June 2005 in Britain and Ireland

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"This page deals with current events in the English-speaking places of Europe. These are England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and Gibraltar."

30 June 2005

* In Scotland, Western Isles Council approves plans to build a large wind farm in North Lewis [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4635897.stm (BBC)] [http://heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=720862005 (Scotsman]
*Tennis: Rain disrupted today's Women's Semi-Final at the Wimbledon Championships. Play didn't start until after 5pm when it should have began at 1pm. Despite the delay fans were treated with 2 superb matches. In a shockingly powerful performance Venus Williams (seeded 14th) beat the reigning champion Maria Sharapova in straight sets, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1. The win was highly unexpected but the match was considered some of the best Tennis from the ladies all season. In Court 1 Lindsay Davenport faced Amélie Mauresmo in an equally highly entertaining match. In the middle of the 3rd set it began to rain and so the match was left at 7-6 6-7 5-3 to Davenport. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport (BBC Sport)]

29 June 2005

* Giant sudoku puzzle appears near Bristol, England [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/4634471.stm (BBC)]
*Tennis: In today's Wimbledon men's quarterfinals, defending champion Roger Federer beat Chilean Fernando González in straight sets 7-5 6-2 7-6(2). Andy Roddick also made it through to the final four after beating Sebastien Grosjean in a tough but exhilarating five-set thriller 3-6 6-2 6-1 3-6 6-3. Meanwhile Australian Lleyton Hewitt saw off Feliciano Lopez in straight sets 7-5 6-4 7-6(2) and finally Thomas Johansson reached his first ever Wimbledon semi-final by seeing off David Nalbandian in straight sets 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport (BBC Sport)]

28 June 2005

* Garda Siochána (Irish police) dig up a garden in a Dublin suburb to search for the remains of a baby murdered in the 1970s. The child's mother states that she became pregnant twice, aged 11 and 15, as a result of incest. On both occasions her family murdered her newborn child. One of the two murdered children was found dumped on a Dún Laoghaire street in 1973. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0628/dalkey.html (RTÉ)]
* In the Solent, Queen Elizabeth II conducts a Fleet Review of 167 naval, merchant and tall ships from Britain and 35 other nations to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Ironically, the largest ship in attendance is the French aircraft carrier, "Charles de Gaulle". Naval vessels from as far away as Japan and South Korea are in attendance. The tall ships will conduct a re-enactment of a Napoleonic War naval battle later in the day. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4627453.stm (BBC)]
*Tennis: Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport and Amélie Mauresmo are all in the Wimbledon semi-finals after they saw off stiff competition respectively in today's Quarter Finals. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/ (BBC Sport)]
*Cricket: Rain stopped play six overs into England's run-chase in the NatWest Series match against Australia. Play was stopped a couple of times before that as well, but eventually - with England 37-1 - the match was declared a no-result. England's bowling restricted the Australian score to 261-9. Darren Gough claimed three late wickets among five falling for 30 runs. Andrew Symonds had the top-score with 74, putting on 101 with Mike Hussey (45). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/ (BBC Sport)]
*Rugby union: The British and Irish Lions score the first truly convincing win of their current tour of New Zealand, destroying National Provincial Championship Division Two team Manawatu 109-6. Wales international Shane Williams equals a Lions record with five tries. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/4627545.stm (BBC)]
*Politics: The Identity Cards Bill passes its second reading in the House of Commons, although with a reduced majority of 31. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4632299.stm (BBC)]

25 June 2005

*Rugby union: In the first Test match of the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, the Lions are comprehensively beaten 21-3 in Christchurch by the All Blacks. Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll suffers a dislocated shoulder less than two minutes in, ending his tour, and fellow Lion Richard Hill is also injured. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/4618309.stm (BBC)]

24 June 2005

* The Irish Republican Army apologises unreservedly to the family of 14-year old Kathleen Feeney, whom it shot dead in Derry in November 1973. The IRA had previously blamed the British Army for the killing. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4618125.stm (BBC)] , [http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0624/ira.html (RTE)]

23 June 2005

* In the United Kingdom, Prince William graduates from St Andrews University [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4120776.stm (BBC)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/4123646.stm (BBC "slideshow")] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1513392,00.html (Guardian Unlimited)] [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8872095 (Reuters)]

21 June 2005

* At Stonehenge in England, some 19,000 people gather to celebrate the rising sun on the summer solstice.
* Clearup operation continues in North Yorkshire after the serious flash flooding on Sunday Night / Monday Morning. The towns of Thirsk, Helmsley and Hawnby were seriously affected, as were several villages when the rivers Swale and Rye burst their banks.
* In Manchester, UK, 30 police raid a house at 5 a.m. and arrest a 40-year old man on suspicion of involvement in suicide bombings in Iraq. Another man resident in the same house is believed to have gone to Iraq in February to carry out a bombing. Last week, police in Spain and Germany also made arrests in connection with bombings in Iraq, but it is not known if the cases are related. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4113846.stm (BBC)]
*Cricket: England (391-4, Paul Collingwood 112 not out and 6-31, Andrew Strauss 152) beat Bangladesh (223 all out) by 168 runs, as England set the second highest One-day International score ever, and Collingwood became the first to score a century and take a six-wicket-haul in the same match. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4111184.stm BBC]

20 June 2005

* British Potato Council demonstrates for the removal of the term "couch potato" from the Oxford English Dictionary because potatoes are "inherently healthy" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4108964.stm (BBC)] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1510150,00.html (Guardian Unlimited)]

19 June 2005

*In the United Kingdom, flash flooding severely affected several North Yorkshire villages and towns, including Thirsk, Helmsley and Hawnby, when the rivers Swale and Rye burst their banks.
* Cricket: England (253 for 7, Kevin Pietersen 91 not out) beat Australia (252-9) by 3 wickets to hand Australia their second defeat in two days, and their fourth consecutive loss to England in all competitions. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4106312.stm (BBC)]

17 June 2005

* In the United Kingdom, the Ugandan-born bishop of Birmingham Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu is named the new Archbishop of York. He is the first ever black person to be appointed an Archbishop of the Church of England. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4102582.stm (BBC)] [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-06-17T085010Z_01_SCH731728_RTRUKOC_0_RELIGION-BRITAIN.xml (Reuters)]

16 June 2005

* A report by the Metropolitan Police in the UK states that children are being trafficked into the UK from Africa to be used as 'human sacrifices'. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4098172.stm (BBC)] , [http://www.guardian.co.uk/child/story/0,7369,1508539,00.html (Guardian)]
* A Jewish cemetery in West Ham has been attacked. This was the 117th time a Jewish cemetery in Great Britain has been attacked in 15 years. [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=647203 (The Independent)]
* Cricket: England (192 for 0, Trescothick 100*, Strauss 82*) beat Bangladesh (190, Aftab 51) by ten wickets in the first match of the NatWest Series at the Oval. [http://uk.cricinfo.com/natwestseries/content/story/211245.html (Wisden Cricinfo)]

14 June 2005

* George Best, the former Manchester United star from Northern Ireland, has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of indecently assaulting a young girl. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/4090216.stm (BBC)]
* A TNS/MRBI Irish Times opinion poll predicts that Ireland, previously seen as certain to vote "yes", is likely to vote "no" in its planned referendum on the European Constitution. Only 30% of voters indicated that they would vote for the constitution, the lowest level in any country in the European Union to date. [http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=654732005 (The Scotsman)]

11 June 2005

*Boxing: Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson quits his fight with little-regarded Kevin McBride after six rounds, giving the large Irishman an unexpected victory. [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2083237 ESPN]

10 June 2005

*Football: UEFA grants special dispensation to allow 2005 UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool to enter the 2005-06 Champions League in the first qualifying round. The position of the other four English entries in the draw for the competition will not be affected. [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=335286&cc=5739 (ESPN Soccernet)]

8 June 2005

*Football:
**2005 UEFA Women's Championship:
***Denmark 2-1 host England [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/WOCO/FixturesResults/Round=1929/Match=80074/index.html (UEFA.com)]

5 June 2005

* Rugby union:
** In their North American tour, Wales defeats the USA in East Hartford, Connecticut by a record 77 points to 3, despite two-thirds of their regular team being unavailable through being on the British and Irish Lions team currently touring New Zealand. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/4611059.stm (BBC)]

* 2005 English cricket season:
**Bangladesh Tour, 2nd Test:
***England (447 for 3 declared, Ian Bell 162*, Marcus Trescothick 151, Graham Thorpe 66*) beat Bangladesh (104, Steve Harmison 5/38, and 316, Aftab Ahmed 82*, Javed Omar 71, Habibul Bashar 63, Matthew Hoggard 5 for 73) by an innings and 27 runs to win the second Test at Riverside, Chester-le-Street. England win the two-Test series 2-0 to cement their ranking as the second-best Test team in the world. Bangladesh remain tenth.
**Australian Tour of England:
***The Australian team has landed in England to start their tour of England
**National League, Division One:
***The match between Glamorgan (2pts) and Nottinghamshire (2pts) is abandoned without a ball being bowled
**National League, Division Two:
* Boxing:
**Ricky Hatton defeats Kostya Tszyu to become the new IBF Light Welterweight champion of the world at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. Tszyu was behind on the cards of all three judges when he failed to answer the bell for the 12th, and final, round. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/4610645.stm (BBC)]
* Football (soccer):
** Women's Euro 2005
*** Sweden and Denmark battle to a 1-1 draw in the opening match at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/4612067.stm (BBC)]
*** In the day's second match, a competition-record crowd of 29,092 at the City of Manchester Stadium watches England defeat Finland 3-2 in a match in the same group. The Finns came back from 0-2 at half-time to tie the match 2-2 when Laura Kalmari scored with two minutes to go, but England's 17-year-old striker Karen Carney scored the decisive goal in injury time. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/4612135.stm (BBC)]

4 June 2005

* 2005 English cricket season:
**Bangladesh Tour, 2nd Test:
***Ian Bell becomes the first Englishman since Les Ames 70 years ago to score 100 runs in a Test match before lunch
**County Championship, Division One:
***Sussex (12pts) drew with Glamorgan (8pts)
***Hampshire (17pts) beat Nottinghamshire (4pts) by 14 runs
***Surrey (10pts) drew with Warwickshire (8pts)
**County Championship, Division Two:
***Derbyshire (11pts) drew with Essex (9pts)
***Lancashire (7pts) drew with Northamptonshire (7pts)
***Leicestershire (10pts) drew with Somerset (7pts)
***Worcestershire (9pts) drew with Durham (9pts)
* Football (soccer):
**2006 World Cup European qualifying
*** Israel come from behind to draw 2-2 with Ireland at Lansdowne Road in a bad-tempered match. Five Israeli players were given yellow cards, as was one Irish player while another Irish player, Andy O'Brien was sent off. [http://breakingnews.iol.ie/sport/story.asp?j=62119588&p=6zyy989x&n=62119968&t=soccer (IOL)]
*Rugby union:
**The British and Irish Lions win the first match of their tour to New Zealand, defeating Bay of Plenty 34-20 in Rotorua. Experienced England back-rower Lawrence Dallaglio suffers a serious ankle injury, ending his tour. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/4602843.stm (BBC)]

3 June 2005

*2005 English cricket season:
**County Championship, Division One:
***Kent (18pts) beat Gloucestershire (3pts) by 7 wickets. Kent are deducted 8pts for preparing a poor pitch
**MCC University matches:
***Cambridge UCCE beat Middlesex by 2 wickets
***Yorkshire beat Bradford/Leeds UCCE by 5 wickets

1 June 2005

*Football:
**An independent commission charged by the English Premier League with investigating the alleged "tapping up" of Arsenal defender Ashley Cole by Chelsea issues its findings. Cole, Chelsea, and Chelsea manager José Mourinho are all found guilty. Cole is fined £100,000, Mourinho £200,000, and Chelsea £300,000. Chelsea also receive a suspended three-point deduction for 2005-06, which will be assessed if they commit another tapping-up offence in the 2005-06 season. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/4596209.stm (BBC)]