RUGBY: Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for Braintree in the run-up to Saturday's final league game of the season.

Tree were without Tom Carslake, John Smillie and Chas Monk through injury and unable to select top points scorer Kingsley Joslin and Reece Lane due to college game commitments.

Matters went from bad to worse as stand-in scrum-half Darren Page was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg on the stroke of half-time.

The black and ambers also sustained further injuries as Woodford's scrum out-muscled them comprehensively.

Four first-half tries helped Woodford into 27-7 half-time lead, with the only positive for the home side being Joss Adams' try after he sprinted clear from his own 22 to score – and then converted it himself.

With the bonus point they needed secured, Woodford took their foot off the gas in the second half and added just two more tries.

The defeat saw Tree drop to seventh place but despite the lacklustre end to the campaign there were still many positives to take from the season.

Tree's battle-weary team now have to rouse themselves for this weekend's visit to Bruges where they will face local side Brugsche RFC on Saturday.

WITHAM TOWN booked their play-off berth after recording a ninth consecutive win.

Sam Taylor and James Stevens scored the goals as Garry Kimble's men ensured themselves of a top-five finish.

The game was delayed for 15 minutes due to traffic problems delaying opponents Brentwood and the referee.

And it took until the 50th minute for Town to go ahead when Taylor's intended cross went in.

Stevens sealed the win with the last kick of the match, eight minutes into injury-time.

The win takes Witham above Aveley and into fourth place in the standings with one game to go.

They will face either Maldon & Tiptree or Thamesmead away in the play-off semi-final next week, depending on Saturday's results.

Reaching the play-offs is a fine achievement for Kimble's men in their first season back in the Ryman League.

They moved into the play-off places with a 1-0 win over Needham Market on Saturday.

A goal from top scorer Rob Whitnell was enough for the home side to see off their Norfolk visitors.

The goal came when he slotted in Taylor's cross after eight minutes – and despite dominating the clash, the home side were unable to add a second.

DARTS AND DOMINOES: Little Waltham SC's under strength side rose to the challenge against Chelmsford City C to earn a place in the Ridley League darts cup final.

City skipper Barry Devenish, had hoped his men could put the club's name on the trophy for a third successive year, but his match plan failed as Waltham took revenge for two league defeats by their great rivals.

The loss of the first two singles put massive pressure on City's top players, and though Simon Whalley and Martin Compton won to make it 2-2, Darren Kochan edged out Devenish to put Waltham ahead again.

The killer blow came when Kevin Horrocks and Alex Davis took the first pairs.

Waltham will start as underdogs again in the final against a King's Arms side who allowed a Chequers line-up only one leg all night.

Mick Cain had a 148 shot in for the Arms.

That feat was equalled by Les Atkins as the Black Bull completed their league fixtures with a 9-6 beating of the Cricketers.

But the key issue was the win that clinched the dominoes section title for John Steele's team after so many near misses in recent seasons.

Results: Black Bull 9, Cricketers 6 (singles/pairs 5-2, mixed 0-1, women 0-1, dominoes 4-2). Darts Cup, Semi-finals; CCFC C 3, Lt Waltham SC 4; King's Arms 7, Chequers 0.

THE YMCA's childcare department held its 20th birthday celebrations at the Victoria Road centre in Chelmsford.

A week of activities culminated with a big party for children, parents, staff and supporters including an under the sea theme with face painting, an ice cream van, a bouncy castle and a raffle.

Director of client services Heather Venables said: "The most important thing for us is to build lives, hope and futures and to celebrate being in the community for 20 years."

The YMCA's childcare department provides day care, out of school clubs, and family support groups to young people from zero to 19.

Stacey Murphy, child care manager, said: "All the funds raised will go directly towards centre activities. It's a really important event and celebrates all the great work we have done over the last two decades.

"All the money raised goes back into the children and they reap the benefits. Everything that the charity stands for is to work with all areas of the community."

SCHOOLS in Essex are getting better but are still below the national Ofsted rating average.

A third of all schools in the county are graded satisfactory or in need of improvement, according to the education watchdog.

It means that 67 per cent of Essex schools are rated either good or outstanding – below the national average of 70 per cent.

In the autumn, Tim Coulson, director of education at Essex County Council, vowed to drive up at standards in the schools graded satisfactory or below.

But while the push has seen 40 schools meet the 'good rating' since their last inspection, Mr Coulson, who has been in his job a year, admits there is still some way to go.

He told the Chronicle: "Last September we had 180 schools graded as satisfactory and, of those, 40 are now good.

"We are pretty pleased with this number and feel really encouraged that schools want to make that jump."

He added: "Satisfactory schools are not bad schools. They are not schools where parents are really disgruntled. They are simply schools that should be doing better.

"In satisfactory schools, teaching is probably OK – the challenge is to show them how to move forward and make the most of every child's progress."

Mr Coulson and his team offer advice and support to all schools that need to improve.

"Leadership of a school is crucial," Mr Coulson said. "We see a lot of good and outstanding inspection reports that praise the head teacher and many that note the positive role of the governors as well."

In order to help a school, Mr Coulson's team first do a paper-based analysis of performance and, if the school request it, a two-day mock inspection.

He added: "The aim is to help schools to work out how far away they are from being good.

"There are some who are just waiting for Ofsted to come in and grade them as good. There are those who will be graded as unsatisfactory – and we have a package to help them.

"But real energy in my department has been spent on the schools in the middle and which have a way to go before achieving a good rating."

AN outdoor classroom opened at Chipping Ongar Primary School to cheers from pupils and parents.

The open sided gazebo-style building has desks inside for children and offers a functional classroom as well as a shelter for children at lunch and break time.

The building, which opened on Friday, was funded by the Chipping Ongar Primary School Association (COPSA).

Heidi Wood, the chairman of COPSA, said: "This classroom has been planned for a long time.

"We have raised thousands of pounds over the years and it's great to see it finally open.

The charity was helped with fundraising by staff from the Ongar branch of Sainsbury's.

Head teacher Bridgett Hill told the Gazette: "We have been waiting for this for a long time.

"It will be really good for our pupils and adds an excellent facility for teaching about nature and the environment.

"This isn't just going to be a good weather classroom, we have installed an all-weather path so we can go outside whatever the weather."

"We are very thankful to everyone who helped raise money over the years as we wouldn't be able to do it without them."

A FEMALE prison officer has been arrested and suspended from duty after allegations she had an affair with an inmate.

Elizabeth Surrey, an employee at HMP Chelmsford, is alleged to have shared an inappropriate relationship with one of the criminals at the high security facility before being temporarily removed from her post at the weekend.

The 25-year-old, from Chelmsford, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office after the allegations.

She would have been mixing with thieves, drug dealers and violent thugs in the category B prison in Springfield Road.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "A member of staff at HMP Chelmsford has been suspended. This is now a matter for the police."

It is believed that the inmate with whom Ms Surrey was reportedly involved had his cell searched earlier this month after colleagues at the prison, which can detain more than 500 offenders, became suspicious.

The male prisoner is then thought to have been moved to a segregation unit following the incident and Ms Surrey sent home pending inquiries.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "A 25-year-old woman from Chelmsford has been arrested and questioned in relation to misconduct in a public office. She has been released on police bail pending further enquiries until June 24."

Miss Surrey's father said she was unable to speak to the Chronicle during the inquiry.

A SECONDARY school temporarily closed its doors on Monday after a much loved teacher lost her 12-year battle with cancer.

Pupils at Plume School, Maldon, were sent home from class on Monday to allow staff to attend the funeral of Diane Moss, who died of breast cancer during the Easter break.

A teacher for almost three decades at the school on Fambridge Road, the 53-year-old had instructed thousands of pupils in food technology over the years, and this week tributes flooded in from those who knew her.

"She was a fighter and never gave up, just a real trooper," said Alison Daniels, who worked alongside Mrs Moss at the Maldon school for 13 years.

"She was always fantastic with her students, very caring and cheering them on.

"And always ready to help other members of staff. I remember how fantastic she was on my first day at the school."

The mother-of-three died on April 2 after battling the illness for more than a decade.

In a statement to parents, head teacher David Stephenson said: "It is with great sadness that the school learnt of the death of Mrs Diane Moss during the spring break.

"Mrs Moss had been employed at Plume School as a teacher of food technology for 27 years, and during the past 11 years had periods of recurring illness.

"The governing body and head teacher therefore made the decision to close the school at 12.15pm on Monday as a mark of respect to Mrs Moss and to allow staff to attend her funeral."

Family, friends and colleagues gathered in St John the Baptist Church, Danbury, on Monday to remember the teacher, who had spent her entire career at Plume School, while members of the school choir sang hymns in her memory.

Words posted on a tribute page to Mrs Moss describe her as having "a great sense of humour" and being "completely dedicated to her family". Other tributes said she was "kind, thoughtful, patient and considerate to new staff and colleagues" and "always bright and cheerful".

"She was the first port of call in a crisis for so many of her students and she'll be very missed," added Alison.

A NEW anti-littering campaign is targeting smokers who drop their cigarette ends at the district's railway stations.

The Braintree District Council scheme aims to raise awareness that cigarette butts are litter and dropping them in the street is a criminal offence punishable by a £75 fine.

Council officials estimate commuters leave more than 2,500 cigarette ends at Braintree and Witham stations a year, with an average of 250 incidents a week.

Enforcement officers will be on patrol and issuing fixed penalty notices to those caught in the act.

Councillor Wendy Schmitt, cabinet member for place, said: "Dropping your butt on the floor is unacceptable and easily avoidable as there are cigarette bins outside the station. It makes the place look dirty and untidy.

"Cigarette butts can take up to 12 years to break down, are harmful to our environment and a danger to wildlife.

"There are many responsible smokers out there who dispose of their butts carefully and I applaud them. But again, like other litter issues, it is the few who spoil things."

This is the latest venture in a campaign by Braintree District Council called Green Heart for Essex, designed to improve the aesthetic of the area following a decline in public satisfaction in the cleanliness of the district.

Since its launch in April last year, there has been a 250 per cent increase in the number of fixed penalty notices issued with 577 people hit with a fine.

If the campaign succeeds, it will be extended to businesses in the area, concentrating mainly on Braintree, Witham and Halstead.

"Not all enforcement officers wear uniforms so guilty parties could be caught at any time," said Cllr Schmitt.

For more information on Green Heart of Essex, visit www.braintree.gov.uk

IT'S never been caught and some even doubted its existence.

Yet on April 16, a 50lb catfish known locally as the "Billericay Loch Ness monster" was finally snared by angler Peter Hudd.

Mr Hudd, a 27-year-old landscape gardener from Billericay, said: "It had been a quiet night. I arrived at six, sat there until midnight but caught nothing.

"I decided to get some sleep in my tent when my line began to move.

"I was prepared to reel in a small fish then the pressure increased and it was so strong I thought the line had been caught."

Two huge whiskers then protruded slowly from the inky waters.

This proved to be the calm before the storm – an intense hour-long fight to land the flesh-eating fish ensued.

Fellow fisherman, Jason Reed, 44, said: "We just couldn't believe it.

"As far as we know that fish has been in Lake Meadows since 1995 and nobody has ever been able to catch it."

Mr Hudd, who has been fishing with his father since he was 13, added: "We tried to net it and then in tore off into the water again.

"By the time I had it in my arms, I was exhausted and covered in slime, mud and sweat."

Cat fish are carnivorous and prey on smaller fish and mammals.

In the winter months they hibernate under the silt.

Mr Hudd said: "We had only recently started fishing during the night because of the harsh winters.

"I used a relatively small 'urban bait' boilie – and could not believe it when the fish bit.

"Spring has just begun, it's the last thing I expected."

The euphoric atmosphere around the shores of Lake Meadows was 18 years in the making and for Mr Hudd, who has fished all over Europe, this was his crowning glory.

The race is now on to find out who will next enjoy the prestige and honour in snaring the "Beast".

A COMPANY is investigating one of its employees after claims he is a notorious online Twitter troll emerged online.

Some staff and work experience students at Alchemy Recruitment in Braintree went home early last Thursday after receiving death threats as internet alias 'Old Holborn' was alleged to be company employee Robert Ambridge by social media site users from Merseyside.

Old Holborn, who has more than 18,000 'followers' on Twitter, has written offensive messages about the murdered child James Bulger and the Hillsborough stadium disaster for more than a year.

Angry Liverpudlians bombarded the firm with angry phone calls, with some even threatening to burn down the offices in Century Drive.

An Essex Police investigation was soon launched to investigate the tweets, which also relate to the Boston Marathon tragedy.

Alchemy director Jeanette Parradine said staff were greeted by "hundreds of abusive messages" on Thursday morning.

"And these messages go to everyone in the company," she said.

"We have had death threats and I have had concerned Liverpudlians threatening to come down to burn the office down."

She had spoken to Mr Ambridge, who is not at work while the allegations are investigated.

"Most of the day has been spent calming people down," she said. "I'm trying to shield staff which includes three 15-year-old girls on work experience

"We also have a young lad, who's 18 now, here on work experience for a year and a half who took an abusive call.

"He was being absolutely screamed at. We saw him go red and I thought something is going wrong here.

"The people complaining to us seem to condone this mob culture and this behaviour is being targeted at the wrong people – it's just mass hysteria. "We were scared this morning but we haven't had anyone turn up at the door."

Throughout the day, Mrs Parradine got a chance to look at some of Old Holborn's messages.

"Robert was here this morning but he isn't here this afternoon," Mrs Parradine said on Thursday, adding that she did not know when he would return to work.

"It will be investigated, rest assured. It is being dealt with professionally and responsibly. We will deal with it in the right manner," she added.

The firm received death threats into the weekend and arson threats this week.

Old Holborn, who defended his messages online on the grounds of free speech, made numerous comments on the Monday anniversary of the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "Essex Police was contacted shortly after 1pm on Thursday, April 18, by a resident of Southport who was reporting inappropriate and offensive tweets by a man thought to be living in Braintree.

"The tweets relate to the recent terrorist strike in Boston, the Hillsborough disaster and the murder of James Bulger."

The Chronicle visited Mr Ambridge's home address on Thursday night but he refused to comment.

A NEW TV show started on Tuesday night and featured the fictional town of Baselricky seemingly a cross between Basildon and Billericay.

However The Wright Way, a BBC1 sitcom, has been met with criticism. The show which stars David Haig as Gerald Wright, an exasperated local council health and safety officer, lost viewers whilst it was on air.

Twitter users gave mixed reviews of the first episode which started at 10:35pm on Tuesday, April 23.

The Diary of a DIL, tweeting as @MrsEmmaHewitt, said: "What do you think of this new comedy based in Baselricky (Basildon/Billericay)? Has the BBC really lost its sense"

JonnyMaya, ‏tweeting as @JonnyMaya, said: "Sorry is Baselricky a very cheap shot at Essex #thewrightway Basildon/Billericay . #Towie is Arthur Miller compared to this."

GrandMaster Tash tweeting as ‏@danielvane, also slated the show saying: "Baselricky?..oh yeah I get it.. Basildon & Billericay..Very clever..Elton is on fire..no wait he should be on fire"

THEY'VE captured the hearts of everyone who has come across them since they shot to fame a few weeks ago – but the baby wallabies at Tropical Wings Zoo in Essex are still without names.

The two cuties, who recently popped their heads out of their mothers' pouches at the South Woodham Ferrers zoo for the first time, will be hopping mad if they don't get named soon.

The yet-to-be-named bundles of joy have become a favourite attraction at the zoo after it was revealed that an albino mother named Emily had given birth to a brown joey, while a brown mother named Monica had given birth to an albino joey.

John Ray, manager of Tropical Wings, said: "It is extremely rare to see two parents like this in captivity and as far as I am aware it has never been recorded in the wild.

"We were amazed when we first saw the joeys pop their heads out – they have gone down a storm with visitors who are fascinated by what looks like a couple of bouncing babies that have been switched at birth!"

The two joeys are around five months old and John expects them to remove themselves from the pouch in about four months' time.

He said: "It'll be great when they're ready to come out. Our wallabies are very friendly and tame, and come up close to visitors during the daily wallaby feed, which is one of our most popular animal encounters."

The breed of wallabies at Tropical Wings Zoo is the Bennett's Wallaby – commonly known as the red-necked wallaby – which is usually found in eastern Australia and Tasmania.

The males are affectionately referred to as 'Jacks' while the females are known as 'Jills' and there are three known wild colonies of wallabies in the UK: one in Scotland, Derbyshire and Sussex.

To enter the competition please send your suggestions of names to tropicalwings@onlybeattie.com by May 17 2013. Full contact details must also be included with your entry.

Each winner will receive a family pass to the zoo, where they will get to meet, and feed, their baby wallaby.

Winners will be notified two weeks after the competition closing date. Competition and prize terms and conditions apply.

Tropical Wings Zoo is open from 9.30am until 5.30pm daily.

Health officials are urging anyone who has not had two MMR vaccinations to visit their doctor and get a booster jab.

Public Health England, backed by Essex County Council, is encouraging residents to check with their GP whether they've had two doses of the vaccine to protect themselves against this highly infectious disease.

Essex County Council's director of public health, Dr Mike Gogarty, said: "The only way to prevent a measles outbreak in Essex is to make sure there is good uptake of the MMR [Measles, Mumps and Rubella] vaccine across all ages.

"Parents should ensure their children are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella with two doses of the MMR vaccine.

"The current rise in measles cases can be attributed to the proportion of largely ten to 16-year-olds who are unprotected because they missed out on vaccination in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when concern around a now disproved link between autism and the MMR vaccine was widespread.

"It is never too late to get vaccinated against measles. I would encourage parents of unvaccinated children, as well as older teenagers and young adults who may have missed MMR vaccination to make an appointment with their GP to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"If you are unsure whether you or your child has had two doses of the vaccine, speak to your GP who will have a record.

Normally the first MMR vaccine is given as a child at 12 to 13 months old, and then a booster dose is given before a child starts school - usually around three years of age.

Experts believe the current rise in measles cases is largely due to the proportion of children now aged ten to 16 years old who missed out on vaccination in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when concern around the now undermined link between autism and the MMR vaccine was rife.

The World Health Organisation recommends that having more than 95 per cent of children vaccinated will prevent outbreaks.

Vaccination coverage for MMR across Essex at age two is approximately 93 per cent and at age five is approximately 89 per cent.

This is not the required 95 per cent - therefore there is a group of people vulnerable to getting measles and passing it to others.

Many of the recent cases are in older children and it is this age group it is believed are most at risk and who should check their vaccinations are up to date.

Although only some areas of the country have been affected so far, most areas like Essex have enough older children at risk to sustain an outbreak.

There have been two confirmed cases of measles in Essex since the start of the year.

THREE years after the introduction of new measures to tackle antisocial behaviour in the county, a shocking review has named Essex Police as the worst force in the country at managing the issue.

The investigation, commissioned by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC), found the force is poor at recording incidents and identifying trends and hotspots.

It also said they did not adequately consider the risk to victims of yobbish behaviour in the county.

The HMIC report is their second in 12 months to criticise Essex Police's handling of antisocial behaviour.

It comes just three years after the force, working with Essex County Council and the Safer Essex Partnership, agreed to a ground-breaking set of standards for tackling the problem

"We have undertaken a significant amount of work regarding how we respond to ASB since the publication of the HMIC's first report in 2012," said Chief Superintendent Sean O'Callaghan.

"We have been working closely with our partners to significantly improve our response to incidents, and HMIC staff were involved in the development of our new procedures.

"We have recognised that there was work to be done and best practice, identified nationally, now sits at the heart of our revised procedure for dealing with anti-social behaviour.

"But it is also important to remember that the police cannot solve antisocial behaviour issues on their own.

"Over the last two years we have worked very closely with local councils, housing providers and communities to improve the way we all deal with antisocial behaviour and this work will continue," added the chief superintendent.

Since the original report in 2012, Essex Police say they have examined repeat occurrences and those involving vulnerable victims in the county, with an 8.5 per cent reduction in reports between April 2012 and February 2013.

But the HMIC report, published earlier this month, found that 23 per cent of calls reporting anti-social behaviour came from those classed as vulnerable, while 11 per cent came from those who had contacted police at least three or four times in a year, with no resolution reached.

"Bottom of a table is not a good place to be," said Nick Alston, the Essex Police and Crime Commissioner.

"The (original) HMIC report led Essex Police to develop and introduce a major new policy for managing and responding to ASB, with an increased focus on repeat, vulnerable, victims.

"There may be additional lessons to be learnt from the new analysis, and I am very clear that evidence-based academic research is something that Essex Police and all forces should consider as they seek to tackle ASB and crime in the most effective manner possible."

The new partnership measures in 2010 were intended to ensure reports were dealt with efficiently and represented a "hard-line approach to dealing with perpetrators".

An Essex County Council spokesman said: "Although responding to antisocial behaviour is primarily a police responsibility, Essex County Council works closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner, Essex Police and other partners through the Safer Essex Partnership to do what we can to help reduce crime and improve community safety.

"We have noted the issues suggested by this report, and improvements made over the last couple of years, and will continue to work in partnership with the police, district councils and other colleagues to prevent anti-social behaviour happening in the first place."