Continuing with our Grimsby Snooker League centenary celebrations, Dave Webster and Mick Chew look at some of the people who have had a big impact on the league over the years...

WE start with Roy Ling, whose involvement spans 50 years, during which time he has donated trophies, been league chairman and, for the last ten years, the main sponsor.

He won his own trophy twice, the first time in 1980 with Brian Blyth, and ten years later with new playing partner Ian Singleton.

The Veterans Knock-out also proved to be a success for Roy as he beat Butch Reynolds 2-0 in the 2002 final.

Our next featured star, Steve Trott, followed a similar path to Roy in as much as he was also chairman and persuaded his boss at Pelham Motors to sponsor the league. He also provided two trophies for the Veterans Knock-out.

Another feather in his cap saw Steve referee many of the professionals who played in Grimsby, but we suspect his proudest moment came in 1980 when he won the Baskcombe Cup Sweepstake.

Another unsung hero is Ivan Harvey, and while Ivan is a very good player in his own right, he is best known for spending hours coaching the area's youngsters. The best two players to progress from his academy are Stuart Carrington and Ashley Wright, but there are also many others who have benefited from his dedication.

A 'character' would perhaps be the best description for the lovable Robin Wilkinson who, while not destined to be among the best of players, more than made up for that with his irrepressible enthusiasm for the game.

During the snooker season, you will find Robin at the Ray Edmonds Snooker Centre, refereeing for one of the home teams.

When Grimsby snooker was being monopolized by Ray Edmonds, Sid Hood and Ron Barnes, their dominance was finally broken by the sheer brilliance of Tony Graham.

Always an exciting player to watch, Tony won the Senior Billiards Championship four times and the Senior Snooker twice. He won the double in 1981 and 1983.

Every so often, someone comes along and raises the bar in our wonderful sport. That someone was Kevin Ashby, who won the Grimsby Senior Snooker Championship six times in succession.

No-one has come near to equalling that fantastic achievement, and the possibility of it being repeated in the future is very unlikely.

More recently, the bar was raised again by Jamie Green, who made a 100-plus break in four consecutive Premier League matches – will that ever be beaten?

Just for good measure, Jamie holds the record of ten wins in the Senior Billiards Knock-out, and has set a very high standard in that competition, winning it nine times in a row, which is another league record.

A player perhaps better known for his carpentry skills and repair work on cues is Gerry Howes; a true gentleman of our sport.

Famous stars that have turned to Gerry for help include Mike Hallett, Dean Reynolds and Skegness professional Graham Cripsy.

Gerry first started playing for Electricity both in the Doubles Snooker League, and in the Billiards League, with the highlight being when he once beat Tony Graham in a match.

He then moved to the Birds Eye Club, where he is still playing singles now, and recalls when he and the late Keith Pulford won the Birds Eye Pairs Knock-out before going on to later reach the semi- finals of the Grimsby Pairs.

Ray Hammond is probably the longest serving captain in the history of the Grimsby League. Ray spent his first three years playing at the old Exchange Club, before moving to the Hainton Club.

His dedication to that club can be measured by the fact that he has been captain of the same team for close to four decades.

Over the years, the league has seen some outstanding performances from people with some form of disability.

Nigel Cotton, who had to play one-handed as a result of a motorcycle accident, won the Baskcombe Cup in 1987.

We would also like to acknowledge Blake Munton, Chris Brown, Ben Searby, Terry Lloyd, Bob Woodhouse and Jim Gray.

They always give 100 per cent and, more importantly, play with a smile on their faces.

One of the oldest players in the league is Ray Charlton, who still plays in the Singles League, the Billiards League and, for good measure, still enters all of the billiards knock-out competitions.

We could, and probably should, mention more people but it was always going to be hard, considering the achievements of players and officials who have helped our League to reach its centenary season – a truly wonderful achievement.

SUPERMARKET giant Morrisons' Grimsby seafood plant is smashing all expectations, a year on from the announcement it was setting up base in town.

The Europarc facility is firing on all cylinders and with 100 more convenience stores planned to open in the next 12 months, new products are rolling out of the town.

It comes as North East Lincolnshire Council, via the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, announced a £36 million programme bid for the local food industry has been submitted to Government, following an unsuccessful attempt in Round Three.

Having been part of the original bid, Morrisons Manufacturing Grimsby is already:

Employing 40 more people than expected with head count up 27 per cent, from the anticipated 150 to 190.

Handling 50 more tonnes of seafood a week, with output up 33 per cent, from 150 tonnes to 200 tonnes.

Managing a new pre-packed line that has gone from a standing start to 60,000 units a week.

The retailer is renowned for producing its own bread and meats, with fish added in September when the first nationwide deliveries were made by town logistics giant Quayside.

Shellfish and pre-pack has been added to the initial wet fish service.

Howard Sims, site managing director, said: "When we began we thought we might employ about 150 people, we are currently operating at 190 people."

The programme bid would allow projects to be brought forward that might not meet the initial £1 million minimum threshold, with the purse strings controlled by NELC.

Declaring the pot open in northern Lincolnshire, Business Minister Michael Fallon urged those who had not won previously to try again.

Details about Morrisons' expansion is in today's Europe's Food Town 2013 supplement inside your Telegraph.

"I WOULD be very sad and probably cry if we lost the Ice Factory because I love it and don't think they should blow it up with C4."

Those were the words of St Martin's Preparatory School student James Roberts, 7, the youngest honorary member of the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT).

And that is why he tried to enlist his friends in the war to save the landmark by inviting Project Ice – which is researching the history of the building – into his school.

James added: "It's a beautiful building and I think they need to clean up the roof , but keep all the machinery as it is so people can have a look round.

"I really love it and I wanted to show my friends so they would help me save it."

Project Ice was given a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to look at the history of the Grade II listed building, currently in a sorry state, and compile an exhibition about the lives of the ordinary people who worked there.

On Monday, they showed the St Martin's students a video and asked them what questions about the Ice Factory they would like answering.

Roy Horobin, trustee of the GGIFT and researcher for Project Ice, said: "Our project is about providing a social history of the building and the people in it.

"But we want to find out exactly what it is that people want to know and so the questions from these students and many other people will be the basis of our research."

Mr Horobin hopes that other schools will invite the group in to teach students about the Ice Factory – which St Martin's teacher Diane Crookes thought was extremely productive.

GALLERY: Historic Grimsby Ice Factory pictures

Mrs Crookes said: "Students so young do not necessarily know that things were ever any different than they are today.

"What this experience has given them is a glimpse into their heritage and a time gone by, which shows them how dramatically things have changed over the last 60 years or so."

Priyasha Nijjar, 7, said: "I want to know how many people work there and how old it is – I think it's about 1,000 years old, but I'm not sure."

Tenaya Wong, 7, said: "I want to know how cold it was in there and how they made the ice when it was hot outside."

If you would like Project Ice to come and speak to students at your school, e-mail roy@royhorobin.org

Search for ProjectIceGY on facebook

BARROW assistant manager Ashley Hoskin insists his side will be going for the win when they visit Blundell Park this afternoon.

Despite their lowly position in the Conference table, Hoskin feels the Bluebirds are well capable of an upset.

And he points to the meeting between the two sides at Holker Street back in September as the reason for that optimism.

The Bluebirds raced into a two goal lead only to be pegged back thanks to a brace from Town substitute Anthony Elding.

It was a game that Hoskin felt his third-from-bottom team should have won and one that underlined the strugglers' ability to mix it with the league's big boys.

He said: "I think everybody feels that when they play Barrow we'll be the team that helps them get back on the winning road," said Hoskin. "But it's not going to be like that.

"We've spoken to the lads and told them we've got seven cup finals left.

"We've got nothing to lose because people will be watching Sky Sports' Gillette Soccer Saturday show and they'll be expecting Jeff Stelling to be saying 'it's 1-0 and then 2-0, or whatever, to Grimsby'.

"But we've got a lot of trust in our lads and the way they've been doing recently, including the way they've trained – it's not been easy but they're an absolute credit to themselves and the club."

He contiued:"

"Why can't we go to Grimsby and get something?

"They're a team near the top of the table and we've done ever so well (against some of the top teams) and we should have beaten Grimsby at Holker Street.

"So we'll go there tomorrow and get on with it. If we show the same desire that we have done, then we might just get something from the game."

Grimsby Town joint boss Rob Scott rounds up the latest issues at Blundell Park ahead of this afternoon's clash with Barrow:

ON CLEVELAND TAYLOR'S FUTURE...

" I think Cleveland wants to leave his options open in the summer. He's been frustrated at his lack of opportunities at Burton. So if he comes in and does well it could become more permanent, but we're not going to look at that until we know what league we're in and financially where we are for next season. He looks like a player who hasn't played for a little while at first-team level, but he's desperate to get going and has looked sharp and bright. The first thing he did in training yesterday was to pull one out of the air on his chest and smash it from 20 yards, and Macca's (James McKeown) had to pull off a world-class save to keep it out. I think straightaway the lads have seen what ability he has got. If he starts today I'm sure he'll add something to us. If he comes off the bench I'm sure he'll add something to us, but we're yet to make our decision on what we're going to do."

ON DEADLINE DAY...

" There's not a lot of movement about. We spoke to a couple of people but the difficulty we've got is that we can't say to people 'yes, you're going to start every game' and that's what people want to hear. Realistically you can't guarantee that to anybody. What we've got is a lot of games – eight games in about three weeks – so there's a pretty good chance that they would play a few. Money came into it as well. It's not that we didn't want to spend it, but we didn't want to spend what a couple of clubs were asking, it was silly. Because the clubs that we were asking weren't desperate to get rid of the players, they were asking top-end money for them. Outside of Cleveland, it would have been more a case of bringing a couple in to bolster the numbers, rather than be going in as 100 per cent 'certs' to start. That's why we felt we were better off to stick with what we've got and add quality rather than quantity."

ON PLAY-OFF AMBITIONS...

" I'm not going to accept and I don't want the players to accept everybody saying at the end of the season 'oh well, you did all right. You got to Wembley and you just came up short.' As we said in pre-season, we felt we were good enough to get into the play-offs and if top spot was there we would go for it. We had a pretty bad three or four weeks – not so much the last game and the Wembley game – but results didn't go for us before that. But I think it showed on Tuesday the quality and strength in depth that we've got here, and that we can still push on for a play-off place. We want to go and get maximum points today, Monday and Wednesday. Then we'll look at the following Saturday after that and then there's Tuesday and Friday, and we crack on from there. We want to pick up as many points as we can to cement ourselves in the play-offs."

ON BARROW BUILD-UP...

" We've not done a great deal of training this week because we played on Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday was about recovering. Yesterday, they came in and were as they have been when they've won, lost or drawn – they're a good group, they're bubbly, they're desperate to do well in whatever we do. Whatever training session we put on, they look to work hard and look to do the right things. That's all we'll ask of them. Everybody who was involved on Tuesday was exceptional, even the lads that were on the bench. They were encouraging the others and were desperate for the team to get that win. One thing I can guarantee to the fans is that they will be giving their all to get into the play-offs."

ON TOWN'S FANS...

" The players would like to thanks the fans who travelled up to Hartlepool on Tuesday. It was an astounding effort by them after what was a disappointment and a long day for them on Sunday, to then pay the money to get on the coach and for the tickets to go up to Hartlepool to watch us. On behalf of all the staff and the players, we want to thank the fans for that because that's a brilliant effort."

ON LIAM HEARN...

" I don't think Liam is close to a start, that's a long way off. By all accounts, it was two very young teams in action for the Reserves this week. He's still on the road to recovery. Yes, he scored two goals and got through 90 minutes, but I think he was pretty much flat out on his feet at the end. He's still not sharp enough. For someone who's been out seven or eight months to play one-and-a-half Reserve games and then start a first-team game that's a big ask. But he's certainly in the squad and is certainly going to be involved over the next eight games – hopefully 11 games. We said from the outset that if we got anything from Liam, above, before the end of the season it was a bonus. We pretty much thought it was going to be next season and he's come back a little bit earlier than we'd expected. He's had an illness, that's not helped, and he's still feeling a little bit under the weather. So to ask him to start is a step too far at the moment, but he's certainly in our thoughts over the next few games."

NEW arrival Cleveland Taylor is hoping the third promotion of his career will help win over the Grimsby Town faithful.

The Burton Albion winger joined the Mariners for the remainder of the season before Thursday's loan deadline.

And the 29-year-old who achieved two promotions with Scunthorpe United wants to complete his hat-trick with their rivals.

That quest begins this afternoon, at Blundell Park, with Taylor set to be involved in the squad to face Barrow.

With eight matches remaining for the Mariners to clinch their spot in the Conference play-offs, the wideman hopes he can change perceptions quickly.

He told the Telegraph: "A lot of the Grimsby Town fans probably hate me, don't they?

"I'm not silly and I know I've got to prove myself to the fans first and foremost.

"When you've played for their local rivals it's never easy, but if I can show them what I can do then it should be a good time here.

"I've had two promotions before in my career and it would be massive for me, this club and this part of the country to achieve that this season.

"I don't want to talk it up too much because there are eight games to go, but that would be fantastic."

After training with his new team-mates for the first time yesterday, Taylor has been impressed by his new surroundings.

"Obviously I had to think about my situation and dropping out of the league, but I'm here now and I'm here to do a job for Grimsby Town," added the pacy attacker, who is out of contract in the summer.

"It's a massive club and they've got everything – they should be in the league.

"There are League Two clubs with poorer facilities and I've been impressed with what I've seen.

"I've left a club that's fighting for promotion for another club that's fighting for promotion, and that always makes the transition a lot easier because it's the same mentality and same focus.

"It's just a different set of lads, so all I've got to do is keep working away and force my way into the team."

It's been a frustrating three months for the Leicester lad who was heavily involved for the Brewers in the first half of the season before falling out of favour with manager Gary Rowett.

The FA Cup defeat to the Foxes, ironically enough, in early January was his last first-team involvement.

However, Taylor insists he can hit the ground running with Town and prove a valuable addition.

"I think the Burton manager had his own plans and brought in a few new players," he said.

"The previous manager brought me in and that's football, that happens.

"Sometimes it's unfortunate for the individual but as a manager he's got to do a job for the team, and personally I've got to do a job – keep playing.

"I've kept myself pretty fit and should be back to full match fitness within a couple of games.

"In your first few games you play off adrenaline anyway, so the sooner you get in the better.

"I'm so exited to be preparing for a game and I'm ready to go."

A BUSINESSMAN has vowed to resurrect his popular auction house after it was gutted in an arson attack.

Up to £20,000 of furniture, ornaments and household goods were destroyed in the blaze which swept through BSA Auctions, in Humberston Road, Tetney, shortly before 1am yesterday.

A Lincolnshire Fire Service spokesman said two fires were started deliberately at the site and the business, on The Beam Station Business Park, was being treated as a crime scene.

A neighbouring joinery business and a burger van were also destroyed.

Specially-trained sniffer dogs were drafted in yesterday afternoon to help retrace the path the culprit took and help detectives piece together clues.

A team of forensic officers spent several hours combing the site while others studied footage from security cameras which monitor the business park.

More than 30 firefighters from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service fought the blaze throughout the night, alongside crews from Waltham, Peaks Lane in Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Louth and North Somercotes.

The service's hydraulic platform was also deployed and the A1031 was closed for several hours while the flames were extinguished.

BSA Auctions owner Deighton Royle, who estimated the cost of the damage in his building at £20,000, said: "It is a shame for all the people who brought their items for auction because it is all gone.

"I will be open for business as usual in a fortnight and keep the Friday auctions going. I have built it up since starting on my own in December and it has kept on growing."

Inspector James Trafford, of Lincolnshire Police, said the fire was "significant" and he appealed to anyone who has information or who witnessed any suspicious activity to get in touch.

Call Lincolnshire Police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting incident 21 of Friday, March 29.

THE BBC's One Show visited Cleethorpes' Pleasure Island as the park officially opened its new Furry Friends attraction.

The £500,000 new farm is home to Shetland ponies, pygmy goats, piglets and pigs, calves and cows.

A One Show camera crew has been filming at Pleasure Island over the last couple of days for a future programme, details of which have yet to be released.

Meanwhile Grimsby people were enjoying the new attraction.

Laurissa Comrie, 13, of Grimsby, said: "I come every year, but this is my favourite part now.

"I loved seeing the lambs and was excited to go and stroke them."

Her sister Takara Comrie, 10 added:"I like this part of the park better than the rides.

"I have always like animals but we don't have any pets at home."

The five-acre farm has outside paddocks and indoor pens with visitors able to bottle-feed calves, piglets and lambs and see rabbits, guinea pigs and chicks.

Grimsby-born Bradley Allenby, 17, travelled from Grantham.

He has been following the farm's progress online at www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk and was delighted to have a good look round.

He said: "The best thing about the farm is that both the young and old can enjoy it, I am 17 and it appeals to me."

Bradley said his favourite animals were the Shetland ponies.

He said: "It is not just about the rides anymore and now parents can include their younger children in the park.

"I would encourage everyone to come and see the farm as it looks great."

Melanie Wood, owner of Pleasure Island, said: "I am delighted with how it has all gone. It is an attraction for everyone to enjoy and I hope word will spread."

Entry to the farm is included in the main theme park ticket price of £18.50 – see Monday's Grimsby Telegraph for £5.50 off in our Easter Days Out campaign.

PEOPLE are being urged to regularly check water meters after an elderly couple faced a £5,418 bill when a leak went undetected.

Nora King, 81 and her husband Dennis, 83, of Kenmar Road, Laceby, had no idea one of the pipes under their home had been leaking, as there was no sign of damage.

They paid their bill as normal in July last year, but when their next quarterly bill failed to arrive, Mrs King contacted Anglian Water, who sent someone out to check why.

The pipe was repaired on October 24, but the couple claim they still didn't receive a bill, despite repeated calls to Anglian Water.

On Monday, March 18, two bills arrived at once – one for July 14, 2012, to October 8, 2012, for £3,926.

The second, which included the "arrears" from the first bill and further charges for the period from October 12, 2012, to January 2013, was for £5,418.34.

Mrs King, who believed the pipe was the responsibility of Anglian Water, said: "We cannot afford to pay that. It is not our fault if the pipe isn't properly fixed.

"We cannot check our meter ourselves; we're both in our 80s.

"We may be able to get down there to look at it, but it's the getting back up again that's the problem!"

Anglian Water said as the pipe was within the boundaries of the King's home, it was up to them to maintain it.

A spokesman said: "Maintenance and repair of private supply pipes is the responsibility of the homeowner.

"Nevertheless, we fixed the leak to stop anymore water being lost. This was the third time we carried out a free repair.

"We do give customers a one-off leakage allowance, which means they do not have to pay for water lost in this way. Unfortunately, the Kings had already been given their allowance for a previous leak."

The firm has agreed to charge for the period of the leak at a lower rate than their usual tariff, reducing the bill to £3,620.

He added: "Of course this is still a lot of money to pay. The last thing we want is for them to worry and we will be in touch to discuss their bill."

He also urged the Kings – and other customers – to check their household insurance, to see if they are covered for costs incurred due to leaking pipes on their property.

A HEARTLESS thief stole treasured gold rings, a necklace and a bracelet from a woman who trusted her to look after her home while she was out.

The jewellery, some of it precious family heirlooms with high sentimental value, was later sold at a pawn shop and had never been recovered, Grimsby magistrates heard.

The unwitting victim did not know her jewellery had already been stolen when she took pity on the thief and kindly gave her £20 to help her pay gas and electricity bills, the court was told.

Tina Drury, 50, of Dolby Vale, Grimsby, admitted stealing seven gold rings, a gold necklace and a gold bracelet, valued at about £5,000, belonging to Katie Phillips, between November 6 and December 1.

Martin Howarth, prosecuting, said mother-of-two Miss Phillips asked Drury to go to her home in Second Avenue, Grimsby, because she was expecting workmen and could not be there to let them in because she had to take her son to school.

Drury's son was the boyfriend of Miss Phillips.

Drury spotted a glass pot containing jewellery in a kitchen cupboard and stole items. On another occasion, she stole jewellery from a bedside cabinet in a bedroom. The items were of sentimental value and some had been passed down through the family of Miss Phillips.

Drury sold the jewellery on a couple of occasions to a pawn shop where she had previously sold one of her own rings. She received a total of about £360. The jewellery had not been recovered.

Mr Howarth said that, ironically, Miss Phillips had felt sorry for Drury before she realised that her jewellery had been stolen. Drury told her that she had no money for gas and electricity so Miss Phillips gave her £20 in a bid to help her.

Miss Phillips realised on December 6 that the jewellery was missing. She sent a Facebook message to Drury asking if the workmen had been anywhere in the house they were not supposed to have been. The victim's boyfriend later challenged Drury about the stolen jewellery but she denied any knowledge of the thefts.

Vicky Lee, mitigating, said Drury had been struggling to deal with or explain the breach of trust

"She can't comprehend her own actions," said Miss Lee. "She felt under immense financial pressure because it was near Christmas. She was struggling to pay gas and electric. It all got too much for her."

Drury came across the jewellery in a kitchen cupboard and, on the spur of the moment, decided to take it.

"She hopes that, in the future, bridges can be built," said Miss Lee. "There has been a long period of exile from her family. She hasn't been able to sleep for some time."

Drury, who had no previous convictions, was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, a one-year supervision order, 100 hours' unpaid work and was ordered to pay £500 compensation and a Government-imposed £80 victims' surcharge.

ON THE WEB: More news from the courts in our area is available online at www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk

Forecasts suggest there will be patches of sunshine in Lincolnshire during the bank holiday weekend, while temperatures are expected to remain low.

The Met Office predicts today will be overcast during the morning, with brighter spells in the afternoon and evening.

Temperatures could reach 4C during the middle of the day, but wind chill may make it feel more like 0C or lower.

Sunday and Monday are expected to be similar, but with temperatures reaching 5C by around 4pm

Again, the wind could have an impact, making it feel between 0C to 1C.

There is predicted to be more sunshine throughout Tuesday, with temperatures rising to 7C.

"THIS drastic and ill-thought out action has had far-reaching consequences for patients and their families".

These are the words of campaigners trying to save the closure of Leeds Children's Heart Unit in response to Elspeth Brown, a cardiologist consultant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, who said the data used to suspend children's cardiac surgery at the hospital was "incomplete".

As reported on www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk, the medical director of the NHS, Sir Bruce Keogh, and senior Care Quality Commission managers suspended surgery at Leeds General Infirmary on Thursday, after it had emerged that there were higher than average mortality rates.

However Mrs Brown has today said "that the figures that were presented were simply wrong, they were incomplete and did not include all the operations in Leeds".

She also added that they are confident that their mortality figures are well within what would be expected and all the clinicians in Leeds are very happy with figures at present.

In response to this, officials at Save Our Surgery (SOS) – the Grimsby Telegraph backed campaign – say "It is now clear that there are serious errors in the data used as the initial justification for suspending children's heart surgery in Leeds."

Sharon Cheng, of SOS, said: "In short, the numbers were wrong and NHS managers did not bother to verify them or ask the standard questions before moving to force the Unit to suspend surgery.

"Children whose operations were due in the next few days are now back in a state of uncertainty, with parents understandably extremely concerned. 

"If, as it seems, this situation was unnecessary, and motivated by political rather than patient-safety concerns, then this is a disgrace.

" We are calling on the individuals responsible to account for their actions and to resume surgical operations in Leeds as soon as the situation is clarified."

FIRE crews have attended a road traffic collision after steam from a car radiator was mistaken for smoke.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue responded to a call at around 4.40pm today (Saturday) following a two car collision in Grasby, near Caistor.

It is not known at this time how the incident happened or if there were any casualties.

Keep checking here for further updates.