please. He is bright, funny and loves to play. He loves people and is good with other dogs, although he can get a bit worried around very big dogs. Rebel just wants to be somebody’s special companion who he can give all his love to. Could you be that person?

CHUBS AND HYDE These two-anda-halfmonth-old kittens are the best of friends and would ideally like to be homed together. They have both been neutered, and are very friendly, loving little boys. They would make the ideal addition to any family! Kittens are a life-long commitment though, so make sure you don’t base your decision solely on the cute factor! n Could you offer a forever home to any of these animals? If the answer is ‘yes’ then please get in touch with the centre on 0118 934 1122 to make sure the animals have not already been reserved. The centre is open everyday between 11am and 1pm, and 2pm and 4pm. For more information, and to view other animals in need of a home visit www.dbarc.org.uk

24 | LEISURE

To advertise email advertising@wokinghampaper.co.uk

What’s on Friday, April 15 BRACKNELL – Priestwood Community centre, Priestwood Court Road RG42 1TU . Berkshire Family History Meeting: AGM followed by Presenting Your Family History, a talk by Sue Gibbons. 7.15pm for 7.30pm. Details: bracknell@ berksfhs.org.uk EARLEY – Our Lady of Peace Social Club, Wokingham Road RG6 7DA (entrance off Aldbourne Avenue). Reading and Wokingham Spanish Circle meeting: Madrid, Segiovia y Toledo, en Tren with John Rosam and Liz Manley. 7.45pm. £3. Details, 0118 977 2569 or 0118 979 2458. EMMBROOK – Emmbrook Sports and Social Club, Lowther Road. Wokingham Music Club presents The Fliks: 60s girl group sounds. £10. Details: www. wokinghammusicclub.co.uk HURST – Emmbrook Room, Dinton Pastures Country Park RG10 0TH. Berkshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers exhibition. 10.30am-4.30pm. Details: www.bswd.org.uk. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Crochet Group with Gaynor White from Barkham Hookers. All abilities welcome. 9.30am11.30am. £4. Cribbage and card games club. 10.30am. Wokingham VIP group: book group for visually impaired. 2pm-4pm. Local history surgery: drop-in for advice. 10am-noon. Details: 0118 978 1368. WOKINGHAM – Theatre, Twyford Road RG40 5TU. Wokingham Theatre presents Hacktivists and Chatroom. 7.45pm. £10, under 18s and students £5. Details: www.wokinghamtheatre.org.uk WOODLEY – Library, Headley Road RG5 4JA. Art Macabre presents a Dark Dahl Drawing Salon to honour Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday. 7pm-9pm. £8. Booking essential. Bring an easel or something to lean on. Details: 0118 969 0304. WOODLEY – The Oakwood Centre, Headley Road RG5 4JZ. Woodley and Earley

Arts Group exhibition. Free entry. Details: www.facebook.com/ woodleyandearleyartsgroup

Saturday, April 16 ARBORFIELD – Lockey Farm, Sindlesham Road RG2 9JH. Lambing day. 10am-4pm. Details: 0118 976 1063. BRADFIELD – Rushall Farm, Scratchface Lane RG7 6DL. Bluebell walks and lambing weekend in aid of MS. Treasure hunt, family fun, woodland walks, home made cakes. Suggested donaion £5, children £3, under threes free. 11am-5pm. Details: www. msreading.org.uk or 0118 961 6107. CROWTHORNE – The Old Gym, Wellington College RG45 7PU. Crowthorne Symphony Orchestra spring concert. £13, £15 on door. Details: 0118 972 2164. EARLEY – University of Reading Whiteknights Campus RG6 2AH. Magic Band night in aid of an orphanage in Tanzania. Tickets include two-course meal. 7pm. £25, £15 students, plus booking fee. Details: http://tinyurl.com/ mbmojos FARLEY HILL – Victory Hall, Church Road RG7 1TR. Firewwork bare foot charity event. 5.30pm, walk from 7.30pm. Details: firewalkbarefoot.eventbrite. co.uk HURST – Emmbrook Room, Dinton Pastures Country Park RG10 0TH. Berkshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers exhibition. 10.30am-4.30pm. Details: www.bswd.org.uk. SHINFIELD – St Mary’s Church Hall, Church Lane RG2 9BY. Dads and Kids fun day: Spring into Action. Details: 0118 988 5923. WINNERSH – St Mary The Virgin, Church Close RG41 5NA. Table top sale. 2pm4.30pm. WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Rose Street RG40 1XS. Rose Street Gardeners plant sale. 10am-noon. Details: 0118 977 6898. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Teen writing group for ages 11-18. 10.30am-noon. Wokingham Writers Group for adults. 10am. Details:

Cats Protection Bracknell, Wokingham & Districts Branch

Spring Fair

Saturday, 23rd April 2016, 1pm - 4pm Carnation Hall, Chavey Down Road, Winkfield RG42 7PA Entrance Fee: £1 per person or a donation of cat food

There’s plenty of fun to be had including Cats Protection goods, cat collectables, toys, books, bric-a-brac, raffle, tombola, jewellery, membership stand, delicious cakes and goods, free parking and cats, cats, cats, looking for homes!

T: 03453 714 212 E: readingeastcp@hotmail W: www.cats.org.uk/Bracknell

Holding a community event? Send your listings to events@wokinghampaper.co.uk

The best guide for local, community events across Wokingham borough 0118 978 1368. WOKINGHAM – Theatre, Twyford Road RG40 5TU. Wokingham Theatre presents Hacktivists and Chatroom. 7.45pm. £10, under 18s and students £5. Details: www.wokinghamtheatre.org.uk WOKINGHAM – St Paul’s Church, Reading Road RG41 1EH. Reading Symphony Orchestra family classics concert. 7.30pm. £15, £13 concessions, £5 students and under 18s. Details: 0118 986 0707. WOODLEY – The Oakwood Centre, Headley Road RG5 4JZ. Woodley and Earley Arts Group exhibition. Free entry. Details: www.facebook.com/ woodleyandearleyartsgroup

Sunday, April 17 ARBORFIELD – Lockey Farm, Sindlesham Road RG2 9JH. Lambing day. 10am-4pm. Details: 0118 976 1063. BRADFIELD – Rushall Farm, Scratchface Lane RG7 6DL. Bluebell walks and lambing weekend in aid of MS. Treasure hunt, family fun, woodland walks, home made cakes. Suggested donaion £5, children £3, under threes free. 11am-5pm. Details: www. msreading.org.uk or 0118 961 6107. HURST – Emmbrook Room, Dinton Pastures Country Park RG10 0TH. Berkshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers exhibition. 10.30am-3pm. Details: www.bswd.org.uk. HURST – Dinton Pastures Country Park RG10 0TH. Global Dogs unite: a celebration of Guide Dog charities from across the world. From 10.30am. Details: www.guidedogs. org.uk/dogs-unite or 0118 983 8315. SWALLOWFIELD – From car park of All Saints’ Church. Parish walk around Swallowfield led by Graham Symonds. 2pm. WOKINGHAM – St Paul’s Church, Reading Road RG41 1EH. Choral Evensong sermon series: Horrible Heresies: Why What We Believe Really Matters. Guest speaker Father Richard Lamey: being certain about everything.

6.15pm. Details: 0118 979 2122. WOKINGHAM WITHOUT – Pinewood Miniature Railway Society, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Old Wokingham Road RG40 3AQ. Pinewood Minature Railway . 1.30pm-4pm. £1 per ride, buy 5 get 6th free. Details: www. pinewoodrailway.co.uk WOODLEY – The Bulmershe Auditorium, Bulmershe School, Woodlands Avenue RG5 3EU. Brass For Africa concert. 2.30pm. £10, under 18s £5. Details: buytickets. at/brassforafrica.

Monday, April 18 BRACKNELL – Bracknell Open Learning Centre, Rectory Lane RG12 7GR. Bracknell Camera Club meeting: Print Competition. 7.30pm. Details: www.bracknellcamera-club.co.uk. EARLEY – St Nicolas, Sutcliffe Avenue. Noah’s Ark: preschool club. 9.30am. Details: 0118 966 9080. MAIDEN ERLEGH – Library, off Silverdale Road RG6 7HS. Colouring For Adults. 2.15pm-3pm. Details: 0118 966 6630. WOKINGHAM – The Cornerstone, Norreys Avenue RG40 1UE. Wokingham Job Support Centre: Interview workshop. 10.30am-12.30pm. Details: 0118 977 0517. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Knit, Stitch and Natter. 2pm-3pm. Children’s Book Group: Kate Greenaway Shadowing Group. For ages 6-9. Booking essential. 3.45pm-4.30pm. Details: 0118 978 1368.

Tuesday, April 19 EARLEY – St Peter’s Church Hall, Church Road. East Reading Horticultural Society meeting: Lecture: Val Pretlove, Hidden Gardens of the City. 7.45pm. Details: www.erhs.org.uk or 0118 926 7606. EARLEY – St Nicolas, Sutcliffe Avenue. Board Games Cafe: games, chat, coffee and cake. 10am-noon. Free entry. Details: 0118 966 9080. EARLEY – Palmer Building, University of Reading

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Whiteknights Campus RG6 2AH. Reading Film Theatre presents: Hail Caeser! (15). 8pm. £5 members, £8 nonmembers, £7 concessions. Membership £20. Details: 0118 378 7151 or readingfilmtheatre.co.uk. WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Rose Street RG40 1XS. Railway and Transport Club: a talk on Didcot Railway Centre by Frank Cooper. 7.45pm. Details: 0118 977 6898. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Third Tuesday Book Group: discuss new books, bestsellers and favourites. 10.30am-11.30am. National Careers Service: Advice sessions to help you with career planning, CVs and interviews. 9.40am-3.40pm. UK Online: Help and support with computers and the internet for beginners. 2pm-4pm. Details: 0118 978 1368. WOODLEY – Library, Headley Road RG5 4JA. Crochet Group with Gaynor White from Barkham Hookers. All abilities welcome. Noon2pm. £4. Crafts and Laughs. 2pm-4pm. Details: 0118 969 0304.

Wednesday, April 20 SHINFIELD – Parish Hall, School Green. Shinfield Pound Green Women’s Institute meeting. Antiques Roadshow. 7.30pm. WINNERSH – Library, The Forest School, Robin Hood Lane RG41 5ND. Colouring For Adults. 11.45am1.15pm. Details: 0118 979 7519. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Romance in the Raj: a costume presentation with Meredith Towne. Booking essential. 2pm-3.30pm. £5. Rhymetime for Babies. 10am-10.30am. Rhymetime for toddlers. 11am11.30am. Storytime: rhymes and stories for ages 3-5. 2pm-2.30pm. Details: 0118 978 1368. WOKINGHAM – Hope and Anchor, Station Road RG40 2AD. Wokigham Folk and Acoustic Club. 7.30pm. Details: Facebook.com/ WokFAB. WOODLEY – Library, Headley Road RG5 4JA. National

Careers Service. Advice for your CV and career planning. 10am-5pm. Details: 0118 969 0304.

Thursday, April 21 BINFIELD – Memorial Hall RG42 5JA. Binfield Badger Group illustrated talk on Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs. 7pm. Details: 07092 234377. EARLEY – Wokingham Waterside Centre, Thames Valley Park Drive, RG6 1PQ. Inner Engineerig personal growth through yoga course. Introductory talk: 6.30pm. Details: 07789 070539. EARLEY – Palmer Building, University of Reading Whiteknights Campus RG6 2AH. Reading Film Theatre presents: Rams (Hrutar) (15). 8pm. £5 members, £8 nonmembers, £7 concessions. Membership £20. Details: 0118 378 7151 or readingfilmtheatre.co.uk. SWALLOWFIELD – Parish Hall, Swallowfield Street RG7 1QX. Swallowfield Local history Society meeting: Invasion 1940 - What If? a talk by Tony Eaton. 7.45pm. Details: www.slhsoc.org.uk. WINNERSH – Library, The Forest School, Robin Hood Lane RG41 5ND. Keep Calm and Fly Casual: Club for players of the X Wing Miniatures Game, Star Wars and Armada. Age 16 and over. 5.30pm-7.45pm. Details: 0118 979 7519. WOKINGHAM – Baptist Church, Milton Road. Wokingham Literary Society meeting: Panama In Fiction: Joseph Conrad and John Le Carre, a talk by Martin Hughes. £2.50 nonmembers. 7.30pm. Details: 0118 978 6782. WOKINGHAM – The Cornerstone, Norreys Avenue RG40 1UE. Wokingham and East Berkshire Camera Club (WEBCC) meeting: fourth round internal PDI competition: dusk to dawn. 7.30pm. Details: 0118 977 5670. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Classics Book Group: for lovers of Dickens, Austen etc. 6.30pm-7.30pm. Teen Book Group for ages 11-18. 50p. 4.30pm-5.30pm.

Details: 0118 978 1368.

Friday, April 22 KNOWL HILL – Bird in Hand, Bath Road RG10 9UP. Elvis night. Details: 01628 826622. READING – Wesley Methodist Church, Queens Road RG1 4BW. Witt Morgan Chorus presents So Far Fro mHome. 7.30pm. £14, £11 in advance, £18, £15 on door. Details: 0333 666 3366 or www.wmmusicventures. com. WOKINGHAM – The Cornerstone, Norreys Avenue RG40 1UE. All Saints Flower Guild presents a special evening to celebrate the memory of Gill Jones: flower demonstration, quiz and light supper. 8pm. Details: 0118 978 6700 or 018 962 7207. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Crochet Group with Gaynor White from Barkham Hookers. All abilities welcome. 9.30am11.30am. £4. Local history surgery: drop-in for advice. 10am-noon. Details: 0118 978 1368. WOODLEY – Library, Headley Road RG5 4JA. Vintage patterns workshop with Sally Richards. 1.30pm3.30pm. Booking essential. £32. Details: 0118 969 0304.

Saturday, April 23 BRADFIELD – Rushall Farm, Scratchface Lane RG7 6DL. Bluebell walks and lambing weekend in aid of MS. Treasure hunt, family fun, woodland walks, home made cakes. Suggested donaion £5, children £3, under threes free. 11am-5pm. Details: www. msreading.org.uk or 0118 961 6107. EARLEY – Earley Home Guard Social Club. Star tribute: 60s/70s music. £8. Details: www.ehgsc.co.uk or 0118 926 5936. KNOWL HILL – Bird in Hand, Bath Road RG10 9UP. St George’s Day celebration. Details: 01628 826622. PINGEWOOD – Island Sailing Club. Island Sailing Club family open day. 11am-4pm. Enjoy a trial sail. SHINFIELD – Shinfield Players

What’s on event submission form Holding a community event? Running a fun day? Organising a concert? Planning a friendship group? Get it listed in our what’s on guide by sending information to us. Use this form or email events@wokinghampaper.co.uk. Please note this service is for community

Name Address

groups, charities and not-for-profit activities. We cannot guarantee inclusion.

Date of event: Venue of event: What will happen:

Time of event: Contact number for readers:

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Send your forms to: What’s On, The Wokingham Paper, Crown House, 231 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS

Theatre, Whitley Wood Lane RG2 9DF. Frozen singalong: come dressed as favourite character. 3pm or 7pm. Details: www. shinfieldplayers.org.uk or 0118 975 8880. SPENCERS WOOD – Village Hall. Baby and Children’s Sale in aid of Chapel Lane pre-school. Sellers £10, entry £1. Details: donna049@hotmail.com WOKINGHAM – Bradbury Centre, Rose Street RG40 1XS. Rose Street Gardeners plant sale. 10am-noon. Details: 0118 977 6898. WOKINGHAM – Library, Denmark Street RG40 2BB. Introduction to crime writing with Melanie McGrath and Laura Wilson. 10.30am-noon. Booking essential. £5. Teen writing group: Read Out Loud. For ages 11-18. 10.30am-noon. Details: 0118 978 1368. WOKINGHAM – All Saints Church, Wiltshire Road. Trinity Concert Band present a St George’s Day concert. 7,30pm. £10 in advance, £12 on door, under 16s free. Details: 0845 226304 or www. trinityband.co.uk WOKINGHAM – The Ship Inn, Peach Street RG40 1XH. St George’s Day celebrations. Details: 0118 978 0389. YATELEY – St Swithun’s Catholic Church, Firgrove Road GU46 6NH. Yateley Choral Society spring concert: Faure’s Requiem. 7.45pm. £12, students £5, under 16s free. Details: 01276 682749. WINKFIELD – Carnation Hall, Chavey Down Road RG42 7PA. Cats Protection League Bracknell and Wokingham Districts Branch Spring Fair. 1pm4pm. Entry £1 or a tin of cat food.

Sunday, April 24 BRADFIELD – Rushall Farm, Scratchface Lane RG7 6DL. Bluebell walks and lambing weekend in aid of MS. Treasure hunt, family fun, woodland walks, home made cakes. Suggested donaion £5, children £3, under threes free. 11am-5pm. Details: www. msreading.org.uk or 0118 961 6107. EARLEY – St Nicolas, Sutcliffe Avenue. Craft and chat evening. From 7.30pm.Details: 0118 966 9080. SWALLOWFIELD – Parish Hall RG7 1QX. The Iranian Feast, a play about family, food, neighbours and secrets. 7pm. £10. Details: 0118 988 5989. WOKINGHAM – Cantley HOuse Hotel, Milton Road RG40 5QG. Wedding fair. 11am3pm. Details: www. berkshireweddingfairs. co.uk. WOODLEY – Library, Headley Road RG5 4JA. French Conversation Club for those with basic French knowledge. 2pm-3pm. Details: 0118 969 0304.

EXHIBITION

See the Detail in Sam’s artworks

MUSIC

A NEW exhibition opens at a school gallery this weekend. Sam Knight will be displaying his sketches and art works at The Peacock Gallery. His work includes a detailed breakdown of an old sedan attached to a horse, and a study of the Maiwand Lion in Reading’s Forbury Gardens. The display starts tomorrow with an open viewing with the artist, and then continues until Thursday, May 12. The Gallery is in the Maiden Erlegh School and is open from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday, from 3pm-4.30pm weekdays and 10am to 5pm on the Saturdays. For more details, log on to www. maidenerleghschool.co.uk/community/ community-arts/the-peacock-galleryexhibitions-2/

A CELEBRATION of England’s patron saint is planned for Wokingham thanks to one of the borough’s bestloved bands. St George’s Day - April 23 – this year falls on a Saturday and to celebrate, Trinity Concert Band is holding a concert in the appropriate venue of All Saints Church. April 23 is the traditionally accepted date of St George’s death in 303AD, and the band, which is based at Trinity Church in Lower Earley, plan to play some appropriate music. The programme includes march The Standard of St George, Jupiter from Holst’s The Planets and Fantasia on British Sea Songs arranged by Henry Wood. There will also be other English favourites such as Nimrod, Jerusalem and other well-known pieces. A performance of Theatre Music, written in 1989 by Philip Sparke is also on the cards. The concert will start at 7.30pm at the Wiltshire Road church in Wokingham’s town centre. Tickets cost £10 up to 24 hours before the concert or £12 on the door. Accompanied under 16s get in free. They are available from the box office on from from the Information Centre at Wokingham Town Hall. For more details, call the box office on 0845 226304 or log on to www.trinityband.co.uk

AF is back with a night of rhyme A POPULAR local poet and author is back a South Street Arts Centre tonight. AF Harrold will be at the Reading venue with his Poets’ Cafe from 8pm. The evening offers an open mic to anyone who wants to read their work to an appreciative audience, as well as the chance to hear some of the country’s finest poets in action. Tonight’s guest is Niall O’Sullivan, while Judy Brown will perform at the May 20 event. Tickets cost £5 or £4 for readers. For more details, log on to www. readingarts.com or call the box office on 0118 960 6060.

feline who causes trouble for Sally and her brother one rainy afternoon. With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mum find when she gets home? The fun show is aimed at over threes and is a great introduction to theatre. It has two performances on Sunday – 2.30pm and 4pm. Tickets cost £12, £8 for children or £32 for families. For more details or to book log on to www.southhillpark.org.uk or call 01344 484123.

MUSIC

FAMILY

Blues and folk night at Hope and Anchor

The Cat In The Hat leaps to Bracknell ONE of the most popular children’s creations ever will be appearing at South Hill Park this Sunday. The Cat In The Hat is a mischievous

THE Wokingham Folk and Acoustic Blues club will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday. The group is open to any acoustic players, their friends and family members.

At the theatre

A BRAND-NEW show is being premiered next week – and the cast of hundreds includes local singers. The Witt Morgan Chorus will be starring in So Far From Home, a new music-drama event that is inspired by John Bunyan’s A Pilgrim’s Progress and Cardinal Newman’s The Dream of Gerontius. The drama tells the story of a modernday couple involved in a serious car accident.

www.anvilarts.org.uk 01256 844244 Sean Lock - SOLD OUT. Fri. An Evening With Aggers and Tuffers. Sat. Diana Jones. Sat. Choir of the Year 2016 Auditions. Sun. Julian Clary. Thurs. Orchestra Of the Age of Enlightenment. Sat 23. Nicola Benedetti and Armonico Consort. Sun 24.

Camberley – Theatre

www.kentontheatre.co.uk 01491 575698 Children of Eden. Until Sat. Rob Beckett Mouth of the South. Sun. NEXT SHOW: Pinocchio Ballet. Sun May 8.

Bracknell – South Hill Park www.southhillpark.org.uk (01344) 484123 The Comedy Cellar. Fri. Lift Off Youth and Community Galas. Sat. The Cat In The Hat. Sun. Creative Control Band Night. Sun. Dreaming In Code. Tues. Four Nights In Knaresborough. Wed-Sat. Mark Steel: Who Do I Think I Am. Wed. Kathryn Tickell and The Side. Thurs. The Comedy Cellar. Fri 22. Creative Control Band Night. Sun 24.

www.cornerstone-arts.org 01235 515144 Annie. Unil Sat. The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. Sun. Rory McGrath. Fri 22. Stones In His Pockets. Sat 23.

Guildford – Yvonne Arnaud www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk 01483 440000 Rehearsal For Murder. Until Sat. ROH Encore Screening: Giselle. Sun. Travels With My Aunt. Tues-Sat 23.

A LOCAL choral society is preparing to take you on a trip through Windsor Forest. The Yateley Choral Society will perform the musical meander by Vaughan Williams on Saturday, April 23. The concert also features Fauré’s Requiem and Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring. Solos will be given by soprano Clare Young, baritone Andrew Davis and music will come from organist Ben Giddens. The Society will be conducted by Richard Bannan. It takes place at St Swithun’s Catholic Church in Firgrove Road in Yateley from 7.45pm. Tickets cost £12, £5 for students and under 16s get in free. For more details, call 01276 682749 or log on to www.yateley-choral.org.uk

A modern take on Pilgrim’s Progress

Henley – Kenton Theatre

Didcot – Cornerstone

A requiem for Windsor Forest

PERFORMANCE

FILMS: Freeheld. Thurs-Fri. Youth. Fri-Sun. Rams. Tues. Zoolander 2. Wed, Fri 22. Trumbo. Fri 22-Sun 24.

www.camberleytheatre.biz 01276 707600 DJ and Broadcasting Legend ‘Diddy’ David Hamilton’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Back The Years. Fri. Jay Rayner: A Night of Food and Agony. Sat. Immersion Theatre presents Rapunzel. Sun. Untouchable. Tues. Open Mic Night. Wed. An Audience with Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe. Thurs. Rick Wakeman. Fri 22. Basil and Co - The Comedy Dinner Show. Fri 22. Soul of Santana. Sat 23.

CONCERT

Non-players are also welcome. The event takes place at the Hope and Anchor pub in Station Road, Wokingham from 7.30pm and the pub is usually packed. For more details, log on to facebook. com/WokFAB

Basingstoke – The Anvil

www.anvilarts.org.uk 01256 844244 Hot Club of Cowtown. Fri. IJO Big Band. Sat. Father Brown. Wed-Sat 23.

For more details or to book, log on to www.wmmusicventures.com or call 0333 666 3366.

Celebrate St George

POETRY

Basingstoke – The Haymarket

LEISURE | 25

To advertise call 0118 328 2959

Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

High Wycombe – Wycombe Swan www.wycombeswan.co.uk 01494 512000 Blood Brothers. Until Sat. Ruby’s Vintage Fair. Sat. Some Guys Have All The Luck. Sun. An Evening With Aggers and Tuffers. Mon. We’ll Meet Again. Tues, 2.30pm. Ireland’s Call. Wed. Liza Pulman Sings… Hollywood. Thurs. Hellfire Comedy Club. Thurs. Sean Lock: Keep It Light. Fri 22. The All-Star Stand-up Tour. Sat 23.

Maidenhead – Norden Farm www.nordenfarm.org 01628 788997 Vaisakhi celebration. Sun. Gein’s Family Giftshop’s Trophy Collection. Sun. Small World Big Book and Other Work. Tues. Treacherous Orchestra. Wed. Griff Rhys Jones: Work In Progress. Thurs. Partick Monahan - The Disco Years. Fri 22. Sounds Echoed The Paul Jordanous Jazz Ensemble. Fri 22. Dire

As they fight for their lives, the couple fall into unconsciousness and wake up in a mysterious new place that they do not recognise. As they search for their way “home”, they face dangers, discover unexpected joys, and learn new aspects about themselves; all this to prepare them to face the aftermath of the accident. The evening fuses together 75 singers, an orchestra, opera singers and also silhoutte animations. Music will include excerpts from Wagner’s mighty The Ride Of The Valkyries, Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Holst’s The Planets, Serenade To Music by Vaughan Williams, Night On The Bare Mountain by Mussorgsky, Some Enchanted Evening by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The event takes place on Friday, April 22 at Wesley Methodist Church in central Reading from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £14, or £11 for concessions in advance or £18/£15 on the door.

Streets. Sat 23. The Vinyl Frontier. Sat 23. FILMS: Hail Caesar! Fri. Anomalisa. Fri 22, Sun 24. Chronic. Sun 24.

Newbury – The Corn Exchange www.cornexchangenew.com 0845 5218 218 The Fureys. Fri. Forever Jackson. Sat. Stones In His Pockets. Tues. Ladyboys of Bangkok. Wed. The All-Star StandUp Tour. Thurs. Vin Garbutt. Fri 22. The Real Thing. Sat 23. Shakespeare Live! From the RSC. Sat 23. FILM: Eye In The Sky (15). Until Thurs.

Newbury – The Watermill www.watermill.org.uk. 01635 46044 One Million Tiny Plays About Britain. Until Sat 23. Plundered. Sat. An Audience With Christopher Eccelston. Sun.

Reading – South Street www.readingarts.com 0118 960 6060 Third Friday Blues Club: Michael Roach. Fri. Los Pacaminos. Sat. The Musical Bear ‘Records’ Live Review. Sat. Best of Be Festival. Wed. Women’s Hour. Thurs. Dane Baptiste: Reasonable

CONCERT

Showcase of Royal Academy students THE latest concert in the Candlelit Baroque series will focus on up and coming musical talent. All Saints Church in Wiltshire Road, Wokingham, will be welcoming students from the Royal Academy of Music’s Historical Performance Department for a special showcase evening. Over the years, the department has produced many of the most outstanding performers in the field and its training programme is known and respected all over the world. Here is a chance to hear that work in action. The concert takes place from 8pm on Wednesday, April 27 at the town centre church. Tickets cost £12.50 and can be bought by logging on to www. wokinghamconcerts.co.uk.

Doubts. Fri 22. Are You Listening? Festival 2016. Sat 23.

Glyn and Elaine. Fri. The Glenn Miller Orchestra. Sun 24.

Reading – The Hexagon

Windsor – Theatre Royal

www.readingarts.com 0118 960 6060 An Audience With Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe. Sat. The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: Bye Bye Baby. Thurs. Bellowhead. Fri 22. Tap Factory. Sat 23.

www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk 01753 853888 Death Toll. Until Sat. Jungle Book. ThursSat 23. You’ve Got A Friend: The Music of James Taylor and Carole King. Sun 24.

Reading – Progress Theatre www.progresstheatre.co.uk 0118 384 2195 Stones In His Pockets. Until Sat. Jazz at the Progress: Georgia Mancio and Quadro. Fri 22.

Shinfield – Shinfield Players www.shinfieldplayers.org.uk 0118 975 8880 NEXT SHOW: Frozen Sing-a-long. Sat 23. Acting, Singing and a Shot of Whisky. April 28-30.

Sonning – The Mill www.millatsonning.com 0118 969 8000 Last of the Red Hot Lovers. Until May 7.

Woking – New Victoria Theatre www.ambassadortickets.com 0844 871 7645 The Mousetrap. Until Sat. Tap Factory. Sun. The Simon and Garfunkel Story. Mon. Goodnight Mister Tom. Tues-Sat 23.

Wokingham – Theatre www.wokingham-theatre.org.uk 0118 978 5363 Hactivists/Chatroom. Until Sat. NEXT SHOW: God of Carnage. May 5-14.

Woodley – Theatre www.woodleytheatre.org 07939 210121 Raving: CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS. April 19-23. NEXT SHOW: Troubled Times. May 18-21.

26 | LEISURE

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Gig guide Friday, April 15 ASH VALE – The Old Ford, Lynchford Road, North Camp GU12 5QA. The Firm. Details: 01252 544840. BAGSHOT – The Cedar Tree, High Street GU19 5AG. Jump The Gunn. Details: 01276 473160. BINFIELD – Binfield Club, Forest Road RG42 4DU. Tumbleweed. Details: 01344 420572. BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. Tom Jones. Details: 01344 303333. CAMBERLEY – The Four Horseshoes, Frimley Road GU15 3EQ. The FBB Band. Details: 01276 63842. CAMBERLEY – The Royal Standard, Frimley Road GU15 2PP. Bitter Blues. Details: 01276 27641. EMMBROOK – Sports and Social Club, Lowther Road RG41 1JB. Wokingham Music Club presents The Fliks. Details: wokinghammusicclub.co.uk FARNBOROUGH – The Alexandra, Victoria Road GU14 7PH. Will.I.An. Details: 01252 519964. FARNBOROUGH GREEN – The Fox, Chapel Lane GU14 9BN. Ash Lee. Details: 01276 34735. FLEET – The Fox and Hounds, Crookham Road GU51 5NP. Malarky. Details: 01252 663686. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. DJ Adrian Pye. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Chaz Royals Burlesque Ball. Station Warriors, Plump DJs, Mafia Kiss, Sly-One: Punks Label Showcase. Details: 0118 959 5395. READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Junction Music with

Marcus Data, Luvcraft and NSG. Dark Matter: Bunts and Bowler. Details: 0118 959 7196. READING – South Street. Michael Roach. Details: 0118 960 6060. READING – Grosvenor Casino Reading, Rose Kiln Lane RG2 0SN. Club Night. Details: 0118 402 7800. READING – Oakford Social Club, Blagrave Street RG1 1PZ. Fab Fish Fry: DJ Jack Hollywood. Details: 0118 959 4267. SONNING – The Mill at Sonning RG4 6TY. Live in the Watermill Bar: Glyn and Elaine. Details: 0118 969 8000. TWYFORD – The Golden Cross, Waltham Road RG10 9EG. Said and Done / The Heist. Details: 07946 342551. WOKINGHAM – Broad Street Tavern, Broad Street RG40 1AU. Fat Men In The Bathtub. Details: 0118 978 0918. WOKINGHAM – The Molly Millar, Station Road RG40 2AD. 70s, 80s night with DJ Mally. Details: 0118 977 4548. WOKINGHAM – The Red Lion, Market Place RG40 1AL. Ultimate Party Nights. Details: 0118 979 5790. WOKINGHAM – Spin Nightclub, Alexandra Court RG40 2SL. Frisky Fridays. Details: 07415 354056. YATELEY – The Cricketers, Cricket Hill Lane GU46 6BA. The Turn. Details: 01252 872105.

Saturday, April 16 ASCOT – Jagz, Station Road. In Too Chic. Details: 01344 878100. BRACKNELL – The Green Man, Crowthorne Road RG12 7DL. Off The Record. Details: 01344 423667. BRACKNELL – The Silver Birch,

THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

HOLDING A GIG, QUIZ OR GAMES NIGHT? SEND DETAILS TO EVENTS@WOKINGHAMPAPER.CO.UK Liscombe RG12 7DE. Blind Man’s Buff. Details: 01344 457318. BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. Heathrow Jets. Details: 01344 303333. BRACKNELL – The Boot Inn, Park Road RG12 2LU. Stone Thorn. Details: 01344 454532. CAMBERLEY – Mr Bumble, GU17 9AP. Finish On 2. Details: 01276 32691. CROOKHAM – The Black Horse, The Street GU51 5SJ. Creme Freche. Details: 01252 616434. FARNBOROUGH – The Alexandra, Victoria Road GU14 7PH. Steve Conway. Details: 01252 519964. FLEET – The Falkners Arms, Falkners Close GU51 2XF. Moonfly. Details: 01252 811311. FRIMLEY GREEN – Frimley Green Working Mens Club, Sturt Road GU16 6HX. Lady Blackwell. Details: 01252 835322. READING – Grosvenor Casino Reading, Rose Kiln Lane RG2 0SN. The Soulstar. Details: 0118 402 7800. READING – The Turks, London Road RG1 5BJ. Highwasters. Details: 0118 957 6930. READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. SoundJam. Details: 0118 959 7196. READING – Salisbury Conservative Club, Kings Road RG1 4HX. DisCover. Details: 0118 926 5804. READING – The Jazz Cafe, Shooters Ways, Madejski Stadium RG2 0FL. Soul and Funk tribute with The Blunter Bros. Details: 0118 968 1442. READING – South Street. Los Pacaminos. Tme Musical Bear Records Live Preview. Details: 0118 960 6060. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Hugh Turner Heavy Quartet. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – O’Neill’s, Blagrave Street RG1 1DB. Replica Rockaholics. Details: 0118 960 6580. SANDHURST – The Rose and Crown, High Street GU47 8HA. Solace. Details: 01252 878938. SHINFIELD – The Bell and Bottle, School Green RG2 9EE. England’s Dreaming. SONNING – The Mill at Sonning RG4 6TY. Live in the Watermill Bar: Tim

Valentine. Details: 0118 969 8000. TWYFORD – The Golden Cross, Waltham Road RG10 9EG. The Heist. Details: 07946 342551. WEST END – West End Social Club, High Street GU26 9PL. The Danny Lee Band. Details: 01276 858501. WINDLESHAM – Windlesham Club, Kennel Lane GU20 6AA. Southern Knights. Details: 01276 472210. WOKINGHAM – Hope and Anchor, Station Road RG40 2AD. The Gas Trick Band. Details: 0118 978 0918. WOKINGHAM – The Molly Millar, Station Road RG40 2AD. 70s, 80s night with DJ Mally. Details: 0118 977 4548. WOKINGHAM – The Red Lion, Market Place RG40 1AL. Ultimate Party Nights. Details: 0118 979 5790. WOKINGHAM – Spin Nightclub, Alexandra Court RG40 2SL. Essential Saturday. Details: 07415 354056. YATELEY – The Dog and Partridge, The Green GU46 7LR. Murphy James. Details: 01252 870648.

Sunday, April 17 ASCOT – Jagz, Station Road. Vasilis Xenopoulos and the Nigel Price Trio. From 12.30pm. Details: 01344 878100. BRACKNELL – South Hill Park, Ringmead. Creative Control Band Night. Details: 01344 484123. BRACKNELL – The Crown Wood, Opladen Way RG12 0PE. Jam session: Martin Deadman acoustic. Details: 01344 867374. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Readifolk: Singers Night. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Dreading Poetry Slam. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – Oakford Social Club, Blagrave Street RG1 1PZ. Reading Swing Jam. Black and White Music: Record Store Day afterparty. Details: 0118 959 4267. WEST END – West End Social Club, High Street GU26 9PL. Open Mic and Jam Night. Details: 01276 858501. WOKINGHAM – The Queen’s Head, The Terrace RG40

The BROAD ST TAVERN

LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT APRIL 15

FAT MEN IN THE BATHTUB ROCK/POP DUO

APRIL 22

THE GRAFTERS MORE GREAT LIVE MUSIC

COME AND JOIN US! 29 Broad Street, Wokingham RG40 1AU 0118 977 3706 WWW.BROADSTREETTAVERN.CO.UK

1BP. Rev Ferriday and the Longdogs. From 5pm. Details: 0118 978 1221.

Monday, April 18 STOKE ROW – Crooked Billet RG9 5PU. John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett. Details: 01491 681048.

Tuesday, April 19 PLAYHATCH – The Flowing Spring, Henley Road RG4 9RB. Stuart Henderson’s jazz quartet featuring Alan Barnes. Details: 0118 969 9878. FLEET – The Harlington, Fleet Road GU51 4BY. Derek Nash’s Ascoustic Quartet. Details: 01252 811009. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Jazz Singers Night with Fleur Stevenson. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – Speakeasy Cocktail Bar, St Mary’s Butts RG1 2LG. Open mic night with Scott Lewis and guests. Details: 0118 957 3500.

Wednesday, April 20 FLEET – Propaganda Music Canteen, Fleet Road GU51 3BU. Mike Dobie. Details: 01252 620198. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Bohemian Night. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – South Street. Best of Be Festival. Details: 0118 960 6060. READING – Oakford Social Club, Blagrave Street RG1 1PZ. FutureSense Foundation Battle of the Bands: Captivves, Other Animals and Will Mills. Details: 0118 959 4267. READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. BBC Introducing Live: Terrics, BIGG, Iron Chef. Details: 0118 959 7196.

Thursday, April 21 CAMBERLEY – Mr Bumble, GU17 9AP. Jam Night. Details: 01276 32691. CAMBERLEY – The Royal Standard, Frimley Road GU15 2PP. Open Mic Night. Details: 01276 27641. CROWTHORNE – The Prince, High Street RG45 7AZ. Rick Chase. Details:

01344 772241. HENLEY – Magoos, Hart Street. Stars In Their Minds karaoke. Details: 01491 574595. FLEET – Propaganda Music Canteen, Fleet Road GU51 3BU. The Firm. Details: 01252 620198. READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Butcher Babies and Sump Cyco. Details: 0118 959 5395. READING – O’Neill’s, Blagrave Street RG1 1DB. Open mic night. Details: 0118 960 6580. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Robbie Ransom. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – The Hexagon. Bye Bye Baby: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Details: 0118 960 6060. READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Two Step Presents: Estrons, Tangerines, Dazy Chain. Don’t Sweat The Technique. Details: 0118 959 7196. WHITE WALTHAM – White Waltham and Shottesbroke Social Club, Hurst Lane. The Jukesters. Details: 0118 934 3785.

Friday, April 22 ASCOT – Jagz, Station Road. Hundred Seventy Split. Details: 01344 878100. BAGSHOT – The Three Mariners, High Street GU19 5AW. Glo. Details: 01276 473768. CAMBERLEY – The Four Horseshoes, Frimley Road GU15 3EQ. Tre. Details: 01276 63842. CAMBERLEY – The New Inn, Hawley Road GU17 9ES. Jamie Sinatra. Details: 01276 32012. CAMBERLEY – The Royal Standard, Frimley Road GU15 2PP. The Shockz. Details: 01276 27641. FARNBOROUGH – The Alexandra, Victoria Road GU14 7PH. Will.I.An. Details: 01252 519964. KNOWL HILL – The Bird In Hand RG10 9UP. Gary Roman is Elvis. Details: 01628 826622. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. Kamikaze Test Pilots. High Grade Dub and Roots. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – The Hexagon. Bellowhead Details: 0118 960 6060.

HOPE & ANCHOR Free entry, fantastic beers & a great night out! This Saturday @ 9pm

BRICKS BUILD HOUSES Acoustic guitars and strong vocals WEY LIVE MUSIC

Coming next Saturday, April 23

The Hot Plates

Debut appearance – gritty blues and jazz to make you dance

Station Road, Wokingham RG40 2AD 0118 978 0918 www.hopeanchor.co.uk

READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. UK Subs and Anti Nowhere League. Innovation: Guv, Subzero, Blackley, Nicky Blackmarket, Evil B, Azza, Grima, Dom Antix, Dbee, Grevious. Details: 0118 959 5395. READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. SoundJam. Details: 0118 959 7196. READING – Progress Theatre, The Mount RG1 5HL. Jazz at Progress: Georgia Mancio and Quadro. Details: 0118 384 2195. READING – Oakford Social Club, Blagrave Street RG1 1PZ. Darklands. Details: 0118 959 4267. SANDHURST – The White Swan, Swan Lane GU47 9BU. Fat Men In The Bathtub. Details: 01252 872444. SONNING – The Mill at Sonning RG4 6TY. Live in the Watermill Bar: Glyn and Elaine. Details: 0118 969 8000. WINNERSH – The Pheasant Inn, Reading Road RG41 5LR. Stars In Their Minds karaoke. Details: 0118 978 4529. WOKINGHAM – Broad Street Tavern, Broad Street RG40 1AU. The Grafters. Details: 0118 978 0918. WOKINGHAM – The Molly Millar, Station Road RG40 2AD. 70s, 80s night with DJ Mally. Details: 0118 977 4548. WOKINGHAM – The Red Lion, Market Place RG40 1AL. Ultimate Party Nights. Details: 0118 979 5790. WOKINGHAM – Spin Nightclub, Alexandra Court RG40 2SL. Frisky Fridays. Details: 07415 354056. YATELEY – The Cricketers, Cricket Hill Lane GU46 6BA. Jukebox Junkies. Details: 01252 872105.

Saturday, April 23 ASCOT – Jagz, Station Road. Face In The Crowd. Details: 01344 878100. BRACKNELL – The Keller, Coppid Beech Hotel, John Nike Way RG12 8TF. Peach. Details: 01344 303333. BRACKNELL – The Bridge, Wokingham Road RG42 1PP. Creme Freche. Details: 01344 862912. CAMBERLEY – Mr Bumble, GU17 9AP. From The Ashes: 01276 32691. CROWTHORNE – The Crowthorne Inn, High Street RG45 7AD. NRG. Details: 01344 530615. FINCHAMPSTEAD – The Queen’s Oak, Church Lane RG40 4LS. The Broken Stones. Details: 0118 973 4855. FARNBOROUGH – The Alexandra, Victoria Road GU14 7PH. Miss Lady Blackwell. Details: 01252 519964. FARNBOROUGH – The Ivy Leaf Social Club, Cove Road GU14 0HF. Uptown Traffic. Details: 01252 542962. FARNBOROUGH – The Plough and Horses, Fleet Road GU14 9RG. Gigabit. Details: 01252 545199.

FLEET – The Falkners Arms, Falkners Close GU51 2XF. The Mays. Details: 01252 811311. FLEET – The Harlington, Fleet Road GU51 4BY. The Kast Off Kinks. Details: 01252 811009. FRIMLEY GREEN – Frimley Green Working Mens Club, Sturt Road GU16 6HX. Remix. Details: 01252 835322. HURST – The Wheelwright’s Arms RG10 0TR. Mini Scratch Acoustic Duo. Details: 0118 934 4100. READING – RISC, London Street RG1 4PS. The Funk Soul Rebels. Details: 0118 958 6692. READING – South Street. Are You Listening? Festival 2016. Details: 0118 960 6060. READING – Oakford Social Club, Blagrave Street RG1 1PZ. Are You Listening? Festival: Steve Lamacq, Big Deal, Inheaven. Details: 0118 959 4267. READING – The Hexagon. Tap Factory. Details: 0118 960 6060. READING – The Purple Turtle, Gun Street RG1 2JR. Are You Listening? festival. Speakbeats: Lateisha Davine Loveface Hanson and Curmiah Lisette. Details: 0118 959 7196. READING – The Jazz Cafe, Shooters Ways, Madejski Stadium RG2 0FL. The Ultimate Live Soul and Motown Band Madison Heights. Details: 0118 968 1442. READING – Sub89, Friar Street RG1 1EP. Are You Listening? festival. Annie Mac. Details: 0118 959 5395. SANDHURST – The Rose and Crown, High Street GU47 8HA. Happy Daze. Details: 01252 878938. SANDHURST – The Wellington Arms, Yorktown Road GU47 9BN. The Lee Aaron Band. Details: 01252 872408. SONNING – The Mill at Sonning RG4 6TY. Live in the Watermill Bar: Tim Valentine. Details: 0118 969 8000. TWYFORD – The Golden Cross, Waltham Road RG10 9EG. The Bullfrog Band. Details: 07946 342551. WEST END – West End Social Club, High Street GU26 9PL. Tribute to Rock n Roll Greats. Details: 01276 858501. WOKINGHAM – Hope and Anchor, Station Road RG40 2AD. The Hot Plates. Details: 0118 978 0918. WOKINGHAM – The Molly Millar, Station Road RG40 2AD. 70s, 80s night with DJ Mally. Details: 0118 977 4548. WOKINGHAM – The Red Lion, Market Place RG40 1AL. Ultimate Party Nights. Details: 0118 979 5790. WOKINGHAM – Spin Nightclub, Alexandra Court RG40 2SL. Essential Saturday. Details: 07415 354056. WOKINGHAM – The Ship Inn, Peach Street RG40 1XH. St George’s Day celebrations. Details: 0118 978 0389.

LEISURE | 27

To advertise call 0118 328 2959

Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

AT THE CINEMA

The acoustic couch

Make your mind up

Sometimes, a picture is all you need…

Kim Taylor-Foster

Upcoming music with Jody Mc

We had a jumping weekend at Theacousticcouch – you missed out on a lot of fun. This week, I want to give you a taste of the musical treasures with this fantastic photo gallery from Peter Samuels / RP Photography Solutions

Criminal (15) ««««« Stars: Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot., Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones

SUDOKU Easy

2 3 6 5 4 4 3 5 4 6 1 9 7 8 7 6 5 9 8 7 8 9

2 3

8 7

Previous solution - Medium

4 2

4 2 5 1 6 7 3 7 3

3 3 9 7 6

You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com

4 6 3 7 9 5 6 7 9 8 7 8 6 5 2 8 4 3 2 3 1 1 2 4

7 8 2 1 3 2 4 1 3 9 4 6 5 7

1 2 7 3 4 5 6

No. 277

7 6

Tough

7 9 1 8 9 4 5 8 1 5 2 4 2 3 4 1 7

3 1 9 5 8 7 4 6 2

8 2 7

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to The solutions will be published here in the next issue. see how ‘straights’ are formed.

Previous solution - Medium

6 3 4

8 9

STR8TS No. 277

EVIN Costner is a funny one. At the height of his career in the late Eighties and early Nineties, he was box office gold. Films like The Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and Dances with Wolves were not only popular, they were hits with the critics. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK and The Bodyguard followed and cemented his A-list status. But then came Waterworld. At the time, it was the most expensive film in history. When it flopped and Costner put out much-derided post-apocalyptic drama The Postman soon after, his career nosedived amid a clutch of underperforming duds. It’s fair to say Costner’s career never recovered. After 2014’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, though, he’s back in the game with another CIA-based thriller – this time in the lead role. Playing against type, Costner is Jericho Stewart, a dangerous psychopath kept chained in a high-security cell and fed through a chute. An accident as a child left him damaged, unable to feel empathy or abide by social norms. When CIA operative Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) is killed in action, boss Quaker Wells (Gary Oldman) needs information. The only problem is that Pope is the only one who knows what he needs to know. Wells turns to a Dr Franks (Tommy Lee Jones), who has been experimenting with transplanting memories, and they identify Jericho as a suitable test subject as they attempt to transfer the contents of Pope’s mind to Jericho’s. Convinced it hasn’t worked, an impatient and irascible Wells orders Jericho killed but when he escapes in transit and goes on the run, it soon becomes clear that the trial has been more successful that it appeared. Can Jericho unlock what’s in his head and thwart evil megalomaniac Hagbardaka Heinbahl (Jordi Mollà)? Driven by the prospect of recovering a bag of cash, and his instincts to let nothing stand in his way, there’s no one more likely to do it. But what effect will Pope’s influence have? Jericho has Nicolas Cage written all over him and though there’s something satisfyingly kitsch about seeing Costner in the role of growling, murderous convict, it might have given a different sheen with the trashiness Cage can bring to a violent actioner like this. The casting is eccentric to say the least – it’s a strange mélange that brings together credible trio Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Pitt with popcorn-movie eye candy Gal Gadot and guy candy counterpart Ryan Reynolds. Blending The Terminator, Face/Off, Self/less, Con Air and the Bourne films, Criminal suffers an identity crisis and it doesn’t know if it’s tongue-in-cheek or deadly serious. It has out-and-out comic moments as well as uncomfortably horrific sequences. Throw in a hammy, old-school, Bond-style villain and you don’t know where you are. Director Ariel Vroman also made the Iceman, starring Michael Shannon, a thriller about a family-man contract killer. Criminal explores similar themes – it juxtaposes the act of cold-blooded killing with family values. Both also share the questionable trait of being short on substance. With implausibilities aplenty – not least in Pope’s wife Jill’s (Gadot) ready acceptance of a man who tied her up with the intention of raping her – and things left unexplained, Criminal is best described as nonsense. And not a lot of fun.

8 6 7 4 1 2 5 9 3

5 2 4 3 9 6 7 8 1

4 9 2 8 3 1 6 7 5

1 3 6 7 4 5 9 2 8

7 8 5 2 6 9 3 1 4

6 5 3 1 7 8 2 4 9

9 4 8 6 2 3 1 5 7

2 7 1 9 5 4 8 3 6

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

IN A BAND? HOLDING A GIG? HEARD SOME GREAT MUSIC? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! E-MAIL NEWS@WOKINGHAMPAPER.CO.UK

Clerk: Mrs S E Roberts Shinfield Parish Hall School Green Shinfield Reading RG2 9EH Tel: (0118) 988 8220 E‐mail: sue.roberts@shinfieldparish.gov.uk www.shinfieldparish.gov.uk

28 | CLASSIFIEDS

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OF ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

d the Annual Parish Meeting for Shinfield Parish l, School Green, Shinfield on THURSDAY 21ST MAY

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PUBLIC NOTICES

DECORATING

me by Chairman of Shinfield Parish Council

Clerk: Mrs S E Roberts Shinfield Parish Hall School Green Shinfield Reading RG2 9EH Tel: (0118) 988 8220 E‐mail: sue.roberts@shinfieldparish.gov.uk www.shinfieldparish.gov.uk

quality decorators

ld Parish Council 2014‐15 Annual Report ed by questions

NOTICE OF ANNUAL PARISH MEETING NOTICE OF ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

tation of Shinfield Parish Community Volunteer You are invited to attend the Annual Parish Meeting for Shinfield Parish You are invited to attend the Annual Parish Meeting Council at the Parish Hall, School Green, Shinfield on THURSDAY 21 MAY for Shinfield Parish Council at the Parish Hall, 2015 at 7.00 pm.

We are proud to support The Wokingham Paper

School Green, Shinfield RG2 9EH on 7.00 pm for 7.30 pm.

THURSDAY 28th APRIL 2016 at The business to be transacted at the Meeting will be:

ng our Community”: guest speaker Phil The business to be transacted at the Meeting will be: 7.00 pm Networking 1. Apologies for Absence ton, Editor, “The Wokingham Paper”

A local family business established for 30+ years, we guarantee customer satisfaction with our highly professional and personal service.

2. To7.30 pm receive the Notice convening the meeting and to confirm that it Welcome by Chairman of Shinfield Parish Council been posted in accordance with statutory procedures has 7.35 pm Shinfield Parish Council 2014‐15 Annual Report followed by questions 3. To receive the Shinfield Parish Council 2015-16 Annual Report 4. Question 7.45 pm Time Presentation of Shinfield Parish Community Volunteer 5. PresentationAward of the Shinfield Parish Community Volunteer Award 6. To7.50 pm receive a“Building our Community”: guest speaker Phil presentation on the new Green Spaces in the Parish Creighton, Editor, “The Wokingham Paper” by the University of Reading’s ecological consultants, Ecological Planning and Research 8.20 pm Shinfield Parish Draft Neighbourhood Development Plan 7. To receive an update on the Eastern Relief Road by Hochtief UK 8.30 pm Sport and Leisure Consultation Limited 8. Any other business that electors may wish to raise. 8.40 pm Open Forum DATED this 15th day of APRIL 2016. 9.00 pm Close of Meeting: Refreshments and Networking Light refreshments will be served after the meeting (approx. 8.45pm)

ld Parish Draft Neighbourhood Development Plan

We provide all aspects of internal and external painting and decorating, domestic and commercial, plus artexing, coving and tiling. Also general building and allied work. Free estimates and advice

and Leisure Consultation

Forum

of Meeting: Refreshments and Networking

Shinfield Parish includes the communities of

Grazeley, Ryeish Green, Shinfield North, Shinfield

village, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross. Shinfield Parish Council: serving the communities of Grazeley, Ryeish Green, Shinfield North, Shinfield Village, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross Clerk: Mrs S E Roberts Shinfield Parish Hall, School Green, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9EH Tel: (0118) 988 8220 E‐mail: sue.roberts@shinfieldparish.gov.uk www.shinfieldparish.gov.uk

Wokingham Borough Council Licensing Act 2003 S17 Application for Premises Licence SITE NOTICE Twyford Beer Festival Management Committee on behalf of Twyford Beer Festival King George V Playing Field, Loddon Hall Road, Twyford RG10 9JA Proposed licensable activities to be carried on at the premises: A section of the public park/recreation ground as detailed in the plan. The ground is owned by the Parish Council who have given Twyford Beer Festival permission to hold a charity beer festival once a year over one weekend between May 1st and September 30th at the site. This year’s event will be held on one day - the 11th June 2016. The licence application allows for the day to be varied in future years to run over three days from Friday to Sunday afternoon. The licence is for the sale of alcohol plus recorded and live music from 12pm until 10pm on Friday and Saturday and 12pm until 7pm on Sunday over one weekend per year. Representations may be made in writing by any responsible authority or interested party in the vicinity of the premises to the licensing authority - Licensing Team, Wokingham Borough Council, POB 155, Shute End, Wokingham, RG40 1WW or by email to licensing@wokingham.gov.uk All representations made are open to public inspection. Representations to be made by : 6th May 2016 This application has been made to the Licensing Team at Wokingham Borough Council where a register of applications is kept and a record of the application may be inspected. Contact 0118 974 6358 or www.wokingham.gov.uk

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, July 24, 2015

Keep those special moments forever

NOW YOU CAN ORDER PHOTOS ONLINE

Over the past few weeks, we have been out and about at numerous events across the borough and in the process taken thousands of photographs – only a few make our pages every week. Now we’re delighted to say – due to the popular demand – that you can now buy a copy to keep forever. We’ve teamed up with industry experts newsprints.co.uk to offer you the ability to order prints and digital copies of the pictures that we take. So far, more than 1,400 pictures have been uploaded and that ﬁgure is growing daily. Have look through, browse our archive, place an order with our secure checkout and wait for the pictures to be delivered to your door.

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IT’S REFFING HELL FOR SUMAS: Poor decisions cost us, says Eggleston — Page 39

TUMBLING

Pinewood’s golden trio help GB reign in Spain By LEWIS RUDD lrudd@wokinghampaper.co.uk

From left: Joshua Hatch, Euan Briand, Isaac Neville and Hamish Laird with Finchley Pictures: Phil Creighton

NEW SIGNING

Chick out our new mascot, Finchley! YOUNG footballers in Finchampstead went cock-a-hoop when meeting their new mascot. In order to promote the club’s family ethos and the Football Association’s Respect campaign, those associated with Finchampstead football and sports clubs, which the latter celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, came up with a plan to add a new face to its identity. And after months of design and preparation work, Finchley the Rooster was unveiled before the football club’s Soccer School last weekend.

And the youngsters were thrilled to meet Finchley, who will support Finchampstead at all levels, through all age groups right up to the first team. Finchley comes to life through the kindness of two club coaches who will slip on the costume when required. The rooster will be in attendance for three upcoming cup finals the club is involved with at the beginning of May, while the mascot will also be joining the 300-plus players and parents heading off on a close-season tour to Hastings later this month.

LUCIE COLEBECK, Yasmin Taite and Dominic Mensah all proudly flew the flag for Pinewood Gymnastics Club and Great Britain at the European Championships in Spain. And it was a trip the trio are unlikely to forget in a hurry, as they each returned home clutching a gold medal and the title of European champion. Colebeck and Taite competed in the Senior Women category, with Mensah part of the Junior Men’s team. Up first in qualifying for the individual and team heats were the women, where GB’s biggest threat would come from Russia, who boasted the legendary four-time World champions Anna Korobeinikova among their ranks. It was they who would progress to the final in top spot, finishing just two points ahead of the British, but eight clear of France in third. Joining them in the showdown was Denmark and Ukraine. Colebeck, meanwhile, also qualified for the final of the individual event in second place. With just the one run from each country in the team contest, it was imperative no mistakes were made in the final. Lucie was to set the tone with a solid score of 34.6, as further returns of 34.9 and 34.3 respectively from team-mates kept up the momentum ahead of Taite’s run, which was last. In holding her nerve, Yasmin turned in a performance which yielded marks of 34.1, meaning the pressure was now all on Russia. The rivals would duly take the bout down to the wire, only to fall short as Great Britain secured the title by a points margin of just 1.4.

From left: Lucie Colebeck, Dominic Mensah and Yasmin Taite show of the medals won in Spain

Not to be outdone, the men also went on to record the same result. Mensah, meanwhile, was just beginning his bid for glory, lining-up in a strong British contingent who knew they would have to be at the very best if they were to also topple the Russians. And at their best they were, performing out of their skin to take gold by a slender 0.7 of a mark. While congratulations all round, it was just deserts for Dominic, who switched to Pinewood in 2013 to work with coach Vladimir Podobin, with the youngster travelling five days a week from his home in Peckham, south London, to train with the club. This dedication and commitment has certainly paid off for the now gold-medal winning champion. Despite only being able to compete with just three members due to an

injury, the Junior Girls also took home the title as GB swept up all before them, securing an unprecedented four victories – something no country had ever done before. Coleback was soon back out on the floor for the individual final. In another triumph for both Pinewood and country, she would produce two superb runs and pick up a silver medal in the process. Lucie was narrowly beaten by Russia, who took top spot by 0.6 of a mark, with fellow Brit Rachel Davies from Deerness in Durham finishing third. Pinewood has singled out Podobin for credit in what has been another impressive achievement for the club. Vladimir has coached all three and prepared them for such occasions, with the results reflecting his ongoing passion and commitment to the sport.

BASKETBALL

Rockets blast off to Play-Off final after downing Derby in thriller READING ROCKETS will meet Manchester Magic in the final of the English Basketball League Division 1 play-offs. This is after the side produced an against-the-odds victory to defeat Derby Trailblazers 72-69 last weekend and set up a showdown with the Magic later this month. Not only were Derby unbeaten at home in the league this season prior to the contest, but had also not conceded more than 70 points during any one game since before Christmas. So this was no mean feat, and the win was not actually secured until the latter stages of the fourth quarter. The lead passed hands on several occasions throughout what proved to be an absorbing contest, although the away side did appear to have one foot in the final when winning the third session

Rockets’ David Ajumobi is outnumbered in Derby

29-15 saw Pena Garces’ charges open up a commanding 60-45 lead. The Trailblazers, though, were in no mood to surrender and came storming back into the semi-final through a devastating 17-6 run which saw proceedings tied up at 67 points each. Yet as the contest reached the final few minutes, netting two from two from the free-throw line saw D’Montre Edwards swing the in Rockets’ favour – but back came Derby once again, who had matters all square with just 44 seconds left on the clock. It was now a case of who could hold their nerve better, but Rockets took a big step towards beating the opposition on their own court and then surpassed the 70 point mark through a drive from captain Danny Carter before Edwards sank a penalty.

Time outs were duly called so both teams could discuss offensive and defensive plays, but with just three-and-a-half seconds remaining, the pressure was on Derby to try and take this enthralling battle to overtime. But Reading stood up to the task of shutting them out, and jubilant scenes within the camp were sparked when Wayne Yeboah stole in to intercept a pass and run down what was left before the buzzer. If achieving a third shot at final glory in four years was an achievement in itself, Rockets will no doubt have to be at their very best once again if they are to topple Manchester on Sunday, April 24 (4pm tip-off). The Magic are reigning league, National Trophy and National Cup champions and comfortably saw off Team

Northumbria in their respective semi-final, racking up a winning margin of 30 points. Joining them at the final’s weekend will be ROCKETS LADIES. They set up a date with Southward Pride at the Bellvue Sports Arena on the same day after narrowly seeing off Essex Blades 69-66, and in doing so avenged the loss handed to them by the same opposition in the National Cup final just two weeks ago. In what was a memorable weekend for the Rockets, the club’s UNDER-18S outscored Leicester Riders 70-64 to set-up a play-off semi-final with Manchester Magic on Saturday, April 30. This too will be played at the Bellvue arena (2.15pm), where the winners will go on to meet either Peckham Pride or Team Birmingham the following day.

34 | SPORT

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

CRICKET

HOCKEY

Berkshire handed cup boost as trio return for Wilts clash

Five-star Sonning finish with a flourish

CHRIS PEPLOE, Stewart Davison and Euan Woods make their first appearances of the season for Berkshire when they play Wiltshire at Corsham on Sunday (11am) in their annual challenge match for the Marlborough Cup, writes DAVID WRIGHT. All three were unavailable for the opening friendly against

AN IMPRESSIVE 5-0 win on the road at Banbury 4s saw Sonning Men’s 6s bring their season to a close on a positive note, writes LEWIS RUDD. Victory, an 11th of the season, saw the villagers comfortably consolidate fourth spot in Division 9 West of the MBBO League. Wokingham 2s, meanwhile, can breathe easy again after a pulsating 5-5 draw played out between Oxford 4s and Bourton and Sherborne at the weekend

a Middlesex XI at Falkland CC two weeks ago, when Berkshire lost by one wicket off the final ball. Five Henley CC players are included in Tom Lambert’s 12-man squad, including paceman Tom Nugent, who this week has been playing for Loughborough MCCU against Leicestershire.

Sunday’s match has been switched to Corsham CC as the original venue, Calne, is not playable.

BERKSHIRE: Michael Roberts (Henley), Waqas Hussain (Slough), Martin, Andersson (Reading), Brandon Gilmour (Downend), James Morris (capt, Datchet), Andy Rishton (Finchampstead), Euan Woods (Henley), Chris Peploe (Datchet), Stewart Davison (wkt, Henley), Euan Brock (Henley), Tom Nugent (Henley), Callum Gregory (Finchampstead)

secured their status in Division 3 next season. A win for Bourton would have seen them avoid the drop at Wokingham’s expense, but the point means it is they who join Oxford 4s – and 5s – in falling through the trap door. Wokingham had brought their season to a close with a 4-2 reverse against Aylesbury the weekend before and finish the year ninth, just a place and two points about the relegation zone.

LONDON IRISH

Falcons battle set to be on ‘Al of a game NEWCASTLE FALCONS v LONDON IRISH AVIVA PREMIERSHIP KINGSTON PARK SUNDAY, 3PM By TOM CROCKER tcrocker@wokinghampaper.co.uk “WE KNOW what is riding on this game.” That is the message from returning winger Alex Lewington ahead of this Sunday’s must-win clash against Newcastle Falcons in what he describes as “definitely one of the biggest games” he has ever been a part of. With just three games of the season remaining, London Irish sit bottom of the Aviva Premiership, four points adrift of this weekend’s opponents, the only side left who the Exiles can catch if they are to save themselves from relegation. And Lewington says the trip to the north-east has been on the players’ minds for a few weeks. “Yeah we definitely have (had an eye on it),” he told The Wokingham Paper. “We’re not naive. “We know what is riding on this game so we know the importance of it and we’ll be desperate to get the result and put a performance out there which will make the fans proud.” He added: “Mathematically obviously it’s not (over) if we lose but theoretically

Alex Lewington is preparing for one of the biggest games of his career Picture: London Irish

it’s not looking great. “It is a must-win game for us. “The Premiership is a crazy tournament and stuff happens but we’re pretty desperate to get the win.” Head coach Tom Coventry is set to be boosted by both World Cup winner Ben Franks and Lewington coming back into the fold for Sunday’s crunch match following injury. And the Exiles winger admits his setback came at a difficult time, missing the last three matches, which all ended in defeat against Worcester Warriors, Sale Sharks and Harlequins. “It’s been pretty frustrating but hopefully I should be available for the weekend,” he said. “Fingers crossed I’ll give the coaches every chance. “I had a big muscle bleed in my leg, a big haematoma. “It just took a long time for the swelling to eventually go down and for me to get full range and strength back in it so it’s been pretty tough to be honest. “It wasn’t ideal but it’s looking good now.” If Lewington is to come straight back into the side, it will be at the expense of Andrew Fenby, Sean Maitland, Topsy Ojo or Tom Fowlie, who have all stepped in and put in fine displays in recent weeks. And the former Leicester Tigers man

feels his job of getting into the team is tougher than most. “It’s good competition,” he said. “To be honest that’s what you need in a squad, for everyone to play well. “I know that if the coaches do decide to go with me this weekend after my injury then I’ve got a responsibility to play well because otherwise those boys will be pretty annoyed. “I’ve got a responsibility for those boys to do well in that shirt. “I think it’s good and all the best squads in the world have that in every position. “It’s tough being in probably the strongest position in our squad, the back three.” A much-changed Exiles side surprised many last weekend by giving rivals Harlequins a mighty scare in their European Challenge Cup quarter-final, leading 30-18 at one stage before eventually losing 38-30. And Lewington feels that game could have a positive impact on the side going into the final month of the season. “Obviously we’re still disappointed to have lost being in such a good position later on in the game,” he said. “But for a lot of the boys who haven’t played for a long time, to be involved in that game and play so well and put their hands up, credit to them.

“I’m sure the coaches will be struggling this week to make a few tight selection calls. “It was a good little catalyst for us going into this week.” But providing there are no late recurrences of his muscle injury, Lewington is firmly expected to return to the squad for the trip to the north-east and he acknowledges just how massive this weekend could turn out to be. “I’ve played in big games before where for me personally it was important that I performed and obviously that is one of those games this weekend,” he said. “But in terms of the whole team having to perform to produce the result, this is definitely one of the biggest games I’ve played in. “It’s exciting but we’ll be ready come Sunday.” Saracens Exeter Wasps Leicester Northampton Harlequins Sale Sharks Gloucester Bath Worcester Newcastle London Irish

AVIVA PREMIERSHIP P W D L F 19 14 1 4 492 19 13 0 6 490 19 13 0 6 503 19 12 0 7 421 19 10 0 9 388 19 9 1 9 479 18 9 2 7 369 19 8 1 10 381 18 7 0 11 334 19 7 0 12 349 19 4 1 14 315 19 4 0 15 285

A 331 318 326 396 328 474 383 375 363 469 506 537

BP 9 12 10 7 11 12 6 7 9 6 4 2

PTS 67 64 62 55 51 50 46 41 37 34 22 18

Quins fight back to seal semi-final spot, but Laidlaw left proud Harlequins 38 London Irish 30

CLARK LAIDLAW says he was proud of the performance London Irish produced as they exited the European Challenge Cup in a thrilling contest against rivals Harlequins, writes TOM CROCKER. Sitting bottom of the Aviva Premiership and only scraping into the European quarter-finals on points difference, Irish came into the contest as firm outsiders but threatened a shock as they took a 30-18 lead at The Stoop thanks to tries from Fergus Mulchrone, Brendan McKibbin and Sean Maitland. But Quins battled back, turning on the after-burners in the closing stages to end the game with five tries, including a hat-trick for England international Danny Care to seal a 38-30 victory. Despite the loss, assistant coach Laidlaw was happy with what he saw from Exiles’ much-changed side, with only five players retaining their place from the defeat to Sale Sharks. “We are really proud of the way the players fronted,” he said. “It was always going to be a tough ask to beat Harlequins at The Stoop, they’re a pretty strong side and have played well through the year.

“We got our noses in front and I think if we could have held in there a little bit longer at two scores up then it could have been a different night, but they sort of rolled over us in that last 15 minutes. “It was difficult to hold them when they got on the front foot, but I’m hugely proud of the way the players played.” Quins made the early running, opening up a 12-3 lead thanks to Luke Wallace and Care tries, but Irish responded as Mulchrone went over in the corner. And with Shane Geraghty in fine form with the boot, there were just two points separating the sides at the break at 18-16 to the hosts. Exiles flew out the traps in the second period with McKibbin driving over to put the visitors in front, but the momentum swung shortly afterwards when captain Paice was sent to the sinbin for a tip tackle. But, incredibly, 14-man Irish extended their advantage in some style as Maitland sprinted clear of Mike Brown to finish after a 40 yard dash. After profiting from a couple of fortuitous refereeing calls, Irish eventually fell to the Quins pressure with Wallace and Care both going over again before a converted Care try five minutes from time all but ended the contest and

Fergus Mulchrone went over for London Irish at The Stoop Picture: Steve Smyth

sent Irish packing at the last eight for the second straight year. But Laidlaw refused to be too downbeat and hopes the side can take that sort of performance into this week’s huge bottom-of-the-table clash against Newcastle Falcons. He said: “We’ve tried to really stay even as an environment and as a team and not be too up and down around wins

and losses so the players are in a good place. “We just need to try and play with that freedom against Newcastle and in the following weeks after that to try and match that performance.” He added: “There’s definitely guys who have stuck their hands up (to play this week),” he said. “We’re going to have a good look at the

video and we’ve got a longer turnaround which will help. “There’s a number of players I thought played particularly well (against Harlequins).”

LONDON IRISH: Fenby, Maitland, Mulchrone (Steele 63-67), Brophy Clews (Steele 72), Fowlie, Geraghty, McKibbin (Allinson 74), Smallbone (Court 54), Paice (c), Halavatau (Palframan 56), Lloyd (Curry 78), Sinclair, Guest (Sisi 57), Trayfoot (Ellis 75), McCusker (Cruse 50-57). Tries: Mulchrone (28), McKibbin (45), Maitland (51) Cons: Geraghty x3 (29,46,52) Pens: Geraghty x3 (14,25,34) HARLEQUINS: Brown, Yarde, Lowe, Roberts, Visser, Botica, Care (c), Lambert, Gray (Ward 45), Jones (Sinckler 45), Merrick (Matthews 51), Twomey, Robshaw, Wallace, Clifford. Reps not used: Evans, Luamanu, Dickson, Marchant, Chisholm Tries: Wallace x2 (7,62), Care x3 (21,53,75) Cons: Botica x2 (23,77) Pens: Botica x3 (27,37,72) Referee: Marius Mitrea Attendance: 9,851

n MADEJSKI STADIUM will host the European Champions Cup semi-final between Saracens and Wasps next week. The home of London Irish was chosen as a mutual venue for the clash on Saturday April 23 (3pm) in Europe’s elite competition. The other last four tie sees Leicester Tigers facing French outfit Racing 92 at the City Ground in Nottingham.

SPORT | 35

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Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

NATIONAL LEAGUE 3

BB&O PREMIER DIVISION

A first try for Walton helps Bracknell to the points

Crows hunger for a top-four finish

Westcliff 7 Bracknell 17

IT IS now played two, won two for interim coach Dan Ap Dafydd following victory at Aviation Way. Having secured their National League 3 London and South East status when defeating relegated Gravesend the weekend before, the pressure was off Bracknell as they headed over to Southend to face another side who had been unable to avoid the drop. Because of injuries, absences and illness, however, changes were needed within the away camp, where Andy Slade was handed a start at full back and Jack Conway moved to centre. The early exchanges were pretty nondescript, although knock-ons and unforced errors would frustratingly end any momentum built up by the two sides. Westcliff were enjoying the better chances created thus far, yet it was the Lily Hill men who broke the deadlock just minutes before the break. Going over was Ben Yates, who was presented with the opportunity to come off his wing and cut a line through the hosts’ defence after the Bracknell pack drove forward from a lineout. Kicking duties belonged to man-of-the-match Lachlan Valentine, and his first conversion was put straight between the posts. The away side would head in at the break boasting a 7-0 lead, not that any celebrations would last much longer, however.

Bracknell get the better of the scrum against Wescliff as captain Jonny Mirza (inset) is all smiles afterwards

This is because Westcliff were tying up the scores just seconds after the restart. Failing to deal with the kick-off would, from the resultant scrum, result in Jack Gray brushing off a number of attempted tackles before running in under the posts. Harry Branch improved the score and it was all square. Now anyone’s game and with the heavy rain beginning to fall, it was seizing upon an opportunity to break away from a ruck which saw Ap Dafydd’s charges regain the initiative. And it was a moment to saviour for Ally Walton, who would see a dart forward yield a first try with the senior team. Valentine was unable to add the extras on this occasion, but not that it would matter come the full time whistle,

anyway. Good use of the bench would see a fresh injection of power and pace help wrap up successive victories for the guests, with captain Jonny Mirza putting National League 3 London and South East P W D L F A BP L.I Wild Geese 24 19 4 1 730 391 15 Tonbridge Juddian 24 20 1 3 768 359 19 East Grinstead 24 18 1 5 628 320 15 Westcombe Park 24 16 1 7 685 384 16 Hertford 24 16 1 7 674 409 14 Guernsey 24 15 0 9 613 529 13 Shelford 24 13 0 11 547 502 16 Wimbledon 24 11 0 13 597 473 12 Chichester 24 10 0 14 463 551 11 Colchester 24 10 0 14 516 574 10 Bracknell 24 9 0 15 445 615 10 Westcliff 24 4 0 20 383 747 7 Grasvend 24 3 0 21 328 744 6 Eton Manor 24 0 0 24 244 1004 5

PTS 99 96 89 82 80 73 68 56 51 50 46 23 18 5

Pictures:Jayne Whitelegg

his side out of reach. Westcliff simply had no answer to the prop, who would bulldoze his way down the flank before dotting down in the corner. Although unconverted, Bracknell had done enough to secure the four points, even if they did have to see the game out with 14 men after Joe Pickett was shown the yellow card amid a spell of late pressure from the home side. BRACKNELL: Pickett, Miranda, Mirza (c), Bailey, Wright, Field, Goodison, Valentine, Walton, Elliott, Yates, Faamatuainu, Conway, Mackay, Slade. Reps: Williams, Silvester, Deveraux

A fixture against East Grinstead on Saturday will bring Bracknell’s home campaign to a close. Kick-off is 3pm.

CROWTHORNE’S pursuit of a top four finish resumes with the visit of lowly Hungerford on Saturday. Alex Stewart’s men were not in action last weekend and were beaten 33-5 in their previous outing against league leaders Gosford All Blacks. Because of this the Crows now sit four points adrift of the side who currently occupy fourth spot, Abingdon. And they have just two games left in order to try and overturn the deficit, the first of these taking place against a Hungerford side who sit ninth at The New Nest in Arborfield Garrison (3pm). The chase could go down to the final fixture of the season, but standing in the side’s way on that occasion will be Milton Keynes, who could themselves be still battling for top spot. They sit eight points behind Gosford, but they will be odds-on favourites to seal top spot when away at bottom side Wheatley on Saturday. Berks, Bucks and Oxon Premier Division P W D L F A BP Gosford All Blacks 20 19 0 1 729 199 17 Milton Keynes 20 17 1 2 782 257 14 Tadley 20 17 0 3 696 264 12 Abingdon 20 12 0 8 537 365 13 Crowthorne 20 11 1 8 292 290 9 Slough 20 7 1 12 446 545 9 Chesham 20 7 0 13 237 503 7 Chipping Norton 20 6 2 12 301 502 5 Hungerford 20 6 1 13 319 512 10 Alchester 20 5 0 15 290 437 10 Risborough 20 6 0 14 199 626 2 Wheatley 20 4 0 16 188 496 6

PTS 93 85 76 61 57 39 35 33 26 25 22 12

NATIONAL LEAGUE 2 SOUTH

Stapley scores again, but Rams’ run is ended Redingensians Rams 12 Cambridge 33 RAMS’ seven-game winning streak is over after Cambridge edged closer to the National League 2 title with a five-try blitz at Old Bath Road. The in-form hosts were more than a match for the table-toppers and had moved into bonus point territory when Robbie Stapley dabbed down for the sixth time in five games in the second half. Redingensians, though, would finish the fixture with nothing to show for their efforts after Cambridge pair Michael Ayrton and Jarrod Taylor ran in late tries to add an extra coat of gloss to the result. “I felt the final result failed to reflect the effort we put in,” said captain Dan Barnes afterwards. “But in the end perhaps we were careless and made too many mistakes.” Rams took to the field in determined mood and were rewarded for a bright start when a series of pick and drives presented George Drury with the chance to nip over from close range on nine minutes. But the visitors were soon back in the game, levelling matters when the opposition’s defence ran out of cover on the half-hour mark. Running in to score over in the corner was George Bretag-Norris, with Gerhard Boshoff, later named man of the match, knocking over the first of his four conversions. Five minutes before the break and Cambridge completed the turn around when leading try scorer Albert Portsmouth crossed for a lead the title-chasers probably just about

Redingensians pushed league leaders Cambridge hard at Old Bath Road Pictures: Phil Creighton

The visitors put a stop to this attack – and Rams winning run

deserved. Rams not only had to deal with this blow, but a physical one too when losing lock Dieter Kerschbaumer to a head injury. His team-mates, however, battled on bravely in his absence, keeping the guests at bay for some 10 minutes after the break as the away side’s pack continued to lay siege on the home line. But losing another member of the second row, Tom Bryson, to a yellow card was to prove costly, with replacement

In keeping up his recent rich form of scoring, the No.8 had moved his side to within distance of a vital point. However, Cambridge were just too strong in the end and in showing their championship credentials would go on to record victory by a rather flattering points margin of 21. Crossing the whitewash was Ayrton and Taylor to confirm a first defeat in eight for Rams who, despite such an impressive run of form, are not yet entirely safe from the drop – although a big swing of results would be needed to send the side down. Introducing Dan Wood from the bench for a first-team debut took the number of players used by Mike Tewkesbury this term up to the 50 mark, something which has been necessary as the team pulled themselves away from trouble. A gap of 12 points separates Redingensians with the side occupying the final place in the relegation zone, Dorking, with three games to go. The Surrey side, therefore, would need to win all their remaining fixtures, one of which with a bonus point, in order to drag the Sonning outfit into trouble. REDINGENSIANS: Foxley; McDermottroe, Bryant, Barnes, Corrigan; Chandler, Drury; Weller, Henderson, Ball, Kerschbaumer, Bryson, Guttridge, Kharbouch, Stapley. Reps: Crame, Steadman, Amor, Wood, Richardson.

Cambridge No.8 Stephen Hipwell breaching the said resistance soon after to stretch the lead. The response from Redingensians, though, was an affective one, as the 14 men stormed up the other end of the field to lay on Stapley to add the finishing touches to a catch and drive.

n THREE tough games stand in the way of Rams and the end of the season, the first of which coming at third-placed Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday (3pm). The Hertfordshire side won the corresponding fixture 27-15 back in December on an afternoon where Jamie Guttridge was sent off in the second half. The team will hit the road without

Kerschbaumer, who is ruled out with concussion, so Ollie Taylor will slot in the second row. There is a doubt too surrounding the fitness of Sean McDermottroe (toe), meaning Joe Duffelen is placed on stand by. Spike Chandler, meanwhile, will be rested, so in will come Luke Flower, who makes a welcome return at No.10 following a lengthy absence. “Bishop’s Stortford won’t be a pushover,” said head coach Tewkesbury. “They finished in the play-offs last season. “They are a bit like Cambridge, play the same style and stretch the opposition.” Tewkesbury has also been handed a boost with news Tom Vooght, who suffered a hand injury in a recent win at Bury St Edmunds, could return this weekend. But in another enforced change, Jack Steadman fills the void created by loose-head prop Matt Weller. National League 2 South P W D L F Cambridge 27 23 2 2 930 Old Albanians 27 22 1 4 857 Bishop’s Stortford 27 19 1 7 790 Redruth 27 20 0 7 653 Taunton Titans 27 18 0 9 809 Bury St Edmunds 27 12 0 15 647 Old Elthamians 27 12 2 13 596 Barnes 27 10 4 13 602 Redingensians 27 12 0 15 535 Chinnor 27 11 1 15 661 Clifton 27 11 1 15 660 Worthing 27 11 1 15 565 Canterbury 27 11 1 16 608 Dorking 27 9 0 18 537 Southend Saxons 27 7 3 17 533 Launceston 27 0 1 26 267

A BP 460 22 419 23 402 23 479 17 549 20 647 17 669 12 707 16 639 15 682 19 669 14 608 13 791 15 724 15 736 11 1104 8

PTS 118 113 101 97 92 65 64 64 63 63 60 59 59 51 45 5

36 | SPORT UNDER-21S

Bersant’s brace sends youngsters to final-day defeat A BRACE from Bersant Celina ensured Reading Under-21s ended their season with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Manchester City U21s at Madejski Stadium. There was only one point between the sides at kick-off and the game was tight throughout before City netted two late goals to seal the win with Brandon Barker adding to Celina’s double. Martin Kuhl named a young side including three U18 players for the season closer and one of those, Josh Barrett, came closest for Royals in the early exchanges but his free-kick was held by Billy O’Brien. At the opposite end, Reading stopper Lewis Ward produced a smart save to deny Manu Garcia but could not keep out Celina’s left-footed effort from close range. The score stayed at 1-0 until the final 11 minutes when, after Harry Cardwell and Barrett had both missed chances to equalise, Barker doubled the advantage with a fierce strike. And Celina had the final say two minutes later, hooking past a stranded Ward. The defeat sees Royals end the campaign with 27 points from their 22 games and they currently sit seventh in the table, but all the sides around them still have matches to play. READING: Ward, Watson, Griffin, Osho, Jules (Loader 69), Kuhl, Shaughnessy (Rinomhota 58), Husin (Richards 58), Barrett, Smith, Cardwell Subs not used: Southwood, Davis

Jade Boho Sayo Picture: Nigel Hoyle

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

Joy for Jade and Equatorial Guinea JADE BOHO SAYO kept up her fine international form with a crucial goal to help Equatorial Guinea seal qualification for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations. After drawing the first leg of their final play-off round match 1-1 in Mali, Reading’s summer recruit Boho Sayo opened the scoring in the return fixture. And the 2008 and 2012 winners of the tournament sealed their passage through to November’s event thanks to a late Adriana Tiga goal. Meanwhile, Helen Ward bagged a brace as Wales picked up three vital points in their Euro 2017 qualifier away to Kazhakstan. Jayne Ludlow’s side were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to a double from Kayleigh Green and Reading striker Ward got in on the act after the restart, netting two penalties. Rachel Rowe played 90 minutes, but Charlie Estcourt was an unused substitute.

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

READING FC

‘We’re United in wanting a victory’ LEEDS UNITED v READING SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP ELLAND ROAD SATURDAY – 3pm

By TOM CROCKER tcrocker@wokinghampaper.co.uk BRIAN McDERMOTT is targeting the perfect end to a difficult week for Reading as he makes his first return to Leeds United since being sacked in May 2014. As well as two defeats, against Birmingham City and Middlesbrough, Royals have been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons in the past seven days. After team-mates Danny Williams and captain Paul McShane clashed on the pitch at the Riverside Stadium and McDermott endured a difficult post-match interview with the BBC, the manager is hoping all the negativity is behind them ahead of a trip to Elland Road. “Football is a high octane game,” said the manager. “We all want to win and players on that pitch wanted to win. “It’s one of those things. “It’s happened, it’s done and it’s been dealt with and we move now to Leeds.”

It has been a tough week for Brian McDermott and Reading Picture: Steve Smyth

He added: “We have a massive game against Leeds and then we’ve got Hull. “We don’t want these games to pass

us by. “We’ve played four games. Birmingham at home was a funny game, we felt we should’ve got a result against Middlesbrough and the two previous games we won. “We’re trying to play a certain way and then we have the summer to come to try and bring in a group of people together. “Not just the players but owners, staff, players and the media. “For me it’s really important what message is put out there and it’s so important the message we’re sending out that Reading Football Club is going to be back to where we need to get back to.” On a night where a number of things went wrong in Middlesbrough, McDermott was forced to withdraw both his full-backs due to injury and admits the pair are unlikely to return in time to face Leeds. With Chris Gunter the only senior right-back in the squad, his replacement on Tuesday Garath McCleary could be set to continue deputise in an unfamiliar role at the weekend. But McDermott feels the Jamaica international is well suited to the position.

“Garath can do that,” he insisted. “I’ve spoken to Garath about playing that role and in the system that we’re playing I think Garath can be a really good, strong candidate to play that role.” He added: “Hal (Robson-Kanu) is not fit. Chris (Gunter) I wouldn’t have thought would be fit, he’s got a groin strain. “Jordan Obita’s (out) with his hamstring. Yann (Kermorgant’s) wife is trying to have a baby. We thought it was going to come in the last day or so and obviously not being at home and being at Middlesbrough or Leeds, there’s a strong possibility he won’t be able to travel.” Despite a tricky end to his time at Elland Road, McDermott insists he is very much looking forward to returning to Yorkshire. “The testing time came between January and the end of March really,” he explained. “It was a three month period and results didn’t go our way and there was a lot of turmoil with the ownership etc. “I learnt an awful lot and it’s a great club, it really is. “They treated me really, really well there so I’ve got good memories of the place.”

Losing impressive home record disappoints McShane Reading 0 Birmingham City 2 “WE HAD a bad start and never really recovered.” Paul McShane pulled no punches in his assessment of Reading’s performance after the side saw their unbeaten league run at Madejski Stadium in 2016 ended by Birmingham City last Saturday. Royals were left paying the price for a lethargic and lacklustre first-half display, where a second minute goal from Clayton Donaldson and Ryan Shotton effort later in the session was enough to secure the points for the visitors, who kept their outside chances of gatecrashing the play-offs alive. The hosts, who were booed of the pitch by some up in the stands when the half-time whistle was blown, did muster up some chances, but a first shot on target did not arrive until around the hour mark. Defeat denied Brian McDermott’s men a third straight win in the league, having disposed of Bolton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest in their previous outings, and it was a performance which once again sadly followed suit in what has been a topsy-turvy campaign. “It was very disappointing,” said captain McShane, who was part of a team beaten on home soil for the first time in the Championship since December 28 of last year – some nine games ago. “We had a bad start and we never really recovered. I thought the last performance was decent against Forest, but Birmingham are a much better side and they worked very hard and they worked harder than us. “I think they had two shots on goal and it was two goals and we only had one, and that’s the game.” The poor start the defender alluded to would see the side, unchanged from the midweek 2-1 victory over Forest, fall behind after just 73 seconds. Birmingham arrived in Berkshire having netted just once in their previous six games on the road, but would improve this tally when Donaldson was on hand to nod home a David Cotterill

Ryan Shotton doubles Birmingham’s lead on what was a frustrating afternoon for Royals, below Pictures: Steve Smyth

cross. It was easy pickings for the striker, who was left unmarked and allowed to ghost in between McShane and Jake Cooper and nod powerfully beyond Ali Al-Habsi from five yards. The hosts were just not with it, although up against opposition which packed out the midfield did not help their efforts offensively, although the home side lacked ideas generally. Yet a chance would drop Lucas Piazon’s way from a corner, but the midfielder was well over with a first-time effort on the turn. Simon Cox would also carve out an opening, but was wide when pulling the trigger from the edge of the box. Reading’s task, however, was made even harder when Gary Rowett’s side notched a second through defender Shotton.

Cotterill was again heavily involved, as it was his free-kick, conceded cheaply by Stephen Quinn, which Al Habsi could only parry, and it was here where the City centre back reacted quickest to tuck home the rebound from close range. The sloppy Royals now had their work cut out, yet they would end the half on an encouraging note and also saw two shouts for a penalty dismissed by referee Nigel Miller. The first arrived when Cox went to ground when competing in an aerial challenge, with the second happening moments later and amid a similar scenario. McShane and Donaldson went up to meet a cross, and it looked to many like the former had been manhandled to the floor, but Miller again was not interested in the appeals. Up until now Birmingham ‘keeper Adam Legzdins had not been troubled on what was his first league start for the club. But he almost dropped a clanger when letting slip of a McShane header over by the far post. The shot-stopper recovered well and stopped the ball dead on the line, although he was saved from any further embarrassment by an offside flag. Deciding a change was needed, McDermott threw on Matej Vydra during the break, with Piazon the man to make way. Reading were the side asking the questions after the restart, with

Birmingham quite content to sit on their lead – and looked comfortable doing so. They would, though, be breached when a slick counter sent Danny Williams charging forward. In going for goal the midfielder would get his strike from 20 yards on target, but Legzdins was equal to the effort. Another opening would fall to defender Cooper, and he should probably have done better when stopping to meet a Norwood free-kick from out on the right, but was over with a header. Another replacement, Garath McCleary, was to provide a threat down the right flank, and it was from his cross when Yann Kermorgant did well amid a clutch of bodies to divert the centre towards the corner, but it was easy pickings for Legzdins. Ola John and Norwood were then wide with respective late chances which kind of summed up the afternoon, and quite possibly the season to date. “I feel there is something not quite right,” added McShane, who admitted the players were subject to some choice words during the break. “I think stuff has to be said and the manager had a lot of stern stuff to say at half time as well because it wasn’t good enough. “The first half we started really sloppy and then we were sort of all over the place for 10 or 15 minutes and never recovered from that. “We ended up having a lot of possession but never really penetrated or hurt Birmingham. “We only had one shot on target, and that says a lot.” READING: Al Habsi, Gunter (McCleary 63), Obita, McShane (c), Cooper, Norwood, Quinn, Williams, Cox (John 72), Kermorgant, Piazon (Vydra 45). Subs not used: Bond, Taylor, Hector, Rakels Booked: Kermorgant, Cooper, McShane BIRMINGHAM CITY: Legzdins, Grounds, Kieftenbeld, Gleeson, Donaldson, Cotterill (Maghoma 72), Lafferty (Solomon-Otabor 72), Davis, Morrison (c), Caddis, Shotton Subs not used: Fabbrini, Vaughan, Toral, Spector, Kuszczak Goals: Donaldson 2, Shotton 27 Booked: Donaldson, Morrison Referee: Nigel Miller Attendance: 17,868

SPORT | 37

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Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

THAMES VALLEY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Lawlor fires Hurst to final By TOM CROCKER tcrocker@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Andrew Taylor described the last-gasp defeat as a ‘sucker-punch’

Picture: Vivienne Johnson

Taylor: We should not have lost that, Forshaw Middlesbrough 2 Reading 1

“THE DEFEAT was a real sucker-punch to take.” That was the reaction of Andrew Taylor after Reading were beaten by a stoppage time strike against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Royals were rank outsiders against an in-form Boro, who would go top with victory, but they more than held their own, equalising Emilio Nsue’s early goal through Simon Cox’s smart finish. Matej Vydra saw a gilt-edged chance come and go in the dying moments but the night got even worse moments later when Adam Forshaw popped up to sneak one in at the near post and spark wild celebrations. The match was marred further by an on-pitch confrontation between captain Paul McShane and Danny Williams, with both players subsequently fined by the club. “The defeat was a real sucker-punch to take,” admitted former ‘Boro left-back Taylor. “One minute we could have won it with Matej’s chance and unfortunately we didn’t take it and then they nick a goal right at the death. “It is tough to take but I think we’ve got to take the positives out of the night. “We’re really focussed now on bouncing back this week, taking the positives from this game and turning that into three points on Saturday.” Brian McDermott made just one change to the starting line-up from the defeat against Birmingham City with Vydra starting in place of the absent Yann Kermorgant, who stayed at home with his partner due to give birth. Middlesbrough’s Nsue had the game’s opening chance, but saw his effort blocked by Jake Cooper, only to find the net minutes later, following up a Jordan Rhodes saved effort to break the deadlock. Royals’ start went from bad to worse when Chris Gunter was forced off with less than 20 minutes on the clock with Garath McCleary coming on in an unfamiliar right-back role. With Al-Habsi in form to thwart a number of ‘Boro efforts, Reading levelled shortly after the restart through Cox. The Republic of Ireland forward, who

came into the game on the back of a goal drought of none since December 2014, finally found the net again as he followed in Taylor’s effort and cleverly dinked the ball over the sprawled Dimi Konstantopoulos. And Royals had the chance for an unlikely win when the ball broke for Vydra inside the box, but the striker fired his effort over the crossbar. That anguish deepened further moments later when, down the other end, substitute Forshaw rounded off a scramble in the box to sneak in a low effort and seal the points. “Unfortunately it seems when you’re at the top of the league you get a little bit of the rub of the green,” said Taylor, who replaced the injured Jordan Obita at half-time. “We miss a good chance and then for their goal it ricocheted around a couple of times and got scuffed in right at the end. “Sometimes that’s just the way it goes.”

READING: Al-Habsi; Gunter (McCleary 18), Cooper, McShane (c), Obita (Taylor 45); Norwood, Williams, Quinn; Piazon (John 59), Vydra, Cox. Subs not used: Bond, Hector, Evans, Rakels. Goal: Cox (54) Yellow cards: Cooper (57), Taylor (71) MIDDLESBROUGH: Konstantopoulos, De Laet, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter (c) (Forshaw 59), Clayton, Nsue (Ramirez 67), Downing, Adomah, Rhodes (Nugent 87). Subs not used: Agazzi, Kalas, De Sart, De Pena. Goals: Nsue (10), Forshaw (90+4) Referee: Scott Duncan Attendance: 23,746

Middlesbrough Burnley Brighton Hull Derby Sheff Wed Cardiff Ipswich Birmingham Preston QPR Wolves Brentford Reading Leeds Blackburn Fulham Bristol City Huddersfield Nottm Forest Rotherham MK Dons Charlton Bolton

Sky Bet Championship P W D L 41 25 7 9 41 22 14 5 41 21 15 5 40 20 10 10 41 19 13 9 41 18 14 9 41 16 15 10 41 16 12 13 41 16 11 14 41 14 14 13 41 13 16 12 41 13 14 14 40 15 7 18 41 13 12 16 41 12 15 14 41 11 14 16 41 11 14 16 41 12 11 18 41 12 10 19 41 11 13 17 41 13 7 21 41 9 10 22 41 8 12 21 41 4 14 23

F 57 64 58 56 60 60 52 47 46 39 52 48 57 46 41 39 63 45 54 36 51 34 37 38

A 26 33 39 29 38 41 44 47 41 39 48 52 61 48 50 40 67 64 59 43 64 59 72 76

Pts 82 80 78 70 70 68 63 60 59 56 55 53 52 51 51 47 47 47 46 46 46 37 36 26

JAMES LAWLOR bagged a brace as Hurst Reserves booked their spot in the BTC Junior Cup final with a 2-1 win over Harchester Hawks. The Thames Valley Premier League Division 4 pair were battling it out at Reading Town for the right to face Woodley United A in the final. And while Carl Pyne’s goal gave Harchester hope, Lawlor’s double sealed the win for Hurst and booked their place in the showdown at Cantley Park. ASHRIDGE PARK moved off the foot of Division 2 with a 2-2 draw against Woodcote Stoke Row Reserves. Sitting at the bottom of the pile level with SONNING on just eight points, Ashridge picked up a creditable point despite Mark Shoosmith’s red card thanks to goals from Elliott Poulter and substitute David Barley. But Ashridge could not repeat the trick on Wednesday night, going down 3-1 to WARGRAVE. In the Premier Division, WOODLEY UNITED RESERVES have been dragged towards a relegation battle after losing 2-0 at mid-table Newbury. Following goals from Kyle Franklin and Carl Jenner, Woodley sit 11th in the 14-team table but have games in hand on their rivals. In the same league, 10-man HURST slipped to a 2-0 loss against title chasing Cookham Dean. Hurst’s task was made more difficult by Aaron Williams’ red card as Daniel Hunt and Jonathon Schaaf goals secured the win.

Reserves on Wednesday night. With league campaigns drawing to a close, a number of sides took part in fixtures away from the pressure of playing for points. WOODLEY UNITED B lost out by the odd goal in seven against Division Four champions TDC Knights. First half goals from Callum Fox-Spence (2) and John Mailer gave the hosts a 3-2 lead going into half time but late goals from Action from Finchampstead Reserves’ 1-1 draw with Unity in Ibrahim Koroma and Division 3 Christopher Potter gave Matthew Bonny’s 70th minute strike Knights the victory. ensured FINCHAMPSTEAD RESERVES Dave Amey, Richard Cumner and ended their Division 3 campaign with a Samuel Evans goals helped BERKS 1-1 draw against Unity Reserves. COUNTY ROVERS to a 3-1 win over Finch sit third in the table and look HURST A, with Charlie Scope finding the likely to stay there after picking up that net for Hurst. point, cancelling out Gabrie Edwards’ A Richard Jones goal could not help WARGRAVE RESERVES to a win over strike. Burghfield, losing 3-1, while TWYFORD Lewis Thomas netted a double as AND RUSCOMBE overcame Rotherfield SHINFIELD RANGERS MENS boosted United Reserves 4-3 on penalties after a their promotion hopes from Division 5 0-0 draw. with a 3-0 win over struggling Goring READING AND DISTRICT SUNDAY LEAGUE United Reserves. RESULTS - APRIL 10-16 Following their run in the BTC Junior Cup, Shinfield have a number of games to catch up on the teams around them but they climbed up to third thanks to Thomas’ brace and a David McDonnell strike. But they stayed there, one point off second, after losing 2-0 to Baughurst

PREMIER DIVISION: DC Steamers 1-1 The County, Woodley United 1-2 The Mod, DIVISION 1: 116 Exiles 1-2 FC Woodley, Woodley Wanderers 6-1 SC United. DIVISION 2: Arborfield 2-1 Wokingham and Emmbrook, Emmbrook Inn 5-1 Athletico Forest, Pangbourne and Basildon Barbarians 3-5 Loxwood Park Rangers, Loxwood Park Rangers 3-1 AFC Burghfield Res, Emmbrook Inn 7-1 Warwick Arms.

YOUTH FOOTBALL

Evans at the double as Oranges dispose of CSA Burghfield WOKINGHAM and Emmbrook Oranges Under-13s notched four goals for the second game running, with Kai Evans leading the scoring with a brace. Ben Alderman and Nathan Mulbaney were also on target as the side saw off Burghfield CSA Royals 4-2 in Division 6 of the East Berkshire Football Alliance (EBFA). Despite missing three of the back four which started the previous victory, Wokingham went ahead through a long-range Evans effort, with James Starkey setting up Alderman to make it 2-0 minutes later. Evans struck the third with his second

of the game just before the break. Burghfield reduced the deficit early in the second half, only for Mulvaney to restore the threegoal cushion. With no substitutes to call upon, the Sumas were beginning to tire and would concede again 10 minutes from time, yet had enough left in the tank to hold out for the win. A solid appearance upon his return to the side for the first time since January saw defender Adam Ianev (pictured) named man-of-the-match. Under-15s CALUM WOODFIELD struck twice and Joe Jones was also on target – but the

pair could not prevent Wokingham and Emmbrook FC Blacks slipping to a 6-3 loss at Burham Lynx Blues. It took for the hosts to race 2-0 ahead to get the visitors going, but they were soon back on level terms in this EBFA Division 1 fixture through Woodfield’s 25th and 26th goals of the season, one of which came from the penalty spot after Jones was fouled in the box. Wokingham would boss the second half, yet lapses at the back allowed the Lynx in to score a further four times and put the result beyond any doubt. Woodfield would turn provider when setting up Jones to net, but it was nothing more than consolation. Defender Ralph Ivey was the Blacks’ man of the match.

COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE

Eversley dealt promotion setback after Dorking snatch a draw Dorking Wanderers Reserves 3 Eversley and California 3

LETTING slip of a two-goal lead saw Eversley’s promotion hopes suffer a setback at the West Humble Playing Fields on Tuesday. The point means the Boars were unable to reclaim fourth spot back from Worcester Park, who had thrashed Epsom Athletic 6-0 just 24 hours earlier. Although still boasting games in hand on those around them in the standings, Eversley remain five points behind Bedfont and Feltham in third, although a lot could yet still change with five fixtures remaining. The away side broke the deadlock against

lowly Dorking in just the seventh minute, only to be pegged back later in the half. Brad Smith, however, restored parity on 31 minutes, with Matthew Griffiths giving the visitors a two-goal cushion when popping up with a goal midway through the second half. Wanderers, though, were not to be beaten and would cut the gap almost immediately before levelling matters once again on 78 minutes. Eversley return to action with a trip to Epsom Athletic on Saturday (3pm) before a potentially huge game awaits Phil Ruggles’ men next Wednesday at the Leg of Mutton Field, where they are guests of Worcester Park (7.45pm).

Combined Counties League Division 1 P W D L F A CB Hounslow Utd 28 20 5 3 64 24 Abbey Rangers 29 20 3 6 67 31 Bedfont & Feltham 27 19 2 6 73 36 Worcester Park 29 17 5 7 73 33 Eversley & Calif 27 17 4 6 76 40 Banstead Athletic 27 15 6 6 68 43 Dorking 29 14 1 14 55 48 Cobham 30 13 3 14 55 63 Staines Lammas 29 12 3 14 53 53 Ash United 30 10 8 12 53 58 Frimley Green 28 10 3 15 43 51 Sandhurst Town 29 7 8 14 47 80 Sheerwater 29 8 3 18 48 65 South Park Res 26 5 6 15 38 67 Dorking Wand Res 26 4 7 15 29 57 Epsom Athletic 26 5 4 17 33 77

Pts 65 63 59 56 55 51 43 42 39 38 33 29 27 21 19 19

38 | SPORT

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THEWOKINGHAMPAPER Friday, April 15, 2016

Horscroft scores again, but Moles see their top-five aspirations dealt a setback on Brim afternoon Brimscombe and Thrupp 5 Binfield 1

CONCEDING four second half goals saw Binfield’s recent run of wins come to a shuddering halt at The Meadow. Both sides went into the fixture with a chance of securing a top-five finish this season, but it is Brimscombe who now appear to hold all the cards in that respect after putting Roger Herridge’s men to the sword in testing conditions over in Gloucestershire. The hosts led this contest 1-0 at half time thanks to a Josh Russell effort on 35 minutes. But they would turn up the heat on the

Moles after the break, with Sam Blackie, Billy Jones and Karl Nash all netting during a devastating 20 minute spell for the home side. Substitute Danny Horscroft (pictured) would reduce the arrears when notching for the second time in as many games late on, yet there was still time for Brimscombe to inflict more misery on the opposition, with Ollie Pitt adding a fifth in the 89th minute. Binfield are not yet mathematically out of the hunt for a fifth placed finish, but their chances were dented somewhat by this defeat – their first in the league in four matches. There was nothing to separate the

rivals during the opening half hour. However, a well-worked move down the Moles’ left flank would present Russell with a simple tap-in five minutes later. A chance to equalise would quickly come and go. Bradley Brown did well to get on the end of a Mark O’Connell knock down, only for the striker to be stopped in his tracks by a fine recovering tackle before pulling the trigger with the goal gaping. Only a smart stop from Nathan Silver in the Binfield goal to deny Blackie from 25 yards, however, would prevent Brimscombe and Thrupp from doubling their advantage just prior to Brown’s chance. Silver was then at it again after the break, this time thwarting Jones from the penalty spot after the opposition were

punished, somewhat harshly according to the guests, for handball. Yet Herridge’s men remained under the cosh and within the space of just seven minutes were all but out of site. Blackie pounced to make it 2-0 before Jones made up for his earlier miss when hitting the third. It was all to easy for the hosts, but introducing Liam Ferdinand from the bench did ease the pressure for Binfield somewhat. The striker was soon in action, cutting in from the left and having a go for goal, but the effort was straight at Brimscombe ‘keeper Steve Sparrow and easy pickings for the shot-stopper. While his presence offered a bit more punch going forward, the Moles’ vulnerabilities at the back on the afternoon were exposed once again when

WEEKEND ROUND-UP

Clean sheet is a High point Highmoor Ibis 0 Wokingham and Emmbrook 0 IN PICKING up just a fourth clean sheet in the league this season, Wokingham and Emmbrook were to deny Highmoor a winning send off at Palmer Park. The hosts are relocating to Scours Lane over the summer, but would bring their stay at the athletics venue to a close with a goalless draw played out in hazardous conditions. The relegated Sumas are now only playing for pride in the Hellenic Premier Division, and although patched-up once again because of injury and unavailability, would prove to be hard to beat on Saturday afternoon. And bosses Dan Bateman and Matt Eggleston would no doubt have been happy with the response shown by their side following the 7-1 thrashing handed to them by local rivals Bracknell Town just two days earlier in the Supplementary Cup. Wokingham would have chances to go ahead, too, with the best of these falling to Jake Wheeler. The striker, though, was unable to get the better of Ashley East in the Highmoor goal when sent clean through.

Griffiths and Smith seal a vital victory Eversley and California 2 Banstead Athletic 0

AS FAR as victories go, this could be a pivotal one in Eversley and

California’s season. Already assured of a place in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League having passed a recent ground grading inspection, the challenge is now on for the Boars the secure a top three finish. And through Matthew Griffiths and Brad Smith strikes, the side climbed up to fourth with a win over another side still in with a chance of gatecrashing the top three, Banstead Athletic, at Fox Lane. Victory for the hosts was a first in four games, and while it moved them up the table to fourth, Phil Ruggles men are still five points adrift of Bedfont and Feltham in third, although they have played a game more. Griffiths, who was on target during the 2-2 draw with CB Hounslow the previous weekend, broke the deadlock in the second half before Smith secured the three points via a well-taken free-kick.

Blake Stewart looks to lead Wokingham and Emmbrook on the attack Picture: Phil Creighton

The shot-stopper would win this particular battle once again when the same player had a sight of goal in the second half. Ibis also had their moments, the better of which fell to both Anthony White and Davidson Borges, but neither player was able to convert as the two sides would eventually shake hands on a draw.

It was a welcome shut out for the visitors, but picking up just a point means they will finish the campaign bottom of the table.

WOKINGHAM AND EMMBROOK: Woodward, Narroway, Rowland, Rushforth, Carter, Hammerstone, Stewart, Whiting, Wheeler, S.Bateman (Flatman), Herridge Subs not used: Flatman, Tabor, Eggleston, D.Bateman, Scope

Nash pounced to turn home a cross from the right to continue the flurry of goals witnessed after the interval. Although a grim afternoon Binfield, to their credit, never gave up and would not go home empty handed, as Horscroft followed up his strike during the midweek win over Highmoor Ibis when nipping in to take the ball past Sparrow and tap into an empty net. The result, many will hope, is just a blip on what has been an otherwise impressive season on the road for Binfield. But this particular hiding was not yet over, and with just minutes remaining Pitt struck to make it 5-1. BINFIELD: Silver, O’Connell (Dean), Luis (c), Leonetti, A.Walton, Broome, Howell, Knight, Etienne (Horscroft), Brown (Ferdinand), Gibbs. Sub not used: M.Walton

SUPPLEMENTARY CUP

Reliant Robin Cornell runs riot WOKINGHAM and Emmbrook exited the Bluefin Sports Supplementary Cup with a heavy 7-1 defeat at Larges Lane last Thursday. Chief destroyer was Adam Cornell, who struck four times against his former club, with the striker taking his tally against the Sumas in his last two games to five, having also netted when the rivals met in the league the Thursday before. Carl Davies was also on target for the home side, while Ben Poynter weighed in with a couple of late goals as the Robins set up a semi-final date with either Didcot Town Reserves or Holyport in style. The away side, however, had levelled things up at 1-1 through a fine Elliott Rushforth strike, which cancelled out Cornell’s earlier opener for Town. Notching twice more to complete the hat-trick, however, would see Cornell give Bracknell a 3-1 half-time lead. Luke Scope would have a great

opportunity to pull a goal back after the break but was unable to capitalise. And with the miss went Wokingham and Emmbrook’s involvement in the competition. Davies, sent off in his side’s 2-1 victory last week, added a fourth before Cornell struck again. At 5-1 Josh Pearson was sent clean through, but was unable to get the better of Garry Aulsberry in the Bracknell goal. And there was to be no letting up from the hosts, with young Poynter wrapping up a resounding night for Mark Tallentire’s men. If the result was not hard enough to take, Wokingham were dealt yet more blows on the injury front too, with captain Will Day and Sam Bateman both picking up knocks and having to be replaced.

WOKINGHAM AND EMMBROOK: Woodward, Clark, Rowland, Day (c) (Pearson), McNelly, Carter, Rushforth, Wheeler, Scope, Haylett, S.Bateman (Parsons) Subs not used: N.Bateman, Eggleston, D.Bateman

Nathan nets opener as Finch end winless streak Wantage Town Reserves 0 Finchampstead 3

THE LONG wait for a win is finally over for Finchampstead. Having not tasted victory since the 5-1 success against Woodley United back on Boxing Day, Jon Laugharne’s men finally ended a winless streak which had stretched some nine games over at Alfredian Park. Nathan Onreat-Wells put the wheels in motion for Finch on 16 minutes, with Luke Axton-Hall doubling the advantage later in the half. The visitors were subject to a few scares after the break, but would wrap up victory when substitute Daniel Blatchford scored from the penalty spot on the stroke of full time. Boss Laugharne welcomed back a number of players who had missed the midweek 4-0 reverse at title-chasing Penn and Tylers Green, and was also boosted by having more bodies on the bench, too. He was, though, without Harry Swabey and Freddie Barron, but their absences would not affect the side come the full time whistle, however. After a relatively even start, it was Wantage who produced the first moment

Finchampstead’s Danny Blatchford scored from the spot

of note when Jared Jones whipped a dangerous centre across the face of goal which went unpunished. However, it was the opposition who would break the deadlock just after the quarter-of-an-hour mark. It was route one stuff from Finchampstead, too. In running on to a lofted ball pumped forward, Onreat-Wells would beat Town ‘keeper Harry Whitehead in a foot race, and with the latter off his line calmly netted via a looping header. Opportunities to try and grab an equaliser would fall Wantage’s way, but

the danger on each occasion was snuffed out by the opposition. Finchampstead also remained a threat going forward, but Axton-Hall would find himself outnumbered when trying to latch on to a ball Garry Callaway pumped into the box. However, when the away side recycled another attack initially cut out by Whitehead, Axton-Hall would pop up to make it 2-0 on 35 minutes. The gap, though, was almost was cut by Wantage on the stroke of half time, but fortunately for Finches, Callum Driscoll failed to convert an easy opening which fell his way. Axton-Hall, pushed into a midfield role, attempted to meet a James Pople free-kick swung in from out wide, but Whitehead would this time beat him to the ball. Town were now conjuring up a spell of possession, and would almost profit when an awkward ball bounced over the reach of Bryant. The ‘keeper, though, was rescued on this occasion by Ben Winship, who was in the right place to clear on the line. Bryant was beaten once again, but this time had Callaway to thank for producing another goal-line clearance. While the hosts were clearly out of

luck, Finchampstead were dogged – yet they almost put themselves out of reach when replacement Blatchford went for goal from some 40 yards. An outstretched palm of Whitehead would deny the midfielder from netting a screamer. Blatchford, however, was not to be denied a goal, and with time almost up Finchampstead, clearly in no mood to run down the clock, were awarded a chance to grab a third from 12 yards when Gavin Rolls was tripped up in the box. Responsibility from the spot belonged to Blatchford, and he would make no mistake. Despite the triumph, Laugharne’s men remain eighth in the standings with two games left to play. FINCHAMPSTEAD: Bryant, Pople, Winship (Blatchford), Callaway, Green (c), J.Wright, Barron, M.Wright, Axton-Hall, Onreat-Wells (Dixon), Rolls.

A rematch with Penn and Tylers Green brings Finchampstead’s home campaign to a close on Saturday. The game at The Memorial Ground kicks-off at 3pm. Finchampstead then wrap up the season when up against Chalfont Wasps on Tuesday. This fixture will be staged at Amersham Town’s Spratleys Meadow home, starting at 7.30pm.

SPORT | 39

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Friday, April 15, 2016 THEWOKINGHAMPAPER

HELLENIC PREMIER DIVISION

It’s reffing hell for Sumas Wokingham and Emmbrook 0 Ardley United 2

“I FEEL cheated, absolutely cheated”. Matt Eggleston certainly pulled no punches in his criticisms of the match officials after the Sumas went down to defeat against Ardley on Tuesday night. A controversial penalty awarded to the visitors midway through the first half after Elias Katsoloudi went to ground in the box – despite appearing to clip his own ankle – was converted by Adeyinka Talari for a 1-0 lead. Wokingham had their chances to grab an equaliser, but in pushing men forward late on were caught out on the break, with substitute Reece Bayliss nipping in to wrap up victory for the Oxfordshire side. Apart from a heated exchange late on, which saw two players from each team shown a yellow card, this was far from a bad-tempered encounter. The majority of the eight cautions dished out on the night either came within the skirmish or for dissent when questioning dubious decisions. Yet Eggleston, who saw six of his charges booked during the match, meaning the club can now expect a fine from the league, felt the man in the middle contributed to his side’s defeat. “I’m disgusted, absolutely disgusted with the level of the referee today,” said the joint-manager afterwards. “There is no-one in the ground here who has seen that penalty, there has been no touch – even their subs who were warming up right by the incident said there was no contact. “The referee from out of nowhere has given a penalty and none of us can work out how.” He added: “There have been times when we haven’t been good enough and there have been times when we have been unlucky with commitment or injuries, but there have been so many times now when the referees and officials have just been poor, and they get paid for it and it is absolutely disgusting. “I feel cheated, absolutely cheated.” The warning signs had been there for the hosts early on, with Katsoloudi turning one chance wide before Sean Woodward in the Wokingham goal raced off his line to thwart the same player when played clean through. Katsolouodi was a particular problem

Matt Eggleston

for the opposition, and it was amid a probing run which took him into the box where he was to go to ground with Will Day and Jordan Rowland in close company. The referee showed no hesitancy in pointing to the spot having deemed enough contact was made. Despite the protests which followed, Talari kept his cool and buried the ball past Woodward and into the corner. Although their approach play was pleasing on the eye, the hosts rarely penetrated the Ardley defence, with Rowland blazing a half chance way over the bar the only opportunity of note with some 30 minutes played. One thing the Sumas have been unlucky with this season, though, is injuries, and they were dealt another blow when Jake Butler – only just back from a recent knock, jumped up to contest an aerial challenge at a set piece and took a knock to the face. The midfielder was quickly bandaged up, but would take no further part and was soon off to hospital, where he needed five stitches to a wound close to the eye. Yet in his absence the side continued to rally, and Jake Wheeler deserved better when starting and finishing a move just before the break. Dan Carter and James Carter were both involved as Wokingham surged up the right flank, where the latter’s cross was headed over by Wheeler, who had continued his run into the box. The hosts continued to ask questions after the break, too, where Blake Stewart saw a chance hooked off the line during a scramble. Shouts for another penalty were

then waved away by the referee when Wheeler went down under a clumsy-looking challenge when chasing a hopeful ball over the top, but the referee was having none of the claims. The same spell of pressure saw an opening fall the way of substitute Ben Broadhurst following a neat exchange of passes with Rowland, but he was off target when looking to drive the ball into the far corner. Playing higher up the pitch would leave Wokingham suspectable to the counter attack, and they were fortunate not to conceded a second, although some poor finishing let Ardley down. Within moments of each other the side had rattled the post from close range before Bayliss should have scored sooner than he did. In showing quick feet to skip past Parsons, the replacement only had Woodward to beat, but knocked the ball horribly wide when going for the corner. But he was not to be denied his goal, and from a similar scenario and with the contest deep into stoppage time, Parson coolly took the ball past Woodward before stroking it into an empty net. “The lads who took to the pitch, without the penalty decision, we had our chances and played some nice football at times,” said Eggleston “But this league just shows that if you make a mistake you get punished. “It has been a long, hard season. “I have certainly learned from it, I know Dan (Bateman) has and hopefully the players have.” WOKINGHAM AND EMMBROOK: Woodward, Carter, Rowland, Butler (Broadhurst), Day (c), Parsons, Rushforth, Whiting, Wheeler, Stewart, Clark Hellenic Premier Division P W D L F A Pts Kidlington 37 31 3 3 115 30 96 Thatcham Town 37 27 6 4 98 44 87 Flackwell Heath 37 26 4 7 96 45 82 Ascot United 38 23 7 8 75 42 76 Thame United 38 19 7 12 58 46 64 Brimscombe & Thrupp 35 20 3 12 68 54 63 Highworth Town 37 19 5 13 85 47 62 Binfield 36 18 5 13 75 60 59 Longlevens AFC 37 18 2 17 62 66 56 Oxford City Nomads 36 16 5 15 62 63 53 Highmoor-Ibis 37 16 4 17 56 59 52 Lydney Town 37 13 10 14 61 65 49 Ardley United 36 14 2 20 65 75 44 Royal Wootton Bassett 37 12 5 20 50 83 41 Bracknell Town 36 10 10 16 58 71 40 Brackley Town Saints 37 10 5 22 62 89 35 Tuffley Rovers 36 8 7 21 57 83 31 Milton United 37 6 9 22 44 90 27 Abingdon United 38 6 3 29 42 109 21 Wokingham 37 3 4 30 36 104 13

Binfield’s Liam Ferdinand finds his route to goal blocked off by Chris Grace

Picture: Colin Byers

Binfield beaten by Boon Ascot United 1 Binfield 0

A LATE strike from Lee Boon saw Binfield narrowly beaten at the Racecourse Ground on Monday night. The midfielder won this local derby for the Yellamen in the 88th minute when stooping to convert a Tom McGarry flick-on from a Tom Parsons corner. Defeat, a second on the road in the space of three days, was harsh on the Moles, who had bossed proceedings in the second half – only to be left ruing a string of missed opportunities. For Ascot, meanwhile, the three points secures a fourth place finish in the Hellenic Premier Division. The opposition can still finish the campaign a place behind United in fifth, but must win their remaining two games and hope results elsewhere go their way. Roger Herridge’s side resoundingly won the reverse fixture 4-0 just two weeks ago, but needed ‘keeper Nathan Silver to keep out an early Alex Rodrigues header and prevent the hosts taking an early lead. Louis Gilpin was also off target with an aerial chance not long after. But back came Binfield and arguably the best opening of the half would fall their way on 23 minutes. A looped pass from Bradley Brown sent the recalled Liam Ferdinand on his way towards goal, where only a smart stop from Chris Grace prevented the striker from breaking the deadlock. Brown then went close with a header when meeting a Josh Howell cross before Danny Horscroft sent another opportunity into the side netting. An opening would also fall the way of Ascot’s Thomas Hedges later in the half, but a timely block would come to the aid of the away side. Ferdinand saw another strike charged

down shortly after the restart, while Horscroft was only just off target from the resulting corner. In continuing to ask all of the questions, Ferdinand would see Rodrigues curtail another route to goal, with Grace then needing to be alert to deal with a Jack Gibbs inswinging corner as Lewis Leonetti had the ball taken off his toe when pouncing on the rebound. Up the other end and Jamie West was unable to keep a volley down when set up by Steve Deverall, while Ferdinand saw yet another strike fail to reach its intended destination as both sides traded missed chances. It was just not Ferdinand’s night, which was summed up when Grace raced off his line to foil the front man as he was again put clean through. The keeper’ also saved from Brown soon after, and it was just moments later when Boon struck the decisive blow. Now pushing for an equaliser, the visitors would win two free-kicks in inviting positions around the edge of the box, but Grace was not once troubled from either set piece as United held out to take the points. BINFIELD: Silver, Broome (c), Gibbs, Leonetti, M.Walton, Dean, Howell, Knight, Ferdinand, Brown (Etienne), Horscroft (O’Connell) Subs not used: Withers, Vaughan, Luis.

Binfield are out again last night (Thursday), where they travel to Ardley United for the penultimate league game of the season (7.45pm). n BINFIELD RESERVES, meanwhile, will go up against Chalvey Sports Reserves in the final of the Ascot and District Fielden Cup on Wednesday, May 4. The side set up the showdown when defeating Iver Heath 4-2 in last Saturday’s semi-final, with all four goals for Ellis Woods’ men arriving in the first half. The contest will kick off at 7.30pm.

HELLENIC DIVISION 1 EAST

No Matt finish for Lambert after Henley end United’s resurgence Woodley United 1 Henley Town 2

five minutes later, with Jack Thomson-Wheeler grabbing what proved to be the winner soon after. MATT LAMBERT’S first goal for the club Defeat leaves United bottom of the would prove to be in vain after Woodley Division 1 East table with just one game left to play, which took were denied a third straight win on place last night (Thursday) Tuesday night. and was against the team The midfielder broke the directly above them in the deadlock from the penalty standings, Old Woodstock spot on 27 minutes after Town. Tim Green was felled in Victory for United the box. would move them level Henley, however, on points with their rivals, arrived at Scours Lane in Woodley boss but Town do have one more need of the points to keep Jock Mowat fixture left to play. up their hopes of securing a Despite being buoyed by top-two finish and promotion recent success against Didcot Town back to the Hellenic Premier Division – Reserves and Finchampstead, Woodley and they were soon turning the game on would begin the game under the cosh, its head. although Ben Hitchins in the host goal Ben Clark pulled the side level only

was rarely troubled during the early exchanges. And when the first opportunity of note did come in, former United man David Stevens hit the wall from a free-kick. This was soon followed up by Ryan Szram letting fly at the other end, but he too would see his strike charged down. The contest, though, was to burst into life during a seven-minute spell which witnessed the game’s three goals. It began when Green was upended in the box, with Lambert tucking the resulting penalty into the corner. But just moments later and it was all square. United failed to deal with a set piece – a problem all too reoccurring this season – and Clark was on hand to nod home the corner. It was from another flag kick when Thomson-Wheeler stooped to put his side

in front, which again came via a header. Luke Nichols would work Henley ‘keeper Andrew Nunn shortly after the break, but his attempt was well saved by the latter diving down to his left. Thomson-Wheeler, from a header, and Nichols would trade missed chances around the hour mark, with Grant Kemp then only just over for Henley when pulling the trigger from 18 yards. Substitute Rupen Limbu was to have no better luck from a free-kick, either, as his strike too failed to beat the wall. The same player put another opportunity over the bar. Two more chances would fall the way of United late on, but Charlie Hiscox, making his debut for the home side, failed to pick out a team-mate with a cross. Nunn would also thwart George

Douglas when recovering well from a fumble. The game, meanwhile, was watched on by a gate of 51, United’s biggest home crowd of the season.

WOODLEY UNITED: Hitchins, Hiscox, Brookling, Robertson (Bridges), Hoy (c), Lambert, Green (Limbu), May, Douglas, Szram (Mowat), Nichols Subs not used: Ahmed, Ingram Hellenic Division 1 East P W D L F A Pts Penn & Tylers Green 22 16 4 2 64 12 52 Bicester Town 22 16 3 3 53 31 51 Henley Town 22 14 3 5 59 30 45 Headington Amateur’s 24 13 3 8 51 29 42 Rayners Lane 23 10 7 6 47 30 37 Chinnor 22 11 3 8 43 31 36 Holyport 23 10 4 9 43 40 34 Finchampstead 22 8 7 7 40 28 31 Wantage Town Res’ 23 6 3 14 26 54 21 Chalfont Wasps 22 5 5 12 33 59 20 Didcot Town Res’ 22 6 2 14 31 58 20 Old Woodstock Town 22 4 2 16 16 58 14 Woodley United 23 3 2 18 17 63 11

WOKINGHAM SPORT

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Contact the sports desk: sport@wokinghampaper.co.uk | Log on the for latest sports news www.wokinghampaper.co.uk READING FC FC READING

McShane and charged for Boro bust-up Royals duo setWilliams to return for Birmingham clash PAUL McSHANE believes Tuesday’s By TOM CROCKER on-pitch bust-up with Danny tcrocker@wokinghampaper.co.uk Williams has been “blown out of proportion” – despite BRIAN MCDERMOTT is the set to be pair being charged byofthe boosted by the return both Deniss FA, writes LEWIS RUDD. Rakels and Garath McCleary from The Royals captain injury for this weekend’s visit of and team-mate Williams Birmingham City. became involved in uglyRakels has Latvian international scenes the during latter partwith a missed lastthe three games of the contest at The while Riverside hamstring complaint McCleary Stadium, right) a game the visitors lost (pictured has been sidelined after Adam struck since the endForshaw of March with aa calf 94th minute winner. problem. Both beennews for But it players is not allhave positive reprimanded fined unclear Royals fans asand it remains by the club, the case will be fit whether Hal but Robson-Kanu has not to yetreturn been before closed,the end of the enough with theopening FA charging the season, the possibility he may pair with violent conduct on the club. have played his last game for Thursday. The Wales international has been The players until set-up 6pm on involved in the have first team at Saturdayfor toseven respond. If found Reading years but is guilty, yet to both could face three-match bans

blown out of proportion.” moment, saying: “It was madness (on IT ALL STARTED Frustrations came to a head when HOW desperate to try and get back before sign a contract extension with his McShane went on to explain how Wednesday) and I could not believe Royals defended a throw in, with My first job was helping out in a local steak restaurant where I learned to select and cook what I think the perfect theisend of thesteak. season.” current deal set tohow expire this summer. isI no illmost. feelings between the two the reaction it wastogetting,” he said thetoskipper I moved Reading appearing 30 years ago to andnudge to my disappointment was not find is a restaurant that served there the food loved The 26-year-old picked up the And while theable winger expected whoback. are both expected to be hours before the association hiswas head intoaWilliams’ My dream to open steakhouse in Reading just that would serve the quality of steak I had experiencedplayers, all those years injury during the 1-1 draw with Cardiff to return to fitness in time for this Finally, I had the before opportunity buy Colleys Supper a restaurant over 20 years in aReading beautiful make the trip involved when stepped in. that had been established in Reading for thetolatter reacted byRooms, City onand March 19help andofhas European Victorian building that I had always admired. I knew I hadsummer’s the chance to achieve myChampionships, dream. I opened Barts in Feb 2011 with the my not featured to Elland Road for a game with Leeds “It was just oneever of those things pushing his colleague in fantastic team we have been serving exceptional steaksMcDermott in a great environment since. The décor and atmosphere continually evolving for clubisor country since – pulling admits he is unsure United ononly Saturday me andand Danny hadtoa say word thepatrons. face. The menu has grown sincewhere thanks to our loyal we first opened I am proud of food has got better.(3pm). of the recent Wales friendlies whether the 26-year-old will be that the qualityout Due to the proximity of the fixture, on the pitch and we are both very Both apologised to one Northern and Ukraine his clubthebetween now aroundagainst Here at Barts, we bring together dishes inspiredavailable by cuisines for fromplayers all over world centered our renowned steaksIreland both are expected to be available passionate and webut had a sort another after the game, and seafood. We specialise in offering youMay. the steaks of the highest quality, provided by local butchers, respectively. and despite the FA charge. cominggrilled together and maybe has but it was not enough to aged for a minimum of 28 of days, for superior taste anditsucculence. It isflame understood he is suffering from n FOUR youngsters have extended “I suppose you have to say sorry for spilt over a little bit, but then it was satisfy Brian McDermott, who their loan deals away from Reading a calf problem, although his boss was that couple of seconds where it got out to get into and held talks with the players on Miah time Jamshed welcomes youback to Barts Grillposition & Restaurant until the end of the season. unclear of the actual prognosis. of hand,” added the centre back. carrying on with the game. Wednesday, where they Dominic Hyam will continue his “I have no idea,” said the manager. “But we’re both passionate players “But Danny is a passionate player were both hit in the pocket spell at League Two Dagenham and “Hopefully he’ll get some time for and want to do the best for Reading and I love his passion and it was just and reminded of their Redbridge, where he has made 10 us and then be ready for the Euros. Football Club and at least we’re one of those things where it spilt over responsibilities to both the appearances so far, while in the same “I really don’t know, I haven’t put a showing we were not letting the and it was because we wanted to win club and its supporters. division Rowan Liburd will stay at time frame on that at all.” season peter out. the game - it wasn’t as if we were Reaction to the incident Wycombe Wanderers until May. He continued: “He’s getting “We have got five games left to play going up there just to make up the on social media was mixed, George Legg has extended his deal treatment at the moment. and we want to finish the season on a numbers. but Republic of Ireland “You can tell me better than anyone at Gosport Borough while Liam Kelly high and try and get some momentum “It was one of those heat of the international McShane has since remains at Bath City. (what’s wrong with him) because I’m going into pre-season.” moment sort of things and it was all had his say on the altercation, which not good with injuries. n For more Reading FC news, turn to n FOR more Reading FC news, turn done and dusted after the game and he put down to two passionate players “Knowing him as I do, he’ll be pages 36 and 37. to pages 36 and 37. there was nothing in it – it was totally becoming embroiled in the heat of the

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enjoyed it.“We blame officials, sometimes “Things haven’t gone as well asyou we have got to say Roast Lamb 8.95 we but weren’t goodisenough. expected, this club strong and Overnight marinated lamb, served with sauté mixed vegetables (Baby Carrots, Broccoli, THE at Wokinghamand and there is some THEREBUILDING FUTURE work of Wokingham “I cannot fault these players, Cauliflower, Beans), oven roasted potatoes, honey glazed roasted parsnips, Yorkshire good players atGreen this club though. Emmbrook theirMatt relegation from theand I hope“Conversations topped homemade Emmbrookfollowing joint-bosses Eggleston be with hadBarts with the mint gravy. Accompanied by mint sauce. they stay andpudding, Ineed hopeto they Hellenic Division starts Matt want toclub. and DanPremier Bateman will not be now, revealed Myself put it right.”and Dan are trying to get a Eggleston hasof said. TAKE THE DAY FROM THIS WEEK AND TREAT YOURSELF, FAMILY OR until the end the season. with committee, butCOOKING thick and Sincemeeting taking up thethe reigns inOFF 2013, FRIENDS A SUPERB But whether he the andpair fellow Danthe pairfast Talks between andmanager the games two back days up don’t we SUNDAY ROAST have takenevery the club to help,TObut Bateman will be responsible the Sumas’ committee took placefor atrestoring the will sit down with the committee and have a Step Five football and have twice won club’s fortunes as the pair weekend and aremains decisiontoasbetoseen, whether chat with them the Reading Senior Cup.and find out where they want intend sit will down thewith Sumas’ hierarchy Lifting or not to they bewith tasked leading to go where want to go. theand latter for awe fifth season and their futures. the discuss club again next season has been back to Lowther running is“Going not out of the question,Road will be the The but duo ithave the hot-seat since either, with made, has been been in agreed the WWW.BARTSGRILL.COM choice. Wokingham and 2013, and will during this time have taken 0118 966 2268 outcome be kept under wraps for “We been down Emmbrook sethave to put the relegated, defence ofwe will go Wokingham and Emmbrook back up to Stepthis crown the time being. and we willline rebuild.” on the when away at FiveWokingham football, as and wellEmmbrook’s as twice winning the Binfield inEggleston went on to say how he is the competition’s Reading Cup. Premier Division return toSenior the Hellenic confident of Wokingham’s quarter-final on Monday (7.45pm).chances of securing But theira first jauntabsence in to thehas Premier following two-year promotion from Division 1 East next season, Before this, however, the Sumas Division has been largely onethe to club forget, withhave one been a disastrous one, with adding: “We’re good final chance to tryenough and for Division 1 the side expected finishthus bottom winning just threetotimes far of the improve East, easy. their points tally in the league Dan Bateman (left) and Matt Eggleston have spoken with the Sumas’ committe about standings with just three games left to play.when bowing during a season which will see the “We’re enough forwith that and wetheir futures, which will be unveiled at the end of the season outgood of the division Picture: Phil Creighton While things have plan on the side finish bottom of not the gone table to and proved it over the Town past two years and a homehad game against Lydney pitch, off ittouncertainty continues to surround relegated Division 1 East. speaking with theTriangle players everyone wants for this to league, you know how many only just back from another knock, at the Invesco Perpetual on the Whether club’s work to bringand Lowther Road up Saturday Eggleston Bateman stay, but you just don’t know. games you play and if you do well (3pm). needed five stitches to a wound just to theeither required (FA) will pay Football the price,Association choose to step “Pre-season people come sniffinginand the cup then that is one of those The fixture is the fourth Eggleston below the eye, which he suffered when standards. down or be given a shot at trying to offering depleted a bit of money and we’re probably things. and Bateman’s charges will competing in an aerial challenge, and A planning application a stand and secure promotion remainstotobuild be seen. in that anyplayed Saturday-Tuesday right face in the the only spaceclub of just nineleague days. not paying“We it is expected he will be rested in order addBut floodlights the Emmbrook Sports and It has speakingatafter Tuesday’s 2-0 money.” up to Christmas, but for some reason been a similar scenario to try and get fit for the trip to Hill Social (ESSC) venue has beenwas filed withfor othersBut loss toClub Ardley United, Eggleston in order for as the club to grow and we stopped playing Tuesday nights in the division Farm Lane. Wokingham Council and is expected far from shyBorough when admitting the past flourish theto future, Wokingham and and now everyone is playing Saturday, Hellenic bossesin look complete a Eggleston said: “Hopefully he will be to be discussed in the near future.to say nine months have been difficult Emmbrook a stable home and Tuesday, not to be Thursday, Saturday. congested backlog need of fixtures due alright for Monday. not everyone is happy with the plans, theBut least. league need to look at lodging elsewhere, like they are at“The present to postponements over thejust winter “Obviously the Binfield game does with Wokingham Town Councilsat raising “Myself and Dan (Bateman) months.with Henley Town, says Eggleston. themselves, they are the only league at have priority, purely because the objections which could scupper the project. down with the committee on Saturday. thispaying level that doesn’t finish at the end “A club like useye cannot afford With more than one clearly on to keep league has gone, we’re down and we There is aisplan, we have Yet all not doom andagreed gloom.we of April out toclash, places like Henley and not make any and they are asking people the Binfield Eggleston admitted willboss finish Matt Eggleston and fellow joint Danbottom.” Bateman are keen to sit will keep it in were houselast until theout endatofnear he would The Sumas night to play four games in nine days. I just be ‘happy’ Wokingham and money behindifthe bar. n FOR more football news, down with the committee at Wokingham and local Emmbrook following the season,Bracknell but the decision has been neighbours Town looking to bookEmmbrook don’t understand where the mentality did not havekeeps to contest “That is what thesethe club’s going and turn to pages 37-39. the club’s relegation Picture: Vivienne Johnson made. their place in the semi-final of the Hellenic Lydneywhen of buying the league is.” game.you have fans in the clubhouse “This is a great club, thisonclub has Supplementary Cup, while April 18 they The beers Jake Butler Hellenic League sooner it keeps thefinishes club going. been well supported spectators resume their defence by of the Senior Cup when than most“Then at thismaybe level within we canthe look to helpcould out miss the and they go to all games and away at Binfield inthe theaway quarter-finals. non-league pyramid – hence theand busy with Lydney players with travel costs things,game but at weAnd know, the players, myself andhow Danthe signs few weeks for most itclubs – and the he recovers Eggleston also explained the moment is coming out of theiraspockets, have let the club also down. for some from athe head within the squad appear positive, but isjoint-manager it comeshas outcalled of myself and Dan’s pockets, “We haven’t shown what we can sense to be shown. etc. injury sustained mindful of how volatile this level of footballcommon chairman’s, treasurers, do in league and hopefully next “Everyone has been moaning in the loss to can be,the especially during pre season. “People do it for the love of the club.” season that will happen. amount of games,” added news, turn Ardley. “We haven’t done everything we should about the n FOR more local football to “Itdone has been a challenge, I have Eggleston. “But you sign up The midfielder, 9 have this year,” said thebut co-manager. pages 38when and 39.

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