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Muirfield golf club welcomes Nicola Sturgeon as first lady member

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Muirfield golf club welcomes Nicola Sturgeon as first lady member

Nicola Sturgeon Muirfield vote

By Sandy Driver, Golf Correspondent

Nicola Sturgeon has become the first ladies member of stuffy Muirfield golf club after it finally voted to allow women to join.

More than 80% if the club’s crusty male members agreed to permit women to join them, a decision which will mean the Open Championship can return to the Scottish course.

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Mrs Sturgeon said she absolutely loved it when organisations kept re-running referendums until they got the right result, and was keen to show her support now that Muirfield golf club had done just that.

Members refused to allow female members in a controversial vote last year, but held another secret ballot in recent weeks, announcing yesterday it had overturned the original decision.

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A pal of Scotland’s First Minister, who this week announced she would go for a second Scottish independence referendum, said: “Nicola has no idea about golf but loves it when a poll is re-run if you do not get the desired result the first time.

“She was furious when the golf club’s first decision did not go her way, but believes wholeheartedly in the concept of simply re-running the vote until there is a ‘yes’.”

Scotland’s First Minister hit the fairways last night to celebrate her new membership, and enjoyed a score of 89. From four holes.

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Spot the difference: We add realistic touches to Ipswich Vision project

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Spot the difference: We add realistic touches to Ipswich Vision project

The Ipswich Vision project this week released images of its bold new plan for Ipswich town centre, including pretty walkways, seating and modern fountains.

But we could not help feeling the images were rather too, erm, cleansed to make them believable for Ipswich life.

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So your ever-helpful Suffolk Gazette has added some extra items to the photograph to make it more realistic. See if you can spot all the differences

BEFORE

Ipswich town centreLiving the dream: Ipswich town centre

AFTER

Real Ipswich town centreLiving nightmare: Ipswich town centre

The Ipswich Vision partnership consists of local councils, groups and Ipswich MP Ben Gummer. It intends to make the Cornhill area attractive to visitors and shoppers again.

However, as our photo shows, the reality of life in Ipswich is very different.

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Gary Megson to be named Norwich City manager

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Gary Megson to be named Norwich City manager

Gary Megson

By Ian Bred, Norfolk Correspondent

Gary Megson is set to be named the new manager of Norwich City on Monday, it can be revealed.

The Canaries will turn to charismatic Megson to rescue their season after sensationally sacking Alex Neil tonight.

Megson, a former Norwich player who managed the club in 1995 when he scraped an impressive 18% win ratio, has been told by owner Delia Smith she expects the team to make the play-offs this season.

Anything less will be a huge embarrassment for the Norfolk club, which was relegated from the Premier League last season with a strong playing squad and millions of pounds more in parachute payments.

The club languishes in eighth place in the Championship, nine points of the play-off spots.

Carrow Road fans will be delighted by 57-year-old Megson’s return. The ginger boss, who famously scored a last-minute own goal at Ipswich to lose the East Anglian derby, is known for free-flowing, attacking football but has inexplicably been without a club since 2012.

A Norwich City insider told the Suffolk Gazette: “We are delighted to have snapped up Gary Megson on a five-year deal. He will be the most expensive manager we have ever had, but we will reap the rewards back in the Premiership.”

But former fans’ favourite Darren Huckerby is quoted on Wikipedia as doubting Megson’s style. He said: “I told him I didn’t like the way he coached, I didn’t like the way he shouted at his players and didn’t like the way he treated seasoned professionals like 15-year-olds.

“I was just being honest with him. I said: ‘I’ve seen you on the sidelines and you look like a crazed animal’.”

Megson is expected to name former Norwich goalkeeper Bryan Gunn as his chief coach.

Cash-in-hand tradesman furious over Budget tax hike

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Cash-in-hand tradesman furious over Budget tax hike

Builder furious at tax hike

By Ruth Tyler, Construction Correspondent

A self-employed tradesman who prefers to be paid in cash is furious that the Chancellor has increased his National Insurance payments.

Builder and decorator Bill Smith, 54, tells his customers across East Anglia he would “prefer cash, because it’s easier”.

But what he really means is this makes it easier for him to keep no record of the payment so he can cheat the tax man out of thousands of pounds a year.

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Now Mr Smith is angry that yesterday’s Budget raised National Insurance contributions for the self-employed by an average of £240 a year.

“The Tories are taking an effing liberty,” he fumed. “I put a lot of effort into avoiding paying what I should in tax, and now the Government thinks it can come along and hit me with a tax hike.

“Well they won’t be getting my vote again.”

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With that, Mr Smith stuffed another £50 into his back pocket after repairing a pensioner’s leaking kitchen tap.

Chancellor Philip Hammond says the National Insurance rise for the self-employed levels the playing field, as they pay less tax than employed workers.

He admitted that coining in the extra National Insurance did depend on the self-employed declaring their actual income in the first place.

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Cycling team celebrates International Women’s Day

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Cycling team celebrates International Women’s Day

Colombian women's cycling team

By Bernie Legg, Cycling Correspondent

Authorities worldwide helped promote International Women’s Day yesterday by illustrating how their ladies sports teams are treated equally to the men.

Colombia led the way by showing off its women’s national cycling team, insisting its support was based on sporting merit alone – and had absolutely nothing to do with sexual titillation.

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A spokesman for Colombia Cycling said: “To celebrate International Women’s Day we thought we would give the girls a nice new outfit to wear.

“We think it looks lovely and shows off their sporting physique. We got them to pose for some pictures, patted them on the bum, then sent them home to do their housework.”

It is believed the cycling kits have been such a success that the style will cross over into mainstream fashion.

Suffolk Gazette Fashion Editor Iona Diamond said: “I can see these being worn by the lovely ladies in Ipswich town centre.”

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Grandmother ‘tried to sell drugs’ found on Norfolk beach to pay for hip replacement

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Grandmother ‘tried to sell drugs’ found on Norfolk beach to pay for hip replacement

A grandmother has been arrested for allegedly trying to sell drugs she found washed up on a Norfolk beach – to pay for her hip replacement.

Edna Spratt, 71, discovered a sports bag containing cocaine on a beach near Lowestoft just days after huge quantities of the drug were found along the Norfolk coastline.

But instead of calling the police to hand in the drugs, said to have a street value of £500,000, Spratt took the packages back to her home near Dereham.

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Officers claim she asked her son, Billy Bob, what the mysterious white powder was, and was surprised to be told it was a high-class drug.

She reasoned she could sell the Class A cocaine in Norwich and use the money to pay for a hip replacement she had wanted for 10 years.

Drugs on Norfolk beachHigh tide: some of the drugs found on Norfolk beaches

But Spratt’s cunning plan was foiled when undercover police posed as customers at a midnight meeting close to the Norwich City Football ground in Carrow Road.

Norfolk police spokesman PC Jesse Pinkman said Spratt was arrested on the spot and subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply.

Edna Spratt on LinkedInAccused: police handout photo of Edna Spratt

A police statement said: “A 71-year-old woman appeared before city magistrates and admitted what she had done. But she will still have to go to Crown Court for sentencing.

“Magistrates granted her bail after hearing she desperately needed money for a hip replacement, and she had no intention of becoming a big player in the drugs world.

“She has apologised to all concerned, and is terrified she might have to go to prison. We would urge anyone finding drugs on East Anglian beaches to hand them into police.”

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Spratt’s lawyer, Walter White, said the circumstances around the case, including the fact she found the drugs rather than purchased them, would be taken into account and he expected her to escape with a fine.

More than £50 million of cocaine was washed up on beaches north of Lowestoft last month. Police appealed for the public to keep away, but hundreds of thousands of people took it upon themselves to “take a pleasant stroll on the beach”.

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Lowestoft bids for UK City of Culture 2021 title

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Lowestoft bids for UK City of Culture 2021 title

Lowestoft is launching a surprise bid to be named the UK City of Culture 2021, it has emerged.

The upmarket Suffolk resort, which is Britain’s most easterly spot, has formed a special committee to build a compelling case to replace Hull as a city of distinctive cultural heritage.

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Top priority is for Lowestoft to be upgraded to an actual city, so plans are already under way for the Lowestoft Community Church, which is curiously positioned in the middle of an industrial estate, to be turned into a cathedral.

Lowestoft Community ChurchMagnificent: new Lowestoft Cathedral

The Lowestoft Internationally Desirable Location (LIDL) committee is required to prove the town has an ingrained cultural heritage that has enriched the lives of residents and visitors from home and abroad.

And they have found the perfect solution to trumpet the bid, using the town’s most famous musical talent from the past two centuries – local rock band, The Darkness.

Famous for their classic 2003 festive hit Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End), the group, led by Justin Hawkins, will be penning a special LIDL anthem to support the bid for UK City of Culture 2021.

The Darkness, LowestoftThe Darkness: striking a chord for Lowestoft

LIDL chairman Derek Thomas, 73, said: “Lowestoft has so much to offer. There’s our sunshine coast with crystal clear blue seas, a historic town centre rich in crafts, arts and culinary culture stemming all the way back to the days when it was packed with delightful trawlermen.

“And there is bustling shopping and nightlife, all of which explains why we have been able to attract such high-class residents. London Road South is one of Britain’s most prestigious residential addresses, for example.”

If Lowestoft’s application for the UK City of Culture 2021 is successful, the city would win £3 million from the Heritage Fund to reinvest in economic growth.

“It would mean we could add even more betting, charity and pound shops,” explained Mr Thomas.

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The Government announced last week that 11 other cities had joined the race to win the prestigious title, which Hull won unexpectedly last time. Names in the contest include Swansea, Wells and Hereford.

Despite all of Lowestoft’s stunning attractions, culture and fascinating heritage, some visitors have been less than impressed. One recent review on TripAdvisor reads: “If ever you need a reminder that the days of visiting the quintessential British seaside town are over, this is it. It’s winter and we didn’t go for anything other than a walk along the seafront and a bite to eat but wish we hadn’t bothered. This harbour area as they call it, looks dismal with miles of temporary ugly metal fencing.

“We walked to the town centre and played dodge the dog poo on the way. The main shopping area has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and the High Street further down is run down and neglected. Add to that the number of drunks around and I think it would be fair to say we won’t be in a hurry to return.”

Lowestioft town centreOdds on: punters in Lowestoft city centre will back the City of Culture bid

Another TripAdvisor review lamented: “I went into the town on a Saturday afternoon. Horrifying – a male thug ran at me from the Old Blue Anchor and tried to target me with his vomit. When I stood back in surprise he said, ‘What you looking at, you prick? I’ll kill you where you stand’. Is this the norm in this area? Count me out.”

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Kim Jong-un scores nine goals for North Korea in World Cup qualifier

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Kim Jong-un scores nine goals for North Korea in World Cup qualifier

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scored all nine goals as his country crushed Vietnam in a World Cup qualifier last night.

The official news agency for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Pyongyang reports today how the gifted striker ran the Vietnamese defence ragged and was easily the man of the match.

Playing in front of 250,000 fans packed into the national stadium, Jong-un bagged five goals in the first half before helping himself to four more in the second in the stunning 9-0 victory.

North Korea now tops its Asian World Cup qualifying group by 27 points, according to the North Korean Central News Agency.

Kim Jong-un scores nine goals as North Korea crush Vietnam in World Cup qualifierWonder strike: Kim Jong-un celebrates his sixth goal, an incredible 50-yard shot into the top corner
The official match report says Jong-un was naturally two-footed and, being six-feet four inches tall, was a great header of the ball. It added that his natural strength meant opposition teams were unable to get the ball off him.

North Korea football

It continued: “It was a masterful display from the glorious leader. He could have got many more than nine goals, but he was very unselfish and passed to other members of the team when he could have scored himself.

“One goal was a 50-yard screamer, two more were headers from outside the box, while in another he picked up the ball from his own corner flag and dribbled past all eleven of the Vietnam players before blasting the ball into the empty net. The crowd loved it and were chanting his name all evening.”

Jong-un’s heroics on the football pitch — he has now scored 176 goals for the national team in just 33 appearances — echo previous family sporting exploits.

His father, the former leader Kim Jong-il, was a scratch golfer who once famously scored 12 holes in one in a single round. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un is also an adept rugby player who has given private coaching lessons to England and Australia.

He is also an accomplished mountaineer and has completed five solo ascents of Mount Everest.

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