If you are looking for something to do with the kids during the October half-term Waddesdon Manor in Bucks could have the answer.

Test your bravery by taking part in a ‘Creatures of the Night’ woodland trail, indulge in some spooky treats in the Manor Restaurant, and get creative with creepy craft activities. Throughout the week, share pictures of your frightful fancy dress using #waddesdondressedtokill for a chance to win a family grounds ticket to Waddesdon’s Christmas Carnival. On top of the fearsome festivities, visitors can join children’s author and illustrator Harriet Muncaster on Tues 23 Oct, for a magical workshop inspired by her Isadora Moon series. There’s plenty going on, full listings below. To make a booking call 01296 820414 or visit the Waddesdon Manor website.

Travel journalist Jan Henderson visits the Austrian ski resort of Nassfeld declaring the trip ‘A nice surprise’.

Think of skiing in Austria and resorts like St Anton, Kitzbuhel, Soll or Mayrhofen probably spring to mind – but there’s a lot more to Austrian skiing than the big name resorts. You’ve probably never heard of Nassfeld – I hadn’t until last year – but it’s one of the country’s ski areas that is starting to make a name for itself, and with good reason, as I found out back in January.

The largest resort in the southern Austrian region of Carinthia, Nassfeld is close to the border with Slovenia and Italy and boasts 110 kilometres of piste. It’s a fantastic area for intermediates, with a variety of different blue and red runs to improve your technique on, although there aren’t many pisted runs that’ll offer a real challenge for expert skiers – there’s only one marked black run, the Trogkofelbfahrt, while the majority of runs are categorised as red.

Since the majority of UK skiers who head out to the Alps fall into the intermediate category, that means that Nassfeld will most likely suit you and your party – it also has a friendly ski school that caters for beginners on the extensive nursery slopes of Tressdorfer Alm, at the top of the Millennium Express gondola, or the Sonnenalpe beginner slopes. Of course, lessons are also a great idea for skiers and boarders whatever your standard, and the ski school caters for every need – they all speak English, and indeed have a handful of Brit instructors on the team.

Nassfeld’s publicity catchline is “Nice Surprise” and that’s certainly what you’ll get – a bit like the old US Avis car rental adverts when they were number two to Hertz, they try harder. Because they haven’t yet got the cachet of the big Austrian resorts you get the feeling everyone is trying harder, just that bit more friendly and more helpful – in fact, trying to ensure you have that nice surprise on your hard-earned holiday.

Some of those surprises include more than 20 wifi hotspots on the mountain, The Snake course through the trees for kids, ski movie race and parallel track, collecting badges for the Nassfeld Challenge and an express ski and board service right on the piste to tune up or repair your equipment, to name but a few. You really do get the feeling that the locals are pleased to see you and want you to enjoy your experience on their mountains – something that can’t always be said for some of the bigger, more impersonal resorts in France, for example…

Nassfeld claims to be one of the sunniest resorts in the Alps, with some 100 more hours of sunshine than rival resorts in the northern Alps – they even have sunshine clocks on the pistes with an integrated sunshine hour counter to back up their claim. Certainly it was mostly sunny – we did have a morning of low cloud – during my stay, and that was in January when conditions can be unkind to fair weather skiers like me.

All that sun doesn’t seem to have an adverse effect on snow conditions either – Adriatic lows high in precipitation dump an average of seven to eight metres of snow on the resort every winter, and there’s 100 per cent coverage of the ski area with 360 snow cannons if the natural stuff should fall short.

If you should tire of skiing, there’s the opportunity to try alternative ways of getting down the mountain, including five toboggan runs, snow bikes, snow shoes and zipflbobs (a variety of snow sled), as well as 80km of cross country ski trails, 55km of winter hiking trails, ice climbing or horse-drawn sleigh rides.

I tried a snow bike – pretty much what it sounds like, a bike frame with skis attached instead of wheels – no brakes, and steering assisted by using your skibooted feet as ‘outriggers’ to help keep you upright. It’s actually quite easy to master and good fun on pistes that are not too steep – well worth a try as an afternoon’s alternative to skis or boards.

Equally important for a good holiday is what you do off the slopes, and of course your accommodation is a key factor in this – and again Nassfeld came up with a nice surprise in the stunning shape of the Hotel Franz Ferdinand, conveniently situated a short walk from the main ski lift.

The Franz Ferdinand really is an extraordinary building – originally a cube-shaped youth hostel aimed at snowboarders, it has been comprehensively renovated and realigned into two linked futuristic cubes. It retains the visual impact of the original hostel – the vaulted interior still boasts a climbing wall and a ramp that originally allowed boarders to slide down from the top floor to the lobby – but is elegant and sophisticated, with all the home comforts you could want, while each spacious room has its own lobby where you can store and dry your equipment.

The main self-service restaurant offers a wide selection of international and regional food, and there’s also a good variety of restaurant choices both on the mountain and in the resort itself – we sampled delicious, and filling, traditional regional food at Plattner’s Einkehr and Kofel Alm restaurants for our mountain lunchtime breaks.

With Nassfeld so close to the Italian border – the piste system will actually take you into Italy – an evening meal at a traditional Italian restaurant is an enjoyable option. We ate at the Albergo Ristorante Wulfenia da Livio, which is as Italian as you can get although literally a short walk from the border, where they specialise in fantastic seafood dishes – slightly odd considering how far from the sea they are, but delicious nonetheless.

Of course any skiing holiday is bound to be an expensive enterprise, but in comparison to the big Alpine resorts Nassfeld is pretty reasonable and offers excellent value for money. A six-day adult lift pass will cost up to €245 depending on the time of the season, while standard adult six-day ski hire is just over €100. Ski school has to be booked in resort.

They say that you’ll get a nice surprise when you go skiing in Nassfeld, and I reckon you will – I certainly did!

Jan Henderson travelled with Crystal Ski Holidays (www.crystalski.co.uk; 020 8610 3123) who offer a week’s full board at the three star Franz Ferdinand Mountain Resort from £613 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Gatwick to Klagenfurt and transfers (price given is for departure on 16 March 2019). Direct flights available from all major UK airports.

Biggleswade Town have snapped up highly promising Stevenage striker Joe White on loan until December 19.

The 19-year-0ld striker moved to Boro in January from Dagenham & Redbridge for an undisclosed fee and has made three substitute appearances in League Two so far.

White began his career in the youth academy at Daggers, scoring once in four league games, having had loan stints at Wealdstone and Hendon, netting six goals in six matches for the latter.

He returned on loan to Wealdstone recently, notching once in five National League South matches.

Speaking about his new addition on Twitter, Waders boss Lee Allinson said: “Joe is a very talented centre forward and I’m very excited to work with him.

“I would like to thank StevenageFC for making this happen.”

White will have to wait to make his Waders debut with the club not in action this weekend, as they host Redditch United in the Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Central on September 29.

How do you stop knife crime? What are the consequences of carrying a knife? What do you say to a friend who wants to carry a knife?

These were just some of the questions asked by school pupils during a question-and-answer session at Bedfordshire Police headquarters yesterday.

Chaired by former Detective Inspector Phil McCarthy, the panel was comprised of Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, Channitta Lendore – the sister of murdered Isaac Stone who was stabbed to death in Bedford in 2014, as well as Kelly Panaghiston from charity Link to Change and Nicola Westbrook from the Central Bedfordshire Council school nursing team.

The session allowed over 60 young students from across the county to ask the panel questions, and air their views about why young people carry knives.

One student praised Channitta Lendore for joining the panel and asked how she manages to deal with the pain of losing her brother while working with young people who carry knives.

“It was a really positive day today,” said Channita. “It was nice to see young people engaged and having a different interaction with them was brilliant. I deal with my loss by knowing that by sharing Isaac’s story, it could save others from the same fate as my brother.”

One 14-year-old pupil from Stockwood Park Academy in Luton said: “Today was very interesting learning about how serious knife crime is and that it doesn’t keep you safe carrying as knife. I feel reassured by our discussion, but we still need to do more to help communities in Bedfordshire.

“I would like to see more youth clubs as I feel boredom can be part of the issue. I know of people who carry knives because they now think it’s a way of providing themselves with protection. It is one of the biggest worries we have now as you don’t know who might be carrying a knife.”

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said it was the first time the force has invited students in for an open discussion on knife crime.

He said: “I am really pleased with how it went. It is important to me that we not only get our messages around knife crime across, but we listen and learn from the young people who are most affected by this issue. Reducing knife crime is the responsibility of everyone across society, policing alone cannot solve the problem.”

Phil McCarthy added: “I found it a very useful experience listening to young students asking the panel questions and also offering up some of their own thoughts around knife crime. I look forward to chairing these types of sessions again.”

As well as the panel, Bedfordshire Police has carried out activities as part of Operation Sceptre including weapons sweeps to look for discarded or hidden weapons, targeted patrols in knife crime hotspot areas and visits at various schools across the county.

A prize-winning ticket holder from Bedfordshire has come forward to claim £96,827 from EuroMillions.

The National Lottery operator Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd announced today that the £96,827.80 prize from the EuroMillions draw on August 10, 2018, has now been claimed by a winner from Central Bedfordshire after being outstanding for more than a month.

Unless the winner opts to take full publicity and signs an agreement to that effect, no further information can be released about their win.

Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, said, “We’re delighted that the winner of this amazing prize has now come forward and we hope that they will enjoy their win.

“It would have been awful if the ticket-holder had missed out on this substantial and life-enhancing amount of money. We would like to remind all National Lottery players to check their tickets every time they play.”

A missing 14-year-old boy from Great Barford has been found.

Rion McKnight had been missing since around 8pm on Wednesday and has now been located.

Media and members of the public are thanked for sharing our appeal.

Ace relic hunting but relic mechanics.

It’s an extremely busy time for video game releases at the moment and one of the most high profile has undoubtedly been Shadow of the Tomb Raider, writes Damien Lucas.

I don’t have much space here and it’s a big old game with lots going on - took me roughly 28 hours to complete - so I’ll get straight into it.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the latest iteration in the hit series which is now into its 12th mainline edition of the franchise.

It offers the usual eclectic mix of high jinks treasure plundering and action-adventure gaming that would make even Indian Jones ask ‘Seriously?’.

But to be honest SOTTR doesn’t actually bring a great deal else to a party that started with that famously advanced gaming mechanic of the diving forward leap as far back as 1996 (God that makes me feel old).

That’s not to say it isn’t great. It is. There’s so much going on and the production values are excellent as we have come to expect from Eidos and Square Enix.

SOTTR picks up where Rise of the Tomb Raider left off and centres around Lara Croft’s travails through Mesoamerica and South America to the legendary city Paititi.

You battle the paramilitary organisation Trinity in a bid to stop a Mayan apocalypse traversing the environment and getting past enemies with a mixture of firearms and stealth.

You explore semi-open hubs and you raid challenge tombs to unlock new rewards, complete side missions, and scavenge for resources which can be used to craft useful materials.

Uncovering the mysteries of ancient ruins and solving the brilliant challenge tombs are SOTTR’s crowning achievements and offer an unrivalled level of satisfaction without repetitive grind.

The environments are stunning and beautifully-crafted and gameplay is genuinely exciting and has you on the edge of your seat, which is as much to do with the industry-leading level design as it is the storyboard and narrative.

The biggest nag, though, is that the untouched mechanics which have served the series so well are just starting to feel a little stale as we approach the ninth generation of video game consoles.

For me this was most prevalent when in combat. The gaming mechanics for fighting just feel clumsy and rigid and didn’t match the levels of quality and build in the rest of the game.

The platforming as a result is also clunky and rage-inducingly inaccurate at times as are the stealth elements. But in fairness that could also be down to the fact I don’t have a great deal of patience for that style of play, it’s just not my bag.

But it’s hard to be too critical of a game which is jam-packed with great content and offers plenty of memorable playing time for your money.

If you are a Tomb Raider fan then SOTTR is a no-brainer. It offers a hard-hitting finale to Croft’s origin trilogy. It just doesn’t break new ground doing it.

The family of a Biggleswade man have paid tribute to him after he died in a collision in Essex.

Robbie Trundley, aged 20, died in a collision on the A120 in Coggeshall shortly after 7am on September 18.

Police were called to a three vehicle collision at Salmons Corner.

It is believed that a white Fiesta travelling on the A120 towards Colchester was in collision with an HGV which had been travelling in the opposite direction towards Coggeshall.

A Transit flatbed van which had been travelling behind the Fiesta also then collided with the HGV.

In a tribute, Mr Trundley’s family have said: “He was much loved and is missed by everyone who knew him.”

The driver of the Transit flat bed remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Both the driver of the HGV and a passenger in the white Fiesta were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

No arrests have been made.

A last minute Tom Coles strike gave Biggleswade FC all three points at Colney Heath on Saturday and ended their opponents’ unbeaten start to the league season.

The Magpies took the lead on 25 minutes and it was pretty desperate from an FC point of view. A speculative looking switched pass towards Jack Woods caught Dave Lenton out of position. Woods’ right footed shot looked tame but it still had enough on it to sneak past Beall at the near post.

FC finally came to life on 32 minutes when a lovely move between Coles, Alex Marsh and Lee Northfield saw the latter dance past a couple of challenges before driving into the corner of the six-yard box. A scramble ensued and somehow Colney scrambled it clear.

In the second half FC started to force a number of set-pieces. It was from one of these that Lee Northfield, with the aid of a deflection, hauled the visitors level on 58 minutes. George Riley rolled the ball to the edge of the box and Northfield got a good strike on it. The deflection on the way through wrong footed Colney keeper Charlie May and went into the bottom left hand corner.

Encounters between two closely matched teams can often be decided on fine margins and that proved to be the case here. Colney had a great chance with nine minutes left. The home forward drove in on goal but Beall stayed big and made an excellent stop.

What Colney couldn’t do at one end, Coles delivered at the other. FC’s leading marksman chased down what looked a lost cause. The home full back looked to have snuffed out the danger. However, the attempted header back to Charlie May didn’t have enough on it and Coles’ desire to beat the keeper to it was rewarded, sliding the ball home from outside the corner of the six-yard box.

Arlesey Town’s decent start to their SSML campaign continued with a fifth win, 2-1 at London Colney on Saturday

With several players unavailable in came club stalwart Martyn Patching in goal playing his first full game in some eight years! Coming in too was Alex O’Brien who completed his transfer from Leighton.

Early on Kai Ashley put in a great cross that Makudzeyi Makuzza slipped in at the far post and tucked into the net but his celebration was cut short by the linesman’s flag going up for a very tight offside.

Arlesey now started to dominate the midfield, but another free kick from Colney found the lively Loren Maxwell and he hit a good volley that hit the bar.

Martyn Patching rolled back the years as he ‘punched’ a ball clear from a corner before Smith again won a ball in the centre and his shot just skimmed the post.

The breakthrough came on 25 minutes as Smith beat his man again, lined up his shot and curved it around the keeper for a great finish to give Arlesey the lead.

The visitors piled on the pressure. They created a series of corners and from one Aaron Gooch stooped to head home the Blues’ second two minutes later.

It looked it was just a matter of how many Arlesey could score as Metcalf did well taking an awkward ball off of Smith when he broke with Fuller and another good ball fed in Smith, but his lob just failed to beat Metcalf .

In the second half Colney were pressing down the slope forcing Arlesey back, and it took a good 10 minutes for the visitors to make any sort of break out.

Channing Campbell-Yon hit a good shot that was cleared and a good move from Maxwell fed in Price but although he hit a good shot it was just offside.

A Colney corner found Maxwell and he turned well and his shot just skimmed the bar; Arlesey were really struggling to get going playing up the slope into the rain.

Sub Carl Chambers rode a tackle going into the box before being brought down. A free kick was awarded right on the line, from this Hatch went up at the far post but the keeper managed to put it behind for a corner.

Two minutes from time Vanne-Wilson hit a shot that took a deflection, Patching pulled off a really good save but couldn’t hold it and Maxwell nipped in to put it over him for a consolation.

Arlesey host Colney Heath on Saturday.

Rafe Goodman netted a late winner to earn Biggleswade United all three points at early season strugglers Wembley on Saturday.

United made the perfect start after just six minutes. Joe Hankins saw his shot saved but Sam Holmes was on hand to slot home the opener.

But you’re never more vulnerable tan when you have just scored and so it proved. Wembley broke from the kick off, Dean Bull brought down their forward and the referee pointed to the spot. The hosts converted the penalty into the corner.

Kane Farrell had several chances, one of which struck the inside of the post, while Goodman put one just wide.

However it wasn’t all one way and six minutes from the break a long distance shot from Calvin Osborne drifted over Bull and into the back of the net to give the home side the lead.

This time it was United’s turn to dampen the celebrations immediately. Charlie Briggs sent in a great long pass that found Dave Parkinson who controlled well and slotted home the leveller.

The same player could have put them ahead on the stroke of half time, his curling shot from outside the box coming back off the post.

United were certainly more powerful after the break and struck the woodwork four times. It looked like it would end a frustrating afternoon for the visitors but four minutes from time Goodman fired in a shot from range, it struck the post, hit the keeper and went in the net to give them the winner.

The action wasn’t finished there, as a Wembley defender brought down McArdle on the edge of the box and was shown a straight red.

United host Leverstock Green in the SSML on Saturday.

>> Biggleswade United Ladies went down 4-0 at AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College Ladies in Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Women’s League Division Three on Sunday.,

They visit Langford Ladies on Sunday, who will be on a high after winning 3-2 at Stotfold Junior Ladies at the weekend, thanks to a double from Rebecca Reeve, Pearl Houghton also netting.

A Potton side struggling for confidence surrendered a lead to lose at home to Oxhey Jets on Saturday.

Potton went back to 4-4-2 which seems to suit the players better with James Sage and Sam Parrish playing as centre halves.

Jim Burnside made a first start up front replacing the departed Josh Bamford and Ryan Lewis returned to the team too.

Potton started the stronger of the two teams and really should have gone in front. Danny Webb picked the ball up in his own half and ran 20 yards before playing an eye of the needle pass to Aaron Murrell but his shot though sailed over the bar with only the keeper to beat.

Oxhey had a great chance themselves on 24 minutes when a corner caused panic in the Royals back line but the Oxhey forward headed onto the roof of the net.

The visitors did take the lead a minute later when a deflection off Parrish rebound to Kerley and his first shot hit Josephs, but rebounded straight to him and this time he made no mistake.

The goal seemed to sting the Royals into action and they equalised on 31 minutes in controversial circumstances. A throw in to Jim Burnside saw Ikusemori foot high straight into Burnside’s face and should have been a penalty and a booking, but the referee allowed play to go on.

James Sage then played the ball back into the box where Burnside, still on the ground, couldn’t reach but Danny Webb behind him did and levelled from a few yards. The Oxhey players with justification argued that Burnside was active in play and in fact offside – the goal however was allowed.

On 39 minutes Potton took the lead when a flick on left found Burnside in the clear and the hard-working striker converted under the keeper’s body.

Potton had another chance to go 3-1 up when Murrell had a one on one with Matt Evans which the keeper saved for a corner.

Oxhey levelled in a fortuitous way on 55 minutes. A cheap free kick was given away on the right hand side and Kerley’s shot was going wide until hitting Murrell’s heel and rolling into the net.

Potton had not deserved this but they played their part in their own downfall when they fell behind just past the hour. A weak shot rebounded off Josephs and the ball then was not cleared allowing Luke Jones’ scuffed shot to find the corner of the net.

Potton huffed and puffed for the remainder of the game but did not possess anyone who could play a killer pass to unlock the forward players.

Oxhey could have scored a fourth when Brennan played in Jones but his shot was well saved by Josephs.

Potton lack confidence when they go behind in games and with the SSML teams playing a lot more football then their UCL counterparts, United need to adjust they way they are playing to start picking up points.

Milton Keynes actor Thomas Dennis is delighted to be appearing as the leading role in the UK tour of War Horse currently in the city.

The actor who was born in the area is playing Albert Naracott in the heart-warming drama based on the Michael Morpugo book. It is currently staged at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday October 6.

War Horse sees Albert’s horse Joey shipped to the battle fields of World War One having bought him up on his parents farm in Devon.

Albert enlists into the army stepping into dangerous battlefields of war in a mission to be reunited with Joey.

We chatted to Thomas about his experiences, working with the extraordinary puppets in War Horse as well what it was like to perform in front of a home town audience.

Visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes for more details about the show or to book tickets call 0844 871 7652.

Not quite a Jordan leap forward.

It is hard to believe that EA’s NBA Live franchise is now on it’s 22nd installment but it is still striving for the balance which will make it great.

NBA Live 19 has its critics, many of whom have rounded on the game and creators EA over their controversial drive for extra cash from Ultimate Team microtransactions.

But put the politics and the obvious money-making scheme to one side and what we have here is a superb basketball simulation and a massive improvement on last year’s game.

On that subject it is probably the crowning achievement of NBA Live 19 that the gameplay and modes have come such a long way in the last 12 months.

The control system is deep enough to reward dedicated players while also allowing those who favour pick up and play to be able to so with excitement and flair.

Live 19’s The One story mode is an intriguing tale which keeps the interest levels a lot better than EA’s FIFA equivalent, this time taking you around the globe on the path to greatness. But as with a number of the NBA Live releases over the years so much of the good is undone by the not-so-good.

The AI and animations let the game down just as you start to convince yourself this is The One (pardon the pun) and stop it from achieving levels of greatness reserved for 2K’s rival title.

The animation issues and random quirks (not good ones) only serve to sully the overall gaming experience just as you find yourself engrossed in the improved overall NBA universe EA has delivered this year.

One example of how quickly the gloss fades is the game’s commentary. At first it appears vastly improved and finally befitting of a sports sim on this generation of consoles. But it soon turns sour, boring and repetitive.

The excellent controls and career mode are the crowning achievements here while character creator offers plenty of scope (and females at long last!) and detail that has been missing in previous games.

It is a big step forward on last year’s effort but just gets caught travelling as the shot clock ticks down. The AI issues are the tormentor in chief, though, and hold NBA Live 19 back to being good rather than great.

We chat to puppeteer Thomas Stacy about being one of the puppeteers in the production of War Horse.

He told us about the challenges of bringing Joey, the titular horse to life, and the preparation it takes to play the part.

War Horse can be seen at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday October 6. Tickets for the show can be booked by calling the box office on 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes.

The writer and comedian Andy Hamilton is taking a different approach with his latest show.

Audiences will have the opportunity to ask Andy questions on any topic as he takes a look back at his very extensive professional career in comedy.

From working on Weekending on Radio 4 to working on the big hits Drop the Dead Donkey and Outnumbered, he will be looking back at his career.

Andy said: “It is an idea that is based on shows I have done in the past where we have given people the chance to ask questions about my career.

“I’ve got a variety of different opinions and wealth of anecdotes on my 64 years on the planet. I sat there and thought it would be interesting to make an entire show out of it.

“It’ll be interesting to see what questions will be asked, as I don’t know. But it will be nice to have a sit down while doing the show and there is no preparation for it.”

He is bringing his show to The Stables in Milton Keynes on Wednesday October 10 and is looking forward to returning there.

Andy said: “It’s a really great venue. I like performing there having done so before and also doing so again.”

He is also working on an intriguing new project which he says may well take some time.

Andy explained: “I am currently writing a novel all in handwriting.

“It takes the form of a very long letter and it is something I’ve always wanted to do and it is only now the technology exists to be able to do it.

“I think there is something about the way we scan something handwritten rather than a typed page which is different.

“It’s not massively different for me as I write like that already and someone helpfully types it all out for me.

“I still don’t know whether this is a great idea or a mad idea. But we shall see.”

Tickets for the show An Evening with Andy Hamilton are extremely limited so audiences are advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

They can be booked by calling the box office on 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org. Tickets for the show cost £20.

Bedfordshire league

Jake Renney and Ryan Dobson netted the goals against a lone home reply via Temitayo Akerele.

However just a point behind in second and third are Cranfield United and Ickwell & Old Warden who, having played a game fewer, retained their 100% records with victories.

United, with goals from Ivan Otono, Niall Jones and a Josh Sturniolo penalty won 3-1 at Sharnbrook who replied via Luke Devine.

Ickwell & Old Warden – following the tragic news overnight that their goalkeeper Matty Jones, 35, had suffered a fatal heart attack – came from 2-0 down at half-time to secure a 4-2 home victory over the previous unbeaten Queens Park Crescents.

Chris Baines, Lee Threadgold, Marko Tobdzic and Scott Alleyne all found the back of the net in the second period following first half goals from Crescents Fabio Sattar and Mohammed Abbass. 

Still in fourth are AFC Oakley M&DH despite losing ground on the leading trio after being held to a 2-2 draw at Marston Shelton Rovers. Elijah Hukin and Robbie Alder were on their scoresheet against Rovers replies via Sam Abbott and Xennon Paul.

Whilst now up into fifth place are Wilstead who ran out 6-1 home winners over Riseley Sports. Sam Evans and Ryan Davenport both netting twice alongside single strikes from Kevin Butler and John Steele against a lone reply from Sam Harrison. 

There was also a six goal haul for AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College who emerged the 6-2 victors at Renhold United. Chris Allen with a brace was joined on the Town scoresheet by Elliot West, Matthew Cheveralls, Malick Mbaye and Thomas Vandenbergh against home United replies from Jonny Richens and Govinda Bains.

Caldecote secured their first victory of the season with a 3-1 home success over Flitwick Town. Jack Miller with a brace and a single goal from Liam Beech was replied to by Town’s Dave Keefe. 

Elsewhere, Stevington still await their first win of the season after being held to a 3-3 home draw by Wootton Blue Cross. Kieran Souter, Billy Roberts and Joe Holyoke saw their goals cancelled out by Blue Cross strikes from Art Wright, Chris Butler and Ollie Hibbitt. 

We have new leaders in Division One supported by O’Neills in the shape of The 61FC Luton Reserves following their 6-3 victory at the yet to win Sandy. Shea Gentle-King with a brace was joined on the 61 scoresheet by Regenald Niongoti, Ashley Prospere and Farrell Whitman against home replies from Stevie Monks twice and Toren Purser once.

The 61 took over from Cranfield United Reserves who drop a place into second after being defeated 3-0 at home by now third place Henlow – Chris Powell netting twice and Sean Faulkner the once. 

In fourth are Biggleswade FC Reserves who won 3-2 at Cople & Bedford SA. Henry Langley, John Veal and Jo-Van Myes were on their scoresheet against home replies via Akeem Lendor and Aaron Nelson.

Whilst also enjoying life on the road were Wilstead Reserves the 7-0 winners at Farley Boys. Jay Hall led the way with a hat-trick, Jamie Lovell netting a brace alongside single goals for Tom Dunne and Geogory Turnball. 

For Bedford Albion it was a 3-1 home victory over last season’s champions Tottenhoe Reserves. Paul Babbington netted twice and Adam Lewis once against a lone Totts reply from Tom Launder.

Whilst Flitwick Town Reserves netted a likewise 3-1 home win over Christians in Sport, Peter Rogan with a brace and a single goal from Dan Parker only being replied to once by Sammy Okere for the visitors. 

Elsewhere Shefford Town & Campton Reserves remain unbeaten following their 2-2 home draw against Lea Sports PSG. James Snee netted both goals against PSG replies from Sean Dixon and Martin Collins who held on for a share of the spoils with 10 men for the last hour following a red card for Kieryon Bonnard. 

The Division Two supported by Hy-Pro table is now headed by Meltis Albion who retained their unbeaten ways by winning 2-1 at FC Kokan. Sean Canavan netted both goals against a lone home reply via Simonas Veverskis.

Albion took over top spot from Atletico Europa who lost their 100% ways when beaten 7-4 at the still 100% Sporting Lewsey Park who, having played two games fewer, are currently in eighth. Luke Lincoln with a hat-trick was joined on the home scoresheet by braces from Jonathan Barnett and Chris Gibson against Europa replies via Paddy Almanji twice plus single strikes from Moses Gilson and Abuki Sulyman. 

Still in third are Clifton who ran out 3-2 winners at the still pointless Caldecote Reserves. Jim Taylor with a brace plus Dale Houghton netted for Clifton in the opening half before home replies came via Joe Jordan and Jack Stagg in the second period.

Whilst fourth place Elstow Abbey retained their unbeaten ways by winning 3-2 at Black Swan, Scott Joseph netting twice and Ollie Watton once against home replies via Ashley Gardener and Danny McGoven. 

Also still unbeaten are fifth place Kempston Athletic, 2-1 home winners over St Josephs (Saturday) for whom Craig Damon and Daniel Mattin netted against a lone Joe’s reply via Simon Richards.

Making up the top six are Houghton Athletic who went nap with a 5-1 home victory over Sundon Park Rovers. Petru Ciochina, Cosmin Miron, Mihall Tudos, Garvin Watson and Jordan Thomas all found the back of the net against a lone Rovers reply from Brett Smith. 

Going one better and netting six were AFC Oakley M&DH Reserves, 6-1 home winners over M&DH Clapham Sports who still await their first point of the season. Oliver Raymond with a brace plus an own goal and single strikes from Junior Ivy, Jamie Endersby and John Hishop saw their goals only replied to once by the visitors Josh Loescher.

Also awaiting that first point Marston Shelton Rovers Reserves who were beaten 3-2 at Luton Leagrave AFC. Lewis Bloomfield, Hartley Coleman and Ravi Jessari were on the AFC scoresheet against Rovers replies via Lorenzo Jordan and Harry Baker. 

There was Buckinghamshire Junior Cup joy for Unite MK Reserves with a 6-3 victory at Marsh Gibbon Reserves. Mohammed Ismail Raja scored a brace and was joined on their scoresheet by single goals from Mustafa Nas, Chris Geary, Jason Hart and Callum Cloke. 

Pines (Luton) remain three points clear at the head of the Division Three supported by Hy-Pro standings after retaining their 100% ways with a 10-1 home victory over Harlington Juniors – who having started the day in third spot now find themselves down to tenth place.

Garry Duncan netted six times to go alongside braces for Nathan Miller and Andy McMaster against a lone reply from Darren Bryan.

For second place Wixams Wanderers it was a 7-2 home win over Dinamo Flitwick. Thomas O’Neill with four goals and a Michael France hat-trick were replied to twice by Charlie O’Mahony for the visitors. 

Now in third are FC Polina (Luton) who the 3-1 home winners over Stevington Reserves thanks to two goals from Przemek Gorczyca and a single strike from Marcin Gorczyca.

Now in fourth are Shefford Town & Campton A who ran out 4-1 home winners over Lidlington United Sports. Ben Sheenan netted twice alongside single strikes from Colin Standley and Glenn Cook against a lone United reply via Jamir Rodd. 

In fifth with a game in hand on all those above are the still unbeaten Real Haynes who won 3-1 at Square FC. Jordan Webber, Ali Buckall and Josh Brown scored their goals against a lone home reply from Tom Foster.

Making up the top six are Thurleigh who head a group of five teams all on the six points marker following their 3-0 win at Wootton Village thanks to a hat-trick from Alex Horn. 

Next come Flitwick Town A who were 6-1 home winners over Sandy Reserves. Andy Dodd led the way with a hat-trick, James Smith netting twice and Dan Howarth once against a lone Wayne Morris reply. 

Lesiure staff at Sandy Sports and Community Centre are facing losing their jobs after contractors for Central Bedfordshire Council admitted it had been operating at a loss for several years.

The staff at the Engayne Avenue centre, based in what is now Sandy Secondary School, were put under notice of possible redundancy last week.

In a letter to staff, seen by the Chronicle, contractors Stevenage Leisure Ltd (SLL) said: “CBC has given notice to Sandy Upper School [now secondary school] that the sports facilities will revert to school management at the proposed date of October 28, 2018 and that SLL’s management contract will be limited to management of the gym and the Jenkins Pavilion.

“Actions will be taken to physically cut off the school buildings from the gym area and SLL’s activities will reduce as a result.”

The letter also states the leisure operation at Sandy needs to reduce operational costs to make it affordable to CBC and SLL.

Local clubs has also been getting in touch with the Chronicle to say they have been told facilities will no longer be available at the end of next month.

One resident said: “I have been a resident of Sandy for the last 49 years and for most of that time, there has been a sports centre available to the community at Sandy Upper School which includes an indoor sports hall, squash courts and outdoor netball and tennis courts.

“All of these facilities have been well used by local groups.

“It has been bought to my attention this week, that these facilities will no longer be available for members of the local community to use as from the end of October. There are many clubs who use the sports hall for badminton, 5 a side football etc.”

A spokesman for CBC and SLL said: “The council operates six leisure centres, including Sandy Sports and Community Centre where there is a health and fitness facility, athletics track and community access to Sandy Secondary School’s leisure facilities. They are an important part of the council’s leisure provision across Central Bedfordshire and we remain committed to providing leisure activities in the area. However, the financial model at Sandy needs to be on a more sustainable footing, as it has been operating at a loss for several years. We have been exploring options to reduce the leisure operating costs but maintain leisure provision as much as possible.

“We are discussing with the school and our leisure contractors, Stevenage Leisure Limited, to see how best the leisure activities at Sandy can be continued, and to minimise any impact on customers and Stevenage Leisure staff as far as possible. Stevenage Leisure has been consulting with its staff, and we will be consulting with the public on what and how we provide leisure activities in that area in the future.”

SLL also runs several other leisure facilities in Bedfordshire including Houghton Regis Leisure Centre, Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, The Grove Theatre in Dunstable and Silsoe Community Sports Centre.

>Have you been affected by the changes? Contact us at editorial@biggleswadechronicle.co,uk

A society with a proud history is set to celebrate its 70th anniversary next week.

The Shefford and District Amateur Radio Society (SADARS) was set up in 1948 by radio and radar military servicemen following their demobilisation after World War 2.

Organised by Claude Pettifar, early meetings were held in the Old Wharf Building by the River Flit in North Bridge Street but later moved to the more spacious Shefford Community Hall, Ampthill Road in Shefford.

The club is thought to be among the oldest leisure organisations in the Shefford area.

Every Thursday evening, talks, video presentations and demonstrations are given on subjects ranging from the historic spark transmitters to the latest developments in microwave communications. The design and construction of radio aerials for the back garden and DIY projects, including from the club’s own kits of parts kits, have always proved to be popular topics.

“Even in these days of instant public communications via satellite and the web, SADARS continues to train new Morse operators to ensure that members specialising in very long distance and reliable shortwave radio contacts by high speed telegraphy, are equipped to maximise their results.

Historically, the club membership has been privileged to include many eminent electronics engineers, including Ivan Howard who was a founder member of the British Amateur Television Club who it is thought gave the very first national ‘open to the public’ demonstration of Amateur TV at a club meeting as early as 1950. Clive Wallis, a prominent and especially active member, was awarded the G3AJJ Cup for services to Amateur Radio Satellites in 2001 by the British AMSAT organisation and the also the coveted Louis Varney Cup by the nation’s Radio Society of Great Britain as recently as 2013.

Outside speakers have always been warmly welcomed, including Prof. Colin Pillinger of space and satellite fame, Keith Skues the popular radio broadcaster and Jim Bacon the weather expert, BBC broadcaster and life-long radio amateur. The editors of the various popular ‘ham radio magazines’ down the years have been frequent guests of honour, as have leading specialists in the many technical aspects of the hobby.

In turn, organised outside visits by members have included trips to radio stations at BBC Rugby, Daventry, Sandy Heath, Brookmans Park and the nearby Baldock monitoring station.

Club members are most fortunate to have private access to local farming field areas for their annual outdoor operations involving activity in national and international radio communication contests, during which the SADARS special callsigns G3FJE and G3B are activated.

Ken Amos, chairman of SADARS, said: “Over the years here in Shefford, ourclub has fostered many a new licencee.

“We operate at a national competitive level in the world of amateur radio and our reputation as a warm and welcoming group is long established. It has been said that our hobby may be no longer attractive to the younger generation but, despite a reduction in membership over recent years, a factor affecting so many clubs, I see no diminution of enthusiasm and interest. Rather, our people remain keen to experiment with the very latest technology and its development and serious application to radio communications.”

‘A Brief History of SADARS’ by Brian Farey is due for publication in October at the planned celebration party next Thursday to which past and present members and wives are to be invited.

SADARS meet each Thursday at 7.30 for 8pm at the Community Hall in Ampthill Road, Shefford. For more information, see their web site www.sadars.co.uk.

The UK’s speeding hotspots and the locations of the country’s most active speed cameras have been revealed by new research - and Bedfordshire has the second highest number of drivers caught.

A freedom of information request to forces across the UK has uncovered where drivers are most likely to be caught and fined as well as revealing the shocking excess speeds of some drivers.

The data shows that the worst offender caught in Bedfordshire so far in 2018 was a driver on the M1, who was recorded doing 53mph above the posted speed limit. In 2017 a driver as clocked doing 125mph on Airport Way in Luton, 75mph above the speed limit and in 2016 the highest figure was a driver on the A505 bypass from Tilsworth, clocked doing 123moh in a 50mph limit.

The research, which allows users to view the data for their local force, was carried out by comparison site GoCompare. It found that Avon and Somerset police recorded by far the most speeding offences at 386,969 recorded offences. Bedfordshire Police recorded 143,052

Two cameras in Bedfordshire – on the M1 and A1081 are in the list of ten most active speed cameras in the country.

The top 10 speed cameras for 2016-18 are:

M1 Motorway 2016 10,339

A1081 Airport Way, South West bound 2017 10,024

A1081 Airport Way, North East bound 2017 7,243

M1 Motorway 2017 7,013

M1 Motorway 2018 4,675

M1 Motorway 2017 4,658

M1 Motorway 2016 4,370

M1 Motorway 2018 3,699

Drovers Way, towards Houghton Regis 2016 3,496

Drovers Way, towards West Street 2016 2,887

The A603 at Moggerhanger and Leighton Road in Woburn were also found to be expensive traps for speeding drivers.

To find out more go to https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-offences/