Latest news with #WestCountry
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
'Everyone feels part of the same vision' - squad depth key to Bath success
Bath's second-half demolition of Leicester three weeks ago summed up the challenge facing opposition teams this season when confronting the Premiership Ojomoh, Guy Pepper, Ross Molony, Will Stuart and Francois van Wyk were among the players brought on from the bench to see out the match - Ojomoh, who played just 34 minutes, made such an impact he was named player of the strength in depth developed under Johann van Graan has been a major factor in Bath finishing 11 points clear at the top and they head into this weekend's semi-finals as favourites to claim what would be their first title since they overcome Bristol on Friday and then the winners of the Leicester-Sale semi at Twickenham on 14 June, the West Country side would also seal a historic treble, having already clinched the Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Tigers, in 2001, are the only other English club to win a 'treble' in the modern era, although theirs consisted of the Premiership, the elite European (formerly Heineken) Cup and the Zurich Championship, a short-lived end-of-season knockout competition just for the top eight teams in the league. "For the last 35 rounds we've been in the top four, over two seasons, so we've become better and we've become comfortable with being favourites," head of rugby Van Graan said last month of the expectation around his squad."We keep it within our circle, stick to our process - which we've become very good at - and just enjoy it." Bath ended the 18 rounds of the regular season with the most potent attack in the league, scoring 651 points, and also the strongest defence, conceding only 417. Van Graan has repeatedly talked about squad rotation being key. No player has featured in all 18 Premiership matches and while 23 players have played in at least half of those games, only 15 have started nine games or more. Half-backs Finn Russell (15 starts, plus one outing as a replacement) and Ben Spencer (13 games, all as a starter) have featured most among the backs. In the forwards, hooker Tom Dunn (16 games, 12 starts) and locks Charlie Ewels (15 games, 12 starts) and Quinn Roux (13 games, 13 starts) have played the their bruising 61-26 defeat in the Challenge Cup at the Recreation Ground in April, Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington said it was impossible for the opposition to predict Bath's match-day squad. "I think they're the only team that you play that you don't know the starting line-up – you don't know what the 23 is going to be," he said. Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter agreed it was "seamless" for players to rotate in and out of the Bath side."They've looked at how they want to build a squad - what they want a squad to look like," Baxter said prior to the Chiefs' 24-26 home defeat in April. "That's made them very difficult to beat to start with and then they've expanded on that - they now have that group of 30 players, it's quite seamless how they step in and out of the squad."Newcastle Falcons consultant director of Steve Diamond went as far as to describe Bath as "the Galacticos" and compared them to the all-conquering Saracens side that dominated English rugby between 2018 and 2023. Players 'given opportunities' - Underhill Bath's strength is easily visible in the impact their replacements have had on matches this the 60th minute onwards - when fresh legs are typically brought on - across all 18 Premiership rounds, Bath have scored the most and conceded the least of all 10 clubs. They scored 209 points - 32% of their total 651 points - in the final quarter, although high-scoring Bristol, their semi-final opponents, are a close second with 200 points - 31.5% of their total of defence the gap widens significantly. Bath conceded just 79 points in the final 20 minutes - 18.9% of their total 417. By contrast, Leicester conceded 28.5% of their total points during this same timeframe, Sale 29.9% and Bristol 22.2%. Flanker Sam Underhill believes that the club's strength in depth has come from giving young players opportunities, rather than purely through buying power. He pointed to the likes of back-rowers Arthur Green and Ethan Staddon, among those to make their Premiership debuts this year, as well as Ewan Richards, who captained their Premiership Rugby Cup-winning side and went on to start two of the past three league games."I think everyone's got good depth in their squad; it's just the way it's used," Underhill said."There's good strength in depth but that's not just because we've signed 60 good players, that's because we've given opportunities to people, let them grow their game in a sporting environment." Players know they need to 'deliver' Ewels is one of Bath's longest serving players and said in April he believes the squad is currently being managed the "best" he has seen, with player rotation driving competition. "Everyone feels connected and part of the same vision because there's a very hard chance they've played and been a part of it, and if not training has been better and therefore they've been pushing the team that have played," he said."The guys that are playing more minutes, they aren't now being expected to go weekend after weekend."They know that when they get the opportunity to play, they need to deliver and they know they're going to be managed and looked after."Bath were so far ahead of their rivals they secured top spot and a home semi-final when they beat Newcastle six weeks ago, with three rounds still to play. While Leicester, Sale and Bristol had to wait until Saturday to secure their top-four places, Bath rested all their frontline players ahead of Friday's semi-final, fielding seven debutants in their match-day 23 against Saracens. Results over the next two weeks will tell us how much of an advantage that has given Bath having bolstered their squad for next season with Argentina full-back Santiago Carreras, England wing Henry Arundell and Scotland centre Chris Harris among their signings, this is a team that only looks like getting stronger.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
'Builder Mark Killick turned our home into junkyard', jury told
A builder who is accused of defrauding customers in the West Country out of more than £2m left one woman's home looking like a "junkyard", a jury has been Killick, of Shoe Lane in Paulton, Somerset, allegedly charged customers for building materials and labour but failed to complete the work and kept the 56-year-old, also known as Mark Cole and Mark Jenkins, is accused of 46 counts of fraud committed between December 2019 and November Brooks told Bristol Crown Court her mother was hospitalised after falling down a trench Mr Killick had begun to dig but did not finish, instead disappearing and failing to reply to text messages. Ms Brooks said Mr Killick, who introduced himself as Mark Cole, had agreed to extend her driveway and rebuild the listed orangery at her home in Portishead in December was quoted £115k for the project and asked to pay a deposit of £20k upfront."He seemed very clever, had a lot of ideas about what you could do," she told the jury. "He had the gift of the gab, made a lot of sense and sounded plausible." The scaffolding went up immediately but progress was slow and inefficient, she told the court, and Mr Killick blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for the months went on, she said he continued to request further money for traders and materials that never arrived - bringing the total cost to £ allegedly threatened to "halt all the work completely" if she did not pay up."We had what we thought was a contract," Ms Brooks explained. "We had sunk money into this and we needed to get it done. I had to push it forward." 'We're getting desperate' Despite repeated attempts to contact Mr Killick to confirm the schedule of works, she alleges her home was left in a dangerous state of disarray for claims the temporary scaffolding over the orangery was so poorly constructed it "kept lifting up" in the jury was shown text exchanges between the pair as she pleaded for an update, saying: "We're getting desperate, please call us. Are you still alive?"Our beautiful home looks like a junkyard. Our house is worthless until this job is done."Ms Brooks claimed completion dates were "plucked out of the air to fob [her] off". However, defence attorney Robin Shellard suggested she had expanded the project by around 30%, requiring more work than was initially agreed cited an extended driveway and a natural stone wall, but Ms Brooks disputed the claim they had not been included in the original plans."It may not have been to your satisfaction, it may not have been good enough, but a considerable amount of work had been done," Mr Shellard trial continues.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zulu children's choir performs across the West
A South African children's choir has been performing across the west of England as it takes part in a cultural exchange tour. Made up of 20 school children from the Madadeni Township in South Africa, the choir is visiting the UK as part of Project Zulu, an initiative by the University of the West of England (UWE). Raising funds for their schools back home, they have showcased their traditional Zulu song in a number of West Country locations, including a Bristol Bears game and in Bath and Bristol city centres. Project leader, Ben Knight, said their final performance would take place at the Bristol Beacon on 5 June. Project Zulu arranges for choirs from South African townships to tour the UK every two years. Mr Knight said UWE students studying professions such as teaching, engineering and occupational therapy were sent out to the township in South Africa annually to "spend a few weeks making valuable contributions to the educational life of schools in the township". Then every two years a choir, made up of children from two partnership schools, are brought over to Bristol to spend three weeks performing and sharing their talent and culture. "They've been busking, they've put on concerts," he said. Mr Knight explained the tour aimed to raise money for the two schools involved. "They are over here sharing their extraordinary talents and culture but also earning money to develop their educational opportunities back home," he said. He said this year, one school planned to use the money to develop solar energy and the other hoped to buy IT equipment. "Every penny that is made goes directly back to their schools," he said. "A little bit of your money goes a really long way in South Africa," he added. Mr Knight said "right at the heart of the project" was a "desire to bring people who live a long way apart, and lead very different lives, together". Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Volunteer families sought to host Zulu choir Zulu children's choir performance delights crowds Choir earns £970 in 90-minute busk Project Zulu
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zulu children's choir performs across the West
A South African children's choir has been performing across the west of England as it takes part in a cultural exchange tour. Made up of 20 school children from the Madadeni Township in South Africa, the choir is visiting the UK as part of Project Zulu, an initiative by the University of the West of England (UWE). Raising funds for their schools back home, they have showcased their traditional Zulu song in a number of West Country locations, including a Bristol Bears game and in Bath and Bristol city centres. Project leader, Ben Knight, said their final performance would take place at the Bristol Beacon on 5 June. Project Zulu arranges for choirs from South African townships to tour the UK every two years. Mr Knight said UWE students studying professions such as teaching, engineering and occupational therapy were sent out to the township in South Africa annually to "spend a few weeks making valuable contributions to the educational life of schools in the township". Then every two years a choir, made up of children from two partnership schools, are brought over to Bristol to spend three weeks performing and sharing their talent and culture. "They've been busking, they've put on concerts," he said. Mr Knight explained the tour aimed to raise money for the two schools involved. "They are over here sharing their extraordinary talents and culture but also earning money to develop their educational opportunities back home," he said. He said this year, one school planned to use the money to develop solar energy and the other hoped to buy IT equipment. "Every penny that is made goes directly back to their schools," he said. "A little bit of your money goes a really long way in South Africa," he added. Mr Knight said "right at the heart of the project" was a "desire to bring people who live a long way apart, and lead very different lives, together". Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Volunteer families sought to host Zulu choir Zulu children's choir performance delights crowds Choir earns £970 in 90-minute busk Project Zulu
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Zulu children's choir showcases music and culture across the West
A South African children's choir has been performing across the west of England as it takes part in a cultural exchange up of 20 school children from the Madadeni Township in South Africa, the choir is visiting the UK as part of Project Zulu, an initiative by the University of the West of England (UWE).Raising funds for their schools back home, they have showcased their traditional Zulu song in a number of West Country locations, including a Bristol Bears game and in Bath and Bristol city leader, Ben Knight, said their final performance would take place at the Bristol Beacon on 5 June. Project Zulu arranges for choirs from South African townships to tour the UK every two Knight said UWE students studying professions such as teaching, engineering and occupational therapy were sent out to the township in South Africa annually to "spend a few weeks making valuable contributions to the educational life of schools in the township".Then every two years a choir, made up of children from two partnership schools, are brought over to Bristol to spend three weeks performing and sharing their talent and culture. "They've been busking, they've put on concerts," he said. Mr Knight explained the tour aimed to raise money for the two schools involved."They are over here sharing their extraordinary talents and culture but also earning money to develop their educational opportunities back home," he said. He said this year, one school planned to use the money to develop solar energy and the other hoped to buy IT equipment."Every penny that is made goes directly back to their schools," he said."A little bit of your money goes a really long way in South Africa," he Knight said "right at the heart of the project" was a "desire to bring people who live a long way apart, and lead very different lives, together".
