Harrogate Cricket Club aims for Addison Cup glory

Harrogate Cricket Club will take on Wetherby Carr Manor in Knaresborough today in the final of one of the oldest cricket competitions in the world.

The Addison Cup was first contested in 1922 and has been held every year since except 1943 and last year.

The 20-over competition is open to the top 16 teams in the Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League.

League members include Birstwith, Boroughbridge and Staveley, Burnt Yates, Goldsborough, KIllinghall, Knaresborough, Knaresborough Forest and Pateley Bridge.

This evening’s final will see past winners Harrogate, who are top of Division 1, against unbeaten Division 3 leaders Wetherby Carr Manor, who are making their first ever appearance in the final.

The match starts at 6.15pm at Knaresborough Cricket Club on Aspin Lane.

Peter Horsman, the league secretary, said:

“With all league and cup cricket cancelled last season because of lockdown, it would be great to see a good crowd on Monday.”

The Harrogate and District Amateur Evening Cricket League, which has 32 teams in five divisions, was founded in 1921 and in the following year the Addison Cup was presented to the league by the Addison family.

Members of the Addison family will attend and present the trophy this year.

A number of international test cricketers have played in the evening league, including New Zealand great Martin Crowe and West Indian batsman Rohan Kanhai.

Crowe was actually banned from the league for reacting badly to being given out — the glass in the changing room’s window suffered badly.

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Chris Whitaker wins top crime novel award in Harrogate

Chris Whitaker’s book has won the prestigious crime novel of the year award on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

The four-day event, organised by the arts charity Harrogate International Festivals, is widely recognised as the biggest in crime writing.

We Begin at the End, a story of crime, punishment, love and redemption set in California, is credited by Whitaker for saving his life after he was mugged and stabbed as a teenager.

Whitaker, who received the prize at the Old Swan Hotel tonight, was nominated for the award for the first time. He was chosen by a public vote, the prize academy and a panel of expert judges.

He received £3,000 and an engraved oak beer cask.

Northern Irish author Brian McGilloway’s political thriller The Last Crossing, which explores The Troubles from the perspective of former operatives who like to think they have moved on, was highly commended.

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Simon Theakston, executive director of T&R Theakston, said:

“The contest for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award has been fiercely fought – a reflection of the outstanding quality of all the longlisted and shortlisted crime fiction published within the last year.

“I offer Chris Whitaker my hearty congratulations for clinching the title on his first ever nomination for his powerful and insightful We Begin at the End.”

Special presentations were also made to Ian Rankin and Mark Billingham, the winners of the outstanding contribution to crime fiction award for 2021 and 2020 respectively.

Mr Rankin said:

“It’s such a privilege and an honour to receive this award, and especially to be in Harrogate to receive it in person.

“I’ve been a published writer for over thirty years but this past year has been uniquely challenging – for writers, readers and booksellers. It’s heartening to see the Theakston festival rise like a phoenix. Books continue to provide us with that wonderful mix of food for thought and escapism. I couldn’t be prouder to be a crime writer.”

The festival continues until Sunday. Special guests include Mark Billingham, Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Mick Herron, Clare Mackintosh, Val Mcdermid and Richard Osman.

Combine harvester catches fire in Harrogate

A build up of dust is believed to have been responsible for a combine harvester fire in Harrogate last night.

Firefighters from Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge were summoned to Kingsley Road to deal with the blaze at 7.30pm last night.

Wearing breathing apparatus and using thermal imaging cameras, they used doused the flames using mechanical foam.

Fortunately, the combine was slightly away from the standing crop.

In a separate incident at 2.20am this morning, firefighters from Ripon responded to reports of wheelie bins on fire outside a house on Priest Lane.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident summary said:

“The crews found the bins had been extinguished by a resident prior to their arrival and used the residents garden hose to dampen to the area.

“The cause is believed to have been accidental.”

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How to keep running in a heatwave

The number of people I’ve seen out running in this current heatwave, both at the peak of the day and without a water bottle, is frankly more than a little alarming.

Running in near 30°C heat (feels like way more when you take into account irradiated ground heat) can be risky, especially when you are not used to it. It is easy to become dehydrated and overheated, which can lead to excessive sweating, headaches, nausea, tiredness, dizziness and muscle cramps.

You’ll likely stop running well, and may even find you are not able to run at the same pace or cover the same distance as you might run in milder temperatures.

My 22-year-old son is fit as a butcher’s dog (though as a vegetarian I don’t think he’ll much appreciate that comparison!) and ran the Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon around Harrogate alongside me in the autumn.

He returned from a late afternoon run last week with a severe headache and nausea and had to go and lie down in a darkened room for several hours. He still felt out of sorts the next morning. It’s likely he hadn’t modified his pace to allow for the heat and despite having a bottle of water with him, simply hadn’t rehydrated enough, even for a relatively short 7km run.

The rule of thumb is to steer clear of running in heat if you are a young child, pregnant or elderly as the risks are obviously greater. However, there are some potentially serious risks whatever your age or fitness, especially when doing endurance runs.

Serious consequences

Having witnessed healthy young people collapsing before the finish line whilst running races in the heat and humidity of Singapore, I’ve seen firsthand the toll pushing yourself regardless in extreme temperatures can have on the body, when running for a long time and not getting the right fluid intake balance.

In many cases these are runners who have most likely trained in different conditions. Whilst running London in April 2018, its hottest race on record, I witnessed many people collapsing because they weren’t used to training in such high temperatures.

The facts are simple; there can be serious health consequences to exercising in hot weather — regardless of activity, length of time or distance — such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

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I recall finishing my second London Marathon (not a particularly hot one) shortly after a young lad collapsed crossing the finish line. He was surrounded by medics. Sadly this young man died, apparently due to flooding his body with too much water after opting to not take onboard any energy drinks or packs during the race.

It’s a fine balance, but one you must follow if you are going to train for any kind of endurance run and stay safe. Be it heat or distance, or with some races, like those in the Sahara, a combination of both.

If you are going to run in extreme temperatures, and let’s face it we don’t get a whole lot of practice in North Yorkshire, listen to your body and take sensible precautions to avoid getting overheated, even if you are just going out for half an hour.

Takeaway message

✔ Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, but don’t overdo it. Take small sips regularly.
✔ Avoid running in the heat of the day (between 11am and 3pm), dress light and ensure you wear breathable clothing to help regulate your body temperature.
✔ Slow down. Don’t try to run at your normal pace.

✔ Give yourself a chance to acclimatise to the temperature, usually a couple of weeks. Until then slow your pace!

REMEMBER… it really does come down to laziness where carrying a small bottle of water is concerned! Don’t be daft, be sensible, take a bottle and rehydrate as you run!

Sam Blakey is an international personal trainer working across the UK. She also has clients in the US, Singapore, Thailand and South Africa and ran a successful fitness company in Singapore before moving to Harrogate four years ago. She describes herself as a reluctant runner, who took up marathon running just before turning 40 to escape her five kids; she has since run eight marathons on three continents and completed several half marathons.

Fultons store in Harrogate to close this week

The Fultons Food store in Harrogate town centre is set to close this week.

Staff in the shop on Station Parade have told customers it will close on Thursday and some items will be relocated to the Poundland store in the town’s Victoria Shopping Centre.

Fultons on Station Parade has been running a half price sale this week.

Poundland bought Barnsley-based Fultons in October. Since then, Fultons stores in Ripon and Knaresborough have closed.

When the Harrogate town centre store closes, the Leeds Road shop on the outskirts of Harrogate will be the district’s only remaining Fultons.

The Stray Ferret contacted both Fultons and Poundland for further details about the move and for an update on the future of the Leeds Road store.

Poundland sent a statement saying Harrogate would be one of 37 stores in July and August to be part of the latest phase of a project to extend the company’s range of chilled and frozen foods.

According to the statement, the Harrogate Poundland will start offering chilled and frozen foods in the week commencing August 16.

Jack Fulton founded Fultons in 1960. The first Poundland store opened in Burton upon Trent in 1990.

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The country show that defied the odds sees sell-out crowd

A sell-out crowd of 3,000 people enjoyed glorious sunshine when Weeton Show took place yesterday.

While other country shows in the Harrogate district, with the exception of the Great Yorkshire Show, chose to cancel due to covid, Weeton went against the grain.

The decision proved popular with the public as all 3,000 tickets were snapped up in advance.

The crowd was rewarded with stunning weather, the chance to browse about 65 stalls and activities including stuntman Dangerous Steve, welly wanging, egg throwing and a Punch and Judy show.

There were also numerous animal and craft competitions judged throughout the day.

Here are some photos.

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Weeton Show 2021

Weeton Show 2021

James Street planters in Harrogate could be gone today

The planters on James Street in Harrogate and the cones in Knaresborough are to be removed imminently as part of today’s lifting of lockdown restrictions.

However, the Ginnel in Harrogate is to remain closed to traffic for an unspecified period of time to support outdoor hospitality.

The planters and cones were introduced last year as social distancing measures for town centre shoppers.

However, they have proved unpopular with some businesses, which say the loss of parking spaces has affected trade.

Traders opposed to the cones in Knaresborough.

Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, said:

“It is our intention to remove all the social distancing measures and parking suspensions next week.

“I cannot confirm that it will happen on Monday since there may be some clearance work needed on the highways after the Great Yorkshire Show, which closed on Friday evening, but I do hope it may all be completed on Monday.

“The closure of the Ginnel in Harrogate is the only social distancing measure likely to remain in place.”

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Asked why the narrow street would stay closed to traffic when the government is lifting all social distancing measures tomorrow, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“The Ginnel is a very narrow, little-used street where closure will remain a little longer to support outdoor hospitality.”

Lucy Gardiner, co-founder of Harrogate Residents Association, said it was “extremely pleased” to hear the planters were going. She added:

“After months of writing to the councillors and expressing the many concerns from the retailers and residents it is absolutely the right thing for them to do, to actually show they are listening.

“Convenience is an integral part to the high street, which was highlighted by Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association in his recent presentation to the chamber of commerce.

“There is still demand for traditional shopping methods and Harrogate needs to lead the way for the high street — not became like every other pedestrianised place.”

Harrogate person burns arm after barbecue fire spreads to fence

A Harrogate person went to hospital with a burnt arm yesterday when a barbecue got out of control.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough were called to Stone Rings Lane, Rossett Green, at about 5.30pm, as temperatures soared close to 30 degrees centigrade.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, flames spread from the barbecue on to nearby hedging and fencing.

Its incident log adds:

“Crews extinguished the fire, with the occupant attending hospital with an arm burn as a precaution.”

Two hours later last night, Knaresborough and Harrogate firefighters responded to calls saying there was a small fire by the side of the A1 northbound near Knaresborough.

However, the incident log says that when they arrived they did not find a fire.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 27 degrees this afternoon and remain high all week.

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Newcastle to send under-23 team to Harrogate tomorrow after covid outbreak

Newcastle United are to bring an under-23 team to Harrogate tomorrow rather than a first team squad due to covid.

The Premier League side announced the news this afternoon after goalkeeper Karl Darlow tested positive.

Although every other player and staff member within Newcastle’s first team group has returned negative tests, fellow goalkeepers Mark Gillespie and Freddie Woodman have gone into isolation for 10 days after being identified as close contacts.

Consequently Newcastle will send a first team to York tomorrow and an under-23 team to Harrogate to minimise mixing between the groups.

Magpies manager Steve Bruce said:

“I have spoken to Simon Weaver, who was very understanding, and I would like to apologise to any Harrogate supporters who have bought tickets thinking first team players were coming.

“Ultimately, we have to follow the advice from medical professionals and take proactive steps to protect players and we simply can’t mix up the dressing rooms, which was our initial plan.”

The first ever match between Harrogate and the six-times FA Cup winners was the pick of Town’s pre-season friendlies.

Kick off is at 2pm tomorrow  at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

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Leading Harrogate’s biggest school during covid

Neil Renton, the headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School, was in Marks & Spencer in Leeds on his wedding anniversary one weekend recently when his phone rang.

He was told a student on a coach trip to Flamingo Land had tested positive for covid and a decision had to be made on which children should isolate the next day.

He called Dr Dora Machaira, a health improvement officer in North Yorkshire County Council‘s public health team, who has been the go-to woman for schools needing advice on covid, and, after numerous calls, made the necessary arrangements.

The episode sums up what life has been like running a school during the last 16 months. Face masks, lateral flow tests, bubbles, test and trace and isolate have become as much a part of the lexicon of education as maths, English and science.

The lowest point came just before Christmas: the second wave was taking off and the school received news of more infections, which meant closing an entire year group. Mr Renton recalls:

“On a Sunday night I was wondering ‘how are we going to tell 290 students that they are not coming in tomorrow?’ There’s nothing more painful than having to go to parents and say, ‘your child will have to isolate’.”

At the same time Kirsty Moat, the associate headteacher who Mr Renton describes as “my co-pilot”, tested positive and about 50 other staff, some of whom were badly affected by the disease, were also absent.

Attendance fell to 47 per cent

Mr Renton thinks about the current academic year in covid phases rather than terms.

During phase one, in September and October, case numbers were low.

“There was a feeling of confidence that we had reopened and things were back to normal.”

November to January was the second and most difficult phase. At one point pupil attendance fell to 47 per cent as more and more children isolated. All of years 11 and 13, which have about 300 students each, were closed at some points.

The January lockdown that followed, which was the third phase, was almost a relief because the school had learned from previous remote learning and felt confident it could cope, especially as every student has an iPad.

The return-to-school fourth phase in March was relatively smooth, with low case numbers. But the fifth phase since half-term has been almost as tough as pre-Christmas. He says:

“We haven’t had any year group closures in the latest phase but today we have 159 students isolating.”

‘Pushed to the limit’

Mr Renton is fulsome in his praise for North Yorkshire County Council’s public health team; but less so for the Department for Education, which he says has “pushed headteachers to the limits” with last minute, complex guidance and U-turns.

“We hear the PM announce something then guidance comes out two days later.”

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Harrogate Grammar, which is one of 13 schools in north and west Yorkshire belonging to Red Kite Learning Trust, is one of the largest schools in the north of England with 2,018 pupils.

Its size means it has been better able to assimilate the financial cost of covid than some smaller schools. It has employed extra cleaners, had to cover for absent teachers and even put up a marquee to improve social distancing.

The remarkable generation

Throughout it all not one child has been seriously ill. Mr Renton mentions several times during the interview how selfless and mature pupils have been in responding to a pandemic that doesn’t predominantly affect their generation.

“We should call them the remarkable generation, not the covid generation.”

He acknowledges, however, there is a “growing sense of frustration” among young people at the sacrifices they’re making, especially when they watch packed crowds at football matches.

Terms ends on Friday and, with covid infections rocketing, he admits the school is “limping” towards the finishing line.

He’s looking forward to a week away during the six-week holiday and, hopefully, a quieter 2021/22 school year when the NHS will assume responsibility from the school for pupil test and trace.

Mr Renton, who hasn’t had covid although his son in year 10 at the school had to isolate for 10 days, started as headteacher in September 2019 in what now seems like a golden bygone pre-covid era.

He chuckles at the memory of an early planning meeting to discuss arrangements for the Tour de Yorkshire.

“Now we look back at that time and laugh because every week we are dealing with much bigger and more complex logistical problems.

“My first two years of being a headteacher has been a crash course in leading through crisis and changing circumstances.”