Analysis by business correspondent Richard Baker:

THE National Audit Office's report into the way the Government has handled plans for the first stage of HS2 isn't a serious setback for the project, despite some of the political noise around it.

For one thing, the audit office doesn't do scathing criticism. It checks out government projects to see if they can be, or are being, delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner. And it reports back in careful, diplomatic language.

For another, there is still broad political support for the HS2 concept across Government and opposition.

The National Audit Office's report into the first stage of HS2 doesn't say there's no case for it. It says the case hasn't been well made and should be.

It a points to errors in some of the data and suggests some of the information used to make judgements is out of date. The result is that the case is "unclear".

None of this should really worry people who think a second stage of HS2 running past Nottingham is a good idea.

What should worry them is the assessment that the Government's timetable for the first stage of this enormous project is "challenging".

This could mean that a second stage, that is already nearly 20 years away, could be knocked back even further.

But the National Audit Office does suggest that the further north HS2 goes the clearer its economic benefits are – which is why Notts business organisations are pushing for that second phase to proceed sooner rather than later.

MICHAEL Clegg had only popped out to his local shop for bread and milk one morning, when his life changed forever.

He was savagely beaten by a stranger in a completely unprovoked attack which left him needing surgery.

It also made him so afraid he couldn't leave the house for six months, and eventually lost his job as a school site manager.

But he never had the satisfaction of seeing his attacker in the dock to face justice.

The 56-year-old, of Anstey Rise, Sneinton, said: "I don't know why it happened or who it was.

"Someone on the opposite side of the road approached me and then beat me up.

"When I was on the floor he stamped on me numerous times and because the attack was so severe I had to have a knee and shoulder replacement.

"I had cuts and bruises all over my body and the ligaments in my right shoulder were so badly damaged I had three lots of keyhole surgery before I ended up with a new shoulder."

As well as the physical pain, Mr Clegg felt hurt by the fact his attacker didn't go to court.

"No one has been caught for it but I was told by the police that I was not the only person that day.

"I think that there should be police out on the streets and if someone is attacked there should be someone in the area."

The offence against Mr Clegg was just one of more than 1,000 crimes a week which fail to go before a judge due to lack of evidence, victim statements and witnesses.

Although Notts Police's crime detection rate is currently 35.7 per cent – 1.3 per cent higher than the national average – this is little comfort for those that never receive justice.

Between January 2012 and March 2013, a total of 57,643 offences have not gone to court.

The most frequently occurring of these crimes are theft (26,529), criminal damage (10,901), and burglary (9,797). Others included violence against a person (7,584), sexual offences (881), and drug offences (227).

For every case that is referred by the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) make a decision on the realistic prospect of conviction and if it is in the public interest to bring it to court.

Steve Chappell, chief crown prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: "It is the duty of the Crown Prosecution Service to make sure that the right person is prosecuted for the right offence and that offenders are brought to justice where possible.

"When a case is referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision, prosecutors apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors, which provides a two-stage test.

"Firstly, there must be sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

"This means that a jury or magistrates' bench, properly directed, would be more likely to convict than not.

"If the evidential stage is met, then it must be in the public interest for a prosecution to take place.

"Each case is considered on its merits and in making these decisions, prosecutors will act fairly, independently and transparently."

Although not all crimes make it to court there is still help available for the victims.

Divisional manager Olwen Edwards from Notts Victim Support said: "In the last year we have helped around 2,000 people in Notts and the majority of those cases have not gone to court.

"A lot of the time they are to do with burglaries and the offender is never caught.

"We do get victims of sexual offences coming to us for help and it is not surprising that so many cases have not made it to court.

"The police do need to be taking action when it comes to crimes that cannot be resolved through negotiation such as theft or more serious offences."

AN INSPIRATIONAL 100-year- old from Hucknall has challenged herself to keep her mind as young as ever by attending classes at a day centre.

Hilda Hart, who received her telegram from the Queen on her 100th birthday on May 8, takes part in arts and crafts, bingo, and other games at the Heydays Day Service based at Herbert Buzzard Court, Hankin Street in the town.

Having only given up lawn bowls at the age of 98, Hilda is as active as can be for a woman of her age.

The secret, she says, is: "Try everything that you can."

Hilda, who still lives independently, makes the most of the days at the centre, which she attends every Thursday with 11 other regulars.

"I don't feel 100 years old," she said. "But I never thought I would reach this age."

To stimulate the mind, Hilda enjoys arts and crafts sessions, where she has recently made a dream-catcher for her bedroom and a personalised tea towel.

She said: "There's a lot of things I would like to do that I can't, but I love coming here because it gives me something to focus on." Outside the centre, Hilda watches quizzes on television to keep building her general knowledge.

Having worked in a cardboard box factory before marrying in 1936, Hilda always had an eye for detail.

Although a recent study from a think tank suggested the Institute of Economic Affairs found that retirement results in a "drastic decline in health", Hilda is an exception to the rule.

Not only does she keep her mind active, Hilda also likes to maintain as high a level of physical exercise as she can.

At Heydays, she plays indoor skittles and a game, which she helped invent, where players take it in turns to throw a bean bag into a bucket.

"I used to ride my bike every day, and as a child I was always out playing in the street, so I've always been active," she said.

Her daughter, Audrey, 76, said: "It would be nice to be as active as my mum at 100.

"Every time I see her involved in activity it makes me proud."

Jane Lane, joint director of day care charity Heydays, said: "She's amazing but won't admit it, always bringing a smile, a laugh and a joke with her."

The age of the ladies who attend ranges from the early seventies to Hilda at 100, and Jane says Hilda is as lively as anyone.

"She always has a tale to tell about what she got up to earlier in her life."

Peter Gaw, Group Manager for Libraries, Archives and Information Services at Nottinghamshire County Council, presented her with a cake and card last week for her contribution to the arts and craft groups she takes part in.

He said: "Hilda is a wonderful success story who proves that age is no barrier."

Notts County Council provides the ACLS arts and crafts days at day centres across Nottinghamshire, where they are made aware of the demand.

More information about these services can be found at the web address: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/atoz/a/adult -and-community-learning-service.

NEW measures have been to help the day-to-day running of businesses affected by the tram works in Beeston.

Logistics consultancy Davies and Robson has been drafted in to help manage traffic in Chilwell Road as tram works continue to cause disruption.

The road closed in April and will be shut for up to a year to allow for work on the new tram line to Chilwell.

Around 90 businesses are affected by the closure of Chilwell Road and part of Chilwell High road, with deliveries and customers unable to travel through.

One of the key measures introduced to keep business moving is a new delivery centre where businesses can have their goods dropped off.

The centre, which has now been running for a month, is accessed by a temporary road which runs from Queen's Road West, to the side of Chilwell Road.

Trader Steve Williams, owner of Beeston Bed Centre, said the delivery centre had helped a difficult situation.

"This means we can get the vehicles with bigger items loaded and unloaded," he said.

"It's not as convenient as loading and unloading by our store, but it's better than having no facility at all.

"It's something we are willing to work with while the works continue."

But James Wigginton, owner of the Guitar Spot, said the new measures hadn't helped his business.

"There's been a lot of problems with deliveries and people not being able to get access," he said.

"It's good that we can get deliveries and I guess it would be helpful for people with bigger items, but when people aren't coming to the area what real difference does it make?"

Davies and Robson will also be responsible for keeping businesses updated throughout the works and liai9sng with the construction firms working on the new line.

Chairman Brian Templar said: "This is obviously a huge disruption and everyone is working hard to try to mitigate the effects.

"In terms of logistics it's not a huge operation, because you don't have a Tesco or anything huge like that there. But these businesses are people's livelihood so it's about providing a good service that allows them to keep going."

The city's new tram lines to Clifton and Chilwell are due to open by late 2014.

POLICE forces across the county are to set up dedicated traffic offence courts – after the scheme was piloted successfully in Notts.

The county is one of nine that trialled the Ministry Of Justice initiative which aims to help courts reduce delays and focus more on serious and contested cases.

Around half-a-million low-level traffic offences – including speeding, traffic light and document offences – go through England's courts every year.

There is currently an average of a six-month waiting period between the offence being committed and completion.

Notts chief constable Chris Eyre was part of a group set up to look at the problem.

He said: "We have implemented this new procedure to traffic cases with great success in nine police forces, radically simplifying and speeding up the process.

"This is only implemented when there is a guilty plea or where the case against a defendant is not contested.

"Effective first hearings have significantly reduced the amount of adjournments and a single court can deal with up to 160 cases a day."

The new initiative is now being rolled out across the county, with all police forces being encouraged to have a court dedicated to low-level traffic offences.

Senior members of the judiciary are currently in discussions with the Government about how the ambition can be achieved.

A court room which solely deals with traffic offences has been running at Nottingham Magistrates' Court since the pilot started in August 2012.

Justice Minister Damian Green said the current delay was unacceptable.

"Enforcing traffic laws is hugely important for road safety, and saving lives," he said. "However these cases take nearly six months on average from offence to completion, despite the fact that over 90 per cent of cases result in a guilty plea.

"The justice system must respond more quickly and effectively to the needs of victims, witnesses and local communities and these dedicated courts will enable magistrates to better organise their work and drive greater efficiency."

THE new Labour leader of Notts County Council has said he wants to "get on" with running the council and hopes to put two key policies into place within a year.

Alan Rhodes and his party bagged 34 out of 67 seats in the May 2 election and took back the reins of the council which they lost in 2009.

And among the five pledges which seduced the electorate, there are two Mr Rhodes wants to see brought into place sooner rather than later: the living wage and 20mph speed limits outside schools.

Speaking as council staff moved tables from his old ground floor office to a new one on County Hall's corridor of power, Mr Rhodes said dawdling on these pledges was not an option.

He added: "Young families have welcomed the pledge on 20 mph on the doorstep, as well as headteachers that I have spoken to.

"They know its chaotic at times with people dropping children off and this is a way of improving safety.

"I would like us to get on with this. I don't want to talk about these things in two years time.

"I can't foresee there will be a great problem.

"I am sure we will need a consultation and I accept there's a process that will need to be gone through to make these things happen but we need to get on with it."

But whereas sorting out 20mph signs outside schools may not break the bank, pledging to introduce the living wage will have a bigger dent on finances.

Mr Rhodes wants to see all employees of the county council paid at least £7.45 an hour.

Mr Rhodes said: "Once we have seen where the pressures are and decided if there's anything we can take out of the capital budget and reduce, we will then implement it in Notts.

"I am hoping we can do it in the first twelve months of this administration or at least start to roll it out."

A key part of Mr Rhodes' vision for the future is seeing councils working together and sharing expertise and advice.

He said: "We have a very challenging period ahead of us financially, expectations are high, we have to manage those and be realistic.

"Shared services aren't optional any more, they are essential.

"There's a recognition that it's the way forward, to improve services, save money and in the long run save jobs."

But Mr Rhodes is looking forward to the challenge: "We want to get on with it and start making a difference without unnecessary delays," he said.

And so, after a few photos, we let him do exactly that: get on with it.

A SHORTAGE of beds at the QMC forced doctors and nurses to break protocol and put men and women patients on a ward together.

All wards at the QMC and City Hospital are supposed to segregate male and female patients.

But on two occasions in one month this same-sex rule was breached.

Board papers for the hospitals' trust reveal that men and women patients had to be put together because of "severe pressure on beds".

In the first breach one woman was placed with two men in the medical high dependency unit at the Queen's Medical Centre.

And in the second instance involved two woman patients being placed at the male end of the coronary care unit, also at QMC.

The trust said it would be "increasing critical care capacity" to make sure such mistakes were not repeated.

Saturday

Notts Premier League: Mansfield Hosiery Mills v Plumtree; RR Leisure v Papplewick & Linby; Kimberley Institute v Clifton Village; Cuckney v Farnsfield; WI Cavaliers v Notts Academy; Caythorpe v Welbeck Colliery.

Gunn & Moore South Notts League

Div A: Hucknall v Balderton; Calverton v Gedling Colliery; Clifton Village II v Ellerslie; Belvoir v Wollaton; Radcliffe-on-Trent v Notts Unity Casuals.

Div B: Long Eaton v Kimberley Inst; Attenborough v Hyson Green Cavs; Southwell v Eastwood Town; Gotham Village v Keyworth; Collingham v West Bridgfordians.

Div C: Newark R&M v Bottesford; Plumtree II v K Portland; Gedling Colliery II v Hoveringham; Newstead Abbey Village v Radcliffe-on-Trent II; Wollaton II v Thurgarton.

Div D: West Bridgfordians II v Bramcote; Gedling & Sherwood v Wilsons; Long Whatton v Kinoulton; Eastwood Town II v Risley; Thrumpton v Hucknall II.

Div E: Underwood v Attenborough; Beeston TS v Southwell II; Fiskerton v Lenton W; Ellerlsie II v Hickling; Farndon v Whatton & Aslockton.

Div F: Sutton Bon v Calverton II; East Bridgford v Caythorpe III; K Portland II v Belvoir II; Wymeswold v Long Eaton II.

Div G: Notts Unity Casuals II v Chilwell; Bottesford v Lowdham; West Bridfordians III v Gotham Village II; East Leake v Collingham II; Lambley v Newark R&M II.

Div H: Kimberley Inst III v Ged & Sherwood II; Bramcote II v Ruddington; HG Cavaliers v RR Leisure II; Flintham v Bingham; Plumtree III v WN Legion.

Div J: Oxton v BT Sycamore II; Attenborough III v Clifton Village III; Caunton v Young Lions; Basford Hall OB v Thrumpton II; Keyworth II v Woodborough.

Div K: Gedling Colliery III v Cotgrave Welf; Balderton II v Long Whatton II; Radcliffe-on-T III v NA Village II; L Will''by II v Snibston Grge; Risley II v Hucknall III.

Div L: Wollaton III v Belvoir III; Chilwell II v West Bridgfordians IV; Caythorpe IV v Newark R&M IV; Hoveringham II v Farndon II; Ellerslie III v Underwood II.

Div M: Thurgarton v Eastwood Town; Madni v Stapleford; Lowdham v Flintham; Kinoulton v Wymeswold; Breaston v Kimb Inst IV.

Div N: Whatton & Aslockton II v Attenborough IV; Ruddington II v Grt Dalby; Newark R&M IV v NA Village IIIl; K Portland III v Gedling Colliery IV.

Div P: West Bridgford Legion II v Collingham III; Belvoir IV v Radcliffe-on-Trent IV; Old Dalby v Lambley II; BurtonJoyce II v Sutton Bon II.

Div R: Hucknall IV v East Bridgford II; Young Lions II v Ellerslie IV; Bingham II v Thrumpton III.

Bassetlaw & Dist League

The Wilkinson Championship: Glapwell Colliery v Anston; Harthill v Clipstone Welfare; Kiveton Pk Coll v Ordsall Bridon; North Wheatley with Leverton v Retford; Notts & Arnold Amateur v Cuckney 2nd; Church Worksop v Thoresby Colliery.

Div 1: Everton v West Indian Cavaliers 2nd; Killamarsh Juniors v Edwinstowe; Papplewick & Linby 2nd v Firbeck Colliery; Whitwell v Blidworth Colliery Welfare; Wiseton v Caythorpe 2nd.

Div 2: Anston 2nd v Mansfield Hosiery Mills 2nd; Farnsfield 2nd v Sherwood Colliery; Mansfield & Pleasley v Grassmoor Works; Ordsall Bridon 2nd v Glapwell Colliery 2nd; Thoresby Colliery 2nd v Milton; Welbeck Colliery 2nd v Notts & Arnold Amateur 2nd.

Div 3: Edwinstowe 2nd v Bawtry; Lea Park v Mansfield & Pleasley 2nd; Retford 2nd v Wadworth; Thoresby Park v Kiveton Park Colliery 2nd; Waleswood Sports v Teversal; Welbeck Colliery 3rd v Killamarsh Juniors 2nd.

Div 4: Basford Mill v Worksop 2nd; Blidworth Colliery Welfare 2nd v Everton 2nd; Clay Cross Works v Marshalls; Clumber Park 2nd v Anston 3rd; Notts & Arnold Amateur 3rd v North Wheatley with Leverton 2nd; Roses v Woodsetts.

Div 5: Cuckney 3rd v Todwick; Grassmoor Works 2nd v Harthill 2nd; Mansfield & Pleasley 3rd v Whitwell 2nd; Mansfield Hosiery Mills 3rd v Misterton; Milton 2nd v Papplewick & Linby 3rd; Nomads v East Drayton Sports.

Div 6: Bawtry 2nd v Rockware; Bilsthorpe v Farnsfield 3rd; South Normanton v Thurcroft Welfare; Teversal 2nd v Clumber Park 3rd; Woodsetts 2nd v Wiseton 2nd.

Div 7: Aston Hall 3rd v Welbeck Colliery 4th; Glapwell Colliery 3rd v Waleswood Sports 2nd; Ollerton Colliery v Killamarsh Juniors 3rd; Sherwood Colliery 2nd v Notts & Arnold A 4th; Shirebr'k v Th'esby Pk 2nd; Worksop 3rd v Basford Mill 2nd.

Div 8: Anston 4th v Mansfield H Mills 4th; Blyth 2nd v Mansfield & Pleasley 4th; Clumber Pk 4th v Notts & Arnold Am 5th; Firbeck Colliery 2nd v Milton 3rd.

SEX offences, violent crimes and robberies are among more than 57,000 offences that didn't make it to court in the last year in Notts.

Between, January 2012 and March 2013, 57,643 crimes have remained undetected by Notts Police for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of evidence, witnesses and victim statements.

The most frequently occurring of these crimes are theft (26,529), criminal damage (10,901) and burglary (9,797).WATCH: Victim Michael Clegg talking about his attack

Michael Clegg, 56, of Sneinton, had to have surgery on his knee and shoulder after he was severely hurt in an unprovoked attack – yet the offender was never brought to justice.

"It took me six months just to leave my house after the attack" he said.

"No one has been caught for it but I was told by the police that I was not the only person that day."

Temporary assistant chief constable Ian Waterfield, from Notts Police, said the force's detection rate for all recorded crime in the 2012-13 financial year was 35.7 per cent – which is 1.3 per cent higher than the national average.

"We are constantly reviewing and developing our investigation processes in a bid to improve on that performance, for the sake of public reassurance and safety, and victim satisfaction," he said. "We take reports of all crime very seriously and investigate them thoroughly."

STEVE McClaren wants to land the Wolves job – so that he can complete the plans he had hoped to implement at Nottingham Forest.

The former England boss arrived at the City Ground in June 2011 with ambitious plans to re-establish the Reds as a Premier League force.

His Forest tenure proved to be short-lived, as a failure to sign the players he wanted during pre-season and a disastrous start to the season on the pitch combined to lead to fan protests – and his swift departure in October 2011, after only 13 games in charge.

But McClaren remains hungry to prove he is equipped to revive the fortunes of another of football's fallen giants – and is attracted to the challenge of helping Wolves bounce back from League One.

McClaren is one of three men understood to have been shortlisted for the job, with former Millwall boss Kenny Jackett and Owen Coyle, who parted company with Bolton earlier this season, also in the frame.

But sources close to McClaren say he remains hungry to prove he can replicate the job he did at Middlesbrough, by kick starting a production line of young talent at Molineux – and playing an attractive brand of football to help them climb out of League One.

Wolves were one of the first clubs in the Midlands to secure Category One status for their academy and seem poised to hand McClaren his first job back in English football since he left the City Ground – having managed in Holland in between.

In the meantime, Forest's own academy stars will be in action in Germany this weekend.

Gary Brazil will today take an under-19s squad to play in the Youth Tournament of Ergenzingen.

The party will mostly be comprised of members of the squad that reached the semi final of the FA Youth Cup this season – where they lost to Norwich.

The tournament will start with two groups of four teams, who will face each other over 50-minute matches.

The top and bottom two from each group will then progress to a play-off style knock-out phase on the final day.

Forest face Freiburg tomorrow afternoon, before playing both RB Salzburg and Kaiserslauten on Sunday.

The semi-finals and finals against the other group – made up of Feyenoord, BSC Young Boys, FSV Mainz and Ergenzingen – will be held on Monday.

Brazil, the interim head of the academy, said: "We've had an excellent year and we want to finish on a high.

"We are now looking forward to travelling to Germany – the lads will really enjoy it.

"It will provide them with yet more valuable experience of playing tournament football."

Academy players Josh Thomas, Elliott Ackroyd, Eurico Sebastiao and Jordan Palmer-Samuels have been released by the Reds.

TO get to the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club library, you walk down the hall from the ticket office, past the squash courts and back in time at least 50 years.

Books line just about every inch of wall space in this yellow-papered world, broken only by a collection of weathered bats and memorabilia on the far wall. In the middle of it, books and papers pertaining to whatever Trent Bridge historian Peter Wynne Thomas is currently researching cover a long table.

In the middle of the table sits a well-used green typewriter.

It's not there for show.

When visitors arrive in the library, Peter gets a laugh by pointing it out as "my laptop" – but when they leave, he goes back to typing out his books, reports and correspondence (there's a computer in there somewhere – other Trent Bridge staffers say they can get Peter to check his email about once a fortnight) .

Spend time in here, among more than 150 years' worth of player biographies and committee reports, and it can be disorienting to emerge blinking into a present time where Trent Bridge has Europe's largest outdoor video screen.

Now though, Peter's old-school research is getting a new media platform.

Chris Botherway, the club's new media manager, describes website www.history.trentbridge.co.uk as a labour of love. It's a slickly designed, easy-to-navigate site that the club hopes will open up Peter's years of research to a wider audience.

Peter – or "Wizz" to his co-workers – is now a prolific online writer, even though he has never personally posted anything to the internet.

"This website, whether he knows it or not, is entirely written by Wizz," Chris said.

The bulk of the website is in two sections, one for Notts player biographies and one for Notts season summaries.

The player profiles tap into work Peter's been doing for years. He's been one of the main authors of the Who's Who of Cricketers since it was first published in 1982, and any cricketer who leaves Notts, dies or comes to Peter's attention years or decades after his death, inevitably gets a written synopsis of his life and time and Trent Bridge.

There was a time not long ago when all this information was only available if you went looking for it. In 1973 Peter was a founding member of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, an organisation that for many years was headquartered over the road from Trent Bridge. Through that organisation and others, he worked on the Who's Who as well as other books and articles that peered into every nook of cricketing history.

It was all out there – if you travelled to a specialist bookshop, became a member of a group like the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, or tracked down somebody such as Peter.

All that changed with the rise of cricketing websites – notably Cricinfo – that in addition to up-to-the-minute coverage of cricket, also started trawling cricketing history.

Go to the website that today is called ESPNCricinfo and you'll find online details about the Victorians as well as the Indian Premier League.

But if it's Notts cricket you're after, you won't get the sort of detail you'll find at the Trent Bridge site.

"What Chris has done is, he's expanded it," Peter said. "He's got much more information on the players than anyone else."

Cricinfo offers huge biographies for the likes of Don Bradman or Viv Richards, but the lesser-known or largely forgotten to history players tend to just get a line or two.

On the Trent Bridge website, they're working to give the Bradman treatment to everyone who has ever taken guard just off Radcliffe Road.

Then there are the seasons. For those, Chris went to some of the most interesting documents Peter uses in his research – the club's annual committee reports.

"There's always funny little bits where you find out much they paid to keep a horse at the ground," Chris said, citing just one quirky example.

The committee reports weren't meant to be read as journalism or entertaining prose. They were compiled for committee members who wanted to know how the side did – and how every last half a crown was spent. Yet still, they make interesting reading as snapshots of a time when some things were very different – and yet some things were remarkably similar.

For example, cricket fans might want to take note of how that other popular pastime, wringing hands over the future of the county game, isn't a new phenomenon.

Witness the 1898 committee report, which after a description of the next year's fixtures, makes a passive-aggressive pitch for more spectators: "With such an attractive programme before them, the Committee feel no difficulty in appealing to the supporters of cricket to come forward in increased numbers and so show appreciation of what has been attained by careful and judicious fore-through and suggestions."

Twenty-over cricket may be live-streaming on the internet but in county cricket, it seems some things never change.