Latest news with #Marden
Telegraph
08-08-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Ducks cause ‘absolute havoc' on country roads
Residents are complaining of 'absolute havoc' as a flock of ducks cause chaos in a quiet Kent village. The ownership of the ducks is unclear, but one Marden resident said 'over 2,000' of them had been released from farm land at the beginning of July. Businesses in the area have been forced to put up signs warning of the ducks crossing the road in Collier Street and Green Lane, and motorists fear there'll soon be an accident as cars have to swerve and slam on the brakes to avoid the 'nervous' birds. One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous said: 'At the beginning of July, as I understand, over 2,000 ducks were released on farm land. 'They haven't been acclimatised so they got out on the road and they were very panicked and nervous. They have no survival skills because they were bred in captivity. It is believed the ducks are being homed in a field in the area, although the ownership is unclear. A fence has now been erected around the field in a apparent bid to stop the roaming. The resident added that the ducks are being 'picked off by predators' and that there are 'dead ducks everywhere'. She said 'it's like living next to Hitchcock's The Birds' and said the noise of constant quacking and motorists beeping their horns has left her with 'ducky tinnitus'. Kate Graves, 54, who owns the Willows End Tea Room, says the ducks have been causing problems on local roads – and she fears an accident will happen soon. She said: 'At first we thought someone had a massive brood and they would fly off soon. I don't think that they are being fed properly so they are coming down to look for food. 'They were coming down and causing absolute havoc on this road. She added: 'Because they are juvenile they can only waddle around, so they can't fly away or pick up momentum.' Her daughter Royan Graves, 29, added: 'This is a crazy busy road and people come down it fast. There are also loads of HGVs which don't come down here slowly. 'At the speed people come down here they can't slam their foot on the breaks if someone has stopped. 'This road also floods a lot and things will be even worse if its wet. It would be like living in a pond.'
BBC News
05-08-2025
- BBC News
Ducks cause traffic chaos in village
Motorists are being forced to take evasive action as "thousands of ducks" run amok in a Kent village, local residents have unknown where the ducks have come from, Marden residents have erected signs to warn drivers to watch out for the itinerant Graves, owner of Willows End Tea Room, told the BBC that the ducks had been waddling around outside her business in Green Lane in large numbers."They often appear during peak hours in the morning and evening. Sometimes I see about 50 of them walking together at once," she said. "A lot of drivers are swerving to dodge the ducks. Green Lane is a very narrow road and it's extremely dangerous."There have been some animal fatalities already, and we're concerned about a pile-up on the road."Ms Graves added that she had set up a competition calling for residents to help create warning signs for the road. The Amazing Animal Encounters sanctuary has also urged drivers to take care, adding that the situation was "not improving".In a post on social media, the business said: "The ducks are not penned and can access the road through the local system of brooks and streams, and this is causing problems for road users."We witness the day in, day out chaos on the road here. As part of the local community, we need to step up to help keep road users and ducks safe." Local resident Jody Cooper said she hoped there would not be a traffic accident as the road linked Marden's industrial estates to Yalding."It's a country road with blind bends and potholes, so there are accidents anyway. And the ducks aren't going to help it at all," she said."The vehicles either slow down and cause traffic jams or keep speeding along and then have it swerve dangerously to avoid the ducks."
News18
11-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
'Gautam Gambhir Spoke To Us...': India Coach Gives Clear Message To England Curator
The team has established its base at Beckenham, where they are preparing for the series commencing on 20th June. India head coach Gautam Gambhir requested pitch curator Josh Marden to prepare a surface that replicates the conditions expected throughout the five Tests. Marden accommodated the request and implemented several adjustments. 'Yes, the coaching staff, including Gautam Gambhir and others, spoke to us after their internal meeting," Marden told Revsportz. 'Their message was clear: 'We want a good pitch.' Not something too flat or too green, but something that will genuinely help with match preparation. They wanted more realistic conditions, not just batting drills. So we adjusted a few things, grass cover, net width, length extensions. The feedback has been great since then." English conditions typically favour swing bowling, placing the spotlight on India's pace attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah who will only play in three Tests during the tour as part of his workload management. When asked about feedback from Indian bowlers, Marden replied, 'We haven't directly interacted with players like Bumrah, but the coaching staff has passed on detailed feedback." 'From what we've heard, the focus is on overs under the belt and meaningful practice, not just hammering runs. They want result-oriented pitches – surfaces where you get value for good bowling and are punished for errors. And that's exactly what we're trying to give them," he added. The series will be the first of the next ICC World Test Championship cycle with India, under a new captain, aiming to kickstart their campaign on a positive note.
Mint
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Gautam Gambhir's 'clear' message to England pitch curator for ENG vs IND preparation; ‘Not something too flat or…'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has sent a clear-cut message to the Beckenham County Ground head curator, Josh Marden, about the type of pitched they want in preparation for their five-match Test series in England. Ahead of the first Test, which starts on June 20 at Headingly, the Indian team will play an intra-squad match in Beckenham. Unlike the tour of Australia last year, the Indian team is going with full preparation for their first Test series in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. India A, which featured a few players from the senior squad, have already finished their assignments against England Lions, drawing both their games. Led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, the India A side will now be up against Shubman Gill's senior India next week in Kent. The Test series against England also marks India's first bilateral without the heavyweights Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from red-ball cricket last month. Ahead of the intra-squad match, Gambhir had an internal meeting with his support staff and sent a clear message to Marden on what type of strips they want for preparation keeping in mind the various conditions they would encounter during their stay in the United Kingdom. "Yes, the coaching staff, including Gautam Gambhir and others, spoke to us after their internal meeting. Their message was clear: "We want a good pitch." Not something too flat or too green, but something that will genuinely help with match preparation," Marden was quoted as saying to Revsportz. "They wanted more realistic conditions, not just batting drills. So we adjusted a few things, grass cover, net width, and length extensions. The feedback has been great since then," added Marden. Gambhir's ask made sense as he wanted an even contest between the batters and bowlers. Hence he called for a good pitch which would offer his bowlers, especially the pace-unit, a significant practice before the series. Key highlights in India A vs England Lions
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin football class of 2026 linebacker target announces commitment date
Wisconsin football class of 2026 linebacker target Mason Marden will announce his collegiate commitment later today, May 21. Marden included the Badgers as a finalist on May 5 alongside Oklahoma, Arizona State, Kansas and Michigan State. He will announce his commitment at Ladue Horton Watkins High School at 7:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. CT. Advertisement The 2026 linebacker has scheduled official visits to Michigan State on May 30, Kansas on June 6 and Wisconsin on June 13, per 247Sports. His decision will likely alter that summer slate. 247Sports considers the St. Louis, Missouri, native as a three-star recruit, the No. 85 linebacker in the class of 2026 and No. 10 player from his home state. During his junior season with Ladue Horton Watkins High School, Marden tallied 170 total tackles, 20 for loss, three sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles. He also rushed 15 times for 294 yards and four touchdowns out of the backfield. On3's recruiting prediction machine currently considers Michigan State as the heavy favorite to land Marden at 33.1%. Meanwhile, neither Rivals nor 247Sports has released a projection for his commitment. As of May 20, Wisconsin's class of 2026 features seven commitments. Three of those players line up on the defensive side of the ball -- three-star defensive lineman Carmelow Reed, three-star linebacker Aden Reeder and three-star cornerback Carsen Eloms. Advertisement Given Wisconsin's history in producing linebackers over the last decade, the Badgers could offer Marden an opportunity he may not discover in East Lansing, Michigan, or Lawrence, Kansas. His decision will be one to monitor this evening. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Football 2026 target Mason Marden commitment announcement
