January

FOLLOWING the disruption of the floods and water-logged pitches towards the end of last year, it was now the turn of snow and freezing temperatures as the first weekend of the year was virtually devoid of outdoor sport.

MALVERN RFC Youth Section were honoured when Chase Sixth Form pupil, scrum-half Tom O'Brien, aged 17, was selected for the Midland Counties Under-18 squad. Later in the year, Tom joined up with Zurich Premiership side London Irish and was invited to join Irish Under-21 squad.

THE Worcestershire Golf Club opened its new Millennium Bridge on the 16th hole. Built during the past year by two stalwarts of the club, Francis Bird and Mike Read, it was donated by the Senior Section who purchased all the materials.

LISA Illingworth joined Malvern Archers after one of the club's 'have-a-go' sessions and over the next 18 months won 10 trophies, finishing last year as Worcestershire and West Midlands Ladies' Recurve Archery Champion and is now training with the regional squad.

MALVERN Town's recent impressive run of form came to an abrupt halt at Banks's Premier Division leaders Ludlow Town who ran out 6-0 winners, Town struggling after the 25th minute when Chris Thomas was sent off for retaliation.

CYCLIST Liam Killeen started 2001 where he ended the previous year - standing on the centre of the podium. Liam, aged 18, won the National Under-23 Cyclo-Cross Championships at Sutton Park, Birmingham, well over a minute ahead of his nearest rival.

LEDBURY'S Charles Daffern, aged 15, a pupil at Malvern College, was selected to play cricket for the French Under-19 team at the European Indoor Cricket Championships in Portugal.

February

A LACKLUSTRE performance from Malvern RFC, at Spring Lane, saw hopes of a return to Twickenham dashed when they were knocked out of the Intermediate Cup, going down 3-15 to Midlands East Two side Kettering in the fifth round.

LEDBURY Rugby Club defeated North Midlands One leaders Stourport at home in a seesaw thriller 25-16. The Ross Road side joined Stourport, who previously inflicted their only league defeat, on level points at the top after a superb kicking display by full-back Peter Elkington.

ROBBIE Colwell terrorised opposing defences for Ledbury Town, scoring five goals for the third game in succession in the 10-2 hammering of local rivals Hinton in a league game.

BRANSFORD sisters Helen (U17) and Katie Taylor (U15) qualified for the National Schools Cross Country Championships. Both pupils at Alice Ottley in Worcester, Helen has also qualified for the National Schools' Trampoline final.

LEDBURY-based company European Aviation have taken over struggling Formula One motor racing team Minardi and were aiming to compete in the first Grand Prix of the season in Melbourne.

NEWTOWN Sports Boys' Under-13s set a new goalscoring record when they defeated Worcester Rangers 26-0 away in the Mercian Elgar Junior League. Craig Summers netted eight, Luke Badham four with hat-tricks for Paul Clemence, Paul Arnott and Mark Scott.

MALVERN Wells athlete Stewart Halion won two gold medals at the British Indoor Championships at Cardiff. Stewart, now competing in the over-50 age group, completed a middle distance double winning the 1,500m and the 800m and now goes on to the European Championships.

March

HISTORY was made at the Malvern Table Tennis League championships when former England junior player Clare Newns, aged 22, became the first woman to win the singles title. Clare also teamed up with Pete Childs to lift the doubles crown.

MALVERN Girls' College pupils Emily Booty, age 17, Alex Dixey, 18, and Harriet Watkins, 16, were selected for the England Junior Lacrosse B team to play Wales and Scotland.

UPPER Welland goalkeeper Peter Nightingale accepted a full-time three-year scholarship with Nationwide Division One side West Bromwich Albion. Peter, aged 16, and a pupil at The Chase, had spent two and a half years with the club after playing in the Mercian Boys League with Newtown Sports.

HOCKEY star Laura Macfarlane was called up for the England Under-16 team to play in the European Championships in Hamburg. Laura, aged 15, a pupil at The Chase, also plays for Colwall Women's Hockey Club 1st XI and has represented the Midlands Under-15 and Under-16 teams.

WORCESTERSHIRE Senior Urn holders Malvern Town reached the final of this year's competition when they defeated Midland Combination Premier Division opponents Alvechurch 2-1 away. An equalising goal from Raj Sharman and a last-minute strike by Andy Shepherd saw Town through. Town could not hold on to the trophy though losing 2-0 to Studley BKL at St George's Lane.

MALVERN Parish CE School Under-11s six-a-side football team won the County Championship and progressed to semi-finals of the West Midlands Finals held at Walsall's Bescot Stadium, before bowing out in style.

THE Chase Under-15s rugby side won the Worcestershire Schools' Cup at Sixways defeating Nunnery Wood 27-5 with a good display of running rugby.

GROSVENOR Eagles overcame visiting Spring Lane Rambles 9-1 to gain the four points they needed to retain the Malvern Table Tennis League's Division One title.

April

A DROP goal by Malvern Rugby Club captain Andy Longley saw the Spring Lane side home 6-5 against visiting Luctonians, which secured the Midlands Two West championship and assured promotion to Midlands One. The following Saturday Malvern surrendered their unbeaten league tag going down 14-5 at Hinckley.

LEDBURY Swimming Club won its first ever Bluebell Properties Junior League Championship. The aged 15 and under swimmers rounded off a successful season in the final gala.

THE Herefordshire Sunday Football League abandoned their league programme to join with the Saturday and Junior leagues as the foot and mouth crisis took its toll on the county.

MALVERN Wanderers Under-15s team completed their third junior league season without defeat when they won the Stourport & District Boys League U15 Division Two. In their last 82 matches the side has won 75, drawn five and lost just two cup matches.

LEDBURY Rugby Club first XV secured promotion with a convincing 39-0 away win at Fiveways OE which put them top of the North Midlands One table having won 13 of their 14 league matches.

THE HFA Charity Bowl was retained by Ledbury Town who defeated Hereford Civil Service 5-1 in the final. Ace marksman Robbie Colwell was amongst the goals again with four while Stuart Hall completed the rout.

GAZETTE & Reporter advertising sales executive Tony Cary scored a maximum 12 consecutive strikes during a Twilight League bowling game at Worcester Tenpin Bowling Club to notch up the top score of 300.

May

LEIGH athlete Jonathan Steadman, aged 18, bounced back from an injury-hit winter to win the British Junior (U21) Duathlon championships in South Wales. The Chase sixth former powered round the course to win by 30 seconds in a time of 1hr 56 mins.

LEDBURY'S Adam Brown, aged 14, won his class at the Wales & the West Showground at Chepstow to qualify for the National Under-16 Championship to be held at the Festival of Showjumping Area UK in Lincolnshire.

LTFC 2000 collected the Sterling Classic Malvern Football League's Championship Trophy after going through the season undefeated and collecting maximum points. In their 20 games LTFC 2000 rattled in 170 goals conceding only 19.

THE first week of league cricket saw Barnards Green 2nd XI continue their winning ways as champions of Division Two of the Worcestershire County League with a home win against Astwood Bank. Opener J Clarke was unbeaten on 100 in the Green's winning total of 235-5.

LEDBURY Town FC have been catching up on games on former Banks's Division One (South) leaders Bewdley Town, who drew their final game of the season, leaving Ledbury two points clear in the title race with a game still to play. Ledbury are now in line to move up to the Premier Division.

MALVERN Town's youngsters gave a boost to the club when five teenagers were involved in Town's final home Banks's Premier Division game against Walsall Wood that saw the home side clinch the points 2-0.

THE crib team from the Three Horseshoes, at Little Cowarne, took the same six players back to the National Pairs Crib Championships and won the title for an unbelievable second year running at The Spa, Bridlington.

June

MALVERN pool star Mark Stephenson represented New Zealand for his international debut at the Embassy World Pool Championships at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool. Mark won two games, including a shock 7-3 victory over former European Junior Champion Bejamin Varvat from France, before being beaten 7-4 by England's Mickey Lambert.

A NEW chapter was written in the Malvern Rangers' history book when the club was formally accepted into the Banks's Brewery Football League after playing for 36 years in the Worcester & District League.

CALLOW End's Jim Lewis was named National Hunt Racehorse Owner of the Year. His nine-year-old Edredon Bleu provided arguably the most thrilling moment of the jump season.

BROMYARD tennis star Tracey Powell secured a record-equalling seventh win at the Hereford and Worcester Closed Championships at Manor Park and then went on to claim the doubles title with the host club's Liz Veal.

LEDBURY karate expert Carl Reeks won his second European Karate title when he lifted the Under 65K championship in Edinburgh. He had previously won a junior title in 1995.