In near-perfect conditions they came away with a couple of gold team medals as well as individual honours and a number of automatic qualifications to represent Sussex in the national inter-counties championships in Nottingham in March.

Under-20s

Having gained bronze last year, Chichester’s under-20 men were out to improve on their placing and did not disappoint.

With both Will Broom and Leo Stallard having recovered from injury and together with in-form Ned Potter, Chichester were able to field their strongest team and felt confident in mounting a decent challenge to Brighton and Horsham, the top two clubs in 2019.

Running with the seniors, albeit competing over a shorter 8k course, the Sussex under-20s were soon making their mark occupying half of the top ten places with Brighton’s Tomer Tarragano, the Horsham number one and Potter all in the leading bunch.

As the race unfolded Broom was improving steadily with Stallard doing remarkably well in his first race for several months. Coming into the finish, Potter was bravely hanging on to the bronze medal place with Broom not far behind in fifth and all depended on which club was the first to close in its third scorer.

Finishing strongly Stallard got the better of his rivals to finish 11th, one place in front of the Horsham runner, to give Chichester team gold by two points from Horsham with Brighton back in third. Also showing good form to the end was reserve Harry Sage in 17th.

Chichester’s under-20 women were running with the under-17s for the first time because of the extra distance of the senior women’s race this year.

This proved to Chichester’s advantage with Alice Cox-Rusbridge gaining a well-deserved individual silver medal with the top three under-20s separated by no more than a few seconds throughout the 5k race.

Not far behind were Rachel Laurie and Beth Brown, who ran together for most of the race to finish seventh and eighth and give Chichester a total of 17 points to become the inaugural winners of the team race.

What was most gratifying to Chichester Runners is that all seven under-20s are a product of their junior section with five having started with the club when still at primary school.

Under-17s

It was in the under-17 men’s race where spectators witnessed the most thrilling finish of the entire day involving Chichester’s Liam Dunne. As the 5k race unfolded, a group of three detached themselves from the rest of the leading pack on the final lap of three and with just under half a mile to go the leading pair pulled clear with Dunne chasing Adam Dray from Lewes as hard as he could.

On the long, straight finishing section with the waiting crowds in sight, Dunne pulled level with his rivals and both headed for the line neck and neck ad from somewhere the Lewes man drew into reserves of energy to win the title by the thickness of a vest with both athletes given the same time.

In the same race Archie Sadler was pleased to finish 19th in his first year in the age group but the absence of a third runner meant that Chichester were not able to contest the team race.

Nicole Boltwood led the under-17 women home in 18th supported well by Amelia Bromell in 23rd and Rose Potter 25th for a total of 66 points and sixth team.

Under-13s and under-15s

In the junior races at the start of the event, Chichester were unlucky not to win team medals in both the under-13 races.

The girls’ leading trio of Lillie Hellyer in 11th, twin sister Laila 12th and Florence Ingram 15th were separated by less than half a minute and posted a team total of 38th points, agonisingly a single point off the bronze medal placings.

Reserves Ela Pemberton and Millie Isitt both ran well in 24th and 30th places respectively.

For the boys, Chichester’s leading trio were in a safe medal position for most of the race but Josh Dunne was unlucky to twist his knee on one of the uneven parts of the course and had to walk back to the finish.

This left Alessandro Schmitt as the club’s leading runner in eighth with Noah Collins overtaking Will Bailley near the finish for 22nd and 26th places with reserve Digby Fulford close behind in 38th.

Even without Dunne, the team score of 56 points was good enough for fifth. There was a sixth place for the under-15 girls with Gemma Appleton leading the team home in 17th followed by Issy Isitt in 23rd and Amelia McGurk 27th.

Even though the under-15 boys were only tenth team, another three points less would have brought them home in seventh, this despite the club’s top two, Joe McLarnon and Fin Roberson, being unable to compete.

Hal Edgar led the club home in a fine 18th place followed by Gabryel White in 25th and James Davies 38th for a team total of 81 points.

Senior men and women

It was a question of what might have been for Chichester’s senior teams with each finishing in a highly respectable fifth place despite missing a number of key athletes.

As with the under-20s, both of Chichester’s first runners home were a product of the club’s thriving junior section with Harry Leleu and Charlotte Reading joining the club in school Year 6 as ten-year-olds.

Leleu has made his mark on the international triathlon circuit in the past year and ran a great race on in a high-class field to gain automatic selection for the inter counties.

Always with the front pack over the testing 10.3k course, Leleu even had a chance of his first Sussex individual medal on the final lap. However he could not quite close enough on the final hill and had to settle for fifth.

Also clawing his way through the field was evergreen James Baker who achieved a fine tenth place at 42 years of age against his younger rivals. Two places further back was Will Boutwood, now back in Chichester after three years at St Mary’s College, making it the first time in the club’s 35-year history they have scored three runners in the top dozen in this competition.

Chris West was back in action as a senior, nearly 20 years after being one of the top juniors in the UK as an under-13. His 41st place was followed by 73rd from Steve Davey and 86th from Mike Moorcroft with reserve Paul Stallard in 90th.

In the women’s race, competitors had to tackle the 10k distance for the first time. The fact the course was over-distance and the terrain had already been trodden by hundreds of pairs of runners beforehand made conditions challenging for all concerned.

Despite these difficulties, Chichester’s team of six all performed with credit. Reading was especially pleased with her 17th place in 46 minutes, a time that would have beaten a number of men over the same course.

Aleksandra Vargin was next home in 26th with the remaining four athletes well into their veteran categories. One of the country’s top over-60 runners, Helen Dean, was 34th followed by Amanda Godfrey 39th, Sue Baker 42nd and the club’s amazing over-70 runner Wendy Whelan in 52nd.

Plans to demolish six bungalows in Rudgwick and replace them with six houses will be approved once issues with their design have been resolved.

Members of Horsham District Council’s planning committee north had problems with the colour scheme submitted by housing association Saxon Weald for the new homes in Pathfield Close, when the scheme was discussed on Tuesday (January 7).

Toni Bradnum (Con, Nuthurst & Lower Beeding) said the red brick ground floor with grey weatherboard on the top floor was ‘very top-heavy, very dark and gloomy’.

Richard Landeryou (Con, Rudgwick) added: “This grey and red is totally not Rudgwick and I don’t see how they can possibly feel this fits in with the rest of Rudgwick.”

The new homes would all be classed as affordable housing – as were the bungalows.

Christian Mitchell (Con, Holbrook West) told the meeting this was not the first time Saxon Weald had submitted a design for affordable homes that had caused concern.

He said it was time the council ‘put our foot down’, adding: “The private sector wouldn’t build these houses because people mortgaging a property would not buy these properties.

“So why should those who can’t afford to buy a home live in a home like that? ”

It was a view shared by Rudgwick Parish Council.

Chairman David Buckley said: “We fail to understand why more traditional materials – hanging tile for instance – are overlooked in favour of something that will be unnecessarily incongruous on the Rudgwick street scene.”

There were suggestions that the application be deferred until the design could be looked at again.

Instead, it was agreed that Saxon Weald would consult with Mr Landeryou and the chair and vice-chair of the planning committee to come up with a suitable solution.

Members were assured that if this condition was not met it would not be discharged – meaning work could not begin on the new homes.

There was no ‘third time lucky’ for Tesco after its plan to install a cash-point outside one of its Horsham stores was turned down again.

The district council received more than 20 letters objecting to the application, which asked for an ATM to operate during the 6am-11pm opening hours of the Tesco Express in Brighton Road.

Similar applications were refused by the council in 2013, refused at appeal and then refused again in 2014.

While officers recommended the application be approved, members agreed with residents who raised concerns about road safety, noise, antisocial behaviour – and whether a cash-point was even needed.

Godfrey Newman (Lib Dem, Forest) said the ‘atrocious parking’ in the area would get worse as people stopped to withdraw cash.

He told the meeting: “We’re here to help and make sure life is not intolerable for the local residents.

“I suspect there will be more people parking there once they find out the machine is open and that will just make matters worse.”

Peter Burgess (Con, Holbrook West) agreed, adding that the people who used the cash-point were unlikely to be those who used the shop.

Criticism was aimed at the West Sussex County Council highways team, which raised no objection to the application, saying it wouldn’t have an ‘unacceptable impact’ on road safety.

David Skipp (Lib Dem, Forest) said he did not believe the team had looked at the application carefully enough.

Members rejected the application due to their concerns about road safety and the impact it would have on people living nearby.

A Horsham district councillor has been given permission to set up 100 solar panels in a field south of his home.

An application from Tony Hogben (Con, Colgate & Rusper), of Morriswood, Old Holbrook, was approved by members of the planning committee on Tuesday (January 7).

The panels, which will be laid out in two 50m rows of 50, will generate around 20,000 kW hours of electricity per year – enough to power six homes.

At the same meeting, members refused an application to demolish Millfield Barn, in Rowhook, and replace it with a three-bedroom, L-shaped home.

The council received more than a dozen letters supporting the application but planning officers said it was ‘an inappropriate, unsustainable and unacceptable form of development’ in the countryside.

Members also approved plans to remove 20th century changes made to 17th century Park House, in North Street, which has been used for council business since 1929.

Work on the Grade II* listed building will include the removal of a modern fireplace in the entrance hall, to be replaced with panelling; the refitting of the toilets and kitchen; and the installation of a suspended ceiling in the building’s 20th century extension.

Full of energy, the Sutton & Epsom side led attack after attack but Horsham defended well, and they could not break through the firm defence of Horsham’s forward line.

Horsham tried to attack but just could not find any space. Even with Horsham’s pace, the home side closed down and broke up the attacks before they began.

The Horsham Ladies defence was finally opened up around the half-hour mark and Sutton & Epsom opened their account with a great move and well worked try.

With Horsham still recovering and not entering the opposition’s half once, Sutton & Epsom took advantage again, scoring another three tries and a conversion to go in at half-time 22-0 up.

The half time team-talk must have been a good one as the Horsham Ladies were certainly pumped up. If Sutton & Epsom thought this would be a walkover they were sadly mistaken.

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Horsham too were now beginning to attack and showing some fast hands and slick passes from the backs, they were now matching Sutton & Epsom.

Only some great defending stopped the Horsham Ladies from scoring.

Alyce O’Conner led the girls in going forward and with her example, everyone upped their game.

It was now the home team’s time to defend, and defend they did. Horsham could not break through and Sutton & Epsom only managed one try in the second half.

A well fought game that was definitely a game of two halves in terms of Horsham’s performance.

Up against a team that was well organised and experienced, Horsham can be pleased with their effort and look at all the positives taken from this game.

Young Pompey central defender Matt Casey has joined to replace the departed Joe Cook - and the club have also increased their options up front by signing attacker Mo Diallo, a former Stoke City and Arsenal youngster, from SCFL Premier Division side Newhaven.

Towering centre-half Casey played, and scored with a looping header, at Nyewood Lane on Thursday night as Pompey U23s drew 2-2 with Exeter City. He joins on a youth loan, which means he will stay with the club until February 9, at which point the arrangement will be looked at.

Casey, who turned 20 in November, was handed a third-year scholarship at Pompey in May 2018, following a fruitful two-year spell within the club's Under-18s. The lofty centre-half - nicknamed 'Rodders', after Nicholas Lyndhurst's beanpole character in popular sitcom 'Only Fools and Horses' - signed a two-year apprenticeship in July 2016.

Technically astute and an assured presence at the back, the youngster has been tipped for a bright future within the game by development bosses at Fratton Park.

He was an unused substitute in the Blues squad that beat Northampton 2-0 in the Checkatrade Trophy second round in December 2017, and subsequently for a handful of Sky Bet League One fixtures.

Casey suffered an injury setback at the start of the 2018/19 season, missing three months' worth of action due to a broken collarbone days after heading out on loan to Gosport Borough. Following his return to fitness, Casey made his professional debut in the Checkatrade Trophy against Arsenal Under-21s in December 2018.

Diallo, 19, who has been on Stoke and Arsenal's books, is not a loan signing but is a player the Rocks are keen to have a closer look at. He has been doing well for Newhaven this season in the top tier of the Southern Combination. He does not go into the squad for the Leatherhead game.

The Rocks have lost two home games on the spin — to Worthing then Margate — and Casey's capture should help fix the rearguard void left by the impressive Joe Cook returning from a loan period back to his parent club Havant.

Bognor manager Pearce said after watching Casey play for the Blues last night: "Matt did very well, showed some good touches and his positioning was good, too.

"Mo trained with us pre-season and we liked what we saw then and he's been good in training with us latterly so it makes perfect sense to sign him and we'll try to give him opportunities at this level to see what he can do.”

Chichester City are toasting the victory they needed to stop their slide down the Isthmian south east table.

The Oaklands Park outfit had slipped to 16th in the league after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Faversham, a result which left them without a league victory in four games.

But any worries that a post-FA Cup run hangover could continue and give them problems near the wrong end of the table were blown away by a fine and deserved 3-0 win away to VCD Athletic.

Kaleem Haitham and Gicu Iordache put them 2-0 up within 35 minutes and Josh Clack made sure of the win with the third 11 minutes from time.

It was Chi’s fifth away league win of the season and lifted them back into the mid-table pack. They’re 13th and with games in hand over every other team in the division, with some sides having played as many as five more than them.

The result sets up Miles Rutherford’s team for a run of four straight home league games, starting with the visits of Whitstable on Saturday and Herne Bay next Tuesday.

City coach Danny Potter said it was a vital three points against a good side.

“We played well and I think it was a fair result,” said Potter. “VCD passed the ball well but we were the better team and had pace and aggression and better direction with the ball.”

Before this success, Chi had picked up only two points from their previous four – drawing at home to Guernsey and Burgess Hill and losing at Hastings and Faversham.

Potter said: “We’ve been disappointed with some of our recent results. But we said before this game we couldn’t change those results, but instead had to look at putting things right in the next three or four games by correcting errors. This was a very good first step in doing that.”

It was a City line-up that had Ben Pashley back in the heart of defence after he returned from a spell at Worthing, while Rory Biggs, who has had a stop-start campaign, was their man of the match in central midfield.

Now the challenge is to improve their home form, which has yielded only one win and three draws from six league matches at Oaklands Park.

Potter said: “I think teams come to us with a different game plan. When we are at home teams know what they need to try to do to stop us, but when we’re away, we’re brave on the ball and maybe home sides don’t expect that from a promoted team.

“We have four in a row at home now and we’ll take them one at a time.”

Chi hope to continue seeing large crowds at their Oaklands fixtures. The run to the second round of the FA Cup brought them a legion of new supporters – and so far the signs are that many are sticking with them now the run is over.

“We’re consistently getting twice as many at home as were getting in winning the SCFL last season,” Potter said. “That’s very encouraging. We’ve built better relationships with people in Chichester and must look to continue that trend.”

Saturday’s squad will include two key men who were unavailable at VCD – midfielder Matt Axell and striker Scott Jones.

Potter said there was competition for places in the squad and forward Callum Overton remained the only long-term casualty.

Plans for 33 new homes on a ‘green lung’ in Yapton have been approved despite identical plans being refused last June.

Developers are in the process of appealing against the first decision made by Arun District Council’s development control committee.

But a second outline application for Clays Farm off North End Road was approved at the second time of asking on Wednesday (January 8).

The original refusal was based on the loss of grade one agricultural land, but officers said they had since found it was grade two instead.

Paul White, agent for the scheme, described how the site had been used to keep horses since 1978 and had not been used in that time for agricultural purposes.

Councillors heard how Arun’s five-year housing land supply position had worsened since the refusal last summer.

But Amanda Worne (LDem, Yapton) spoke strongly in favour of turning the second application down given the amount of development going on around Clays Farm.

She said: “This bit of green land should be left for the residents to be able to walk their dogs and other activities. It should be left as it’s a green lung.

“Yapton is suffocating because of all the development going on.”

She raised the lack of public transport and cycling and walking routes to reach amenities like the doctors’ surgery, adding: “We need to be standing up against these bad applications and not be frightened when we get taken to appeal but actually stand up for our community and residents who have all had enough of this.”

Jacky Pendleton (Con, Middleton on Sea) sympathised with many of Cllr Worne’s points, but felt there was a high risk of losing at appeal and could not identify any planning reason for refusal.

Meanwhile Ricky Bower (Con, East Preston) thought the extra 33 houses would be an important addition to Arun’s housing supply, but acknowledged it was a ‘rather blunt instrument to beat us with’.

He was supported by John Charles (Con, Barnham) who felt approving the scheme would save the council money by not contesting, and possibly losing, the appeal.

However both Martin Lury (LDem, Bersted) and Hugh Coster (Ind, Aldwick East) spoke in favour of refusal.

Cllr Lury asked: “What’s happening to this green and pleasant land? It’s slowly diminishing and we need to do something about it otherwise it’s going to imperil the future.”

Highway safety and congestion issues were discussed in depth by Cllr Coster.

He pointed out that all the proposed and approved developments along North End Road would lead to an expected 1,478 extra vehicle movements per day.

He said: “We are approving a torrent or tsunami if you like of extra vehicles in North End Road and in Yapton.”

Cllr Coster also expressed fears about the shared use access point for the Clays Farm development, with cars mixing with pedestrians and cyclists, something he thought was ‘hugely dangerous’.

A vote to approve the application was approved by eight votes to six.

A national retailer has confirmed its intention to close 40 of its stores throughout the UK.

GAME, which has several outlets across Sussex, said that 27 stores in total had already been served a notice.

It intends to serve notice on the additional sites in the near future.

A spokesman for GAME said: “We are working closely with landlords throughout the UK to ensure that we do not have to vacate the 40 locations which could lead to a number of job losses.

“However, we are facing a challenging retail market and GAME with its extensive retail footprint, needs to restructure and landlords need to work with us in setting realistic, fair rents.”

The company has yet to respond to a comment about whether any of its Sussex stores are at risk.

According to its website, GAME has stores in Sussex at the following sites:

– Brighton, in Western Road and in Churchill Square

– Hastings, in Priory Meadows

– Horsham, in West Street

– Worthing, in Montague Centre

– Eastbourne, in Terminus Road

– Crawley, in the Martletts

– Bognor Regis, in London Road

The company closed its store in Chichester’s South Street at the end of 2019 – read more here.

More to follow.

Chichester charity CancerWise has received a £700 donation from a housebuilder’s Community Bursary scheme which will go towards a series of complementary therapies for cancer patients.

CALA Homes launched its bursary in Sussex last year and has invited organisations, charities and groups in the area to apply for a share of a £7,000 donation to help fund projects that make a difference in the community.

In the past year the scheme has awarded £109,000 to 117 good causes across the UK.

Lisa Joy, centre manager at CancerWise, said: “With one in two individuals being diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, our services are essential to a high proportion of individuals.

“In Chichester alone, there are 3,700 people living with cancer each year and this, combined with the other areas we cover, shows a great need for the support we offer.

“We can’t thank CALA Homes enough for its kind donation to our charity, which will be used to fund 138 hours of complementary therapies, such as our art and music therapy sessions.”

Nicki Dennis, sales and marketing director at CALA Homes South Home Counties, said: “CALA has always been committed to making a positive contribution to the local communities in which it builds.

“The Community Bursary scheme has given us the opportunity to find out who in our local community needs a helping hand.

“We’re thrilled to be able to support CancerWise with the funding to run complementary therapies for patients and were lucky enough to be invited to an art therapy class to see first-hand how our funding helps make a long lasting contribution to the Chichester community.”

Established in 1983, CancerWise is an independent cancer charity which supports adults throughout West Sussex and South East Hampshire who are affected by cancer.

This includes supporting individuals from diagnosis, during treatment and beyond, as well as providing support for their families and carers.

The centre provides invaluable emotional and holistic support to its beneficiaries, delivering free counselling and complementary therapies, including art and music therapy, gentle exercise classes, specialist support groups and social events.

CALA Homes’ latest development, Shopwyke Lakes, is set one mile from Chichester city centre and will comprise 398 new homes, alongside access to football and cricket pitches, a clubhouse, community centre, convenience store and children’s play areas.

Phase two of the development is due to launch on January 25/26 with a new marketing suite and show homes, as well as new releases of one and two bedroom apartments and two to five bedroom homes, with prices starting from £225,000 for an apartment and houses from £325,000.

For more information about Shopwyke Lakes call 01243 928394, visit the show homes open daily 10am to 5pm or visit www.cala.co.uk

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There are four new faces in this year’s intake for the Sussex Cricket Girls’ Academy and Emerging Players Programme (EPP).

A total of nine girls have been selected for the programme. Cassidy McCarthy and Ella McCaughan return for their second and third years in the Academy respectively. They are joined by Freya Kemp who has progressed from the EPP. Here are the nine players

Midhurst opened the new year with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Storrington thanks to goals from Kieran Carter, Oli Page and Chris Wyatt.

Both sides started well but neither keeper was really tested in the opening 15 minutes.

The Stags started to get control and created a few half chances with the lively Matt Rowland causing the Swans defence problems.

The opening goal arrived in the 23rd minute when the ball fell to Kieran.Carter, whose shot from the edge of the 18-yard box beat Swans keeper Gary Elliott.

Midhurst continued to press, with Rich Carter having a strike from long distance that just flew over.

Wide men Page and Kieran Carter were delivering some very dangerous crosses and the next big chance came from a good cross from Carter, Harry Giles making a great late run but he couldn’t divert his header from six yards out.

Swans keeper Elliott was kept busy for the remainder of the half but kept the score down to 1-0.

The Stags got control in the opening minutes of the second half and tried to double their lead.

Rowland got through and Elliott made a great save to his left, tipping the ball around the post.

The visitors had their first real chance after a great initial challenge from Wyatt, but the ball fell loose to Josh Warner, who forced Stags keeper Josh Bird into a good stop.

The Stags second goal arrived in the 60th minute, Page beat his man on the right and put in a good cross where Rowland was on hand to poke home from close range.

Swans forced a few corners, but none troubled the home side.

Kieran Carter had a great chance to make it three as he found space on the left and chose to shoot, but he blasted his shot high and wide.

With ten minutes to go Stags got a third, Wyatt volleying home from a corner to secure the points.

Midhurst: Bird, Wyatt, Behan, R Carter, Farr, Hyde, Page, Giles, Rowland, Slater, K Carter. Subs: Sheehan, Lane, Brown.

The following are the latest results contributed by HM Courts Service, for cases sentenced by West Sussex Magistrates’ Court sitting at Worthing from January 2 to 9, 2019.

Gilbert Jaime, 19, of Conbar Avenue, Rustington, must pay £9.10 compensation after admitting failing to hand over her ticket for inspection and verification when asked to do so by an authorised person on the railway in Lancing on April 17, 2019.

Travis Stringer, 23, of Mendip Road, Worthing, was fined £50 and must pay £4.75 vehicle excise back duty, £85 costs, after admitting using an unlicensed vehicle in Hove on November 22, 2018; he was fined £50 and must pay £11.09 vehicle excise back duty after admitting using an unlicensed vehicle in Worthing on March 15, 2019.

Lisa Tierney, 31, of South Terrace, Littlehampton, admitted breaching a community order by failing to attend unpaid work on November 21 and 28, 2019. The order was revoked and she was dealt with for the original offences, receiving a £120 fine for assaulting a police constable in the execution of her duty in High Street, Littlehampton, on October 7, 2018, and no separate penalty for assault by beating in High Street, Littlehampton, on October 7, 2018.

Peter Deadman, 66, of Jaybelle Grange Lodge Park, Yapton Road, Climping, was given a community order, must pay £50 compensation and must carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work after being found guilty of assault by beating in Littlehampton on July 8, 2019. He must pay a further £50 compensation after being found guilty of a second charge of assault by beating in Littlehampton on July 8, 2019.

Jessica Churchill, 27, of Arun Street, Arundel, was fined £300 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (87mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in The Strand, Worthing, on November 30, 2019. She was disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Geoffrey Feldwick, 69, of Offington Avenue, Worthing, was fined £259 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (not less than 250mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood) in Offington Avenue, Worthing, on August 27, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 24 months.

Andrew Gilbert, 53, of Langdale Avenue, Chichester, was given a community order with alcohol treatment requirement and Rehabilitation Activity Requirement after admitting being in charge of a motor vehicle while over the drink-drive limit (108mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) on the A283 Washington on December 2, 2019. He must pay £90 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and was disqualified from driving for three months.

Dominic Houghton, 25, of Clun Road, Littlehampton, was given a community order with Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and must pay £90 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drug-driving (3.2 ug/l Delta-9-THC) in Tesco car park, Littlehampton, on July 3, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 36 months.

Christopher Miles, 34, of Wolsley Hotel, Brighton Road, Worthing, was discharged conditionally for 12 months and must pay £21 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting breaching a restraining order by sending a message on November 29, 2019.

Jordan Thomson, 27, of Wolsley Hotel, Brighton Road, Worthing, was discharged conditionally for 12 months and must pay a total of £112.98 compensation, £21 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting stealing an Oral B electric toothbrush worth £79.99 from Superdrug, Worthing, on March 16, 2019; and stealing dog biscuits worth £32.99 from The Pet Store, Worthing, on April 17, 2019.

Ethan Wheeler, 20, of Ventnor Close, Eastbourne, was fined £120 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £85 costs after admitting drink-driving (77mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in The Strand, Worthing, on December 4, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 20 months.

Danny Cobbold, 31, of Winterbourne Close, Worthing, was fined £40 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £40 costs, after admitting stealing items worth £173.22 from Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre, Angmering, on December 2, 2019.

Martin Kelly, 43, of Fernhurst Crescent, Brighton, was fined £373 and must pay £37 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (69mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in Little High Street, Shoreham, and the A259 Lancing, on December 6, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 14 months.

Josh Lepine, 25, of Angel Sands, Storrington, was fined £576 and must pay £57 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (74mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in Horsham Road, Littlehampton, on December 6, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 17 months.

Adam Mackinder, 22, of Normanhurst, Grove Hill, Brighton, was given a community order and must carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work after admitting sending a text message conveying a threat to cause distress or anxiety in Worthing on September 9, 2019. He was given a restraining order and must pay £90 victim surcharge, £85 costs.

Levant Hassan, 33, of Hillbarn Avenue, Lancing, was discharged conditionally for 12 months after admitting two charges of assault in Shoreham on August 28, 2019; and damaging a desk and computer screen to the value of £204.63 and £77.92 at Hunters Recruitment, Shoreham, on August 28, 2019. He must pay £282.55 compensation.

John Sweeney, c/o South Farm Road, Worthing, was given a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and must carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work after admitting possessing 210g of cannabis, a class B drug, in Worthing on June 21, 2019. He must pay £122 victim surcharge, £85 costs.

Jaromir Reka, 32, of Ardingly Drive, Goring, was fined £400 and must pay £45 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (66mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in Sea Lane, Ferring, on December 7, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Benjamin Taylor, 22, of Leon House, High Street, Croydon, was given a community order and must carry out 40 hours’ unpaid work after admitting taking a vehicle without consent and before it was recovered, damage was caused to the vehicle in Worthing between May 31, 2019, and June 1, 2019. He also admitted driving without insurance, no separate penatly. He must pay £550 compensation, £85 victim surcharge, £125 costs, and was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

The following are the latest results contributed by HM Courts Service, for cases sentenced by West Sussex Magistrates’ Court sitting at Worthing from January 2 to 9, 2019.

Benjamin Hunter, 28, of Chalk Lane Nursery, Sidlesham, was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with alcohol treatment requirement and Rehabilitation Activity Requirement after admitting stealing jewellery worth £2,500 having entered MSJ Jewellery in Selsey as a trespasser on October 16, 2019. He must pay £750 compensation.

Peter Deadman, 66, of Jaybelle Grange Lodge Park, Yapton Road, Climping, was given a community order, must pay £50 compensation and must carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work after being found guilty of assault by beating in Littlehampton on July 8, 2019. He must pay a further £50 compensation after being found guilty of a second charge of assault by beating in Littlehampton on July 8, 2019.

Daniel Bowyer, 36, of Pevensey Road, Bognor Regis, was fined £80 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting resisting a police constable in the execution of her duty in Bognor Regis on August 26, 2019.

Jessica Churchill, 27, of Arun Street, Arundel, was fined £300 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (87mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in The Strand, Worthing, on November 30, 2019. She was disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Dominic Houghton, 25, of Clun Road, Littlehampton, was given a community order with Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and must pay £90 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drug-driving (3.2 ug/l Delta-9-THC) in Tesco car park, Littlehampton, on July 3, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 36 months.

Danny Cobbold, 31, of Winterbourne Close, Worthing, was fined £40 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £40 costs, after admitting stealing items worth £173.22 from Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre, Angmering, on December 2, 2019.

Andrew Gilbert, 53, of Langdale Avenue, Chichester, was given a community order with alcohol treatment requirement and Rehabilitation Activity Requirement after admitting being in charge of a motor vehicle while over the drink-drive limit (108mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) on the A283 Washington on December 2, 2019. He must pay £90 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and was disqualified from driving for three months.

James Hodd, 58, of Hampers Green, Petworth, was given a community order and must carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work after admitting drink-driving (108mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in Wyndham Road, Petworth, on December 1, 2019. He must pay £90 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and was disqualified from driving for 24 months.

Mark Jones, 51, of Connolly Way, College Lane, Chichester, was discharged conditionally for 12 months and must pay £21 compensation after admitting assaulting an emergency worker, a police constable, by beating in Chichester on August 31, 2019. He also admitted using threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress in Chichester on August 31, 2019, no separate penalty.

Simon Carr, 59, of Newport Drive, Chichester, was fined £100 and must pay £32 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting being in charge of a vehicle while over the drink-drive limit (72mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in Tesco car park, Chichester, on December 5, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for six months.

Josh Lepine, 25, of Angel Sands, Storrington, was fined £576 and must pay £57 victim surcharge, £85 costs, after admitting drink-driving (74mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath) in Horsham Road, Littlehampton, on December 6, 2019. He was disqualified from driving for 17 months.

But if you’re planning your next trip abroad and need some inspiration, Google has revealed its list of top trending holiday spots for 2020 - although three have recently been issued with travel warnings. Compiled by using the number of hotel searches for holidays this year against hotel searches in 2018 and 2019, here’s what made the top 10.

Students at The Angmering School organised a stationery drive to help their peers and collected an impressive amount of pens, pencils, rubbers and other equipment.

The project was led by the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools ambassadors, who asked students to donate packs of stationery in exchange for wearing home clothes for a day.

The ambassadors are a team of students representing each tutor group to put the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond.

Year-12 student Georgia Millward, president, said: “We raised so much stationery for an absolutely amazing cause. It has allowed us to do something so great whilst all at our school learn about our rights, and that is so important.”

The ambassadors look at various ways of raising the profile of the charter and this time, they wanted to help their peers with stationery supplies, following on from similar donation schemes for the foodbank.

Cherie Sykes, English teacher and co-leader, said: “The biggest thing is that this was led by students, meaning Ms Cox and I could watch the team flourish as they took this initiative forward. I am proud of their success.”

The donations are being distributed to students around the school.

With a host of shocks both on and off the field in the past seven days, it’s been another fascinating week in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League.

With the transfer window in full swing a number of sides have already bolstered their squad ahead of another crucial round of fixtures.

Here’s everything you need to know about the weekend ahead.

Manchester City vs Everton

Saturday, 5.30pm, Academy Stadium

After the news coming out of Manchester this week that City manager Nick Cushing will leave his role at the start of February, the Sky Blues’ boss will be looking to end his time with the club on a high.

Cushing’s six years in charge will come to an end when he makes the move to men’s team New York City as assistant manager, ending a successful era which saw his side win six major trophies, including the 2016 WSL title and two FA Cups.

On the pitch, City will be looking to keep the heat on leaders Arsenal with a win at the Academy Stadium over Everton, a side they have beaten in each of their last six meetings.

Pauline Bremer is in hot form at the moment, scoring three times in her last two appearances, including a first half brace against Tottenham last time out.

Meanwhile, Everton will be boosted by the return of Izzy Christiansen, with the England international set to make her second debut for the Toffees after her move from Lyon.

Liverpool vs Manchester United

Sunday, 12pm, Prenton Park

Eleven games into the season, and Liverpool are still searching for that elusive first league victory, with Vicky Jepson’s side rooted to the bottom of the table.

Another slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton summed up the Reds’ season so far, with a reasonable solid defensive performance, but failing to find the net at the other end.

With just three goals in the league so far, a new striker will be top of the list during the transfer window, with Niamh Charles bagging two of those in the last three games.

Manchester United have no such problems ahead of this one, with 18-year-old Lauren James netting five times this season for Casey Stoney’s side who sit in fourth going into the weekend.

The Red Devils are yet to taste defeat against their rivals, with a 2-0 home victory back in September giving them the bragging rights.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal

Sunday, 12.30pm, Broadfield Stadium

What an incredible run it has been for this Arsenal side, with goals flying in from all angles as the Gunners continue to notch win after win.

In fact, Joe Montemurro’s side haven’t tasted defeat in the league since a 2-1 reverse against Chelsea back in October, a run which sees them top the league.

A trip to Broadfield Stadium this weekend sees them looking for revenge over a Brighton side that have already come out victorious over the visitors this season, albeit in a penalty shoot-out in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup.

And despite being buoyed by 1-0 win over Liverpool last time out, the Seagulls have a wretched record against this weekend’s opponents domestically, conceding four goals in each of their last three meetings against the table-toppers.

Chelsea vs Bristol City

Sunday, 2pm, Kingsmeadow

2020 continues the way 2019 finished for Chelsea, as the Blues secured a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Reading last time out to maintain their unbeaten record in the league.

Emma Hayes welcomed Sam Kerr to the starting line-up for the first time against the Royals, and the Australian will be looking to get off the mark for her new side this weekend against Bristol City.

The Robins had the best possible start to the new year as they recorded their first league win of the season with a 1-0 away win at Manchester United, thanks to a wonderful solo goal by Ebony Salmon.

That win gives them some breathing space at the bottom of the table, but they face a much tougher task this weekend, with City not managing a victory over their hosts in the past 12 league meetings between the two sides.

Reading vs Birmingham City

Sunday, 2pm, Adams Park

The visitors are another side desperately short on goals this season, with the Blues only managing to find the back of the net five times in their nine games this campaign.

Both sides enter this one searching for some sort of league form, with the Royals managing just one victory in their last four matches, while Birmingham have just one success in their last five.

History suggests this one will be a close encounter, with five out of the last nine meetings between the two sides ending in a draw.

Marta Tejedor’s side hold the upper hand recently though, after completing the league double over Sunday’s opponents last season.

Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham

Sunday, 2pm, The Hive

This one has the potential to be one of the tastiest games of the weekend as the two London rivals going head to head.

Both sides will be itching to get their first win of the new year, with the West Ham squad looking to have recovered from the flu virus which caused last week’s match with Everton to be called off.

Spurs will be hoping to give a first start to Emma Mitchell, after the Scot came off the bench last weekend following her loan move from neighbours Arsenal.

After a promising start to the season, the home side have dropped off in recent weeks, with just one win in their last six.

One clean sheet in eight is proof of where the problem lies, if they can manage to keep the Hammers’ front line quiet, they could get back to winning ways.

A former Angmering student with a reputation for positivity and joy will be remembered forever at his old school with a new annual award for resilience and academic excellence.

Oliver Rumbol, known as Oli, passed away in 2017 aged 20, having been born with cystic fibrosis.

Staff at The Angmering School said he was a ‘bundle of happiness’ who loved learning and cherished education and knowledge. He particularly enjoyed science and had hoped to become a doctor.

Oli is remembered for his willingness to help others, even going in to mentor students in the last months of his life, after he became too unwell to continue his university course in medicine.

The school has now created the Oliver Rumbol Perpetual Award in his memory, to recognise his outstanding achievements and his indomitable spirit, and chose Oli himself as a posthumous winner in this first year, presenting the certificate to his mother Shirley Rumbol.

History teacher Vicky Lyons said: “I first met Oli when he was in year nine. He was in many respects no more extraordinary than any other student but what made Oli remarkable was his strength of will and determination to find the silver lining in even the darkest cloud.

“His life was, much of the time, an ongoing battle associated with his condition and yet, those he left behind do not remember him for the difficulties but his immense successes and his inspirational outlook regardless of the hand he had been dealt. He was taken from us far too early, however his legacy is endless.”

The award will be presented annually to a student who has just completed year 11 and this year’s main winner was Olivia Gregory, who excelled in her GCSEs, despite being too unwell to attend school.

Olivia was praised by staff for her hard work and is now in the sixth form studying for A-levels.

The award was presented by head teacher Simon Liley to her father, John Gregory, who collected it on Olivia’s behalf.

Claims the safety of the public and firefighters is at ‘significant risk’ due to a control room merger have been strongly denied by fire chiefs.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has been overseeing 999 calls for West Sussex since the merger in December – and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is concerned staff cannot handle the sheer volume of calls.

The union has also branded as ‘reckless’ the decision to bring East Sussex into the merger.

Richard Jones, the FBU’s South East executive council member, said there had been no increase in staff since the initial merger, with more than 9,000 extra 999 calls expected per year.

Mr Jones added: “This is blatantly unsafe and unsustainable.

“Surrey’s emergency fire control room is consistently understaffed and control staff were already desperately overstretched before the merger. 

“We’re seeing fatigued staff break down in tears, with the immense pressure causing work-related sickness. The brigade is institutionally unprepared for this merger and it’s causing dangerous operational failures.”

Looking at those ‘failures’, Mr Jones said crews had been sent to 999 calls from the wrong locations and had been sent mobilisation alerts when they were unavailable, causing ‘significant delays in response times’.

The FBU has issued a safety-critical notice to Surrey.

While only an advisory document with no legal weight, the notice raises the union’s serious concerns around the safety of the current control room set-up.

But Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, chief fire officer for West Sussex, said the move to a joint control room had been successful.

She added: “As with any project there is always a ‘bedding in’ period.

“Any issues that have arisen have been quickly resolved and have not affected the way 999 calls are handled, or the level of service people have received, when needing West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service in an emergency.

“We are committed to working hard to address any feedback we receive to continually improve our service.”

A spokesman said the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service ‘strongly refutes’ the FBU claims, adding that West Sussex and Surrey staff had been working together ‘to provide a more effective and efficient response to emergencies across both counties’.

He added: “There have been no reports of any delay to response times to any emergency as a result of the new ways of working.”

The spokesman also said there had been no reports of staff suffering stress-related illness as a result of excessive workloads.

He added: “Analysis of technical difficulties has shown that these have been ‘teething’ issues that have been quickly resolved or worked around, to mitigate any effect on the services.”

The decision to add East Sussex to the merger was made in a meeting behind closed doors earlier this week.

Mr Jones said: “We should not be thinking about adding more pressure until Surrey addresses its under-staffing and operational failings.

“It’s dangerous for control staff, for firefighters, and for the public.” 

The FBU concerns were shared by Liberal Democrat leader Dr James Walsh, who said the safety notice was not something that was issued lightly.

Dr Walsh said he had written to Dr Cohen-Hatton ‘seeking reassurance on behalf of West Sussex residents that the situation has been or will urgently be remedied’.

Homes England has announced dates for nine exhibitions where members of the public can ask about plans to build 10,000 homes west of Ifield.

The plans, which have received a mixed reaction from the public and local councils, include five primary schools, two secondary schools, a western relief road and 35 per cent affordable housing.

The exhibitions will be held on:

Friday January 10 at the Gurjar Hindu Union, Apple Tree Centre, Ifield Avenue, from 3-8pm;

Saturday January 11 at Ghyll Manor, High Street, Rusper, from 10am-3pm;

Monday January 13 at Horsham Sports Club, Cricketfield Road, Horsham, from 3-8pm;

Tuesday January 14 at Ifield West Community Centre, 1A Dobbins Place, Crawley, from 4-8pm;

Wednesday January 15, The Hawth Theatre, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, from 10am-1pm and 3-8pm;

Thursday January 16 at Ghyll Manor, High Street, Rusper, Horsham, from 3-8pm;

Friday January 17 at Ifield West Community Centre, 1A Dobbins Place, Crawley, from 4-8pm;

Saturday January 18 at the Gurjar Hindu Union, Apple Tree Centre, Ifield Avenue, from 10am-3pm.

Community group Talk Ifield will be hosting an open meeting on Wednesday January 22 where people will be able to talk to councillors about the impact the development would have on the neighbourhood and the town.

It will be held at the Elim Church, The Mardens, Ifield, from 7-8.30pm.

Mark Sudan, chair of the Talk Ifield management committee, said: “At our last Talk Ifield open forum back in September, we promised to hold a special open forum as soon as possible on Homes England’s controversial proposal to build 10,000 new homes to the west of Ifield over the coming few years.

“Our meeting on January 22 will therefore be a timely opportunity to hear directly from our local councillors and other community representatives about what Homes England’s plans will mean for us and our neighbourhood, and to start the discussion about how we should respond to them.”

A petition opposing the plans has been signed by more than 2,000 people. To view it, log on to www.change.org/p/horsham-borough-council-stop-the-build-of-10-000-houses-across-ifield-west