Category: Year one

It was 9 at night, there was silence across crowd as we all waited in suspense. Several suspenseful seconds passed and then, the stadium was filled with an enormous uproar of cheers and applause. Glamorgan has won the cricket T20 match.

 

It started at 4 in the evening, with the sun high in the sky bearing down on everyone in the city centre. The main focus of the day was the sporting battle between Glamorgan and Sussex that would determine who would move on to the finals and have a chance at success. The sound of thousands of fans all eagerly swarming the gates to cheer their team on to victory. Everyone splits off to their own teams sides to ensure their support is sent to ensure that they make it to the final.

 

The match began with the dread coin toss, everyone in the stadium is on the edge of their seats waiting to see who would claim the first victory of the night. In a matter of seconds we all knew, Glamorgan had claimed the first batting. Could this be the only win Glamorgan would grasp tonight? Would we all go home disappointed tonight or celebrating the victory of our team? Only time would tell and the only thing we had to offer them was our continuous support for the next 5 hours .

 

The match had only began and already the fans were screaming and showing their support and praying that they would win. Glamorgan had their starting batter, Chris Cooke batting first and we all knew he would make or break this first game. He was getting prepared to take his first and possibly his last swing. There’s a sharp intake of breathe across the whole stadium as the first ball is hurled at such a high speed that no one was able to see. Although we all heard the crack of the cricket ball making contact with the bat, this was the best sound any of us Glamorgan supporters could of heard all night. This was the start of a rally that would continue for hours, swapping out batsman as fast as they were scoring runs until finally, after 2 hours of success we were knocked out and it was time for us to show Sussex’s that we can conquer the field as well as hitting 6’s.

 

We didn’t start off as strong as we did in the first round but as the time went on we started to make a come back. They were smacking 6’s as often as we were hitting wickets but the smaller runs they were getting started to add up and as it came to the end of their round we were tied with four runs between us and time running out. It was the half point in the match and as many of the fans started to flood out of the stadium to process the first to rounds of the game, no one was confident that their team would win but what we all knew. No matter what it was going to be a close match and all of us will be on the edge of our seats, waiting anxiously to see who will come out on top. Whether we celebrate or drown our sorrows, it will be a night no one will forget.

 

The second half started and we all rushed back to our seats to once again watch the battle continue. It was Glamorgan’s turn to bat again and we were all expecting to see a repeat of the first round, what we saw was very different. We started loosing more batters then we scored 6’s but we were able to pull ahead by only 100 points, this was almost half of our first amount of scores with a lot less 6’s in this round. This did cause a wave of unease over every Glamorgan supporter and our hope did dip but we soon picked up and carried on cheering like we already won. As it was time for Sussex to take up the batting strip, there was cheering from the Sussex side and utter silence from the other, it was getting close to the end and no matter what side we were on, we all thought the same; who would win by the smallest amount and work the hardest. Either way we all had respect for both teams.

 

As the evening grew darker and later, Sussex points increased faster and faster. The Glamorgan fans and team started to loose hope, each wicket they hit wasn’t enough and it was getting closer and closer for each batsman that approached. It was the last one to bat, 10 points between them and victory, the first ball and they only make a 2 run. Then the next ball is a 6, our hope has crumbled and we expect to hear Sussex’s victory. But then, we hear the perfect sound of the wickets clattering to the ground, the stadium explodes with an uproar of cheers and sorrow. For such a close game, the stadium was in roar louder than any other game that’s played before.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second instalment in the franchise. The film carries on from the first film where it ends with Grindelwald being incarcerated in MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) with the help of Newt Scamander. The new film starts with Grindelwald’s escape to Paris. In order to stop his plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists the help of Newt to once again stop Grindelwald’s plans.

 

Although it has not made as much in the box office as the first film, it has received very similar ratings across rotten tomatoes, IMDB and Metacritic. I liked the film as it keeps with the consistency of the first films feel and actions while ensuring that the plot could continue without focusing too much on the original film. The plot for this instalment in the series was strong and kept with the dark atmosphere of the series without pushing the boundaries of the on screen violence. However, there is a scene in the film where a child is killed by a woman, although you do not see the child’s body or his death the audience is able to understand what has happened which can be disturbing for many viewers.

 

However, there were several parts that didn’t need to be included within the film which brought down my thought on the film. One of these scenes happens early on when a woman has killed a child. Even though they don’t show the explicitness of the scene, it is heavily implied what she did and continues to show that she has no remorse for her actions. This is the only scene in the film that has caused controversy and therefore lowered the review score for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

 

Overall I would recommend the film as it is fun and entertaining for the targeted audience and allows for people to indulge in the fantasy genre.

 

In the past 15 years there have been over 24 deaths in Foss river, York with many of the victims being York St John university students.

One of these victims was 20-year-old York St John university student Megan Robert, who entered the river after a night out in January 2014. During an interview with her mother, Jackie Roberts was reported saying “It’s a nightmare situation that every parent dreads and I was living it.” She hopes that people will be able to learn from this tragedy in the future and will become more aware of the dangers near this river at night.

There was another victim in April 2014. A York soldier, Tyler Pearson, entered the river while intoxicated on a night out and drowned in the Foss river later that night. The North Yorkshire police conducted an interview with Steve Pearson, the father of Tyler Pearson, where he says “This was once a place of beauty, I can’t see it any more.” He goes on to say “I can’t see a way forward, there is a hole there.” Steve states that he made sure his son knew all the safety regulations when near dangerous rivers, he hopes that the local council and police department will introduce better safety measures that will ensure the safety of the public and will decrease the amount of deaths that have occurred.

I conducted interviews with members of the public who were near the river bank to see what they thought on the matter. Susan, a 32 year old mother who was out with her two young children who will remain nameless, was asked what she thinks about the deaths in Foss river. She said “I couldn’t imagine what that could feel like, the loss of a child is one of the hardest feelings for a parent.” Susan then goes on to say “They need to have barriers around the river and constant security, I can’t believe they haven’t sorted this problem before.” I tried speaking to others but they didn’t want to speak about it as this is a sensitive subject.

These are just some of the many deaths that have taken place in York’s Foss River over the past 15 years, and the number keeps rising each year. The local people of York have been urging the local police and council about installing more safety equipment that can help reduce the risk of deaths in the river from continuing.