IT WAS one of the sports less heralded before 2012 that captured the imagination of many British fans.

And now handball is enjoying an increase in participation after the Olympics.

One club in Brentwood certainly saw a spike in interest immediately after London 2012, with more than 120 people getting in touch with Brentwood Handball Club in the months after the Games.

Many were beginners and the club began running Wednesday night sessions for those over the age of 16 who wanted to try the sport.

That is separate from their men's first team, which has been competing in the Development League for three years and this year reached the play-offs.

The club's taster sessions have now finished for the summer, but head coach Hans-Jörg Küller Rabaça is hoping they will be able to start again next season.

He said: "At present, we only cater for male and female players over 16, but hope to be able to have a junior section in the future.

"We would very much like to have a women's team but don't have enough female players yet.

"We hope this will change in the future as we hope to attract more women to handball from the Brentwood area."

The newcomers to the sport were given a taste of competitive action last month when they took on a team from Chelmsford.

The game finished in a 5-4 win for Brentwood, and Küller Rabaça was thrilled with how they did.

"BHC newcomers all showed great commitment and enthusiasm and have demonstrated a good level of handball skills achieved in a very short time," he said.

The BHC newcomers team on the day were Mike Childs in goal, Ani Delaprida, Matthew Weston, Philip Weston (1), Ross Smith, Grant Smith (2), Sean Ayers (1) and Toby Fox-Hammond (1).

BHC are still looking for talented female players over 16 to be able to also stage a women's team in the near future.

Handball is a sport traditionally strong in mainland Europe, but Britain formed a team to compete in 2012.

It is a quick-paced sport and in professional matches both sides often score in excess of 20 goals.

Teams of seven players - six outfielders and a goalkeeper - compete over two halves of 30 minutes.

Contact is allowed only when the defensive player is completely in front of the offensive player; ie, between the offensive player and the goal.

Any contact from the side or especially from behind is considered dangerous and is usually met with penalties.

It was first played in the Olympics in Berlin in 1936, and then returned to the Games in 1972, and has been a fixture ever since.

Eastern European nations old and new have won four golds - two for Yugoslavia and two for Croatia, but France have won the last two gold medals. Team GB lost all five of their games in London, after being drawn in a group which contained the eventual winners and Sweden, who they would beat in the final, while Croatia won the bronze after beating Hungary in the bronze medal match, which was held on the last day of the Games.

For more information about Brentwood Handball Club please visit the club's website at www.brentwoodhandball.co.uk/

A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a London man in Little Burstead.

Sam Garcia, 26, of Brooks Avenue, East Ham, was certified dead inside a caravan off Clock House Road. This was a short time after police were contacted by the ambulance service just before 4am on Bank Holiday Monday, May 6.

Officers arrived and found Mr Garcia being treated by paramedics following reports that a man was seriously ill, but Mr Garcia died at the scene a short time later. A post-mortem examination was carried out on Tuesday, but further tests are required to establish the cause of death.

The family of Mr Garcia said: "Samuel Joseph Garcia, beloved son, brother, grandson and friend.

"A hard-working, humorous loyal and loving man. Loved and missed forever."

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Mark Hall, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "At this stage, we are investigating to establish the full facts and treating it as a homicide.

"We are looking to speak with anyone who was at the farm in Little Burstead on that Sunday night or Monday morning. Equally, we would like to hear from those who have information relating to Sam's death."

Four people were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and have now been released on police bail. Two men aged 29 and 30, and both from Canning Town east London, a 34-year-old woman from East Ham, east London and a 69-year-old man from Billericay had been questioned at separate police stations in south Essex.

The 69-year-old man from Billericay has since been released from his bail without charge. The three other people remain on bail until Wednesday, July 31 pending further enquiries.

Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at Brentwood's Major Investigation Team on 101, email them on scdappeals@essex.pnn.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Paul Groves was put behind bars for a minimum of  23 years today for battering self styled Essex gangster William (Billy Boy) Martin to death after a row over drugs.

Groves, who was convicted yesterday at Chelmsford Crown Court of bludgeoning Mr Martin to death with a pick-axe handle at a remote farm at Ongar last September was given a life sentence by High Court judge, Mr Justice Sweeney.

And the judge ruled that he must serve at least 23 years before he is even eligible to apply for parole. That does not mean he will automatically be freed then though. It will be up to the Parole Board to decide whether or not his application to be released should be granted.

As he sentenced Groves, who was accompanied at the farm by another man whose identity was never revealed, the judge told him : "You have been convicted of the brutal murder of William Martindale.

"You used severe force causing terrible injuries to Mr Martindale's head. At the time he was unconscious.

"You took a muscled assistant and never revealed that man's identity although you knew it."

Groves, 34, of Queensway, Ongar, wearing a grey fleece and open necked shirt, stood in the dock flanked by a security officer and showed no emotion as the sentence was imposed.

Before the judge passed sentence Graham Trembath QC for Groves told the judge : "Essentially Mr Martindale was a co-author of this scenario that played out that evening.

"It was Mr Martindale, by virtue of incessant telecommunication, texts and phone calls, who goaded Groves to go to the farm that evening."

Groves was convicted by the eight man and four woman jury at the end of a trial which lasted just over a week of both the murder of Mr Martindale and of causing grievous bodily harm to another man, Paul Meeking, who he also attacked with the pick-axe handle.

In addition to the life sentence the judge handed down a concurrent sentence of ten years in respect of the attack on Mr Meeking.

During the trial the jury was told in bloody detail of the fatal confrontation between Groves and Mr Martindale at Mr Martindale's smallholding, Meadow View Farm, Mill Lane, High Ongar, on 7 September last year.

Mr Martindale was left with a fractured skull, bleeding under the skull, damaged nerve endings in his brain, fractured cheekbone and eye sockets.

The two men who were said at one stage to have been friends had fallen out over a drug dispute it was claimed.
 
Groves claimed in court that he thought Mr Martindale, who he said bragged that he was a "gangster and criminal" and had killed two hitmen, was armed with a shotgun or machete and was going to shoot him. He claimed he acted in self defence.

He told the jury he panicked and struck Mr Martindale with the pick-axe handle and then left, believing Mr Martindale was unconscious.

Groves claimed Mr Martindale had been threatening him telling him he had to grow cannabis crop for him (Martindale) because he had ruined one before and it had left him (Martindale) £2,500 out of pocket.

Groves said he had repeatedly refused to do it but eventually he decided to go to the farm to talk about it.

He told the jury he had gone to see Mr Martindale after he phoned him threatening to stab his (Groves') father.

Although told the jury he believed Mr Martindale was a "bully, gangster and a criminal", he said he went to see him to "tell him to calm down" to "chill out."

But he claimed that when he got there Mr Martindale was at a table with and he had thought it was a gun or a machete.

He told the jury : "I panicked and thought it was a shotgun. He had shown me a shotgun in the past and was always bragging about guns and things and quite passionate about them and it just looked like the butt of a shotgun.

"I panicked and punched him. I thought he was going to shoot me."

He claimed he was then attacked by Mr Meeking with a pick-axe handle, wrested it from Mr Meeking and hit him with it. He said he had then hit Mr Martindale twice and had left thinking that he was unconscious.

A teenage boy has been evicted from a property in Brentwood today, Friday May 10, following a series of complaints from neighbours about his anti-social behaviour.

The 17-year-old boy lived at the property in Bishops Hall Road with his friends but the tenancy was in the name of his mother who moved elsewhere some time ago.

There had been reports of drug use at the property.

Police attended to prevent a breach of the peace when bailiffs acting for Brentwood Borough Council executed a county court eviction order at the address, today, Friday.

Insp. Paul Wells, the Brentwood area commander praised the close work between police, residents and council solicitors to provide the county court with evidence of persistent anti-social behaviour at the property.

He said: "This was an excellent example of police, the council and the community working together to deal with a serious anti-social behaviour problem.

"With the help of local residents we were able to gather extensive evidence that was presented to the county court hearing on April 16 when the eviction order was granted."
 

A Heybridge thug has been jailed for three years for battering a man unconscious with a metal pole.

David Holroyd, 39, was left with a broken jaw, broken cheekbone and broken nose after the attack by traveller Wayne Buckley, 26, on 12 July last year.

As he jailed Buckley, of Hillar Close, Heybridge, who had pleaded not guilty but was convicted of wounding Mr Holroyd on 12 July last year Judge Silas Reid told him it was a serious assault and the only sentence was prison.

The judge at Chelmsford Crown Court continued : "This was a dangerously persistent and prolonged attack with a weapon. He was walking away from you and going home and it took place in front of his wife.

"It was an absolutely terrifying incident to see and his wife was left screaming in fear."

The court had been told during the trial that trouble between the two men flared after an argument over quad bikes which Mr Holroyd claimed had been stolen some ten years previously. They squared up to each other but then Buckley took the pole from the back of a car and used it on Mr Holroyd.

Mr Holroyd told the court that he had been angry, upset and shouting at the time and might have made some rude remarks about Buckley's links to the travelling community.

Buckley had claimed in his defence that Mr Holroyd went to punch his father, so he pushed his dad out of the way but was then struck in the chest.

He claimed : "I punched him back, in the face, with a clenched fist."

He claimed he only punched him once and Mr Holroyd's injuries might have been caused when he fell on top of him.

He denied getting anything out of the boot or kneeling over him and striking Mr Holroyd with an object.

His lawyer, Gavin Burrell, said Buckley had expressed remorse and was sorry for what had happened.

A 27-year-old was stabbed by a knife-wielding robber while he was driving his white Mercedes van in Jutsums Lane, Romford

A suspect, described as a white male aged between 28 and 32 with black hair, got into the passenger side of the vehicle and stole a quantity of cash and an iPhone before stabbing the victim in the thigh causing a small cut at about 5.30 pm on Tuesday May 7.

The attacker was wearing a light blue woolly hat, light blue gloves, T shirt and sports jacket.

Any member of the public who witnessed this incident or with any knowledge of this matter are urged to contact DC Andy Ferne at Romford CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A Romford man has been jailed for six weeks for benefit fraud after illegally subletting his council house.

John Delgado, 34, was jailed for six weeks at Romford Magistrates' Court yesterday, Thursday May 9 after he pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming more than £14,000 in benefits.

Delgado had been claiming both housing and Council tax benefit since 1993 while living in a Council home in Leamington Close, Harold Hill.

But an investigation by Havering Council found that in 2009 he had moved in with his partner at her home in Romford and was illegally subletting his Council property for profit.

Magistrates handed down an immediate custodial sentence due to aggravating factors including the length of time Delgado continued to fraudulently claim benefits, the large amount he defrauded from the Council, that his acts were motivated by greed and that he had shown no remorse for his actions.

His Council home has now been retrieved by the council and given to another tenant who had been on the waiting list.

In a separate case, Harold Hill resident Gary Hicks, 50, was also sentenced to six weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and given a curfew from 7pm to 7am daily, for fraudulently claiming benefits.

Hicks admitted claiming almost £9,000 in housing and Council tax benefit. He was also not living in his Council home, in Dartfields, Harold Hill and was subletting the address. An investigation was launched following a tip-off from a neighbour who said he had not lived there for 12 years.

He will also be electronically tagged for three months and was ordered to pay £500 towards prosecution costs and an additional £80 victim surcharge. The Council has also taken steps to retrieve his Council home.

To help continue investigating cases such as these, Havering Council has recently received a £200,000 grant from the Government. This money will help the Council continue to tackle housing fraud and retrieve Council homes which are not being used correctly for families in need.

It will fund investigators and prosecutions and, during the next two years, the Council hopes to retrieve an additional 100 properties from fraudsters.

Housing fraud is undertaken in a number of ways, such as subletting or not using a property as a main residence or illegally obtaining a property.

Councillor Roger Ramsey, Cabinet Member for Value, said: "We want our message to be clear to fraudsters; you won't get away with it in Havering. We are looking for you and we will find you.

"Council housing is there for the most vulnerable people in our communities and we will take all necessary steps to prevent people from obtaining a home and not using it for the reason it was given. With a waiting list of local families in need, we will do everything we can to ensure any homes being used fraudulently are returned to us so that deserving families can live in them."

ANGELS, Buddhas, dream catchers and crystals are available at a new spiritual shop in Brentwood which opened with a special visitor.

On Saturday, Helen Sanders and her partner Keith Swift opened Five Elements on Kings Road with a guest appearance from Chrissie Astell, who was signing books in store.

The spiritual educator, who writes for Spirit and Destiny magazine, also had her cards and CDs on sale.

Mrs Sanders, of South Woodham Ferrers, said: "It was really good to have Chrissie there for the opening.

"She specialises in angels – she writes books about them and makes cards as well as running courses all to do with developing your spiritual connection to them.

"I am a fan of hers, I met her after doing an angel card workshop and it was a real turning point for me. I had never come into contact with angels before and it all went from there."

The 50-year-old, who previously worked in retail in various shops, explained: "My shop isn't just angel-themed, it sells all sorts of spiritual objects as well as Reiki treatments which I will offer in the two treatment rooms upstairs.

"We have Buddhas, books, CDs, dream catchers, sun catchers and cards as well as crystals.

"Crystals are my passion."

Mrs Sanders explained that Reiki is energy healing and she is a master teacher.

She said: "It's something that's intuitive – people who come in don't have to do anything they just lie on the couch and relax if they want to be healed or just want a feeling of well-being.

"Everyone gets something different from the experience."

She added: "A lot of people walked by on Saturday and saw what was going on – we have had quite a lot of interest.

"There isn't anything else like this in town – it's one of those shops you don't find too often.

"I've been into crystals since I was a child.

"My husband passed away two and-a-half years ago and that allowed me to have time off and have developed more along the spiritual lines.

"I met my partner Keith and he said yes to opening up the shop.

"We run the shop together and also have an online site.

"I am really happy to have it open – it's something I've wanted for 20 years and it's been a long time coming.

"I am hopeful it will be successful.

"I think Brentwood will be good – there are quite a few places like the Buddhist centre which will appeal to customers and we're in a good place logistically.

"I come from Upminster so I'm not from far away."

Five Elements is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

You can visit them online as well at www.fiveelementsonline.co.uk

THE annual North Weald Bassett Citizens of the Year Awards have recognised the work of passionate volunteers who have helped to benefit the community.

The award winners were nominated by the public and the awards were presented to them by parish councillors.

There were several categories and the winners of each received a certificate in recognition of their work.

The awards were handed out at Thornwood Village Hall on April 29.

Co-winner of the Junior Award and Overall Award, Lauren Elder, said: "I am really happy to have been recognised for the award.

"It is important to give something back to the community."

Lauren, 17, of North Weald, along with Rosie Mercer, 15, organised and ran several projects that helped the elderly residents at Wheelers Farm Gardens sheltered housing complex.

The two cadets from 414 Squadron Epping and North Weald Air Training Corps have been working to help the elderly for over a year.

This has involved everything from games nights with the residents to buying them Christmas presents with the funds raised.

Lauren's mother Lesley said: "I am enormously proud of my daughter.

"I'm very proud of what she has done. She is a very thoughtful and hardworking young lady."

The competition for the Individual Award was stiff, with four nominees, and it ended up with both Nick Dorras and Mick Sheen winning.

Mick Sheen was given the award for his outstanding work with the local Neighbourhood Watch (NW).

The 68-year-old, from Thornwood, has been involved with the NW for four years and is now chairman of the Epping Forest District NW.

He said: "We are always on the look out for more volunteers.

"What we do is help educate about crime and help the police fight it."

Nick Dorras was given the award for his work running North Weald Village Hall.

The other winners were: Group Award – North Weald Village Hall Committee Members and Individual Award Runner Up – George Jackson.

To get involved with your local Neighbourhood Watch, e-mail efdnwatch@hotmail.co.uk

THIS year's Brentwood Half Marathon was a record-breaker, with the most entrants and volunteers in the race's history. Despite the freezing conditions over 4,000 people entered, along with 370 volunteers helping on the day.

In the region of £50,000 was raised for St Francis Hospice, Havering and Brentwood Bereavement Service and SNAP by their runners. On top of this the Rotary club of Brentwood a Becket raised £70,000 for local, national and international Rotary charities and good causes.

On Thursday, April 18 half marathon and fun runners attended a ceremony at the Brentwood Town Hall to receive their well-deserved honours.

Brentwood a Becket Rotary Club organises the Brentwood Half Marathon which took place on March 24.

Rotarian Anne Bender said: "The half marathon was run under extreme conditions this year. Every runner made a tremendous effort completing the course in Siberian conditions.

"As well as the main charities, we also enabled several other groups like Georgia's Teenage Cancer Appeal, to raise large sums of money on the day.

"All of the entrants, from the youngest to the oldest – the oldest female being June Gutteridge, aged 79 – were extremely happy to have their awards presented."

Rotarian Del White added: "The event has generated over £1.5 million pounds over the past 32 years."

The awards were presented by Brentwood a Becket Rotarians, Mayor Anne Coe and head of marketing at LV> Anna Peak.

"We would like to thank our hardy runners and fantastic volunteers who turned out in adverse conditions, Sawyers Church for laying on refreshments, Becket Keys C of E School for hosting and supporting the event and considerable support from our sponsor LV>, who all played a major part in making this year's event so special."

AN annual competition which seeks to brighten up the borough with flowers has been officially launched.

Applications are now open to gardeners wanting to show of their green-fingered prowess in the annual Brentwood in Bloom contest.

The 2013 instalment, sponsored by Bennetts Funerals, will run until June 7 and will culminate in the Brentwood in Bloom awards ceremony in July.

There are categories for all sizes of plots, including residential gardens, schools, businesses, pubs and religious grounds.

Jane Bennett, the owner of Bennetts Funerals, said: "The aim is to get everyone working together to make Brentwood an even better place to live and work by encouraging a brighter environment with the planting of flowers, shrubs and trees for the benefit of all."

In the past, some of the most fiercely fought categories have been First Entry Front Garden, Best Front Garden and Premier League Front Garden.

For added intrigue, the 2013 competition will be the first in 10 years in which current Brentwood in Bloom champion Bill Rolstone will not be entering.

The 80-year-old who has virtually made the annual event his own, decided to step back from the competition last year, 10 years after lifting his first trophy.

Other categories include the best team effort, best kept public house – front of pub, best kept public house – beer garden, best kept business premises, best maintained religious grounds, best residential accommodation and best allotment.

Ms Bennett added: "Through promoting Brentwood in Bloom 2013 in the Brentwood Gazette we hope to attract even more people to enter the competition and to attract more people to enter the different categories of it."

"We want people to enter all the different categories."

The last entry must be received by June 7 and judging takes place in the week commencing June 24. Prizes are presented on July 12.

Entry forms are available from the town hall in Ingrave Road; Brentwood Community Transport, based at Pepperrell House in the High Street and Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone libraries.

PUPILS from New Hall School took the opportunity to play on international cricket grounds on their recent tour of Sri Lanka.

A squad of 18 from the independent boarding and day school in Chelmsford headed to Asia last month for a programme of fixtures which saw them take the field at some impressive stadia.

Among them were the Dambulla International Stadium and Rajapaske International Stadium, both of which have hosted several one-day internationals.

As well as playing cricket, the pupils also visited charity Foundation of Goodness, which is working to improve the lives of the people in the surrounding areas through sport, education and healthcare.

While there, the pupils opened the New Hall School IT suite, which contains ten new computers donated on behalf of the school.

New Hall's Cricket Academy trains all-year round under the tutelage of the school's Head of Cricket Gareth James alongside former England captain Nasser Hussain, who is New Hall's cricket professional.

The Academy is made up of elite county and school players, and they receive hours of individual coaching.

Hussain said: "The facilities and opportunities at New Hall continue to improve and we will continue to work as hard as possible to make sure that every student has the chance to be as good as they can be.

This is the second oversees cricket tour the school has undertaken, after the hugely successful trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2011. "Tours such as these are vital in the development of young players, both on and off the field," said James.

"The Cricket Academy has seen exciting developments since it first launched, with Nasser Hussain joining as our professional and the students benefiting from outstanding facilities, including cricket nets and extensive grounds.

"All of this helps all of our players, whether a part of the Academy or any of the school's cricket teams, to develop and grow to their full potential."