Latest news with #MarkTaylor
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A hero stranger saved my husband's life when he had a heart attack at a gas station... now he's marrying my daughter and they're expecting their second baby
It was a normal Thursday afternoon when Gary Stevens popped down to the local petrol station - and one that changed his family's lives forever. The father-of-one collapsed after suffering a heart attack while a worried man parked in the van behind him rushed to his aid. That man was Mark Taylor - and now he's about to marry Gary's daughter Bethany. The couple's love story is one that started with tragedy, Gary's wife and Bethany's mum, Anna Stevens, recalls. On January 27, 2022, Gary, of Watford, was washing his car when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Noticing that Gary had suddenly collapsed, Mark, who was sat in the car behind him, instantly ran over to assist him. He then tirelessly administered CPR for up to 20 minutes before the emergency services arrived. As a result of Mark's quick-thinking, Gary, then 56, survived the near-fatal attack, with paramedics praising his 'incredible' ability to keep the father-of-one alive. The hero stranger also quickly hunted down Gary's phone to call for family - and they all rushed down to be at his side as he was raced to hospital. Now, in recognition of Mark's incredible life-saving act, Anna has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the pair's honeymoon and to also contribute to their children's futures. Sadly, due to an accumulation of long-term health complications, Gary sadly passed away just five months later - with Mark serving as one of the pallbearers at his funeral. But in a heartwarming end to what could have been an entirely tragic story, Gary's daughter, 26, and Mark, 34, are set to marry in January. The pair, who share an eight-month-old son Zack, are also expecting a second baby in December. Adding that while she 'lost a husband, I gained a son', Anna has no doubt that her former husband would be 'over the moon' that his beloved daughter is set to wed the courageous man that once helped save his life. Speaking to MailOnline, Anna said: 'Finding out about what happened to Gary was absolutely horrific. When we left the petrol station, I said to Mark "let me take your number so I can give you some updates." 'We kept in touch and when Gary came out of hospital after about 10 weeks the first person he wanted to see was Mark because he owed his life to him. 'On the night Mark came to visit him he brought him a welcome home cake and it was just so lovely for the two of them to sit down and chat properly.' Mark and Bethany began their unexpected relationship a year after Gary's tragic passing. Given the unique circumstances, Anna insisted that Mark was 'incredibly respectful' as they navigated the early days, even ensuring to check that Anna was happy with the proposed relationship before the pair moved forward. She added: 'They went for a drink as friends and I think they just had this great connection. It's the perfect end to the story. 'Gary would not have survived the cardiac arrest if it was not for Mark. The fact that he helped on the day and I got that extra time with my husband and now have the most incredible grandson, I'll never be able to thank him enough. 'I know Gary would be thrilled that they are together, he loved Mark to pieces. I tell my grandson everyday what an incredible father he has and how Daddy saved Grandad's life.' Anna, who was married to her husband for 25 years prior to his death, even previously donated a kidney to her husband in a bid to help him manage his diabetes which had led to failing kidneys. Speaking to MailOnline about the incredible transplant in 2018, she described it as the 'easiest decision' she had ever made, while Gary said: 'She put her life at risk for mine. 'There's only two words to describe her: "My angel".' Now, as Bethany and Mark eagerly await their wedding day, the couple are adamant that Gary's spirit will be ever-present. Previously speaking to MailOnline about donating a kidney to her beloved husband, Ms Stevens described it as the 'easiest decision' she had ever made, while Gary said: 'She put her life at risk for mine. 'There's only two words to describe her: "My angel" Given her father's absence, Bethany is set to be walked down the aisle by her 'incredible' godfather Alex. As Gary's best friend of more than 40 years, Anna praised him as 'invaluable' in helping the family navigate their grief and ongoing life without Gary. Meanwhile Anna, who is now hoping to honour Mark with a Pride of Britain Award for his life-saving act, described her soon to be son-in-law as 'proof that good still exists in the world'. She added: 'He's just an incredible man. Many would have seen somebody passed out like that and froze or not know what to do, but despite having no first aid training Mark never hesitated and immediately helped out. 'Gary would no doubt be looking down and smiling at how things have turned out, I believe fate put those two men at that petrol station at the right time. It's incredible'.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Former Wolverhampton pharmacy to be demolished
Plans to demolish an empty pharmacy and rebuild it as a new salon as part of plans to transform a row of shops in Wolverhampton have been approved. The former Newbridge Pharmacy, in Tettenhall Road, will be replaced with a new a salon built across three former Mark Taylor antiques shop next door, which has been boarded up and closed since the late 2000s, would also be demolished under the application, submitted earlier this year, said both buildings on the busy Tettenhall Road had "fallen into disrepair" and had structural defects that could cause a "major hazard if allowed to decay further." The plans for the new salon would see treatment rooms built in the former pharmacy's basement with the ground and first floors also new shop units would also be built on the ground and first revamp of Tettenhall Road will see the existing pharmacy, which relocated two doors down a few years ago, remain.A structural survey accompanying the planning application said the buildings earmarked for demolition were "structurally unsound" and repairs to the roof, walls and floors would likely cost more than rebuilding. The survey recommended it would be "preferable to demolish the building and start from scratch". This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sam Konstas was a Boxing Day hero, today he can barely make a run. Where to now for cricket's golden boy?
'I think everything's up in the air at the moment,' former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor, who presented Konstas his baggy green on Boxing Day last year, told this masthead. 'That's for Sam and Usman [Khawaja] because they both haven't set the world on fire.' The numbers are jarring for a player nicknamed 'Pinter' — a pint-sized Punter (Ricky Ponting) — by some in NSW cricket circles. Scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 leave Konstas with a Test average of 16.3 — the lowest ever by an Australian opener from as many innings. 'You can see the effects of Test cricket affected him mentally,' said former NSW and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. 'Test cricket's a tough place. Mentally, if things aren't going your way, there's nowhere to hide. His confidence would have taken a big hit.' How did it get to this point? Where to from here? 'We've got to be really, really careful,' said a former Australian cricketer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's such a young kid. I feel sorry for him.' A rapid rise and even sharper fall A little over 13 weeks before Konstas walked out to bat on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the best fast bowler on the planet, India's Jasprit Bumrah, he was bowled by a 15-year-old fourth grader in a Sydney Premier Cricket match. Konstas, playing for Sutherland's under-21s Poidevin-Gray team, had already blasted what ended up being a match-winning hundred, yet was dismissed by a young Northern Districts bowler by the name of Rubeindranath Gobinath. The anecdote isn't to crticise Konstas, but to highlight how quickly his star rose. Some believe that hundred, albeit against teenagers, kick-started his season. No one could have predicted he'd be playing for Australia by December. Professional sport is full of sliding door moments and Konstas had several late last year. Konstas was selected to bat at No.6 in a NSW trial match early last season. He then made 25 and 8 in a second XI game for NSW. Only when Steve Smith didn't return for NSW - Konstas thought Australia's No.4 was going to be playing the match - did the teenager get a start at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield. He responded with twin hundreds at Cricket Central in Sydney and became the name on everyone's lips. Even then, had any number of more experienced found form - Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw - Konstas probably wouldn't have debuted at the MCG. An audacious century at Manuka Oval in a Prime Minister's XI game against the touring Indians only added to the intrigue and hype. If Nathan McSweeney had made one reasonable score against India, Konstas wouldn't have played in Melbourne. He was brought in as a 'disruptor', in the words of head coach Andrew McDonald. Had one of Bumrah's seaming deliveries caught his edge on Boxing Day, his debut 60 would not have happened. 'It was not as if he made huge scores,' Taylor said. 'It was the fact he made the papers for a different reason. It gave him a spotlight he probably didn't need. 'Normally, you try and make your way in quietly and then assert your authority once you become a bit more of a senior player. That didn't happen to Sam. It's a lot to handle. I think he's now trying to, quite rightfully, backpedal a bit and settle into the side.' Haddin believes the uniqueness of the debut shaped perceptions. 'I think that might have played a role in the hype around what everyone expected in Test cricket,' Haddin said. 'I don't think we'll ever see a debut quite like that. What comes with that was a lot of outside pressure and expectations.' In October, Konstas became the third-youngest player to make centuries in both innings of a Shield game, behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Then, his first-class average was 50.25. After another 28 first-class innings, it's now 30.34. 'I think he's still probably trying to work out exactly the right way to play,' Taylor said. 'He hasn't been helped [in the West Indies] by not being given a decent pitch to play a normal, orthodox innings.' Much has been made of conditions in the Caribbean. Australia anticipated dry wickets and the chance to play two spinners. Instead, all three surfaces — in Barbados, Grenada and Kingston — offered exaggerated seam movement. 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages,' Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said this week on SEN. According to data seen by the Australian team, the average seam movement in the third Test was 0.84 degrees, which is extreme. Of the 670 Test matches where data has been kept on ball movement, Australia's latest rout of the West Indies was the 15th most for seam in history. Konstas' strike rate for the series was 33.11 and he was caught between batting styles. 'If you look at the contrasting techniques of the way the openers went about it, some tried to nut it out, work hard and battle through. You end up making 20 off 100 balls and still nick one anyway,' Taylor said. 'I think Sam wasn't sure whether to try that method or try, dare I say it, the Boxing Day method and some different shots.' There have been other changes. Since becoming a household name, Konstas has increased his social media presence. 'I don't want to get distracted,' Konstas told in February last year at the under-19 Cricket World Cup. 'I don't really need it – I just try to live in the moment and not be glued to my phone.' Konstas now updates his Instagram regularly with brand endorsements and behind-the-scenes glimpses to his 286,000 followers. It would be difficult to not soak up the adulation and added attention. A shirtless walk down a Barbados beach sampling local fish burgers before the first Test went viral. According to those close to Konstas, he is still in good spirits and eager for a reset before the Sheffield Shield season. His demeanour on tour certainly did not change as the runs dried up. He worked hard in the nets, desperate to turn his fortunes around. It just didn't translate to the middle. Loading 'I think you can see at the end of the tour, it was all mental,' Haddin said. 'He's never been exposed to any pressure like this before. He wouldn't have gone on a run like this in any of his cricket, like in junior cricket, without being able to dominate an attack. 'What we've got to remember is the kid's 19. He's only had half a season of first-class cricket. This would have been a huge learning curve for him … which is a good thing. The learnings he'll take will be enormous.' What about the Ashes? Konstas received a strong endorsement from Ricky Ponting this week, who said he wouldn't change Australia's top three. 'I think he can make the Ashes,' Taylor said. 'He's a young fella. There's no doubt he'll be feeling down after the series, but Australia won 3-0. If he can make some runs in the first couple of Shield games, I think he still can play.'
The Age
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Sam Konstas was a Boxing Day hero, today he can barely make a run. Where to now for cricket's golden boy?
'I think everything's up in the air at the moment,' former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor, who presented Konstas his baggy green on Boxing Day last year, told this masthead. 'That's for Sam and Usman [Khawaja] because they both haven't set the world on fire.' The numbers are jarring for a player nicknamed 'Pinter' — a pint-sized Punter (Ricky Ponting) — by some in NSW cricket circles. Scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17 and 0 leave Konstas with a Test average of 16.3 — the lowest ever by an Australian opener from as many innings. 'You can see the effects of Test cricket affected him mentally,' said former NSW and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. 'Test cricket's a tough place. Mentally, if things aren't going your way, there's nowhere to hide. His confidence would have taken a big hit.' How did it get to this point? Where to from here? 'We've got to be really, really careful,' said a former Australian cricketer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'He's such a young kid. I feel sorry for him.' A rapid rise and even sharper fall A little over 13 weeks before Konstas walked out to bat on Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the best fast bowler on the planet, India's Jasprit Bumrah, he was bowled by a 15-year-old fourth grader in a Sydney Premier Cricket match. Konstas, playing for Sutherland's under-21s Poidevin-Gray team, had already blasted what ended up being a match-winning hundred, yet was dismissed by a young Northern Districts bowler by the name of Rubeindranath Gobinath. The anecdote isn't to crticise Konstas, but to highlight how quickly his star rose. Some believe that hundred, albeit against teenagers, kick-started his season. No one could have predicted he'd be playing for Australia by December. Professional sport is full of sliding door moments and Konstas had several late last year. Konstas was selected to bat at No.6 in a NSW trial match early last season. He then made 25 and 8 in a second XI game for NSW. Only when Steve Smith didn't return for NSW - Konstas thought Australia's No.4 was going to be playing the match - did the teenager get a start at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield. He responded with twin hundreds at Cricket Central in Sydney and became the name on everyone's lips. Even then, had any number of more experienced found form - Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Matt Renshaw - Konstas probably wouldn't have debuted at the MCG. An audacious century at Manuka Oval in a Prime Minister's XI game against the touring Indians only added to the intrigue and hype. If Nathan McSweeney had made one reasonable score against India, Konstas wouldn't have played in Melbourne. He was brought in as a 'disruptor', in the words of head coach Andrew McDonald. Had one of Bumrah's seaming deliveries caught his edge on Boxing Day, his debut 60 would not have happened. 'It was not as if he made huge scores,' Taylor said. 'It was the fact he made the papers for a different reason. It gave him a spotlight he probably didn't need. 'Normally, you try and make your way in quietly and then assert your authority once you become a bit more of a senior player. That didn't happen to Sam. It's a lot to handle. I think he's now trying to, quite rightfully, backpedal a bit and settle into the side.' Haddin believes the uniqueness of the debut shaped perceptions. 'I think that might have played a role in the hype around what everyone expected in Test cricket,' Haddin said. 'I don't think we'll ever see a debut quite like that. What comes with that was a lot of outside pressure and expectations.' In October, Konstas became the third-youngest player to make centuries in both innings of a Shield game, behind Ponting and Archie Jackson. Then, his first-class average was 50.25. After another 28 first-class innings, it's now 30.34. 'I think he's still probably trying to work out exactly the right way to play,' Taylor said. 'He hasn't been helped [in the West Indies] by not being given a decent pitch to play a normal, orthodox innings.' Much has been made of conditions in the Caribbean. Australia anticipated dry wickets and the chance to play two spinners. Instead, all three surfaces — in Barbados, Grenada and Kingston — offered exaggerated seam movement. 'That cricket was borderline impossible to play at some stages,' Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said this week on SEN. According to data seen by the Australian team, the average seam movement in the third Test was 0.84 degrees, which is extreme. Of the 670 Test matches where data has been kept on ball movement, Australia's latest rout of the West Indies was the 15th most for seam in history. Konstas' strike rate for the series was 33.11 and he was caught between batting styles. 'If you look at the contrasting techniques of the way the openers went about it, some tried to nut it out, work hard and battle through. You end up making 20 off 100 balls and still nick one anyway,' Taylor said. 'I think Sam wasn't sure whether to try that method or try, dare I say it, the Boxing Day method and some different shots.' There have been other changes. Since becoming a household name, Konstas has increased his social media presence. 'I don't want to get distracted,' Konstas told in February last year at the under-19 Cricket World Cup. 'I don't really need it – I just try to live in the moment and not be glued to my phone.' Konstas now updates his Instagram regularly with brand endorsements and behind-the-scenes glimpses to his 286,000 followers. It would be difficult to not soak up the adulation and added attention. A shirtless walk down a Barbados beach sampling local fish burgers before the first Test went viral. According to those close to Konstas, he is still in good spirits and eager for a reset before the Sheffield Shield season. His demeanour on tour certainly did not change as the runs dried up. He worked hard in the nets, desperate to turn his fortunes around. It just didn't translate to the middle. Loading 'I think you can see at the end of the tour, it was all mental,' Haddin said. 'He's never been exposed to any pressure like this before. He wouldn't have gone on a run like this in any of his cricket, like in junior cricket, without being able to dominate an attack. 'What we've got to remember is the kid's 19. He's only had half a season of first-class cricket. This would have been a huge learning curve for him … which is a good thing. The learnings he'll take will be enormous.' What about the Ashes? Konstas received a strong endorsement from Ricky Ponting this week, who said he wouldn't change Australia's top three. 'I think he can make the Ashes,' Taylor said. 'He's a young fella. There's no doubt he'll be feeling down after the series, but Australia won 3-0. If he can make some runs in the first couple of Shield games, I think he still can play.'
Gulf Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Taylor, Mulder show why cricket is called the game of gentlemen
Cricket is perhaps rightly called the game of gentlemen. Despite being the most complicated and technical sport, it has not only weathered the test of time but also captivated the fans across the globe. When two teams play in a Test match in white kits – with eleven fielders scattered all over the ground – the view is simply spectacular, especially in a place like England. England is renowned for its marvellous stadiums with breathtaking views in the backdrop. The overcast condition and blowing wind adds to its charm. The spectators are usually seen wearing a tie and hat, which is seldom accompanied by a stick, giving them a look of an English gentleman. These gentlemen are often seen in the company of their bella donnas. The fans acknowledge a good shot or a dismissal by gently clapping, irrespective of the team they are rooting for. They never forget to give a standing ovation to a batter who plays a good knock or a bowler who picks up the most wickets without any bias. But, it is always the players who steal the show when it comes to the discipline, behaviour and respect for the peers and the past greats. Mark Taylor Cricket history is replete with such examples when the opposition captain called back a batsman after he was declared out by the umpire to show sportsmanship. Many instances are found in the history of the game, when bowlers have come to the rescue of batsmen after having hit them with an unintentional bouncer or a beamer. The Incidents became the folklore of cricket fraternity for a kind gesture or apologetic behaviour of a certain player. But, two instances which stand out among all the kind and good gestures shown by the cricketers till date and will remain etched in the memories of the fans, came from two players from completely different eras, different countries and different backgrounds. Australia's former captain Mark Taylor and South Africa's stand-in skipper Wiaan Mulder both declared their innings out of respect for the past greats. Taylor, when batting on 334 against Pakistan in Peshawar, declared his innings due to respect for the Australian great Don Bradman, the greatest batsman ever to have graced the game of cricket with an average of 99.96 in Tests. He declared his innings as he did not want to go past Bradman. He could have gone on to play and may have become the first person to reach the magical figure of 400, which was breached many years later by the West Indian great Brian Lara. But, he chose to remain on the same score as that of Bradman. After the match, Taylor said that he did not want to go beyond Australia's greatest batsman. In an interview with cricket years later, Taylor revealed his decision. 'I spent hours that night contemplating what to do. I finally got to sleep at about 2 o'clock in the morning. I was thinking about what to do so I certainly didn't crash as well as I'd hoped.I think ideally I would have batted on for 20 minutes just to put their openers out in the field for 20 more minutes before we declared,' Taylor was quoted as saying by 'But, I thought if I did that I would then end up on 340 not out or something like that and I think people would have assumed that I'd batted on just for my own glory. 'I didn't want to send that message either so the more I thought about it, I came to the decision that the best thing I can do is declare (and) end up on the same score as Sir Donald, which I'm more than delighted with,' he added. Memories of Taylor's gesture of paying a tribute to a legend were revived when South Africa's Mulder declared his innings while batting on 367 not out against Zimbabwe. Mulder had a chance to get his name etched in the pinnacle of the sport by breaking the record of Lara. He was just 33 runs short of Lara's 400-run mark. But instead of trying to break the record of Lara, he preferred to declare the innings as a befitting tribute to the great batsman. After the match, Mulder said in the-match conference, 'Brian Lara is a legend. He got 401 or whatever it was (it was 400) against England. For someone of that stature to keep the record is pretty special.'
