There are still some hardy players in action at Little Hay, despite the wet and windy weather which are making conditions tough on the course.

The Doughty Cup was a Texas Scramble competition, with teams comprising players from all sections of the club.

The trophy was won by the team of Trevor Sargent, Chris Miles, Dorcas Kindinger and Hayden Bunce (junior) with a gross score of 59.

Senior Men’s November Stableford: Division 1 - 1st Tony Grainger (38 points); 2nd Frank Klimaszewski (36 points); 3rd John Redgewell (35 points); Division 2 - 1st Wael Aljawad (44 points); 2nd Syl Nolan (35 points); 3rd Patrick MacInerney (34 points).

Ladies’ Goddens Trophy – Greensome Stableford: 1st Chris Marsden and Gill Howells (42 points); 2nd Linda Reeve and Jenny Walker (37 points); 3rd Elaine Meagher and Sylvia Lutt (36 points).

Dacorum & Tring AC’s young runners delivered a fine showing at the second leg of the North West London Cross Country League at Alexandra Palace.

Kristian Imroth produced another impressive performance to take second place out of 44 runners in the U13 boys’ race over 3k – just three seconds behind Finn Harvey of Shaftesbury Harriers.

Making his debut for the club, Ethan Brimmer (12:05) showed great promise to finish eighth out of 54 runners in the U11 race over 2k.

Joshua Van Heiningen (18:22) finished ninth out of 29 runners in the U15 boys’ race over 4k, and Matthew Renphrey (18:30) placed 10th in the U17 men’s race over 5k.

Indira Patel (12:35) improved on her performance from the previous race in the series to finish ninth out of 37 runners in the U13 girls’ race over 2,400m, while Grace Birdseye (16:27) continued her recent good form to finish 11th out of 38 runners in the U15 girls’ race over 3,400m, backed up by Isabelle Amos (17:12) in 16th place.

Elsewhere, competing for Dacorum & Tring AC’s road running section, Samantha Hawkridge completed an unusual double of two races in the Sandown Park Gallops.

Samantha completed the 5km run – finishing 11th in her age group – then took on the 10km run an hour later, coming 37th.

The races were part of her mileage build-up as she trains for the 2015 Virgin London marathon, having won one of the two club places awarded to Dacorum & Tring AC.

In other news, Chris Kitchener and Richard East finished the Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest; a muddy, wet 10km urban assault course involving more than 20 obstacles in and around Wembley Park in London.

Chris finished first in his wave of 209 people in 1:04:55, while Richard was third in 1:10:22.

The two were delighted to finish 78th and 202nd respectively out of a total of 5,900 competitors.

Meanwhile, Dacorum & Tring had 15 runners competing at Parkrun events over the weekend.

Sam Fawcett and her dog Rexy were first home for the club at the Tring parkrun, crossing the line in 21:59, fast enough for second lady home.

John Hopper was third in the VM45-49 age group, while young Sam Burnell was first boy under 10, and John’s wife Louisa was third lady in the VF40-45 category.

Over in St Albans, Sam Fielding scored a new PB of 19:31, leading the club home to finish first in the JM15-17 age group.

Simon Walker was next in 19:42, followed by Michael Lamb in 21:48, in what was his 146th Parkrun, and Alastair Hinchliff in 23:17.

Michael’s daughters Calypso (JW15-17) and Star (JW11-14) finished first in their categories, while another dad and daughter pair, Richard and Rachel Belsey, finished close behind.

Six-year old Rachel posted a smashing new PB of 26:05 to take first in the JW10 age group, while Michelle Ashwell had a strong race to finish in 26:24, and Esther Hamilton ran strongly to grab a new PB of 27:38.

Meanwhile, veteran club member Peter Bailey returned to St Albans after recovering from a long illness and completed his 50th Parkrun, coming second in the VM75-79 age group in an impressive time of 33:29.

There was another fantastic set of results for the Dacorum Seishinkai Shotokan Karate International group at the Portsmouth Open Karate Championships over the weekend.

The competition is the South of England’s premier karate tournament, and the Mountbatten Centre was packed with competitors and spectators for the annual bonanza.

Adam Cockfield 5th Dan won another excellent gold medal in the men’s black-belt kata event and he also took a bronze in the men’s kumite.

Vicky Adams 2nd Dan won the black-belt ladies’ kumite title in a very exciting final that went to extra-time, making it two gold medals for SSKI.

Kajol Marathe and Cristy Nash took silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the ladies’ 16/17yrs kumite event, with Matthew Cooper taking the bronze in the men’s 16/17yrs kumite.

Petra Ewington took two bronze medals on the day, while the adult kata team of Tom Carson, Adams and Nash narrowly lost out on the gold medal by the smallest of margins and had to settle for silver.

The depleted three-man kumite team also took a bronze medal and this was a huge result as SSKI – due to illness – only had two competitors. Cockfield and Gary Page just missed the final by the smallest of margins.

Anyone interested in joining SSKI should ring 01442 266048 and ask for further details or visit www.sski.org

A new childrenss class will be starting in January with one of the country’s most successful children’s instructors, Malcolm Phipps 8th Dan.

Malcolm has produced a host of world and national champions in his time, and any parents interested in finding out more can do so by calling the number above.

Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer branded his team’s performance as “unacceptable” as they were thrashed 65-14 at Championship strugglers Cornish Pirates.

The Blues trailed 34-0 at the interval, and even though they improved after the break to score two tries of their own, they conceded another five.

“Our performance was ever so disappointing,” said Rayer. “We have got a lot of supporters who have travelled down here today and spent their hard-earned money coming to watch us, and they have got every right to feel like having a pop at us this week.

“All we can do is rock up on Tuesday evening, get out on the paddock, and consign the DVD of this match to the bin.”

Rayer added: “It is a long trek and it is a tough place to come, but we didn’t help ourselves in the first half.

“I had no problem with the second half, because you are going to throw the ball about when you are chasing the game, and you inevitably get errors and the game opens up.

“Everybody has got to look at themselves over that first-half performance, including us as coaches.

“We didn’t get our preparation right, because there seemed to be a spark missing right from the first kick-off.

“The elation of beating Yorkshire Carnegie last week is a distant memory now, and we have certainly got to look at ourselves.

“There was plenty of endeavour, but there was just a lack of edge and lack of spark.

“We were clumsy. You don’t criticise guys for having a go and making handling errors, but there was also some shoddy tackling and some shoddy decision-making that really was not up to what we expect.”

One area of concern was the scrummage, where the Blues gave away several penalties to their opponents.

“We got penalised off the park at scrum time by the referee,” said Rayer. “He sees what he sees, and that didn’t help, and we have got to speak to him about that because those scrums allowed the Pirates to build pressure and points.

“With Kieran Hallett kicking his conversions, seven points suddenly becomes 14 and then 21, and the scoreboard really races away from you, and that’s where we were at half-time.

“That is not taking anything away from the Pirates though, who were outstanding at times. They were magnificent, and as much as we were disappointed with ourselves, a lot of what the Pirates did today was excellent and we must applaud that.”

A strong squad from Berkhamsted Swimming Club travelled expectantly to the Watford Middle Distance & Sprints meet on Sunday and did not disappoint.

The meet began with gold in the 400m freestyle for both Tom Strakosch and Charley Stevens. Tom’s winning time was both a county qualifying time and club record, with Charley also setting a female club best.

Tom Weston and Jack Filer (PB) followed these swims with golds in the boys’ 200 IM, before Stevens set her second club best of the day as she took silver in her 200m IM.

For the boys, James Corner showed he is gaining endurance with an eight-second improvement in his 200m IM, while Izzie Painter also improved by nearly seven seconds.

In the 50m backstroke, Corner’s success continued with a CQT – chopping off almost four seconds for fourth place.

Chris Nel and Weston took first and second, with Nel taking club best and the club’s first regional time of the day, while Owen Strakosch bagged a PB, Filer took gold and Tom Strakosch won silver in their age groups.

In the same event for the girls, Roisin Clarke bagged bronze and a CQT, while there were PBs from Helena Martin, Aoife Hanling, Izzy Sansom and Jenny Atwill.

In the 200m backstroke, Nel and Weston again finished first and second in PB times, with Peter Lever just missing a medal with his own PB in fourth.

Ollie Martin impressed with an eight-second PB and Tom Strakosch set yet another club best with gold in the open.

Izzy Sansom gained her first CQT of the year, also in the 200m backstroke, while Roisin Clarke also improved her PB after Izzie Painter had improved by over seven seconds.

The successes continued in the 200m backstroke, with Jess Potts setting her own PB, club best and gaining a CQT along with bronze, while Hazza Horwood-Jones and Ellen Northwood also set PBs.

The next RQTs came courtesy of Jordan Northwood and Abbie Hurst in the 200m breaststroke – claiming gold and bronze, respectively.

Hurst’s time was also a club best, before Ellie MacDonald improved to go sub-three minutes for the first time.

In the 50m butterfly, Corner, Owen Strakosch, Ollie Martin, Nel, Weston, Lever and Adam Hawkswood all set PBs, before Jordan Northwood improved the club record for silver and Filer took the 16 years club best in a PB for gold.

Helena Martin, Ellen Northwood and Hanling improved their 50m butterfly PBs and Potts then took silver and a club best for the 14 year olds, pipping Northwood in their personal battle. That was followed by PBs for Stevens and MacDonald.

Nel took another victory in the 50m freestyle with PBs from Lever, Hawkswood and Filer, then Sam Murcott took a CQT with his own 50m freestyle and Tom Strakosch went sub-28 for the first time.

For the girls, Grace Payne, Ellen Northwood, Hazza Horwood-Jones and Jenny Atwill all set PBs, while Stevens and MacDonald took silver and bronze in their respective age groups.

Nel, Lever and Weston took second, third and fourth in the 200m freestyle, followed by Jordan Northwood winning the 15 years age group in a club best and RQT.

Amelie Baker smashed her PB for fourth place, followed by Atwill getting her 200 Free CQT.

In the 200m butterfly, Ellen Northwood gained her first ever regional time, while the 50m breaststroke saw Nel take another silver and Lever gain another PB.

Filer won silver and Grace Payne improved her PB, before the meet finished with silvers for MacDonald and Atwill.

The club’s other competitors on the day were Lottie Priestley, Amy Pemberton, Amy Stoker, Niamh Clarke, Elly Sansom and Izzie Soulsby.

Gade Valley Harrier Sam Tucker completed another marathon in her training for 10-in-10 next year as she finished the Kirkstall Abbey Trail Marathon in Leeds.

Tucker crossed the finish line of the 26.2-mile off-road course in 4 hours and 58 minutes, meaning she has raced more than 166 miles in less than one month.

Elsewhere, Simon Wallis and Kelly Smyth from the Harriers took on the Survival of the Fittest Challenge in Wembley Park, London.

The 10k route started with two laps of the famous Wembley Stadium, before taking the competitors through 20 obstacle zones – featuring more than 100 obstacles for them to crawl, wade, climb and scramble through.

Meanwhile, husband and wife team Dean and Joanna Kidd took on the 10K challenge of the Morunner event at Campbell Park in Milton Keynes to raise funds for Movember. Dean completed the course in a new PB of 51:21 and Jo finished in 58:40.

The Black Park parkrun had three Harriers flying the Gade Valley colours, with Guy Wollett first back in third place overall in 18:34. John Lawler was right behind in fourth place in 18:47, with Vince Ellerby completing in ninth place in 19:42.

St Albans had four runners competing, with Paula Cook first back in 24:49. Joanna Kidd was next in 27:12 followed by Harry Rumble, setting a new PB of 29:11 and coming third in his age group, while his dad Paul Rumble finished in 29:12.

Gade Valley Harrier Matt Ashby travelled to Canterbury parkrun and stormed home in fourth place overall in 20:29.

Scott Dixon and Nick Crowther were competing at Tring parkrun, where Dixon battled home in fifth place overall in a time of 19:50, setting a new PB. Crowther put on a good show to finish the hilly course in 21:48, also setting a new PB.

Hemel Hempstead School got their revenge over Verulam School as the two sides battled it out under floodlights in the Hertfordshire County Final at Hemel Stags’ Pennine Way Stadium.

With Verulam having beaten Hemel in a closely fought festival final a few weeks previously, the game looked set to be another close encounter.

However, few would have predicted the lengthy golden point extra-time period it took to decide the game.

Verulam had started the game strongly, working their way up the field with simple carries. Two scores in the first 10 minutes established an early lead for the St Albans team, with Will Brothwood converting the second try to make it 10-0 at half-time.

However, Hemel’s expansive style of play became more accurate after the break and it began to pay dividends as they clawed their way back into the game with tries from Ed Shaw and Leon Axell-Gee. Shaw’s try was converted, making the scores even at 10-10 early in the second period.

Following another score for Verulam, there was an almighty collision of two giants who, despite only being 14 years old, stand at over six feet tall.

Verulam’s captain James Lofts took yet another carry, but ran straight into the monstrous hit of Hemel’s Craig Burn.

This surmised Hemel’s determination not to lose and, led by inspirational captain Sam Jolly, they scored a try out wide in the final few minutes through Axell-Gee. The pressure was on the kicker to win the game but he was unsuccessful with his attempt at the posts.

At 14-14 the game went to golden point extra-time. For a while it appeared the game could go on all night, but after 10 minutes Hemel again shifted the ball wide by drawing in defenders with well-timed passes.

Axell-Gee was held up two metres short in the right corner, then in the next play Shaw was held up half an inch short in the left corner.

But soon afterwards, diminutive Evan Marshall’s quick thinking allowed him to dive over from dummy half to send the Hemel crowd into raptures – most notably head of PE James Heward who couldn’t hide his joy at seeing his side crowned Hertfordshire County champions.

Hemel Stags community manager Mike Stewart said: “It’s great to see Hemel Hempstead School progress in the Champion Schools competition.

“I said to the boys after the game that they had played great rugby league; the big guys carried it fast and hard and the backs showed great skills to finish off quality tries. The joy on their faces is why we do this job.”

Hemel Hempstead School will now progress to face a school within the London Skolars catchment area in North London.

There were another couple of close-fought fixtures for the West Herts Junior Hockey teams in cold and wet conditions on Sunday.

The U14 girls won 4-3 away at Wycombe, while the U16 boys suffered their first defeat of the season as they went down 3-2 to Slough.

The West Herts boys started off a little disjointed and Slough took advantage, securing an early lead.

But West Herts began to grow into the game, and the equaliser arrived through Tom Watts.

Slough scored again late in the first half following a missed clearance, but the West Herts boys were well in the game going in at the break.

An early goal from Raphael Allen levelled matters, but mistakes in the final third and at the back again proved costly as Slough regained the lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Pushing for the equaliser, West Herts won a penalty flick after a shot was saved on the line by a defender’s foot, but they were unable to convert the chance as the wet conditions made gripping the stick difficult.

The girls, meanwhile, took a quick lead in their clash with Wycombe, with Gabriella Holland scoring first.

Within 10 minutes the girls were deservedly 2-0 up following strong forward play and, although Wycombe pulled a goal back, the two-goal cushion was restored shortly before half-time through Holland.

The second half was a more even affair and Wycombe moved the ball around well, stretching West Herts at the back and levelling the game at 3-3.

West Herts won several penalty corners, but were unable to convert until the last play of the game when Nicole Poole, with her back to the goal, flicked the ball past the keeper for the winner.

With the club’s newly installed starting blocks in action for the first time, the Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club 2014 Club Championships kicked off with Session 1 on Thursday evening.

The session saw two of the most challenging events – the boys’ 1,500m freestyle and the girls’ 400m IM – and the swimmers recorded personal bests in nearly every swim on the night.

First up on the night were the boys, with age group victories going to Reuben Balch (10), Luke Pestaille (11), Jonny Farrow (12), Max Jelfs (13), Harrison Newbury-Kemp (14-15) and Tom Sherriff (Open) .

Sherriff, Freddie Woodcock, Jelfs and Newbury-Kemp destroyed their county times, while Jelfs was also comfortably inside his regional time for next summer.

Dispelling the myth that distance Freestyle is boring were Newbury-Kemp and Sonny Carter in the 14-year-old category.

The boys were within a couple of metres of eachother through the entire race, with both swimmers ultimately touching together after a sprint finish with identical times of 19:16:36. Newbury-Kemp was awarded the touch by the judges.

In the girls’ 400m IM, the age group winners were Tilly Beckwith (10), Lois Goad (11), Eleanor Bevan (12), Alice Fender (13), Emily Jelfs (14-15) and Aimee Abrey (Open).

Millie Anderson, Beckwith, Georgia Purkis, Bevan, Leanne Abrey, Fender, Shaminah Sherwani-Keeling, Keelin McKenna, Jelfs, Aimee Abrey, Grace Rayner and Ellen Fender clocked county times, with a number of other swimmers near and likely to join them before the qualifying window closes.

The most exciting 400m IM race on the night was saved to last and as Rayner and Abrey battled it out in the final heat for the open title.

The lead changed throughout the strokes with Abrey taking it on the touch in 5:21:61 – one hundredth of a second ahead of Rayner.

Both girls were inside the previous club open record and well inside their regional qualifying times for next year

Bury Judo Club returned home with two medals from the BJC National Championships at Kettering Leisure Centre.

The highlight of the day was 17-year-old Beth O’Connor taking the gold medal and national title in the ladies’ U52kg kyu grade, winning all her fights with ippon scores.

This is the second national title for Beth this year as she also won the BJC National Open championships in May.

Ralph Williams, meanwhile, took a well deserved bronze in the U46kg category, matching the bronze he won at the Open.

Other club members who took part but were out of the medals this time were Haydn Williams and Liam Trill Green.

For further information about Bury Judo Club, please contact Roy Smith on 07961105055.

There’s the usual winning mix of wisecracking banter and mass destruction in the latest instalment of the macho Expendables franchise.

Soldier of fortune Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) retires his ageing crew of mercenaries in favour of youthful hotshots in THE EXPENDABLES 3 (12: Lionsgate).

Their mission is to capture a ruthless arms dealer (Mel Gibson), who also happens to be The Expendables’ co-founder. But when the new kids are captured, it’s “the grey team” (including Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jet Li) who come to the explosive rescue.

As well as the mad combat skills, take-no-prisoners attitude and jokey references to the action heroes’ pasts, there are some dull soul-searching stretches and the climactic duel is lame.

The most epic battle in the series so far errs on the cheesy side, but there are solid additions to the old fogey fight club (Wesley Snipes, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammer and Harrison Ford), with Antonio Banderas making the biggest impression as the over-excitable, too-talkative Galgo.

> The humour is dark and incisive in surreal part-animated drama THE CONGRESS (15: Studio Canal) from Israeli director Ari Folman.

He casts Robin Wright as, erm, Robin Wright, a Hollywood actress whose agent (Harvey Keitel) is convincing her to accept a proposition from an oily film executive (Danny Huston) that would see her give up all rights to her image for two decades.

It’s an especially bold turn by Wright, who bears the brunt of some very harsh dialogue. After she signs up, the film fast-forwards 20 years. Now, on the way to the mysterious ‘Congress’ of the title, she drinks from an ampoule containing an unidentified drug and enters an anarchic, animated version of Hollywood populated by famous faces in caricature.

An entertaining film becomes a lot more wayward at this point, but even though it never quite seals the satirical promise of its first half, it does throw up some dazzling and very amusing ideas.

> Two damaged souls attempt to heal themselves through music in uplifting romantic drama BEGIN AGAIN (15: Entertainment One). Dan (Mark Ruffalo) is a washed-up record producer whose glory days are a distant memory. Gretta (Keira Knightley) is a British singer/songwriter heartbroken after splitting up with her boyfriend-cum-recording partner.

Both their lives are changed for the better, however, when Dan witnesses Gretta performing on stage and persuades her to record an album on the streets of New York.

Some of the original songs are pleasant and the cast acquit themselves well. James Corden nabs some laughs as Gretta’s busker friend, while the always excellent Ruffalo delivers plenty of charm.

> Dusty (Dane Cook), the famous racing airplane, learns that his engine is damaged and he must shift gears and find a new career in PLANES 2: FIRE & RESCUE (PG: Walt Disney). He joins an elite corps of firefighting aircraft devoted to protecting historic Piston Peak National Park.

When a massive fire threatens the park, Dusty, with the help of fearless colleagues Blade Ranger, Dipper, Windlifter, Cabbie and the Smokejumpers, learns what it takes to become a real hero.

Hemel’s Ed Arthur will head to Sweden this weekend for his first professional fight abroad.

Unbeaten Arthur makes the journey to Stockholm, with trainer Denniston ‘Mad Max’ Sutherland, to feature in the co-main event at Superior Challenge 11 on Saturday.

The 25 year old has already made an impact at home and is now hoping to attract attention with his performance in the cage on the European stage.

The scaffolder, of Highfield, faces Swenden’s Martin Akhtar who, it is claimed, will be Arthur’s toughest opponent yet.

Arthur, who started in boxing before moving over to MMA, trains under Sutherland at the Mmax Gym - formerly Hemel Martial Arts - in Kings Langley.

Leverstock Green fell to another defeat in Tuesday night’s home league match against Harefield United.

The visitors took the lead in the 15th minute when Harry Newman got the better of Damien Cruickshank on the right wing and squared into the box for Jack Reader to sidefoot home.

However, Leverstock had some near-misses in a good spell of pressure midway through the half.

On 25 minutes a shot from Callum Wright was spilled by the Harefield keeper, but the loose ball just evaded the boot of Nathan Jellow.

Two minutes later a good effort from Elias Moses was parried away by the keeper, and from the resulting corner Louis Bircham headed just wide.

Leverstock also made a promising start to the second half. They had a free-kick in a good position just outside the box on 52 minutes, but Bircham’s effort was comfortably saved.

Danny Arnett got the end of a Luke Warner-Eley free-kick on 61 minutes but the ball went across the face of goal and wide.

The game was still in the balance at this stage, but a second Harefield goal on 69 minutes was decisive. Danny Bennell curled over a first-time cross to the far post where Chris Mills slid in to finish.

Harefield had a chance for a third on 79 minutes when the referee awarded them a penalty for a foul by Kieran Jimmy from a corner.

Kyle Matthews took the kick, but Jimmy dived across his goal to save. However, the referee ordered a retake, only for Matthews to strike his second attempt wide off the post.

Dene Gardner’s squad is still suffering from injuries, and will shortly be suffering from suspensions following the recent spate of red cards, but hopefully they can pick themselves up for Saturday’s visit to Hoddesdon Town.

Just last week Berkhamsted’s High Street was in the running for the Great Street Urbanism Award and places among the plethora of restaurants and bars is at a premium.

For choice and variety you would struggle to find anywhere better outside London.

But is it a place you can bring the kids for a family meal?

Well thanks to Raymond Blanc, it is now.

The famous chef and 
restauranteur’s Brasserie Blanc – famed for its upmarket, formal and high quality dining experience – has introduced new Henri Le Worm childrens’ menus to make it much more family friendly.

From the outside Brasserie Blanc Berkhamsted seems intimate and cosy. Inside it is anything but and can only be described as a luxurious cavern.

BB is going through an extensive rebranding process to make its venues and experience more informal.

Henri Le Worm is a popular app that has been based on Blanc himself and aims to encourage kids to find out more about food, ingredients and nature.

For the adults it is still fine dining to Blanc’s high standards that we know and love but Henri and his friends mean your children can enjoy themselves too.

There are classic kids’s dishes such as Mac N’ Cheese and the Big Fish Finger at very reasonable prices. And your little ones’ attention will be held by the variety of puzzles, colouring and games on the interactive and educational menu.

The staff are fully embracing the changes too. They are so attentive to the children and make them feel like special guests – they even let them draw on the (disposable) table cloth at the end.

So next time you are thinking about a family meal out, BBB offers Le perfect solution.

See the Henri Le Worm menu

Hemel Hempstead’s Harry Winks has revealed his delight after making his senior debut for Tottenham Hotspur in their Europa League clash against Partizan Belgrade.

The former Cavendish School pupil came on as a sub in the 87th minute to replace Brazil international Paulinho for the final minutes of the game, which ended in a 1-0 win for Spurs and saw them progress in the competition.

The 18-year-old has been knocking on the door of the senior Tottenham team recently, and he was overjoyed with his run-out on the White Hart Lane turf.

“This was by far the best moment of my life so far,” said Winks. “It’s a dream come true to play for Spurs. Five minutes or 50 minutes; I didn’t really mind as long as I got on which was brilliant.”

Despite his tender age, Winks was by no means overwhelmed by the situation, and got in a few nice touches during his brief stint on the pitch.

“I was just thinking to myself ‘go on and enjoy it.’ I wasn’t nervous, I wasn’t scared; I just wanted to go on and play,” he said. “It felt natural and I loved every minute of it.”

Winks’ introduction into the game was somewhat of a gamble for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, with his side protecting a slender lead. However, the youngster did not look out of place.

“The manager just told me to go on, work hard, run about, and get myself into the game,” said Winks. “I just thought that the best thing to do was to run about and press and if I got a touch, it would be brilliant. So I’m really happy with it.”

Winks is a big Spurs fan, and says his inclusion in the first team squad comes as a result of plenty of hard work.

“It means everything to me,” he said. “We work so hard to get the opportunity, so it’s massive for us. As I say, it’s a dream come true for me to go out there and play, especially for the team I support.”

Despite his ever-growing reputation, level-headed Winks says he is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

“I can’t get carried away with it,” he added . “It’s brilliant now, but tomorrow I’ve got to forget about it and work hard to nail myself into the first team squad more often.”

Hemel Hempstead Town are gearing up for the long trip down to Truro for their FA Trophy third qualifying round clash tomorrow afternoon.

The Tudors know Truro well from their meetings in the Southern Premier Division last season, and Dean Brennan’s side will be eager to return to winning ways following a 1-0 defeat at Bath City on Tuesday night.

Speaking to club press officer Allan Mitchell, Hemel boss Dean Brennan suggested that he may rotate the side to freshen things up and give some of his players a rest.

“We’ll pick a side that we feel can win the game,” he said. “We’ve got a strong squad and it’s what a squad is needed for. It’s a good opportunity for our players who haven’t been getting regular football to come back in and hopefully give us a headache.”

Assistant manager Stuart Maynard was quick to dismiss the opinion that a trip to Truro was a bad draw for the Tudors, insisting they will be fully focussed on the job at hand.

“There could be worse draws,” he said. “It’s a team in the league below, they’re in good form - again it’s mainly the journey.

“It’s the preparation that’s going to be the killer because the lads work on Fridays and it’s hard for them to get off to get down there on a Friday.

“But you look forward to going to play whoever you are drawn against in the Trophy; it’s a great competition and we believe we can beat anyone we play. So we don’t see it as a bad draw.

“Truro are a good team and we respect them, and the lads will go down there and give everything.”

Tudors captain Jordan Parkes has been on sensational form of late, scoring a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-3 victory over Basingstoke Town.

He added: “Our FA Trophy campaign starts with a horrible journey down to Truro. We did well down there last year, beating them 6-0 so hopefully we can do the same.

“If we can put a good run together in Trophy, the final is at Wembley which is everyone’s dream.”

To see Allan Mitchell’s full interview with Brennan and Maynard {http://www.hemelfc.com/videos/mitch-61772.html|click here}

Herts Sports Partnership has announced a stellar line up for its second annual Sport & Physical Education Conference, being held at the University of Hertfordshire.

The one day event – which takes place on Tuesday, January 20 – will feature a mixture of keynote speakers and practical and theoretical workshops.

The day will focus on the delivery of high quality sport and physical education to support whole school improvement within Hertfordshire’s 417 primary schools.

The conference, being organised in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, will bring together primary head teachers, link governors and PE subject leaders.

The keynote address will be delivered by former England rugby union international John Steele, who is now chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust and Chairman of UK Sport.

He will be joined by Sue Wilkinson of the Association for Physical Education, and representatives of Ofsted.

In launching the programme, Christine Neyndorff, director of the Herts Sports Partnership said: “We are delighted to be working with both national and local partners in putting on this conference.

“This is an excellent opportunity for those involved in the delivery of sport and physical education within our primary schools, to share in some of the very best learning from across the country.

“Given the growing concerns around childhood obesity, I would urge each and every school within Hertfordshire, to ensure that it is represented at this event.”

Rushjudo’s Mencap class travelled to Sweden for the 10th anniversary of the Gothenburg Special Needs Judo Open – taking on competitors from all over Europe.

Rushjudo took a large squad of 16 competitors and a further 16 supporters for what turned out to be an amazing experience. For some members it was their first time abroad which made it extra special.

There were more than 80 competitors taking part in total, with varying degrees of learning disabilities.

The Rushjudo squad took to the mat with pride and supported each other with passion. They showed skill, courage and demonstrated some lovely judo but above all made some fantastic new friends.

The organisers broadcasted the event live on the internet which allowed family and friends back home to keep up with action.

With a fantastic medal haul of two golds, three silvers and 11 bronzes, Rushjudo and Great Britain finished second in the overall standings.

A special mention has to go to Graham Light and Chris Day who won all their fights with dynamic big ippon victories.

The fight of the day went to the gentle giant Harry Refsum who fought the huge Swedish champion. With scores going to each player, Harry was finally overcome by his opponent.

The sportsmanship between them was incredible with ‘Big Mike’ from Sweden saying that was one of his toughest fights ever.

Rushjudo Coach Matthew Rush said: “This has been one of the most amazing experiences ever. The guys fought brilliantly and we have been looked after so well. I cant wait for the next foreign tour.”

The day was completed with a celebration dinner and disco put on by the organisers, followed by a master class on the Sunday morning before flying home.

The trip was only made possible thanks to the support Rushjudo received from local councillors Ron Tindall, IanReay, Collette Wyatt-Lowe, and Richard Roberts, as well as The Oddfellows, GW Cowler and Dacorum Borough Council.

Rushjudo has been running a dedicated judo class for people with learning disabilities in partnership with Dacorum Mencap for the last five years and are always looking for new members to join. Details can be found at www.rushjudo.co.uk

A couple who moved to Spain in 2002 are getting ready to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary – and they want their old friends from Berkhamsted to get in touch.

Colin and Brenda Sear lived in the town for 37 years, first in Bridge Street and then in St Edmunds on the Ashlyns estate.

They met while working at Clunbury Press in nearby Manor Street and now have three children, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, who still live in the area.

They now live in Mazarron on Spain’s Costa Calida and will celebrate their 50th – which is next Wednesday – by going on a five-day break to Venice.

Colin said: “We would like to say a big hello to all our relatives and friends that live locally.

“We would like to be contacted by old friends in the Berkhamsted area on searatcampisol@hotmail.com.”

Hemel Hempstead Town booked their place in the first round proper of the FA Trophy after battling to a 2-1 victory over Truro City at Treyew Road.

Goals from Jordan Parkes and Zane Banton did the damage for Hemel, in a fiery clash which saw both teams end the game with 10 men.

Hemel defender Arthur Lee was given his marching orders after 67 minutes as he picked up a second yellow card, before City’s Ed Palmer followed him six minutes later for a challenge on Oliver Hawkins who was unable to continue.

All of the goals arrived in the first half of the clash, with skipper Jordan Parkes putting Hemel ahead after only four minutes with a superb 25-yard strike to continue his rich vein of goalscoring form.

Truro were back on level terms just before the half hour when Matt Wright forced the ball past Hemel keeper Laurie Walker as they challenged for a high ball.

However, the Tudors regained the lead in first half stoppage time when Zane Banton finished off a fine counter-attack as City appealed for an offside flag that never came.

In the second half, the hosts pressed forward in search of an equaliser and went close on several occasions.

Midway through the half, Lee saw red following a challenge on Cody Cooke which earned him his second yellow card and gave Truro the numerical advantage.

But Palmer soon followed him for his tackle on Hawkins, and Hemel held firm to secure their place in the next round of the competition.

Truro City: Burns; James (Afful 81), Tully, Pugh, Farkins, White, Green, Palmer, Duff, Hayles (Cooke 58), Wright (Vassell 75). Subs (not used): Moore (GK)

Goal: Wright (29)

Yellow cards: Wright, Farkins, Hayles

Red card: Palmer (73)

Hemel Hempstead Town: Walker; King, Lee, Parkes, Asafu-Adjaye, Diarra, Sanders, Daly, Hawkins (Connolly 76), Banton (Reynolds 54), Potton

Goals: Parkes (4), Banton (45+1)

Yellow cards: Walker, Parkes, Hawkins, Asafu-Adjaye

Red card: Lee (67)

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