As Test match cricket enjoys a resurgence of interest, thanks in no small part to Lancashire’s Andrew Flintoff and the unforgettable series against Australia in 2005, what better time to take a closer look at this inimitable game?

Cricket, as Geoff Tibballs points out in this coruscating cricketing cornucopia, is such a quintessentially English game and one ironically so ill-suited to the weather of a quintessentially English summer.

Many foreigners find it difficult to see the point of a game which you can play for five days and still not get a result, but that would be to miss the point.

From its earliest beginnings in a game called ‘creag’ played in Kent in the 14th century and banned by Edward III who wanted his archers to practise without any sporting distraction, cricket has appealed to the whole spectrum of English society.

From the humble blacksmith to the lord of the manor and from Mick Jagger to John Major, cricket is part of the fabric of English society.

And no sport has a more fascinating background than this elegant game of skill, grace and tactics which has seen many developments over the centuries and yet whose spirit has remained largely unchanged.

Its long-established and distinguished position in the annals of sporting history has awarded it a special place in the hearts of its followers and continues to baffle those not familiar with its intricacies and peculiarities.

The word cricket derives from the Anglo-Saxon word cric, meaning a staff or crutch, giving us a game played with a long wooden implement and leading to its first (reliable) mention at Guildford in the 16th century.

No-Balls and Googlies uncovers the origins of this captivating game, and explores its traditions, records, milestones and memorable moments through a fascinating array of facts and figures, anecdotes and curiosities.

For example, did you know that the first international match took place between the United States and Canada, or that the first laws of cricket were drawn up in 1744?

Many cricket fans might also not be aware that Hambledon Club of Hampshire, founded around 1767, is generally perceived as cricket’s spiritual home or that British and Australian troops conducted their own Desert Ashes series in Iraq in 2005.

Tibballs, a lifelong cricket fan, also provides an amusing insight into the game’s eccentric characters and presents a wealth of trivia, stories and quotations from the sport’s illustrious past.

From the leg glance to leg before, king pair to cover drive, and from the no-ball to the googly, this book is the perfect companion for cricket fanatics the world over and guaranteed to entertain, inform and delight.

(Michael O’Mara, hardback, £9.99)

Improve your game with golf professional Alex Belt, who has made a series of videos with tips on all aspects of golf.

Bridlington Free Press sports editor John Edwards and Driffield Times and Post sports editor Andy Stabler spent a day with him at his base at Oulton Hall.

A DRIFFIELD man required medical treatment at Scarborough Hospital after being assaulted in an apparently unprovoked attack in Kings Mill Road, Driffield.

Police say that the incident happened some time between 1am and 5am on Saturday 8 June.

A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said: “The 22-year-old had just visited the Mario’s Pizza shop in Crosshill with a friend when a group of about eight men he did not know approached and began to chase the pair along Kings Mill Road.

“The group caught up with the 22-year-old and assaulted him, leaving him with a fractured wrist and cuts and bruises to the face and body.”

The spokeswoman added: “He attended Scarborough Hospital for treatment later that day.

“The victim was in drink at the time and has been unable to provide a description of the suspects and is unclear of the exact time of the assault.

He reported the incident to police on the morning of Monday 10 June.

Officers are investigating the offence and want to hear from anyone who witnessed anything.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Humberside Police on the non emergency number 101 referring to log 224 of 10 June 2013.

Advance tickets are now available for the 138th Driffield Show, which will be held on 17 July.

Organisers are confident that this year’s show will be better than ever to ensure that the thousands of visitors who flock there each year have a day to remember.

As well as the popular livestock section, visitors will be able to browse around 450 trade stands, handicraft and horticulture marquees, the fur and feather section and companion dog show.

The rural craft demonstration will contain a wealth of traditional crafts and the show will play host to the fifth National Fencing Competition. As well as the equine skills on display in the main ring, it will also feature entertainment from the Bolddog Ling Motorbike Display team.

Visitor car parking is free of charge, and a free shuttle bus will again be provided between Driffield town centre, Driffield station and the showground, running every 20 minutes.

Advance tickets for the show are available at the discounted rate of £12 for adults, £10 for senior citizens, £4 for children and £28 for a family ticket. Further information and tickets are available from Beverley Tourist Information Centre, 34 Butcher Row, HU17 OAB, tel (01482) 391672; Humber Bridge Tourist Information Centre, Ferriby Road, HU13 OLN, tel (01482) 640852; Bridlington Tourist Information Centre, 25 Prince Street, YO15 2NP, tel (01482) 391634; and Driffield Showground, tel (01377) 257494, or visit www.driffieldshow.co.uk. Tickets are also on sale at the offices of the Driffield Times and Post, Mill Street, and the town council, 2 Market Walk.

A new veterinarian has been welcomed to a practice which is currently expanding its staff numbers.

Gillian Bailey, 31, of Leven, has joined the team at Aldgate Veterinary Practice, St John’s Square, Driffield and is specialising in small animal care.

She said: “Aldgate is a local practice for me and they seemed a very nice, friendly team.”

We’ve always known that Driffield School & Sixth Form is full of talented young people and this week the evidence was there for all to see.

Our Y12 Art, Graphics, Textiles and Photography students hosted an exhibition in the ACE Centre and invited family, friends, staff and fellow students along to enjoy the impressive A Level work on display.

Head of Art, Mrs Bramley, who helped the students stage the exhibition, said: “It’s always a pleasure to help our students showcase the work they do for their A Levels.

“The displays are of the highest quality and are a testament to the hard work the students put in.

“The new ACE Centre is the perfect venue for an exhibition and it’s really inspirational for our younger students to be able to see the incredibly high level of work which is produced by A Level students at Driffield School.”

As old rail lines are transformed into cycleways and designated Cycling Cities and Towns offer safer routes for all, it comes as no surprise that cycling is now officially one of Britain’s favourite pastimes.

Nothing could be finer than saddling up for a family outing and heading for the country lanes and tracks so, with the summer holidays looming large, it’s time to plan out the very best cycle rides.

Haynes Publishing knows all about cycling and 100 Great Cycle Rides Around Britain, its new family friendly guide, includes the most stunning rides from short pleasure trips to challenging routes and a chance to see our country’s scenic wonders.

Keen cyclists from Cycling Weekly and Cycling Active magazines have spent the past few years finding Britain’s top spots and from ‘pootling along the Blackpool seafront’ to heart-pumping cobbled climbs in Yorkshire, they have come up with this definitive guide.

There are 100 great rides for all ages and abilities and all parts of Britain from a short 5.6-mile ‘leisurely amble’ through the southern fringes of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall to a 31-mile loop around the quiet lanes near Chorley where you might just glimpse cycling legend Sir Bradley Wiggins on a training run!

Other great bike rides in the North West of England include a spectacular 27-mile rollercoaster ride with challenging climbs and swift descents through the wild Forest of Bowland taking in amazing views and a wide variety of flora and fauna.

There is also a gentle, circular 22-mile ride, starting and finishing at Wrea Green, which winds through the lanes on the Fylde coast and a short, rolling 10-mile route around scenic Arnside and Silverdale on the North Lancashire coast.

Further afield, there is a spectacular and challenging ride in Snowdonia with hairpin bends, mountain climbs and an assault on Pen-y-Pass which has all the drama of an Alpine epic, and an 8.5 mile mainly traffic-free urban trip through the heart of London taking in Royal Parks and tourist attractions.

There are routes for England, Scotland and Wales and each entry includes accurate mapping, a difficulty rating, details of the terrain and the length of the route, as well as contact numbers for nearby pubs, cafés and all-important bike shops so each rider can personalise their journey.

So whether it’s going out with the family, keeping fit, commuting on a Boris bike or mountain biking off-road, this superb, full-colour guide has something for everyone.

(Haynes Publishing, paperback, £14.99)

SOMETIMES a complex thriller can spiral into an unfathomable web of tangled plotlines … unless, of course, the devilishly devious Steven Dunne is directing the action.

The brilliant ‘Reaper’ series, featuring the brooding, maverick police detective Damen Brook, has become cult reading and The Unquiet Grave, a twisting and turning, tense and tingling rollercoaster mystery, sees crime master Dunne at the top of his game.

These fast-paced thrillers, exceptional in their clever plotting, superb characterisation and psychological intensity, always dig deep into the darkest corners of humanity… and inhumanity.

Set in the city of Derby, Dunne’s stories star the memorable Damen Brook, a copper on the wrong side of 50 who is haunted by past failures, has more than his fair share of personal baggage and is driven by an unmoveable sense of justice.

Abrasive, straight-talking and recklessly rude, the former Met officer lives life on the edge, has few friends and makes enemies with alarming ease and rapidity, but he is also exceptionally astute and worries his cases like a dog with a bone.

After five months off work – partly to recover from injuries suffered in his last gruelling case and partly through suspension – Detective Inspector Brook is preparing to return to his job with Derby Constabulary.

There’s only one person looking forward to seeing Brook again and that’s Chief Supt Charlton, his boss and nemesis, but only so that he can tell his DI that he has been assigned to shuffling through papers in the windowless offices of the Cold Case crime department.

Brook is regarded as a loose cannon and the chiefs think routine work in a dismal basement will be the best place for him. And it certainly does feel like a morgue to Brook, who has been seriously considering ‘falling on his sword,’ but he won’t go down without a fight.

Working alongside retired copper Clive Copeland, whose life and career have been driven by the unsolved murder of his teenage sister Tilly decades ago, Brook applies his instincts and razor sharp intelligence and sees a pattern in a series of murders that seem to begin in 1963.

But how could a killer, and possibly a serial killer, have gone undetected for so long and why are his superiors so keen to drive him down blind alleys?

As fellow officers investigate the disappearance of the friend of a boy murdered only 12 months ago, Brook delves into the past of both suspects and colleagues unsure where the hunt will lead him. But what he does know for sure now is that a significant date is fast approaching and the killer is certain to strike again...

There is a veritable patchwork quilt of story threads in The Unquiet Grave but each section is neatly stitched into its rightful place, each intriguing strand of plot, whether it is based in the past or the present, leads us deeper and deeper into the totally connected, and satisfyingly complete, finished article.

Dunne excels at portraying real psychological terror and this gripping tale of cruelty unleashed is no exception, but his gift is to offset the grit and darkness with thrilling twists, astute social observation, a cast of finely drawn leading players and authentic police procedural detail.

Always expect the unexpected when DI Brook is on the case…

(Headline, hardback, £19.99)

Never mind Wimbledon, The Ashes or The Open, it’s time to get stuck in to the Great British summer of racing.

A feast of top-quality fare is in full swing -- and Royal Ascot was only the aperitif!

Sandown’s Coral Eclipse meeting graced last weekend. Newmarket’s wonderful July Meeting takes centre stage at the end of this week.

Next comes Ascot’s King George weekend, which paves the way for five days at Glorious Goodwood.

And then all roads lead to Yorkshire in August and September when York stages its vintage four-day Ebor Festival before Doncaster hogs the limelight with its four-day St Leger bonanza.

With such a programme to look forward to, it almost beggars belief that some still believe the Flat season lacks purpose or narrative.

The highlight of a richly enjoyable day at Sandown last weekend was the completion of a quickfire hat-trick of Group Ones by AL KAZEEM when he landed the Eclipse.

Roger Charlton’s five-year-old son of brilliant sire Dubawi is a rarity in that he has returned from serious injury (a fractured pelvis) as good if not better than he was.

After a couple of exacting races on fast ground, he is now to be given a short break before being prepared for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the autumn. It’s a stiff ask for a horse who has been on the go since early season, but his credentials are tailormade for Longchamp. He is already proven over the Arc trip of 12f, he would not mind getting his toe into October ground and, crucially, he is capable of laying up with the pace in what can be a rough race round tight twists and turns.

Making as big an impression at Sandown as Al Kazeem was the progressive three-year-old filly INTEGRAL, trained by Sir Michael Stoute.

After his illness, it was refreshing to see Stoute mincing around like Hercule Poirot at his finest. And the wily smile he released after Integral had bolted from last to first to take a good, competitive Listed Im race on only her second start spoke volumes for his opinion of the daughter of 2003 Arc winner Dalakhani.

She was equally breathtaking on her victorious debut at Goodwood in May, and it’s upwards and onwards now to Group races. It’s worth remembering that her dam, Echelon, improved with age, so Integral has all the makings of a special talent.

As a cricket lover who lives in Nottingham, I must admit I lay myself open to accusations of heresy by not attending the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge this week. But Newmarket’s July Meeting has always been one of my favourites, not only for the racing but also for catching up with old contacts at Headquarters.

I very much preferred the three-day bash when it was confined to midweek and the big race, the July Cup, was staged on a Thursday before we all tootled up north for the John Smith’s (Magnet) Cup at York. Nowadays the two races clash on the Saturday -- and not only with each other. Ascot stages its Group Two Summer Mile on the same day, and Chester also race, creating congestion that can only be described as bonkers.

Even with the godsend that is 48-hour declarations, it is nigh on impossible for discerning punters to study all the cards. So maybe ante-post speculation is the answer. If so, please consider GALE FORCE TEN for the July Cup. He’s a son of one former winner of the race, Oasis Dream (2003), and trainer Aidan O’Brien says he reminds him a lot of another, Mozart (2001), who followed a very similar path to this colt -- running with huge credit in the Irish Guineas before landing the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot and then reverting to sprinting.

If he wins, I mught just be able to afford a summer cruise. Where to? Ascot, Goodwood, York and Doncaster, of course!

BY RICHARD ‘SCOOP’ SILVERWOOD

England’s premier agricultural show opened today with sunny skies and fine weather forecast for the next three days.

More than 130,000 visitors are expected to flock to the 155th Great Yorkshire Show, which runs from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 July at the 250-acre Harrogate showground.

Horror stories don’t have to be truly ‘horrible’ to keep readers gripped… sometimes the element of fear is more credible and more seductive when it creeps up on you in the most unexpected way.

Writer and clinical psychologist F.R.Tallis has an excellent grasp of the human mind and this knowledge puts extra power in his pen when it comes to writing ghost stories.

The Sleep Room, a fascinating cross between a medical thriller and a supernatural chiller, was inspired by the author’s interest in psychoanalysis and Henry James’ innovative late 19th century novella The Turn of the Screw which so perfectly combined ‘the strange and sinister’ with ‘the normal and easy.’

And it is that same sense of normality and shared intimacy with the central character which confounds and confuses as we are carried along through a maze of disturbing events and discoveries in a story that piques our curiosity as much as it spooks our imaginations.

Tallis has based his novel on the controversial psychiatrist William Sargant and his advocacy of narcosis or deep sleep therapy, a treatment developed in the 1920s which involved putting ‘problem’ patients to sleep for long periods of time, sometimes months, in the hope of alleviating their symptoms.

Sargant carried out his therapy on Ward 5 of the Royal Waterloo Hospital in London, which became known as the sleep room and, for Tallis, conjured up haunting images of a darkened ward full of slumbering patients… and became the defining motif of his engrossing novel.

Our narrator here is Dr James Richardson, a promising young psychiatrist, who is flattered to be offered a top post at remote Wyldehope Hall in Suffolk where the highly-esteemed Dr Hugh Maitland is carrying out a controversial therapy in which extremely disturbed patients are kept asleep for months in search of a cure.

If this radical and potentially dangerous procedure is successful, it could mean professional glory for both doctors.

Richardson doesn’t look back but as he settles into his new life, he begins to fear that there is something uncanny about the whole project. The sleep room has a threshold that seems ‘not merely physical, but psychological’ while inside the atmosphere is intense, almost religious with ‘suggestions of something beyond the reach of the senses.’

The sleeping patients are six women, all forsaken by society, all dressed in white gowns and all with no case notes other than their names, ages and diagnoses. Maitland is unwilling to discuss their past lives and the terrified trainee nurse who spends nights alone with them takes a prayer book with her to the sleep room.

Richardson is also rocked by a series of eerie incidents but when he discovers that the sleepers all start dreaming at the same time, he finds himself questioning his own sanity and everything he knows about the human mind as he attempts to uncover the shocking secrets of Wyldehope Hall…

The Sleep Room gains its dark power and presence not from stereotypical ghosts which screech and moan but through the unexplained, an almost indiscernible otherworldliness, a word spoken or unspoken and a Gothic atmosphere which feeds our wild imaginings.

In the hands of Tallis, the concept and realities of narcosis also become the stuff of nightmares, a therapy dreamed up by doctors keen to debunk Freud as an unscientific ‘couch merchant’ and instead dispensing barbiturates and expounding psychiatry as ‘a branch of medicine, not philosophy.’

Be warned… there’ll be no sleep until the last page has turned!

(Pan, paperback, £7.99)

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley & Holderness, welcomed an interim report prepared by independent investigators, Second Sight, into a series of cases involving Sub Postmasters, the Horizon accounting system, and Post Office work processes.

Graham said: “I have heard from several Sub-Postmasters who believe Horizon is to blame for accounting errors which the Post Office forced them to pay back personally. If the losses aren’t repaid the Post Office can prosecute the Sub-Postmaster for false accounting”.

“I have grave concerns about Horizon as it seems there are numerous ways in which mistakes could occur, and not all of them would be the Sub-Postmaster’s fault. Following pressure from me and other MPs the Post Office was pushed into commissioning this independent report.

The issues highlighted in the report include:

· The way the Post Office has previously investigated concerns

· Instances of unreliable hardware

· Processes for training and support that have been found to be inadequate

· The overly-complicated nature of the Horizon system

· A business model which might be seen as unfair towards the Sub-Postmaster in that any faults or issues with the system give rise to a liability on the Sub- Postmaster rather than being a risk to be carried by the Post Office

· Issues around cash balances in the back-office accounting system

The Post Office has proposed three solutions to these problems:

The creation of a working party to work collaboratively to complete the review of cases already under investigation by Second Sight

A review chaired by an independent figure to determine how an independent safety net might be introduced to adjudicate future disputed cases

A new Branch User Forum to provide a way for Sub-Postmasters and others to raise issues around business processes, training, and support

Graham said “Sub-Post Offices are at the heart of our communities providing many much-needed services and the last thing we want is people not coming forward for this important work because they don’t feel the Post Office would deal with them in a just and fair manner. I welcome this report – as a step along the way in getting to the bottom of Horizon’s reliability.”

Boasting the most impressive line-up in its five year history, the Moonbeams Wold Top Folk Festival takes place at Wold Top Brewery near Driffield on 12 and 13 July and promises a weekend of great music, entertainment and delicious Yorkshire food and drink.

The festival has sold out for the last three years, with previous acts including Show of Hands, Oysterband, The Bad Shepherds and Gilmore & Roberts.

Described as “A living, breathing 12 legged party waiting to happen,” headline act Skerryvore is a young Scottish band which was catapulted into the musical limelight after winning the STMA Live Act of the Year award.

Other confirmed musical artists include some of the finest acts in the UK; the Mighty Doonans, The Travelling Band, this year’s BBC Radio 2 Horizon Folk Award winner Blair Dunlop, plus exciting names such as Richard Digance,  Edwina Hayes,  Ryan Spendlove, Aelfen, Blackbeard’s Tea Party, Paul Liddell, The Aligators, Andy Stones, The Gerry McNeice Band,   Seafret, Dan Webster, Sarah Horn & James Cudworth, The Wold Top Trio, The Duncan McFarlane Band, Anna Shannon and Henry Priestman.

There will be music from noon until midnight on two stages and in ‘The Big Sky’ Tent for budding musicians (and late-night festival-club sessions).

Throughout the day, delicious food will be on sale at the Peace Cake Cafe and Wold Top Brewery will naturally be providing liquid refreshment, including a specially brewed Moonbeams Festival Ale.

There will also be an area for camping with excellent views over the Yorkshire Wolds and there will be a guided walk on the Wolds Way for festival goers to clear their heads on the Sunday morning.

Festival organiser Leila Cooper is delighted with this year’s line up and said; “In its short time, the event has gained a reputation as one of the best small festivals in the country. Adrian Edmondson who performed one year with his band once described it as “A piece of heaven on the Wolds.” One of its success secrets is the blend of national names with excellent local and emerging acts plus its wonderful atmosphere.”

Brewery owner and keen musician Tom Mellor is delighted to host the Moonbeams Wold Top Festival again; “It promises to be a great event. We’re high up on the Wolds with spectacular views; it’s a fantastic backdrop for an amazing line-up of musicians and entertainers.”

Tickets cost £55 for an adult weekend festival ticket and camping costs £15 per vehicle available from www.moonbeamsevents.co.uk/.

For any further enquiries, please contact the Festival on 07810 831317

Wold Top Brewery produces award winning real ales that are brewed using traditional methods and Wolds grown ingredients. They are available to from independent retailers throughout Yorkshire, via the website www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk or by calling the brewery on 01723 892222.

Beverley Musical Theatre are getting ready for their Annual Pantomime Aladdin from November 27 to December 1 at the Memorial Hall Beverley.

We are renowned for producing excellent entertainment for children and adults.

We have the cast, the venue and the costumes.

What we don’t have is a pianist for our rehearsals starting on 4th September.

Our fab pianist has left to go to university and we desperately need to replace him.

Anyone who is interested will need to be available on Wednesday and Sunday evenings at

Beverley Masonic Hall Trinity lane and will be rewarded with being part of a very friendly and sociable group.

This will suit anyone who has a love of playing the piano at a good standard and wants either experience, practice or just to be part of a group.

Anyone interested can contact Alison White dolaliali@hotmail.com tel: 07805535981

Eight hundred years after her death, Eleanor of Aquitaine still exerts a magnetic fascination which has thrilled and inspired generations of biographers and novelists.

Born around 1124, she was queen consort of both France and England, mother of King Richard the Lionheart and King John, and one of the medieval period’s most powerful, wealthy and influential women.

The latest author to be seduced into recreating Eleanor is popular historical novelist Elizabeth Chadwick, award-winning author of Lady of the English and To Defy a King, who admits she has long wanted to present her own version of one of the West’s most iconic queens.

To that end, the first book of what promises to be an enthralling and truly fact-based trilogy, introduces us not to Eleanor but Alienor, the name the grand queen and Duchess of Aquitaine would have recognised and the name which appears in her charters and Anglo-Norman texts.

Chadwick, a dedicated, enterprising and sensitive researcher, always gives us history as it happened and she has left no stone unturned in her pursuit of an intrinsically real and credible Alienor who springs to glorious and vivid life in a novel packed full of all the passion, politics, scandal, triumph and tragedy that illuminated her story.

The Summer Queen, which covers Alienor’s extraordinary early years, takes us on a thrilling journey from the colourful and eclectic Palace of Poitiers in the independent Duchy of Aquitaine to the drama, intrigue and rule-bound French court in Paris where ambition is the driving force.

In the summer of 1137, golden-haired, blue-eyed Alienor has everything to look forward to as heiress to her father, the wealthy Duke William of Aquitaine, but when he dies, her childhood ends abruptly.

As Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers, the 13-year-old is now ‘a valuable prize’ and the most eligible bride in Europe.

In an alliance agreed before her father’s death, Alienor is married off to the teenage Prince Louis of France, leaving the confused girl feeling like she is being ‘forced into a box and the lid nailed down, shutting out light and life.’

Her new husband, a second son forced to abandon a career in the Church to become heir when his brother was killed, is devoutly religious and spends more time on his knees praying than attending to his wife but within a week of their wedding King Louis VI of France dies and the young couple are catapulted onto the throne.

Thrust into the notoriously complex and sophisticated French court, peopled with eccentric and self-seeking characters, Alienor must deal with great scandals, fraught relationships and forbidden love… but at last she glimpses what her future could hold if she could only seize the moment.

Eleanor of Aquitaine’s life was remarkable by any standards but Chadwick has succeeded where many other novelists have failed by giving us not just the legend but the very human young woman – intelligent, determined, witty and sexy – who steered a dangerous course through a male-dominated world without losing her sense of pride and innate dignity.

Chadwick reveals that drawing Alienor out of the shadows and refuting the ‘lies and damned lies’ told about her down the centuries has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her writing career.

And with one book down, and two to go, this magnificent trilogy is set to be an equally rewarding experience for an expectant army of avid historical fiction fans.

(Sphere, hardback, £16.99)

Driffield boxer Curtis Woodhouse made light work of his opponent last night at Hull’s Craven Park when he beat Joe Elfidhh.

The referee stopped the fight in Woodhouse’s favour in the third round. After the fight Woodhouse said he had ‘blown his man out of the water’ and ‘will fight anyone’ at his weight as the troll hunter chases a British Title shot.

The fight was park of the Luke Campbell homecoming show, which also say the likes of Derry Mathews, Carson Jones and Kel Brook fighting.

Full story in Thursday’s Driffield Times & post

Summer’s here and Oxford University Press Children’s Books have a superb collection of sunshine sparklers to keep holiday boredom at bay.

Whether it’s a funny, whimsical celebration to mark the birth of a new royal baby, an adventure that is simply out of this world or the first of a hilarious new series about a madcap schoolgirl from a mum and daughter double act, there is a book here for all ages and tastes.

Age 2 plus:

The Royal Baby by Tony Bradman and Tony Ross

There’ll be no baby blues for toddlers who want to join in the fun of a new royal baby when they get their hands on this adorable picture book which celebrates the anticipation and excitement of a new arrival.

Everyone in the kingdom is thrilled when it’s announced that their favourite princess is going to have a baby. What will the baby be like, will it be a boy or a girl, will it be tall or short? Will it be hairy like the old king or sporty and fearless like the knights? The questions go on and on as the Princess grows larger, but soon the Prince and the Princess don’t care any more. They know that they will love their baby whatever it is like…

Set in a timeless kingdom and brimming with quirky, action-packed illustrations, this is an irreverently funny and heart-warming story which can be read time and time again, and will appeal to any child who is looking forward to a new baby in their own family.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Hugh Shampoo by Karen George

And if babies don’t float your toddler’s boat, why not give them a brush with Hugh Shampoo, the hairdressers’ son whose adventures will make your hair stand on end!

Hairier than Hairy Maclary, dirtier than Dirty Bertie, more shocking than Shock-headed Peter, Hugh Shampoo is a boy who will make you gasp, laugh and wish for a hair-care regime to rival Justin Bieber’s! Hugh Shampoo won’t go near scissors, brushes or shower attachments and he simply hates having his hair washed, combed or tampered with in any way. In fact, he’s not a particularly unusual little boy. What is unusual is that his parents are both hairdressers. Poor Hugh! But when his parents decide to enter the ‘scissor showdown’ contest, things are about to change for Hugh… and his messy head of hair.

Karen George’s cautionary tale, told with her boundless sense of fun and energy, tackles the familiar tussle over hair-washing which every frustrated parent and child will recognise. Retro-style illustrations, a fast and funny story and Hugh’s hairy escapades will have little ones itching to turn the pages.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus:

Wendy Quill is a Crocodile’s Bottom by Wendy Meddour and Mina May

Author Wendy Maddour and her talented 11-year-old daughter Mina May are a top team when it comes to imaginative flair. The two have collaborated on this wonderful new series about a little girl with big ambitions, and it looks set to be a family favourite in more ways than one.

Wendy’s plans don’t always work out but that’s never stopped her having the best time ever! When she fails to get the lead part in the school production, Wendy stuns the audience with her debut as a crocodile’s bottom! Next thing Wendy finds herself being dragged along to her best friend Florence’s tap-dancing class and somehow manages to wow the teacher with her dancing skills, landing a part as a tap-dancing munchkin in their show. (And if Florence Hubert hadn’t had an allergy, Wendy would have been famous for a whole summer season.) Then when Wendy dresses up for a school project she makes the headlines, all thanks to Kevin, the school rat, and a ‘Primary Plague Fiasco!’

With three amazing stories and three amazing adventures in this quirky, pocket-sized book, all brimming with laugh-out-loud humour and visually exciting, eccentric illustrations, Wendy Quill celebrates the vagaries of family life with warmth and real affection.

Ideal for children who are getting ready to read alone.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £5.99)

Mulberry and the Summer Show (Meadow Vale Ponies) by Che Golden and Thomas Docherty

Another new series for younger readers introduces horse-mad Sam and her mischievous pony Mulberry who has a nose for getting into trouble. Written by Che Golden whose cast list of horses is based on animals she has actually ridden, these are funny and heart-warming stories sure to thrill all pony-mad girls.

Sam dreams of being a brilliant rider but her nerves often get the better of her, even when she discovers that she has a secret weapon… she can actually talk to horses. Mulberry is a beautiful black pony but she’s so grumpy that no one wants to ride her – except for Sam. Can Sam conquer her fear of falling off and ride Mulberry to victory in the Meadow Vale Summer Show or will Mulberry’s bad behaviour ruin everything for them both?

Golden’s sparkling story is beautifully brought to life by Thomas Docherty’s lively black and white illustrations and for those who just can’t get enough horse play, there are plenty of fun horse facts in the back as well as a pack of free stickers.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £5.99)

Age 9 plus:

Moon Bear by Gill Lewis

Gill Lewis has got into the rather enviable habit of writing future classics and Moon Bear, the moving story of a boy and his bear, is no exception. Lewis’s trademark is handling serious wildlife and conservation topics with a light touch and here she shows how the efforts of one small boy can make a big difference in a world ruled by greed.

When 12-year-old Tam is sent to work at a bear farm in the city, he has never felt so alone. He hates seeing the cruel way the bears are treated, but speaking up will mean losing his job. And if he can’t send money home, how will his family survive? When a sick cub arrives at the farm, Tam secretly nurses it back to health and they develop an unbreakable bond. Tam swears to return his beloved cub to the wild, but how will they ever find a way to be free?

Emotionally powerful, savagely truthful and unforgettably beautiful, Moon Bear is a lesson in compassion, hope and bravery against overwhelming odds which will touch the hearts of readers young and old.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £8.99)

Age 10 plus:

Out of This World by Ali Sparkes

How about an adventure story with some sci-fi thrown in and an extra special extra-terrestrial twist? Ali Sparkes, author of the superb Shapeshifter series, puts an enviable energy into all her prize-winning stories and Out of This World will have young readers hooked from start to finish.

Thirteen-year-old Ty Lewis is a bit of a misfit at school which makes him a target for the bullies. His mother is a singer in a band on cross-channel ferries and he lives with his Aunty Dawn who likes watching TV reality shows and eating cheesy curls.

His aunt is cheerful company, doesn’t tell him off but doesn’t really notice him. So he spends a lot of his time with Sam, the local countryside ranger, who is brilliant company and completely mad about insects.

Ty spends most of his time now outdoors but when he is messing about in the woods, trying to keep out of trouble, he stumbles upon something weird ...a glowing lump of rock or metal. Whatever it is, it gives him the amazing power to move things with his mind.

It’s all very cool at first until Ty’s new powers start attracting attention and soon he is being followed by two sinister agents who will stop at nothing to steal his special gift. But Ty has no intention of letting that happen. So now he’s got to run…

Out of This World packs in tension, action, adventure, mystery and a wonderful cast of credible characters, confirming Ali Sparkes as one of the best contemporary children’s authors.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Teen:

After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross

This gripping survival thriller from Carnegie Medal-winning author Gillian Cross is the ideal read for discerning teenagers who enjoy a thought-provoking story which both excites and challenges.

What if you woke up tomorrow and everything had changed? Money is worthless. Your friends are gone. Armed robbers roam the streets. No one is safe. For Matt and his little brother, Taco, that nightmare becomes a reality…

Matt lives with his mother, stepfather Justin, his grandmother and little brother Thomas, nicknamed Taco, in an English town destroyed by rioting after a banking collapse. Money is tight and the shops are empty so Mum starts to hoard food but violent, angry locals accuse her of being a ‘scadger’ and raid their home.

When Matt discovers that someone has put their details on a website called ScadgePost, Mum decides they must move to France where life is reported to be much safer. But when gran is hurt in a fall, Justin and the two boys have to set off alone.

But danger waits on the other side of the Channel, and Matt and Taco find themselves homeless refugees in an alien country… What will they do, can they survive and what would you do if you were in their shoes?

There are plenty of life lessons here, all presented in a thrilling adventure story and posing important ethical and moral questions about how we approach problems and reach decisions.

A clever and compelling book.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

Waiting for Gonzo by Dave Cousins

Early teen years are a reading minefield, particularly for boys who are reluctant to pick up a book. So what could be better than a story that features a fairly regular kind of teenager who has got a talent for trouble and a budding interest in girls?

Dave Cousins marries affairs of the heart with action and crazy humour in the satirically titled Waiting for Gonzo, featuring Oz who is having problems getting to grips with the frustrations of everyday life. He attracts trouble like a magnet but his heart is always in the right place (well, nearly always).

Uprooted from his friends and former life, Oz finds himself stranded in the sleepy village of Slowleigh. When a joke backfires on the first day at his new school, Oz attracts the attention of Isobel Skinner, the school psycho, but that’s just the beginning.

After causing an accident that puts his mum in hospital, Oz isn’t exactly popular at home either. His older sister is no help, but then she’s got a problem of her own, one that’s growing bigger by the day. Oz knows he’s got to put things right, but life isn’t that simple, especially when the only people still talking to you are a hobbit-obsessed kid and a voice in your own head!

Packed with action, heart and humour, Waiting for Gonzo takes you for a white-knuckle ride on the Wheel of Destiny as it careers out of control down the Hillside of Inevitability. The question is, do you go down laughing? Or grit your teeth and jump off?

Packed with action, that irreverent brand of teenage humour, a frisson of romance and some serious life issues, this is the ideal book to tempt laidback teens.

(Oxford University Press, paperback, £6.99)

A section of the A1079 near Market Weighton has been closed following a crash this morning.

The Pocklington Post understands the crash, at about 8.31am, involved a blue coloured Hyundai and a silver coloured Mercedes.

A Humberside Police spokeswoman said a woman, travelling in the blue Hyundai, has sustained head injuries and will be taken to hospital.

The driver of the Mercedes is not believed to have been injured.

Traffic from Shiptonthorpe is being diverted through Market Weighton and road closures are in place at Gallymore.

Youngsters at Driffield’s Northfield Infant School have enjoyed a day of games and puzzles.

Youngsters, from years one and two at Driffield Northfield Infants School, exercised their mathematical skills and completed a variety of problems and puzzles.

Sally Gibson, year two teacher at Northfield School, said: “We like to give children more opportunity to use and apply maths in a fun situation, so we gave them problems and puzzles.”

Driffield Times& Post photographer Pam Stanforth videoed pupils enjoying the day.

WHERE do you begin to explain the success of Adele Parks’ amazing and imaginative new novel?

It might sound strange but the best place to start is at the end because this perfect summer read has a twist in its tail which is the last word in storytelling surprises.

In fact, the book comes with a special plea from the publishers to keep the memorable ending a secret, and that in itself makes The State We’re In an intriguing and irresistible package.

So what’s it all about, without giving the game away of course? The basis of this powerful and emotion-packed tale is an ill-assorted couple, a sort of contemporary Romeo and Juliet whose star-crossed attraction might – or might not – buck the trend.

It’s also a tale of two generations of two families discovering that the past can catch up in the most unexpected ways, and their fickle fates will hold you in thrall until that much-anticipated last page has turned.

Parks, the mastermind behind all this romantic magic, is something of a publishing phenomenon having produced 12 novels in 12 years, all bestsellers, but here she raises the bar to a new level in what promises to be one of the must-reads of 2013.

Love and loss, past and present, old and new, funny and sad create an enchanting mix in a story that puts family life and duty and our intrinsic need to be loved under an unforgiving and unforgettable lens.

But to return to the beginning, meet Jo Russell and Dean Taylor. Jo, a single, eternal optimist on the trail of that elusive thing they call ‘true love,’ is about to sit next to corporate high-flyer Dean, a resolute cynic who runs a mile from commitment, on a flight to Chicago.

Parked in seats next to each other as the plane leaves London, the two opposites are surely destined to find little to talk about… but fate has something very different in store.

Jo is at a crossroads in her life. She has just been sacked from her job on a bridal magazine and has decided that her only chance of happiness is to head out to Chicago, break up the imminent wedding of her ex-fiancé Martin and claim him as her own.

If it sounds desperate, that’s because Jo is desperate. She’s grown up with her parents’ ‘gold standard’ marriage and is chasing the same idyllic love match for herself.

Meanwhile, Dean, who lives in Chicago, has just been to visit his estranged and dying father Eddie in a London hospital. Eddie was a serial philanderer and womaniser who walked out of the family home when Dean and his sister were little more than babies, leaving his fragile mother to cope alone.

The cruel experiences of his childhood have come flooding back and he’s in no mood for talking but life is full of surprises. In the time it takes to fly from London to Chicago, each finds something in the other that they didn’t even realise they needed.

But the past is catching up and their true journey is only just beginning…

There is so much to admire in Parks’ clever, compelling story … her insight into the complexity of relationships, her grasp of how we cope with the challenges that life presents and the real warmth and affection that imbues her storytelling.

But surely the last word should go to THAT ending… don’t miss it!

(Headline Review, paperback, £11.99)