MARREN TILES TRIOS

Results (week 31): Crafty Foxes 1 Team Bar 10, Grumpy Old Men 6 Magic Weasels 5, 9ers 0 Team Powerplay 11, Oddsods bye.

Highs: female – HGS 190 Julie Newman, HGH 235 Julie Newman, HSS 449 Julie Newman, HSH 608 Hayley Pierpoint; male – HGS 217 Darryl Patchett, HGH 258 Jason Cook, HSS 574 Jason Cook, HSH 658 Jason Cook; team – HGS 616 Magic Weasels, HGH 715 Magic Weasels, HSS 1637 Team Powerplay, HSH 1823 Team Powerplay.

Positions: 1 Team Powerplay 195, 2 Grumpy Old Men 176½, 3 Team Bar 172, 4 Magic Weasels 150, 5 Crafty Foxes 127, 6 Oddsods 114½, 7 9ers 88.

Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Club (Grantham branch):

Forest are at home to Brighton on Saturday, kick-off 3pm, and away to Burnley on Monday, kick-off 3pm.

Bookings are being taken for away games at Cardiff City on April 13, kick-off 3pm, Middlesbrough on April 16, kick-off 7.45pm, and Millwall on April 27, kick-off 3pm.

For details contact Bob Taylor on 01476 550242.

One of the more lighthearted events this week took a dark turn on Tuesday as a cow that escaped from a field near Wyndham Park was shot by police.

The cow led members of the public and the police force as well as social media on a race around town before being trapped in the car park of Belton Lane Children’s Centre. As many of us were sharing jokes about the spectacle, police decided that the cow was a threat to public safety and had to be put down.

I’m not going to pretend I know the specifics of the situation. I don’t know how agitated the cow was throughout the chase or just how much damage it could have done if it charged and injured a human being. But I do feel there had to have been better ways to have dealt with it.

The cow was trapped in the car park for a long while with people saying that it was stood still for close to 10 minutes before finally being shot and killed. With this sort of time available, the police’s statement declaring the animal was still a threat to locals seems odd. I find it hard to believe it was much of a threat with a 20-metre exclusion zone around the car park.

While it would have been preferential to have caught the cow alive and returned it to the owner, I do understand the concern for public safety.

Furthermore, I would like to know why it took so long in order to come to a conclusion in either case. It appears the cow was leading a Keystone Cops-like police force around Grantham, which is reinforced by the fact that the specially trained marksmen missed their first shot on the motionless bovine.

However the ultimate decision was reached it is still sad to see a confused animal slaughtered in a primary school car park particularly when it appears to have been rushed.

A team of young adventurers is raising money and training for a trek across Norway later this year.

The Grantham group, many of them teenagers and called Team Norway, has raised £600 towards the cost of the trip with a number of fundraising activities including a pub quiz at the Welby Arms in Allington which made a donation to the team.

Most recently the team climbed to the top of Mam Tor in the Peak District, despite snow and freezing winds, as part of its training.

The team will travel to Norway later this year and trek over 200km through snow and glaciers, raising money for Barnardo’s.

You can donate to the team by going to www.justgiving.com/TeamNorway. It has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TeamNorway2013

Grantham’s Station Approach development has been thrown into doubt as an order to force two firms off land in Wharf Road to make way for it has been rejected.

The Secretary of State has refused the Grantham Growth Point board’s application for a compulsory purchase order to force Jewson and Tanvic Tyres off the land near to the railway station.

The board, made up of councillors from Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Council, had hoped to build a business innovation centre alongside new offices, hotels and residential space. The project would have created up to 1,000 jobs.

Officers are now looking at alternative ways in which the scheme can proceed.

Paul Wheatley, head of economic regeneration for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I’m obviously disappointed to learn of this decision but I don’t feel that it will derail the project. We believe that it is still a viable solution and will help to create business growth in Grantham.

“Over the next few weeks we will work with our partners to see how we can progress this.”

SKDC’s head of development and growth Mark Williets added: “Our aim is to regenerate this part of Grantham and to create new jobs and we still want to do this.

“Fortunately, we have not got all our eggs in one basket and we will be reviewing all our options very closely with our partners.”

MORE TO FOLLOW

As the next fortnight is the schools’ Easter holidays, we thought it might be useful to take a slightly different route with our Eating Out review this week.

As the next fortnight is the schools’ Easter holidays, we thought it might be useful to take a slightly different route with our Eating Out review this week.

Enjoying family time is important, and what better way than through the rivalry of ten-pin bowling!

Tenpin in Grantham offers a great night out for the kids. As well as the bowling lanes, there are pool tables and numerous arcade games.

So my partner and I decided to take along his sons, aged 11 and 13 - and we had a great night.

Booking online, we opted for the ‘Eat & Play’ deal, which includes two games and a burger meal each, at £12.99 per adult and £9.99 per junior. Juniors can choose from beef burger, cheese burger or veggie fingers, while adults have their pick of beef, cheese, chicken or bean burgers. These are all served with fries and a side of ketchup.

Opting for the ‘Eat & Play’ added £10.98 on to our bill compared with standard bowling, so cost-wise it was a pretty good deal. We added on vanilla ice cream tubs at 60p each.

When we arrived, the kids, of course, made a bee-line for the arcade games while I went to the reception desk. The chap behind it was friendly, chatty and very, very helpful. He asked when we would like our food and said he would leave our shoes by our choice of lane. And after he had kindly keyed in our names for us, we grabbed the kids and the competition began!

Part-way into the first game the food arrived. By the way the boys and Gary wolfed down their burgers I know they were happy, and I enjoyed my chicken burger. No, it’s not five-star cuisine but you don’t expect it to be. It was tasty, the chips were nice and the chicken in the batter was breast and not mashed up bits of all sorts.

Another nice touch was that when we ordered drinks, they were brought over to us so there was no halt in the game - which at this point was getting very competitive indeed...although we had moved from aiming for high scores to who could get the fastest mph reading!

It was these nice touches that really added to our evening. “Just give us a wave when you’re ready for your ice cream,” another staff member told us. We did and it quickly arrived. Although largely melted, and thus unpopular with the boys, it was tasty.

We had a lovely night - if I hadn’t come last in both games it would have been even better! I was very impressed by the great service - nothing was too much trouble. The kid said they had an “awesome” time and were in their element after bowling when we played pool and went on to the arcade, which itself is varied and lots of fun.

So if you’re looking for something to do this Easter, I’d certainly recommend heading over to Tenpin.

Food: *** (out of five)

Service and fun-factor: ***** (out of five)

Local Labour members joined Andy Burnham MP Labour Shadow Health Minister at a health workshop in Nottingham this week.

Members of the public were also invited, and many attendees were healthcare professionals from nearby Nottingham QMC Hospital.

Andy Burnham is proposing a ‘radical change’ to our healthcare system that would see our NHS expanded to include medical care, mental health and social care. His proposals were largely well received by those attending the workshop.

Most agreed that the current fragmented delivery of services does not fully support people. There are key gaps in care. A long-term solution is needed.

Andy Burnham outlined a ‘cradle to grave’ patient care package. He gave a commitment to the national delivery of mainstream services through the public sector stating the privitisation of NHS services, like the loss of A&E units, has gone too far.

He proposed the proper recognition through decent pay and conditions for home care workers, who play a vital role delivering care in the community.

He acknowledged that before such a radical change could be considered, a number of key questions must be answered. Is the delivery of such a scheme a good idea? How should our health and social care be funded? How far should such care go? How can local authorities be involved?

This is a unique opportunity to have your say. Please let me know your views, so I can forward them to Andy Burnham.

I can be contacted at charmaine725@btinternet.com or you are welcome to call me on 01476 574748.

Bindi in Grantham has put horse curries on the menu.

The novel move comes after the ‘horsemeat scandal’ erupted earlier this year, sparking public outrage. Bindi’s decision may, therefore, come as a surprise. However, the issue was never one of safety or dietary concern, but of dishonesty, said co-owner Muhammed Karim. He added: “It came out in the national media that people have been eating horsemeat without knowing anyway. So I looked into it, resourced it, and found it’s very much like venison.”

Before taking the decision, Muhammed took to Facebook with a poll on the idea. An overwhelming 95 per cent was supportive.

The London Road restaurant sold out of its first batch within 48 hours, said Muhammed. He added: “People want to try it but it’s just a bit dubious. I’m trying to get people to try it because it’s healthy, there’s little fat and the taste is unbelievable.”

Two dishes containing the meat were available from Monday, but the entire stock was was sold by Tuesday night. One dish comes in a bhuna sauce, and the other as a more sweet, creamy dish.

For more information, visit www.bindirestaurant.com

A planning application has been made for a 3km long link road as part of the proposed bypass for Grantham.

The southern quadrant link road could eventually form part of the Grantham southern relief road, connecting the A52 at Somerby Hill to the A1. The application has been submitted to South Kesteven District Council.

The application by Lincolnshire County Council includes a proposal for a 3km single carriageway, a bridge spanning the Witham valley, as well as three new roundabouts. A cycleway and footpath will also be built, alongside other improvements to existing access roads.

If successful, the road will form a key part of the wider plan for Grantham, which will lead to around 3,500 new houses as well as new schools, medical facilities, and employment opportunities.It is also aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the town centre and improving transport links to the rest of the country.

Les Outram, Senior Project Leader for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It was always our intention to submit the planning application in March 2013 and we’ve succeeded in doing that. We will continue our dialogue with the district council, statutory consultees and the public.”

SKDC Head of development and growth Mark Williets says that consultation will now get under way with a view to getting the application before a planning committee for consideration in the summer.

The suspension of Lincolnshire’s acting chief constable Neil Rhodes has been quashed by a High Court judge.

Mr Rhodes was suspended from duty in February by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick over “potential conduct matters”.

Mr Hardwick said he had taken the decision to remove the chief constable from duty after allegations he had mishandled an employment tribunal issue with a senior colleague from another force.

But High Court judge Mr Justice Stuart-Smith quashed the suspension at Manchester Civil Justice Centre yesterday and allowed Mr Rhodes to return to work, calling Mr Hardwick’s decision “irrational and perverse”.

The police and crime commissioner had claimed Mr Rhodes helped a senior Muslim lawyer from another force use his ethnicity to pursue damages after leaving his role, despite knowing the claim was a “contrivance”.

The court heard Mr Rhodes had helped West Yorkshire Police lawyer Afzal Hussain, who was dismissed from the force after 17 years and was suing his former employer, through a peer support scheme.

But Mr Rhodes strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

The court heard he was suspended after a phone conversation between him and Fraser Sampson, the chief executive and solicitor to the police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire.

Mr Rhodes said he was calling to “broker a sensible and reasonable resolution” to Mr Hussain’s grievance by getting all parties around the table.

Mr Hardwick claimed that, during the conversation, Mr Rhodes indicated race was being used as “a lever”, which amounted to him helping push a discrimination claim he knew was unsubstantiated.

But Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said the commissioner failed to take into account Mr Rhodes’ unblemished and exceptional 27-year record as a police officer, which was “essential in any fair assessment”, adding: “In the result, I am convinced that the decision taken by Mr Hardwick to suspend Mr Rhodes can only be described as irrational and perverse.”

Mr Rhodes’ contract as acting chief constable, which began last year, runs until Monday.

When it expires he is expected to revert to his previous position as the force’s deputy chief constable.

An investigation into Mr Rhodes’ handling of the discrimination claim is being carried out by Sir Peter Fahy, of Greater Manchester Police.

Speaking outside court after the hearing, Mr Rhodes said the proceedings were “entirely unnecessary” and have taken their toll on him and his family.

He said: “I’m very pleased with the decision of the judge today who has declared my suspension irrational and perverse and therefore unlawful.

“I will return to work now and continue to serve Lincolnshire Police with the personal and professional integrity that I believe I have displayed over the past 27 years.

“I would very much like to thank the huge number of people in the Lincolnshire Police and ordinary members of the public for their messages of support which number several hundred.

“I’m really grateful to them and I want to get back to work right now to repay their faith in me.

“The last few weeks have taken a very heavy toll on me and particularly on my family.”

Mr Rhodes added: “The judgment today has demonstrated this was entirely unnecessary as the PCC’s concerns should have been resolved professionally and with proper investigation.

“I endeavoured to resolve this and had hoped common sense would prevail. I maintained a dignified silence in the media throughout. Court was absolutely my final recourse.

“I now look forward to a mature and constructive discussion with the commissioner about our future working relationship.”

Also speaking after the hearing, Mr Hardwick said he was “disappointed” by the verdict, which he said has raised serious questions about the role of police and crime commissioners.

He confirmed taxpayers will have to fund the legal costs but said he “didn’t have any idea” of the sum at this stage.

Mr Hardwick added: “What I’m concerned about is the effect this may have on other police and crime commissioners.

“There’s more guidance needed. It would appear that if police and crime commissioners make any decision at all they are going to have to be looking over their shoulder because this decision was made by a judge.

“Is it right that someone who is elected into a position has his decision overturned by a judge?”

Mr Hardwick said he was “acting on behalf of the people of Lincolnshire” and has not yet decided whether he will appeal the decision.

“I’m leaving that open,” he said.

Mr Hardwick later released a statement which said: “Whilst I accept today’s decision, I must emphasise that the court’s interpretation of the information I received is very different to mine. My concern is that in future, any decision made by a police and crime commissioner which could be considered contentious, is likely to be open to challenge in the courts. The investigation into the serious allegations is still ongoing under the direction of Sir Peter Fahy.”

Only three teams from Grantham Badminton Club had a match at the weekend – and their results were as bleak as the weather outside.

The mixed first team played away at Westside in Newark League Division One. They were soundly beaten by seven rubbers to twp. Chris Parrot with Susie Steeples won a rubber, as did Kerry Durham with Nick Gill. Jaz Gilbert with Joe Attewell failed to grab any.

In Division Three, Grantham men 3rd were hammered 9-0 by top of the league Southwell Centre. Mike Woodhouse with Daniel Watson, Andrew Watson with Carl Jennings, and Josh Gould with Brian Coyle, all endured a steep learning curve dished out by the strong opposition.

In Division One of the Melton Mixed League, Grantham again struggled against quality opponents Uppingham. But they did manage their strongest result against the side, going down 6-3, with a further rubber narrowly missed in the third game by Sandra Jennings with Matt Whittle. Rob Howbrook with Sonal Modi managed to claim a rubber, and Rob Scarborough with Sophie Turley won two from their three.

BELTON PARK

Seniors’ section

There were 35 entries for the Cyril Woods Trophy bogey competition, played last Tuesday.

Winner with a score of +7 was Rick Alsbury, with Peter Rollings runner-up on +4.

Third place was decided on countback, with John Carey (+3) taking the decision from Colin Farrington and Shaun Boney.

Ladies’ section

The March Stableford was won in Silver Division by Jane Renfrew with an impressive 39 points.

Second place went to Joy Stepney with 36 points and third was Issie Guest on 34. Bronze Division saw Jenny Gardiner take first place with 38 points on countback from Donna Hayle. Third with 31 points was Judith Potter.

BELTON WOODS

Seniors’ section

The March monthly stableford competition was won by Mike Gulliford, and Mike Learwood-Griffiths triumphed in the Marshall’s Monthly Medal for March.

Results: Stableford – 1 Mike Gulliford 40pt, 2 Phil Turrell 38, 3 Pat Stanford, 4 Tom Rea 35 ocb, 5 Mike Learwood-Griffiths 35, 6 David Toule 34 ocb, 7 Mike Whitington 34, 8 John Sabin 34, 9 Colin Thornton 33, 10 Mick Hall 30; Medal – 1 Mike Learwood-Griffiths net 74, 2 David Toule 75, 3 Bob Clarke 78 ocb, 4 Les Vine 78, 5 Mike Gulliford 79 ocb, 6 Steve Hudson 79, 7 Tom Rea 79, 8 Phil Turrell 81, 9 Colin Musson 82, 10 Alan Lowen 83.

SUDBROOK MOOR

The combination of Dave Whattam, John Morley and Joe Green carded a solid 4.8 under SSS to win the latest monthly mixed Texas Scramble Medal.

Half a stroke adrift were Ken Jameson and Tony Sealey who played without a third man. In third were John Costall, Ron Selby and John Came.

l John Costall won the monthly medal from back tees for maximum Order of Merit points. Top of the Senior Golfer of the Year leader board is John Johnson. Also in the frame are Pete Farmer, Dave Guy, Maurice Green and Dave Leslie.

l Amanda Roberts completed the six-month Winter Eclectic for Tuesday ladies, which she led throughout the season, to retain the title and trophy.

A single mother who attacked another woman in the toilets of a nightclub has escaped jail at Lincoln Crown Court.

Chelsea Wilson struck the victim with a plastic beer glass during an incident in the Barcode club, in Westgate, Grantham.

Laura Pitman, prosecuting, said Wilson left her victim with an injury to the back of her head. A scuffle then broke out involving a number of other women.

The victim was taken to Grantham Hospital for treatment to her injury and later released.

Miss Pitman said: “The defendant was arrested at the scene.

“She was interviewed. She said she acted in self defence and said she had not struck any-one with any item.”

Wilson,23, of Hazelwood Drive in Gonerby Hill Foot, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm as a result of the incident on February 12, 2011. She was given a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.

Judge James Sampson des-cribed the assault as “a nasty attack”.

But he told Wilson: “There has been a considerable delay in this case. That is not your fault. Most important of all you have entered a guilty plea.”

Chris Milligan, defending, said “She is sorry. She has shown over the last two years that she can grow up and behave herself.”

Lincolnshire Police has issued a further statement this afternoon on the shooting of an escaped cow in Grantham, following a “significant public interest”.

The Belgian blue cow was shot in the car park of Belton Lane Children’s Centre on Monday, after avoiding police capture for almost three hours. It travelled from the field it escaped from near to Wyndham Park to the Queensway area of town, where it was eventually shot by police marksmen.

Since the Journal broke the news online and on social networking sites on Monday, national and other media outlets have formed an interest.

Public outrage has been growing, leading the force to issue the following statement: “In response to significant public interest in this incident Lincolnshire Police is issuing a further statement to try address some of the concerns people have expressed.

“The animal’s presence in a residential area posed a serious risk to safety. A significant amount of resources were committed to containing the animal. The intention was to safely remove the animal from the area without destroying it if at all possible.

“After more than two hours of working towards this aim, it became apparent that it was not achievable. Several options, including sedation, were considered. The RSPCA and the owner of the animal were consulted.

“As more members of the public turned up to watch the incident, prompted by online commentary on the situation, the animal became increasingly distressed and there were fears that it would jump further fences and re-enter a residential area.

“Reports that some shots missed the animal are incorrect. Four shots were fired and all hit their target.

“This is a rural county and we deal with dozens of similar incidents every year without them ending in the death of the animal. Generally these animals escape on to roads in remote locations. In this type of situation the road can be closed and the animal can be herded to safety.

“On this occasion the animal was roaming in a built up residential area and posed a serious risk to safety. In a situation like this the preservation of human life takes precedence.”

Reinstated chief constable of Lincolnshire Police Neil Rhodes has issued a statement this evening (Thursday).

The statement follows news earlier today that Ch Cons Rhodes’ suspension had been quashed by a High Court judge.

He was suspended from duty in February by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick over “potential conduct matters”.

Mr Hardwick said he had taken the decision to remove the chief constable from duty after allegations he had mishandled an employment tribunal issue with a senior colleague from another force.

But High Court judge Mr Justice Stuart-Smith quashed the suspension at Manchester Civil Justice Centre and allowed Ch Cons Rhodes to return to work, calling Mr Hardwick’s decision “irrational and perverse”.

Ch Cons Rhodes issued this statement this evening: “Having been reinstated as a constable and chief constable I have travelled back from the judicial review hearing at Manchester and have met with my chief officer team and have resumed control of the force.

“Over the Easter period I will be taking a long-planned period of leave and I look forward to serving the community of Lincolnshire as best I am able upon my return.

“I would very much like to thank the huge number of people in the Lincolnshire Police and ordinary members of the public for their messages of support which number several hundred. I am really grateful to them and I want to get back to work to repay their faith in me.

“The most important thing now is that all of our attention turns to policing the County of Lincolnshire.”

As a visitor to Grantham, picking up your newspaper I was amused to see the article about the Thatcher statue.

Being educated during the Thatcher years and strongly believing the Thatcher government are responsible for most of the problems in this country, I think £200,000 for a statue is appalling.

However, if one is to be built it should be crafted from Welsh coal.

Tony Hayman

Taunton, Somerset

The pictures in last week’s Journal, showing some of the problem potholes, didn’t show the one on Brook Street, just before the Swinegate junction.

This had been “repaired” recently but has appeared again so obviously a bodged job was done, using cheaper materials which works out more expensive in the long run for the taxpayer.

When will the authorities learn how to use ones money properly?

Alan Ward

By email

I’m disgusted at the state of roads in and around Grantham.

While travelling to work in Newark on Sunday morning, I was going down the hill towards Gonerby Moor services when my car slid straight into the roundabout, causing minor damage to myself and the car. Two minutes later another driver suffered the same fate in exactly the same place.

Now this snowy weather wasn’t exactly a surprise to most of us, so why was it that there was no grit on the roads at all? We’ve been told that we have huge stockpiles of the stuff, so what are we storing it for? The next Ice Age?

If we’re not avoiding huge craters in our roads, we’re having to avoid treacherous road conditions, all of which are preventable!

Exactly how much more road tax are we going to have to pay before us motorists get the service that we are already paying through the nose for?

Chris Barber

By email

Congratulations to Star Academy for their amazing show Cats, directed by Lisa Burgess.

What a treat to sit in a theatre in Grantham and see a show of such high quality. Great attention had been paid to the scenery, costumes, wigs and theatrical make-up, that from the very start I knew I was in for a very special evening.

The storyline introduced us to various different ‘cats’ and allowed individuals to showcase their singing, dancing and acting talents as well as working as a whole cast. Although there were many outstanding ‘cats’, Grizabella (Heather Walker) deserves a special mention for her stunning solo, Memory.

It was great to learn that all performances were sold out, as you were all amazing.

Clare Grainger

By email

The principal of Charles Read Academy says the Corby Glen school is ‘on the up’ following its latest OFSTED report.

While the report said the school ‘had good capacity to improve’, Ali Story said it ‘had been graded good overall’.

Mrs Story said: “Although the academy is below average in terms of examination results, the inspection team acknowledge that results were on an upward trend based on examinations already taken and current school data.

“The inspectors acknowledged that the quality of teaching is improving with new measures having already been put in place this academic year. The inspectors also commented on the clear improvements in teaching evidenced over the last two years.”

The report says improvements are needed in pupils’ achievements, the quality of teaching, and the behaviour and safety of pupils. It says leadership and management are good.

It says the strengths of the school can be seen in the progress made by students in lessons and in developing good literacy skills. It says the academy has made “clear improvements in teaching over the last two years” and that “excellent leadership and extensive team working have resulted in a range of improvements since September 2012.” It goes on to say “The academy has a good capacity to improve.”

Mrs Story was credited with “excellent leadership and high expectations that have resulted in strong improvements in the short time that she has been in post.”

School governors were seen as a strong point of the academy, meeting their reponsibilities, including safeguarding and using their specialist knowledge to help the school improve by working in different areas to drive the academy forward.

Mrs Story said: “I am very pleased that all the hard work by staff and students has been recognised and we look forward to our results this summer.”