city sport magazine

CitySportPilot issue 2015 including Newham and Docklands

Ruqsana Begum -countdown to theworld title - Page 2

Residents learn howto get fit with a BigBrother star - Page 3

How soccer gave alegend the coldshoulder- Page 5

Stars of tomorrowshow off their skills- See Pages 6-7

Sponsored by Synter BMW, BMW Showroom, 20 Canada Sq,Upper Bank Street, London E14 5NN Tel:020 7718 5600

CITY SPORT MAGAZINE Email: [email protected]

2 www.citysportlondon.co.uk

FOR four years Ruqsana Begum's strict Bengali par-

ents were unaware that their daughter was being

punched and kicked and subject to weekly beatings.

It was a secret she often found hard to keep especially

as she had to lie to her mum and dad and tell them she

was either playing badminton ormake someother excuse.

In fact Ruqsana was taking Muay Thai classes, a sport

she describes as the most brutal in the world.

In 2002 , while living in Tapp Street, Stepney and

attending the nearby Stewart Headlam Primary school,

she signed up for a kick-boxing course as a hobby and

had she not stayed silent she might never have become a

British and European champion. Nor would she now be

on the verge of winning a world title.

Ruqsana finally decided that out of respect her parents

should be told so she took them to the KO Gym in

Bethnal Green and showed them what she had been

doing. She also introduced them her coach, Bill Judd,

who reassured them she was doing nothing disrespectful.

“I finally plucked up the courage to tell them about my

training so they knew where I was and what I was doing.

I respect my family very much, and they support me,”

said Ruqsana. “I don't think they were totally happy, but

they allowed me to carry on and although they might

have preferred me to take up a less dangerous sport, they

are very supportive.

“What made it harder for me to maintain the secrecy

was that we moved to Ilford shortly after I took up Muay

Thai so I used all my pocket money and any other

money I got just to travel back to Bethnal Green for the

Sunday classes.”

And all that secrecy – and the dedication – will hope-

fully pay off when she fights for the world 50kg atom-

weight title against 2014 European champion Ludivine

Lasnier of France, at Earls Court.

She has already proved herself an inspiration to many

Muslim girls and women, but believes winning the world

title will give her even more status in the community.

“The sport is my passion,” says Ruqsana, now a part-

time science technician at Swanley School, Whitechapel.

“I want to give something back to the community and be

a positive role model for young Muslim women – and

for young women in general.

“I want to show people that I respect my tradition,” she

says. “I care about young people and my family are

everything to me. But I want to deliver the message to

all young women out there that obstacles in life are not

made of stone and can be overcome.

“Initially there was some negativity – friends and some

in the community wondered why I was doing it when

you can get a broken nose and other injuries, but once I

became a champion, everyone was so proud.”

Time to fulfil her dream

Ruqsana Begum preparing for her big world title date

Youngsters get a

British rankingCALLUM George, Harry

Walkley, Paige Wilkes,and

Lubjana Piovesana - all

pupils at Bishop Challoner

School, Stepney - young-

sters have earned places in

the latest British Judo

Association rankings.

George, 17, has been

ranked number nine in the

junior under-55kg category

and fifth in the cadet catego-

ry; Walkley comes in at

number 12 for the men's

under 42kg section, Wilkes

is ninth best cadet at under-

70kg and Piovesana is rated

number one cadet in the

under-63kg category and

fourth best junior. Walkley.

Tower Hamlets Judo

Club star Leonardo de

Moura Muniz is ranked

number two cadet at under-

66kg while

Stratford Judo Club

have four students in the

rankings.Hayley Willis is

number one in the women's

under-48kg, rankings,

Jordan Chappell is ninth in

the junior under 60kg,

Farida Saleh is joint 11th in

the cadet women's under-

57kg and Simas Morkunas

is listed at 34th in the senior

under-73kg.

UEL judo club is

getting bigger THE University of East

London Judo Club was

only created in 2012 but is

growing all the time.

Sessions are open to all,

irrespective of size, weight,

gender or grade. So why not

pop along. They have week-

ly training and gradings for

individuals to progress when

they are ready.

In the past couple of

years UEL have won gold,

silver and bronze medals at

the BUCS championships.

One of the most notable

student successes was

Gemma Gibbons winning

the Olympic silver medal in

London 2012.

If you’re interested in tak-

ing up the sport then why

not email the club on

[email protected]. It could be

your passport to success.

Sport in brief

Email: [email protected] CITY SPORT MAGAZINE

www.citysportlondon.co.uk 3

Residents get the Big

Brother treatment

Get fit at your

local YMCATHE Forest YMCA in

Walthamstow attracts hun-

dreds of local people from

the East London area every

day to use their leisure and

fitness facilities.

The centre is as much a

community, as it is a place

to get fit. It has a welcom-

ing environment, fostering

a feeling of belonging and

enabling users to achieve

wellbeing through a range

of activities and pro-

grammes.

They strive to achieve

excellence in customer care

and work with their staff

and external agencies to

monitor, evaluate and

improve our services.

They were recently rated

number one for leisure and

fitness customer care in

London by independent

national customer insight

and research organisation,

Proleisure LLP.

Get fit APPIT’S easy to book keep fit

classes in Newham because

it can all be done via a free

App.

The activeNewham App

was launched in the spring

of 2014 and has become

one of the key ways of

communicating with cus-

tomers, keeping them up-

to-date with daily pro-

grammes.

Customers have also

been able to use the App to

book classes at the three

borough leisure centres.

BEAT thisFITNESS First BEAT at

Charing Cross station is a

highly motivating heart

rate based training club.

Heart rate based training

optimises your workouts

by ensuring you always

train at the right intensity

level and our experts are

on hand in every session.

You can track and moni-

tor your progress and

Fitness First can guarantee

the quality of your work-

out, as everyone works out

at their own personal best.

Keep fit news

TWO women from Tower

Hamlets and students from

Morpeth School are putting

their energies behind a new get

fit campaign for residents.

They joined Celebrity Big

Brother winner and personal fit-

ness trainer Josie Gibson and

Great Britain Olympian long

jumper Jade Johnson to launch the

national fitness campaign at The

Copper Box Arena on the Queen

Elizabeth Park.

And Tower Hamlets residents

will be the first to benefit from the

'For The Girls' fitness campaign as

they have been given first access

to funding.

Residents Zahra Mirza, Tiphany

Roberts Franklin and the Morpeth

schoolgirls took part in a high

impact aerobics session led by reality television

personality Josie.

After that they benefited from some one-on-one

personal training advice from Jade.

The scheme is being implemented through Better

leisure centres across England with £200k of fund-

ing secured from Sport England and Sporta.

It aims to encourage 5,000 girls

and women aged between 14 and

25 years, who have not previously

been physically active, to take part

in a range of sports.

'For the Girls' will support local

girls and women in Tower Hamlets

to design exercise programmes,

promote activities to their friends

and provide opportunities to

become coaches and exercise

instructors.

The programme aims to use

innovative ideas to encourage girls

to regularly play sport and to exer-

cise.

Activities will focus around net-

ball, boxing, cheerleading, volley-

ball, basketball, football, aquatics

and street dance.

Commenting on the launch Josie

Gibson said: “When they asked me to get involved

in this campaign, I literally bit their arm off

because I spent many years being overweight and

unhealthy. I had been obese from the age of six and

I wish I'd discovered sooner how exercise can real-

ly change your life and how great it can make you

feel.”

Zahra Murza, Jade Johnson,Jo Gibson and Tiffany Roberts Franklin



BROTHERS Liam and Luan Veras travelled to

Switzerland for the Swiss Karate Open

International and the two Veras Karate Academy

boys finished up on the podium.

Liam, 9, won a silver in the kata under-10 category

and followed that up with agoldin the kumite(fighting)

category for 32kg undee-10s.

Older brother Luan, 10, should not really have been

competing because he had been unable to train due to

illness, but he showed guts and courage to get a

bronze medal in the under-12 41kg kumite.

The third member of the team, Seyhan Cinar, per-

formed well but was unable to get amongst the

medals.

The boys competed against clubs from Switzerland,

Germany, Italy and Macedonia.

Proud dad and coach Raphael Veras said their per-

formances were excellent, proving that they are on top

of their category in Europe.

Veras Academy Karate clubs hold classes at Trussler

Hall in Poplar every Tuesday and Thursday.

www.verasacademy.co.uk

Liam Veras, dad and coach Raphael, and elder brother Luan

A Swiss roll of honour

Judo kids earn a

rankings spotCALLUM George, Harry




















Tower Hamlets Judo




66kg while

Stratford Judo Club











under-73kg.

Join the UniTHE University of East










they are ready.









London 2012.






Judo in brief



By Peter Faulkner

BOBBY Moore remains the only England

captain to bring the World Cup back to

Great Britain and two bronze statues - out-

side West Ham's ground and Wembley

Stadium - are testament to how great a

player he was.

Written underneath the Wembley statue is

the inscription: Immaculate footballer,

Imperial defender, Immortal hero of 1966,

National treasure, Master of Wembley, Lord of

the game, Captain extraordinary, Gentleman

for all time.

This was the Moore that fans all over the

world acknowledged, but not by the men in

charge of the sport.

While players like Franz Beckenbaur of

Germany, Pele of Brazil and Michel Platini of

France - to name a few - became national

heroes feted by governing bodies and institu-

tions, Moore was cold-shouldered.

But a new book by Matt Dickinson, chief

sports correspondent for The Times, reveals

that while Moore may have finished up on a

pedestal outside two football grounds, he was

not put on a pedestal by the men who gov-

erned English football.

Moore died at the age of 51 from pancreatic

cancer, but the book reveals how he ended up

working as a journalist for a sex newspaper

based above a sex toy manufacturing business

because he was ignored by the establishment.

When Moore applied for the England man-

ager's job the Football Association didn't even

send him a rejection letter. He was virtually an

outcast.

Matt Dickinson's book, although it tells us

much of what we already knew about, tells

about alleged associations with the East End

underworld; his disastrous business deals at

Chigwell's Woolston Hall with Sean Connery;

a leather coat business that failed miserably;

and a drink-driving charge - all of which

added to what football's hierarchy fel t was not

the sort of image they portrayed.

Although he was awarded the OBE and won

the Sportsman of the Year Trophy, these were

not the springboard to fame and fortune he had

hoped.

Fellow England and West Ham team-mates

Geoff Hurst and Trevor Brooking both

received knighthoods, but Moore was never

considered for that honour even though most

people in football knew he deserved it.

The England manager Alf Ramsey, knighted

for his 1966 World Cup triumph,said of

Moore: “He was my captain and my right

hand man. Bobby was the heartbeat of the

England team, the king of the castle.”

But the king of the castle never got to sit on

the throne of a Premiership club and his career

drifted into obscurity.

Moore, who became the patron saint of

English football, remains the only man to have

captained a World Cup winning team and his

treatment by the sport's rulers is exposed as

shameful and prejudicial.

.

Bobby Moore: The Man in Full by Matt

Dickinson (Yellow Jersey Press £20)

MOOREA legend snubbed by

soccer’s hierarchy

He was my captain and my right hand man. Bobby was the heartbeat of the Englandteam, the king of the castle -Alf Ramsey

CITY & DOCKLANDS SPORT


Badminton

BADMINTON is booming in Tower

Hamlets with the borough supplying half

the Middlesex East county squad.

This is all due to the work of the Tower

Hamlets Badminton Academy where young

stars continue to develop under former inter-

national Chris Dakin.

The Academy, district and county sessions

are led by Dakin and five other coaches, the

goal being to develop county and International

badminton stars of the future.

After an extremely successful badminton

season, junior players from THBA now find

themselves as an integral part of Middlesex

County Badminton.

Ujjol Ahmed, 17, has been competing on the

under-17 national circuit as well as represent-

ing Middlesex in every County match this sea-

son. He is currently ranked number two in

Middlesex .

Similar successes have been enjoyed by

another upcoming Tower Hamlets player,

Mannah Rahman. He began playing just 15

months ago and was introduced to the sport

through an after-school club run by Tower

Hamlets Youth Sport Foundation at Stepney

Green School.

Like Ujjol, through the support of THYSF

and THBA, Mannah now finds himself as the

Middlesex number two.

He has enjoyed a solid start to this season

having played five national tournaments and

in his debut season with Middlesex has played

15 matches.

Tower Hamlets boasts a number of other

players who have represented Middlesex this

season. Brothers Fahim Shikdar,15, and

Younous Shikdar, 12, are now both county

players in the under-15 and under-13 age

group and train with the Middlesex East

County squad at Langdon Park School.

THYSF and THBA together deliver weekly

quality badminton sessions in six schools

across Tower Hamlets. Morpeth, Swanlea,

Stepney Green, BGA, Oaklands and Bishop

Challoner all now have after-school club ses-

sions.

Dakin’s legends of tomorrow

Chris Dakin teaches tomorrow’s stars



By Peter Faulkner

TOWER Hamlets under-13s cricketers

reached the finals of the Balfour Beatty

London Youth Games indoor cricket

championship at Lord's for the third

time, but it ended with a hat-trick of

disappointment.

Although they were pleased to finish

second and pick up the silver medal, the

year 8 youngsters were hoping that this

year they would strike gold.

Tower Hamlets, finalists in 2013 and

2014, had come through their qualifying

group unbeaten at Harrow in February and

faced Ealing in their opening match – a

side that had also come through qualifying

unbeaten.

Tower Hamlets put in a good perform-

ance with the bat leaving Ealing with 110

to chase and a good display in the field

secured their spot in the final four.

Tower Hamlets faced defending champi-

ons Redbridge in their semi-final and pro-

duced their best performance of the competition.

In a hard fought encounter the borough team were

faced with a difficult chase of 107, but some impres-

sive batting got them the win in the last over with just

three balls to spare.

However Tower Hamlets were

unable to back up their perform-

ance in the final and lost out to a

very good Hillingdon side that

bowled and fielded well to keep

the east Londoners to 90 in their

innings before chasing down the

total without the loss of a single

wicket.

Team manager Jahid Ahmed

was delighted with his team’s

performance on the day especial-

ly in the semi-final against

Redbridge:

“It’s brilliant. We’ve made it to

the last three finals days and

today we had a very exciting

semi-finals and quarter-finals and

won quite comfortably in the end.

“ But the semi-final was proba-

bly the biggest one we’ve had. It

was a tight game and Redbridge

were probably the best team

we’ve played against.

“Really proud of the boys and

hopefully five boys who should

be coming back next year because they’re year 7s at

the moment, so they’ve had a great experience to be

honest and now know what to expect.”

Action from the cricket

Jahid Ahmed with his silver medal winning Tower Hamlets team

Ahmed bowled over

by his young aces

Kids called upCALLUM George, Harry




















Tower Hamlets Judo




66kg while

Stratford Judo Club











under-73kg.

UEL still growingTHE University of East










they are ready.









London 2012.






Judo in brief

JUDO

RICHIE Davies, the one-

time ArbourYouth,

Stepney, amateur who rose

to fame as one of our top

professional boxing referees

and judges, has announced

his retirement.

Davies, a former Tower

Hamlets Council pest con-

troller, is quitting after 31

years to concentrate on a

new career with “a combat

format”.

After 21 fights as an ama-

teur, Davies became a judge

at the age of 17 and went on

to enjoy a distinguished

career in the professional

ranks where he officiated at

several British,

Commonwealth, European

and World title fights.

The man in the middle

announced his retirement on

Facebook saying: “I have

enjoyed a life that I could only dream about when

I was boxing. All the boxers I have met have

enriched my life and I leave with wonderful mem-

ories.”

Davies has been one of our premier referees and

has been a credit to the sport both as an amateur

and as a professional. He will be hard to replace.

nFloyd Mayweather Junior, one of the world's

best fighters, is linking up with Limehouse Marina

Elite fitness centre...when he comes to Britain.

The deal is that the unbeaten five-division world

champion's string of fighters will use the gym and

health club's facilities when preparing for bouts in

Britain. Mayweather may also train there if he is

preparing for a fight.

As part of the deal rising stars of Limehouse

director of boxing Mickey Helliet will train along-

side those from the Mayweather stable and others

promoted by Don King.

Richie Davies, quitting at the topof his profession



Davies shocks boxing by

quitting as a refereeAndy issues a title

warning to BillyBOW-born Andy Lee, who

shocked the boxing world by

stopping the unbeaten Russian

Matt Korobov to take the

WBO world middleweight

title, is set for a 2015 defence

against East London’s Billy

Joe Saunders.

Saunders, the unbeaten

British and European champi-

on, is the mandatory chal-

lenger for the world crown

and former Repton amateur

Lee wants the fight to be in

his native Ireland.

“I am the champion and I

call the shots,” said Lee, who

has lost just two of his 36

fights. “I am not going to

defend outside Ireland so

Saunders can come to me.”

Lomax dateFORMER East London ama-

teur Michael Lomax is back in

town on March 21 when he

tops the Goodwin Promotions

show at York Hall, Bethnal

Green, against Chas Symonds

for the vacant British Masters

light-middleweight title.

Lomax, who has lost seven

fights in his 21 fight career,

beat Symonds at the same

venue in 2014 fighting for the

Commonwealth crown,

against Liam Williams he

suffered a first round stoppage

Carl Ozimkowski, is look-

ing for the first win of his

career after his first three con-

tests all ended in defeat.

Boxing in brief

BOXING



Mercury is beginning

to rise to the top

Players in

ward visitGRAHAM Napier and

Reece Topley were amongst

a host of Essex County

Cricket Club stars who

made the trip to Broomfield

Hospital to visit children in

the Phoenix Ward.

Whilst the majority of the

players are currently abroad

playing, those who are

spending their winter in

Essex took time out from

training to make the trip.

The group spoke to the chil-

dren, their parents, as well

as staff on the ward – and of

course handed out presents!

Graham Napier said: “It’s

always nice to come down

to Broomfield Hospital at

this time of year; it’s impor-

tant to us as a club to play a

role in the local community.

“Hospitals are never easy

places, particularly at

Christmas, so seeing the

smiles on the faces of the

children as we walked

around was so satisfying,

and it was such a moving

visit to be a part of. Many

thanks to all the staff who

made the trip possible.”

Gould tributeESSEX County Cricket

Club has reported the death

of long-serving Tom Gould,

a highly respected cricketer

and coach.

He played at Braintree CC

since the early 60s where he

was also president and

served on the several com-

mittees at club and league

level.

Tom was a hugely influ-

ential and respected official

served as a Development

officer at the Essex County

Cricket Board.

He was a driving force

behind disability cricket in

the county and in 1999 he

helped set-up one of the first

Essex disability games.

Tom was also heavily

involved with coaching in

the Braintree area for many

years, working with schools,

special schools and colleges.

Cricket in brief

Tennis

MILES Mercury is moving up in the world of

tennis, but without his father's energy and sup-

port the 12 year old East Londoner could find it

difficult to succeed.

Miles, a pupil at Wapping High School, recently

won the Lawn Tennis Association's Totteridge

Open tournament in North London defeating talent-

ed Russian Luka Petrovic 7-5, 6-3, 10-8.

It was a win that is expected to push the fifth seed

up the Middlesex County rankings from seventh to

fifth and give him a Great Britain rating of 74th.

But training for Miles, of Mansford Streer,

Bethnal Green, has become something of a lottery

and at times has reached almost comical propor-

tions because he does not get funding to employ a

professional coach.

That role falls to his father Michael, a 51 year old

salsa dance teacher, who admits being his practice

partner is not the ideal tournament preparation for

Miles.

“I consider it an honour to be able to help and

play with him,” said Michael. "But he doesn't have

the luxury of a coach so if he makes a mistake in

practice or in a match then I have to go onto the

web to find out how you correct those errors.

“And all too often when we have to practice in

the house, it means putting up a piece of rope

between the furniture and taking him through the

motions. Certainly not the best way to develop his

ability.

“I also have to be careful when he is competing

that I do not get too critical. I am watching him

more in tournaments, but realizing that it won't help

him if I am too critical during matches as this could

pu him off.

“I am trying to get him more consistent and hope-

fully we can build on the success of the Totteridge

event and move another step forward.”

Whilst Tower Hamlets has done all it can for the

youngster by making sure courts at Bethnal Green

Gardens are open early morning for him to practice

- and the same help has been given to the borough's

rising tennis star Lucas Taylor.

And as there are few competitive opportunities

locally, it means he has to travel all across the

country to compete in matches.

Miles Mercury

Local park league’s are thrivingIF you want to play tennis in Docklands close to the

City, Local Tennis Leagues Ltd could be the

answer.

"The idea for a tennis league in a local park

began as a way of improving our own game," says

Sally Kinnes, who set it up with fellow journalist

Nigel Billen.

"We set up the first, fledgling league on

Highbury Fields in May 2005. It took of and since

then, many hundreds of people have taken part,

made friends and improved their game."

Now in its ninth year and a regular feature of

Highbury Fields' life, the Highbury Fields League

led to dozens of others all over the UK. As of

January 2014, there are approximately 70 leagues,

with new ones being added all the time.

The league concept is approved by and affiliated

to the LTA, the governing body, and recorgnised by

Tennis Foundation, a charity set up by the LTA to

promote grass-roots tennis.

Local Tennis Leagues is registered as a Place to

Play with the LTA.

To find outmore email localtennisleagues@gmail

.com or phone 0750 328 1732

Youngsters in the swim

at Golden LaneTHE 14th annual Swimming Gala for

London primary schools was held at

Golden Lane Sport & Fitness with six

schools from across the square mile com-

peting for the chance of a London Youth

Games place.

Deputy Chairman of Community and

Children’s services, Dhruv Patel was in

attendance to open the gala and start the

first race and AldermanGraves of the City

of London, presented individual and school

awards toclose the gala.

Competing for the six schools were Sir

John Cass Foundation, St Pauls Cathedral,

Charterhouse Square, City of London

School, City of London School for Girls

and The Lyceum with 105 children taking

part in 22 swimming events.

This year’s results were the closest to

date, with Charterhouse Square putting on a

phenomenal display with some excellent

swimming seeing them narrowly miss out

on the title by one point.

This year’s winners were again the City

of London School for Girls who put on a

great performance and held onto the title for

a second year running.

From this gala, selected children will

now go onto represent the City of London

at the London Youth Games 2015 at Crystal

Palace National Sports Centre.

Walking football can get

old men fit againGETTING old can, especially for men,

means that the days of showing they can

bend it like Beckham are well and truly

behind them and the only football for them

is either on the televison or watching the

grandson.

But now there is a solution that enables

men can continue toplay the beautiful game

into their seventies and beyond. It's called

Walking Football.

Walking Football is a slower paced version

of the beautiful game aimed at the over 50s.

Players caught running or jogging will con-

cedea free-kick to the opposition, but it

keeps them active.

Now you can play it every week at

Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Sports Facility

(next to the Imperial War Museum). It is

funded by Funded by Age Uk, Fusion

Lifestyle in partnership with Southwark

Council and the City of London

Corporation and takes place every Thursday

from 12:00-1:00pm.

The sessions and are led by a qualified

coach and are free for all City of London's

Young at Heart members and £1.50 for all

other participants. For Southwark residents,

sessions will be £1 for Leisure Axess Card

Holders and £1.50 for all other participants.

For more information, email lauren.har-

[email protected]

Sign up for Uni sport -and

there’s lots of choiceWHETHER you play a team sport or com-

pete as an individual, there are opportuni-

ties to represent City University in London.

If you want to take part competitively in

sport, you can attend team trials in late

September, where you will have the opportu-

nity to be chosen for the squad and represent

your chosen team in the upcoming season.

The University has 24 sports teams and the

majority compete in the British Universities

& Colleges Sport (BUCS) league

If you have an interest in a particular sport

and you are not part of a team, CitySport can

offer support with competition entry, travel

costs and possible coaching advice.

You will need to present any qualifications,

competition records and relevant UK or inter-

national rankings (if applicable.)

If you would like to represent the University

please contact [email protected] so

they can discuss how they can support you.

City University is at Northampton Square,

London EC1V 0HB. Tel: (0)20 7040 5060.

Be brave and join the

summer charity abseilNEED a new challenge? Are you brave

enough to abseil one of the tallest buildings in

London?

Four charities - Orchid, World Child Cancer,

Mind in Harringey and Sailors' Society - are

looking for volunteers to take on the 33-storey

high Broadgate Tower from Friday 5 to

Sunday 7 June 2015.

No experience is necessary, all equipment

and instruction will be provided on the day by

professional instructors.

Join Orchid fighting male cancer and abseil

down the Broadgate Tower on Friday June 5.

There are only 100 places available, which

will be snapped up quickly, so register now to

avoid disappointment.

Help make a big difference to the lives of

children with cancer around the world by rais-

ing money for World Child Cancer. All abseil

places have now been filled - but come along

and cheer on the volunteers on June 6.

Mind in Haringey are looking for vertigo-

free daredevil teams and individuals to scale

33 floors on June 6 to help raise money and

awareness. If you're brave enough to take on

the challenge you'll be rewarded with a

breathtaking view of the city!

Fitness can be funGO Mammoth is the ultimate club for active

adults looking to maximise their spare time

through playing sport, keeping fit and socialis-

ing.

As the UK's largest social sports & fitness

club, GO Mammoth exists to make your life

more fun.

So, grab some friends and enter any of the

following as a team or enter as an individual:

After-work and weekend sports leagues offer

over 10 different team sports all year roun as

well as indoor and outdoor fitness classes

from cardio and dance to Strength and

Conditioning

Details at [email protected] or

phone 0207 381 6034



City events round-up

Swimming at Golden Lane Get fit with walking football Abseil down Broadgate Tower


By Peter FaulknerTWO of Tower Hamlets most promising young sailors,

Iona and Callum Dixon, are continuing to make a big

splash wherever they compete.

Following a strong finish to last season and a solid period

of training behind them, the two Laser sailors competed in

two championships.

And the two members of Docklands Sailing &

Watersport Centre on the Isle of Dogs got amongst the

medals yet again.

In strong winds and glorious sunshine at Rutland Water,

the National Inland championships ended with 16-year-old

Iona getting the bronze medal as third best woman and 14-

year-old Callum getting silver as the second best under-16.

To complete a great start to their new campaign, Iona

then went to the Scottish Winter Championship and won a

gold medal as top woman.

Iona sails a Laser Radial, the women’s Olympic boat,

and she said she was pleased with her latest results, espe-

cially as many of her rivals had been unable to cope with

the challenging conditions, which saw a spate of broken

masts and ripped sails as squalls up to 30 knots swept

across the course.

Iona said: “I missed a few events in Europe because of

my GCSEs, but since the summer I’ve seen the benefits of

more regular competition.

“I was top girl at the National Schools championships,

but because we sail in a mixed fleet, I’ve still got six boys

to beat.

“I just need to string a series of results together.

Scotland was really challenging because of the conditions.

“My goals for this year are a place in the British squad

for the World championshps and European championships,

and to improve my world ranking."

Brother Callum said that the conditions in Rutland

played to his strengths in the men’s Laser Standard rig.

“I’ve only been racing this boat for a year, and the guys at

the top have world and European medals and years of

experience, but I’m learning with every race,” he said.

“That was my fourth event in five weeks and definitely the

toughest..

“I’ve been working on my fitness through the winter, and

also getting more experience with big waves. We’ve had a

number of squad sessions and I have been training with

some of the Olympic squad. Hopefully the solid training

base will stand me in good stead for this season.”

Phil Holman, chief instructor at Docklands Sailing &

Watersports Centre said: “It’s great how they can both

compete at national level then the next day are here to

coach and encourage the youngsters. It’s so good that

other children can see what possibilities exist with hard

work and dedication.”


Iona storms to gold,

Callum gets silver

Iona Dixon in training and inset brother Callum

SAILING

Sailing in brief

Sailors still rule

the wavesTOWER Hamlets continue

to rule the waves - and

they are doing it in style.

They went to the London

Youth Games Regatta at

the King George Reservoir

to defend the title they

won in 2013.

And they smashed the

opposition winning five of

the 10 classes.

What a turnaround for this

team which, in 2011 and

2012, had finished run-

ners-up and seemed des-

tined to always be the

bridesmaid and never the

bride.

But they struck gold again

this year it was a real fam-

ily affair with Callum

Dixon, Iona Dixon and

Ross Dixon - all members

of Docklands Sailing &

Watersports Centre on the

Isle of Dogs, pulling off

superb victories.

Charlie gets a

dream chanceCHARLIE Stannard is the

latest legend in the making

to come from the

Docklands Sailing and

Watersport Centre.

The 19 year old from

Saverake Close, on the

Isle of Dogs, has been

given the chance of a life-

time to share in a £10,000

prize and the opportunity

to fulfil a dream by taking

part in next year's Clipper

Round the World Yacht

Race.

Charlie has earned the

right to challenge for a

place on the crew for the

Pacific Ocean leg of this

historic race and will go to

the Clipper Race head-

quarters in Gosport,

Hampshire at the end of

March for a final selection

process.

Following assessment,

either he or Heather

Thomas, also 19, from

Yorkshire, will win the

overall prize which

includes three further lev-

els of race training and

return flights to China for

the start of that race.



What a Bolle good show!

West Herts 1 Wapping 2nds 4

WAPPING men’s second team were crowned East

Division 2S champions after this win - and they have

done it with three games still to play.

Wapping dominated the first ten minutes, but were

unable to convert pressure into goals - a trait of their

matches this season.

Michael Bolle opened the scoring and as West Herts

heads dropped and as the maroons kept pushing Man-

of-the-Match Bolle struck again. The Dutchman is now

the M2s’ top scorer with 10 goals.

The umpires kept tight control of the game and

awarded a green card to Wright before Carpenter was

sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.

League leaders Wapping showed their class in this

seven minute period with ten men.

They won two penalty corners in quick succession,

but had to wait till a third corner saw Fry miss-time a

strike only for Bolle to follow it up with a crushing

drive to make it 3-0 and collect his hat-trick.

West Herts then began their only period of dominance

in the game with a series of penalty corners and reduced

the deficit.

Unphased, Wapping moved into a higher gear to restore

their three-goal advantage and finish 4-1 winners - and

champions.

Wapping men’s 1sts 4 Cambridge 2nds 0

TABLE-toppers Wapping kept their title hopes alive

with a comfortable win over a strong Cambridge side

The first goal arrived mid-way through the first half,

with Ollie Salvesen finishing off a fine individual effort.

In the second half they eventually doubled their lead

through Ollie Davies after a short corner had initially

broken down.

The two-goal cushion calmed nerves and two further

goals came 15 minutes before the end through Grant

Aidoo-Nash and Felix Styles clinically converting a

short corner.

Wapping men’s second team - champions with three games to spare

Hockey in brief

Wapping offering

new club rolesROLES arwe available for

both long-standing coaches

and performance players, some

immediately, and some from

next season.

Wapping is one of the

biggest clubs in the country

(top 3 by adult members, 16

Saturday sides and growing),

with access to four pitches and

multiple MUGAs including the

two international standard

water bases at the Lee Valley

Hockey & Tennis Centre (so

yes, they have a 3,000 seat

stadium too).

Their explosive growth (100

new members in 2014/15) and

ambition means they have

multiple coaching roles avail-

able for both long-standing

coaches and performance play-

ers, some immediately, and

some from next season.

Two new coachesWAPPING have added a fur-

ther two L1 coaches to their

staff. Chairman Stuart

Burnside and Rachel Haseloff

have qualified as England

hockey L1 accredited coaches.

Both will be assistant coach

to the ladies 3s and 4s, work-

ing alongside their head coach,

L2 qualified Mal Alexander.

The club wants to thank

Sport4Women for grant fund-

ing Rachel's course and they

anticipate Mal pushing on to

L3 qualification towards the

end of 2014.

Club members interested in

coaching and community

development should contact

Pilani Moyo on

[email protected].

Players welcomeWAPPING HC is open to

everyone and has a range of

players from complete begin-

ners to people who have

played in the National Premier

League and at international

level.

They welcome people with

disabilities and those with par-

ticular needs.

They have a range of subs,

with some memberships free

and further information can be

found here: http://www.wap-

pinghockeyclub.com/news/sub

s-for-the-201415-season.


By Peter Faulkner

THE annual Street League football fund-

raising event at Canary Wharf raised a

staggering £100,000 thanks to generous

City workers.

Corporate teams paid £5,000 to compete at

the five-a-side arena Play-On Sports and

each one each took on a graduate from the

Street League academy programme - a ven-

ture aimed at improving employment

prospects - to boost their chances.

The tournament - in partnership with CVC

Capital Partners - was marked by special

guest appearances from ex-Arsenal and

England defender Lee Dixon, and Street

League ambassador Max Rushden.

For the fourth year running, twenty blue

chip companies took part in the five-a-side

tournament where they were ‘twinned’ with a

graduate from the Street League Academy.

The graduates, aged 16 to 25, had all com-

pleted the charity’s 10-week football and

education programme which develops key

employability skills such as communication

and teamwork, and offers several nationally-

recognised qualifications.

Both Lee and Max chatted with the partici-

pants between games, and were on hand to

present the trophy to the winning team.

Lee said: “I’m really proud to be support-

ing Street League. The work they do in help-

ing young people through some of the tough-

est times in their lives is so important.

“I've got to meet some of the young peo-

ple who have been through the Street League

Academy and it is inspirational to see the

sparkle in their eye now after they were in

some really dark places.

“Football has brought them to this envi-

ronment and given them something else to

focus on other than hanging around, not hav-

ing a job, and being in a place where they are

not happy. The transition from then to now is

extraordinary and it is just brilliant to see."

The £100,000 raised will be split evenly

between funding the London Academies and

Street League's Employer Engagement func-

tion.

The Employer Engagement team provide

aftercare support, work placements and

traineeships for young people on the

Academy programme.


Match is a £100,000 winnerWinners celebrate being crowned Street League five-a-side champions

“It is inspirational to see the

sparkle in their eyes now

after some were in a really

dark place.”



By Staff Reporter

THE first champions of the Inner London

Football League's Summer League Premiership

title are Tower Hamlets, but it was a close run

affair.

The season started back in May when the seven

teams faced each other. Tower Hamlets drew their

first game but as the season progressed they kept

up with early pace setters London Tigers and

London APSA and took full advantage of their

closest rivals drawing against each other.

Going into the Ramadan break, Tower Hamlets

were neck and neck with Tigers and APSA.

On the final day of the league, Tower Hamlets

were up against APSA, knowing they were one of

three teams that could still win the championship.

Tower Hamlets faced APSA, the other title

hunters, and Tigers had the favourable game

against second from bottom Bromley.

Right up to half-time, the league looked like it

would be taken by Tigers who stormed into a 4-0

half time lead while Tower Hamlets game remained

stalemate.

But what a turnaround for Tower Hamlets as a

devastating second half display of passing football

resulted in a 4-0 victory, whilst Tigers could only

manage a 5-1 win giving Tower Hamlets the title

by a mere six goal difference.

Tower Hamlets manager Nurul Hoque: “With top

quality repsides being in this premiership, it's truly

a great feeling to know we have become champi-

ons.”

In the Summer League First Division, SCTA won

the title with a 100% record although there were

some good new teams that showed potential and

and proved this great summer competition has a lot

to offer.

Title race proves closeSCTA, winners of the Summer League First Division crown

Champions, Tower Hamlet

Coin toss settles

Veterans gamesTHE group stages of the

Inner London Football

League's Veterans Winter

Cup produced several

shocks.

Group A: Weavers and

Abohani went through as

both teams defeated Mostyn

with identical scorelines. To

decide on the group winner

will revert back to the 50s as

a toss of the coin due them

drawing their match against

each other.

Group B: Beaumont took

top spot comfortably with

two wins and they will be

joined by Tower Hamlets B

who defeated Riverside in

the groups final game.

Group C: Defending cup

holders Tigers took top spot

with two wins and SYA beat

Stepney to claim the final

spot. Stepney, with a full

strength squad and high

hopes due to their league

form, surprisingly beaten.

Group D: The group of

death lived up to its name.

Previous beaten finalist

Bromley went through leav-

ing Tower Hamlets and

Bhondu to face sudden death

at group stage after drawing

1-1. Bhondu won this tense

shootout with the Summer

Vets League champions, who

go out as the only Premier

Division team not to pro-

ceed.

Hello,hello what

half term fun ACORN Football Club got

together with the Police

Safer Neighbourhood Team

to stage a half term football

tournament at Mile End Park

to promote a positive com-

munity image and raise

awareness among young

people to think twice about

the consequences of gangs

and violent gun and knife

crimes. The Bringing

Communities Together

Through Sport tournament

was for youngsters 16-18

years and the Safer

Neighbourhood Team gave a

street safety talk. Acorn,who

are based in Tower Hamlets,

play in the London County

Saturday Youth League.

Soccer in brief

Mem,bers of the Newark squad



Setbacks for two

East End rivalsANOTHER weekend of

upsets for Tower Hamlets and

Sporting Bengal, both strug-

gling in the Essex Senior

League.

Tower Hamlets, at home to

fellow strugglers London

Bari, were beaten by the only

goal scored by Tony Cookie

in the 45th minute.

It meant London Bari moved

above them in the table and

leaves Hamlets sixth from

bottom.

It was even worse for

Sporting Bengal who are now

second from bottom after a

3-0 defeat away to last sea-

son’s title chasers Enfield

1893. It was all square at half-

time, but then goals from Jon

Stevenson (61st pen), Tom

Phillips (72) and Dan Norton

(78) settled it.

Champions clashTHE East London Sunday

league saw two champions

clash head on in the Joshila

Sports Premier Division.

Dalston Lane, First Division

winners last season, beat the

reigning Premier Champions

Reama 5-1. Hackney Downs

drew 2-2 with Hatch

Lane,and Stratford Juniors

lost out 3-2 to Stoke

Newington..

In the Joshila Sports Division

One FC Stepney enjoyed a

6-1 victory over EL Valiente,

Virtue beat Vallance 3-1, divi-

sion leaders Athletico Bow

won 4-0 against Nightingale

and Wimbledon Park lost 3-2

to FC Romania.

Tigers stay topTHE Premier Division of the

Inner London Football

League saw London Tigers

maintain league leader status

with a sizzling 12-3 win over

Bromley. Stepney, West End

FC and Beaumont also kept

the pressure on Tigers with

their respective wins. The

First Division saw a change

of leadership as SCTA beat

Reachout 2-1 to take pole

position. Bow slipped up with

a loss against Stepney B who

closed the gap on third place.

Bromley Juniors finally came

off the foot of the table with a

3-2 victory over Weavers.

Soccer in brief

Newark celebrate a

£5,000 sponsor deal

By Peter Faulkner

NEWARK Youth London football team is cele-

brating its 30th anniversary …with a £5,000

sponsorship deal.

The club, based at the Whitechapel Centre, Myrdle

Street, Stepney, and formed in 1984, has signed a deal

with Essex-based electronics company, Gadcet.

Gadcet, a buy, sell and exchange company also

known as the Gadget Exchange, has agreed to sponsor

six Newark youth teams ranging from the age of 10 up

to 35 years old.

They will pay the club a minimum of £1,000 a year

for the next five years - and it's all due to the compa-

ny's Chief Executive Officer, Sukur Ali, who grew up

in Bethnal Green and wanted to give the youth of the

borough something he never had.

Gadcet has a branch in Roman Road, Bow, and

wanted to support a local club with an established

background. They chose Newark because they are one

of the oldest clubs in Tower Hamlets.

The sponsorship deal will see the club get shirts,

socks, t-shirts,smanagers and coaches kits and training

equipment.

Gadcet has been trading for the past 10 years in

Tower Hamlets and have a branch in Roman Road,

Bow.

"We chose Newark because they have one of the

biggest squads and are one of the oldest clubs in

Tower Hamlets," said a company spokesman.

"We believe that due to the size of the club more of

the borough's youth will get involved with them and

enjoy their activities, events and clubs they provide for

all of the kids in the area."

Newark Youth London was formed in 1984 by a

group of youngsters aged between 9-12.

They used the old London Hospital car park in

Newark Street to play football then changed their

name to Newark United FC.

CitySportPilot issue 2015 including Newham and Docklands

Sponsored by SynterBMW, 20 Canada Square, Upper Bank Street, E14 5NN Tel:020 7718 5600

By Peter Faulkner

By Peter FaulknerREPTON Boxing Club’s rising

young stars smashed the record

books again with nine new

champions crowned at the

Junior London ABA finals.

Club official Kelvin Wing said

he could not remember a better

performance from any previous

Repton squad.

“We have produced more than

nine champions at schoolboy

level, but I cannot remember us

doing it in these championships,”

he said.

“It was a fantastic all-round dis-

play by those kids that boxed and

augers well for the future of the

club.”

Easiest winners were John Lee,

who got a bye in the 38k catego-

ry, Jamal Khan, walkover at 52k,

Tommy Roberts, walkover at 50k,

Jessie Dean Harris, walkover win-

ner at 80k, and Johnny Johnson,

walkover in the 63k category.

But the pick of the rest was per-

haps Henry Turner, twice a

schoolboy champion and looking

a star in the making.

He showed real class in puncing

out a unanimous points win over

Len Hickey (Fisher) to add yet

another title to his collection.

Then there was Faisal Khan at

57k who had to face Mike

Hennessey, the son of profession-

al promoter Mick Hennessey.

Naturally the Hennessey clan

took a lot of support to the show,

but Khan drowned out their noise

by getting a unanimous points

win.

John Hanrahan featured in a

very exciting contest against Les

Cullen (Bodyshots), but always

had the upper hand and got the

nod from all the judges.

Isaac Johnson finished off the

winning spree against the inexpe-

rienced Alan Garal (White Hart

Lane Academy) and had to work

hard to get a unanimous points

verdict.

Only loser was Leonard

Chambers, who lost a majority

points decision to Roger

Parchment (Earslfield).

Back row,left, Jessie Dean Harris, front row, left, Jamal Khan and Tommy Roberts

The record-breakers

Johnny Johnson

city sport magazine

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