THE 2012/13 Championship fixtures have been confirmed this week and Betfair have reacted by offering a massive 59/1 for Burnley to finish top of the Championship come the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Euro 2012 reaches the knockout stage and Germany remain favourites at a price of 9/4.

Oddshecker’s panel of bookmakers can’t split England and Italy ahead of their quarter-final clash, with a win in normal time for either country priced at 15/8.

A draw is available at a longest price 9/4 with Stan James.

England have lost seven out of 10 quarter final games at major tournaments and with both teams scoring the first goal in each of their three group games so far, the first goalscorer market offers some value. Italy are favourites to open the scoring at evens, with Roy Hodgson’s men a best priced 7/5 to score first.

Wimbledon kicks off on Monday, and with Nadal thwarting Djokovic’s Grand Slam sweep at the French Open, the Serbian will be keen to re-establish his position at Number One by defending his Wimbledon title, and is best priced 7/4 with the Spaniard at 5/2.

The British interest will again be with Andy Murray who is best priced with Stan James at 12/1.

The women’s game often proves to be more unpredictable and with that in mind Caroline Wozniacki at 66/1 with Betfair to emerge victorious could prove to be a shrewd bet.

PLANS to create a new memorial in memory of crash victim Tom Petty have been wrecked by criminals. They stole the tribute planned for Colne Fire Station from a councillor’s car.

Tom, his girlfriend Jessica Foxley and friend Philip Wright died in a tragic road accident in July, 2009.

Tom (25) worked for Pendle Leisure Trust but was also a part-time firefighter at Colne.

And Mr Mick Thompson, an Army veteran, had put together a model fire engine memorial including a brass plaque which made it clear Warrant Officer Thompson had created it “In loving memory of Tom Petty”.

It was due to be presented to Colne’s firefighters at Colne Gala on Saturday, but they had been called out to attend an incident and had to leave Holt House before Coun. Neil Butterworth could present it to them.

Coun. Butterworth was the compere at the Gala’s entertainment show at Holt House playing fields. He was there from 6-30 in the morning to 6-30 at night, and then went to his home in Oak Street, Colne, and fell asleep.

He had a whole series of things in his Daewoo Camaro car and made sure he put them in the boot so they were not visible to potential criminals.

But during the night, thieves forced a door of his car open, and then moved the back seats so they could get into the boot from inside.

They took the 10 model fire engines in memory of Tom, and also took other charity items. That included material for Help for Heroes.

Coun. Butterworth said: “Ironically, I had been talking to Lancashire’s Chief Constable on Thursday about car crime! And then criminals decided to rob my car!

“In the boot, there were sweatshirts and hoodies which raise money for Help for Heroes, and Mick Thompson’s memorial to Tom including 10 model fire engines.

“We were going to present it to the firefighters but they had to leave early and I decided to go along and present it at the fire station on Monday. But it had gone.

“The one thing I really want back is the fire engines because they are a real tribute to Tom. Mick is very upset about it.”

However, two people have already offered Coun. Butterworth alternative fire engine models because of the importance of creating a tribute to Tom.

The crime took place between around 1-30 and 7 a.m. on Sunday, and anyone who witnessed it or has information can contact the police on 01282 425001 or 101.

HUNDREDS of people are beginning to descend on Burnley in anticipation of the Olympic Torch Relay.

The Torch lands in Burnley at 11-05am and will travel along Accrington Road before arriving in Burnley town centre at 11-27am.

HERE’S the first picture of the Olympic Torch in Burnley.

It’s in Accrington Road, ready to set off on its journey through the streets of the town.

Digital journalist Kelvin Stuttard will be following the torch’s procession through the streets from the official bus. Click back for lots of video and lots more photos later!

THE day has arrived and the skies have cleared as the Olympic Torch starts its journey around Burnley.

This picture is from digital journalist Kelvin Stuttard who is travelling on the official bus, taking video footage of the route - the torch bearers and the crowds.

It’s time to take your place on the route - follow our updates on Twitter (#burnleytorch) and at Storify (Burnley Express).

Send us your pix and video, too!

THE Olympic Torch has finally arrived in Burnley and is now taking a break at the Burnley Mechanics Theatre before heading off again up Manchester Road to Rawtenstall.

Crowds thronged the route from Accrington Road, up Westway and Trafalgar Street before making its way into the town centre where flag waving folk gave it a rapturous welcome.

HERE’s our first photo gallery from the Olympic Torch arriving in Burnley.

Photographer Georgina Brewster has been on the streets of the town to capture this historic day.

Can you see yourself in the crowds? Share your phoros with us and don’t miss Tuesday’s Burnley Express for a souvenir pullout of this amazing day!

HAVE you got photos of the Olympic Torch coming through Burnley or the crowds who turned out to watch?

You can email your images to us at sally.dahmke@eastlancsnewsc.to.uk, share them with us oin our FaceBook page (BurnleyExpress) or put them on Twitter (#burnleytorch).

Here are some more of the official pictures from the day!

THOUSANDS of people flocked to Burnley today to catch a glimpse of the Olympic Torch.

Crowds lined the route the torch took through the streets and cheered it along.

Can you spot yourself in our photos from the event?

WE’VE captured on video the historic moment the Olympic Torch travelled through Burnley.

Were you one of the many people who lined the route to catch a glimpse of history in the making? Then we want to share your memories, photos and video of the day.

You can email sally.dahmke@eastlancsnews.co.uk, share images with us on Facebook (BurnleyExpress) or Twitter (#burnleytorch)

On Tuesday we’ve got a great souvenir pullout to mark this amazing day!

Music: ‘Pull Your Socks Up’ by Teaspoon

MAKING its way to London for the start of the 2012 Olympics, the Olympic Torch has travelled through Burnley today.

Here’s a video of the Torch making its way through the town centre and of the crowds that turned out to see it.

Don’t miss Tuesday’s Express for a souvenir pullout of the big day.

THERE have been cheers, flag waving and jubilation today as the Olympic Torch made its way through Burnley enroute to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

It was an especially proud day for the torch bearers who proudly carried the Olympic flame on its long journey.

Here are some great images from a day that will go down in history.

THE heartbroken parents of a Burnley man who died after collapsing in the street last month have warned other people not to suffer in silence after it emerged he was experiencing money worries.

Matthew Bracewell (31), of Oxford Street, Brierfield, was discovered by police around 4am on Sunday, May 27th. He was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where he later died.

His parents Mr and Mrs Graham and Sharon Bracewell, who described Matthew as “a gentle giant,” have since found out he was living in poverty.

When they visited his home to collect his personal effects they discovered he had not received job seekers’ allowance for seven months after his benefit was stopped and he was having problems paying his rent.

There were also a number of letters from bailiffs.

An inquest into Matthew’s death has been opened and adjourned by Blackburn Coroner Mr Michael Singleton.

Until the inquest is held later this year, Mr and Mrs Bracewell will not know how Matthew died but they said they fear the pressure caused by his finance troubles could have caused him unnecessary stress.

He used to visit his parents’ house in Colne Road, Burnley, regularly and had suffered from a perforated ear drum for the last six years but he never revealed the extent of his financial troubles.

Mr and Mrs Bracewell, who both suffer from ill-health, said they believe he did not want to worry them.

Mrs Bracewell said: “I knew something was wrong. He came round and just sat watching television. He didn’t say anything to anybody. He had been suffering from depression but he hadn’t said anything to his brothers.

“He didn’t know who to turn to.”

Matthew, one of seven children, was a keen cyclist and snooker player and had been out playing snooker with one of his brothers and a friend the night before he died.

Mr Bracewell added: “It’s shocked the whole family to find out he was having money worries.

“We all wish he’d said something to us. I’d urge anyone who is having similar problems to seek advice.

“We are hoping that after the inquest we will have some answers.”

A woman who wears red shoes with silver heels and black lacy stockings for an interview as a head teacher can’t be the right person for the job... can she?

Barton-in-the-Dale Primary School has never seen anything like Elisabeth Devine but, against all the odds, she gets the nod – red shoes, short skirt, bright blonde hair and all.

The times they are a-changing at the little village school, and not everybody is happy about it...

Author of a fleet of non-fiction Yorkshire Dales books based on his experiences as a teacher and school inspector, the much-loved Gervase Phinn has come up with a novel idea – writing novels!

The Little Village School is everything you would expect from the pen of this enterprising Yorkshireman... funny, warm, perceptive and full of hard-earned wisdom gained from a lifetime of working in schools.

From village gossips and forthright children to eccentric locals and a bored vicar’s wife, the bluff Dales folk are the mainstays of Phinn’s memorable cast.

Understandably, Elisabeth Devine’s arrival is causing quite a stir in Barton-in-the-Dale. The big mystery, of course, is why the successful head of a large inner city primary should want to move to a village in the middle of the countryside.

There were few applicants for the job, not surprising as the school was recently given a dreadful inspection report, parents are sending their children elsewhere and there’s the little matter of cockroaches under the skirting boards.

And that’s not even counting the other challenges like a bitter former head teacher, a grumpy caretaker and a duplicitous chairman of governors.

Barton-in-the-Dale proves to be a village where little has changed for hundreds of years and anything new is regarded with suspicion.

Elisabeth will have to use all her energetic magic to get the school back on track and stop the gossip about her mysterious past taking off like an express train...

The Little Village School is a charming and poignant tale, full of life’s ups and downs and joys and tragedies, and featuring real-life events and situations that we can all recognise.

But the true stars are its very Yorkshire characters ... earthy, awkward, outspoken, impatient, occasionally intolerant but always entertaining.

(Hodder, paperback, £7.99)

INJURED golfers will now be able to access a golf specific physiotherapy service at Golf Rossendale Driving Range & Academy.

Andy Williams is a chartered physiotherapist with more than 13 years experience treating elite sports people with a whole range of musculo skeletal conditions.

As a keen golfer himself, he qualified as a golf specific physio four years ago to be able to treat and prevent golf swing-related injuries, and help golfers to improve their game through better swing control.

Andy explained: “My service is ideal for golfers of all ages and abilities, from the golfer who suffers a recurrent golf injury keeping him off the course or limiting playing time, to the young golfer especially in terms of injury prevention and game development, or the elite golfer with a heavy playing schedule, and even the senior golfer who may have degenerative joint problems to allow them to keep playing.”

Andy uses swing analysis to assess the cause of the injury and then treats the injury using a combination of manual therapy to joints and soft tissues, osteopathic manipulation techniques, electrotherapy and acupuncture.

He also provides specific exercise programmes to promote core stability and dynamic control in the golf swing.

He will be running free screening assessments at Golf Rossendale from 5pm-8pm on Monday 9 July.

Please don’t hesitate to email Andy at {mailto:lancsgolfphysio@aol.com|lancsgolfphysio@aol.com} for any queries regarding treatment.

Call 01706 213966 to book your assessment.

POLICE have issued CCTV images of a woman they need to trace after a burglary at a house in Salterforth.

The offence took place around 6-50 a.m. on Sunday, June 10th, at an address in Salterforth Lane, when the burglar gained entry through a rear patio door while the owners were out, before stealing a laptop, jewellery and a quantity of Mexican pesos worth a total of £450.

PC Nicola Heap said: “On the day of this offence, the annual Salterforth Fun Day was taking place on the playing fields opposite the address, so there may have been several people in the area, organising the event at this time.

“The clothing of this woman is very distinctive. If anyone is able to identify her, contact Pennine Serious and Acquisitive Crime Team on 01282 472121.”

The CCTV images show a white woman, of medium build, with bleached blonde hair and a black hair band. She is wearing a bright pink hooded jumper, blue jeans and black boots, carrying two dark coloured bags.

Anybody with any information can also call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

AS Ozzie Osborne will tell you riding quad bikes can be dangerous, riding them at outrageous speed and on insane tracks against other riders is downright suicidal!

Fortunately for us gamers we don`t have to go outside and risk our necks doing that we can do it safely at home, with the latest offering from UBISOFT, MAD RIDERS the title says it all really, this is an adrenalin rush of a game, no fancy realism like in some bike games, just good old, trouser staining high speed action, and I like it!

MAD RIDERS is a great no nonsense arcade racing game that puts you up against up to 12 players in multiplay mode, with plenty of customising options and some crazy bikes ,and a zombie and gorilla rider available the average gamer won`t be disappointed,

OK MAD RIDERS is not the greatest racing game around there are a number of glitches that can be slightly annoying , the soundtrack isn`t much to write home about ,and the graphics aren`t exactly stunning, but the good thing is UBISOFT have got the price right (800 msp) and releasing it on XBLA® instead of disc is a good move.

This game is not just about racing mind ,there are plenty of other neat little options available, mastering the air is one ,do stunts and fill your boost bar, or power slide your way round corners as you hammer your way round over 45 tracks at breakneck speed.

The scenery is very tropical and set in a variety of locations, with some nice additions to challenge your skills, like the short cut feature, you have to hit a target that opens a short cut so you can get the jump on your opponents, then there is the target mode where you have to land on a target to increase your boost, not that easy this one though

Stunt racing is another mode where it doesn`t matter about winning just getting a good stunt score is the objective, the ghost challenge can be a tough one, racing against a professional ghost rider (no flaming skulls I am afraid) to get a fast score, also the arena mode is a time trial race again not that easy but fun.

The on-line multiplay is the best part of MAD RIDERS racing against friends on line is fine unfortunately you can`t multiplay off line, due to there being no split screen option, again I can understand that, due to the price of the game some corners have to be cut I suppose.

Summary

MAD RIDERS is a great little arcade game for the price, and more fun than quite a few games of the same genre, OK the soundtrack and gameplay can get a bit dull after a while, and the lack of off line multiplay does take the edge off a bit, but overall not a bad little game.

I give MAD RIDERS 7 out of 10

• Mad Riders

• Publisher: Ubisoft

• Developer: Techland

• Genre: Racing

• 1-12 Players

• Xbla

• Release date: 30th May 2012

{http://plus.google.com/108216529008755708133?rel=author|By Dayvid Ryan|Dayvid Ryan}

TALENTED football freestyler Chris Draper crossed the Atlantic to turn his American dream in to a reality.

The artistic 19-year-old, who shows no fear or apprehension, delved straight in to the depths of performing under pressure by showcasing his skills in the brightly-illuminated hub of Times Square, one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections, iconified as the ‘Crossroads of the World’ and ‘The Great White Way’.

Central Park was his next stop as he continued to amaze the flocking crowds with his impressive anthology of thrills, tricks and close control.

And then a trip to Miami beckoned, more specifically the 20,450-capacity Lockhart Stadium and home of Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

“It was really good, a great experience,” beamed Chris.

“I went and did some freestyling in New York at landmarks like Central Park and Times Square.

“I then did two events at the stadium of Fort Lauderdale Strikers which went really well.

“It was hard to find a bit of space in NY because it’s such a busy city.

“There’s plenty of people about and they stopped to have a look which was really nice.

“But I had more attention and more of a crowd at Fort Lauderdale because I was inside a stadium.”

The Strikers, formerly Miami FC, play in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.

Chris performed in the club’s traditional colours of red and gold hoops at half-time of games against Atlanta Silverbacks and state rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies in the ‘Florida derby’.

“They are in the league below the MLS so there was quite a big crowd for it,” he said.

“They were all very enthusiastic.

“I think the fans are a bit more vocal over there.

“They were really loud and there was plenty of screaming and shouting.

“I get a lot of cheers in the UK but there’s a lot of freestylers about so they’ve seen it before.

“But it’s not the norm over in America so they were a bit more enthusiastic about it I think.

“They were vociferous.”

Chris added: “It was one of the best experiences of my life.

“It’s something I will never forget. “I was told that I was more than welcome to go back as well.

“I might have to take them up on that offer.”

pendle Labour Party has named its candidates for next year’s Lancashire County Council elections.

The party’s two current councillors, County Couns Mohammed Iqbal and George Adam, will defend the seats they currently hold in Brierfield and Nelson North and Nelson South respectively.

Local magistrate Ian Graham will contest the Pendle Central seat which is currently held by Conservative County Coun. George Askew, who is standing down as he now works outside the county.

Pendle councillor Sheena Dunn will be the candidate in Pendle East, where County Coun. Mike Calvert holds the seat for the Conservatives.

In Pendle West, engineer Mark Porter will aim to win the seat from long-standing Conservative County Coun. Shelagh Derwent.

While in West Craven , the candidate is former county council employee David Johns, who will aim to unseat Tory councillor Keith Bailey.

PENDLE Council’s Baby Safe project team has been highly commended in this year’s MJ Achievement Awards.

The team was named runner up in the co-operative working to reduce health inequalities’ category at an award ceremony last Thursday evening.

The team lost out to Birmingham City Council who won for a heart health campaign.

The award recognises the partnership work between Pendle Council, the Lancashire NHS Foundation Trust and Help Direct to reduce infant deaths in Pendle.

Coun.Tony Beckett, who represents health in Pendle, said: “This is wonderful news for Pendle as a whole, and an excellent example of partnership working.

“But the real winners are the new parents who are benefiting from the sound advice the project offers them.”

Louise Hoole, a Council Localities Officer who was the Baby Safe project lead, said: “We’re thrilled to have been judged among large authorities who have much bigger budgets than ours.

“It was so exciting to be on the shortlist of seven; to then be given a ‘highly commended’ award was the icing on the cake!

“The number of babies who die before their first birthday in Pendle is, tragically, higher than the national average.

“Babies born to families from the most disadvantaged groups in our communities are more likely to die than babies from our relatively more affluent communities.

“The Baby Safe project brought together health and non-health professionals to focus on this issue and come up with ways in which together they could make a difference.

“As a result, many fantastic initiatives are now in place, including pregnancy pilates and aquanatal classes, special arts on prescription classes for new mums and mums-to-be and ongoing work to help those at risk of domestic violence.”