The archive documenting the career of comedy legend Sir Norman Wisdom OBE will be open for more than two months longer than planned.

A Lifetime in Showbusiness: A Tribute to Sir Norman Wisdom exhibition at De Montfort Hall has proved to be hugely popular.

Iconic caps and suits, pictures, original awards, and handwritten scripts from Sir Norman's 60-year showbusiness career are all on display for the public to see.

The exhibition was due to close to the public on this Sunday, at the end of the comedy festival, however will now remain open until May 2.

De Montfort Hall general manager Antony Flint said: "We had intended that the exhibition would run from 4 – 22 February, finishing at the close of Dave's Leicester Comedy festival, but we are very pleased that Nick Wisdom, son of Sir Norman, has agreed we can keep the exhibition so that even more people can see this impressive collection."

The exhibition was put together by the comedian's son, Nick. It opened on what would have been Sir Norman's 100th birthday, February 4, 2015. Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival also started on the same day.

Professor Steve Chibnall, professor of British Cinema at DMU's Centre for Film and Television History, said: "He was a hugely successful figure in his day, the most successful person in the British box office in the 1950s and his films in the 1960s saved Rank. Charlie Chaplin loved him."

Sir Norman became a star from the late 1940s as an actor, comedian and singer, with a string of crowd-pulling hit films spanning the fifties and sixties. He made his last film in 2007.

Sir Norman was the first patron of Leicester Comedy Festival and agreed to support the event when it was first put together by DMU students in 1994.

He performed at De Montfort Hall in 1990, 1993 and 2002, and in 2013 he was the winner of the Legend of Comedy Award at the Leicester comedy festival's annual awards ceremony.

A Lifetime in Showbusiness: A Tribute to Sir Norman Wisdom is now open at De Montfort Hall, Monday to Saturday 10am – 6pm and entry is free.

An 11-year-old has received a bravery award for saving the life of his dad, who collapsed with a heart attack.

Josh Williamson sprang into action when his father, Tommy Elverston, 56, collapsed in his third floor flat in New Parks, Leicester, on Sunday, November 2, while he was staying with him.

He immediately started performing CPR and dialled 999, saying it looked as if his father was dead.

Paramedics had to shock Mr Elverston twice and then use the latest automatic chest compression machine to get his heart started again.

Mr Elverston was taken to Glenfield Hospital and is now recovering after having a pacemaker fitted.

East Midlands Ambulance Service (Emas)Paramedics who arrived at the scene were so impressed with Josh they nominated him for a bravery award.

Rachael Cavill, a paramedic, said: "Josh was watching over us as we worked on his dad and asked if there was anything he could to help.

"He remained so calm and brave, even though he had just saved his dad's life.

"Once we had a confirmed pulse I told Josh his dad's heart was working but that he was still very poorly.

"Josh's reply brought a tear to my eye. He just said 'thank you. I am not ready to lose my dad yet'."

Ms Cavill said Josh did everything he could to help, including moving furniture and holding open doors to help get his father to the ambulance.

She said: "Despite the shock of what had happened, Josh remained so calm and collected.

"At the hospital, he shook all our hands and said thank you for saving his dad. I told him he should be very proud of himself and he came over and gave me hug."

Josh's mother, Hayley, said: "I am so very proud. I have been taught CPR but I don't know that I could have done what Josh did."

Josh, who is a member of the TS Tiger Sea Cadets, learned CPR in a class at school.

He said: "I do feel quite proud of what I did and I think everyone should learn CPR."

Rehearsal pictures of Sue Townsend's The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾ – The Musical have been released.

With only weeks until the show's world premiere at Curve theatre, in Rutland Street, Leicester the images offer a sneak peek of the musical.

Chris Stafford, executive producer at Curve, said rehearsals are now in the third week.

"There is a great buzz. It is really really exciting.

"The team of children are fantastic. They are so fired up - and because we have three teams we are rehearsing everything three times.

"What is also great is we are seeing the material come to life."

He added that everything is on track.

"We have brilliant actors and an exceptional creative team. Everyone is so excited about this piece."

Chris said it's great that it's a brilliant new musical, so no-one has reference points to other productions.

"Everyone is coming to the show with a fresh perspective."

The musical's cast includes four children from Leicestershire playing the parts of Adrian, Pandora, Nigel and Barry.

Joel Fossard-Jones, 12, from Countesthorpe, is one of the Adrian Albert Mole actors. Lulu-Mae Pears, 13, from Willoughby Waterleys, in Harborough, Leicestershire is playing Pandora Braithwaite alongside two other actresses.

Kwame Kandekore, 12, from Kirby Muxloe, is one of the actors taking on the role Adrian's best friend Nigel. Edward Cross, 13, from Burbage will share the role of school bully Barry Kent.

The story is set in 1980s Leicester and follows the daily dramas and misadventures of Adrian's adolescent life.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ was Townsend's first novel, published by Penguin Books in 1982.

The Curve show will open on March 17 and runs until April 4.

For tickets, visit: www.curveonline.co.uk

Leicester Tigers lock Louis Deacon has spoken of his "devastation" at being forced to retire from the professional game through injury.

The 34-year-old second-row enforcer announced his decision today and, while admitting he could have perhaps continued playing for another year, he thought it would be better for his long-term health if he called it a day sooner rather than later.

"I have had a few injuries over the past few years and I could have probably carried on playing, but it was probably not worth it in the long-term," said Deacon.

"After a couple of games or training sessions, my back could have gone again.

"Initially, when I made the decision, I was devastated and it took me some time to get over it. But announcing it officially makes it all so real."

Deacon began his career in the squad that won two league titles and back-to-back Heineken Cups in 2001 and 2002.

Since then, he has been involved in six title-winning squads, making 274 appearances for Leicester and earning 29 caps for England.

"There have been so many highlights during my career," he said. "I just wanted to play one game for Leicester so to have played the amount I have done is incredible.

"Any game for Leicester is a massive game because every club wants to beat you.

"There is also a responsibility to guys who have played in that shirt before you, the fans, your team-mates and your family.

"I treasured every game I played."

Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said Deacon would be missed.

"Deacs epitomises what Leicester is all about," said Cockerill.

"He is a one-club man and has been here for 14 years or more. He has come through the academy and has played almost 300 games for his club. He will be missed.

"Him and his brother (Brett) came through at the same time. Louis sat behind some world-class locks when he started and earned his stripes over time.

"He could have played for a bit longer but he has a young family and his future health is the main thing.

"He knows nothing but Leicester Tigers and wants to stay in the game.

"He has been doing some coaching with Spain and I am sure he will go on to be a very good coach."

Deacon has begun his coaching career already and was helping Spain in the build-up to their 43-20 victory over Russia in the European Championships

Deacon's brother, Brett, is a highly-rated coach with Tigers' academy.

Company owner Arnab Dutt claims Ed Miliband would be good for business, despite what some corporate big-hitters say

Is the Labour Party bad for business? That's what we keep hearing from the coalition. But let's look at some of Ed Miliband's business policies. He will create a UK business bank that lends to UK companies based on a tried and tested successful German model.

That's a good policy, as lending to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) from the traditional banks is at the lowest level ever, even after countless initiatives from the present Government.

The fact is, after five years of the coalition Government, UK small business are still starved of credit.

How many small businesses starved of finance have not been able to invest for growth? Hardly a successful policy record for the Government.

So Labour is focusing on high growth businesses that need a leg up.

Instead of another Osborne corporation tax decrease for big business, Labour will use that money for a business rate reduction for SMEs who have been doing all the hard lifting in the years since the global financial crisis. Isn't that good business policy?

Labour have a long-term UK infrastructure policy that will provide investment to the UK supply chain, encouraging apprenticeships and training that will equip our SMEs with the capability to be globally successful.

Procurement will centre on helping small companies become large ones and fertilise entrepreneurship.

This is a policy formulated by Sir John Arnett who successfully delivered the 2012 Olympics. Who could argue with that?

Labour wants companies to pay the living wage so that taxpayers will not have to pay "in work" benefits to subsidise multi-who pay low wages and abuse zero hours contracts. I've no issues with that.

Business policy should be above party politics and not tailored to special interests.

So when you see the billions of pounds lost by the taxpayer to offshore tax avoidance and see who set these schemes up and the nature of the beneficiaries, don't you have to ask yourself a few questions?

Ed Miliband wants companies that make their profits in the UK to pay tax in the UK. Under the present coalition, there is no level playing field for UK businesses that pay all their dues.

In my opinion, economic growth and wealth creation are at the heart of the Labour Party's agenda.

This a pro-business set of policies that deliver fairness with ambition, where a Labour government acts as an enabler for success and rewards companies that play by the rules.

The Labour business policy document starts with: "Our future prosperity will be founded on the success of the partnership between Britain's firms, their employees, and an enabling state."

That sounds like the basis of the best business policy I have heard for many years.

Arnab Dutt is managing director of Texane, of Market Harborough, which manufactures specialist escalator wheels for London's underground system and the New York subway.

A tenant who caused £1,200 fire damage, in an arson attack at his own council flat, was jailed for two years and nine months.

Michael Hirrell, 29, went out drinking after deliberately leaving his oven on, with the door jammed open and a towel draped over it.

Leicester Crown Court was told the the towel caught light and melted parts of the cooker's fascia and controls.

Mary Prior, prosecuting, said fortunately the cooker electrics tripped and cut off the power in the first floor flat, in a block in Oronsay Road, Beaumont Leys.

A neighbour who noticed the smoke alerted the emergency services.

Mrs Prior said: "The fire burnt out by the time fire fighters arrived.

"If it hadn't tripped it would be highly likely that further damage would have been caused."

The damage to kitchen fittings was valued at £1,211.

Hirrell pleaded guilty to arson at the property on July 22 last year.

He also admitted burglary at Leicester's disused Haymarket Theatre, when a video projector and a rucksack containing tools were stolen, between August 6 and 9 last year.

Mrs Prior said the defendant entered the premises by smashing a window.

She said: "A rucksack containing £1,200 of tools and a £300 video projector were taken.

"A drum of cable and a transformer were found to have been moved to the point of entry.

"The defendant left a fingerprint on a piece of the broken window, leading to his arrest."

Sentencing, Judge Robert Brown said: "You caused a deliberate fire at your flat.

"I'm satisfied your intention was to destroy or seriously damage your flat by fire.

"I've read the fire expert's report and the way you set the fire was unlikely to have caused the destruction of the flat because the electricity supply to the cooker would have tripped out and there was insufficient combustible material nearby to cause the fire to spread further – but you didn't know that.

"Otherwise the damage could have been substantial and there would have been a greater impact on the flats above and below.

"You have a record principally for violence and handling stolen goods, but have no previous convictions for arson or burglary.

"The sentence is reduced because the charge was simple arson and not one of intending to endanger life."

Hirrell received a two and a half year jail term for the arson, with three months to run consecutively for the burglary.

Brinder Soora, mitigating, said Hirrell had a long-term history of alcohol misuse which had taken a toll on his health.

He was not drunk at the time of the offence, she said, but came home from work that day before starting the fire and then went out drinking.

He was on bail and homeless when he committed the Haymarket burglary at few weeks later.

"It's a sad case," said Miss Soora.

A woman suffered leg injuries after being pinned against a city centre shop window by a runaway construction lorry at lunchtime today.

The incident happened in Market Place, Leicester, just after 1pm when the woman, in her 60s, was walking past DCR Radios.

Anne Fox, owner of cafe-diner, Shake It Baby, said: "The lorry rolled down and squashed the poor lady up against the front of next door's shop.

"Her left leg was badly injured and she was screaming. She was obviously very distressed, but it's lucky it wasn't more serious, she could have been pushed through the window into the shop.

"The lady from the shop next door pulled her out after the lorry reversed. She was taken away in an ambulance."

Jemma Robinson, who works in furniture shop, Living it Up, opposite the scene, said: "The truck wasn't going very fast, but it mounted the pavement.

"I jumped up and went out of the front door, I could hear her screaming and there were a lot of people round her, I called the ambulance and it was there very quickly. I hope she's all right."

The lorry is owned by Salford-based Connell Brothers Demolition, which is knocking down the former meat and fish market.

A spokesman for the company declined to comment, referring the matter to their client, Leicester City Council.

A city council spokeswoman said: "We await further details of this incident but we expect site safety to be of paramount importance to all our contractors. 

"We await the outcome of the contractors' investigation into this incident."

Love was in the air at Leicester Tigers' Welford Road stadium when two rugby fans proposed to their girlfriends in front of a match day crowd.

The rugby club played cupid to the lovebirds during a Valentine's Day special fixture against Gloucester.

It proved an opportunity too good to miss for David Letts, from Kibworth Harcourt.

In his sights was the hand of girlfriend of six years and fellow Tigers' fan Sarah Thompson.

David, 51, said: "I read about the Valentines Day game and knew they were going to have the Kiss Cam filming couples in the crowd.

"So I though, right 'this is my chance!'."

The businessmen, who owns the Harborough Lights shop, in Market Harborough town centre, waited for a cue from the match day announcer.

As the Kiss Cam settled on him, David held up a sign, reading "Will you marry me Sarah?"

He said: "I was looking up at the big screen and as soon as the camera came to me everyone started to applaud.

"It was 10minutes before kick-off and I didn't realise 20,000 people had already taken their seats!"

Sarah, 46, a compliance officer for an insurance firm, said: "I had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

"When the tannoy announcement was made, I was looking along the stand for someone holding up a sign.

"I thought 'oh my God!' when I realised it was David."

The crowd roared their approval as Sarah gave him a definitive yes.

She said: "It was all a blur. I can't remember the applause. All I could see was David.

"He's a such a kind person, with a great sense of humour, and is always making me laugh. I had no hesitation saying yes."

The pair met through their passion for Alpine skiing but their love has blossomed following the Tigers.

David said: "I couldn't think of a better place to pop the question.

"Sarah's a wonderful women. We hope to get married in December."

At half-time, it was Tigers fan Gary Morrison's turn to ask for the hand of Gloucester-supporting girlfriend Jess Sadler in front of the BT Sport television cameras.

Cheers went up again for the couple as she put aside club loyalty to say yes.

David said: "I knew exactly what he was going through and was cheering with everyone else when she said yes.

"It was a great occasion."

Other love-themed entertainment at Friday's game included Mr & Mrs pitch-side quiz featuring Marcus and Claire Allard and John and Janice Wormleighton.

Welford Road is licensed to host civil weddings and partnerships, and is a popular venue for wedding celebrations.

The stadium is also hosting the World of Weddings Show from midday until 4pm on Sunday.

After Tigers' 18-15 victory over Gloucester, the rugby action returns to Welford Road on Saturday, February 28, when the boys take on Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership.

A courier who stole 120 Apple iPhone 5s worth more than £51,000 has appeared in court.

Deep Adhiya, 20, pleaded guilty to theft of the batch of gold-coloured smart phones belonging to Apple on December 12, 2013.

Leicester Crown Court was told the phones were taken after Adhiya took delivery of them in Hinckley.

He was supposed to be transporting them to London.

Adhiya, of Bucksburn Walk, Northfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty on the basis that another person travelling in the delivery van with him took the box of phones, saying it was in lieu of an £800 cannabis debt Adhiya owed him.

Kate Plummer, prosecuting, said in relation to the basis of plea: "The value of the phones was £51,123 which greatly exceeds the value of the drug debt.

"He says it was the other male's idea and he let him take the phones to settle the drugs debt between them."

The defendant, a self-employed courier with no previous convictions, refused to provide the police with details of the person he claimed took possession of the phones.

The hearing was adjourned until March 10, for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Releasing Adhiya on bail, Judge Robert Brown said: "This case crosses the custody threshold and the fact you're getting bail shouldn't be taken as to any indication of what the sentence will be."

A 21-stone woman dubbed "the most jealous wife in Britain" wants to have gastric band surgery on the NHS in a bid to increase her confidence.

Debbi Wood, from Leicester, appeared on TV yesterday, describing how the surgery, which she says she cannot afford to pay for herself, would help her.

Appearing on This Morning, Debbi, a size 24, said a gastric band would improve her confidence.

The 43-year-old, who wants to lose 10 stone, said: "When you have got a good man, you're not going to let him go.

"I don't want Steve to have an intimate fantasy about other women.

"I think losing some weight will help boost my confidence, and as a bi-product, reduce my levels of jealousy."

Debbi is so jealous she used to force her husband Steve, 32, to take a lie detector test every time he left the house.

The wife, who has delusional disorder Othello syndrome, admits to checking her partner's phone, e-mail and bank statements, and has even forbidden him from looking at pictures of other women in magazines.

Steve is banned from watching certain TV shows, and is even made to turn the telly off if a commercial featuring a woman comes on.

Debbi and Steve Wood, who met on Facebook in 2011, tied the knot at Halloween.

But Debbi thinks her jealous behaviour can change if she gets free weight-loss treatment on the NHS.

She said yesterday : "I have a small frame. It's carrying an extra 10 to 11-stone on top of what it should do.

"I feel like my bones are crushing on the inside.

"Losing weight is going to give me a bit more confidence in myself."

Debbi's jealousy is caused by Othello Syndrome, a psychiatric disorder which causes sufferers to believe their partners have been unfaithful, even without evidence.

An escort agency is using the city's discovery of Richard III to entice new business among history loving locals.

Midland Belles is offering people the chance to visit the reinterment of the former Plantagenet monarch, at Leicester Cathedral, on March 26, with one of its "educated and beautiful" escorts.

The website shows a selection of 10 scantily-clad ladies, which customers can book for the day (and night) and take to any of the events organised by Leicester Cathedral during the week of March 23.

The agency website says: "Are you fascinated by Leicester's local history?

"Perhaps you would like to visit this fascinating historic event but don't wish to alone?

"Then why not take along one of our educated and beautiful Leicester escorts?"

Other cultural experiences include a tour of art galleries in Leicestershire and highlights Ferrer's Centre for Arts and Crafts, in Ashby and the Sock Gallery, in Loughborough, as two particular favourites.

The website says: "Here at Midland Belles we love a bit of culture.

"Leicester is packed full of art galleries, theatres and thing to do and see.

"So if you're a culture buff like me you may enjoy my round trip of Leicester's galleries.

"If not, then just look at the pretty Leicester and Nottingham escorts on this site."

Firefighters have dealt with a car fire in Braunstone this evening.

A crew from the city's western fire station was called to Braunstone Park at 6.15pm.

The crew wore breathing equipment to tackle the car fire which is believed to have been started deliberately.

Parents in Leicestershire have given the thumbs down to an MPs report which said sex and relationships education lessons should be compulsory in primary schools.

They gave their reactions after the Commons Education Committee said that "age appropriate" personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and sex and relationships education (SRE) should be taught.

But mums in Leicestershire have told the Mercury they thought primary school was too early for youngsters to be taught sex education.

Click here for all of the latest education news in Leicestershire

At the moment primary schools do not have to provide sex and relationships education beyond basic biology.

Faiza Ismel, 32, a teacher from Highfields, said: "It's often difficult and embarrassing for both the teacher and the children.

"Children should be taught about it at home first and then taught about it in secondary school."

Nicky Gant a 28-year-old support worker from Syston, added: "Let kids be kids. We shouldn't push it on them.

"They should keep their innocence."

However, there was a different response to the report from a leading city teaching union official .

Peter Flack, assistant association secretary for the city of Leicester National Union of Teachers, said the principal of SRE being compulsory in primary schools was welcomed.

He said: "One of the problems is that this is portrayed as sex education.

"The emphasis on constructive, positive and sharing relationships is a good thing.

"This is about empathy and commitment and stressing strong and loyal relationships based on trust.

"The NUT very much welcomes anything which contributes to positive relationships."

The city and county councils have both said their schools already provide a lot of support to youngsters regarding these subjects.

A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council said: "We welcome the report as sex and relationships education taught to a good quality can make a positive contribution towards developing the knowledge, understanding and values of young people.

"We already have a lot of support in place within Leicestershire through the healthy schools programme and Teenage Pregnancy Partnership.

"If the recommendations of the report are accepted by the Government, we'll continue to support teachers and school leaders and give them the confidence to lead more detailed conversations with parents about the subject."

A Leicester City Council spokesman said: "We are proud of our SRE policy which places the right emphasis on being safe and happy in a relationship as well as looking at staying safe on the internet or other media.

"We have a strong history in the city's schools of high quality teaching in this area and this has also contributed to the significant reduction in teenage pregnancies."

The Commons Education Committee launched its inquiry after inquiry was launched after Ofsted found more than a third of schools nationally were not providing age-appropriate SRE.

Commons Education Committee chairman Graham Stuart said: "Young people have a right to information that will keep them safe."

Mr Stuart said: "SRE forms an important part of any school's efforts to safeguard young people from abuse and is particularly needed to protect the most vulnerable children.

"PSHE builds character and resilience and will help young people to live happy and healthy lives."

Nationally, the report has been welcome by the Office of the Children's Commissioner of England.

Deputy Commissioner Sue Berelowitz said: "Once again we are calling for age-appropriate relationships and sex education to be made a statutory component of the curriculum.

"Young people need to understand what are and what are not healthy relationships.

Although the report was welcomed by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), it said that key questions still need to be answered

Chris Keates, from the NASUWT, said: "We recognise the Select Committee

is trying to address a difficult and contentious issue.

"However, there remain some key questions to be addressed.

"Who will determine what is age appropriate PSHE and SRE and what precisely should be taught?

"Will academies and free schools be required to implement such provision, given that they have freedom to determine their own curriculum?"

The union has also questioned who will provide the specialist support and training to provide the lessons.

She added: "Policymakers need to decide whether SRE is statutory and is treated as such in all schools, in which case parental opt-out cannot be retained."

Star & Garter have set up a Sunday Premier Cup final with Alliance League rivals Oadby Owls after defeating Barcabullona 2-1.

Aaron Preston and George Himan scored to book a date at Holmes Park.

Sileby Athletic are also through to a county cup final after their 5-0 victory over Mountsorrel Imps in the Sunday Shield semis. Doug Moore, Lewis Tolton, Liam Winnett, Simon Harper and Sam Lyons netted.

In the Grosvenor Casinos Premiership, leaders Frolesworth United thumped Magna Town 9-2. Callum Willis struck a hat-trick, Barnes Gladman and Greg Garner hit braces, while Max Jones and Josh Van Allen completed the romp.

Thurmaston WMP played out a 5-5 thriller with Azzurri. For Thurmaston, Jamie Sharman's double was followed up by Callum Pawley, George Ayres and J Hallaton efforts, while Ryan Allen and Stacey Coore notched two apiece for Azzurri, with Louis Neckles also on target.

GT recorded their first win in four, defeating Oadby Owls 3-0 thanks to a Darren Taylor double and a Scott Taylor strike.

In Division One, table-toppers Mowmacre are 12 points clear following a 4-0 success against second-placed Sparta Moshdock. Dave Coleman grabbed a couple, with Clint Gunn and Ben Trinder also on the scoresheet.

Webbys Wanderers ended Phoenix United's six-game winning streak, Danny Poultney's hat-trick and Christian Patrick's brace guiding them to a 5-2 victory.

AC Wigston made short work of Seaton, winning 9-0. Chris Dexter's hat-trick, Nathan Rutter's double, plus efforts from Ryan North, Theo White, Tier Blundell and Luke Rutter, made for a convincing scoreline.

Wigston United pulled clear of the bottom two with a 4-0 win against AFC Royal Oak. Craig Walsh, Josh Verity, Aaron Hira and Dave Clare scored.

In Division Two, Leicester Foxes need just seven points from their final five matches to claim the title after beating Thurmaston WMP Reserves 4-0. Joe Butler bagged two, Jake Wain and Sam Craig ensured victory.

Second-placed Niffy Rangers disposed of Desford Athletic. Jay Smith's brace was followed up by Simeon Davis, Ant Tebb and Matt Tebb strikes in a 5-1 win.

Ashley Sharp's goal was enough for Club to see off New Parks Estate.

Athletic Blaby were 4-2 winners at Pochin. Kelvin Phillips struck twice, Kevin Messenger and Sam Kilsby also notched.

Humberstone 2000 extended their Division Three advantage to four points following a 5-3 triumph over Swinford Chequers. Mark Gifford grabbed a couple, Jordan Cunningham, Joe Geary and Adam Brogan were also on target.

Huncote Sunday kept themselves in the title hunt with a 3-2 win over Leicester Klub Sportowy, goals coming from Daniel Bennett, Joe Smith and Wes Johnson.

Countesthorpe Athletic ended a run of three straight defeats with an 8-5 victory over Leicester Bharat Talbot. Ben Stevens led the way, netting a hat-trick.

Tumar enjoyed an 8-3 win at AFC Bees Knees, Andy Lewis and Ash Hill scoring two apiece, while Wigston Rangers triumphed 7-3 in a basement battle with Horse.

County golfer Richard Wale has shown encouraging form in two top amateur championships in Australia.

Wale (The Leicestershire) successfully qualified for the Australian Amateur championship after the strokeplay stages.

One round was played at The Australian and The Lakes clubs in Sydney, New South Wales, both highly-rated courses.

He shot four-over at The Lakes and level-par at The Australian. He qualified to go through to the matchplay at The Australian in a nine-player play-off for eight spots.

Wale won his first two closely-contested clashes each by one hole – in round one against eighth seed Lukas Michel (Victoria) and round two against Douglas Klein (Queensland).

Wale was the last British golfer standing when he reached the last 16, where he lost to Tyler Hodge of New Zealand by 4&2, who was the championship runner-up when the 36-hole final went into sudden-death.

Wale then played in the prestigious Avondale Amateur Medal.

He had a one-under-par 283 aggregate after he shot rounds of 74-67-69-73.

He got off to a flier in his 67 when he birdied his first five holes, but said: "I started to think too far down the line, wondering about shooting an unimaginable score.

"Then came what should have been easy sixth and seventh holes – a 330-yard par-four and a reachable par-five respectively.

"Harrison Endycott, an Avondale member, had hit a new course record 64 in round one, so I realised there was a low score out there.

"But by the 18th I was five-under, only to take bogey there, and end four-under for the round.

"It was a pleasing, but frustrating day."

Wale finished as joint runner-up with Australian Austin Bautista (Bonnie Doon). The title was won by Endycott with his 274 tally.

"The whole trip was brilliant," added Wale. "Big thanks go to the Avondale captain Anthony Robson and his family for being my hosts during the Medal and to the golf operations manager Tegan Purcell for arranging the accommodation,

"Everyone in Australia was fantastic, very friendly and always happy to help if you needed to clarify a tiny detail.

"Now I am looking at trying to work out a way of going back next year to play these events again and maybe a couple more beforehand.

"The Australian climate definitely helps the golf."

We are finding out just how good this season's Newcastle team is as, against us last Saturday, they once again showed their experience and quality to make the big baskets down the stretch.

We knew we had to limit turnovers to have any chance of winning, and were reminded just how relevant that message was, after conceding eight in the first half, which led to 14 points for the Eagles.

It was a very physical game with lots of fouls, including unsportsman-like and technical ones, not all very understandable.

But the Eagles were particularly clinical in the first 20 minutes at punishing every transgression, with perfect free-throw shooting in that first half.

But the second half saw us cut down the small errors, with just three turnovers, and the impact on the game was profound.

The Loughborough crowd was immense, the atmosphere fantastic.

Our defence got on top and we got ourselves going with momentum that helped make the 18-point half-time deficit seem not so intimidating.

It came down, as it does so often with Newcastle, to who could execute best during the last two minutes, and unfortunately we came up short.

We had to put all that behind us with an early 10am start heading to Surrey on Sunday.

Our message in the changing room was "no-one cares" about the perversity of the schedule, so we can't.

Surrey have been playing well and have an explosive back-court in Anthony Downing and Dominique Coleman, so our defensive focus and energy levels were fully tested.

Once again Rashad Hassan came up with big baskets for us when it mattered in the final quarter, and Tyler Bernardini showed great competitiveness finding lots of ways to influence the game for us.

Jamell Anderson and TrayVonn Wright were using their athleticism to challenge the Surrey bigs in all sorts of ways, as we more than held our own on the boards.

So our reward for that is yet another double-header weekend, this time away at Leeds tomorrow night before a home visit on Saturday from Durham.

They are similar teams, who are well coached, play to their strengths and like to run good offensive sets.

Leeds recently have had excellent wins over Sheffield and London, and have done that by solid defence and good ball movement.

It is our first visit ever to Leeds but we know from previous encounters with them the key will be our defensive focus, and the pressure we can apply to their guards.

Durham like to slow the game down and make it a half-court game, so our focus will be to use our speed at point-guard to maximum effect.

The sight of Louis Deacon and his brother Brett smashing holes in their garden fence was commonplace in Glen Parva during the early 1990s.

Their love of the game was born in their back garden and their parents have the receipts from the builders merchants to prove their sons' physicality was there from a young age.

"The amount of times that we put each other through the fence was incredible," said Louis, the older of the pair by two years.

"The games always started off friendly but then went downhill rapidly.

"Eventually, mum had had enough of mending the fence and told us it was time to join a local club."

They did just that and, at the end of his teenage years, Louis signed his first professional contract with Leicester Tigers straight out of school.

Forward wind to 2015 and one of the club's true legends has finally hung up his boots after 274 appearances, six league titles, two Heineken Cups and 29 England caps.

The word 'legend' is bandied around too often in sport. But never has the tag been more appropriate for a born-and-bred Leicester lad who grew up watching the club, played all of his career at Welford Road and embodied the hard-graft ethos that the club has been built on.

"It was my dream to play one game for the Tigers so to have played so many is great. I used to stand opposite Harry Ellis high-fiving the players as they came off when I was a kid so to play for the club was fantastic," he said.

Louis doesn't remember much about his debut, a low-key game with Rotherham. But the Heineken Cup game at Pau a few weeks later stuck in his mind.

"The previous year, the boys told me that the local crowd had been throwing bricks and spitting at us as we came out. It was pretty

hostile," he said.

"The boys were telling me how dirty they were and that they would be gouging us.

"When it came down to it, the game was fine with no trouble. I was a bit disappointed really!"

Louis learned quickly playing next to Martin Johnson and Ben Kay in the second-row and became a mainstay of the squad over the next 14 years.

Louis was old-school. He did the work that nobody else liked doing. Big and strong at the breakdown, excellent in the line-out and 18 stones of meat in the scrum.

He said very little but his stare could intimidate a Kray twin at 100 metres.

Long-term injuries hit him hard in the final three years of his career. In the end, it was a back problem that ended it.

"There was a stage when I was having to get my wife to do my shoes up in the morning because I couldn't bend down far enough," he said.

"At that stage, I was still thinking about carrying on playing. It made me realise where I was and that it was time to call it a day."

"Announcing it has made it feel more real. Brett told me to look on Twitter because people were saying nice things about me. But when I read them, it made me want to put my boots back on."

Those tributes flew in.

Tom Youngs said Louis "never took a backwards step", Marcos Ayerza said he was "one of the most under-rated players" he knew of.

Martin Castrogiovanni wrote: "If I had to go to war, he is the first person I would pick on my side".

Deacon, married to Bec with three children, is still coming to terms with the future but is looking forward to a new chapter of his life.

He's been enjoying working with the club's commercial department and has been passing on his coaching knowledge to the Spain national team.

"The language barrier makes that a bit difficult but I want to stay involved in the game. It's all I have known."

Defender Matt Upson feels he owes Leicester City a debt for the way they have shown patience during his injury absence.

And he intends to repay it on the pitch by playing his part in a successful survival bid.

The 35-year-old was recruited on a free transfer in the summer from Brighton and Hove Albion to provide Premier League experience for Nigel Pearson's squad.

However, he injured his foot soon after signing and had to undergo surgery, sidelining him for a lengthy spell.

He made his comeback in the development squad but suffered a setback before he finally made his debut at Arsenal a week ago and he shook off another niggle to start at Aston Villa on Sunday.

Upson said he feels he is getting stronger with every game and is determined to make up for lost time.

"I just want to get myself in the best shape I can and contribute as much as I can to the team and the club," said Upson.

"They have been great to me.

"They have stood by me when I haven't been able to play, which has been frustrating.

"I want to give everything I have.

"I am pleased with the way I have coped. I have done a lot of work preparing myself to step into the team.

"Nothing quite prepares you like actually playing though, but I feel happy and really pleased with the condition I am in.

"I have started to train a little bit harder because my body has allowed me.

"I have had a couple of niggles since coming back from the surgery I had in the summer.

"I think I can push myself a little bit more each week to get up to the level of the top competition."

There was one scare for Upson when he took a heavy blow to the chin in a challenge in the second half and was left lying face up on the turf, but he said it was not as serious as it looked.

"I just got rocked in the jaw and it was surprising really, but I soon recovered okay," he said.

"My body feels okay and it is great to get 90 minutes in the tank.

"I just want to move on, get better and keep improving."

Nigel Pearson insists he does care what people think of him but he won't let that distract him from the task of guiding Leicester City to Premier League safety.

Pearson has had to endure increased media scrutiny since his touchline incidents with a fan and Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur.

There has also been the speculation over his future when it was alleged he had been sacked and then reinstated.

The City boss may have come across in the past as unconcerned by his public image but while he states that is not the case, he insists he will not be distracted by a sideshow as City fight for survival.

"I think everyone cares about what people think of you," said Pearson.

"It's important I continue to do my job in terms of managing the football team as well as I can do it.

"Do I care what people think? Of course I care but I can't let it affect how I do the job.

"Whenever you are a manager, or a leader of a group, the most important part is for the people you work with to have a respect.

"It's not about being liked, it's about being able to work with respect in-house." Pearson knows the pressure is on and that it is only going to increase.

With 13 games remaining, time is running out for City to claw back the five-point deficit to safety.

Pearson said while the extra pressure is inevitable, City must be able to deal with it.

The increase in financial rewards of staying in the Premier League, announced last week, adds to that pressure.

"Because the Premier League is such a global brand, with the financial rewards so much bigger than ever before, what comes with that is the added pressures of having to deal with the financial aspects," said Pearson.

"I try not to spend too much time thinking about it as that distracts from the main aim – to prepare a football side and get enough positive results.

"What you can't get away from are that our results have not been positive enough to take those added pressures off.

"It is a result business and you come under public pressure at this time of year. It's going to happen to most of the managers over the duration of a season."