Golfer lands two holes in one in the same round
A 77-year-old golfer has achieved an extraordinary feat by hitting two holes in one during the same round.Kevin Popplewell beat odds of 67 million to one during a Stableford competition at Rotherham Golf Club on Sunday.He was stunned to land a 172-yard shot early in the round before repeating his achievement on the 14th hole.Mr Popplewell, the club's former captain, described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime" success and said: "It felt unbelievable."
He added: "It took me quite a little while to settle down and stop shaking."Mr Popplewell joined Rotherham from Pontefract Golf Club in 1995 with a handicap of one.His feat has never been recorded before at the course in an individual competition.The keen golfer has hit a hole in one on eight previous occasions, but never on the same day."There has to be a degree of luck, they were both decent shots but I'm sure luck plays its part," he said."Apparently you've got more chance of winning the lottery."Mr Popplewell finished the game on 76 strokes.As is tradition, he celebrated his win by buying a round of drinks for everyone at the club bar.Asked about his technique, he quipped: "In my case the method was playing a wonderful, fantastic shot."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Abandoned EFL stadium still standing and has sign showing how cheap football was
Football has become increasingly more expensive for working class supporters and that's summed up by one stadium which stood abandoned for more than a decade Modern football stadiums dominate vast landscapes and can be seen for miles on end - but one former EFL ground that was abandoned for close to two decades offers a flashback to a cheaper past. For many fans, gone are the days when an afternoon watching a 3pm kick-off with your friends and family was a cheap pastime. Now they must pass the expensive gauntlet of matchday programme sellers, novelty souvenir stalls and food and drink stands before they even get to their stadium. While grounds have never been as modern and slick as they are now, many long for the days of stadiums being tucked within rows of houses, nestled in the heart of the community. When they reflect back, many will remember the Millmoor Ground, home of Rotherham United from 1925 to 2008. They departed the spiritual home of the club after talks about extending the lease with owner Ken Booth broke down. The League One side last kicked a ball at Millmoor 17 years ago and from that point onwards, it was abandoned and left to the mercy of time. However, the former beating heart of Rotherham has been resuscitated courtesy of the work of Wickersley Youth JFC and other volunteers around the area. The team, who play in the Sheffield and Hallamshire women and girls league, moved into the stadium in 2024 and made it their home. The South Yorkshire Women's Football (SYWF) page, which does fantastic work promoting women's football in their area, had a look around the ground in a video that was uploaded to their TikTok page. Various parts of the stadium had paint peeling off the walls, ivy and knot weeds suffocating the grounds and rust eating up some of the stands, while the seats were turned black and green from dirt and mould. One of the most spectacular throwbacks was within the concourses, where signs advertising pies depicted prices for as little as £2.20, compared to current clubs like Manchester United, who sell the classic football snack for around £4.70. It was a reminder of how cheap football used to be for supporters. Millmoor was once one of the most bustling grounds in the EFL. In 1952, 25,170 fans packed into the ground to watch Rotherham take on local rivals Sheffield United, while usual attendances were around 8,300. Since Wickersley Youth moved into the stadium, Millmoor has gone from being completely abandoned to becoming the largest dedicated women's football stadium in the country. At present, fans can only sit in the Tivoli Stand, with the rest of the stadium closed off. Wickersley also have Booth Jnr, the son of ex-Rotherham chairman Ken, to thank, as he plunged into his own pocket to help fix the pitch, the changing rooms and many other parts of the stadium that were damaged as a result of its abandonment. Last year, he told the Rotherham Advertiser: "The place was in a sad state. "We had kids breaking in, trying to rip seats out, climbing the floodlight pylon, kicking a ball about. It was time for something to be done." When the changes were complete, he offered the stadium's use for free, which Wickersley gladly accepted. Speaking to Shefnews in March 2024, Robert Peace, the Girls' Secretary and Development Officer of the club, said: "We jumped at the opportunity, especially with Millmoor sat there in good condition. It gave our kids and parents an experience they will never forget." If there are ambitions to restore Millmoor to what it used to be, then plenty more investment and work will be required. However, a classic and historic football stadium that was seemingly dead and buried now has a pulse. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
BBC News
01-06-2025
- BBC News
Football match to remember 'one in a million' victim of collision
Family and friends of a man who died after the car he was travelling in was "deliberately rammed off the road", police have said, are planning a charity football match in his memory to mark the anniversary of his death. Police have said a murder investigation continues into the death of Mackenzie Ball, 20, who died at the scene of the crash on 2 June 2024, just outside Rotherham.A number of people were arrested last year over the incident and subsequently bailed, but no one has been 'Macky's Football Charity Match' is planned for 1 June at Silverwood Miners Welfare Hall, with proceeds going to autism and ADHD charities. Speaking about the charity game, one of the organisers, Leo Welch - a close friend of Mr Ball - said, "I made a Facebook post [about the match] and it really took off"."A lot of people are donating. The charities for ADHD and autism were close to Mackenzie because he had both. It's going to help local adults and children."Another friend who is involved in the fundraiser, Drew Lindley, described Mr Ball as "bang on... one in a million, just amazing". Speaking last year, shortly after the collision between a silver Land Rover and a silver Subaru Forester, police said they believed the fatal crash was a "targeted attack". They claimed the Land Rover, in which Mr Ball was a passenger, was deliberately rammed off the road. "We believe the car Mackenzie was travelling in was deliberately rammed off the road, and we believe there are people out there who know why this happened," said Det Insp Matt Bolger, last incident, which saw both vehicles leave the road, took place in Wickersley, at the junction of Morthen Road and Moat driver and three passengers of the Subaru fled the scene on foot, police said.A 21-year-old man who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving was later bailed. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Leyton Orient chairman Nigel Travis sets sights on Wembley redemption
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Leyton Orient return to Wembley this weekend 11 years after their devastating defeat against Rotherham, once again one just one game away from the Championship Sunday will mark 11 years to the day that Nigel Travis was pacing up and down a hotel room in Puerto Rico with the phone pressed to his ear. On the other end of the line, back in the UK, Travis' eldest son was, somehow, trying to summarise all the ecstasy and agony of Leyton Orient's meeting with Rotherham in the play-off final. Despite leading 2-0 at half-time, the O's would succumb to a rousing fightback from their opponents before losing a penalty shootout. Unfortunately for Orient, that Wembley heartbreak turned out to be just a prologue to the darkest chapter in their history. Their downward spiral culminated in them tumbling into the abyss of non-league during the turbulent reign of Francesco Becchetti, their controversial former owner. Even the club's renaissance - which began when Travis and Kent Teague ended the Italian's reign of tyranny in 2017 - has been tinged with turmoil, with their former manager, Justin Edinburgh, tragically passing away just weeks after he had guided Orient back into the EFL. But the east Londoners' story has come full circle; 11 years on from that game at Wembley, Orient are once again just one win away from returning to the second tier of English football for the first time in 43 years. Travis admits that such a feat felt lightyears away back when he and Kent Teague rode in on a white horse to inherit a club who where languishing at the wrong end of the National League without a bank account. "The story of the past eight years has been far better than we ever expected, to be completely honest," Orient's chairman says in the build-up to Sunday's joust with Charlton Athletic. "We're in a great situation now; one which is probably way ahead of what I ever expected when we first bought the club. "We went to Huddersfield on the last day of the season; we were in the National League playing Guiseley when they were in the Premier League. We've come a long way. I'm feeling good about Sunday but you never know in football." On the pitch, Richie Wellens, the head coach who has commandeered Orient's would-be rise from League Two to the Championship, has fashioned a team full of grit and guile. Canny use of the loan market has seen the likes of Josh Keeley, Jamie Donley and Charlie Kelman add 'swagger' to a team few fancied to be slugging it out for promotion. And yet, Orient have blown some of those expected to challenge away this season: only the division's runaway leaders, Birmingham City, have plundered more than the 72 goals Orient chalked up in the regulation campaign. Fittingly, Wellens' men are also well versed in handling - and overcoming - adversity. The O's started December in the relegation zone; they ended the season with the ultimate act of defiance, stringing together six successive wins to gatecrash the play-off party. Off the pitch, Orient are also in rude health. Fresh investment was confirmed in the form of their new majority shareholder, David Gandler, last month with a new stadium and training ground high on the agenda. A site for the former has already been identified. Given hey will be backed by over 30,000 fans at Wembley, it's no surprise to hear Travis say that an upgrade on the club's charming but cramped Brisbane Road home - which holds 9,271 people - cannot come soon enough. And after achieving record season ticket sales off the back of a successful campaign, there is optimism that an afternoon basking in the glow of Wembley stadium's famous arch can further supplement Orient's recent growth spurt. "Hopefully we can turn some casual fans into regular fans," he says. "London is probably the greatest city in the world. Orient is a fantastic club - I'm biased, of course, as I've supported us for 65 years - but everyone who comes here notices that community feel. "They feel special. I know a lot of people who come over and watch Orient [from the United States] then go to a Premier League game on the Sunday before going home on the Monday. They go to the Premier League and it's a bit more distant, a bit less real." Is there a risk, then, that promotion to the next level could lead to Orient losing that special quality that sets them apart? "I don't think we will, no. Partly because of the stadium!", Travis says with a smile. "Having written a book on culture, I firmly believe culture drives everything. As someone famous once said, 'Culture is more important than strategy', and I think we have a great one," he adds. "I think we could continue that environment [in the Championship]." One thing Wellens would like to lose - regardless of whether or not he is a Championship manager next term - is the "little Leyton Orient" tag; he has made no secret of that during his tenure. While Wellens has encouraged fans to embrace a more aspirational mindset, that's easier said than done. After all, we're all guilty of subconsciously reverting to type when it comes to having an inferiority complex over our own club; Orient fans are no different. Would promotion help on that front? After all, the O's are perennial underdogs having graced the top-flight for just the solitary season in their history. And they will head into the weekend as the underdogs to Charlton, who already have two wins over their London neighbours under their belt. "I think we're acting more professionally," Travis says. "If you'd have said to the players, 'Come and have a drink' back when we were in the National League, everyone would have been there. These days, players are so professional they don't drink. "Off the field we've improved dramatically. Our database has shown to be up to date. Internationally, we're getting known [through streaming] so we are gradually losing that 'little old Leyton Orient' tag. But it will take time. You have to remember, too, we're in London; West Ham is two-and-a-half miles away, Arsenal, is a unique city and we have so many big clubs in a small area." Orient's triumph in the play-off semi finals - or ' that night ' at Stockport, as Travis now refers to it - is the latest golden moment from down the years that the O's chairman holds dear. It stands in good company. Among them is a victory against Manchester United during Orient's solitary top-flight campaign. That came after the O's clinched promotion with a 2-0 win over Bury back in the 1961-62 season, which Travis celebrated by cascading onto the Brisbane Road pitch. A standout moment? Too tough to call. "When I was a kid I wanted to be a journalist, so I've always thought about how reporters see games. When we were in Division Two - or now the Championship - I remember us being very consistent. The only way I had access to games was the BBC as they went around the grounds," he recalls. "The world has changed so much with technology; I lived in Miami in 1989 and the only way I got a result was if my dad faxed it to me! The whole world has changed significantly since then. But we were a very consistent Division Two team - that's my main memory from that era." That's once again the goal. And if Orient can achieve redemption at Wembley after 11 long years, then Travis and 30,000 other O's will end the Bank Holiday weekend with a new favourite tale to tell.
