Almost all of the TT course will be open from 5pm till 6pm on race days for ordinary traffic to move around the island.

Highways bosses have made the decision after complaints of congestion in previous years.

It applies to the whole course, except for the mountain section between Barrule Park, Ramsey and Johnny Watterson’s Lane, Onchan.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/today-s-isle-of-man-tt-schedule-1-5726321|Click here to see today’s TT schedule}

A Department of Infrastructure spokesman said: ‘This measure will give the public more certainty about when they will be able to travel and allow people living on or inside the course to get home.

‘This will apply on every race day or postponed race day with the exception of Senior Race day (Friday).

‘Drivers should be aware that access will not be available to the Creg-ny-Baa except via the Creg-ny-Baa Back Road.’

In addition normal crossing points and access corridors will be opened during intervals between races.

These crossing points and access corridors are at:-

Douglas: St Ninian’s crossroads (Ballaquayle Road to Ballanard Road)

Douglas: Bottom of Bray Hill (Stoney Road to Tromode Road)

A1, Douglas and Braddan: Between Quarterbridge and Strang Road, Union Mills;

A1 (Peel to Douglas main road): Between Crosby crossroads and Ballavitchel Road;

A3: Barregarrow crossroads, Michael;

A3: Kirk Michael, between Douglas Road Corner and the entrance to Faaie-ny-Cabbal estate

A3: Ballaugh crossroads (Station Road to Glen Road, Ballaugh)

A3: Sulby Glen crossroads, Lezayre;

Ramsey Bus Station: (Christian Street to Westbourne Road)

Ramsey: Between Lheaney Road and Barrule Park;

A18, Onchan and Douglas: Between Signpost Corner and Bedstead Corner;

Onchan and Douglas: Between Governor’s Road and Second Avenue on Glencrutchery Road.

On Senior Race Day the roads will close earlier than usual with the mountain road closing at 9am and the rest of the course at 9:30am.

This will allow the race programme to get started earlier to give a better chance of all events being completed before 5pm.

However, if racing is delayed until later in the day it cannot be guaranteed that the course will be opened up between 5pm and 6pm and announcements will be made confirming arrangements.

A DoI spokesman said: ‘The department hopes that the public will benefit in having clear road opening times most days with a more flexible approach to Senior Race day when disruption to traffic is likely to be less as it is a public holiday.’

TWO students from the Isle of Man will be among the congregation at Westminster Abbey tomorrow (Tuesday) for a service of celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.

Hayley Robinson, head girl at Ramsey Grammar School, and Elliott Alexander, head boy at Queen Elizabeth II High School, will be part of an Isle of Man contingent at the special event.

The Queen succeeded King George VI on February 6, 1952, but it was not until nearly 18 months later that she was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

The service of celebration on Tuesday 4 June will be attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, along with other members of the Royal Family.

As this is the only national celebration of the coronation, Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood was asked to nominate a small number of guests from the Isle of Man.

Mr Wood said he was keen for the youth of the Isle of Man to be represented at Westminster Abbey, and Hayley and Elliott were drawn at random from head boys and head girls at the island’s secondary schools.

They will join the Lieutenant Governor and his wife Katie Richardson, Deemster Doyle and Mrs Doyle and Speaker of the House of Keys Steve Rodan and Mrs Ana Rodan at the service in London.

Hayley and Elliott met the Lieutenant Governor on Friday to be presented with their travel and admittance documents.

The BBC continues to ‘rip off’ Manx residents by failing to provide adequate services while still charging the full licence fee.

That was the claim by the Celtic League following comments made by Manx Radio chairman David North to the Tynwald select committee investigating the future of public service broadcasting.

In an astonishing statement, former MHK and MLC Mr North likened Manx Radio to a Syrian state broadcaster because it doesn’t have the funding it needs to ensure true independence from government.

He and Manx Radio managing director Anthony Pugh argued the case for the station to be given BBC funding similar to the arrangement which operates for S4C in Wales.

In a statement, the Celtic League said: ‘The Celtic League has consistently said the Manx government should retain licence fees paid to the UK (currently around £5 million) to fund a range of domestic broadcast services including audio and visual media.

‘However, a Tynwald committee which considered the matter recently failed to grasp the nettle and the BBC continues to rip-off Manx residents by levying its full licence fee and failing to provide the same service it gives to other National areas in the UK.

‘There is perhaps the chance that North’s choice of provocative language before this select committee may wake them up to the fact that the issue needs to be addressed.’

Giving evidence to the Tynwald select committee, Mr North said there was one fundamental question he would like to pose.

He said: ‘The question is a quite simple one – is Manx Radio a public service broadcaster or are we are state broadcaster?

‘In other words are we like the BBC or are we like Syrian radio, no more than a government mouthpiece?

‘Editorially we’ve always thought of ourselves as a public service broadcaster but in my opinion, against all the intentions of Tynwald, regrettably we have become a state broadcaster incapable of determining our own future by virtue of our structure.’

Tributes have been paid to a stalwart of the Manx Celtic League.

Deirdre Moffatt, who was a long-standing member of the Celtic League for almost 40 years, died last month following a battle against a crippling and debilitating illness.

Her husband Bernard, former Manx Trades Union Council president and director of information for the Celtic League, said: ‘Dee will be sorely missed by all who knew her – but her character, contribution and determination will not be forgotten.’

Born in Douglas in February 1951, Dee was the only daughter of Frank Moore, a Manx publican and his Irish wife Monica from Athy in Co Kildare. As a consequence, her pan-Celtic connections at birth were strong and further reinforced through holidays she and her brothers spent at her mother’s family home in Ireland and also with other relatives in Wales.

After completing her education on the Isle of Man, she undertook teacher training in England. After a brief period of employment there, she returned to the island and worked for the Board (later Department) of Education until her retirement three years ago.

Becoming involved in Manx cultural activities, she joined Banglane Twoaie (the Northern Branch of Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh, the Manx Language Society) and also various Manx dance groups. Her contribution and commitment to traditional dance ensured she became a recognisable face on and off the island, through public performances at home and abroad – most notably Celtic festivals in Brittany and Ireland.

Politically she was active from the late seventies onwards in the Celtic League and Mec Vannin. She participated in the campaign by the Manx branch of the Celtic League and the AMA (Anti-Militarist-Alliance) against the expansion of the Jurby Sea-Bombing Range used by NATO. As part of the Isle of Man Peace Group, she joined the Europe-wide campaign against the deployment of Cruise missiles in the UK and Germany in the early 1980s. Dee was a committed feminist and supported the Manx feminist group EVE. She was a stalwart of the Celtic League. Over many years, she quietly and without recognition helped organise the annual schools’ art and crafts exhibition at Yn Chruinnaght and fund raisers for Mec Vannin and the Celtic League. She leaves behind her husband Bernard, daughter Celia and three grandchildren. Her burial took place at Peel cemetery on May 24.

Chief Minister Allan Bell has said no decision has yet been made whether a new chief executive would be appointed to the Department of Community, Culture of Leisure.

It follows the announcement last week that current chief executive Nick Black would become the boss of the Department of Infrastructure when Ian Thompson retires.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/new-boss-of-the-dept-of-infrastructure-announced-1-5721986|Click here to read last week’s story about Nick Black’s new role}

In January, the Isle of Man Examiner revealed the department was under review as part of plans to reduce the scope of government.

When asked whether a replacement would be appointed to the DCCL, Mr Bell said: ‘We are considering that position. No decision has been made, It’s early days.’

He said: ‘The element of the department’s activities highlighted most at present is the buses. There is a whole range of responsibilities under consideration for potential changes in the future , for example the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre. We will be considering now the best way forward.’

He added: ‘The services are under review at the moment. If there are major changes to provision of services which impact on that department then the future of the department will be considered. At the moment we are doing it on a piecemeal basis to identify the best way of dealing with various elements within that department.’

Fairfield School pupils sold a range of products they had made at a Mini Enterprise Market.

Money raised from Thursday’s event will be used to buy items for the school.

On sale were items including plant pots, coasters, key rings, paper weights, cards, badges and cakes. Pupils had been learning about the world of business with support from Junior Achievement Isle of Man. Picture: John Maddrell JM130530 (9)

The Mailbox, in Circular Road, Douglas, could be set to re-open.

Grape and Grain Limited, based in Parsonage Glebe, in St John’s, has announced that it will apply to the licensing court sitting on June 13 for the transfer of the alcohol licence from Rivertown Limited.

In addition, the company will apply to vary one of the terms of the licence, to allow under 16s to be on the premises until 10pm or 10.15pm, if finishing a substantial meal. Last November, we reported that the Mailbox restaurant and deli, situated in Capital House had closed.

At that time, a statement from the board of directors of Rivertown Limited was issued, which said that ‘the directors were left with no alternative but to make arrangements for the company to cease trading forthwith’.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/mailbox-bar-shuts-down-1-5124494|Click here to read our report on the closure of the Mailbox last year.}

The Chief Minister has dismissed Unite’s safety claims over bus drivers’ work length as ‘complete nonsense’.

Negotiations failed to end a 12-day strike on Thursday. It’s due to run till tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11.59pm.

Allan Bell said it was ‘very disappointing’ a settlement wasn’t reached, saying it was the third time the union leadership had recommended acceptance of government’s offers.

He said claims a duty length of four hours 30 minutes was a health and safety issue – was ‘complete nonsense’. It would be a rise from the current maximum of three hours 45 minutes.

Mr Bell said drivers already worked the increased length where premium pay was due, and UK drivers – even in London – work up to five hours 30 minutes with Unite calling for a cut to four hours 30 minutes.

‘If it is acceptable there with the vastly different pressure drivers have to face how can it be unacceptable in a small place like the Isle of Man?’

Mr Bell said it looked like ‘certain shop stewards’ wanted ‘to prolong the strike action’.

He said Liberal Vannin leader Peter Karran’s comments the dispute was a smokescreen and government was intent on privatising the service were ‘extremely unhelpful and fanciful’.

‘Mr Karran knows there’s no hidden agenda by government or the DCCL to prolong the strike to privatise the buses. It’s deliberate mischief-making at a time of very sensitive negotiations to ensure a very important public service is maintained.’

We tried to contact the union Unite for a response but were unable to do so.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/bus-negotiations-fail-strike-set-to-continue-during-tt-drivers-are-permitted-to-leave-the-bus-if-they-need-a-toilet-break-1-5723642|Click here to read our story about negotiations failing}

The Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority has applied (13/00609/A) to government planners for approval in principle to demolish the existing water filters building and residential flats in Glen Rushen Road, in Glen Maye.

As part of the application, the authority has also applied to redevelop the site for residential use.

Isle of Man Creamery boss Findlay Macleod says that his dairy has to charge more for milk than cheaper English and Welsh rivals because of higher costs.

He has blamed redundancies at the business on difficult trading conditions and the very poor weather over the past year.

Speaking following the announcement the business is to make 10 people redundant, he said the bad weather and higher overheads in the Isle of Man had both played a part.

Referring to competition from imported products, he said: ‘Scale is an issue here. We deal with around 6.5 million litres of milk a year, whereas Yeo Valley, for example will be handling something like 1,000 million litres per year, so that really puts it in perspective.’

He said he was aware of a dairy in Wales which recently stopped milk production because it did not consider 12 million litres per year to be viable.

‘In addition, we have higher overheads than the UK in terms of our power costs and also our water costs,’ he said.

‘The Isle of Man is an expensive place to manufacture and we also operate on a smaller scale. Elsewhere you wouldn’t have a milk plant serving just 80,000 people.

‘But the advantage we have here on an island is it’s fresher because there are fewer food miles. It’s straight from the cow to the Creamery to the customer.’

Mr Macleod said milk supplied to the creamery last year fell by 11 per cent and in the first three months of this year by a further 11 per cent.

Milk production in the UK fell by around 10 per cent this year. He said farmers had been under pressure because the recent poor weather meant poorer pasture which in turn affected milk yields and they had also faced higher overheads as a result of having to buy in food for dairy herds.

Smaller quantities of milk meant the cost of processing it per pint was higher and they had also had to pay more to the farmers who had been hit with higher feed costs. He said they had been forced to reduce overheads by laying off staff. There are to be five voluntary redundancies and five compulsory. Two staff had also agreed a voluntary cut in their working hours.

He added: ‘Our staff are our most valuable asset, so I will be sad to see any of them go.’

Just 12 months after attaining the IIP Silver Award, Colas has been awarded Gold Award status following a visit from IIP Assessor Mike Lynch.

The Gold Award reaffirms the company’s commitment to its workforce and it is only the third private company in the Isle of Man to achieve the highest IIP award.

Normally, Gold status can be applied for three years after attaining the Silver Award.

However, in special circumstances where an organisation, on reaching Silver status, is so close to the criteria for the Gold Award, it can apply for Gold accreditation within 12 months of attaining Silver.

Colas Isle of Man Group managing director Steph Lowe said the Gold Award was recognition of the willingness of staff to strive to achieve greater things. ‘This is again testimony to the company’s commitment to the training and development of our staff,’ said Steph. ‘It demonstrates our staff are engaged at all levels and involved directly with the company’s strategic targets and continuing success.

‘My thanks go to everyone who took part in the assessment and the continuing support of the whole Colas team.’

He added:‘Having achieved Gold status, our aim now is to become an IIP Ambassador, a champion for the standard’s framework, where we will be shown as an example to other organisations of what they need to achieve to gain IIP accreditation.

‘We will, of course, also need to undergo regular reviews by the IIP to maintain our Gold status.’

The Gold Award is the culmination of a seven-year programme of staff development and assessment, following the first visit by IIP in 2006.

The Bronze Award was attained in 2009, followed by the Silver Award last year.

For the Gold Award, IIP Assessor Michael Lynch visited the company for two days, interviewing a quarter of the 65-strong workforce.

In his report, Mr Lynch was impressed by the ‘high staff morale’, the work ethic of employees at all levels of the business and the strong core values that everyone works towards. He praised the company’s leadership, in particular the open and trusting approach of senior managers, and focused on the ‘feedback culture’ within the company, with the feedback from managers a major factor in the high morale.

In turn, the assessor commented on the respect staff have for senior management, and the use of the IIP framework to underpin a ‘strong focus on continuous improvement’.

Laurence Skelly MHK, political member for the Department of Economic Development with responsibility for the construction industry, presented the award to Steph Lowe at the Colas Group’s Broom House headquarters in Malew.

Mr Skelly said: ‘I would like to congratulate the team at Colas Isle of Man Group on achieving IIP Gold accreditation. IIP is a highly effective framework to optimise business performance and efficiency through an organisation’s workforce.

‘The award of this Gold status coming only a year after being awarded Silver status demonstrates a commitment to a culture of continuous improvement. I would encourage other local companies of any size to consider participating in this valuable programme.’

Olympic gold medallist Peter Kennaugh has enjoyed an excellent start to this week’s Critérium du Dauphiné in France.

The 23-year-old Manxman has been in impressive form during the opening two days of 65th edition of the prestigious event - seen as a precursor to the Tour de France - and finds himself in the top 20 of the general classification.

The Team Sky rider was instrumental in helping Richie Porte and team leader Chris Froome to fourth and fifth places in Sunday’s opening stage, a 121-kilometre trek around Champéry, after he and Geraint Thomas produced tireless shifts at the front of the peloton during the latter stages.

Kennaugh ended the stage in 31st place, one minute and 57 seconds behind winner David Veilleux.

The Onchan man then went even better in Monday’s 183km stage from Châtel to Oyonnax where once again the duo (Kennaugh and Thomas) drove the pace at the front and came home in a superb 17th place in the same time as the victor Elia Viviani of Cannondale.

That result moves Peter upto 17th overall in the general classification and also into fifth place in the young rider classification.

More in Thursday’s Manx Independent.

Manx gambling company PokerStars has announced that it has renewed its sponsorship of TT Races local hero Conor Cummins, the 27-year-old from Ramsey, who is the fastest Manx motorbike racer.

Until this week, Cummins held the lap speed record (131.511 mph) for the Superbike race at the TT and the fastest ‘standing start’ lap in the history of the TT.

He is among the elite motor bike racers who travel the global circuit competing in road races on finely tuned bikes that exceed 200 mph.

PokerStars also sponsors professional sports stars as Spanish Tennis Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, Dutch Olympic gold medalist Fatima Moreira De Melo, and German tennis player Boris Becker.

‘Conor Cummins embodies the competitive spirit that drives so many successful people,’ said Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate communications for The Rational Group, which operates PokerStars.

‘Conor overcame adversity and continues to be one the best riders in the world in a sport that requires precision, strategy and guts.

‘At the same time, he’s modest, approachable and genuine. These are all qualities that make him a great representative of PokerStars.’

PokerStars also sponsors the biggest race in the TT, the Senior, in which Cummins will compete on Friday.

During the current TT competition and throughout in his future races, Cummins’ helmet, motorbike and protective gear will display the PokerStars logo.

Cummins races for the Milwaukee Yamaha team.

PokerStars also recently renewed its sponsorship of the Isle of Man TT Races, which includes the launch of a PokerStars-supported closing party for the first time that focuses on Manx entertainment.

Conor Cummins is pictured with Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate communications for The Rational Group, which operates PokerStars.

A life-sized sculpture of man racing a motorcycle - based on a Suzuki GSXR 1000K7 - made from welded and rivetted stainless steel, with a rider made from pieces of glass tied up with stainless steel wire is perhaps the most intriguing piece of art on view this TT.

In Bulgarian artist Nikola Nikolov’s own words: ‘The Glass Rider symbolises the fragility (as well as the indestructible spirited nature) of riders who do not stop re-creating themselves.’

Nikola spent more than 400 hours creating ‘The Glass Rider’ in his studio in Wormerveer, the Netherlands, which he then exhibited in London and Amsterdam before packing it on to a trailer for its trip to the Isle of Man.

Displayed under spotlights in the window of the Sayle Gallery in Douglas, visitors have been flooding in to see it and talk to the artist/

‘It was a labour of love,’ said Nikola. ‘As a professional chef I had unlimited supplies of kitchen trays, and of course of liquor bottles and broken glasses.

‘I’ve made sculptures from many different materials like old cars and washing machine drums before, but ‘The Glass Rider’ is probably the most complex – and, of course, completely appropriate for the Isle of Man.’

Since first riding a bike, Nikola has been a huge fan of the TT.

‘“This is my first visit to the island and to the TT,’ he said. ‘I have been overwhelmed by the interest shown to “The Glass Rider” from both bike fans and art enthusiasts and I’d love it if “The Glass Rider” were bought by someone here on the island.

‘Even so, I’m sure I’ll back for another visit - with my own bike – everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. I am very grateful to the Isle of Man Arts Council and to the Isle of Man Steam Packet for their support.’

Nikola Nikolov trained at the school of applied arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he specialised in working with metal, while also receiving classical training in drawing and modelling. He then moved to Paris to work with fashion designer Paco Rabanne, and moved to ABK Maastrict in the Netherlands in 1996. He graduated from the Sandberg Insititute in Amsterdam in 2002 and formed Studio-Re-Creation in 2009, developing his art of working with discarded materials.

The Glass Rider has been exhibited at the London Design Festival and in Amsterdam.

‘The Glass Rider’ is now on show at the Villa Marina until Wednesday, and then back at the Sayle Gallery until Saturday. Nikola has signed posters of the sculpture, which cost £5-£10 depending on size, and which can be bought from the Sayle Gallery.

The Isle of Man Post Office is nearly as fast as the TT riders.

It has released two new products celebrating the Dainese Superbike TT race, held on Sunday.

The first features Michael Dunlop, who dominated the six-lap race to take his first ‘big bike’ victory on the Honda TT Legends Superbike, 30 years after his late uncle Joey took his first TT win for Honda.

The limited edition celebration sees a photo of Michael in action on the Superbike accompanying a genuine piece of tarmac taken from the Mountain Course at the Ramsey Hairpin. Dunlop’s domination has continued with victory in the opening Supersport race and the Superstock race, yesterday (Monday).

The final lap by John McGuinness is celebrated in the second new product.

After receiving a 60-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane, the Honda TT Legends racer produced the fastest-ever TT course lap, at an average speed of 131.671mph, to snatch back third place at the flag and beat his own outright lap record.

It was a fitting end to a race in which he paid tribute to the great Joey Dunlop with replica helmet, leathers and livery evoking memories of the Honda Joey rode to his last ‘big bike’ TT win in 2000.

The Post Office has produced a print from the world-renowned TT portfolio of photographer Stephen Davison, incorporating a stamp from the 2009 Honda 50 years at the Isle of Man TT collection and a TT Grandstand postmark for June 2, 2013, the date of the race. Commentary on the reverse of the print is provided by motorsport journalist Kyle White.

Measuring 210mm x 260mm, the portrait print is ideal for framing and essential for all TT fans.

Maxine Cannon, general manager, Isle of Man Stamps and Coins, said: ‘The Superbike race was thrilling as Michael Dunlop took a superb win and John McGuinness showed his class to set a new outright lap record.

‘When John broke 130mph in 2007 we produced a commemorative product within a couple of hours of the historic event. The gasp of excitement around the course when John appeared in Joey Dunlop’s 2000 livery helmet and leathers, plus smashing the outright lap record, made it a ‘must do’ to record the event for all collectors of TT memorabilia.’

The Michael Dunlop ‘Ramsey Hairpin’ tarmac, costing £4.50 (limited edition of 750) and John McGuinness print, costing £12.50, can both be bought from the Regent Street post shop in Douglas, the Joey Dunlop Foundation stand behind the TT Grandstand or online at www.iomstamps.com.

Isle of Man racing driver Chris Mealin won round two of the European Late Model Supercup V8 Series at Venray Raceway in Holland recently.

The 19-year old from Douglas clinched his maiden victory to move up to second place overall in the championship and to the top of the rookie class.

The Revolution Racing driver was second on the grid at the start of the damp 25-lap race but quickly moved up to first on the second lap in his V8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, sponsored by Douglas-based Kingswood Honda.

Such was his pace, he quickly began to pull away from the rest of the 18-car field, lapping the half-mile oval track at just over half a second quicker than his closest rival, 2012 champion Frank Wouters.

Conditions deteriorated during the race as the rain began to fall but this didn’t deter the Isle of Man racer as he continued to maintain a healthy lead. However, that all changed on lap 15 when the race was yellow flagged following a four-car pile-up which also involved one of Mealin’s team-mates, Chris Richardson.

Once all the cars and debris had been removed from the track, racing resumed five laps later but Mealin had to withstand heavy pressure from Wouters.

Lap after lap the duo tussled for the lead and, on more than one occasion, the wheels touched and paint was exchanged as the contest went right down to the wire.

Mealin was able to keep his cool and eventually took the chequered flag just 0.695 seconds ahead of the defending champion to claim his maiden victory by the narrowest of margins.

Baker Tilly IoM Cronkbourne won the toss and put Valkyres to bat in their Standard Bank Premiership contest on Saturday afternoon.

After losing the early wicket of Paul Fleming, skipper Zubair Siddiqi started building the innings again and the Valkyres middle order consolidated with five batsmen scoring in excess of 20 runs each.

Tom Reader and Ben Bennett led the runs, scoring 45 and 38 respectively, and were ably supported by Chris Langford (35 runs), Ryan Windell (29 runs) and Toby Carter (26 runs) as Valkyres finished on 229 for 9 in 40 overs.

Cronkbourne used seven bowlers and all went for runs during the match. Matt Ansell struck in the third over before Jaco Jansen did likewise and then Max Stokoe took the wickets of Tom Reader and Ben Bennett.

Jaco Jensen was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with figures of 3-23, while Stokoe and Sam Kebbell took two wickets each, giving 47 and 40 runs respectively. Ryan Burns and Ansell finished with a wicket apiece.

Cronkbourne were quick to get off the mark and a couple of early dropped catches allowed Jensen (31)and Stokoe (18) to consolidate at the top before Ryan Windell struck and accounted for both the openers.

It was then up to Carl Wagstaffe and Adam Killey to bat through the overs. Wagstaffe was again in good form scoring runs and boundaries across the park. He was the top scorer with 61 runs before becoming Windell’s third victim.

Killey supported well scoring 42 runs before attempting to leave a ball by Reader, only to realise the off stump had been knocked back.

Phil Hassell scored a quick 29 runs before being bowled by Reader.

It was left for Burns and Dave Smith to finish the game with eight balls to spare and Cronkbourne won by five wickets.

Windell was the key bowler for Valkyres taking three for 38, followed by Reader on two for 37.

Zubair Siddiqi was again economical and assisted by Chris Langford, Andy Coulson and young Tom Burrows.

Another close win by Cronkbourne keeps them top of the table.

If you’re watching television without a licence, you could be fined £1,000.

TV Licensing has launched an information and enforcement campaign in the Isle of Man.

Claire Wotherspoon, TV Licensing spokesperson, said: ‘It is important viewers on the Isle of Man are aware they need to be licensed to watch programmes at the same time as they are shown on TV.

‘During the campaign our focus will be on making contact with unlicensed addresses on the island to find out whether they need a licence. We would always prefer people to pay than risk a fine of up to £1,000 so we are letting residents know in advance there is still time to get in touch with us for advice or to buy a licence.’

To help raise awareness in advance of the visits, TV Licensing has been in touch with community groups and public service organisations on the island to provide useful information and to highlight the many ways to pay as well as resources available in different languages.

A colour television licence costs £145.50 and can be bought over the counter at post offices, online at www.tvlicensing.co.uk or by phone. There is also a range of Direct Debit and cash payment instalment schemes which allow payers to spread the cost of a licence.

Black and white television licences cost £49 and, perhaps surprisingly, they are not a thing of the past. In spite of digital switchover, 13,000 homes across Britain still have them, according to TV licensing.

More information about paying in weekly, fortnightly or monthly cash instalments is available by calling 0300 790 6078 or at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cashplans. For payment options and concessions, to set up Direct Debit payments or to pay by debit or credit card, residents can call 0300 790 6112 or visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk.

A novel new approach to childbirth education has been taken by staff at The Jane Crookall Maternity Unit (JCMU) at Noble’s Hospital, with the inventive conception of a mountain course-themed ‘labour and birth circuit’ released to coincide with the TT festival.

Aimed at expectant parents, the step by step circuit is an educational lap around the familiar 37.7 mile TT course, using more than 20 landmarks to describe the normal process of labour and childbirth.

In the giude, the roaring start of Bray Hill is followed by the realisation of a long journey ahead. The help of a birthing partner is recommended to help negotiate the ‘tricky corners’ at Greeba, while the sharp right turn at Ballacraine is likened to the arrival of painful contractions.

Women are encouraged to trust their body and nature during the ‘dark and daunting’ tree cover at Sarah’s Cottage, and to expect fear or excitement-induced uneasiness as the bike wheels fly inches above the tarmac over Ballaugh Bridge.

By the Bungalow however, to quote from the map, women have: ‘reached the summit. You are fully dilated and have completed the first stage of labour. Sit back and admire the view for a time.’

There’s even a wet race warning regarding waters breaking, and a longer and less comfortable diversion via Tholt-y-Will and Sulby Reservoir in the case of babies in the posterior position.

Catching the Manx Electric Railway tram from Ramsey to Douglas is the longer but more medically managed option likened to having an epidural.

All roads however lead to the finish line at the Grandstand, and congratulations on a job well done before a pit stop to survey and repair any damage.

The purpose of the pathway, say the staff involved, is to equip women with the resources they need to get the very best out of their bodies during labour.

They say progress of normal labour is dependent on a few simple facts, pregnant women need fuel to create energy, the right environment so that the woman feels safe and secure, and they need to feel supported.

Member for Health Services Dudley Butt MLC congratulated midwives on their idea. He said: ‘The TT circuit is an exceptional, exciting journey and a massive challenge to all competitors, easily comparable to labour, and childbirth. Using the analogy is a unique and relevant way to illustrate the stages of labour and birth to pregnant women and their families.’

Jane Sloane, head of midwifery added: ‘The group have worked extremely hard to produce this innovative piece of work and I look forward to families across the island embracing it.’

The Red Arrows return to the island today with displays in Ramsey and Douglas.

The RAF display team perform at 3pm in Ramsey and then later in Douglas at 7.30pm.