KENNARDS of Croydon was one of the most successful department stores in London during the first half of the 20th century, and was considered one of the jewels in the borough's crown.

The store, which is believed to have been established in 1853, was founded by William Kennard for just over £100.

Within a year of opening, the store had served up to 8,000 customers. This early success can be attributed to new railway stations opening up in the area, as well as the emergence of a middle class in the country.

Croydon was expanding at an alarming rate and so were its businesses. Retailers such as Joshua Allder (Allders) and Grant Bros (Grants of Croydon) were all expanding and competing with one another to grab the attention of passers-by.

North End and the surrounding area was the setting for these family-owned businesses to do battle, with Kennards being well situated in the middle of North End.

William Kennard died in 1887 and his sons, who were affectionately known as Mr Williams and Mr Arthur, took control of the family business.

They renamed the shop Kennard Bros. By the turn of the 20th century, the sons had expanded the store to unexpected levels. They had even acquired the building of their local rival, Messrs Buckworth. One of the main keys to their success was the use of full-length windows running the length of the shop, a rarity then.

Full-length windows set the shop apart from its competition as it allowed for shoppers to study their merchandise. The Kennard brothers also followed the trends of the day by focusing stock towards women.

At the start of the 1920s the store was going from strength to strength, with a newly acquired delivery fleet of motor vans.

This was an impressive accomplishment, considering a couple years earlier deliveries were done with the use of horse-drawn vans. The onset of the First World War had prevented any real expansion within the store, but this all changed during the 1920s.

A new main entrance was added to the shop as well as a whole new level, transforming the store into a three-floor establishment. A fourth floor was added in 1928.

By the 1930s, Kennards was a household name in retail. Despite the store's great success it still remained true to William Kennard's philosophy of selling reliable goods at very low profit margins. This policy made the store popular among working class women, who now had more money than ever before.

One of the biggest achievements during this time was the creation of a new arcade, which showcased goods from around the world. The arcade was the first thing shoppers saw as they entered the store, and it was the job of Roy Driscoll to ensure it did just that. An immigrant from Australia, Mr Driscoll was integral to the success of Kennards. With a keen eye for detail and original ideas, he was best equipped with coming up with interesting designs and exhibitions for the store.

He helped to make the store innovative with things such as an osteopathy (massage) parlour for customers and staff members.

The store still managed to flourish during the 1940s, despite many family-owned businesses going out of business as a result of the war.

However, towards the end of its time, Kennards was a shell of its former self. There were no more great exhibitions that captured the imagination of local people and by 1973, Kennards, Croydon's oldest department store, was laid to rest, as Debenhams took full control of the store and an era had passed.

Reference – Kennards of Croydon, The Store That Entertained To Sell, by Vivien Lovett.

THE multimillion-pound waste firm claiming it will save Croydon taxpayers money by building an incinerator on the borough's border has avoided thousands of pounds' worth of tax.

Viridor – the company planning the plant – joins a host of conglomerates including Starbucks, Amazon and Google, which have benefited from international arrangements at taxpayers' expense.

The firm, which has avoided up to £100,000 – equivalent to more than £500 per Croydon household – this week confirmed it avoided paying Stamp Duty via a subsidiary company it owns in the British Virgin Islands – an offshore tax haven.

It previously refused to publish its tax history after we last year revealed one of its large facilities in Sheffield is owned by the offshore-registered subsidiary.

But the Advertiser has since established that Viridor benefited from buying the Sheffield site for £20.6 million from a company already based in the tax haven.

A company spokesman said: "Viridor confirms that some shares in this particular acquisition were purchased in a foreign company, meaning, in accordance with UK tax law, that they did not attract Stamp Duty."

According to the firm's latest accounts, Viridor Parkwood Holdings Limited, a subsidiary controlled by Viridor Limited and which can receive bulk funds, is still based in the British Virgin Islands.

When asked why the arrangement remains in place, the company provided no further comment.

By taking over the Parkwood company in 2002, while it was already based in the tax haven, Viridor avoided paying 0.5 per cent Stamp Duty on the amount of the shares bought to purchase it – an amount that would have been due were it based in the UK.

The company refused to say how much in total this saved them, but buying the offshore company for £20.6 million means they could have saved up to £103,000.

Phil Thomas, Croydon Council's cabinet member for waste collection and recycling, said: "Everyone should pay their fair share of tax irrespective of whether they are an individual person or a company doing business here.

"They shouldn't look for tax havens."

Croydon Green Party's Shasha Khan, who fiercely opposes the incinerator plan, said: "Viridor spends tens of thousands on public relations companies to help positively spin their waste incinerators.

"This revelation exposes the culture behind the brand."

Viridor claims the incinerator – designed to reduce the amount of waste Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston are sending to landfill – will save taxpayers from the four boroughs £200 million over the next 25 years, despite landfill rates having fallen 17 per cent.

Prevailing winds mean Croydon residents will inhale more of the incinerator's emissions than those in any other borough.

As a result, Croydon residents' objections will hold equal weight during the consultation period.

WORLD Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio is used to taking centre stage at Twickenham but last week he stepped aside to give a Croydon coach his time in the spotlight.

The home of English rugby was the scene for the inaugural Dallaglio Foundation Rugby for Change awards, recognising the hard work and achievements of the young people, teachers, schools and coaches involved in the programme's first year as they bid to engage and empower young people at risk through the power of sport.

And one of those celebrated was 41-year-old Michael Henderson, who walked away with the coach of the year award, presented by Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward, alongside colleague Alex Basson.

Henderson has shown passion and commitment in his role as development officer at Rugby for Change since it began, turning his life around after spending 24 years in prison.

All of this led to Henderson walking away with one of the first ever Dallaglio Foundation Rugby for Change awards and he admitted the gong would take pride of place in his home.

"I am really pleased," Henderson said. "I work hard with Alex on a daily basis and I know he complements my coaching and I would hope it is reciprocal and I complement his coaching.

"You tell me to go right, I'm going left, you tell me to walk I am going to run. When I was 14 I told my mum I am a big man. And this is something I'm not proud of but I said to her 'mum, I'm a thief'. I was proud of it.

"My life was full of criminality and rugby has given me that sense of purpose. I am hoping it doesn't take the young people I work with as long as it took me to learn from my mistakes.

"I am a very stubborn person and it took me a number of years until I finally gave up and said 'why don't you just give up and make a choice for yourself'. To work with young people now means a lot to me.

"This is the first thing I have ever won and it is something I will treasure for the rest of my life."

Dallaglio was on hand to lead the plaudits for Henderson, and the former England captain and British & Irish Lion believes that Henderson truly deserves the award for the amount of hard work, time and dedication he has put in.

He said he believed it was just the start of bigger and better things for Henderson and Rugby for Change too. Dallaglio Foundation Rugby for Change uses the sport and its core values to empower individuals to make positive choices.

Find out more at www.dallagliofoundation.com

ONE in five children in Croydon is living in poverty, with more than a third surviving below the breadline in the borough's most deprived areas.

Latest figures, contained in a report published on Wednesday, show more than 18,000 children across all wards are living in poverty-stricken households – defined as a home with a total income of less than £15,900 a year.

New Addington and Fieldway are the most deprived wards, where 33 per cent (1,031) and 37 per cent (1,461) of children respectively are living in poverty.

Selsdon and Ballards and Sanderstead are least affected, with both having around five per cent of children living in poor households.

Jad Adams, chairman of Croydon Nightwatch, a charity that hands out food parcels to the needy, has noticed an increase in the number of women with children relying on the service.

He said: "Most of the people who come to us are in overcrowded or poor conditions and are not actually homeless.

"But quite a few now are people who are in families but are coming to us for essentials. A lot of them have children and are taking food back to their children.

"Some people have children waiting back at home. Women had always been a smaller minority of the people who we would see, but we are seeing more women now.

"It was rare to see women of childbearing age or who had children, but now it's much more common."

The charity, founded in 1976, is handing out a third more food parcels than this time last year.

Fatima Koroma, founder of Croydon Food Store, which opens four days a week in Church Street, echoed Mr Adams' view.

She said: "On a weekly basis we are roughly seeing 25 to 30 families with children coming to us, and they are coming from all over.

"I was a mum, I went through extreme poverty with my kids. There were times when I fed them rather than myself; it's a huge problem."

Children's charity End Child Poverty, which released the report containing the figures, expects thousands more children across the borough to be plunged into poverty when forthcoming national changes to benefits, including a cap on housing benefit, come into force.

But Vidhi Mohan, Croydon Council's cabinet member for communities and economic development and councillor for Fairfield ward, said more needs to be done to get people off benefits and into work.

He said: "Young children in poverty is unacceptable and we need to do what we can.

"Work should pay more than benefits, but unfortunately there are people who find it better off to be on benefits than in work, which is why the Government is changing it so that it pays more to be in work than to be on benefits."

A SEX den run by Spanish immigrants has been shut down after police received scores of complaints of men visiting "24/7, every 20 or 30 minutes".

Police raided the flats above Emerald Dry Cleaners, in South End, South Croydon, where Spanish women, who have since fled the country, were charging up to £100 an hour at the brothel.

Land Registry documents reveal the flats are owned by businessmen Ramadan Yazgan and Nazim Mulla, who now live in Cyprus, the Advertiser was told.

Police and Croydon Council, which jointly led the investigation, say two flats had been combined to create a den complete with two bedrooms and a reception area.

Documents show that Mr Yazgan applied for planning permission to use the first and second floors as two flats in 2001. However, he could not be contacted before the Advertiser went to press.

Tony Mustafa, who works at the dry cleaners, also owned by Mr Yazgan and Mr Mulla, said the pair are now living in Cyprus and he did not have any contact details for them.

He added: "It was supposed to be a massage place but there was people ... going up and down, all the time, 24/7, every 20 or 30 minutes, trying to get an appointment for whatever."

Two women and a male security guard, all Spanish nationals, were issued with warnings but had fled the country before police arrived to make arrests earlier this month.

A local estate agent, which was letting the flat to a company based in Spain on behalf of the owners, has since sent in builders to make amendments to the properties.

Charlotte Davies, chairman of South Croydon Community Association, welcomed the enforcement action, but said it is just the tip of the iceberg and that brothels are "rife" in and around South End and across South Croydon.

She said: "A huge number of brothels are open in South Croydon, about 20 to 30. With the recession, people who were employed are trying to find other ways of earning money.

"We have been having a real problem with street walkers, walking around in the early hours of the morning, and residents see middle-aged men turning up, drawing large amounts of cash, visiting properties and then leaving."

PC Chris Duffee said: "We started receiving complaints from local businesses and residents at the beginning of the year about this address and having carried out further checks, it was clear the premises were being used as a brothel."

Croydon Council's cabinet member for community safety, Simon Hoar, said: "This is a great example of partnership work protecting the community."

AN EXTRA £60,000 a year is being splashed out on Croydon University Hospital's two top bosses, after the chairman and chief executive roles received a pay rise.

The Advertiser can reveal John Goulston, who was announced permanent chief executive earlier this month, will be paid about £180,000 a year – at least £40,000 more than his predecessor Nick Hulme and more than the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, Mike Bell, interim chairman of Croydon Health Services – the trust that runs the hospital – is being paid more than double what his predecessor, Michael Parker, received. Mr Bell is on £44,000 a year, compared with Mr Parker's £21,000.

News of beefed-up salaries for the hospital's two most powerful positions comes at a time when the trust is struggling to break even for this financial year.

It is currently running a £1.2 million deficit, having previously posted surpluses.

This threatens to derail the trust's chances of being granted foundation status, which could mean its services are merged with other nearby trusts.

The salary rises have divided opinion on party lines, with Conservative councillors claiming the increase is necessary to attract the right candidate, and Labour claiming the rise is "unacceptable".

Margaret Mead, Croydon Council's Conservative cabinet member for health, said: "In order to attract the best person you need to have the right salary.

"We do need to have the right salary so that the most experienced and appropriate person wants to come and work here."

However, Labour leader Tony Newman branded the rises "unacceptable".

He said: "This kind of pay rise for the chief executive when a lot of staff's pay is being frozen or cut in real terms is unacceptable.

"You must ask if this is the most appropriate way to invest funds when the trust isn't performing as well as it did before financially."

A Croydon Health Services trust spokesman refused to discuss Mr Goulston's salary, but said: "In the autumn of 2012 the non-executive directors of the trust appointed an executive search and selection company to source a chief executive, and were advised by this company of a salary range for the post.

"The trust can confirm that the current chief executive's salary is within this range."

The NHS Trust Development Authority, responsible for Mr Bell's employment, which began on January 2 and will last a maximum of 12 months, also said his salary was also necessary to attract "someone with the right leadership skills and ability".

Croydon University Hospital has had three different chairmen and two chief executives within the last year.

THE executive head of Addington High says he aims to "work himself out of a job" by helping the struggling school become outstanding as soon as possible .

John Hernandez was appointed last week after six months working with the school, which was put into special measures by Ofsted last October.

He will continue to guide acting head teacher James Malley and the rest of the school as it becomes an academy sponsored by Ravens Wood School in Bromley, where he worked as deputy head until 2010.

He said: "We don't intend to do what some academy chains do, which is a case of coming in to change the school.

"Yes, there will be changes, but those will depend on the needs of the school.

"I am there to provide expert guidance, to ensure everything is working and moving forward. My role is to work myself out of a job."

Mr Hernandez comes with an impressive CV, having achieved big things in his current role as head teacher of Norlington School for Boys in Waltham Forest, where he moved in June 2010 after the school partnered with Ravens Wood.

Sixty-four per cent of students there achieved the benchmark of five good GCSEs including Maths and English this year, compared to 49 per cent the year before and only 40 per cent in 2009.

The school was also commended this year by the minister for schools for being "exceptionally effective" in educating pupils from deprived backgrounds (defined as those receiving free school meals) – who make up almost 40 per cent of Addington High students.

Last year 46 per cent of Addington students achieved the benchmark. Chairman of the school governors Jo Tanner said of Mr Hernandez: "He has turned [Norlington] into London's most improved school. That is what we want for Addington High."

Rigorous monitoring and clear expectations are to be credited with improvements at Norlington, Mr Hernandez said, along with boosting students' self-belief. He added: "We work on a six-week structure.

"We review the whole school every six weeks and the performance of students. We assess their progress and we target support around that.

"Every six weeks the year 10s and year 11s do a self-review. They sit down, look at their performance and they analyse how well they have done. The important thing about that is they stop and think, and that is a reminder about what they are aiming for.

"Life gets in the way and you lose focus, you have an argument with your mum, things happen.

"We have said, once every six weeks, let us stop, let us remember what we are aiming for."

Setting expectations goes all the way down to uniform, Mr Hernandez believes. He said: "I cannot control you on the street. I can guide, provide influence and support, but ultimately I cannot control you. "Once inside the school gates you are part of my community. Previously they [Norlington pupils] wore a sweatshirt – well, OK, you wear that on the street.

"Now with a blazer, having set the expectations around that, students feel differently about the environment they are in.

"Throw into that a really clear purpose and focus on outcomes, so every student at school has a clear purpose for what they are trying to achieve; they are not just there for social reasons.

"The gang culture has disappeared from school, the behaviour has improved enormously; it has gone from 200 exclusions before I arrived to, this year, I think we have had four or five."

This is not to say the same tactics will necessarily be used at Addington High, which has nearly twice as many students as Norlington, and Mr Hernandez is at pains to point out that decisions will be made between the head teacher, governors and local community.

He said: "What we are looking for is that Addington, in the same way as Norlington, develops its own, unique experience with students, but which is still outstanding.

"There are many ways to skin a cat."

His sights might be set on outstanding, but his relatively brief influence at Addington High was not enough to convince Ofsted inspectors in December that the school was ready to come out of special measures after its "inadequate" rating in October.

Mr Hernandez is not keen to discuss the ins and outs of the school's problems, but deemed Ofsted's original report "fair."

He said: "I do not have the authority or power to question it, and I accept it, and we get on with making it better.

"The initial step at the moment is to understand what is wrong at the school, to break down the fundamentals, to use the Ofsted inspection process and what they have identified.

"Why is it we have such committed, hard-working staff, yet we are in special measures? What has happened?"

Mr Hernandez has pledged not to use the 'difficult students' card if his methods do not succeed.

He said: "Addington is a community school, Norlington is a community school.

"The students you get in the school – your job is to ensure they are successful, whoever they may be.

"Can their behaviour be challenging? Yes, and it is our job to ensure that the systems and the structures and concepts and learning meets the needs of the students.

"Fundamentally it comes down to helping kids believe they can achieve. There is a moral aspect to it – do you actually care about the students in front of you and what they are going to do?

"The teachers at Addington High are massively committed to making this school an outstanding school – every single person."

AS THE old adage goes, size doesn't matter.

And South Croydon photographer Eric Hands is proving small is beautiful, by holding an exhibition featuring just two images.

The gallery at the Clocktower Cafe will be showcasing the 64-year-old's finest work – well, some of it anyway.

Asked why he decided to display just two pictures, Eric told the Advertiser: "Hopefully for impact rather than quantity because they are bold images; it does the trick.

"They really stand out."

The exhibition, billed as "a one-man, two-picture show", began at the Katherine Street cafe on Friday.

Both pictures were taken while Eric was out and about indulging his passion across the capital.

Eric claims he does not have a particular style, but with more than 21,000 images on his Flickr account alone, the aptly named Mr Hands is far from a lazy artist.

He says he is inspired by colour and forms, and describes his images as being "random and eclectic".

The artisan can often be seen roaming the streets of Croydon with his dog and a camera, and to the untrained eye it may look like he is taking pictures of obscure objects. He said: "The images may be different but other photographers that know me can always tell when it's me.

"I can't put it into words what my shtick is."

Eric's other images, that did not make the cut for his two-picture exhibition, range from a lonely looking octopus hanging from a shop window in Chinatown, to pictures of pubs.

A keen snapper since the 1960s, his love of photography started at an early age. Eric said: "Like so many, my interest in photography was sparked by my late father's collection of folding film cameras and a bulging suitcase of snaps.

"My first camera was a plastic one from Woolworths.

"My first publication was in a local paper at the age of ten, for which I received a book token."

The Clocktower exhibition runs until March 2.

Visit www.erichands.com to see more of his photos.

THE director of a company aiming to open a house for those coming out of care is likely to drop the plans after being told he would need planning permission.

Joseph Cave says he does not want to get into a costly planning battle over using the residential property at 107 Marlpit Lane, nor does the landlord want the change of use.

His company, Transitional Plus Care, had planned to open a four-bed house for looked-after 16 to 17-year-old men, where they could adjust to independent living before reaching 18.

But the proposal is now in doubt after council planning officer John Asiamah said last week the house would need planning permission for change of use.

"Considering the number of objections it would be a long, drawn out and expensive process," said Mr Cave.

The company planned to open its first house in the borough after securing a place on a Croydon Council list of 17 organisations to whom it could refer looked-after 16 and 17-year-olds for "semi-independent support".

The Marlpit Lane plan drew 36 objections to Croydon Council from residents, some of whom have expressed fears over potential bad behaviour from the would-be inhabitants.

Mr Cave said: "It so happens that 80 per cent of care-leavers have come into youth offending services and we have experts in that, but it is not the definition of people we look after.

"I think in general 100 per cent of our [roughly 30 nationally] people are in education or training."

He added that they did not take people who they consider should be kept in an institution, such as those with a history of severe drug use or at risk of being sex offenders or arsonists.

Staff would not live inside the house and Mr Cave said he had not needed planning permission for similar facilities elsewhere in the country.

He added: "Most places which already have permission as a residential care home would not be desirable for us because we want four or five-bed houses which look like homes.

"They need to know how to wash, clean, cook and manage their money.

"They are very institutionalised – we are there to bridge the gap from children's home to living independently.

"Some of them have been in care for nearly 18 years and it can be difficult for them to cope.

"It has to be a relatively nice place and suitable property and we look around a lot of places: if you put them in a trouble-rife area with lots of crime you have not got a chance."

YOUNG artists are being given the chance to make their mark in a new project being opened by Croydon Business Venture.

The business support charity is looking for local youngsters to add a splash of colour to the premises as part of its commitment to being involved with the community.

It will be opening Weatherill House, Croydon's newest enterprise opportunity centre at Barratt's New South Quarter development off Purley Way in the spring.

And it is calling on the borough's schoolchildren and students to come up with wall designs to brighten up meeting rooms at the new facility.

There will be top prizes of an iPad, an iPod and a Kindle for the three winning designs.

Norman Pierce, CBV's chief executive said: "We are really excited to be opening this exciting new business centre, which will offer the latest state-of-the-art, fully serviced business accommodation facilities.

"We thought it would be great to get local youngsters, our entrepreneurs of the future, involved by offering them the chance to stamp their mark on the new building, as well as winning some great prizes."

Weatherill House will have 42 units of affordable work space to rent, as well as offering meeting rooms for hire on a half and full-day basis. The subsidised, all-inclusive monthly charges give businesses access to fully furnished office accommodation, receptionist and security, mail and messaging facilities, photocopy and fax services, wi-fi and cabled broadband.

There are also fully-equipped conference and meeting rooms, on-site catering and car parking.

Mr Pierce added: "With similar facilities offered at our premises in Acorn House, Weatherill House will build on the commitment to future entrepreneurs within Croydon and the surrounding areas."

Entry to the competition is open to anyone under the age of 18 simply by submitting a design on A3 paper. Entries must be received by Friday, March 22.

Designs can be e-mailed to info@cbvltd.co.uk or posted to Norman Pierce, Group Chief Executive, Croydon Business Venture, Acorn House, 74-94 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, CR0 6BA.

ROSS WARNES says Oxted have nothing to lose this week as they take on title chasing Wimbledon at home on Sunday.

The O's are in fine form going forward at the moment, but their defensive frailties were still showing as they rescued a point late on in their crunch Conference East clash with Teddington on Saturday.

And the Oxted skipper said the team would need to tighten up collectively to get something against high-flying Wimbledon.

He said: "Offensively we are still looking strong and we were good from short corners on Saturday.

"But we still showed some defensive frailties and we need to take responsibility as a team and be more disciplined defensively.

"There are definitely areas we still need to improve on collectively if we want to achieve things, but coming up against Wimbledon on Sunday, we have nothing to lose."

Oxted had to fight back from 4-2 down at half-time to claim a 5-5 draw in the "classic six-pointer" on Saturday, with Andy Cornick netting the equaliser two minutes from time to salvage a point.

The O's had previously taken the lead through Mike Trim, before Teddington responded with three goals of their own, prior to Trim's second strike of the game.

Teddington then added another goal before the break to make it 4-2 at half-time, before Eugene Pelteret and Lorne Barnard drew the O's level at 4-4.

A Calum Giles goal, however, looked like giving the hosts the points, before Cornick's late strike rescued a point.

And Warnes says it was a point gained for his side in their push for a third place finish, adding that it was a closely fought match.

Meanwhile, the Oxted Ladies drew 2-2 with London Wayfarers in a friendly on Saturday as they prepared for a trip to face Barnes in the league this week.

But captain Lisa Nightingale said they were disappointed not to win the game.

"We had a few missed chances," she said. "Even the umpires were saying to us they couldn't believe we hadn't scored four or five.

" The O's go into this weekend's clash three points behind leaders Surbiton with only two games remaining in the Surrey Premier Division, with Oxted hoping for a favour from Surbiton's opponents, Wanderers.

WHYTELEAFE racing driver Charlie Robertson made a little piece of history on Tuesday by becoming the first competitor from the new-for-2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship to get behind the wheel of the MSV F4-013.

Reporting a thoroughly enjoyable test debut in the HHC Motorsport-run car, the 2012 Ginetta Junior champion, who will campaign during his maiden season in single-seaters this year, with continued support from key sponsor Investigo, had a problem-free outing at a damp and greasy Donington Park.

"I definitely learned a lot, it was great to get out there on track finally and experience the new car," said the 16-year-old.

"Despite coming fresh into single-seaters from Ginetta Junior, it all felt quite natural and I'm pretty pleased with the lap times we got down to, especially as we had to stay on wets all day."

Powered by a 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine, which uses a Cosworth management system, the Formula 4 car delivers 185bhp and even in the slippery conditions at Donington, Robertson was able to lap in the 1 min 13 secs bracket.

One of the standout features of the new Ralph Firman designed and constructed car is the highly sophisticated six-speed sequential Sadev gearbox, which has a paddle-shift gear change, and the Caterham School pupil concurs this is one of the biggest selling points of the MSV F4-013.

"Everything about the car impressed me," said Robertson.

"The downforce is good, the brakes and the throttle response are strong and the gearbox is really good, that's what helps this car stand out.

"The technology is very high quality, which is what you want as a driver, and the car definitely looks the part too. I can't wait for our next run now."

Robertson's second outing in his HHC Motorsport prepared car is likely to take place in the next couple of weeks with the officially timed pre-season test scheduled for Tuesday, April 23 at the Snetterton 300 Circuit in Norfolk.

Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in Northamptonshire will then host the opening three rounds of the 2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship on April 27-28.

The season comprises 24 races across eight weekends, reaching a conclusion at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit on September 28-29.

FORMER Oxted hockey star Ken Forbes has announced his retirement from international hockey.

The 34-year-old defender, who led Oxted to the National Conference East title in 2009 as player-coach, won ten caps for England and Great Britain after making his debut for England in 2011.

Forbes, who holds dual nationality, has also played international hockey for South Africa, competing at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2006.

However, the former Surbiton defender has now called time on his international hockey career, adding that he now hopes to do more hockey coaching and find a new club in Singapore, where he is currently working for Henderson Global Investors.

He said: "Playing hockey and more specifically playing international hockey has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life.

"Since 2001 it's been a pleasure to represent first South Africa and then England and Great Britain on the field of play.

"Playing for your country is a special achievement and one that I have always taken immense pride in. I'd like to thank my wife and family for the support given over many years. I'd also like to thank the coaches who invested time in developing me into an international player and my employers for the support over the last two years.

"Lastly I'd like to thank my team-mates who made the long journey so enjoyable."

CROYDON were crushed 6-0 at home by promotion hopefuls South Park last Saturday.

In this one-sided affair, the visitors asked the questions from kick-off and they took the lead after 20 minutes when Kieran Lavery turned and placed his shot into the far corner.

However, Croydon nearly equalised when Jason Thompson forced South Park goalkeeper James Wastell into a good save from a free-kick outside the box.

But after 32 minutes Chris Smith double Park's lead with a chipped shot.

Wastell once again had to save a Thompson free-kick from 20 yards before half-time as Croydon looked for a goal back.

Just before the hour-mark, Lavery's shot from 18 yards was too hot to handle and the ball fell to Smith, who fired home on the rebound.

The away side should have been 4-0 up on 75 minutes as Lavery's goal-bound shot was turned in by Smith, but he was flagged offside.

South Park youth team player Jordan Hall replaced Lavery up front and was soon causing the Croydon backline problems. He was rewarded when he placed a shot into the corner to make it four.

Five minutes later, Hall raced clear and found the net again as he entered the danger area. And there was time for him to complete a ten-minute hat-trick.

AFC CROYDON Athletic bagged a fantastic 4-3 victory away from home at Farleigh Rovers on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon last week. The game was just two minutes old when Farleigh drew first blood as a cross-shot deceived goalkeeper Dean Rose to put the home side ahead.

But the Rams' response was quick and they equalised from the penalty spot thanks to Joe Loyza after Lee Jansen's cross was handled inside the box.

Croydon went on to dominate the first half. Jansen and Edmund Walker, twice, had shots saved by Bull, but Loyza scored again after 32 minutes from a Walker pass.

The Rams continued to create chances in the second half but were unable to increase their lead until on 70 minutes when Walker beat Bull to make it 3-1 via a deflection.

However, ex-Ram David Stevens pulled a goal back on 77 minutes and it seemed to galvanise the home side.

And in the last minute Farleigh launched the ball into the Croydon box, and despite what appeared to be a push on a defender, the ball fell for Davis to smash the ball home from the underside of the bar.

But Richard Thompson had other ideas as he delivered a fantastic ball in from the left and Neil John leapt like a salmon to head home a dramatic winner.

PALACE boss Ian Holloway was left to rue a number of missed chances as his side went down to a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.

The Eagles have not won away from home since November 12 at Peterborough United, but with the most crucial point of the season upon the team, they will need to improve on the road if they're to take one of the automatic promotion spots.

"I thought that we were much better in the second half, we settled down and it looked as if anyone was going to score it would have been us, but unfortunately that wasn't the way it turned out," said Holloway.

"We have to get our away form sorted out as we haven't won since Peterborough and that was thanks to two late goals coming from behind.

"There's no reason why we can't win away – if you read the stats we were pretty comfortable but we didn't turn it into a goal.

"It was just the last pass that let us down but if I'm upset with anything, it was the ease of the cross that came in for the goal.

"It gets desperate at this stage of the season and I think we looked desperate in the end and lost all structure, which you can never do.

"We struggled to get our game going and they seemed to have a bit more belief about them than us.

"I don't think we deserved to lose – I felt a draw would have been a fair result."

The hosts started the better as Lewis Buxton had the first effort of the afternoon with a free-kick but sent it over Julian Speroni's crossbar.

Then David Prutton let fly with a 25-yard effort while Leroy Lita went close after getting in behind Eagles defensive duo Peter Ramage and Damien Delaney.

The Owls cranked up the pressure on Palace after 12 minutes when Giles Coke had a shot blocked, before the ball came back into the box to Lita, who went down quite easily under a challenge, but it ended up with Miguel Llera heading wide after Speroni clawed the ball away from goal.

Lita then saw a header saved by Speroni, while the striker was flagged offside following Connor Wickham's flick-on.

Palace would have wanted the half-time break to re-assess their options, with the Owls having the better of the play and chances.

But good work by Kagisho Dikgacoi just after the half-hour mark saw the midfielder thread the ball towards Glenn Murray, but he could not quite reach it.

Dikgacoi nearly got away down the middle only for Anthony Gardner to put in a good tackle, while Stephen Dobbie saw two efforts from the edge of the box blocked in succession.

However, Palace were certainly a different side after the 15-minute break.

Yannick Bolasie won a corner early on after good work down the flank, before Murray was very close to giving Palace the lead at the far post from Dobbie's cross but he could not quite connect.

Then Dikgacoi let fly from 25-yards with Kirkland rooted to the ground, but luckily for him it flashed just wide.

Murray thought he was going to add to his goal tally but he was stopped by Llera with a last-ditch tackle and then Kevin Phillips came on for Jonathan Williams with 25 minutes remaining.

Palace were a whisker away from taking a deserved lead when Bolasie forced a great stop from Kirkland following a quick breakaway, while the winger was at the heart of another chance moments later but his ball was just a bit too much for Murray to reach.

It was all Palace but they just could not find the breakthrough. And they could have been in again only for former Eagle Gardner to deny a way through.

However, against the run of play, Wednesday took the lead with their first chance of the second half on 81 minutes as Lita headed home off the underside of the crossbar from close range.

The Eagles were stunned after dominating the half and Holloway sent on Aaron Wilbraham and Jacob Butterfield in a bid to salvage a point.

But Lita had a chance to grab his second in the first minute of added-on time when Jedinak lost the ball down the middle, but Speroni saved superbly with his feet.

And despite a couple of balls into the Wednesday box late on, Palace could not find the net.

SURREY County Cricket Club and the ECB have vowed to increase drug testing and education following the findings of the inquest into the death of cricketer Tom Maynard.

Promising batsman Maynard was 23 when he died in the early hours of June 18, after being electrocuted on a railway line and later hit by a train.

An inquest on Tuesday recorded a verdict of accidental death, but noted Maynard, who was driving a car pulled over by police in the hours before his death, was four-times over the drink -drive limit and also had the Class-A drugs cocaine and ecstasy in his system.

Surrey have revealed following the inquest that since Maynard's death they have stepped up their anti-drug policy.

They said in a statement: "Surrey CCC began its own investigations into conduct at the end of last season and introduced a team-wide anti-drug policy which all players and management are required to abide by.

"Working in partnership with ECB and PCA further recommendations have been initiated."

The ECB have decided to implement out of competition drugs testing, to include recreational drugs as well as performance-enhancing substances, in addition to their current anti-doping programme which involves around 200 tests being carried out on county players every year.

"While the ECB accepts that recreational drug use is a part of modern society, we do not condone it and will take all reasonable steps to prevent its use within the game," a statement read. "We also believe we have a responsibility to educate all our players and are committed to supporting any player who needs help in this area.

"The ECB Board has recently agreed to develop an out of competition testing programme to encompass recreational drugs, in co-operation with the PCA.

"These measures will supplement ECB's existing anti-doping programme which involves in and out of competition testing through UK Anti-Doping in compliance with the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Code and financial support which ECB provides to PCA for player education and support programmes."

The death of Maynard hit all at Surrey hard, with batsman Jason Roy getting a tattoo in honour of the talented Welshman, who he regarded as one of his best friends.

Following the inquest, Maynard's family released a statement about their "devastating" loss. It read: "The only people who would judge Tom on the findings of the inquest are people who didn't know him.

"He made choices that night that tragically cost him his life but his devastated family and friends will love and miss him unconditionally, always.

"He was a very special person and his death leaves a huge hole in all our lives."