GENEROUS Sid Rickerby, licensee of the Vernon Arms at Hanbury, invited the 80 or so villagers aged 65 and over to call in and pick up a free Christmas parcel. They contained a selection of groceries, a four pound joint of meat and a 10/- (50p) note. He had raised the £100 to pay for the treat by collecting cash from customers and from sporting friends in Birmingham.

THE referee was forced to abandon a Bromsgrove Youth League game when a Sidemoor Junior player refused to leave the pitch when he ordered him off. It was bad news for the opposing team, The Student Union, who were winning 12-2 at the time.

THE glorious era of English cricket had coincided with the days when the village game was at its zenith, that was the opinion of Viscount Cobham, the president of Hagley Cricket Club in a speech he made at the club's annual dinner. He likened some modern players to 'old hens' and questioned if they really enjoyed playing the game.