GRIMSBY'S heritage is proudly on display in the town centre thanks to a unique new partnership.

The Wilkinson's store in the Bull Ring was re-branding two years ago and came up with the idea of putting product pictures on the back wall of the building, backing onto Bethlehem Street.

When the national firm applied for planning permission, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society objected to what member Ann Turner described as "bright and garish advertisements" right next to the historic Grimsby Minster.

Mrs Turner devised some alternative designs, based on Grimsby's landmarks such as the Dock Tower, and the group made its objection to the planning application.

So the high street chain talked to the group and employed a graphic designer to produce even better pictures of the area's top heritage sights.

Now they have been unveiled, and Wilkinson's staff and members of the civic society joined together to celebrate the new illustrations now on display. Mrs Turner said: "I'm thrilled to bits about the result. I think it looks lovely and the pictures are better than my original sketches.

"It says a lot about the company that they are willing to work with us to improve the area."

Wilkinson's manager Dave Adcock said: "We are a very large national company but we like to think of ourselves as part of the local community too. We have been here for 20 years.

"Our store is here in Grimsby, our staff are here in Grimsby and this is where our customers live, so when we saw a chance to give back to the community we operate in, we were glad to help.

"I really like the look of the pictures and they are certainly much better than the metal shutters we had before."

Liz Mayle, design and conservation officer for North East Lincolnshire Planning Balfour Beatty, said: "It is really important that in this spot, next to Grimsby's historic Minster, that planning decisions are sympathetic to the area.

"This partnership shows that even big companies like Wilkinson care about their community image."

POLICE are asking the public to be vigilant following thefts of boilers from unoccupied properties.

The emerging concern centres around the East Marsh and West Marsh areas of Grimsby.

Officers say properties are being broken into at "an alarming rate".

James Cartwright, a spokesman for police in North East Lincolnshire, said: "Boilers are being taken from unoccupied properties with little regard for the damage that is being left behind, which could result in a gas leak or possibly worse if the boilers are not removed correctly.

"It is likely that the boilers are being taken overnight and then off-loaded quickly in order to make some fast cash.

"With this in mind, police are asking for help from both members of public and also local scrap dealers or business that may take in old boilers.

"An investigation into the thefts is underway and we are looking for any connections linking the crimes and suspects involved.

"It is important that the public remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity at or around unoccupied properties, particularly overnight, as the chances of a professional carrying out their work overnight during the early hours are slim and the chances are those involved may not be very well equipped in order to tackle the task at hand.

"It is also vital that scrap dealers or any other local businesses report any suspicious approaches from people trying to off load boilers."

Regular visits to scrap dealers in and around the area take place as part of Humberside Police's work to reduce the opportunities for thieves to get rid of their stolen property and this work has resulted in arrests.

Anyone with information relating to the theft of boilers or any other crimes should contact Humberside Police on the non-emergency 101 number or call Crimestoppers, who will take your information anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

MORE than 75 women will wear onesies for a midnight walk across the Humber Bridge in memory of Shannon Davis.

Friends and family of 17-year-old Shannon – who lost her two-and-a-half- year battle with cancer in November – will take part in the moonlit walk on January 5.

They want more women to join them, as well as sponsors to help raise money for Sheffield Children's Hospital, where Shannon was treated.

Organiser Lisa Brighton, 40, from Immingham, said: "Shannon was such a fighter and it was a shock to the whole community when she died.

"My son, Jack, was treated for a food intolerance at Sheffield Children's Hospital for four years when he was younger and the care he received was amazing. I know they were fantastic with Shannon, too. I've done a bit of fundraising before so I decided to organise the walk to do something in her memory.

"I hope we can get 100 ladies taking part and raise as much money as possible."

The fundraising will begin at Immingham's County Hotel at 7pm on January 5, with fun and refreshments until 9pm, when the ladies will walk to the nearby Bluestone pub, in Immingham.

Transportation, which has been donated by MG Coaches and Goldwing Coaches, will then take the ladies to the Hull side of the Humber Bridge, ready for them to walk back to Barton.

Mum-of-two Lisa, who works in a bookshop, added: "I'm going to be wearing my onesie and it's bound to be freezing but that's all part of the challenge!"

Also taking part will be mum-of-two Tricia Fernandez, from Immingham, who works as a receptionist at a local taxi firm.

She said: "Shannon was known by everybody in the town and I know she would have loved to have taken part in the walk if she was still with us.

"The event was all Lisa's idea but she's already had loads of support and we're really looking forward to taking part."

Shannon, from Immingham, beat acute myeloid leukaemia last year thanks to a groundbreaking new drug, but the cancer later returned and she was told it was terminal.

She spent the last few months making the most of the time she had left and celebrated her 18th birthday early with family and friends before she passed away on November 14.

Get involved

If you would like to take part in the walk, head to the Bluestone pub, in Bluestone Lane, Immingham, where you can pick up a sponsorship form and pay the £5 entry fee. To sponsor Lisa, visit www.justgiving.co.uk/lisabrighton

ACTION is being taken against hungry seagulls swooping down and attacking schoolchildren during playground breaks.

Specially-trained birds of prey are being used at Tollbar and Cleethorpes Academies to frighten the gulls.

East Riding Pest Control's birds, Squeaker, a Harris Hawk, and a falcon, now deter birds by sitting on the roof of the academies.

The gulls then send out a warning call to others in their flock – and pupils can eat in peace!

So far, the bold gulls have tried dive-bombing Squeaker, but the experienced hawk has been trained not to react.

Tollbar Academy student Emily Page said: "The seagulls are a real nuisance.

"They used to fly above us and land nearby, but they have become much bolder and they will try to take our food. It is not much fun when you are trying to eat your lunch, so we are glad that the hawk is here."

Classmate Katie-Marie George added: "The hawk is amazing. It just sits up on the roof and you can see the seagulls are very wary of it."

Tollbar's principal, Stephen Moon, said: "We had to take action. We have only just started the process but we are assured it will not take long for the gulls to get the message and stay away."

East Riding Pest Control is run by father-and-daughter team Holly and Paul Raper, who train the birds not to attack people. They release the falcon and 18-month-old Squeaker – which can fly at up to 40 miles per hour – to the roof, where they sit for 15 minutes until the seagulls understand it is a dangerous place to be.

Holly said: "The gulls dive-bomb the birds of prey at first but they simply sit there and take it. Once the seagulls and other birds realise the birds of prey have marked the area as their territory, they know to move away – and, most importantly, they do not come back.

"It is a totally humane process which takes a few weeks to work.

"The gulls soon learn that if I'm here, the birds of prey are nearby too. Before long, my presence is enough to act as a deterrent.

"We have worked all over the country. We teach them to automatically fly to the top of buildings and sit there to survey the territory.

Seagulls are notorious for their boldness.

In June 2010, we reported how visitors to People's Park were advised to duck and run for cover from crows.

A number of dog walkers had been scratched to their heads, faces and necks because the crows were instinctively attacking people to protect their young.

A MOTORCYCLIST put the lives of innocent people in danger after hurtling across junctions without stopping in a bid to flee from a pursuing police car.

It was only by pure good luck that nobody was seriously hurt in his reckless, panic-stricken attempts to speed away from the scene, a court heard.

Levi Blakey, 22, of Ladysmith Road, Grimsby, admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, having no insurance and driving with the wrong class of licence on August 26.

Phillip Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that police spotted Blakey riding a motorcycle just before 2.10pm.

He failed to stop at three give-way signs leading on to more major roads in the Lambert Road area of Grimsby.

"The police could not keep up with him because they had to give way at the three crossroads.

He sped off after looking round at the officers and they lost sight of him.

Simon Hirst, mitigating, said Blakey panicked when he saw the police because he did not have a licence.

"He made his own position vastly worse, not to mention putting the public at risk," said Mr Hirst. "By good fortune, no other vehicles or pedestrians were caused a problem. He attended voluntarily at the police station."

The distance Blakey drove was relatively short and the speed he reached did not reach much above 30mph, added Mr Hirst.

Blakey had been working part-time at a factory and had a daughter aged two.

Recorder Richard Woolfall told Blakey: "You crossed dangerously three crossroads against give-way signs. You sped across and took a chance.

"It's only pure good fortune that you or, more importantly, members of the public were not seriously injured, as they could have been if you had collided with them.

"This was a serious offence. This prolonged period of deliberate driving is so serious that only a sentence of immediate custody can be justified."

Blakey was also in breach of a six-month suspended prison sentence imposed at the same court in November 2010 for an offence of assault, causing actual bodily harm.

He was jailed for nine months and was banned from driving for 15 months. He must pass an extended retest.

FORGOING the usual indulgences that most people enjoy at Christmas is a small sacrifice that all footballers have to make.

While most of us were tucking into our Christmas lunch or supping a festive tipple yesterday, players up and down the country were in strict preparation for a traditional Boxing Day fixture the following afternoon.

And it was no different for Craig Disley as the Grimsby Town skipper readied himself for the local derby with Lincoln City this afternoon.

At 31, the Worksop-born midfielder has had a few 'Footballer's Christmases' during his career.

It is a sacrifice that he is happy to make, saying he's happy to defer his own celebrations until the end of the season, when he hopes Town will be toasting a return to the Football League.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Disley said: "As a footballer, it's quite difficult at Christmas when your not with your family as much as you like and you have to watch what you eat and drink, but we get our Christmas in May and June at the end of the season.

"It's a small sacrifice to make and we've got to make sure that we prepare right for the games that we've got over Christmas.

"It's a tough programme but if we can come out of these games with a good points total then it will stand us in good stead for a push in the New Year – hopefully it will be a good 2013 for us."

Their victory over Wrexham on Friday got the Mariners' Christmas off to a perfect start as they went top of the Blue Square Bet Premier league table once again.

And the captain now wants to follow up their slaying of the Red Dragons with another win at Sincil Bank this afternoon (1pm).

He added: "Personally, I can't wait for the derby – I know the lads are looking forward to it and I know the fans are as well.

"The atmosphere is going to be amazing and, as a footballer, these are the games you want to be playing in.

"The Wrexham win obviously sent us top and that has set us up well for this afternoon – we can't wait."

Disley, now something of a veteran of derbies with the Imps after playing in all of last season's clashes, added: "The atmosphere in the derby games last year was awesome.

"We weren't as well placed in the league as we are this time around, but the amount of fans we took to their place was fantastic.

"We're taking another great following this year and it's going to be a fantastic occasion again."

The Mariners will come up against a different Lincoln City side to that of just a few months ago.

After a torrid start to the season which saw the Imps drop briefly into the relegation zone, David Holdsworth's men have enjoyed something of a mini-revival and currently sit tenth in the Blue Square Bet Premier.

Disley knows the importance of not under-estimating Town's country cousins, but says that the Mariners' current form shows they are more than a match for anyone in the league.

"Lincoln are on a great run and they did well in the Cup so it will be a different game to what it might have been a few months ago," he continued.

"They're on their home patch so they will be confident but, at the minute, we feel that if we're on our mettle and play to our capabilities then we're more than a match for anyone in this league.

"We didn't start the season well and we were going into games looking not to get beaten, now we're going into every game expecting to win.

"It is a different mind-set for us now and the confidence is there and long may that continue."

Town will be without the influential pairing of Scott Neilson and Ross Hannah for today's derby.

Neilson looks set to move to Town's league rivals Luton Town after completing his loan spell with the Mariners, while fellow loanee Ross Hannah has also returned to parent club Bradford City.

Disley admits that both will be missed but said that the Town squad has enough depth to cope with their absence.

"There is no doubt that they're going to be missed – they've made a massive impact since they've been here", he said, "But we have got the squad to cover for those players."

"Obviously Scotty won't be coming back but there's a chance that Ross will.

"I hope we can do a deal for him because he's been magnificent for us.

"We've got a good squad though and we have players that can do a good job so today is a chance for players that have been on the fringes to stake their claim and do all they can to keep their shirt."

ARMED police and neotiators spent 20 hours persuading a 57-year-old man carrying a knife to give himself up.
The incident, at a property in Lime Grove, Louth, began at 10pm yesterday and that the distressed man, the sole occupant, was threatening to harm himself.
Officers from Lincolnshire Police put a cordon in place and arrested him on suspicion of afraid at about 3.45pm today.

A MAJOR land deal that could see a Grimsby Gherkin realised on a prime town centre site has been completed.

Property investor and developer John Sills wants to create a scaled-down version of the architecturally-acclaimed modern masterpiece for his home town.

And having snapped up the final piece of a land jigsaw overlooking the Victoria Street junction with Peaks Parkway, he hopes to push on with his plans once market conditions improve.

Spring Church, more recently known as the Graphic Press building on Upper Burgess Street, has been bought in a deal worth several hundred thousands of pounds, paving the way for his grand plan that could be worth many millions.

Mr Sills, who has a portfolio of commercial property in North East Lincolnshire, said: "I have been interested in buying it for several years, so I am absolutely delighted to have got it at last.

"In the medium term it would be nice to put something of an iconic landmark building there. It is early days, but I am thinking of a building with a lot of round elements to it. Something even inspired by The Gherkin in the City of London.

"That is on a much bigger site, but something similar in shape and similar in proportions. I may perhaps have to think of another vegetable!

"I think The Gherkin is one of the most beautiful modern buildings in the country, if not the world.

"The site we have bought is very, very different, but there are several buildings around that are quite high, such as the telephone exchange and the silo of Victoria Mills. Whatever we put in it needs to be quite a tall iconic building."

Mr Sills' Wellow Publications was behind the neighbouring Burgess Court, and he believes this would "complement it in many ways".

Built on the former Baptist Tabernacle, the five-storey building, completed in 2008, features 2,000 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor, with 18 apartments above. Since then he has acquired a triangle of land from pub operator Mitchells and Butler, behind the Duke of Wellington, which he sees as ideal for car parking for any future development.

Happy to bide his time, and keen to rent out the existing building as affordable office space as he keeps an eye on the economy and gives more thought to his huge proposal, Mr Sills said he would push on if an appropriate tenant came forward. Previous projects have seen him sell off residential aspects while retaining commercial elements.

Spring Church has been sold by Waltons Publications, having initially been on the market for £400,000.

Lawrence Brown, of Scotts, has been appointed agent going forward. He said: "We have a two-stage plan. The first stage is to offer the premises to let immediately on a relatively short term basis, be it for offices or storage accommodation.

"In the longer term we are looking at a development on there with the aim being to build some sort of iconic building at that junction, with inspiration taken from the fact it sits at the hub and major focal point of Grimsby town centre.

"John absolutely loves The Gherkin, and while we are not for one minute suggesting it would be as big, it would be something suitable for the site, something instantly recognisable."

Offices, a hotel and restaurant are potential uses.

"We are getting a team together with us as agents, and getting architects involved too. It needs to be something that is cutting edge, that meets the needs of occupiers and also grows to be appreciated by the population of Grimsby and North East Lincolnshire."

A YEAR of celebrations in Immingham has been brought to a close.

Over the past 12 months, the port and town have marked the opening of a new skate park, a party to end all parties and a momentous dock open day attended by thousands.

These and many more events were held in honour of the town and the port's centenary.

Now, the celebrations have now been brought to a close – and those behind it have said thank you to everyone who got involved.

John Fitzgerald, port director for Grimsby and Immingham at Associated British Ports (ABP), said: "It has been an extraordinary year.

"We had no idea how big Immingham 100 would be.

"We ended up doing well over 20 events ranging from a lunch with pensioners to a 100 holes of golf in one day.

"Being involved with One Voice, the town council and the public has been great.

"The new year will also be full of positive news for both the port and town."

The first event to mark the celebrations was a gathering of 100 pensioners in February, for a meal and a trip down memory lane.

A competition to design the Immingham 100 logo was organised by ABP and although entries came from all the schools in the area, the winner was Alyissia-Mai Reynolds, a pupil at Canon Peter Hall Primary School, in Immingham.

One of the biggest events was the opening of the town's skatepark, named Imm-Spiration, in Homestead Park, off Washdyke Lane, in April.

The town's teenagers and community group One Voice came together to get the project off the ground.

One Voice chairman Elaine Norton said: "This year has been overwhelming and has brought the community together.

"Immingham is moving into a new era and we are all looking forward to the future.

"We have received support from the council, ABP and the public and we are very grateful.

"It is sad to be moving out of a year of celebration, but we have a lot to look forward to.

"Projects like the skate park have been a massive achievement for everyone and it is good to see the community benefiting from all the hard work."

A sculpture was also designed, built and placed on display outside the Civic Centre, inspired by the Olympics.

ABP opened the port to the public in July, hosting a six-hour party that resulted in one of the busiest days in the history of Immingham.

And the events continued. Residents held golf matches and an abseil at the Dock Tower, in Grimsby, to raise money for charity in the name of Immingham 100.

The Mayor of Immingham Councillor Neil Castle said: "It has been an amazing year. The party was fantastic and it was good to see the whole town enjoying themselves.

"The sculpture represents a legacy which will stand for years to come."

The celebrations were brought to a close with the help of Santa Claus and some glamorous ABP elves.

He swept into Oasis Academy Immingham, which was hosting a special party for 100 Immingham pre-schoolers, on a special centenary sleigh.

The party was catered for by academy pupils, who created the menu, made the food and were on hand to paint faces and decorate biscuits.

Father Christmas – ABP's deputy port manager, Simon Brett – said: "The children of Immingham are the future for the town and port industry and it is brilliant to see so many of them having such a great time."

WHY trust a rogue trader when you could get a car from the "good guys".

That is the message from the Motor Trade Partnership, a scheme combating motoring fraud in North East Lincolnshire.

Every member is vetted and audited before they are allowed membership, showing their commitment to fair, honest trade.

Trading Standards enforcement officer Linda Blackburn said: "We can't tell people where to buy their cars from but we can say these guys have been vetted, they comply with the law and they are trusted. Only the good guys sign up to this.

"The motor trade is biggest area for fraud purely because of the volume of cars being sold every day. People have high expectations with second hand cars and problems can arise when the garage doesn't meet them. It is our job to sort that out."

The scheme has been running for 12 years and has 17 garages signed up.

Paul Mason, of John Roe Toyota, has been in the business all his working life and has seen countless victims of fraud. He said: "We have seen it all over the years so it is good to have this credibility people can rely on it. It also gives us back up if problems to arise."

Part of Linda's role is to mediate if a customer has complaint.

Mike Croft and Kenny Gilmore signed up when they started four years ago.

Kenny said: "We get the advice and help whenever we need it and it gives us protection in the used car side of the business, which has always been a grey area for us. Often we are all tarred with the same brush as rogue traders – people are naturally suspicious."

Dodgy motors are sold from garages, over the internet, and advertisements in newspapers and shops and the advice is to always go to a garage with credibility.

The most likely targets are elderly pensioners and young drivers buying their first cars.

Graham Davis of Graham Davis Commercials in Laceby said: "We are the good guys, we're not all rogues. It doesn't attract more customers, but it gives existing customers confidence in us."

Paul Huxford, of Immingham Motors, Immingham, added: "People get peace of mind and means we have someone to rely on, too."

The 17 members of the Motor Trade Partnership also include: Westgate Motors Ltd Honda Seat Skoda, Car Services (Grimsby) Ltd, Central Motorists (Grimsby) Ltd, Wilson and Co Ltd, Central Car Company (Grimsby) Ltd, Decidebloom Ltd – Stoneacre Kia Fiat, South Humberside Motor Company Ltd Saab Renault, Astle Ltd, CF Parkinsons Ltd, Kev Blackburn Car Sales, Grimsby Cars Ltd, Grimsby Car and Van Centre Ltd.

SCRAP metal dealer John West was caught with nearly 3,000 indecent images of children after he became "obsessed" with them and got "hooked" on looking at them, a court heard.

West, 49, of Cotswold Drive, Waltham, admitted 17 offences involving making or possessing child pornography, possessing them to show to others, possessing banned images of children and possessing extreme pornography, including acts with a horse and other animals.

Mark Kendall, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that police executed a search warrant at West's home on September 29 last year.

A total of 2,948 images, including movies, were found. West had downloaded them from a website and 945 were available to be shown to others. Richard Butters, mitigating, said West had suffered an "absolutely awful" few years and claimed he was an "utterly broken man".

Police originally found a gun and ammunition, kept by him for about 20 years after his 18-year service in the Territorial Army, and he was given a 16-month prison sentence, later reduced to six months on appeal.

He served about two-and-a-half months in prison and was released in May after the appeal.

West claimed he had seen "some dreadful things" during his Territorial Army service, particularly in Afghanistan, and claimed that he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

He became "hooked" on child pornography and it became a "habit", sometimes while he was in the same room as his wife.

"He knew he had to stop," said Mr Butters. "It was like a drug habit."

Judge David Tremberg told West: "You became addicted to these images and obsessed by viewing them."

West was given a three-year supervision order, including a sex offenders' programme, and a three-month 7pm to 7am curfew.

He was banned from working with children for life and was given a five-year sexual offences prevention order. He must register as a sex offender for five years.

Crime news for Grimsby and North East Lincolnshire

TRIATHLETE Robbie Whitaker can't wait for the New Year – when he will take part in the prestigious World Ironman Championships in Hawaii.

The Brocklesby ace booked his place in the showpiece event in Kona with a superb performance at one of the qualifying races in Wales.

Whitaker, 24, is already planning for his biggest test, when he will rub shoulders with the best in the business on the sunshine island.

Ironman triathlon involves completing a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile (marathon) run.

Whitaker, who has been competing in triathlons for four years, said: "I am a bit nervous about racing in Hawaii due to the extreme heat.

"I have done races in the heat before and have often struggled with heatstroke and dehydration.

"However, worries aside, I am really looking forward to it as it has been a goal of mine ever since I started the sport."

Whitaker achieved his big target in one of the qualifying races in Wales.

His split times were: swim – one hour and nine seconds; bike – five hours 32 minutes and 39 seconds; run – three hours, two minutes and 58 seconds.

With the time taken in transitions, it amounted to an overall time of nine hours, 46 minutes and one second.

He said: "The race went pretty much exactly to plan.

"I was a bit tired going into the race as it was my third Ironman in three months and I had just raced the Vitruvian Half Ironman the week before, where I came I third overall.

"In Wales I had a really good swim, but struggled to get going on the bike.

"I think I under-performed on the bike, but that allowed me to have a good run.

"I won my age group by about 20 minutes, so was fairly pleased with the outcome."

Whitaker revealed that he got into the sport after an injury prevented him from carrying on with skiing.

He explained: "I decided to do a triathlon at the end of my first year at university.

"After doing fairly well, I was told that maybe I had a little bit of natural talent for them.

"At the time, I was still fairly into freestyle skiing. However, while out training on my bike, I was hit by a car and tore a ligament in my knee which put a stop to my skiing – so I decided to focus on triathlon instead."

Whitaker admits that fitting all the necessary training in around his university studies is a tough task.

"I am currently in my final year of medicine at the University of Manchester," he said.

"Fitting in training this year has been hard with full-day placements and studying for my upcoming finals exams.

"Not being a fan of getting up early, I often do my training late into the evenings. Most of my cycling this year has been done on an indoor turbo trainer.

"I train every day. My training varies depending on what time of year it is. In the winter it's short, sharp sessions during the week and long, steady sessions at the weekend to maintain the endurance.

"It probably totals around 15–20 hours a week.

"In the summer, when its better weather, then I like to build my endurance with much longer sessions, often going for a ride and then a run straight after.

"My swimming is also done outside in open water during the summer to get use to the wetsuit. I do around 25 hours a week in the summer."

Whitaker rates cycling as his best discipline and swimming as his weakest.

He has solid running ability, and away from the triathlon circuit has completed a marathon in under two hours and 40 minutes.

He clocked 2.39.26 in the Preston Guild Marathon earlier this year.

As well as the three disciplines themselves, mastering triathlon also requires athletes to be able to get to grips with refueling and nutritional strategies.

Whitaker said: "The nutrition side is the main issue that has held me back before.

"It caused me to have a bad race in Switzerland at the start of the summer.

"I spent a lot of time over the summer working with my coach coming up with a nutrition plan that worked for me.

"Once we got it right, it made a big difference to my racing – and I posted my fastest Ironman time of 9.02 in Sweden."

Another significant element in races are the transition points between each discipline.

Whitaker explained: "In the longer races, the transitions are less important. However, when I'm doing the shorter races, they can make a big difference.

"I always like to spend a little time practising them the day before a race, just to sharpen up."

Whitaker is a member of the LincsQuad club and will also be competing for the Offthatcouchfitness.co.uk racing team in 2013.

Ahead of tonight's clash between Cleethorpes Town and Grimsby Borough, football writer Matt Dannatt gives his thoughts...

I WAS lucky enough to be present at the first ever 'Battle of Bradley' between Cleethorpes Town and local rivals Grimsby Borough.

That game was watched by a crowd of 463 fans – a huge attendance for a Baris Northern Counties East League (NCEL) game and a fantastic advert for the local amateur scene.

There was a good atmosphere around the Bradley Community Stadium that night, and I'm sure it will be no different tonight.

Watching that game, it struck me that, as an area that loves its football, we should be proud of what both Borough and Clee have achieved and how they've both developed during their relatively short existence.

To have two teams, fighting it out at such a high level of amateur football – both based at one of the best facilities the NCEL has to offer – is fantastic for the area.

Although both managers would admit that the first meeting between the sides didn't throw up the greatest game of football, things are shaping up to be different this time around.

Clee have made a strong start to their first campaign in Division One, after storming the Lincolnshire League last season.

Borough recently made two exciting signings in Grimsby Town Youth team keeper Liam Higton on a season-long loan and former Mariner Jammal Shahin.

Both have made a big impact, helping the Wilderness Boys to record their first win in five games with a 3-2 victory over Yorkshire Amateur earlier this month.

In Andy Taylor and Lee Stephenson, both Borough and Clee boast two of the league's more potent goal threats – boasting 13 and 11 goals respectively.

After Clee's 2-0 win over their local rivals in that first game in September, Borough will be desperate to bite back and claim a share of the local bragging rights.

Throw in a bit of festive cheer and tonight's game could be a real Christmas cracker.

Tonight's match at the Bradley Community Stadium kicks-off at 7.45pm.

HAVING swapped university life for full-time training – only to lose her new doubles partner to injury – the second half of 2012 has proved challenging for Grimsby badminton player Alex Langley.

The 21-year-old admits she has endured a difficult time since moving to the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes following the completion of her studies at Leeds Metropolitan University.

She no longer plays women's doubles with Lauren Smith. She is now paired with Jenny Wallwork, but their time together on court has been minimal since her new partner picked up back then ankle injuries.

But former Humberston School pupil Langley – who also plays mixed doubles with Matt Nottingham – has turned a negative into a positive by working hard on her own game in the meantime.

As a result, she is confident that once Wallwork returns from the sidelines, they will both feel the benefit of an improved Langley when competition begins at the start of 2013.

"It has been a really difficult year actually," she admitted. "I moved down to Milton Keynes from Leeds Met University and changed partnership to Jenny.

"But she has been injured so we haven't had the chance to get on court and play together at any tournaments which has been tough. I've been able to focus on myself a lot though.

"I've been training and focusing on my own development areas and myself as a player rather than the pair. I've been playing a bit of mixed and that game has developed really well."

Langley's partnership with Smith saw them reach the second round of last year's World Championships, but they aren't alone in being split – several other English pairings indeed have been shuffled.

But Langley is happy to now be partnered by Wallwork, who until the summer played with Olympic silver medallist from 2004 Nathan Robertson in mixed doubles, and believes the duo can enjoy success in 2013.

"We just need to get some time on the court and I am confident we can do well together," added Langley – who has also been buoyed by the development of her mixed doubles partnership with Nottingham in Milton Keynes.

"I think we can be successful. The more we play together the better it will be. I am really happy with how my own game has progressed since moving to Milton Keynes.

"And Matt and I have been playing for a couple of years but we've been training in different places, so recently has been quite a new experience. It's almost felt like a new partnership to be honest because we're actually spending time together on court all the time now.

"Now we have been getting it together and that's been really good and so hopefully we can kick on and continue that in 2013."

Tickets for every day of the English National Badminton Championships are available at www.nationalbadmintonchamps.co.uk or call the box office on 0844 5811424

GRIMSBY RUFC were unfortunate to come away without the victory when they went down 13-11 away at county rivals Lincoln.

The pitch was heavily waterlogged and almost unplayable in some places, but the Midlands 3 East (North) game went ahead.

Despite the conditions underfoot and with the torrential rain, both teams looked to move the ball around and play an open and entertaining game.

This meant at times the ball was spilt, and it was from a loose pass that the Lincoln centre hacked the ball through and grounded it, against the run of play, to score the home side's only try.

The Blues had earlier got the scoreboard ticking with two well-struck penalties from fly-half Brad Watson.

Grimsby's try came from the restart of the second half.

Centre Stuart Saunders sliced through the home defence and he slid in for the try after some ferocious running from the Blues pack. most notably by Mike Newman, Colin Matthews and Matt Pettiford.

The game was balanced on a knife-edge throughout and stout defence from both teams produced a low-scoring game.

Strong running from the Lincoln backs kept the Blues defence stretched – but the Grimsby scrummage, forward power and the wily old head of captain and scrum-half Ben Pharaoh continued to keep the home side on the back foot.

The final 20 minutes was bordering on a farce as the conditions meant players, spectators and the referee could not tell anyone apart.

With the seconds ticking away, number eight Sam Vickers made an incredible 60-yard run and got the Blues deep into the home sides twenty-two.

Then there came a moment of controversy. With the last play of the game, the referee awarded a relieving penalty to Lincoln.

The Blues players looked bemused as the infringing player was a home one, but the muddy conditions meant that identification was virtually impossible and the kick would have been makeable for Watson.

The Blues get their 2013 games up and running with the visit to Springfield Road of Nottingham Moderns on the January 5.

A PACKED festive crowd enjoyed a feast of racing – and a local winner – at the traditional Boxing Day meeting at Market Rasen.

The feature race of the afternoon, the Clugston Lincolnshire Handicap Chase, saw an impressive win by Soudain, trained by Steve Gollings at Scamblesby.

Soudain showed the field a clean pair of heels, but needed to find something extra in the straight to hold off Overyou (4-1).

With the ground proving a tough test, the gruelling three-mile five-furlong chase tested the stamina of the seven-strong field – only four managed to finish.

Under apprentice Paul Bohan, who claims 7lbs, the eventual winner was in the lead at the 16th fence, but was joined two out by his rival.

Bohan then got to work on his mount, though, and Soudain stayed on gamely to claim the main prize of the afternoon.

Soudain was an Irish point-to-point winner and has also won on heavy ground in a staying hurdle, but he was well beaten on his last runs over hurdles and on his chasing debut.

This outing, though, was a switch to handicaps, and he was well backed in the market.

Michael Chapman brought Epee Celeste (14-1) across the Willingham Road from his Woodlands stables and he jumped soundly enough to finish third.

The opening selling hurdle saw a win for The Society Man (11-2), another with form on heavy ground. The horse defied a penalty imposed for a win at Leicester last time out.

The Beginners Chase, which came next, saw Charlie Huxley steer Marie Des Anges (9-2) – which was receiving weight all round – to a successful chase debut.

Saints and Sinners (7-2), trained by Michael Easterby, was well beaten on his handicap debut at Aintree earlier this month.

The horse was returning after a break there and was the better for that run – he scored impressively here in the third race, a class four handicap hurdle.

Shortest price winner on the day was 2-1 shot Killimore Cottage, which took the novices handicap hurdle at the bottom of the card.