Balsall Common teenager Ashleigh Brown is getting ready to celebrate her 18th birthday in Coventry this Wednesday (1st December) at the pub her great great grandmother famously refused to close during the Coventry Blitz. An the family have been preparing Spon Street’s historic Old Windmill, affectionately know as ‘Ma Brown’s’ after its’ famous wartime landlady.
Congratulations to children, parents and teachers of Balsall Common Primary School who raised £900 for Children in need. Read the rest of this entry »
Balsall Common’s Paddy Doyle made it 12th strength and fitness world records since 31st July at Stamina’s gym in Erdington’s Holly Lane, Birmingham, on Monday evening (22nd November 2010). The multi-fitness, outdoor pursuits and martial arts trainer took on this challenge at short notice with a brief to reclaim a brutal step-ups record taken from him by Johny Grube of the USA earlier this month.
Read the rest of this entry »
Doug Macklam reports on Berkswell’s round of matches played on Saturday (20th November 2010):
Mens 1st XI (Saturday league game)
BBCHC (5) (Oliver Stuart-Smith 4, Martin Stevens) beat Worksop (0)
Top of the table Berkswell played host to the only other undefeated team in MRHA East Midlands Division 2 on Saturday. And visitors Worksop found themselves up against an in-form and heavily supported Berkswell brimming with confidence off the back of their 14-0 victory the previous week. Worksop seemed overawed by the situation as Berkswell set about them early on with the sort of vigour and passing skills you might find more akin to an AFC Barcelona outing.
Read the rest of this entry »
Macmillan Cancer Support in Balsall Common are looking for a volunteer who can Calligraphy write and has time to spare to write Christmas Cards to support theirTree of Light Campaign.
This project will be ongoing until Christmas and it will require a few hours per week.
Contact Louise North or Karen Shortt at the Balsall Common office on 01676 535452 if you are interested in helping.
Serial world record breaker Paddy Doyle is currently enjoying one of the busiest, most exciting and gruelling periods of his life as we found out when we joined him to celebrate the opening of his purpose built training studio in the grounds of his Balsall Common home.
Endurance athlete Doyle has been working hard on building and launching his new training studio whilst in the middle of a mind boggling challenge to break 30 world records in a calendar year, a record towards which he has made excellent progress to date, with 11 world records since he got underway on 31st July. But that’s not the end of the excitement for Paddy because he’s also looking forward to forming a family with the expected arrival of a baby with long-term partner Deborah in mid- December.
Read the rest of this entry »
Steve Wake reports on more heartache on the road for Berkswell and Balsall in their Midlands West Division 2 encounter at Kidderminster:
Kidderminster (23) – Berkswell & Balsall (8)
It was a third fruitless trip into Worcestershire inside five weeks for Berkswell, as they turned in an error strewn performance. Kidderminster weren’t any great shakes themselves, but had victory handed to them by the visitors. Some very strange decisions from the referee didn’t help either side, but this is one best forgotten by the B’s.
Kidderminster started with a penalty in the first four minutes, but as B’s settled down they found holes in the home defence. A searing break down the right-wing by Phil Allport ended with a brave dive for a try, as he was tackled in the corner, giving Berkswell a slender lead after 11 minutes. The home side were mostly on top however and a long period of territorial dominance saw them camped in the visitor’s half. A second penalty was all they had to show for it though, after 19 minutes, as the B’s defence made several brave and important tackles near their own line.
Read the rest of this entry »
Saturday 13th November – Steve Wake reports on Berkswell’s local derby triumph over Earlsdon in their Midlands West Division 2 encounter:
Berkswell & Balsall – 24 Earlsdon – 21
With just six minutes to go Berkswell were staring at defeat to bottom-of-the-table Earlsdon, but not for the first time this season, their forwards rescued the match with two late scores from set-scrums. B’s welcomed back several players after injury and unavailability and took the points in this key match between the two bottom sides. Full-back Jamie Knott brought an assurance to the kicking duties which had been lacking in previous weeks, Captain Joe Cart led by example from the back-row and a fine all-action performance from Richard Waite at Scrum-half all helped to steer Berkswell to their late victory. Earlsdon had worked their way back from an early 10-0 deficit, to lead 21-10 with just minutes left. The manner of the defeat must have been particularly hard for them, as they still look for their first victory of the season.
Read the rest of this entry »
