february 2008
DESCRIPTION
The Linc, Issue 8, Year 1TRANSCRIPT
thelinc Issue #8February 2008
T H E O N L Y S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R F R O M T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F L I N C O L N
The D List dilemmaIs it worth paying more money to see“celebrities” at the Engine Shed?Opinion, Page 8
Golden Chippy Awards 2008Gareth Duffield samples the city’s chipshops to find out which is best.News, Page 3
Dear Vice-Chancellor,Last issue, The Linc launched a campaign for a24 hour library.
Since then, over 500 students have signed apetition requesting that this facility be madeavailable, and the campaign’s Facebook group
has over 700 members. Our campaign is also
backed by the Students’ Union.
We now put our trust in the University to respondto our needs.
Yours Faithfully,The Students
FIND OUT WHAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS SAID SO FAR: FULL STORY PAGE 3
THE LINC CAMPAIGN 2008
2 thelinc.co.uk
Welcome...
We’re almost there. The library cam-
paign has taken off just how we’d hoped
it would. Within hours of announcing the
Facebook group, over 100 of you had
joined. And now, that number has grown
to over 700.
And the University is listening. With this
issue, we hope to put pressure on the
people who matter by making it clear a
24 hour library will benefit us all.
I’d like to take this opportunity to
remind everyone to place their votes in the Students’ Union elec-
tions. It only takes two seconds at www.lincolnsu.com, and you
really can make a difference.
In the last SU vote, less than 1% of students voted. Terrible. Let’s
hope this year’s elections bring a far greater turnout.
Dave Lee,[email protected]
Corrections and ClarificationsIn Issue 7’s sport section, the article ‘Bid to retain Varsity Shield’
was wrongly credited to Paul Smith. The article was actually writ-
ten by Hayley Cook. Apologies to Hayley for the error.
If you’ve spotted a mistake in this issue of TheLinc, please con-
tact: [email protected]. Put ‘Correction:’ in your sub-
ject header.
The articles and opinions in The Linc do not represent those of
the University of Lincoln, the University of Lincoln Students’
Union nor the Lincoln School of Journalism.
Produced by www.quotemeprint.com 0845 1300 667
Editor: Dave [email protected]
Assistant Editor/Joint Head of News: Dan [email protected]
Joint Head of News: Gemma [email protected]
Chief News Reporter: Dan [email protected]
Sports Editor: Gary [email protected]
Deputy Sports Editor: Paul [email protected]
Pictures Editor: Ben [email protected]
Design Assistant: Hayley [email protected]
thelinc Join the debatewww.thelinc.co.uk
TheLinc’s website is very kindly
hosted by RGHosting - specialists in web-
site hosting services for students.
www.rghosting.com
COULD YOU EDIT THIS NEWSPAPER?The Linc team consists of mainly final year students. We are looking for talented,enthusiastic individuals to join our team this year with the goal of taking thereigns in September 2008.
Email with a CV, covering letter and three potential story ideas. Journalism experi-ence preferred but not essential. All candidates considered on merit.
Contact the editor on: [email protected]
Free Poker NightThursdays @ The Library BarLincoln’s only student poker night. Sign up and give it a go!7:30pm, free
David GrayFriday 7th March @ Engine ShedSinger-songwriter David Gray stops off at the Engine Shed during his UK tour. Thisis expected to sell out quickly so book early for tickets.7pm, ₤29.50 plus booking fee, over 18’s only
Andy ParsonsThursday 13th March @ Lincoln Drill HallTopical funny man Andy Parsons is best known for his pivotal role in BBC 2’s Mockthe Week. A regular on TV and radio, he is half of BBC Radio 2’s ‘Parsons andNaylor’ and is a regular guest on TV show ‘Q.I’.8pm, ₤13 (₤11 concessions)
Coming up...
PARSONS: He’s a funny bloke you know!
SU ELECTIONS 2008We’ve got all the campaign news you need to decide your vote.
On results night, keep track of all the winners and losers on our liveblog.
www.thelinc.co.uk/elections08/Register your vote: www.lincolnsu.com/election
thelinc.co.uk 3E-mail the newsdesk: [email protected]
Architecture school earnskey development contract
THE UNIVERSITY of Lincoln’s
School of Architecture has been
given a contract to help put
together a comprehensive
overview of the future develop-
ment for Fylde borough in
Lancashire.
The North-West council has
appointed a consortium of busi-
nesses, including Lincoln-based
Halletec Associates, to carry out
a Strategic Housing Land
Availability Assessment.
The assessment will look into
possible development sites
throughout Fylde and determine
their viability for future develop-
ment.
A senior academic in the
Architecture School, Derek
Cottrell, said: “This collaboration
is part of a rapidly expanding
area of research and consultancy
activities which the University is
undertaking with various com-
mercial partners.”
Dan Clough
Uni camera pawned topay for student’s rent
A MEDIA student at the
University of Lincoln has admit-
ted to “borrowing” and pawning
university equipment in order to
pay his rent.
Kevin Robinson, 32, bor-
rowed a camcorder worth over
£1,000 before selling it on to
Cash Converters for £250 on
14th August, last year.
Lincoln Magistrates’ Court
heard how the former catering
manager had the intention of
buying the camcorder back when
he received his student loan, but
it didn’t arrive in time.
Jeanette Corner, Business
Development manager at Cash
Converters, said: “We found out
the camera was stolen when one
of our regulars brought it back
into store. She was also a fellow
student, so recognised it as
belonging to the University
straight away.”
Gillian Wiseman, who bought
the camera, said: “I do not wish
to talk about it as the case is now
closed.”
The Panasonic DLR cam-
corders have no apparent
University of Lincoln markings
other than a bar code, which, The
Linc discovered, can easily be
peeled off.
Robinson, who has since
moved to Chester University
originally denied the charge, but
changed his plea moments before
the trial started.
The Magistrates gave
Robinson a 12-month conditional
discharge and ordered him to pay
£100 court costs as well as £150
compensation to Cash
Converters.
Media Loans have declined to
comment on the case.
Rachel Stevenson
thenews Got a story? Email the newsdesk: [email protected]
There’s nothing quite like agood portion of chips. Butwhose are the best? The students have spoken...
COSTA: Local chip shop hero Costa, inset, serving up some more award winning chips.
TIP TOP CHIP SHOPS
WHETHER YOU’RE on the
way home from uni after a
long,hard day, have run out of
food or are walking home at
2am after a heavy night, we
all love to stop off at a good
chip shop. And ask anyone
around and we all have our
favourites.
In fact, we Brits love our
chips so much that we have a
National Chip Week (Monday
11th - Sunday 17th February).
So, to mark the occasion, The
Linc, in partnership with
Siren 107.3 FM, has been on
the search for Lincoln’s best
chip shop in ‘The Golden
Chip Awards’. It’s a first for
the city and has got many of
you voting.
Five chippies were short-
listed for the award and whit-
tled down each night of
National Chip Week through
Facebook.
After a week of polls you
voted The West End Fish Bar
as Lincoln’s Best Fish and
Chip Shop 2008. We went to
see some of the competitors
and asked them why they
thought they should have won
the award.
Burton Road Chippy
Kim Hawkins: “Consistency
of our food, the way we cook
it, our staff; in general we’re
just a happy chip shop.
People like to come in have a
good chat. We’re just a good
community chip shop.”
Today’s Catch, Carholme
Road
Pete: “Everything’s done in-
house. We prepare everything
ourselves, we check every-
thing, that there are no black
bits on our chips. We spend
from 8 until 11 in the morn-
ing making sure everything is
just right.”
The Elite, Tritton Road
Gemma Merralls: “We put it
down to we’re a traditional
fish shop, we serve traditional
fish and chips. You can come
in the restaurant, have a tradi-
tional meal, slice of bread,
mushy peas, cup of tea and I
think that’s what we’re
known for.”
Other chip shops entered
into the competition were
Regal’s chip shop on the High
Street, and The West End, in
Carholme Road. In the end it
was an overwhelming victory
for The West End and owner
known simply as ‘Costa’,
who even has a Facebook
group devoted to him. He was
too busy perfecting his chips
to talk to me but customer Joe
Boyce said: “Costa is such a
lovely man and does great
chips. There’s no other place
you need to go and it’s even
better as I live right next
door”.
“The West End Chip shop
does the best battered sausage
in Lincoln,” said Emma
Williams.
Gareth Duffield
Uni to consider 24-hour library trial
FOLLOWING OUR campaign the University of
Lincoln has told The Linc it is ready to plan a 24-
hour trial this semester.
The campaign for a 24-hour library has got off
to a great start. Not only did we get the support of
Jo from Spar, something of a local celebrity, but the
response from students has also been fantastic.
Over 500 of you signed the online petition and
more than 700 joined the Facebook group to sup-
port the cause.
The University has been forced to take note.
Acknowledging that their have been plans in place
for a 24-hour library for some time, but there has
always been an obstacle standing in their way. In a
statement to The Linc, Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor
Mike Saks stated:
“The University of Lincoln has always aspired
to a 24-hour opening for the library, and is pleased
to hear that over 500 students have supported this
in your petition. The library opening hours have
been significantly extended in recent times. Whilst
the University aims to be responsive to its students,
the main issue in relation to further progress has
been balancing the cost of extended opening
against other teaching and learning priorities within
a finite budget. Proposals for pilot 24/4 opening on
the Brayford Campus are nonetheless scheduled to
be discussed at the next meeting of the University
Core Executive. The results of any pilot will need
to be evaluated in the context of wider develop-
ments in this area in the sector, but the University
is very sympathetic to the idea in principle.”
Students’ Union president Mike Beddoes is
delighted with the way it’s going.
“I think it’s great that the University have lis-
tened to students’ opinions and I hope this encour-
ages more students to have their say,” he said.
As well as being backed by the current
Students’ Union, the campaign has also received
encouragement from candidates for the upcoming
Students’ Union elections.
In a letter to The Linc, Dan Hutchinson, running
for president, wrote: “I do not wish The Linc to
gain the false idea that I am jumping on the band-
wagon. What you are doing is fantastic and a credit
to the paper. What I hope to see from this campaign
is for students to stop complaining and realise that
they can change things they disagree with, and all
they need to do is act.”
Show your support: www.thelinc.co.uk/24
Dan Clough COMMENTS FROM THE PETITION
Our online petition has swelled to over 500 responses.Here are a small selection of your comments:
This would provide an excellent opportunity for me to work on
Friday and Saturday nights when I have decided not to go out
and often feel most focused.
Henry Pitman
I’m a night owl, and get so easily distracted by numerous things
during the day. A quiet place to study with all the resources you
need is a necessity, night or day. The library is always packed out
during the day, so hard to get a printer or a computer on the floor
you want. Night studying is the way forward!
Sahra Watkin
It would be helpful if we did have 24 opening hours of the library
at the University of Lincoln. I feel the hours are too short and
they close at 10pm on a Friday and Saturday. Students would
want to take advantage of that time to work over the weekend. I
don’t finish most lessons until 5.30pm and after a break I would
spent a lot of time in the library.
Simbie Yau
4 thelinc.co.uk
GOODTIMESCelebrating good fortunes from the past week or so...
BADTIMESNot so good lately for the following...
For Dennis WatermanHe can write the theme tune and sing the theme tune to the brand new
series of Minder!
For Linc celebrity Dr Dog!Now has his very own song that only dogs can hear. The New
Zealand hit could soon be released in America.
For Lincoln City Football ClubFrom bad times to good times. Five wins in a row has seen them fly
up the League Two table!
For Peter JacksonLincoln City FC’s manager has revealed he is fighting throat cancer.
Get well soon, Jacko!
For AliensPoor things will be subjected to a Beatles track which is to be trans-
mitted directly into space
For Chris FosterSilly Bournemouth student swallowed his key to avoid being taken
home after a drunken night out with friends!
Police warningto students:Lock up tight!
POLICE ARE informing students
to lock up at night after a number
of burglaries being reported in
student areas around West End
Lincoln.
The warning came after there
were approximately nine reported
break-ins over a period of 16 days
in the last few weeks of January,
according to Lincolnshire police.
The Carholme
Neighbourhood Policing team,
based at Lincoln police station on
West Parade, are holding ‘drop-in
surgeries’ at the SOAP [Student,
Opportunities, Activities and
Participation] centre on campus
every fortnight for residents to
voice their concerns about burgla-
ry and other crime.
Police Community Support
Officer, Peter Davies, from the
Carholme NPT, said: “This is an
important new way of reaching
students in the city that we’re try-
ing as a way of welcoming them
into the community. It’s quite an
informal ‘drop-in’ - students
don’t need to make an appoint-
ment. They might
just be passing
and need some
advice about a
particular issue,
or they could just
want to find out
who we are”
PCSO Simon King, also from
Carholme NPT, said: “We can tell
students more about us and how
we can help them. We’ll also use
it as an opportunity to pass on
crime prevention advice to make
sure their property isn’t targeted
when they are not there.”
Community Beat Manager for
the West End, PC Rick Mosley,
who heads the NPT, said: “We’re
actively encouraging all students
to register their laptops, mobiles
and other electrical valuables on
the www.immobilise.com web-
site. This is a
database that is
free to register
details on which
we use to try
and trace the
owners of sus-
pected stolen
goods that we have managed to
recover.”
Tom Haughton, Welfare and
Liaison Officer, said: “The
Students’ Union have an excellent
relationship with the local police
and we are delighted to offer our
busy SOAP Centre as a venue.
“The welfare of Lincoln stu-
dents and their integration into
the community is a key concern
for the Union.”
Tom also said: “It’s important
to inform students that burglaries
have been happening in the West
End, the message from both the
Police and the Students’ Union is
make sure that windows are
closed, doors are locked, etc.
when you go out and don’t leave
valuables on display.”
PCSO Peter Davies warned
that students “shouldn’t become
easy pickings” and added that of
the students they visited, many
admitted to being complacent
when it comes to home security.
The Carholme
Neighbourhood Policing Team
can be contacted on 01522
882222 for non-emergency
enquiries.
University
“Make sure thatwindows areclosed,and doorsare locked whenyou go out”
In the last month there has been a flurry of buglaries in studentaccommodation. Dan Downham learns that increased studentcomplacency may be to blame for the rise
MOST AT RISK: The area of Lincoln city that has been most at risk from burglars. Picture: Google Maps.
Have you been burgled or witnessed a crime?Log on to our map and share your experiences:tinyurl.com/2b2f8l
= reported burglary
THE CANDIDATES for the
Students’ Union elections have
been announced and campaign-
ing has begun with all three pres-
idential hopefuls sending a clear
message: Get students voting.
With a turnout of less than one
per cent in the by-election earlier
this year, the SU is desperate to
increase the levels of interest in
elections amongst the student
body. Already the Union has
begun promoting them with
fliers, posters, t-shirts and a dedi-
cated section on the website.
The usual array of homemade
posters and banners have also
appeared around the campus, but
the presidential candidates are
saying that this year, promoting
the elections is as significant as
promoting themselves.
“I think getting the student
body voting is very important,”
says Christopher Omoko, one of
the three standing for the role of
president. “The SU have tried
harder this year to promote voting
itself, as well as the individual
candidates.”
Another of the possible presi-
dents, Abbi Quinn, agrees: “I
don’t think people understand at
the moment how much of a dif-
ference the Students’ Union can
make to their university life. This
is the message we need to get
across if we want people to vote.”
However the third candidate,
Daniel Hutchinson, believes it’s
not just the election turnout that
needs improving:
“The SU doesn’t interact with
the student body enough and
without an active student body
the Union is effectively impo-
tent,” he says. “Yes it’s important
to get more people voting in the
elections, but it’s what happens
next that’s really important. Good
election participation is a spring-
board to a more ‘grassroots’ SU
and a more active student body.”
Voting commences on
Monday 25th February, and clos-
es on Friday 29th.
thelinc.co.uk 5E-mail the newsdesk: [email protected] thelinc.co.uk 5
FIVE CANDIDATES running
for Athletic Union (AU) posi-
tions in the student elections
have been campaigning all week
to gain student votes.
The banners and posters
around campus certainly con-
firm that campaigning has
begun, and from 9am on
Monday 25th February, students
will have the opportunity to
vote for their Students’ Union
team.
There are two positions
available in the AU this year;
VP Athletic Union Sports and
Teams officer (previously
known as AU President), and
VP Athletic Union Societies and
Activities officer, held by Gavin
Sumner and Maria Yesufu
respectively. But what do these
titles actually mean and who are
the candidates?
Gavin Sumner has been
working hard for the past two
years to create a better Athletic
Union for the University of
Lincoln. He’s created more
clubs and involved the universi-
ty in more sport such as the
annual Varsity competition with
rival university Derby, which
will take place in April.
Sumner says that whilst there
are no specific characteristics to
be a good AU officer, he
encourages all the candidates to
convey their personality
through their ideas.
“As long as you have the
ambition to take your ideas for-
ward and your personality
reflects how you feel about the
job, your confidence will shine
through,” he said. “Those who
aren’t confident and outgoing at
the beginning of the campaign
are definitely confident by the
end. One of the best things
about running for any Students’
Union position is talking to peo-
ple. What you say is very impor-
tant, but the way you say it is
more important.”
As well as the four candi-
dates running for VP Athletic
Union Sports and Teams officer,
Maria Yesufu has been cam-
paigning for her role as VP
Athletic Union Societies and
Activities officer.
Michael French
Students urged to havetheir say with survey
THE NATIONAL Student Survey
is in the midst of collecting final
year students’ opinions across the
country.
The survey now in its fourth
year aims to gather students’
views on their course and univer-
sity with the intention of helping
prospective university students
make decisions about their future.
It also highlights areas for uni-
versities to develop so that it
effectively improves its services
to the students. The NSS is target-
ing current students via text,
email and post, reminding stu-
dents to fill out the survey.
Survey results last year
revealed that 77 per cent of stu-
dents at the University of Lincoln
are satisfied with their education.
Only 57 per cent of graduates are
working in the fields related to
their degree.
The survey results are pub-
lished on www.unistats.com. The
website works in connection with
UCAS to provide future students
with guidance on making
informed choices about university
related decisions.
Students from Further
Education colleges in England are
eligible to complete the survey.
Complete the Student Survey
at www.thestudentsurvey.com
Gemma Huckle
Student prisoners loanscandal clampdown
A LOOPHOLE in the law was
firmly shut last month after it was
revealed that student prisoners
seemed to be cashing in on their
student loan.
Previously, prisoners had been
receiving a maintenance loan to
cover their food and housing
which was already being paid at
the taxpayers’ expense.
Shadow Universities
Secretary, David Willetts, said:
“Students struggling to make ends
meet will rightly be outraged.”
According to investigations by
the Government, £120,000 was
paid out last year to the prisoners.
“Prisoners should be encour-
aged to learn and train whilst
serving their sentence, but not
with grants designed to help stu-
dents with their living costs,”
added Willetts.
Liberal Democrat universities
spokesman, Stephen Williams,
said: “Helping prisoners learn
new skills is vital but it’s madness
to give them student grants for
food and rent when they’re
already being looked after at Her
Majesty’s pleasure.”
Lauren King
By Gum! SU initiative nominated for award
A SEXUAL health initiative put
in place by the Students’ Union
was nominated for an award this
month.
After hearing that students
wanted easier access to sexual
health facilities, a GUM clinic
was built on-campus.
The Primary Care Trust
Access to Service Award gave
second place to the clinic.
Hayley Cook
Athletics Union: Sumner’scrown goes up for grabs
Who getsyour vote? Vick y Wieczerzynska - Welfare and Liason
Kayleigh Turner - Education Officer
Gina Davies - Part Time SU
Gary Watts - Part Time SU
Damian Pelham - Welfare and Liason
Tom Haughton - Welfare and Liason
Dan Windross - VP Comms
James Mason - Part Time SU Officer
Emma Devine - Part Time AU
Sam Yule - Education Officer
Chris Omoko - President Abbie Quinn - President Daniel Hutchinson - President
Martin Kerrigan - AU Sports and Teams
Graeme Hutchison - AU Sports and Teams
Chris Roberts - AU Sports and Teams
Maria Yesufu - Societies and Activites Officer
Richard Jones - AU Sports and Teams
Register your vote at:
www.lincolnsu.com/election
6 thelinc.co.uk
The changing fMICHAEL PORTILLO was once regarded as “a future Prime
Minister” and he gave us his opinions on the state of politics in today’s
United Kingdom.
Portillo, 54, served under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major
during the 1980’s and the early 1990’s, until losing his seat in the 1997
General Election. After the death of Alan Clark, he returned to the
House of Commons in 1999 for the constituency of Kensington and
Chelsea but did not stand for re-election in 2005. Since then he has
concentrated on television work for the BBC and appears on the polit-
ical show ‘This Week’ every Thursday night with the Labour MP
Diana Abbot.
In your opinion is the United Kingdom in threat ofrecession?
“The United Kingdom is in threat of something like recession. The
next couple of years will be very tough, people have really over bor-
rowed which will cause a credit crisis and people are going to find it
very difficult.”
Are Gordon Brown’s economic policies over the lastten years to blame?
“Gordon Brown has funded the idea of over-borrowing and that
credit makes people feel good and that they are better off than they
really are. He started off prudently, then he became a bit of a spend
drift chancellor. The British Government has borrowed too much and
is up to the limit of debt, although the country has gone through a
growth period.”
How do you rate Alastair Darling’s performance aschancellor since succeeding Gordon Brown?
“I feel sorry for Alastair Darling as he has always lived in Gordon
Brown’s shadow. He finds it very difficult now to establish his own
political creditability and he took over at a very difficult time as the
nation’s at its limit on borrowing.”
Who, in your opinion, is to blame for the NorthernRock fiasco?
“Well, principally the directors of Northern Rock and the FSA failed
to spot fairly evident signs that this bank was not being run properly.
Since then the Government has missed the opportunity to quickly
and cleanly take it into public ownership.”
What would you do to save taxpayers’ money?
“I would nationalise Northern Rock as the tax payer is massively
exposed to a loss.” [Assistant Editor’s note: This has now happened]
Do you believe George Osbourne would manage theeconomy better than Alastair Darling?
“I think George Osbourne is more interested in achieving value for
money and reducing the burden of taxation, if he has the opportunity
to do so.”
Should the United Kingdom ever negotiate with Al-Qaeda?
“No. I think the situation is unimaginable and Al-Qaeda isn’t an
organisation that gives in to negotiation and I don’t think this is a sit-
uation like the IRA where a terrorist organisation had clear political
objectives. Al-Qaeda’s objectives are for the destruction of states like
ours and that’s not a point for which we could not negotiate.”
With an increase of knife and gun crime amongstteenagers in the United Kingdom what measures doyou believe should be taken to reduce crime and savelives?
“I really don’t know, and feel sadness about this. It has very deep
origins in the way our society has changed. The breakdown of fami-
lies and communities and proper relationships in society and I don’t
believe we can magically deal with the situation.”
After the recent bugging of Sadiq Khan, do you believethe police should be able to bug members ofParliament?
“The important thing is that these procedures should be under proper
political control. In my view it should require approval from the
highest possible level - and I mean the Prime Minister.”
If David Cameron was to phone you would you consid-er returning to front line politics?
“I would never return to the House of Commons.”
Who do you think will win the next General Election?
“I believe Gordon Brown will win the next General Election as
Labour’s position is too strong for David Cameron to overcome and
as long as he achieves half or more I believe the party should keep
him as leader.”
“I would neverreturn to the Houseof Commons.”
It’s a case of out with the old and in with the new, as Fraser McFarland speaks to former Conservative MP, Michael Portillo, who announces that he Lincoln City Council, Daniel Hutchinson, who is among the hopeful candidates for the position of SU president.
thelinc.co.uk 7
ace of politicsYOU HAVE no doubt seen him walking around Lincoln at some
point; umbrella in one hand, briefcase in the other, a trilby on his head
and a pocket watch in his waistcoat. Daniel Hutchinson is a very
unusual sight around the Brayford campus, and now he is standing in
the Students’ Union elections as a prospective president.
Daniel is particularly well-suited to the task as he is a third year
Politics and History student. He is also standing in the local elections
as City Council representative of the Carholme ward. He believes that,
should he be successful, he would be ideally placed to improve rela-
tions between the City and the students.
The reasons behind his unusual attire are remarkably mundane:
“I’ve never liked wearing jeans,” he says, “and I’ve never liked writ-
ing or logos on clothing. I’ve always taken the point of view that if I’m
wearing a logo, they should be paying me to wear it because I’m act-
ing as a billboard for them.”
“I’ve lived all of my life in Lowestoft in Sussex. When I came to
Lincoln it was the first time I’d really moved house. When you come
into a completely new environment, no one really knows who you are,
so you have the perfect opportunity to do something you want.”
“If you try to change yourself in your home environment, where
people have known you for years, it’s much more difficult to change
your personality because people preferred you how you were before.”
“Having plenty of money at the start of university, with my student
loan and having worked all summer, I had the perfect opportunity to
buy a totally new wardrobe!”
He also says that he finds gentlemanly clothing more comfortable
and hard-wearing and provides a wider range of combinations.
Daniel has had to put up with more than his fair share of funny
looks, but remains determined to find the funny side: “It’s quite funny,
watching people try to surruptitously take pictures of me with their
phones. Whenever I see people doing that, I just take out my phone
and take a picture of them!”
Since starting on this journey of self-determinism, Daniel came
across the ‘Chaps’ movement. With a magazine, online club, their own
Olympics and regular meetings, the Chaps are a large, nationwide
movement who passionately believe in maintaining English civility.
Daniel is also passionate about politics. He has been a member of
the Youth Parliament, a trustee for a museum near where he lives and
led his school’s student council for several years, having to relinquish
the position only because he was leaving the school. He finds it quite
novel that his first political encounter ended with his retirement.
He feels that the SU elections are not taken seriously and are too
much of a popularity contest. Keen to take a more serious approach to
student politics, he has produced a full portfolio, which is available on
his MySpace page and Facebook group.
“I want to try to get an idea of what the issue of the year is so far,”
he said. “When I ran in the by-elections, I went on the issue of time-
tabling and enrolment. A lot of people were annoyed to find at the start
of the year that their timetables were not ready. This is a very serious
issue, especially for Freshers, with the first few weeks being vitally
important.”
“One of the other things I have picked up on is student accommo-
dation, particularly with the private letting companies. I won’t name
names, but I have heard of rooms that aren’t in the best conditions for
people to live in and washing machines which aren’t being fixed for
about a week or so.”
Daniel thinks that something should be done to discourage letting
companies from maintaining these low standards: “It might seem a lit-
tle radical, but maybe the worst of the accommodation providers
should be barred from the University Housing Fayre.
“Whether the Students’ Union is doing anything or not, I don’t
exactly know. But if it appears not to be doing anything then that is
more significant because it makes the SU appear as though it isn’t use-
ful.”
Daniel believes that the SU should be making more effort to pub-
licise itself, making more people aware of upcoming elections and
showing what efforts they are making to improve the lives of their
members.
Part of the problem, he believes, is a significant level of apathy and
disinterest in politics on the part of students. He is hopeful that The
Linc’s campaign for a 24-hour library, which he fully supports, will
change this.
He is of the opinion that a more aggressive stand should be taken
if the current campaign fails. The University, he says, has been prom-
ising a 24-hour library since the Great Library Warehouse first
opened. A peaceful protest may be the only way to demonstrate the
determination of the students.
Daniel does not think that his odd dress sense will affect the results
of the upcoming election. Instead, he hopes that people will vote for
him because of his promises to improve student life in Lincoln.
“Whether theStudents’ Union isdoing anything ornot, I don’t exactlyknow. But if itappears not to bedoing anything thenit is more signifi-cant.”
PICTURES: Ben Reeves
would never consider returning to the House of Commons. Meanwhile, Ben Reeves talks to up-and-coming Conservative representative for the
8 thelinc.co.uk
lincdebate Write to The Linc and have your say: [email protected]
Is Abi Titmussworth £1.50?F
or a woman whose most
famous achievement was
shagging John Lesley it
was no surprise to many that Abi
Titmuss received a frosty wel-
come when she came to
Lincoln’s Engine Shed.
Students at Wednesday
night's ‘Fever Pitch’ were so
unimpressed at the busty
blonde’s personal appearance
earlier this month that they
began to boo her off stage.
The hostile response may be
due to the fact that the Engine
Shed had put up ticket prices to
£5 or £6.50 on the door. So stu-
dents had to pay more than the
usual £3.50, just because a so-
called celebrity was there, and
many felt they simply didn’t get
their money’s worth.
Yes, there is no doubting
Miss Titmuss is easy on the eye
and a hit with most red-blooded
males, but what else does she
have to offer a room full of
drunken students up for a laugh,
a dance and a good time? Not
much apparently.
She doesn’t sing, she doesn’t
dance, she can't win the crowd
over with an hilarious joke, so it
seems her biggest, and maybe
only talent, is to stand there and
look pretty.
So what exactly did the stu-
dents get for their extra couple of
quid? Abi Titmuss came on stage
posed for a couple of pictures,
signed a few autographs and left
again. Although most of the guys
were happy to see the lad’s mag
favourite in the flesh, the overall
interest from people was poor.
Titmuss is just one of many
D-List celebrities who have been
lined up to entertain the crowds
on the Engine Shed's busiest
night of the week.
More recently, former Busted
star Matt Willis did a DJ set and
signed autographs, and although
he received a better response
than Abi Titmuss, he also failed
to impress everyone.
The Busted singer and winner
of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out ofHere took to the stage and chal-
lenged students to ‘beer-down-
ing’ competitions whilst remi-
niscing back to his popstar days
by playing a handful of Busted’s
chart hits such as ‘That’s What I
go to School For’ and ‘Air
Hostess’.
Willis is not exactly the pop
star pin-up that would set a girl’s
heart racing, but he did try and
interact with the crowds with
drinking games and his set on
the DJ decks. Although for
someone who spent a stint in
rehab last year for alcohol abuse,
maybe downing pint after pint on
stage was not the cleverest idea.
Towards the end of the night,
as Matt perfected his party piece
of getting intoxicated, he also
got loud and gobby on the mic
instructing the crowds to go out
and catch an STI! How charming
of him.
For an event that already
achieves sell-out ticket sales and
still has queues of unfortunate
people trying to get into the only
party worth being at on a
Wednesday night, do we really
need a bunch of so-called
celebrities turning up to make
the night that bit more special? I
think not.
If we were to have anybody
making an appearance, then why
don’t the Engine Shed try and
get someone half-decent. Maybe
a singer who, unlike Mr Willis,
has had a hit single out lately
and is not living off the populari-
ty of a boy band that split up
years ago.
The choice: Cheap night, or D-List celeb? The reception Abi Titmussreceived tells us all we need to know, writes Katie Smith
ABI: On the sharp end of a frosty reception at the Engine Shed.
lincletters Write to us:[email protected]
To The Linc,
I'd like to write to you about the
Nuts magazine debate which is
in the January 2008 issue of The
Linc (Kiss goodbye to your
Nuts).
I think it is ridiculous that
someone has complained about
the display of this mag in the
Atrium. We are all adults who
should be mature enough to
accept that these magazines are
around and have just as much of
a right to be on display as any
other magazine. Nuts is a very
popular magazine with the lads
(and lasses if that's what floats
their boat!) and it doesn't seem
fair that you should take it away
from the vending machine.
Some of the topics written in
big bold letters of chat mags
such as Now can be seen as
equally offensive at times. They
are all controversial magazines
in their own ways, why should
Nuts be any different? Surely a
person complaining about its
presence in the Atrium is just
like complaining about it being
on a shop shelf.
What happened to freedom of
speech or expression, if you
don't like it... don't look at it.
I thought we were at a uni of
mature adults who can handle a
bit of boobage on display, not
some kind of religious temple. If
that was the case then yeah, get
rid... but we're not.
Amy Hunter, First Year
Journalism
‘Nuts’ ban: Nothing wrong with a bit of “boobage”
To The Linc,
Obviously I'm very disappointed
to hear this.
While Nuts does deal in areas
that are of great interest to young
men - and that does include par-
tially clothed women - we go out
of our way to ensure there is no
offensive content in Nuts.
Sadly we often find that when
people do make these kind of
comments about Nuts they have
often never actually read the
magazine.
I'm very proud of the maga-
zine and believe strongly that we
would not be the country's
biggest selling mens' magazine if
were offensive in any way!
Dominic Smith, Editor, Nuts
Magazine
Last issue The Linc revealed that best-selling lads’ mag ‘Nuts’ has been removed from sale in the Atrium followingtwo staff complaints. Here are a couple of responses to the ban, including from the editor of Nuts, Dominic Smith.
“What happened to freedom of expression?”“I’m proud of Nuts”
EDITOR: Dominic Smith
thelinc.co.uk 9
Is your team not here? Email the sportsdesk: [email protected]
classifiedresults
Football
Results and tables as of Tuesday 19nd February 2008
30/01/08MENS 1ST: L 8-13 Nottingham Trent 2nd, A 2ND: W 7-6 East Anglia 2nd, H WOMENS 1ST: W 40-5 Derby 1st, H06/02/08MENS 1ST: W 8-6 Oxford Brookes 2nd, H 2ND: W 15-8 De Montfort 2nd, H 13/02/08MENS 1ST: W 39-7 Derby 1st, A 2ND: L 0-67 Nottingham Trent, H WOMENS 1ST: L 5-22 De Montfort 1st, A
30/01/08MENS 1ST: 2ND: W 3-2 Nottingham Trent 4th, H 3RD: W 6-0 Derby 2nd, H WOMENS 1ST: L 1-2 Nottingham 3rd,H 2ND: W 2-0 Leicester 2nd, H
30/01/08WOMENS 2ND: W 50-15 Derby 2nd, A
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Leicester 1st 12 10 0 2 434 116 318 30
2 Lincoln 1st 11 8 0 3 293 133 160 27
3 Nottingham Trent 2nd 12 8 0 4 251 129 122 24
4 East Anglia 1st 13 7 0 6 446 177 269 21
5 Oxford Brookes 2nd 12 6 0 6 250 172 78 18
6 Nottingham 4th 13 6 0 7 247 232 15 18
7 Derby 1st 12 1 0 11 56 555 -499 3
8 Warwick 3rd 9 1 0 8 62 525 -463 0
BUSA RUGBY UNION - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN'S 2A
Rugby Union
Hockey
23/01/08MENS 3RD: L 2-3 Worcester 2nd, A 4TH: W 8-0 Harper Adams 1st, H 5TH: L 1-2 Cambridge 2nd, H WOMENS 1ST:W 4-1 Northampton 1st, A30/01/08MENS 1ST: L 0-5 Edge Hill, H 2ND: W 1-0 Staffordshire 2nd, H 3RD: W 4-1 Lincoln 4th, H 4TH: L 1-4 Lincoln 3rd,A 06/02/08MENS 1ST: L 0-4 Brimingahm 1st, A
Rugby League23/01/08MENS 1ST: W 18-10 Birmingham 2nd, A30/01/08MENS 1ST: W 36-14 Nottingham 2nd, H06/02/08MENS 1ST: W 64-4 Warwick 2nd, H
Basketball23/01/08MENS 2ND: L 46-61 Cambridge 2nd, H WOMENS 1ST: W 49-47 Derby 1st, A30/01/08MENS 1ST: W 67-49 Nottingham Trent 2nd, H 2ND: L 39-81 Nottingham 2nd, H
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Loughborough 1st 10 7 1 2 38 22 16 22
2 Birmingham 1st 10 6 3 1 37.5 22.5 15 21
3 Northumbria 1st 10 6 0 4 29 31 -2 18
4 Durham 1st 10 5 0 5 32.5 27.5 5 15
5 Lincoln 1st 10 3 1 6 25 35 -10 10
6 Newcastle 1st 10 0 1 9 18 42 -24 1
BUSA GOLF- PREMIER NORTH
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Birmingham 4th 8 5 2 1 31.5 16.5 15 17
2 Nottingham Trent 1st 8 5 0 3 30.5 17.5 13 15
3 Lincoln 2nd 8 4 2 2 25 23 2 14
4 Oxford Brookes 1st 7 2 2 3 20 22 -2 11
5 Nottingham 2nd 7 0 0 7 7 35 -28 -3
BUSA GOLF- MIDLANDS CONFERENCE 2A
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 De Montfort 1st 9 9 - 0 913 474 439 30
2 Loughborough 2nd 10 7 - 3 778 626 152 21
3 Lincoln 1st 8 3 - 5 488 530 -42 12
4 Nottingham Trent 2nd 10 2 - 8 556 828 -272 6
5 Derby 1st 8 4 - 4 461 522 -61 6
6 Bedfordshire 1st 9 2 - 7 457 673 -216 6
BUSA BASKETBALL-MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN’S 2B
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Lincoln 1st 10 9 1 0 380 154 226 19
2 Loughborough 3rd 10 7 1 2 388 172 216 15
3 Nottingham 2nd 10 6 0 4 280 188 92 12
4 Warwick 1st 10 6 0 4 364 204 160 12
5 Birmingham 2nd 10 4 1 5 204 223 -19 9
6 Leicester 1st 9 2 0 7 158 346 -188 6
7 Nottingham Trent 2nd 10 1 1 8 171 370 -199 3
8 Warwick 2nd 9 1 2 6 114 402 -288 2
BUSA RUGBY LEAGUE - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN'S 2A
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Nottingham Trent 1st 4 4 - 0 293 122 171 15
2 Bedfordshire 1st 5 5 - 0 332 124 208 12
3 De Montfort 1st 6 4 - 2 408 261 147 12
4 Northampton 1st 6 2 - 4 261 293 -32 6
5 Lincoln 1st 5 2 - 3 133 306 -173 6
6 Derby 1st 6 1 - 5 256 347 -91 3
7 Nottingham 2nd 6 1 - 5 192 422 -230 3
BUSA BASKETBALL- MIDLANDS CONFERNECE WOMEN’S 2B
23/01/08WOMENS 1ST: D 4-4 Nottingham Trent 1st, A Warwick 1st, H30/01/08MENS: 1ST: W 5-3 Derby 1st, A 2ND: L 0-8 Warwick 2nd, H WOMENS 1ST: L 1-7 Oxford 1st, A13/02/08WOMENS 1ST: L 0-8 Sheffield 1st, H
Badminton
Netball
30/01/08MENS 1ST: L 1-3 Coventry 1st, H
Tennis23/01/08MENS 1ST: L 2-8 Warwick 3rd, H
30/01/081ST: D 3-3 Birmingham 1st, A 2ND: L 1-5 Nottingham Trent 1st, A 3RD: W 5.5-0.5 Bedfordshire 1st, H
Golf
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Nottingham 2nd 6 6 0 0 287 10 277 27
2 Leicester 1st 7 5 0 2 175 83 92 18
3 De Montfort 1st 6 3 0 3 107 134 -27 9
4 Central England 1st 4 2 0 2 139 52 87 3
5 Lincoln 1st 8 2 0 6 116 307 -191 3
6 Derby 1st 5 0 0 5 15 253 -238 -6
BUSA RUGBY UNION- MIDLANDS CONFERENCE WOMEN’S 2B
Volleyball
Rugby Union President Chris Roberts said thenext game is a “must win” if the first team areto win the league.
With Lincoln just three points behind topspot, the next fixture against the current leagueleaders, University of Leicester, is one thatmounts high in importance for Roberts’ team,as victory would see the two go level on points.
He said: “The next game is vital. We’ve got afew key injuries and so have had to call on a few of the 2nd team players to help us out, but I’vebeen really pleased with the way we’ve done. Our aim was always to try and get promoted, we fin-ished 2nd in our first season in this league and this time there have been a good four or fiveteams who could get promoted, it’s been a lot closer and we’re pleased to be where we are.”
The Lincoln side have had a steady season marked by just three defeats in their 11 gamesand have won convincingly against the likes of University of Derby 1st and Nottingham Men 4th.
However, the last time these two sides met, it was the Leicestershire side that were victoriousin a 27-12 win but Roberts is confident that this won’t happen again.
“Last time we played them we had about 11 1st team players out injured, we want to go outthere and show them that we can beat them. Next Wednesday we’re going to put out thestrongest possible side and we’re all really looking forward to it.”
Although a win against Leicester would see the sides level on points, the current table top-pers have a higher score difference but the president believes it would be unfair to decide theleague in this way.
“We’ve had a bit of a raw deal compared to Leicester as we’ve been awarded two walkoversagainst a side that they put about a hundred past and so our points difference is not as high astheirs. I have no idea how they’ll do it. Maybe it would come down to a head-to-head game?”
Team of the Issue...Rugby Union Men’s 1st
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Cranfield 1st 6 6 - 0 18 6 12 21
2 Birmingham 1st 7 6 - 1 20 4 16 18
3 Loughborough 2nd 6 4 - 2 12 9 3 15
4 Anglia Ruskin 1st 6 4 - 2 13 12 1 9
5 Coventry 1st 7 3 - 4 12 15 -3 9
6 Nottingham Trent 1st 7 2 - 5 12 16 -4 6
7 Nottingham 2nd 7 1 - 6 7 18 -11 3
8 Lincoln 1st 6 0 - 6 4 18 -14 -3
BUSA VOLLEYBALL - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN’S 2A
Compiled by Hayley Ledgard
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Birmingham 1st 10 7 1 2 23 11 12 22
2 Loughborough 1st 10 6 3 1 19 6 12 21
3 Northumbria 1st 9 4 1 4 22 16 6 13
4 Leeds 1st 10 4 1 5 19 14 5 13
5 Lincoln 1st 10 3 0 7 9 32 -23 9
6 Edge Hill 1st 9 2 0 7 12 25 -13 6
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Nottingham 3rd 9 9 0 0 29 7 22 30
2 Lincoln 1st 10 6 0 4 22 13 9 18
3 Oxford Brookes 2nd 9 3 1 5 12 24 -12 13
4 Nottingham Trent 2nd 10 4 0 6 13 21 -8 12
5 Nottingham 4th 10 2 0 8 9 18 -9 6
6 Bedfordshire 1st 8 3 1 4 14 16 -2 4
BUSA FOOTBALL - PREMIER MEN'S NORTH
BUSA HOCKEY - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE WOMEN'S 3B
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Lincoln 2nd 10 7 0 3 16 7 9 21
2 Leicester 1st 10 6 2 2 20 11 9 20
3 Staffordshire 2nd 10 5 2 3 24 19 5 17
4 De Montfort 1st 10 4 0 6 15 23 -8 12
5 Derby 1st 10 3 1 6 21 25 -4 10
6 Coventry 2nd 10 2 1 7 13 24 -11 7
BUSA FOOTBALL - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN’S 3B
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Nottingham Trent 2nd 10 7 1 2 33 24 9 22
2 Lincoln 3rd 10 6 2 2 33 15 18 20
3 Nottingham 3rd 10 5 0 5 21 25 -4 15
4 Lincoln 4th 10 4 1 5 24 19 5 13
5 Harper Adams 1st 10 2 3 5 10 27 -17 9
6 Worcester 2nd 10 2 1 7 14 25 -11 7
BUSA FOOTBALL - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN’S 4B
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Nottingham 4th 8 8 0 0 48 4 44 24
2 Northampton 4th 8 5 1 2 21 16 5 16
3 Nottingham Trent 4th 8 5 1 2 17 7 10 16
4 Cambridge 2nd 7 5 0 2 22 15 7 15
5 Lincoln 5th 8 4 0 4 14 12 2 12
6 De Montfort 4th 8 3 0 5 14 26 -12 9
7 Leicester 5th 7 1 1 5 13 32 -19 4
8 Leicester 4th 8 1 1 6 9 22 -13 4
9 Anglia Ruskin 2nd 8 0 2 6 13 37 -24 2
BUSA FOOTBALL - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN’S 5D
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Lincoln 1st 6 5 1 0 54 3 51 16
2 Loughborough 3rd 5 3 1 1 26 7 19 13
3 Northampton 1st 6 3 1 2 30 16 14 10
4 Nottingham Trent 2nd 6 2 1 3 13 27 -14 7
5 Derby (Buxton) 1st 6 2 1 3 10 24 -14 7
6 Derby 1st 4 1 0 3 7 29 -22 3
7 Newman College 1st 5 0 1 4 2 36 -34 -2
BUSA FOOTBALL - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE WOMEN’S 3A
P W D L F A Dif Pts
1 Nottingham Trent 2nd 10 10 0 0 477 194 283 30
2 Nottingham 3rd 9 6 0 3 292 200 92 21
3 Lincoln 1st 8 3 1 4 172 247 -75 10
4 Warwick 3rd 8 2 2 4 171 299 -128 8
5 De Montfort 1st 9 3 0 6 232 275 -43 6
6 Bedfordshire 2nd 8 0 1 7 177 306 -129 1
BUSA NETBALL- MIDLANDS CONFERENCE WOMEN’S 3B
P W D L F A Diff Pts
1 Warwick 2nd 9 8 0 1 39 8 31 27
2 East Anglia 1st 10 5 3 2 38 17 21 18
3 Oxford Brookes 3rd 10 5 2 3 28 22 6 17
4 Nottingham 5th 10 4 1 5 25 28 -3 13
5 Lincoln 1st 10 4 0 6 25 30 -5 12
6 Central England 1st 9 0 0 9 9 59 -50 -3
BUSA HOCKEY - MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEN’S 3A
A crucial month on the horizon
10 thelinc.co.uk
sportdebateGOT SOMETHING TO SAY? EMAIL THE SPORTS EDITOR: [email protected]
The finest sport debate from The Linc team. Think you cancontribute? Get in touch!Check out www.thelinc.co.uk for more details.
THEREYNOLDSVIEW
Aweek of embarrassment for the
English FA has finally come to an
end after FIFA President Sepp
Blatter branded the idea for a round of
Premiership matches abroad a ‘circus act’.
The objection was clear - moving
Premiership games overseas, some of which
may prove to be crucial, takes the game
away from the average working class fan.
Valid point, or so you may think.
However, the truth is much more damning for English football.
It is these 'average working class’ fans who are inevitably to
blame for the position that English football finds itself in.
Too long have we succumbed to rising ticket prices, Sky,
Setanta, ITV Digital and over the top endorsements provided by
corporate fat cats.
Football has been commercialised to an unprecedented extent
right before our very eyes, in turn attracting the likes of Yank busi-
nessmen with more money than sense and oil hungry billionaires
who should have been turned away at passport control.
We pay the money, we make these people rich and, you
guessed it, we will pay the price.
The truth is the beautiful game has been taken away from these
‘working class’ loyal supporters inch by inch over the course of the
last decade, and like the terraces that once stood, these fans are
slowly being removed from the game we all love.
Anyone who
was unfortunate
enough to sit
through the tedi-
um that is the
S u p e r b o w l
would have been
given a glimpse
into the future of football in this country, and that thought is just
scary.
The three hour ‘spectacle’ included over 20 commercial breaks,
auctioned off for millions per advert.
In fact, in the time that could have been spent explaining the
complicated minefield that is American football, we were treated
to musician Tom Petty, again paid millions... no doubt to try and
pull more viewers and raise ticket prices.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore this week
quoted: “Everytime there is an evolutionary step, the reaction of
the fans is not always great but I would ask them to take a step
back and look at the positives.”
Now don’t get me wrong but in each one of these ‘evolution-
ary steps’, what real football fan was consulted?
Were we asked to vote when presented with the removal of ter-
races? Were we listened to when the Chelsea circus moved into
town? Were we acknowledged when we said that Steve McClaren
was not the man for England?
No, no and most certainly no.
If only the FA had consulted the fans before outlining their
ludicrous plans to take the Premier League abroad maybe they
wouldn’t have become the laughing stock of Europe.
Yet, unfortunately, English football has taken the sinister root
of forgetting about its most important asset and that could be very
costly. American football anyone?
“We pay the money, wemake these people richand, you guessed it, wewill pay the price”
Blatter says no toPremiership chiefs
Ithink Arsenal are in pole position now for
the Premiership title. It has been a disap-
pointing time for Manchester United of
late, losing to local rivals Manchester City in
the league.
Arsenal have been so consistent and I think
that could see them win it. They have got a
very young side but they have not surprised
me at all this season. Arsene Wenger knows
what he is doing, he has proved that in the past
and is doing it again now.
You could say that five points is a gap
United are capable of closing, but looking at
the run Arsenal have been on they look in the
ascendancy. The Gunners have still got some
big games to play but they do not look like
slipping up. It is Arsenal’s title to lose now.
A global Premiership
I think it is fairly obvious that the Premier
League’s attempt to move games abroad was
money orientated. It would be disappointing
to have 39 games in the Premiership season. It
seems very odd to me, how they intended to
make it fair for all teams would have been a
very difficult task.
I don’t think it is an idea that really takes
into consideration the working class fans of
these clubs but then again top flight football
has not been about that for a while now.
Money seems to be the priority as football has
turned into a global business.
The game is turning into the favour of cor-
porate activity and I am surprised it will not be
going ahead. Sepp Blatter has made a decision
which will suit the fans though, that is for
sure.
Carling Cup
I am lucky enough to have got myself tick-
ets for the Carling Cup final between Chelsea
and Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday. I am
really looking forward to the game, it should
be an exciting one for the neutral.
I think Chelsea are the favourites for most,
but I am anticipating a very close game.
The Blues are starting to get their key play-
ers back in action through injury and the con-
clusion of the African Cup of Nations. The
return of Michael Essien and Didier Drogba is
a huge boost for them. They are the kind of
players who will have a big influence on this
type of game.
It is a massive day for Tottenham, but for
me Chelsea will win it in the end.
Six Nations
It has not been the brightest of starts to the
Six Nations for England. Defeat against Wales
was very disappointing but hopefully victory
against Italy will go a long way in putting the
team back on track.
But England showed in the World Cup that
they have got the ability to bounce back and I
fully expect them to continue their winning
ways as the games progress. This is definitely
not the first time the team has been written off.
They are a strong set of lads and I think they
will come good when it matters.
EXPERT EYE: Jamie Forrester- Striker
Gary Moss
The outcome of this game will
be a massive boost for either
of these bosses in their first
seasons in English football.
Juande Ramos and Avram
Grant have enjoyed impressive
starts but this would top it and
they will be desperate to claim
silverware. I think Tottenham
will win this one, it is a mas-
sive day for the players and
the Spurs faithful, and they
will be up for this big time!
Paul Smith
I think Chelsea will just have
too much about them for
Tottenham. As impressive as
Spurs were against Arsenal,
Chelsea are still that little bit
better at the moment with
regards to strength in depth.
That is key when it comes to
the crucial midfield area where
Spurs are much weaker than
their rivals, and that is where
Chelsea will come through. 2-
1 Chelsea.
Hayley Cook
As a Chelsea fan, this will
obviously be quite biased and I
think Chelsea will win the
Carling Cup again this year.
But what can you say about
Spurs? Beating Arsenal 5-1 in
the semi-finals confirms that
they deserve a place in the
final, and they undoubtedly
have a fighting chance against
the cup holders.
Luke Beddows
I think it’s setting up to be a
quality final. Tottenham are on
form and have some good new
signings in the bag, so will
give the Blues a hard time. But
with Chelsea’s African stars
back in the set up, I feel they
will have enough class to see
off Spurs.
lincpanel: CARLING CUPNew Wembley opens it’s gates to the first ever Carling Cup Final. In an all London affair holdersChelsea take on Tottenham, a group of The Linc’s sports writers discuss who will take the crownin Sunday’s clash.
Jamie Forrester finished up as Lincon City’s top goal scorer last season and despite an injury ravaged campaign has ten to his name already this term. He spoke to Gary Moss about the current footballing events, starting with an intriguing Premiership title race
Imps’ number eight has built a reputationas a prolific finisher. Jamie Forrester is currently just four away from a career 100 goals.
Why not add your own views?Email the Sport Desk:[email protected]
AUTHORITY: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has dismissed thePremier Leagues plans to move the games abroad
LINCOLN’S ATHLETIC Union
(AU) are celebrating after a trio
of championship wins, which
has underlined the growing tal-
ent on show at the University.
The men’s football seconds,
the women’s football side and the
men’s rugby league team won
their respective leagues in the
most successful season yet for the
AU.
The triple trophy haul was fol-
lowed by several other excellent
placed finishes, and members of
the championship winning sides
believe the AU will continue to
get better and better.
Martin Kerrigan combines his
job as the rugby league social
secretary with an AU officers
role, and he is of the opinion that
Lincoln are the new name on
everybody’s lips in university
sporting circles.
“I feel this is a huge success
for the AU,” he said.
“It shows that we are doing
our bit for the University to try
and raise the status, so students
from other universities start talk-
ing about Lincoln when it comes
to sport, instead of
Loughborough.”
For the president of the men’s
football society, Paul Keeling,
there is no doubting that the AU
will get even stronger on the back
of this season’s success.
“The AU is getting so much
stronger across all boards,” he
said.
“You only have to look at the
rugby team remaining unbeaten
for their entire season to see that,
and the fact that there is now a bit
more money floating about can
only improve the AU.”
The rugby league men topped
their league by four points over
nearest rivals Loughborough - the
only side to deny Lincoln a win
all season as the top two fought
out an exciting 36-36 draw.
Kerrigan admitted that a title
win wasn’t the ambition at the
start of the season, but says it was
an incredible feeling to finish as
champions.
“To be honest at the beginning
of this year my ambition was to
win half of the games we played,
as last year we even struggled
with this,” he admitted.
“It felt fantastic to hear that
we had won the league as myself,
along with all the lads had put so
much effort in throughout the last
few months and all the games we
had played.”
The women’s footballers
picked up their trophy before the
season was even concluded such
was their dominance, helped by a
thumping 21-0 win on the open-
ing day against Newman.
Centre-back Charlotte
Spencer, who also plays for
Lincoln City Ladies, was delight-
ed to win the league.
“That [title] was amazing - an
awesome win,” she said.
“University football is awe-
some – it is a great social atmos-
phere and everyone is great
friends. We train together, we go
out together and we play matches
together.
“The football is excellent, it is
not quite the same level [as
Lincoln City] but there are some
really competitive matches,” she
revealed.
Men’s football seconds man-
ager Greg De Sousa was equally
ecstatic at his team, but says he
always knew there was the quali-
ty there to win the title - as they
did by a single point over
Leicester’s first team.
“I was very happy and I knew
we had a good enough team,” he
said.
“The target was always the
title especially after strengthening
in areas that needed strengthen-
ing.”
Next up for the three Lincoln
winners is the Nationals, and the
rugby league men have already
taken part in them, having suc-
cumbed to an unfortunate 28-18
defeat at Hull, despite Kerrigan
notching his eighth try of the sea-
son.
But it is Kerrigan who sums
up the feeling of all those
involved in competitive action for
the AU this season.
“It feels good to represent the
University as you get to wear the
University colours with the crest
on your shirt,” he declared.
thelinc.co.uk 11
sportnews Got a story? Email the sportsdesk: [email protected]
Paul Smith
AU Update with Gavin SumnerWinning fixtures for the University of Lincoln’s sports teams is a
growing pastime frequented by many of our squads and individu-
als. But are we getting the recognition we deserve, or in fact will
we ever break the glass ceiling which is present within university
sport? Although we demonstrate a high level of talent, can we emu-
late the achievements set by Loughborough and Bath?
As the league season draws to a close we have already seen so
much success from the AU. With league titles in rugby league,
women’s and men’s football, and individuals competing nationally
such as Mark Cottons’ second place finish in the BUSA cyclo
(cycling) Championships. We have four golfers potentially making
the cut for the national individual competition; many of our tram-
poline squad have made the national finals and a squad of Karate
and Judo fighters are off to the Sheffield finals.
As explained in previous articles, we receive points for certain
wins, the more points the higher you are up the table. When look-
ing through the points system for this year, the points total for a
championship win in rugby league is the same as winning one race
for an individual swimmer in a freestyle race.
With institutions such as Loughborough and Bath hosting many
talented swimmers and athletes, for what is a twenty-second race
wins the same 20 points as our lads playing ten lots of 80 minutes
throughout a season. So we know the playing field, unfortunately
we aren’t level on it. Without a swimming pool or athletics track
how are we ever going to accumulate the points needed to compete
with the likes of the top ten institutions?
City boss battles cancerLINCOLN CITY manager Peter Jackson will be forced to take time
out from football during March, so that he can receive treatment for
throat cancer, writes Stuart Robinson.
The former Huddersfield Town boss has struggled with his voice for
several months, and following a series of hospital visits, the diagnosis
was made.
Jackson made the announcement during the press unveiling of new
assistant manager Iffy Onoura, who will take temporary charge of first
team affairs along with coach Grant Brown.
Speaking of Onoura’s appointment, Jackson said: “I needed to bring
in someone with coaching and managerial experience but also someone
I could trust, and there’s no-one better than Iffy Onoura that I can think
of.”
Onoura has worked as a coach for Swindon Town and Gillingham,
as well as being appointed caretaker manager at both, and was a team-
mate of Jackson’s when they played for Huddersfield.
“Me and Jacko go back 20 years. It’s a mutual friendship and what’s
also important is the mutual trust," he said. “My first impressions are
that it’s a nice club which has been knocking on the door of the higher
leagues for a few years now. I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait to
get started.”
Jackson has masterminded an impressive turn around in fortunes for
the Imps since arriving at Sincil Bank, and has already formed a strong
bond with the fans. He is likely to miss three to four weeks of the sea-
son while he undergoes extensive radiotherapy.
LINCOLN CITY Ladies have set up the possibility of a dream FA
Cup semi-final clash against European Champions Arsenal, writesGary Moss.
The Lady Imps took the scalp of Premier League outfit Blackburn
Rovers, winning 3-2 after extra time at Collingham on Sunday.
Rod Wilson’s side, who sit second in the WPL Northern Division,
progressed to the last four of the competition thanks to a double from
striker Kerry Smith.
Fellow strike partner Stacey Aisthorpe spoke of her delight.
“We are all still buzzing from the win,” said Aisthorpe. “It is start-
ing to sink in what we have actually achieved.
“This win has showed that we can compete with some of the best
sides in the country. I was quietly confident going into the game – we
had nothing to lose and all the pressure was on their shoulders."
The Lady Imps have captured all the headlines on a national scale
after their recent exploits, a feat which Aisthorpe is proud of.
“For word to be going around like it has is excellent. The students
in my A-Level English class were talking about it today and they did-
n’t even know I played for them so that made me laugh,” she explained.
“Our result was on Sky Sports News last night too, so I was getting lots
of texts from my friends. It is definitely a moment worth savouring.
“Everyone is talking about the game against Arsenal and deep down
that is who we want to play but good luck to Birmingham, maybe they
can cause an upset as well when they play next weekend.”
Lady Imps in FA semi-finals
Hat-trick triumph for AU sides
Lincoln’s Men football 2nd team
Lincoln’s Womens football 1st team
Lincoln’s mens Rugby League 1st team
Winson scales Everest to take over golf president
SECOND YEAR student Ben
Winson will take over the reins
as golf society president for the
start of next season.
Current captain Charlie
Everest leaves the University in
the summer and will be handing
control over to current vice-presi-
dent Winson.
The 20-year-old is relishing
the opportunity of taking the soci-
ety on in September.
“It is a brilliant opportunity
for me, it is a good chance for me
to get some new ideas into the
society as well,
“We want to get higher up the
league and try and continue the
social side of the society,”
explained Winson.
The journalism student hopes
he can take the golf team to the
next level.
“I will be trying to move the
team forward as much as possi-
ble,” he said. “Our target next
year will be to make the nationals
so I am looking forward to the
challenge.”
The new man also praised the
efforts of Everest and admits he
will try to match his successes.
“Charlie has been really good
in his year as president and I have
learnt a lot from him,” he
explained. “Charlie has done a
great job and I hope to continue
with his high standards.”
Gary Moss
CHARLIE:: Current captain
lincsportThe best and most comprehensive coverageof University of Lincoln sports news.Got a story? Email the Sports Desk: [email protected]
N U M B E R O N E S O U R C E F O R S P O R T
FOUR GOLFERS from the
University Of Lincoln have made
it into the top 25 student golfers
in the country at a recent tourna-
ment.
Andrew Collett, Ricky Pharo,
Christian Swann and team cap-
tain Charlie Everest all travelled
to Liverpool to take part in the
Men’s Northern Regional
Strokeplay Qualifier, where, over
two days, they managed to
achieve the status as some of the
best players in the country.
The boys battled it out with 70
other competitors from 19 univer-
sities and, bar Bournemouth, rep-
resented the most players from
one university inside the top 25.
The golf first team failed to
qualify for the nationals this sea-
son, finishing fifth place in the
Premier North division.
Skipper Everest admits it is a
fantastic consolation for the cam-
paign.
“It was a really impressive
achievement when you consider
the standard of golf at all the
other universities,” he said.
“They have lots of other players
who, in theory, are better than our
team, so to finish with four play-
ers in the top 25 is better than I
ever expected.”
“It was obviously disappoint-
ing to miss out on the nationals,
too,” Everest explained. “But this
shows there is potential at the
University to compete at the
highest level.”
Collett was the highest finish-
ing Lincoln student in 16th posi-
tion, an achievement he is proud
of. But the ambitious golfer was
aggrieved not to have finished
even higher, explaining how a
slow start to the competition had
cost him.
“I’ve been playing for around
12 or 13 years and I personally
would have liked to have finished
a little bit higher. I was disap-
pointed with my first days play
but I actually felt like I hit the ball
worse on the second but scored
better,” he said. “However, it’s
definitely my highest achieve-
ment since being at university.”
First year Pharo finished
twentieth in his debut tourna-
ment, and spoke highly of the
golf society.
“We have a great side here at
Lincoln,” he said. “Some of the
other universities play more spe-
cialised sports like golf so I think
we’ve done well to compete, and
hopefully next year we can get to
the play-offs.”
Everest says for Lincoln to
even be competing at such a high
level is a testament to the players.
“Judging by the other teams
that are in the league and the
amount of funding they receive
we’re way behind, so that might
be a factor why we haven’t
reached our full potential yet, but
to be in the top division is fantas-
tic for a university of our size.”
Christian Swann finished in
an excellent position of eigh-
teenth and enjoyed the experience
“Most of the teams just kept to
themselves but it was a lot of fun
and obviously everyone is inter-
ested in golf so they were having
a good time and it was a great
atmosphere.
“The standard was very good,
the highest handicap was five,
ranging between plus two and
five, which is obviously a very
good standard and I’d say anyone
on their day could have really had
a go at it.”
Sam Riddell of Birmingham
University was the eventual win-
ner of the tournament and Pharo
believes it was a well-deserved
victory, but had hoped a Lincoln
player could have challenged him
more.
“He looked a good player, but
just probably got a bit of luck on
the day. Sadly none of our boys
got it really,” he explained.
Collett said it was on the green
where the champion made the
difference.
“From the results, it seems he
was the one who coped with the
greens a lot better than anyone
else,” he explained. “He seemed
to have a lot fewer putts which I
think certainly helped him score
the lowest out of anybody else in
the field - it certainly shaved off a
few scores on the day for him.”
For Everest and Collett the
university road is drawing to a
close and this was the last chance
for them to cement a place in the
prestigious top 25.
“Andy and I are leaving.
Andy’s been here for five or six
years, so he’s the most estab-
lished player,” revealed Everest.
“They will be losing a bit of expe-
rience, but with the associated
degrees golf does, they’ll hope-
fully get some decent players
next year to strengthen the
squad.”
Michael Portillo“I would never return to the House ofCommons”Interview, Page 6
Three’s a crowdUniversity of Lincoln sides dominate inthree championships!Sports News, Page 11
Luke Beddows
TRIUMPHANT: (left to right) Charlie Everest, Ricky Pharo, Ben Winson, who will be taking over as society president next year, and Christian Swann.
FORE! Lincoln’s finest driveinto the UK top 25
PICTURE: Ben Reeves