Wimbledon champion praises young talent at Midlands tennis tournament

Wimbledon champion, Frederik Nielson, has told ITV News, that a Midlands-based tennis tournament is one of the best places to spot the stars of the future.

The Aegon GB Pro-Series has been taking place all week at The Shrewsbury Club.

The 30 year old, who teamed up with Jonathan Murray to win the 2012 Wimbledon Men's Doubles Championship, was knocked out of the tournament earlier this week.

He said he was there to boost his ranking in the men's singles table.

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A frosty night ahead tonight but tomorrow will be much brighter and mostly dry.

Tonight will be fairly cloudy with some showers. Tomorrow sees a cold start with some of those showers remaining.

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Judy Murray steps in to pick up Wimbledon winner Andy Murray's latest prize

Judy Murray with Andy's award

The tennis proudly paraded the Sports Person of the Year Award 2013 at a ceremony in Glasgow's City Chambers.

It comes after he topped a poll in a contest run by Glasgow Life to find Scotland's best sporting stars of the past year.

And Andy's achievement in becoming the first women men's singles title since Fred Perry 77 years ago fitted the bill.

The world number seven and Dunblane-born star was in Acapulco. But he's not on the beach and is competing in the Mexican Open, where he's through to this weekend's semi-finals.

His mum Judy was more than delighted to receive the award and meet dignitaries and other winners.

There were dozens of other sporting achievers recognised at the glitzy bash.

Andy's already been named the Sports Personality of the Year by the BBC.

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Behold the Norman Plastow gallery in Wimbledon Village

Heritage: Behold the Norman Plastow gallery in Wimbledon Village

10:05am Friday 28th February 2014 in News By The Wimbledon Society

Norman Plastow

Norman Plastow, probably Wimbledon's most prominent heritage conservationist, is to be honoured by a change of identity for the new art exhibition gallery in Wimbledon Village.

The Village Hall Trust Gallery in Lingfield Road will be renamed the Norman Plastow Gallery and an exhibition presenting his remarkable career in local conservation will be held there between 6 and 16 March, organised jointly by the Village Hall Trust and the Wimbledon Society.

Wimbledon-born and a lifelong resident, Norman Plastow has been president of the Wimbledon Society since 1998 and earlier served twice as chairman from 1975-83 and 1986-94. Over many years he also chaired both the Village Hall Trust itself and the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, and personally masterminded the restoration and establishment of the Wimbledon Windmill Museum.

A professional architect, he is also a craftsman, campaigner, fund-raiser, designer, writer, archaeologist, curator, historian and story-teller. His contribution to the preservation and enhancement of Wimbledon's heritage since the early 1970s is unparalleled.

Through the Wimbledon Society, formerly known as the John Evelyn Society, he has led multiple campaigns for an improved town centre, a replacement for the Civic Hall which was demolished when Centre Court was built, more conservation areas, and the most appropriate use of Cannizaro House, now a hotel but once promised as a cultural centre by Merton Council. His popular books have included Safe as Houses, a detailed study of the bombing of Wimbledon during World War 2, and A History of Wimbledon and Putney Commons.

The renamed Norman Plastow Gallery

The Village Hall Trust Gallery opened on 4 February 2012 with Town and Country Wimbledon, part of the Museum of Wimbledon's collection of historic water-colours, as its first exhibition.

It ran until the spring of that year. Since then a series of exhibitions by local artists and others have filled the gallery, followed by Now and Then, the exhibition of contrasting historic and present day photographs, showing since December.

Future events arranged by the Museum of Wimbledon and currently scheduled for the renamed Norman Plastow Gallery will include a Merton Priory exhibition starting in July. The exhibition dedicated to Norman Plastow's activities will cover a wide range.

It will be open to the public from 11.30-2.30 on 6, 11 and 13 March and from 2.30-5.00 on the weekends of 8, 9, 15 and 16 during the opening hours of the Museum of Wimbledon, with access via the Museum's Perry Room. A special launch for invited guests will be held 7 March from 6.30pm.

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Bee hive destroyed and dumped near Raynes Park estate

Bee hive destroyed and dumped near Raynes Park estate

7:00pm Friday 28th February 2014 in News By Louisa Clarence-Smith

Demolished: bee hive

A smashed up bee hive was found dumped on an estate this afternoon.

The demolished hive filled with honeycomb, dead bees and larvae was discovered on the Carters Estate in Raynes Park at about 1pm this afternoon.

Kevin Whincup, who first noticed the stash, said: 'It's really odd because I have never come across anything like that.

'I found it all dumped. It looks like someone actually raided the bee hive and broke it all up and just damaged it.

'I'm not a fan of bees but we have got a decline in the bee population and it's going to have a bad effect on all bees.'

The hive was found at the end of Bodnant Gardens, next to the bollards by the Network Rail tracks.

Do you have any more information? Please contact newsdesk on 0208 722 6335 newsdesk@wimbledonguardian.co.uk

Bodnant Gardens: where the hive wreckage was found

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Andy Murray 'has big challenge to hold Wimbledon crown'

28/02/2014

Andy Murray faces a huge challenge if he is to win the men's singles at the Championships, Wimbledon for the second year running.

This is the view of Pete Sampras, a man who knows a thing - or seven - about how to triumph at the All England Club.

Speaking to the BBC Sportsweek show, seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras said: 'When you defend a major it is the most pressure you could feel.

'You feel you are the man to beat - especially for Andy in England.'

However, he added: 'He'll handle it fine, he is a great player and I think great players will figure it out.'

The American commented: 'He is on the way to winning multiple majors - it's hard to really put a number on it - but he is a great player,' but said Murray has now moved from being a 'contender' to being the 'favourite'.

Murray's triumph at SW19 last year was his second grand slam and he will be hoping to better than the first defence of one, when he was thrashed in straight sets in last year's US Open quarter-final by Stanislas Wawrinka.

With Murray having back surgery soon afterwards and Wawrinka breaking the 'big four' dominance by winning his first grand slam in Melbourne in January, that defeat may be put in perspective.

However, Murray may have good reason to consider himself the favourite, having reached the final of his last five grass court tournaments. Apart from winning Wimbledon itself and reaching the 2012 final, he also won the Olympic title there and has triumphed in the last two Aegon Championships at Queens.

Murray will be back at the Aegon Championships this year and has also been announced as a participant in the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club in London, an exhibition event that will take place from June 17th-20th.

The Scot has yet to win a title this year, but he has just reached the semi-finals of the Mexico Open in Acapulco after beating Frenchman Gilles Simon, while the tournament's top seed David Ferrer has had to withdraw with an injury.

By Keith Prowse

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Behold the Norman Plastow gallery in Wimbledon Village

Heritage: Behold the Norman Plastow gallery in Wimbledon Village

10:05am Friday 28th February 2014 in News By The Wimbledon Society

Norman Plastow

Norman Plastow, probably Wimbledon's most prominent heritage conservationist, is to be honoured by a change of identity for the new art exhibition gallery in Wimbledon Village.

The Village Hall Trust Gallery in Lingfield Road will be renamed the Norman Plastow Gallery and an exhibition presenting his remarkable career in local conservation will be held there between 6 and 16 March, organised jointly by the Village Hall Trust and the Wimbledon Society.

Wimbledon-born and a lifelong resident, Norman Plastow has been president of the Wimbledon Society since 1998 and earlier served twice as chairman from 1975-83 and 1986-94. Over many years he also chaired both the Village Hall Trust itself and the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, and personally masterminded the restoration and establishment of the Wimbledon Windmill Museum.

A professional architect, he is also a craftsman, campaigner, fund-raiser, designer, writer, archaeologist, curator, historian and story-teller. His contribution to the preservation and enhancement of Wimbledon's heritage since the early 1970s is unparalleled.

Through the Wimbledon Society, formerly known as the John Evelyn Society, he has led multiple campaigns for an improved town centre, a replacement for the Civic Hall which was demolished when Centre Court was built, more conservation areas, and the most appropriate use of Cannizaro House, now a hotel but once promised as a cultural centre by Merton Council. His popular books have included Safe as Houses, a detailed study of the bombing of Wimbledon during World War 2, and A History of Wimbledon and Putney Commons.

The renamed Norman Plastow Gallery

The Village Hall Trust Gallery opened on 4 February 2012 with Town and Country Wimbledon, part of the Museum of Wimbledon's collection of historic water-colours, as its first exhibition.

It ran until the spring of that year. Since then a series of exhibitions by local artists and others have filled the gallery, followed by Now and Then, the exhibition of contrasting historic and present day photographs, showing since December.

Future events arranged by the Museum of Wimbledon and currently scheduled for the renamed Norman Plastow Gallery will include a Merton Priory exhibition starting in July. The exhibition dedicated to Norman Plastow's activities will cover a wide range.

It will be open to the public from 11.30-2.30 on 6, 11 and 13 March and from 2.30-5.00 on the weekends of 8, 9, 15 and 16 during the opening hours of the Museum of Wimbledon, with access via the Museum's Perry Room. A special launch for invited guests will be held 7 March from 6.30pm.

Read more »

Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Galbraith wins the battle of the clubmates ...

Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Galbraith wins the battle of the clubmates... by one second

10:00am Thursday 27th February 2014 in Sport By Tom Pollak

The latest news out of Hercules Wimbledon Athletics Club

Hercules Wimbledon AC's veteran women's road runner Gina Galbraith clocked her best time for two years when she headed home the women's field in Saturday's Wimbledon Common 5km parkrun.

She clocked 20 minutes 42 seconds to win a personal battle with clubmate Lisa Thomas by just one second.

Galbraith, 37, was 25 seconds faster than she managed in winning the women's event in the Wimbledon Common parkrun on January 25, but was 15 seconds slower than her best time for the course set in October 2012.

There was some consolation for Thomas who set a Hercules Wimbledon veteran women's over-45 record and posted the event's top age-graded performance.

Top Hercules Wimbledon finisher in the Wimbledon Common event was Peter Collins, who was second veteran over-40 finisher taking fifth place out of 252 finishers in 18:43.

Adam Harwood was ninth in 19:17, Charles Hampden-Smith was third veteran over-50 finisher in 21:12 and Charles Lawrie top veteran over-60 finisher in 23:31.

Over-45 veteran marathon runner, Tom Cheetham, had a successful weekend when he was the first over-40 veteran in the Capital Runners 10km event in Richmond Park on Sunday in 40:33.

Overall, he was fifth out of almost 350 runners.

The previous day, he clocked a personal best time in the Bishop's park, Fulham, parkrun where he was 12th out of almost 200 runners in 18:57.

His time was 16 seconds faster than his previous best set when finishing 16th at the beginning of February.

Also on the road, Hercules Wimbledon's over-35 veteran Oliver Evans was 67th out of 1,285 runners in the Old Deer Park half-marathon in 1.26:11.

In the Richmond Park parkrun, teenager Jack Collins finished fifth out of 340 runners in 18:41. He was the top U19 in the event.

In nearby Old Deer Park parkrun, teenager Daniel Illis was the top 14-year-old to finish in 21:41, where he was seventh out of 45 finishers.

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Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Galbraith wins the battle of the clubmates ...

Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Galbraith wins the battle of the clubmates... by one second

10:00am Thursday 27th February 2014 in Sport By Tom Pollak

The latest news out of Hercules Wimbledon Athletics Club

Hercules Wimbledon AC's veteran women's road runner Gina Galbraith clocked her best time for two years when she headed home the women's field in Saturday's Wimbledon Common 5km parkrun.

She clocked 20 minutes 42 seconds to win a personal battle with clubmate Lisa Thomas by just one second.

Galbraith, 37, was 25 seconds faster than she managed in winning the women's event in the Wimbledon Common parkrun on January 25, but was 15 seconds slower than her best time for the course set in October 2012.

There was some consolation for Thomas who set a Hercules Wimbledon veteran women's over-45 record and posted the event's top age-graded performance.

Top Hercules Wimbledon finisher in the Wimbledon Common event was Peter Collins, who was second veteran over-40 finisher taking fifth place out of 252 finishers in 18:43.

Adam Harwood was ninth in 19:17, Charles Hampden-Smith was third veteran over-50 finisher in 21:12 and Charles Lawrie top veteran over-60 finisher in 23:31.

Over-45 veteran marathon runner, Tom Cheetham, had a successful weekend when he was the first over-40 veteran in the Capital Runners 10km event in Richmond Park on Sunday in 40:33.

Overall, he was fifth out of almost 350 runners.

The previous day, he clocked a personal best time in the Bishop's park, Fulham, parkrun where he was 12th out of almost 200 runners in 18:57.

His time was 16 seconds faster than his previous best set when finishing 16th at the beginning of February.

Also on the road, Hercules Wimbledon's over-35 veteran Oliver Evans was 67th out of 1,285 runners in the Old Deer Park half-marathon in 1.26:11.

In the Richmond Park parkrun, teenager Jack Collins finished fifth out of 340 runners in 18:41. He was the top U19 in the event.

In nearby Old Deer Park parkrun, teenager Daniel Illis was the top 14-year-old to finish in 21:41, where he was seventh out of 45 finishers.

Read more »

AFC Wimbledon spell a 'little bit selfish' but Michael Collins is still ...

CLUB captain Michael Collins believes he has been 'a little bit selfish' by swapping his place on the bench in Scunthorpe United's promotion push for first-team football at AFC Wimbledon.

The former Huddersfield Town midfielder is now a week into his loan spell with the Dons and has already played in two matches, including Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Newpott County - where his parent club head this weekend.

Collins asked United for the opportunity to go elsewhere because he had become frustrated at being unable to force his way back into the first team with any regularity on the back of suffering a knee injury, ironically against Wimbledon, back in August.

The 27-year-old is scheduled to stay with the Dons until the end of the season, although United do have a recall option once the first 28 days of the deal have expired.

He is though still fully behind Scunthorpe's quest for promotion League Two - albeit from almost 200 miles away.

'The ultimate thing was I wanted to play football. I'm 27 and I've had a few injuries in the last few years, so when you have been out for so long and you are now fit it is hard to sit and watch,' Collins told getwestlondon.co.uk.

'I still want Scunthorpe to be promoted and I want them to do well but just from a personal standpoint when you have missed as much football as I have through injury sometimes you have got to be a little bit selfish and get out and play games and that is all it was.

'There is nothing like the feeling of being out on a Saturday. You can play as many reserve games as you want, but nothing can get your lungs burning like the first 20 minutes against Bury.

'That is the step up you need as a professional footballer and as much as I did feel part of things at Scunthorpe and I was willing the boys to do well, that little part of you always wants to play.'

Collins was made captain of United when he agreed a new one-year contract last summer.

He has no complaints though about being out of the starting XI - particularly as midfield duo Sean McAllister and Dave Syers have been two of the stars of the Iron's 17-match unbeaten run - and claims his off-the-field role should not automatically give the him the right to feature.

'I've been a little bit unfortunate this season. I picked up an injury and prior to coming back to fitness the lads have gone on an unbelievable unbeaten run,' he said.

'I've had to sit on the bench, which is part and parcel of football - I don't have a problem with that.

'When the lads are playing well, they need to be rewarded. Regardless of your stature, even with me being captain, I understood your shirt isn't guaranteed.

'I certainly haven't got a problem with being at Scunthorpe. It's a place I've enjoyed being at and I still enjoy being at. This loan is just about getting the opportunity to get playing again and get up and running.'

More Scunthorpe United news, opinion, fixtures and the current League Two table.

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Roger Federer can break my Wimbledon record

14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras has said that Swiss great Roger Federer can break his record of seven Wimbledon crowns as he feels that the 17-time Major winner will have a successful year in 2014 due to the improvements in his health.

American legend Pete Sampras who won seven Wimbledon titles during the 90s and 2000s has claimed that the current World No.8 Roger Federer is still good enough to break his record at the All England Club. Like Sampras, Federer too has captured seven trophies at SW19 with the last one coming in 2012. However, his impressive run to the semifinals of the Australian Open has convinced Sampras that Roger has it in him to win a few more Grand Slams.

Pistol Pete said: 'As long as he is enjoying it and he's healthy, I can see him playing for two [to] four more years. He truly loves the sport. I thought his level (in Australia) was quite good. When you're playing against Rafa and if you're not quite on your game then it can seem like you're struggling. Rafa's a rock. But I do see Roger building from that, I think he's going to do well this year. Things need to fall into place and he needs to play well but I do think he can do it (win a Grand Slam). I think it is what he's playing for.'

On being asked about Roger's longevity, Sampras said: 'He's done everything in the game and he could walk away feeling great but he still wants to travel and compete and I'm in awe of it. Clearly the majors are his motivation but he's happy to still travel and play the other events. I found myself getting tired at 30 or 31.'

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Murray to play at Hurlingham

London - Andy Murray will warm up for his Wimbledon defence by participating in the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at London's Hurlingham Club in June, it was announced on Wednesday.

Murray, the world number seven, will be one of the star attractions at the exhibition event in west London from June 17-20 where leading male and female players will get in practice ahead of Wimbledon, the last of tennis' four major tournaments still played on grass.

'Playing at the Hurlingham Club last June was the perfect way for me to warm up for Wimbledon,' said Murray.

'It's a great setting and I'm looking forward to playing again this year.'

Murray, by beating Novak Djokovic in last year's final, became the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the Wimbledon's men's singles title.

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Agassi on Wimbledon: 'Felt like I was playing in an overgrown doll's house'

Rob Loud/PowerShares Series

Andre Agassi admits that when he made his Wimbledon debut in 1987, in which he lost to Henri Leconte, he did not understand British culture. Agassi skipped the historic Grand Slam the next four years, then beat Goran Ivanisevic to win the 1992 title.

'My first experience in England was not a good one,' Agassi told reporters ahead of the World Tennis Day exhibition at Earls Court. 'It was a time in my life I felt very over-matched by big cities and cultures and add on top of that playing on a surface that was very foreign to me, I felt like an intruder in the very event I was playing in. The way it worked as far as court times, not to mention being dispatched by Leconte in 47 minutes didn't add to my experience on Court Two. Really I just felt like I was playing in an overgrown doll's house. It was a bizarre, out-of-body experience for me and it left me not wanting to come back for a number of reasons, which I didn't for three or four years.'

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Andy Murray to warm

Andy Murray will warm up for his Wimbledon defence by participating in the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at London's Hurlingham Club in June, it was announced on Wednesday.

Murray, the world number seven, will be one of the star attractions at the exhibition event in west London from June 17-20 where leading male and female players will get in practice ahead of Wimbledon, the last of tennis' four major tournaments still played on grass.

'Playing at the Hurlingham Club last June was the perfect way for me to warm up for Wimbledon,' said Murray.

'It's a great setting and I'm looking forward to playing again this year.'

Murray, by beating Novak Djokovic in last year's final, became the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the Wimbledon's men's singles title.

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Wimbledon whizz

Wimbledon whizz-kid Nick D'Aloisio still juggles schoolwork with booming tech business

9:00am Wednesday 26th February 2014 in Leisure latest news Exclusive By Louisa Clarence-Smith

Teen millionaire: Nick D'Aloisio launches his app

As most A-level students returned to school after half term, millionaire teen entrepreneur Nick D'Aloisio was in Barcelona to launch the UK edition of his news digest app which he sold to Yahoo for £18 million last year.

It has been a whirlwind three years for the Wimbledon whizz-kid, who came up with the idea for an app which condenses information into digestible chunks while studying for his History GCSE at King's College School.

He launched the first version of the app, Trimit, from his bedroom in the summer of 2011.

Mr D'Aloisio, who used books and web guides to teach himself computer coding, said: 'I didn't tell my friends, it was something I did on the side.

'I just taught myself as I was finding I could create something at a high level that as humans we can't create.'

Trimit grabbed the attention of tech sites and was featured by Apple in their app store.

The teenager then received an e-mail from Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka Shing, leader of a venture capital firm, who later invested £300,000 into developing the app.

It was re-named Summly before being sold to Yahoo last year.

Did he ever dream of making big profits from his invention? Mr D'Aloisio said: 'I was doing it as a hobby, not for money. It had never been done before.'

Now a product manager for mobile and emerging products at Yahoo he divides his time between his family home in Wimbledon and Silicon Valley.

Born in London, he moved to Australia as a baby, returning to Wimbledon aged seven.

His mother, a lawyer and father, a commercial specialist and former vice president of Morgan Stanley, sent their son to Donhead preparatory school.

Mr D'Aloisio said: 'My parents didn't know anything about programming but they were always very supportive of my learning and self-teaching.'

He still attends Kings College School with his 15-year-old brother when not in Yahoo's London or California offices, and he will take his final exams there in the summer.

On a normal day he will do a lot of school work 'on the side', between going into the office in London or California and taking conference calls in the evening because of the time difference.

He said: 'Once every four to six weeks I'm out in San Francisco. There's other travelling as well, but I try to limit travelling because it can get a bit inefficient.'

Despite his phenomenal success, the teenager remains grounded by living with his family in Wimbledon and hanging out with friends at the weekend.

He said: 'We tend to go to peoples' places. There are lots of 18ths at the moment.

'I haven't noticed much of a difference in the way I interact with people I have always known. It's not something which would render a change.'

So far, Mr D'Aloisio is happy with the release of the British version of his app, Yahoo News Digest, which was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday.

The app provides a twice-daily digest of the ten most important news stories, identified by algorithms and editors.

Already out in the US, he would like to launch the iPhone app in other regions, but can't see one localised to Wimbledon just yet.

Asked to give advice for aspiring young tech entrepreneurs, Mr D'Aloisio said: 'Anything is possible and if you have a lot of good ideas and talent you should try as many different ideas as possible.

'On the side of school try and do as many products as possible.'

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Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Sharp brings the men home in the national ...

Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Sharp brings the men home in the national championship

1:00pm Wednesday 26th February 2014 in Sport By Tom Pollak

Leader: Matthew Sharp was the first Hercules Wimbledon senior man across the line in Nottingham

Hercules Wimbledon AC runners finished the ECCA English National cross-country championships in Nottingham as the second best team from Surrey.

They were led home in the senior men's 12km race by Matthew Sharp who was 203rd out of 1,657 finishers in 41 minutes 28 seconds.

Fred Slemeck was 252nd in 42:03, Jonathan Cornish 307th in 42:37, Ben Toomer 310th in 42:40, Rob Tuer 324th in 42:50 and Alex Robinson 342nd in 43:05.

The team finished 26th overall, while top of the county stakes were Belgrave Harriers in 21st.

On the track, Hercules Wimbledon's Alison Murray was runner-up in the over-35 pole vault in a masters indoor inter-area match at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Sunday, clearing 2.60m.

She also ran the third leg for the winning 4x200m relay team, her efforts helped the south win the match.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's cross-country runners complete their club winter programme with a match in Richmond Park against hosts Ranelagh Harriers and Milocarians.

The race, over 3.73 miles, starts from near the Pembroke Lodge car park at 3pm.

Hercules Wimbledon's track and field training sessions take place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6.30pm and Sunday mornings at 10.30am. Further details from coaching coordinator Maurice Sharp on 020 8337 8707.

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Delays on Northern line after person taken ill at South Wimbledon

Delays on Northern line after person taken ill at South Wimbledon

10:11am Wednesday 26th February 2014 in News By Becky Middleton, Chief Reporter

Colliers Wood station

Commuters faced delays this morning on the Northern line after a person was taken ill at South Wimbledon underground station.

The incident happened at 9.10am.

The service between Kennington and Morden was hit by delays although a Transport for London spokesperson said a good service was resumed by 9.55am.

On Twitter, Pier Barrett said: 'Crowded platform at Colliers Wood, no trains have arrived in 15 mins, no information on screens, no announcement. But still 'good service!''

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Newport County 1

Two goals in the final six minutes from Charlie Sheringham and Kevin Sainte-Luce stunned Justin Edinburgh's side.

25.02.14 - Newport County v AFC Wimbledon, SkyBet League 2 - Newport's Rene Howe celebrates after AFC Wimbedon concede an own goal off keeper Ross Worner ¿ Huw Evans Picture Agency, Cardiff

Newport County suffered a second shock home defeat in four days as their hopes of reaching the League Two play-offs begin to fade.

Two goals in the final six minutes from Charlie Sheringham and Kevin Sainte-Luce stunned Justin Edinburgh's side.

County had looked on course for all three points after Wimbledon goalkeeper Ross Warner had gifted them the lead with a second half own goal.

But the late Wimbledon double means County slip to ninth in League Two, seven points adrift of seventh-placed Wimbledon.

Edinburgh made three changes from the side who suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Cheltenham at Rodney Parade on Saturday.

Ex-Dons Christian Jolley and Max Porter came in for Rene Howe and Lee Minshull while Harry Worley returned in place of Andrew Hughes after serving a two-match ban.

It took 28 minutes for either side to register a shot on target, with Dons midfielder Luke Moore aiming a low shot too close to County goalkeeper Elliot Parish from the edge of the box.

The visitors fired an early warning at the beginning of the second period when striker Danny Hylton headed over from eight yards after Worley had given away a sloppy free-kick on the edge of the box.

It finally jolted the home side into life and Jolley fired into the side netting after getting the better of two defenders down the right side of the touchline.

County were almost caught on the counter-attack on 57 minutes

when Hylton and Jack Midson combined but the latter was denied by a vital covering tackle from Byron Anthony.

Edinburgh replaced both his strikers with Howe and Shaun Jeffers and less than two minutes later the home side went in front.

Howe went up to challenge for a long free-kick from Worley and Dons goalkeeper Worner somehow managed to drop the ball backwards into his own net.

Wimbledon got their equaliser in the 84th minute when County failed to clear a corner from the left and Sheringham, son of former England and Tottenham ace striker Teddy, smashed home from close range.

County's agony was complete three minutes later, Saint-Luce finding too much space inside the area to rifle a shot past the helpless Parish.

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Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Sharp brings the men home in the national ...

Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Sharp brings the men home in the national championship

1:00pm Wednesday 26th February 2014 in Sport By Tom Pollak

Leader: Matthew Sharp was the first Hercules Wimbledon senior man across the line in Nottingham

Hercules Wimbledon AC runners finished the ECCA English National cross-country championships in Nottingham as the second best team from Surrey.

They were led home in the senior men's 12km race by Matthew Sharp who was 203rd out of 1,657 finishers in 41 minutes 28 seconds.

Fred Slemeck was 252nd in 42:03, Jonathan Cornish 307th in 42:37, Ben Toomer 310th in 42:40, Rob Tuer 324th in 42:50 and Alex Robinson 342nd in 43:05.

The team finished 26th overall, while top of the county stakes were Belgrave Harriers in 21st.

On the track, Hercules Wimbledon's Alison Murray was runner-up in the over-35 pole vault in a masters indoor inter-area match at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Sunday, clearing 2.60m.

She also ran the third leg for the winning 4x200m relay team, her efforts helped the south win the match.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's cross-country runners complete their club winter programme with a match in Richmond Park against hosts Ranelagh Harriers and Milocarians.

The race, over 3.73 miles, starts from near the Pembroke Lodge car park at 3pm.

Hercules Wimbledon's track and field training sessions take place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6.30pm and Sunday mornings at 10.30am. Further details from coaching coordinator Maurice Sharp on 020 8337 8707.

Read more »

AFC Wimbledon return to winning ways at Newport after dramatic late comeback

AFC Wimbledon manager Neil Ardley. Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

Tuesday, February 25, 2014 10:08 PM

League Two: Newport County 1 AFC Wimbledon 2

AFC Wimbledon staged a sensational late fightback in the last five minutes to win at Newport County, ending a run of four straight defeats.

After a scrappy first-half, Newport County took the lead on 65 minutes in bizarre circumstances when Ross Worner spilt a long ball and it dropped into the net.

But Neal Ardley's substitutes made the difference as Charlie Sheringham, brought on for Jack Midson, levelled the scores with five minutes to go.

And the comeback was complete when Kevin Sainte-Luce, on for Jim Fenlon, fired home two and a half minutes later to complete a remarkable win.

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Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Sharp brings the men home in the national ...

Latest Hercules Wimbledon news: Sharp brings the men home in the national championship

1:00pm Wednesday 26th February 2014 in Sport By Tom Pollak

Leader: Matthew Sharp was the first Hercules Wimbledon senior man across the line in Nottingham

Hercules Wimbledon AC runners finished the ECCA English National cross-country championships in Nottingham as the second best team from Surrey.

They were led home in the senior men's 12km race by Matthew Sharp who was 203rd out of 1,657 finishers in 41 minutes 28 seconds.

Fred Slemeck was 252nd in 42:03, Jonathan Cornish 307th in 42:37, Ben Toomer 310th in 42:40, Rob Tuer 324th in 42:50 and Alex Robinson 342nd in 43:05.

The team finished 26th overall, while top of the county stakes were Belgrave Harriers in 21st.

On the track, Hercules Wimbledon's Alison Murray was runner-up in the over-35 pole vault in a masters indoor inter-area match at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Sunday, clearing 2.60m.

She also ran the third leg for the winning 4x200m relay team, her efforts helped the south win the match.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's cross-country runners complete their club winter programme with a match in Richmond Park against hosts Ranelagh Harriers and Milocarians.

The race, over 3.73 miles, starts from near the Pembroke Lodge car park at 3pm.

Hercules Wimbledon's track and field training sessions take place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6.30pm and Sunday mornings at 10.30am. Further details from coaching coordinator Maurice Sharp on 020 8337 8707.

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Andy Murray to play at the Hurlingham Club in buildup to Wimbledon

Andy Murray will warm up for his Wimbledon defence by participating at the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club this summer.

Organisers have announced that Murray, the current world No7, will be one of the star attractions at the exhibition event, which take place in London from 17-20 June .

The Classic will feature a number of the world's top players, men and women, participating in a series of grass-court exhibition matches to fine-tune for Wimbledon the following week. Veteran such as Tim Henman, Goran Ivanisevic, Mark Philippoussis and Pat Cash have also been confirmed.

'Playing at the Hurlingham Club last June was the perfect way for me to warm up for Wimbledon,' said Murray. 'It's a great setting and I'm looking forward to playing again this year.'

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Wimbledon whizz

Wimbledon whizz-kid Nick D'Aloisio still juggles schoolwork with booming tech business

9:00am Wednesday 26th February 2014 in News Exclusive By Louisa Clarence-Smith

Teen millionaire: Nick D'Aloisio launches his app

As most A-level students returned to school after half term, millionaire teen entrepreneur Nick D'Aloisio was in Barcelona to launch the UK edition of his news digest app which he sold to Yahoo for £18 million last year.

It has been a whirlwind three years for the Wimbledon whizz-kid, who came up with the idea for an app which condenses information into digestible chunks while studying for his History GCSE at King's College School.

He launched the first version of the app, Trimit, from his bedroom in the summer of 2011.

Mr D'Aloisio, who used books and web guides to teach himself computer coding, said: 'I didn't tell my friends, it was something I did on the side.

'I just taught myself as I was finding I could create something at a high level that as humans we can't create.'

Trimit grabbed the attention of tech sites and was featured by Apple in their app store.

The teenager then received an e-mail from Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka Shing, leader of a venture capital firm, who later invested £300,000 into developing the app.

It was re-named Summly before being sold to Yahoo last year.

Did he ever dream of making big profits from his invention? Mr D'Aloisio said: 'I was doing it as a hobby, not for money. It had never been done before.'

Now a product manager for mobile and emerging products at Yahoo he divides his time between his family home in Wimbledon and Silicon Valley.

Born in London, he moved to Australia as a baby, returning to Wimbledon aged seven.

His mother, a lawyer and father, a commercial specialist and former vice president of Morgan Stanley, sent their son to Donhead preparatory school.

Mr D'Aloisio said: 'My parents didn't know anything about programming but they were always very supportive of my learning and self-teaching.'

He still attends Kings College School with his 15-year-old brother when not in Yahoo's London or California offices, and he will take his final exams there in the summer.

On a normal day he will do a lot of school work 'on the side', between going into the office in London or California and taking conference calls in the evening because of the time difference.

He said: 'Once every four to six weeks I'm out in San Francisco. There's other travelling as well, but I try to limit travelling because it can get a bit inefficient.'

Despite his phenomenal success, the teenager remains grounded by living with his family in Wimbledon and hanging out with friends at the weekend.

He said: 'We tend to go to peoples' places. There are lots of 18ths at the moment.

'I haven't noticed much of a difference in the way I interact with people I have always known. It's not something which would render a change.'

So far, Mr D'Aloisio is happy with the release of the British version of his app, Yahoo News Digest, which was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday.

The app provides a twice-daily digest of the ten most important news stories, identified by algorithms and editors.

Already out in the US, he would like to launch the iPhone app in other regions, but can't see one localised to Wimbledon just yet.

Asked to give advice for aspiring young tech entrepreneurs, Mr D'Aloisio said: 'Anything is possible and if you have a lot of good ideas and talent you should try as many different ideas as possible.

'On the side of school try and do as many products as possible.'

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Wimbledon whizz

Wimbledon whizz-kid Nick D'Aloisio still juggles schoolwork with booming tech business

9:00am Wednesday 26th February 2014 in Top stories Exclusive By Louisa Clarence-Smith

Teen millionaire: Nick D'Aloisio launches his app

As most A-level students returned to school after half term, millionaire teen entrepreneur Nick D'Aloisio was in Barcelona to launch the UK edition of his news digest app which he sold to Yahoo for £18 million last year.

It has been a whirlwind three years for the Wimbledon whizz-kid, who came up with the idea for an app which condenses information into digestible chunks while studying for his History GCSE at King's College School.

He launched the first version of the app, Trimit, from his bedroom in the summer of 2011.

Mr D'Aloisio, who used books and web guides to teach himself computer coding, said: 'I didn't tell my friends, it was something I did on the side.

'I just taught myself as I was finding I could create something at a high level that as humans we can't create.'

Trimit grabbed the attention of tech sites and was featured by Apple in their app store.

The teenager then received an e-mail from Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka Shing, leader of a venture capital firm, who later invested £300,000 into developing the app.

It was re-named Summly before being sold to Yahoo last year.

Did he ever dream of making big profits from his invention? Mr D'Aloisio said: 'I was doing it as a hobby, not for money. It had never been done before.'

Now a product manager for mobile and emerging products at Yahoo he divides his time between his family home in Wimbledon and Silicon Valley.

Born in London, he moved to Australia as a baby, returning to Wimbledon aged seven.

His mother, a lawyer and father, a commercial specialist and former vice president of Morgan Stanley, sent their son to Donhead preparatory school.

Mr D'Aloisio said: 'My parents didn't know anything about programming but they were always very supportive of my learning and self-teaching.'

He still attends Kings College School with his 15-year-old brother when not in Yahoo's London or California offices, and he will take his final exams there in the summer.

On a normal day he will do a lot of school work 'on the side', between going into the office in London or California and taking conference calls in the evening because of the time difference.

He said: 'Once every four to six weeks I'm out in San Francisco. There's other travelling as well, but I try to limit travelling because it can get a bit inefficient.'

Despite his phenomenal success, the teenager remains grounded by living with his family in Wimbledon and hanging out with friends at the weekend.

He said: 'We tend to go to peoples' places. There are lots of 18ths at the moment.

'I haven't noticed much of a difference in the way I interact with people I have always known. It's not something which would render a change.'

So far, Mr D'Aloisio is happy with the release of the British version of his app, Yahoo News Digest, which was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday.

The app provides a twice-daily digest of the ten most important news stories, identified by algorithms and editors.

Already out in the US, he would like to launch the iPhone app in other regions, but can't see one localised to Wimbledon just yet.

Asked to give advice for aspiring young tech entrepreneurs, Mr D'Aloisio said: 'Anything is possible and if you have a lot of good ideas and talent you should try as many different ideas as possible.

'On the side of school try and do as many products as possible.'

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Wimbledon come unstuck against this season's bogey team

Wimbledon come unstuck against this season's bogey team

1:33pm Tuesday 25th February 2014 in Sport By Jack Miller

On target: Phil Ball bagged a Wimbledon goal, but he could not prevent a 5-3 defeat at home to Canterbury

Canterbury are rapidly becoming Wimbledon hockey club's bogey team as they completed an impressive league double over the Dons on Saturday.

Canterbury were the more dangerous side during the first 15 minutes, mounting a series of attacks and breaking down Wimbledon by regularly intercepting passes.

Almost against the run of play, Wimbledon went ahead when Johnnie Kinder stepped up to convert a penalty corner with great style inside the far post.

The game was end-to-end until the interval, and having been turned over at Canterbury after being 2-0 up at the break, Wimbledon were again leading 1-0.

However, Canterbury equalised on 40 minutes following a goalmouth scramble, but Wimbledon immediately responded to go 2-1 up on 42 minutes.

Great work in midfield from James Osborn saw him beat men, exchange passes and finish the move with a terrific shot on goal that the Canterbury keeper did well to parry, only for Phil Ball to score from short range.

The lead lasted one minute as the game became increasingly frenzied.

At the other end, a shot was blasted 30 yards at the Wimbledon goal, and Foster was on hand to steer it round Millington, giving the keeper no chance.

Wimbledon now began to dominate possession, but Canterbury's England and GB U21 keeper Diccon Stubbings was on top form making several point blank saves.

Canterbury looked dangerous on the break, and a short corner gave Kwan Brown the opportunity to drag flick under the crossbar to put Canterbury ahead for the first time in the game.

Wimbledon pressed for an equalizer and were punished for leaving gaps at the back. Another Canterbury counter-attack saw the Wimbledon defense stretched and Foster score his third goal on 61 minutes to make it 4-2.

Wimbledon came back again and Michael Hoare's short corner conversion set the game up for an exciting finish at 4-3.

Wimbledon were desperate to equalise, but again Canterbury broke and scored an excellent goal to make it 5-3. Despite a string of short corners and pressure, Wimbledon could find no way back.

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Wimbledon come unstuck against this season's bogey team

Wimbledon come unstuck against this season's bogey team

1:33pm Tuesday 25th February 2014 in Sport By Jack Miller

On target: Phil Ball bagged a Wimbledon goal, but he could not prevent a 5-3 defeat at home to Canterbury

Canterbury are rapidly becoming Wimbledon hockey club's bogey team as they completed an impressive league double over the Dons on Saturday.

Canterbury were the more dangerous side during the first 15 minutes, mounting a series of attacks and breaking down Wimbledon by regularly intercepting passes.

Almost against the run of play, Wimbledon went ahead when Johnnie Kinder stepped up to convert a penalty corner with great style inside the far post.

The game was end-to-end until the interval, and having been turned over at Canterbury after being 2-0 up at the break, Wimbledon were again leading 1-0.

However, Canterbury equalised on 40 minutes following a goalmouth scramble, but Wimbledon immediately responded to go 2-1 up on 42 minutes.

Great work in midfield from James Osborn saw him beat men, exchange passes and finish the move with a terrific shot on goal that the Canterbury keeper did well to parry, only for Phil Ball to score from short range.

The lead lasted one minute as the game became increasingly frenzied.

At the other end, a shot was blasted 30 yards at the Wimbledon goal, and Foster was on hand to steer it round Millington, giving the keeper no chance.

Wimbledon now began to dominate possession, but Canterbury's England and GB U21 keeper Diccon Stubbings was on top form making several point blank saves.

Canterbury looked dangerous on the break, and a short corner gave Kwan Brown the opportunity to drag flick under the crossbar to put Canterbury ahead for the first time in the game.

Wimbledon pressed for an equalizer and were punished for leaving gaps at the back. Another Canterbury counter-attack saw the Wimbledon defense stretched and Foster score his third goal on 61 minutes to make it 4-2.

Wimbledon came back again and Michael Hoare's short corner conversion set the game up for an exciting finish at 4-3.

Wimbledon were desperate to equalise, but again Canterbury broke and scored an excellent goal to make it 5-3. Despite a string of short corners and pressure, Wimbledon could find no way back.

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Newport County 1

Newport County 1-2 Wimbledon

25.02.14 - Newport County v AFC Wimbledon, SkyBet League 2 - Newport's Rene Howe celebrates after AFC Wimbedon concede an own goal off keeper Ross Worner ¿ Huw Evans Picture Agency, Cardiff

Newport County suffered a second shock home defeat in four days as their hopes of reaching the League Two play-offs begin to fade.

Two goals in the final six minutes from Charlie Sheringham and Kevin Sainte-Luce stunned Justin Edinburgh's side.

County had looked on course for all three points after Wimbledon goalkeeper Ross Warner had gifted them the lead with a second half own goal.

But the late Wimbledon double means County slip to ninth in League Two, seven points adrift of seventh-placed Wimbledon.

Edinburgh made three changes from the side who suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Cheltenham at Rodney Parade on Saturday.

Ex-Dons Christian Jolley and Max Porter came in for Rene Howe and Lee Minshull while Harry Worley returned in place of Andrew Hughes after serving a two-match ban.

It took 28 minutes for either side to register a shot on target, with Dons midfielder Luke Moore aiming a low shot too close to County goalkeeper Elliot Parish from the edge of the box.

The visitors fired an early warning at the beginning of the second period when striker Danny Hylton headed over from eight yards after Worley had given away a sloppy free-kick on the edge of the box.

It finally jolted the home side into life and Jolley fired into the side netting after getting the better of two defenders down the right side of the touchline.

County were almost caught on the counter-attack on 57 minutes

when Hylton and Jack Midson combined but the latter was denied by a vital covering tackle from Byron Anthony.

Edinburgh replaced both his strikers with Howe and Shaun Jeffers and less than two minutes later the home side went in front.

Howe went up to challenge for a long free-kick from Worley and Dons goalkeeper Worner somehow managed to drop the ball backwards into his own net.

Wimbledon got their equaliser in the 84th minute when County failed to clear a corner from the left and Sheringham, son of former England and Tottenham ace striker Teddy, smashed home from close range.

County's agony was complete three minutes later, Saint-Luce finding too much space inside the area to rifle a shot past the helpless Parish.

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Wimbledon Park Hall in Arthur Road reopens 11 years after being sold off

Wimbledon Park Hall in Arthur Road reopens 11 years after being sold off

3:00pm Tuesday 25th February 2014 in News By Louisa Clarence-Smith

Revamped: Wimbledon Park Hall

A community hall sold off more than a decade ago to be left empty and unused has finally been re-opened to the public.

Tennis, keep fit, theatre groups and the 14th Wimbledon Scouts were left out in the cold when Wimbledon Park Hall in Arthur Road was sold in 2003.

Now, after eleven years of negotiations between the residents association and council, a community facility has re-opened beneath a block of flats.

Iain Simpson, chairman of Wimbledon Park Residents Association (WPRA), said: 'The community centre is now open for people to book for classes and events and we are hoping a café will be open in the next two to three months.

'On Saturday we had our first customer, a ballet class and we hope to see the hall nice and busy and provide a great community centre for residents in the area.'

The WRPA campaigned to save the old town hall when it was slashed by the Labour-led council in 2003.

Councillor Andrew Judge, who was leader of the council when the site was sold, said: 'It was closed ten years ago as part of budget cuts, because it was a dilapidated old hall that was barely used except by the Scouts and Cubs: most activities being attracted to the rather better equipped church halls nearby.'

In response to residents' complaints, Coun Judge found the Scouts an alternative venue and devised a clause in the sale of the site to ensure the developer included a community centre on the ground floor of the site.

But by the time Coun Judge left office in May 2006, plans had still not been signed off with developers.

Further delays under the Conservative-led council were criticised in a 2011 government Ombudsman's report, which said residents 'suffered injustice' from council delays between 2007 and 2008.

The development was then further delayed after the 2008 financial crash halted property development across the country.

Property developer Shaukat Hussein finally started work on the building in 2012 and the Wimbledon Park Community Trust, a company directed by developers and the residents' association, signed a 99-year lease with the council to run and let the hall and café in October last year.

Merton Council paid £125,000 to fit out the new centre.

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Fame

David De Silva has a lot to answer for. As the creator of the original story of the struggles and triumphs of a group of New York wannabe performers, he is almost single-handedly responsible for the current celebrity-obsessed culture.

Unfair? Maybe. Times have changed enormously since 1980, when De Silva's dream concept became Alan Parker's movie reality. Now we are carpet-bombed with celebrity shows, reality television, searches for a Dorothys, Marias and Phantoms, XYZ Factors and Tasmania's Got Talent.

I'm a reviewer, get me out of here.

This touring production attempts to bring things up to date. With a screen backdrop of Times Square, a stage above a stage where the rather good band rock their socks off, plus two unwieldy structures below incorporating stairs and lockers, it is a bit of a mess to look at.

But the cast give it their all, singing, dancing and expending an enormous amount of energy.

Director and choreographer Gary Lloyd's new version is compromised by the need to make references to current stars (Freddie Prinze doesn't cut it any more) and name-checking Katy Perry and Rihanna is sheer tokenism.

The thing simply refuses to cut ties with its 1980s mooring. The plotlines are processed cheese - more Romcom & Juilliard than Romeo and Juliet.

In spite of a bunch of new songs - including a couple of rap numbers for the ghetto kids, natch - there isn't anything to match the original song which made a momentary star of Irene Cara.

Jodie Steele is Carmen Diaz (even the updated name is intended to make you think of someone else) in the Cara role, the 'Noo Joyzie' sexpot who wants it all and wants it now.

She looks fit and dances fine but has an uncomfortably strident singing voice. At least she can sing in key, not always the case with many of the others.

The real interest reposes with the staff, especially the clash between stern English teacher Miss Sherman (Landi Oshinowo) - an accomplished singer saddled with the toe-curling number, These Are My Children - and dance teacher Miss Bell (Hermione Lynch) who wants to bend the rules for her favourite pupil who happens to be dyslexic.

Best sequence by far is the flamenco-inspired Junior Festival number which has a polish and cohesion lacking in the others. And Molly Stewart's Gospel number, 'Mabel's Prayer', is a genuine show-stopper.

The young-ish audience loved it. I made my excuses and left.

VERDICT: 3/5 Fame runs at the New Wimbledon Theatre until March 1, then it goes on a nationwide tour until June. Visit expresstheatretickets.co.uk for tickets.

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Wimbledon come unstuck against this season's bogey team

Wimbledon come unstuck against this season's bogey team

1:33pm Tuesday 25th February 2014 in Sport By Jack Miller

On target: Phil Ball bagged a Wimbledon goal, but he could not prevent a 5-3 defeat at home to Canterbury

Canterbury are rapidly becoming Wimbledon hockey club's bogey team as they completed an impressive league double over the Dons on Saturday.

Canterbury were the more dangerous side during the first 15 minutes, mounting a series of attacks and breaking down Wimbledon by regularly intercepting passes.

Almost against the run of play, Wimbledon went ahead when Johnnie Kinder stepped up to convert a penalty corner with great style inside the far post.

The game was end-to-end until the interval, and having been turned over at Canterbury after being 2-0 up at the break, Wimbledon were again leading 1-0.

However, Canterbury equalised on 40 minutes following a goalmouth scramble, but Wimbledon immediately responded to go 2-1 up on 42 minutes.

Great work in midfield from James Osborn saw him beat men, exchange passes and finish the move with a terrific shot on goal that the Canterbury keeper did well to parry, only for Phil Ball to score from short range.

The lead lasted one minute as the game became increasingly frenzied.

At the other end, a shot was blasted 30 yards at the Wimbledon goal, and Foster was on hand to steer it round Millington, giving the keeper no chance.

Wimbledon now began to dominate possession, but Canterbury's England and GB U21 keeper Diccon Stubbings was on top form making several point blank saves.

Canterbury looked dangerous on the break, and a short corner gave Kwan Brown the opportunity to drag flick under the crossbar to put Canterbury ahead for the first time in the game.

Wimbledon pressed for an equalizer and were punished for leaving gaps at the back. Another Canterbury counter-attack saw the Wimbledon defense stretched and Foster score his third goal on 61 minutes to make it 4-2.

Wimbledon came back again and Michael Hoare's short corner conversion set the game up for an exciting finish at 4-3.

Wimbledon were desperate to equalise, but again Canterbury broke and scored an excellent goal to make it 5-3. Despite a string of short corners and pressure, Wimbledon could find no way back.

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Man killed at Wimbledon station was '41

Man killed at Wimbledon station was '41-year-old local'

2:18pm Tuesday 25th February 2014 in Wimbledon By Becky Middleton, Chief Reporter

A man was hit by a train at the weekend

A man hit by a train at Wimbledon station on Saturday night is believed to be a 41-year-old from the town.

Paramedics and officers from British Transport Police (BTP) and the Metropolitan Police were called at just after 10pm on February 22 to reports of a person being struck by the Weymouth to London Waterloo service.

The incident had a knock-on effect across the rail network, with travellers facing up to 90 minutes of delays while the emergency services dealt with the fatality.

Dozens of trains from London Waterloo were delayed or cancelled, leaving people to find alternative routes home on a busy Saturday night.

The victim is yet to be formally identified but his family has been informed.

A BTP spokesperson said: 'BTP officers were called to Wimbledon station on Saturday February 22 after a report that a man had been struck by a train.

'Officers from BTP and the Metropolitan Police Service attended the incident, which was reported to BTP at 10.06pm and is currently being treated as non-suspicious.

'Medics from London Ambulance Service also attended, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

'The man's family has been informed and a file will be prepared for the Coroner.'

The line was handed back to Network Rail at 11.20pm.

Several people on Twitter reported seeing a man jump in front of the train as it passed.

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Faith groups gather in Morden to denounce persecution

Faith groups gather in Morden to denounce persecution

5:00am Tuesday 25th February 2014 in News By Becky Middleton, Chief Reporter

Some of those who attended an anti-persecution event in Morden

Faith groups from all over the world got together in Morden to denounce religious persecution at an event on Friday.

The Baitul Futuh Mosque in London Road hosted dignitaries from Indonesia for a talk and video presentation about persecution all over the globe.

Up to 300 people attended the event which featured a special delegation of Muslims, Christians and Hindus who spoke about their experiences of persecution.

London regional president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, Naseer Dean, said there is a lot of injustice in large parts of the world.

Mr Dean said: 'It's not just one sector but lots of people.

'Rather than keep silent we wanted to organise an event.'

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Vanrooney gets the nod for Wimbledon

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Owen McKenna's bid to win the Racing Post Juvenile at Wimbledon for a second time has got the go-ahead, with his young star Vanrooney selected for the six-dog field which will go to traps at the London venue on this day week.

There had been three Irish entries - All About Ya and Tasmanic Jaxx were the other two - but the credentials of Vanrooney obviously impressed the selectors.

Last year he won both the Bookmakers' Puppy Derby at Harold's Cross and the Gain Masters at Waterford and has impressed in recent trials around Wimbledon.

Indeed, he was fastest of the Juvenile contenders in trials on Saturday when he clocked 28.52 for the 480m trip.

McKenna, who won the Juvenile back in 2007 with Express Ego, also trialled two other young trackers, with Sidaz Eagle beating Fiery Splendour by half a length in 28.64, and these two are expected to race on the televised programme on this day week.

2/1 RHYTHM

Following his impressive second-round victory, Sidarian Rhythm has now been cut into 2/1 favourite for the Tote Gold Cup, which reaches the semi-final stage at Shelbourne Park next Saturday.

Graham Holland's star would probably be shorter but for a difficult draw in the first semi-final. There are six inside seeds in the heat and Sidarian goes from five, with Farloe Calvin and Paradise Silva on either side of him.

Holland also has the second favourite Cabra Buck, best priced 7/1, but this fella has yet to win a heat. He is the only non-inside runner in the competition so is guaranteed trap six in the second semi-final.

He failed to clear Glenanore Dancer to the bend last weekend and it could be close again. By the way, one of the owners of Glenanore Dancer is leading horse trainer Jonjo O'Neill, a brother of the dog's trainer Tom.

The leading best prices on the Tote Gold Cup are: 2 Sidarian Rhythm; 7 Cabra Buck, Glenanore Dancer; 8 Paradise Silva; 10 Farloe Calvin, Greenwell Hulk; 14 Ardfert Thunder, Rockburst Pearl; 16 bar.

BEST BETS

The bet of the night at Harold's Cross this evening could be in the final contest, where the Liam Hughes- owned Cuil Geisha (9.55) looks better than the opposition.

She has been running well in fair company at Shelbourne and should be too strong this time.

In the first heat of the A5 525 the Colin Daly-owned Denco Holly (9.03) can make full use of her early pace to set up victory.

The Eddie Brien-trained Southbrooke Sid (8.24) is an interesting sort and was well fancied when making a winning debut recently. One suspects he is capable of better and an inside draw here should be just about ideal.

PICK 4

The Pick 4 Jackpot eluded the punters at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night and as a result there will be a guaranteed minimum pool of €2,500 for Thursday's jackpot at Shelbourne.

The Pick 7 was also carried over and the size of Saturday's guarantee has yet to be notified.

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Resmi Rilis, Nokia Android X Dibanderol Mulai Rp 1 Jutaan

Wow KerenResmi Rilis, Nokia Android X Dibanderol Mulai Rp 1 JutaanWow KerenNokia resmi merilis Nokia Android pertamanya dengan tiga varian sekaligus di ajang MWC 2014. Dilansir dari PhoneArena, kabar ini disampaikan langsung oleh CEO Nokia, Stephen Elon, dalam konferensi persnya di MWC 2014, Senin (24/02).

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Residents launch guerrilla campaign in support of St Helier Hospital

Residents launch guerrilla campaign in support of St Helier Hospital

12:38pm Monday 24th February 2014 in News By Sophia Sleigh, Senior Reporter

One of the giant signs

A guerrilla campaign is spreading through the suburbs in aid of St Helier Hospital.

Yellow and red stickers are popping up in windows across the borough while giant boards have also been appearing in front gardens in honour of the Save St Helier campaign.

Residents make Save St Helier boards

The campaign emerged after the hospital was threatened with cuts twice over the last three years under the controversial healthcare review Better Services Better Value (BSBV).

However, despite the collapse of the review earlier this month, campaigners still fear the hospital is under threat from future cuts as local health bosses pledged to continue supporting BSBV's analysis in developing their plans over the next five years.

Concerns have also been raised about a new law, Clause 119 (previously 118), which campaigners fear could see the hospital downgraded in the future with minimal public consultation.

Today the Carshalton and Wallington Labour Party are presenting a petition with over 1,000 signatures to MPs at the House of Commons, asking them to vote against the bill.

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