It was formed, literally, around the kitchen table. Now an East Yorkshire-based drinks company is determined to bring the joys of real cider to a wider audience.

Established just over a year ago, the Colemans Cider Company in Kilham is already enjoying startling success – it’s confidently predicting doubling production every year for the foreseeable future as it attracts interest from drinkers both here and abroad.

We are spotlighting local businesses as part of the run-up to the Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards 2016 and we kick off with the Colemans Cider Company, where business is going global.

“I’ve just logged off having dealt with three emails from New York,” said co-director Marc Cole.

Outbuildings house the cider production, while apples come from his garden, an orchard established by business partner Chris Chapman in nearby Ruston Parva and anyone prepared to donate produce in return for a share of the cider. The company regularly appeals for apples and people turn up on the doorstep with baskets full.

“We’re truly a branch to bottle operation and one very much rooted in the community,” said Marc.

“In some cases, where older members of the community are no longer able to pick apples from their own trees, we’ll even go and pick the fruit ourselves,” he said.

Marc, Chris and friends have just finished this year’s cider-making efforts following the annual apple harvest and expect to have 4,700 litres available for drinking from January onwards.

And to celebrate the new brew and the launch of three ciders (medium, sweet and dry) they are reviving ancient customs, with an annual Wassail event on Saturday January 16.

“This will be at our orchard in Ruston Parva and will begin at 2pm with the blessing of the trees, but there’ll be music, food and cider,” said Marc.

“It’s an ancient rural tradition to ensure a good harvest and we embrace it fully, complete with our own Green Man.”

Marc, who runs his own regeneration and economic development consultancy business, moved to East Yorkshire six years ago.

Born in the West Country and growing up in Somerset, it’s perhaps not surprising that he’s always had a love of cider and a glut of apples in his back garden sowed the seeds of an idea that has grown into Colemans Cider Company.

Cider is enjoying a huge resurgence at the moment, he said, describing it as the “Magners Effect”.

It’s a healthy drink, too, he claims, which is why the global demand is rising.

From its very small beginnings, Marc and Cris and expecting to increase production by 100 per cent year on year over the next few years.

In 2015 sales have been restricted to local music and beer festivals but for 2016 they are in talks with a Yorkshire company to distribute their products and handle online sales.

It will also be available in a number of local micro pubs, the Jug & Bottle off-licence in Bubwith, which specialises in specialist beers and ciders, and in the Old Star village pub in Kilham. Future plans include produce pyder (a mixture of pear and apple cider) and taking their products to a wider audience by way of attending more festivals.

Visit www.colemanscidercompany.com or email colemans
cidercompany@gmail.com for more information on Colemans Cider Company or to buy tickets for the Wassail.

When big guns such as Coneygree, Many Clouds, Don Poli, Vroum Vroum Mag, Valseur Lido and Sausalito Sunrise were being mooted for the race, as well as Paul Nicholls’s rising star Saphir Du Rheu, a real Hennessy humdinger looked on the cards.

It didn’t quite materialise, thanks to a string of defections for various reasons. But Newbury’s annual showpiece chase on Saturday still threw up a wonderful winner in Alan King’s grey, Smad Place.

In returning to his best form, the eight-year-old maintained the remarkable theme that has dominated the Jumps season so far, following in the bouncebackability hoofprints of Cue Card, Sprinter Sacre, More Of That and Sir Des Champs, not to mention Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Annacotty, also trained by King.

Smad Place was running off the same handicap mark of 155 he was allotted in last year’s Hennessy when he was strongly fancied but finished a distant, if respectable, fifth. The reason behind the exuberant transformation we witnessed at the weekend was threefold.

Firstly, like Cue Card, he’d undergone a minor wind operation to cure a trapped epilglottis, a condition fast becoming racing’s equivalent to football’s curio of the metatarsal injury! Secondly, King gave him a crucial prep run at Kempton, making amends for a self-confessed error last term when his charge went straight to Newbury.

But arguably the key reason was a significant change in riding tactics. It has largely been forgotten that, at the time of the 2014 race, both of King’s jockeys, Choc Thornton and Wayne Hutchinson, were injured. It resulted in Denis O’Regan getting the mount, but giving Smad Place far too much to do on a horse he’d not ridden before. The effort needed to get into contention took so much out of the horse that he never fully recovered for the rest of a disappointing campaign. In King’s words, the Hennessy “completely nailed him”.

The admirable Hutchinson was back in the saddle on Saturday and adopted the prominent, aggressive approach that had found so much favour with the grey at Kempton. Such was the relentless rhythm of his gallop on testing ground, you felt sure it would take its toll in the home straight. But the French-bred actually found more and powered home in the style of a horse who would lap up the extreme trip of the Grand National.

Unlike Many Clouds, the 2014 Hennessy hero, Smad Place won’t be going to Aintree, however. Owner Trish Andrews is no fan of the race, and its perceived dangers, even though husband Peter is a dyed-in-the-wool Scouser! Furthermore, the grey’s official rating of 155 is likely to balloon to levels unmanageable in handicaps. Instead he will have a second crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup and return to a course where he has already been placed in an RSA Chase and two World Hurdles, including one not far behind the mighty Big Buck’s.

Last season’s Gold Cup bid ended in laboured failure, but such a Cheltenham record underlines the class of an animal undoubtedly revitalised. King was quick to praise the initiative of the 34-year-old Hutchinson, whose career was far too long in the shadows of the now-retired Thornton. He was also quick to pay tribute to groom John Goggin, who used to ride Smad Place at his Barbury Castle yard but who had tragically died only days earlier after a car accident.

Emotions, running high, added poignancy to a Hennessy Day that lived up to its reputation as a raucous and rumbustious occasion, showcasing the rawest roots of our winter sport. The sight of a grey bounding clear in a major race even evoked memories of the iconic Desert Orchid. Memories that wrapped up the meeting too as veteran Grey Gold rallied on the run-in to take the final race in a fashion strikingly reminiscent of Dessie’s golden eclipse of Yahoo in the Gold Cup of 1989.

It all delighted the biggest Hennessy Day crowd for 20 years and made those of us who cherish the three-day meeting, and make it an annual pilgrimage, wonder why Newbury has taken the decision to downsize it from next year. At first, the decision seemed an over-reaction to the ridiculously small fields that blighted the opening day of last season. But I suspect it is a commercial judgement based on the track’s struggle to market the meeting effectively as a three-day package.

Public interest in the first day, on the Thursday, is sadly slim, so the plan is to condense the quality into two days and switch the Grade Two Long Distance Hurdle to headline a Friday card that, hopefully, will attract terrestrial TV coverage.

I accept that of the 21 races under the current arrangement, two or three of the meeting’s ordinary handicaps could safely be lost. But the meeting is also renowned for novice events that are extremely informative and educational for punters, trainers and owners alike. Sacrificing them would be a regressive move.

HENNESSY MEETING HORSES TO FOLLOW -- BUVEUR D’AIR (Nicky Henderson novice hurdler), IBIS DU RHEU (Paul Nicholls handicap hurdler), KASAKH NOIR (Dan Skelton juvenile hurdler), KIR ROYAL (Alan King bumper filly), LA VATICANE (David Pipe handicap chaser), MINELLA AWARDS (Nicky Henderson novice hurdler), THISTLECRACK (Colin Tizzard staying hurdler), THREE MUSKETEERS (Dan Skelton novice chaser) and WARRIORS TALE (Paul Nicholls novice/handicap chaser).

Racing pundit Tony McCormick from.irishbigracetrends.com presents his weekly column, this week looking back at his November trainers and forward to two trainers to note in December.

Paul Nicholls and Venetia Williams continued the fine form of our monthly trainers to watch in November. This followed solid figures from Nigel Twiston-Davies and Neil Mulholland as part of our trainers to follow in October.

From following the criteria set out in an earlier column, Nicholls sent out 31 runners, with eight of those winning returning a profit of £75.50 to a £10 stake, with the trainer having a 61% win and place strike rate.

It must be said that Nicholls’ last 10 runners were beaten for the angle, although five of those placed, with three of the last four runners finishing second. Interestingly, from the eight winners, only two were sent off favourite.

Williams had 37 qualifiers during the month, with 10 finishing first past the post, returning a £275.50 profit to a £10 stake. Saroque and Pepite Rose both won earlier in the month at odds of 10/1 and Union Jack Dycy winning at 8/1 on Saturday kept the angle ticking along nicely to return a 27% strike rate.

For our two trainers to follow in December, let’s start with Nicky Henderson. The master of Seven Barrows can actually be followed blind, with him having a 29% strike rate, yielding a £21.30 profit to a £10 stake in the last four years.

Digging a little deeper in to the figures, it is obvious that his hurdlers are the horses to follow. Henderson’s runners in Hurdles, Maiden Hurdles, Handicap Novice Hurdles and especially his Novice Hurdlers, with a 30% strike rate, must be treated with the utmost respect.

We could leave the angle there, but following his qualifiers that are Irish or French bred, aged between three and six and with an SP no bigger than 14/1, could provide us with some Christmas tokens in the next couple of weeks.

Charlie Longsdon had 16 winners from 69 runners in October, dropping back to only, and a disappointing, five winners from 68 runners in November. Hopefully, Longsdon is still a creature of habit as he has had a quiet November for the last four years, following on from a successful October, including a staggering 22 winners in 2013 and 12 in 2014.

His December record reads, eight in 2011, 12 in 2012, 11 winners in 2013 and seven successes last term. Longsdon has his Maiden Hurdlers, Novices Hurdlers, Handicap Chasers and Handicap Novice Chasers primed in December.

Following runners in Class 3 or 4 contests, GB or Irish-bred, aged between five and eight and had finished in the first three in one of their last three starts, could well prove profitable this month.

For more details on the Cheltenham ‘Insiders’ insight Pack go to irishbigracetrends.com

Members of Parliament are still receiving correspondence on the subject of Sunday Trading following an indication by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the Government wishes to devolve decision-making in this area.

The proposal is that local councils should have the right to determine Sunday trading hours in their area, giving them greater control over the regional economy.

This makes sense.

Instead of the Government telling each and every region of the UK that shops can open longer, local authorities should be able to make a decision based on the nature of the communities they serve. At this stage, an early vote on the matter is unlikely.

However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills says ‘the arrival of the internet has changed our habits radically and many of us have got used to the freedom to buy what we need at any time that suits us.’

They argue that the restrictions in place are holding back the retail sector, increasing prices for customers. Many Trade Unions are against these plans, as are some religious groups, but why should they be?

All the Government is seeking to do, is to give power to local councils to make their own decision, so I find it hard to see why anyone would oppose that.

If powers are devolved, there is then an argument about whether local councils should change the present arrangements – but that is not a reason against giving councils the powers in the first place.

Whatever the day of the week, when telephoning a businesses that is open, it is infuriating to receive a pre-recorded message alleging they are experiencing ‘an unusually high volume of calls at the moment’ with the recording adding ‘we cannot take your call so phone back later’ before throwing you off the line. When a business is open, there is no excuse for failing to provide a service where a message can be left.

YORKSHIRE will begin their pursuit of a hat-trick of County Championship titles with a match against Hampshire at Headingley.

The champions start their 2016 campaign on Sunday April 17 against a team who only narrowly avoided relegation this year.

Yorkshire’s opening opponents in the NatWest T20 Blast will be Leicestershire, who visit Headingley on Friday May 27.

Yorkshire also start their Royal London Cup 50-over campaign on home territory against Worcestershire at Headingley on Tuesday June 7.

The full fixture list will be announced at 9am on Wednesday morning by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

YORKSHIRE’s fixtures for the 2016 season have been announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The club will begin their quest for a third successive County Championship title with a match against Hampshire at Headingley from April 17.

Andrew Gale’s men face newly-promoted Lancashire in the Championship at Leeds from May 29, with the return fixture at Old Trafford from August 13.

“I always look forward to fixtures day,” said captain Gale.

“There’s so many matches to digest, we try not to get too far ahead of ourselves. The first game against Hampshire at Headingley looks good and as always there is a lot of cricket to be played in the opening two months of the season.”

Yorkshire face the other promoted side, Surrey, at Headingley from May 8 before travelling to the Oval on July 11.

As usual, Yorkshire have six Championship home matches at Headingley and two at Scarborough.

This year’s visitors to the seaside are Middlesex, whom Yorkshire play at North Marine Road from July 3, and Nottinghamshire, who visit from August 23.

In addition, Yorkshire play two of their four home group games in the Royal London Cup at Scarborough.

Northamptonshire are the visitors in the 50-over tournament on June 14, with Nottinghamshire also providing the opposition on July 27.

Yorkshire’s biggest match of the season in terms of numbers and revenue is the annual T20 Blast fixture against Lancashire, which takes place at Headingley on July 1.

The reverse fixture at Old Trafford is on June 3.

Yorkshire’s season actually starts on March 20, when they face MCC in the annual Champion County game in Abu Dhabi.

The campaign ends in late September at Lord’s - the ground where Yorkshire clinched the title last summer - when they take on 2015 runners-up Middlesex.

Yorkshire’s 2016 fixtures

County Championship Division One

Sun April 17-Wed April 20 v Hampshire at Headingley

Sun April 24-Wed April 23 v Warwickshire at Edgbaston

Sun May 1 -Wed May 4 v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

Sun May 8-Wed May 11 v Surrey at Headingley

Sun May 15-Wed May 18 v Somerset at Taunton

Sun May 29-Wed June 1 v Lancashire at Headingley

Mon June 20-Thur June 23 v Durham at Chester-le-Street

Sun July 3-Wed July 6 v Middlesex at Scarborough

Mon July 11-Thur July 14 v Surrey at the Oval

Thur Aug 4-Sun Aug 7 v Warwickshire at Headingley

Sat Aug 13-Tue Aug 16 v Lancashire at Old Trafford

Tue Aug 23-Fri Aug 26 v Nottinghamshire at Scarborough

Wed Aug 31-Sat Sep 3 v Hampshire at Southampton

Tue Sep 6-Fri Sep 9 v Durham at Headingley

Mon Sep 12-Thur Sep 15 v Somerset at Headingley

Tue Sep 20-Fri Sep 23 v Middlesex at Lord’s

Royal London One-Day Cup

Tue June 7 v Worcestershire at Headingley

Sun June 12 v Derbyshire at Derby

Tue June 14 v Northamptonshire at Scarborough

Wed June 15 v Lancashire at Old Trafford

Sun July 24 v Leicestershire at Grace Road

Wed July 27 v Nottinghamshire at Scarborough

Sun July 31 v Durham at Chester-le-Street

Mon Aug 1 v Warwickshire at Headingley

Wed/Thur Aug 17/18 - Quarter-finals

Sun/Mon Aug 28/29 - Semi-finals

Sat Sep 17 - Final at Lord’s

NatWest T20 Blast

Fri May 27 v Leicestershire at Headingley

Thur June 2 v Worcestershire at New Road

Fri June 3 v Lancashire at Old Trafford

Fri June 10 v Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston

Fri June 17 v Nottinghamshire at Headingley

Sun June 19 v Derbyshire at Headingley

Fri June 24 v Durham at Chester-le-Street

Fri July 1 v Lancashire at Headingley

Fri July 8 v Birmingham Bears at Headingley

Sun July 10 v Derbyshire at Chesterfield

Sun July 15 v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

Wed July 20 v Durham at Headingley

Fri July 22 v Northamptonshire at Headingley

Fri July 29 v Northamptonshire at Northampton

Mon/Thur Aug 8/11 - Quarter-finals

Sat Aug 20 Finals Day at Edgbaston

Other Yorkshire matches

Sun Mar 20-Wed Mar 23 v MCC Champion County Match at Abu Dhabi

Mon Apr 11-Wed Apr 13 v Leeds/Bradford MCCU at Headingley

Sun June 26-Wed June 29 v Pakistan A at Headingley

England matches

Thur May 19-Mon May 23 v Sri Lanka Test match at Headingley

Thur Sep 1 v Pakistan One-Day International at Headingley

Smad Place produced a fine display from the front to win the £200,000 Hennessy showpiece at Newbury Saturday afternoon.

The beautiful grey exploded into action from the start with some sublime jumping, clearing each fence in exuberant style.

Jockey Wayne Hutchinson was keen to make it a test of stamina from the front and that was maintained throughout the gruelling 3m2f trip.

The Alan King-trained eight-year-old ran on after the last to win at odds of 7-1.

Hutchinson was delighted with the performance, he said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to bits. He was fab and it’s all come together this year. The boss was hard on himself coming here without a run last year and he knew what he was doing.

“He loved it out in the front at Kempton in his last race and I asked the boss if I can just do the same. He didn’t miss a beat and the team is in good order.”

The performance has clearly been noted with bookmakers, who have slashed the odds from 33-1 to 10-1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

This season chasers look extremely talented and although the King George next month will provide a better picture, the Gold Cup in March as the potential to be phenomenal.

Cue Card, Coneygree, Don Cossack have all put in memorable performances so far and if you add Smad Place and Vautour to that group a fantastic showpiece awaits.

This weekend will see some top class action from Sandown and Aintree.

The Becher Chase 1.40pm at Aintree is a difficult puzzle to solve with plenty of possibilities at the top of the market.

Saint Aire, trained by Tom George is the pick of my fancies. He has plenty of decent form to his name and seems to like going round Aintree with a notable second in last year’s Grand National to his name.

The Grand Sefton Handicap chase on the same card at 3.20pm is another typical minefield for punters.

Willie Mullin’s horses have not been firing as we all expect recently, but I don’t think that should put you off Valseur Lido, this six-year-old has the potential to become special.

The big race at Sandown is the Tingle Creek.

Un De Sceaux will clearly go off a short priced favourite and that is deserved, but Vibrato Valtat could well catch him fresh and with trainer Paul Nicholls in fine form, 4-1 is an attractive price.

Wally’s Tips: Aintree 1.40 Saint Aire 12-1; 3.20 Valseur Lido 10-1; Sandown (Tingle Creek) Vibrato Valtat 4-1.

Driffield Star FC maintained their 100% Driffield League Division One record with a 4-2 win at Bridlington Sports Club Reserves on Saturday.

Star’s large squad meant that they were able to cope with the absence of several players through injuries and unavailability.

Lee Foster and Mike Dee came into the back four for the visitors, while Matty Spence was pushed up front to partner Dan Everest with Mikey Curtis returning on the left wing.

Star started in lively fashion kicking into the wind and had the better of the early exchanges.

In the first minute they forced a corner and Foster was unlucky to see his shot hit the post.

Twelve minutes in and Sports Club sent in a speculative cross from the left that slipped from Star keeper Steven Thomas’ hands and dropped behind him over the line to take the lead.

This spurred Star on and when Rich Gladstone put a cross in from wide on the right, Steve Etherington controlled, turned and rifled in a shot from 15 yards which came back off the post.

Curtis was first onto the rebound and tucked it away to make it 1-1 after 18 minutes.

Star were getting into top gear by now and after forcing a corner, they went in front.

The ball was cleared only as far as Spence who put a pinpoint ball into the feet of Lee Foster who netted with a delightful back-flick through his legs with the keeper rooted to the spot.

Even with the experienced Paul Corrigan marshalling his defence, Sports Club could not hold their opponents back.

Star’s midfield were working their socks off to maintain the pressure.

Lee Jackson won lots of ball with some juicy tackling, with Etherington the powerhouse in the air, and Gladstone often involved.

He sent over a corner which Etherington nodded down to Curtis but his volley cleared the bar.

Star captain Dee then split their defence with a slide rule pass to Curtis who slid the ball in to the league’s top marksman Everest eight yards out to score his 21st of the season.

Star could do no wrong despite the conditions on a boggy pitch.

Another corner was forced, and from Gladstone’s driven cross, Everest was there to blast the loose ball in from six yards to put Star into a commanding 4-1 lead.

Then just as the half went into stoppage time a sloppy free-kick was given away.

Sports Club pulled one back when the resulting free-kick took a deflection off Dee and found the net,

Despite this minor setback the half belonged to Star who had played some of their best football all season.

The second half started a bit scrappy with neither side making much headway until Sports Club whistled a shot wide on 55 minutes.

Gladstone tried his luck from out wide on the right and the Sports Club keeper did well to push his shot round a post.

A solid defence will always win you a game and throughout the second half nothing got past the back four of Paul Hornby, Dee, Foster and the robust Rob Cooper, who made some great tackles.

Spence and Curtis were replaced by Luke Sach and Karl Kember on 75 minutes and both substitutes had chances to increase the visitors’ advantage.

Firstly the Sports Club keeper pushed out an Everest effort which fell to Sach but the keeper saved again.

Then from a Gladstone corner, Kember volleyed wide and shot over the bar from another as the clock ran down.

This was not Star’s usual double figure scoreline but that was down to the opponent offering a better challenge on the day.

Manager Mike Wilmott picked Etherington as the man of the match, with the referee’s choice going to Cooper.

Star would like to thank Rich and Lisa at the Star Inn for food and refreshments and to experess their gratitude to team sponsor Chambers Chartered Surveyors.

Full Measure maintained their title push with a 3-0 win at home to Crown Inn at a wet and windy Allotment Lane.

The game started quickly for leaders Measure, who hit the crossbar twice through EJ Preston and Jordan Cattle.

Soon after the unbeaten hosts went one up with Garry Foster hitting a long-range strike deflecting from a defender.

Rich Hill then made it 2-0 with a well-taken goal.

Chances should have been taken more by Full Measure with the wind on their side in the first half.

However Crown would not to give up and could have scored themselves if it hadn’t have been for the in-form Woodward in goal.

In the second half, Crown came out quickly and strongly, trying to use the wind as an advantage themselves.

Measure broke from a loose ball and Hill netted again to make it three to the home side.

A penalty was later given by the referee, who judged what seemed to be an excellent Chris Strong tackle to be a foul, however Woodward saved the spot-kick to make sure justice was done.

Crown then went down to 10 men with one midfielder verbally abusing the referee.

Another penalty was then awarded for a mis-timed tackle by Danny Svenson once again Woodward saving superbly.

Measure saw out the game winning 3-0.

Man of the match was Woodward for a unbelievable performance.

Measure would like to say thanks to John and Wendy of the Full Measure for their support and to club sponsor The Gentleman’s Barber.

ALEX LEES is adamant that Yorkshire can challenge for silverware after being confirmed as the club’s new one-day captain.

Lees’s appointment has been rubber-stamped after a spell as interim leader last summer.

The 22-year-old opening batsman – the club’s youngest official limited-overs captain – took the reins after club captain Andrew Gale relinquished the one-day leadership in August.

Lees guided Yorkshire to the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup and is now confident they can arrest a record which has seen them go 13 years without a one-day trophy.

“It gives me great pride to be leading Yorkshire in one-day cricket,” said Lees, who hails from Halifax.

“This is a big county with lots of potential and opportunity. It is an exciting time to be part of a team that has high hopes of trying to win some silverware in white-ball cricket.

“I’m only 22, but I have a lot to offer as captain. I will be very open with my approach and will lean on the experienced players to drive us on and be successful.

“We can learn from our recent experiences and, more importantly, look to improve in all aspects of our game.”

Lees, who has made 31 List A and 21 T20 appearances, is highly regarded by the Yorkshire hierarchy.

They view him as a wise head on young shoulders and someone around whom a successful strategy can be built.

Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire first-team coach, said that although the club had considered several options, they had no hesitation in plumping for Lees.

“Alex captained the side in a number of fixtures in the 50-over and T20 competitions last season and we thought he did a pretty good job,” said Gillespie.

“After considering a number of candidates, we feel Alex is the right fit for us as captain.

“He learned a lot on the job last season and we think he can develop as a leader further.

“We are delighted to afford him this opportunity and believe that he will do a fantastic job for our club.”

Lees led Yorkshire 10 times in all cricket last season.

He captained them to a nine-wicket victory in the opening match of the first-class campaign, against MCC in Abu Dhabi, when Gale was serving a ban for comments made to Lancashire batsman Ashwell Prince during a game at Old Trafford the previous August.

With Gale still banned, Lees also led Yorkshire to a 10-wicket win in their opening County Championship match against Worcestershire at New Road, a result to which he contributed strongly.

Lees top-scored with 87 in the Yorkshire first innings and with an unbeaten 52 in the second innings.

After scoring an even 100 in the next Championship fixture, against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, Lees’s form tailed off in the way it is prone to do with young players.

He went 23 innings in all cricket without a half-century before an unbeaten 58 helped Yorkshire to a seven-wicket win over Worcestershire in the Championship at Scarborough.

Lees followed up with 63 in his next outing, when he led Yorkshire to an eight-wicket victory over Warwickshire in the T20 Blast at Headingley, and with 67 in his next game as captain in a 133-run pummelling of Worcestershire at New Road in the Royal London Cup.

Lees went on to score 75 in leading Yorkshire to a 31-run win over Leicestershire in the Royal London Cup at Headingley, and he ended the English season with 1,334 runs in all cricket at an average of 29.64.

As captain, however, that average climbed to 49.12, suggesting that increased responsibility brings out the best in him.

Lees also prospered with the bat on the previous occasion he led Yorkshire prior to last season, against Sri Lanka A at Headingley in 2014.

Lees top-scored with 54 on that occasion during a summer in which he made 1,868 runs in all cricket at 45.56, a performance which earned him a place on the England Lions tour of South 
Africa.

Lees has played 12 times for the Lions since 2013 and is well thought of by England, who feel he can challenge strongly for a batting berth in years to come.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has teamed up with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the East Yorkshire Local Food Network (EYLFN) to encourage residents and local communities in the East Riding to support their local and independent traders.

The message is a timely one as Small Business Saturday UK, a grassroots, non-commercial campaign which highlights small business success and encourage consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities, takes place tomorrow (Sat Dec 5).

While the campaign itself takes place on the first shopping Saturday in December each year, it aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses.

The East Riding is home to thousands of micro-businesses and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which, together, play a hugely important role in the area’s economy.

The council and its partners take their part in supporting local businesses very seriously.

Cllr Jane Evison, cabinet portfolio holder for economic investment and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Small Business Saturday is a national campaign that this council and its partners whole-heartedly endorse.

“The East Riding is home to thousands of SMEs and micro-businesses and the council does all it can to support them. It is vitally important that consumers, where possible, shop local as this benefits the area’s economy and helps businesses to flourish and prosper.

“Given that the festive season is just around the corner, it is natural to think of the retail sector, but the East Riding is home to SMEs and micro-businesses in a whole range of sectors and that is why we are working with the FSB, NFU and EYLFN to highlight the importance they play and encourage people to contract and trade with local businesses.”

NFU York East County Adviser Lucinda Douglas said the county’s farmers were already in overdrive preparing for the Christmas period: “East Yorkshire is home to a wealth of small farmer-run food and drink businesses, aiming to cater for all tastes and budgets.

“Everything from wonderfully fresh vegetables to a superb joint of beef or Christmas turkey, complete with a festive tipple - it’s all produced right here on our doorsteps.

“Farmers work all year to produce crops and rear their livestock, so it makes sense to shop local and support local food production – after all the UK is only 62 per cent self-sufficient in food.

“Whether you are shopping at your local farmers’ market or in a supermarket, it’s easy to back British farming – just get chatting at the market or look out for the Red Tractor logo in the big retailers.”

Mike Bisby, chairman of the FSB’s East Yorkshire Branch, said: “Small businesses are the mainstay of towns throughout the East Riding. They generate wealth, employment and opportunity. They are the glue that binds our local communities together.

“The UK economy is driven by small businesses. They make up 99 per cent of all businesses; they are the engine for the growth and job creation which underpins the rich fabric of our society and the bed rock of a stable economy.

“Small independent businesses are unique in that, unlike the large corporations, they are instrumental in retaining the character and colour of the local community.

“The Federation of Small Businesses is delighted that the council has decided to ease parking restrictions throughout the festive season to allow easier access to local small traders and, starting from ‘Small Business Saturday,’ we hope shoppers will make use of their local small traders and help protect the East Riding’s diversity and local character.”

Graham Ward, chairman of the East Yorkshire Local Food Network, said: “Our small local food businesses are all creating delicious local food and drink for Christmas. Please look at our Twitter for the latest news @EYLFN to really excite your taste buds.”

Thanks to its prudent financial management and in support of Small Business Saturday, the council will again be running its popular free Christmas parking scheme in the three weekends running up to Christmas.

All council car parks will be free on Saturday 5, 12 and 19 and Sunday 6, 13 and 20 December, from 8am on Saturday until 8am on Monday.

Normal parking rules still apply, such as those around disabled parking bays and maximum stays.

Visit www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com

Drivers are being warned to be prepared for severe weather in the North of England tonight and over the weekend.

Highways England has issued an amber weather alert for motorways and major A roads in the North, with gusts of up to 70mph forecast from tonight.

Drivers across the region are being urged to check the weather and driving conditions before setting out on journeys this weekend. High winds are forecast from 9pm tonight (Friday) until 5am on Sunday (6 Dec).

The south westerly winds are expected to strengthen with widespread gusts in excess of 60mph, especially in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire.

Several roadworks that had been due to take place this weekend have also been postponed.

They include the overnight closure of the M62 between junction 19 at Heywood and junction 20 at Oldham to remove an overhead gantry as part of the smart motorway scheme, along with the start of work on a major project to repair bridges and install a new concrete barrier on the M6 between junction 19 at Knutsford and junction 20 at Lymm Services.

In West Yorkshire, the planned removal of roadworks on the M1 smart motorway scheme between junction 39 at Denby Dale and junction 41 at Morley has also been postponed.

The new dates for all postponed schemes will be publicised in advance of work taking place.

Phil Stockford, Emergency Planning Manager at Highways England, said: “We issue severe weather alerts when there is a significant risk to vehicles using motorways and major A roads.

“The amber status means drivers should be prepared before setting out on journeys.

“There’s a particular risk to lorries and other vulnerable vehicles, such as caravans and motorbikes, so we’re asking drivers to slow down and to avoid using exposed sections of motorways and other routes if possible.

“We’re advising drivers to plan their journeys before they set out, checking the forecast and road conditions, as well as to leave extra time for their journeys and to delay their journey if the weather becomes severe.”

There will also be possible 70mph gusts of wind around exposed parts of the A595, A590, A66 trans-Pennine route, M6 at Shap, A69, A1 at Morpeth and A19 at Newcastle upon Tyne.

The winds are forecast to ease only slightly for a time between 8am and 5pm on Saturday but then increase again up to 60mph or more. The winds will then increase to gusts of 60mph or more before quickly easing after 5am on Sunday morning.

Highways England is working closely with the Met Office to monitor weather conditions and maintain safe roads and reliable journeys. Extra patrols of Highways England traffic officers and recovery vehicles are being deployed across the weekend to help respond to any incidents.

Locations in the North East and Yorkshire and The Humber potentially affected by gusts over the weekend include:

A628 Woodhead Pass

M62 J23-J25 Huddersfield to Brighouse

M62 J31-J32 Normanton to Pontefract

M62 J35a-J36 Rawcliffe Bridge, M18 interchange to J36 Goole

M62 J36-J37 River Ouse / Ouse Bridge

A1(M) J47-J49 Between A59 Knaresborough and A168 Dishforth

A1(M) J58-J65 Between A1 and Washington at J65

A66 Between M6 J40 - A1 (Scotch Corner)

A19 Hylton Bridge over River Wear

A19 Tees Viaduct

A19 Leven Viaduct

A69 All of it

Humber Bridge

Road users are being advised to follow messages on the overhead signs and listen to radio updates.

Further information can be found by visiting www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or calling the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000.

More advice on driving in windy weather is available at www.metoffice.gov.uk/winterhighways.

A new group for young Tory supporters in East Yorkshire has been launched by a young Conservative.

Conservative Future East Yorkshire is being led by 15-year-old Matthew Atkins from Goodmanham and is already attracting interest from young people around the area.

Although it will be overseen by members of the East Yorkshire Conservative Constituency Association (EYCCA), the initiative is by the young for the young.

Similar-minded Tory supporters are being encouraged to join the new organisation as a forum through which they can exchange views and for some to explore ways of developing a career in politics.

Matthew, who is a pupil at Pocklington School, said: “Politics is very important for all young people.

“The likelihood that our lives will be directly affected by the success – or otherwise – of a political party is almost a certainty. We saw at the last general Election that the grass of political competition has grown rapidly.

“The environment, health, education, transport, housing, the economy, Europe and rural affairs are all massively important issues and I believe we should look to alter the school curriculum to deliver better guidance in some of these areas.

“Teenage interest in politics has increased since May and even during the campaign television broadcasts showed just how keen young people are to have their views aired.”

Matthew wants to see CFER become the prominent political interest group in East Yorkshire, supporting the EYCCA by offering a different, younger perspective on a wide range of topics.”

Mike Stathers, East Riding councillor in the Wolds Weighton Ward and business and community officer for the EYCCA, said the group would receive wholehearted support from the association.

The new group can be contacted by emailing Mike Stathers on mikestathers@yahoo.co.uk.

A group of Driffield School Sixth Formers who are studying for their A Level in Travel and Tourism recently organised a trip to London for Y8 students.

They were responsible for making all of the arrangements including booking accommodation and transport and organising tours while in the capital.

Guides

They also acted as tour guides for the Y8s while they were away, making sure everything ran smoothly especially when the group was moving around the busy London streets and jumping on and off the underground during rush hour!

Geography teacher, Mrs Alanya Morris, who was one of the three teachers supervising the visit to the capital, said: “It was a great experience taking this group of students to London, they were all very well behaved and we thoroughly enjoyed their company.

Activities

“The students all enjoyed the range of activities that we undertook whilst in London, which included a trip to London Zoo, visits to Madame Tussaud’s, the London Dungeons and the Natural History Museum as well as a “flight” on the London Eye.

“The students also enjoyed meeting a few famous faces, both wax and real. They met Slaven Bilic, who is the manager of West Ham United football team, and they also had the opportunity to see the Queen. Overall we feel the trip was a great experience for both the Sixth Former’s and the Y8 students.”

The Bishop of Hull, the Right Reverend Alison White, accepted an invitation from the Harpham Parochial Church Council to celebrate Holy Communion and confirm one candidate at St John of Beverley’s Church, Harpham on Advent Sunday (29 November).

This was Bishop Alison’s first visit to the benefice which comprises the parishes of Burton Agnes and Harpham with Lowthorpe and Ruston Parva.

The confirmation candidate was Joanne Thompson, who has recently become the Recognised Parish Assistant to help Revd James Anderson. The well attended service saw all four churches represented at this benefice service.

Pictured are James Legard (church warden), Revd Anderson, Bishop Alison, Joanne Thompson (RPA), Peter Burdass (churchwarden).

Racing pundit Tony McCormick from.irishbigracetrends.com presents his weekly column. This week Tony has an exclusive interview with syndicate manager Dan Abraham.

Dan Abraham ran a successful business in football, before turning his hand to horse racing syndicates.

His company Foxtrot Racing in 2014 had 19 runners, producing five winners and eight picking up prize money.

So far this year, Foxtrot has sent out 33 runners, with four successes and a further 21 in the money.

I caught up with Dan recently to ask him all about the brilliant Foxtrot Racing.

How did you come to run the syndicate?

I was originally a member of a Foxtrot Syndicate. At the time Foxtrot was run by Tom Gittins and due to a family illness he had to go and work for his family business at short notice.

He asked if I’d take over Foxtrot Racing in summer 2009.

How is Foxtrot monitored and do you think syndicates are monitored enough?

There could be a licensing system for commercial syndicates or a kite mark system to represent minimum standards.

A group of syndicators, including myself, have set-up RSACA (Racing Syndicates and Clubs Association) and developed their own set of rules with the aim of ensuring members use good practice in syndicate management.

There is more information at www.rsaca.com

Tell me about your role at Foxtrot Racing

My role is to make each member feel like they are a sole owner.

I’m involved in the whole process from selecting the horse to organising racecourse badges and ensuring all members are up to date with the latest news on their horse. 

Who will be training for Foxtrot Racing in 2016?

Our strategy, which has been very successful, is to find talented up-and-coming trainers who are hungry to prove themselves.

We want our horses to have the best chance of success and for our owners to be well looked after whenever they are at the stables or at the racecourse.

Our trainers for 2016 are Dan Skelton, Charlie Longsdon, Dr Richard Newland, Jamie Snowden and Richard Hughes.

How many syndicates have you going at the moment, Dan?

Foxtrot currently has nine syndicates, which ensures plenty of racing but importantly that I have time to ensure that each syndicate member receives an outstanding experience.

If there are six lads down the pub, who wish to get in to racehorse ownership, but don’t have a big budget, what would you advise?

Get some good advice, know your maximum outlay and ensure you understand the costs.

The cost of owning racehorses can quickly spiral which is why syndicates like Foxtrot Racing, which guarantee your maximum outlay, are such a good way to get involved in racehorse ownership.

You have already convinced me, to get involved with the cracking soon-to-be five-year-old, Dynamo. What convinced you to switch him from Dan Skelton to the flat with Richard Hughes?

Dan Skelton trained Dynamo, who is by Galileo, last summer and he recommended that we run him on the flat as he was showing plenty of speed at home.

He’ll stay with Richard until May and then return to Dan to go summer jumping. The plan with him is to win a flat, hurdle and steeplechase during 2016. That would be a very exciting year for his owners.

Finally, give us a horse to back around Christmas?

Foxtrot’s Tippmanboy is a horse to follow over the Festive period.

For more details go to foxtrotracing.com

Investment in new technology usually means new equipment but in today’s era with the likes of satellite, Bluetooth, laptops and sensors taking up an increasing portion of overall spend, there can often appear to be a greater emphasis put on kit than on people.

Building a team and investing correctly in human technology, harnessing the brains and vitality of individuals to work together and take a business forward is just as important and that’s where one farming company in the East Riding is making significant strides.

Seven years ago Mark Tomlinson and David Burks set up Wholecrop Marketing to enable potato growers to sell the whole of their potato crop, finding markets for every grade of potato rather than growers having their loads ‘cherry-picked’ by buyers and being left with a tonnage that was difficult to market.

Their business, based near Kirkburn, was set up on the back of their combined industry knowledge, both having worked in the various sectors of the potato industry over many years.

They now employ nine full-time staff and half their team is 30 years old and under.

It’s an investment that the pair believes will take the company further forward.

“One of the facts of life is that our experience needs to be passed on,” says Mark.

“None of us will be around forever and succession is important. David and I realised that the average age of people within the potato industry is getting older and that we owed it to our farmer growers and customers to invest in younger people.

“All of our younger team come from farming families and have a strong work ethic as a result. We’re tapping into that next generation where sons and daughters of family farms are looking to stay in agriculture.”

Tom Coulthurst joined Mark and David six months after Wholecrop Marketing launched.

He’s a farmer’s son from West Halton in North Linconshire.

“I studied at Askham Bryan College and worked on a potato farm for six years,” he said.

“I’d initially thought I would end up as a farm manager somewhere as farming’s in my blood. I’d never thought I’d go into the potato world full-time but a colleague told me about the job here and with Mark and David’s support I’ve been able to put together my own career.

“I work closely with growers and customers. When I was working on the farm they were growing for McCain’s but it is a much bigger world here with so many potato varieties.

“We work across every potato market there is and storage requirements differ for each sector.”

Holly Nutt started with Wholecrop after two years with rural surveyors Cundalls in Malton. She’s a farmer’s daughter from near Scarborough where her father grows 250 acres of potatoes.

She said: “No two days are the same looking after my crisping accounts.

“One of the most important areas of my job is to ensure the potatoes we send to our buyers are right. Crispers have a very exact specification in size, fry colour and dry matter and the storage has to be spot on all the time.

“I wanted to be involved in a farming related business and developing relationships with growers and buyers of their produce was on my agenda regardless of the type of crop whether grain or roots.”

Emma Grantham is a farmer’s daughter from Fishlake, near Doncaster, and came to Wholecrop after studying at Leeds Metropolitan University: “With us all being from farming backgrounds I think that helps our farmer growers. We understand them and can relate to them.

“One of my roles is to provide samples for every load before it gets to the purchaser. It’s called vendor assurance and by sending the sample it prevents rejection of a load and makes the business far more efficient. What I also see is that here things are a lot more equal and not just numerically men to women.

“It’s not like women here are just being kept in doing office jobs. We’re out on farms dealing with the practical work.”

Holly believes Wholecrop is firmly on the right track with technology investment in young people.

She said: “We definitely have a presence in the industry and our trials day held every summer is now one of the main events in the potato calendar. We’re competing with businesses that have been around for many more years and I think we’re standing out well.”

Full Measure’s unbeaten record was left in tatters as they were on the wrong end of a shock 8-2 scoreline at Coachman.

They had won six and drawn one of their first matches in Driffield League Division, but the Bridlington side turned the form book upside down at Matson Road.

The home side started with the strong wind against them and straight from the kick off, midfielder Lewis Bean picked the ball up outside the Full Measure 18-yard box turned and beat his man before hitting a shot that dipped and swerved past the keeper.

Full Measure were not affected by the goal and started passing the ball around and played some clever through balls but were denied by debut keeper Andrew Waite, who was quick off his line to clear any danger.

As the half went on Coachman produced attack after attack until finally Connor Varley scored his first goal for the team.

Full Measure stepped up a gear and managed to pull a goal back through Ross Gray before half-time.

The second half saw Coachman have the wind behind them and within minutes Varley scored his second goal with a lovely placed shot.

Full Measure came back and Gray managed to lob the giant Waite with a wind assisted shot for his second.

Coachman had only won once all season and feared a Full Measure comeback but Kane Robinson ruined the Driffield side’s hopes and chipped in with a brace of goals to stretch the lead to 5-2.

From then on, it became a very-one sided game and Varley added two more to his tally to make it 7-2. Coachman didn’t relax and brought leading scorer Lewis Valentine on and within minutes he netted his seventh of the campaign to complete the scoring.

Also in Division One, rock bottom Nafferton United were beaten 6-0 at home by Bridlington Snooker Centre.

Bridlington Rovers raced into an early lead against Bridlington Excelsior in the Premier Division as Trev Tindall ran clear and fired in from the edge of the box.

Excelsior reacted well to going a goal behind, taking control of the game in midfield, flying into tackles and splitting the home defence to release George Walker who showed pace and power to level the game up.

They quickly went ahead as they piled forward this time and Danny Baker took advantage of a great ball through the middle to finish well.

Rovers were all over the place and their defence contributed to Excel’s third. Tom Broadbent headed back to his keeper but Baker read it and nipped in to control and round the keeper.

Walker made it four and the game looked to be over.

Rovers gave themselves a lifeline just before the break, Broadbent making up for his error lofting in a free-kick that deceived everyone and ended up in the net.

Rovers came out in the second half looking to make up for their sloppy first 45 minutes and swarmed forward, creating a couple of chances.

Ben Marshall smashed against the bar and the keeper reacted well to keep the ball out Tindall’s follow up.

But his poor kick out went straight to Joe Baker who volleyed the ball to make in.

Excelsiors forced a corner but John Booth made a fantastic save as the ball came through a packed box.

Then, late on Ben Marshall had the last say as he individually took on the Excelsior defence, rounded the keeper and rolled the ball in to claim a valuable point for his team.

The battle of the two Forester Athletic teams saw a single goal settle matters. Luke Stockdale netted the winner for the first team from the penalty spot.

Flamborough 1sts staged a fantastic recovery to overturn a 3-0 deficit and claim the points against Stirling Wanderers.

Stirling started in amazing fashion, playing fast flowing attacking football. Even at 3-0 up, midfielders Jonny Parry, Connor Ashby, Niall McKiniry and Corie Walker continued to make chances for Chris Roberts and Liam Watson.

Eventually, complacency crept in and mistakes were made which led to chances being gifted to Flamborough, who were awarded two penalties, netting the follow up from the second.

As the poor pitch started to tear up Stirling started making mistakes which eventually saw Flamborough score more goals to win the match 4-3.

On Wednesday afternoon, B&M used social media website, Twitter, to inform one customer that ‘Pie Face’ had been withdrawn from shelves at the request of their supplier but insisted there were no safety issues relating to the product and that it had not been recalled.

‘Pie Face’ is made by Hasbro and is designed for children aged five and over.

The game requires participants place their face in front of a plastic mechanised lever covered in whipped. Players then take turns to turn a handle. Once the handle has been turned enough times it triggers the lever and the player is struck in the face with the cream. Each player is awarded a point each time they turn the handle without getting struck with cream.

The game is currently sold out in many high street chains, both online and in store, including Argos, Toys ‘R’ Us, Smyths, Asda and Amazon.

Makers of Pie Face, Hasbro, revealed that the withdrawal was down to counterfeit merchandise, rather than a problem with the official Hasbro product: "Hasbro has been made aware of counterfeit Pie Face product available at B&M Bargains stores in the UK. These products have been withdrawn by B&M Bargains.

“This withdrawal does not affect the genuine Hasbro Pie Face game, which continues to be available nationwide. We advise all consumers with concerns about counterfeit Pie Face games purchased from B&M Bargains to contact B&M Bargains directly."

Click here to see a Youtube video of the game

A Langtoft artist is displaying his wildlife inspired artwork at Dee Atkinson and Harrison, The Exchange.

John Naylor's intricate artwork is hung on the walls of The Exchange for one of his two annual exhibitions.

Working with pastels and oil paints, John brings to life British wildlife that has inspired him throughout the year.

Talking about the exhibition he said: "It can be quite daunting but also quite exciting to get your work displayed."

John's work can be seen at Dee Atkinson and Harrison from today (December 10) until Saturday December 12 between 9.30am to 5pm. All his work will be on sale.

Firstly, I have to congratulate Tyson Fury on doing what I predicted all along and de-throning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko in Germany.

I always fancied Tyson to do it. He’s massively unappreciated because he’s a Brit.

If he was American, everyone would be raving about a man with his skills and record.

In modern sport, we are spoon-fed information, and while most follow what they’re told on TV, I decided to make my mind up on what I’d seen previous and I fancied Tyson to do it.

Talk quickly moved onto Tyson’s out-spoken and often controversial views on this and that after he made it on to the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

I have to say before I go any further that I have no interest whatsoever in the SPOTY.

They have zero credibility in my eyes and they’re organised and decided by corporates and I take no interest in them.

Whether or not I agree with what Tyson says (and often I don’t), what people think of that is irrelevant.

They’re his views, and just because he’s heavyweight champion of the world, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be able to say it how it is.

There are so many politically correct people about now, give me a Tyson Fury over them any day of the week.

I like Tyson Fury. He has a lot to say for himself and has something about him, and he’s also a world class British boxer.

I for one won’t be tuning in to watch the awards, and I’m sure Tyson Fury won’t lose any sleep if he doesn’t win them.

He’s gone and beaten Klitschko in Germany and has four world titles, I’m sure he’d much prefer the honours that he won in Dusseldorf.

The PC Brigade are always quick to shoot down outspoken people, and they’ve done the same with Tyson Fury.

COOLHAND SET FOR THE TOP ...

There’s a cracking night of boxing on Saturday at The O2 in London, with the big grudge match between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte topping the bill.

While I’m expecting both Joshua and Chris Eubank Jnr to win comfortably, the one I’m looking out for is one of our region’s top stars in Luke Campbell.

I’ve sparred with Luke a few times and he’s a special talent.

It’s great to see him doing so well and now on the verge of a world title shot in 2016.

I’m looking forward to seeing Luke progress even further. Everyone saw what he did to Tommy Coyle and I believe he’s light years ahead of everyone domestically and he’ll go on to prove just that over the next few years.

It would be fantastic for the city of Hull to enjoy another huge night of boxing, hopefully at the KC Lightstream Stadium, where my team Hull United play our games now.

Another fighter I’m excited to see develop further is Chris Eubank Jnr.

Eubank Jnr has teamed up with coach and trainer Adam Booth, who I believe is one of the best around.

The guy has already shown huge potential, but he can get that extra 25% by listening to and working with Booth.

He’s in a decent scrap on Saturday night and I think that’ll bring the best out of him.

He’s mentioned the name of Gennady Golovkin for next year, and he’ll need to put a show against Spike O’Sullivan if he’s to get that fight.