Strike Factory

I have decided to back down from the Seagulls Nest website of Rivals.net, due to my college work getting more demanding and on the advice of tutor Carole Gray. I have passed on the role to Dave Bevan, if he wants it. Thanks for the support and experience anyway Trevor Kramer and co at Rivals.net

Firstly an update on my international Brighton and Hove Challenge, there is also a New Brighton in the North of England, near Liverpool, that even had a Football League team in the early 20th Century, so looks like this will be the place I will start off the Challenge.

I have decided to then focus, on the Hoves in Belgium and Germany, which is likely to involve a weekend at the nearby major citys of Antwerp and Hamburg over the summer, then if I save up the money I will attempt to visit the Brighton in Ontario, Canada possibly in the company of the legendary Scott McCarthy, so McCarthy Industries look keen on the mission as well. The rest of the visits are yet to be decided but its likely it will be one Brighton and one Hove in USA, Australia and New Zealand. Don't think the Hove Festival in Norway is going to be likely as it is more of a festival and not really a place (no offence to any Norwegians who happen to read this weblog I love you people and your country really). So thats how things are looking regarding the Challenge.

Meanwhile me, Sam Page, Neil Sonsthagen, Annie Hawkins, and Jav Cassim, braved the cramped classroom to put together a impressive presentation on the US Slave Trade at Haywards Heath College, despite the projector not working, well done guys and girls.

On Saturday, following the dismal Albion draw against Huddersfield, I attended Brett Mendozas, and Megan Bassfords fundraising do at the Duke of Wellington, where there was plenty of drinks, conversation and lovely girls. Although I proved to be useless at betting on horse racing, and will stay clear of that industry from now on.

The highlights were the antics of me and Mr James Luckin with the latter sticking some pound notes in a girls cleverage. Meanwhile instead of me using a Jukebox, to churn out the likes of the Human League, and Kylie, a trio of local Brightonian girls were willing to sing for the males, with me donating them a few quid for their effects, and also having a photo of me taken alongside them.

Meanwhile I would like to welcome Dave Bevan to Rivals.net, sorry about the website problems. I will email you some information soon, and aim to make the BHA Rivals.net website the best in town. Dave Bevan actully lived on the same street as me in the Broadfield area of Crawley between 1986-97, and although we are both BHA supporters we have never met, until now.

Finally, I am off to watch Darren Emerson of Underworld perform at Concorde 2 tomorrow, which should be fun watching one former member of my fave childhood dance groups Underworld in action. Then a busy weekend of homework and tidying up my room.

P.S Happy birthday brother Daniel Ball who is 18 today. Hope you are chuffed about Spurs! 

A week and a half of busy college work and the frustration of getting a joint editor sorted out for the Rivals.net website has led to me being late updating this website. Anyway following Albions disapointing defeat, an intresting conversation developed between Charles Ball, Steve Valder, and Ben Miller at the Duke of Wellington, where I mentioned that I plan to eventully visit all the Brightons and Hoves around the world, originally it was going to be all places with Sussex names but I have scaled down to visit the Brightons of the world, not forgetting the Hoves.

Well here is all the Hoves in the world courtesy of Wikipedia

Hove can refer to

Hove, a former town (now part of a larger city) in England

• Hove Festival, a music festival in Norway
• Hove, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium
• Hove, South Australia, a suburb in Adelaide, Australia
• a part of a small German city, Jork
• Hove Mobile Park, North Dakota

The Brightons are starting with the Australian ones

• Brighton, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
• Brighton, South Australia, a coastal suburb of Adelaide
• Brighton, Tasmania
• Brighton, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
• Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
• Canada
• Brighton, Ontario
• New Zealand 
• Brighton, Otago
• America
• Brighton, Alabama
• Brighton, Colorado
• Brighton, Illinois
• Brighton Park, Chicago, Illinois
• Brighton, Indiana
• Brighton, Iowa
• Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts, a section of the city of Boston
• Brighton Plantation, Maine
• Brighton, Michigan
• Brighton, Missouri
• Brighton, New York
  • Brighton, Monroe County, New York
  • Brighton, Franklin County, New York
  • Brighton, Syracuse
  • also see Brighton Beach
• Brighton, Ohio
• Brighton, Tennessee
• Brighton, Vermont
• Brighton, Wisconsin
  • Brighton, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
  • Brighton, Marathon County, Wisconsin
• Brighton Ski Resort, Utah
• Brighton High School (Utah)

I wonder if I seriously will be able to visit all these Brighton and Hoves, I might try and visit one in each country to make it easier. With a special report on each one for this site and possibly even a book, anyones intrested in sponsoring me on this obsecure quest, let me know.

I am meanwhile getting the final photos of my fashion guide for 2008 ready which will show up in the next month. Work depending.