NICK SEDDON'S home from home is a dear do! The Leigh angler looked set for an cheap fishing break in Ireland for the annual King of Clubs competition. His parents, Ken and Christine, moved from Astley two years ago and now run a guest house in Enniskillen.

And that's where Nick plans to stay - for nothing!

But now he has discovered he must pay for five nights' dinner, bed and breakfast...even though he is staying at home.

It's all down to the rules of the annual comp staged by the Irish Tourist Board and Irish Ferries which state that all entrants must reside in the UK and purchase accommodation and ferry travel to the competition.

Even then it's not straightforward. Ken has paid the ferry fare as a gift to his son. And Irish Ferries will now pay Ken for the accommodation part of Nick's holiday.

"It's a great joke," said Christine. "It's the first time he has paid lodgings for years.

"But he will get no special treatment. In fact, I might cut down on his meal portions because he is paying slightly less as a competitor."

The King of Clubs will be fished from September 10-14 in County Cavan with more than 200 anglers competing for prize money in excess of £12,000.

GOLFER Alan Jarvis has qualified for the North West Unisys Club Championship Final. The competition, in aid of Help The Aged, climaxes at The Belfry on September 24 with the national final.

Alan, of The Poplars, Leigh, scored a net 62 points off a 23-handicap to beat 57 rivals at the Pennington Club.

He now moves on to the Royal Lytham & St Anne's Club for the regionals on September 2. GOLFERS Alan Tull and Chris Hodkinson are looking through the windows of success.

As a team from Leigh-based Valley Windows, they are aiming for the National Window Fabricators Golf Challenge which is being run to raise money for the NSPCC.

Chris plays off an 11-handicap at Deane GC in Bolton while 10-handicap Alan, a member at Widnes, has already been a finalist in an amateur comp.

The pair play a qualifier next month, hoping to move on to the national finals in September.

CANOE king Paul Ratcliffe is already making his mark in Atlanta. The Tyldesley star, selected for the British team for the Olympic Games, has been competing in Georgia in the World Cup series.

And, on Day One on the same River Ocoee course over which he will challenge for the Olympic crown, Paul clinched first place from 100 rivals.

He finished Day Two in a confidence-boosting fifth spot.

Paul will soon be moving on to Spain and Germany for more World Cup action before final training in France early in July.

HINDLEY'S Mornington High are the Asda Challenge Chess champions. They won both the Division One and Division Two titles in the Leigh Inter-Schools League.

The A team won every game in Division One while the B won five and tied the last 3-3 when they played a man short and had to default on one board.

Four players remained unbeaten: Glynn Burton, Andrew Lawler, Darren Lawler and Russell Sparkes.

STUDENTS on the Leigh College Sports Therapy Course have again set up their own surgery. As their year moves towards a close, they are offering sessions to cover sports injuries, relaxation, back and full body massages, gyratory treatments, vacuum suction, shiatsu and electrical muscle stimulation - all for £1 each.

Also available are sunbed facilities at £3 for 30 minutes, sauna and steam bath £2.

The treatments are at their Grasmere Street HQ. Call 501740 for details.

THE curtain has finally come down on a champagne season for Leigh & District Amateur Football League. And the final game, Westleigh Village A beating Royal Oak 5-3 in the Carl Brown Memorial Trophy, provided all the thrills and skills that have featured through a long campaign.

Final scorers were Stevie Lee 2, Rob Marsden, Ralph Eastham and Matt Smith (Westleigh), Dave Calland 2 and Kevin Mullin (Oak) with Oak full-back Mick Ryder deservedly named man of the match.

Victory earned Westleigh an incredible treble, having already taken the Division One crown and the Davenport Cup.

Also picking up trophies during the season were Westleigh B, Union Arms A, Church Inn, Punch Bowl, Dean Lord, Mike Sims and Punch Bowl's Jeff Hall (Secretary of the Year award).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.