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Leeds’ Season of Firework Rugby Ends Without a Trophy
Warrington Wolves progress to the Grand Final with a 14-12 victory over the Rhinos. Only a couple of months ago, Leeds Rhinos were by far the strongest team in the Super League. However, they were unable to retain top spot to the very end of the regular season, and Warrington Wolves have now stopped them even reaching the Grand Final. There is no doubt that injuries played their part and Friday’s defeat marked the end of a losing streak, but this won’t console fans when they
abyates05
3 days ago3 min read


My Nine Day Voyage into the Loire
A tested wheelchair accessible itinerary from the UK. Those fully dependent on their wheelchairs will know how challenging flying can be, but Northern France is great because you can do it in the car. Moreover, the journey can be broken up by stopping at service stations with changing places toilets in the UK, and travelling across the channel on an overnight ferry. On the way, I would recommend the Brittanny Ferries crossing from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo. However I might sug
abyates05
Sep 142 min read


My Friday at Leeds Festival 2026
A run through of the acts I saw. The first act which I was aiming to see was the Blossoms at about 4pm, but a surprising lack of traffic and rapid admission meant that I arrived with over an hour to spare. This was certainly no bad thing however, as it enabled me to catch the final few songs of Arthur Hill’s set on the main stage. I did not know anything about this artist beforehand, but warmed to him with little more than a silky cover of George Michael’s Careless Whisper an
abyates05
Sep 23 min read


A Crucial New Rover Victory in their Fight to Avoid Relegation
Bolton Villas 25 runs short of DLS as bad light strikes. After being put into bat by the visiting Bolton Villas, New Rover built a credible opening partnership, scoring 36 runs by the middle of the eighth over and the first wicket of Fahim Khan. Michael Richmond played a reasonable captain’s innings, seeing New Rover up to 70-4 by the end of the twentieth over, when he was caught off the bowling of Adam Shabir. While all the bowlers for Bolton Villas had strong economy rates
abyates05
Aug 302 min read


New Rover Falter in a Short Run Chase
Olicanian win by 19 runs despite only scoring 152 at home Despite a few expensive overs at the beginning of the first innings, New Rover took wickets at crucial moments and kept Olicanian to a modest score before tea. Aqsad Ali took four wickets but deserved five, and Carlo Zanella took three. Mohammad Khan made significant contributions too, taking three catches at first slip alongside an LBW and bowled. The biggest threats in the Olicanian batting line up came from Mustafa
abyates05
Aug 232 min read


New Rover Undone By Johnson’s 162
Menston subject the home side to an unchasable 372. Menston comfortably won by 138 runs, but it was New Rover who began the stronger. With two accurate overs a piece from Carlo Zanella and Aqsad Ali, the home side had Menston at 10-3 in the first four overs. But just as the bowlers started to build pressure, Menston’s number 4 in the order, John H. Johnson started to respond straight away. Jumping straight into his enormous innings, Johnson hit two boundaries in the fifth an
abyates05
Aug 162 min read


The Leopards Hunt Down The Rhinos
Leigh end Leeds’ 100% home win rate with a 20-16 victory. This was an incredibly tight fixture, which remained impossible to call across the 80 minutes. It was less than 3 minutes before the first try was scored as Ryan Hall went over in Super League Appearance 417, the tenth most appearances in the league’s history. In most games at Headingley this season, this strong start would have been a sign of things to come. However, Leigh were having none of this, and surely aware o
abyates05
Aug 143 min read


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
Aug 92 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
Aug 92 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
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