Future of Europe’s largest outdoor festival is in doubt after organisers quit over shortage of funds and volunteers A chronic lack of funding, disagreements about the level of policing and internal disputes have put the future of the Notting Hill carnival in jeopardy after its two co-directors quit, saying the 46-year-old event has become impossible to manage. Despite attracting more than a million people over the bank holiday, Europe’s largest outdoor festival has no primary private sponsor and is largely organised by unpaid volunteers. “It is still seen as just a Caribbean event and just not taken seriously,” said Ancil Barclay, one of the co-directors who handed in his notice this week. “Carnival has to grow up. Everyone loves carnival, but when it comes to putting the right structures in place there is a total lack of investment.” His fellow co-director, Chris Boothman, said the carnival had been historically underfunded – run in the main by two volunteers – when events such as the Lord Mayor’s Show could expect large amounts of financial and logistical support. “Carnival is not just a free-for-all party,” he said. “Its roots lie in celebrating the emancipation of slavery and it has high artistic values, but it is a struggle to uphold those values when it is so underfunded.” Without full-time staff with experience of lobbying, the carnival would not get the recognition it deserved, he added. The success of this year’s carnival was seen as key to London’s image after the ravages of the riots earlier in the summer. But conflicting interests between the police, who wanted the event to finish early to avoid trouble, and masquerade bands who were concerned that they would not get around the route in time caused problems for the organisers. “There was a sense that we were changing the event, that we were selling out,” said Barclay. “But I live in Notting Hill – I understand the balance has to be right.” The pair announced their resignation to Kensington and Chelsea council this week as well as to partners in the Metropolitan police, City Hall, and organisers of the 2012 Olympics. Barclay is confident the 2012 carnival will go ahead – against the backdrop of the Olympics, it would be too embarrassing to see it fail – but he fears for the future. “Beyond 2012 it is questionable because it is so underfunded,” he said. “Most people don’t realise this whole thing has been run by two unpaid volunteers. It should be a wake-up call: if you value the Notting Hill carnival, then invest in it.” Far from the image of a carnival community all pulling in the same direction the pair paint a picture of power plays and internal struggle. In a letter to the various authorities the two voluntary organisers wrote that after a post-carnival meeting on 21 September, “it increasingly became obvious that we had lost the level of support required to continue effectively”. Barclay said: “Each year we have a spectacular display but behind the scenes it is dysfunctional to the core. It should be creating employment, it should be educational – it could be so much more with the proper investment. “I hope that the next people can take it to the next level, but that is not something you can do on a voluntary basis.” News of the organisers’ resignation is likely to throw plans for the 2012 carnival into turmoil. “I am worried about 2012, It needs a group of people that understand the need for proper investment and support by the authorities and that is not in place,” said Boothman, a solicitor who was legal head of the now defunct Commission for Racial Equality and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority. “We’ve gone because we don’t think that, as things stand, we can do it – and frankly if we can’t, I’m not sure who can.” Barclay said there was a lack of willingness to change the current way of working. “We need a complete restructure to make carnival fit for purpose but instead there is a power struggle between people with a lot of historical baggage.” Ricky Belgrave, chairman of the British Association of Static Sound Systems (Bass), one of the arenas at carnival, said he was surprised at the news and said his organisation did not have a problem with the former directors. “I’m surprised at the decision and I’m sorry they have resigned, on behalf of Bass we want to thank them for their work. Now the arenas will have to get together and talk about how we can take Carnival forward.” Henry Bonsu, director of the digital station Colourful Radio, said the carnival desperately needed stability. “It’s going to be very important in the future, especially in Olympic year, to find a team that understands the history of the event and has the vision to take it forward.” The resignation of Boothman and Barclay will come as a blow to many who had welcomed the continuity they provided over the past four years. Crime fell each year they were in charge, by 31% in 2010. The large debt that had confronted the two when Barclay came on board in 2009 – in the region of £150,000, they say – has been cleared. Jennette Arnold, chair of the London Assembly, said the two men had gone beyond the call of duty. “Without them, at a difficult time, there would not have been a carnival. One wonders who they are going to find to bring together all of the constituents in the way those two did.” Notting Hill carnival Festivals London Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Courage is contagious, and the Occupy movement continues to grow. Yesterday there were arrests in Boston and San Francisco: BOSTON — A group called Occupy Boston took over Dewey Square in Boston Friday night holding a 60s-style sit in. ” It doesn’t look like the politicians are serving the people any more,” said John, a protestor who would only give his first name. “They’re serving people with money.” This is part of nationwide movement that began with a large protest last week on Wall Street. “We’re talking about government reform. We’re talking about finance reform,” said Nadeem Mazen, from Occupy Boston. “And we’re opening up a national dialogue as part of a really big issue that’s on so many people’s minds.” A few blocks away a group called Take Back Boston lead hundreds of people marching from Boston Common to the Financial District. At 100 Federal Street the protesters gathered at both entrances to the Bank of America building shouting “We got sold out.” The crowd included dozens of families facing foreclosure. “The bank took over my property. Tried to evict everybody,” said Mallerrie McCoy of Dorchester. “They boarded up my windows. They changed our locks. I’m here to say I’m not going anywhere.” And in San Francisco, protesters went into the belly of the beast: SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of San Francisco today to protest Wall Street banks and six were arrested, police said. The protesters marched along Market Street this afternoon, stopping in front of Bank of America, Charles Schwab and Wells Fargo, organizers from ReFund California said. Six activists went inside a Chase Bank branch in the 500 block of Market Street with sleeping bags and pillows and prepared to stay, organizers said. According to police, officers repeatedly warned the protesters they would be arrested if they refused to leave. The activists refused to leave and were arrested for trespassing, police said. EDITOR’S NOTE: We donated pizzas to the SF and Boston protesters yesterday with your help. You can feed these folks by donating here:
Continue reading …Libyan fighting in Sirte leading to humanitarian crisis, say aid agencies
October 1, 2011 No Comment
Aid workers enter Gaddafi’s hometown as civilians flee amid fighting between rebels and forces loyal to ousted dictator Aid workers have made it into Muammar Gaddafi’s besieged hometown of Sirte amid fears that a humanitarian crisis could unfold amid continued heavy fighting between revolutionary forces and fighters loyal to the ousted dictator. The arrival of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday came as hundreds of people continued to stream out of Sirte and forces allied to the interim government intensified their shelling of the coastal city. Fighters from eastern Libya have seized control of Sirte’s first residential district and a hotel where pro-Gaddafi snipers were based, according to a rebel commander. “There is heavy fighting going on in the streets of Sirte right now,” said Mustafa al-Rubaie. “The enemy is besieged from the south, east and west, but it’s still in possession of highly sophisticated weapons and a large amount of ammunition.” Gaddafi forces were also in control of strategic positions inside the city, including high-rise blocks where snipers are positioned, slowing the advance of the revolutionary forces. “The plan is that the eastern and western forces will meet in the middle of Sirte,” Rubaie said. “When we reach this point, we will celebrate the liberation of Sirte.” Rubai said although the fighters had surrounded Sirte from all sides, a path out had been left for civilians who still wanted to leave the city. A truckload of supplies and two cars carrying European ICRC workers arrived at a checkpoint manned by fighters loyal to the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC). Some NTC commanders said they would try to allow the foreign workers safe passage into the city but shelling continued. An ICRC worker, Karen Strugg, told Reuters her colleagues had made it inside. “They’re inside delivering medical aid. And they want to come out,” said Strugg from a road leading into the centre. A doctor at a frontline hospital said a family of four from Sirte had been killed while driving toward the revolutionaries’ positions. It was unclear who killed them. Dr Nuri Naari said the bodies of two children and their parents were brought to his makeshift hospital early this morning, adding that they had died from machine-gun fire. After weeks of fighting inside Sirte, forces loyal to the NTC say they now hold positions about three miles (5km) from the city centre. The Libyan defence ministry has said the fighters also seized Sirte’s port, military base and airport last week. Sirte is one of only two main remaining strongholds still held by pro-Gaddafi forces and the NTC has failed to take it with several assaults in the past two weeks. The UN and humanitarian organisations such as the ICRC have warned that there may be civilian casualties in the city and that living conditions are dire. Doctors at a field hospital outside Sirte told Reuters that one woman had died of malnutrition there, and that they had seen other cases of malnutrition. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Libyan fighting in Sirte leading to humanitarian crisis, say aid agencies
October 1, 2011 No Comment
Aid workers enter Gaddafi’s hometown as civilians flee amid fighting between rebels and forces loyal to ousted dictator Aid workers have made it into Muammar Gaddafi’s besieged hometown of Sirte amid fears that a humanitarian crisis could unfold amid continued heavy fighting between revolutionary forces and fighters loyal to the ousted dictator. The arrival of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday came as hundreds of people continued to stream out of Sirte and forces allied to the interim government intensified their shelling of the coastal city. Fighters from eastern Libya have seized control of Sirte’s first residential district and a hotel where pro-Gaddafi snipers were based, according to a rebel commander. “There is heavy fighting going on in the streets of Sirte right now,” said Mustafa al-Rubaie. “The enemy is besieged from the south, east and west, but it’s still in possession of highly sophisticated weapons and a large amount of ammunition.” Gaddafi forces were also in control of strategic positions inside the city, including high-rise blocks where snipers are positioned, slowing the advance of the revolutionary forces. “The plan is that the eastern and western forces will meet in the middle of Sirte,” Rubaie said. “When we reach this point, we will celebrate the liberation of Sirte.” Rubai said although the fighters had surrounded Sirte from all sides, a path out had been left for civilians who still wanted to leave the city. A truckload of supplies and two cars carrying European ICRC workers arrived at a checkpoint manned by fighters loyal to the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC). Some NTC commanders said they would try to allow the foreign workers safe passage into the city but shelling continued. An ICRC worker, Karen Strugg, told Reuters her colleagues had made it inside. “They’re inside delivering medical aid. And they want to come out,” said Strugg from a road leading into the centre. A doctor at a frontline hospital said a family of four from Sirte had been killed while driving toward the revolutionaries’ positions. It was unclear who killed them. Dr Nuri Naari said the bodies of two children and their parents were brought to his makeshift hospital early this morning, adding that they had died from machine-gun fire. After weeks of fighting inside Sirte, forces loyal to the NTC say they now hold positions about three miles (5km) from the city centre. The Libyan defence ministry has said the fighters also seized Sirte’s port, military base and airport last week. Sirte is one of only two main remaining strongholds still held by pro-Gaddafi forces and the NTC has failed to take it with several assaults in the past two weeks. The UN and humanitarian organisations such as the ICRC have warned that there may be civilian casualties in the city and that living conditions are dire. Doctors at a field hospital outside Sirte told Reuters that one woman had died of malnutrition there, and that they had seen other cases of malnutrition. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
• Email evan.fanning.casual@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Hit up Evan on Twitter if that’s your thing • Press F5 to refresh this page or use our auto-refresher • Click here for all the stats you will ever need • You want the latest scores? Click here 3.47pm: It’s half time all over the place at the moment. Here are some scores at the interval in no particular order … Manchester United 0-0 Norwich Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan Wolves 0-2 Newcastle Sunderland 2-2 West Brom Blackburn 0-0 Manchester City Grimsby 0-1 Alfreton Town 3.46pm: “I’m Carlos Tevez and so is my wife!” says Marek Miernik. 3.45pm: “Dear Evan Casual,” writes prolific novelist James Hopkins. “Breaking news is that Carlos ‘the snood’ Tevez has just signed up to model a range of men’s autumn/winter fashionwear with, you guessed it, BENCH.” 3.41pm: Wolves have just been denied the Berlin Wall of stonewall penalties. It’s Steven Taylor who has sheepishly walked away from the challenge whistling and avoiding eye contact with Mark Halsey who gives a free kick to Wolves on the edge of the area for a foul that was blatantly inside. “Tevez in London riding the subway refusing to get off at any of the stops,” Says Jose Acosta Montenegro. Let’s hope he’s on the circle line. 3.38pm: Another goal at Molineux and it’s been coming. This time Wayne Hennessey’s legs, arms, body or face can’t do anything about Jonas Gutierrez’s effort and it’s Wolves 0-2 Newcastle . If only Jonas Gutierrez had a brother who played for Newcastle then they could be called the Jonas Brothers. Of course, he would need to be called Jonas too, which would be confusing. Just a thought. 3.35pm: There’s a ‘League One’ now. There they have teams like ‘Hartlepool’ and ‘Sheffield Wednesday’. It’s: Hartlepool 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday . Goal at Villa Park! It’s Agbonlahor who has got it but Barry Bannan is the creator. Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan . If they ever make a movie of his life – and I’m pretty sure it’s inevitable – Danny DeVito will play wee Barry Bannan. 3.34pm: “Carlos Tevez is in Manchester’s Heaton Park, he’s been there since Wednesday afternoon,” writes Jonny Mac. “Despite the Parkie’s best efforts, he’s refusing to leave the bench.” 3.31pm: More Tevez-watch this time from Mark Elliott. “I have it on good authority, my imagination, that Carlos is a Wayne Bridge’s house preparing for an early Bonfire Night party. Mancini will replace Guy Fawkes as the guest of honour.” At Molineux Jonas Gutierrez should have made it two but is denied by Wayne Hennessey’s legs. Hennessey’s body is still attached to his legs – you needn’t worry about that – but he’s just used his legs to make the save. 3.27pm: What’s going on at the Stadium of Light? It’s Sunderland 2-2 West Brom . Ahmed Elmohamady has scored his first for the club as Sunderland have come from two down. That’s some operation Steve Bruce is running up there. At Ewood Park Sergio Aguero has gone off with a groin injury. Samir Nasri is on in his place. The Blackburn fans chant ‘Are you Tevez in disguise?’ That doesn’t even make sense. 3.25pm: Sunderland aren’t kept at bay for long. Nicklas Bendtner has pulled a goal back with a deflected effort. Sunderland 1-2 West Brom . Meanwhile at St Mary’s it’s Southampton 1-0 Watford . 3.24pm: Sunderland have a goal disallowed at the Stadium of Light. Sebastian Larsson tapped in Sessegnon’s crossshot but the flag is up. 3.22pm: Paul Doyle is down with all the kids. He’s at Old Trafford and has taken to the Twitter to air his views … Norwich looking semi-comfortable so far at Old Trafford, which is more than Evans & Jones are looking as they try to cope with S Morison 3.18pm: Goal at Molineaux and it’s gone to Alan Pardew’s side … that man Demba Ba again. Wolves 0-1 Newcastle . “I think Bruce will be gone before they play Arsenal on 16 October,” writes Kevin Smith. “They’ve got 15 points from their last 20 games, going down 2-0 at home in the first five minutes isn’t going to help that either.” It could be even worse. Shane Long has had a decent penalty shout turned down. 3.15pm: “Hello Evan,” greets Colin Ward. “Am I right to suggest that the times displayed on each of the clock and watch in your cover photo are off-kilter? And by almost two hours too, I reckon. I hope that’s not an indication of how often we can expect Clockwatch to update us on the day’s scores – I’m sitting indoors this afternoon reading this by choice, you understand.” Colin signs off the email with “keep up the good work” which is presumably to motivate me to update this more than every two hours. That’s all the motivation I need. 3.12pm: Gobby Agbonlahor (© Chris Kamara) has a great chance for Villa against Wigan but blasts his effort over the bar. If he’d just shut up for a minute he might have hit the target. Norwich have made a decent start at Old Trafford. On average teams playing Manchester United this season have 748 shots on goal per game so Norwich have some way to go yet before they reach their quota but so far so good. 3.09pm: “That man Darren Ambrose” has given Crystal Palace the lead against West Ham. See. We’re not all about the Premier League. We also cover whatever division it is that Crystal Palace and West Ham are in. 3.05pm: Another goal at the Stadium of Light: Sunderland 0-2 West Brom . Shane Long races onto a loose ball leaving Michael Turner literally for dead behind before finishing calmly. That’s some operation Steve Bruce is running up there. Tevez watch: “I’ve just seen Tevez here in London,” writes Niall Mullen. “He abandoned his car in protest at a red light.” 3.03pm: Early chances at Wolves as Roger Johnson brings a save from Tim Krul and Steven Fletcher can’t get the loose ball goalwards. Goal at the Stadium of Light: It’s Sunderland 0-1 West Brom . Chris Brunt crossed and James Morrison rose and headed past Mignolet,. 3.00pm: Whistles are collectively blown across the country and we’re underway in the 3pm games. No goals so far. Defenses on top. 2.57pm: It’s also worth noting that Anders Lindegaard is in goal for Manchester United this afternoon. David de Gea presumably had one doughnut too many during the week. 2.54pm: On Soccer Saturday the discussion is of Peter Crouch and whether or not he’s a good fit for Stoke. Nobody seems to agree on Crouchie’s strengths. Iain Dowie reckons that he’s the second best header of the ball in the Premier League (behind goalscoring’s Andy Carroll) while Merse thinks he’s not so good with his bonce. They all agree that Stoke is the perfect fit but seeing as they all disagree about what it is Crouch is able to do you would wonder how they came to that conclusion. We need your help. Call it citizen journalism. Call it stalking. Actually best to stick with citizen journalism. Where is Carlos Tevez this afternoon? He must be somewhere. The Trafford Centre? Blackpool strand? In any one of Manchester’s two fine restaurants? Sitting at home watching Soccer Saturday? Sitting at home reading this? Somebody must know. Have you seen Carlos? 2.43pm: Bad news for Everton’s DVD department. It’s finished Everton 0-2 Liverpool. 2.41pm: I’ve just picked my scores for the office pick the score competition. It turns out I didn’t win £41m in the Euromillions last night so I really need the £8 on offer here. I would be sitting here doing Clockwatch even if I had claimed the £41m last night. I promise. Manchester United v Norwich Man Utd: Lindegaard, Valencia, Jones, Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez. Subs: De Gea, Ferdinand, Owen, Berbatov, Giggs, Carrick, Welbeck. Norwich: Ruddy, Naughton, Russell Martin, Barnett, Tierney, Bennett, Hoolahan, Fox, Pilkington, Morison, Johnson. Subs: Rudd, Drury, Crofts, Holt, Jackson, Surman, Chris Martin. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire) Aston Villa v Wigan Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Petrov, Ireland, Bannan, Delph, Agbonlahor, Bent. Subs: Guzan, N’Zogbia, Albrighton, Heskey, Clark, Weimann, Herd. Wigan: Al Habsi, Stam, Caldwell, Figueroa, Van Aanholt, Moses, McCarthy, Boyce, Watson, Diame, Di Santo. Subs: Kirkland, Maloney, Gomez, McArthur, Sammon, Jones, Lopez. Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear) Sunderland v West Brom Sunderland: Mignolet, O’Shea, Brown, Turner, Richardson, Elmohamady, Gardner, Cattermole, Larsson, Sessegnon, Bendtner. Subs: Westwood, Colback, Ji, Meyler, McClean, Cook, Laing. West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Shorey, Brunt, Mulumbu, Dorrans, Morrison, Odemwingie, Long. Subs: Fulop, Tchoyi, Thomas, Jones, Tamas, Cox, Scharner. Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 2.25pm: Andy Carroll has given Liverpool the lead in the Merseyside derby. F ollow the remaining 15 minutes with Scott Murray here . Blackburn v Man City Blackburn: Robinson, Lowe, Samba, Dann, Givet, Petrovic, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Goodwillie, Yakubu, Hoilett. Subs: Bunn, Formica, Slew, Rochina, Vukcevic, Roberts, Hanley. Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Milner, Toure Yaya, Silva, Johnson, Aguero, Balotelli. Subs: Pantilimon, Dzeko, Savic, Barry, Nasri, Clichy, De Jong. Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle Wolves: Hennessey, Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Hunt, Henry, O’Hara, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher. Subs: De Vries, Edwards, Vokes, Hammill, Zubar, Doherty, Guedioura. Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba. Subs: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Ben Arfa, Lovenkrands, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi. Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire) Disclaimer. After running through that lengthy list of fixtures we will now largely ignore most of those teams focusing instead in the 10 Premier League teams because that’s just the way it works. To begin with, some starting line-up adroitly copied and pasted from the wires, which is not like a tightrope wire but more of an imaginary electronic clothesline of which hangs very important bits of information such as the news that WAYNE ROONEY STARTS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED!!!!!!!! Rio Ferdinand drops to the bench. Full team to come. Football on a Saturday at 3pm. It’s a British institution, innit? Just like afternoon tea, flat lager, red phone boxes, complaining and not complaining. Well just because it’s October and it’s tropical outside this is no time to abandon tradition – you are needed more than ever to keep the threat from global warming at bay and this part of British heritage alive. So IN YOUR FACE scorching sun. Here is the real news today … The 3pm games in the Premier League (because it’s the only league that matters) Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City Manchester United v Norwich City Sunderland v West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle The 3pm games in the Championship (because it’s like the Premier League but less poncey) Barnsley v Coventry Blackpool v Bristol City Crystal Palace v West Ham Hull v Cardiff Ipswich v Brighton Leeds v Portsmouth Millwall v Burnley Peterborough v Doncaster Reading v Middlesbrough Southampton v Watford The 3pm kick-offs in League One (because lower league football is where it’s at) Brentford v Huddersfield Chesterfield v Colchester Exeter v Oldham Hartlepool v Sheffield Wednesday Leyton Orient v Preston MK Dons v Notts County Rochdale v Wycombe Sheffield Utd v Charlton Stevenage v Scunthorpe Tranmere v Bournemouth Walsall v Carlisle Yeovil v Bury The 3pm kick-offs in League Two (because you might live near one of the teams and could still make it along) Accrington Stanley v Aldershot AFC Wimbledon v Gillingham Barnet v Northampton Bristol Rovers v Cheltenham Burton Albion v Bradford Crawley Town v Plymouth Dag & Red v Crewe Hereford v Oxford Utd Port Vale v Rotherham Torquay v Morecambe The 3pm kick-offs in Scotland (in the interest of balance) Scottish Premier League Clydesdale Bank Premier League Dundee Utd v Motherwell, 15:00 Inverness CT v St Mirren, 15:00 Kilmarnock v St Johnstone, 15:00 Rangers v Hibernian, 15:00 Scottish First Division Hamilton v Falkirk, 15:00 Livingston v Raith Rovers, 15:00 Queen of South v Dundee, 15:00 Ross County v Ayr, 15:00 Scottish Second Division Airdrie Utd v Stenhousemuir, 15:00 Arbroath v Cowdenbeath, 15:00 East Fife v Forfar, 15:00 Stirling v Brechin, 15:00 Scottish Third Division Berwick v Annan Athletic, 15:00 East Stirling v Queen’s Park, 15:00 Elgin v Alloa, 15:00 Montrose v Peterhead, 15:00 Stranraer v Clyde, 15:00 Premier League Championship League One League Two Evan Fanning guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Email evan.fanning.casual@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Hit up Evan on Twitter if that’s your thing • Press F5 to refresh this page or use our auto-refresher • Click here for all the stats you will ever need • You want the latest scores? Click here 3.47pm: It’s half time all over the place at the moment. Here are some scores at the interval in no particular order … Manchester United 0-0 Norwich Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan Wolves 0-2 Newcastle Sunderland 2-2 West Brom Blackburn 0-0 Manchester City Grimsby 0-1 Alfreton Town 3.46pm: “I’m Carlos Tevez and so is my wife!” says Marek Miernik. 3.45pm: “Dear Evan Casual,” writes prolific novelist James Hopkins. “Breaking news is that Carlos ‘the snood’ Tevez has just signed up to model a range of men’s autumn/winter fashionwear with, you guessed it, BENCH.” 3.41pm: Wolves have just been denied the Berlin Wall of stonewall penalties. It’s Steven Taylor who has sheepishly walked away from the challenge whistling and avoiding eye contact with Mark Halsey who gives a free kick to Wolves on the edge of the area for a foul that was blatantly inside. “Tevez in London riding the subway refusing to get off at any of the stops,” Says Jose Acosta Montenegro. Let’s hope he’s on the circle line. 3.38pm: Another goal at Molineux and it’s been coming. This time Wayne Hennessey’s legs, arms, body or face can’t do anything about Jonas Gutierrez’s effort and it’s Wolves 0-2 Newcastle . If only Jonas Gutierrez had a brother who played for Newcastle then they could be called the Jonas Brothers. Of course, he would need to be called Jonas too, which would be confusing. Just a thought. 3.35pm: There’s a ‘League One’ now. There they have teams like ‘Hartlepool’ and ‘Sheffield Wednesday’. It’s: Hartlepool 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday . Goal at Villa Park! It’s Agbonlahor who has got it but Barry Bannan is the creator. Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan . If they ever make a movie of his life – and I’m pretty sure it’s inevitable – Danny DeVito will play wee Barry Bannan. 3.34pm: “Carlos Tevez is in Manchester’s Heaton Park, he’s been there since Wednesday afternoon,” writes Jonny Mac. “Despite the Parkie’s best efforts, he’s refusing to leave the bench.” 3.31pm: More Tevez-watch this time from Mark Elliott. “I have it on good authority, my imagination, that Carlos is a Wayne Bridge’s house preparing for an early Bonfire Night party. Mancini will replace Guy Fawkes as the guest of honour.” At Molineux Jonas Gutierrez should have made it two but is denied by Wayne Hennessey’s legs. Hennessey’s body is still attached to his legs – you needn’t worry about that – but he’s just used his legs to make the save. 3.27pm: What’s going on at the Stadium of Light? It’s Sunderland 2-2 West Brom . Ahmed Elmohamady has scored his first for the club as Sunderland have come from two down. That’s some operation Steve Bruce is running up there. At Ewood Park Sergio Aguero has gone off with a groin injury. Samir Nasri is on in his place. The Blackburn fans chant ‘Are you Tevez in disguise?’ That doesn’t even make sense. 3.25pm: Sunderland aren’t kept at bay for long. Nicklas Bendtner has pulled a goal back with a deflected effort. Sunderland 1-2 West Brom . Meanwhile at St Mary’s it’s Southampton 1-0 Watford . 3.24pm: Sunderland have a goal disallowed at the Stadium of Light. Sebastian Larsson tapped in Sessegnon’s crossshot but the flag is up. 3.22pm: Paul Doyle is down with all the kids. He’s at Old Trafford and has taken to the Twitter to air his views … Norwich looking semi-comfortable so far at Old Trafford, which is more than Evans & Jones are looking as they try to cope with S Morison 3.18pm: Goal at Molineaux and it’s gone to Alan Pardew’s side … that man Demba Ba again. Wolves 0-1 Newcastle . “I think Bruce will be gone before they play Arsenal on 16 October,” writes Kevin Smith. “They’ve got 15 points from their last 20 games, going down 2-0 at home in the first five minutes isn’t going to help that either.” It could be even worse. Shane Long has had a decent penalty shout turned down. 3.15pm: “Hello Evan,” greets Colin Ward. “Am I right to suggest that the times displayed on each of the clock and watch in your cover photo are off-kilter? And by almost two hours too, I reckon. I hope that’s not an indication of how often we can expect Clockwatch to update us on the day’s scores – I’m sitting indoors this afternoon reading this by choice, you understand.” Colin signs off the email with “keep up the good work” which is presumably to motivate me to update this more than every two hours. That’s all the motivation I need. 3.12pm: Gobby Agbonlahor (© Chris Kamara) has a great chance for Villa against Wigan but blasts his effort over the bar. If he’d just shut up for a minute he might have hit the target. Norwich have made a decent start at Old Trafford. On average teams playing Manchester United this season have 748 shots on goal per game so Norwich have some way to go yet before they reach their quota but so far so good. 3.09pm: “That man Darren Ambrose” has given Crystal Palace the lead against West Ham. See. We’re not all about the Premier League. We also cover whatever division it is that Crystal Palace and West Ham are in. 3.05pm: Another goal at the Stadium of Light: Sunderland 0-2 West Brom . Shane Long races onto a loose ball leaving Michael Turner literally for dead behind before finishing calmly. That’s some operation Steve Bruce is running up there. Tevez watch: “I’ve just seen Tevez here in London,” writes Niall Mullen. “He abandoned his car in protest at a red light.” 3.03pm: Early chances at Wolves as Roger Johnson brings a save from Tim Krul and Steven Fletcher can’t get the loose ball goalwards. Goal at the Stadium of Light: It’s Sunderland 0-1 West Brom . Chris Brunt crossed and James Morrison rose and headed past Mignolet,. 3.00pm: Whistles are collectively blown across the country and we’re underway in the 3pm games. No goals so far. Defenses on top. 2.57pm: It’s also worth noting that Anders Lindegaard is in goal for Manchester United this afternoon. David de Gea presumably had one doughnut too many during the week. 2.54pm: On Soccer Saturday the discussion is of Peter Crouch and whether or not he’s a good fit for Stoke. Nobody seems to agree on Crouchie’s strengths. Iain Dowie reckons that he’s the second best header of the ball in the Premier League (behind goalscoring’s Andy Carroll) while Merse thinks he’s not so good with his bonce. They all agree that Stoke is the perfect fit but seeing as they all disagree about what it is Crouch is able to do you would wonder how they came to that conclusion. We need your help. Call it citizen journalism. Call it stalking. Actually best to stick with citizen journalism. Where is Carlos Tevez this afternoon? He must be somewhere. The Trafford Centre? Blackpool strand? In any one of Manchester’s two fine restaurants? Sitting at home watching Soccer Saturday? Sitting at home reading this? Somebody must know. Have you seen Carlos? 2.43pm: Bad news for Everton’s DVD department. It’s finished Everton 0-2 Liverpool. 2.41pm: I’ve just picked my scores for the office pick the score competition. It turns out I didn’t win £41m in the Euromillions last night so I really need the £8 on offer here. I would be sitting here doing Clockwatch even if I had claimed the £41m last night. I promise. Manchester United v Norwich Man Utd: Lindegaard, Valencia, Jones, Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez. Subs: De Gea, Ferdinand, Owen, Berbatov, Giggs, Carrick, Welbeck. Norwich: Ruddy, Naughton, Russell Martin, Barnett, Tierney, Bennett, Hoolahan, Fox, Pilkington, Morison, Johnson. Subs: Rudd, Drury, Crofts, Holt, Jackson, Surman, Chris Martin. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire) Aston Villa v Wigan Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Petrov, Ireland, Bannan, Delph, Agbonlahor, Bent. Subs: Guzan, N’Zogbia, Albrighton, Heskey, Clark, Weimann, Herd. Wigan: Al Habsi, Stam, Caldwell, Figueroa, Van Aanholt, Moses, McCarthy, Boyce, Watson, Diame, Di Santo. Subs: Kirkland, Maloney, Gomez, McArthur, Sammon, Jones, Lopez. Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear) Sunderland v West Brom Sunderland: Mignolet, O’Shea, Brown, Turner, Richardson, Elmohamady, Gardner, Cattermole, Larsson, Sessegnon, Bendtner. Subs: Westwood, Colback, Ji, Meyler, McClean, Cook, Laing. West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Shorey, Brunt, Mulumbu, Dorrans, Morrison, Odemwingie, Long. Subs: Fulop, Tchoyi, Thomas, Jones, Tamas, Cox, Scharner. Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 2.25pm: Andy Carroll has given Liverpool the lead in the Merseyside derby. F ollow the remaining 15 minutes with Scott Murray here . Blackburn v Man City Blackburn: Robinson, Lowe, Samba, Dann, Givet, Petrovic, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Goodwillie, Yakubu, Hoilett. Subs: Bunn, Formica, Slew, Rochina, Vukcevic, Roberts, Hanley. Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Milner, Toure Yaya, Silva, Johnson, Aguero, Balotelli. Subs: Pantilimon, Dzeko, Savic, Barry, Nasri, Clichy, De Jong. Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle Wolves: Hennessey, Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Hunt, Henry, O’Hara, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher. Subs: De Vries, Edwards, Vokes, Hammill, Zubar, Doherty, Guedioura. Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba. Subs: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Ben Arfa, Lovenkrands, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi. Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire) Disclaimer. After running through that lengthy list of fixtures we will now largely ignore most of those teams focusing instead in the 10 Premier League teams because that’s just the way it works. To begin with, some starting line-up adroitly copied and pasted from the wires, which is not like a tightrope wire but more of an imaginary electronic clothesline of which hangs very important bits of information such as the news that WAYNE ROONEY STARTS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED!!!!!!!! Rio Ferdinand drops to the bench. Full team to come. Football on a Saturday at 3pm. It’s a British institution, innit? Just like afternoon tea, flat lager, red phone boxes, complaining and not complaining. Well just because it’s October and it’s tropical outside this is no time to abandon tradition – you are needed more than ever to keep the threat from global warming at bay and this part of British heritage alive. So IN YOUR FACE scorching sun. Here is the real news today … The 3pm games in the Premier League (because it’s the only league that matters) Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City Manchester United v Norwich City Sunderland v West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle The 3pm games in the Championship (because it’s like the Premier League but less poncey) Barnsley v Coventry Blackpool v Bristol City Crystal Palace v West Ham Hull v Cardiff Ipswich v Brighton Leeds v Portsmouth Millwall v Burnley Peterborough v Doncaster Reading v Middlesbrough Southampton v Watford The 3pm kick-offs in League One (because lower league football is where it’s at) Brentford v Huddersfield Chesterfield v Colchester Exeter v Oldham Hartlepool v Sheffield Wednesday Leyton Orient v Preston MK Dons v Notts County Rochdale v Wycombe Sheffield Utd v Charlton Stevenage v Scunthorpe Tranmere v Bournemouth Walsall v Carlisle Yeovil v Bury The 3pm kick-offs in League Two (because you might live near one of the teams and could still make it along) Accrington Stanley v Aldershot AFC Wimbledon v Gillingham Barnet v Northampton Bristol Rovers v Cheltenham Burton Albion v Bradford Crawley Town v Plymouth Dag & Red v Crewe Hereford v Oxford Utd Port Vale v Rotherham Torquay v Morecambe The 3pm kick-offs in Scotland (in the interest of balance) Scottish Premier League Clydesdale Bank Premier League Dundee Utd v Motherwell, 15:00 Inverness CT v St Mirren, 15:00 Kilmarnock v St Johnstone, 15:00 Rangers v Hibernian, 15:00 Scottish First Division Hamilton v Falkirk, 15:00 Livingston v Raith Rovers, 15:00 Queen of South v Dundee, 15:00 Ross County v Ayr, 15:00 Scottish Second Division Airdrie Utd v Stenhousemuir, 15:00 Arbroath v Cowdenbeath, 15:00 East Fife v Forfar, 15:00 Stirling v Brechin, 15:00 Scottish Third Division Berwick v Annan Athletic, 15:00 East Stirling v Queen’s Park, 15:00 Elgin v Alloa, 15:00 Montrose v Peterhead, 15:00 Stranraer v Clyde, 15:00 Premier League Championship League One League Two Evan Fanning guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Email evan.fanning.casual@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Hit up Evan on Twitter if that’s your thing • Press F5 to refresh this page or use our auto-refresher • Click here for all the stats you will ever need • You want the latest scores? Click here 3.47pm: It’s half time all over the place at the moment. Here are some scores at the interval in no particular order … Manchester United 0-0 Norwich Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan Wolves 0-2 Newcastle Sunderland 2-2 West Brom Blackburn 0-0 Manchester City Grimsby 0-1 Alfreton Town 3.46pm: “I’m Carlos Tevez and so is my wife!” says Marek Miernik. 3.45pm: “Dear Evan Casual,” writes prolific novelist James Hopkins. “Breaking news is that Carlos ‘the snood’ Tevez has just signed up to model a range of men’s autumn/winter fashionwear with, you guessed it, BENCH.” 3.41pm: Wolves have just been denied the Berlin Wall of stonewall penalties. It’s Steven Taylor who has sheepishly walked away from the challenge whistling and avoiding eye contact with Mark Halsey who gives a free kick to Wolves on the edge of the area for a foul that was blatantly inside. “Tevez in London riding the subway refusing to get off at any of the stops,” Says Jose Acosta Montenegro. Let’s hope he’s on the circle line. 3.38pm: Another goal at Molineux and it’s been coming. This time Wayne Hennessey’s legs, arms, body or face can’t do anything about Jonas Gutierrez’s effort and it’s Wolves 0-2 Newcastle . If only Jonas Gutierrez had a brother who played for Newcastle then they could be called the Jonas Brothers. Of course, he would need to be called Jonas too, which would be confusing. Just a thought. 3.35pm: There’s a ‘League One’ now. There they have teams like ‘Hartlepool’ and ‘Sheffield Wednesday’. It’s: Hartlepool 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday . Goal at Villa Park! It’s Agbonlahor who has got it but Barry Bannan is the creator. Aston Villa 1-0 Wigan . If they ever make a movie of his life – and I’m pretty sure it’s inevitable – Danny DeVito will play wee Barry Bannan. 3.34pm: “Carlos Tevez is in Manchester’s Heaton Park, he’s been there since Wednesday afternoon,” writes Jonny Mac. “Despite the Parkie’s best efforts, he’s refusing to leave the bench.” 3.31pm: More Tevez-watch this time from Mark Elliott. “I have it on good authority, my imagination, that Carlos is a Wayne Bridge’s house preparing for an early Bonfire Night party. Mancini will replace Guy Fawkes as the guest of honour.” At Molineux Jonas Gutierrez should have made it two but is denied by Wayne Hennessey’s legs. Hennessey’s body is still attached to his legs – you needn’t worry about that – but he’s just used his legs to make the save. 3.27pm: What’s going on at the Stadium of Light? It’s Sunderland 2-2 West Brom . Ahmed Elmohamady has scored his first for the club as Sunderland have come from two down. That’s some operation Steve Bruce is running up there. At Ewood Park Sergio Aguero has gone off with a groin injury. Samir Nasri is on in his place. The Blackburn fans chant ‘Are you Tevez in disguise?’ That doesn’t even make sense. 3.25pm: Sunderland aren’t kept at bay for long. Nicklas Bendtner has pulled a goal back with a deflected effort. Sunderland 1-2 West Brom . Meanwhile at St Mary’s it’s Southampton 1-0 Watford . 3.24pm: Sunderland have a goal disallowed at the Stadium of Light. Sebastian Larsson tapped in Sessegnon’s crossshot but the flag is up. 3.22pm: Paul Doyle is down with all the kids. He’s at Old Trafford and has taken to the Twitter to air his views … Norwich looking semi-comfortable so far at Old Trafford, which is more than Evans & Jones are looking as they try to cope with S Morison 3.18pm: Goal at Molineaux and it’s gone to Alan Pardew’s side … that man Demba Ba again. Wolves 0-1 Newcastle . “I think Bruce will be gone before they play Arsenal on 16 October,” writes Kevin Smith. “They’ve got 15 points from their last 20 games, going down 2-0 at home in the first five minutes isn’t going to help that either.” It could be even worse. Shane Long has had a decent penalty shout turned down. 3.15pm: “Hello Evan,” greets Colin Ward. “Am I right to suggest that the times displayed on each of the clock and watch in your cover photo are off-kilter? And by almost two hours too, I reckon. I hope that’s not an indication of how often we can expect Clockwatch to update us on the day’s scores – I’m sitting indoors this afternoon reading this by choice, you understand.” Colin signs off the email with “keep up the good work” which is presumably to motivate me to update this more than every two hours. That’s all the motivation I need. 3.12pm: Gobby Agbonlahor (© Chris Kamara) has a great chance for Villa against Wigan but blasts his effort over the bar. If he’d just shut up for a minute he might have hit the target. Norwich have made a decent start at Old Trafford. On average teams playing Manchester United this season have 748 shots on goal per game so Norwich have some way to go yet before they reach their quota but so far so good. 3.09pm: “That man Darren Ambrose” has given Crystal Palace the lead against West Ham. See. We’re not all about the Premier League. We also cover whatever division it is that Crystal Palace and West Ham are in. 3.05pm: Another goal at the Stadium of Light: Sunderland 0-2 West Brom . Shane Long races onto a loose ball leaving Michael Turner literally for dead behind before finishing calmly. That’s some operation Steve Bruce is running up there. Tevez watch: “I’ve just seen Tevez here in London,” writes Niall Mullen. “He abandoned his car in protest at a red light.” 3.03pm: Early chances at Wolves as Roger Johnson brings a save from Tim Krul and Steven Fletcher can’t get the loose ball goalwards. Goal at the Stadium of Light: It’s Sunderland 0-1 West Brom . Chris Brunt crossed and James Morrison rose and headed past Mignolet,. 3.00pm: Whistles are collectively blown across the country and we’re underway in the 3pm games. No goals so far. Defenses on top. 2.57pm: It’s also worth noting that Anders Lindegaard is in goal for Manchester United this afternoon. David de Gea presumably had one doughnut too many during the week. 2.54pm: On Soccer Saturday the discussion is of Peter Crouch and whether or not he’s a good fit for Stoke. Nobody seems to agree on Crouchie’s strengths. Iain Dowie reckons that he’s the second best header of the ball in the Premier League (behind goalscoring’s Andy Carroll) while Merse thinks he’s not so good with his bonce. They all agree that Stoke is the perfect fit but seeing as they all disagree about what it is Crouch is able to do you would wonder how they came to that conclusion. We need your help. Call it citizen journalism. Call it stalking. Actually best to stick with citizen journalism. Where is Carlos Tevez this afternoon? He must be somewhere. The Trafford Centre? Blackpool strand? In any one of Manchester’s two fine restaurants? Sitting at home watching Soccer Saturday? Sitting at home reading this? Somebody must know. Have you seen Carlos? 2.43pm: Bad news for Everton’s DVD department. It’s finished Everton 0-2 Liverpool. 2.41pm: I’ve just picked my scores for the office pick the score competition. It turns out I didn’t win £41m in the Euromillions last night so I really need the £8 on offer here. I would be sitting here doing Clockwatch even if I had claimed the £41m last night. I promise. Manchester United v Norwich Man Utd: Lindegaard, Valencia, Jones, Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez. Subs: De Gea, Ferdinand, Owen, Berbatov, Giggs, Carrick, Welbeck. Norwich: Ruddy, Naughton, Russell Martin, Barnett, Tierney, Bennett, Hoolahan, Fox, Pilkington, Morison, Johnson. Subs: Rudd, Drury, Crofts, Holt, Jackson, Surman, Chris Martin. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire) Aston Villa v Wigan Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Petrov, Ireland, Bannan, Delph, Agbonlahor, Bent. Subs: Guzan, N’Zogbia, Albrighton, Heskey, Clark, Weimann, Herd. Wigan: Al Habsi, Stam, Caldwell, Figueroa, Van Aanholt, Moses, McCarthy, Boyce, Watson, Diame, Di Santo. Subs: Kirkland, Maloney, Gomez, McArthur, Sammon, Jones, Lopez. Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear) Sunderland v West Brom Sunderland: Mignolet, O’Shea, Brown, Turner, Richardson, Elmohamady, Gardner, Cattermole, Larsson, Sessegnon, Bendtner. Subs: Westwood, Colback, Ji, Meyler, McClean, Cook, Laing. West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Shorey, Brunt, Mulumbu, Dorrans, Morrison, Odemwingie, Long. Subs: Fulop, Tchoyi, Thomas, Jones, Tamas, Cox, Scharner. Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 2.25pm: Andy Carroll has given Liverpool the lead in the Merseyside derby. F ollow the remaining 15 minutes with Scott Murray here . Blackburn v Man City Blackburn: Robinson, Lowe, Samba, Dann, Givet, Petrovic, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Goodwillie, Yakubu, Hoilett. Subs: Bunn, Formica, Slew, Rochina, Vukcevic, Roberts, Hanley. Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Milner, Toure Yaya, Silva, Johnson, Aguero, Balotelli. Subs: Pantilimon, Dzeko, Savic, Barry, Nasri, Clichy, De Jong. Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle Wolves: Hennessey, Stearman, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Hunt, Henry, O’Hara, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher. Subs: De Vries, Edwards, Vokes, Hammill, Zubar, Doherty, Guedioura. Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba. Subs: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Ben Arfa, Lovenkrands, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi. Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire) Disclaimer. After running through that lengthy list of fixtures we will now largely ignore most of those teams focusing instead in the 10 Premier League teams because that’s just the way it works. To begin with, some starting line-up adroitly copied and pasted from the wires, which is not like a tightrope wire but more of an imaginary electronic clothesline of which hangs very important bits of information such as the news that WAYNE ROONEY STARTS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED!!!!!!!! Rio Ferdinand drops to the bench. Full team to come. Football on a Saturday at 3pm. It’s a British institution, innit? Just like afternoon tea, flat lager, red phone boxes, complaining and not complaining. Well just because it’s October and it’s tropical outside this is no time to abandon tradition – you are needed more than ever to keep the threat from global warming at bay and this part of British heritage alive. So IN YOUR FACE scorching sun. Here is the real news today … The 3pm games in the Premier League (because it’s the only league that matters) Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City Manchester United v Norwich City Sunderland v West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle The 3pm games in the Championship (because it’s like the Premier League but less poncey) Barnsley v Coventry Blackpool v Bristol City Crystal Palace v West Ham Hull v Cardiff Ipswich v Brighton Leeds v Portsmouth Millwall v Burnley Peterborough v Doncaster Reading v Middlesbrough Southampton v Watford The 3pm kick-offs in League One (because lower league football is where it’s at) Brentford v Huddersfield Chesterfield v Colchester Exeter v Oldham Hartlepool v Sheffield Wednesday Leyton Orient v Preston MK Dons v Notts County Rochdale v Wycombe Sheffield Utd v Charlton Stevenage v Scunthorpe Tranmere v Bournemouth Walsall v Carlisle Yeovil v Bury The 3pm kick-offs in League Two (because you might live near one of the teams and could still make it along) Accrington Stanley v Aldershot AFC Wimbledon v Gillingham Barnet v Northampton Bristol Rovers v Cheltenham Burton Albion v Bradford Crawley Town v Plymouth Dag & Red v Crewe Hereford v Oxford Utd Port Vale v Rotherham Torquay v Morecambe The 3pm kick-offs in Scotland (in the interest of balance) Scottish Premier League Clydesdale Bank Premier League Dundee Utd v Motherwell, 15:00 Inverness CT v St Mirren, 15:00 Kilmarnock v St Johnstone, 15:00 Rangers v Hibernian, 15:00 Scottish First Division Hamilton v Falkirk, 15:00 Livingston v Raith Rovers, 15:00 Queen of South v Dundee, 15:00 Ross County v Ayr, 15:00 Scottish Second Division Airdrie Utd v Stenhousemuir, 15:00 Arbroath v Cowdenbeath, 15:00 East Fife v Forfar, 15:00 Stirling v Brechin, 15:00 Scottish Third Division Berwick v Annan Athletic, 15:00 East Stirling v Queen’s Park, 15:00 Elgin v Alloa, 15:00 Montrose v Peterhead, 15:00 Stranraer v Clyde, 15:00 Premier League Championship League One League Two Evan Fanning guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Temperature of 29.9C in Gravesend, Kent, is hottest since records began, beating previous high set in 1985 It’s official: it is the hottest 1 October since records began 101 years ago. As sunbathers packed the beaches across the country, the Met Office in London confirmed the previous record for 1 October was broken at 13.27 in Gravesend, Kent, when a temperature of 29.5C was recorded. But temperatures at this time of the year peak at around 2pm and by mid-afternoon Gravesend was basking in scorching heat of 29.9C. The previous record for England was set in 1985 in March, Cambridgeshire, when temperatures for 1 October reached 29.4C. Lauren Cherry, manager at the Rum Puncheon in Gravesend, said it was overwhelmed by the spike in custom on account of the weather. The pub overlooks the Thames and Tilbury docks and has a large outdoor terrace and patio area. “We were absolutely rammed to capacity,” she said. “Everyone is talking about how shocked they are at the weather for this time of the year. Normally we would do about 10 to 15 lunches, but today we did more than 50.” A forecaster at the Met Office said Wales had also set a new national record with temperatures of 28.2C in Hawarden. Saturday’s glorious sunshine has meant three consecutive record-beating days. On Friday, Cambridge set a new record temperature for the hottest ever 30 September with 29.2C, beating the 27.8C set in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1908. And on Thursday Kew Gardens in west London set another record with 28.8C – the highest ever 29 September temperature, beating the mark of 27.8C set in York in 1985. Sunbathers packed the beaches and parks across the country as the nation made the most of the exceptional weather. In Brighton, tourism officials reported a 30% increase in people clicking on to the city’s official tourist website, visitbrighton , and calls to the Brighton visitor information centre rose by more than 50%. The unseasonally warm weather is expected to continue on Sunday, although rain has already broken the dry spell in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Brighton tourism councillor Geoffrey Bowden said the boost in visitors was a “welcome fillip” at the end of the summer season and helped support the 13,500 jobs dependent on tourism in Brighton. He said: “Brighton and Hove always looks brilliant in the sunshine and it’s no surprise that visitors are heading our way to make the most of it.” The value of tourism to a resort like Brighton is £732m. More than 8.5 million people visit the East Sussex city a year. Weather Lisa O’Carroll guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Temperature of 29.9C in Gravesend, Kent, is hottest since records began, beating previous high set in 1985 It’s official: it is the hottest 1 October since records began 101 years ago. As sunbathers packed the beaches across the country, the Met Office in London confirmed the previous record for 1 October was broken at 13.27 in Gravesend, Kent, when a temperature of 29.5C was recorded. But temperatures at this time of the year peak at around 2pm and by mid-afternoon Gravesend was basking in scorching heat of 29.9C. The previous record for England was set in 1985 in March, Cambridgeshire, when temperatures for 1 October reached 29.4C. Lauren Cherry, manager at the Rum Puncheon in Gravesend, said it was overwhelmed by the spike in custom on account of the weather. The pub overlooks the Thames and Tilbury docks and has a large outdoor terrace and patio area. “We were absolutely rammed to capacity,” she said. “Everyone is talking about how shocked they are at the weather for this time of the year. Normally we would do about 10 to 15 lunches, but today we did more than 50.” A forecaster at the Met Office said Wales had also set a new national record with temperatures of 28.2C in Hawarden. Saturday’s glorious sunshine has meant three consecutive record-beating days. On Friday, Cambridge set a new record temperature for the hottest ever 30 September with 29.2C, beating the 27.8C set in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1908. And on Thursday Kew Gardens in west London set another record with 28.8C – the highest ever 29 September temperature, beating the mark of 27.8C set in York in 1985. Sunbathers packed the beaches and parks across the country as the nation made the most of the exceptional weather. In Brighton, tourism officials reported a 30% increase in people clicking on to the city’s official tourist website, visitbrighton , and calls to the Brighton visitor information centre rose by more than 50%. The unseasonally warm weather is expected to continue on Sunday, although rain has already broken the dry spell in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Brighton tourism councillor Geoffrey Bowden said the boost in visitors was a “welcome fillip” at the end of the summer season and helped support the 13,500 jobs dependent on tourism in Brighton. He said: “Brighton and Hove always looks brilliant in the sunshine and it’s no surprise that visitors are heading our way to make the most of it.” The value of tourism to a resort like Brighton is £732m. More than 8.5 million people visit the East Sussex city a year. Weather Lisa O’Carroll guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Temperature of 29.9C in Gravesend, Kent, is hottest since records began, beating previous high set in 1985 It’s official: it is the hottest 1 October since records began 101 years ago. As sunbathers packed the beaches across the country, the Met Office in London confirmed the previous record for 1 October was broken at 13.27 in Gravesend, Kent, when a temperature of 29.5C was recorded. But temperatures at this time of the year peak at around 2pm and by mid-afternoon Gravesend was basking in scorching heat of 29.9C. The previous record for England was set in 1985 in March, Cambridgeshire, when temperatures for 1 October reached 29.4C. Lauren Cherry, manager at the Rum Puncheon in Gravesend, said it was overwhelmed by the spike in custom on account of the weather. The pub overlooks the Thames and Tilbury docks and has a large outdoor terrace and patio area. “We were absolutely rammed to capacity,” she said. “Everyone is talking about how shocked they are at the weather for this time of the year. Normally we would do about 10 to 15 lunches, but today we did more than 50.” A forecaster at the Met Office said Wales had also set a new national record with temperatures of 28.2C in Hawarden. Saturday’s glorious sunshine has meant three consecutive record-beating days. On Friday, Cambridge set a new record temperature for the hottest ever 30 September with 29.2C, beating the 27.8C set in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1908. And on Thursday Kew Gardens in west London set another record with 28.8C – the highest ever 29 September temperature, beating the mark of 27.8C set in York in 1985. Sunbathers packed the beaches and parks across the country as the nation made the most of the exceptional weather. In Brighton, tourism officials reported a 30% increase in people clicking on to the city’s official tourist website, visitbrighton , and calls to the Brighton visitor information centre rose by more than 50%. The unseasonally warm weather is expected to continue on Sunday, although rain has already broken the dry spell in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Brighton tourism councillor Geoffrey Bowden said the boost in visitors was a “welcome fillip” at the end of the summer season and helped support the 13,500 jobs dependent on tourism in Brighton. He said: “Brighton and Hove always looks brilliant in the sunshine and it’s no surprise that visitors are heading our way to make the most of it.” The value of tourism to a resort like Brighton is £732m. More than 8.5 million people visit the East Sussex city a year. Weather Lisa O’Carroll guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …