PRESTON PARK NEWS JUNE 2009

EVERYTHING TO RIDE FOR IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS

It’s very hard to believe we are just over halfway through the season already. With two rained-off meetings, it was beginning to become a little “bitty”, but this has not prevented the highest consistent attendance figures in living memory, with a minimum of 70 riders every evening.

And just when it was beginning to look as if Felix English had the senior “A” league completely sewn up, his national championship aspirations have now caught up with him and he has missed a crucial meeting and is likely to miss more. So, lo and behold, we have a thrilling league on our hands with South African ace Jean Spies vying for top place!

There is a similar picture in the senior “B” league. Handy Andy Parle was sailing to the league win under the new rule of “5 wins and you’ve won”. Andy has a tally of 4 wins so far, so he simply needs one more victory to take the title. Then along came Richard Bailey and spoilt the party for Andy, depriving him of that crucial fifth victory by half-a-wheel on 17 June, increasing his own total of wins to 2 and moving up the points tables in the process.

The way things stand at the moment, both senior leagues could go to the wire, and may end up being decided in the final meet, and – why not? – even in the final race of the year!

CHARLIE HEFFERNAN WINS NATIONAL YOUTH RACE, KIM ENGLISH TAKES A BRONZE MEDAL AND SEVERAL OTHER PP REGULARS ARE WELL-PLACED!

Charlie Heffernan pulled off a masterly performance in the National Youth Circuit Race in Solihull, West Midlands, to win the U16 Boys race in real style on Sunday 14 June. Competing in a field of 45 of the country’s top youth riders on the new purpose-built circuit in Tudor Grange Park, Charlie was part of a mid-race breakaway which was Charlie crosses the line alone eventually pulled back. However, Charlie later went away on his own and stayed away for a great lone win. ”There were a few attacks, but nothing really developed that much”, he told Preston Park News. “It was a very quick race, averaging nearly 30mph. I was in a few attacks myself, then I got away on my own with about 3½ laps to go and pulled away with a reasonable lead. I was able to ease off before the finish line to take the win. My main aims this year are the track nationals in mid- August and the circuit nationals at the end of July.” Charlie is coached by VC Jubilee’s supremos Sally and Roy Page. Sally was full of praise for Charlie when PP News caught up with her: “That was a fantastic result for Charlie. He has shown commitment to continuing his training to prove his ability at the highest level. ” Kim (right) on the podium On the same day, Kim English also put up a great display of racing, finishing in third place in the U14 Girls race. And two more of our top PP girl racers Amy Jacobs and Emily Barnes achieved fine results, notching sixth and ninth spots respectively. WHAT’S THE POINT? – Overall scores updated to 17 June A SENIORS B SENIORS NOTES YOUTHS A YOUTHS D Felix English 110 Andy Parle 51 (4 wins) For a full Elliot Tabraham-D 117 Douglas McCauley 77 Jean Spies 95 Richard Bailey 43 (2) Jack Oliver-Blaney 77 Harry Stacey 65 Lee Povey 77 Mark Mergler 28 (1) description of Milo Burdeau 56 Cory Anderson 58 Mark Burgess 61 Ben Miller 17 how the Senior Michael Dixon 30 Thomas Burnett 55 Charlie Heffernan 37 Paul Barnard 14 (1) Sam Maloney 12 Joe Hill 55 Brock Duncumb-R 25 B league will be Bethany Lewis 27 Ant Rogers 13 (1) Martyn Potter 25 decided, please Sam Barnes 24 Oliver Pepper 18 Nick Smith 12 YOUTHS B Stanley Earthrowl-G 22 Charlie Sayer 18 Neil McClelland 10 see PP News Ashley Dennis 101 Isaac Wright 18 Driss Jones 17 Sam Cheesman 8 May 2009 (on Amy Jacobs 77 Lois Parle 16 Bryan Taylor 17 Rob Dean 7 the website). Emily Barnes 63 Sam Booth 14 Sean McClelland 12 Bruce English 7 Kim English 55 Charlie Brooker 12 Jason Salter 12 Nigel Burrows 6 The Top Sara Gent 47 Ferne Leonard 8 Jack Hoyle 45 Paul Gosling 10 Frazer Clifford 6 Richard Hoyle 5 Veteran award Matthew Hill 38 Adam Gent 8 Paul Davidoff 6 Nicholas Wickens 4 Andrew Edwards 7 is decided by Jake Marley 27 Tim Hill 6 5 the committee. Thomas Evans 16 Phil Smith 1 Charlie Booth 5 Laura Cheesman 13 YOUTHS E Philip Burnett 5 There are also Gabriel Parle 12 Evelyn Parle 84 Matt Davies 5 awards for the Tom Paine 9 Dominic Kazlauskas 79 TOP 12 Imogen Farlie 7 Oliver Brooker 39 John Powell 5 Most Combative VETERANS James McCarron 4 Thomas Myers 4 Miranda Wright 37 Martin O’Brien 4 Senior, the Best Lucas Percy 1 Oscar Denman-G 32 Andy Parle (B) 51 Michael Wickens 21 Oliver Tuckley 4 Driss Jones (A) 17 U18 in the Freddie Davies 19 Ant Rogers (B) 13 George Webster 4 Senior Leagues, YOUTHS C Jason Salter (A) 12 Matthew Wise 4 Amy Barnes 92 Paul Gosling (A) 10 Nigel Foskett 3 the Most Spencer Thomas 80 Rob Dean (B) 7 Ben Gerrey 3 Deserving Megan Lewis 64 Bruce English (B) 7 Sean Brasington 2 Youth and also David Barnes 61 Nigel Burrows (B) 6 Ian Craig 2 Harris Redgrove 50 Tim Hill (B) 6 Ben O’Brien 36 Lea Denison 2 the Best Charlie Booth (B) 5 Luke Stacey 31 Philip Burnett (B) 5 Paul McCarthy 1 U16/U14 in the Drew Miller-H 26 Sean Yates (A) 5 handicap races Amy Smith 24 (the Back-to- Will Paine 19 Ted O’Brien 18 front Trophy). Mark Jacobs 17 Celia Jenkins 17

WHAT’S ON – Some suggestions of events to ride and watch SUSSEX CYCLE RACING LEAGUE – Meets every Wednesday starting at 7.00pm, including Points Championships Meet on Wed 15 July. Last meet of the season is on Wed 12 August. Fast Track Coaching pre-Masters and Youth/Junior training session - 28 June between 1pm and 5pm - Newport Velodrome. Pre youth/junior nationals Fast Track Coaching Camp at Newport Velodrome on 7 & 8 August , 4½ hours of track time and 1½ hours video debrief, also on 15 August we have 2 hours track time. See Lee Povey for details. Eastbourne Rovers 100km Randonnee “A Rove Around East Sussex” - Saturday 11 July 2009 . Starting at 9am from Hailsham Freedom Leisure Centre BN27 1BA - Entry Fee £2 IN ADVANCE ONLY. Entries close Saturday 4 July - Contact Dave Dunbar, 32, Lynholm Rd, Polegate, BN26 6JR -  01323 486814 – Email: [email protected].

DON’T FORGET THE FRIDAY EVENING TRAINING SESSIONS AT PRESTON PARK ON FIXED-WHEEL, OPEN TO ALL AGE-GROUPS FROM U12 YOUTH RACE AGE CATEGORY UP (i.e. those who are riding fixed-wheel in the League), UP TO AND INCLUDING ADULT. COST IS £1. STARTING AT 6.30PM. Parental consent for U18s required if not members of VCJ or PPYCC (forms available on the night, so bring your parents). VC JUBILEE JUNIOR & YOUTH RACES IN HOVE PARK on Fridays 26 June, 24 July & 4 September (this last evening is a Go-Ride interclub event) – races start at 7pm. SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS ROLL OF HONOUR – 17 JUNE 2009 Seniors U16 U14 1st LEE POVEY 1st ELLIOT TABRAHAM-DOWERS 1st JACK HOYLE nd 2nd Mark Burgess 2 Brock Duncumb-Rogers 2nd Amy Jacobs rd 3rd Jean Spies 3 Jack Oliver-Blaney 3rd Emily Barnes U12 U10 U8 1st AMY BARNES 1st DOUGLAS McCAULEY 1st DOMINIC KAZLAUSKAS 2nd David Barnes 2nd Joe Hill 2nd Miranda Wright 3rd Megan Lewis 3rd Isaac Wright 3rd Evelyn Parle All medals will be given out at the annual awards ceremony on Saturday 17 October 2009

A TRIP TO THE MARKET by Gavin Smith On Saturday 6 June, I took the train and red double-decker bus to see the Smithfield Nocturne in London. It was a great event with full-on entertainment from 6pm to 10pm with an interesting selection of races to wow the crowds. The 1.1km circuit was fast and exciting, with good vantage points, both at the finish area and also at a point where you could see riders twice per lap. Preston Park organiser Vern McClelland was commissairing at this event.

Although I went there on my own, it’s never long before you’re chatting to people you know, who this time included Preston Park celebrities Sean and Kathryn McClelland, Mark Burgess, Rupert Rivett, Nigel Foskett (see below) and (hanging precariously from a lamp-post) Martyn Potter. It was also interesting to look out for other famous people before and during the races. I spotted and Ed Clancy (both racing later), and the famous fashion designer Paul Smith (no relation!).

There were 3 folding-bike races (two heats and a final) with Le Mans-style running starts and the competitors dressed in jackets and ties having to assemble their machines before riding their races. A wonderful spectacle! It was good to see two PP regulars taking part with success. Richard Bailey and Nigel Foskett (riding Rob Fuller’s bike) both got through to the final, where they were placed 5 th and 12 th respectively.

Another PP rider Andy Edwards featured well in the 2/3-cat race, being well up in the lead group throughout the race and finishing exactly 20 th . It should be noted that this race was consistently lapping at 1min 33sec, or 27mph! There was also a race for top women riders, a city-firm relay race and a fixed-wheel skid contest which brought three riders thundering to the ground!

The main attraction, of course, was the elite race over 1 hours plus 5 laps. Previous PP champ Gyles Wingate was in this, and despite efforts by many to get away, it was more or less impossible, with regular laps timed at 1min 25sec (33mph!) and it all came down to a sprint with the surviving 20 or so riders, won by Russell Downing.

After a couple of tube-train rides, I managed to get my train back to Sussex and into bed at 1.00am. Well past my bed-time, but the trip was well worth it. If you’re able to get up there next year, it is highly recommended. ******************

Fast Track Coaching announce a pre-Nationals training session. 28 June between 1pm and 5pm we have hired Newport Velodrome for a pre-Masters and Youth/Junior training session, where riders will be able to put the finishing touches to their championship preparation. There will be motor-paced efforts and start-gates available. Cost is £30. If you are interested please email [email protected] today to get a booking form. Response has been good so far, so please do be swift. Best wishes! David and Lee SENIOR RIDE OF THE MONTH £5 WINNER

For me, there was never any doubt about the winner of this month’s Senior Ride of the Month competition. Okay, there have been several highlights, but Jason Salter ’s audacious breakaway in the devil-take-the-hindmost on 3 June takes the prize. After an initial move by Sean McClelland, Jason sped off from the bunch and overtook Sean to take command alone. The bunch hesitated, and Jason gradually increased his lead, which nearly reached half-a- lap at one stage. This month’s hero lasted the distance with his trademark economic style to hold off the peloton for a great win. Well done, Jason!

YOUTH RIDE OF THE MONTH £5 WINNER

Ever since PP News first appeared in August 2004, this is one of the hardest decisions for Ride of the Month. The U14 girls have performed especially well this month, and there are so many of them who have achieved good results, it’s a very tough call. However, in my opinion, this month’s Youth Ride of the Month was done by a rider who has notched up a string of good performances recently. In the U14 Sprint Championship, Amy Jacobs won her heat in style and then finished the final just behind winner Jack Hoyle. Well done, Amy!

WEATHER OF THE MONTH – COMPETITION WINNER

The rain was the winner on 27 May & 10 June. A few riders turned up on the first of those dates, but were turned away with a damp track and no racing. On 10 June, webmaster Dave Gerrey had posted early news of the cancellation on the website, avoiding the need to travel. Let’s hope the sun will be the winner of this competition for the rest of the season.

PRESTON PARK RIDERS SUCCESSFUL ELSEWHERE South African national champion Jean Spies hasn’t just been successful at Preston Park. He has notched up a win in a recent all-category race at Dunsfold Park and another in the Minet Grand Prix, an elite circuit race on the Hillingdon circuit. Meanwhile, Elliot Tabraham-Dowers was busy recently taking part in the National Junior 25-mile TT Championship. He posted a very fast time of 1.2.49 and took 14 th place against many riders who were three years his senior! Elliot hopes to achieve an even higher placing next year.

WEBSITE “NAME THE RIDER” COMPETITION by Dave Gerrey

In view of the two cancelled meets, the deadline has been extended to Friday 3 July. Entries via the website or on paper to Dave Gerrey. Get those entries in! Results published in final PP News.

RACE NUMBER VISIBLE FOR THE JUDGES, PLEASE! Special request from our judges: please make sure your number can be seen from behind. It should be low down, visible by the judges, not by the sea-gulls! Also (apologies for the sarcasm, but I can’t help it!), it helps if you’re not wearing a top over your jersey. Thanks.

 QUESTION OF THE MONTH from Sally Page How many eggs does Andrea use on an average weekly cake-bake for the track league evenings? There will be a prize from PP News for the nearest guess. Answers to Gavin on a good old piece of paper, please, by 22 July. (Anyone involved with the baking is ineligible, as are their families!) NEWS FROM VC JUBILEE by Sally Page

Winners of “Club of the Year” www.vcjubilee.co.uk Sussex Sports Partnership Awards Nov 2008 [email protected]

Since VC Jubilee reaped the rewards after receiving recognition as “Sussex Club of the Year” at the Sussex Sports Partnership awards in November 2008, this has helped us earn some valuable support in the form of grants and donations to develop the club, activities and equipment.

Pete Mitchell, who started at the club in 2002 and who is now on the Olympic Academy Programme as a full time GB cyclist and a World Junior Team Sprint Champion record holder, receives sponsorship from Ricardo based in Shoreham close to VC Jubilee’s HQ. They have recently extended their kindness and support of grass roots development with a donation directly to the club. This has enabled the club to purchase new team hoodies to get even more club recognition. Sally Page realises the importance of this support and says: “We are very grateful to Ricardo for their commitment to Pete which is crucial to help him continue on his pathway, but this extension really makes us believe we can help more young people enjoy the sport of cycling at many different levels, either in competition or for leisure.”

VC Jubilee and Preston Park Youth CC jointly have also received a Sussex Community Foundation Grassroots Grant of £2,000 to help towards club promotional material, especially for the International Festival of Sport event on 26 June at Preston Park. See www.takepartbrightonandhove.com where both clubs are providing “Try the track” sessions and skills sessions from 12-3.30pm. You’ll have hopefully seen new club banners and flags, there’s also a new marquee for VCJ and leaflets to promote the clubs. Both clubs are teaming up with City Synergy , a sports and social group for people with sight loss, to support their activities of riding tandems at the track. If anyone has one that we can borrow or is keen to be a pilot, then please contact Sally.

Finally, as a local youth development club based in the small District Council of Adur, VC Jubilee have also received £1,000 from the Adur County Local Committee Community Initiative Funding Awards for the cost of coaching courses. This will help ensure VCJ continues to grow its coaching capacity to support the increase in youth riders. This coupled with a HUGE award from Adur Community Grant Aid totalling £8,629 for further coaching courses and resources, cycling equipment eg bikes, cyclo-cross, rollers, grass track tyres etc. Sally said: “This grant is our biggest ever, and Adur recognise our commitment of over 10 years so far to youth development. The intention is to extend the activities and equipment we have already, eg we now have track bikes, but we want to try to get into grass-track, as we can do this at our HQ in Shoreham. Likewise with cyclo-cross bikes, these can be converted to road, so offering more opportunities to more young people. In return we are also working positively with Detached Youth Projects and Community Wellbeing Officers to promote cycling and the club in the local area. We are very grateful for this grant, it will make a huge difference to our activities.”

Sally has put in a great deal of effort with grant applications . While they haven’t all been successful, she believes continued effort to completing them will benefit the club members, local youth, coaches etc and she considers this one of her most important roles as Club Contact. A high point for Sally recently was Ben Miller and Dave Gerrey receiving national recognition at British Cycling’s Gala Dinner for their commitment to volunteering. As well as seeing our maximum recorded numbers of members at one Track League meet topping out at 24 youth riders! New members to VCJ have been inspired by the Olympics and travel far and wide to be part of our club activities, so we must be doing something right!

VC Jubilee are also leading the Go-Ride Interclub Competition , as many of the members have been targeting these great development events. There’s also no doubt we have some more talent coming hopefully in Pete’s footsteps in the form of Charlie Heffernan, Ashley Dennis, Amy Jacobs, Nick Smith, Amy Barnes and Megan Lewis who are all competing regionally and nationally and performing very well in track, road, time-trial and MTB XC. However our current count is approx 50 members and Sally is sure there’ll be more to follow. But she is not expecting everyone to compete and perform, she and the coaches are just as happy for youth members to enjoy their club Saturday MTB sessions and keep fit and active. One improvement this year is on the number of family members also taking part in the sessions, giving them a great fun atmosphere. This also results in better support of club activities and events, which is invaluable and much appreciated.

Charlie Heffernan has just won a national youth event in Solihull (see front page), which is a fantastic result for him. Charlie is also leading the Southern Region Omnium Track Series, and many VCJ riders have qualified for the Omnium final in Manchester. Lots of these riders now are focussing on the Track Nationals in August.

None of this growth and development could happen without the backbone of British Cycling Go-Ride Scheme to focus our activities. As well as a partnership working with Worthing Otters Youth Tri Club and more joint sessions with Preston Park Youth CC as well as our adult section Brighton Excelsior CC, these have all given positive opportunities for members and coaches. Sally would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who support the youth development clubs. POINTS RACE TIPS by Lee Povey, Performance Cycle Coaching With just three weeks to go to the league points race championships, Lee gives us a very timely low-down on how to ride points races.

Riding smart starts early in the race. The first sprint is often very competitive and you'll often find that the winner drops out later in the race - especially at local-level races, so why waste energy trying to win it?

Particularly on long outdoor tracks where taking a lap is difficult, consistency is often the key. Try to score well in every sprint , but don’t get tempted to go all out to win a competitive sprint early on, as this may well hurt your chances later in the race – or even cause you to get dropped. Try to keep an eye on your opponents and mentally note the ones who also seem to be scoring well and be prepared to cover any potential race-winning moves.

If you are struggling in the sprints through a lack of speed, try making a move of your own and break away. A good time to do this is when another attack is caught, or when the bunch slows. If you're on a banked track, try to use the shape and height of the track to add to your jump - attack from high up the track from around the middle of the field as you exit a bend. Going down the transition can gain you more distance than attacking from the bottom as you have to go up the transition as you enter a bend.

When breaking away you have a few choices. You can try to stay ahead, mopping up the sprint laps and try to lap the field and gain the points bonus - or you might just stay out for one sprint then drop back to the bunch. The right option will depend on your own strength relative to the main field and whether you have got away alone or with another rider or riders.

If you lap the field as part of a group , make sure you keep track of your fellow escapees when you rejoin the field – partly to make sure they don't sneak off again and partly because it will be in their interests to help you chase down other moves.

Try different things and experiment to see what works best for you . The riders who tend to progress the quickest are those willing to take risks and try out different things in their racing.

Remember that you don't have to go hard when you get to the front of the bunch - it's not the law - despite what some riders will tell you! When you do get to the front, soft-tap through - saving your energy for sprints or better times to attack - and then swing up. Crucially, you must get back in to the middle of the bunch. Going right to the back often leaves you trapped behind weaker riders when the pace goes up or an attack goes off the front, causing you to have to work much harder just to get back up with where the race is happening.

Finally, always sprint hard for the last-lap sprint as this can decide the places, with those who are tied on points being separated by their last-lap finishing position – particularly important when the race forms part of an omnium competition and every place counts! Lee Povey will give us more tips in the final 2009 PP News. Don’t miss them!

Performance Cycle Coaching by Lee Povey is a modern, professional and personal approach to coaching. I have over 18 years of coaching experience, ranging from sportive/recreational riders to elite track. I have coached numerous National Champions across all age-groups from youths to masters. Whether it is setting a new personal best for a 10- mile time trial, losing weight or winning National Championships, I have the scientific and proven coaching to get you there. Covering all cycling disciplines, you will be amazed at the results I deliver. Call me today on 07967 000269 to unlock your potential! PROPOSALS FOR A NEWLY-BUILT CLUB FACILITY AT PRESTON PARK by Anthony Rogers

In December Lee Povey, Roy Page, Anthony Rogers and Andy Parle attended a meeting with representatives of Preston Park Tennis Club, St Peter’s Cricket Club and other interested parties. The meeting, proposed by the Tennis Club, had the aim of getting the three sports to join forces to build a new club facility. Anthony Rogers was proposed as the cycling representative for a series of meetings with cricket, tennis and an appointed architect, Fredrik Wallin.

We consulted with council officers, including a planning conservation officer about the design and impact of a new building. Summative meetings were also attended by Rob Fuller of the SCRL and Ben Sherratt, local Bike-It Officer. The discussions initially looked at revamping the track and cricket field as well as constructing a multi-sports club facility. More recently the focus has changed to the club building as this is a single issue for the three sports.

We have reached the stage where we have an indicative design for the facility and the three sports now need to decide whether to unite more formally to pursue its building. Whereas cricket and tennis are single club sports at Preston Park, cycling is multi-club and multi-organisation – making for a more complex sport structure. As a group of cyclists, we now need to decide whether we support the proposal and if all of, or some, of us are committed to backing it fully for the next planning stage.

At this stage Anthony Rogers needs to know if there is support, or otherwise, for cycling’s involvement and if specific clubs/groups wish to be involved. You can talk to those mentioned here to find out more, but this is something that needs a response in the next few weeks rather than months. As well as support for the plans, we would be interested to hear from anyone who feels they have any particular expertise to offer.

Also there may be the opportunity to extend cycling’s involvement by including those who offer road training, or cyclists such as the visually impaired. Again if you have knowledge of any suitable partners please let us know.

If you would like to see the complete set of photo-montages and/or the drawn plans for the proposal, then please contact Anthony Rogers at [email protected]. THE “BACK-TO-FRONT” TROPHY by Dave Gerrey

The Back-to-front Trophy was awarded at last year’s prize-giving for the first time. The trophy was the idea of Ian Mitchell, Pete’s dad. Ian had, and probably still has, very happy memories of watching some epic battles at Preston Park between Pete and some of the other youths riding here at the time, particularly Matt Howard. His particular highlight was the handicap races which often saw Pete and Matt starting as far back as the fence by the pavilion and sprinting flat out from the off to overhaul those starting off round by the second bend.

To celebrate those battles, Ian donated the Back-to-front Trophy to reward the rider in the U16/U14 category who had the best handicap performance over the season. So, how do we measure this and decide who is best? It’s really quite simple, at least that is what Vern keeps telling me! Basically, we keep a note of what distance the winner of the U16/U14 handicap has had to make up in order to win on the night and keep a total. The rider with the biggest total at the end of the season wins the trophy. Imagine you start on the 40-metre mark and the rider furthest out is on 150 metres, if you win the race you will have made up 110 metres (150 – 40). Do that a couple of times in the season and you stand a good chance of winning the Back- to-front trophy.

So, where are we so far this season? Unfortunately due to rain we have missed a few U16/U14 handicaps. We have had 4 so far with Elliot Tabraham-Dowers having won two with a total distance of 135 (55 + 80) and Thomas Evans having won the other two with a total of 50 (15 + 25). Could this be a hare and tortoise race? Perhaps Elliot will win the trophy with just a couple of big wins or maybe a slower rider can get enough shorter wins to pip him at the post. Find out at the annual prize-giving on Saturday 17 October.

LONG-STANDING SPECTATORS by Dave Dunbar

Take a glance across the track from the grass at the finish-line and you will see two of Preston Park’s longest-standing and most dedicated spectators. They are nearly always at PP. In Joan Knight’s case, she first came to PP with her sister in 1946 when aged 10 and she has been attending regularly ever since.

MORE HELPERS WHO DESERVE OUR RECOGNITION Look out for more helpers to be named in the next issue of PP News.

ROB FULLER – a Preston Park legend in his own right as a rider of undoubted ability, he still races but predominantly acts as Chief Commissaire. ANN & MANDY – where would we be without them? Ann and Mandy are Andrea’s vital helpers on the refreshments stand on Wednesday evenings. VERN McCLELLAND – the official Organiser of the PP meetings. Vern’s job has kept him (reluctantly) away for most meetings, but it has been great to have him back occasionally with his Chief Commissaire’s whistle. EVER THOUGHT OF JUDGING? You don’t have to wear a horse-hair wig and scarlet robes to be a judge – at least not here at Preston Park. (Though, come to think of it, it might be interesting if our PP judges did wear that garb.) Sometimes we are a bit short of judges, and if you fancy giving it a go, please come along to the finish- line and join in the fun.

PRESTON PARK NEWS – ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, ETC Many thanks to those who have written for this issue of PP News, including Dan Dunbar , Sally Page and Pauline English for the pics. Final issue will be out on Wed 29 July. If you wish to write anything for it, please send it in to the website or give Gavin your report on paper by Wed 22 July. Thanks.