THREE brothers from Shenfield are enjoying karate success at both national and international level.

Tristan Luke, 17, and his 15-year-old twin brothers Bryce and Ryan have all shone already in 2013.

First Ryan and Tristan both won medals at the English National Karate Kyu-Grade Championships in Sheffield, before Bryce just missed out on a bronze medal in the European Karate Federation Championships in Turkey.

The three boys have all been participating in the sport for ten years, and their hard work and hours of training are now paying dividends in the Kumite discipline of the sport, which is based on fighting.

Ryan claimed gold in the -63kg Cadet Category in Sheffield, which on the day was merged with the -70kg and +70kg categories, meaning he came up against bigger and stronger opponents.

But despite this, he won every fight and walked away with the gold medal.

Like his brother, Ryan is part of the England National Karate Squad, and he could be involved in the World Championships in June.

The Kyu-Grade championships are for all competitors up to black belt, and at the same event Tristan competed in the Junior -76kg category. He won all of his fights up until the final, which was drawn 2-2, but the judges ruled against him on flags.

It was his first major competition since he broke his hand in two places at the English National Championships five years ago.

All eyes then turned to Bryce as he travelled to Turkey to make his England debut, where 44 countries were competing.

He first beat a Serbian opponent, overcoming an early head kick to win the clash.

He then took on an excellent Turkis opponent and was unlucky when his opponent went for a kick to the head when Bryce took him down – both moves worth three points – and the judges sided with the home competitor, who went on to win the contest.

As he won the contest, this meant Bryce went on to the repechage fight-off for a bronze medal.

Wins over a Swedish and Slovakian opponents took him into a bronze medal match against a strong French opponent.

Bryce fell three points behind early on and his attempts to level up by taking down his opponent were halted three times by his opponent holding on, each time earning the Frenchman a warning.

And as the clock ran out, Bryce tried another takedown but was pulled out of the ring by his opponent, but he was awarded the win despite the risk of a fourth warning and disqualification.

Bryce's debut performance impressed the national selectors, and they are keen for him to compete at the World Championships in Spain in the autumn.

The boys' proud father John said: "I have mixed emotions, really. I didn't know what to expect at his first European Championship, but I am pleased he didn't go out in the first round.

"Losing to France, who are world champions, and Turkey, who are one of Europe's strongest Karate nations, is no disgrace. Both fights were so close and could have gone either way.

"He fought very well and to come fifth in Europe at the first attempt is a real achievement, but having come so far I am disappointed for him that he didn't medal. To represent your country at any sport is a big deal and I am very proud of what Bryce has achieved."

Ryan and Bryce are looking for a commercial sponsor to help finance training and competitions in England and overseas. If you would be interested in sponsoring the boys, please e-mail sport@gazettenews.co.uk.

THESE CCTV images show the moment a Chelmsford man foiled an alleged internet identity thief.

Chris Burt, 64, was surprised to find a TomTom SatNav had been delivered to his home in Great Cobb, Springfield, on February 20, when he had not ordered one.

So he contacted the mail order company who sent it to find that he had been the victim of an alleged identity theft.

The firm told Mr Burt that a fraudster had managed to set up a false account with online shopping website Isme using his details and had purchased the SatNav to be delivered to Mr Burt's home. They asked him to post it back.

But the next day there was a knock at the door and a man appeared in a delivery uniform, holding the paperwork for the TomTom, before claiming he was there to collect the device on behalf of the company, Mr Burt told the Chronicle.

But when Mr Burt asked him for ID, the man said he would go and get it from his car but drove off.

Mr Burt, a self-employed salesman, said: "It was my wife, Jane, 61, who answered the door but passed him over to me.

"As soon as he started speaking I knew something was fishy and that's why I asked for his ID card.

"To be honest he was pretty amateur. Anyone can make up a fake ID card on printed paper, and use a laminator – you can get all that done in an office supplies shop.

"He was good but he wasn't that good – if he had the ID card I may have handed it over.

"Apparently these thefts happen in spates of about five or six at a time, and I don't think these guys would come all the way from London, so I reckon they are local.

"I followed him with a pen and paper to note down his registration number and at that moment he drove away in his BMW.

"He might be alone or part of a ring of people setting up false accounts and getting deliveries to different houses in the area."

Mr Burt managed to catch images of the visitor using his own CCTV camera, which he installed to protect his home.

He contacted the police to report the incident, but because he was not a victim of fraud they would not investigate it.

So he called upon the fraud officer of Isme to make a formal complaint to Essex Police, who arrested a man on Friday.

He was released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Mr Burt said the fraud officer for Isme estimated that the criminals could be knocking on five doors a day, making around £5,000 from stolen goods a week.

He added: "I'm not a Victor Meldrew from that TV show who likes to complain all the time, I just think something needs to get done. Who knows how many people this is happening to?"

A SHOP owner has warned a new supermarket convenience store on Brentwood High Street would 'kill' her business and damage the area.

Supermarket chain Morrisons purchased 49 Blockbuster stores last month sparking fears among some traders of a new Morrison's M store opening in the film rental chain's current high street shop.

Mrs DiptiGondhia, 52, has owned a Nisa convenience store two doors away with her husband and one other business partner for the past eight years.

She said: "It will kill us. Because we're just trying to make a living out of this shop and if things like that come it means we are gone – vanished.

"My husband can't sleep because you can't compete with them as people will just go there for the name.

"We have a lot of regulars but you have to question how much you can depend on them."

The current Blockbuster is expected to close its doors by March 26 with eight staff being made redundant.

A member of staff told the Gazette the shop had not been told whether Morrison's planned to open on the site.

Any new Morrison's store would need to apply to Brentwood Council for planning permission to change the use of the shop and further approval to sell alcohol.

Mrs Gondhia said that she had contacted the council who confirmed no planning application had been made for the store.

She urged them to help protect existing high street businesses: "We have been paying our rates and rent and now this might totally ruin us."

Blockbuster is currently in administration with Deloitte who are believed to be considering other bids for the remaining 479 UK stores.

Several other national chains are thought to be considering purchasing the remaining outlets.

Dartford boss Tony Burman may welcome back Lee Noble when his side play host to Braintree.

The midfielder is available for selection after serving a four-match ban and could return to the squad.

But Burman may be reluctant to make changes following Saturday's shock 2-1 win against league leaders Wrexham.

James Evans is pushing for inclusion having scored the all-important equaliser from the bench. James Rogers could make way if he is rewarded with a starting role.

That result extended Dartford's unbeaten home run to 10 matches and means they have also avoided defeat in their last four home games.

Burman has no fresh injury or suspension worries ahead of the clash as his side look to record back-to-back victories for the fifth time this season.

Braintree defender Matt Paine is suspended for his side's trip as he serves the second game of a three-match ban.

Paine, 25, was sent off for violent conduct against Luton and would have served his final game against Tony Burman's side but Saturday's trip to Nuneaton was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Young on-loan defender Steven Smith is again likely to take his place in the squad after joining on a one-month loan from Leicester.

Goalkeeper Danny Naisbitt could make the bench as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury, which means that Nathan McDonald is likely to start between the sticks.

Midfielder Bradley Quinton is still recovering from a knee injury and this game could come too soon for him.

AS a mini snow blizzard takes hold of Essex, weather centres are advising people to be aware of snow settling.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow today, expecting more snow showers and long spells of snow through the rest of today and overnight.

They predict only small amounts of snow are likely to settle on roads during the daytime, but from around dusk around two to five centimetres of snow could occur.

The Essex Weather Centre has given a short range forecast for today, which is unseasonable cold with strong north-easterly winds, creating severe wind chill, scattered snow showers and a maximum temperature of1C.
 
Tonight tempertures are falling back below freezing with widespread ground and air frost, further snow showers with a risk of gails, minimum temp  -5C, but Tuesday look to be dry and bright with lengthy spells of sunshine, odd snow showers and apossible maximum temp of 3C.  

The Met Office station at Writtle College also reported -2.1c at 3pm, which according to the centre have not been seen as daytime temperatures in March since the 1980s.

Currently there are no delays on Greater Anglia trains which run from London Liverpool Street to Norwich.

Tonight's Blue Square Bet South match at home to AFC Hornchurch has been postponed.

The match, which was due to kick-off at 7.45pm, has been cancelled tonight due to a frozen pitch at Melbourne Stadium.

A new date for the game will be published on the club's website (www.chelmsfordcityfc.com), as well as on Twitter @OfficialClarets, as soon as it is known.

Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his wife Vicky Pryce have both been sentenced for eight months for perverting the course of justice.

The pair were both convicted after she took driving licence points for him after he was caught speeding in 2003.

Huhne resigned as the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire after admitting the charge.

Pryce, who had claimed the defence of marital coercion, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court last week.
 

ALL-ROUNDER Ryan ten Doeschate has admitted he never had any doubts about signing a new contract at Essex. The Dutchman penned a two-year extension to his deal to keep him at the County Ground until 2014.

The 32-year-old will pass ten years as an Essex player this season, and Chelmsford remains the only place in England he wants to play.

"Of course I'm pleased," he said. "I've been wanting to sign for a long time but being away it's not always easy to tie up the final things. But I've always only wanted to play my cricket here at Essex."

Ten Doeschate has had a busy winter, playing for Otago Volts in New Zealand and then Chittagong Kings in the BPL – where he ended the tournament as second-highest run scorer.

He is currently back in England for pre-season with Essex, but will be off again before the season begins as he returns to the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders.

"That's the way I've chosen to go about playing my cricket now," he added. "Especially not playing that much in the IPL, I need to play cricket so the winters are always going to be busy.

"At the same time I feel refreshed. I've had a short break and now I'm getting ready for the season with the Essex boys and I feel fresh and raring to go."

Among his teammates in Chittagong was Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait, who will be among his Essex teammates in 2013 after penning a deal for the Twenty20 Cup.

The pair will be hoping to help fire the Eagles to a fourth appearance at Finals Day – provided they can get out of what ten Doeschate admits is a tough south group.

Every team in the group apart from the Eagles have lifted the trophy, including current holders Hampshire, but ten Doeschate believes his side can once again get to the later stages.

He said: "It is the hardest group but there is a quarter-final stage so it's quite lenient – you can afford to slip up a few times.

"Without a doubt it's the hardest group and I think the southern counties are better at Twenty20 cricket as a whole. It's very challenging, we face better sides, but it makes us perform better.

"We've got out of the group before, and we certainly back ourselves in the group and hope to get to the quarter-finals again."

Ten Doeschate and his teammates are heading off for some warm weather training in the Spanish resort of La Manga on Thursday.

He added: "We've been in the indoor school, I've been there for the last two weeks and the lads have been there for the past three months, but it's always good to train outdoors, to have all the boys together as well.

"It's going to be a big weekend in terms of our planning and strategy for the season and talking about how we're going to go about things. It's nice to get away and it should be a lot of fun."

A SCHOOLGIRL from Hutton will turn 13 on the same day that she competes in the regional finals of a national singing competition.

Jodie Tarrant, 12, has qualified for the third stage of Teen Star, a talent contest for young vocalists.

The St Martin's School pupil, who lives in Whittington Road, has been singing since she was four but this is the first competition that she has entered.

Jodie will be having a doubly exciting day on March 17 because as well as competing in the live regional finals she will be celebrating her 13th birthday.

She said: "I'm really excited and although it's been nerve-wracking it's been a great experience.

"I honestly didn't think I would do well as on the day of the auditions I really wasn't feeling well.

"But the judges thought I was good enough and I got through."

Thousands of hopefuls entered the competition and hundreds were auditioned to get through to the regional finals.

The later stages will provide acts with the opportunity to impress record labels, agencies and the entertainment industry.

In her next performance, Jodie hopes to sing and play the piano, which she taught herself to play.

She added: "I'm excited to be competing on my birthday and I'll just see how I get on.

"On the day of the audition I wasn't even sure if I would enter but in the end I realised I had nothing to lose and just went for it – I'm so glad I did but it was a real shock to me to qualify.

"I practice for 20 minutes every day, sometimes with my mum, who is really supportive.

"She gives me advice and constructive criticism which helps me to improve.

"I've always loved singing and do it whenever I can – it's a good way to express myself."

The regional stage of Teen Star will take place at the Palace Theatre in Southend and, if successful, Jodie will take part in the final at The O2 Arena in London.

Jodie hopes she can make it all the way and has wanted to be a performer since she can remember.

"I love to sing – particularly slower songs that are more emotional – but I like all sorts depending on my mood," she said.

To buy tickets for the show, visit www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk

JUST two people have applied to become the next vicar of the parish church in North Weald since the previous incumbent left in October 2011.

Following the retirement of the Reverend Trevor Thorpe – who was, until last year, the longest serving Church of England clergyman in history – only two candidates have come forward to take over St Andrew's Church, but both later pulled out.

Now a lay minister believes that the post might not be filled until the end of this year, leaving parishioners without a spiritual "centre point".

In the interim, two retired men of the cloth, the Reverend David Moore and the Reverend Rayner Harries, have stepped in to take services.

Yet the shortage of willing applicants for the vacancy may mean that the North Weald parish is an "unattractive proposition" for clergy, says villager Tony Miller.

"It's sad that it has come to the point where I have heard that applicants have walked away, what is it about this set-up that deters them?" he asked.

Mr Miller, who is not a member of the St Andrew's congregation, asked the church's hierarchy why it was difficult to recruit a new reverend for the place of worship in a newsletter.

He wrote: "It is a pleasing development to learn that after so very long, St Andrew's Church is experiencing a steady flow of baptisms, weddings and funerals (hopefully not too many of the latter).

"It is also with interest to learn that the final sole applicant for vicar of St Andrew's has withdrawn his candidacy.

"If I recall correctly, that now makes three (sic) withdrawals in all since the process began and consequently I am prompted to wonder if there is anything in particular that makes responsibility for our village church a seemingly unattractive proposition."

However, this week, Edwyn Gilmour, a lay minister at St Andrew's, said that only two candidates had withdrawn their application, and not three.

The Ongar resident added: "It's interesting, I think, that there is this, as I always like to refer to it, outside interest, but there is really nothing very sensational about it.

"I am aware there is a suggestion made that there must be something wrong with this church, but that is not the case, there is a universal shortage of clergy, that's the first thing.

"The second thing is there is a stark difference between a clergyman who is living off a parish and a parishioner in charge who is not anchored and is just appointed to a parish."

Mr Gilmour believes that a change in the terms of a Church of England minister's remuneration means experienced vicars are reluctant to leave a parish they have served long term because they may lose the financial benefits tied into their existing package.

He also said the church is an historical organisation and is not set up to make these appointments quickly.

The previous incumbent, Mr Thorpe, was the longest serving vicar in the Church of England ever, serving for 54 years until his retirement in October 2011.

Mr Thorpe died on January 15 this year. He was aged 91.

PARENTS campaigning to open a secondary school in Ongar have had a huge boost from a wealthy backer.

The School4Ongar movement, made up of mums, dads and grandparents, is pushing to open a free school in Love Lane, to prevent children having to travel miles out of town to be educated.

The group, which is being run by father-of-three Jeff Banks, from Willingale, has now secured funds from an unnamed donor to carry out a feasibility study and pay for marketing materials.

The 45-year-old believes that around 500 children travel out of Ongar each day to attend schools across other parts of Essex.

He said: "We are obviously very pleased to have someone who has offered support for the campaign.

"It's always difficult for small village groups to realise their projects and cover basic costs.

"But what it now means is that we are able to really do the ground work for the project without asking the individuals who are campaigning to dip into their pockets as well as do the legwork."

A company, LAP Architects, is drawing up draft plans for the school, which will be presented to Ongar Town Council, Essex County Council and Epping Forest District Council.

A second draft will then be presented at a public meeting around Easter time.

Mr Banks said: "I am interested in a new school because I am a local parent and my own children spend just over two hours every day on the school bus going from Ongar to Brentwood and I think that's a terrible shame for children to spend so much time of their young lives going to and from school on the bus."

School4Ongar is calling for parents and anybody else interested in their campaign to register their interest at www.school4ongar.com

A FORMER star of The Only Way Is Essex and Brentwood's favourite glamour model are inviting people to help them set a new world record by following the mayor of Brentwood out of a plane at 12,000 feet.

Harry Derbidge and Jodie Marsh are joining Councillor Ann Coe to launch Mayor in the Air, which is set to be one of the most extravagant fundraising events Brentwood has seen.

The trio are hoping that more than 100 thrill seekers will join them over three days in May to set a new world record for the number of people jumping out of plane with the borough mayor, while raising thousands for Councillor Coe's mayoral charities.

The skydivers will not all jump out of the plane at the same time. There will be a number of jumps over the three days.

The first 10 people to register, and who are prepared to help with organising several events at the Sugar Hut and other venues leading up to the challenge, will be able to jump for free.

Harry, 18, who owns Harry's World boutique in Ongar Road, said: "I've never done it before, but I've always wanted to skydive.

"So when I heard about the event I though how amazing that will be.

"It's for three amazing charities, so let's support and get involved."

It will be less of a novel experience for Miss Marsh, who has experienced three parachute jumps already.

The 34-year-old, who lives close to Cllr Coe in South Weald, said: "I've known Ann for years and she roped me into it.

"The times I've done skydives before were absolutely brilliant.

"I think everyone should experience it at least once.

"When you jump out of plane you feel absolutely invincible, and you feel like you can do anything."

The challenge will be no small feat for Councillor Coe, who, by her own admission is scared of flying and only flew for the first time 10 years ago.

During her mayoral year, she has been raising money for Crossroads Care, which helps carers and the people they support; Frontline Partnership, which supports people with learning disabilities; and the Alzheimer's Society, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia.

She said: "I'll be the first to jump out and then I want 100 people to follow behind me.

"It's quite a big thing for me, but compared to all the volunteers and workers who keep these charities going, it's just a small thing really.

"I don't want to just raise money, for my three charities, I want to raise the profile of them too and I'm sure people will find it a brilliant experience."

The record attempt has been lodged with Guinness World Records by organiser Dean Hatton.

He can be contacted to discuss either jumping with the mayor or to donate towards the jump fund.

The skydive is a tandem jump and all involved will be strapped to a skydive professional.

Mr Hatton said: "Mayor in the Air is an amazing window of opportunity for everyone to raise money and awareness for three amazing charities."

To register, to find out more about the challenge, or contact the organisers, go to www.mayorintheair.com

GUIDANCE on how to deal with bullying on the buses, and what to do when your friends are in danger of distracting the driver, is being issued to every school in Essex.

With tens of thousands of youngsters travelling across the county on contract and private vehicles each day, it is hoped that as many as possible will watch the short films to inform them of the possible dangers.

Essex County Council has just launched B Safe B Cool The Collection, a DVD of 16 cartoon and real-life short films, plus interactive resources.

It has been issued as a way of keeping up with the demand from schools on giving pupils advice on dealing with problems they face on the journey to and from school, of which bullying is top of the list.

Cllr Kay Twitchen, Chairman of Essex County Council, said at the launch: "I was at the start of the new Young Essex Assembly recently, and yet again tackling bullying is their number one priority.

"Staff do all they can to stop it happening in schools but have no control over what occurs on the journey to and from school.

"I hope seeing these films will help pupils realise they are not alone, and that adults do realise it's a problem.

"I want them to feel able to tell their mum, tell a teacher, tell a friend and get some help.

"I feel so strongly about this, and worried about how sad it makes young people feel.

"I hope this goes some way to show them it does not have to happen."

The pack, which includes print-off resources and interactive games as well as the films, is suitable for ages 5 to 16, but is particularly targeted at youngsters who move up to secondary school, many of whom travel on public transport for the first time.

In Essex 23,000 youngsters, about 12 per cent of the pupil population, qualify for a place on a council-funded bus or taxi.

Many thousands more travel to school on private buses and trains, paid for by parents.

The pack includes a video of a short live theatre production portraying bullying scenarios on a bus, plus Caught on Camera, a series of incidents involving students as seen through the eyes of a CCTV camera.

Gillian Mills, the county's passenger transport co-ordinator, said: "We have made this film individually over the years but they have never been brought together as a collection.

"The aim of this new resource is for schools to use it in their curriculum, maybe incorporate in their PSHE or transition lessons, so that the information will reach a much wider range of youngsters than before.

"The films look at young people travelling on all transport, not just school buses, showing the impact that anti-social behaviour can have. We have no significant problem in Essex but there are pockets of poor behaviour that we proactively try to deal with.

"Children when they are in groups without an adult sometimes need guidance and education on how to behave."

FELSTED fashionistas flaunted their furs and frocks at their own fashion show and raised over £2,000 for charity.

Sixth form pupils pushed aside their textbooks and took on the role of models for the Garnetts' and Windsor's Charity Fashion Show on February 28 and March 1.

The money raised at the eighth biennial event, held in the school's Hunt Theatre, will be split equally between four charities close to the pupils' hearts.

They are Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Children's Liver Disease Foundation, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and Sparkle Malawi. Sparkle Malawi, a charity founded by Old Felstedian, Sarah Brook, supports the Gods Will Orphan Centre in Malawi and helps offer an education and homes to nearly 400 vulnerable children.

Sarah Hookway, the show's coordinator, said: "I am so thankful to all the people who contributed to the show, allowing us to raise such a fantastic amount of money for our charities. I especially want to thank students Alice Schneidau and Brogan Ball for all their help and support."

The evening, which was compered by upper sixth students Brogan Ball and Will Hiett, showcased a variety of fashion trends from local designers, such as Jacks, Stag, Pink Strawberry, Cloud IX, Ruby Rooms and Wardrobe, as well as some student designers in Felsted.

Hair salon, Rumour Hair, in Chelmsford, and Benefit makeup also ensured the models looked the part.

The highlight of the evening was a selection of jumpsuits from OnePiece, which generously donated a jumpsuit, priced at £139, to the charity raffle.

KIDS, parents and staff were ecstatic at the news that the Little Spring Wonders Daycare has been chosen as the winners of the Chronicle's Dragons Den style competition.

Beating a number of impressive business plans to the top spot, the daycare centre in Great Baddow, Chelmsford, will now receive a three-month advertising campaign in the newspaper, and mentoring from one of our expert judges.

Owner Toni Standford admitted she could not stop grinning at the news. "I just can't believe it, how were we chosen from all those great businesses?" she asked.

"All the staff and parents have had such a morale boost after hearing the news, this win will enable us to strive further in taking the centre to the next level."

Since taking the business over in 2011, Toni, 48, and manager Linda Cranny have worked tirelessly to improve the facilities and staff training available at the centre, which they say had been neglected by previous owners.

To make the challenge even greater they have faced a series of obstacles over recent years.

In 2011 thieves snatched their fleet of push-chairs, worth more than £1,000, prompting a community effort, inspired by the Chronicle, to replace them.

Then in summer last year the property was flooded in six inches of water, damaging the refurbished centre.

"Despite all that we were not going to be deterred and we've just kept pushing forward.

"It did put matters such as advertising to the bottom of the agenda, however, and so it's brilliant that now we'll be able to publicise the service we provide," Toni added.

The centre currently employs around 20 staff to care for the 70 children it looks after, but hopes to expand to fill its sessions to the maximum.

It has worked closely with Essex Early Years service to ensure its training is up-to-date and that it makes use of available resources.

Ten companies who were shortlisted for the Chronicle's Dragons Den-style competition attempted to persuade a panel of three experts that their ideas were worthy of thousands of pounds worth of free advertising and mentoring from the gurus.

Rafael Ruiz, a partner at law firm Birketts and one of the Chronicle Dragons, said the standard of entries was very high, but that the dragons wanted to choose a business that would benefit most from the advertising.

"We really felt that the ladies at the Daycare Centre deserved the help as they've faced a lot of challenges, and could really benefit from the advertising campaign," he said.

Toni added: "We're in this fantastic location but we need to make people take a look inside."

FELSTED School's First XV have made history after booking a spot at Twickenham for the Daily Mail Vase final.

They will become the first team from the independent school to play at Twickenham on March 23 after a narrow 31-27 win over St Ambrose College on Sunday.

Felsted raced into a 31-3 lead in the clash at Broadstreet RFC in Coventry, but ended up clinging on to seal their spot at the home of rugby by four points.

Director of Rugby Andrew Le Chevalier said: "It's a truly amazing feat for Felsted rugby.

"We've really tired to instill an expansive game, an exciting style of rugby. We go in there to use our strengths and play decent schoolboy rugby."

Felsted fell behind to an early penalty from their Manchester-based opponents, but led after 14 minutes when Max Malins dived over to score a try which he then converted.

Felsted continued to push forward and stunned their opponents with four more tries, coming from lock James Seager (2), wing Miles Singleton and centre Ben Latham, supported by the kicking of Malins and his brother Will.

But despite a sizeable deficit, St Ambrose refused to give up, and they narrowed the score with two tries early in the second half.

Alarm bells were well and truly ringing for Felsted when Seager was sin-binned 11 minutes from time – and St Ambrose took advantage to run in two more tries – both converted – and move to within another try of Felsted.

But that spurred the Essex school on and they held on to book their final berth.

Le Chevalier, a former Wasps player, added: "I've played there four times, so I know it's an emotional time for them.

"It's going to be an experience of a lifetime. But I'm sure some of these boys will step back on that field though, whether it's with Felsted, at University or as a professional."

Felsted will now take on Yarm in the final at Twickenham – and there could be yet more good news for the school this weekend when the U15 side travel to Broadstreet looking to book their place in their own final, which would make Felsted the first school to have two teams at the national finals of the competition.

A NINE-YEAR campaign calling for a direct bus route from Brentwood to Queen's Hospital in Romford has ended in victory.

Members of the Brentwood Bus & Rail Users' Association are celebrating this week after their bid to get the 498 bus service to go into the grounds of the hospital was finally given the go-ahead.

The new service, which is operated by First buses, will start on Saturday, April 27.

The service currently terminates at Romford Bus Station, so passengers have to walk some distance or catch another bus to reach the hospital.

The pressure group has been campaigning for a direct service into the hospital grounds for years, writing letters, lobbying MPs and attending a number of meetings.

Campaigners say the changes will make a major difference, particularly for the elderly users who, up until now, have had to either wait for another bus or walk to the hospital from Romford Town Centre – sometimes in the cold and rain.

BBRUA secretary David Kendall said: "One of the reasons the association was first formed all those years ago was to fight for a direct 498 bus service into the grounds of Queen's Hospital because we knew how important it was to so many Brentwood bus users.

"Over the years we thought we were close to getting a breakthrough but our hopes were always dashed. This time we have been told it is definitely going to happen and we are all delighted.

"I would like to recognise the efforts made by our former chairman Wendy Way alongside others in pushing and campaigning for this service.

"Wendy and I attended many meetings and wrote a lot of letters asking for the change to happen and I know she will be over the moon to hear this news.

"I would also like to thank all the members of our association for their support and Brentwood Community Transport for proving to First and others that a direct service into the grounds of Queen's Hospital always was a commercially-viable proposition."

SPINNING flags, sabres and rifles are among the props that feature in a dance which a Billericay troupe is hoping will earn it international success.

Mayflower Performing Arts, which will celebrate its 40th birthday in May, just can't stop winning prizes in a form of American dancing known as colour guard.

Most recently they came home with three firsts from the Winter Guard United Kingdom Northern Regional Competition in Stoke-on-Trent on February 24.

This follows another competition on February 10 at the same venue, in which the group scooped two firsts and one second place.

The group's chairman, Veronica Hope, said: "It's been a really good year for us so far.

"At the northern regional competition, we got a first in Cadet Class – the youngest group aged six to 12, a first in A Class – the middle group aged 13 to 17, and a first in World Class – the oldest group aged 18 up to 25.

"All three guards winning at one competition is a first for Mayflower in its 40-year history."

The group, which practices at Sunnymede Junior School, in The Meadow Way, Billericay, and De La Salle School, in Basildon, is made up of 46 dancers aged five to 25.

The dance which they practice originated in the US and it involves spinning flags, sabres and rifles.

Mrs Hope said: "It's not baton twirling, it's a proper form of dance which comes from American drum corps which were led by a colour guard and some would carry flags."

On April 13, the group's World Class dancers will be travelling to Dayton, in Ohio, to compete at the World Colour Guard Championships.

Mrs Hope said: "We have the British championships just before the world championships on April 6, so we are very busy getting ready.

"There will be 38 of us travelling to America and 19 members performing across five days.

"We have reached the final of the World Guard Championships three times since 2003, so fingers crossed."

To mark its 40th anniversary, Mayflower Performing Arts is hosting a celebration at Billericay Football Club, in Blunts Wall Road, on May 25.

Tickets for the event cost £5 and it will feature a guest band and videos and memories of the group over the years.

Mrs Hope said: "We used to have a display band when we first formed in 1973 which ran up until 2000 when we lost the music side but continued with the colour guard.

"Members of the group are mainly based in Billericay and the surrounding area and many are the second generation whose mums or dads used to march in the display band.

"We have always performed colour guard which really took off when a separate competing circuit was set up from the band in 1979."

Club membership is open to all those aged four and upwards.

No experience is necessary as full tuition will be provided by trained staff.

For more information about the troupe, e-mail Veronica Hope at vphope@gmail.com or visit www.mayflowerperformingarts.org.uk

For tickets to the anniversary event, e-mail tracey@suett.com