THREE hundred children from disadvantaged communities will be able to watch Notts County's match today free, as part of charity fundraiser.
Sporting Hearts was set up in 2010 by Bestwood-born businessman Paul Lowe.
He and his ten-strong group of charitable partners and associates oversee the delivery of sports-related projects to schools and communities across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and London.
The schemes have been awarded grants from BBC Children in Need and Awards 4 All as well as Sportivate.
The charity is holding a fundraising day at Meadow Lane this afternoon when Notts County take on Colchester United.
Mr Lowe said: "My early days in Bestwood taught me that the only way out of deprivation is sport or education. Sporting Hearts is founded on the principle of giving youngsters a sporting chance in life.
"I remember being a die-hard Forest fan and that gave me an identity at a time when I had lost my own.
"That's what we want to do for these kids: give them a focus – a purpose.
"We want to target more disadvantaged children and, through sport, give them a goal, something to achieve.
"In this way we make a positive change for teenagers, providing education and physical activity away from the streets."
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300 youngsters to see Magpies free
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Mum's the word in our top picture
THIS heart-warming picture of single mum Noelleen McAuley giving a piggy-back to her teenage daughter Ayana has won a Nottingham Post competition.
We asked people to send us their "selfies" – self portraits – with their mums ahead of Mothering Sunday tomorrow.
Dozens of readers sent in their entries via email and Twitter, but it was this picture, sent in by Anaya and her mother, of Sneinton, that stood out.
Ms McAuley scooped the prize of a £50 voucher for the Victoria Centre.
In her submission, Ayana, a 13-year-old pupil at Nottingham Academy, wrote: "I really hope my mum wins a Mother's Day prize as she always works so hard to do the best for me.
"I know it's tough for her being a single parent with no help or support from anyone, but she keeps on going, no matter what."
Ms McAuley, 48, said: "Winning has really brightened my day.
"It was the anniversary of my father's death on Tuesday.
"It's hard being on your own as a parent and you have your ups and downs, although Ayana and I have always been very close – so much so that we often know what the other is thinking."
When asked how she will spend the voucher, Ms McAuley said: "I so rarely get the chance to go into town and have a little 'me' time. I think I will buy the Estee Lauder Beautiful perfume, as well as something for Ayana.
"Without her I wouldn't be a mother and I really do feel blessed."
Susan Wheatcroft, newspaper sales manager at the Post, said: "We chose this great picture because it there is obviously a lot of warmth between mum and daughter.
"They look to be a close family unit."
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Couple to ride 200 miles to raise funds for stillbirth charity
A RURAL stretch of the River Trent is a special place for Anna Ball and her partner Lee Garland. When she was pregnant, the couple strolled along the riverside, enjoying the serenity and beauty of the countryside, with Lee imagining him and his son playing Pooh sticks and fishing.
Weeks later it was with a very different set of emotions that they sat on the bank and watched the sun go down after learning the devastating news that baby Louis had died in the womb and later they returned to their favourite spot to release paper boats, containing some of his ashes, to sail off into the sunset.
"He doesn't have a physical presence in the world anymore but that's a place we feel really connected to him," says Anna softly, who yesterday set off with Lee on a 200-mile bike ride, following the path of the river, to raise money for Sands, the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity.
The ride was the idea of Lee, who says: "It seemed like a good way to recover both mentally and physically but it was nice to have something to focus on. I find that cycling does take your mind of the daily distraction of life so it will be nice to spend the time with one another and with Louis as we will be following the river."
The date was deliberately chosen to coincide with what would have been the first Mother's Day with their baby.
Anna, 32, says the cycle ride is not just about the distance.
"It is symbolic – we are following the route Louis's little boats might have travelled and it's symbolic of our journey together as Louis's parents. He will always travel with us even as we have to move forwards in our lives."
Funds raised will go specifically towards researching why an average of 17 babies are stillborn in the UK every day.
The couple remain baffled why it happened to them as no cause of death could be found.
Anna, an English lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, had had a seemingly normal pregnancy but last August she couldn't feel her baby moving.
With Lee by her side, she had a scan at the Queen's Medical Centre, expecting to see a heartbeat. But the news was devastating – their baby had died in the womb at 37 weeks.
Struggling to find the words, Anna says: "It was a huge shock. I was very cautious during my pregnancy and like all expectant mums, worried about lots of things but at that stage you feel you're nearly there and are really just waiting to go into labour.
"It does feel like the world has collapsed around you – everything you'd dreamed of for your baby's future has suddenly disappeared," she says, wiping away a tear.
The couple could have stayed in hospital overnight but returned home to Thrumpton where they sat by the river to mentally prepare themselves for what lay ahead and they each wrote a letter to Louis.
Two days later, after labour was induced, Anna gave birth in the early hours of August 15.
"The staff at the QMC were outstanding. They were incredibly supportive all the way through the delivery which was a really difficult thing," she says.
A Caesarean section seemed the least traumatic option at first but mothers of stillborn babies are encouraged to give birth naturally because it's better for their body and doesn't reduce the chances of a subsequent pregnancy.
It was also psychologically important for Anna to have a natural birth.
"It helped me feel that I had been able to do something properly for Louis and that symbolically helped me feel that we were able to honour him and bring him into the world as we'd always wanted to. We were given amazing support during that by wonderful midwives and doctors who looked after us beautifully," she says.
A midwife helped them to wash and dress Louis and took a photograph of him nestling in their arms – a picture that now stands next to their bed.
The heartbroken couple spent the next ten hours taking turns to hold him, talking to him and bonding in a private ensuite room, safely tucked away from the rest of the maternity unit.
Anna recalls: "Meeting your child is always going to be the most extraordinary day of your life and indeed it still was for us. Although we felt terribly sad, it was astonishing and incredible and we had an overwhelming sense of love for him.
"We felt we didn't want Louis's presence to be sad in the world because he had brought so much joy to us during my pregnancy – it was the happiest time of our lives.
"He was such a beautiful little boy and we're so proud of him but although we are desperately heartbroken by this, we feel we have to give him some kind of positive presence," says Anna, her voice crumbling with emotion.
Leaving their beloved baby behind was the hardest thing imaginable. For months afterwards, they were supported by a bereavement midwife, whom they'd met that day.
"Not all hospitals have one but they have a wonderful bereavement midwife at the QMC and she was very important to us in terms of feeling we weren't simply left on our own the minute we walked out the hospital and that they continued to care for us," says Anna.
"She called for months afterwards and I knew she was a point of contact. I can still contact her now if I need to."
After a funeral at Wilford Hill crematorium, the couple held their own ceremony for him with close family by the riverside.
Instead of a sad, sombre day, it was one filled with love and celebration of the short time they had spent with him. They read poems, planted crocus bulbs and wildflowers, which have just emerged this spring, and then as the sun went down, they sent the paper boats on the river on their way.
Lee, a 33-year-old photographer, says: "It was a really lovely day and there was a beautiful sunset. It has become a very important memory for us."
Anna had six months' maternity leave before she returned to her job but self-employed Lee had to carry on working.
"'Unfortunately Lee didn't have paternity time which I think is just as important to acknowledge because he'd been through it and was having just as difficult a time, yet still had to work."
The couple are grateful for the "amazing" support they've received from family, friends and Sands, who recognised that Lee was grieving just as much.
Lee says: "I think people assume that it's worse for the mother, but it's equally bad for both parents. Most people understood it was equally upsetting and equally devastating for both of us but I suppose some people do assume perhaps it's not as bad for the dad."
The strength of their 15-year-relationship has kept them going. Lee, holding Anna's hand as they tell their story, says: "I think that is what got us through it...one another."
Yesterday they set off on their fundraising mission, from the source of the Trent at Biddulph Moor in Staffordshire and will follow its path, cycling 50 miles a day, until they reach the sea at Hull.
Setting out with a target of £1,000, the total was approaching £3,000 before they left Notts. remind me to check in case it's gone over this
One day they hope to have children but Anna says: "I think we have learnt that life is very uncertain and that however careful you are and however much you want something and however hard you work at something, it doesn't always give you the outcome you want but we will continue to try our hardest.
"We are certainly never going to forget Louis and he is very much a part of our family."
To support Sands, please go to www.justgiving.com/Journey4Louis
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A potted history of Thoresby pit
THORESBY Colliery was one of the star performers of the British coal industry, regularly smashing its own UK pit production records.
The two shafts sunk in 1925, to a depth of 690 metres, gave access to several of central Nottinghamshire's coal seams.
In the early 1950s the shafts were deepened to the current pit bottom.
Work on the profitable Parkgate seam began in 1977 and the closure of nearby Ollerton Colliery in 1993 gave Thoresby access to more Parkgate reserves, prolonging the Edwinstowe pit's life.
Thoresby Colliery was the first to have fully mechanised coal production and also the first to achieve an annual saleable output of more than a million tons.
In the late 1980s, it raised output to exceed two million tons.
In the new millennium, the pit came close to closure but was rescued by a surge in the worldwide price of coal and the £55m investment that went with a new contract with electricity giant EDF Energy.
With the closure of Welbeck Colliery in 2010 and the mothballing of Harworth, Thoresby became the last working pit in Nottinghamshire.
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Why UK Coal's future is shrouded in dust and doubt
COAL dust has always been an occupational hazard in mining. And it has descended like a fog over the future of UK Coal in the past two years.
There was a time when the company – all that is left of what was once the publicly-owned British Coal and then the privately-owned RJB Mining – seemed to have a decent future.
The price being paid for coal was so good that at one stage it was seriously considering bringing Harworth Colliery, near Worksop, out of mothballs.
This was at the same time that UK Coal's property division, Harworth Estates, looked set to make a fortune from all the landholdings in and around its colliery sites.
Today, this seems like a distant memory. The financial crash derailed Harworth Estates' plans to exploit what was, at one stage, reckoned to be £900m worth of land and property. It is valued at less than a third of that now.
Underground accidents and production problems poleaxed a mining operation which was already creaking under the weight of considerable debts.
The business has since gone through two hugely complex restructuring operations designed to give the coal operations the best chance of continuing, while ensuring that the mineworkers' pension fund continues to receive enough money to pay out to the people who need it.
No amount of restructuring can change the price that the market is willing to pay for the coal being produced, and this is where UK Coal says the squeeze has come from.
It is against that background that Thoresby – the last great symbol of King Coal – has issued a plea for a cash lifeline.
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Live: 48 Hours of Fashion
FASHIONISTAS are in for a treat this weekend as the city showcases its savviness and style at the 48 Hours of Fashion event.
If you're around Nottingham today and tomorrow, why not check out that marquee on Market Square which will be hosting fashion shows and masterclasses on beauty and trends.
If you can't make it, why not follow all the action in our liveblog below.
Our reporter Lucy Budge will be in the midst of it all, sharing pictures and insights from the front row as the models strut their stuff on the catwalk.
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RELIVE: Updates from Ipswich v Nottingham Forest, Notts County v Colchester and Mansfield Town v AFC Wimbledon
Follow all the action from the football involving our teams with our match day blog.
Our Forest, County and Stags reporters will bring you the latest from the grounds.
The Reds will be hoping for all three points against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, with a win for the managerless Reds helping them towards the aim of securing a playoff place.
At Meadow Lane, the Pies will be wanting a win as part of their Great Escape from possible relegation.
Mansfield Town will be taking on AFC Wimbledon and hoping for a good turnout after last week's draw with Chesterfield.
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48 Hours of Fashion gets off to a roaring start in Nottingham's Market Square
THE sun is shining for the city's celebration of style, which is taking place now.
Happening today, Saturday and tomorrow, Sunday, is the 48 Hours of Fashion event, being held in a marquee on Market Square.
It has been a must-visit for fashionistas and a huge success for the city, with hundreds queuing from 11am for the hourly catwalk shows and masterclasses on beauty and trends.
The chance to grab a free goodie bag and a front row seat is still open, with the event continuing until 5pm today, Saturday, and starting again from 11am tomorrow, Sunday.
Stylist to the stars, Gemma Sheppard, was spotted on the front row taking plenty of dazzling pictures and videos. The fashion maverick, who works with the likes of Ashley Roberts and Dannii Minogue, lives in Langar and says that the event has been a great opportunity to showcase the city.
"I've been out and around Nottingham today and the city is absolutely buzzing. Everyone is out enjoying the weather and popping down for the shows.
"The event has a great, fun vibe and the team have done a great job.
"It's all about enjoying style and mixing together art and fashion, which is exactly what you can see in the fashion shows," says the 38-year-old.
Presented and styled by Lola Royle, a sweep of picture perfect models are strutting their stuff on the catwalk showcasing the latest products from over 100 Nottingham retailers.
This includes popular high street brands such as Topshop and River Island, as well as independent boutiques including Bolongaro Trevor and Stick & Ribbon.
The fashion shows and masterclasses are free to the public and are taking place on the hour every hour until 5pm today, Saturday.
Tomorrow's event will begin at 11am and finish at 4pm.
For more information go to www.itsinnottingham.co.uk.
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Cheerleading competition comes to Nottingham
The courtyard of the Capital FM Arena has been transformed into a sea of American sports jackets and silk hair bows this weekend.
Thousands of cheerleaders have arrived for the National Cheer and Dance Championships - including Nottingham's very own hopefuls, the East Midlands Cheerleading Academy.
Starting this morning at 7am the two day event showcases the athletic abilities of some of the UK's most glamorous sports people, and is one of two national competitions to be held annually.
Boasting six different teams which are all inspired by Queen songs - Rock, Glitter, Rhapsody, Fantasy, Magic and Gravity - EMCA's head coach Helen Zarzycki was feeling confident.
Speaking to the Post before the girls went inside the venue for their warm up she said: "We are very excited and the teams have been doing amazing. We had a really good run up to the competition with our training and we are ready to show the rest of the country what we have got.
"We are feeling pretty confident and we have been putting the routines together since Christmas."
Dressed in their team colours of green, black and white, the girls from team Rock confessed to being "excited but nervous" as they waited to go into the arena this morning for the start of the competition.
Anais Sprakes, 9, who attends Jesse Gray Primary School, in West Bridgford said: "I'm very excited but we are doing some moves we haven't done in a competition before so I'm a bit nervous too.
"Anyone who wants to try cheerleading should try it because you get to do lots of competitions and win lots of trophies."
Result for the competition will be announced throughout the day tomorrow.
Nottingham's independent retailers have been getting behind the girls as well.
Kevin Hartley, who owns Hartley's cafe, in Hockley, with wife Dawn, told the Post he had his fingers firmly crossed for the girls.
He even had one of his waitresses, Jade Allsopp, paint a supportive mural on the coffee shop's window.
He said: "We think it's brilliant the girls are involved and we hope they win. The whole event is great for Nottingham and the local economy too."
How are you supporting our cheerleading team? Get in touch: newsdeak@nottinghampost.comFor more sport, click here
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Mansfield Town 1 AFC Wimbledon 0: Match report
ADAM Murray's first half goal secured a second successive victory for Mansfield Town as they beat AFC Wimbledon, 1-0.
Although neither side offered a great deal in front of goal, the Stags midfielder ensured his team won two games in a row for the first time in six months.
Boss Paul Cox made two changes to the side which started at Victoria Park in midweek.
Ryan Tafazolli returned in defence after recovering from a knock to the foot, with John Dempster dropping to the bench as a result.
And with James Jennings suspended after picking up his tenth booking of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 victory at Hartlepool United, Colin Daniel came into the first XI.
Back-to-back victories for the first time since September was the target set by the manager.
And Cox's men made the perfect start towards achieving that when they broke the deadlock with seven minutes on the clock.
Murray took over set-piece duties in Jennings' absence and curled in a free-kick from out on the left. Ollie Palmer tried to get a glancing header on it, but it was the Stags skipper who claimed the goal.
And for the most part, the hosts looked pretty comfortable with their lead.
Chances were few and far between for either side in a reasonably quiet first half, with the Mansfield back line largely to blame for any pressure they did come under – some poor clearances giving Wimbledon the opportunity to press.
The visitors though, were unable to take advantage and offered little in front of goal.
Substitute Kwesi Appiah went as close as anyone to finding an equaliser when he capitalised on a mistake by Martin Riley.
The Stags defender dallied on the ball, allowing Appiah to sneak in and set-up a one-on-one with Alan Marriott. It was the home keeper however, who won the race for the ball.
Ten minutes later, the same Dons player had another chance when he met Francomb's right-hand cross, but the volley was straight at Marriott.
As the first half neared its conclusion, it began to spark into life.
Mansfield had made several good runs forward, only with little end product. However, just before the whistle, a Murray corner required tipping over as it looked to be curling in.
And the goalscorer set up Matt Rhead with a delightful through-ball, with Ross Worner having little trouble claiming the resulting shot on the turn.
The visitors made the brighter opening to the second half, with Francomb blasting over Appiah's left-hand cross when given time and space at the back post, while Aaron Morris curled a long-range effort wide.
Stags, for their part, had looked a little flat since the interval, as the game descended into a scrappy affair.
Cox tried to change that by looking to his bench. The double introduction of Sam Clucas and Lindon Meikle, with a switch to 4-4-2, had worked well in the last two games, and the manager turned to the duo again, with Jake Speight not far behind.
The latter looked particularly lively when he entered the fray just past the hour.
A slip by Alan Bennett gave Speight the chance to run at goal, but he was beaten to the ball by Worner. Good link-up play with Rhead then saw him curl an effort goalwards from outside the box, which was caught by the keeper.
As the match entered the final ten minutes, the visitors applied the pressure in search of an equaliser.
Jamie McGuire cleared Bennett's header off the line, while Marriott thwarted a powerful strike from Francomb.
Stags staged a late rally as they attempted to put the result beyond doubt, with Murray whistling in another free-kick, Clucas heading at Worner and Rhead driving the ball goalwards.
But though their search for a second proved fruitless, they hung on for all three points.
MANSFIELD: Marriott; Tafazolli, Riley, Sutton, Beevers, Howell (Clucas 54), Murray, McGuire, Daniel (Meikle 54), Rhead, Palmer (Speight 65). Subs not used: Dempster, Stevenson, Clements, Westlake.
AFC WIMBLEDON: Worner; Fuller, Bennett, Jones (Appiah 15), Antwi, Francomb, Morris, S Moore, Richards (Arthur 51), Collins, Wyke (Saint-Luce 62). Subs not used: Sweeney, L Moore, Pell, Brown.
ATTENDANCE: 3,292 (318 away).
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Ipswich 1, Nottingham Forest 1 - match report
NOTTINGHAM Forest produced a vastly improved performance at Portman Road but saw Daryl Murphy secure a point for promotion rivals Ipswich.
Murphy's 78th minute header finally broke the Reds' resolve, on an afternoon when Gary Brazil's injury hit squad almost ended their run of games without a win, which now stretches to ten.
Danny Collins' fourth minute header had given Forest a dream start, with the caretaker boss having seemingly managed to install some confidence in his players.
And Karl Darlow made a string of ever more impressive saves as Mick McCarthy's side piled on the pressure in the second half.
But Forest were more than deserving of a point, after producing one of their best performances in many weeks.
It was a bold team selection from Brazil, who turned to a few younger players to fill the void left by yet more injury problems.
Ben Osborn was handed his senior debut in a midfield diamond that also included new loan signing Lee Peltier, with Jonathan Greening sat at the base of it and Radi Majewski at the head.
Jamie Mackie and Jamie Paterson formed a new look front two for the Reds – who made a flying start.
Osborn and Danny Fox combined down the left to force a corner – and it led to the game's opening goal. Fox delivered an inch perfect cross to the far post and former Ipswich man Collins rose to plant a simple, but hugely accurate, header into the corner of the net to give the visitors the lead after only four minutes.
Paul Anderson, the former Forest player, struck a half volley that did not have enough bend on it to prevent it from flying the wrong side of the upright, as Ipswich looked for an immediate response.
Jonny Williams then glanced a header wide, as the home side pushed again. But Collins also forced a smart save from Dean Gerken with an improvised volley, after Ipswich had failed to clear a Fox free kick, delivered into the box with pace.
Paterson had already had the Ipswich defence backing off with one mazy run. And, when he produced another, carrying the ball across the face of the box, it carved out the room for him to pull the trigger, with his shot flashing a foot wide, with the aid of a deflection.
Osborn was looking composed, given that it was his senior debut and used the ball efficiently and calmly. But it was another midfielder, Majewski, who was next to threaten, with the Pole seeing a driven shot charged down as Forest launched another promising attack.
Halford was booked for a robust block on Anderson, as he looked to progress into the box and, a few minutes later, the dazed winger had to be replaced by Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.
Forest almost doubled their advantage in the 36th minute, following clever play from Paterson, who slid in Mackie. But Gerken was impressively quick off his line to charge down the striker's shot.
It was Forest who were in charge, as the first half developed. But Stephen Hunt did send a dipping shot narrowly over the bar, as Karl Darlow looked on.
The second half began with Jara collecting a yellow card for dissent after kicking the ball away after conceding a free kick.
And, when Aaron Cresswell fired in a cross from the left, the Ipswich fans were on their feet as Ebanks-Blake connected powerfully with a header. But Darlow somehow reacted to make a truly outstanding save, plunging to his left to push the ball away.
Darlow had been performing with confidence in goal for Forest but, he will have been relieved to see Tommy Smith head over the bar after he raced off his line to punch, but failed to make contact with the ball.
The keeper was rather more assured when dealing with a driven half-volley from Cole Skuse, which moved dangerously in the air, before Darlow clutched it well, diving to his left.
Forest were having to defend with increasing determination, as the home side began to commit more men forward, in search of an equaliser.
While Darlow made another breath-taking save, this time leaping high to his right to push away a crisp shot from Williams that seemed bound for the top corner of the net.
When Fox conceded a free kick 20 yards out, it gave Ipswich the chance to test Darlow again. But, while Cresswell's shot was bent successfully around the defensive wall, it lacked the power to trouble the keeper, who made a comfortable save.
The keeper could do little when the Ipswich pressure finally told in the 78th minute, however, as the home side powered themselves level in emphatic fashion, with Murphy driving home a Nouble cross with a thumping header that gave Darlow no chance.
Paterson's driven cross-shot seemed to take a clear deflection off Chambers, but referee Andrew Madley, who seemed to be swayed by the partisan home fans in much of his decision making, awarded a goal kick.
Sub Matt Derbyshire almost made a dream impact on the game, but saw his flicked header, from a Fox corner, bounce just the wrong side of the post.
But Darlow still had to make another big save, this time to deny Nouble, to ensure that Forest did not return home empty handed.
Ipswich: Gerken, Cresswell, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Murphy, Anderson (Ebanks-Blake 35), Hunt (Nouble 45), Hyam, Williams (Green 85). Subs: Loach, Mings, Tabb, Richardson.
Forest: Darlow, Jara, Halford, Collins, Fox, Greening, Peltier, Osborn, Majewski (Derbyshire 86), Paterson, Mackie. Subs: de Vries, Harding, Tudgay, Derbyshire, McLaughlin, Cox, Blake.
Referee: Andrew Madley
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Notts County 2 Colchester United 0: Match report
NOTTS County moved out of the relegation zone with their third successive win in a week as they beat Colchester 2-0 this afternoon.
The Magpies started ferociously and were rewarded after just seven minutes when Ronan Murray broke clear to slide a super finish beyond Sam Walker.
But the visitors fought back gradually and were unfortunate not to level when Freddie Sears cracked the post after being teed up by Dominic Vose.
Bartosz Bialkowski then pushed a shot from Alex Gilbey round the post before tipping a Ryan Dickson cross onto the bar.
But as the anxiety grew inside Meadow Lane, the Magpies gave their fans some relief before half-time by adding a second goal through Haydn Hollis.
Notts could have added to their lead after the break, but were not made to pay for their wastefulness as they completed a dream seven days by securing their third successive win.
It would have undoubtedly pleased boss Shaun Derry who knew his team coming into this game would largely pick itself given their recent form.
The only position that he had to make a decision on was right-back after Mustapha Dumbuya became available again after illness.
Derry decided to restore him to the starting line-up in place of Curtis Thompson who enjoyed a fine game in the 3-1 win at Crewe in midweek.
Otherwise it was as you were for Notts whose revival over the last week meant they were just two points adrift of safety heading into this game.
Clearly Magpies fans had been buoyed by the last two victories, proven by the terrific atmosphere which greeted them as they emerged for kick-off.
Energised by this terrific backing, Derry's side started with purpose and it was rewarded with a goal after just seven minutes.
When Tom Eastman attempted to control a pass, Ronan Murray's senses sparked into life and a brave touch left him one on one with Sam Walker.
Having scored four goals in his last three games, he showed he was a striker in form by slipping a neat finish into the bottom corner.
Meadow Lane erupted into chants of 'we are staying up' , but the visitors refused to buckle and gradually began to claw their way back into the game.
When Alex Gilbey skipped into the area, the anxiety levels grew as he steered his effort over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.
Dominic Vose, who was causing all kinds of problems down the left, then cut a pass back for Freddie Sears who smashed the post with a fierce strike.
The anxiety levels continued to rise before half-time as Colchester began to turn the screw again.
When Alex Gilbey was released by Sears he surged into the box he stroked the ball towards the far corner which was tipped round the post by Bialkowski.
But just as Joe Dunne's side sensed an equaliser, Notts killed their hopes just before half-time when Alan Sheehan's free-kick was met by an emphatic header by Haydn Hollis.
Notts continued where they left off after the break as Murray lashed a volley which required Walker to tip it over the bar before Jimmy Spencer fired just wide.
Derry's side continued to apply pressure, but the third goal they were hoping for remained elusive.
Instead, Colchester, aided by a double substitution, began to fashion a response.
It took a terrific tackle from Alan Sheehan to deny Sears a clear strike at goal while Clinton Morrison also drove wide.
A Craig Eastmond shot also forced Bialkowski into action, but that was as close as the visitors came to scoring in what was a vital win for Notts.
Notts (4-4-2): Bialkowski 6, Dumbuya 6, Sheehan 6, Liddle 7, Hollis , Vela 6, Grealish 6 (Tyson 78, 6), Murray 8, Mullins 7, Campbell-Ryce 6, Spencer 7. Subs: Spiess, Leacock, McGregor, Boucaud, Dixon, Thompson
Colchester (4-3-1-2) Walker 6, Wright 6, Dickson 6, Okuonghae 6, Sears 6, Bean 4 (Massey 55, 6), Ibehre 6, Eastman 6, Wilson 6, Gilbey 6 (Eastmond 77, 5), Vose 6 (Morrison 61, 6) Subs: Cousins, Eastmond, Massey, Olufemi, Sesay, Szmodics
Attendance: 5,230 (209 visitors)
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England side featuring three Nottinghamshire CCC players dumped out of World Twenty20 after defeat to South Africa
ENGLAND'S hopes of making the World Twenty20 semi-finals were finally extinguished after they lost a do-or-die shootout with South Africa by three runs in Chittagong.
Having allowed the Proteas to post a formidable 196 for five, England got within a blow of chasing down another record score following heroics from Nott's Alex Hales against Sri Lanka.
But they will now depart once Monday's final Super 10 clash with Holland is over, pondering the fine margins of defeat.
They did not produce an innings to match AB de Villiers' wonderful 69 not out or Hashim Amla's 56, nor could their bowlers summon a spell to rival Wayne Parnell's three-wicket blast or Imran Tahir's controlled display of leg-spin.
But had Jos Buttler stumped Amla on 19 or Jade Dernbach not been pummelled for 26 in an abject 18th over, they may have lived to fight another day.
Nottinghamshire's Stuart Broad sent South Africa in but Amla enjoyed a rollicking start, stroking Moeen Ali's second legal delivery for four and whipping Dernbach for six off his hip in the second over.
The first of two floodlight failures gave England 10 minutes to regroup and they should have dismissed Amla shortly after the restart.
Moeen evaded the bat as he came down the wicket but Buttler made a mess of the stumping.
A second floodlight delay might have derailed Amla but instead it was England who wavered, with mis-fields, wides and byes all making an appearance.
With Quinton de Kock hardly getting a look in at the other end, Amla moved to his first T20 fifty in 30 balls.
He was eventually prised out in the 11th over, shovelling Broad to deep-midwicket where Hales showed safe hands.
De Kock's one-paced stay was ended when Buttler managed a successful stumping off Tredwell and JP Duminy was run out for four having dropped his bat.
The responsibility now lay with De Villiers and - after Tim Bresnan downed a thunderous return catch - he shouldered it with a mix of autenthic cricket strokes and brutal aerial blows.
He began with a trio of early boundaries and came into his own with some fearless hitting at the death as the final four overs leaked 68 runs.
The 18th was by some distance England's nadir, Dernbach hit for successive fours by Miller, two sixes by De Villiers and chipping in with two wides and a no-ball.
Hales placed Duminy for two boundaries in the first over of the reply but thought his night's work was done when he lifted Albie Morkel to backward point.
He was spared by a dubious no-ball call from umpire Rod Tucker, took guard once again and despatched the unlucky Morkel for consecutive fours.
Michael Lumb, the third Notts man in the team, contributed two muscular sixes, one each off pace pair Beuran Hendricks and Dale Steyn, but was caught on 18 from Parnell's low full toss.
Hales thrashed Hendricks for two more fours and one huge six to leave England 62 for one after the six-over powerplay, well up with a demanding run-rate.
The tide turned in the eighth over, Parnell having key man Hales caught in the deep and then removing Moeen with the very next ball, via a thin under-edge.
Parnell was hunting just the fourth international T20 hat-trick and although he found Buttler's edge, it landed low and safe.
With 10 overs remaining - three apiece from Imran Tahir and Steyn - Buttler and Eoin Morgan were faced with a target of 105.
What seemed a hopeless task got even harder when Morgan was done by Tahir for 14.
Buttler came to life in the 14th over, with two fours and a lofty straight six off Hendricks, but his invention got the better of him when a reverse-sweep off Tahir carried gently to the grateful Morkel.
Needing 34 from the last two overs and 22 from six balls, England got closer than they would have hoped - Ravi Bopara crashing 31 and Bresnan taking Steyn for six, four, six to end.
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Braehead Clan 5 Nottingham Panthers 1 (9-1 on agg): Match report
NOTTINGHAM Panthers saw their season end in dismal fashion as they lost 5-1 to Braehead Clan – going down 9-1 on aggregate in the Elite League play-offs quarter-finals.
Their stirring Challenge Cup final comeback gave Corey Neilson's side hope they could achieve the near impossible in the second leg having begun the night four behind.
When they scored first goal the dream was on, but that was as good as it got as Panthers lost their way and their discipline, meaning a different name will be on the trophy for the first time since 2010.
Panthers were without centre Brandon Benedict as he succumbed to the hand injury which meant he only played the first leg and the 5-1 win against Belfast Giants in the Challenge Cup recently.
However, he probably should not have featured in either of those games based on comments coming from the club. Joonas Saari returned to the line-up in his place.
Braehead welcomed back D-man Chris Frank, who clashed with Brent Henley last time the teams met in Glasgow, and forward Matt Haywood.
Panthers were in dire need of the first goal and they got it at 3.31 as Petr Kalus and Matt Francis combined slickly for the latter to score.
That joy was short-lived though as the away side killed 32 seconds of five on three hockey after David Clarke and Henley took penalties, but they could not resist when it was five on four as Ash Goldie scored at 10.58 to make it 1-1, 5-1 on aggregate.
Scuffling after the buzzer led to roughing penalties for the Panthers' Robert Farmer and Phil Oreskovic and Clan's Tristan Harper, giving Braehead a power play at the start of the second.
Panthers killed it well but struggled to get the goals they needed so badly. In fact they almost conceded a sixth of the tie when the puck came down off the bar but referee Tom Darnell ruled it had not crossed line.
An unlikely avenue could have given Nottingham a route back in as they were already on the power play when they successfully claimed Clan goaltender Kyle Jones was using an illegal stick, earning them 1.06 of 5v3.
They could not make the most of it though as the second period ended at 1-1, Panthers having to survive a Clan spell of 5v3 after penalties to Steve Lee and Francis. To make matters worse, Farmer left the game after picking up an injury.
Panthers were left with a miserable third period to endure as their fate was sealed after 44.35, Kevin Bergin making it 6-1 overall on a breakaway, although in reality it was long since over.
They then lost Francis for the rest of the game after he was given a 5+game penalty when he left Mario Larocque laying on the ice.
Matt Towe made it 3-1 on the night at 50.01 as Clan scored their second power play goal, Panthers having picked up a series of quick-fire penalties by that point.
It was well and truly one for Panthers fans to erase from their memories at Braehead scored their fourth to make it 8-1 on aggregate, Goldie getting his second of the game on yet another power play, the goal timed at 53.15.
Salt was already in the wounds, but a rampant Clan got their ninth of the tie via Joel Champagne at 57.52 when he beat replacement netminder Dan Green after he replaced Craig Kowalski.
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Claire follows mum as city's Irish Rose
A NEW champion of Nottingham's Irish community has been crowned.
Eight women battled it out to become the city's latest Rose of Tralee, in a celebration of modern young women with Irish heritage.
Former professional Irish dancer Claire Regan, 27, of Mapperley, won this year's title, following a day of competition on Saturday.
In doing so, she emulated her mother, Anne, who was crowned Nottingham's Rose in the 1970s.
Her auntie, Maria Stanley, also became Midlands Rose in 1990.
Miss Regan said: "It's not really sunk in at all. I wasn't expecting it.
"My family are delighted. My mum was born in Tipperary and my dad's from Mayo and I've always wanted to take part."
Claire, who started Irish dancing at the age of four, spent eight years touring with Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance show.
She set up her own Irish dance fitness company, Fit Jig, last summer and now travels the world providing sessions.
Claire gave a display of her talents as part of the contest.
The women, who were aged between 18 and 28, were interviewed by a panel of judges at Colwick Hall Hotel, before final judging at the Greyfriars Social Club, in Gordon Road, St Ann's. The Rose of Tralee International Festival is one of Ireland's largest and longest running festivals.
The local round of the competition was relaunched last year for the first time since 2000.
Nicola Lynch, secretary of event organisers the Nottingham Rose Centre, said: "It's about finding a strong, independent woman who is proud of showcasing her Irish heritage.
"We wanted an ambassador for Nottingham who displays all that's good about the city's Irish community."
Other entrants this year spoke of their pride in having taken part in the contest.
Shannon Fay, 20, of Carlton, qualified for the event due to her father's family originating from County Meath.
She said: "As the only girl on my dad's side of the family it's been a fantastic honour to take part in this."
Dublin-born Aisling Keatley, 26, of The Arboretum, also entered.
She is studying for a masters degree in psychology at Nottingham Trent University.
She said: "I've always wanted to enter the Rose. I grew up watching the competition on TV.
"As I've travelled I've realised how important our heritage is.
"All the girls here are great representatives of Nottingham and Ireland."
Another entrant, Eunice Moran, 25, of Cotgrave, has been working as a meet and greet officer at East Midlands Airport since September last year.
Eunice, who grew up in County Roscommon, said: "One of my uncles lives in Tralee and we travelled down for the festival once.
"To experience it at first-hand was fantastic, but to get a chance to stand on that stage as a Rose would have been a dream.
"Any of the girls here would have been worthy winners and I am honoured to support them."
Nottingham Rose Claire will now go forward to the contest's regional finals in Portlaoise, Ireland, at the end of May.
She will be one of 70 regional winners from across the world who will be whittled down to a final 32 women.
The overall winner will then be crowned during the Rose of Tralee International Festival, which will be staged in Tralee in August.
Are you planning a special contest in the near future? Email newsdesk@nottinghampost.com
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Consultants test themselves in hospital cycling challenge
CONSULTANTS and staff at a Nottingham hospital raised £410 for Sport Relief through a cycling challenge.
A team of 26 workers at BMI Park Hospital, in Arnold, took it in turns to pedal on an exercise bike in the hospital's conservatory.
They included the hospital's executive director, Kenneth Hay, pictured taking part in the challenge.
The team cycled a total of 206km in seven hours.
Suzanne Marshallsay, physiotherapy manager at the hospital, said: "It was great to see so many people getting involved and I'd like to thank everyone who took part."
Staff across BMI Healthcare's 65 hospitals and healthcare facilities raised over £2,500 for the appeal.
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Spirited Jason not spooked by film world as he plots US deal
WATCH out Hollywood, amateur film-maker Jason Brown has set his sights on becoming the next Wes Craven.
The 30-year-old from Parker's Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse, has already bagged a distribution deal with New York film studio, Wild Eye Releasing, for his latest homemade horror offering.
A Date With Ghosts is a terrifying fright fest about a group of friends who are attacked by monks following an attempt to bring back the devil.
Filmed at various locations in Nottinghamshire, including Rufford Abbey and Pleasley Vale, the film took two years and £1,500 to make.
Film fanatic Jason, who has been making films for more than 10 years, now hopes it will be his ticket to fame and fortune across the pond.
He said: "When I was a teen I used to watch horror films all the time, I loved Wes Craven's Halloween and John Carpenter's Scream series – I really liked the suspense of it all, how they keep you guessing. And then The Blair Witch Project came out, which was shot on a really low budget and I thought, I could do that."
Jason was then bought a VHS camcorder for Christmas and began making films.
His second short film, The Monk, was shortlisted in the final of the Broadway cinema's In The Frame 2001 competition and then again in 2003 he came runner-up with Dark Vale.
Jason, who works in a video rental shop, is over the moon that his film will now have its own artwork and DVD cover.
He said: "I spend my days helping people pick out films I think they will enjoy and am surrounded by DVDs all day, so it is really weird to think my film could be sitting alongside them some day soon."
Wild Eye Releasing is a New York studio for horror, cult, dark art-house and exploitation movie distribution.
Jason's mum, Patricia, 58, could not be prouder of her ambitious son and doesn't even mind being roped in as a costume designer.
She said: "Jason is so dedicated to his film-making that I really would do anything to help.
"He would work full days at the shop, come home, have his tea and then stay up in his room for hours – into the early morning – editing his films. I am so proud of him."
But while Mrs Brown is more than happy to take to the sewing machine to make malevolent monk robes or ghostly Victorian dresses, the pet shop employee confesses she is no fan of the horror film genre.
She said: "I just can't watch horror films, they are too scary, but I have seen Jason's and it is very good, very jumpy. Hopefully it will do well, I'd love to go to New York."
Do you still enjoy going to the cinema? Get in touch: Newsdesk@nottinghampost.com
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Plans to introduce 20mph speed limits
NEARLY £150,000 is to be spent by Nottingham City Council to slow down traffic in Radford and Lenton.
The money is to be spent on monitoring the traffic in the two areas before a lower speed limit is introduced on residential roads.
Bulwell was the second area of the city to introduce a residential 20mph speed limit which came into force in January.
If brought in, the new limit will not be enforced with traffic cameras. Nottingham City Council will instead work with residents to set up a number of Speed Watch Groups.
Speaking about the policy of introducing 20mph limits on all residential streets in the city, portfolio holder for planning and transport, Councillor Jane Urquhart, said: "It's good for accident rates, it's good for health and it's good for general wellbeing and fitness."
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We shall remember him... doves and memorial for soldier Lee
DOVES were released into the air as a new memorial to a former soldier was unveiled.
Friends and relatives gathered together to reveal a stone commemorating the life of Private Lee Bonsall.
The 24-year-old, originally of Warsop, was found hanged at his home in Tenby, South Wales, in March 2012.
Since his death, Private Bonsall's family have campaigned for better mental health care of ex-servicemen and women.
His mother, Karen Bonsall, said: "When Lee got out of the Army we thought that was all the problems solved, but that was just the beginning of it.
"When they leave the Army they are leaving the whole way of life.
"They need more help when they leave."
The stone was unveiled during a ceremony at the Heroes Memorial in Carr Bank Park, Mansfield, yesterday.
Private Bonsall's name was revealed in a rose garden near the memorial. Wreaths were laid by family and friends.
The Mayor of Mansfield, Tony Egginton, presented a wreath on behalf of Private Bonsall's former regiment, the Royal Logistics Corps.
The Last Post was also sounded, before doves were released and a song called The Glass was sung. It was written by Lee's dad, Ken Bonsall, 46, and older brother, Daniel Booth, 33.
Private Bonsall served tours of Afghanistan before being discharged from the Army in September 2007. He had been assessed by a military psychiatrist, who warned his mental health could deteriorate if he remained in the Forces.
At an inquest into Private Bonsall's death, which took place in Wales in January, the coroner said there had been a clear link between his military service and subsequent mental health problems.
The coroner also made recommendations to the Ministry of Defence, calling for medical records of servicemen and women to be made available to doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Mrs Bonsall, 52, of Warsop, said: "One day they will realise this is going to happen more and more. Seeing how many soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, I think this is going to escalate.
"After losing a child your life is never going to be the same again. You carry on – the desire to help others keeps you going."
Private Bonsall is the second soldier to have been remembered in the rose garden.
A stone bearing the name of Iraq veteran Ashley Clarkson, 24, of Mansfield, is there.
He had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was found hanged at his home a week after Private Bonsall's death.
A fund-raiser in aid of the Lee Bonsall Memorial Fund is also planned at the John Fretwell Centre, near Mansfield Woodhouse, on Saturday, April 19, from 7pm.
The event will have a Great Britain theme and include an auction, disco and a red, white and blue dress code.
Money raised through the fund goes towards charities which help ex-service personnel with post-traumatic stress.
To book a ticket, call the centre on 01623 847468, or Mrs Bonsall on 07974 687728.
Is enough done to help ex-service personnel upon their return from conflict? Email opinion@nottinghampost.com
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Nottingham time-waster's 1,300 calls for an ambulance
A WOMAN has been handed a suspended prison sentence after dialling 999 for an ambulance 1,300 times in just three years.
Stacey White, 28, of Iona Gardens, Top Valley, was hauled in front of magistrates for her persistent drunken calls and abuse of staff at East Midlands Ambulance Service.
She even carried out a sustained attack on one paramedic who turned up at her home after a call-out on October 17.
White pleaded guilty to three counts of persistent nuisance calls and one count of assault and was handed a suspended sentence of 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, by magistrates on Tuesday.
She was also ordered to pay £75 compensation and £170 court costs.
White is just one of a number of persistent, nuisance callers who EMAS say are causing a strain on the service and putting lives at risk.
According to EMAS, White called for emergency medics more than 500 times during one six-month period and 1,300 times between 2011 and 2014, with reasons ranging from asking paramedics to book her a doctor's appointment to complaining about a three-week-old leg injury.
The service said that in all the calls the patient was under the influence of alcohol and in nearly all of them she was abusive to control room staff and paramedics.
Now, EMAS chiefs are appealing for people to only dial 999 when they absolutely need to, with each call-out costing the taxpayer up to £200.
Dave Winter, EMAS assistant operations director, said: "It's a real strain. They are often under the influence of alcohol and sometimes it's just for the sake of it.
"It's a pressure. It takes crews from life-threatening calls. For every ambulance that's called out there's a cost associated and we're having to employ people to manage these cases.
He added: "It's a vast cost. We are trying to do more but the workload is growing."
Another nuisance caller, a 67-year-old woman from Notts, was handed a 12-month community order with supervision after making more than 350 emergency calls over the past three years.
The patient was under the influence of alcohol and abusive to ambulance crews.
Martin Gawith, chairman of Healthwatch Nottingham which represents patients in the city, said: "We support the ambulance service in trying to discourage people from abusing emergency services.
"It's a vital service and any waste of resources means the ambulance is taken away from real emergency calls."
In February, 159 people called EMAS more than six times, leading to the service's high volume service user team investigating.
When regular callers are identified, the team tries to understand their reasons for calling by speaking to GPs and community nurses.
Letters are sent to the callers and, if all else fails, court action can be taken.
In Derbyshire, a 60-year-old man called EMAS 2,000 times since 2009, including asking for help to fix his television and program his computer.
He was generally under the influence of alcohol and abusive. The man has now been given an antisocial behaviour order ordering him not to call except in a genuine emergency.
Lee Goddard, EMAS representative for the Unison union, said the problem is frustrating for front-line staff.
He said: "It's taking the resources from the patients that need them.
"Think about what you are doing and if it really needs an ambulance. If not there are other resources such as walk-in centres and your GP."
Should nuisance callers be locked up? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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