Snow returns . . . and it's set to stay

WINTER has definitely arrived and so too has the snow.  Worse still, the Met Office has predicted that this cold snap will last for another ten days at the minimum. 

Police have urged drivers to only drive in these tricky conditions if it is absolutely necessary.  Those living in the North East of England have currently experienced the worst of the wintery conditions.  In some areas, upto five inches of snow have fallen in less than two hours.  Temperatures across the UK have struggle to rise about freezing, dropping to as low as -17 degrees in Wales overnight, the coldest ever temperature in November on record.

FOUL: Cars have fallen to the conditions in Scotland

Luckily, there hasn’t been any reports of major incidents this weekend, largely as the gritting services seem to have been well prepared in advance, and the lack of rush to get to places from commuters.  That could very well change at the start of this week, with heavy snow forecast for Monday evening in many regions.  Winds from the North East are keeping the temperature down and the snow to fall on a constant basis.  Currently, the Met Office has severe weather warnings in place throughout East Anglia, Scotland, Northern Ireland, London, Yorkshire and the South East.  The AA has reported an 80% surge in calls of breakdowns over the course of the weekend, a staggering statistic.

SPIRIT: Communities are pulling together to help out

Health workers are urging people to check on vulnerable neighbours, to make sure that they have all the possible services available to them, such as proper heating and plenty of hot drinks.  Flights are likely to be affected at many of the largest airports in the coming days, especially Stanstead, Newcastle and Manchester.  Trains are likely to be badly hit too, with the 24-hour tube strike being held right now, just adding to the misery for many commuters.  The sporting programme has been hit, although all key rugby union autumn internationals and Premiership football matches went ahead.  Two FA Cup ties (at Hartlepool and Notts County) fell foul to the weather, as did some of the programme in Scotland and several horse racing meetings.

 

Residents in the UK will be used to the white stuff, last winter was the coldest for a long time and snow also caused chaos at the start of 2009.  However, the timing of this snow has caught many by surprise.  This is the earliest time that snow has fallen on a constant basis since 1993.  The big chill is here and it will please some, particularly schoolchildren, who could be set for a number of days off.  However, this cold snap will bite and bite hard.  The UK is bracing itself for more sub-zero temperatures and I’d say, get prepared for it, because it will hang around for a good while. . . 

Bernard Matthews passes away

HIS empire began with a humble £2.50 investment and it turned into a multi-million empire, but on November 25, Bernard Matthews died at the age of 80.

DISTINGUISHED: Bernard Matthews has passed away

He passed away on Thursday afternoon, as America was celebrating ‘Thanksgiving.’  His passing was confirmed in a statement by the chief executive of Bernard Matthews Farms, Noel Bertrand;

“It is with a great deal of personal sadness that I confirm Bernard Matthews passed away on the afternoon of 25^th November.  I have personally known Bernard Matthews for well over 30 years, and on behalf of myself and my fellow colleagues, I wish to express our great sorrow and extend our sympathies to his family.”

Born in 1930, Matthews left school at 16 and began his investments as a twenty-year old.  By 1952, he has moved into poultry full-time and three years later, bought the Great Witchingham Hall in Norwich, which still remains the headquarters of Bernard Matthews today.  He has enjoyed a rise of fame and prominence through the 1970s and 1980s, but in recent times, his name has taken some damaging credibility. 

ADDICTIVE: The Turkey Twizzler took stick

When Sainsbury’s campaigner and Chef Jamie Oliver launched a campaign to improve the healthy eating habits of children in schools, it was Matthews’s controversial product, the ‘Turkey Twizzlers,’ that took the big hits.  He was criticised severely by animal rights movements, when all the ingredients of the dangerously addictive Twizzlers were revealed in the press.  Less than a year later, video footage on YouTube showed two of Mr. Matthews’s employees playing “baseball” with two live turkeys.  It was a disgusting act caught on film and the men involved admitted to animal cruelty at a magistrate’s court case in Norwich.

Desperate to restore faith in consumer, Bernard Matthews ran several advertising campaigns, telling customers that their employees were hard-working people.  In February 2007, a strain of the deadly bird flu hit one of the Matthews plants in Suffolk, which led to the slaughtering of 160,000 birds, who might have contracted the disease.

Although there has been a slump in sales in recent times, Bernard Matthews has left a very distinguished legacy in the food industry and his presence will be missed.  

New Zealand in mourning after Pike River tragedy

TWENTY-NINE miners are suspected to have been killed by a second explosion in a coal mine in New Zealand.

TRAGIC: NZ flags fly at half-mast

The miners had been missing since they got trapped by a first collapse last Friday on the Pike River mine in Greymouth.  On Tuesday night, another explosion put paid to another possibility of another mining miracle, after the epic rescue of the Chilean miners last month.  After five days of no contact, the outcome of this did seem to be inevitable.  However, this won’t change the pain that all the families of the dead must be feeling.

All are grieving, but are also feeling frustrated and angry with the final outcome, feeling that the authorities in New Zealand haven’t done enough to help their trapped loved ones.  Now, the authorities have to deal with the finger pointing from these families, who feel that the rescue operation was far too slow in operation.  CCTV footage was shown on Monday of the first blast, which left the miners at least a mile and a half underground.  The potential of another blast, coupled with the fear of poisonous gases in the mine have prevented rescuers from going into the risk zone.  A day before the fatal second explosion, progress seemed to being made, with a hole being drilled to where the workers were believed to being working.  However, the families feel that these reasons were a 100% cover-up.  One resident in the Greymouth area, where this tragedy happened said that this was “The darkest hour ever, it doesn’t get much worse than this.”

The age range of the trapped miners ranged from 17 to 62.  They included two Britons, both from Scotland.  One of the Britons, Malcolm Campbell was due to get married to a local girl next month.

Infront of a worldwide media gathering, a sombre New Zealand prime minister John Key summed up the general feeling of remorse and overwhelming sense of tragedy;

“This is a national tragedy.  It is a tragedy for the men’s families, for their workmates and friends, for their community and for our nation.”

The Queen has sent her condolences in a message to Key, saying that “I am deeply saddened by today’s news and my heart goes out to all the families and friends of these brave 29 miners.”  It is still not known what triggered the second blast, but it is believed that the dangerous toxic gases have now cleared, so rescuers can start entering to find the bodies.  

UEFA Champions League Matchday 5 - Spurs and United qualify, Arsenal with work to do

TOTTENHAM Hotspur and Manchester United sealed qualification for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, on matchday five.

CONFIDENCE: Luka Modric celebrates his goal with Bale

AT A vibrant full house at White Hart Lane, Spurs sealed qualification for the last 16, against a Werder Bremen side, that missed ten key players through a catalogue of suspensions and injuries.  In less than five minutes, Younes Kaboul had Tottenham infront, continuing his golden week, after netting the winner in Saturday’s North London derby.  Kaboul volleyed in at the near post after Aaron Lennon had gazumped Marcel Jansen.  On the cusp of half-time, the home side had disappeared out of sight, when Luka Modric doubled their advantage, finishing tidily after Peter Crouch had put Per Mertesacker under intense pressure.  Modric won a second half penalty, after his foot was stood on by Bremen debutant Felix Kroos.  However, Gareth Bale showed he is human after all, as his soft penalty was saved by Tim Wiese.  Crouch wrapped the game, after Lennon once again danced through the hopelessly inadequate Bremen defence.  The final 3-0 scoreline didn’t flatter Tottenham; this was as easy a win that you get in the Champions League and they remain top in group A.

TARGET: Rooney's relief at his winning penalty was clear

MEANWHILE, Manchester United secured their place in the last 16 as group C winners, beating Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox and in the process, parachuting Rangers into the Europa League after Christmas.  Dimitar Berbatov was denied a clear second minute penalty by experience official Massimo Busacca, after being tripped by Steven Davis.  United did get their penalty though, with three minutes to go, after Steven Naismith made a poor challenge, catching Fabio in the chest.  Wayne Rooney, making his first start since all the headlines about his future last month scored the resulting penalty, stealing the win for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.  It could have been more against a spirited Rangers side, had it not been for a good performance from home goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

STUNNER: Matheus added to Arsenal's pain in Portugal

ARSENAL failed to recover from their shocking collapse against Tottenham last weekend, falling to a disappointing 2-0 defeat in the north of Portugal against Sporting Braga.  It leaves their participation in the competition in jeopardy.  Arsenal pressed forward for most of the evening and looked well on top until the last 15 minutes, when it started to go pear-shaped.  Cesc Fabregas limped off with a suspected hamstring injury and is likely to be out now for a fortnight.  A gamble on his fitness simply didn’t work.  Carlos Vela was then booked for diving, even though TV replays clearly showed the Mexican was brought down in the penalty area.  Afterwards, Arsene Wenger called the extra official behind the goal system (bought in this year to the Champions League) ‘useless.’  Emmanuel Eboue was stretchered off and with Wenger having made all three substitutions, Arsenal’s increasing pain continued, now having to play on with ten men.  Both Braga goals came in the last seven minutes, both on the counter attack from the Brazilian striker Matheus, as the Gunners defence was horribly exposed. This was an awkward and awful night for Arsenal.

BATTLE: Sturridge starred in Chelsea's edgy 2-1 win

WITH Chelsea’s place secure already in the knockout stages, Carlo Ancelotti gave youth the chance to shine at Stamford Bridge, but it was the visitors MSK Zilina who went ahead, when Belo drove a shot past Ross Turnbull after a routine build-up.  Chelsea, in dire form themselves on a domestic basis, slowly warmed to their task and drew back on level terms in the second half, when Daniel Sturridge scored from a tight angle.  The Blues had a succession of good opportunities, and should have won by more, but Florent Malouda’s first Champions League goal in two years was enough with ten minutes to go, to seal a 2-1 win against the group F whipping boys.

JOB DONE: Cambiasso secured Inter's nervy passage

ELSEWHERE in Europe and Inter Milan qualified for the knockout stages, as Esteban Cambiasso scored the decisive goal on 55 minutes to beat FC Twente 1-0 in the San Siro.  However, Inter will need to improve if they want to hold onto their trophy.  Valencia also qualified, as they recorded their biggest win in UEFA competition, trouncing hopeless Buraspor 6-1 in the Mestalla.  Roberto Soldado scored two goals, taking his tally to five goals in the group stage.  Fellow Spaniards Barcelona also moved into the last 16, with Pedro scoring twice and Lionel Messi netting for the tenth game running in their 3-0 rout of Panathinaikos in Athens. 

OFF: Xabi Alonso gets his marching orders in Amsterdam

IN GROUP B, Schalke’s excellent home record has seen them through, after an easy 3-0 win against Lyon.  Jefferson Farfan scored the first goal and Klaas Jan-Huntelaar added two more to his tally, as the Germans forgot about their dismal domestic form.  Lyon still advanced into the next stage, after Benfica put in a horrid display in Israel, saw them lose 3-0 to Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Hapoel’s first ever win in the Champions League.  Finally, Real Madrid face disciplinary action from UEFA, after picking up controversial late red cards in Amsterdam.  Their 4-0 win over Ajax, ending Ajax’s hopes of progression from group G was overshadowed by time wasting tactics from Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos.  Both Spanish internationals were sent off, and although Jose Mourinho has dismissed the conspiracy theories, the fact that both Alonso and Ramos didn’t seem to care about their dismissals and faced possible suspensions in the knockout stages certainly hints that these cards were staged.

Well done to Tottenham and Manchester United, joining Chelsea in progression.  Come on Arsenal, you are letting the English force down!

FA Barclays Premiership Report (20th - 22nd November)

THE busy November programme in the Barclays Premiership continued this weekend, with more unpredictable results and drama that makes this league as quite simply – the best in the world.  Here’s the round-up.

Saturday 20^th November: Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur

COOL: Bale begins the remarkable comeback at the Emirates

THE 165^th North London derby will be remembered for one of the most dramatic fightbacks in its distinguished history.  Once again, Arsenal threw away a commanding position, losing at home for the third time already this season.  The build-up was dominated by the pure hatred between Samir Nasri and William Gallas.  They didn’t shake hands in the greeting stage and it was Nasri on form from the outset, meeting Cesc Fabregas angled ball and punishing Hereulho Gomes hesitation to put the Gunners infront.  Andrei Arshavin set-up Marouane Chamakh to make it 2-0, and the game looked as good as over.  However, the reintroduction of Jermain Defoe into first-team affairs turned the match on its head.  Gareth Bale began the comeback, finishing calmly from Rafael van der Vaart’s lay-off.  Van der Vaart then made it 2-2 from the penalty spot after Fabregas stupidly handballed in a free-kick wall.  With four minutes to go, van der Vaart’s free-kick was flicked into the net by Younes Kaboul, sealing Spurs first win on Arsenal soil since May 1993 and leaving Arsene Wenger furious at his side’s traditional failings, which are just as frequent as a European banking collapse.

Saturday 20^th November: Birmingham City 1-0 Chelsea

FINISH: Bowyer sends Chelsea crashing to another loss

CHELSEA’s third defeat in four games came at St. Andrews, and it was down to Ben Foster, who produced a goalkeeping masterclass to shut out the champions.  Didier Drogba was denied on no less than four separate occasions by the sensational Foster, who looked unbeatable.  Lee Bowyer scored the only goal of the match, played in by Cameron Jerome as Chelsea’s defence stood like statues.  Birmingham move out of the bottom three, whilst Ancelotti’s out-of-form Blues remain top on goal difference.

Sunday 21^st November: Fulham 1-4 Manchester City

RESPECT: Hughes and Tevez share a hug before the clash

MANCHESTER CITY put in their most convincing performance of the season at Craven Cottage, as Roberto Mancini’s men had far too much for a poor Fulham side.  Carlos Tevez came up trumps again for City, starting the rout with a lovely finish on six minutes.  A blockbuster from Pablo Zabaleta doubled the visitor’s advantage and Fulham’s awful first half was completed when Yaya Toure neatly finished past Mark Schwarzer from Tevez’s creation.  The Argentine scored his second, flicking in Zabaleta’s drilled shot almost unknowingly soon into the second half.  The only consolation for Fulham came from substitute Zoltan Gera, scoring via a massive deflection with twenty minutes remaining.  This will have been a painful defeat for Mark Hughes to take.

Saturday 20^th November: Bolton Wanderers 5-1 Newcastle United

STUNNED: Newcastle were hit for five at the Reebok

BOLTON moved briefly into the top four, after another efficient attacking display netted three points against Newcastle.  A handball by ex-Wanderer Kevin Nolan started the rout, with Kevin Davies stroking the penalty gift home.  South Korean Lee made it 2-0, despite looking offside in the build-up and as Bolton turned on the style, they got better.  Johan Elmander gave Fabricio Coloccini a nightmare, scoring twice, before the defender elbowed Elmander and got a deserved straight red card from Howard Webb.  Andy Carroll did pull one goal back, before Davies scored again from the spot when he tumbled under Jose Enrique’s challenge.  Bolton have now notched an impressive 26 goals in 14 Premiership games.

Saturday 20^th November: Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic

SLIDING: Hernandez is delighted to wrap up another win

WAYNE ROONEY’s return took the headlines, but Manchester United produced another business like performance to batter a Wigan side that looked like eleven players stuffed to the brim with some early Christmas turkeys.  Patrice Evra had United infront, dealing quickly to some fatal hesitation from Wigan keeper Ali Al-Habsi.  Rooney returned in the second half, coming onto a very mixed reception after his threats to leave the club last month angered many loyal fans.  Wigan didn’t help their cause, as both Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega saw red within three minutes of one another, before Javier Hernandez sealed the victory.

Monday 22^nd November: Sunderland 2-2 Everton

MIKEL Arteta’s dramatic late leveller rescued a point for David Moyes in a thrilling Monday night battle at the Stadium of Light.  Tim Cahill headed Everton infront with a trademark header inside of six minutes, before teen sensation Danny Wellbeck scored twice to hand Sunderland control.  Arteta’s goal, with eight minutes remaining means Sunderland missed the chance to break into the top six.

Saturday 20^th November: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United

HEAT: Avram Grant is feeling the pressure with every game

AVRAM Grant is coming under more scrutiny, as his West Ham side put in a shocking performance and wilted far too easily at Anfield.  In fact, they made Liverpool look like a world class side.  Glen Johnson finished brilliantly, after bringing down the ball on his chest to open the scoring.  Dirk Kuyt dispatched a penalty after Fernando Torres was blocked off by Danny Gabbidon’s arm and Maxi Rodriguez made it 3-0, converting Paul Konchesky’s cross.

Sunday 21^st November: Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Aston Villa

FUN: Pedersen continued his recent run of cracking form

ROVERS new Indian owners watched on as their side recorded an impressive win – their third in four matches.  Mortem Gamst Pedersen scored both goals; the first coming two minutes into first half stoppage time with a free-kick that made Brad Friedel look rather stupid.  The second came when Ryan Nelsen’s shot was deflected home by the Norwegian midway through the second half. 

Saturday 20^th November: Blackpool 2-1 Wolves

A STUNNING volley from Luke Varney infront of Prince William portrayed the way for another Blackpool victory.  Marlon Harewood scrambled in a second goal, after Marcus Hahnemann dropped the ball from a dangerous corner.  A late consolation from Kevin Doyle wasn’t enough to prevent Wolves fourth straight defeat.

Saturday 20^th November: West Brom 0-3 Stoke City

64% of POSSESSION meant nothing to West Brom, as Stoke moved upto eighth in the table, after their third straight win.  Jonathan Walters scored twice, once from the penalty spot and Matthew Etherington also netted from twelve yards.  One point in five games leaves WBA in the bottom five.

F1 2010 review - The greatest season ever

READY: The battle is about to begin

2009 went with a blur and Formula One has always seemed to raise the bar.  2010 was the greatest season ever in the sport’s 60-year history.  Four world champions, three new teams, two main regulation changes – with refuelling banned for the first time since 1993 and a new points scoring system that encouraged drivers to push for the victory and as it turned out, one world champion – the youngest ever in its established history.

All eyes were on the season opener in Bahrain, but it produced a stinker of a race.  Fernando Alonso won on his Ferrari debut, gifted the win after Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull was powerless to resist the Prancing Horse, thanks to a faulty spark plug.  Felipe Massa finished an excellent second in his first race back in F1, following his near-fatal accident in Hungary in 2009.  Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, whilst Michael Schumacher made a very quiet return to the sport, finishing a distant sixth, behind team-mate Nico Rosberg.  He’d get used to that feeling for the rest of the season.

BRAVE: Button sprays the bubbly after his first McLaren win

If Bahrain failed to deliver, Australia certainly did.  A dramatic race in mixed conditions saw Jenson Button make it back-to-back victories in Melbourne.  Button’s brave move to be the first driver to switch onto slick tyres was the key to this success, coupled with more bad luck for Sebastian Vettel, the German this time spinning into the gravel with brake failure.  Lewis Hamilton was unhappy with his team calling him in for a second unnecessary pitstop, and then had a late collision with Aussie favourite Mark Webber, restricting the pair to sixth and ninth at flag fall.  Robert Kubica was a stunning second for Renault, whilst Ferrari extended their constructors championship lead with third and fourth for Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso.

KEY: Vettel slides inside Webber to set-up Malaysia win

Stupidity was the only word to describe Ferrari and McLaren’s qualifying session in Kuala Lumpur, as they were caught out by one of Malaysia’s tropical downpours.  Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa were all eliminated in Q1, whilst Jenson Button spun into the gravel and went out in Q2.  With their rivals severely compromised, the reliability finally held out at Red Bull as Sebastian Vettel took his first victory of 2010.  Vettel passed Mark Webber on the first corner to lead his team-mate home, whilst Nico Rosberg scored Mercedes first podium on their return to F1 as a manufacturer.  Hamilton, Massa and Button recovered to sixth, seventh and eighth, but a late engine failure for Alonso lost him the lead in the world championship to his Brazilian team-mate.

Jenson Button produced another brilliant drive to win the Chinese Grand Prix in wet conditions.  Button made another well-judged call on the tyre strategy and once again, his gamble paid off, as he led home Lewis Hamilton to a McLaren 1-2.  Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica made similar decisions which worked off, with Rosberg on the podium for the second successive race and consistent Kubica bagging fifth place.  His team-mate Vitaly Petrov finished an outstanding seventh, becoming the first Russian ever to score world championship points.  Despite grabbing the front row, it was Sunday pain for Red Bull, with shocking pitstops and lack of grip leaving Vettel and Webber back in sixth and eighth.  Webber was already under pressure . . . but he would answer those critics very quickly.

Down in eighth in the championship standings after the first four races, Mark Webber had to start performing, and he did with a dominant victory in Barcelona.  The first race in Europe saw the Red Bulls end up nearly a second quicker than their rivals in qualifying and Webber drove into the distance, with a commanding advantage that had been rarely associated with him before.  Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton put in an outstanding drive and looked set to sandwich the Bulls, until a catastrophic tyre explosion sent him into the wall and out of second place with just two laps to go.  Vettel, hobbled by brake trouble managed a podium, behind Spain’s hero Alonso, who drove coolly to second.  Michael Schumacher showed a marked improvement in his form, finishing fourth.

SOAKED: Mark Webber cherishes his Monaco success

One week later and Webber looked again untouchable on the streets of Monaco, winning from pole to take the lead in the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career.  Alonso, quickest on Thursday smashed his Ferrari into the barriers on Saturday morning and ruled himself out of qualifying.  A solid strategy got him upto sixth, but it was another silly error from an outstanding champion.  Robert Kubica was inspired all weekend, getting his underpowered Renault onto the front row and finishing third, only beaten by Webber and Vettel, who jumped him off the startline.  There were four Safety Cars and twelve retirements, one of them was Jenson Button, who stopped on lap three with a cooked engine, costing the world champion his lead in the standings to Webber.

EXTRAORDINARY: The moment the Bulls tangle in Turkey

For forty laps in Istanbul Park, Red Bull looked like they were coasting to another 1-2 finish.  Webber had taken another pole position and once Vettel jumped Hamilton at the pitstops, it looked like a processional drive to the chequered flag.  Then, Vettel powered past Webber, only to turn right into the Australian into a left-handed corner.  The result was catastrophic.  Vettel spun out of the race and Webber lost the win, having to pit for damage and salvage third place.  This highlighted clear fractions within the Red Bull camp.  Hamilton won his first race of 2010, with Button making it a McLaren 1-2 instead, though Lewis seemed unimpressed that Button carried on racing, when the cars were saving fuel.  Ferrari had a mere, with Massa and Alonso a very poor seventh and eighth.

After a year away, F1 returned to North America and Lewis Hamilton produced a mega drive to win in Montreal and gain the ever-changing lead in the drivers’ championship.  He took the first non-Red Bull pole of the season and managed to handle the abrasive track surface the best.  Alonso pushed him hard, but traffic hurt his challenge and allowed Button to steal second and complete a perfect British day in Canada.  Engine issues limited Vettel to fourth, whilst a gamble on strategy didn’t work out for Webber, leaving him a frustrated fifth.  Michael Schumacher’s driving standards were called into question, after dangerous moves on Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa during the race.  He finished out of the points, after being passed on the last lap by both Force India drivers.

HORROR: Mark Webber flips over Kovalainen in Valencia

Onto the Valencia street circuit and Vettel reminded us all of his championship qualities, with a fautless drive to victory at the European Grand Prix.  Whilst he was flying high, Mark Webber was literally flying, smashing into the back of Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus at 185mph and being launched into the air.  It was terrifying accident, but amazingly, Webber walked away without a scratch.  Hamilton finished second, despite a drive-through penalty for overtaking the Safety Car, which angered Alonso, who lost out badly in the scramble.  The Spaniard finished an upset eighth, even being passed by the stunning Kamur Kobayashi in the last two laps.  Jenson Button finished third, whilst Rubens Barrichello showed a major improvement for Williams, ending up a brilliant fourth.

The divisions in the Red Bull camp came to the public eye at Silverstone and it was Webber who felt unloved.  Vettel’s new front wing broke in practice, and the decision was taken by the hierarchy to remove the new part from Webber’s car and give it to Vettel before qualifying.  Christian Horner claimed it was done, because Vettel was ahead in the championship at the time, though many were unconvinced.  Vettel took pole position, but picked up a puncture on the first lap, before launching a spirited recovery to seventh.  Webber’s response was crushing, a fantastic victory ahead of Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Button.  The Ferrari’s touched on the first lap, leaving Massa out of the points again and Alonso wound up 14^th, after receiving a penalty for cutting a chicane whilst passing Kubica.  Ferrari’s championship challenge looked in tatters. . .

SWITCH: Massa lets Fernando Alonso through in Germany

That was rekindled at Hockenheim, but in highly controversial circumstances.  Whilst pole-sitter Vettel was busy driving Alonso into the pitwall, Massa stormed into an early lead.  However, the Brazilian was struggling on the prime tyres and with Vettel catching Alonso, the team took swift action.  Rob Smedley’s message was clear for millions to understand; “Fernando is faster than you.”  One lap later, Massa allowed Alonso through for Fernando to win the race.  Outrage followed at a blatant use of team orders, but the FIA only found Ferrari guilty of breaching regulations and slapped them with a $100,000 fine.  It was an unsavoury moment and crushed Felipe Massa’s spirit for the rest of the year.  His season never recovered, whilst Alonso’s went from strength to strength. 

Seven days later, the Red Bulls were awesome in Budapest, lapping at times nearly two seconds faster than their rivals.  Once again, they locked out the front row, but Vettel was caught napping at a Safety Car restart, fell back too far from Webber and earned a drive-through penalty.  Webber went on to win and take the championship lead, whilst Vettel was third and seething.  Alonso wound up second and with Hamilton retiring, due to transmission failure and Button an uncompetitive and lapped eighth, the five title contenders were separated by just twenty points.  Michael Schumacher was lynched by the media and his fellow peers for a malicious defensive move that nearly but Rubens Barrichello in the pitwall in the closing stages.  Schumacher apologised for his actions, but was still docked ten grid positions for the next race.  Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil were also lucky to escape injury after a bizarre collision in the pitlane, which ended both their races.

SMASH: Vettel drives into Jenson Button at Spa

After the summer break, the teams reunited at Spa and Hamilton was in commanding form, winning in Belgium from Webber and Kubica to regain the championship lead.  Button’s championship hopes took a massive blow when Vettel drove into the side of his McLaren in a failed overtaking attempt.  Jenson scored nothing and nor did Vettel, after another collision later on with Vitantonio Liuzzi.  Alonso qualified only tenth and after being speared by an out-of-control Barrichello on the first lap, crashed himself in tricky conditions late on.  Was Spa the deciding factor in the battle . . .?

Not so, as Alonso reignited his fading championship chances, with victory in his first Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver.  Despite losing his hard-earned pole position to Jenson Button off the grid, his strategy was better and Fernando leapfrogged Jenson at the stops.  Button’s second place was built on an inspired call on set-up, which got Hamilton all worked up.  Lewis lost his cool on lap one and clouted Massa in an impossible attempt to pass, which ended with the McLaren in the gravel with bent steering.  Webber started fourth and made a shocking start, leaving him back in sixth, after a long-race scrap with Nico Hulkenberg, but Vettel kept his hopes alive with a fighting fourth place.

INFERNO: Heikki Kovalainen extinguishes his Lotus fire

Once again, Alonso set the standard in Singapore, winning from pole position in F1’s night spectacular.  Vettel hounded him hard all race, but had to settle with a cool second place.  Webber was once again in the thick of the action, making contact with Hamilton after a Safety Car period to clear up a crash between Bruno Senna and Kamur Kobayashi.  It was minimal, but enough to damage the McLaren’s rear suspension and leave Hamilton out again of another race that he badly needed points.  Webber survived to finish third, ahead of Button, Nico Rosberg and Barrichello.  Robert Kubica pulled off six overtaking passes in eight laps to charge through from 13^th to seventh, whilst Heikki Kovalainen suffered an engine failure, then thanks to incompetent marshalling, bravely put out the rapidly increasing inferno that had been his Lotus with a sole fire extinguisher.

The torrential downpours in Suzuka meant fans got a super Sunday of qualifying and race action.  It didn’t affect Vettel, who drove marvellously again to earn pole and win the race at a canter.  Webber wound up second, to keep his championship lead.  Hamilton crashed heavily in practice on Friday, then took a gearbox change and to compound his woes, suffered a loss of third gear in the race.  He hobbled home fifth, behind championship rivals Alonso and Button, leaving his championship hopes hanging by a thread.  Robert Kubica could have been a factor, but his wheel fell off early on, whilst second, Lucas di Grassi crashed on his way to the grid, whilst spectacularly poor driving from some left Vitaly Petrov, Nico Hulkenberg, Felipe Massa and Vitantonio Liuzzi all out of the race on lap one.

DISBELIEF: Vettel's smoky car after his crushing Korea blow

Korea’s inaugural race was an absolute belter, though we had to wait an hour for the action to begin, due to the inclement weather conditions.  Webber crashed, and then collected the innocent Nico Rosberg, which would be a terminal blow to his championship hopes.  A poor set-up left Button struggling to 12^th and all but mathematically putting him out of championship contention.  Vettel looked set for another victory, until he suffered a cruel engine failure with just nine laps to go.  His hopes of the title also now looked very slim.  All this opened the door for Alonso to laugh his way literally to the chequered flag and a priceless victory.  Lewis Hamilton kept his hopes alive, with a fighting second place, whilst fourth matched Michael Schumacher’s best finish of the season. 

Nico Hulkenberg was the toast of the paddock in Interlagos, producing a stunning lap to take pole position in drying track conditions.  Meanwhile, Jenson Button was lucky to escape unharmed from an attack on his bulletproof car on Saturday evening.  In the race, Vettel and Webber charged past the powerless Hulkenberg on the opening lap, and cruised to a 1-2 finish, wrapping up the constructors championship for Red Bull.  Alonso finished a solid third to hold an eight point lead into the decider, but Button was eliminated from the battle, as fifth wasn’t enough and Hamilton’s fourth place left him needing all but a miracle to take his second world championship.

DROWNING: Lewis and Jenson drown the 2010 champion

The season finale in Abu Dhabi saw Alonso heading to the UAE with an eight point lead over Webber.  Vettel was fifteen points adrift and Hamilton twenty-four behind.  Vettel took pole position and drove away from the competition to win the race and eliminate Hamilton from the battle to be champion.  Would be enough though against his main two rivals?  A scary collision between Schumacher and Liuzzi on lap one forced and early Safety Car and allowed Rosberg, Petrov and Jaime Alguesuari to pit and get their pitstops out of the way.  When the soft tyres grained up, Webber pitted and Ferrari panicked under pressure, calling both Alonso and Massa in.  It left Fernando and Mark drowned back in seventh and eighth, behind the late-stopping Kubica and the early-stopping Rosberg and Petrov.  All this gave Sebastian Vettel the crown of 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Champion.

What a champion, what a battle, what a season!  More of the same in 2011 please!

William pops the question

GET ready for a spectacular royal wedding next year, after Prince William and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton confirmed their engagement this week.

HAPPY COUPLE: Prince William and Kate Middleton

William popped the question to Middleton, his on-off partner for the past seven years on a romantic holiday in Kenya last month.  On Tuesday morning at St. James Palace, they showed off Kate’s ring – which is the same wedding ring that William’s father, Prince Charles gave to Lady Diana Spencer nearly 30 years ago.  William has insisted that the blue and sapphire ring on Kate’s finger is his way of making sure that his late mother didn’t miss out on the special occasion.

They will get married next year, though no venue or date has yet been set.  Speculation within the Royal media experts are that the ceremony will probably take place around August next year.  In various TV interviews, with The One Show, Five News and ITN, William told the media of his obsession of keeping the cherished ring in sight whilst on holiday; “I literally would not let it go.  Everywhere I went, I was keeping hold of it because I knew . . . if it disappeared – I would be in a lot of trouble.”

William and Kate first met each other back in 2001, when they were students at the University of St. Andrews.  Within a year of first meeting each other, there was intense speculation about the pair being an item.  Until the news broke, it is believed that only Miss. Middleton’s mother and father knew about the engagement along with the happy couple.  The reception to the news, from both families, plus the Prime Minister David Cameron seems to have been very encouraging.  The slightly longer wait for the announcement has come because of the recent tragic passing of Kate’s grandfather, Peter Middleton.

Kate Middleton has attempted to keep a very discreet profile in recent times, but she has now been thrown completely into the public spotlight.  It is something that the shy new-wife-to be of the Prince, second in line to the throne has to deal with rather quickly.  The wedding is bound to be really special and us Brits know when to put on a good party and a top-class wedding.

Many congratulations to William and Kate on their engagement . . . I wish both only good times ahead.

REACTION FROM THOSE CLOSEST TO THE COUPLE;

The Queen; “It is brilliant news.  It has taken them a long time.”

Prince Charles; “I am absolutely thrilled of the news this morning.  They have been practising long enough.”

Prince Harry; “I am delighted that my brother has popped the question!  It means I get a sister, which I have always wanted.”

David Cameron; “It is incredibly exciting news and I’m sure the whole country will want to pass their very best wishes to the happy couple, and wish them an incredibly happy and long life together.”

Earl Spencer (brother of Princess Diana); “It’s wonderful news, very exciting.  My family are thrilled for them both.”

Manford quits One Show over sex allegations

THE One Show was plunged into crisis today after the resignation was confirmed by one of its show hosts, Jason Manford.  In a statement released by the comedian, 29 – he revealed his resignation is to do with tour and family commitments. 

RESIGNED: Jason Manford in happier time

However, allegations seem to hint that he has engaged in saucy sex messages with a series of woman over the internet, which he has allegedly confirmed via an interview with The Sun.   Manford was only handed the role to co-anchor the hit BBC show, following the departures of Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles to ITV.  His last appearance on the show came on Wednesday night, with Chris Evans standing in last night, alongside Welsh presenter Alex Jones.  It is believed that Manford’s resignation comes through with immediate effect.

Jason’s Twitter account has been suspended and there is talk that his role as a team captain on the Channel 4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats is also in severe jeopardy.  Manford has allegedly told The Sun of the details of how far these encounters went; "We would start off flirty, then innuendo and then a bit saucy. They were moments I thought 'I shouldn't be saying that'.  "I went on Skype with a few girls. They also sent pictures on Twitter.  It all happened on tour."

The BBC confirmed that they had accepted Manford’s resignation and will begin talks over a full-time replacement in the near future for the stand-up comedian.  Steve Jones, who is leaving T4 after Sunday’s T4 with the Stars extraganvanza, is amongst the favourites, along with Matt Baker, Richard Bacon and Tony Livesey.  Bookmakers Paddy Power are also giving odds of 16/1 for Chiles to come back to the broadcaster, at least on a short-term measure, especially if the doomed breakfast show, Daybreak gets the axe.  For now, guest presenters are expected to fill the role.

FUNNY: On his stand-up tour, can Manford's career survive

Manford insists that his marriage will overcome this flaw, and it needs with his wife pregnant with a third child.  He isn’t the first and won’t be the last celebrity to be caught in this embarrassing situation and as much as his creditability has been damaged, his respect for owning up and stepping down before getting sacked might just about salvage his career in the future.

Pontins on the verge of going bust

PONTIN'S, one of the most established holiday companies across the UK, faces a bleak outlook after the administrators were appointed last Friday.

TROUBLE: Tough times for Pontin's

The news will come as a shock to many, especially as only two years ago, 2,000 new jobs were announced by the holiday firm across its five holiday-owned parks.  Around 850 staff members are currently employed by the company and it is believed that none of these staff have been made redundant as yet.  Pontin's owns five holiday parks in the UK, varying from Prestayn Sands in Wales to Brean Sands in Somerset.

KPMG have been the administrator that has appointed for the company, which has been a seaside tradition with many holidaymakers since World War II.  Three joint administrators have been appointed and they admit that all guest reservations that have already made shouldn’t been affected by this move.

An administrator partner for KPMG told Sky of the move into administration and is still confident of positive future; "Pontin's is an iconic British brand which forms the backdrop to thousands of treasured family holiday memories," "It has unfortunately struggled in the current economic environment but, with some support from new management, we are optimistic that it will be part of thousands of family memories in the years to come."

The administrators may be positive of a recovery, but I fear for Pontin's, it certainly faces a very difficult short-term lookout.