A RUGBY player will run a half marathon to raise money for a children's charity.

William Kruis, 24, will take part in the "Run to the Beat" race, in east London, on Sunday.

Mr Kruis, of Ridgeway Road, Dorking, has raised more than £450 for the Honeypot Children's Charity, which provides support and respite breaks for children who act as carers for chronically or terminally ill family members.

He said: "I have always been into running.

"I have always been a competent runner and I am one of the fittest members of Dorking Rugby Club.

"I have never really set myself a goal, but I have always been interested in doing things for charity, particularly children's charities.

"I know how important it is for children to get that support."

Mr Kruis is preparing to emigrate to Hong Kong in January.

"I thought before I go I might as well fit in a couple of good runs," he said.

Mr Kruis attended Belmont School, in Holmbury St Mary, and City of London Freemen's School, in Ashtead, before studying at Durham University.

He took part in the Surrey Badger half marathon, at Denbies Wine Estate, on October 13, finishing 13th out of 400 competitors with a time of one hour and 30 minutes.

"Before that, the last time I competed in a proper race was in primary school and a girl beat me," he said.

"Since then I have not been able to live the moment down, so after ten long years of deliberating I decided to run a half marathon.

"My main philosophy, the one thing which I have learned, is that persistence always beats resistance.

"Every day when I go for a run I say that to myself that I am eventually going to get there."

To sponsor Mr Kruis, visit www.justgiving.com/William-Kruis1

For more information about the Honeypot Children's Charity, which started in 1996, visit www.honeypot.org.uk or call 0207 6022631.

DEFIANT animal lovers will release orphaned badgers into the wild – while the Government discusses a cull.

Conservative ministers want badger numbers cut because the animals can carry bovine TB and transmit it to cattle.

But the cull has faced fierce opposition from wildlife groups – and today (Friday) 14 orphaned badger cubs, reared in captivity, will be released in the Surrey Hills by the East Surrey Badger Protection Society.

Ray Ings, who co-founded the group in 1979 and later set up the national body that is now The Badger Trust, said the 14 badgers have been tested for disease.

"None of them are from any TB areas," he said.

"They are clean as a whistle, farmers can be assured of that.

"These cubs have been orphaned because their mother has been killed, usually in a road traffic collision.

"It is human activity that has caused them to become orphans and we have to decide if our wildlife is important, and if we do, this is what a civilised society does. We are just giving them a chance.

"Badgers have been persecuted for many years, but people should not be worried about TB in badgers in Surrey; it is not an issue."

He expressed delight at the Government's announcement on Tuesday that a cull of badgers in Gloucestershire and Somerset would be shelved until next year.

The decision to postpone was taken after several delays due to factors including the weather and legal challenges from opponents, but environment secretary Owen Paterson insisted the policy is "absolutely intact".

Farmers fear a spread of the disease, which can be fatal to cattle, could threaten their livelihoods, and have criticised the protection group's release of the animals.

Simon Maiklem, who farms about 600 dairy and beef cattle in Leigh, said: "We are in a TB-free area so obviously my major concern is if TB gets into Surrey, and it is coming closer and closer.

"At some point we have got to do something. It is costing the country a fortune and a lot of heartache. It is a horrific problem for everyone involved.

"The point of having the cull was to see if it worked. Any other country that has eradicated TB has had a wildlife cull of some sort.

"I have badgers on one of my farms and I am happy to see them. What I don't want is a whole lot of foreign badgers coming in possibly driving them out, or possibly infecting them."

FLEET-FOOTED youngsters have narrowly missed out on a world record.

The group of 29 pupils from Royal Alexandra and Albert School in Reigate took part in the World Marathon Challenge – and fell agonisingly short of breaking the record.

The target for them and other school groups from across Surrey was to beat the world marathon time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 38 seconds, set last September by Kenyan athlete Patrick Makau in the Berlin Marathon.

The team relay involved the schoolchildren running 200-metre stints, before handing over to the next runner.

They each completed seven to nine runs, covering a total of 26.2 miles, or about 195 laps of the school's track. And the Royal Alexandra team came home first in the hugely impressive time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 47 seconds, missing the world record by just nine seconds.

The runners, consisting of 13 girls and 16 boys from Year 8, crossed the line first out of six participating schools at Guildford's Spectrum Sports Arena on October 2.

They finished more than two minutes clear of the runners-up, Hinchley Wood School in Esher.

PE teacher at the Rocky Lane school Victoria King said: "It was a brilliant effort by all the pupils who took part.

"They were amazing and a real credit to the school.

"The children were absolutely delighted to win, and were presented with medals and certificates for their efforts.

"They could not believe it though when they were told that they fell just nine seconds short of the record, and were obviously a little gutted."

Mrs King said the school has traditionally been strong in athletics, generally faring well in district sports competitions.

The event formed part of this summer's annual P&G Surrey School Games, which involved thousands of county schoolchildren competing in more than 100 sports events, ranging from indoor rowing to orienteering.

SOLDIERS facing Christmas in a warzone could be cheered by a package from home.

For almost ten years the Support Our Soldiers charity has sent parcels, donated by members of the public, to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Falklands.

As they launch this year's campaign, volunteers are hoping to surpass last year's total of 9,000 delivered gifts.

Reigate section organiser Mandy Jenkins – whose son is in the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment – knows how much the donations mean to the troops after he was in Afghanistan last Christmas.

"It makes a real difference to the guys who are out there," she said.

"They are out on patrol and living off the 24-hour ration packs. It boosts their morale and gives them extra treats they don't get in their rations.

"As a mum it is lovely to know they are supported by the public. There is massive public support for the guys and girls regardless of political views."

This year Ms Jenkins needs to collect 800 parcels, a quarter of which will go to injured soldiers at Headley Court – a military rehabilitation centre near Leatherhead. But the boxes travelling overseas must be donated before November 15 so they miss the annual Christmas card post rush.

Members of the public can drop off their shoeboxes loaded with goodies at local collection points, including Redhill's Belfry Shopping Centre and Reigate Town Hall in Castlefield Road.

The parcels are sent all year round but the drive is particularly important at Christmas. And with the Ministry of Defence asking well-wishers not to clog up postal routes with anonymous packages to soldiers, the charity's campaign is one of the best ways to support the troops during the festive period.

Ms Jenkins said: "They are saying don't send parcels to random soldiers, but we know our soldiers.

"We support them all year round but it has a new dimension at Christmas."

Ms Jenkins has to check the contents of all the parcels but the guidelines for the best presents are clear, with chocolate, festive items and foods with a long shelf-life topping most squaddies' wish-lists.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The MoD welcomes SOS's work. The aspiration to provide support to the men and women on the front line is shared by many of the public."

For more information call 07713 286 355 or e-mail Reigate@supportoursoldiers.co.uk

A CONTROVERSIAL police policy which let violent criminals escape unpunished has been changed after a review prompted by the Advertiser.

"Effective resolution" – a scheme under which offenders and victims can agree that no further action will be taken – was introduced by Surrey Police in 2008 to deal with low-level crimes.

Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens announced a review earlier this year after the Advertiser revealed that effective resolution had been used 10,000 times from June 2008 to February 2012 – for crimes including arson, drug trafficking, possessing weapons, sexual offences and serious assaults.

The review has now been completed, and the resulting guidelines mean officers must give victims a "cooling off" period before using the power, and senior officers must be consulted in cases which raise public safety issues such as violence.

Lawyer Howard Jones, who raised the issue after witnessing an attack which left a 40-year-old man unconscious in a pub toilet – a crime dealt with by effective resolution – said: "It's good the police have drawn lessons from it and changed their procedure.

"By breaking the story we have forced them to deal with this scheme in a different way. It's been under the radar and they've used it 10,000 times and some of those offences listed looked decidedly iffy."

Mr Jones, from Ashtead, believes the power has been used to save police time, often inappropriately.

He added: "Now if police officers are nudging the victim towards dealing with it this way it gives them a chance to reflect and speak to people who might say 'this is not such a good idea'. I think part of this is the behaviour of officers, not policy. If effective resolution has these extra checks and balances they may be less willing to put offences quickly to bed."

Following the review of effective resolution, use of the power will also be monitored more closely.

Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens said: "This is not about removing discretion; effective resolution is still a very important part of policing.

"However, the updated guidance supports the difficult judgements that police officers have to make every day, to make sure wider issues of public safety are taken into account."

When effective resolution is used, the offender accepts responsibility for the offence but no action is taken against them.

A PAEDOPHILE who filmed himself abusing children after posing as a babysitter is facing jail.

Red Damien Saunders, 23, of Huddleston Crescent, Merstham, pleaded guilty to 30 counts of child abuse at the Old Bailey on Monday.

The court heard how Saunders posed as a babysitter before installing cameras in the rooms of two children, aged seven and eight, he was paid to look after.

He then made videos of himself abusing them using the title "Paedo Productions".

Saunders was caught after he answered a family's advertisement for a child minder in April this year.

After working for the family for a few days he made his excuses and left. Following his departure the eight-year-old girl told her parents that Saunders had abused her.

Saunders was arrested on April 24, when police found a stash of more than 5,000 indecent images, films and cartoons in his house. Detectives also found a "chilling" diary in which Saunders detailed his plans to abuse children.

The court also heard how, in 2005, Saunders was spared jail after he admitted molesting a five-year-old girl while working as an organiser at a Surrey gym.

Prosecutor Edward Lucas told the court he was shocked Saunders had been free to strike again after his 2005 attack.

He said: "I just cannot believe what occurred. Plainly something has gone wrong because the defendant has gone on to do it again. There was a full investigation done in 2005 and nothing resulted from it.

"Can I say I am staggered at what I have read and nothing was done about it in 2005. It was all catalogued and he has been free effectively to do it again."

Judge Charles Wide QC said he would not criticise the 2005 court without all the facts, but said: "On the face of it something has gone terribly wrong."

During the recent investigation two further victims were uncovered.

Detective Constable Sam Renwick-Foster of the Metropolitan Police child abuse investigation command said: "Red Saunders is a predatory paedophile who targeted families with the intention of abusing their children.

"He poses an obvious danger to young children and I am glad that today he has been jailed and faces a significant prison term."

Saunders pleaded guilty to rape, four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of taking indecent photographs of a child, three counts of possessing prohibited images of a child and 19 counts of making indecent photos of a child.

He was remanded in custody to face sentencing on November 23.

YOUNG detectives, adventurers, artists and archaeologists will explore the new-look Dorking Museum during a year of interactive activities.

The West Street building is set to reopen today (Friday) after a four-year renovation project, with the emphasis on enlivening history through costumes, masks and even 3D dinosaurs.

Events for children will run on the third Saturday of every month from November 17, and youngsters will get the chance to be "history detectives", create their own paintings of Dorking, dress up in 19th century clothing and much more.

Exhibition manager Kathy Atherton said: "I want kids to come in and take part and try things. I think that is the most exciting thing.

"There is no point having a museum that people just walk round and look at it once.

"It needs to be more than just a box of stuff. It might change what people think about Dorking."

The building has been closed since 2008, and a team of volunteers have worked for the last two years to transform it.

Chairman Nigel Arch said: "It is quite remarkable. Museums have got to get out into the community, and that is what this one will do. It would not have happened without a lot of hard work and goodwill.

"If we can get kids interested in the past now, they will keep that and be interested in where we are going."

Mr Arch said the museum – which has been funded entirely by donations and fundraising events – is an example of the power and enthusiasm of local people.

"There is a real sense of ownership," he said. "This is the community's museum.

"It takes people's energy and expertise and it makes them feel part of the town where they live.

"People are always on about the 'big society' and volunteering and this is it. It's extraordinary."

The museum will be open to the public from 1 to 4pm today and will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm for the next few weeks.

For more information, call 01306 876591 or visit www.dorkingmuseum.org.uk

DORKING moved up to second place in the National League Three London standings after a hard-fought victory at Thurrock on Saturday.

It was fourth against third, while the top two Bishop's Stortford and Barnes faced each other, so the carrot of moving into the top two positions was there should the Red and Whites want to take it.

And they did so, though they had to work extremely hard for it coming from behind and then being forced to hold on in the last few minutes.

The home side have started the season almost as strongly as the visitors, although this was their first outing against another of the top five sides in the league.

The trip brought back memories among some of the travelling support of the hammering the Big Field outfit endured across the Thames Estuary in 1992, just a few days after the hosts had unceremoniously dumped London Irish out of the then Pilkington Cup.

For the first quarter of the match, it seemed that history might be about to repeat itself as the home side started strongly, dominating possession and territory, led by their very large and very quick No 8, Bradleigh Retigan and ably supported by the rest of their heavyweight pack.

Outside, Thurrock's attacking gambits mostly revolved around their centre, Mike Stanley – son of former All Black, Joe.

An early penalty and then a close range try from Retigan after ten minutes gave the hosts a 10-0 lead and the visitors were definitely on the ropes.

However, some respite came after the Thurrock wing saw yellow for a late tackle on Ben Tyler and Dorking slowly clawed their way into the game, despite losing hooker James Catton to a knee injury.

Basic handling errors prevented the increasing possession being turned into points until Alrich Muller finished off some broken play by scoring in the corner.

Steve Munford missed the conversion but added a penalty shortly before the interval to cut the deficit to just two points at the interval.

The second half started as well as the first had finished for the visitors with Muller going over in the corner for his second try of the match and Munford adding the extras.

And it got better after 57 minutes when captain Armand Roux, leader for the day in the absence of director of rugby Richie Andrews and head coach Jamie O'Brien, stole the ball from a Thurrock line-out, sold a dummy and scored from 15 metres out.

Again, Munford converted for a 22-10 lead.

When the kicking star added another penalty ten minutes later, the visiting support started to relax and expectations rose for a bonus point victory.

However, momentum was lost when Tyler got ten minutes for interfering with a quick penalty and shortly after, Stanley was in under the posts for 25-17 and Thurrock had their tails up once more.

For most of the next ten minutes, Dorking's 14 men were under intense pressure and were fortunate that the hosts missed a very kickable penalty which would have narrowed the gap to a single score.

The game entered what turned out to be eight minutes of stoppage time with both sides going full-tilt for a bonus point.

Play swung from end to end, Dorking hung on for the win, but the hosts had the last word with a long range penalty kick at the death to earn a deserved bonus point.

Dorking: Tyler, Crow, Muller, Macdonald, R Lucas, Pimlow, Munford, Fee, Vermont, White, Higgins, Roux, Olayanju, Catton, Knight, George, Smith, Terelak.

BIRDWORLD in Farnham is hosting a Halloween Activities Week that starts on Monday, October 29.

The venue will be kitted out with creepy corridors and a unique Halloween Grotto with a variety of spooks inside.

There will also be themed shows, free craft activities, a Halloween trail and a free treat for every child taking part.

Sarah Laney, events coordinator, said: "We've been working hard to create the Halloween theme and I'm sure it will be a success.

"We've got a variety of Halloween activities on offer, including our special Halloween Grotto walk through, that I'm sure will be enjoyed by the children.

"This isn't the first year that Birdworld has hosted a Halloween Activities Week and they're normally very popular.

"As the children are on half-term that week, it gives them all a chance to come and experience it."

Birdworld Halloween Activity Week takes place from Monday, October 29 to Friday, November 2, 11am - 4pm. 

A CHILDREN'S soft play zone together with a cafe-bistro is earmarked for Caterham Valley.

A planning application before Tandridge District Council calls for the conversion of a former shop in Croydon Road.

The store was the Modeller's Loft, which closed two years ago. The site was then short-lived as S and J Home Stores for four months last year.

The applicants are Henry's House, which runs a similar venture in South Croydon's Royal Oak Centre.

The latest plan has won a cautious welcome from Graham Tapley, the organiser of regular Meet Caterham Business conventions.

He said: "I would be happier to see this shop used rather than it standing vacant."

The planning application has also prompted a debate on Valley Action's Facebook page.

Si Clarke said: "That's great news for Caterham. It will liven that side of town up, increasing potential for other business. If there are parking issues, it means the town is thriving."

Vivien Feeney said: "It might be an idea, but what about the parking issue?

"I got a £20 fine in the (nearby) Waitrose car park not that long ago."

And Mark Bristow said: "I have my reservations about this plan, based on the change of use from A1 (retail shop) to A3 (food and drink)."

He said hot food takeaways came under the A3 planning category. A plan for a restaurant/takeaway at a former carpet store just seven doors away was refused by Tandridge District Council in August, when council officers concluded that the loss of a retail unit in the heart of the town was unacceptable.

A spokesman for Henry's House declined to comment on its planning application.

Its South Croydon site is open seven days a week, catering for children from toddlers up to nine years old.

It includes two separate indoor soft play areas, as well as a coffee shop.

The plan is currently being processed by council officers.

FIGHTING fit Derek Porter would give many people half his age a run for their money.

Eighty years young, he is both a friend and inspiration to many of his jogging pals, who turned out in force to celebrate his landmark birthday on October 5.

Grandfather-of-four Mr Porter was a promising teenage athlete – and has never looked back.

A veteran of countless long distance events, he still takes to the roads up to five times a week.

Mr Porter, a retired printer of Westfield, off Raglan Road, Reigate, said: "The freedom of the open road is so appealing to me.

"I've been incredibly lucky over the years to avoid any sort of major injury and so still enjoy running.

"I'm already planning to take part in some 10km events over the coming months, including in London and Brighton."

He won his age group in a 10km run in Crawley last month – confessing he was the only entrant in the 75-plus category.

An enthusiastic athlete from his younger days, he won a certificate for the 80 yards dash as an 11-year-old, and competed in Surrey championships when he was living in south London.

Mr Porter said: "I was training seven days a week at times, but I packed it in when we had a family."

His wife Jean and he have two children.

He went on: "I took up running again when I was about 40, and my wife encouraged me to try doing a marathon."

Since then, he has covered a prodigious mileage, including taking part in 16 marathons and more than 100 half-marathons.

Making light of his years, he is a regular attendee at Nutfield Priory Health Club, in Nutfield, from where he runs with others up to three times per week.

And dozens of his running pals attended a reception in his honour at the Red Lion pub, in Bletchingley.

Dave Joad, who is one of his regular running partners, said: "Derek has been part of the running club for about the last 15 years. He is a fantastic character and such a nice gentleman who will help anybody.

"He encouraged me with my running and has advised others with their marathon training.

"One former club member travelled down from Scotland to pay tribute to him on the day."

Mr Joad, 70, of Heathfield Drive, Earlswood, added: "Derek had a lovely party, which he thoroughly deserved."

THE new Face of the Belfry shopping centre is investing in a new "throne" after taking home £1,000 in prize vouchers.

Polly Lawton, 26, was crowned the Face of the Belfry 2012 winner at the final held in the Redhill shopping centre on Saturday, and went straight out to celebrate her win by buying a sofa for her flat – which she has just bought with boyfriend, and fellow finalist, John McGettrick.

Shoppers and supporters crowded all three levels of the Belfry to cheer on the 21 finalists, who strutted down the catwalk in two outfits provided by stores including Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Marks & Spencer.

"It was a really good day," Miss Lawton told the Mirror. "I never expected to win. I just entered for fun and tried to be myself. I loved every minute of it.

"I've had my eye on a sofa in Cargo for a long while because we've just moved into a new house, so we went straight to the shop and bought it."

A silver-suited compere whipped the crowds into a whooping frenzy handing out shopping vouchers and birthday cakes to celebrate the centre's 21st anniversary this year.

Deputy Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, Councillor Alexander Horwood, who was joined at the event by wife Rukshana, commended the Belfry as being an "economic powerhouse" at the heart of the town.

A panel of three judges consisting of the centre's manager Andy Nash, administration manager Kim Prime and Mirror editor Deanne Blaylock, picked Miss Lawton as their winner, who also won a professional photo shoot and will turn on the centre's Christmas lights on November 22.

Though most of the finalists were making their first trip down a catwalk, both the runners up – who each took home £100 in shopping vouchers – said they thoroughly enjoyed their day in the spotlight.

First runner up Daniel Flack, 27, said: "I got caught in the shopping centre, entered and my friend found out and started a Facebook campaign.

"I had a lot of support so it was good."

Second runner up Jean Boucher, 67, added: "There was a great sense of camaraderie. I had to pinch myself when I was announced as runner-up.

"I was also amazed by how they chose the outfits for us too. We all liked what we wore."

A WELL-KNOWN GP is putting down his stethoscope to run in memory of a baby.

Dr Howard Cohen, a partner in Warlingham's Elizabeth House Surgery for the past ten years, will take part in the New York Marathon for a cause which has touched many people in the Tandridge district and beyond.

He will tackle his first-ever marathon in aid of the Lily Foundation.

The Warlingham-based charity was formed five years ago, in memory of baby Lily Merritt.

The death of eight-month-old Lily, from a rare cell abnormality called mitochondrial disease, moved local people as well as sports celebrities.

Dr Cohen was one of the doctors who would often do home visits to Lily during the early stages of her illness.

The 51-year-old GP, who lives in Caterham Valley, said: "I met Lily in her short life and admire the work the charity has done to research this rare condition.

"I weigh in at over 17 stones, so I'm hardly the lightest and fittest.

"I've only started fundraising in the last few days.

"One GP friend pledged some money, with the message 'you mad fool'."

Dr Cohen has done a couple of half marathons to prepare for the big day on November 4. But his training was interrupted by bouts of tendonitis in one of his knees, which meant his training was disrupted for several days.

He will be accompanied in the marathon by his partner Miri Lawrence, who is a rabbi in Sutton.

The pair will then enjoy a few days' break in Las Vegas – where they intend to go sky-diving at the Grand Canyon.

Lily's mother Liz Curtis, who lives in Warren Park, Warlingham, said: "I feel really humbled and honoured that Dr Cohen should choose to support the charity. There are many other amazing charities which he could have supported, but he chose us.

"Dr Cohen and others in the surgery were great in the early days when Lily was ill.

"He would often visit our house to see her when she was poorly and I was worried about her."

So far, the GP has been pledged £280.

To support Dr Cohen's fund raising effort, visit www.justgiving.com/howard-cohen1

A RECORD-BREAKING row across the English Channel has raised almost £20,000 for medical research.

Ollie Hildrey, who lives and works at Bockett's Farm in Fetcham, took on the challenge with seven school friends to support children's health charity Sparks.

The crew broke the record for crossing the Channel in a Cornish gig, completing the journey in three hours and 44 minutes – 19 minutes faster than the former record.

"It's not a Guinness record because we didn't get an adjudicator because we didn't know we were going to get it," said Mr Hildrey, 28.

"It's fantastic. We thought we were going to complete it in four-and-a-half or five hours, but about halfway through the guy (on the support boat) said 'you should really get a move on because you could do it'.

"I'm sure some university rowing team will decide to smash it, but for now it's quite fun."

The team rowed just over 21 miles (35km) from the white cliffs of Dover to Sangatte.

Mr Hildrey said: "It was more or less the first time any of us had rowed at all. One of the others had rowed a gig at university but that was it.

"We had three or four training sessions on the open water and an awful lot of training work for everyone on the rowing machines. We had to miss quite a few tankers; they're pretty big. It was really good but it was exhausting.

"We put absolutely everything in to it but it was fun for everyone to do."

As well as getting the record, the team – who are friends from their time at the Perse School in Cambridge – have raised about £18,500 and hope to break the £20,000 mark.

Sparks supports research into a range of conditions affecting babies, children and pregnant women. Regional fundraiser Helen Farquharson thanked the rowing crew. She said: "I am delighted that the team has chosen to support Sparks by taking on this incredible challenge.

"Their fundraising will help us in our mission to help more babies be born healthy.

"We hope that their dedication will also inspire others to get involved."

Visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ RowingtheChannel to donate.

LOOKING at the league table before this match, the final score would have been considered a shock.

But no one in the Leatherhead dressing room was surprised.

The Tanners have endured a poor run of form of late, failing to win any of their previous four league games, slumping to second bottom in the Ryman League Division One South.

But two things happened at the Haven Centre on Tuesday night.

The first was that they could call upon an experienced central midfield duo in Mark Simmons and Vernon Francis, the former having been injured and the latter just returning to the club after spells at Dulwich Hamlet and Tooting & Mitcham.

The second was that they put their chances away, and at perfect times, too.

Jerry Nnamani opened the scoring in the third minute, Kev Terry doubled the advantage eight minutes before the half-time whistle and Tommy Hutchings netted his 101st goal for the Green Army three minutes after the interval.

But while they will get the plaudits, it was the work of the central pair that ensured this result. They made things happen and it's that composure on the ball that the Tanners have been missing.

Nnamani nodded home from about a yard out after Jamie Coyle had flicked on a corner early on to give the visitors a headstart.

It was one they would never look back from. Down looked good going forward and Daren Hawkes had to be alert to save with his feet at the near post after Luke Blewden had got the better of Nnamani on the dead ball line.

Blewden then took too long to decide what to do as he was put away behind the Leatherhead defence, and by the time he cut back and made up his mind, the away side had men behind the ball.

Then came one of the match's defining moments. There were 32 minutes on the clock when Baff Addae should have levelled.

A corner was sent right underneath Hawkes' crossbar, and Addae, barely a yard out only had to tap it home, but somehow he diverted the ball away from goal instead of into the gaping net.

Five minutes later they were made to pay when Francis intercepted a ball in the middle of the park, gave it to Hutchings, who drove forward, backheeled to Simmons, who then played a lovely throughball for Kev Terry to slot past the keeper.

Francis again instigated the third goal just after the break when he made another challenge in the middle, this time he moved forward and split the defence for Hutchings to strike.

Simmons hit the bar from fully 40 yards when Tony Di Bernardo's poor kick went straight to him and the Down keeper was at full stretch to deny Terry as the Tanners turned the screw.

But late on Callum Donaghey wastefully sent an unmarked header wide and substitute, and former Tanner, Gabriel Odunaike sent a one-on-one wide of the far post as Leatherhead became the first team this season to shut Down out.

Leatherhead: Hawkes, Coyle, Pestle, Nnamani, Boulter, Francis (Brunt 71), Thompson, Simmons, Terry (Andrews 73), Hutchings, Mathias (Palfrey 36). Unused subs: Blackman, Chin.

SUTTON and East Surrey Water has become the first utility company in the world to use Google technology to help speed up repairs.

The company's workmen are being issued with tablet computers to access instant job information and maps, without the need for paperwork.

Workers will also be pinpointed on screens at the company's Redhill headquarters to give real-time information to office-based staff.

Contractor Clancy Docwra carries out the company's larger projects but there are also eight in-house teams which deal with smaller incidents.

Ian Adams, operations manager for Sutton and East Surrey Water, which provides water locally, said: "What we are looking at doing is rolling out a system of communication with the gangs.

"They are going to be given a tablet device. Through that they tell us where they are, and when they have finished with a job, they can send us pictures of what they have done. We can send them all the health and safety [such as maps outlining the locations of gas pipes or electricity cabling] instead of bits of paper flying around."

It is hoped the new software will increase efficiency and speed up reaction times.

"We are proud of the fact Google have come to us," said Mr Adams. "We are the first utility service to do it."

The new system was on show at the company's first innovation day last Thursday. Representatives from Clancy Docwra and pipe supplier Saint-Gobain PAM UK exhibited displays as part of the event, designed to help educate Sutton and East Surrey Water's 250 staff about what they do, ways to improve customer service and increase prospects for innovation in how they work.

Mr Adams said the relatively small size of the company means it is ideally placed to try new things.

"We are small, we are agile and we are proud of the fact we are that water company down the road," he added.

The water firm has been operating a rolling programme of mains replacement since the mid-1980s. It replaces about one per cent of pipe, which is between 20km and 30km, each year. It says its proactive approach has cut water leakage to one of the lowest rates in the country.

A PUBLIC library is preparing to celebrate 60 years in one of the oldest buildings in Leatherhead.

Leatherhead Library moved into Mansion House in Church Street on November 13, 1952, and staff are planning activities and events to mark the milestone.

Assistant manager Jenny Hollingshead, 51, has been at the library for 14 years and said it is still an "important hub for the local community".

"We have been here for so long and we are not going anywhere," she said. "We are still used by lots of residents and we are still so relevant to Leatherhead.

"People come here and they like the books we recommend to them. They come in for a chat, and I think in a time where libraries are always facing closures we are bucking the trend.

"I'm convinced we will be here for at least another 60 years, even if I won't be here then. This place is just too special to the town."

A building on the site of Mansion House dates back to at least 1666, when it was owned by Sir Thomas Bludworth, Lord Mayor of London during the reign of Charles II.

The current structure was built in the 18th century, and passed through various hands before being used as a school 100 years ago.

It was purchased by Surrey County Council in 1952 for £19,000, and the building was used to house the library and other services including a maternity and child welfare clinic, a canteen for schoolchildren and an ambulance station.

All but the library service remained in April 2000, when the register office moved in, forcing the library out of the main house and into an outhouse formerly used by the house's servants, where it is still based.

"It is an incredibly historic building and the library has played its part in that," said Ms Hollingshead. "It's this rich history that is going to make these anniversary celebrations so special.

"Among other things we are asking people to get involved and tell us what they remember of the library in the last 60 years, whatever those memories are.

"Some ladies have come forward and written letters about coming here to get their school dinners and to visit the dentists (part of the welfare clinic); it's made for very fascinating reading. We are also asking children to create birthday cards for the library, so please come in and join in the fun."

Local people are invited to an anniversary event on November 13, from 2 to 4pm.