Rothley Park professional Matthew Cort is looking forward already to competing at Wentworth next spring in the PGA BMW Championship.

He qualified for this major European Tour event after finishing runner-up in the PGA Play-Offs, in Turkey, last week.

Cort said: "Getting back to Wentworth to compete in this event, which I did for the first time a couple of years ago, was top of my priority wish-list.

"This is now the only way in which PGA members can get into the field for this tournament, which attracts top golfers from all around the world.

"When I got in previously, I came so close to surviving the halfway cut. I have always wanted to return for another go."

In addition to the BMW Championship, Cort can also look forward to playing in both the Welsh and Scottish Open Championships next season thanks to his success, in Turkey.

He added: "To have the chance of competing in the Welsh and Scottish Opens is another bonus.

"If there is a European Challenge Tour tournament in the UK in the 2014 schedule when it is announced, I expect to be able to take part in that too. It would have been good to have won in Turkey, but at that point there were no extra starts at stake, just getting your name on the trophy.

"That would have been nice, of course, but I'm really happy with what I achieved there – a late-season boost."

Hinckley's Barry Richardson was the highest-placed county competitor in the latest seniors Winter Series open Stableford at Kilworth Springs.

He finished fourth on 40 points, four points behind winner Bob Lees (Kingsthorpe).

Geoff Wass (Hinckley) was fifth on 38.

Rumours of Toby Flood's possible move to the south of France grew in strength this week when he announced that he had enjoyed a bit of surfing in the past, writes Martin Crowson.

Fortunately for Leicester fans, it sounded very much like a one-off while growing up in the north east.

"I have not surfed for a long time," Flood admitted. "And it was a lot colder in the North Sea at Whitley Bay!"

Of course, whether Flood can surf or not will have no bearing on his eventual decision to remain at, or leave, Tigers this summer.

But then again, I have heard his house is up for sale.

And a friend of a friend said he was learning French.

The window cleaner's mate also reckons he saw him at Toulon airport recently ... eating frogs' legs, no less.

It's silly season and anything goes on the gossip front when one of the club's biggest names is considering leaving.

In reality, whether Flood will stay or go is hard to call.

He was brilliant at this week's Tigers press conference ahead of the Heineken Cup fixture with Montpellier on Sunday.

Flood spoke openly about the end of his contract this summer for a good 10 minutes. But he gave absolutely nothing away bar the fact that contract talks had started with the club and that they were going "very well".

It was a masterly politician's performance.

Flood said his decision would be based on numerous factors, not just rugby.

"You could not ask for a better place to be. This is a great place to live and I love it here," was his glowing review of Leicestershire.

I've heard the south of France is nice too.

"When I was younger, I was a lot more gung-ho," added Flood. "I came to Leicester on the train. A contract was put in front of me and it was a no-brainer. Now, it's about getting a feel for the whole thing because I have family and lifestyles to think about."

Flood clearly faces a difficult decision and Tigers will do everything they can to keep their man.

Flood drives their offence and plays a naturally attacking game which enables Tigers to get the best out of their numerous weapons in the back-line.

Leicester have topped the Premiership try-scoring charts on several occasions with Flood pulling the strings. That's no coincidence.

The club captain has also grown into the role he inherited from Geordan Murphy. He is vocal in both team meetings and on the pitch and is well respected amongst his peers.

Flood's style of play also endears him to team-mates and fans alike.

An attacking fly-half who loves to play flat and is never found wanting when there is a tackle to make.

Make no mistake about it, if he decides to go elsewhere, it will be one of the biggest losses the club will have suffered in years.

When there seems no natural replacement for any player, it's usually a sign that he is hard to replace.

Matthew Cort was back in the winners' circle when he fired four-under-par 66 to take the County Alliance pro-medal at Lutterworth.

The Rothley Park professional had a bogey at the first, before back-to-back birdies at the second and third which saw him out in one-under.

He then shot three birdies in a row from the 11th hole to finish one clear of Craig Shave (Whetstone) 67, with Matt Stephens (Birstall) third on 68.

Stephens and Kirby Muxloe amateur Allan Crowson amassed 44 points to finish top overall in the better-ball Stableford.

Scraptoft pro Simon Wood and amateur Erik Vitols won the pro-am prize.

Leicester City cannot afford to have too many more nights like Tuesday if they are to gain promotion to the Premier League.

That is the view of manager Nigel Pearson after the Championship leaders slumped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of relegation-battling Sheffield Wednesday – a side who were without a manager and sat second-from-bottom with just one win all season.

Despite taking the lead after just three minutes through Anthony Knockaert, City were left stunned as two goals from Connor Wickham condemned Pearson's men to their fourth defeat of the season.

"The performance was not of the standard we've produced during the vast majority of the season. We can't have many nights like that with our aspirations," said the City boss.

"Our strength this season has been our ability to play well as a team and to function efficiently as a team even when we haven't been at our best. We didn't do that against Wednesday.

"Even though we've got some very talented players, when you've got a side that's not functioning well, it's difficult for them to have the kind of impact that you would like."

Pearson named the same starting XI that had cast aside Millwall on Saturday with a scintillating display of attacking football only to struggle against an Owls side that is yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

"It's the age old problem. Consistency is the elusive factor which makes championship-winning sides," Pearson said. "Sides who can win when they aren't playing well generally go on and win things.

"For the most part this season, I think we've done that.

"Some of the games we have won this season, I think our performance level has been average. One or two of the games we've been beaten in, we have actually played very well.

"I'm not looking at our result through rose-tinted spectacles, I know exactly what my team is capable of doing and I would also like to think I am balanced enough to know when we have not played well. This was one of those nights."

City still had enough opportunities to take something from the game but they were unable to find that decisive finish as David Nugent, Jamie Vardy and Lloyd Dyer all missed chances.

"I'm frustrated, as the players are," said Pearson. "But David Nugent scored two great goals against Ipswich and Jamie Vardy scored two really good goals at the weekend so I can't be as temperamental in terms of how I look at it, as others."

Ignasi Miquel says Leicester City must learn from their shock defeat at Sheffield Wednesday and not allow any complacency to creep into their game.

City got off to a great start at Hillsborough on Tuesday night when Anthony Knockaert fired them into the lead, but Miquel admitted they allowed their standards to drop.

The Catalan defender said City must learn that they have to be at 100 per cent for every game and believes they will produce a better performance at Brighton on Saturday.

"We have learned we have to take every single team seriously," said the Arsenal loanee.

"I think we dropped off after we scored and we were punished. The gaffer will not let that happen again.

"We need to recover from this and make sure we learn from this experience.

"It was a great start but we switched off after that. It was disappointing to concede those goals.

"We have bounced back before. It is just one defeat and we are still top. That is the most important thing.

"We can bounce back on Saturday and show this has been a one-off performance from us."

City were off colour in all departments, but Miquel admitted they were disappointed with both of Connor Wickham's goals.

The striker was given time inside the City box to curl almost identical finishes past Kasper Schmeichel and Miquel said they afforded Wickham too much space.

"Both of those goals we could have stopped," he said. "The first one we should close the man down quicker and the second one was just sloppy.

"They had two chances and took them. Next time, we have to make sure we are tight and don't let them shoot.

"We didn't win enough second balls either. We were winning the headers at the back but the second balls were dropping and we didn't win enough of them.

"But we will bounce back because we have a strong squad. I think that is what makes us so competitive and why we are at the top."

A mental health unit is still failing to meet national standards, despite warnings from a health watchdog.

The Bradgate Unit, on the Glenfield Hospital site, was issued with warning notices by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following inspections in February and July.

Inspectors raised concerns about poor standards, staff training and record-keeping.

Now, a new report released after a five-day follow-up inspection in September has said that, while improvements have been made by the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT), which runs the unit, standards are still not being met. However, enforcement notices – putting a legal obligation on the trust to make improvements – have been lifted.

Dr Peter Miller, who took over as chief executive of the trust in September, said while there was "clearly" still more work to be carried out, he was pleased with the progress so far.

"We will be in a significantly better position by the end of March," he said.

"There have been changes in leadership. I have a track record in quality of service and I am confident we can turn the trust round."

The latest CQC inspection found the assessment and recording of patient risk had improved, but that more needed to be done to look after patients' physical health.

Inspectors found one patient had not been given basic checks five days after admission, while two others who needed close monitoring of their breathing had not had this recorded.

Inspectors also said improvements were needed to en sure there enough qualified and experienced staff were available to look after patients.

Dr Miller said: "We are spending £1.3 million on extra staff and have recently recruited 45 new nurses and 11 occupational therapists.

"I have no doubt we have the right calibre of staff and we need to make sure that we support and train them.

"I am determined to make the changes that need to be made and we will turn round the Bradgate Unit to provide high-quality care."

The trust has sent a new plan to the CQC to outline the improvements that will be made in the next few months.

The trust has been under fire for poor standards following the deaths of 10 patients between March 2010 and August 2013.

Councillor Rory Palmer, deputy city mayor and chairman of Leicester City's health and wellbeing board, said he was "extremely concerned" about the latest findings.

"This further report reinforces the need for urgent improvements," he said.

"I hope LPT's management team will be reviewing and modifying its improvement plan in light of the conclusions of this inspection.

"People have a right to expect health services which are better than the minimum standards set out by CQC. I want services to be exceeding those standards.

"We need to see improvements made urgently."

The family of a mother of two who was shot dead earlier this year have made an emotional appeal for help bringing the killer to justice.

Hayley Pointon was found dead in a house in Sunnydale Road, Hinckley, on Sunday, February 3.

A post-mortem examination revealed the 30-year-old, who was from Willenhall, Coventry, died from a single gunshot wound.

In a statement today, her family said: "Bringing her killer to justice would make a massive difference. We would be halfway to closure.

"If you know anything, do the decent thing – ease the family's pain."

Ms Pointon's two children have had their fourth and eighth birthdays without their mother, the family said.

They said: "She was a livewire, bubbly and outgoing, the life and soul of the party.

"You never won an argument with her, she could be stubborn but she had a heart of gold and would do anything for you.

"If anyone was upset or had a setback, she would be round with a bunch of flowers.

"She was a fantastic mum, and put her children first.

"She always looked forward to Christmas and would be planning what to get people three months ahead.

"We always had a large family gathering at Christmas and Hayley would organise the entertainment.

"The people who did this are still walking around. They will be having Christmas with their families, while Hayley's children face Christmas without their mum.

"If you are someone who knows something which could give these children, and us, a small bit of justice in our lives, please come forward."

Police have arrested 21 people as part of their murder inquiry. Nine remain on police bail but no-one has been charged.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Yarwood, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit's major crime team, said: "This is not going away. We continue to explore a number of lines of inquiry and will not stop until these people are brought to justice."

Anyone with information should contact Leicestershire Police on 0116 222 2222 and ask for the murder investigation team.

A drug addict father jailed indefinitely after he gave his baby a lethal dose of a heroin substitute has had a court bid for freedom rejected.

Nathan James Grain (41), of Paterson Place, Shepshed, admitted giving his three-month-old son Luke methadone and diazepam on his dummy while looking after him in January 2006.

He denied manslaughter, but was convicted and jailed for at least five years – under a term of indefinite imprisonment for public protection – at Leicester Crown Court in June 2007.

Yesterday, Grain took his case to the appeal court, in London, in a bid for immediate release, claiming he had made great progress since being in prison.

But Mr Justice Wilkie, who heard the appeal with Lord Justice Treacy and Mrs Justice Anderson, said following his conviction Grain was assessed and said to have shown no remorse.

The judges rejected the appeal, saying that despite the "huge strides" Grain had made while in prison, the open-ended sentence was justified.

It means he will only be released if he can convince the Parole Board he is no longer a danger.

The court heard Luke died after his father drugged him at his home to keep him quiet.

Grain admitted using drugs on his son, but denied giving him a fatal dose and tried to put the blame on a friend or the boy's grandmother. He was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury.

The sentencing judge said that, based on his assessment of Grain in court, he was convinced he was "quite capable" of being a danger in future.

He therefore found he had passed the legal test to be defined as a "dangerous" offender.

Yesterday, Grain's lawyers argued the indefinite sentence was not justified. Someone being "quite capable" of being a danger was not enough to make them actually dangerous, they said.

A report by a probation officer last year showed Grain had made good progress in custody, coming to terms with what he had done, the appeal judges were told.

But Mr Justice Wilkie said: "The judge had seen Grain, had heard him in the trial and had read the reports.

"In our judgment, there is simply no arguable basis sensibly to suggest the learned judge erred in concluding the statutory test (of dangerousness) was met."

Grain has served more than his minimum term and is eligible for release, but has not yet been considered safe enough by the Parole Board.

A mother is fighting her son in court in a bitter feud over the ownership of the £50 million family business.

It comes after Susan Shield, 63, launched divorce proceedings against her husband, engineering and property tycoon Richard, 72.

The split, which has already rung up more than £700,000 in legal bills, has caused a bitter row over claims Mr Shield financially favoured their son over Mrs Shield and their three daughters.

Now, at London's High Court, Mrs Shield is fighting a claim from her son, Christopher, 35, that his father's stake in the family empire was promised to him when he agreed to take over running the business more than a decade ago.

Philip Cayford, representing Mrs Shield, yesterday told the court: "She feels it is a rather disappointing concept that, having worked in the business for 40 years, she has been told by her own son that she has got no claim on the company."

Mr Shield, who still lives in the former marital home in Queniborough, amassed his huge fortune through his engineering business, Shield Group, of Hamilton, and property, with his wife owning 5 per cent, the court has heard.

Mr Cayford said it was "madness" and "unthinkable" that the couple would have agreed to give their controlling share in the business to their son, who was 23 at the time.

The court heard Christopher Shield left London to start working for his father's company in 2001.

He was handed a 49 per cent stake in the business, but claims his parents also agreed his father's controlling interest in the firm would be transferred to him upon his death.

He has now asked the High Court to declare that the agreement he made with his father in 2001 is binding and that he cannot give his shares to anyone else.

Christopher, who has promised to look after his parents during their lifetime, insists his mother must limit her claim for any of her husband's assets to their matrimonial home in Queniborough.

His barrister, Christopher Wagstaffe, says he and his wife suffered "detriment" by uprooting from the capital and that the arrangement with his father should be honoured.

The court also heard from Richard Shield's solicitor, Stephen Woolfe, who said the entrepreneur had suffered mental health problems in the past.

He said there was "acid" between one of the Shield's daughters, Nicola, and Christopher, which Mr Shield was deeply concerned about.

"It was his sense as a father, in the circumstances, of a family shredding itself," Mr Woolfe told the court.

Judge Nicholas Francis said the court had ruled that, despite his mental health problems, Richard Shield had the capacity to instruct lawyers to represent him in the case and that he was of "sound mind" when he made all the disputed decisions.

The case continues.

Leicester City Council has been given a "kick in the pants" for using bureaucratic gobbledegook which people cannot understand.

It has been condemned by the Plain English Campaign for putting up public notices which do not mean anything.

The signs, which included a convoluted warning to pet owners about dog mess, won the authority this year's Kick in the Pants award.

They first fell foul of the campaign in August, when deputy city mayor Rory Palmer criticised the wording of the notices and urged improvements.

Mr Palmer said if the award included receiving a trophy it would be prominently displayed in the council offices as an encouragement to staff to stick to simple English.

Campaign spokesman Steve Jenner said: "Leicester City Council is not the only council guilty of ill-conceived communication or inappropriate public relations.

"It is, simply, the most deserving of this year's many similar offenders."

He said the Kick in the Pants award drew attention to companies or organisations which needed to communicate in plainer English.

Mr Jenner said: "The public notices on dog control – which we rightly described as 'barking' in August – are either impenetrable and baffling or as daft as the following example.

"The notice read: 'A person who habitually has a dog in his possession shall be taken to be in charge of the dog at any time unless at that time some other person is in charge of the dog'.

"That notice was the worst example this year and was truly pants.

"It had the hallmarks of being compiled by committee and was meaningless tripe.

"We welcome the authority's attitude and hope it will improve.

"We are looking at sending it some kind of award and I am sure pants will figure in it."

Coun Palmer restated his pledge to do what he could to ensure all council notices and communications are in easy-to-understand language.

He said: "I raised concerns about some of the council's legal and official notices.

"We should be using plain English. But in some cases, the council was publishing notices which were unclear and, in some cases, utterly baffling.

"I have reminded council officers of the need to publish notices which are clear, to the point and use plain English.

"We will also be publishing shorter explanatory notes with some formal notices.

"If we receive a wooden spoon or trophy from the Plain English Campaign, I will ensure it is prominently displayed at the city council as a reminder of our important duty to publish notices in plain English."

The award was shared with sports minister Helen Grant, who failed, when questioned, to provide the correct answers during an impromptu sports quiz.

She did not know who won the 2013 FA Cup or the women's Wimbledon champion.

Past winners of the Kick in the Pants Award have included the Government over the "pasty gate'' row over VAT on pies, HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Services Authority.

However, one local organisation was recognised in the Plain English awards for the best written documents

The Midlands Co-operative Society/Leicestershire Partnership Board/Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust were recognised for their healthy eating five-a-day recipe pack.

A spokesman said: "We're delighted to be recognised for the Plain English Award for the healthy eating recipe book, produced with Leicestershire Partnership Board and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. The easy-to-follow recipes have benefited adults with learning difficulties and those new to cooking."

An advertisement spelling out the duties of a manager or manageress for Celtic Carvery & Alehouse said: "Achieves bar operational objectives by contributing information and analysis to functional strategic plans and reviews. Plans beer, wine and spirits drink menus by researching mixology techniques."

A quote by Segro's chief investment officer about its sale of a business park: "The sale is very much in line with our ongoing focus on recycling capital out of assets at the appropriate time in the cycle in order to crystallize gains from higher-value uses and redeploy into other profitable growth opportunities in core markets."

A letter from The Department of Energy and Climate Change included the following information: "The second part consists of an Occupancy Assessment (OA) that adjusts the standardised EPC estimates based on information about the occupants...

"GDARS build upon the information in the EPC by incorporating additional information gathered from the OA about how the occupants in the property actually use energy… I hope this is helpful."

A notice about an open seminar at the University of Essex Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies read: "This paper will be a reflection on what endures and on the archaeology of utterance – an archaeology that is intimately connected to castration. As a Symbolic artifact poetry stands between the darkness of the unknowable – Freud's navel – and Lacan's mirror of semblance in which false architectures of the self, emerge as a parody of the truth."