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7 July 2021

This England: Spurring stuff

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s Richard II, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the NS since 1934.

By New Statesman

Spurring stuff

As some of you are aware a police exercise took place at Haworth today and, in full regalia, our very own deputy lieutenant took part. Sadly, he has lost a spur somewhere in Haworth Railway Yard. Being essential to his uniform, the deputy lieutenant has asked if anyone finds this, described as “a horseshoe shape with a dangly bit hanging from it”, please let him know.

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Staff Bulletin (Graham Mitchell)

Child’s play

An escaped king cobra which sparked an emergency call-out turned out to be a plastic toy.

A woman raised the alarm after spotting the snake on a chair in a garden in Cumbria. RSPCA inspector Martyn Fletcher said he quickly realised it wasn’t real, adding: “Thankfully too, as they are deadly venomous snakes.”

The toy has been safely returned to neighbouring children, Mr Fletcher said.

BBC North East (Janet Mansfield)

Howzat!

A local cricketer’s huge six ended in tears after he smashed the ball straight through the rear window of his own car.

Asif Ali was batting for Illingworth St Mary’s Cricket Club. He was at the crease in the 37th over when he hit a slog to the square leg boundary, catching the ball sweetly to send it soaring through the air.

Ali watched on from the crease, but rather than a fist pump in celebration of the fine strike, his head was in his hands as the ball smashed through the back window of his Vauxhall Zafira.

Telegraph & Argus (Daragh Brady)

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This article appears in the 07 Jul 2021 issue of the New Statesman, The baby bust