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NEWBURYNEWS Meite’s wonder goal took my breath away Sport down the years

Newbury Weekly News

crowd to confirm it as a thing of great beauty, though it was a shame nobody was there to enjoy it. Meite is a hulk of a man. He landed softly, with the grace of a ballerina, glanced to check the ball was nestling in the net and then peeled away to celebrate. It was a mix between Pele in the film Escape to Victory when the allies drew 4-4 with the Germans, and one of those killer whales you see on David Attenborough programmes breaching. It was magical athleticism and skill. Why did I enjoy it so much? Because like everyone else who once loved, or still loves, playing football, the bicycle kick goal was always the ultimate ambition. Defying gravity, every footballer who ever wanted to catch the eye surely most wants to score a goal just like Meite’s. Well played, Sir.

depended upon it. Score now and Reading would stretch their lead at the top of the Championship table to five points after just seven games. The ball came into the Rotherham penalty box from the Reading left. Meite was waiting 15 yards out, so not far off the penalty spot. It arrived to him when he had his back to goal and was slightly off balance. He somehow chested the ball a couple of yards into the air and then leapt like a high jumper doing the Fosbury Flop. He twisted to his left, mid-air, his feet, hips and head about four feet clear of the ground. By now we knew what was coming. Sure enough, thwack, and the ball went rocketing from Meite’s fast-moving boot past the keeper’s outstretched left hand and inside the post. This goal did not need the roar of a

I THOUGHT I would grow out of it in middle age. I presumed more important things would take away the joy. But no. The unique surge of excitement and warmth on seeing a great goal is still there. Age, Covid, family, work, finances and a myriad of other stresses can’t take away the simple pleasure of seeing a net bulge. Everyone who has ever kicked a ball about, at any standard, will have the same feeling. The strike, the diving keeper, the ball squeezing past the woodwork and then rippling the net – nothing makes you feel so alive. I was reminded of this on Saturday when Yakou Meite scored against Rotherham. His first goal, coming slightly against the run of play just before half-time was nothing special. Was he off-side? A decent first touch?

RRooyyaallss Watching

SPORT has always been covered in the NWN down the years. We look at the unforgettable moments from 10 years ago 10 years ago October28 2010 Royalslift lacrossecrown THE newly-formed Newbury Royals Lacrosse Clubwarmed up for its first season in the LadiesWest League by winninga pre-seasontournament at Bath on Sunday. The new club, based on current and former St Bart’s players, took part in the 10-teamtour ney andmade their first mark with a 1-0 win over Bristol Bombers, going on to beat Southamp- ton Ladies 5-0, Bath University 4-2 and draw 2-2 draw with Bath LadiesClub in their groupmatches. That took themconvincingly into the semi-finalsand on to the final against Bath Ladies, withNewbury winning 4-2 to claim their first trophy. The Newbury team, which will make its league debut on November 7, was: SophieRackham, Rachael O’Brien, EmmaMcCormack, Hannah Flanagan, Genevieve Allen, Nicole Dart, Becky Thomas, Abi Benford, AshaNiven, Charlotte Laing, StephanieWebb, Lizzie Sladen,Holly MacWilliam, Amy Graham,Rachael Neller, YasmeenSheperia, Ann-Marie Dunbarand Jess Metcalfe. Impshit by Storm NEWBURY Table Tennis League seconddivision leadersThatcham Storms continued their whirlwind start to the seasonby beating Thatcham Imps 9-1 for another maximumfour-point return. New signingMoruf Oladimejiwon another comfortable treble while for the losers, SamGoodwin beat Andy Jeffery. JOG look like being Storms’ biggest rivals after comingdown from DivisionOne. Pete Sinyard won a treble in their 9-1 win over West IlsleyB withMark Wheeler stepping up from the Joggers team to record a treble and David Taylor a brace. Lionel Sheppard replied for Ilsley. AWE Fusionrecorded a comfortable homewin over WooltonHill C. AlthoughSue Purton levelled the match at 1-1, Fusion ’s Harris, Wilson andWallace cruised to a 9-1 win. JOG Joggers scored a 10-0 whitewash over Inkpen Insufferables in Division Three withMark Wheeler, Howie Watkin and ChrisWatson dropping only five sets all evening. ThatchamKestrels’s improved start continued with a 7-3 homewin over Ashford Hill Rooters. Despite two fromClive Beal and a goodwin for SamGoodyer over James Ellicott,Kestrels always looked like winningwith Pedro Lima scoringan impressive treble. TidmarshTerriers lead the way in DivisionOne after wins over ThatchamC and chief rivals Ashford Hill Ramblers in a re-arranged match. Paul Rattue scored three for Ramblers, but neither skipperJohn Goodyer nor Terry White could record a singleswin over the Terriers teamof Calcutt, Barclay and Williams. Terriers also picked up the maximum points against ThatchamC after Bao Tuyen Ly had put Thatchamahead against DuncanGroves before Tidmarshstormed to a 9-1 win. ThatchamA scored a second succes- sive four-pointeraway to Ashford Hill Extraswith only Pete Martin denying thema clean sweep. Tony Brown secured a treble for the winners.

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Should the keeper have done better? Most ridiculously, a good time to score? (Tell me when it is a bad time.) I still got the feeling. His second goal is what we really must talk about. Reading were toiling a little. The final whistle still seemed some way off and they were uncomfortably only 1-0 up. They needed a second to put the game to bed. The extraordinary early-season record

Bithja climbs to national glory

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LAST month’s winner of the women’s top prize at the Newbury Velo Walbury Hill Climb, near Inkpen, Bithja Jones, became National Hill Climb champion on Sunday. The course was a short but steep climb up Streatley Hill, near Goring, with an average gradient of 13 per cent and a maximum gradient of nearly 26 per cent. Bithja from Reading, riding for Pankhurst Cycles in Pang- bourne, climbed the course in 2 minutes 47.9 seconds, break- ing her women’s course record. The event attracted a record female entry of 140 riders out of 479 in all. The men’s competition was won by Hill Climbing ace Andrew Feather from Bath, who broke the men’s course record with a very fast time of 2mins 04.8secs – an average speed of 14.5mph. There were a number of local Newbury-based riders taking part from Newbury Velo and Palmer Park Velo, as follows: Junior girls : Anna Patterson

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Senior men : Char lie Ager (Newbury Velo) 2:28.7; Garham Stent (Newbury Velo) 2:59.3; Cameron Craik (Newbury Velo) 3:05.6; George Westall (Newbury Velo) 3:17.4; Roger Davis (Newbury Velo) 3:56.4.

(Palmer Park Velo) 4:09.6; Emma Davies (Newbury Velo) 4:22.7 Senior women: Mireille Cook (Newbury Velo) 4:01.5;Elsa Leuty (Newbury Velo) 4:55.3; eTresa Robins (Reading CC) 4:56.6

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BOXING New home for boxing club THAMES Valley Boxing Club is still training three nights a week for medical-carded boxers only in groups of six. The run will take place on Sundays, November 8 and 15.

The club, which is following the rules and guidance of England Boxing, will be moving premises at the beginning of November from its current Faraday Road gym to Lake- side Bowling in Thatcham. Head coach Paul Cooke would like to thank Katherine Beauchamp, the manager of Lakeside Bowling, for all her help to make the move possi- ble. As numbers have been very limited for training sessions, funds for the club are falling. So it was decided by the coaches and boxers to organise a sponsored run with a choice of either three, six, nine or 12 miles.

The coaches felt that the boxers needed a goal to focus on as at present they cannot box, spar, have no pad work and no contact partner work, which has made training sessions quite repetitive. But the coaches have become very good at cleaning as they have to sani- tise all of the equipment after each boxer has used it. Thames Valley ABC has set up a Gofundme.com page on facebook. If anyone would like to sponsor the club or if there is anyone who would just like to donate to Thames Valley ABC, please contact Paul Cooke on 07904 030962.

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