The final takes place on August 5, and Murray will hope to still be in the competition, if only to keep up a rich tradition of success.
Team GB top the all-time Olympic tennis medals table, having accumulated 16 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals between 1896 and 1924.
The sport did not feature on the Olympic programme for the next 64 years, but Tim Henman and Neil Broad returned Team GB to the podium with a men’s doubles silver medal at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
“I can't wait for the Olympics to start, it's such an incredible event and for it to be in London is extra special," said Murray.
"I remember being part of the Olympic ceremony in Beijing, which was an unbelievable atmosphere and like nothing I'd experienced before.
"Winning a medal this summer for Team GB is one of my major goals.”
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Kent Spitfires suffer narrow defeat to Essex Eagles in Friends Life t20 - Kent Online
Comments |
Read all comments on this story.
Rob Key bowled by David Masters for five Picture: Barry Goodwin
Kent Spitfires suffered a dramatic three-run defeat against Essex in Friends Life t20 South at Chelmsford on Wednesday night.
Mark Davies gave Kent a perfect start, accounting for Mark Pettini, however James Franklin (39) and Graham Napier (20) led the recovery before James Foster made a swashbuckling 51 off 27 balls - including four sixes and two fours.
He eventually fell to Matt Coles in an over which saw the Kent man go for 24 runs, including eight off a single delivery when a no-ball was despatched for six.
After piling on 53 runs in the final four overs, Essex posted 158-6, with Coles claiming 2-46 in his four overs.
Former Kent bowler David Masters accounted for Rob Key (5) and Azhar Mahmood (0) in successive deliveries as Kent reached 61-2 at the halfway stage.
However Sam Billings amassed a fine 59 off 55 balls, and shared a stand of 54 in seven overs with Brendan Nash (26) as Kent reached 118-3 at the start of the 17th over before proceeding to lose their last seven wickets for the addition of 37 runs.
Medium-pacer Greg Smith was the tormentor in chief, claiming 5-17 including the scalps of Billings and Nash in consecutive balls.
Sam Northeast clubbed two sixes to keep the visitors in touch and Kent were boosted by a six-run penalty against the hosts for a slow over rate.
Kent needed 17 off the final over, and a six from Adam Ball gave them hope, however needing four from the final delivery, last-man Davies was bowled by Napier.
It was just the second defeat of the season in all competitions for Jimmy Adams’ men, while it was the first t20 win of the year for Essex.
Thursday, June 21 2012
Print Article
Buy a KM Picture
The KM Group does not moderate comments.
Please click here for our house rules.
Source: www.kentonline.co.uk
Woman who lost legs in 7/7 bombing after London Olympic party meant she caught later train makes Paralympic team - Daily Mail
- 'I was one of the lucky ones,' says mother-of-one caught in 7/7 bombing
- Sportswoman makes sitting volleyball team after losing legs in the terrorist attack
By Claire Bates
|
A survivor of the July 7 suicide bombings said her dreams had come true after being picked to compete at the London 2012 Paralympics.
Martine Wright, 39, took up sitting volleyball after losing her legs in the 2005 terror attacks, and spends up to 25 hours training a week.
Martine Wright, a former marketing manager, is now on Britain's women's sitting volleyball team
After finding out she had made the squad, she said: 'I have dreamt of being part of it and now I am going there to do my country proud.
'I would like to thank my family and friends for all their love and support they have given me in my quest to become a Paralympian. They are all amazing'.
Mrs Wright, from Tring in Hertfordshire, was one of the last people to be pulled from the wreckage of the tube train at Aldgate. She lost 75 per cent of her blood, spent 10 days in a coma, and lost both her legs.
She only narrowly survived because off-duty policewoman Elizabeth Kenworthy braved the wreckage and tied a tourniquet around her legs. Seven people died in her tube carriage, while 52 people were killed in total in the terrorist attack.
'I was one of the lucky ones,' she told Trans World Sport.
'I'm still here. I got new legs and I survived.'
Martine Wright now walks with false limbs. She says she is lucky to have survived the 7/7 bombings
In a strange twist of fate, the sportswoman caught a later train than usual on July 7th 2005 because she was running late after celebrating London winning the Olympics the night before. She was sitting just 3ft from one of the bombers when they detonated.
She spent 10months in hospital before learning to walk again at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton.
She returned briefly to her job in marketing but then turned to sport as she felt something was missing from her life.
'Someone who goes through something traumatic can lose their confidence and lose their goals,' she said.
'I think sport revives these things in people.'
The mother-of-one tried a taster Paralympic day and fell in love with the team sport of sitting volleyball.
The sport is in its infancy in Britain, potentially putting them at a disadvantage in comparison to their rivals, but with London 2012 on the horizon the team has made a determined push to try and prove they are worth their home nation spot.
ParalympicsGB had only sent a standing volleyball team to compete at the Games before London 2012.
Martine, pictured in 2010, married her partner Nick and had son Oscar after the bombings
Also on the women's team is Sam Bowen, a former soldier who lost a leg in a mortar attack in Iraq.
When Volleyball England took control of the British Sitting Volleyball programme in 2009, there were just a few male players training.
Now there are a men's and women's squads with players training daily with a full time coach.
ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said: 'Today we have announced a group of athletes who are truly phenomenal.
'Not only have they worked incredibly hard to get to this point, but as individuals many of them have gone through difficult personal circumstances in order to do so.
'These athletes epitomise the power of the Paralympic Games to inspire people, both disabled and non-disabled, and the power of sport to change peoples' lives.'
Speaking at the selection announcement at City Hall, London Mayor Boris Johnson wished the team 'the very best of luck when they battle it out against the best teams from around the world this summer.'
For more information on the London 2012 Paralympics visit www.london2012.com/paralympics
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Police start 185m relay run at Lewes - Lewes Today
SUSSEX Police Chief Constable Martin Richards this morning (Thursday June 21) ran the first leg of a 185 mile relay run around the county’s police stations.
The run is taking place until Saturday to raise funds for The Chaseley Trust in Eastbourne whose main home, Chaseley, is currently home to Sergeant Wendy Dowman.
Sergeant Dowman was injured in a collision on the A267 at Hellingly on September 5 2010.
As a result of the injuries she sustained in the collision Wendy appears to remain in a low awareness state, is wheelchair bound, therefore requiring full support with meeting all her physical and social needs.
The Chief Constable was joined on the first leg of the relay by Deputy Chief Constable Giles York.
Officers and staff from across Sussex Police are each running a leg of the route which goes between 15 police stations in Sussex.
Tomorrow evening (Friday) Assistant Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney will run a leg of the route.
The relay event has been organised by Sergeant Carrie Kwasniewski of Mid Sussex District Neighbourhood Policing Team.
She said: “I have known Sergeant Wendy Dowman for almost my whole career. She is a very good friend and colleague.
“I went to visit Wendy just before Christmas and she is so well looked after at Chaseley that myself and colleagues decided we had to do something to support the charity.”
Chief Constable Martin Richards said: “I am looking forward to running the first leg of the relay to support The Chaseley Trust and the fantastic work the charity does.
“Chaseley has become a home for Sergeant Dowman and now we would like to do something to assist them with continuing to care for her and others who require nursing care.
“I would like to commend Sergeant Carrie Kwasniewski for her dedication in organising this event.”
Sue Wyatt, Chief Executive from Chaseley Trust said: “It is wonderful that this event is taking place with so many officers participating to raise funds and awareness throughout Sussex for our charity.
“This will greatly benefit the people who use our services and we are enormously grateful to Sergeant Carrie Kwasniewski for taking the initiative to organise this amazing relay.”
The Chaseley Trust was initially set up in 1946 to look after servicemen and ex-servicemen at its main home, Chaseley.
The Trust also has a second innovative nursing home comprising of detached and semi-detached bungalows.
Nowadays, Chaseley cares for adults from the age of 18 with all types of disability, from spinal injury, acquired brain injury and stroke, to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and a wide range of other neurological conditions.
Covering a wide age range, Chaseley Home and Bungalows have a ‘family’ feel where everyone feels valued and their input welcomed.
Anyone who would like to sponsor the runners is asked to visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/carriekwasniewski1
During the relay the runners will be supported by a team who will be collecting money along the route.
Follow Chaseley Trust Facebook or their website http://www.chaseley.org.uk/
Today the relay is due to take place at Lewes, Newhaven, Brighton, Worthing, Bognor and Chichester.
Tomorrow it will go to Chichester, Horsham, Crawley, Gatwick and Haywards Heath and on Saturday Battle, Hastings, Eastbourne and to Chaseley.
Email to a friend
Print this pageSource: www.sussexexpress.co.uk
London amongst the most congested cities in Europe - The Independent
London, Manchester and Liverpool were all among the most congested cities in Europe last year, statistics from traffic information company INRIX showed.
Based on rush-hour commute-to-city travel in 2011, the figures revealed that UK drivers spent 32 hours of the year stuck in traffic, although this was four hours less than in 2010.
Heading the congestion list last year was Belgium where drivers wasted 55 hours in traffic. The Netherlands was the next-worst country for jams, followed by Italy.
The INRIX figures also showed that in the London commuter zone last year, drivers wasted 66 hours in traffic, with the Greater Manchester figure being 45 hours and Liverpool being 39 hours.
The worst time for congestion in London was Friday from 4pm to 5pm, while Greater Manchester's worst time was Tuesday from 9am to 10am, with Liverpool's jams being at their worst between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesdays.
Nationwide, the worst time to be on the roads was in London between 4pm and 5pm, when it took an average of 33% longer to complete a journey than in uncongested conditions.
Overall, a journey along a UK major motorway during peak-time driving hours took, on average, 17% longer than in jam-free conditions.
All 18 UK cities analysed had fewer jams last year than in 2010, with Friday being the worst traffic day and Tuesday being the worst weekday morning.
The best weekday for traffic in the UK last year was Monday, with the worst commuting hour being 9am to 10am on Tuesdays and the best being 7am to 8am on Fridays.
Among UK cities, the biggest decline in hours wasted in traffic last year was in Birmingham, where drivers spent eight hours less in queues than in 2010.
Londoners spent seven hours less, with drivers in Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham and Glasgow all spending five hours less.
For European countries, the biggest drops in congestion between 2010 and 2011 were in Portugal (down 49%), Ireland (down 25%), Spain (down 12%) and Italy (down 12%).
INRIX Europe senior vice president Stuart Marks said: "So goes traffic, so goes the economy.
"Traffic congestion is an excellent economic indicator telling us whether people are going to work, businesses are shipping products and consumers are spending money."
These were the 10 most congested areas in the UK in terms of hours drivers spent stuck in traffic in 2011:
1. London commuter zone 66
2. Greater Manchester 45
3. Liverpool 39
4. Birmingham 34
5= Belfast-Lisburn 33
5= Newcastle upon Tyne 33
7. South Nottinghamshire 32
8. Leeds-Bradford-Harrogate 30
9= Sheffield 29
9= Edinburgh-Lothian 29
Source: www.independent.co.uk
London 2012 festival: reasons to be cheerful - The Guardian
When Les Commandos Percu's On the Night Shift explodes across the sky over Lake Windermere in Cumbria on 21 June as part of Lakes Alive, it should provide a fitting celebration for the opening day of the London 2012 Festival. But it is also a reminder of how much Ruth Mackenzie's London 2012 programme is asking questions around the nature of art itself, participatory activity in the arts, and who goes and why. I reckon she's done a good job.
The fact that a great many of the events are free is also crucial, but even paid events are attracting support. Yesterday it was reported that the festival has already sold half of its four million tickets, and even more interestingly, 80% of those who saw a play in the Globe to Globe season, which was part of the festival, were new attenders.
Perhaps it does seem odd that some of the theatre events included in the 2012 festival are already over, and others, such as Jonathan Pryce's King Lear, will continue long after the Olympics are but a distant memory. Checking through the theatre entries in the brochure, it does look as if there are a fair number of productions that would have been scheduled whether there was a festival or not. Not that it really matters – the more the merrier, I say. I want to see acrobats swinging around in cavernous English cathedrals, fell runners lighting up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh and epic tales unfolding on Weymouth beach.
Even more exciting is just how much of the work, such as On the Night Shift or Belfast's Land of Giants, is operating outside of traditional theatre spaces, is family friendly and participatory and reflects a growing awareness of the changing nature of theatre, whether it's Punchdrunk's Dr Who-inspired adventure, The Crash of the Elysium in Ipswich, or Unlimited's The Giant and the Bear at West Yorkshire Playhouse, in which the audience are also playing a game.
Marc Rees's Adain Avion in Wales is one of many hybrid projects that cross all the artform boundaries. I love the link-up with the fabulous sounding Ghost Parade in Ebbw Vale, which marks the closure of the steel works almost 10 years to the day. A great deal of the work in the festival has a strong social factor, springing from communities and creating a community out of those who attend. It's a reminder that the arts play a crucial role in making people feel happier in themselves but also about each other, their surroundings and their futures.
Many of those going to see performances simply because they are listed in the London 2012 festival brochure are probably unaware they are seeing work which is pushing the boundaries of what we mean by theatre and performance. If people go, and have a good time, it doesn't matter what it is called. If they go and have a good time, maybe some of them will come back demanding more. That alone is a reason to celebrate.
• Which London 2012 events are you looking forward to most? Tell us by posting a comment below.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London politicians call for Munich '72 remembrance - Reuters UK
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - London politicians urged the International Olympic Committee to show political courage and allow a minute's silence during the opening or closing ceremonies of the London Games to mark the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre.
Eleven Israeli team members died at the 1972 Olympics in Munich after being held hostage by Palestinian gunmen.
The London Assembly unanimously voted on Wednesday for a motion supporting a minute's silence for the athletes and coaches who died in the attack.
Andrew Dismore, who proposed the motion, said the deaths went beyond politics and nationality.
"The IOC say to have a minute's silence to commemorate these victims of terrorism would be a ‘political gesture', but surely not having a minute's silence is, in itself, the political gesture," he said in a statement.
"This is not about the nationality of the victims - they were Olympians."
Londoners have forked out about 10 percent of the 9.3 billion pound public bill to stage the Games, with the rest coming from central government and the national lottery.
Roger Evans, another lawmaker, who seconded the motion, said: "The IOC needs to show some political courage and allow the commemoration of a tragedy that affected their guests during their event in their venue 40 years ago.
"This important decision should not be dictated by a small number of their members."
The London organising committee (LOCOG), responsible for staging the Games, said it was a matter for the IOC.
The IOC was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Robert Woodward)
Source: uk.reuters.com
Wealthy lawyer parents who 'planted POT in car of PTA president in attempt to get her jailed after she locked their son out of tennis lesson' - Daily Mail
|
A couple of California attorneys were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly planting a bag of drugs in the car of the president of their child's Parent Teacher's Association at the Plaza Vista Elementary School.
Irvine police said that Kent Wycliffe Easter, 38, and Jill Bjorkholm Easter, 38, conspired to frame Kelli Peters by putting Vicodin, Percocet, marijuana and a used marijuana pipe behind the front seat of her car.
The duo sought revenge on Mrs Peters because of a longstanding feud over their son, according to police, and resorted to extreme measures to get her fired - and imprisoned.
Their feud is said to date back two years when Mr Kent filed a civil complaint after Ms Peters - then a school volunteer - for allegedly locking his son out of the school for 20 minutes during an after-school tennis lesson, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Scroll down for video
Charged: Irvine police said that Kent Wycliffe Easter, 38, right, and Jill Bjorkholm Easter, 38, left, conspired to frame Kelli Peters by putting Vicodin, Percocet, marijuana and a used marijuana pipe in her car
Victim: The duo sought revenge on Mrs Peters, pictured, because they believed the woman wasn't properly supervising their son, according to police, and resorted to extreme measures to get her fired - and imprisoned
A tennis instructor found the boy 'crying and alone', according to the complaint. Mrs Peters allegedly said she locked the boy out because he took too long to line with other children.
The feud then seems to have intensified after Mrs Easter was asked by the school board not to take the matter to police.
Mrs Easter then got a retraining order against Ms Peters, claiming that she was harassing her son and had even threatened to kill her. She claimed that Ms Peters 'will stop at nothing to silence my son' and had been calling him psychotic and unstable to other parents.
'She is stalking me and attempting to intimidate me at my son's school and while I run errands in Irvine,' she alleged.
Police said that on February 16, 2011, the Easters enacted a plan to get rid of Mrs Peters.
Just after midnight, police claim Kent Easter sneaked over to the home of the Mrs Peters, who was identified by KTLA, and placed the drugs inside her unlocked vehicle in plain sight, where it would be easily visible from outside the vehicle.
Later that day, Kent Easter assumed a fake name and phone number and reported to police that he was a 'concerned parent who had witnessed an erratic driver park at the elementary school,' officials said.
He identified Mrs Peters by name, claimed he witnessed her shoving a bag of drugs into her car and even read out her license plate, police said.
Kent and Jill Easter were allegedly in constant contact with one another throughout the escapade, texting and calling each other in between every move.
'This was obviously something [the Easters] had sought out and planned with the intent of having her arrested,' Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office, said to the Los Angeles Times.
Out: Police said that on February 16, 2011, the Easters enacted a plan to get rid of Mrs Peters, who was the Parent Teacher's Association president at the Plaza Vista Elementary School, pictured
But when officers arrived at the parking lot and saw the bag of drugs, they asked Mrs Peters to search her vehicle. She complied, but was shocked at what they found.
'I thought I was on a joke show, like someone was playing a joke on me,' Mrs Peters told KTLA.
'I thought I was on a joke show, like someone was playing a joke on me.'
Victim, Kelli Peters
Regardless, she was detained for two hours while police conducted an investigation.
They quickly determined that the woman was in a classroom during the time she was supposedly stuffing drugs in her car.
After that, the focused in on the Easters, who had tried to sue Mrs Peters twice before, but the cases were dismissed.
'They tried to make me look like the worst person you could be when you’re involved with a school,' Mrs Peters told KTLA. 'I just don't understand it.'
Police said they obtained footage from a security camera near Kent Easter's work in Newport Beach while he was calling to report on Mrs Peter's 'erratic driving.'
Accomplices? Kent and Jill Easter were allegedly in constant contact with one another throughout the escapade, texting and calling each other in between every move
Party's Over: Kent and Jill Easter were arrested on Tuesday and charged with conspiring to prompt a false arrest, false imprisonment, and conspiracy to falsely report a crime
'I wouldn't have seen my daughter again,' Mrs Peters said, thanking the police for being so thorough.
'Those are the nightmares that I had.'
Kent and Jill Easter were arrested on Tuesday and charged with conspiring to prompt a false arrest, false imprisonment, and conspiracy to falsely report a crime.
If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of three years in state prison. They were released on $20,000 bail each and neither returned the MailOnline's request for comment.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
London’s miners dominate FTSE 100’s losses - Financial Times
Last updated: June 21, 2012 11:44 am
Source: www.ft.com
Kent lose out to Essex in thrilling style - Kent News
Kent's Sam Billings. Picture by Ady Kerry.
Greg Miles, Twitter: @greg_KOS_sport
Thursday, June 21, 2012
10:59 AM
Last over drama sees Spitfires lose by three runs
Kent looked on course for victory over rivals Essex in the t20 until a collapse of wickets led to a thrilling run chase in the final overs.
Essex hit 158 for 6 in their 20 overs, which wasn’t an unreachable target.
And Jimmy Adams’s side looked on course for victory until the 17th over, when they were 118 for three, but Greg Smith took five wickets in two overs as Kent could only add another 37 runs, falling just four short of victory in the final over.
A six-run penalty against Essex for a slow over-rate moved Kent’s chase closer but with four needed to win off the final ball, Graham Napier bowled last man Mark Davies.
Kent were initially on the backfoot on 23 for two with David Masters taking the wickets of Rob Key, and Azhar Mahmood early on. Sam Billings and Brendan Nash shared a fourth-wicket stand of 54 in seven overs to steady the ship.
But then came Smith’s contribution, first he took Billings for 59, and Nash in successive deliveries. Then Geraint Jones went for one, and Sam Northeast, after two sixes, and Matt Coles were also dismissed.
With Kent needing four runs to win on the final ball Davies was bowled by Napier.
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
