Latest news with #Whalley
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cherry Tree happily-placed ahead of facing leaders Ribb
Cherry Tree captain Andreas Sudnik says his side are where they want to be at the halfway stage of the Championship's promotion race in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League. Sudnik's side are placed third in the table, eight points short of the all-important top-two positions having won eight of their 10 matches so far. Advertisement Last weekend marked the 11th out of 22 rounds in the NWCL summer, with some sides having played more and some less. On Saturday afternoon, Cherry Tree won by seven wickets at Earby, chasing down a revised target of 190 in 41 overs, getting home off the penultimate ball They now sit with 94 points in third, just behind second-placed Whalley (102) and 13 points adrift of leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers. Cherry Tree have a game in hand on Whalley and have played three games fewer than Ribblesdale. 'I'd have taken this position at the start of the season,' said seamer Sudnik. 'Two defeats out of 10 and eight wins, that's very good. Advertisement 'We were disappointed at Walkden last weekend. We would have been expecting to win that, but they had an overseas (Haider Saqlain) who played well and has won them a couple of games recently. 'Maybe that was a bit of a kick up the backside that we needed. 'I said to the lads on Saturday, 'This is our chance to get back into it'. And we did. I'm very happy at the moment. 'But it's too hard a race to call at the moment. 'Most of the teams who are up there, I expected them to be. 'Whalley were in my top four. They have a really good pro in Levi Wolfenden. I expected Ribb to be there having come down. They have a strong squad. Advertisement 'Barnoldswick are maybe a bit of a surprise instead of Astley Bridge, who I was expecting to be up there. 'I was backing ourselves to be up there because we have strengthened the batting, which was an issue for us last year, and we're winning games.' Cherry Tree triumphed amid a thrilling conclusion at Earby on Saturday, Sudnik struck twice with his seamers, including getting Sri Lankan professional Dunith Jayathunga out in the last over for 83 off 72 balls as Earby totalled 190-5 from 41 overs. In reply, four of Cherry Tree's five batters used all posted more than 20, including opener Charlie Elwood's 47, pro Mini Bhada's 45, Owen Elwood's middle-order run-a-ball 50 not out and Mark Hadfield's unbeaten 21. Advertisement Charlie Elwood and the pro shared 77 for the second wicket from 27-1 and Owen Elwood and Hadfield shared 71 unbroken for the fourth wicket from 122-3 to see their side home. 'Owen's hit three big sixes, including two in the penultimate over,' said Sudnik. 'Without those, we'd have lost. 'He also took an absolutely outstanding catch running back towards long-on, catching it right on the edge, to get their pro. That was crucial. 'Their pro batted really well. He didn't give a chance. But when we got him out off the first ball of the last over, that made a difference because he was teeing off. 'I bowled the last 11 overs at the death with Kurt Smithson because our spinners didn't really adjust to the wicket. Advertisement 'We didn't bowl badly. Their pro just played some very good shots.' Having talked up the performance of opposition pro Jayathunga with the bat, Sudnik did likewise with his own pro, Mini Bhada. 'Local lad, great player, great attitude,' he said. 'He bats and bowls, and you know you're going to get something off him every week. On Saturday, he was involved in a big partnership which really set us up.' Sudnik did not actually start the season as captain, that responsibility lying with opener Elwood. Sudnik added: 'I think it was after the fourth game of the season, and he just said, 'I'm not enjoying it'. Advertisement 'I was his vice, and we get on like a house on fire, so I had no problems with stepping up. It was just a matter of the timing not being right. 'Charlie's happy scoring runs, and that's exactly what he's doing.' Next up for Cherry Tree is a blockbuster home clash with leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers today. Today's fixtures: Premiership - Atherton v Salesbury, Eagley v Read, Farnworth v Lostock, Kearsley v Farnworth Social Circle, Little Lever v Tonge, Padiham v Salesbury; Championship - Astley Bridge v Brinscall, Baxenden v Walkden, Cherry Tree v Ribblesdale Wanderers, Earby v Barnoldswick, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Whalley.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Social Circle's Stuart hits league's first double ton
Championship leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers were indebted to the exploits of Sri Lankan professional Heshan Dhanushka as he starred with bat but mainly ball during a double winning weekend in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League. Ribblesdale won at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel on Saturday and beat Baxenden at home on Sunday, sitting on 107 points with eight wins from 12 games. Advertisement That they are now 17 points clear of second-placed Whalley is largely thanks to Dhanushka. On Sunday, they bowled Baxenden out for 94, with Dhanushka's off-spin accounting for 8-43 from 15 overs - the summer's best bowling return by anyone in the top two divisions of the NWCL. He then top-scored with 50 in a successful reply, achieved for the loss of four wickets. On Saturday, he claimed 5-2 from 3.4 overs against Oswaldtwistle, including three wickets in four balls, to bowl the hosts out for 93. Again, in response, he top-scored with 39 and fashioned a recovery from 16-3 to seal a four-wicket triumph. Advertisement Premiership leaders Read recovered from last week's first defeat to win a nervy clash at bottom-side Lostock by two wickets. The summer's 10th round brought Read their ninth win, surviving a regular loss of wickets in a pursuit of 153. Opener and captain Will Wrathall top-scored with 30. Lostock had been limited to 152-9 in 45 overs. Chris Holt starred for Read with 6-31 from 13 overs. He then contributed 18 to the chase, sharing 46 for the first wicket with Wrathall. Read, who claimed 10 points, are sat on 102 from 10 games, 12 clear of second-placed Farnworth Social Circle (90). Social Circle's Bajan professional Jameel Stuart amassed a sensational unbeaten 202 from 126 balls with 18 sixes in 352-5 at home to shellshocked Padiham, leading a recovery from 41-4. Advertisement Stuart's assault from number four saw 152 runs scored in fours and sixes and represented the first first-team double century in the three-year history of the NWCL, with Padiham later 229 all out. Dave Mather returned five wickets and Stuart 4-20 from 5.4 overs to help FSC claim the full 12 points with a 123-run success. The Championship's bottom side, Walkden, were on the right side of the London Bus Syndrome - you wait ages for one and then two come along at once. Having lost their first eight matches of the season, they have won their last two. They jumped off the bottom courtesy of an impressive win at promotion-chasing Cherry Tree, by two wickets chasing 194. Advertisement Indian overseas amateur Haider Saqlain was their hero with 6-52 from 14 overs in Cherry Tree's 193-9 and a top-score of 44 from number three in reply. However, a 63-run partnership, from 115-6, between Mirza Suhail and Salman Younis proved key for Walkden. Cherry Tree dropped out of the top two promotion places in the second tier, replaced by Whalley, who claimed an eye-catching come-from-behind win at Earby having been bowled out for 90. Their seventh win in 10 was achieved by 35 runs in a contest which saw only one batter make it beyond 20. Whalley pro Levi Wolfenden starred with 7-36 from 12 overs as Earby were bowled out for 55, including Matthew Nutter's 24 not out. Advertisement Wolfenden had top-scored in Whalley's 90 with 15 though was one of five wickets for South African OA Jared Bone. Unfortunately for Bone and Earby, it meant little. Whalley may be 17 points adrift of Ribblesdale but have two games in hand. Back in the Premiership, Little Lever claimed a sixth league win of 2025, by eight wickets at home against Farnworth as they impressively reeled in a target of 216 and now sit third on 79 points. Adil Nisar claimed three wickets in Farnworth's 215-8 before opener Cameron Murray and Pakistani professional Mohammad Junaid were in aggressive mood in sharing an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 147 to seal a home win. The pair hit five sixes each, Murray 88 off 67 balls and Junaid 79 off 47. Advertisement Champions Blackrod (75 points) secured their sixth win, by 18 runs at Eagley, who were bowled out for 161 in reply to 179-5. Thushendra De Zoysa top-scored for Blackrod with 59 before Bajan OA Renaldo Holder took the new ball and struck five times. Kearsley also won for the sixth time, this one by 55 runs at home to Salesbury, who were bowled out for 100 in reply to the home side's 155 all out. Indian pro Ajay Rohera opened and top-scored with 47 before new-ball duo Irfan Kareem and Mustafa Bashir shared nine wickets to leave Salesbury well short. Kareem claimed five of those. In mid-table, Padiham are fifth, Kearsley sixth - both on 70 points - and Tonge seventh, just a point behind. Advertisement Tonge's fifth win was achieved by nine wickets at home to Atherton, successfully replying to the visitors' 127 all out thanks to an unbeaten 71 from South African OA Justin Gilliland. He shared a first-wicket 127 with Alex Rodzoch (49). Earlier, Tonge captain Connor Lord and Hasib Patel struck four times apiece with the ball. Barnoldswick are into the top four in the Championship thanks to their sixth win in nine, by four wickets chasing 149 at Brinscall. Wasique Ali stood out with five wickets in bowling Brinscall out for 148 before Australian pro Trent Riddell top-scored with 44 in a reply only briefly threatened at 5-1. Advertisement Baxenden have a won five, lost six record from their 11 games. They beat Astley Bridge at home by five wickets on Saturday in a strong reply to 207 all out. Matthew Austin took the new ball and returned four wickets for Baxenden, who were then indebted to Harris Masood's measured 60no from number four in reply. Pro Ben Gorton had also opened with 48.
CBC
30-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
E-bike shop in Surrey, B.C. destroyed in a weekend fire
Social Sharing Dozens of firefighters spent hours fighting a large blaze that destroyed an e-bike shop in Surrey, B.C. over the weekend. It took 36 firefighters about six hours to put out the fire at EV Revolution, an electric bike and scooter store in a strip mall, in the Whalley neighbourhood. The Surrey Fire Service was called to the scene at 104 Avenue and 139 Street on Saturday, just after 7 p.m. Mike McNamara, assistant chief of operations with the Surrey Fire Department, said crews initially entered the building, but were forced to retreat due to intense heat and thick smoke. Firefighters then shifted to a defensive attack from outside, as conditions inside quickly became too dangerous to continue. "[Firefighters] exited the building just in case the ceiling came down … and the ceiling did come down," McNamara said. No one was injured, but one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. Crews said the fire was declared out on Sunday around 1 a.m. In a statement shared after the fire, EV Revolution said it wanted to clear up speculation about the cause. "This fire was not started by e-bikes," according to the statement. "This fire was caused by an old outdated electrical system in the attic." The business said it had shut off all its power at 5 p.m. and the fire started two hours later. The Surrey Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. In the meantime, McNamara confirmed lithium batteries in the building contributed to the fire's intensity once it was underway. "We know that the batteries did play a part in the fire load," he said. "The thermal runaway starts moving in the batteries and then they heat up quicker than they dissipate. And then that fire just grows and grows and it's very difficult to extinguish for us." WATCH | Concerns raised over e-bike batteries after hotel explosion: Concerns raised over e-bike batteries after hotel explosion 3 years ago Duration 1:59 Concerns are being raised about the safety of poor quality e-bike batteries after an overcharged or faulty one became the suspected cause of a deadly hotel fire in Vancouver. He said crews were fortunate the building had a firewall, which protected neighbouring businesses from more extensive damage. The plaza also has a grocery store, fitness centre and beauty supply shop. EV Revolution said it plans to move to a new location by August. The fire service is using the incident as a reminder for residents to be cautious with battery-powered devices heading into the summer. Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries have become more common in recent years, including some that have been fatal in Vancouver. McNamara said the department has created handouts to raise awareness of e-bike and e-scooter safety. Some of the tips include not using aftermarket chargers, as well as keeping them out of direct sunlight and hot vehicles, so they don't get too hot.
New York Post
26-05-2025
- New York Post
Drug mule mom-turned-OnlyFans model shares warning to two young women arrested for smuggling
A drug mule mom caught smuggling more than $200,000 worth of cannabis from New York has offered a simple warning to two young women facing jail abroad for similar crimes: 'Tell the truth.' Levi-April Whalley, 31, a former nurse from the UK, was arrested in 2023 along with Sophie Bannister, 30, after the pair arrived home from New York with some 77 pounds of marijuana in their bags. The two glam drug mules told border officials at Birmingham International Airport they had been on a New York shopping spree when they were stopped, before the 70 heat-sealed packages with a value of $217,000 were found hidden in their luggage, LancsLive reported. Bannister and Whalley — who have since launched OnlyFans accounts — sobbed as they were handed an 18-month suspended sentence at Preston Crown Court in northwest England last month, the outlet reported last month. 7 Former drug mule Levi-April Whalley has issued a warning to two fellow Brits suspected of smuggling. Instagram/levi whalley Whalley has now issued a warning to Bella May Culley, 18, and Charlotte May Lee, 21, two fellow young British women suspected of being drug mules and now facing hefty prison sentences abroad. 'If I had a chance to speak to Bella and Charlotte, I would tell them to tell the truth and be honest. I hope they are OK, and I understand exactly what they are going through. I can imagine how worried they are and really hope the truth does come out,' she told The Mirror. Culley, a nursing student from northeast England, was arrested in the former Soviet country of Georgia earlier this month and is suspected of smuggling 30 pounds of cannabis in from Thailand. 7 Bella May Culley, 18, was accused of smuggling cannabis into the former Soviet republic of Georgia last month. Facebook / Bella May Culley Lee, a former flight attendant from south London, was seized in Sri Lanka earlier this month, accused of carrying a synthetic drug made of human bones from Thailand, worth an estimated $3.3 million. 7 Charlotte May Lee, 18, is accused of smuggling a synthetic drug made of human bones into Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Police Both women deny the charges against them. Whalley added that she was lucky she was arrested in the UK, as the situation could have been far worse if she had been detained abroad. 'I believe if I was caught abroad, it would have been a completely different outcome for myself. I believe I would have been in the same situation as them,' she said. 7 Whalley was arrested in the UK after smuggling 77 pounds of cannabis into the country from New York. Instagram/levi whalley While she avoided prison, Whalley described the past 16 months as 'torture,' which resulted in the loss of her career and prevented her from traveling. 'Not being able to travel and being suspended at work, having to rebuild my whole life and then also becoming a mother,' she said. 7 Whalley believes she was lucky to be arrested in the UK. Instagram/levi whalley But Whalley believes that Culley and Lee are 'victims' who were in 'vulnerable' situations similar to hers when she agreed to be a drug mule. 'I was not in a good place and could say I was somewhat vulnerable at the time. These are two young girls, and I believe that's probably the same situation for them,' she said. 7 Culley appeared in court in Tbilisi, where she told the judge she was pregnant. imedinews /east2west news Despite that, she knows how severe her crime was and accepts she was lucky to avoid a prison sentence. 'Just because I had a suspended sentence, should not set a precedent for others to do it. [This situation] shows that people don't always get the outcome we had, and should now make people aware of the actual dangers of bringing someone's suitcase back,' she added. 7 Lee faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. Instagram/@charlottemaylee Culley, who told a judge in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, that she is pregnant, did not answer the judge's questions regarding the allegations against her and has not entered a plea. Lee claimed she knew who had put the drugs in her bag, but wouldn't give their name. If found guilty, she faces 25 years in prison.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cameron relishing Whalley's start to the new T20 season
Whalley's new captain Tom Cameron believes enjoyment is the key to success in T20 cricket as the start of the Birtwistle Cup approaches, writes Graham Hardcastle. The Anthony Axford North West Cricket League's 20-over competition - won last year by Lostock - begins across the next two Fridays, with 25 teams spilt across four groups. Conference sides Barrowford, Feniscowles and Foulridge will join the 22 teams in the Premiership and Championship as they bid to make it through to Finals Day on July 20. The top two sides in each group qualifies for the quarter-finals. Whalley finished top of Group Two North last season, winning three of five matches. Under wicketkeeper Cameron's leadership, they reached Finals Day at Lostock, but were beaten in the semi-final by Blackrod. Cameron has since taken over full-time from Frankie Jackson. 'It's just a confidence game, really,' said Cameron of T20. 'We were struggling in a league a bit last year, but everyone could almost free themselves up a bit in the T20s, and I think everyone was more confident and just enjoyed it more. 'We strung a few results together and carried it through. 'Hopefully we can do that again this year. I want everyone to express themselves, and hopefully that gives us that bit of momentum.' Whalley are in Group Two North again this year. They are placed alongside Barrowford, Baxenden, Cherry Tree, Feniscowles, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel and Salesbury. They begin their campaign tomorrow night away at Baxenden (6pm). Cameron believes Whalley, who have lost two and won one in the Championship so far this season, are a stronger proposition than last year, including being sharper in the field. That's partly due to a new overseas Australian batter Luke Reynolds, added to domestic signings Jamie Pilling (opening batter) and Josh Dentith (spinner). All-rounder Levi Wolfenden remains as professional. 'I'd say we've added experience more than anything,' said Cameron. Whalley's group is a particularly interesting one given it includes two Conference sides in Barrowford and Feniscowles. The former reached last year's quarter-finals, while the latter won the last ever Ribblesdale League T20 title in 2022. 'It's a very interesting group, obviously, because of that,' Cameron continued. 'They're a bit wild cards, like we saw with Barrowford last year. They could almost have any sub professional, really. 'But we're positive and hopeful that if we play like we did last year, we can get out of that group.' Cameron is a 20-year-old who is a Whalley lad through and through. He captained the club in junior cricket and started playing first-team cricket at the age of '13 or 14'. 'Just doing the T20s last year, I almost did the fun bit,' he said. 'But I'm definitely enjoying doing it full-time so far. I've got loads of senior players around me like Richard Palmer and Levi, who has been with us for three or four years as pro.' So being one of Whalley's own, what would it mean to Cameron if they were to go a couple of steps further than last year's semi-final finish and win the Birtwistle Cup? 'That would be really nice, yeah,' he added. 'It would definitely mean a lot, and there's no reason why we can't.' n Tomorrow's fixtures: Group Two North - Baxenden v Whalley, Cherry Tree v Barrowford, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Salesbury.
