Sport

Dorset Cricket named star county of 2020 A national charity which has a great understanding of says will return strongly in promotes ‘the power of the role that cricket can play 2021. cricket’ through schools and for all children.” Colin Moore, the chairman communities has named The DCB says that in the six of Stalbridge CC, says more Dorset its County Board of months to lockdown in than 40 members of the club the Year. March, it got 6,901 children had early experiences of The charity Chance to Shine to play cricket in primary cricket via Chance to Shine said the Dorset Cricket schools across Dorset and at Stalbridge School. Board (DCB) has done trained 150 teachers. He added: It's a sport for all, “brilliant work” for years Some 20 primary schools in with multi-skilled elements and “always comes up with North Dorset have taken on that means everybody can innovative ways” to bring the Chance to Shine find a role they enjoy or skill the game to people. “Dorset programme, which the DCB they can develop.”

Sport kicks off after lockdown

Pleased to be back say our sports teams: not so pleased that being in Tier 2, social clubs at football, hockey and other sports cannot open.

HOCKEY: Clubs were able to resume training from Dec 2. “My response would be that we are now excited to be back playing again but a little disappointed that we are in tier two and the social side cannot be enjoyed which is a big part of the sport,” said Stephen Way of Gillingham Hockey Club. The Ladies First XI play at Devizes tomorrow while the Seconds are at home to Mendip. The Men’s First XI play Basingstoke, the Seconds away to Fleet and Ewshot.

GOLF: Sherborne GC began taking bookings last Friday for play from midday on December 2.

WE’RE BACK: Wincanton FC return to action away to Calne Town on December 12

Only members can play the course “for the first week or two,” said a spokeswoman.

TENNIS: “We were very relieved and excited to get back to tennis this week for singles, doubles and group coaching. “It will be amazing to resume matches in the tennis leagues: we just hope there is enough time to arrange cancelled matches before the end of the season.” says Angela Phipps, Donhead Community Tennis Club.

SWIMMING: The North Dorset Turbos Performance Squad resumed training at RiversMeet, Gillingham on Wednesday.

FOOTBALL FIXTURES DECEMBER 5 Southern League Premier South Swindon Supermarine v Wimborne Dorset Premier League Sturminster Newton v Shaftesbury Reserves FA  Vase Millbrook v Sherborne Dorset Senior Trophy Sherborne Reserves v Gillingham Town DECEMBER 8 Southern League Premier South Salisbury v Gosport Borough Toolstation Western League Div One Sherborne Town v Bishop Sutton Wessex League Premier Tadley Calleva v Shaftesbury Town DECEMBER 12 Southern League Premier South Metropolitan Police v Salisbury Wimborne Town v Beaconsfield Town Toolstation Western

Holmes in swoop for four players

Manager Danny Holmes has recruited four players with two more on the way as he bids to reboot Shaftesbury’s faltering season. Billy Mayberry and Jack Lovell arrive from Wimborne FC, while full back Ben Walker was on the books at AFC Bournemouth. Matt Dodds is also an experienced defender. Shaftesbury are two places off the bottom of the Wessex Premier League with six points from nine games and have conceded 30 goals. Now Holmes is looking to shore up the defence with players used to a higher level. “The lads we have are good but they need help,” he said. “I’ve given everyone a chance but we’ve had below par performances and it’s not good enough.” The new signings met up with the squad yesterday and train again tomorrow: the next match is on Tuesday away to Tadley Calleva. “Nothing replaces being on the training pitch. It’s very nice to back,” said assistant manager David Walsh. n In the last issue, we said Dave Fraser is still chairman of Blandford United FC. Steve Powell is of course chairman for the adult and youth teams. Apologies.

League Division One Sherborne v Warminster Wincanton v Calne Town Wessex League Premier Shaftesbury v Alresford Dorset Premier League Blandford United v Wareham Rangers Hamworthy Recreation v Gillingham Town Holt United v Sturminster Newton United FC

‘Eventually a kind of normality will return’ By Richard Scott General Secretary Sturminster Newton United Football Club

2020 has been a very strange year for us all - and for our football club it has not been any different. In March, the lockdown meant that our club house had to close and football itself came to a halt with the season suspended. The club house acts as a focus for the football teams, both adult and the many youth teams based here. Match days are always busy and football is an important activity for young people (and the occasional not so young!). However, beyond that, the club acts as a venue for skittles, pool and darts teams. We have quizzes, discos and live music available to our members. Our facilities are often the envy of other visiting clubs. Not many of the smaller clubs in the county can offer what we have. So, clearly, lockdown has meant a severe curtailing of all those activities. However, that doesn’t mean that, as a club, we are not continuing to look forward. Eventually, a normality of some kind will return and we look forward to enjoying football and all our other activities.

Floodlight appeal for Stur FC

Management of the Dorset Premier League have set themselves a fundraising target of £15,000 to pay for floodlights at its Barnetts Field home ground. The money will cover the cost of lamps as the pylons were installed some time ago. It’s just that the club didn’t have enough money to pay for the lights! The Sturminster Newton United Football Club’s Floodlight Appeal will be a crowd funder scheme. The club is planning a raft of fundraising projects, some of which will begin soon. Secretary Richard Scott said: “We are aware that for most of us the present situation brings other priorities. “So the real thrust of fund raising will begin hopefully next year, when some normality returns.” The club play in the same league as Blandford United and Gillingham Town. They’ve had had a slow start to the season, winning one out of six. But optimism is high at the club. Chairman Tracy Matthews says: “There is currently a real buzz around the club after the appointment of Nick Squires as first team manager, and we feel as a football club getting the lights up is a much-needed investment. This has been a long-term ambition of the club. “The lights would ultimately help Nick take our club to a whole new level, a level that we feel we are capable of reaching in the next few seasons. It will be a big statement from the club in regards to the ambition and direction we are going. “It will also unlock the potential for an under-21 team to bridge the gap between our thriving youth set up and our men’s teams.”

Sport Birdie boxes to protect club’s greens

Sherborne Golf Club has installed 12 bird boxes around the course in an unusual move to combat damage being done to its greens. The boxes are designed with a 45mm hole, apparently the perfect size to encourage starlings but discourage other birds. And it’s the starlings that head greenkeeper Scott Johnson wants nesting. “We have four or five greens that are getting torn apart on a daily basis by crows and rooks,” he said. The birds are after leatherjackets, the larvae of flies known as crane flies or daddy-longlegs. Scott said: “A crow tends to scavenge and tear the turf with its claws and beak to get to the leatherjackets, whereas a starling has a very short, sharp pointed beak so it tends to peck straight in and straight out. “A starling won't cause any notable damage to the turf, which is why we are encouraging them to set-up home.” A Tisbury couple who played in the highest game of rugby in history raised more than £18,000 for a children’s rugby charity. Vivienne Worrall and John Curtis, pictured centre, trekked to Advanced Base Camp on Mt Everest with 25 other players to play two games, full contact and touch rugby. But first they called in at North Dorset Rugby Football Club for some much-needed training. John had played rugby in the past but was quite rusty while Viv had not played After six years as deputy course manager, Scott became head greenkeeper in rugby before. They were invited to train with the under 10 and under 9 squads and Viv confessed it wasn’t as easy as watching it on the screen, and keeping behind the ball was quite

SPOT THE BIRDIE: Starlings are being encouraged to nest at Sherborne GC and eat leatherjackets September. He says he is ‘ecstatic’ with how the course is looking, as lockdown gave his team time to improve presentation of the fairways and green. He has tried various methods to limit bird damage, including a bird scarer microphone and spinning CDs near the worst affected greens. Now a company called Agrovista Amenity is working with Scott to difficult. She had the utmost respect for her team members who played well despite having a total beginner on their team, while her team involved Viv very much in the game. “It was clear they had an understanding of the game and were committed to having fun as well as conducting themselves in a sporting manner. I am very grateful to them all for allowing me to join in and to give me tips along the way”. Vivienne and John were awarded Players of the Week and presented with club explore a more long-term, controlled outlook. The firm supplied the bird boxes, and specialist David Bevan said “We’ve created a habitat for starlings to nest and breed: Now we have to let nature take its course. “It's certainly a long-term approach: the industry needs to start looking away from chemical controls as the sole answer. The more you can do to encourage the natural

Aim high! Rugby kids help Everest challenge

predator the better.” beanies, which they wore with pride on Everest. NDRFC supported the pair as they raised funds for the charity Wooden Spoon, which helps help disabled children and young people facing disadvantage. John and Vivienne raised £18,073 towards a project total of £200,000, which helped the charity to donate £1.3m to projects in the financial year 2019/20. Since it was founded in 1983, the charity has distributed in excess of £26m to more than 700 projects. 79