Birmingham Mail - 2022-01-18

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2 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live News Birmingham City pupil absences 50% for 13 weeks and 20% thereafter * Save 40% above England’s average Get your Mail suspended legal actions behind rise in kids persistently off school AYS TO ORdER YOuR SubScRipTiOn MARK CARDWELL The percentage of persistently 24%. Attendance in the autumn term m THiS gREAT diScOunT delivered to Local Democracy Reporter absent pupils does not include children who could not attend as they same level or higher than the national of 2021 in Birmingham has been at the your door this ess that can be done If want to arrange home delivery from a local newsagent, the 40% discount is also available unt. using the same offer code as above and you can give the retail subscription vouchers we send you ne of our customer to the newsagent as payment. iption. were abiding by public health average - with the city’s total If guidance. attendance standing at 90.2% winter have any other questions, please & email newspapersalesteam@reachplc.com get... TED: *The price is £3.45 per week (40% discount) for the first 13 weeks and then £4.60 per week (20% discount) moving forward. NEWS DELIVERED *The price is ward. After this period you will be given a 20% discount unless you decide to cancel. Offer ends: 30/11/2021 *Offer details correct at the time of printing. These included those in on November 16 compared to 89.8 nation- quarantine after being 50% OFF abroad, children selfisolating after being A city ally. council CONTACTS Newsdesk: 0121 234 5528 Email: newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk Editor-in-Chief: Graeme Brown 0121 234 5316 Pictures: 0121 234 5251 Sport: 0121 234 5748 Online: www.birminghamlive.co.uk Photosales: reachphotosales.co.uk/Reach Advertising: 0121 234 5785 Subscriptions & Home Delivery 0333 2028000 Birmingham Mail, Embassy House, 60 Church St, Birmingham B3 2DJ. Price: 95p Clarifications & corrections If we have published anything factually inaccurate, contact Editor Graeme Brown on 0121 234 5316, email graeme.brown@ reachplc.com or at Birmingham Mail, Embassy House, 60 Church Street, Birmingham B3 2DJ and, once verified, we will correct it as soon as possible. The Birmingham Mail newspaper is published by Reach Midlands Media Ltd, a subsidiary company of Reach PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. We adhere to the Editors’ Code Of Practice as enforced by IPSO, who are contactable for advice at IPSO Gate House, 1 Farringdon Street, London EC4M 7LG. Website www.ipso. e Weather Country co.uk, telephone: 0300 123 2220, email advice@ipso.co.uk Wednesday °C °F If you have a complaint °C °F concerning a potential breach of 6 the 43 Code Tuesday of pcloudy Practice, we will 7 deal 45 9 with 48your complaint cloudy directly 10 or 50 Birmingham IPSO can refer your complaint Bristol 8 to 46 us. Go to pcloudy www.reachplc. 10 50 Cardiff 7 com/how-to-complain 45 sunny where 8 46 Carlisle 9 you 48can view pcloudy our Complaints 10 50 Exeter Policy and Procedure. A “How tGloucester 8 To 46 Complain” cloudy pack is also 9 48 Leeds7 available 45 by sunny writing to the 8Legal 46 Liverpool and Compliance Department, 6 Reach 43 PLC, sunny One Canada Square, 8 46 London 7 Canary 45 Wharf, cloudy London E14 95AP. 48 Manchester 6 If 43you have sunny any issues Norwich 8 46 regarding the use of Nottingham 7 your 45personal cloudy data, email 8 46 Plymouth 6 datarequests@reachplc.com. 43 pcloudy 8 46 Swansea t 9 48 cloudy 11 52 Around 8 46 cloudy the World 9 48 Tuesday Around the Country e World Amsterdam Beijing ➤ SEE PAGE 20 Wednesday °C °F °C °F cloudy 6 43 pcloudy 7 45 cloudy 9 48 cloudy 10 50 cloudy 8 46 pcloudy 10 50 pcloudy 7 45 sunny 8 46 cloudy 9 48 pcloudy 10 50 overcast 8 46 cloudy 9 48 sunny 7 45 sunny 8 46 pcloudy 6 43 sunny 8 46 pcloudy 7 45 cloudy 9 48 sunny 6 43 sunny 8 46 sunny 7 45 cloudy 8 46 pcloudy 6 43 pcloudy 8 46 overcast 9 48 cloudy 11 52 cloudy 8 46 cloudy 9 48 Wednesday °C °F °C °F in contact with a positive case and children sent home in “bubbles”. The figure for per- PRIMARY school children in Birmingham were 50% more likely to be persistently absent than the national average at one point during the pandemic. A Birmingham City Council meeting heard 14.7% of primary school pupils at state schools in the city missed more than 10% of school from September to December of 2020. This is almost 50% higher than the figure across England for the same sistent period - 9.9%. among The city council has said one of the reasons for the rise in the first year of the pandemic was that help and support was offered where children were not attending due to parents’ fears around the virus - rather than legal action, which had been suspended. POLICE have urged people not to speculate on what caused a horrific fireball crash in Birmingham in which two friends died. Yaseen Mohammed, 24, and 28-year-old Mohammed Ashraf, both from Worcester, were travelling in a Toyota Yaris when it smashed into a lamppost on Hagley Road West, Bearwood. The car caught fire just before 9.55pm on Thursday, January 12, killing the two men instantly. A third man in his 20s was taken to hospital, where he remains stable. Det Sgt Paul Hughes, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “The death of these two friends is extremely tragic and has a profound Stoke-on-Trent Derby Sunrise Sunset Sun & Moonrise Sunrise Birmingham Coventry Today’s TODAY’S Weather WEATHER Today’s Weather 8:07 a.m. absences secondary school pupils at the same point was 17.3 in Birmingham compared to 16.3 nationally. But among pupils eligible for free school meals, the figure was 21.9% - lower than the national average of Nottingham Burton-on-Trent Leicester Northampton impact not only on their families but also their friends. “We would ask people not to speculate on the circumstances of the collision, but instead ask that everyone comes together at this sad time in supporting the family and respecting their wishes for privacy.” A GoFundMe page has raised more than £4,300 after being set up in their memory. The donations will go to a charity based in Yemen. A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We have spoken with witnesses as part of our enquiries and anyone who has not yet been in touch with us, but has dashcam footage from around the time of the crash, should contact investigators.” Skies will be partly cloudy to cloudy today. Afternoon highs will range from 6 to 7C. Stoke-on-Trent Derby Cambridge spokesman said: “Birmingham had rising Covid rates at the start of the 2020/21 academic year which meant that many parents in the city were worried about returning their children to school after the summer break. “We were rigorous in our application of the Department for Education Four-Day Outlook Four-Day Outlook Wednesday Sun & Moon °C °F °C °F 8:07 a.m. 4:28 p.m. River Levels sunny 7 45 rain 7 45 pcloudy 1 33 sunny -1 30 Skies will be partly cloudy to cloudy today. Afternoon highs will range from 6 to 7C. Moonset Birmingham Coventry Nottingham Burton-on-Trent Leicester Northampton Cambridge 4:41 p.m. 9:00 a.m. Jan. 25 Feb. 1 Feb. 8 Feb. 16 We decided to offer help and support rather than use legal action in cases where children were not attending... due to parents’ Covid anxiety. Sunny. Wednesday Sunny. Thursday Thursday Friday Friday Cloudy. 7°C/ 45°F 3°C/ 37°F Cloudy. Overcast. attendance guidance and ensured that all children who tested positive with Covid were marked on the register as ill (an authorised absence). “At that time we also decided to offer help and support to families rather than use legal action in cases where children were not attending school regularly due to parents’ Covid anxiety which may have had an impact on the data. As a diverse city we also had children with family overseas who had travelled abroad to see their relatives during the summer break and were then unable to return to Birmingham due to countries closing their borders/ quarantine arrangements.” The city council has launched a campaign titled #you’vebeenmissed which aims to tackle emotionallybased school avoidance. More information at bwc.nhs.uk/youve-beenmissed Police warn theorists after fireball crash killed lifelong friends Mohammed Luqman Ashraf (left) and Mohammed Yasin ➤ MEMORY LANE: 12 ➤ LETTERS: 21 ➤ PUZZLES: 22-23 ➤ TV LISTINGS: 24-25 ➤ SPORT: 32-40 Wednesday 8°C/ 46°F 0°C/ 32°F Sunny. 8°C/ 46°F 0°C/ 32°F Sunny. 3°C/ 37°F -1°C/ 30°F 3°C/ 37°F -1°C/ 30°F 7°C/ 45°F 3°C/ 37°F Saturday Saturday 6°C/ 43°F 2°C/ 36°F Overcast. 6°C/ 43°F 2°C/ 36°F Current (m) Flood Current (m) Flood River Trent River Leen Bucknall 0.14 0.39 Bulwell 0.26 1.10 SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS Every day we’ll keep you bang up to date with the latest breaking Birmingham news www.birminghamlive.co.uk/signup

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 3 I bled myself dry to turn horror dream into reality TEACHER’S DECADE OF SACRIFICE TO ENTER WORLD OF FILMMAKING GRAHAM YOUNG News Reporter LIGHTS, camera and bank balance - a Solihull secondary school teacher has ‘bled himself dry’ by entering the cutthroat world of filmmaking. But for first-time director James Mason the realisation of a decade-long dream has been worth every penny of scrimping and saving during his first two years at work. His short horror film To Catch A Fish will had its premiere screening at Millennium Point on Friday before being released on YouTube later this month. To get his 30-minute debut over the line, the English teacher and Media lead at St John Henry Newman Catholic College in Solihull used online forums to source his production team. James then shot the film at his parents’ house in Stratford-upon-Avon having cast his father Graham in an evil role as ‘The Gent’ and called upon the award-winning acting services of former university pal Huw Brentnall in the lead role. Estimating the film has cost him £7,000 to make, James said: “While my friends have been saving for mortgages, I have been saving for the film. Anything I had spare would go towards it. Although it has really left me dry, I was determined to be sole financier and by concentrating the spend on the crew I was able to employ a high-end production team.” Dad Graham has trod the boards at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham - where Laurence Olivier, Albert Finney, Derek Jacobi and Brian Cox all cut their teeth. Friend Huw was named Best Actor at the Rainbow Umbrella Film Festival in 2020 and, like James, is a former member of Keele University’s drama society. James shared his name with the late Huddersfield-born film legend James Mason, who made more than 100 movies and was nominated for three Academy Awards, including a best actor nod for George Cukor’s version of A Star is Born in 1955. Because of the language in To Catch A Fish, James is not sure yet if he would be allowed to screen his own film to pupils at school - either during hours or afterwards with parental permission. But it will be released on YouTube later this month with the blessing of his mother who has a voice-over part. “The budget was tight and so was the seven-day shoot itself,” said James. “During one scene we had to stop While my friends have been saving for mortgages, I have been saving for the film. First-time movie maker James Mason halfway through and allow my mum to finish her dinner at the table. As the director, it felt a bit awkward telling the crew that my mum had to eat her bowl of pasta before I could say action again!” James’ leap into the film world follows the trail blazed by Steven Knight who used his Oscar nomination for Dirty Pretty Things to open doors for his Birmingham-based Peaky Blinders TV series. Stars and filmmakers who have worked in Birmingham since 2015 include multi Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close, legendary director Steven Spielberg and all-action Hollywood star Tom Cruise. TO Catch A Fish has been inspired by The Twilight Zone and is the first part of an intended anthology series called The Unfortunate Tales. Huw Brentnall plays a young failing writer called Noel who is beginning to realise that his desire for fame far outweighs his actual talent and work ethic. In classic Faustian fashion, he is visited by a stranger called The Gent (Graham Mason) who promises him fortune and glory at a very small yet painful price. Award-winning television and film script writer Tim Prager, whose credits include Silent Witness and Dalziel and Pascoe, advised James during the editing process. Tim said: “Getting a film made is always something close to a miracle. What James Mason has done by scrimping and saving from his Filmmaker James Mason; top, dad Graham Mason who has trod the boards in Birmingham and, above, award-winning actor Huw Brentnall JAMES ‘DEAD CERT’ TO SUCCEED teacher’s salary, making each day stretch to 26 hours, finding a talented cast close to home and an excellent professional crew who believed in James and his project is nothing short of exceptional. “James has chased his dream and caught it. “His indefatigable dedication deserves to be celebrated as much as the film itself. “Rarely, can you say with complete confidence that there will be more to come. “With James Mason it’s a dead cert.” Designed to be more of a ‘raising hairs on the back of your neck’ production than a graphic shocker, it’s thought the film would be a borderline 12A / 15 if certified by the BBFC depending on its view of the language used. News TV licence fee frozen for 2 years Jonathan walker Political Editor The television licence fee has been frozen for two years - and is set to be axed entirely from 2027. But it’s unclear how the BBC will be funded once the licence is abolished. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, right, announced the fee, which funds the BBC, will remain at £159 until 2024 and then rise in line with inflation for the following four years. And speaking in the House of Commons, she said the whole licence system fee will be reviewed. A consultation will take place to decide how the BBC should be funded. Ms Dorries said: “We are talking about a new funding model which will start in 2028.” In her statement, she didn’t go as far as comments she made on Twitter over the weekend, when she made it clear the Government wanted to abolish the licence fee. She said on Sunday: “This licence fee announcement will be the last. The days of the elderly being threatened with prison sentences and bailiffs knocking on doors, are over. Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content.” The announcement was welcomed by Solihull MP Julian Knight, chair of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee. He said: “I welcome the freeze, and the overt commitment to wean the BBC off the licence fee.” He said the fee, of nearly £160, “is a lot to our constituents”. He said the fee should be reduced over time, so that the BBC switches gradually to new ways of funding, rather than being abolished in one go. Critics of the licence fee say it’s unfair that everyone who owns a TV has to pay it when some people don’t even watch the BBC, as there are so many other channels to choose from. Supporters say it funds quality programmes and news coverage.

4 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live News Tribute to cyclist mum killed in two-car crash POLICE Have You Worked In Any Noisy Environment After 1963? If so, this may have affected your hearing and you could be entitled to £1000’s in COMPENSATION! It does not matter if the company you worked for no longer exists, you could still make a claim. ✔ Specialist In Industrial Deafness Claims ✔ Quick and Simple Process ✔ Free Hearing Test ✔ Maximum Compensation You are particularly at risk if you have worked in any of these industries: • Steelworks • Foundry • Engineering • Chemical Plants • Sheet Metal • Copper • Production • Fabrication • Paper • Manufacturing • Mills • Heavy Plants • Factories • Power Stations • Shipyards • Construction • Railway • National Coal Board (Ncb) • Food • Rubber • Pipe Layers • Ground Works… and many more noisy jobs. We are inviting you to attend our clinic for a FREE INDUSTRIAL HEARING TEST now on THREE DATES: Date: Saturday, 22nd January 2022 Venue: Novotel Hotel, Union Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 3JN Time: 8.30am until 4.00pm Date: Saturday, 29th January 2022 Venue: Village Hotel Dudley Castlegate Drive, Dudley, DY1 4TB Time: 8.30am until 4.00pm Date: Saturday 12th February 2022 Venue: Holiday Inn Express, Tempus Ten, Tempus Drive,Walsall, WS2 8TJ Time: 8.30am until 4.30pm To book an appointment call now on: 01254 965227 Email: claims@bakercoleman.co.uk (Baker & Coleman Solicitors, 59 James Street, Blackburn, BB1 6BE) HOME VISITS ARE AVAILABLE - PLEASE CALL TO BOOK Mum-of-two Jacqui Witham was killed in the crash on Friday Lane in Solihull ISABELLE BATES News Reporter A WOMAN cyclist who died after a road accident was a mum of two young daughters, it has been revealed. Jacqui Witham, aged 46, was described by her family as their ‘brightest light.’ The tragedy happened as Ms Witham rode along Friday Lane in Solihull last Wednesday morning. The accident was on the stretch between Hampton Lane and the M42, in Barston at around 10am. A Nissan Juke and Renault Clio were involved. Both cars have been recovered and will be forensically examined by police, and both drivers are helping with the investigation. Ms Witham died a short time after the accident. Her parents have now paid tribute to their daughter, who had two young children. They said: “The brightest light in our lives was cruelly taken away from us on the 12th January at 9.52am. “Our beautiful 46-year-old daughter Jacqui was riding her bike along this lane when an incident happened with two vehicles and our beautiful Jacqui on her bike, which caused fatal injuries. “We are appealing to anyone who was in this area at this time who may have any information the police can follow up to help our grieving family try to deal with this immeasurable loss. “Jacqui has two daughters, aged five and eight, who we are all comforting at this heartbreaking time.” A statement from West Midlands Police added: “We’re keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and may have information or dash cam footage.” Rape probe: Crime not in park – police have called off their search for a mystery rapist following a major investigation involving checking through 800 hours of CCTV footage. The alleged rape was said to have taken place in Princess Alice Park, at the back of the well-known retail park of the same name in New Oscott, on Sunday, October 3. At the time and in subsequent appeals, police believed the attack had been carried out against a woman by a stranger. At the time the victim said she was raped in a wooded part of the park between 8pm and 9pm that evening, although the original time was given as 10pm. The suspect was believed to have been hanging around the park for several weeks. But police now say the crime did not take place at the park and it was committed by someone ‘known to the victim’. Saul Smith, a PCSO from the Four Oaks neighbourhood team, said: “We now understand that the crime did not happen at that location in the way it was reported to us. “We believe that the person who reported this to us knew her attacker and that the crime took place at an undisclosed location. “She has also taken the difficult decision not to support an investigation around this new information. We respect her choices but will be here for her if she changes her mind at any time.” The police force said it was conscious that park users may have changed their behaviour following the rape allegation and wanted to reassure them that the park was ‘safe’. The force said it takes all reports of rape ‘extremely seriously’ and said experienced detectives from its public protection unit worked with ‘officers across the force’ on the investigation. A spokesman said: “We, and rape survivor charities, supported her and her family offering tailored care services. That support continues with other specialist services now making sure the woman gets any help she needs.”

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 5 I have to choose between my daughter’s education or health of my husband STEPHANIE BALLOO News Reporter AN angry mum says her daughter has been left without transport to her new school for 14 weeks - because of her nut allergy. Joanne Mahon, a full time carer, is having to spend hours away from her disabled husband to take nine-yearold Skye to and from her special school in Kings Heath every day. The 40-year-old said she is placing wheelchair-bound Darren at risk of ‘choking on his own tongue’ at their Erdington home as he also suffers from several ‘severe’ epileptic fits weekly. He has also had to cancel several medical appointments at hospital, with Mrs Mahon feeling like she has to choose between her “daughter’s education or my husband’s health”. “I’ve actually been on the phone to him coming back from Kings Heath and I’ve literally listened to him swallowing his tongue,” she recalled. “There’s nothing I can do because I’m not supposed to leave him. If he’s fitting and I’m on the other side of Birmingham, there’s no one to help him or to let anyone in. “So it’s either my daughter’s education or my husband’s health, I know I’ve got to think of my daughter’s health as well but Travel Assist are for children with disabilities.” The mum-of-three’s application for If he’s fitting and I’m on the other side of Birmingham, there’s no one to help him or to let anyone in. Joanne Mahon carer joanne forced to her leave disabled husband alone as girl, 9, left without school transport because of nut allergy Travel Assist to provide transport for Skye was approved at the end of September. But due to there not being a member of staff who is EpiPen trained on the school bus for her daughter, the family are still waiting for the muchneeded transport months on. “She would’ve been off school for nearing 14 weeks if I hadn’t been taking her, but then my husband is missing these important appointments,” Mrs Mahon said. “I can’t be in two places at once.” Meanwhile, she says, all Skye’s classmates are provided with transport to and from school - leaving Skye feeling confused. “Skye has to have an EpiPen because of her severe nut allergy, because they can’t get a guide that is EpiPen trained, they can’t do anything,” she added. “It took me just 20 minutes to train with the EpiPen. Birmingham City Council, which runs the Travel Assist service, sympathised with the ‘difficult situation’ and said it was reviewing options. A spokesman said: “We understand the situation must be difficult for the family and the service is reviewing options to deliver transport in a safe manner given the potential risks in this case. “We have to make sure suitable transport is put in place, managing the risks appropriately.” Failure to reduce road deaths linked to police cuts – report The failure to reduce road deaths over the past decade has been linked to a cut in the number of dedicated traffic police officers. There has been a 15% fall in how many officers are tasked with enforcing road laws full-time since 2016, according to figures obtained by BBC Panorama. The programme also found that nearly 50% of fixed speed cameras do not work. Meanwhile, the number of people killed on Britain’s roads each year was stable between 2010 and 2019, following three decades of decline. Fatalities fell from 1,752 in 2019 to an estimated 1,460 in 2020, but that was attributed to coronavirus lockdowns. AA president Edmund King described these deaths as “a scandal” and “totally unnecessary”. He said: “We have safer vehicles. We should have safer roads and safer drivers.” Joanne Mahon and daughter Skye, nine Mr King warned that some drivers will “take more chances” if they think they will “get away with motoring offences” because of a lack of enforcement. He said: “Cops in cars are essential. We have seen a correlation between plateauing road deaths and the decline in the number of dedicated road traffic officers. “We should reverse this decline as traffic police are needed in this national crisis with five people dying on our roads daily.” Figures from 34 forces who responded to Freedom of Information requests by Panorama show the total number of dedicated traffic officers they employed fell from 5,014 in 2016 to 4,257 currently. Responses from 26 forces to additional FoI requests revealed that 523 of 1,110 fixed speed cameras are inactive. Some areas, such as North Yorkshire, Durham and Northamptonshire, have none of the cameras working. News Woman hit by car flown to hospital A woman has been seriously injured after being hit by a car on a busy road near Kidderminster. The Air Ambulance was called to the incident in Chaddesley Corbett near the Fox Inn just after 9.40am on Monday. A woman pedestrian was in collision with a car and left with serious injuries and had to be airlifted to hospital. Police immediately closed the A448 in both directions between Rowberrys Nurseries and the Mustow Green. A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We sent two ambulances, a paramedic officer, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham and a BASICS trauma doctor. “We have treated the pedestrian, a woman, for serious injuries.” Attacked teen fights for life A teenager is in a critical condition in hospital after being victim of a serious assault. The 19-year-old man was attacked on Rolfe Street in Smethwick just before 10pm on Saturday. He suffered serious injuries in the assault - and West Midlands Police have confirmed that his condition remains the same as he fights for life in hospital. A police spokesperson said: “The victim’s condition remains unchanged. No arrests, inquiries continue.” Officers have appealed to witnesses to get in touch as they scour CCTV of the area. 999 call over man in distress A ‘man in distress’ was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. Emergency services were called to Lichfield Road, Hopwas, near to the Tame Otter and Fox Inn pubs at around 11pm on Saturday. A 25-year-old man was later taken to hospital by ambulance for further treatment. Staffordshire Police attended the scene after reports of a ‘man in distress’.

6 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live News Deported armed robber battered his housemate ANDY RICHARDSON News Reporter A DEPORTED Australian armed robber has been jailed for a brutal attack on a Birmingham housemate - beating him with an iron bar and stamping on his throat. Maxwell Edwards had returned to the UK and was living at a house in Eileen Road, Sparkhill, when he launched a violent attack on his ‘vulnerable’ victim on March 30 last year. Edwards, 56, punched the man, aged 40, more than ten times until he passed out and then stamped on his throat as he lay unconscious, before then stealing his phone. Edwards dumped the victim in a shed before later returning to attack him again, this time with a metal bar. The man was unconscious in the shed for more than seven hours in This was a horrible, senseless and sustained attack and it’s clear Edwards is an extremely violent and nasty individual. DC Snowdon THERE were more than 1,000 attacks on teachers and staff at Wolverhampton and Dudley schools over the last five years, as teachers were left with injuries after being targeted in classrooms by violent children. Teachers suffered fractures, bruises and sprains as they came under attack in hundreds of incidents since 2017. A total of 649 incidents were reported in Wolverhampton and 434 in total, but eventually woke and alerted a relative before being taken to hospital. He is never likely to make a full recovery. Edwards admitted causing grievous Dudley. Attacks on teachers and support staff rose to their highest point at Dudley last year during the period, figures showed. There were 141 incidents reported in the borough in 2021, nearly three a week. The most assaults in Wolverhampton schools came in 2018 when there were 186. The total in the city last year was 114. The actual figure is likely to be higher as the data provided only relates to Maxwell Edwards bodily harm and was jailed for four years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court. Police launched an investigation and when detectives went to the address on Eileen Road noticed blood on the drive and the shed door. local authority-run schools. Walsall and Sandwell councils did not provide information. In some cases much more serious injures were caused, including fractures and sprains. The figures, released following a Freedom of Information request, highlight the risks some teachers face on a daily basis from rampaging pupils. A recent survey found nearly a quarter of teachers experience violence Edwards - employed as a handyman by the company which owned the house - was arrested at the scene. While he was in custody police noticed he had an Australian accent, and enquiries showed he had spent more than a decade in prison Down Under for a string of violent armed robberies. After his release from prison in Australia he was ordered to return to the UK in February 2019. Just months later he ended up living at the address in Sparkhill. Det Con Andrew Snowdon, who led the investigation, said: “This was a horrible, senseless and sustained attack and it’s clear that Edwards is an extremely violent and nasty individual. “When he was in custody, we knew something wasn’t right and thankfully support from our antipodean colleagues showed us the full extent of Edwards’ previous offending which help us put him back in jail quickly. “I’m glad that he’s now back behind bars for a considerable period of time where he can’t harm anyone else. “My thoughts remain with the victim and his family - I hope this result can bring them some closure.” Teachers are increasingly running the gauntlet of abuse from pupils Rampaging pupils’ 1,000 attacks on teachers in five years on a weekly basis. A teacher was taken to hospital after being repeatedly punched by a parent at the gates of Birmingham’s Hall Green Primary School in March last year. Former NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “No teacher should ever have to go to work with the expectation of being verbally or physically abused, but it is clear that for too many teachers this is the day-to-day reality.” Driver dies in morning crash A DRIVER died after a crash on the M6. It happened between on the southbound carriageway between junctions 3 and 2 in Warwickshire at 8.55am yesterday. A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived to find the driver of one of the vehicles in a critical condition. “Sadly, it quickly became clear nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed deceased on scene. “The passenger of the same vehicle, a man, was treated for minor injuries and discharged at the scene.” Traffic was diverted then released past the scene. Earning £50k and not happy People who feel in control of their money are more likely to be content with life generally than those earning more than £50k per year, according to a Government-backed body. Six in 10 (61%) people with high levels of financial wellbeing said they are satisfied with life, compared with just over half (48%) of people with an income of more than £50,000, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) found. The survey of more than 10,000 people found nearly a third (31%) have low financial wellbeing, and more than a third (36%) admit to feeling worried when thinking about money matters. Covid kids picky eaters Covid infection could be turning more and more children into fussy eaters, experts have suggested. This may be because they are suffering from parosmia - a disorder where people experience strange and often unpleasant smell distortions. Smell experts at the University of East Anglia and Fifth Sense, the charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders, say children may be finding it hard to eat foods they once loved. Fifth Sense and Carl Philpott, of UEA, are launching guidance to help parents and healthcare professionals better recognise the disorder.

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 7 GARDEN GAMES woman offers ‘exotic’ setting for visitors wanting to stay in brum for commonwealthS... by camping on her lawn! Brenda described her garden as a ‘lush tropical space’ with ‘lots of natural water features’ HARRY LEACH News Reporter LOOKING for an ‘exotic’ but cheap place to stay during Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games? Well, look no further. One woman is offering visitors the chance to sleep in tents in her Washwood Heath back garden for a mere £27 per night. Calling it a ‘unique camping experience’, and a ‘tropical oasis’, Airbnb host Brenda claims ‘you’ll have the entire place to yourself’. But, to leave no doubt, she makes it clear that this is not a house booking - however a ground floor bathroom is available during the stay. Pictures on the listing show three small tents in the garden, enough to fit up to six people. The garden is described as a ‘lush tropical space’, with ‘lots of natural water features’ and ‘seating areas’. The space is still available to rent for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games on July 28. While some may think this listing is a wind-up, Airbnb is accepting card payments to stay there. Additional costs to guests include hiring a ‘fully-functional BBQ’ for £10 - which thankfully also includes a bag of charcoals and lighting fuel. A fireplace log burner can also be hired for £10 and includes lighting materials. The listing was spotted by Manchester resident Jordan Lewis while trying to find a place to stay during the tournament. Jordan wrote on Twitter: “Trying to find reasonable accommodation in Brum for the Commonwealth Games because they’re all inflated at £300+ a night. “Found one on Airbnb, only to click on it and it be a tent in someone’s garden. At least it’s an ‘oasis’. The log burner “Still can’t get over the advert saying ‘entire place to yourself’... it’s a tent, Brenda. “The worst bit is if you’re cold, it costs an extra £10 to rent out the log burner.” The host of this dreamy location warns those interested that she is “not Mother Nature” and has “zero control” over the weather forecast. But gazebos can be set up for ‘added protection’, should it rain. Glowing reviews written by guests staying in Brenda’s ‘peaceful’ garden hailed her as a ‘friendly’ host. All seven of them enjoyed their stays, with one writing: “It really doesn’t feel like you’re in the city when you’re there.” News Aldi plans to open second Sutton store A DISCOUNT retailing giant has submitted an application to build a second new store in the same Birmingham suburb, saying its new shop will help its rivals’ trade. Budget supermarket chain, Aldi, has lodged plans for a second new store in Sutton Coldfield, this time on the site of the former Waitrose shop in Belwell Lane, Mere Green. The application follows a similar plan for a new shop on vacant land in Brassington Avenue in the town centre. The Mere Green Aldi will involve the demolition of the old Waitrose shop and the neighbouring three-storey Atlas House office block, which also used to have the Flints bar at ground level. It will create a ‘modest scale supermarket’ which fulfils a ‘neighbourhood shopping role’, which Aldi also claims will not lead to store wars but instead will help other shops trading in the area. Men attacked by bat thugs A man was pepper sprayed and another hit with a baseball bat as they were attacked by two men while sitting in a car. The windows of the car were also smashed during the violent incident which took place on Cemetery Road in Lye, Dudley, at around 1.35pm on Saturday. A 31-year-old man was taken to hospital with injuries not described as life threatening or changing after the attack, say West Midlands Police. The force has opened an investigation and appealed for anyone with information to come forward. Get everything you need to know about where you live with our app or via InYourArea.co.uk All you have to do is enter a postcode.

8 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live News Amazon U-turn over credit card ban Amazon has reversed a decision to ban customers from using UK Visa credit cards on its website. The online retailer had been expecting to introduce the changes from tomorrow, having warned customers that the card company’s fees were too high. But Amazon said yesterday: “The expected change regarding the use of Visa credit cards on Amazon.co.uk will no longer take place on January 19. We are working closely with Visa on a potential solution that will enable customers to continue using their Visa credit cards on Amazon.co. uk.” A Visa spokesman said: “Amazon customers can continue to use Visa cards on Amazon.co. uk after January 19 while we work closely together to reach an agreement.” Amazon did not rule out a future ban. The website previously said it had made the decision due to “the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions”. One Amazon customer wrote on Twitter: “Made no attempt to change cards as I always thought they would sort it out - which they appear to have done.” PM calls in military to stem flow of migrants FLORA THOMPSON News Reporter THE military is set to be put in charge of tackling the number of boats crossing the Channel in a move signed off by the Prime Minister. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to take over command of the operation from the Border Force within weeks, according to The Times and Daily Mail. The department confirmed the Government is exploring “every avenue” to prevent more crossings, while the Home Office said it was introducing “necessary long-term changes”. More detailed information on how the plan would work is yet to be provided, and questions have gone unanswered. Downing Street refused to comment on “speculation” around giving the military responsibility to deter Channel crossings by small boats, but said all options were being pursued. Labour accused Boris Johnson of trying to “distract from the total mess he is in” amid reports of Covid law-breaking parties at Number 10, while campaigners branded the plans “cruel and inhumane”. A spokesman for the MoD said: “Unacceptable numbers of people continue to make the dangerous Channel crossings and last November’s tragic deaths serve as the strongest reminder of the need to stop them.” On November 24 2021, an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsized in the Channel, killing 27 of the 30 people on board. “The Government is exploring every avenue to prevent further crossings and details of how that can be achieved will be made known in due course,” the spokesman said. The Home Office added: “The UK armed forces already work closely with Border Force in these operations, providing expertise and assets as part of our processes in the Channel. It is right that we pursue all options to prevent illegal crossings and protect life at sea.” Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the Government has failed to carry out the “serious, practical work with France that is needed to stop lives being lost and criminal gangs profiting from dangerous Channel It is right that we pursue all options to prevent illegal crossings and protect life at sea. Home Office crossings”. She said: “Instead, this looks like Boris Johnson is using the situation to chase headlines to distract from the total mess he is in as a result of rule-breaking parties in Number 10. “The Government brought the Navy in to patrol the Channel three years ago in 2019. HMS Enterprise and HMS Mersey did not intercept a single boat and the cost to the Home Office was £780,000. “They need to explain what is different in these latest plans.” The Times also reported plans are being drawn up to send migrants to countries such as Ghana and Rwanda for processing and resettlement, but this has not been confirmed.

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 9 Mystery death of experienced diver on holiday INQUEST DUE INTO BAFFLING TRAGEDY ALISON BRINKWORTH News Reporter MYSTERY surrounds the death of a popular Midland mum and experienced diver, who went missing during a diving holiday in Scotland prompting a ‘mayday’ emergency. A full-scale coastguard rescue operation was launched for 64-year-old Linda Fentum, also known as Linda Prenter, when she failed to resurface from the water near Kinlochbervie in the west Highlands. The mum-of-one, who lived in a flat in Worcester Road, Malvern, and had links to Edenhurst Road, Longbridge, was ‘passionate’ about scuba diving as a member of Hereford Sub Aqua Club. One of the final posts on her Facebook page was a photo of the sea with her comment ‘Can’t live without it’. Tributes from friends have flooded in for the NHS IT trainer, who was also a commercial dowser and water diviner. They described Linda as “fun”, “always on the go”, “a continual source of inspiration” and “the first one to let her hair down”. Reports are being compiled for a coroner into the events in the west Highlands of Scotland that unfolded last summer. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency raised the alarm at 11am on Thursday, July 1. Police Scotland said a multiagency search was carried out, involving Coastguard rescue teams, a helicopter and the RNLI, adding that Linda was part of a group on a dive vessel near Kinlochbervie but failed to resurface. “Despite the extensive search of the area throughout the day, we could not find the diver and the decision was made by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre to terminate the search,” he added. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing diver.” Linda lived in South Africa for years and returned to the UK in 2005 when she also became a professional dowser, helping archaeologists find underground walls and also farmers and residents find borehole sites for a supply of pure water. Close friend John Baker, a fellow water diviner and archaeological dowser from Kent, said: “Scuba diving was Linda’s passion and she was very experienced, so for her to come unstuck in the sea in Scotland was an enormous shock. “It took two or three days before they found her body. “She was very fit, which makes it even more of a mystery. “Linda never ever stopped until her head hit the pillow. “She was always doing something. “It’s a big loss. “When she was in the field professionally, she was quiet and serious, but the other side of her was great fun and she would be the first one to let her hair down.” The British Society of Dowsers awarded Linda a post-humous honour of outstanding achievement - The Talbot Award - following her death, which was passed on to her daughter. ‘Spy targeted UK for 15 years’ THE alleged Chinese spy from Solihull at the heart of an MI5 security alert had reportedly targeted the UK for 15 years before being exposed. Solicitor Christine Lee, 58, was named as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party last week. Ms Lee, pictured, denies wrongdoing and sources close to her claim she is shocked by the allegations. Now it has been alleged she boasted of her plans to install Chinese MPs in the House of Commons as long ago as 2007, according the Mail Online. She reportedly announced a project to get young politicians in power after being appointed ‘legal adviser’ to the Chinese embassy. The mother-of-two’s ‘political interference activities’ are alleged to date back 15 years when, just hours after stepping off a 13-hour flight from Beijing, she announced a plan to get the first Chinese MP elected. “We have been silent for too long. We will not be silent any more,’ she told Time Out London. “Chinese here don’t do [British] politics. We need to use our voices to be seen and heard.” On her website, which has now been closed, she told of her influence as adviser to the Chinese embassy in London. It comes as a former head of MI5 accused ministers of failing to act on warnings that might have stopped Ms Lee allegedly infiltrating Westminster. Lord Evans, of Weardale, who ran MI5 between 2007 and 2013, also said that foreign interference is a ‘live and present threat’ to democracy. The Chinese embassy has rejected the claims, saying: “China always adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.” Ms Lee, who lives in a £1 million house in Solihull, hasn’t been seen since the news broke. She has not been arrested and is not being expelled as it stands, but a warning memo was sent to all MPs and peers in Westminster by the Speaker’s Parliamentary security team. Sale wAS £789 White UPVC Back Door £499 Fully Fitted LIMITED TIME ONLY! A1 HOME IMPROVEMENT 0121 396 1196 Wilton Market High Street Erdington, B23 6RP (Next to Key Cutter) ShowroomS AT: Market Village 65 South Parade Sutton Coldfield, B72 1QU (Opposite the Cafe) News Linda Fentum, described as a ‘continual source of inspiration’ by a friend, died in the water near Kinlochbervie in the west Highlands, left Northfield Market Village 855 Bristol Road, Northfield B31 2PA (Next to Mens Store)

10 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live Coronavirus Hospital ‘crisis appeal’ to pay for hot meals for staff on 12hr shifts A HOSPITAL charity has launched a crisis appeal to pay for hot meals for hungry NHS staff working 12-hour shifts. The charity which supports Russells Hall Hospital, in Dudley, pictured, has listed ways that people can financially help hardworking staff facing “immense pressure” during the coronavirus pandemic. Among them is a £5 donation that could “cover a hot meal for a frontline staff member who is unable to leave the ward on a 12 hour shift”, said Dudley Group NHS Charity. Meanwhile, the charity said a £15 donation could “fund a wellness pack for one of our extremely stretched staff members, particularly those in financial hardship”. Staff at the hospital have faced “physical and emotional challenges” since the Covid-19 pandemic begin in March 2020, said the charity, with those pressures unrelenting over the winter given the surge of Omicron cases. The hospital charity has set up a fundraising page, called the Dudley Group Covid Crisis Appeal 2022, raising more than £200,000 so far. It said £50 could help provide emotional support for a nurse at the end of a gruelling shift, £10,000 to £20,000 could refurbish a staff room into a wellbeing space where staff can relax, refuel, and recharge as they spend some much-needed time away from clinical areas. Rachel, from Bilston, was unaware her premature son had been stillborn as she fought for her own life in hospital We buy any house! WE BUY HOUSES FOR CASH Sell in days – or in your timescale No fees & no obligation Any condition or location NAPB approved & RICS regulated GET UP TO £30,000 CASH ADVANCE Call us FREE today for a cash offer available 24/7 0800 031 9071 goodhousemove.co.uk BEST PRICE PAID Unjabbed mum in vaccine plea after stillbirth SERIOUSLY-ILL RACHEL WAS IN HOSPITAL FOR 3½ MONTHS ANNABAL BAGDI News Reporter AN unvaccinated mum whose baby was stillborn after catching Covid while pregnant is urging expectant mums to have the jab. Devastated mum Rachel was so ill in hospital she did not even know she had given birth to premature son Jaxon. The 38-yearold was in hospital for threeand-a-half It was very difficult for my partner Austin because he was suffering too. He’d just lost his child, I was in a coma... Rachel months after contracting the virus at just 19 weeks pregnant - when she had not been vaccinated. She was left ‘paralysed’ after coming out of an induced coma, was on three different types of life support and dialysis during the horrific ordeal. Her stillborn baby Jaxon tragically died at 24 weeks but she was so heavily sedated medics were not able to tell her the heartbreaking news until a few days later. Rachel, from Bilston, said: “I was heavily sedated a lot of the time and from what I’m told by my family, my chances weren’t looking very good. “They were trying to get the baby to survive to 28 weeks but unfortunately, at 24 weeks, my son was born stillborn. “I didn’t actually know I had given birth. I was on drugs so they wanted to tell me when I wasn’t sedated, and the obstetrician informed me a few days later. “My emotions were disbelief – one minute you’re having a scan and a gender reveal, naming the baby and getting excited and then there was this sudden loss. I was only able to see him once. “Normally I’d have been able to spend a lot more time with him and to hold him. But I didn’t get to do that because of the circumstances.” Rachel said her whole family has been left ‘with nothing’ since her young son’s death. She added: “It was very difficult for my partner Austin because he was suffering too. He’d just lost his child, I was in a coma and then when I came round, I was in hospital for another two and a half months. She is now urging women - especially from black and minority ethnic communities - to make sure they are jabbed. She also praised medical staff. She said: “I was really thankful for the care and all their expertise. It could have been totally different because not only was my son being buried, but I could have been as well. So I am very grateful to them.”

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 11 Trainer’s redundancy a springboard to success Almost Coronavirus ‘Share vaccines with the world’ two thirds of adults feel the Government should share coronavirus vaccines with the world rather than deliver additional boosters domestically, polling suggests. Most adults understand that “we need to vaccinate the world to end the pandemic at home”, according to a survey for the ONE Campaign, which works to end global poverty and disease. They also feel that the disparity in vaccination levels between rich and poor countries is both “unwise and unfair”. Some 2,186 UK adults were surveyed by Savanta ComRes online between January 7 and 9. Six in 10 (63%) said that, if new variants were likely in countries with poor vaccine access, the UK should prioritise ensuring the vaccine is available everywhere over giving people a second booster. Black Country Bugle Annual 2022 Wendy Garrett and, above right, offering support to firms WENDY’S NEW VENTURE HELPING FIRMS PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IN CHALLENGING TIMES ALISON BRINKWORTH A WOMAN made redundant at the start of the Covid pandemic has been inspired by the effect of the lockdowns on mental health to launch her own training business. Wendy Garrett lost her job in HR for a national student accommodation firm when it was taken over by Unite in May last year - but has turned the life-changing moment into a positive. Far from letting it get her down, the 39-year-old used her expertise in learning and development and retrained to create her Coming out of lockdowns and going back in the office was difficult for many as they had changed and had more worries about it. own business Garrett Learning in July, offering Mental Health First Aid programmes to companies amongst other training. Self-employed Wendy, who lives in Horsefair and Broadwaters, Kidderminster, said: “I saw that you could train to teach this course online and I thought I’d just take the opportunity. “’Just do it’ I said to myself as I Wendy Garrett had always been passionate about mental health and encouraging people to do more self development at work. “After that, I got companies asking if I could come in at short notice to do training sessions and I just said ‘yes’, which opened up more work. “Coming out of lockdowns this year and going back in the office was difficult for many people as they had changed and had more worries about it, so organisations have a need for more mental health support. That’s where I come in with my courses.” Wendy started her career working at Greggs and Mitchells & Butlers before progressing to focus on learning and development in the human resources team at Liberty Living. The HR professional was working away from home for many days of the week before job losses were suddenly announced. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Wendy realised quickly the toll that Covid measures were taking on mental health. “Covid and redundancy has actually led to me running my own business,” smiles Wendy. “It’s nice to manage my own diary and my work-life balance is amazing now. I don’t have to say no to social occasions anymore, as I used to as I was working away a lot. “I had been a trainer for 10 years at Liberty Living, and although I am still training, it’s different as the buck stops with me for everything. “I have to be my own HR department, marketing manager and IT, but it’s also wonderful that I don’t have to jump through 10 million hoops to get something signed off. “I can get moving on a project straight away and my associate work with companies is getting busier all the time. “I’m doing this because I want to to do it and that feels good.” n Find out more about Garrett Learning and courses Wendy runs on being an Adult Mental Health First Aider and Champion to leadership development in diversity and inclusion and courses on unconscious bias and inclusion awareness at her website garrettlearning.co.uk. 96 Page Special The Black Country Bugle Annual 2022 Provides a colourful and memorable look back at all aspects of Black Country life. It’s all here in compelling stories and features and fascinating, rare photographs. ON SALE NOW From your local retailer or by visiting our online shop, £4.99 + p&p shop.regionalnewspapers.co.uk

12 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live OUR DAILY DELVE INTO THE PAST Other men described as Peaky Blinders, pictured near the end of the gang’s relevance - Henry Fowler, Ernest Bayles and Stephen McHickie ON THIS DAY 1778: Captain Cook discovered Hawaii. 1788: A penal settlement was established in Botany Bay, Australia. 1879: The first England v Wales football international was played at Kennington Oval in London, England winning 2-1. 1882: AA Milne, creator of Winnie The Pooh, was born. 1911: US pilot Eugene Ely, in a Curtiss aircraft, made the first landing on the deck of a ship – the cruiser Pennsylvania moored in San Francisco Bay. 1933: The “bodyline bowling” row flared up in an Australia v England Test match in Adelaide. 1977: In the worst rail disaster in Australian history, 82 people died when a Sydneybound train was derailed. Life and times of the first ‘Peaky Blinder’ Thomas Fair Feature Writer THE Peaky Blinders once spread fear and mayhem on the streets of Birmingham. But their heyday was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and, unlike the version on our TV screens, by the time the First World War had ended, all they really had left were their names and reputations. The original gang faded out of newspaper articles and court records, but what happened to the first man described as a “peaky blinder”? The 1921 Census, released online on Find My Past, shows us details about every single living person in England and Wales at a time when the nation was recovering from the First World War. Combined with other records on Find My Past, like court and death records, we can build a picture of his life. It’s the story of how one man went notoriety for a savage beating in Bordesley to the inspiration for a blockbuster TV show over 100 years later. Thomas Mucklow was credited as The Birmingham Mail’s reporting of Thomas Mucklow’s crime - and the first printing of “peaky blinders” the founding member and leader of the gang. It was Mucklow’s crimes that led to the very first printing of the phrase “Peaky Blinders” in a newspaper, the Birmingham Mail. Born in 1865 in Birmingham, he was married to an Elizabeth Mucklow, nee Groom, and his day job was as a carter. A carter was the haulier or van driver of his era, moving things by horse and cart or wagon, or later by car, van and lorry. Elizabeth was recorded as a typical housewife of the time, listing “home duties” as her occupation. One of Thomas’ early crimes involved a savage beating on Adderley Street, Bordesley, where he also lived, in 1890. He ran into a man called George Eastwood on a Saturday night while out with his gang, mocking and then beating him over his choice of a drink – a ginger beer. George suffered a fractured skull, and it was headlined as a “Murderous Outrage” in the Mail, and but Thomas was given just nine months for that crime. The following year, he moved in with his in-laws, George and Mary Groom, still on Adderley Street. Later on, in 1896, he was given a month in jail for stealing 30 pounds of brass metal. When he was released, he and Elizabeth move out of the Groom house and into another on Adderley Street. In June 1902, he pleaded guilty to “maliciously wounding” another man – none other than his father-in-law, George Groom – and was sentenced to six months’ hard labour. Jumping forward in time, the newly-published 1921 Census shows Thomas and Elizabeth, aged 57 and 56 respectively, long past the days of seeking thrills on the streets of Birmingham, and too old to have taken part in the devastation of the First World War. Thirty-one years after that first beating that began his gang’s rise into the public eye, he had moved just a stone’s throw from Adderley Street to Court 2, House 1 on Coventry Road – and was still working as a carter at a firm in Nechells. This is the last Census snapshot of Thomas Mucklow’s life – the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire – but it is believed Thomas died at the age of 71 in 1936. Seventy-seven years later, the first episode of Peaky Blinders was shown on BBC Two in 2013, bringing all of the attitude, fashion and lifestyle of Mucklow and his Peaky Blinders into the 21st century – with more than a touch of dramatic licence, of course. Who can say what the first man described in print as a Peaky Blinder would have made of it all? 2009: Children’s television presenter Tony Hart (above) who appeared on art shows for nearly 50 years, died at the age of 83. 2021: A racecourse which was hosting a Covid-19 vaccination hub temporarily halted the service to enable its horse racing to continue. BIRTHDAYS John Boorman, film director, 89; Raymond Briggs, children’s author and illustrator, 88; Paul Freeman, actor, 79; Paul Keating, former Australian prime minister, 78; Kevin Costner, actor/director, 67; Peter Beardsley, former footballer, 61; Jane Horrocks (pictured) actress, 58; Richard Dunwoody, retired jockey, 58; Jason Segel, actor, 42. Get everything you need to know about where you live with our app or via the InYourArea.co.uk

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 13 Relief as police force is chosen to review nightclub killing News Dummy driver stopped by cops Police called about a pair of feet protruding from a roll of carpet in a car were relieved to find they belonged to a mannequin dressed as Prince Charming. The driver, who was taking the dummy to a birthday party, was given “advice... to avoid such circumstances occurring again”, Cambridgeshire Police said. The force said in a social media post: “When we received a call on Saturday lunchtime to reports a vehicle was travelling along the M11 with a pair of feet poking out the end of a rolled up piece of carpet, alarm bells were naturally ringing for the informant and our control room. We managed to track the vehicle down in Angel Drove, Ely, where our officers discovered there was indeed a pair of feet... belonging to a mannequin dressed as Prince Charming who was on his way to a themed birthday!” Family members of Ryan Passey, pictured above right, have welcomed the ‘big step forward’ this week RICHARD GUTTRIDGE News Reporter A POLICE force has been chosen to carry out a review of an investigation into the killing of a young man in a nightclub, a move his family have welcomed as a “big step forw a r d ”. West Yorkshire Police will lead an independent inquiry into the actions of West Midlands Police detectives who investigated death of Ryan Passey nearly five years ago. The Yorkshire force has been the chosen to review the case after West Midlands Police leaders agreed to an inquiry following pressure from the Passey family. The 24-year-old amateur footballer was stabbed to death at Chicago’s nightclub in Stourbridge in 2017. His family called for the original investigation to be reviewed after being left devastated by the acquittal of the man who had been (The two forces) need to be transparent with Ryan’s family at every turn. This has already been a long journey for this courageous family. accused of murdering him. West Midlands Police has maintained its probe was sound and that the evidence presented in court “strong enough to secure a conviction”. Mr Passey’s dad Ade, from Quarry Bank, has insisted the family have a right to know whether the best possible investigation was carried out for his son, who died after trouble flared between two groups at the town centre club. Kobe Murray, 19 at the time, was cleared by a jury of murder and manslaughter. Suzanne Webb He admitted stabbing Mr Passey but said he did so in selfdefence, an argument accepted by jurors who found him not guilty. Ade, mum Gill Taylor and step-dad Phil Taylor met with West Midlands Police chiefs on Friday to discuss the latest developments around the review. They are now set to meet with the Yorkshire force. It comes after Mr Murray was ordered to pay damages to the family in November for causing Mr Passey’s death. Family friend and spokesman Jason Connon said: “We feel Friday was another big step forward for Ryan’s parents Ade, Gill and Phil and in our campaign. “We now look forward to meeting with West Yorkshire Police and the independent review beginning.” Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb, who has supported the family’s campaign, said: “This was a really positive meeting that set out how the review will take place, its parameters and, crucially, that a force has been assigned to undertake it. “I made it clear in the meeting that West Midlands Police and West Yorkshire Police need to be transparent with Ryan’s family about what is happening at every turn. “That means regular updates and meetings to discuss progress. This has already been a long journey for this courageous family.” When it was announced there was to be a review, West Midlands Police said it hoped it would provide the family with “reassurance that all investigative and evidential opportunities were taken”. Get £75 worth of beer for only £34.99 Includes: 30 Craft Beers • Magazine • Tasty Snack • Free Delivery Only £1.16 per can! HOPSMORE.CO.UK *£34.99 offer is only available to new customers. Hopsmore Beer Club Subscription is £44.99 per month thereafter. Please drink responsibly Save £10 RRP £44.99

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www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 15 Pregnant mum left ‘living in fear’ after attack in own home Sophia Blake News House prices up The average price tag on a home jumped by £852 or 0.3% month-on-month in January, according to property website Rightmove. The average asking price for a home in Britain this month is £341,019, it revealed. The jump is driven by larger homes at the top of the property ladder as well as those typically bought by first-time buyers, it added. EMILY COLLIS News Reporter A PREGNANT mum says she’s “living in fear” after being attacked in her Birmingham home. Naomi Loach, 27, was the victim of an assault at her home in Rednal while she was 11 weeks pregnant. The mum-of-two says she feared for her unborn child’s life after being assaulted by Sophia Blake on October 2 last year. Blake, 35, of Bomers Field in Rednal, admitted the assault by beating of Naomi and of assault by beating of a police officer. She was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison by Birmingham magistrates. A restraining order was made, ordering Blake not to contact the victim by any means, which lasts until November 2024. She was also ordered to pay compensation of £50. Magistrates described the incident as a “sustained assault.” Thankfully Naomi’s baby was unharmed in the assault, however the expectant mother says her family still lives in fear of her attacker living close by. Naomi said: “Since it happened, I haven’t felt safe. It’s frightened me and my children. I’m now 26 weeks pregnant and one of my daughters is autistic and we’ve been living in fear. “I haven’t been happy in my own home, I stayed away from the property for six to seven weeks.” Naomi said she was referred for an emergency scan after the attack and now has to go in for regular scans to monitor the baby more closely than would otherwise be the case. “I was worried my baby would be no more,” she said. “It’s not a normal thing to happen, to be attacked during pregnancy. I had the police here most of the night when it happened, I was in shock.” JANUARYSALE 31 ST DECEMBER-30 TH JANUARY Laura joins stars for new NHS mental health campaign Laura Mvula and, above, from left, Tom Grennan, Nicola Roberts and The Wanted’s Max George UPTO 80% OFF FASHION UPTO 70% OFF TOYS& GAMING UPTO 60% OFF HOMEWARE BIRMINGHAM singer-songwriter Laura Mvula is one of the stars reciting words from The Beatles song Help! in a landmark new NHS mental health campaign. Girls Aloud pop star Nicola Roberts and singers Craig David, Tom Grennan and Ella Henderson are also among the famous faces in the video encouraging people struggling with mental wellbeing to seek support. The classic soundtrack, written by John Lennon in 1964, includes the lyrics “Help me if you can, I’m feeling down”. Laura said: “Through my own personal experience of when I had therapy on the NHS, it did so much for my emotional wellbeing just to know that someone was truly caring for me on a regular basis. “Reaching out and sharing with someone you can trust is so important.” The NHS are encouraging those suffering with their mental health to try talking therapies, a confidential service run by fully-trained experts, which can be accessed by selfreferral or through your GP. GetanEXTRA10% OFFsaleitems! Usecode:LOCAL10 Shopthehighstreetonlineat: downyourhighstreet.co.uk/local

16 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live News Helen baby name tribute to cousin Countryfile host Helen Skelton has revealed her baby’s middle name is a tribute to a cousin who died in her 20s. The former Blue Peter presenter gave birth to a baby girl called Elsie Kate on December 28. Skelton, 38, already shares sons Ernie, six, and four-year-old Louis with rugby league player husband Richie Myler, 31. She told Hello! magazine: “We were always going to have Kate as a middle name after my cousin, who sadly passed away when we were in our 20s. “I was really close to her, she was a scientist and crazy cool.” The child outweighed her brothers at birth, at 7lb 8oz. She said: “Louis was just 5.6lb and Ernie was 7lb. I thought she’d be small, but she is my biggest bubba.” Read the full interview in Hello!, out now. Fantastic Travel Offers – Especially for readers Holidays and Tours flying from an airport near you 7 days now from £734pp SAVE 10% * UP TO New fears as NHS dentist numbers fall Seville, Granada & Classic Spain Enjoy this exciting exploration of Andalucia – birthplace of Picasso, home of flamenco and cradle of the gypsy life. Join us to discover the Spain beyond the beach resorts of the sun-kissed Costa. From your base in the traditionally Andalusian town of Antequera, you’ll enjoy full-day visits to Granada and the stunning Alhambra gardens, to glorious, historic Seville, the City of Flamenco and setting for Bizet’s Carmen, and to the enchanting, whitewashed, hill-top town of Ronda, above its famous Gorge. On this great-value Spanish holiday you’ll also have the chance to visit the magnificent Moorish stronghold of Cordoba and its extraordinary Mezquita, on a fascinating optional excursion. Flying from an airport near you Departs March 2022 to November 2022 Tour Highlights & Inclusions • Stay in the heart of traditional Andalucia • Enjoy a full-day visit to Seville, the city of flamenco • Journey towards the Sierra Nevada, beneath which the great Moorish city of Granada stands • Visit Granada, the world-renowned Alhambra and its exquisite gardens • Take in the sweeping views from the Puente Nuevo, which joins the old and new towns of the mountain-top • Explore the Andalusian city of Ronda • The chance to join an optional excursion to Cordoba • Six nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation at the three-star Hotel Corso, Antequera (hotel and half-board upgrades available) • Return flights to Malaga • A full-day tour of Seville • A full-day tour of Granada • A full-day tour of Ronda • Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers • The services of a friendly, experienced tour manager TO BOOK CALL 0330 160 8068 QUOTING RGR OR VISIT NEWMARKETHOLIDAYS.CO.UK/RGR *Offer applies to bookings made by 28 February 2022, price correct at the time of print and includes discount. This offer cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other discount, promotion or concession. The discount applies to the tour price (excluding extras and holiday insurance) at the time of booking. The offer is subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time. These holidays are organised and operated by Newmarket Holidays Ltd. ABTA V7812. ATOL protected 2325. Subject to availability. Single supplements apply. Standard landline charges apply TOMMY LUMBY MORE than 100 dentists covering Birmingham and the Black Country stopped doing NHS work last year, amid warnings of a staffing crisis in the sector. There are fears the shortages will leave people in pain, while the British Dental Association said the figures reflected a “broken system”. Some 1,195 dentists were recorded as doing NHS work across two Clinical Commissioning Groups serving the area in 2020-21, down by 114 from 1,309 the previous year. That’s a nine per cent reduction, which was greater than the four per cent drop seen across England as a whole. The biggest drop in the region was seen in Birmingham and Solihull, where the figure fell by 62 (10 per cent), to 538, while in the Black Country and West Birmingham it dropped by 52 to 657. Across England, there were 23,733 dentists undertaking NHS work in 2020-21, down nearly 1,000 from 24,684 a year earlier. And there are fears that fewer available appointments will mean people not bothering to go to the dentist and others suffering with pain as they wait to see a dentist. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who requested the figures, said: “The lack of NHS dentists across the country is a real crisis for people. As well as being unable to sort out dental pain in the short term, people are storing up problems for the future without regular check-ups. BDA chairman Eddie Crouch warned a growing number of dentists couldn’t see a future for themselves in a service “plagued by failed contracts and underfunding”. Mr Crouch said: “For over a decade, dentists have worked to a broken system that has singularly failed to recognise and reward commitment to the NHS.” Across Birmingham and the Black Country, the 1,195 dentists doing NHS work in 2020-21 was still more than the 1,107 recorded in 2011-12, the earliest year for which figures were available. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We have taken unprecedented action to support NHS dentists throughout the pandemic, including by providing full income protection for practices unable to deliver their usual level of activity.”

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 17 News A walk in the safari park! An artist impression of the new walkways and, right, how the lodges will look chance to see rhinos & giraffes face-to-face for the first time ZOE CHAMBERLAIN News Reporter WEST Midland Safari Park is opening an entirely new area of the attraction this year - giving visitors the chance to meet their most popular animals faceto-face. Park bosses are installing pathways to enable guests to see some of its larger animals on foot. This has never happened before in the park’s 48-year history. Families have been able to wander around creatures, such as penguins, bats, lemurs and meerkats in the Discovery Trail for some time. And the Hippo Lakes are visible from a viewing platform above the water. But visitors have always needed to be inside their car or the park’s minibus to see the elephants, giraffes, cheetahs and rhinos before. Now, this is all changing as part of a massive re-development plan that started back in 2019 with new state-ofthe-art housing and outdoor spaces for its African elephants and cheetahs. Luxury lodges were built enabling people to stay overnight, giving them an up-close and personal wildlife SECONDARY schools in Walsall could be short of places for children in the coming years because of a baby boom. Despite birth rates falling over the last five years, Walsall Council education chiefs said current projections could leave them without places for 235 pupils by September 2028. In contrast, experience like no other. A red panda arrived in the summer of 2021 to much excitement, and another red panda is due to arrive soon too. Both will be part of a European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, which aims to help conserve the numbers of red pandas. The next phase of the plans will see eight new Safari Lodges being built so that overnight guests can enjoy spectacular views of the park’s giraffes and white rhinos, the latter being the only experience of its kind in the UK. The giraffe lodges will feature balconies, enabling guests to come face to face with these magnificent creatures. And it is during this phase that the new walkways will be installed. These paths will enable day guests to see the giraffes, cheetahs, rhinos and African elephants on foot rather than through their car windows. Plans are also being submitted for a further four lodges, immersed within a brand-new Sumatran tiger exhibit. The single-story accommodation will be integrated into the newly built tiger habitat, promising an ‘immersive wildlife encounter like no other’. School place alert after baby boom there are expected to be a surplus of primary school places. Councillor Chris Towe, portfolio holder for education, said officers were looking at options to meet demand for secondary places including creating a new free school or expanding existing sites.

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www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 19 News Stars join celebration of Radio 1 pioneer Janice The BBC has announced plans to celebrate the life of radio presenter Janice Long with a tribute programme hosted by Zoe Ball and featuring artists such as Sir Paul McCartney. Long was the first woman to have her own daily show on Radio 1 and the first regular female presenter on Top Of The Pops. She also presented a show on BBC Radio WM on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. The Liverpool-born DJ and broadcaster died at home on Christmas Day following a short illness. She was 66. A Life In Music will broadcast on January 23 and feature family, friends and the musicians she helped during her 40-year career in broadcasting. Sir Paul will discuss his “old Liverpool mate” and actor David Morrissey will remember an encounter with her as a young actor in Liverpool, while fellow broadcaster Jane Garvey will recall how Long’s Streetlife show inspired her that young women could break into radio. Other contributors will include Walsall Slade star Noddy Holder, Richard Hawley, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, Ian Broudie of The Lightning Seeds and Sandie Shaw. Radio 1 DJ Janice Long died after a short illness last month Mum thanks supporters of son after bully ordeal ONLY £4.95 WORTH £123! Free P&P A MUST-HAVE MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION CURATED BY OK! BEAUTY EDITORS. SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND TRY YOUR FIRST BOX FOR JUST £4.95* DANIEL NEWBOULD News Reporter THE mum of an autistic bullying victim held over a bridge in a shocking viral video says he ‘feels happy again’ after the public rallied around the 14-yearold. There has been a huge swell of support for Leon Taylor after footage of him being held over a canal bridge in Kettlebrook, Tamworth, was published on social media. As police continue to investigate, a number of fundraising campaigns have been set up in support of Leon, who has since left the town’s Wilnecote School, and his family. Mum Laurie Whittemore said: “I would like to thank every single person who has been in touch or offered support to Leon. “Leon has said previously how he thinks it’s his fault people do not like him but the support he has received over social media has really lifted his spirits. “Leon doesn’t have his phone right now but we have let him know about the fundraising pages and he said he actually felt happy again! Thank you to every single one of you because you will never know just how much it has meant to us all.” One of the fundraising pages seeks to help Leon and his family make memories and has already raised more than £200. The page, created by Olivia Gifford, reads: “As a community, it would be great if we could raise money for Leon and his family to create positive memories - a nice day out or whatever they see fit. Let’s show Leon there are lovely people in this world and not promote or highlight these vile bullies any longer.” Another, by Stop Bullying, wants to get Leon enrolled in a martial arts class. It says: “Even those familiar with learning disabilities, or those that have experienced bullying, won’t be able to fully comprehend what Leon and his family are dealing with. But what we do know is that bullying is never OK. “So even if you’re not from the Tamworth area, let’s help make Leon feel safer by making him a member of a local mixed martial arts community.” The school said it was now a police matter and they were working closely with them. Staffordshire Police confirmed they were investigating and appealed for information. Brought to you by SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE TODAY AT OKBEAUTYBOX.CO.UK Terms and conditions apply. *£4.95 offer is only available to new customers. OK! Beauty Box subscription is £15 per month thereafter.

20 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live News ‘A disgusting mess’ LITTER-PICKER’S TOWER BLOCK CLEAN UP AFTER RUBBISH THROWN FROM WINDOWS JOSH SANDIFORD News Reporter A LITTER-picking champion has revealed the “disgusting” state of a block of flats in Solihull. Ruth Meredith was on the bus home when she noticed the mess outside the Chestnut House tower block in Chelmsley Wood town centre. And the well-known local litter-picker just couldn’t let it go untidied. Ruth, 57, is a member of Clean & Green - the largest litter picking group in Solihull. She posted a message to the group after she had finished up tidying up the rubbish which had been “thrown out of windows”. “The side of this block of flats was disgusting,” she wrote. “Food containers, loads of dirty nappies, drink cans, plastic and glass bottles, all at the side of flats, that has mostly been thrown out of windows. “I noticed the mess while on the bus coming home, I knew I couldn’t leave it so I collected my picker and started clearing it up. I filled five green bags in total full of rubbish plus loads of recyclable items including 69 glass bottles.” Ruth said it wasn’t even the worst pile of rubbish she had ever dealt with. She said: “I cleared an area close to Birmingham Airport and filled 15 bags of rubbish there.” Ruth, who currently spends her days looking after one of her grandchildren, used to work in security. She said she started picking up litter because she was “fed up with the area looking a mess”. “I even litter picked on the way to and from work,” she explained. Solihull tower blocks have made headlines in recent months due to grim tales of residents disposing of rubbish in the worst ways. In June, tenants received a warning after items - including “bags of excrement” – were thrown from windows. At the time Solihull Community Housing said aerial fly-tipping had become a frequent issue at the flats and vowed to take action against those responsible. Cllr Alison Rolf, Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “Residents have already played a vital part in maintaining high levels of cleanliness across the borough. “However, we are aware that a minority continue to disrespect our local environment. The council is keen to build on its strong partnership with residents and continue the conversation about how we can work together so that everyone is able to enjoy our local environment.” Rubbish outside Chestnut House in Chelmsley Wood Funeral costs fall by 3.1% The average cost of a funeral has decreased for the first time since research started in 2004, a report has found. The typical cost of a basic funeral was £4,054 in 2021, marking a 3.1% decrease compared with 2020, according to financial services provider SunLife’s “cost of dying” report. In 2020, the average cost of a funeral, including burials and cremations, was put at £4,184. The research was released at a time when general household costs are surging. Direct cremations, where the ashes are returned to family members who can make their own service arrangements, have increased in popularity, the research found. A direct cremation costs around £1,647 typically. The average funeral cost in the Midlands was £3,942, down 12.2% from 2021, the report found. THE PAPER YOU LOVE AT 50% OFF Order yOur cOpy delivered straight tO yOur dOOr Or purchase at a retailer Of yOur chOice tO save 50% THERE ARE TWO EASY WAYS TO ORDER YOUR PAPER 1. DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR HOME We have a long established, reliable and efficient direct home delivery network. • To order online visit newspapersubs.co.uk/BIM • Select the HOME DELIVERY option and enter the offer code JF22 when prompted to receive your 50% discount. 2. COLLECT FROM OR DELIVERED BY YOUR LOCAL NEWSAGENT If you’d like to order home delivery from a local newsagent, or collect from a retailer • To order online visit newspapersubs.co.uk/BIM • Select the VOUCHER option and enter the offer code JF22 when prompted to receive your 50% discount. • We will send you dated vouchers for you to give to the newsagent as payment for your paper. alternatively, call us on 0333 202 8000 and one of our team will be happy to assist or e-mail newspapersalesteam@reachplc.com *Terms and conditions: This offer is for new customers only and redeemable by direct debit. DELIVERED DIRECTLY: The price is £3.48 per week (50% discount) for the first 13 weeks and then £5.20 per week (20% discount) moving forward. Direct Home Delivery service not available in all post codes. RETAIL VOUCHERS: The price is £2.88 per week (50% discount) for the first 13 weeks and then £4.60 per week (20% discount) moving forward. 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www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 21 OPINION NHS is under pressure – but not from Covid THERE have been a few letters in Talkback recently seemingly demonising those who choose, for whatever reason, to remain unvaccinated. Statements have been made that hospitals are full of patients that are not jabbed and it is this group that are failing to ‘protect the NHS’. This is contentious to say the least. The first UKHSA (formally Public Health England) Vaccination Surveillance Report of 2022, published last week, shows 65% of adults classed as ‘Covid hospitalisations’ were vaccinated. 77% classed as ‘Covid deaths’ were vaccinated. The recent NHS England report about critical care beds in England over the past week show 18.7% have Covid, 59% were non-Covid and 22.3% were actually unoccupied. Furthermore, their report of January 13 shows that between 41-55% of patients in English hospitals with Covid are not in hospital because of the virus, but have it. Therefore the daily updates on patients in hospitals which are reported across the mainstream media is now highly misleading. Additionally, whilst we are seeing an increase in the number of people dying within 28 days of a positive test, with Omicron, this measure is also becoming less reliable. Over the past 28 days there have been 3.5 million positive tests. This huge increase in testing and positivity will automatically be reflective, so more people will show as dying with Covid, but NOT because of it. You should question everything. Looking at the NHS website will give a true picture. The NHS is under pressure, but not from Covid. Anyone in the media who says it is, and it’s because the vast majority of patients are unvaccinated, is misleading you. It’s time the highly paid CEOs of the NHS got organised and protected us. Julie Willetts, Birmingham Russia backed into a corner is dangerous IS the West sleepwalking into a catastrophic and totally unnecessary war with Russia, over Ukraine? What absolute madness. My loyalty to the British state is absolute, but the bitter experience of the recent past is littered with disastrous errors by the West’s political and military leaders, the consequences of which, still reverberate today – Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan. General Nick Carter, chief of the UK defence staff, has warned that the risk of accidental war with Russia is greater than during the Cold War. Such a conflict could quickly escalate from the deployment of conventional, but still lethal weapons, to the use of nuclear missiles. Yes, the West has to be firm, but fair, in its dealings with Russia, but, in all self-questioning, and in our own PICTURE OF THE DAY “This licence fee announcement will be the last. Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content.” Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries “I am launching a new global daily TV show for Rupert Murdoch’s news corporation in America, starting in the spring. It will air daily in the UK, daily in TIME OUT Get in touch: Email letters@birminghammail.co.uk national self-interest, we have to recognise, and act accordingly, when Russia raises legitimate security concerns. Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union had 27 million of its people killed as a consequence of the Nazi Germany (a Western country, admittedly led by a psychopathic maniac) in 1941. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, felt that Russia was betrayed by the post-Cold War West, a view held by Vladimir Putin, in what Gorbachev regarded as the US “victory complex” over Russia. Gorbachev insists to this day that he was assured following the fall of the Berlin Wall that there would be no further Nato encroachment by the West towards Russia’s borders. As an ordinary citizen, I ask myself the simple question: how would granting the Ukraine Nato membership and the installation of medium-ranged missiles and other sophisticated Nato weaponary closer to Russia’s borders – Ukraine, Hungary and Romania, for example – promote the security interests of the West? Is a Western presence in Ukraine in our vital national interests? These are Putin’s “red lines” – no Nato membership for Ukraine and no sophisticated weaponry installed near Russia’s borders – and I don’t think he’s bluffing. They are not unreasonable demands. If an agreement can not be reached to meet Russian security concerns then, I believe, the Red Army will invade Ukraine. Russia is now well and truly backed into a corner with no obvious escape route. And then what happens? Sanctions? Yes, to start with, but it won’t stop there and the real danger is that the conflict will quickly escalate. Peter Henrick, Northfield Gill statue attacker should be cleared NOW we have a problem. The attack on the statue outside BBC House sculptured by Eric Gill, who would be called now a paedophile and the attack on the statue of Edward Warley Woods, photographed by Liz Taylor, Flickr www.birminghammail.co.uk/flickr QUOTES OF THE DAY the US and in Australia daily as well so I will be a tri-continental irritant which is something I have been aspiring to be for quite some time.” Piers Morgan Colston by the BLM movement. Now what happens? I take great offence of the life that Eric Gill lived, absolutely awful, and I am sure the BLM Movement are most disturbed by the actions of Edward Colston. How will the attacker of the Eric Gill statue be treated? I sincerely hope he is cleared of any criminal damage. Chris Phillips, Erdington Thatcher could be next on list after green light NOW a jury has given the green light to vigilantes to remove statues of people who destroyed lives in the past, how long will it be before a fleet of coaches from mining communities set off to the Palace of Westminster to pull down the statue of Margaret Thatcher? Eddie Sanders, Pheasey Estate The small print: Letters will not be included unless you include your name, full postal address and daytime telephone number (we prefer to use names of letter writers but you can ask for your name not to be published if you have a good reason). The Editor reserves the right to edit all letters. LETTERS FROM THE ARCHIVES BLAST “A teacher said, ‘why don’t you write down your thoughts?’, and so I had a go and I discovered my thoughts were quite loud.” Booker Prize-nominated author Deborah Levy said she became quieter and then stopped speaking as a child because she felt overwhelmed and did not believe her thoughts were valuable to anyone from the past July 4, 1991 Conservative rule fear WHEN Prime Minister Major said the election of a Labour government would be a calamity for Britain, what did he mean by Britain? Did he mean the fat cats on the Stock Exchange, directors of large business such as BT, the water boards and banks, or does he mean the Conservative Party? If he does, he could be right. If however, he meant the people who are waiting for treatment on the NHS, young couples still crippled by high interest rates on mortgages, the unemployed, small businesses facing bankruptcy etc. I feel no greater calamity could befall them than another Conservative rule. Pamela Arnott-Job, Kingshurst Trade union rehearsal THE unions’ closing of Crown post offices, thus denying many pensioners of their very means of subsistence, should be seen as a rehearsal for the anticipated return of a Labour government. During the last few years, the unions have felt the rein of restraint, but I portend that should Labour again take office in return for union finance, the unions will again be afforded the aegis of government to sate that cupidity and ideology. George Latham, Spring Hill Leave currency alone DO we want to be governed by France and Germany? We do not want dictates from Brussels as to how we run this country. Our Prime Minister should, like Mrs Thatcher, learn to say no and stick to it. Mrs Thatcher is sadly missed now as she is firmly against close contact with Europe, especially monetary union. We have had some experience of the Brussels ‘bureaucrats’ interference already with custard pies and carrots, but once we let them get hold of our currency, we are finished as a sovereign state. R E McGregor, South Yardley Deborah Levy

22 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live Puzzles & stars TIME Cryptic crossword Quick crossword Gogen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Stuck on today’s puzzle? Call 0905 789 4220 to hear individual clues or the full solution. Calls cost 80p per minute plus network extras. Service Provider: Spoke Ltd, helpline 0333 202 3390 YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 18/01/2022 Across: 1 Stay; 3 Dressing; 9 Aniseed; 10 Ochre; 11 Chess-players; 13 Powers; 15 Beetle; 17 Cosmopolitan; 20 Roman; 21 Curable; 22 Punished; 23 Lets. Down: 1 Seascape; 2 Agile; 4 Riddle; 5 Story-tellers; 6 Inherit; 7 Glee; 8 Measurements; 12 Reinters; 14 Woodman; 16 Apache; 18 Table; 19 Drop. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 8 9 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 34 36 32 33 35 YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Tragic; 7 High wire; 8 Fete; 10 Lie low; 11 Script; 14 Lip; 16 Koala; 17 Talc; 19 Bidet; 21 Gamin; 22 Genie; 23 Gong; 26 Simon; 28 Gad; 29 Odious; 30 Aerial; 31 Clan; 32 Astonish; 33 Eleven. Insert letters to form the listed words, moving between adjacent cells horizontally, vertically or diagonally in any direction. Insert all the remaining letters of the alphabet (except Z) in the grid so all the listed words are spelt out in this way. 1 D N C K J Y P O I B X R U T S F E Q L H ACROSS 1. Clothing perhaps for a broken marriage situation? (7,4) 9. A number of opponents (3) 10. Therefore don’t touch, accepting the situation (2,3,2,2) 11. Dunderhead has record to return to warehouse (5) 13. Cut short, having produced a harvest (7) 14. Give a beating to hothead getting shoddy goods round (6) 16. Not outside having some chaplain do ordinary work (6) 18. Further ones obtained from army one (3,4) 19. Send timer back (5) 20. Hint anger could mean a close shave (4,5) 21. See 21 Down 22. An aid to finding out what the book actually says (7,4) ACROSS 4. Stroke gently (6) 7. One’s own (8) 8. High regard (6) 10. Sketch (5) 13. Hits lightly (4) 14. Fizzy water (4) 15. Spiritual guide (4) 16. 24 hours (3) 17. Tightly stretched (4) 19. Arab sailing vessel (4) 21. Cultivated plant (9) 23. Island in Indonesia (4) 24. Hair from sheep (4) 26. Single circuit (3) 27. Slight quarrel (4) 29. Dutch cheese (4) 32. Extremely (4) 33. Stage whisper (5) 34. Commendation (6) 35. Pullovers (8) 36. Permits (6) DOWN 2. Anger amongst firemen (3) 3. Attack with broken stone (5) 4. Material produced by raising current on moving coil (6) 5. Register how far one is behind in tennis match? (3,4) 6. Being a member of the best class at peak performance? (2,3,4) 7. Fine breeds of freight carriers? (5,6) 8. Is it prepared to give a distillation of a quick answer? (5,6) 12. What MPs may be playing at? (5,4) 15. Called out in hut (7) 17. Ignore such an area (6) 19. Majestic large development (5) 21 & 21Ac. Tightly pack and shake food container (3,3) DOWN 1. Potatoes (5) 2. Wide (5) 3. Crossbow arrow (4) 4. Free of obstruction (5) 5. Rodents (4) 6. Playground item (6) 9. Artist’s workroom (6) 11. Legendary bird (3) 12. Death-dealing (5) 13. Save (3,4) 15. Weapon (3) 16. Put on (3) 18. Comes about (6) 20. Cavities (5) 21. Head covering (3) 22. Toddler (3) 23. Cask (6) 25. Wicked (3) 28. Iron (5) 30. Frogman (5) 31. Untidy (5) 32. Wine, informally (4) 33. Way off (4) Down: 1 Tablet; 2 Gaelic; 3 Chew; 4 Chicken; 5 Tibia; 6 Delta; 8 Fell; 9 Top; 12 Rot; 13 Plain; 15 Timid; 18 Aphid; 19 Ban; 20 Die; 21 Genuine; 22 Goo; 23 Garage; 24 Odin; 25 Gallon; 26 Solar; 27 Mirth; 28 Gel; 30 Ache. V M G A W EXPULSION FROND GEM JIB QUICK STONY THAW VERY WAGE A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y 2 Q D W C S B U A Y H X M K R O Codeword This puzzle has no clues. Instead, every number printed in the grid represents a letter, with the same number always representing the same letter. For example, if 8 turns out to be a V, you can write in V wherever a square contains 8. Using your knowledge of words, complete the puzzle. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 E 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 C Need a little help getting started? Then call 0901 293 6261 to hear four random extra letter clues. Or text CODE and send to 64343 to receive 4 clues. Calls and texts cost £1 plus any network extras. Service Provider: Spoke Ltd, helpline 0333 202 3390 YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Q S E L W G K J Z A T N P 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 H V C X O R B U F M I D Y Split Decision Cross out one of the two letters in each divided square to reveal a completed crossword grid. W Y C A U H T E F I F X S M E C P I T E V F G L N R S I U M D L B A E D H E U G R DAUB DUMB FIX JERKY LIMP MACHO OVEN PIG QUARTILE WAYS Y S T G R S W A Y E A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y J YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS P L U C K E S I C H A R T A G T N E E D Y YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS T S Q F G V F X C B C E V U N W E M A L H K X I D S J D Y T B O M P L P U N I H J Y R W A Q R O G K

www.birminghamlive.co.uk ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 23 OUT LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO In association with teamdogs.co.uk In association with teamdogs.co.uk SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES Sudoku YESTERDAY’S SUDOKU: Easy Circlegram Niner 2 5 1 6 8 9 7 3 2 9 5 1 5 9 2 7 9 5 2 3 2 6 1 4 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box. EASY 4 7 3 9 6 4 2 1 5 1 7 6 HARD 7 2 4 6 3 5 9 1 5 1 3 9 5 4 6 2 5 3 7 3 4 8 4 9 7 2 3 1 8 4 6 9 2 5 7 1 4 5 9 7 3 8 2 6 5 3 1 7 8 4 6 9 2 6 2 4 7 9 5 3 5 7 2 8 1 1 8 9 4 3 6 7 9 3 8 6 2 8 6 2 1 5 4 4 1 5 9 7 3 9 4 8 6 2 7 2 3 6 5 1 9 5 7 1 3 4 8 YESTERDAY’S SUDOKU: Hard 8 2 9 4 5 3 7 6 1 2 7 5 9 3 8 6 1 4 5 4 6 3 8 2 1 9 7 4 1 3 6 7 5 7 9 6 2 8 1 5 8 2 4 9 3 8 3 9 1 6 4 1 6 4 5 2 7 2 5 7 9 3 8 9 7 8 3 1 2 6 4 1 7 5 9 3 2 5 8 4 6 Replace the question mark with a letter so that the letters within the circle can be rearranged to form words with a common theme. What are the three words, and the letter represented by the question mark? C A R U Y S E C ? L R I L S E L E YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS The letter represented by the question mark is C. Cezanne, Hockney, Chagall, all artists. 9683 gives a volcano; 138195 gives a river; 278478 gives a capital. Alphamuddle Wordsquare Rearrange the letters in the top grid to make five words that read both across and down. Five letters have been placed in the bottom grid to start you off. S H A D F O O S E E E I S E R E G G I S H R E D D R ARIES I E E S S T A T E T E T R A A T T A R ARIES T R A I L E A R L Y F ind as many words as possible ARIES using the letters in the grid. Each word must use the central letter and at least 3 others, and letters may be used only once. You cannot use plurals, foreign words or proper nouns, but verb forms ending in ‘s’ are permitted. There is one 9-letter word to be found. E L E N K S ARIES A S I HOW YOU RATE 30 Good; 40 Very Good; 50 Excellent. YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS POTTERING grip, gripe, grope, inept, nope, open, opine, opting, pent, pert, petit, petting, pier, pigeon, pine, ping, pint, pinto, pion, poet, point, pointer, pong, pont, pore, poring, port, portent, potent, potter, potting, prig, print, prog, prone, KINGBATS prong, protein, logotype, ripe, 1999(?) ripen, rope, roping, tiptoe, tope, toper, trip, tripe, trope. Each number from 1 to 9 represents a different letter. Solve the clues and insert the letters in the appropriate squares to discover a word which uses all nine letters. YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION: PERUVIANS YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters. DINGBATS® original logotype, 1987 DINGBATS® iPhone logotype, 2009 YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION: In two minds about it THINGBATS logotype, 1999(?) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 www.dingbats.net 18/01/2022 ARIES SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES RUSSELL GRANT LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO ARIES TAURUS GEMINI LEO LEO CANCER VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO SCORPIO VIRGO LIBRA SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES Arguments Scan with from a colleague about which A sudden idea will have greater SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS DINGBATS®, PISCES 2009: vector trace tasks TAURUS DINGBATS® should go GEMINI 1987 to whom CANCER and how work consequences than you will imagine at the SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES should game be approached board have caused more time. Sometimes it only takes a fleeting problems than enough. Since you have to thought ARIES to sow TAURUS the seeds GEMINI of something CANCER that keep LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO LEO working VIRGO with each other, LIBRA think SCORPIO about turns out to be important and well worth fixing this before it gets any worse. Volunteer your while. Steer clear of a friend’s love for R=255 a job you know R=185 they don’t want to do. problems. G=0 G=0 (80p/min + network (80p/min + network For B=0more call 0905 B=0 789 4273 access charge) For more call 0905 789 4279 access charge) DINGBATS® Red Aries March 21–April 20 SAGITTARIUS SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES After a long discussion with an old friend you CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO TAURUS GEMINI CANCER ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER ARIES ARIES ARIES know you have their full attention. ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS (80p/min PISCES + network TAURUS April 21-May 21 GEMINI May 22-June 21 cancer ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER DINGBATS®, 2009: for normal use June 22-July 23 DINGBATS®, 2009: thicker stems. SAGITTARIUS Only for use CAPRICORN at very small AQUARIUS sizes, PISCES optionally without ring. leo July 24-Aug 23 TAURUS GEMINI CANCER TAURUS GEMINI CANCER TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO ARIES LIBRA TAURUS SCORPIO GEMINI CANCER ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO LIBRA SCORPIO VIRGO LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN LEO AQUARIUS VIRGO PISCES LIBRA SCORPIO You and someone you see regularly both Volunteer work will benefit you in a number SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES have the same goals for the future. of ways. Helping others to help themselves R=60 R=0 Someone wants to move a platonic could reveal a talent or skill you have never relationship G=212 on G=130 to a more romantic footing. given yourself credit for. Your dedicated B=0 B=7 LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO You won’t hesitate about your ARIES response TAURUS and efforts GEMINI for a charity CANCER will put you in touch TAURUS GEMINI CANCER THINGBATS might even Green wonder why it has taken you with like-minded people who will play a big both so long to admit to your true feelings. part in your life over the months to come. THINGBATS, 2009 R=148 R=94 Someone G=0 LEO you VIRGO see G=27 regularly LIBRA constantly SCORPIO hints An aura of confusion will cause some about B=207 their views, B=109 beliefs and feelings but disturbance but there is no one person when you question them further, you never entirely to blame. It will be down to a technical KINGBATS Purple SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER get a definite response. From a professional hitch or mechanical failure. You’ve always had point of view, some things are being left a great imagination. Don’t be surprised if an KINGBATS, 2009 unsaid and this is not encouraging an open escapist mood encourages you not to get too or SAGITTARIUS honest relationship. CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES involved in serious concerns. 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24 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live today’s tv TIME

www.birminghamlive.co.uk OUT TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 25 today’s tv & radio

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' ' www.birminghamlive.co.uk funeral-notices.co.uk Announce, share and remember forever Find a local Funeral Director in our online directory We have over 2,500 Funeral directory listings nationwide TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 27 Create a notice from just £36 Visit: funeral-notices.co.uk To place your funeral notice over the phone call: 01482 908084 Create a beautiful notice with our flexible style funeral notice HAYES Jack Peacefully passed away at home on the 9th June 2021. Jack had a wonderful and full life, and will now be laid to rest alongside his daughter Janette. He leaves behind his loving wife Marjorie. He was a proud grandad of Richard, Neil, Michael, Anneka and an even prouder great-grandad of Charley, Lewis, Olivia, Max, James, Toby, Amelia, Oscar and Leo. We will always remember the loving memories he has left us with. Jack will be deeply missed by his family and friends. Due to current restrictions the funeral will be invitation only. Funeral to be held at Chanterlands Crematorium on the 7th July. Any charitable donations will be welcome for Macmillan Cancer Support. Further enquiries to A Shepherd & Son, 48 Beverley Road, Hull East Yorkshire HU3 1YE Tel: 01482 323510 With over 180 new symbols and themes to choose from CLINCH Ann Elizabeth It is with great sadness, we are having to announce the passing of Ann Clinch. Ann passed away peacefully at home. Please join us to help celebrate Ann's life at Yardley Crematorium at 10 o'clock on the 21st of January. God Bless Mom, love Ian, Glenn and all the family. DYER William Raymond (Ray) Passed away peacefully on 11th December aged 90. Beloved husband of Thelma, Dear father of Graham & Angela. Grandad of Jack, Claudia & Jacob. Will be sadly missed by all his family & friends. Service on Friday 21st January at 11.30am, Lodge Hill Crematorium, Family flowers only, Donations if desired for British Heart Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Collection Box At Service GEEVES Jean (Nee Mullard) Passed away peacefully December 26th 2021. Aged 80 years. A beloved Sister, Mother to Alison and Elizabeth and devoted Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. Funeral service to take place at Holy Trinity Church Amblecote, Stourbridge on January 25th at 1pm, followed by burial at Stourbridge Cemetery and wake at the Park Tavern, Kingswinford. Family flowers only. Donations if desired to Compton Care. Colourful clothing preferred SUMMERHAYES Carole Passed peacefully away on December 26th 2021 aged 83 years. Wife of Malcolm, Mum to Elaine, Judith and the late Keith. Nan to Ellie and Jamie Funeral at Robin Hood Crematorium on Friday January 21st at 1pm TARPLEE Helen Beloved mother and grandmother, a wonderful wife and carer to husband Raymond until his death in 2014. A lifelong career in the NHS as a nurse, caring for hundreds of others with generosity and love. Passed away peacefully on Saturday 8th January at Cedar Court Care Home in Cranleigh. Funeral Mass on Friday 4th February at 10.45am at St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church in Bramley. Flowers and enquiries care of J Woodford Family Funeral Service, Dobbe House, Ewhurst Road, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 7AA. funeral-notices.co.uk Announce, share and remember forever Funeral Notice Partners The following Funeral Directors have chosen funeral-notices.co.uk to provide notices on their website meaning you may view their current and past notices on their own websites. Check out your local Funeral Notice Partners below: Visit: cbastock.co.uk Visit: franklinfunerals.co.uk Visit: jacksonfunerals.co.uk Visit: jukesfuneralservices.com Visit: stephenmgodber.co.uk Visit: stephenandphilippainter.com Interested in becoming a preferred partner to funeral notices? Funeral Directors can be added free to this advert by calling 03444 060 276 Create a notice from just £36 Visit: funeral-notices.co.uk To place your funeral notice over the phone, call: 01482 908084

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32 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live Get everything you need to know about where you live with our app or via InYourArea.co.uk Racing Calscost65pperminplusyourtelephonecompany’snetworkaccesscharge.18+only. SP:Spoke.Helpline:03332023390 OFFICIALHORSERACING COMMENTARY AND RESULTS Cal09016094248 NEWCASTLE TODAY Going: Good to soft; aw: standard to slow Ri Na Farraige 12.50 Ri Na Farraige Twoshotsoftequila 1.25 el Jefe Gallic Geordie 1.55 Gallic Geordie Ritson 2.25 Deeper Blue Uncle Alastair (nb) 2.55 Uncle Alastair Getalead (nap) 3.25 Return Fire Martha Willow 3.55 Martha Willow 12.50 QUINNBET ‘NEWCOMERS’ NH FLAT RACE (GBB RACE) (AWT) (5) 2m Winner £2,614 (10 run) SSR 1 Askalli G Bewley 5 11-6...........................................J Bewley (3) — 2 Bingoo J Moffatt 6 11-6.................................Charlotte Jones (5) — 3 Ri Na Farraige R Fahey 5 11-6...................................B Hughes — 4 Top Ville Bobby P Kirby 5 11-6....................... J Williamson (5) — 5 Amber Gold M Walford 5 10-13................................J Hamilton — 6 Elena De La Vega M Hammond 5 10-13.Emma Smith-Chaston (7) — 7 Miss Maple W Coltherd 5 10-13.................................S Coltherd — 8 Syltezar Ewan Whillans 5 10-13...................................C Bewley — 9 Boot ‘n’ Shoe R Menzies 4 10-7.............................N Moscrop (3) — 10 Tangiers N Alexander 4 10-0...............................D McMenamin — BETTING: 7-4 Ri Na Farraige, 4 Boot ‘n’ Shoe, 8 Bingoo, 10 Askalli, Tangiers, 12 Syltezar, Elena De La Vega, Top Ville Bobby, 14 Others. 2021: ARGONAUTA 5 11 4, Stan Sheppard 9-2 (T Lacey), 13 ran. FORM GUIDE: RI NA FARRAIGE Dawn Approach gelding out of Shivaree. BOOT ‘N’ SHOE Ask gelding out of Phecda. BINGOO Eastern Anthem gelding out of It’s A Discovery. ASKALLI Ask gelding out of Gift Wrapped. TANGIERS Masked Marvel filly out of Jacira. ELENA DE LA VEGA Toronado mare out of Haiti Dancer. SYLTEZAR Flemensfirth mare out of August Hill. TOP VILLE BOBBY Yeats gelding out of Great Decision. AMBER GOLD Iktibas mare out of Nativus. MISS MAPLE Yorgunnabelucky mare out of Pugnacious Lady. 1.25 SKY SPORTS RACING NOVICES’ HANDICAP HURDLE (GBB RACE) (4) 2m Winner £6,535 (11 run) SSR 1 832 Kihavah (23) A Keatley 5 12-1................................T Midgley (7) 92 2 194 Tommydan (107) J Candlish 7 11-12 (D).................Sean Quinlan 84 3 152 El Jefe (17) A B Hamilton 5 11-10 (BF).................W Shanahan (7) 89 4 461 Twoshotsoftequila (23) R Menzies 5 11-10.....N Moscrop (3) 88 5 -64 North Parade (37) Sue Smith 7 11-0........................... R Mania 99 6 P87 High Sheriff (140) Kenny Johnson 8 10-13...Alison Johnson (7) 70 7 066 Jack Yeats (15) W Coltherd 6 10-13.............................S Coltherd 86 8 316 Monjules (47) J Norton 4 10-11...................................C Bewley 95 9 542 Oot Ma Way (17) I Jardine 4 10-4................................ C O’Farrell 89 10 008 Trac (23) M Hammond 5 10-0........................................A Cawley 78 11 -55 Lizzie Loch (29) Ewan Whillans 6 10-0..................... Craig Nichol 81 BETTING: 9-4 Kihavah, 3 El Jefe, 5 Twoshotsoftequila, 8 Oot Ma Way, 10 Tommydan, North Parade, 16 Jack Yeats, 20 Lizzie Loch, Monjules, 25 Others. 2021: No corresponding race. FORM GUIDE: KIHAVAH 4-1 Midfield, headway travelling strongly before 3 out, chased leader when ridden 2 out, led flat, drifted left close home, headed final strides, 2nd of 10, hd behind Demi Sang at Wetherby 2m hcp hdl 0-115 (4) sft in Dec. EL JEFE 10-3fav Held up, headway 4 out, closed into 2nd under 3 out, ridden under 2 out, challenged last and soon led, kept on until no extra and headed closing stages, 2nd of 14, 1/2l behind Alright Marlene at Catterick 2m hcp hdl 0-105 (5) sft. TWOSHOTSOFTEQUILA 8-1 Held up in rear, headway 4 out, chased leading pair 2 out, ridden to press leader next, soon led, ran on, won at Sedgefield 2m 1f mdn hdl (4) sft in Dec beating King Arise by 2 1/2l, 7 ran. OOT MA WAY 50-1 Chased leader, pushed along from 4 out towards rear, plugged on from 2 out, stayed on well from last, snatched 2nd close home, 2nd of 6, 7l behind Inca Prince at Musselburgh 2m 4yo hdl (4) gs. NORTH PARADE 11-2 Close up, mistake 4th, jumped left at times, not fluent 2 out, soon ridden and no extra, 4th of 11, 14l behind Moonlight Spirit at Carlisle 2m 1f nh nov hdl (4) sft in Dec. TOMMYDAN 16-1 Towards rear and 10th from halfway, progress from 4 out and pushed along from next, no impression before last where not fluent, kept on same pace run-in, 4th of 13, 17l behind Elite Des Mottes at Killarney 2m 1f hcp hdl 80-102 in Oct. JACK YEATS 50-1 Held up towards rear, not fluent 4th, modest headway 3 out, no impression, well held from next, 6th of 12, 19l behind The Steward at Musselburgh 2m hcp hdl 0-100 (5) sft. LIZZIE LOCH 14-1 Held up in rear, not fluent 6th, headway on outside 8th, mistake and well beaten 3 out, 5th of 7, 41l behind Three Castles at Musselburgh 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-105 (5) gs in Dec. MONJULES 10-1 Prominent, ridden 2 out, soon weakened, 6th of 9, 34l behind Tease And Seize at Market Rasen 2m 1f 3yo hdl (4) gs in Dec. TRAC 28-1 Led, ridden and headed approaching 2 out, soon weakened, 8th of 9, 35l behind Cailin Dearg at Sedgefield 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-100 (5) sft in Dec. HIGH SHERIFF 100-1 Chased leaders, hit 3 out, jumped slowly and lost place next, tailed off, 7th of 8, well behind Lord Caprio at Hexham 2m hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gd in Aug. 1.55 EQUINE PRODUCTS UK HANDICAP CHASE (4) 2m Winner £7,080 (8 run) SSR 1 364 Cenotice (35) D McCain 8 11-12 (D)............................ T Gillard (5) 86 2 235 Baby King (79) T R George 13 11-8 (D6)..........................J J Burke 99 3 111 Gallic Geordie (20) S Drinkwater 9 11-5 (D4)...............J Bowen 70 4 531 Da Vinci Hand (21) J E Foster 7 11-4 (D)................... Craig Nichol 99 5 P15 Treshnish (20) Sue Smith 9 11-3 (CD2)..................T Willmott (5) 94 6 -14 Time Leader (50) T Reed 8 10-8.......................................H Reed — 7 -16 Rollerruler (37) W Coltherd 8 10-5 (BF, D)...............S Coltherd 78 8 48P Big Bold Gold (21) Kenny Johnson 8 10-0.....Alison Johnson (7) — BETTING: 2 Gallic Geordie, 9-2 Da Vinci Hand, 5 Treshnish, Rollerruler, 6 Time Leader, 12 Baby King, Cenotice, 66 Big Bold Gold. 2021: No corresponding race. FORM GUIDE: GALLIC GEORDIE 9-4fav Never that fluent and waited with towards rear, smooth headway tracking leaders 9th, 3rd going well 4 out, 2nd soon after 2 out, led before last, ridden and quickened clear run-in, won at Newbury 2m hcp chs 0-125 (3) sft in Dec beating The Russian Doyen by 4 1/2l, 8 ran. DA VINCI HAND 15-2 Chased leaders, lost place 3rd, closed form 5th, not fluent 3 out, went 2nd last, led final 100 yards, stayed on, won at Catterick 2m nov hcp chs 0-105 (5) sft in Dec beating Claret Dabbler by 1/2l, 7 ran. ROLLERRULER 10-11fav Slow jump 1st, tracked leaders, outpaced and dropped to rear before 4 out, soon ridden, kept on but never on terms, 6th of 7, 9l behind Pitempton Power at Carlisle 2m nov hcp chs 0-105 (5) sft in Dec. TRESHNISH 11-2 Chased leaders, not fluent at times, mistake 3 out, soon ridden and gradually faded, 5th of 6, 28l behind Cedar Hill at Kelso 2m 1f hcp chs 0-130 (3) hvy in Dec. TIME LEADER 6-1 In rear, headway 5 out, tracked leaders next, ridden and stayed on one pace, 4th of 12, 4l behind Operation Overlord at Ayr 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gs in Nov. BABY KING 18-1 Chased leaders, not fluent and lost place 4 out, well beaten from next, 5th of 7, 33l behind Jamacho at Huntingdon 2m hcp chs 0-115 (4) gd in Oct. CENOTICE 12-1 With leader, led 3rd, headed 8th, beaten before 2 out, plugged on, 4th of 6, 5l behind Out On The Tear at Catterick 2m hcp chs 0-115 (4) gs in Dec. BIG BOLD GOLD 80-1 Towards rear, jumped right 10th, some headway on outside before 11th, soon weakened, pulled up before 13th, in a race won by Representing Bob at Catterick 3m 1f hcp chs 0-105 (5) sft in Dec, 11 ran. 2.25 ‘NATIONAL HUNT’ MAIDEN HURDLE (GBB RACE) (4) 2m 4f Winner £5,827 (13 run) SSR 1 326 Deeper Blue (33) H Fry 6 11-8..............................L Murtagh (3) 94 2 847 Firth Of Forth (28) R Dobbin 6 11-8..................... Craig Nichol 86 3 4-2 Glenbeg Lake (80) G Bewley 6 11-8.........................J Bewley (3) — 4 4 Great Ballinboris (11) M Hammond 6 11-8.Miss Becky Smith (3) — 5 427 Jack Of All Shapes (62) G Boanas 6 11-8.............Sean Quinlan 83 6 652 Lord Roco (16) J Ewart 6 11-8....................................A Doyle (7) 90 7 2-3 Mount Melleray (65) Mrs A C Hamilton 7 11-8........J Hamilton — 8 -29 Nights In Venice (50) D Whillans 6 11-8.....................H Brooke — 9 23- Onward Route (344) R Menzies 8 11-8......................B Hughes — 10 452 Ritson (22) R Menzies 7 11-8....................................... C O’Farrell 99 11 /PP Room At The Top (20) Ewan Whillans 7 11-8................C Bewley — 12 -12 Lucky Light (23) Paul Collins 6 11-1.................. J Williamson (5) 90 13 -64 Songbird’s Tale (23) Paul Collins 7 11-1...............T Midgley (7) 70 BETTING: 5-2 Deeper Blue, 3 Onward Route, 6 Lord Roco, 7 Mount Melleray, 10 Ritson, 12 Lucky Light, 16 Jack Of All Shapes, Great Ballinboris, Glenbeg Lake, 20 Others. 2021: No corresponding race. FORM GUIDE: DEEPER BLUE 4-1 Mid-division, ridden and outpaced home turn, never in contention, 6th of 11, 31l behind Champagne Court at Exeter 2m 2f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) sft in Dec. ONWARD ROUTE 2-1 Held up in rear, switched right and headway 3f out, went 3rd over 1f out, no impression inside final furlong, 3rd of 10, 6l behind King Of Realms at Newcastle 2m 4f NH flat (4) std in Feb. LORD ROCO 80-1 Held up rear of mid-division on inside, closed 3 out, stayed on from 2 out, went 3rd towards finish, took 2nd last stride, no impression on winner, 2nd of 8, 4 1/2l behind Escapeandevade at Ayr 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) sft. MOUNT MELLERAY 10-1 Prominent early, soon chased leaders, 3rd halfway, 2nd when slight mistake and badly hampered 6 out, ridden in 6th entering straight, stayed on into 4th last, kept on run-in, 3rd of 18, 11l behind Queen Jesse Jay at Cork 2m 5f beg chs sft in Nov. RITSON 7-1 Led, ridden and joined 3 out, headed approaching last, rallied to go 2nd close home, 2nd of 5, 11l behind Harbour Lake at Wetherby 2m nh nov hdl (4) sft in Dec. LUCKY LIGHT 14-1 Tracked leaders, ridden to chase clear winner soon after 3 out, plugged on, 2nd of 5, 27l behind Richmond Lake at Sedgefield 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) sft in Dec. GLENBEG LAKE 1-1 Twrds rr of mid-div, 7th 5out, prog in 3rd bef 3out, went 2nd bef 2out, 1 1/2l 2nd bef last & clsd flat, no ex, 2nd of 9, 1/2l behind Red River Valley at Kinsale 3m ire ptp sft in Oct. 2.55 NOVICES’ LIMITED HANDICAP CHASE (GBB RACE) (3) 2m 7f Winner £8,714 (5 run) SSR 1 -15 Come On Teddy (17) T R George 8 11-8 (D).....................J J Burke 70 2 3-2 Uncle Alastair (37) N Richards 10 11-5.....................B Hughes 77 3 P-P Hold The Note (16) Ewan Whillans 8 11-1.............. Craig Nichol — 4 1-2 Omar Maretti (23) A Hales 8 11-0...............................K Woods 70 5 334 Dis Donc (10) M Hammond 9 10-4.................................A Cawley 99 BETTING: 15-8 Uncle Alastair, 5-2 Come On Teddy, 11-4 Omar Maretti, 8 Dis Donc, 10 Hold The Note. 2021: No corresponding race. FORM GUIDE: UNCLE ALASTAIR 6-1 Towards rear, headway into 5th 3 out, pushed along to chase leaders before last, strongly pressed winner and every chance run-in, held towards finish, 2nd of 9, 1/2l behind Papa Tango Charly at Carlisle 2m 5f hcp chs 0-140 (3) sft in Dec. COME ON TEDDY 7-1 Held up in rear, jumped left 2nd, some headway when not much room 12th, outpaced in 5th after 3 out, well beaten 2 out, 5th of 8, 21l behind L’Homme Presse at Cheltenham 2m 5f nov chs G2 (1) sft. OMAR MARETTI 10-3 Tracked leader, ridden and made headway before 3 out, kept on at 2 out, rallied after final fence, not reach winner, 2nd of 7, 1 1/4l behind Bobhopeornohope at Market Rasen 2m 5f nov hcp chs 0-125 (3) sft in Dec. DIS DONC 22-1 Held up on outside, outpaced from 5th, behind 9th, tailed off, last of 4, well behind Fugitif at Newcastle 2m nov Limited hcap ch (3) sft. HOLD THE NOTE 20-1 Held up towards rear, lost place 8th, shaken up and stopped quickly, tailed off when pulled up before 3 out, in a race won by Wakool at Ayr 3m hcp hdl (2) sft, 9 ran. 3.25 BORDER MINSTREL PUB HANDICAP HURDLE (4) 3m Winner £6,535 (15 run) SSR 1 9-5 Taxmeifyoucan (80) K Dalgleish 8 11-13...................B Hughes 80 2 20- Furax (347) M Hammond 7 11-12...............................J Hamilton — 3 114 Getalead (40) Claire Harris 6 11-9 (BF)...................D Prichard (5) 83 4 4PP Filou Des Issards (233) J Bedi 7 11-6........................H Brooke — 5 233 Return Fire (20) L Russell 6 11-4....................................D R Fox 97 6 437 Soivegotachance (57) D Bourke 7 11-3........................H Reed 93 7 -65 The Delray Munky (23) I Jardine 10 11-2 (D)............ C O’Farrell 77 8 382 Skipthescales (20) N Alexander 10 11-1 (CD).Mr K Alexander (5) 84 9 7F5 Kaizer (20) Ewan Whillans 7 10-10........................... Craig Nichol 81 10 /52 Stoney Rover (41) A M Thomson 9 10-10 (BF)............... R Mania 84 11 F76 Kauto D’Amour (35) Sue Smith 7 10-9 (C2)...........T Willmott (5) 99 12 573 Dequall (11) W Coltherd 6 10-5..................................S Coltherd 80 13 -43 Bullion Boss (17) N Richards 6 10-2 (D)...............Sean Quinlan 79 14 09P Penpal (41) M Hammond 7 10-0...................................A Cawley 70 15 656 Lissen To The Lady (20) S Forster 8 10-0......... Miss J Walton (5) 76 BETTING: 4 Stoney Rover, 11-2 Return Fire, 6 Getalead, Skipthescales, 8 Bullion Boss, Kaizer, 12 Dequall, 14 Taxmeifyoucan, 16 Others. 2021: No corresponding race. FORM GUIDE: STONEY ROVER 9-4fav Chased leaders, headway to press leaders home turn, every chance last, not pace of winner run-in, 2nd of 14, 1 1/2l behind Shoughall’s Boy at Hexham 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) hvy in Dec. RETURN FIRE 11-4 Prominent, close 2nd 3 out, every chance 2 out, soon ridden, weakened before last, 3rd of 12, 9l behind Ned Tanner at Kelso 2m 7f nh nov hdl (4) sft in Dec. GETALEAD 7-2fav Tracked leaders, ridden after 3 out, kept on one pace, 4th of 13, 7l behind Highway One O Two at Taunton 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) gd in Dec. SKIPTHESCALES 14-1 Towards rear, pushed along before 4 out, ridden and plenty to do 3 out, stayed on strongly from 2 out, not reach winner, 2nd of 10, 2 1/2l behind Grand Voyage at Kelso 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) sft in Dec. BULLION BOSS 11-2 Mid-division on inner, headway under 3 out, challenged 2 out, ridden under 2 out, dropped to 3rd last and weakened flat, 3rd of 12, 8l behind Late Date at Catterick 3m 1f hcp hdl 0-100 (5) sft. KAIZER 7-1 Led, headed after 4 out, remained prominent, ridden before 2 out and held, ran on one pace, 5th of 10, 8l behind Grand Voyage at Kelso 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) sft in Dec. DEQUALL 28-1 Led, headed 3rd, tracked leaders, ridden 3 out, kept on one pace, 3rd of 8, 18l behind Foillan at Wetherby 3m hcp hdl 0-110 (4) hvy. TAXMEIFYOUCAN 16-1 Chased leaders, lost place before 4 out, well beaten from 3 out, 5th of 7, 11l behind Morraman at Musselburgh 3m hcap hdle (3) sft in Oct. SOIVEGOTACHANCE 7-1 Prominent, pushed along after 8th, dropped to rear 3 out, soon ridden, weakened before last, last of 7, 21l behind Foster’sisland at Ayr 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-115 (4) gs in Nov. KAUTO D’AMOUR 28-1 In rear, struggling 8th, behind 3 out, 6th of 8, 34l behind Vee Dancer at Catterick 3m 1f hcp hdl 0-120 (4) gs in Dec. FILOU DES ISSARDS 16-1 (bl) in tch til wknd 12; t.o & pu 2 out, in a race won by Raleagh Flora at Berks & Bucks Draghounds 3m ptp gd in May, 12 ran. FURAX 33-1 Mid-division out wide, mistake and weakened 3 out, tailed off, last of 11, well behind Small Present at Catterick 3m 1f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) hvy in Feb. LISSEN TO THE LADY 50-1 Mid-division, pushed along and lost place before 4 out, some late headway, never troubled leaders, 6th of 10, 13l behind Grand Voyage at Kelso 2m 7f hcp hdl 0-125 (3) sft in Dec. PENPAL 20-1 Chased leaders, struggling when pulled up before 3 out, in a race won by Shoughall’s Boy at Hexham 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-110 (4) hvy in Dec, 14 ran. THE DELRAY MUNKY 40-1 Prominent, led 2nd, headed 4th, lost place after 4 out, ridden and weakened from 3 out, 5th of 10, 45l behind The Brimming Water at Wetherby 2m 5f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) sft in Dec. 3.55 TYNE MARES’ NOVICES’ HURDLE (GBB RACE) (4) 2m Winner £5,827 (10 run) SSR 1 1-1 Lady Adare (81) H Fry 6 11-6 (CD)..........................L Murtagh (3) 99 2 0-6 Bella Bluesky Ewan Whillans 6 10-13 (D)...................C Bewley 87 3 38 Darsi’s Darling (35) Sue Smith 6 10-13..............T Willmott (5) — 4 4-3 Dillarchie (23) J E Foster 5 10-13..............................S Coltherd — 5 677 Gustav’s Dream (28) N Alexander 5 10-13.................B Lynn (5) 92 6 103 Martha Willow (21) J O’Keeffe 5 10-13 (D)................H Brooke 91 7 1-4 Rae Des Champs (57) R Dobbin 5 10-13.................. Craig Nichol 92 8 /6F Ripplet (21) A M Thomson 7 10-13................................. R Mania 86 9 06 Star Dreamer (56) S Corbett 5 10-13...................N Moscrop (3) 70 10 643 Poetria (22) M Walford 4 10-0...................................J Hamilton 98 BETTING: 4-5 Lady Adare, 4 Martha Willow, 11-2 Rae Des Champs, 10 Poetria, 12 Dillarchie, 20 Darsi’s Darling, 25 Ripplet, 50 Bella Bluesky, 100 Others. 2021: No corresponding race. CAPTAIN BECHER THE MARQUIS EXETER TODAY SOUTHWELL TODAY Going: Soft-good to soft in places Going: Standard to slow Draw: No advantage. Huntsmans Jog 1.10 Huntsmans Jog Don’t Rightly Know 1.40 Miss Fairfax Serious Charges 2.10 Serious Charges Seventeen O Four 2.40 Seventeen O Four Sabbathical 3.10 Branson Missouri Tudors Treasure 3.40 shintori Leissieres Express 4.10 Leissieres Express Bert Kibbler 4.20 Bert Kibbler Rhubarb 4.50 Rhubarb You’re Cool 5.20 You’re Cool Leopolds Rock 5.50 Early Morning Dew Carausius 6.20 Carausius Eagleway 6.50 Tadleel Lucy Lulu 7.20 Ringo Starlight Deevious Beau 7.50 Deevious Beau 1.10 NOVICES’ LIMITED HANDICAP CHASE (GBB RACE) (3) 3m Winner £9,040 (5 run) RTV 1 3U2 Gustavian (13) A Honeyball 7 11-8 (BF, C)......................R Dingle 99 2 -15 Beatthebullet (20) R Curtis 8 11-2 (CD)..................... S Bowen 99 3 -2P Gosheven (17) P Hobbs 9 10-12 (D).............................T J O’Brien 99 4 223 Huntsmans Jog (33) F O’Brien 8 10-9 (C, D2)........ L Harrison (3) 99 5 -61 Moroder (28) Seamus Mullins 8 10-4................................ J Best 70 BETTING: 9-4 Gustavian, 3 Moroder, 7-2 Huntsmans Jog, 4 Beatthebullet, 7 Gosheven. 2021: No corresponding race. 1.40 RACINGTV.COM MARES’ MAIDEN HURDLE (GBB RACE) (4) 2m 7f Winner £4,084 (8 run) RTV 1 -56 Castkitello (18) Ben Clarke 6 11-6..............................B R Jones 70 2 8-2 Don’t Rightly Know (32) P Gundry 7 11-6....Miss C Emsley (7) 98 3 -23 Eureka Creek (32) E Lavelle 6 11-6.............................T Bellamy 99 4 1-5 Glancing Glory (32) K Bailey 6 11-6..............................D Bass 93 5 2 Iconic Rock (59) W Greatrex 6 11-6........................... G Sheehan — 6 65 Khalina Star (36) A Honeyball 5 11-6..........................R Dingle — 7 906 Kiwi Ling (22) Mrs F M Shaw 7 11-6............................. D Noonan 77 8 -23 Miss Fairfax (27) H Morrison 6 11-6 (BF)....................T J O’Brien 96 BETTING: 6-4 Miss Fairfax, 5-2 Eureka Creek, 5 Don’t Rightly Know, 6 Iconic Rock, 12 Glancing Glory, Khalina Star, 100 Kiwi Ling, Castkitello. 2021: HUDSON YARD 7 11 2, Gavin Sheehan 12-1 (J Snowden), 12 ran. 2.10 TRY RACING TV FOR FREE NOW MAIDEN HURDLE (GBB RACE) (4) 2m 1f Winner £4,084 (12 run) RTV 1 6 Blakey Bear (28) N Mulholland 6 11-6............S Twiston-Davies — 2 094 Keplerian (12) Nick Williams 5 11-6............Chester Williams (3) 90 3 3 Mini Yeats (10) Mitchell Hunt 5 11-6..................Charlie Price (3) 92 4 -6F Per Vino Veritas (35) C Tizzard 7 11-6.......................H Cobden 99 5 Sadler’s Bay T R Gretton 5 11-6....................................... J Best — 6 540 Scarface (32) C Tizzard 5 11-6.....................................B J Powell — 7 2-2 Serious Charges (45) A Honeyball 5 11-6...................R Dingle — 8 3- Stringtoyourbow (268) Christian Williams 5 11-6. J Tudor (3) — 9 F4 Tokyo Live (188) V Williams 5 11-6..............................C Deutsch — 10 3/ What A Muddle (1323) Christian Williams 8 11-6.Mr E Collier (7) — 11 409 Firefly Lane (19) J Frost 6 10-13.............................. M Kendrick 70 12 0F0 Lady Ironside (23) C J Gray 5 10-13....................Sean Houlihan 87 BETTING: 6-4 Serious Charges, 4 Scarface, 5 Mini Yeats, 6 Tokyo Live, 10 Keplerian, 12 Stringtoyourbow, 16 Per Vino Veritas, 25 Sadler’s Bay, What A Muddle, 66 Others. 2.40 RACING TV HANDICAP HURDLE (4) 2m 2f 111yds Winner £5,065 (16 run) RTV 1 127 Paradise Island (84) D Pipe 6 12-0 (D)................. P Armson (7) 70 4.20 READ KATIE WALSH ON BETWAY INSIDER HAND- ICAP (5) 5f Winner £3,510 (10 run) SSR 1 (9) 00- The Cruising Lord (45) S Hodgson 6 9-10..............L Morris — 2 (4) 3-3 Roydmoor (8) R Fahey 4 9-7 (D2)....................C Murtagh (3) 95 3 (2) 5-4 Dream Game (13) Matt Crawley 5 9-5 (BF, D)...... G Rooke (3) 94 4 (1) 1-3 The Thin Blue Line (17) K Dalgleish 4 9-5 (BF, CD).. C Rodriguez 96 5 (7) 49- Fine Wine (39) S Dixon 5 9-4 (D3)..........................J Fisher (5) 96 6 (3) 3-9 Moonraker (17) M Appleby 10 9-2 (CD5)..............T Ladd (3) 99 7 (8) 6-9 Scale Force (5) G Kelleway 6 9-2 (CD2)....Bradley Furniss (7) 80 8 (10) 3-4 Not Now Zeb (17) S Dixon 5 9-1 (D2).......................K O’Neill 87 9 (6) 3-1 Bert Kibbler (17) T D Barron 4 9-0 (CD)................ C Beasley 90 10 (5) 7-5 Mokaman (16) G Tuer 4 8-12 (D2).............................S James 70 BETTING: 11-4 Bert Kibbler, 7-2 The Thin Blue Line, 4 Roydmoor, 6 Dream Game, 7 Not Now Zeb, 16 The Cruising Lord, Fine Wine, 20 Moonraker, Mokaman, 25 Scale Force. 2021: FANTASY KEEPER 7 9 9, Tom Marquand 5-1 (M Appleby), drawn (7), 8 ran. 4.50 PLAY 4 TO WIN AT BETWAY HANDICAP (DIV 1) (6) 5f Winner £2,970 (10 run) SSR 1 (5) 3-1 Coolagh Magic (4) R Brisland 6 9-10 (CD).......C Howarth (7) 86 2 (3) 0-0 Brandy Station (7) L Williamson 7 9-7 (CD2).Z Wheatley (7) 82 3 (8) 05- Amazing Amaya (22) D Shaw 7 9-7 (CD)...... Morgan Cole (7) 86 4 (2) 0-0 Iesha (13) C Wallis 4 9-7.......................................... C Beasley 75 5 (4) 84- Clear Angel (28) S Corbett 4 9-5.....................P Mulrennan 99 6 (10) 8-0 May The Sixth (7) S Dixon 5 9-5 (D).........................K O’Neill 84 7 (9) -09 Helmora (7) M Appleby 4 9-5................................T Ladd (3) 70 8 (1) 63- Qaaraat (33) A Brittain 7 9-4 (CD2)..........................C Hardie 88 9 (7) 0-3 Rhubarb (11) R J Price 5 9-0....................................H Doyle 84 10 (6) 60- Tilsworth Valerie (31) J R Jenkins 4 8-12.......A Beech (5) 80 BETTING: 11-4 Coolagh Magic, 3 Qaaraat, 4 Rhubarb, 6 Clear Angel, 8 Amazing Amaya, 14 Iesha, 16 Helmora, 20 May The Sixth, Brandy Station, 66 Tilsworth Valerie. 2021: DARK SIDE PRINCE 4 9 4, Lewis Edmunds 7-2 (Jessica Macey), drawn (10), 9 ran. 5.20 PLAY 4 TO WIN AT BETWAY HANDICAP (DIV 2) (6) 5f Winner £2,970 (10 run) SSR 1 (3) 16- Nacho (94) D McCain 4 9-10 (D2)......................Ella McCain (5) 93 2 (10) 1-1 Bernard Spierpoint (11) C Wallis 5 9-7 (CD)........L Morris 85 3 (9) 0-3 You’re Cool (7) D Shaw 10 9-7 (D10)............ Rose Dawes (7) 75 4 (2) 6-0 Gossip (7) S Dixon 5 9-5 (CD2)................................J Fisher (5) 88 5 (1) 8-8 Cometh The Man (13) R Cowell 4 9-5.................. D Muscutt 83 6 (5) 99- Cool Spirit (41) D C Griffiths 7 9-5 (CD)................... A Mullen 99 7 (8) 49- Lethal Angel (19) A Carson 7 9-4 (D2).....................H Doyle 99 8 (7) 1-8 Papas Girl (7) J S Moore 4 9-4 (CD).......................... L Keniry 94 9 (4) 70- Raabeh (109) A Brittain 5 8-12.................................C Hardie 87 10 (6) 9-7 Hurricane Alert (14) F Bishop 10 8-12 (D4).....M Gunn (7) 70 BETTING: 9-4 Bernard Spierpoint, 4 You’re Cool, 9-2 Nacho, 8 Lethal Angel, 10 Cometh The Man, Papas Girl, 12 Cool Spirit, 14 Gossip, 20 Others. 2021: No corresponding race. 2 -PP Manvers House (45) R Walford 9 11-12........................... J Best 97 3 41 Seventeen O Four (22) D Pipe 5 11-12................... F Gillard (3) 94 4 -16 Cawthorne Lad (49) Jonjo O’Neill 6 11-10......... Jonjo O’Neill Jr — 5 32- Tremwedge (274) A King 6 11-9................................. T Cannon 97 6 664 Nickelsonthedime (46) K Woollacott 8 11-7.......T Scudamore 97 7 -4P Born In Borris (40) C Tizzard 8 11-7.........................H Cobden — 8 P-7 Sastruga (101) R G Hawker 9 11-7....................Mr R Hawker (5) 78 9 55- Gastara (288) R G Hawker 7 11-4.............................K Brogan (3) 90 10 U73 Stratton Oakmont (39) K Woollacott 6 11-4.S Twiston-Davies 93 11 -46 No Hubs No Hoobs (46) C Tizzard 6 11-4....................B J Powell 93 12 -83 Not Sure (34) Kerry Lee 6 11-3 (BF)............................... R Patrick 93 13 6P6 Trump Lady (18) Harriet Brown 7 10-11................ T Doggrell (7) 99 14 P7P Portentoso (23) S Holdsworth 7 10-11 (D).......Miss T Eyston (7) 91 15 58- Show On The Road (388) Mrs F M Shaw 11 10-7 (C2). D Noonan — 16 -04 Daytime Ahead (17) C Down 11 10-1 (CD)......Mr Jack Martin (7) 90 BETTING: 3 Seventeen O Four, 9-2 Tremwedge, 7 Cawthorne Lad, Not Sure, 10 Nickelsonthedime, Paradise Island, 14 No Hubs No Hoobs, Stratton Oakmont, Born In Borris, 16 Others. 2021: RUBY YEATS 10 11 10, Joshua Moore 16-1 (G L Moore), 13 ran. 3.10 RACING TV FREE FOR A MONTH HANDICAP HURDLE (5) 2m 1f Winner £3,540 (13 run) RTV 1 P35 Ardmayle (29) A Stronge 10 12-0................................. A Wedge — 2 461 Branson Missouri (18) H Dunlop 6 11-13.....S Twiston-Davies 90 3 133 Sabbathical (13) E Williams 7 11-12............ Isabel Williams (5) 97 4 42P Chantilly Haze (35) P C Dando 7 11-6........................ C Ring (3) 99 5 F69 Blackthorn Winter (198) R G Hawker 8 11-3....K Buckley (5) 97 6 63- Thedancingman (309) Mrs L Young 9 11-0..........M Bastyan (3) — 7 968 Lightning Gold (7) L Hurley 7 11-0....................... N Scholfield 96 8 382 Olly’s Folly (40) M Gillard 8 10-11........................... F Gillard (3) 95 9 413 Templier (13) Mrs K Stephens 9 10-9 (BF).......................... J Best 89 10 055 Imperial Joe (17) T Dennis 6 10-4.......................Sean Houlihan 70 11 0/F Hartland Quay (32) N Hawke 7 10-4.................... T Buckley (5) — 5.50 BETWAY NOVICE STAKES (5) 1m 4f Winner £3,942 (12 run) SSR 1 (3) 33- Early Morning Dew (36) P Niven 6 9-5..............D Costello 97 2 (11) 3-4 Leopolds Rock (14) P Kirby 6 9-5............................D Swift 91 3 (7) Rogan’s Fancy Sara Ender 6 9-5........................... P Dennis — 4 (12) 8-6 Atacama Desert (13) K Frost 4 9-2...................... T Whelan 70 5 (2) Beyond Boundaries A Balding 4 9-2.................D Probert — 6 (5) 34- Flying Instructor (19) Alex French 4 9-2......... D E Hogan 86 7 (8) Mr Mccall P Kirby 4 9-2..................................P Mulrennan — 8 (1) 7-3 Second Kingdom (13) P McEntee 4 9-2.............. D Muscutt 99 9 (6) Leeswood Lily B Ellison 9 9-0........................... B Robinson — 10 (9) Tiger Spirit M Herrington 5 9-0.................................J Hart — 11 (4) Nature R Guest 4 8-11............................................R Hornby — 12 (10) 8/ Needle Lace (432) G Boughey 4 8-11.................. C Shepherd — BETTING: 3 Beyond Boundaries, 4 Early Morning Dew, 5 Second Kingdom, 6 Flying Instructor, 10 Needle Lace, 12 Leopolds Rock, Nature, Tiger Spirit, 14 Others. 2021: ALPHA THETA 4 9 2, Joe Fanning 8-15 Fav (C & M Johnston), drawn (7), 8 ran. 6.20 BETYOURWAY AT BETWAY HANDICAP (4) 1m 4f Winner £4,995 (6 run) SSR 1 (5) 11- Carausius (33) C Hills 5 9-10 (CD3)....................K Shoemark 99 2 (6) 19- Bristol Hill (126) I Furtado 4 9-10......................S M Levey 70 3 (2) 42- Shake A Leg (38) J Camacho 5 9-8 (D)................. C Rodriguez 99 4 (3) 3-2 Soaring Star (7) P Kirby 5 9-3....................................G Lee 99 5 (4) 0-6 Luna Magic (16) A Watson 8 8-12.............................H Doyle 95 6 (1) 7-6 Magellan (14) P Kirby 8 8-11 (D2).............................D Swift 92 BETTING: Evens Carausius, 4 Soaring Star, 9-2 Shake A Leg, 7 Bristol Hill, 14 Luna Magic, 20 Magellan. 2021: No corresponding race. 6.50 MANSIONBET PROUD PARTNERS OF THE AWC HANDICAP (3) 7f Winner £6,480 (7 run) SSR 1 (5) 2-1 Mohareb (9) M Appleby 6 9-9 (C, D).......................T Ladd (3) 91 2 (2) 47- On A Session (54) T D Barron 6 9-7........................ C Beasley 70 3 (6) 40- Chief Little Hawk (151) J Osborne 4 9-6.............D Costello — 12 9-P Mister Moretti (33) B Barr 7 10-3........................Paul O’Brien — 13 500 Master Mikey Dee (14) Mrs R Ford 7 10-0.............. R McLernon 98 BETTING: 11-4 Templier, 3 Branson Missouri, 6 Sabbathical, 8 Chantilly Haze, 10 Thedancingman, Ardmayle, 12 Olly’s Folly, 14 Imperial Joe, 20 Others. 2021: NEETSIDE 9 11 8, Sean Houlihan(3) 2-1 Fav (T Dennis), 12 ran. 3.40 WATCH RACING TV IN STUNNING HD HANDICAP CHASE (5) 2m 3f Winner £3,812 (17 run) RTV 1 356 Keep Moving (73) P Hobbs 10 11-12 (D).....................T J O’Brien 99 2 605 Getmegold (42) C Tizzard 7 11-11...............................B J Powell 81 3 6P0 You Say Nothing (40) Christian Williams 7 11-8........ J Tudor (3) 70 4 /4- Shintori (438) Jack Barber 10 11-5 (D)..................... N Scholfield — 5 P63 Tudors Treasure (17) R Stephens 11 11-4 (CD3)..... C Gethings 95 6 533 Eros (18) K Woollacott 8 11-3...................................B Godfrey (3) 95 7 3-4 Doyannie (63) Jack Barber 8 11-2...............................L Williams 75 8 55P Entre Deux (42) P Henderson 8 11-1...................Sean Houlihan 90 9 71P Forget You Not (67) Miss J Du Plessis 7 10-5 (CD)...... D Noonan 84 10 3-5 Firenzo (36) R Walford 7 10-5............................................ J Best 89 11 0-P Menapian (69) Mrs H Nelmes 11 10-1.................Charlie Price (3) — 12 4P- What A Baloo (280) J Frost 7 10-0........................... M Kendrick — 13 8-P Muddle Thinking (33) Christian Williams 8 10-0.Mr E Collier (7) — 14 /9F Ericas Lad (8) Miss J Du Plessis 11 10-0 (C).............. H Kimber (7) — 15 609 Sam Haze (14) P C Dando 8 10-0................................... C Ring (3) — 16 /95 Scrumpy Boy (7) K Burke 10 10-0.................................. A Johns — 17 4P6 Treacys Jim (8) J Frost 8 10-0.................................A Cheleda (5) 91 BETTING: 5 Eros, 6 Tudors Treasure, 7 Keep Moving, Shintori, Doyannie, Getmegold, 10 Forget You Not, Firenzo, 16 Others. 2021: No corresponding race. 4.10 RACINGTV.COM/FREEMONTH OPEN NH FLAT RACE (GBB RACE) (5) 2m 1f Winner £1,906 (10 run) RTV 1 Ardenay Christian Williams 5 11-6.............................. J Tudor (3) — 2 Chef Bogo O Signy 5 11-6..........................................G Sheehan — 3 Exmoor Forest B Lund 5 11-6...................................C Deutsch — 4 42 Firestream (46) A Honeyball 5 11-6 (BF).................. A Coleman 94 5 6 Kitaway (76) E Williams 5 11-6...................................... A Wedge 82 6 3 Leissieres Express (40) J Scott 5 11-6........................R Dingle 99 7 1 Pimlico Point (247) Kerry Lee 5 11-6.......................... R Patrick — 8 2-3 The Turtle Said (56) N Mulholland 5 11-6......S Twiston-Davies 99 9 9 Gracefull Dancer (47) J Frost 4 10-7..........Mr Jack Martin (7) 70 10 6 Iron Wings (70) N Hawke 4 10-7............................ T Buckley (5) 88 BETTING: 2 Firestream, 4 Leissieres Express, 9-2 Pimlico Point, 6 The Turtle Said, 10 Kitaway, 12 Chef Bogo, 14 Iron Wings, 16 Ardenay, 25 Others. 4 (1) 54- Soundslikethunder (186) S England 4 9-4 (D)..D Probert — 5 (4) 23- Eagleway (32) I Furtado 6 9-3 (D2)......................L Edmunds 99 6 (7) 57- Lord Neidin (92) S C Williams 5 9-0.................... L Catton (7) 96 7 (3) 32- Tadleel (35) R Fahey 7 9-0 (BF, D4)....................B Garritty (3) 94 BETTING: 2 Mohareb, 9-4 Tadleel, 7 Eagleway, 8 Soundslikethunder, On A Session, 10 Lord Neidin, 14 Chief Little Hawk. 2021: No corresponding race. 7.20 CORAL RACING-SUPER-SERIES HANDICAP (5) (3-Y-O) 6f Winner £3,510 (13 run) SSR 1 (2) 8-4 Lucy Lulu (12) R Fell 9-7..................................... D Tudhope 90 2 (8) 48- Bankrupt (38) C Banham 9-6 (BF)..........................J Haynes 94 3 (13) 65- Blaast (31) A Watson 9-6.........................................H Doyle 70 4 (10) 43- True Jem (31) K Burke 9-6............................................ C Lee 87 5 (11) 13- Boadicea Belle (92) H Spiller 9-6 (D).................S Donohoe 87 6 (1) 5-0 Romantic Thought (12) G Tuer 9-5..........O Stammers (3) 81 7 (5) -35 Coast (7) S Dixon 9-4.............................................J Fisher (5) 70 8 (4) 20- Allarmista (18) C & M Johnston 9-3.....................J Fanning 85 9 (7) 30- Silks Dream (74) Darryll Holland 9-3.................. T Heard (5) 99 10 (9) 56- Top Notch Tommy (28) B Ellison 9-2................ B Robinson 85 11 (3) 0-7 Eesha Meesh (12) M Loughnane 9-1.....................D Probert 81 12 (6) 01- Ringo Starlight (27) A Murphy 9-0 (CD)............. C Beasley 90 13 (12) 84- Just Another (33) J L Eyre 8-11.............................C Hardie 87 BETTING: 5 Ringo Starlight, 6 Bankrupt, True Jem, 8 Lucy Lulu, 10 Boadicea Belle, Allarmista, Blaast, Just Another, 12 Others. 2021: SECRET HANDSHEIKH 9 6, Hollie Doyle 2-1 Fav (A Watson), drawn (1), 6 ran. 7.50 BETWAY HANDICAP (6) 6f Winner £2,970 (14 run) SSR 1 (13) 0-8 Mashaan (12) R Fahey 4 9-8.............................B Garritty (3) 96 2 (7) 25- Excellent George (47) S C Williams 10 9-7 (D5)...M Adeel (7) 97 3 (11) 66- Mutasallem (157) M Tregoning 4 9-7..................D Costello 70 4 (9) 87- Grey Galleon (34) R Teal 8 9-6 (D2)...................... J Mitchell 96 5 (12) 21- Aces (40) C Wallis 10 9-5 (D4)......................................L Morris 97 6 (4) 3-1 Fircombe Hall (14) P Kirby 4 9-5 (D4).........................G Lee 92 7 (3) -20 Deevious Beau (7) T D Barron 5 9-5 (BF, CD2)........ C Beasley 98 8 (14) 14- Tell’em Nowt (27) P McEntee 4 9-4 (BF, C)........... D Muscutt 97 9 (2) 6-7 Daysaq (15) M Loughnane 5 9-2 (BF)......................D Probert 98 10 (10) 0-6 Bomb Squad (8) J S Moore 4 9-1 (D3)...................... L Keniry 98 11 (6) 4-6 Glorious Charmer (7) M Herrington 6 8-13 (D)........J Hart 97 12 (5) -54 Louis Treize (7) R Menzies 6 8-11 (D)................... W Pyle (7) 99 13 (1) 60- Needwood Blossom (147) A Carson 4 8-7.......... W Carson 89 14 (8) 55- Independence Day (358) C Banham 9 8-7.............J Haynes — BETTING: 3 Fircombe Hall, 7-2 Aces, 6 Tell’em Nowt, Deevious Beau, 10 Excellent George, Louis Treize, 12 Daysaq, 20 Glorious Charmer, Bomb Squad, Grey Galleon, 25 Others. 2021: NICK VEDDER 7 9 13, Kieran Shoemark 11-10 Fav (R Brisland), drawn (1), 6 ran. CAPTAIN BECHER THE MARQUIS CAPTAIN BECHER THE MARQUIS RESULTS CHEPSTOW Going: Soft 12.30 (2m, £5,827): 1, MAYHEM MYA (D Noonan) 0-0 Fav; 2, Jen’s Georgie 22-1; 3, Not Long Now 40-1. 10 ran. 17l, 10l. (Chris Honour). Tote: Win £1.30; Pl £1.02, £4.30, £7.40. Exacta: £11.60. Trifecta: £103.10. CSF: £14.62. 1.00 (3m, £5,664): 1, LANSPARK (B J Powell) 10-1; 2, Caswell Bay 6-1; 3, Red Lion Lad 13-2. Also: 3-1 Fav Kenyan Cowboy. 9 ran. 1l, 5½l. (C Tizzard). Tote: Win £12.00; Pl £3.40, £2.20, £2.20. Exacta: £102.80. Tricast: £425.03. Trifecta: £677.80. CSF: £69.52. NR: Auenwirbel. 1.30 (2m 3f 100yds, £5,827): 1, EVERYTHING’SONTICK (D Bass) 5-2; 2, Buck’s Boggle 2-1 Fav; 3, Sam’s The Man 18-1. 11 ran. 11l, ¾l. (Mrs L Hill). Tote: Win £3.50; Pl £1.40, £1.30, £2.70. Exacta: £10.70. Trifecta: £87.10. CSF: £8.56. NR: Labei Vitesse. 2.00 (2m 3f, £8,169): 1, FRENCHY DU LARGE (C Deutsch) 11-8 Fav; 2, Eden Du Houx 16-5; 3, Firak 11-2. 4 ran. 1l, 9l. (V Williams). Tote: Win £2.38; Exacta: £4.90. Trifecta: £14.70. CSF: £5.82. 2.35 (2m 3f 100yds, £7,025): 1, WEST TO THE BRIDGE (H Skelton) 9-4 Fav; 2, Bellatrixsa 5-1; 3, Nordano 3-1. 5 ran. 9½l, 22l. (D Skelton). Tote: Win £3.25; Pl £1.70, £1.70. Exacta: £10.30. Trifecta: £33.80. CSF: £12.95. 3.10 (3m, £6,263): 1, ELEANOR BOB (C Deutsch) 7-2; 2, Barden Bella 3-1 Fav; 3, Glorious Lady 15-2. 7 ran. 4¼l, 12l. (V Williams). Tote: Win £4.50; Pl £2.20, £2.10. Exacta: £15.20. Trifecta: £79.40. CSF: £14.36. 3.45 (2m 3f 100yds, £4,575): 1, ROCK OF STAR (A Wedge) 4-1 JtFav; 2, Breizh Alko 4-1 JtFav; 3, True Thoughts 9-2. 10 ran. 4½l, 8l. (Alexandra Dunn). Tote: Win £5.10; Pl £2.10, £1.40, £2.00. Exacta: £24.70. Tricast: £72.99. Trifecta: £106.10. CSF: £20.84. NR: Bullion. 4.15 (2m 3f 100yds, £4,575): 1, AFTER THE FOX (Chester Williams) 3-1 JtFav; 2, Mickyh 10-1; 3, C’est Quelqu’un 17-2. Also: 3-1 JtFav Shutthegate. 10 ran. 3¼l, 4¼l. (Mrs J Williams). Tote: Win £4.00; Pl £1.60, £2.40, £2.50. Exacta: £29.20. Tricast: £232.97. Trifecta: £262.90. CSF: £33.37. NR: Amlovi. PLACEPOT: Dividend: £40.90. FAKENHAM Going: Good to soft-soft in places 1.10 (2m, £4,139): 1, GOOD IMPRESSION (B R Jones) 4-1; 2, One Last Glance 6-4 Fav; 3, Clear The Runway 9-4. 6 ran. 3½l, 9l. (D Burchell). Tote: Win £5.00; Pl £2.20, £1.10. Exacta: £11.40. Trifecta: £35.30. CSF: £11.04. 1.40 (2m 4f, £4,139): 1, THIRTYFOURSTITCHES (T Bellamy) 9-4; 2, William Cody 13-2; 3, Sure Touch 15-8 Fav. 5 ran. ½l, ¾l. (Dr R Newland). Tote: Win £3.25; Pl £1.50, £2.70. Exacta: £14.80. Trifecta: £33.70. CSF: £15.73. 2.15 (2m 5f, £4,575): 1, AJAY’S WAYS (K Woods) 13-8 Fav; 2, Dubai Guest 4-1; 3, Rostello 4-1. 6 ran. ½l, 7½l. (F O’Brien). Tote: Win £2.63; Pl £1.40, £2.00. Exacta: £7.80. Trifecta: £29.70. CSF: £8.02. 2.50 (2m 7f, £4,139): 1, MIDNIGHT MARY (C Gethings) 3-1; 2, Ratoute Yutty 50-1; 3, Tiny Tantrum 6-5 Fav. 7 ran. 2½l, nk. (S Edmunds). Tote: Win £4.00; Pl £1.90, £11.00. Exacta: £75.00. Trifecta: £198.30. CSF: £85.38. 3.20 (2m, £6,045): 1, SOMEKINDOFSTAR (J Quinlan) 85-40 Fav; 2, Doukarov 5-2; 3, Monarchofthegrange 25-1. 6 ran. 1¼l, 11l. (L Wadham). Tote: Win £3.13; Pl £1.60, £1.50. Exacta: £7.20. Trifecta: £70.20. CSF: £7.80. 3.55 (2m, £2,451): 1, MISTRAL NELL (Bryony Frost) 11-4; 2, Bounce Back 6-4 Fav; 3, Isle Of Rona 9-2. 9 ran. 5l, 6l. (L Wadham). Tote: Win £3.75; Pl £1.50, £1.20, £1.30. Exacta: £8.50. Trifecta: £32.00. CSF: £7.24. PLACEPOT: Dividend: £64.90. WOLVERHAMPTON Going: Standard 4.30 (1m 1f, £2,970): 1, LITTLE RAVEN (C Shepherd) 5-1; 2, Twistaline 11-4 Fav; 3, Fidha 7-1. 10 ran. nk, 3l. (G Boughey). Tote: Win £6.20; Pl £2.00, £1.20, £2.50. Exacta: £21.60. Tricast: £96.14. Trifecta: £125.00. CSF: £18.89. NR: Cicely. 5.00 (7f, £2,970): 1, MUDLAHHIM (Miss Mia Biggs) 3-1; 2, Kodi Gold 13-2; 3, I Am A Dreamer 6-1. Also: 10-11 Fav Giuseppe Cassioli. 6 ran. 1½l, ½l. (K P De Foy). Tote: Win £4.00; Pl £1.90, £2.90. Exacta: £18.40. Trifecta: £55.10. CSF: £21.26. NR: One Hart. 5.30 (6f, £3,510): 1, DESERT LIME (Harry Davies) 4-1; 2, Water Of Leith 6-1; 3, Patsy Fagan 7-4 Fav. 9 ran. ½l, ½l. (G Boughey). Tote: Win £5.00; Pl £1.70, £1.60, £1.30. Exacta: £35.60. Tricast: £55.86. Trifecta: £115.00. CSF: £28.17. 6.00 (1m 1f 104yds, £6,281): 1, CIVIL LAW (J Mitchell) 7-2; 2, Society Red 7-1; 3, Byford 2-1 Fav. 8 ran. ¾l, ns. (R Teal). Tote: Win £4.50; Pl £1.50, £2.00, £1.10. Exacta: £28.80. Tricast: £59.89. Trifecta: £103.80. CSF: £26.66. 6.30 (2m 120yds, £10,308): 1, RAINBOW DREAMER (H Doyle) 1-3 Fav; 2, Earlofthecotswolds 9-1; 3, Clap Your Hands 9-2. 4 ran. 1½l, 4½l. (A King). Tote: Win £1.34; Exacta: £3.50. Trifecta: £6.00. CSF: £4.03. NR: Protected Guest. 7.00 (1m 1f 104yds, £3,942): 1, ZAIN SARINDA (L Morris) 15-8 Fav; 2, Base Note 9-4; 3, Grand Alliance 11-4. 11 ran. 1¼l, ¾l. (Tom Clover). Tote: Win £2.88; Pl £1.20, £1.10, £1.20. Exacta: £7.20. Trifecta: £17.40. CSF: £6.23. 7.30 (1m 1f 104yds, £2,970): 1, ALMUFEED (Grace McEntee) 10-11 Fav; 2, Dandy Maestro 4-1; 3, Mitigator 33-1. 10 ran. 1¾l, ¾l. (S Curran). Tote: Win £1.91; Pl £1.10, £1.60, £7.80. Exacta: £6.30. Tricast: £68.40. Trifecta: £88.80. CSF: £4.42. NR: Allowed, Diamond Jill. JACKPOT: Dividend: £6,024.10 PLACEPOT: Dividend: £15.70.

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 33 GARY NEWBON Comeback kings Villa and Wasps don’t know when they’re beaten Great weekend for two outstanding comebacks in the West Midlands by Aston Villa and the Wasps rugby team. The high-profile Saturday teatime match at Villa Park in front of 41,968 was enthralling. Coming back from 2-0 down Villa finished 2-2 and it illustrated three things – their signing of quality players, the young talent coming through and head coach Steven Gerrard’s ability to change a game. Villa, under Gerrard, have still to beat a club in the top regions but they have run them close. There were doubts in some quarters about whether Philippe Coutinho, now 29 and after mixed reports in Spain, would reproduce the form he showed when he left the Premier League and Liverpool four years ago. He has still to reach match fitness but his introduction after 68 minutes as substitute (with Villa 2-0 down through self-inflicted defensive errors) answered that question. Early days but he still has it. Involved in Villa’s first goal before scoring the equaliser, no doubt about the Brazilian international’s ability and he looks the real deal as a replacement for Jack Grealish. The Villa academy is certainly providing talent. Jacob Ramsey was rightly man of the match. Gerrard has been impressed with the 20-year-old Birmingham-born midfielder from soon after he took the job. Ramsey, after a quiet first half, was very involved in the second. He scored Villa’s first before setting up Coutinho for the equaliser. Now add John McGinn and Villa have a strong midfield. The defence still needs work on it Some way up the road still for Villa but we now know they have very rich owners prepared to back their new head coach. and, while Lucas Digne at left-back looked very good going forward, he needs to brush up his defending. Which leads me onto Gerrard. Great players do not often make great managers, although Sir Kenny Dalglish and Pepe Guardiola, 51 today, are some of the exceptions. Gerrard, 41, started his managerial career at Rangers where he fulfilled his brief of stopping huge rivals Celtic winning 10 Scottish Premier League titles in a row. I like his style, approach and demands at Villa Park. He sorted out Villa’s poor first half on Saturday. That was some comeback. I also liked his aftermatch interview – telling it exactly as it is with no excuses. He was honest in revealing: “I had to get into the players at half-time.” Very good managers at Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. But another thing in common – big money! You need a top head coach but, at the end of the day, the game is about players. Some way up the road still for Villa but we now know they have very rich owners prepared to back their Wasps celebrate Alfie Barbeary’s try in the win over Toulouse; and, right, Steven Gerrard congratulates Philippe Coutinho after his contribution on Saturday night new head coach. They spent a lot before with Dean Smith and now, clearly, they will continue to build Villa towards the top. Their next three Premier League matches are all live on TV – at Everton on Saturday (12.30pm), home to Leeds on Wednesday February 9 at 8pm (both on BT Sport), before going to Newcastle on Sunday, February 13 at 2pm (Sky Sports). Should be more points from those games. In rugby, Wasps have been depleted through injuries, suspension and illness, losing 19 firstchoice players. Yet within six days at home in the Coventry Building Society Arena, they have produced two remarkable wins against the odds. Last Sunday, Wasps became the first team to beat the Premiership leaders Leicester Tigers this season, winning 16-13 through a penalty try and three penalties from the veteran New Zealander Jimmy Gopperth. Leicester had gone 16 matches unbeaten in all competitions. On Saturday, they faced the reigning European champions Toulouse in the Heineken Champions Cup. Wasps were not expected to win. It looked grim when the French side took the lead in the opening minute with a converted Francois Cros try. But that was their only score until the last 20 minutes. Wasps won 30-22 with Gopperth scoring 15 points. Wasps had suffered what looked like a massive setback six minutes before half-time when Jacob Umaga was sent off somewhat harshly for a ‘dangerous head tackle’. Rugby is understandably tough on these type of high tackles but it could well have been a yellow. The 23-year-old was returning from a Boxing Day red-card suspension. Wasps again showed courage, character and determination to keep the French players at bay. A terrific performance perfectly illustrated by man of the match, 21-year-old Alfie Barbeary, whose strength and forward skills as a loose forward were a big factor. His interceptions, ball-carrying, turnovers, tackling, destructive spoiling and offloading led to him scoring his team’s third and final try. Barbeary, from Banbury, is expected to be named today in the England squad for the Six Nations. He is still uncapped, having missed the chance last season through a run of injuries. On Sunday, Wasps are away at Munster in another tough Pool B tie (3.15pm, BT Sport 2). n In the next Sunday Mercury, with IMPACT, I have more Brian Clough stories to make you smile. SAVE £163 A YEAR 5 SIMPLE WAYS TO BE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT www.utilita.co.uk/energyhigh5 #EnergyHigh5

34 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live Tennis It’s no Djok – ace faces new hurdle as French alter rules By eleanor crooks NOVAK Djokovic was greeted by supporters when he arrived home in Serbia yesterday but another obstacle has been put in his path in the form of a tightening of regulations in France towards the unvaccinated. The first day of play at the Australian Open was overshadowed by the fallout from the government’s ultimately successful efforts to deport Djokovic ahead of the tournament because of his perceived threat to public health and order. The world number one left Melbourne on Sunday evening having said in a statement following the verdict of the Federal Court that he would take some time “to rest and to recuperate”. Fans of the 34-year-old waited to greet him at Nikola Tesla airport in Belgrade but he left without making any public comments. Djokovic’s continued resistance to being vaccinated against coronavirus is fast emerging as the biggest threat to his quest to firmly establish himself as the best male player of all time. Had he played in Melbourne, he would have been a big favourite to win a 21st grand slam singles title, moving him clear of his great rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. He is unlikely to play the big ATP tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March unless he changes his stance because of the United States’ tight restrictions, and on Sunday French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu performed an aboutturn by saying sports people will need to be vaccinated to compete in the country. Maracineanu last week defended the idea of bubbles for unvaccinated athletes but reversed that position after the passing of stricter measures in the French parliament, putting Djokovic’s defence of his French Open title in danger. There appears no prospect of the British government following suit but it is not inconceivable that Wimbledon could be the only grand slam tournament where he competes in 2022. His deportation also carries an automatic three-year ban from Australia, although it can be waived if there are deemed to be compelling reasons. Much can still change ahead of the summer, of course, and Gilles The guy had the exemption and they still deported him. Something went horribly wrong. It was a true catastrophic situation. Laslo Djere Moretton, the president of the French Tennis Federation, said: “Our teams are working in collaboration with the public authorities, who will specify in due course the rules relating to the reception of unvaccinated foreign athletes for our tournament.” Djokovic received support from his compatriots at Melbourne Park yesterday, with Laslo Djere saying the saga would change opinions of Australia around the world, while Dusan Lajovic labelled the treatment of the world number one “terribly wrong”. Djokovic received an exemption to Fans gathered at Belgrade airport to welcome their hero Novak Djokovic will take time to rest and recuperate after his deportation the rules requiring Covid vaccination to enter Australia based on a positive test for the virus in December, but that decision was met with widespread public anger and the ninetime Melbourne champion was detained on arrival in the country. He successfully overturned an initial decision to cancel his visa on procedural grounds but Immigration Minister Alex Hawke re-imposed the penalty, citing the potential for Djokovic’s presence in the country to foster anti-vaccination sentiment. Djere said: “I think the whole world saw it and they probably will have a new or different opinion about Australia. I mean, the guy had the exemption and they still deported him. Something went horribly wrong. It was a true catastrophic situation. “He’s a great guy and always tries to help others and won the tournament nine times. Yet most of the Australian people wanted that he leaves. “Nick Kyrgios also mentioned two years ago when there were the bush fires, he donated I think a good amount of money and everything and now here in Australia everyone just turned their back on him.” Lajovic added: “I think the way they treated him was terribly wrong. I think the decision itself was terribly wrong and also the reason why they did it is, for me, terribly wrong because, based on just an idea, I don’t think it’s the right way.” Support for Djokovic has been in short supply, both among the Australian public and in the locker room, although several players voiced their unease at the situation and outcome on Sunday. “I saw that some of the guys did support him,” said Lajovic. “Many from the top did not but maybe, from their point of view, they know that Novak is one of the favourites for the title, so for them they have one obstacle less in this case.” Sport Norrie can’t put finger on key points CAMERON Norrie was left searching for answers after a dispiriting loss to Sebastian Korda in the first round of the Australian Open. The young American is one of the game’s up-and-coming stars and this was a very tricky draw for the British number one, but a 6-3 6-0 6-4 scoreline left no room for finding the positives. “I think that’s maybe my worst match in the last eight months or so,” said 12th seed Norrie. “I had a week off to prepare, prepared as well as I could, and just I was slow, I was missing routine backhands. “I honestly can’t put a finger on it. Lots to work on. Any time I had a chance to come back, he served his way out of it. And on the bigger points he was much better than me.” Both men have recently tested positive for Covid-19 – Norrie in December and Korda on arrival in Australia. Rafael Nadal made a convincing return to grand slam tennis as he eased into the second round, brushing aside American Marcos Giron 6-1 6-4 6-2. The Spaniard will take on German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, who brought Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis back down to earth. Kokkinakis won an emotional first ATP Tour title in his home city of Adelaide on Saturday but was unable to back it up and fell to a 6-2 6-3 6-2 defeat. Third seed Alexander Zverev defeated fellow German Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (3) 6-1 7-6 (1), while last year’s surprise semifinalist Aslan Karatsev, seeded 18 this time, needed just short of five hours to see off Jaume Munar. Defending women’s champion Naomi Osaka took to Rod Laver Arena for just her fourth match since early September and defeated young Colombian Camila Osorio 6-3 6-3. Osaka cut short her season after a third-round loss at the US Open to focus on her mental wellbeing and has been noticeably happier since the start of the new season. She could face world number one Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round, and the home hero was in dominant form, beating Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-0 6-1. China’s Wang Qiang caused an upset by knocking out error-strewn Coco Gauff 6-4 6-2, while former champion Sofia Kenin lost against fellow American Madison Keys 7-6 (2) 7-5.

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 35 Cricket Silverwood hoping England future emerges from Ashes By rory dollard ENGLAND head coach Chris Silverwood does not know for certain if he will survive this winter’s Ashes thrashing but is keen to ensure there is no repeat performance in four years’ time. Silverwood is under no illusion about how precarious his position is after the tourists crashed to a 4-0 series defeat with an embarrassing collapse in Hobart. The appetite for change is mounting around England’s Test side after a dismally uncompetitive tour but the targets are so diverse it is not yet clear where the mud will stick. Silverwood’s position is among I would love to help effect changes and I would like to put some of this right. I think I can do that. Chris Silverwood those under intense scrutiny, but Joe Root’s captaincy, Ashley Giles’ role as managing director of men’s cricket and Tom Harrison’s status as chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board are also uncertain. Yet the conveyor belt of fixtures rolls on even as key decisions are being made behind the scenes. Assistant coach Paul Collingwood left the Ashes campaign after two games in order to lead a Twenty20 series in the West Indies starting on Sunday and the Test team will be jetting out to the Caribbean in the final week of February for three matches. As it stands, Silverwood will be picking the squad for that trip in the England boss Chris Silverwood next few weeks but he is realistic enough to accept that nothing can be taken for granted. Asked if he had received assurances over his role, he said: “Nothing yet, no. I accept the job I’m in comes with the level of criticism it does and the uncertainty as well. Until I’m told differently, I’ll start planning for the West Indies. I want to carry on but there are decisions above that will be made as well. “My job is going to be under scrutiny, there will be a review when we get home and part and parcel of that will be my job. “I would love to help effect changes and I would like to put some of this right. I think I can do that. “I think I’m a good coach and I would love to be given that opportunity but it’s out of my hands. We want to sit down, debrief, let the dust settle and the emotions settle. “Everything is quite emotional at the moment. Let’s look at it in the cold light of day.” Silverwood aligned himself to the growing consensus around a reset in England’s attitude to first-class and Test cricket – a theme that has attracted the agreement of Root, Harrison and Giles in the days since the Ashes were surrendered in Melbourne. But words must be met by actions if anything tangible is to come from the gut punch of the 2021/22 Ashes and Silverwood is keen for England’s head coach to be dealt a better hand on the next trip. Unless that is assigned, he fears the worst. “Yes, I’m the head coach of England but I’m also an England fan, I’m passionate. I’d like to see changes come in that would help us do the job better – that’s what I want,” he said. “I’m not a big one for apportioning blame on people but I do think it needs addressing for the next time we come here. We have got to sit down and get people to make these decisions round a table and make it work. “We have to see action. If talk is all we do then in four years’ time you will just be asking another person these same questions.” GET OUR NEWSLETTER direct to your inbox CRICKET

36 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live Football Fortune is favouring the brave as Wolves stalk prey By alex dicken WOLVES continued their excellent run of form with a 3-1 win over Southampton. Adama Traore sealed the points in stoppage time with a solo run and finish past Saints’ goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Raul Jimenez gave Wolves a firsthalf lead with a well-taken penalty, before captain Conor Coady doubled the advantage after the break at Molineux. Saints’ captain James Ward-Prowse put the frighteners on the hosts with an outrageous 35-yard free-kick with six minutes to go. But Traore kept his cool to put the game beyond Southampton in stoppage time and hand Wolves their third win in four matches. Here are our findings from another triumph for Bruno Lage’s side. n Bravery is rewarded Premier League clubs are calling for postponements left, right and centre. The lines leading to postponements due to Covid-19 have become blurred, and the Premier League are struggling to determine which teams can and can’t fulfil their fixtures. Doubts have arisen around how genuine some of the requests for postponements are. Lage had one senior outfield player, Traore, on his bench on Saturday. He handed a debut to an untried 22-yearold (Toti Gomes), who has spent the first half of the season playing in Switzerland. Lage has two players out with Covid-19 and an injury list almost as long as Jose Sa’s saves tally. The head coach is doing everything to keep his team playing. Why? The answer is simple: he doesn’t want a fixture pile-up. Wolves’ small squad is at its strongest when playing once a week. The hope is they can capitalise on their Wolves’ small squad is at its strongest when playing once a week. The hope is they can capitalise on their rivals’ fixture congestion in the latter part of the season. n Subs deliver again Fabio Silva has impressed off the bench in the last two Premier League games and Lage now seems willing to give him more minutes. He provided an excellent foil for Wolves’ other attackers in the final 10 minutes, while Traore’s introduction proved decisive in killing off the game. If you count Silva’s contribution to Joao Moutinho’s winning goal at Old Trafford, a substitute has now played a part in a goal in each of the last three matches. Lage often waits until late in the day to make his rivals’ fixture congestion. changes, which can be a source of frustration to supporters – particularly when things aren’t going well, Fabio Silva provided an excellent foil for Wolves’ other attackers against Saints but he is getting it right more often than not. n What a bargain Sa is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League at the moment. His confidence is skyhigh, highlighted by his Cruyff turn away from Armando Broja in the first half. In addition to his silky footwork, Sa is brilliant with his hands. He hasn’t been the Premier Bruno Lage wants to avoid fixture pile-up ANALYSIS League’s busiest goalkeeper this season, largely due to the excellent defensive work by those in front of him, but he always delivers when required. He made two crucial saves against Southampton, one from Romain Perraud and another from Mohammed Salisu. The first arrived with the score 0-0 and the second shortly after Wolves took the lead through Jimenez’s penalty. The bargain signing of the season must already be decided. It’s £6.8 million Jose Sa. Jose Sa makes a crucial save from Mohammed Salisu’s header Sport Bruno gets the Chiq as winger signs New Wolves winger Chiquinho says he has been “inspired” by the Portuguese collective at Molineux. The Portugal Under-21 international moved to Molineux from Estroril on Monday, signing a four-and-ahalf year deal. A former Sporting Lisbon youngster, he becomes the latest in a long line of Portuguese players to join Wolves. Chiquinho will now link up with Jose Sa, Bruno, Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves, Daniel Podence, Trincao, Fabio Silva, Nelson Semedo and Joao Moutinho in the Black Country. “There’s a lot of good Portuguese players in Wolves and I have been inspired by them,” he said. “I will also take a lot of advice from them, so it’s good. “I’m very excited, but I feel a lot of pressure because it’s a big team, it’s a big club, but it is more important that I come here and do my best. “It’s a big stadium and I feel a lot of fears because it’s a big team, but I will do my best for the club and enjoy playing here.” Chiquinho moved to Estoril from Sporting and helped the club back into the Portuguese top flight last season and hit three goals in the Primeira Liga this campaign. His arrival follows the signing of Japan midfielder Hayao Kawabe, who joined from Grasshoppers last week. Meanwhile, Wolves skipper Conor Coady was delighted after ending his six-year Molineux goal drought. The defender scored his first home league goal for Wolves against Southampton and the first since scoring in the League Cup against Crawley in 2016. “It’s not a good enough stat that, is it, really? I enjoyed that more than anything because I’ve waited to score at this ground in the Premier League for such a long time,’’ said Coady. “It’s incredible. An incredible moment and incredible feeling. To score in front of the South Bank is always amazing but I’ve waited a long, long time for that. “I was expecting it to be ruled out, to be honest, and then Raul (Jimenez) almost took it off me when he blocked it on the line but it was an amazing feeling. “More than that, it was a fantastic result for us, and we said it was a big night for us.”

www.birminghamlive.co.uk Charlie Austin scored an ‘inevitable’ winner ANALYSIS WEST Brom’s automatic promotion hopes were left in tatters as Charlie Austin’s last-gasp winner for QPR piled on their away-day misery. The former Albion striker nodded in Chris Willock’s cross with a minute of normal time remaining to secure victory and ensure the Hoops leapfrogged the Baggies in the Championship play-off places. It was a day when Bournemouth were beaten, but Fulham hit Bristol City for six and Blackburn secured another win. Albion are now seven points behind the leading pack and have a number of clubs directly beneath them eyeing their position. Here are the talking points from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium. n Hint of promise The introduction of Daryl Dike has been highly anticipated since he entered stage left on New Year’s Day. After a couple of weeks of training, he was granted a half-hour on his debut and he caught the eye. His first contribution was a flick-on into the path of Karlan Grant, who ought to have made more of the situation, and Dike then provided for Taylor Gardner-Hickman tries to keep a grip on former Albion loan player Chris Willock Dike catches eye but chasers in sight now! By joseph chapman captain Jake Livermore. Again, Albion’s inadequacies in front of goal told. Which is why Dike is here, of course. There are more minutes needed and more time required on the training pitch to get the American up to 100%, and he could be a couple of weeks off that yet, but there was enough here from the bench to rouse the 2,700 away fans behind the goal. However, Albion’s problems went beyond what Dike could control. Callum Robinson, Adam Reach and Jayson Molumby, among others, all turned in desperately poor performances across the pitch and the signing of a 21-yearold centre-forward won’t cure all of the Baggies’ ills. This was, though, just enough of a taste of Dike to excite. Albion are looking over their shoulders because the sides below aren’t going away and some of them are building up a head of steam. n Made in West Bromwich I commented in a group chat with friends in the week that Austin would score – ‘QPR 1 West Brom 0 (Austin 90+5)’ was the exact message. Ha, imagine. I was only six minutes out! The added insult was the assist from Willock, who has caused Albion far more problems since the end of his ill-fated loan spell than he was ever granted the chance to in their Valerien Ismael has problems to solve name. Sam Field, one of our own, was very good in the middle throughout, keeping things simple but always ticking the play over. Stefan Johansen did a similar job very effectively too. It was just pretty inevitable, wasn’t it? There have been elements of predictability to Albion’s season, patterns which you can second guess, like the 60-minute substitutes and the knowledge that, under Valerien Ismael, this side won’t ever budge from a 3-4-3, not even for five minutes. TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 37 Daryl Dike gave the fans a glimpse of what’s to come The idea that Willock would turn provider for Austin, in the final throes of the game, to head in a winner and overtake Albion in the table should have been a foresight shared by every visiting supporter. n He’s behind you Forget the top two for now. They are not irretrievable positions, but Albion simply have more pressing concerns right now – like the need to fend off the challenge of those sides beneath them. Middlesbrough won. They beat Reading to draw level on points with Albion. Chris Wilder has led Boro to seven wins in eight and from 14th to sixth in the space of two months. Huddersfield drew. They are unbeaten in seven games and sit a point below Albion. Nottingham Forest won. They grabbed a last-minute victory at Millwall and have been transformed since Steve Cooper arrived. Coventry won. They smashed Albion’s next opponents Peterborough and, though they are five points behind the Baggies, have two games in hand. In short, Albion – without a win in four and with two wins in 11 – are looking over their shoulders because the sides below aren’t going away and some of them – Boro in particular – are building up a head of steam. West Brom’s fortunes need to change rapidly, or they will find themselves out of the play-offs in quick time. Striker holds crunch talks with Ismael VALERIEN Ismael has hinted Albion fans can expect to see less of Jordan Hugill after the striker was left out of the West Brom squad to face his former club QPR. Hugill, who is on loan from Norwich, has scored just once in 20 appearances and, following the first inclusion of Daryl Dike in the match-day party on Saturday, was omitted altogether. There has been talk that Albion and Hugill could sever ties this month and Canaries boss Dean Football Jordan Hugill Smith, who has arrived at the club since the player’s summer departure, confirmed he would be speaking to him to discuss the situation. In the meantime, the prospects of game-time in Albion colours would appear slim. “Yes, it was my decision,” Ismael confirmed, when quizzed about Hugill’s absence at the weekend. “I spoke to him about the situation, he came to me. I think now for him it’s a new situation. We spoke openly about the situation. “With Covid, you never know. We could have another five players out so you never know, but it was my decision for this game. “You need to deal with all the situations and this season – with injuries, with Covid, with suspensions – we never have the possibility to play week-in, week-out with all of our key players out there.’’ fixtures FOOTBALL (7.45 unless stated) Premier League: Brighton v Chelsea (8.00), Burnley v Watford (7.30) Championship: Fulham v Birmingham, Preston North End v Sheff Utd League One: AFC Wimbledon v Portsmouth, Cambridge Utd v Doncaster, Morecambe v Wigan, Rotherham v Lincoln City League Two: Carlisle v Hartlepool, Forest Green v Mansfield, Port Vale v Salford City, Stevenage v Crawley Town, Sutton Utd v Colchester Scottish Premiership: Aberdeen v Rangers, Dundee Utd v St Mirren, Hearts v St Johnstone, Livingston v Dundee, Ross County v Motherwell Vanarama National League: Maidenhead United v Chesterfield; Stockport County v Eastleigh. Vanarama National League North: Gateshead v AFC Telford United. Southern League, Premier Central: AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Needham Market. Northern Premier League, Premier: Ashton United v South Shields; Matlock Town v Scarborough Athletic. FA Trophy, Fourth Round: Stourbridge v Guiseley Midland League, Premier Division: Uttoxeter Town v Walsall Wood; Wolverhampton Casuals v Walsall Wood. Division One: Cradley Town v Stapenhill; Dudley Sports v Paget Rangers. Birmingham Senior Cup, Quarter-Final: Alvechurch v Redditch United. Birmingham Midweek Floodlit Cup, Quarter- Final: Atherstone Town v Darlaston Town. Walsall Senior Cup, Quarter-Finals: Tividale v Rushall Olympic; Sutton Coldfield Town v Boldmere St Michaels. JW Hunt Cup: Bewdley Town v Bilbrook Santos.

38 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live Football The real Buendia is standing up – and Villa love it By ashley preece WELL, well, well, it was Villa who did a Manchester United to come back from 2-0 down to snatch a point. Villa fans have suffered years of torment at trademark United comebacks – from Javier Hernandez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Frederic Macheda and many more – but the boot was on the other foot as Jacob Ramsey and star signing Philippe Coutinho scored within an enthralling five-minute spell inside a jubilant Villa Park. Villa had more shots on goal and out-passed and out-worked their opponents. Here are the talking points from Saturday night’s exhilarating fightback. n Buendia sets the benchmark Villa head coach Steven Gerrard was livid with his players at half-time – except Emi Buendia. The Argentinian ran himself into the ground and encompassed what was lacking from that first half as he competed for every single ball and attempted to spark Villa into life. “The lesson is that if you show that commitment from the first whistle to the last, I believe we would have taken more away from this game,” Gerrard said afterwards. Buendia was everywhere and at the heart of all the good things Villa did. He was unlucky to see his close-range header parried away while, in the second half, came up with a killer – and perfectly-weighted – pass which allowed Ramsey the time and space to pick out Coutinho at the far post. Nobody from the two teams came up with more key passes or more dribbles than Buendia, who also did the dirty work when required. The club-record buy is fast becoming a fans’ favourite. His running stats were off the chart, which is what Gerrard wants from all his players. n Ings and Ramsey have words One moment typified Danny Ings’ disappointing performance. It is simply not happening for the striker, especially when Ollie Watkins is in the side alongside him. The former Southampton man was in deep conversation with Ramsey midway through the first half, the latter appearing to be unhappy with the lack of movement from his teammate. Ings himself was seen pointing to a gap he wanted his colleagues to flood into, which fell on deaf ears. He is clearly not happy in this system – and hasn’t been for a while. Ings touched the ball just 26 times – the fewest from a player who started – while he failed to have a single shot. n Mings moment angered boss Another moment during the first half, which infuriated Gerrard, involved skipper Tyrone Mings being far too laboured and lackadaisical on the ball. The England defender kept taking too many touches, or would turn back to start again, much to the annoyance of his boss and the home crowd, who wanted Danny Ings is struggling ANALYSIS The club-record buy is fast becoming a fans’ favourite. His running stats were off the chart, which is what Gerrard wants from all his players. Emi Buendia launches into a challenge with Diogo Dalot Mings to get Villa going in terms of starting a fast tempo from back to front. Thankfully, after Gerrard’s half-time rocket, Mings improved and did exactly what he should have done in the first half by driving out of defence to kick-start an attack – one of which led to Ramsey’s goal. Kortney Hause is yet to commit his future to Villa beyond June n Transfer need stepped up Villa are sweating on the fitness of Ezri Konsa, who didn’t make it out for the second half. The influential defender took a whack to his hip and, after attempting to run it off, had to be replaced at the break. The injury leaves Villa worryingly light at centre-back, a position Gerrard wants to add cover to this month. “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that Axel Tuanzebe went out of the building for a different challenge,’’ he said. “For me, I like four centre-backs so we are analysing that situation. What type of player and who and when – whether this window or next – we’ll have to wait and see. That’s how you analyse it.” Kortney Hause, who is yet to commit his future to Villa beyond his June 2022 contract, came in and did a decent job. Villa’s need for a centre-back could be stepped up this week off the back of Konsa’s hip injury, which doesn’t look too good ahead of the trip to Everton on Saturday lunchtime. Chief executive Christian Purslow has already revealed there are still “one or two more” deals to be done this month, with a centre-back on Villa’s wish-list. Sport Emi believes Euro charge still possible EMI Buendia has revealed Villa are aiming to qualify for European football this season. The club’s £33 million record signing pointed to the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne to suggest Villa have enough quality to mount a bid for a top-seven finish come May. Villa sit 13th in the Premier League and are nine points off Manchester United, who occupy the final European position, with two games in hand against Burnley and Leeds following their December postponements. Steven Gerrard’s side fought back from a two-goal deficit against United, following the introduction of Coutinho off the bench in the second half. The Brazil international combined with Jacob Ramsey for both goals as the England Under-21 star scored Villa’s first and Philippe Coutinho assisted Coutinho for a debut goal in front of the Holte End to complete the comeback. And Buendia, who is improving week after week in claret and blue, has high hopes for the rest of the campaign. The Argentina international said: “We are ambitious. The club has shown ambition in this transfer window with the signings of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho. “We had a strong squad before these two signings and we keep going higher and higher in the table. “We want to be in the top half of the table in as high a position as possible and are looking to get into a European position at the end of this season.” Buendia is excited by what Coutinho can bring to the team and hopes to see the former Liverpool man return to the form he produced on Merseyside. “The Coutinho in Liverpool was one of the best dribblers and skills players in the world at that time,” Buendia added. “He’s got the quality, he’s never lost it, and I hope he gets the confidence to play that football again. “He can bring lots of positive things to help the team.”

www.birminghamlive.co.uk FULHAM v BLUES Ryan Woods set up goal Hogan’s goal gives Bowyer double vision By brian dick BLUES snatched a late draw against Preston at Deepdale , thanks to Scott Hogan’s 86th-minute goal. The striker had only been on the pitch for three minutes when he stooped to head home Ryan Woods’ pinpoint cross – a deserved reward for a much better second-half showing. It didn’t stop the visiting fans voicing their anger at the club’s owners, many chanting ‘We want our club back’ at the final whistle, but it at least gave Blues something to show for their efforts. Onel Hernandez looked bright on his debut and showed willingness playing alongside the returning Lukas Jutkiewicz. Here are the main talking points as Blues prepare for tonight’s unenviable trip to Craven Cottage. n Bench bounce Blues are without so many injured attackers it feels like a curse. Tahith Chong, Ivan Sanchez and Jordan Graham are all out, Taylor Richards even arrived injured and Chuks Aneke and Riley McGree have left the club. With George Friend suspended the starting XI was just about as strong as Lee Bowyer could name. However, he was able to include only two senior outfield players on the bench and in a substitutes cordon that was backfilled with three teenagers and Renedi Masampu – a 22-year-old midseason development squad signing who has never played a game of league football. The other two were Hogan and Woods and it was a pleasing irony that for all the misgivings about the lack of options, it was these two who combined for the goal. Bowyer’s words are an insight into what he should do and the fact he can’t be going another two months without scoring. Woods’ first involvement was not a good one, just as he did against Plymouth the previous week, he dallied on the ball and lost possession in his own half. However, he began to settle and as Blues dominated the ball, so Woods’ better traits came to the fore. With four minutes to go he curled in a perfect low cross which Hogan nodded past Daniel Iversen. craven cottage, tonight, 7.45pm ANALYSIS Jordan James improved massively n Double talk Speaking of Hogan, Bowyer wasn’t overly-lavish in his praise. He applauded the 29-year-old for overcoming a ‘tough week with some personal stuff’ and for making a good run for Woods to find. However, he also provided a small insight into what sounded like frustrations with the former Brentford man, pointing out that Hogan has to be consistent throughout the week. “Hopefully the goal gives him a little boost,” the head coach said. “But the most important thing is the team and I will always say that. You have got to work hard and fight and you have got to do the right things in training, it’s not just what you see on a Saturday, there is more to it than that. “He should be on double figures already in my eyes but the most important thing is he has scored.” Hogan’s sharp run and clinical finish were signs of what he can do – Bowyer’s words are an insight into what he should do and the fact he can’t be going another two months TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 39 Goalscorer Scott Hogan, left, gets a handshake from Kristian Pedersen Lee Bowyer without scoring. A fit, firing and inform Hogan basically guarantees Blues’ place in the Championship and justifies what has always been an onerous contract for the club. n Teen spirit Two teens played the whole match – and both were excellent. Ched Evans tried to intimidate Teden Mengi, first with a peevish lunge on the touchline that was surely worthy of a yellow card, and then with a rugby tackle that also went uncensured. Yet the Manchester United youngster was not having any of it. Once again he showed pace, physical courage and good anticipation, particularly in the second half when he snuffed out a couple of dangerous counter-attacks. The 19-year-old is a fitting replacement for Dion Sanderson, whom Wolves have irritatingly sat on their bench for the last two weeks. The other was Jordan James, who endured the first half and enjoyed the second. After a difficult opening period, he improved massively and was probably the pick of the central midfielders. His workrate off the ball really stood out. He was not afraid to take and retain possession in tight, attacking areas and might have had a first senior goal after being set up by Hernandez. James didn’t hide, he shouldered responsibility and took more care with his distribution than the more experienced Ivan Sunjic. Football Blues talk over move for Mawson By brian dick BIRMINGHAM are in talks to sign Fulham defender Alfie Mawson on a permanent deal. The 27-year-old has only six months left on his contract at Craven Cottage and Blues are looking to boost their backline. Mawson has played only six times for Marco Silva’s outfit this season, including just one start. He has not been in a match-day squad since November, Silva preferring a partnership of Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo, with Denis Odoi on the bench. That has left Mawson and Michael Hector on the outside looking in at a time when Blues are looking to strengthen their defence. Harlee Dean has been told he can leave the club, Alfie Mawson meaning Blues have Marc Roberts, veteran George Friend and loan signing Teden Mengi as frontline options, with Kristian Pedersen also operating on the left of a back three. Mawson had a couple of outstanding seasons at Swansea before Fulham signed him for a reported £20 million in 2018. Meanwhile, Blues are boosted by the return of Friend for their trip to rampant Fulham tonight. The 34-year-old is back after serving a one-match suspension for his double yellow card in the FA Cup defeat to Plymouth. He will come into contention for a side that can expect to do plenty of defending against opponents who have scored seven against Reading and six against Bristol City in their last two matches. “What’s that, 13 in two games? Looking forward to that then,” quipped head coach Lee Bowyer. “It’s going to be tough, they have got Premiership players, haven’t they? Let’s be honest. “The most important thing is we didn’t get any injuries at Preston and we do our best away from home against a good side. “We have proven before we can go places and upset teams so we will be ready.” Blues have not won away from St Andrew’s since October 30.

birminghamlive.co.uk/sport SPORT PAGE 38 PAGE 37 emi eyes a rivals turn villa euro up heat on adventure the baggies WE WANT MAW! > BLUES IN TALKS TO SIGN FULHAM DEFENDER ALFIE ON A PERMANENT DEAL PAGE 39 Published by Reach Midlands Media Ltd, Embassy House, 60 Church Street, Birmingham B3 2DJ. Printed by Reach Printing Services Limited. Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper.

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 1 TEASER Eight pages of puzzles, quizzes and sudoku QUICK CROSSWORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 General Knowledge Quiz 8 1 Which Bee Gees hit begins “I 7 Which US rock star plays a know your eyes in the morning house painter in the 1995 film 9 10 11 sun, I feel you touch me in the Moonlight and Valentino? pouring rain…”? A Jon Bon Jovi 12 13 14 A You Should be Dancing B How Deep is Your Love B Bruce Springsteen C Meatloaf C To Love Somebody 15 16 17 8 Which British swimmer won 2 Which US rapper had a 1995 hit two gold medals at the 2008 18 19 20 with “Gangsta’s Paradise”? A 50 Cent Paralympics at the age of thirteen? A Louise Watkin 21 22 B Eminem C Coolio Rooney Mara See Question 10. B Ellie Simmonds C Jessica Applegate ACROSS 1. Fall (4) 8. Detestable (10) 9. Fake (8) 10. Jealousy (4) 12. Meagre (6) 14. A fine (6) 15. Endorse (6) 17. Slander (6) 18. Excuse (4) 19. Slaughter (8) 21. Perilous (10) 22. Hop kiln (4) DOWN 2. Deferential (10) 3. Couple (4) 4. Settlement (6) 5. Nap (6) 6. Goodbye (8) 7. Repudiate (4) 11. Noisy (10) 13. Pest (8) 16. Recollection (6) 17. Sight (6) 18. Tube (4) 20. Too (4) 3 Which city represents the letter L in the NATO phonetic alphabet? A Lisbon B London C Lima 4 Which TV game show featured Mr Chips and the slogan “Say what you see”? A Catchphrase B Celebrity Squares C Blockbusters 5 Which river runs through Cambridge? A The Camel B The Cam C The Camber 6 What is the capital of Mexico? A Mexico City B Guadalajara C Acapulco 9 Lady Emma Hamilton was the mistress of which British admiral? A Lord Nelson B Admiral Benbow C Sir Francis Drake 10. Which 2011 neo-noir psychological thriller film starred Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara? A The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo B Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon C Dragon Eyes GOGEN Insert letters to form the listed words, moving between adjacent cells horizontally, vertically or diagonally in any direction. Insert all the remaining letters of the alphabet (except Z) in the grid so all the listed words are spelt out in this way. J W P X Y T A R E V H N G L I D O C U F M S Q K B BULGE EXPAND FIVE GREY JANGLE MOCK QUIVER SONAR WRATH A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y 1 2 3 L R V K F J S F T X Y P W M I U A T S Q C G E D O H N X J B DEVILRY FEND GAWP GODS JOB MATCHBOXES RISKED SQUAT TAPIRS A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y H W Y D O B A N L R V Q E G I U K C P M BANDY BRIM DARE FLEX FORGIVABLE JOLT PICK QUICKER SHOWY SLOW A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y 8 PAGES OF PUZZLES FREE EVERY TUESDAY & SATURDAY CROSSWORDS, SUDOKU, WORD SEARCHES AND MUCH MORE - FREE INSIDE YOUR NEWSPAPER EVERY WEEK

2 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge Kakuro Fill in the white squares with the numbers 1 to 9. Each horizontal block of squares must add up to the number in the shaded square to its left, and each vertical block must add up to the number in the shaded square above it. No number may be used more than once in any one block. 1 2 17 17 9 4 12 16 6 14 9 27 6 9 3 16 6 24 19 9 23 14 8 17 11 9 14 34 19 18 3 9 3 9 16 10 27 6 17 16 10 12 8 29 8 6 3 16 10 4 13 11 7 10 3 9 8 45 23 21 12 5 10 9 11 4 16 9 19 12 8 21 11 27 13 11 14 12 17 11 11 11 14 26 13 7 6 11 13 8 10 14 14 8 WORD LADDER Using the clues provided, fill in each step of the ladder with a new word, changing one letter at a time. 1 2 Crush Pole Majority of Debatable Source BUGS WASH ROOM Blossoms 3 4 13 18 7 12 4 5 10 45 31 19 23 6 9 14 4 6 10 12 13 45 26 12 16 14 Offers Disposes of Journey by horse 4 6 9 15 7 11 8 13 13 6 8 17 11 24 8 7 13 14 16 19 9 15 15 29 6 17 8 3 18 11 15 12 8 9 7 17 17 13 8 22 11 9 14 18 14 14 11 9 8 14 12 22 6 21 6 19 8 7 16 12 20 11 14 10 3 LIFE Musical group Prohibitions Fish Prevalent BOND TWO SPEED CROSSWORD This two-speed crossword has two sets of clues, but just one grid. If you can’t solve the Cryptic clues, try the Quick. Cryptic Across 6. Don’t stop the wrong persons (5,2) 7. Robbery list included a precious stone (5) 9. Fish seems to be off! (5) 10. Stand up, perhaps, to get sweeping aid (7) 12. Hardly dark thoughts! (6,5) 14. Entered before the others and won (4,2,5) 18. Latches redesigned for a schoolbag (7) 19. Jar – in which to put coal (5) 21. Range of a policeman in the South East (5) 22. Select the French preserves (7) Down 1. Play involving a doctor and a mother? (5) 2. He could well be the best man to be the groom (6) 3. An addition to the family? (3) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 13 12 14 15 16 11 18 19 21 22 4. This means worsted, strangely enough! (6) 5. They took over from the night-shift (7) 8. Support us in shame (7) 11. In age so twisted, suffering pains (7) 8 20 17 13. Financially, it enables you to stand on your own feet! (7) 15. Welcome break for prisoner? (6) 16. Yet it may mean miners work harder! (6) 17. To return to her is not the same (5) 20. Produce the rent (3) Quick Across 6. Continue (5,2) 7. Precious stone (5) 9. Extract metal ore by heating (5) 10. Sweeping aid (7) 12. Inspired thoughts (6,5) 14. Won the race (4,2,5) 18. Schoolbag (7) 19. Fireplace (5) 21. Range (5) 22. Chutneys (7) Down 1. Stage performance (5) 2. Stableman (6) 3. Drink measure (3) 4. Defeated (6) 5. Nightwear (7) 8. Support (7) 11. Extreme pains (7) 13. Steadiness (7) 15. Elude (6) 16. Hit (6) 17. Alternative (5) 20. Tear (3) Scribble pad - Party English city ALPHAMUDDLE SPLIT DECISION Cross out one of the two letters in each divided square to reveal a completed crossword grid. T H P R I Y C A R H E K Y G S H OATH Rearrange the letters in the grid on the left to make five words that read both across and down. Five letters have been placed to start you off. P U N A M A I R M U L L N E E Z R I P U T E S E N M R U I O O S X P L M N I S M V E B T L R F G R T E A I B S L

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 3 TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge PATHFINDER Beginning with the top highlighted letter, follow a continuous path of words associated with the given subject. The trail goes through each letter once, twisting up, down and sideways, but never diagonally. Shakespeare plays J S C S A R A E S L O U R E A UUAE EWS VOAB L SMS L I N I L S Y O L H S O O R U E L G K L D L U E T T M F E R A H E T E N I K B C A E E A M R T M A T T L E I T M A R D I W E I N A H L S L T E S U S U MROGOT EWLALMAHM U H F T L W E T H D J I E T M C S E H L E L F N N U L N R E H A T N O H T O I A O E I T S O D U H T T H E G H O M G H D A B O I N G E C I T R M E H R R O E F D E C E N T N E R T E S R R O Y M O V F O A H C M A Sudoku Challenge Easy 3 2 5 4 6 5 7 1 1 6 9 4 5 7 7 7 9 2 3 4 9 1 4 8 8 6 5 3 1 2 6 5 MIRROR IMAGE Medium Which of the shapes below is an exact mirror image of the shape on the right? A B C CLOCKWORD The solutions from 1 to 12 are all six-letter words ending with the letter R in the centre. Moving clockwise from 1, the letters in the outer circle will spell out the name of a British actor. 10 9 1. Reply 2. Refuse, rubbish 3. Straw hat 4. Cream cake 5. Bacon slice 6. Mood 11 8 D 12 7 R 1 6 7. Parent 8. Weaken 9. Digit 10. Chat 11. More simple 12. Over there 2 5 3 4 6 7 5 9 1 2 5 2 1 3 Hard 7 3 8 4 7 4 9 4 6 8 9 8 5 6 4 9 1 7 8 7 3 4 9 9 6 9 2 3 4 4 2 7 6 5 4 9 8 7 6 3 2 1 6 9 3 5 8 5 5 1 9 9 1 7 2 2 3 5 7 4 8 1 6 7 4 3 5 7 1 9 5 8 1 5 5 8 1 3 3 7 2 5 1 8 2 8 4 9 4 6 5 7 6 2 3 1 5 2 6 4 8 2 5 7 9 5

4 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge FILL IN When you’ve completed the puzzle, rearrange the shaded squares to spell out a a drink. We’ve given you one word to start you off. 3 LETTERS ART BUT LEA LIT ORE SAW SET YET T E M P 4 LETTERS HITS IRIS LEAD MAST NETS RULE SEER TOOL Solutions L E 5 LETTERS BAKER ETHER REFER SLICE TESTS VALET 6 LETTERS SERENE SPADES TEMPLE TENDER TITLES TREATY 7 LETTERS AUSTRIA EXCLAIM General Knowledge Crossword ACROSS 3. 1947 Carol Reed film set in Northern Ireland (3,3,3) 8. Edward, 19thcentury English humorist (4) 9. Small alpine flowering plant (9) 10. Warm ocean surge of the Peru Current whose name means ‘the child’ (2,4) 11. See 22 Down 14. ‘In the House of ---’, 1970 novel by Rumer Godden (5) 15. River in central Europe which flows to the North Sea at Hamburg (4) 16. Claude, Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for Mr. Skeffington (5) 18. See 24 Down 20. Miss ---, governess in The Importance of Being Earnest (5) 21. Colour whose name derives from the French word for mole (5) 24. John, author of the book G (6) 25. Katherine, New Zealand author of In a German Pension (9) 26. Desert in E. Asia (4) 27. British women’s middleweight judo silver medallist at the 2000 Olympics (4,5) DOWN 1. Claes, Swedishborn sculptor whose works include Dual Hamburger (9) 2. Mr. Gobbo, clown in The Merchant of Venice (9) 4. In classical mythology, a princess of Tyre (4) 5. Nellie, Australian soprano who died in 1931 (5) 6. Joseph Nicéphore, French chemist and photographic pioneer (6) 7. Most northerly of the Shetland Islands (4) 9. Kornelia, 1976 Olympic women’s 100m and 200m freestyle champion (5) 11. A light semitransparent fabric (5) 12. Duke, US jazz musician who died in 1974 (9) 13. Actor whose films include Paint Your Wagon (3,6) 17. 1994 film starring Keanu Reeves (5) 19. Bob, Australian cricketer who took 16 wickets against England on his Test debut in 1972 (6) 22 & 11A Detective creation of S.S. Van Dine (5,5) 23. House in the novel Gone with the Wind (4) 24 & 18A 1901 painting by Picasso (4,4) WORD WISE The words may sound familiar, but do you know they mean? INQUILINE A Disabled B Living in the abode of another C Insipid NATANT A Disgustingly foul B Keen-scented C Floating General Knowledge Quiz 1 How Deep is Your Love 2 Coolio 3 Lima 4 Catchphrase 5 The Cam 6 Mexico City 7 Jon Bon Jovi 8 Ellie Simmonds 9 Lord Nelson 10 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Quick Crossword Across: 1 Drop; 8 Abominable; 9 Spurious; 10 Envy; 12 Scanty; 14 Amerce; 15 Affirm; 17 Vilify; 18 Plea; 19 Massacre; 21 Precarious; 22 Oast. Down: 2 Respectful; 3 Pair; 4 Colony; 5 Siesta; 6 Farewell; 7 Deny; 11 Vociferous; 13 Nuisance; 16 Memory; 17 Vision; 18 Pipe; 20 Also. Gogen General Knowledge Crossword Across: 3 Odd Man Out; 8 Lear; 9 Edelweiss; 10 El Niño; 11 Vance; 14 Brede; 15 Elbe; 16 Rains; 18 Room; 20 Prism; 21 Taupe; 24 Berger; 25 Mansfield; 26 Gobi; 27 Kate Howey. Down: 1 Oldenburg; 2 Launcelot; 4 Dido; 5 Melba; 6 Niepce; 7 Unst; 9 Ender; 11 Voile; 12 Ellington; 13 Lee Marvin; 17 Speed; 19 Massie; 22 Philo; 23 Tara; 24 Blue. Kakuro 1 3 9 7 2 1 3 8 1 7 3 9 8 2 1 6 1 9 1 4 5 9 2 7 5 3 8 9 5 6 8 7 6 4 9 2 1 8 1 1 2 2 8 9 7 3 8 7 9 1 9 7 5 8 9 7 5 3 2 3 1 2 1 4 8 1 3 4 7 9 5 6 6 9 4 1 3 1 5 7 2 4 3 7 4 5 1 2 1 5 3 8 7 8 3 6 4 3 9 4 9 5 4 7 8 2 7 7 1 9 4 8 1 2 1 7 8 2 5 6 9 6 2 4 9 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 9 6 7 8 7 5 2 3 4 6 3 8 3 1 9 3 5 2 1 7 4 7 9 5 6 2 9 6 8 7 5 1 8 2 8 3 5 3 9 1 8 7 4 4 6 1 2 6 2 6 4 5 1 3 7 9 8 4 3 2 1 3 8 3 5 2 7 1 6 8 9 8 5 3 6 4 3 7 5 9 3 1 2 8 7 2 1 7 6 8 5 9 8 4 2 6 4 3 5 1 5 7 6 5 2 7 3 8 5 9 Clockword 1 Answer, 2 Litter, 3 Boater, 4 Eclair, 5 Rasher, 6 Temper, 7 Father, 8 Impair, 9 Number, 10 Natter, 11 Easier, 12 Yonder. ALBERT FINNEY. Sudoku 8 7 2 4 3 6 9 4 1 5 7 9 3 6 1 8 4 Fill In Drink: WATER 6 1 1 9 2 7 5 3 8 7 2 6 3 8 Word Wise B. Living in the abode of another C. Floating 5 4 2 5 3 4 1 9 5 7 2 8 5 1 2 4 6 9 3 2 6 7 1 5 8 9 4 3 1 6 8 7 9 5 2 4 6 9 4 3 7 5 6 3 8 2 1 5 7 6 2 8 9 4 3 1 7 2 3 8 9 5 1 6 4 3 4 7 6 1 8 9 5 2 3 9 1 1 9 6 5 7 4 3 8 7 1 2 8 8 7 6 5 7 2 9 4 3 9 2 5 4 1 3 7 6 8 3 9 7 2 8 1 6 5 4 8 7 2 1 4 6 5 3 9 3 6 1 2 8 7 5 4 9 4 1 2 7 5 6 9 3 8 6 9 3 8 2 5 1 7 4 6 5 9 8 1 2 6 8 9 7 5 4 1 9 4 3 5 6 2 8 6 2 4 7 9 3 2 1 3 5 4 7 8 4 8 7 5 6 9 3 1 2 8 5 6 9 3 4 2 7 1 1 4 5 7 9 3 6 2 8 4 7 2 6 1 3 5 9 8 8 2 4 7 3 5 1 6 9 9 5 7 2 4 6 3 8 1 9 7 5 1 8 1 4 2 6 3 7 5 8 6 9 4 3 8 5 7 9 4 1 6 2 9 3 7 2 1 6 5 4 8 4 2 1 8 7 3 6 5 9 4 1 3 5 6 9 3 7 2 8 9 6 1 8 5 2 3 4 7 5 1 6 4 8 9 7 2 3 6 3 8 1 9 5 2 7 4 2 7 1 5 8 S E E R V T O O L A X B A K E R W C L N E T S S L I C E D I L E A T R E A T Y I R I S R U L E T E M P L E S E T N A T E S T S L E A D H R B R E F E R I U H I T S R M A S T 3 6 4 2 8 7 3 4 5 3 6 9 1 2 9 2 5 7 1 6 4 1 9 8 7 2 8 5 6 4 3 9 5 2 9 4 7 6 8 3 2 1 9 6 3 7 4 1 8 5 Hard Medium Easy J W P X Y T A R E V H N G L D O C U F Two Speed Crossword Across: 6 Press on; 7 Beryl; 9 Smelt; 10 Dustpan; 12 Bright ideas; 14 Came in first; 18 Satchel; 19 Grate; 21 Scope; 22 Pickles. Down: 1 Drama; 2 Ostler; 3 Tot; 4 Bested; 5 Pyjamas; 8 Sustain; 11 Agonies; 13 Balance; 15 Escape; 16 Strike; 17 Other; 20 Rip. Split Decision I 1 M S Q K B P R O O F I L R C H I N A K V I S H E L L L Y P W M R I U A T V S Q C G K E D O H Alphamuddle S L U M L U N A U N T I M A I Z P R E E 2 F N X J B P R E E N J H W Y D S O B A N F L R V Q T E G U Word Ladder 1 Wash, Mash, Mast, Most, Moot, Root, Room. 2 Bugs, Buds, Bids, Rids, Ride, Rife, Life. I 3 X K C P M 3 Bond, Band, Bans, Bass, Bash, Bath, Oath. Mirror Image: B Pathfinder Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Macbeth, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Measure for Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well, King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 5 TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge Samurai Sudoku The rules for Samurai Sudoku vary only slightly from the standard sudoku rules. The 9x9 sudoku at the centre of the X shares four of its 3x3 boxes with those of the outer sudoku. None of the 9x9 sudokus can be solved individually, you must crossreference between the intersecting grids. 1 8 7 3 9 5 4 3 9 5 9 6 2 9 1 1 4 7 8 5 8 4 6 7 8 9 5 1 8 4 7 1 2 8 3 9 8 1 7 7 6 5 1 6 3 3 1 7 6 4 7 9 4 1 BATTLESHIPS 4 7 5 1 8 8 6 7 5 2 3 1 5 9 3 7 2 7 9 8 1 3 9 4 2 3 4 9 4 8 9 1 8 9 2 4 1 7 8 9 3 9 6 5 5 7 8 9 1 4 3 7 1 7 5 9 5 7 1 3 1 5 1 4 8 9 3 2 6 2 6 2 3 9 NUMBERFIT Fit the listed numbers into the grid. 1 2 digits: 74 87 3 digits: 335 447 449 533 538 638 835 838 844 944 5 digits: 43749 64834 6 digits: 434347 534757 543734 577437 7 digits: 4596654 4665944 4895644 4995684 9 digits: 477878856 677878854 977885746 2 2 digits: 19 34 50 98 3 digits: 199 241 440 441 456 513 600 631 855 997 4 digits: 3600 5199 7041 7168 5 digits: 28620 81671 7 digits: 1206011 7186912 9 digits: 190110090 263501180 837479001 840456672 3 A B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0 4 Find where the fleet of ships shown are hidden in the 10 by 10 grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off. C D E F G 1 2 1 5 1 THE FLEET 1 x Battleship 2 x Cruiser 3 x Destroyer 4 x Submarine H I J 0 2 4 0 5 1 2 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 digits: 57 58 3 digits: 171 506 516 576 607 608 615 708 717 765 5 digits: 15576 68551 6 digits: 511776 711665 778009 800566 7 digits: 1556551 1716761 1778771 6767171 9 digits: 175795587 595565161 669888617

6 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge REMEMBER WHEN The following events all occurred in living memory. Can you guess the year? CIRCLEGRAMS Replace the question mark with a letter so that the letters within the circle can be rearranged to form words with a common theme. What are the three words, and the letter represented by the question mark? A B Actress Farrah Fawcett was born The government asked women to avoid the trend for longer skirts to save cloth James Mason starred in Odd Man Out Department store founder Henry Gordon Selfridge died Czechoslovakia officially became two independent states Frank Zappa and Conway Twitty died Monica Seles was stabbed by a crazed Steffi Graf fan Kim Campbell became Canada’s first woman PM E M A J R G B T I N E ? O W N Y N T S A L L M I N W I I ? G O O O D N G I C George Harrison died The World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists P.J. Harvey won the Mercury Music Prize for her album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was a huge hit at the cinema QUICK QUIZ 1. What is the name of the mustachioed gunslinger who chases Bugs Bunny? 2. Who played Shane in the classic 1953 Western? 3. In which imaginary country was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe set? 4. Who was Chancellor of the Exchequer before Kenneth Clarke? 5. Which English architect designed Marble Arch in London and the Brighton Pavilion? 6. Who sang Purple Haze and Hey Joe? 7. In which type of robbery is a car driven through a shop window? 8. To which geometrical shape does Pythagoras’s theorem relate? 9. From what age does a child usually enter secondary education in the UK? 10. Who is the goddess of love in Roman mythology? CODEWORD This puzzle has no clues. Instead, every number printed in the grid represents a letter, with the same number always representing the same letter. For example, if 8 turns out to be a V, you can write in V wherever a square contains 8. Using your knowledge of words, complete the puzzle. 1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 S I 2 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z BRAINTEASERS Can you bend your brain around this set of mathematical, lexical and logistical teasers? 1 ‘I’ve been given the wrong drink. Who ordered this lemonade?’ asked Anne. ‘Not me. I ordered a fruit juice,’ replied Ed. ‘I’ve been given your drink, Anne.’ ‘I can’t remember my order. It was either cola or apple juice,’ said Ant. ‘I’ve an orange juice. It’s not mine, though,’ said SUMMIT UP If the number in each triangle is the sum of the two below, what is the top number? 1 2 2 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 24 8 50 48 14 Eve. Ant ordered cola if Ed ordered apple juice. Who ordered each drink? 2 Which two words meaning ‘linden’ and ‘haystack’ combine into one meaning ‘humorous verse’? 98 26 22 6 C 12 6 10 A 4 3 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 3 Find the Mr Men characters in these anagrams: a) One Crumb, b) Rammed Yard, c) Mulch Refer. 4 Paul the tour guide is trying to organise all the tourists into their excursion groups. Each guide can take nine 8 13 21 5 37 31 8 68 16 15 3 8 people and there is one guide assigned to the temple tour, three times that many for the jungle tour and twice that many for the harbour tour. So far eighty-six people have turned up at the meeting point, so how many are missing? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 5 7 2 I T

www.birminghamlive.co.uk TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 BIRMINGHAM MAIL 7 TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge FUTOSHIKI Insert the numbers one to five in each row and each column, making sure that no number is repeated. The only symbols to guide you are the “greater than” (>) and “less than” (<) signs. 1 2 5 1 3 3 4 3 2 KILLER SUDOKU ARROWWORD Fill in squares in the grid so each row, column and each 3x3 square contains all digits from 1 to 9. Each set of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the number in the top-left corner. Numbers can’t be repeated within each set of cells. 13 11 8 3 15 18 14 17 5 10 7 11 9 Greek letter Cooking vessels Car parts Hand tool Book passage Facial feature Writing tools Norwegian city Parts of circles Arrowwords are like crosswords, but the clues are printed inside squares on the grid. Write your answers in the blank squares in the direction indicated by the arrows. 3 23 12 10 Requests Buddhist priest Roman emperor Dull pain 22 14 13 16 Burnt remains Donkey 13 11 5 14 12 3 21 Curve Stress Woman's name 5 14 16 6 13 9 9 Consumed Belonging to him WORD WHEEL You have 10 mins to find as many words as possible using the letters in the wheel. Each must use the hub letter and at least 3 others. Letters may be used only once. You cannot use plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. There is at least one 9-letter word to be found. T I R E M N P O N How you rate: 15 words, average; 25 words, good; 35 words, very good; 40 or more, excellent. WORD SPIRAL Starting from 1, fill in the grid clockwise with four-letter words. The last letter of each word becomes the first letter of the next to reveal a place in Wales. 1 8 11 4 7 9 14 13 2 16 6 10 15 12 3 5 1. Cook in hot water 2. Minus 3. Plant part 4. Thaw 5. Armoured combat vehicle 6. Pavement edge 7. Make beer 8. Direction 9. Ruffian 10. Swimming competition 11. Among 12. Money, slang 13. Difficult 14. Flat circular plate 15. Hotel cook 16. Bend

8 BIRMINGHAM MAIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 @birmingham_live TEASER Your weekly puzzle challenge WORDSEARCH Here is a list of words related to African peoples. Can you find them in the grid? The answers can be found running backwards or forwards, horizontal, vertical or diagonal. AFRIKANER BAMBARA CHEWA HUTU KALENJIN KHOIKHOI KONGO MAASAI MAKONDE MANDINKA MBUNDU OVIMBUNDU SIDAMA SWAZI TUTSI URHOBO ZANDE ZULU V Y T I A N O B E U N B K E K U Y U Z L M D Q T S D J D N R W W D A I N M N P X Y N Y R O Z B N W F V R I O X A W U S A L G U S C S U E A Z I L I B W M W B G U L V K N X O D H T M A L M I U D N K A A A G O Z V K I I Z O I H R Q M K X N R F O I V O D O A E A A Q I M O D N K O N I B F S V O A X R A K D N A K M S W H A D A R Y F X E M H A I S T U T A C H E W A R O B Z F U Z T R E M P Q D Y I N S G B I M U R H O B O S U K A L E N J I N H Y V I H M P Solutions NINERS Each number from 1 to 9 represents a different letter. Solve the clues and insert the letters in the appropriate squares to discover a word which uses all nine letters. 1 983 gives an animal 2 23576 gives a bird 1459366 gives another bird SPORTWORD A test of knowledge for the sporting enthusiast 6 9 12 17 1 2 3 4 11 10 13 14 19 7 16 18 5 15 8 3588 gives a British statesman 926451 gives a Greek mathematician 172198 gives a French novelist 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ACROSS 1. Greg ........, Australia Test cricket captain 1975- 83 (8) 6. David ....., England cricket captain who took his only Test wicket against India at Kanpur in 1982 (5) 7. The ....., a nickname of Chelsea (5) 9. David ...., Derby County footballer who made his England debut against Northern Ireland in 1973 (4) 10. Shelly-Ann ......, 2008 Olympic 100m champion (6) 12. Philadelphia ......, NFL American football team (6) 14. Country whose football team is captained by Paolo Guerrero (4) 17. David ....., former Man City midfielder (5) 18. John ....., 1989 World Indoor Championships 200m winner (5) 19. Jane ........, GB hockey player at the Olympic Games 1988-2000 (8) DOWN 2. Atlanta ....., NBA team (5) 3. .... Ji-Sung, former South Korea and Man United midfielder (4) 4. Stefan ......, 1990 Wimbledon singles champion (6) 5. Joe ....., 1937-49 World Heavyweight boxing champion (5) 6. The ......., nickname of Arsenal (7) 8. Andrew ......., England cricket captain 2009- 12 (7) 11. Graeme .. ...., former England footballer who was the first contestant to be voted off the ITV series Dancing on Ice in 2009 (2,4) 13. Ashley ....., England cricketer who made his Test debut against South Africa in 1998 (5) 15. Number worn by Juan Mata at Manchester United (5) 16. Steve ...., 1986 Commonwealth 800m champion (4) Samurai Sudoku 1 9 5 4 2 6 8 7 3 7 3 6 8 9 5 2 1 4 2 8 4 3 1 7 5 6 9 4 5 3 7 8 2 1 9 6 8 2 7 9 6 1 4 3 5 6 1 9 5 3 4 7 8 2 5 6 8 1 4 9 3 2 7 3 4 2 6 7 8 9 5 1 3 3 2 7 9 5 6 9 5 1 4 2 8 9 7 1 2 5 3 6 4 8 3 7 1 5 8 9 1 6 4 3 2 7 2 6 4 7 3 9 1 5 8 6 7 8 4 1 6 7 3 2 9 5 4 9 7 5 1 1 3 5 8 2 8 2 6 4 9 6 4 2 3 8 9 5 1 7 7 8 3 6 5 1 9 2 4 9 5 1 2 7 4 6 8 3 2 1 9 7 4 8 3 5 6 3 7 8 9 6 5 2 4 1 5 6 4 1 3 2 7 9 8 Numberfit 1 4 8 9 5 6 4 4 2 8 7 4 5 9 6 6 5 4 5 4 3 7 3 4 6 7 7 8 7 8 8 5 6 8 3 3 5 4 4 8 4 4 9 Futoshiki 3 3 5 7 4 7 7 8 7 8 8 5 4 4 3 4 3 4 7 9 9 5 6 8 4 3 7 4 7 9 0 0 1 4 4 1 1 9 9 0 8 1 6 7 1 0 4 5 6 8 2 4 1 1 4 5 3 1 2 2 5 3 1 4 2 3 2 3 4 5 1 5 3 1 2 4 2 1 4 3 5 5 1 9 9 7 0 4 1 2 4 5 1 3 1 5 2 3 4 6 3 1 3 6 0 0 6 2 8 6 2 0 0 7 5 0 1 9 9 2 6 3 5 0 1 1 8 0 3 6 7 6 7 1 7 1 7 1 1 6 6 5 7 1 7 5 7 9 5 5 8 7 5 8 8 7 0 8 5 0 6 8 6 0 7 5 2 1 4 3 3 5 2 1 4 6 0 8 8 5 7 5 9 5 5 6 5 1 6 1 5 5 1 1 7 7 6 1 7 1 6 7 6 1 Quick Quiz 1 Yosemite Sam; 2 Alan Ladd; 3 Narnia; 4 Norman Lamont; 5 John Nash; 6 Jimi Hendrix; 7 A ram raid; 8 The triangle; 9 11; 10 Venus. Remember When A. 1947; B. 1993; C. 2001. Circlegrams 1 The letter represented by the question mark is N. Betjeman, Browning, Tennyson, all English poets. 2 The letter represented by the question mark is S. Williams, Wiggins, Goodison, all British olympic gold medallists. Brainteasers 1 Anne ordered cola, Ed ordered orange juice, Ant ordered apple juice, Eve ordered lemonade. 2 Lime-rick. 3 a) Mr Bounce, b) Mr Daydream, c) Mr Cheerful. 4 Four. 1 7 3 5 8 2 9 6 4 1 3 7 2 8 6 4 9 5 2 1 3 7 8 6 2 9 5 3 4 1 5 6 9 4 7 1 8 3 2 6 4 7 5 1 9 4 3 7 8 2 6 2 4 8 5 3 9 7 1 6 8 9 5 4 3 2 8 1 6 7 9 5 3 4 2 5 1 1 2 5 4 3 Arrowword 4 2 3 5 1 3 1 4 2 5 Wordsearch 4 1 5 3 2 1 4 3 2 5 Summit Up 98 68 6 9 5 3 2 8 1 7 4 3 7 4 6 1 5 2 8 9 8 1 2 9 4 7 5 6 3 4 8 3 1 9 2 6 5 7 9 5 1 7 6 4 3 2 8 7 2 6 8 5 3 9 4 1 Battleships 5 8 9 1 3 6 7 2 4 3 9 5 7 6 8 4 1 2 2 6 8 3 4 1 9 5 7 1 4 7 9 5 2 6 8 3 9 5 4 1 7 3 2 6 8 8 7 1 6 2 9 5 3 4 6 2 3 5 8 4 1 7 9 Killer Sudoku 4 7 1 2 8 5 6 3 9 6 2 3 9 4 7 5 8 1 2 5 4 7 1 3 9 6 8 1 9 8 4 6 2 3 5 7 7 3 6 8 5 9 1 4 2 8 1 5 6 9 4 2 7 3 3 4 2 5 7 1 8 9 6 9 6 7 3 2 8 4 1 5 V Y T I A N O B E U N B K E K U Y U Z L M D Q T S D J D N R W W D A I N M N P X Y N Y R O Z B N W F V R I O X A W U S A L G U S C S U E A Z I L I B W M W B G U L V K N X O D H T M A L M I U D N K A A A G O Z V K I I Z O I H R Q M K X N R F O I V O D O A E A A Q I M O D N K O N I B F S V O A X R A K D N A K M S W H A D A R Y F X E M H A I S T U T A C H E W A R O B Z F U Z T R E M P Q D Y I N S G B I M U R H O B O S U K A L E N J I N H Y V I H M P Codeword 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 P N A O M C U F H D Y L T 2 3 E A N O S T E W P O T S A X L E S L C N E R O P L E A S A A R C A D A E M P H A S I S A T E H I S 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 J E K G B V W Q Z R X S I 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 F X N Z H K Q U C B Y T P 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 O G R D W M L J I E A S V 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 N Q B U X W M O I E S H F Wordwheel PROMINENT Word Spiral 1 Boil; 2 Less; 3 Stem; 4 Melt; 5 Tank; 6 Kerb; 7 Brew; 8 West; 9 Thug; 10 Gala; 11 Amid; 12 Dosh; 13 Hard; 14 Disc; 15 Chef; 16 Flex. Wrexham Sportword Across: 1 Chappell; 6 Gower; 7 Blues; 9 Nish; 10 Fraser; 12 Eagles; 14 Peru; 17 Silva; 18 Regis; 19 Sixsmith. Down: 2 Hawks; 3 Park; 4 Edberg; 5 Louis; 6 Gunners; 8 Strauss; 11 Le Saux; 13 Giles; 15 Eight; 16 Cram. Niners 1 SQUEALING: GNU, QUAIL, SEAGULL 2 DUPLICATE: PITT, EUCLID, DAUDET 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 P G L J Y C K A D Z V R T