May 14, 2013 |Enroute to wembley #cpfc it's #karmmm by 7YB on Keek.com

NEVER mind the 114 runs, the highlight of the Middlesex game for me was my first first-class wicket.

I was really happy with my performance against Middlesex, although far more people congratulated me on the wicket than my century. My team-mates were amused by the wicket as well.

I've done a bit of bowling in the past for Banstead when they've been short, and I do practice bowling in training with Surrey, but I haven't done that much in a game before but the skipper suggested I have a go. Maybe now I've got my first wicket they will let me have a go again.

I do enjoy bowling but it's probably because I don't do it that often. I couldn't imagine doing it all the time; bowling just isn't nice. It makes your arms and shoulders hurt, although that might be because I don't do it a lot. Batting is physically a lot nicer, and to me, less effort. I'd rather be squatting than having painful shoulders!

The only downside to the Middlesex game was that I still didn't get to spend a lot of time batting alongside Graeme Smith. At the moment it seems like we can't both do well at once. I did well in the first innings and he was out for a duck, and then as soon as I was out in the second innings I knew people were going to be asking me about it. It just hasn't happened yet but I'm confident it will fairly shortly.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Surrey played Hampshire in a one-day game but I didn't play. I've certainly played more four-day cricket than one-day, but I would like to play both, it is just getting the opportunity and then doing well. After all, Surrey have a good one-day side already.

People say you need to adapt your batting style to switch from four-day to one-day but I think it's more adapting to the situation than the format.

Playing for Banstead is a bit like playing the one-day format and I do that, so I think I'm good at adapting to the situation

I've played a few shorter format games for Surrey in the past and done okay as well, it is just adapting.

ONE of the biggest advantages of living in Croydon has to be the public transport links. Bus, tram, train we've got it all. I happily boast to all non-Croydonians how fortunate we are and how much of a commuters dream it is.

Coming from someone who can walk to work but has to drive and who would rather walk in 6 inch heels for a mile than run for a bus, I could be accused of being a touch rose-tinted in my public transport views.

So, work have sent me on a course. Although personally I think you can't improve on perfection, apparently the powers that be tell me otherwise. This means a week uptown. I am to become part of the Public Transport Commuting Club. How exciting!

Day one arrives. My Oyster all topped up, away I go. I almost feel like I am one of "them". Elbows are sharpened and my headphones are in. I've joined the rats, ready to race. I even manage to get a seat on the train. I sit back and wonder why anyone moans about peak travelling. Seems fine to me. All right, I did have to stand for a bit on the tube but with Fame pounding into my ears, I didn't mind. It made it easier to tap my foot.

My first day ends as smoothly as it began with not so much as a sweaty armpit or rail rage incident to be smelt let alone seen.

Day two and again I get a seat with ease, and again consider what a breeze this commuting lark is.

Almost as soon as the thought crosses my mind, a huge sweaty businessman takes the seat next to me. Clearly, the thought police must be out in force. I'm being punished.

I attempt to squish myself over as much as possible but am not keen on the thought of my face wiping the grubby window. I sit instead with just the tip of my nose rubbing the glass. Wonderful. Our legs are still touching and by the warmth that is radiating, Mr Big Suit is also still sweating. Turning up my music I decide to ignore this little commuting blip and make the most of the dark tunnel view. This can only get better methinks.

Day three and four I become quite used to my nose rubbing glass. If it's not on the window of the train, it's on the doors of the tube or if I'm really lucky, yet another smelly armpit. As for the term standing room, it's leaning on others room more like. Beautiful.

By the end of the week, I've lived the dream. I am ready to wake up.

As for the race? Well, I think I will leave it to the rats.

BRINGING people in West Croydon and Broad Green together is the idea behind opening a community garden on the former Croydon General Hospital site.

The suggestion was put forward at a recent meeting of the council's scrutiny committee by Labour councillor Bernadette Khan.

The committee is now asking the council's cabinet to investigate the possibility.

The council recently put up £6 million to buy the site in London Road, West Croydon, which has been earmarked as the home for a new secondary school. But on the basis that this work is still some way off, Cllr Khan believes an interim use would be good for an area that is still suffering the after-effects of the 2011 riots.

She said: "A community garden would give residents and perhaps local primary schoolchildren a place where they could grow vegetables and flowers.

"It would provide a focus for the local community by creating something in the short term which could have continuing positive outcomes in the area."

Councilor Steve Hollands, chairman of the scrutiny committee, said: "The idea of using the land for community use while the school issue is sorted out is something we were quite happy to support."

PALACE co-chairman Steve Parish has been delighted with the reaction from the fans on the club's new badge and kits ahead of next season.

All was unveiled at Tuesday's end-of-season awards night at Fairfield Halls, and the Eagles supremo revealed how the final design was made.

"It was about taking feedback and incorporating it into something," Parish said.

"If you put both badges side by side it's a massive step forward.

"I worked with a designer and we went through lots of different designs, maybe hundreds.

"The designs the fans put out online, we took them all to a designer, and there was one guy on the BBS called Dan who really designed it to my brief.

"This new badge brings all the new elements of the club in a seamless fashion.

"I think the representation of Crystal Palace is so much better on this one than the old badge."

And on the new kits for next season, Parish said he had kept an eye on the design they went for after seeing it online.

He does admit though that not everyone may like the home version at first but believes it will "grow on them".

"We wanted to keep some consistency with the colours," said Parish.

"There has been a mixed reaction to it but people like the away kit if they're not too sure about the home one.

"Some people have said it looks like FC Basel, but I like it, and again it's a design that appeared on the BBS a couple of years ago probably.

"We kept an eye on a few of the designs on there, and there is one guy on there that does hundreds of kit designs.

"There is space for a half and half style kit and I think it will grow on people. We did a players' fit and a normal fit, which no other club does, I think.

"There will be a third, all-yellow kit for emergencies in the kit bag if we're not allowed to wear either home or away kits.

"There is a possibility if we played someone in dark blue, we wouldn't be allowed to wear either, but it won't be on sale, it will just be for the players."

Fans' views on Twitter on the new club badge:

@jhc_1954 - Modern updated Eagle atop the traditional Crystal Palace - great mix of old & new.

@JamieYates89 - Great new fresh design with the history of the old badge still involved.

@Matt_Coleman91 - I was worried about the change of badge, but this is the perfect combination of heritage and modern design #cpfc

@Jacqui78 - Love the New Badge :-) great mix of our heritage and modernizing [sic] it at the same time!

@tweetingnav - A vast improvement on the old one, but not enough of a departure for me. Would have preferred something more modern

@LeeStTaylor - Love the Badge...much more up to date.

@steakandchips82 - I like the new crest. The Eagle definitely looks like it means business - reflects the team this season. #cpfc

@eagle44 - Love the badge - has all the right elements - HATE the new home kit.

@Angus66Mainland - it's not bad, looks old school, more a step back than forward but it wasn't the worst!

PLANS which would involve the demolition of the council's Taberner House headquarters have been given their first public airing.

The scheme, which is part of the Croydon Urban Regeneration project, run jointly by Croydon Council and John Laing, would result in the 19-storey tower in Fell Road, Croydon, being demolished to make way for four new blocks.

The tallest would have 30 floors, two other buildings would have eight storeys, and the smallest would have six. Together, the new blocks would provide around 440 homes, with 1,600 square metres of commercial space on the ground floor.

New open space would be created in between the buildings, although ten trees in the adjoining Queen's Gardens would be lost as the new buildings encroach further into the present open space.

The main tower is ten storeys higher than originally envisaged but a report to the committee from planning officers suggested that this would have no extra impact on heritage buildings such as the nearby town hall or on views across the site.

A pre-application presentation has been made to the council's strategic planning committee.

Committee chairman Cllr David Osland said after the meeting: "Nobody raised any questions about the height of the main tower."

But he said members were concerned about the loss of trees in Queen's Gardens and wanted to ensure the courtyard was open to the public and not restricted to residents.

There was also concern that the number of three-bedroom homes in the development was, according to developers, not likely to exceed ten per cent; half of the total laid down for developments within the central Croydon Opportunity Area.

ONE of Croydon's oldest buildings must find about £40,000 for roof repairs, after a lead theft revealed dry rot had set in.

The rot in the northern side of the roof at St Mary's Church, in Addington, was discovered by builders repairing damage caused by lead thieves.

The Reverend Jeanne Males says work to repair the rot must start immediately, or the Grade I listed building could be forced to close.

However, she remains confident of reaching the target.

Ms Males said: "We have a continuing fundraising team because we have had to raise money for the other work on the roof last year, and we have a fundraising committee that organises events.

"This Saturday, for example, we have a male voice choir. We have all sorts of events, and we never want to take the fun out of fundraising."

Ms Males said she would not know the exact cost of the work until it was over, adding: "I think I knew it would cost a lot. We will get there."

She said the congregation is "absolutely determined" to keep using the church, in Addington Village Road, despite the northern aisle being closed off.

A planned wedding between parishioners went ahead two weeks ago.

Ms Males said: "The numbers on Sundays have not changed. It would be a shame if people were not coming to church because they were concerned about the scaffolding.

"The wedding was really successful. The bride said to me, 'If you want me to have my photo taken holding a hard hat underneath the scaffolding, I will'."

Dating back to the 11th century, St Mary's Church is thought to be the oldest building in Croydon that has been in continuous public use and it was the place of worship for six Archbishops of Canterbury.

"It is one of the hidden elements of Croydon's history," Ms Males said.

She said the "best estimate" was that work might be finished by late summer, adding: "We talk about pieces of string and how long they are when we talk about it."

The churchwarden-elect, Sue Tanner, said: "They are starting from the back and working their way forward, and we are just hoping that as they come forward, they will find less and less [rot]."

Any donations for the timber repairs should be addressed to: The Treasurer, St Mary's Parish Office, Addington Village Road, Croydon, CR0 5AS.

Cheques payable to St Mary BV Addington (Fabric Fund).

FRESH concerns have been raised about the future of Purley Pool after it was excluded from a document detailing Croydon's long-term development plans.

Campaigners have been fighting to keep the pool open ever since the council first mooted its closure in 2006, in favour of a new facility in Coulsdon.

Last year, council leader Mike Fisher attempted to reassure pool users, telling the Advertiser: "We made it very clear a few years ago that we would not be closing the pool in Purley until alternatives are provided."

Still concerned about its longer-term future, campaigners sought to have the centre protected in Croydon's Local Plan and met a Secretary of State-appointed planning inspector in November last year to put forward their case.

However, last week campaigner Fred Wallis received the report from the meeting, which argued Purley Pool did not need individual protection.

He is now seeking a meeting with council chiefs, to get clarification on the pool's future.

Mr Wallis said: "These plans will settle what happens to Croydon for a long time and they are a big deal. We think the pool should be part of the plan because of its importance to the people in the south of the borough.

"There is no other provision for a facility like that in the area. There is a new one in Waddon but it serves central Croydon more.

"More than 10 schools use it and the council were giving two to three-year-olds free passes. There are also lots of disabled people and many 60 to 80-year-olds so it's a big cross-section of the population."

In 2010, Purley Pool was given a verbal promise from Mike Fisher that the facility would be kept open until the next elections next year.

Tony Newman, leader of the opposition, said this week that Labour would have no intention of closing the pool if they were elected in 2014.

"We have been warned for years that the current administration will encourage people to use the Waddon centre so they can close Purley Pool," he said.

"We would need to look at the books but I challenge Mike Fisher to say he will promise not to close it."

OFSTED has launched an investigation after a mother was accused of "overreacting" when she discovered her three-year-old son had suffered dental trauma.

Rachael Howard-Clegg, of Fenemore Road, Kenley, went to Cruwys Cherubs, in Warlingham, to collect her son Oscar – and was horrified when he smiled at her with a front tooth missing.

She told the Advertiser: "He is only three and children aren't supposed to lose them until they are six or seven.

"I asked him what had happened and he said he had run into something and knocked it out.

"A member of staff confirmed it but when I went to find the owner, Jean Cruwys, she was so blasé and said I was just overreacting.

"I took Oscar straight to the dentist who said he had dental trauma – there was a shard of tooth sticking into his gum which would have to be operated on if it got infected.

"The dentist also said that no tooth would grow back for years so the other teeth would crowd in around it and he would definitely have to get braces."

Mrs Cruwys denied the claims that the nursery had not taken proper care of the boy following the January incident and said she had "taken the entire matter seriously and acted in the correct way".

However Mrs Howard-Clegg, who took her son out of the nursery that day and has now moved him elsewhere, was so unhappy with the lack of response that she wrote a formal letter of complaint on March 12.

She added: "I have only received a letter of acknowledgement back and nothing has happened since. I don't understand why she won't engage with the issue."

Ms Cruwys, however, said she had discussed the matter with the parents at length and did not feel like there was anything else to offer after the mother's letter of complaint.

Oscar's mother has also written to education watchdog Ofsted about the incident and it this week confirmed it is investigating the nursery after several issues were brought to their attention.

An Ofsted spokesman said: "The safeguarding of children is of paramount importance to Ofsted and parents should be reassured that all complaints are investigated.

"As our investigations are on-going, we are unable to comment further."

A "DISGUSTING" billboard advertising an energy drink called "pussy" has been taken down after complaints from residents.

Pussy Drinks sparked anger with its sign, in Duppas Hill Road, Waddon, which had the drink's name in big letters accompanied by the tagline "The drink's pure, it's your mind that's the problem".

The sign has been removed after Addiscombe beekeeper Susan Oliver complained directly to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), along with 155 others nationally.

However, in its response to the ASA, the drinks company provided a list of tongue-in-cheek reasons in their objection to the complaint.

It questioned which religion would be offended by the name of their drink, saying that ancient Egyptians used to worship cats.

The company also cited the definition from the Oxford English Dictionary, which said the word pussy meant "a cat, particularly a kitten".

It said cats possessed all the appropriate symbolism for its product and that Pussy Drinks was cool, beautiful, feline and natural, with attitude.

Mrs Oliver, 47, who is originally from Vermont in the US, slammed the company's response.

She said: "That was completely disingenuous. They are attacking women, there's no doubt about it. I can't even say that word. It's such a blatant reference to female genitalia."

Although the billboard has been removed, the ruling by the ASA does not oblige the company to take the sign down.

Mrs Oliver also contacted the council in her efforts to get the sign taken down.

She said: "It passed the buck straight away and I am not happy with its response. Even if it isn't the council's direct responsibility, you'd think they would try to stop this sort of advertising from appearing on our streets."

The ASA upheld complaints made on the grounds of the words' derogatory and sexist meaning, while also noting the adverts should not be allowed in areas that children can see them. Mrs Oliver now suggests the product should not be allowed for sale in shops.

She added: "Really, this sort of drink should have to be sold in a porn shop.

"It's not just females though, there's this sort of blatant advertising with products like Nobby's Nuts for males.

"I know the company think it's a big joke, but advertisers should be more responsible, especially with women in the world on the receiving end of so much pain and suffering."

Pussy Drinks refused to comment on the ASA's ruling.

SURREY faced Durham twice this week and neither game ended in Chris Adams' team's favour.

Last Thursday's evening match against Durham Dynamos in the Yorkshire Bank 40 was washed out just after 8pm because of rain.

Jason Roy struck a century but unfortunately no result was possible as the weather stopped play after Surrey scored 216 all out.

On Friday it was the start of the County Championship Division One game, where a collapse after tea on day one cost Surrey dearly.

The five-wicket win moved Durham to the top of the table but meant another week without a County Championship triumph to Surrey's name.

Despite seeing Rory Burns caught for one in the first innings, Surrey were going well until the tail end of the order, with Gareth Batty, Stuart Meaker (not out), Tim Linley and Gary Keedy failing to record a run between them as Surrey finished 237 all out.

In reply, Durham posted a respectable 286 all out despite stand-in captain Gareth Batty taking five wickets. Mark Stoneman (77) and Dale Benkenstein (74no) made the biggest dents.

Career-best bowling from Durham's Scott Borthwick, claiming 6-70, for match figures of 8-92, meant Surrey were all out for 229 on the final morning.

On the previous, which had ended early because of rain, opener Roy was bowled by Callum Thorp for just four and Surrey struggled thereon with just Burns' 38 and Steven Davies' 46 giving the home side hope.

However, Borthwick then contributed 42 to a second-wicket stand of 100 with Mark Stoneman (67), with Durham needing 181 to win.

A 35 not out by Ben Stokes saw the visitors home by five wickets on 181-5.