News
If the Cowfolk are doing it, this is where it’s at…
Andy Smith’s 50th Birthday
Andy Smith is having a 50th birthday party in Glasgow on May 3rd at Pollock Park Cricket Club. If anyone is up for coming send him an email and he’ll give them details. If you haven’t got his email address use the contact form on this website and it will be passed on.
Neckarstrasse Tournament
to stay at home this summer:
Don’t even think of it, because you are invited to join us for another weekend of football and easy living on the weekend starting on the evening of 7th August right through to 10th August.
So direct your cars, coaches, waggons or whatever vehicles you like to the lovely village of Dünsbach – ca. 100km outside Stuttgart, direction north east and quite a challenge to find on Google maps. Likewise, quite a challenge for you public transport aficionados out there …
We would love to hear from you if you can send a team and I will definitely buy everyone a drink who writes to me before 15th march or so because that would make planning so much easier.
Well then, we hope to see as many of you as possible this summer
yours truly
ICE Neckarstrasse ansd ASV Filderstadt
Antira tournament
Kev says:
Don’t know how this fits with the Mondiali but Roter Stern Kickers have just set the date for their Antira tournament this year and have asked us to extend the invite to The Cowboys and Cowgirls (you met them at the FCKV tournament last summer).
It will be taking place on Saturday 12th July at their pitches in Ahrensburg (about 15 mile north of Hamburg). There should also be very cheap accommodation in a local scout hut for any of us travelling over from the UK and maybe the Berlin teams.
We stayed in it last year and it were lovely. The tournament is 7-a-side, about 24 teams and we’re up for sorting out a joint team if needed. Probably looking at taking about 5-6 of us over, and grabbing a couple of sound locals we know otherwise. I think it’s 20euro per team entry.
Let us know anyhow. We’re looking at getting flights sorted next week (arrive hamburg Thursday night, leave on Sunday about teatime).
COPA SANDINO 2014
COPA SANDINO 2014 “80 ANOS – SANDINO VIVE”
Hola Futbolista y amig@ de Nicaragua,
I am contacting you to see if you would like to enter a team for this year’s 28 Copa Sandino.
It will take place on the afternoon of SUNDAY 18th MAY at Ashton Park Secondary School, Blackmoors Lane, Ashton, Bristol BS3 2JL. Four five a side pitches will be marked out on grass with no rebound boards. This year again Ashton Park school is kindly allowing us to use their sports fields for free so a Big Thanks to them.
The Copa Sandino is a sponsored, charity five-a-side football tournament which raises money to support solidarity and development projects in Nicaragua. Each team is asked to send us a cheque for £50 as a non-refundable deposit and minimum contribution made out to “BLINC”.
Sponsor forms and info will be sent out on receipt of this payment.
Players are expected to raise at least £10 per person.
You will need at least one keeper and five outfield players. Please ensure that all players have the same colour shirts. Bibs (yellow) are however available. We will also provide the balls and referees. There will be a DJ and Latino food from 10 am and the games will start at 10.30am finishing at 3pm. You will get a minimum of five matches as the bottom 3 in each group go into the “Plato Collett” so don’t leave early. Please arrive by 10.00 at the latest.
Depending on the weather, you may need football boots/moulded or trainers. Teams from the local Mexican, Spanish, Brazilian and Chilean communities have been invited.
This year we are raising money to build another single classroom pre-school for under fives in Puerto Morazan and more information on where the money is going will be available on the day from your Jefe Sandinista during the group stages. We are hoping to run our popular Nica quiz where you can win beer but not hassle the quiz mistress. Photos below of how the funds from Copa Sandino 2013 were used: pre-school new build in Barrio Plan.
Please call 0117 328 4450 or email: alix.hughes@uwe.ac.uk for further details. We need your deposit to book your team a place as 16 spaces are available on a first come first served basis. Please either bank transfer your deposit (details from Steve e: s.j.roser@gmail.com) or send a deposit cheque made out to “BLINC” with your team’s name and contact details as soon as possible to guarantee your place to:
BLINC c/o BITA, ACE, St Matthias Campus, UWE, Bristol BS16 2JP
Many thanks. Good luck and see you at the Copa Sandino 2014
En solidaridad Alix Hughes, pp Comite de BLINC
Sandino’s death 80 years ago remembered
It was Feb. 21, 1934, when a firing squad of 13 National Guard soldiers, under orders from Anastasio Somoza Garcia and with the collaboration of US Ambassador Arthur Bliss Lane, shot national hero Augusto Sandino and his generals Francisco Estrada and Juan Pablo Umanzor at a Managua airfield. The 80th anniversary of the assassination was commemorated last week in Nicaragua with rallies, speeches, walks, and volunteer work.
At the evening rally in honour of Sandino, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Antonio Jaua said, “How could we not come to commemorate the death of a follower of Bolivar like Augusto Calderon Sandino? We feel honoured to be in this plaza where we were so many times with our comandante Hugo Chavez and we feel an ocean of sentiment because of so much history, so many memories.” President Daniel Ortega reiterated his support for President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and said that the government of the United States had misrepresented the struggle in Venezuela. He called on President Barack Obama to “Concern yourself with Guantanamo [and] work to stop the killing of migrants on the border of the United States.”
The National Assembly held a special session in honour of the anniversary attended by cabinet ministers and members of the diplomatic corps. Assembly President Rene Nuñez said that Sandino’s thought was rich and diverse, that he spoke of cooperatives, of Latin American unity, of foreign intervention, of patriotism, of sovereignty, of the working class and of peasant farmers. Nuñez said, “It is important to study the thought of Sandino, who was not only a military fighter but also a political visionary and a forger of men.” Historian Aldo Diaz Lacayo pointed out that Sandino’s struggle against the occupation of Nicaragua by US Marines was celebrated in all of Latin America, and even in Europe and Asia.
Members of Sandino’s family, Army Chief General Julio Aviles, and other high military and police officials, laid wreaths at a monument to Sandino at the Battalion of Mechanized Infantry. Aviles said, “The example of General Sandino is in our hearts and on this day… we repeat our commitment to our people to continue doing all that we can for the building of the just, dignified, and prosperous country that Nicaraguans deserve.”
Demonstrators tied up traffic on several days last week. On Feb. 20, the crowd at the Sandinista Youth rally and march, estimated by its organizers at 50,000 and by El Nuevo Diario at 35,000, tied up traffic all around the city as it wound from the Central American University to the Hugo Chavez Circle in commemoration of Sandino’s life and death.
Meanwhile, assemblies were held, films shown, exhibitions opened, streets paved, and patients treated by special medical brigades, all in honor of Sandino. At the Palace of Culture (formerly the National Palace), an exhibit opened of paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs entitled “Sandino in Latin American Art” and containing works from Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, France, and Nicaragua.
(Informe Pastran, Feb. 21; El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 19, 20, 22; Radio La Primerisima, Feb. 17, 20, 21; La Prensa, Feb. 19, 21)
GFA Cup Final
GFA CUP FINAL NIGHT OUT
To all Cowfolk
First of all a huge thank you to everyone who turned up to the Downs B Team GFA Cup Semi-Final which took place on the 22nd Feb down by the Sea Walls. It was great to have your support (did the free booze help?) and I’m sure it helped in cheering us across the line, and particularly in putting off their penalty takers at the end!!
So we now have a date for your diary – Monday 7th April 7.30pm Kick Off at GFA Headquarters in Almondsbury vs Thornbury Baptist from the Bristol Churches League.
We would love to see a huge Cowboys/ Cowgirls and wider friends/ hangers-on of the Cows fan-base at the match to cheers us to the Cup. You know you want to so book off the Tuesday, dust off your Cowboy hat and start seeing what chants you can get sorted for Dave Walbyoff or Karl Muncila!!
Look out for details of the transport arrangements in the future.
Ali and the Downs B Team
Road Crossing
Dear all
A group of ESOL students at SPAN (Silai for Skills) are leading a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing on Easton Road (between SPAN and the Queen’s Head, near The Plough/Iceland/ the Community Centre).
There is currently nowhere to cross this very busy road. There is a 20mph speed limit that drivers do not adhere to. At SPAN there is a pre-school and a creche and on the other side of the road is a children’s park. Parents have to struggle across this road with buggies and children. Just two weeks ago there was an accident involving three vehicles directly outside SPAN.
School children also use this road, often alone or with friends as light is fading.
Local Councillor Margaret Hickman is lending her support to the campaign and we need to get 3000 signatures on our petition in order that the issue can be brought to the Council meeting in June.
If you could sign and also share widely we would be very grateful.
http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/2609
Many thanks!
Amarantha
One On, One Off
Sanzo says:
For those coming to watch the mighty cowboys downs A team tomorrow at Bristol Brunel Academy, I have organised the bus to pick up from plough at 130, for a 2 o’clock kick off. I need to remind you as the ground is in a school it is a non smoking site… sorry.
I’ve also organised the return for about 4ish.
Come and support us and hopefully we can pull it out the bag and the result to take us into the final!!!!
Dale says:
Just to confirm the B team semi final is off tomorrow so we are doing an early 6 a side then those who can are coming down to support. So hopefully that means we can get big support along for both teams and cheer them on to the final……
78cc Pub Quiz and Curry Combo
There will be a Pub Quiz and Curry in The Plough hosted by 78cc, the Cricket Team football thing.
78cc
From Ev
Big shout to 78cc for the game yesterday. Great effort. We nearly had em. For those who don’t know BIMM beat us 5 – 3. They were all in their twenties with some good players and lots of pace. We had them on the ropes at times in the last half hour.
Bolts, Dunc and Nick Russell scored. Nick won man of the match.
Thanks to Simon for refereeing.
78cc