FOOTBALL: The Crows started the month with a 1-0 victory against Norwich United in the FA Vase, thanks to a Richard Dove goal in what proved to be striker Joff Dobson s last game before retirement. However, that was as good as it got for Mark Saggers te

FOOTBALL: The Crows started the month with a 1-0 victory against Norwich United in the FA Vase, thanks to a Richard Dove goal in what proved to be striker Joff Dobson's last game before retirement.

However, that was as good as it got for Mark Saggers' team as they lost their next four games.

Three straight league defeats were capped by a 7-0 drubbing at Welwyn Garden City, before a fighting performance at Wootton Blue Cross saw them go out of the Vase with a 2-1 defeat in a game they finished with 10 men after keeper Barry White was dismissed for dissent.

SWIMMING: Royston coach Tricia Dear had hopes that as many as five children could fight their way into the Hertfordshire county squad next year.

Dear says she is delighted with the performances of a small group of swimmers aged between 10 and 15 and hopes that several will progress through the county trials in March.

"We haven't had many Royston swimmers make the county squad in recent years," said Dear, who also coaches the mid-Bedfordshire elite squad.

"But I want as many youngsters as possible in the county championships in 2006.

"We have a few who are recording qualifying times and who are showing a lot of potential.

"And I'm hopeful that we may get five - a mixture of boys and girls - in the squad."

ATHLETICS: Eighteen members of the newly-formed Royston Crows Athletics Club took part in their first cross-country race.

Youngsters, ranging from nine to 14, competed in the highly competitive Chiltern Cross-Country League race, in Watford, on Saturday, with promising results.

In the under-11 age group, Sophie Jones came a creditable 13th, backed up by Sophie Clarke (21st) and Rebecca O'Sullivan (24th) to take the team to third place in Division Two.

Fine runs were also recorded by Dustan Hone and Matthew Clarke (21st and 22nd), with Phillip Shipsey bringing the team into fifth place in the under-13s.

Other notable performances include Toby Hone and James O'Sullivan, who finished 12th and 15th respectively in the under-15 event.

Club coach Chris Madwell said: "The performances and turnout was fantastic, considering how new the club is and that this was the first race for many of the youngsters."

FOOTBALL: Tim Jarman's 73rd-minute goal was enough to send Buntingford Town into the final qualifying round of the FA Youth Cup.

Jarman's strike gave Town a 1-0 win against Henley Town, and the same player was on target as they won 1-0 in the final qualifying round game against Rothwell Corinthians to set up a trip to Aldershot.

BASKETBALL: Two Royston boys, Tom Higton and Robbie Connell, were celebrating after being selected to represent the East of England Region at the English Schools Inter-Regional basketball competition.

Both boys started playing basketball while at Greneway School, Royston.

They practice with Corvus Cornix Basketball Club, at Royston Leisure Centre, and play in the Essex and Herts Leopards' under-14 national league team at Wodson Park, Ware.

Meanwhile, Tom's 15-year-old sister, Emma, has been selected for the Cambridgeshire under-16 county netball squad.

Emma, who plays for Royston Netball Club's Premier Division team, fought off strong competition to gain her place in the squad.