A Worcestershire MP has recalled how a political rivalry with Dame Esther Rantzen turned into a lasting friendship, following her death at the age of 86.
Nigel Huddleston first met the veteran broadcaster and Childline founder when they stood against each other in Luton South at the 2010 general election.
But what could have been an awkward relationship between political opponents instead became a friendship that continued for many years.
"Esther and I probably should not have got on," the Conservative member for Droitwich and Evesham said, adding: "But, like so many people who met her, I was completely charmed by her and we got on like a house on fire from day one."
Dame Esther had entered the race as an independent following the MPs expenses scandal, turning what Huddleston expected to be a contest between the Conservatives and Labour into what he described as a "media frenzy".

#political #friendship

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue their house hunting in the U.K., fans and foes are following updates about where they might land.

Speculation continues to swirl about where in the Cotswolds they could buy a house, how many millions they might spend and which private prep school their children, Archie and Lilibet, are enrolled in.
Spanning 800-square miles and consisting of five counties — Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire — the Cotswolds is known for its rolling hills, golden stone, gardens and storybook towns and villages.
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#lilibet

Families who lost their homes in a devastating fire have said they are "in turmoil" while they absorb the extent of the damage and adapt to new living arrangements.
Nineteen homes around Three Springs Road in Pershore, Worcestershire, were affected by the blaze on 13 August, as several fires swept through areas of the West Midlands on the same day.
Resident Mike Ruff said he, his partner and three children were living in his brother's living room, while neighbour Roy Candlin and his wife and two children were using an Airbnb. Both families may have to wait up to 18 months before they can return home.
"You wake up every day and you actually can't believe that it's happened to you," Ruff said.
The fire, which started at about 16:30 BST, led to 30 homes being evacuated and caused 200 to be without power for several hours.

#several

A former horse events rider is preparing to represent Great Britain at the para-canoe world championships, two years after a fall changed her life.
Saffron Cresswell, 25, from Malvern in Worcestershire, fell from her horse in 2024 and suffered a spinal cord injury which left her paralysed.
She is now set to represent her country in a completely different sport less than a year after discovering it, taking up para-canoeing at Leamington Spa Canoe Club on the River Leam.
"It's a beautiful sport to be involved in," she said ahead of the International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint and Para-Canoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland, which will run from Wednesday to Sunday.
Equestrian was central to Cresswell's life before her accident. She was a full-time event rider, winning three European medals for Great Britain, running a business from home and riding between 12 and 15 horses a day.

#rider #represent

An amateur golfer was left "frozen" and "could not stop shaking" after hitting a hole in one from 411 yards (376 metres) - a one-in-six-million chance, according to one estimate.
Matthew Vigurs, from Droitwich in Worcestershire, narrowly missed out on claiming a Guinness World Record when he sank the shot during a league match at Great Barr Golf Club in Sandwell near Birmingham.
The record sits with Robert Mitera who in 1965 at Miracle Hills Golf Course in Nebraska, USA, hit a hole in one from 447 yards (408 metres).
But despite being 36 yards (33 metres) short, 32-year-old Vigurs said: "I got married last year so obviously that's number one but this is definitely up there as a close second best moment of my life."
England Golf, the national governing body for amateur golf, believes Vigurs' achievement could be a national record, but that is yet to be confirmed.

#amateur #national #matthew

All but two of the nine teams in Group A remain in contention to reach the knockout stages of the One-Day Cup following a day of unlikely results including defeats for the top three in the section.
Pacesetters Leicestershire missed the chance to advance in their final game of the initial phase, with their fate now out of their hands after losing at Kent, who were helped by a sensational display from Daniel Bell-Drummond. They now join Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Surrey in the chasing pack on 16 points each.
Middlesex won at eliminated Derbyshire to remain top of Group B and ensure they will advance, with Durham also in a strong position immediately behind second-placed Yorkshire following their home win against Essex, who now cannot progress.
Elsewhere in Group B, Glamorgan damaged Worcestershire's hopes of a knockout-stage place with the final ball of the game at Cardiff, while in Group A second-placed Nottinghamshire narrowly lost at Gloucestershire and third-placed Lancashire lost at second-bottom Warwickshire.
One-Day Cup group tables

#group #second #remain #knockout

MetroBank One Day Cup, Cardiff
Worcestershire Rapids 278-9 (50 overs): Libby 105, Cullen 77; Ul Hassan 4-58, Edwards 3-55
Glamorgan 281-8 (50 overs): Nicholls 70, Hope-Bell 58; Allison 2-55, Gibbon 2-59
Glamorgan won by 2 wickets
Scorecard; table

#overs #cardiff #hassan #edwards

Women's MetroBank One Day Cup, League Two, Bromsgrove
Glamorgan 358-7 (50 overs): Freeborn 128, Parfitt 58, Sturge 50
Worcestershire Rapids 163 (32.5 overs): Bishop 33; Reid 4-35, Porter 3-28
Glamorgan won by 195 runs
Scorecard; table

#league #bromsgrove #parfitt #worcestershire

Worcestershire captain Jake Libby has overtaken India's Ruturaj Gaikwad to record the highest List A batting average ever. His unbeaten 109 against Sussex, his third straight century with the same score, lifted his average to 61.4. Libby now has 2,456 List A runs, including six centuries and 18 fifties, after 56 matches in the format.

Jake Libby has made List A cricket history after his third consecutive century in the ongoing One-Day Cup helped him move past India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad for the highest batting average ever recorded in the format.

The Worcestershire captain played a match-winning knock against Sussex on Friday, August 7, staying unbeaten on 109 off 96 ***** as his team chased down a challenging target of 334. What makes his recent form even more remarkable is that Libby has scored exactly 109 in each of his last three innings in the competition.

His impressive streak started with an unbeaten 109 against Middlesex, helping Worcestershire chase down 294. He followed it up with another 109 against Essex, although his team could not complete the chase after being set a target of 377. Against Sussex, however, Libby once again delivered when his team needed him most.
Sussex posted 333-9 in their 50 overs after several batters made useful contributions. Fynn Hudson-Prentice top-scored with 68 from 35 ***** , while Jack Leaning added a patient 50. Four other Sussex batters also crossed the 30-run mark, while Freddie Price hit an unbeaten 22 off 13 ***** to give the innings a strong finish.

Worcestershire made a positive start to the chase, with Isaac Mohammed and Brett D'Oliveira putting together 60 runs for the opening wicket. However, both were dismissed within four overs of each other, bringing Libby to the crease with 251 runs still needed from 210 ***** .

Libby then took control of the chase and received important support from Kashif Ali, who scored 73 off 52 ***** , and Ben Allison, who smashed 20 from just nine deliveries. Together, they guided Worcestershire to victory in the penultimate over.

The unbeaten 109 lifted Libby's List A average to 61.4 from 56 matches, taking him past Gaikwad's 58.61. He now has 2,456 runs, six centuries and 18 fifties, with a highest score of 126*.

Sam Hain is third with an average of 58.18, followed by Michael Bevan, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill.

#libby #sussex #runs

A fundraising weekend has kicked off in memory of 20-year-old cricketer Josh Baker, who died suddenly in 2024.
For the second year running, Blue for Bakes is being hosted at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, starting at New Road as the Men's Rapids take on Middlesex.
The weekend will culminate at Astwood Bank Cricket Club on Sunday as the Women's Rapids take on Kent at the Josh Baker Oval.
"It's humbling," Josh's father, Paul Baker, told BBC Hereford and Worcester, adding: "It seems to be bigger and better than last year so we're nervously looking forward to the weekend."
Visitors are encouraged to wear blue in tribute to Josh.

#baker #weekend #year #club

Middlesex, Durham and Leicestershire joined Nottinghamshire with two wins from two in the One-Day Cup by winning their respective matches on Friday, while champions Worcestershire and Kent made victorious starts to their campaigns.
Matches do not get much better for all-rounders than the one enjoyed by Josh de Caires as he delivered career-best List A figures with bat and ball to keep Middlesex unbeaten.
De Caires, son of former England captain Michael Atherton, hit 75 as Middlesex racked up 284-8 against Hampshire and then returned with the ball to take 6-35 as Middlesex won by 160 runs.
Both were career-bests for De Caires, who also moved past his father's best bowling figures in the format of 4-42 for Combined Universities against Somerset in 1989.
Former England Test captain Ben Stokes continues to thrive at Durham, with the all-rounder hitting five sixes in his 73 not out in 51 **** against Sussex, adding to his unbeaten century against Derbyshire on Tuesday.

#best #ball

Worcestershire batter Rob Jones has announced he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the current season.
The right-hander has been with Pears permanently since 2024, having joined the club on loan from Lancashire for the One-Day Cup the previous summer when he hit a career-best 122 against Northamptonshire.
He was the first arrival under new chief executive Ashley Giles, who gave Jones his first-class debut in 2016 during his spell as head coach and director of cricket at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old has predominately played 50-over cricket during his time at New Road, scoring 779 runs in 24 innings in List A games so far, including a second hundred for the county as he averaged 47.20 in the Pears' One-Day Cup winning run last season.
Jones, who has not featured in the County Championship yet in 2026, has scored 593 runs with a top score of 90 in 18 first-class matches for Worcestershire.

#Cricket #worcestershire #class

When Ben Kellaway struck the ball straight to Worcestershire substitute fielder Jake Libby in the 12th over in Cardiff on Sunday, the Glamorgan all-rounder quickly realised he was in trouble.
Libby made no mistake with a run out which ended Kellaway's innings on 43 and turned the momentum of the T20 Blast game firmly in Worcestershire's favour.
The Rapids went on to secure a 15-run victory at Sophia Gardens.
The result saw Worcestershire leapfrog Glamorgan into third place in the competition's Central and West Group.
The Welsh county now have little margin for error in their three remaining fixtures, with Kellaway left ruing a dismissal which was one of the defining moments of the match.

Veteran opener Adam Lyth struck an undefeated 131 from 63 ****** – the highest score of this year's Vitality Blast – as Yorkshire closed in on a quarter-final place with a 41-run win over Leicestershire Foxes at Headingley.
Lyth's innings, the second T20 hundred of his career, keeps the Tykes on course to qualify from the North Group although they remain second behind Notts Outlaws, who squeezed past Durham by two runs for a sixth straight victory.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks' 100% record finally came to an end in comprehensive fashion as they fell to a 105-run defeat at home to holders Somerset, although they stay eight points clear at the top of the Central & West Group.
Second-placed Gloucestershire lost to Warwickshire Bears by 30 runs, while Worcestershire Rapids strengthened their quarter-final prospects, leapfrogging Glamorgan in the table after a 15-run win in a low-scoring affair at Cardiff.
Hampshire Hawks' England paceman Sonny Baker captured four wickets to maintain their momentum at the top of the South Group, holding off Kent Spitfires by 19 runs.

Superb half-centuries from Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Billings inspired Kent to victory over South Group leaders Hampshire in the T20 Blast.
Chasing a seventh straight win, Hampshire made 176-6 with James Vince scoring 84, but Kent's power hitting saw them home by seven wickets, with eight **** to spare.
Alex Lees equalled the record for the highest-ever T20 score by a Durham batter, hammering 108 from 64 **** as they thrashed Middlesex by 100 runs.
Yorkshire scored 36 off the final two overs to tie a remarkable match against Derbyshire, allowing Nottinghamshire to move top of the North Group with a 74-run victory over Leicestershire.
Defending champions Somerset were well beaten by Worcestershire, losing by 36 runs.

Worcestershire have appointed Adam Hose as captain for the remainder of their T20 Blast campaign.
The middle-order batsman, 33, replaces Brett D'Oliveira, who remains both club captain and in charge of the Championship side.
The Rapids are fifth out of sixth in the Central and West Group of this year's competition with three wins from their seven games, and host Somerset at New Road on Sunday (14:30 BST).
"Adam is a highly respected member of the dressing room and someone with significant experience of T20 cricket," said Worcestershire head coach Alan Richardson.
"We feel this is the right time for him to lead the side for the remainder of the competition."

Worcestershire head coach Alan Richardson says there is "plenty more to come" from left-arm spinner Fateh Singh, following his career-best bowling figures that helped the Pears seal a thrilling five-wicket win over Gloucestershire.
In only this fourth first-class match, and third for Worcestershire, the 22-year-old took 5-74 to crack open the Gloucestershire second innings as the visitors slipped from 81-1 to 166-9 and were eventually dismissed for 185.
That left the Pears 87 to win on the final afternoon, which they reached, after a slight wobble, for the loss of five wickets.
Richardson said Singh's personal milestone was "brilliant" and added he was impressed he made the most of a helpful, final-day pitch at New Road.
"I think there's plenty more to come from him," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

Jonny Bairstow inspired Yorkshire to a record Roses win over Lancashire Lightning, while Hampshire Hawks made it five wins from six on a busy Friday in the T20 Blast.
Former England batter Bairstow smashed four sixes and seven fours in a 44-ball knock worth 73 at the top of the order at Headingley, helping the North Group leaders to a total of 213-7, before a below-par Red Rose were skittled for 107 in reply with Jafer Chohan claiming four wickets.
Hampshire continued their dominance of the South Group after piling on the runs in a thrilling five-run win over Surrey at The Oval, despite Dan Lawrence's unbeaten 94 and 70 from Will Jacks in reply.
Elsewhere, D'Arcy Short helped Gloucestershire to an easy west country derby win against defending champions Somerset, who are now fifth in the Central & West Group, while Worcestershire continued their good start with victory over Glamorgan.
In cross-pool play Notts Outlaws inflicted a fifth-straight defeat on Warwickshire Bears after a tense finale, while Sussex were edged out by Leicestershire thanks to late fireworks from Ashton Turner after Harrison Ward had earlier smashed 69 from 33 ***** for the hosts.