Got a Story? - 01226 734262
Live music venue plans for Priory Campus [read more]
News
Litter pickers take advantage of road closure to clean up
A COMMUNITY litter-pick took place through Wombwell Woods last week in a bid to clear rubbish and fly-tipping.
The event, which took advantage of the road being closed due to resurfacing works on Wentworth Road, saw volunteers come together.
Residents joined the council’s South Area Team to pick litter and improve the cleanliness of Dovecliffe Road and the surrounding area in Wombwell Woods.
Coun James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport, told the Chronicle:...
Busy year ahead for Barnsley folk-rock band
A BARNSLEY folk-rock band are set to release their third single ahead of a festival-filled summer.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Daniel Watson from Cawthorne, Lizzie Morris, Evie Smith and Chris Reed make up Common Culture who will release their latest single ‘Taking Hold’ on Wednesday.
Dan was a member of The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican from 2014 until last year, but he has left the band to become the frontman of Common Culture.
The...
Cricket-loving Mac turns his hand to kurling
THE man at the heart of making cricket more accessible in Yorkshire has now turned to kurling - and he’s set to host the first ever game in Barnsley next month.
Mac McKechnie, 73, of Monk Bretton, came up with the idea of walking cricket in late 2018 after taking part in a walking football session at Barnsley’s U3A group.
That wasn’t for him, but he’s always had a soft spot for cricket and decided...
Appeal launched over rejected 200-home plan
AN appeal has been lodged after Barnsley Council sided with dozens of residents against the proposed construction of more than 200 new homes in Carlton.
The plans to build the 215 houses north of Shaw Lane were knocked back by Barnsley Council’s planning board last year following a number of concerns from residents.
The site consists of a 7.57-hectare area of land that forms part of MU3 and the Carlton ‘masterplan framework’.
This parcel of...
Couple share a passion for pottery
A MARRIED couple with a lifelong fairytale romance have built a career from their passion for pottery - and now have a unique opportunity to sell it at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Matt and Catherine West, originally from the town centre and Silkstone respectively, share a love story that could be turned into a film.
Meeting as teenagers, the couple travelled across the country together for university studies before settling back down in Sheffield.
Matt, 36,...
Barnsley FC
Talking points from draw with Northampton
Analysis of Barnsley's 1-1 home draw with Northampton Town. The visitors netted a last-gasp equaliser after Herbie Kane put the Reds in front.
Results elsewhere meant Barnsley finished sixth.
FLAT ENDING TO DRAMATIC LAST DAY DESPITE REACHING PLAY-OFFS
Barnsley reached the play-offs for a second successive season and are two games from Wembley, three from the Championship. But you would never have known it after the game.
Following a last-gasp equaliser which denied them...
Devaney 'delighted' with play-off place but unsure on future
Martin Devaney says ‘everyone should be delighted’ after Barnsley qualified for the League One play-offs with a 1-1 draw against Northampton Town but does not know if he will take charge for the semi-finals.
The Reds took the lead through Herbie Kane then conceded in the 94th minute, slipping down to sixth but staying in the play-off places because Blackpool and Lincoln lost.
Barnsley will now face third-placed Bolton Wanderers in the semi-final next Saturday...
Reds face Bolton in play-offs after final day draw
Barnsley finished sixth in the final League One table – and secured a play-off semi-final against Bolton Wanderers – after conceding a last-gasp leveller in a 1-1 home draw with Northampton Town on the last day.
The Reds – who sacked Neill Collins earlier in the week and put Martin Devaney in interim charge – needed to win against their mid-table visitors to guarantee a place in League One’s top six, but losses for...
BARNSLEY v NORTHAMPTON: All change for crunch game
IF OFFERED, last summer, the situation of being guaranteed fifth if they beat Northampton at home on the last final, many Barnsley fans would have taken it following a tumultuous off-season with a slew of key departures.
But no one could have imagined that they would go into the game having sacked Neill Collins days earlier following a disastrous run which took them from challenging for the top two to being in serious danger of...
All you need to know as Reds host Cobblers
A full preview of Barnsley's final league game with Northampton Town including key battles, opposition view and previous meetings.
IF HAPPENS IF.....
BARNSLEY WIN: The Reds will definitely finish fifth and take on the fourth-placed team, very likely Peterborough, in the semi-final, at home on the following Saturday evening then away on Wednesday, May 8.
BARNSLEY DRAW: The Reds will finish on 76 points so will be overtaken by any of Lincoln, Oxford...
MOST READ
Academy turns its fortunes around with ‘good’ rating
Prison manager jailed over relationship with inmate
Man jailed for engaging in sexual activity with underage Barnsley girl
Barnsley fans hoping for TV moment of fame
Kes statue group ‘distance themselves’ from new sculpture plans
Interim boss promises to ‘take shackles off’ in crucial game against Cobblers
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Schooldays ... were they the best days?
Devaney to take final league game but next week uncertain
Discarded needles hinder town centre clean-up
Live music venue plans for Priory Campus
News
Four commended for trying to save young dad’s life
FOUR selfless Barnsley residents have been commended by South Yorkshire Police after attempting to save the life of a young dad who had been stabbed.
On August 9 last year, 28-year-old dad-of-two Daniel Micska was stabbed to death by Daniel Balazs who plunged a 12cm knife into his chest on Newton Street in the town centre.
Jonathan Maw, Elaine Priestley, Gillian Austin and Michelle Dyson all came to assist Daniel as they tried to stop...
Rita Britton revives iconic fashion brand
STYLE guru Rita Britton has revived her iconic fashion brand Pollyanna - and started designing and making clothes in Barnsley again.
Rita, who opened her first fashion emporium in the town centre in 1967, has come out of semi-retirement to relaunch the brand with daughter-in-law Michelle Underwood.
This time around, the pair will focus entirely on the design and manufacture of their own collection, selling direct to Rita’s long list of loyal customers - and,...
Dan smashes £15k London Marathon target
BARNSLEY Central MP Dan Jarvis smashed his £15,000 fundraising target whilst running the London Marathon last weekend.
Dan was raising funds for Cancer Research UK, a charity close to his heart.
He said he knows from his own personal experience the ‘devastation’ cancer can cause - but he was also hoping to raise awareness about the ‘critical importance’ of early detection.
Dan aimed to raise £15,000 for the charity, and he’s now surpassed that target....
Discarded needles hinder town centre clean-up
WORK to tidy up a litter-strewn area near a town centre supermarket is stepping up.
Concerns around Morrisons, on Westway, and its surrounding areas have been brought up by local residents and shoppers.
Amid claims that the waste had attracted vermin, it’s now been confirmed that work to boost its appearance had started.
The Chronicle understands that discarded needles believed to have been involved in drug-taking have hindered progress since complaints were made in February....
Highways bosses defend crossing decision
A DECISION to remove a traffic light-controlled pedestrian crossing from a village’s busy centre - condemned by locals who blamed Barnsley Council for jeopardising shoppers’ safety - has been defended by highways bosses.
The crossing, on Barnsley Road in Cudworth, was deemed no longer necessary.
The Chronicle can reveal it will be moved elsewhere in the village to School Street, near Cherry Dale Primary, but shoppers blasted the council for removing the ‘essential feature’ from...
Sport
Rowland stays in title contention at halfway
OLIVER Rowland stayed in the mix for the Formula E title at the halfway stage in the season after the latest race in Monaco.
The 30-year-old from Penistone qualified 15th but moved up to sixth in the race so picked up eight points.
He is fourth in the standings after eight of 16 races, 14 points off the leader.
Rowland said: "It was an interesting race. I'm happy with our performance, we had solid pace and...
Bridge win final game
Worsbrough Bridge completed their NCEL Division One season with a 2-1 win at Nostell MW on Saturday.
Connor Glavin and Jack Appleyard netted either side of a home penalty.
They finished 15th with 53 points from 44 games.
Wombwell Town lost 2-0 at home to Parkgate last Thursday, with the visitors sealing the title.
Pakistan international Aziz playing for Cawthorne
Season previews with the Barnsley teams in the ECB Yorkshire Premier South and SYL Championship
CAWTHORNE
Cawthorne were relegated from the top flight in 2022 but bounced straight back last year.
They have signed Pakistan international Danish Aziz as their overseas player. He played two One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 games for his country in 2021.
They have also brought back Yorkshire fast bowler Ben Cliff who will play when not needed by the...
Barnsley hope internationals will help turn them into title challengers
BARNSLEY Woolley MW have brought in two players with international experience as they look to challenge for the league title this season.
The Shaw Laners finished third in the ECB Yorkshire Premier South last season, while also winning the league’s Twenty20 Blast for the second successive year.
They have lost captain Beck Frostick, who emigrated to Australia, and Aussie overseas star Jake Weatherald.
Liam Johnson has taken over as captain and Jacob Cumming, an...
Barnsley's 1st pro woman boxer
JAYMYLEIGH Pettinger wants to follow in her mentor’s footsteps and is now treading the exact same path.
Pettinger decided to turn professional on her 18th birthday, the earliest opportunity, just like her promoter Josh Wale did. In putting pen to paper, she became Barnsley’s first ever female professional boxer and is scheduled to make her debut at the Metrodome on June 28.
The Barnsley College sports coaching student, from Brampton, said: “It’s something I have...
News
New SEND centre to open in autumn
A NEW centre which will provide a much-needed education setting for youngsters with special needs aged between five and eight is set to open in the autumn, it was revealed this week.
Following a previous decision made by Barnsley Council’s ruling cabinet members, approval was given for the demolition of the former Stairfoot Family Centre in order to create a new facility to accommodate up to 15 children.
A key element of the local authority’s...
Hopes Monckton tipping woes are finally over
A PROBE into ‘large-scale’ fly-tipping left at a former coking plant - which saw Barnsley Council take action against the landowner when fire chiefs stepped in following a spate of arson incidents - has resulted in the site finally being cleared.
The council issued an enforcement notice against Monckton Developments in Royston following pressure from residents, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and the Environment Agency.
The notice allowed an eight-month period of time for bosses...
Report reveals why grass is greener in Barnsley
RESIDENTS in almost every area of Barnsley have better access to green spaces compared with nearly anywhere else in the country, new figures have revealed.
The Ramblers a charity for walkers researched the extent of green rights of way across England using satellite observations of land cover.
The figures show how accessible green space is in Barnsley with three of the town’s four constituencies ranking higher than almost anywhere else in the country.
The statistics...
Peggy still loves a party at 100
CENTENARIAN Margaret Riley’s face lit up when she saw her grandchildren at her 100th birthday party on Sunday.
Known to her friends and family as Peggy, the 100-year-old was thrilled with how her party at Dearne Valley Care Centre turned out.
Some of her nearest and dearest were on hand to offer their well-wishes, and the staff at the care home said her face ‘lit up’ when she saw her grandchildren.
Wendy Warburton, senior care...
‘Progress slow’ in former pit villages
SCARS in Barnsley’s former coalfield communities which remain 40 years after the miners’ strike are still impacting residents’ quality of life, a ground-breaking inquiry has concluded.
‘The State of the Coalfields 2024’ is the third report commissioned by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, following studies in 2014 and 2019.
It found that although there has been job growth in the former coalfields such as Grimethorpe, the rate of growth has been far slower than in villages...
Barnsley FC
'Fantastic opportunity' for Devaney after 'no win situation' last time
Martin Devaney says he is a far better coach than when he was last caretaker for Barnsley games in a ‘no win situation' whereas he has now been given a ‘fantastic opportunity.’
Devaney was caretaker for the final three games of the 2021/22 season after the Reds had been relegated from the Championship – exactly two years ago. He has since been a first team coach under Michael Duff last season then Neill Collins this...
Connell likely to return and focused only on 3 points
Luca Connell looks likely to return from injury for Barnsley’s final league game of the season, with nothing more than three points and a play-off place on his mind.
The midfielder, who starred last season for the Reds, has missed chunks of this campaign with illness and injury – the latest being a slight groin problem which ruled him out of the last three matches. It is not 100 per cent definite that he will...
Reds focus on Northampton after 'massive shock' of sacking
Barnsley's interim coach Martin Devaney and player Luca Connell say Neill Collins’ sacking this week was a shock but they are focusing on reaching the play-offs tomorrow.
Collins was dismissed with a game remaining in the season, which the Reds need to win against Northampton to guarantee a place in the top six.
Devaney, who was Collins’ assistant, said: “As a colleague, I worked really well with Neill this year and it’s always disappointing to...
Ex Red and Cobbler Reid hoping for home victory
FORMER Barnsley captain Paul Reid is hoping they win the battle of his former clubs tomorrow and has backed former team-mate Martin Devaney to take his opportunity as interim boss.
Former defender Reid played for both the Reds – who need a win to guarantee a place in the League One play-offs – and their mid-table visitors Northampton Town.
Reid told the Chronicle: “I will have my Barnsley hat on for this game.
“I loved...
Interim boss promises to ‘take shackles off’ in crucial game against Cobblers
MARTIN Devaney has promised attacking football and to ‘take the shackles off’ when he oversees Barnsley’s vital final league game at home to Northampton Town from 12.30pm tomorrow.
The fifth-placed Reds will reach the play-offs with a win but anything else could see them finish as low as eighth.
The Cobblers are 14th, 15 points clear of the relegation zone and 15 off the top six.
Jon Brady’s side were promoted from League Two last...
News
GP recruitment must match house building
A UNION which represents the town’s doctors said there is ‘little point’ in seeing through plans to build thousands of new homes in Barnsley over the next decade - unless provisions are in place to boost the amount of GPs available.
The British Medical Association (BMA) say the town’s GPs already face unmanageable workloads without the 21,000 extra homes which are pencilled in up to 2033.
On average, each fully qualified GP in the town...
Big push to reduce vaping and smoking
A MAJOR public health intervention which will prevent youngsters from buying cigarettes and vapes has been backed by a Barnsley MP who hopes the move will reduce the town’s rising addiction rates.
A vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill took place in Parliament on Tuesday, which makes it an offence to sell tobacco-based products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
It also aims to make vapes less appealing to children after...
London Marathon couple in Top 50 double
GARETH Cooke and Naomi Drakeford might just be the country’s fastest couple after the duo both finished in the top 50 at the London Marathon on Sunday.
The pair, both 30 and living in Wilthorpe, run for Barnsley Athletics Club during the week and admit the household is very competitive. And after Gareth’s personal best of 2-24-35 which earned him 48th place and Naomi’s local record of 2-46-50 which meant she was the 25th women...
George Orwell‘s stay in Barnsley marked by plaque
A BLUE plaque commemorating George Orwell’s Barnsley links is set to be unveiled to the public later today - much to the delight of those at the Barnsley Civic Trust who have worked tirelessly to ensure the event goes ahead.
Orwell stayed in Barnsley during 1936 to see for himself the living conditions of working class people.
He stayed on Agnes Terrace - which runs between Day Street and Pond Street, off Agnes Road -...
Academy turns its fortunes around with ‘good’ rating
OFSTED inspectors have handed a ‘good’ rating to Netherwood Academy.
The secondary school, in Wombwell, has been given the education watchdog’s second-highest mark having been told it required improvement just three years ago.
Inspectors highlighted that the school is ‘determined to improve the life chances of its pupils’ and commended the leadership at Netherwood, which is under the wing of the Astrea Academy Trust.
Ofsted also found that staff are ‘extremely positive’ about th
Sport
Trebles for Dawson and Neesam lead Pogmoor under 13s to 7-2 victory
JACK Dawson and Max Neesam scored hat-tricks in Pogmoor under 13s’ 7-2 home win over Porter.
Hassan Gulzar got the other goal.
Dodworth under 13s won 3-0 at Redfearns. Kody Bettley, Filip Obara and Jack Stead scored.
Penistone Church under 13s beat Westfield 8-0. The scorers were Joshua Foulkes, twice, Kiran Trepiana, Owen Moxon, Harry Siddall, Riley Town, twice, and Finn Pepper.
Staincross under 13s won 3-1 over Brampton. Aaron Brown scored once and Jack...
Dearne 4 points from title
DEARNE and District need four points from their last two games to guarantee the Central Midlands League title.
Dearne won 3-0 at third-placed Dinnington Town on Saturday.
Bayley Lowe, Shay Evans-Booth and Brandon Burke scored.
They then won 4-0 at home to Woodhouse Colts on Tuesday.
Curtis Wilkinson, Lowe, Burke and Lance Friedrich scored.
That left them nine points clear at the with two games to play.
Second-placed Doncaster City have four games left.
Elite...
Dearne win opening game 32-22
DEARNE Valley Bulldogs won 32-22 at home to Farnley Falcons in Division Five of the Yorkshire League.
The tries were scored by L Walters, J Duggan, J Williams, E Burrows, twice, and S Holt.
S. Shaw kicked four conversions.
They now host Lindley St Joseph’s on Saturday.
Dodworth lost 31-12 at home to Bramley Buffalos in Yorkshire Division Three.
They are now due to host York Acorn on Friday.
Rycroft Hammers are due to start...
Liana and Nieve hat-tricks in 9-1 final win
BARNSLEY under 15s beat Penistone Church Black 9-1 in the Shield final.
Liana Stenson and Nieve Cropper hit hat-tricks with Madison Woollands adding two and Ava-Rose McMahon one.
Penistone Church under 15s Whites won 7-1 at Sheffield United Community.
Libby Silverwood and Olivia-Rose Walker bagged braces with Erin Allott, Hattie Tomlinson and Megan Watt also on target.
Pogmoor under 13s won 8-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
Dearne and District under 13s beat Charnock Ridgeway
Barnsley one, two in Barnsley race
THERE was a Barnsley one, two at the latest race in the Proper Northern Road Race Series in Oakenclough.
Damien Clayton, from Cawthorne, continued his excellent form with another win.
The runner-up was Jenson Young from Hemingfield.
Meanwhile, Imogen Wolff from Silkstone Common was fourth at the Gent-Wevelgem One Day Race in Belgium.