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New Rover Need More Runs!
Setting a target of 151 runs not enough to beat Calverley at home. Putting themselves into bat first, New Rover had some bright moments but some bad luck and a lack of comfort on the slow wicket got in the way of setting a truly competitive target. At number two in the order, Adil Mehmood played very well and started to build a strong partnership with number five in the order, Matthew De Araujo. Between the start of the seventeenth over and the fall of the fourth wicket in th
abyates05
2 days ago2 min read


ROLE MODEL’s New Album, 'Chuck Timely & The Hourglass' Delivers a Country Folk Feast
Released last Friday (7th August), this album serves authentic sounds and an easy-to-follow narrative. In this album, ROLE MODEL incorporates country and folk genres as well as any other American singer-songwriter. Across the album, he provides clear narrative in song titles, while also treating us to rocking cowboy tempos and authentic instrumentation. By ‘authentic’ I mean that each element is identifiable and has a clear purpose. The layering of voice, guitars, piano and
abyates05
3 days ago2 min read


My Favourite Bands from Kendal Calling 2026
Here are my picks from this year’s festival There is always so much to discover over 3 days of a festival, and the indie extravaganza that is Kendal Calling is no different. There were difficult choices throughout the weekend when clashes inevitably arose, and I certainly will not attempt to run through everything I saw. Rather, I will briefly discuss my two favourite acts on the main stage and my two favourite acts out on the other stages. The first act I have to discuss fr
abyates05
Aug 42 min read


Do The Rhinos Enjoy Defending Enough?
Leeds have an impressive 42-12 win over Bradford Bulls, but potential concerns over injuries and lack of a defensive mindset grow. Irrespective of the final result, Bradford were first to score at nine minutes through Guy Armitage on the left. The visitors did score two in total, but it is the first one which most acutely brings the home team's defensive and injury concerns to the fore. In reality, it was in the home team’s intention to attack that actually gave the field pos
abyates05
Jul 273 min read


Signs of Batting and Bowling Improvements Despite Being Beaten By Bardsey
Bardsey win by four wickets as they finish 7 runs ahead of DLS at 38.5 overs Put into bat by the visitors (Bardsey), New Rover began steadily as they often do, with both Michael Richmond and Fahim Khan playing sensible cricket, hitting the loose deliveries and finding singles when absolutely necessary. Khan did get caught behind at the end of the tenth over off the bowling of Keon Williams, and the second wicket fell three overs later at 38 runs. Nevertheless, Michael Richmon
abyates05
Jul 263 min read


"You’re Gonna Need A Little Music" to compete with this.
A review of Yard Act’s most recent album. Having achieved much acclaim since the release of their first album in 2022, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music is Yard Act’s third album (released on the 17th July this year). Despite the band being from my home city of Leeds I must admit I have not given them a proper ear, but having now listened to this album I am most certainly a fan. This new album imbues their already strong post-punk indie rock sound with further fascinating voc
abyates05
Jul 243 min read


Yorkshire Fizzle at the End of Both Innings
Yorkshire lose to Hampshire by 50 runs on the first day of the One Day Cup. Playing at the iconic North Marine Road in Scarborough, the home side will feel like they missed a major opportunity to get their One Day campaign off on the front foot. Electing to field first, Yorkshire bowled and batted as well as one could have asked them to early on, but then seemed to run out of energy in the latter stages of both innings. Between overs in Yorkshire's innings The Yorkshire bowl
abyates05
Jul 223 min read


New Rover Struggle to Set a Tricky Target
Adel chase down a target of 208 with 15 overs and 6 wickets remaining. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, New Rover got off to a reasonable start, with Michael Richmond playing himself in gently and allowing Fahim Khan to hit the majority of the early runs. And, with the exception of one drop and the odd LBW appeal, the New Rover openers looked fairly comfortable. It was not until the tenth over that the first wicket fell, Khan caught behind for 22. In respects to th
abyates05
Jul 192 min read


Should I Feel Judged for Choosing to Watch Minions?
My slight discomfort at going to Minions & Monsters as a 20 year old. Having scrolled through social media clips, trailers, and adverts which made me laugh, I decided to go and see the Minions & Monsters film on a mid-week afternoon. However, temporarily at the stage of booking tickets online, and intensely when entering and leaving the cinema, I felt judged. Judged for going to see a kid’s film. Judged for not choosing something more serious. Judged for just wanting to see s
abyates05
Jul 163 min read


Yorkshire Earn a Home Quarter Final in the T20 Vitality Blast
A victory over Notts Outlaws in the North Group sees Yorkshire finish as the second place team with most points. This match was mainly won by Yorkshire in the power play, with more runs being scored by, and fewer wickets being conceded by the Headingley side when batting first. Big but comfortable hitting from Adam Lyth and Will Luxton saw Yorkshire score over 70 runs for no wickets after the six overs of the power play. Lyth went on to reach an impressive 50, which included
abyates05
Jul 134 min read


Preventing the Abandonment of Fans from English Test Match Cricket
A letter to the English Cricket Board (ECB) Dear ECB, As a young person with a strong passion for watching cricket I wish to express my concern about the direction of travel for the Test team in the wake of Ben Stokes' retirement from international competition. I often hear that English cricket has always been in crisis but truly believe things are now at a tipping point now. If things do not drastically change around the unchecked ‘Baz ball’ approach to coaching and play, I
abyates05
Jul 56 min read


New Rover Succumb to a Convincing Olicanian Performance
Olicanian CC 2nd XI win by 8 wickets at The Richmond Oval Winning the toss, New Rover put themselves into bat first. They did not score brilliantly early on but did manage not to give wickets away quickly. The home team were 25-0 after the first ten overs and 59-3 after twenty one overs. Considering that there were many wickets left in the bag though, New Rover were not yet in a situation they needed to be overly concerned about in a 45 over match. New Rover batting There was
abyates05
Jun 282 min read


Leeds Rhinos Dominate Hull KR at Home
Marking the MND awareness match with an impressive 34-8 victory This was a fabulous match-up for the MND awareness game, a special occasion in the annual Leeds Rhinos calendar. Hull KR continue to be a highly-rated team, fighting for a top of the table finish, and they always appear to provide a high-intensity physical challenge. But just as the Rhinos did in Las Vegas in March, they easily overcame this challenge on Friday night, leaving the Hull team beaten and exhausted. E
abyates05
Jun 283 min read


Day Sleeper: An Emerging Leith Band Worth Following
Day Sleeper performed at The Attic in Leeds on Wednesday, supported by Leeds-based Cherry Seraph and Lines of Flight. For my first visit to The Attic in Leeds, this was a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours to bring a long mid-week day to an end. The opening support act was the soloist Cherry Seraph, and she opened the night with a lovely ethereal atmosphere. I only arrived to see the very end of the set, but this was long enough to get a sense of the interesting sounds they
abyates05
Jun 253 min read


Commendable New Rover Efforts in the Loss to Rawdon
New Rover 1st XI show great concentration and resilience despite losing at home to Rawdon 1st XI by 136 runs. After winning the toss, Rawdon chose to bat first. In fact, it was the first time I had seen a team elect to bat this season, an indicator of the pleasant June conditions. Clearly this was a good decision, and a strong upper-order batting performance saw Rawdon score 296 runs. This was a big score but there wasn’t anything wrong with New Rover’s bowling or fielding. W
abyates05
Jun 212 min read


Hamilton as a First West End Musical Experience
A hip-hop score to draw anyone in I had heard rave reviews of Hamilton in common discourse but no-one had ever explained why the show is so good. Having now seen the West End production for myself, I now understand the reason for its popularity. The music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda make the show incredibly contemporary and give an intensity beyond more classical balladic musicals. Of course there are many ensemble sections for emphasis and all the vocal range one expect
abyates05
Jun 142 min read


Fabulous French Folk in Farsley
A relaxing evening with Stanley Brinks and Freschard at The Old Woolen This gig was like nothing else in its truly relaxing and intimate atmosphere. Similar to a pub with some live music on, those of us in the audience sat around a pleasant, casual arrangement of tables. Up on stage, Stanley Brinks, très cool in his green bucket hat and round glasses, began on the acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, his musical partner, Freschard was a picture of contentment with gin in hand between
abyates05
Jun 102 min read


Yorkshire's Bowling Attack Builds on Bairstow's Brilliance
Yorkshire beat Lancashire by 106 runs in the T20 Vitality Blast at Headingley Yorkshire started fast in bat, with Adam Lyth hitting 20 runs off 7 balls before being caught in the deep by Ben McDermot off the bowling of Tom Aspinwall. The captain, Johnny Bairstow accelerated to 50 from 32 balls and finished at 73 off 44 balls. Alongside some quick ones and twos, there was of course some big hitting from him. By the 9th over he was playing pretty much everything, hitting two sc
abyates05
Jun 72 min read


Leeds fire up in the second half
An entertaining comeback win for the Rhinos against the Saints Despite Leeds scoring the first points with a penalty kick and spending most of the time in the opposition half, it was Saint Helens who came out on top at the end of the first half. Both teams found a try through the middle, but Saints found one on either wing too. The most impressive of these came when Tristan Sailor touched down on a pin point grubber kick from Jack Welsby to the left corner. The biggest prob
abyates05
Jun 52 min read


A Review of Yellow Days
Almost a great night at The Brudenell Prior to Yellow Days arriving on stage, there was a bizarre but certainly intriguing support set from Brian Nasty and his friend Isadora. They produce some high-quality vocal interactions over pre-recorded music, presumably created by the band they usually perform with. Nasty provided the majority of lyrics through a combination of rap and spoken word, while Isadora held many of the songs together with well-sung backing vocals. Neverthele
abyates05
May 102 min read
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