Fit-again Mathew Tait is desperate to repay Leicester Tigers for sticking by him through his 13-month injury nightmare.

The 26-year-old back made his first start for more than a year in Tuesday's memorable 32-24 win against the Maori All Blacks.

It was the first time he had completed a full 80 minutes since October 1 last year, and only his second in almost three years.

Tait and Leicester will be hoping that the groin injury which kept him sidelined is now a thing of the past, and that the man with 38 England caps can continue working to get back to his best against London Irish in the LV= Cup on Sunday.

Tait admits there is still some way to go in terms of sharpness and match-fitness, but he is excited about getting back on the pitch in Leicester colours.

"At some stage in this sport, you are going to be injured, and it was just unfortunate for me that I have had my shoulder and groin injuries back-to-back," he said.

"The problem with my groin was that the injury was unlike anything I have ever had before, and it never had a definitive recovery period.

"It has been very frustrating, but the club have been fantastic supporting me through it.

"I want to repay them for sticking by me. I am still only 26 and, hopefully, have a few more years left in me.

"It was good to get back out there and the body is all right, touch wood, apart from a bit of cramp in my calves in the last 10 minutes.

"It was nice to get the landmark of playing 80 minutes, which was important to me.

"Some areas of my game need improving and were far from perfect, but that will come from playing more games.

"Hopefully, I will get a chance to improve during the next few weeks.

"With the squad we have got here at Leicester, it is all about getting involved because that is hard enough in itself.

"Hopefully, I can play against London Irish and then put myself in the frame for selection against Wasps in the Premiership the following week."

Tigers return to the LV= Cup by hosting London Irish at Welford Road on Sunday, hoping to bounce back from Friday's 38-21 defeat by Saracens.

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A rare gold coin unearthed near Bosworth Battlefield is expected to sell for more than £12,000 at auction.

The pristine find dates from 1484 – a year before Richard III was defeated at Bosworth – and features a ship at sea on one side and St Michael spearing a dragon on the reverse.

Importantly, the coin also bears the boar's head symbol of Richard III, exciting experts who suspect it was lost at the time of the battle, in August 1485.

The coin – known as an angel because of its depiction of St Michael – was found in August using a metal detector.

It will go on sale at a two-day coin auction at Spink's, in London, on December 4 and 5.

The auction house has not named the owner or given any clues as to who discovered it.

Spink's coin specialist William MacKay said: "It is incredible that just as we are having all the publicity about the discovery of Richard III's tomb in Leicester, this coin, which was found so close to where he met his death, should be brought in to our offices.

"It's a remarkable find and shows little sign of wear and tear, making this very likely a coin lost at the time of the Battle of Bosworth and Richard III's death.

"It is conceivable the owner of this coin was involved in the events of August 1485 and the Battle of Bosworth."

While badges, sword mounts, cannonballs and other coins have been found near the Bosworth site before, the gold coin is very rare, according to experts.

The estimated value in the sale is £12,000 to £15,000.

Richard Knox, Leicestershire County Council's heritage development manager, said: "It is a very exciting find, and particularly relevant at the moment with the interest in Bosworth as a result of the dig in Leicester.

"It could well be related to the battle, given its date and condition, as it would take fairly exceptional circumstances for someone to lose such a valuable, large gold coin.

"It was worth 6s 8d, which would represent just over 13 days' wages for a skilled craftsman, such as a thatcher, or a skilled serving soldier, such as an archer, at the time of the battle.

"The detail of the boar's head on the reverse of the coin is wonderful and shows how such coins were made more personal than just bearing the king's name."

Archaeologists involved in a dig to search for Richard III uncovered human remains at the Greyfriars car park, in the city centre, in August.

DNA tests are still continuing on the skeleton.

However, wounds to the head and other details make many experts very hopeful that the remains are those of the king.

A 28-year-old man from Loughborough is due to appear in court today in connection with the theft of Royal British Legion poppy collection boxes.

The collection tins were allegedly stolen from different locations in Loughborough, Ashby and Shepshed between November 6 and 12.

The man has been charged with five counts of theft.

If you're getting ready for Christmas and are looking to treat yourself or a loved one to a new appliance please give The Marlene Reid Centre a thought if your old domestic electrical appliances such as cookers and washing machines are still in good working order.

The REACT project based behind the main building, is based around furniture re-use and is currently in short supply of domestic appliances. All goods are tested and repaired by a qualified engineer and then passed onto local people on low income for a nominal charge. Collection of the items can be arranged.

Any funds raised from selling the electrical appliances is returned to the project to fund training for the long term unemployed. Lorrraine Harrison, Head of Enterprise, Training & Initiatives explained "White goods are desperately needed by those just setting up home who cannot afford to buy new, we recycle people's unwanted items to help others and it saves people having to arrange having the items collected and taken to the tip" Lorraine continued "Last year, through the REACT project, we were able to save 100 tons of furniture and white goods from land fill, with the continued support of the general public we can improve on this amount at the same time as helping local people".

So, if you are having a clear out and have any electrical appliances, furniture, beds or anything you think may be of use to us please call The Marlene Reid Centre on 01530 510515.

For those wishing to come along and browse the current stock of brand new and reused furniture the REACT furniture warehouse is open to the public Mondays to Fridays from 9.00am to 2.30pm.

To find out more about the REACT project and MRC Community Action visit www.mrc.uk.net

This week sees the launch of the MRC Christmas Toy Appeal for The Marlene Reid Centre in Coalville.

For more than 25 years the local charity has run a very successful appeal to support families in Coalville and surrounding areas by providing presents for children.  The families referred to MRC Community Action are, for whatever reason, unable to provide presents for their children at Christmas-time.

Lesley Massey, Children & Families Services Manager said "We know everyone is feeling the pinch in their pockets at the moment, but without our Toy Appeal there are children in our community who will go without this year" Lesley added "Last year we were able to give presents to more than 100 children and we would not be able to do this without the support of local schools, churches and families supporting us. The main aim of our appeal is to make someone's Christmas a little brighter but we need help to do this".

Throughout November and December anyone can donate brand new books, games and toys to the appeal by dropping them into The Marlene Reid Centre. If you are able to support the appeal in any way your help would be appreciated.

For more information call The Marlene Reid Centre on 01530 510515 or visit our website www.mrc.uk.net

We are delighted to take this opportunity to offer you and your team mates the opportunity to take part in the 1st Annual Goals Movember & Sons Tournament.

All you need to do is enter a team into our heat on Sunday 25th November at 3pm and make playing for Movember your Goal. Entry is only £40 of which a large contribution goes directly to the MOvember charities to support UK prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research.

You can also join in the fun on Facebook with our 'Mo of the Moment' updates! Through our Facebook competition you can also win a European adventure with a trip to see Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich for you and a friend.

This event is already extremely popular so make sure you and your team get involved with our Movember tournament!

Every team that enters will receive:

 Complimentary Gillette grooming kit for all teams worth £60 (Limited stock on a 1st come 1st served basis once entry has been paid)

 Fantastic Movember Cup for the Winners of the Tournament

A 57-YEAR-OLD man who falsely claimed benefits worth more than £22,700 is in police custody after a three-year investigation.

Warehouseman Peter McConnachie, who has lived in Keyworth, West Bridgford and Ruddington, claimed housing benefit, council tax benefit and incapacity benefit since 2006 but failed to declare wages.

Rushcliffe Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started investigating the claims in 2009. Investigators discovered he had been overpaid more than £22,700 after failing to declare he had been working.

At Nottingham Magistrates' Court on April 27 he pleaded guilty to seven separate indictments.

McConnachie, who now lives in Burton-on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire, failed to attend his sentencing but has now been arrested and remanded in custody until his sentencing on Monday, November 26.

A nuisance neighbour who ignored notices to stop playing loud music at her home has been ordered to pay more than £3,500 in costs and fines by magistrates.

Leicester City Council's noise team brought the action against Joanne Cullen (23), of Vernon Road, Leicester, after she breached a noise abatement order on seven separate occasions.

Complaints were first made against Cullen in October 2011, which resulted in her being given an informal warning in January.

This was followed by a noise abatement notice when she ignored the warning.

Despite the notice, noise problems continued to be reported.

Magistrates granted police and noise team officers permission to enter Cullen's home to seize music equipment in February, but she replaced the equipment and officers had to make a second seizure of equipment, including televisions, DVD players and loudspeakers, in May, following further complaints.

Even when Cullen was told, in June, by officers that she was being prosecuted for six breaches of the abatement notice, she continued playing music loudly and breached the order again in July.

Cullen failed to attend the court hearing before Leicester magistrates on November 8, but was found guilty of all seven offences in her absence.

She was fined £600 and ordered to pay the city council's costs of £2,892, along with a £15 victim surcharge.

A forfeiture order was granted, meaning the city council would retain all the equipment it had seized.

Archaeologists working to identify the Greyfriars remains are reconstructing the 500-year-old skeleton's face to give people a possible glimpse of King Richard III.

Scientists at the University of Leicester are using techniques similar to those which recreated Tutankhamen's face more than 3,000 years after the young Pharaoh died.

The Leicester skeleton, found at a council car park in August, has already been subjected to a CT scan which will allow a specialist team to build a 3D digital picture of the face.

They hope to reveal the results in the new year.

Professor Lin Foxhall, head of archaeology at the university, said: "We've provided 3D scans of all the bones, including the skull, to a specialist team, which will build up a picture of how he used to look.

"It will be very interesting, because of course there are portraits of him and if the images come back and they're similar it's another piece of evidence which will strengthen the identification process."

The team is continuing its work to identify the remains.

Another facet of the identification is the comparison of the DNA from the remains with that of London furniture maker Michael Ibsen. Mr Ibsen is believed to be a relative of Richard III.

His genes are being tested against those of the skeleton to see if they match.

Results are expected to be revealed early next year.

However, University of Leicester pro vice-chancellor Professor Kevin Schurer – a specialist in family and surname history – has also indicated there may be a second line of descent which the team are exploring.

Prof Foxhall said: "We're hoping to track down another possible descendent who will provide another sample of DNA.

"I'm not sure if we've contacted the person yet, but I don't want to give too much away during this early stage."

Other tests include environmental sampling and radiocarbon dating, which will all be used to help establish whether or not the bones belong to the former monarch.

Analysis of burial practices, health and diet and living conditions will all be used to build a picture of the person found at Greyfriars.

Scientists will pay particular attention to the battle scars found on the skull and the abnormal spinal conditions.

These are consistent with historical accounts of Richard III – without themselves confirming the individual's identity.

Richard Buckley, co-director of the university's archaeology service, said: "We are looking at many different lines of inquiry.

"The evidence from these will all add up to give us more assurance about the identity of the individual.

"As well as the DNA testing, we have to take in all of the other pieces of evidence which tell us about the person's lifestyle – including his health and where he grew up.

"There are many specialists involved in the process and so we have to co-ordinate all of the tests so the analysis is done in a specific order."

Joe O'Connor might be small in stature – but he towers above all his rivals in the pool world. The diminutive 17-year-old, from Wigston, continued his rapid rise to stardom in 2012 by being crowned the junior world and European champion in eight-ball pool.

Add to that two more world and European titles as a key member of a victorious England team, as well as making it a hat-trick of singles success in Leicester's Tuesday Night League and winning the equivalent in the Everards Thursday & District League, and it has been quite a year for O'Connor.

That has put him squarely in the frame as a main contender for the Leicester Mercury Young Sportsman of the Year award.

In February, he became European junior eight-ball singles champion for the second time in three years, in Dublin.

For good measure, O'Connor, who was a Mercury Sports Awards runner-up in 2009, made it a Dublin double when he helped England to the team title, repeating his feat of two years earlier.

O'Connor is no stranger to success, having twice won the junior World Masters title and a host of other top national trophies since taking up pool at the age of 11, as well as being a regular in the England set-up for the past three years.

But the best was to come in June.

He travelled to the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool for the World Eight-Ball Championships as one of the favourites for the world junior title.

Having been beaten in the final the previous year, he was out to make amends this time around and cement his standing as the game's brightest star.

He did it the hard way, though, needing a final-frame decider to see off England juniors team-mate Callum Singleton 8-7 in the final.

"That was definitely the biggest win of my life," said O'Connor, who is studying A-levels at Guthlaxton College, Wigston.

"A lot of people said I was one of the big favourites for the title, so there was high expectation on me.

"But I managed to do it and I'm really pleased. I now feel like I'm the one everyone else has to beat.

"This was the last one on my list of titles that I wanted to win as a junior, and now I've got the full set."

O'Connor was not content with the one title in Blackpool, going on to help England juniors retain their team title.

He now has his sights set on winning world and European titles at under-21 level and, in the longer term, becoming a professional snooker player.

To nominate an athlete or team, complete the form in the Mercury, or fill it in online at:

www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk

Nominations close on December 4.

Leicester Tigers lock Louis Deacon is still pinching himself after the "amazing" opportunity of leading out his side on home soil to face the Maori All Blacks.

Deacon was named captain for the historic win against the Maoris at Welford Road on Tuesday night, and also paid tribute to the 17,000-strong Tigers faithful who created an "awesome" atmosphere inside the ground.

After witnessing an electric performance of the Maori's haka, the crowd were treated to an inspired performance from Tigers, who dominated most of the encounter on their way to a deserved 32-24 win.

"It was amazing," said 32-year-old Deacon. "Those occasions don't come around very often, so for the club to be able to play in those sorts of games is very special, and then to go and win like that is amazing.

"My dream was always to play for Tigers so, to get the opportunity not just to play for them, but also to lead the team out at Welford Road, is always nice.

"Each occasion when we've had international teams here, I've been away with England. I've never had that opportunity so it's great to be able to play in those games."

Deacon added that the Welford Road fans played a massive part in creating such an incredible atmosphere.

"They drive us on massively," he said. "Coming out to them stamping on the stands is awesome.

"In the changing rooms before the game, hearing that come through, it feels like the whole stand is going to come crashing down on you.

"But we feed off that before we come out and then, when you're walking down that tunnel, the noise from the Cat stand hits you – that's massive for the guys feeding off the crowd."

Tigers' victory against the Maori is not the first time they have turned over an international outfit.

In 2009, Tigers welcomed then-world champions South Africa to Welford Road and ran out 22-17 victors.

"We're a very proud club, were proud of our history and home record," said Deacon.

"We don't like losing no matter who comes here, whether that be a Premiership team, a Heineken Cup team or an international team, we do not want to lose to them.

"I think that showed in the way we approached the game on Tuesday and the way we played."

Before kick-off, Tigers players stood in unison on the halfway line and remained unmoved throughout the haka.

"You've got to respect that it's their culture, but we took the stand that we weren't going to turn away first and they respect that," said Deacon.

"Doing the haka is about honour and pride, so we went to the halfway line and faced it.

"It's something we had spoken about before the game – we are supposed to stand on the 10 metre line – but we decided to go up to the halfway and stay there and let them come to us.

"We weren't going to turn before they did. The idea came from Boris Stankovich, who has a Maori background, so hopefully they respected that."

Leicester Riders travel to Manchester Giants tonight (7.30) looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season.

The Jelson Homes DMU-backed Riders lost their first match in nine BBL games when they suffered an 81-74 reverse at Surrey Heat last Sunday.

The atmosphere in training this week has certainly changed as a result of that defeat, according to coach Rob Paternostro.

Ahead of tonight's match, which is televised on Sky, he said: "It was definitely different. Since we came together in pre-season, we've not had a defeat, so it was a new feeling this week and not one we much liked.

"It was always going to come sooner or later, we never thought it would go on forever, but we were disappointed to have lost at Surrey because, when you are undefeated and you go into the fourth quarter with a lead, you expect to be able to get it done.

"We've had a tough schedule, this weekend will be our fourth double-header, so we were a little fatigued, but we still felt we could have won that game.

"That being said, if you'd offered me 8-1 and joint top of the table after nine games, I would have definitely taken it."

Giants are a famous name in British basketball, although the current incarnation has no connection to the old club and it has been more than a decade since the city has had representation at the top table.

Coach Jeff Jones, who as a player and coach has been linked to basketball in Manchester for almost 40 years, has assembled a squad made up largely of local talent who he taught to play the game as young players.

Paternostro believes that adds a different dynamic to that team.

"Normally, when you get a team coming into the league, it can take a while for them to find their feet," he said.

"But they've a lot of players who've played in the BBL for a while and some who've been on very successful teams, so that is definitely a boost for them.

"And they all know Jeff and how he likes to play, so it has really helped them to hit the ground running."

With 237 three-point attempts in their first nine games, only Worcester have attempted more long-range efforts than Manchester, and this reliance on the long-ball is perhaps part of the reason for their inconsistency, which has seen them lose six of their nine games.

Giants: Williams, Gill, Bailey, Schall, Minister, Watts, J Jones, C Jones, Griffiths, Aliu, Bernard, Slater, Eaves.

Riders: Okoro, Couisnard, Stewart, Sullivan, Calvo, Hopkins, Taylor, Anderson, Washington, Lamble, Haggith, Gould, Dawes, Maynard, Losonsky.

A hotel duty manager created fake accounts to steal nearly £130,000 to fund his drug addiction and share with his partner, a court was told.

Robert Scott Brown was jailed for three years after admitting systematically taking money during a 12-month period when he worked at the Campanile, in St Matthews in Leicester.

He pleaded guilty to theft and to converting criminal property at an earlier hearing.

His partner, John McClafferty, also pleaded guilty to converting criminal property at the same hearing.

Jonathan Cox, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court yesterday: "Scott Brown was a duty manager and responsible for paying bills for the hotel and had access to its accounts." He said he created false accounts which had to be paid and siphoned money into his bank account between April 2008 and April 2009.

Mr Cox said the theft was discovered after Scott Brown was made redundant and the tax authorities and the hotel management examined its financial records.

He said: "It was discovered that Scott Brown had stolen a total of £129,595.10p."

He said examination of Scott Brown and McClafferty's joint accounts by police showed tens of thousands of pounds had been paid in and withdrawn.

He said the defendants had a joint annual income of £30,000. He said Scott Brown had been sent to prison for a similar offence of stealing £94,000 from a recruitment company.

Catarina Sjolin, for Scott Brown (42) of Herricks Avenue, Humberstone, Leicester, said her client had developed a severe drug problem when he was sent to prison for the recruitment company theft.

She said he turned to crime again when he was short of money and in a bid to promote a caravan business with his partner.

John Attwood for McClafferty (34), also of Herricks Avenue, Humberstone, said: "It was a question of love is blind. My client had stuck by his partner when he was sent to prison for the other offence. My client believed he had changed and thought, at first, that the money came from a business loan for the buying and selling of caravans."

He said his client was the younger of the two and had argued with Scott Brown over his drug use.

Mr Attwood said: "He became suspicious but chose to hide his head in the sand.

"They even went on a holiday to Canada to improve their relationship.

"He is terrified at the prospect of being sent to prison as he considers himself vulnerable."

He said it was his first criminal conviction and urged that he should be given a suspended sentence.

Judge Michael Pert agreed and gave McClafferty a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

David Nugent's sublime finish against Nottingham Forest may have had the television pundits purring but Leicester City team-mate Andy King says finishes like that are the norm in training.

Nugent, who should shake off a neck injury so he can continue his goalscoring form against Ipswich tomorrow, put City 2-1 in front with a deft, first-time touch over Forest keeper Lee Camp.

It was a goalpoacher's finish and made it seven for the season so far for the former England international, and King says Nugent has more quality finishes in his locker.

"He does that in training," said King.

"He is good in training and probably has more shots than anyone else. He is greedy in training, as all strikers are, and I tell him all the time.

"He has been brilliant and he is on the goal trail again this season.

"That is good for everyone involved in the club that he is scoring regularly.

"He is good around the camp. He has brought real quality on the pitch and he is a good guy off it as well.

"Everyone gets on well in the squad in general. We are quite lucky in that.

"We have great team spirit and I think you can see that on the pitch. Everyone was working together.

"But when you have a top quality player like Nugent you always have a chance.

"He has played at the top level and to be able to produce that piece of magic was no surprise to anyone who knows him and has seen him play. We have seen him do it on a regular basis."

Another City team-mate who would have appreciated Nugent's finish is fellow striker Jeff Schlupp, but he would have had a very different view of the goal after being asked to deputise for Paul Konchesky at left-back.

Despite his inexperience in defence, Schlupp produced a good performance, said King.

"He did very well," he added.

"He will have learned from probably the best in the league having watched Konch for a year and a bit to see how he plays.

"With his natural athleticism, he will have an edge, I thought he did brilliantly, not only against a good side but also up against a very good individual player in Andy Reid. I thought Jeff did well against him.

"He is versatile and, because he has that speed, he can play in different positions. He can play left-midfield and left-back, as he has shown.

"That is great for the team, to have a player who can do such a good job in every position."