
Kids ask policeman to try football challenge and are gobsmacked by his reaction
A police officer in Cheshire has gone viral after he was invited by a group of children to show off his football skills - and he certainly rose to the challenge much to their amazement
A policeman has taken the internet by storm with his unexpected display of footballing prowess which left onlookers stunned in a local park.
Encouraged by a group of lads in Cheshire, one youngster is heard in the viral clip egging on Nantwich Police's Sgt Matt Stonier: "Go on policeman. Come on." Rising to the challenge, the uniformed sergeant confidently approached the ball and with a skilled chip, celebrated striking the crossbar while the awestruck kids erupted in applause.
Cracking a joke about the incident, Nantwich Police shared on Facebook: "Talk about pressure in Policing! When cops take on kids at the crossbar challenge there can only be one winner! Some say they're still celebrating now!"
The post also complimented the well-mannered group of kids. They wrote: "What a great group from Y7s to late teens, all out in the sun playing the sport they love! Every single one of them polite, funny, interested in local Policing and couldn't have been more welcoming of Sgt Stonier's eagerness to join in!"
Adding to the commendations, the force threw in a humorous remark about the sergeant's footwear: "Thanks lads. And don't forget he's sporting patrol boots not preds [Adidas Predator football boots]! That would've certainly been his excuse had it missed!"
The video quickly went viral, prompting the force's media to hail: "Wow! What a reaction! 3.3 million views in just 36hrs! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to share such positive comments!"
They closed: "Any doubts we may have had over whether our engagement focussed approach was effective and still welcomed by the public have been well and truly settled!
One viewer who was clearly impressed by Sgt Stonier's community involvement, commented: "Lovely to see the banter with police and kids."
Another Facebook user praised the initiative: "Great engagement there! Building trust and relationships! These kids will respect you."
A third person concurred: "Great to see the local Bobby doing his bit. Well done Nantwich police."
A fourth shared similar support: "Fabulous. Getting kids with police... They should never be afraid of them. Let's see our kids work hand in hand if possible. Certainly, we should have more like this."
And a fifth observer humorously noted: "I just noticed, that not only did he dink that crossbar with precision, engaging with the community and youth that will for sure remember that as a GOOD experience with the police, I literally saw in a single frame or so, that one of the kids are wearing the PC's hat!"

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
30 minutes ago
- The Star
CoreWeave to offer compute capacity in Google's new cloud deal with OpenAI, sources say
FILE PHOTO: A screen displays the company logo for CoreWeave, Inc. during the company's IPO at the Nasdaq Market, in New York City, U.S., March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo (Reuters) -CoreWeave has emerged as a winner in Google's newly signed partnership with OpenAI, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, in the latest example of the voracious appetite for computing resources in the artificial-intelligence industry and the formation of new alliances to meet them. The so-called neocloud company, which sells cloud computing services built on Nvidia's graphics processing units, is slated to provide computing capacity to Google's cloud unit, and Alphabet's Google will then sell that computing capacity to OpenAI to meet the growing demand for services like ChatGPT, the sources said. Google will also provide some of its own computing resources to OpenAI, added the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private matters. The details of the arrangement, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, highlight the evolving dynamics between hyperscalers like Microsoft and Google and so-called neocloud companies like Coreweave. Hyperscalers are large cloud service providers that offer massive-scale data centers and cloud infrastructure. The insatiable hunger for computing resources has generated major investment commitments and turned rivals into partners. Backed by OpenAI and Nvidia, Coreweave signed up Google as a customer inthe first quarter. CoreWeave, Google and OpenAI declined to comment. CoreWeave, a specialized cloud provider that went public in March, has already been a major supplier of OpenAI's infrastructure. It has signed a five-year contract worth $11.9 billion with OpenAI to provide dedicated computing capacity for OpenAI's model training and inference. OpenAI also took a $350 million equity stake in CoreWeave in March. This partnership was further expanded last month through an additional agreement worth up to $4 billion, extending through April 2029, underscoring OpenAI's escalating demand for high-performance computing resources. Industry insiders say adding Google Cloud as a new customer could help CoreWeave diversify its revenue sources, and having a credible partner with deep pockets like Google enables the startup to secure more favorable financing terms to support ambitious data center buildouts across the country. This could also boost Google's cloud unit, which generated $43 billion in sales last year, allowing it to capitalize on the growth of OpenAI, which is also one of its largest competitors in areas like search and chatbots. It positions Google as a neutral provider of computing resources in competition with peers such as Amazon and Microsoft. CoreWeave's deal with Google coincides with Microsoft's re-evaluation of its data center strategy, including withdrawing from certain data center leases. Microsoft, once Coreweave's largest customer, accounting for about 62% of its 2024 revenue, is also renegotiating with OpenAI to revise the terms of their multibillion-dollar investment, including the future equity stake it will hold in OpenAI. CoreWeave, backed by Nvidia, has established itself as a fast-rising provider of GPU-based cloud infrastructure in the AI wave. While its public debut in March was met with a lukewarm response due to concerns over its highly leveraged capital structure and shifting GPU demand, the company's stock has surged since its IPO price of $40 per share, gaining over 270% and reaching a record high of $166.63 in June. (Reporting by Krystal Hu in New York and Kenrick Cai in San FranciscoEditing by Matthew Lewis)


Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
3 years, 2 promises, and still no progress: Panchkula's healthcare projects in limbo
1 2 3 Panchkula: In April 2022, then Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar stood before the public with a promise: two major healthcare projects would soon transform the medical landscape of Panchkula district. Fast forward to 2025, and those promises remain unfulfilled, leaving residents frustrated and underserved. The first project aimed to relocate the aging and overcrowded Kalka civil hospital to Tipra village. The second was the construction of a 25-bedded primary health centre (PHC) in Raytan village. But three years later, one project is tangled in bureaucratic red tape, while the other has been deemed unfeasible due to geographical challenges. Kalka Hospital: A promise stuck in paperwork The Kalka civil hospital, built in 1975, is bursting at the seams. Patients often wait in cramped corridors, and medical staff struggle to provide care in a space that has long outlived its capacity. The proposed relocation to Tipra village was supposed to change that. Ten acres of land were identified by the municipal council in Pinjore, and a request was sent to expedite the transfer to the health department. An estimated budget of Rs 18.23 crore was forwarded to the director general of health services. But since Feb 2025, the proposal has stalled at the government level. No further action has been taken. Meanwhile, the hospital continues to operate in its outdated facility, and patients — especially those from economically weaker sections — are forced to travel to Panchkula or Chandigarh for treatment, often at great financial and physical cost. Raytan PHC: A stream of problems The second project, a PHC in Raytan, has faced a different kind of obstacle — nature itself. Of the three sites inspected, one in Chiken village was initially considered feasible. But during a site visit in April 2025, officials discovered a seasonal stream (choe) running through the middle of the land. The presence of a hume pipe culvert and the risk of heavy water flow during monsoons rendered the site unsuitable for construction. Despite having two other sites to consider, no alternative has been finalized in three years. Residents argue that this delay reflects a lack of urgency and accountability. Public outcry and political pressure Vijay Bansal, president of Shivalik Vikas Manch and the RTI applicant who unearthed these details, didn't mince words. "Due to weak and ineffective political leadership in Kalka and the negligence of officials, a health centre has not been constructed for the semi-hilly regions like Kalka, Pinjore, and Morni," he said. A senior Congress leader has also stepped in, writing to current CM Nayab Singh Saini, urging swift action on the pending projects. The letter highlights the dire consequences of delayed healthcare infrastructure — residents suffering from life-threatening conditions without access to proper treatment.


Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
AAP slams demolition in Bhoomiheen camp, DDA defends action
New Delhi: A demolition drive was held at the Bhoomiheen camp in Kalkaji amid a heavy deployment of cops on Wednesday morning. Calling the demolition a "deliberate assault on the marginalised", AAP alleged that BJP govt defied its own chief minister Rekha Gupta's promise of "not a single jhuggi will be touched". Local MLA Atishi alleged that BJP was betraying the poor. "Just three days ago, CM Rekha Gupta claimed that not a single jhuggi would be demolished and no poor person's home would be touched. Yet, under the cover of heavy police presence, the entire Bhoomiheen camp was razed to the ground, displacing thousands of people and leaving them homeless on the streets," she said. Delhi Development Authority said the demolition was against ineligible dwellers encroaching upon five acres of its land. It stated that under the in situ slum rehabilitation project at Kalkaji, after applying the eligibility criteria as per DUSIB's rehabilitation and relocation policy of 2015, approved by the then Delhi govt, some residents were found to be eligible for rehabilitation and some were not. "As per policy, the households whose names appear in one of the voter lists of the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 (prior to 01.01.2015) and possess one of the 12 documents prescribed in the policy, like a passport, electricity bill, driving licence, or passbook issued by a public sector bank or post office, are eligible for alternative accommodation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play Chess on Your PC, Free Play Classic Chess Install Now Undo Their names should also appear in the voter list of the year of the survey," it added. Households using the jhuggi for commercial purposes, those with residents under 18 years of age, and those living on the upper floor without a separate ration card prior to 01.01.2015 do not qualify for alternative allotment, DDA further explained. A total of 1,862 eligible households of Bhoomiheen camp were rehabilitated to EWS flats in Kalkaji Extension between Nov 2022 and May 2023, said DDA. The project is located on a land of 3 hectares with a total construction cost of Rs 345 crore, excluding land cost. These flats have been given at a highly subsidised price of Rs 1.1 lakh as beneficiary contribution, it added. The ineligible dwellers were given an opportunity to file an appeal before the Appellate Authority, the land-owning agency said. DDA further claimed that most of the houses demolished on Wednesday were lying vacant. "344 jhuggi structures existed which were mostly vacant. There is no stay against demolition of these jhuggi structures," it said in a statement. BJP did not comment on the development.