Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

The Orlando City Lions look to cement their place at the top of the USL PRO standings with two back-to-back games against very different opponents. The Dayton Dutch Lions come to Orlando tomorrow before City heads up to Charleston for Saturday’s clash with division rival Charleston Battery.

Wins in both matches would put the Lions an amazing 19 points clear of 3rd place in the American Division. First up for City is National Division foe Dayton. The expansion Dutch Lions have struggled to find their footing this season, having won just once in thirteen matches. The two Lion clubs squared off in early May in Dayton. A Max Griffin goal in the 28th minute was all Orlando needed for the victory. Part of Dayton’s struggles can be attributed to not playing a home game since June 4. The Dutch Lions do not play their next home game until July 23, making it nearly two months on the road for Dayton.

Orlando has seen its share of road games as well, playing its last six matches, including U.S. Open Cup play, away from the Citrus Bowl. Orlando is also looking to win its first home match since May 25th, having earned just one of a possible six points in their last two home matches. With Charleston perceived as the stronger opponent, some have speculated that Head Coach Adrian Heath would rest some starters against Dayton due to the lack of recovery time between matches. That will not happen.

“We’re going with our full starting line-up,” said Heath. “We want to make sure we get three points at home. Our fans deserve it.” Friday’s match with Dayton is the second of three Orlando City matches to be broadcast on Brighthouse Sports Network. Jeff Radcliffe will provide play-by-play with former USL A-League player Eddie Rodriguez providing commentary. Brighthouse Sports Network can be found on channel 47 or 1147 (HD) on the Brighthouse cable network. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.

The match against Dayton is also Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the Citrus Bowl. The Lions will wear special pink jerseys for the match. All of the jerseys are being auctioned off to benefit Women Playing for T.I.M.E, a local Orlando breast cancer charity. Special pink-themed concessions and merchandise will also be available with all proceeds going directly to Women Playing for T.I.M.E.

Right after tomorrow’s match, Orlando will travel to Charleston for their first regular season clash with the Battery. The two sides last met on June 21st in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. The Lions emerged victorious, 1-0 on a Rob Valentino goal in the 39th minute. Saturday’s match is the first of three regular season games between Orlando and Charleston. The Battery will come to Orlando for a two game series in early August.

Charleston enters the match 1-1-1 since the Open Cup match against City. Their last match was a scoreless draw with the LA Blues at home. Saturday is game three of a four game home stand for the Battery. Charleston is 5-3-2 in all competitions at Blackbaud Stadium this season. The club has struggled to score at home as of late, netting just one goal in their last four home matches against USL PRO competition. By contrast, Orlando has scored seven goals in their last four matches against USL PRO competition. Kickoff in Charleston is set for 7 pm. The game will be shown on USLLive.com.

The trip to Charleston also marks the last road match of the season for Orlando City. All remaining matches will be at home, beginning with next Saturday’s nationally televised match against the Rochester Rhinos on FOX Soccer Channel. Note, due to FOX Soccer Channel’s broadcast schedule, the match will kick off at 6:30 pm, not the usual 7:30 pm kickoff.

Close on the heels of these matches are the Lions impending friendlies against English Premier League sides Bolton Wanderers on July 17th and Newcastle United on July 23rd. Tickets for both matches are still available and start at just $25. For more information, call 855-ORL- CITY today!

Proposed Line-up (unofficial): GK: Miguel Gallardo DF: Erik Ustruck, Demar Stewart, Rob Valentino, Michael Tetteh MF: Kevin Molino, Yordany Alvarez, Lawrence Olum, Lewis Neal FW: Jamie Watson, Max Griffin

Subs: Sean Kelley, Kieron Bernard, Mechack Jerome, Luke Boden, Charlie Campbell, Dennis Chin, Devorn Jorsling

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St. George Parish, Antigua – Orlando City avenged their only home loss of the season with a dominating 3-1 road victory over American Division rivals Antigua Barracuda FC Friday night in St. George Parish, Antigua. The win moves the Lions to 9-2-4 on the season, keeping City at the top of the league.

Orlando City began the match quickly and in dominating fashion. After a wide shot in the opening 30 seconds, City pressed hard in the attack. Erik Ustruck hit the crossbar in 5th minute for the first real scoring chance of the night for the Lions, but the rebound was corralled by the Antigua keeper. City continued to press in attack, completely controlling the flow of the game.

Orlando’s efforts were rewarded in the 17th minute. Lewis Neal took a short corner, and then placed a secondary cross into the mixer. Several headers kept the ball alive in the box until 6’3” Rob Valentino rose above the crowd to finally knock the ball into the net. Valentino also scored the game winner on Tuesday night in US Open Cup play in Charleston. Knowing one goal would not be enough, the Lions pushed on and just five minutes later, City doubled their lead. Kevin Molino placed a cross low and across the goal, to find Max Griffin for his league-leading ninth goal of the season.

Antigua struck back quickly, when Orlando Mitchum broke away on a loose ball and put it past Gallardo. City regained control of the match, allowing the game to settle 2-1 at the halfway mark. Orlando came out blazing in the second half, with attack after attack. The Barracudas could not maintain possession, due in part to the strong play of Lawrence Olum and Eric Ustruck in the central midfield.

The Lions closed the match out in the 61st minute on corner kick. Lewis Neal expertly placed the ball at the back post, finding Luke Boden for his first goal of the season. Neal’s service had such a curve that it nearly went in the net untouched. The Lions closed out the game by maintaining possession as they had all game.

In the closing minutes, Orlando’s Demar Stewart was shown red for dissent. He will miss the next match as a result and after weathering a late surge of kitchen sink attacks by the Barracudas, the Lions emerged with a 3-1 victory. Next up for the Lions the second game of the two match set with Antigua. Kickoff is set for 5:00 pm at Sticky Wicket Stadium. The match will be broadcast on USLLive.com, the official online video channel of USL PRO.

For more information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com.

After the finishing business in Antigua, the Lions will travel to Frisco, Texas, to face Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. The match will be broadcast on FCDallas.com.

Scoring Summary:

17th Minute – Orlando: Rob Valentino

22nd Minute – Orlando: Max Griffin (Kevin Molino)

25th Minute – Antigua: Orlando Mitchum

61st Minute – Orlando: Luke Boden (Lewis Neal)

Orlando City Line-up GK: Miguel Gallardo D: Mechack Jerome, Demar Stewart, Rob Valentino, Jack Traynor M: Kevin Molino (59’ – Charlie Campbell), Lawerence Olum, Erik Ustruck, Luke Boden (89’ – Justin Fojo) F: Lewis Neal (71’ – Devorn Jorsling (89’ – Kieron Bernard), Max Griffin (85’ – Dennis Chin)

Tough weather and tough luck lead to a 1-1 draw in Orlando City’s first ever nationally televised game against the Wilmington Hammerheads.  6,923 fans braved the nearly 30 mile per hour winds to see the third largest crowd of the season, one that surpassed Major League Soccer’s New England/Toronto match on Wednesday night.

Orlando City kicked off the match hesitant in their play due to severe winds but settled after the opening 10 minutes.  The Lions were also playing with an altered line-up as they were missing several key starters due to suspensions and visa issues.  This gave reserves Charlie Campbell, Wes Allen, and Dennis Chin a chance for playing time with the rest of the regular starters.  Allen’s time was unfortunately short-lived as he suffered a leg injury in the 36^th minute, opening up an opportunity for fellow reserve defender Kieron Bernard.

The Lions attacked hard but came up short trying to send the ball to Max Griffin and Devorn Jorsling.  The wind continued to cause havoc with City’s play style, knocking the ball around in unpredictable ways.  The two forwards demonstrated strong passion to score, but were continuously shut down by the wind and Wilmington defense.

The Lions appeared to be one touch shy of a goal as the offense became frustrated in their attack. Max Griffin, Devorn Jorsling, Kevin Molino, and Erik Ustruck all took shots on goal that flew just wide or soared barely over the crossbar.  Orlando and Wilmington battled back and forth for the remainder of the half and demonstrated aggressive play that resulted in a collection of fouls for each team.  The half concluded scoreless.

The Lions sprang to life to start the second half and really began to threaten the Hammerhead defense.  Celebration erupted in the 54^th minute as Orlando City forward Devorn Jorsling scored his first goal of the regular season (pictured above…click to enlarge).  Jorsling struck a powerful shot from about 25 yards outside the goal, capitalizing on the momentum from his two-goal performance in Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match.

The Lions continued to ignite in their attack as they gained momentum from Jorsling’s spectacular goal.  Campbell, Yordany Alvarez, and Lawrence Olum controlled the midfield while Griffin and Jorsling worked together with them on the attack. In the 74^th minute, Orlando City substituted Max Griffin for Dennis Chin.  Chin’s fresh energy and enthusiasm created a new spark for the Orlando offense.

Unfortunately, the Hammerheads were not settling for a shutout as forward Andriy Budnyy scored a goal in the 84^th minute.  Luke Mulholland’s cross was deflected by Lion defender Kieron Bernard and into the air.  Budnyy received the ball in the 18-yard box and had barely enough time to set up for the shot as he blasted the ball through the legs of Orlando City defender Jack Traynor and the diving hands of Miguel Gallardo.  Both sides fought hard for a go-ahead goal, but could not find the final ball.  The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

“I think we played well but we got too comfortable with the lead at the end of the game,” said Charlie Campbell. “We had a couple mental lapses at the end and broke down defensively and I think that’s what cost us the goal and cost us the two points for that game. I’m disappointed that we lost the other point due to mental errors.  There’s always going to be adversity in the season and it’s how you overcome that adversity. It takes a whole team effort.”

Next up for the Lions is the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.  City travels to Charleston to face fellow USL PRO side Charleston Battery.  A win will advance the Lions to the final 16 of the Open Cup.  They will face FC Dallas in the third round.

Team                                                    1st          2nd        Final

Orlando City                                       0              1              1

Wilmington Hammerheads            0              1              1

Scoring Summary

54^th Minute – Orlando: Devorn Jorsling

84^th Minute – Wilmington: Andriy Budnyy (Luke Mulholland)

Orlando City Line-up

GK: Miguel Gallardo

D: Jack Traynor, Demar Stewart, Wes Allen (36’ – Kieron Bernard), Erik Ustruck

M: Yordany Alvarez, Lawerence Olum, Charlie Campbell, Kevin Molino

F: Devorn Jorsling, Max Griffin (74’ – Dennis Chin)

This Saturday’s match for Orlando City vs. the Wilmington Hammerheads is the club’s first ever nationally televised game. FOX Soccer Channel has chosen this game as the USL PRO Game of the Week and calling all the action will be the voice of USL, Kenn Tomasch, alongside USL National Technical Director Peter Mellor, who will provide color commentary.   Tomasch is a veteran of many USL broadcasts in previous years, and also serves as host of “USL Breakaway Magazine,” a monthly 30-minute highlight and feature show also seen on FOX Soccer.  The first episode of this season’s edition of Breakaway will precede the match broadcast.

Mellor has been a staff coach with the United States Soccer Federation since 1992 and was a professional goalkeeper for two decades, primarily in the English Premier League.  He manages the technical aspects of USL’s player development programs and combines, and assists USL teams in scouting, development and advancement of players.

The match itself promises to be an exciting one.  Orlando and Wilmington met just two weeks ago in Wilmington.  After falling behind 2-1 in the first half, Orlando City roared back with three second-half goals to earn a 4-2 victory.  Both teams won their U.S. Open Cup matches last night by a 4-0 scoreline.

There’s some bad news for Orlando though as the USL has handed down discipline for the physical altercation at midfield in last week’s match against Antigua Barracuda FC.  Two Orlando City players have been suspended for their role in the incident that started when City defender Rob Valentino was taken down from behind by Lawson Robinson.  Valentino popped up and confronted Robinson, only to take a punch.  Valentino retaliated, resulting in both teams rushing to defend their teammates.  Valentino and Lawson were sent off for the altercation, as were Akeem Thomas (Antigua) and a Barracudas assistant coach.

Further video review by the USL has discovered other players, mostly from the Barracudas, were involved.  The additional players have also been suspended and  because Antigua has not and will not play another match before City’s visit on June 24^th, the Caribbean side will be without several starters for the rematch series.

For City, the two suspended players are Rob Valentino and Jamie Watson.  Valentino’s suspension comes as a direct result of his red card.  Watson received a two match suspension for joining in the fracas.  He will miss the Wilmington match and the first match in Antigua but both players will be available for U.S. Open Cup matches as league suspensions have no effect on the tournament.

Below is the full list of suspensions for both teams and I’ve also added a video showing the action from the Antigua game:

Player                                  Team                    Suspension

Lawson Robinson              ANT                        6/24 vs. Orlando

George Dublin                   ANT                         6/24 vs. Orlando, 6/26 vs. Orlando

Quinton Griffith                  ANT                      6/24 vs. Orlando, 6/26 vs. Orlando

Carl Casey (coach)          ANT                         6/24 vs. Orlando, 6/26 vs. Orlando

Akeem Thomas                  ANT                        6/24 vs. Orlando, 6/26 vs. Orlando

Rob Valentino                     ORL                        6/18 vs. Wilmington

Jamie Watson                     ORL                        6/18 vs. Wilmington, 6/24 @ Antigua

Tickets for the match are still available, starting at just $12.  For more information or to order tickets, call 407-536-5368 or visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com today!

Well, I can safely say this was one of the longest games of soccer I have attended! It started at 7.30pm and finished shortly after 11pm thanks to a one hour and twenty four minute rain and lightning delay.

The game itself was an entertaining affair as Orlando ran out comfortable 4-0 winners in the US Open Cup 1st round. The first goal came after 28 mins as Dennis Chin supplied a sublime cross that found a diving Devorn Jorsling (pictured above) who guided his header past the despairing ASC keeper to give City the  1-0 lead .

Orlando continued to dominate the play and it was no surprise when the lively Chin was chopped down in the penalty area to give Orlando the chance to make it 2-0 from the penalty spot. Jamie Watson (pictured above) stepped up… beat the keeper….and saw his shot rebound off the post. Chance gone.

Orlando were undeterred by this gaffe though and a second goal duly came as Chin supplied a superb through ball to Kevin Molino (pictured above) who kept his cool to slip the ball past the helpless keeper in the 42nd minute. HT : 2-0

The second half began and was promptly halted on the 57 minute mark because of a severe rain and lightning warning.  It wasn’t until 84 minutes later that the game was able to recommence and it wasn’t too long before Orlando was celebrating a third goal as man of the match, Chin, netted for a well deserved goal himself on the 69th minute mark.

Orlando then wrapped up the night’s scoring in 77th minute as Jorsling scored his second goal of the night from a Charlie Campbell cross.

FT: 4:0

More photo’s from the game here.

Orlando City Line-up

GK: Sean Kelley

D: Mechack Jerome, Wes Allen, Kieron Bernard, Jack Traynor

M: Jamie Watson (71’ – Lawrence Olum), Justin Fojo, Charlie Campbell, Kevin Molino

F: Devorn Jorsling, Dennis Chin

Attendance:  1,139

Tuesday marks yet another first for the Orlando City history books as the club begins its first season of US Open Cup play against USASA Region II side ASC New Stars. The Lions are now a part of an American soccer tradition that dates back to 1914. The match will be played at the UCF Soccer and Track Complex.

City’s first opponent represents what makes the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup unique. ASC New Stars are an amateur team from the Houston area. They qualified for the tournament through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) regional tournament. Much like the FA Cup in England, the Open Cup allows all amateur and professional teams the opportunity to qualify for the tournament.

The New Stars come into the match as the champions of Region II of the USASA. They defeated fellow Houston area club Regals FC 2-1 in overtime in the Region II final over Memorial Day weekend. Regals FC also qualified for the tournament and stand to be Orlando City’s next opponent should both Regals and the Lions advance.

The Lions will bring a new look line-up into the match. Several players are being rested ahead of the Lions national television debut on Saturday. This opens up opportunities for local products Justin Fojo (Lake Mary) and Dennis Chin (Oviedo) to get their first starts of the season. Recent signing Charlie Campbell and reserve goalkeeper Sean Kelley will also be receiving their first starts of the season.

A victory in the match advances the Lions to the second round of the tournament. They will face the winner of the Charleston Battery/Regals FC match. If Charleston wins, the Lions will travel to Charleston. Regals will travel to Orlando should they emerge victorious. If the match is played in Orlando, it will take place at UCF.

Tickets for the match are $15 and are general admission. For more information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com or call 407-536-5368

Proposed Line-up (unofficial):

GK: Sean Kelley

DF: Mechack Jerome, Wes Allen, Kieron Bernard, Jack Traynor

MF: Kevin Molino, Charlie Campbell, Justin Fojo, Jamie Watson

FW: Devorn Jorsling, Dennis Chin

Orlando City has not lost a match in over two months, but the Lions face one of their toughest tests of the season tonight when Antigua Barracuda FC visits Orlando for the first time. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm at the Citrus Bowl.

Since the season opener on April 2nd, Orlando City has not lost a match and the current 11 match unbeaten streak sees Orlando City at the top of the USL PRO’s American Division. Tonight’s opponents lie in third place, eight points behind the Lions in the division having played the same number of games. An Orlando win would go a long way to cementing City’s place both in the playoff race and at the top of the American Division.

Tonight’s match is the first of three matches between the Lions and Barracudas this month. A win in this match is key for Orlando City as the next two matches will come at the beginning of a long stretch of games for the Lions when they will play a minimum of seven games in three weeks.

“How we play in this match will go a long way in determining what we need to do later in the season,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “We’ll learn a lot about what types of players we need against Antigua. That’ll be a big help in determining how we handle that long stretch at the end of the month.”

Antigua comes in to the match fresh off a two match home series against the Rochester Rhinos. The Barracudas went 0-1-1 in the matches, losing 2-1 on June 3rd before drawing 2-2 on June 5th. After starting the season in good form, the Barracudas have cooled significantly. They have not won since the reorganization of the USL PRO divisions, going 0-3-1 in four matches including the two game series against the Rhinos.

Despite their recent results, Antigua brings a potent attack to the Citrus Bowl Friday night. The Barracudas get goals from all over the field, but their primary weapons are Peter Byers and Stefan Smith. Both have scored four goals this season to lead their team. Orlando City’s league leading defense will have their hands full with the tandem and Demar Stewart, Rob Valentino, and Miguel Gallardo will have to be at the top of their game to maintain the Lions league-leading goals allowed total (eight goals in 12 games).

Orlando City is celebrating Caribbean Night in honor of Antigua’s first visit to the City Beautiful. For tickets and information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com or call 407-536-5368.

Just got back from the Orlando Citrus Bowl where I watched Orlando and Charlotte play out a goalless and pretty much lifeless scoreless draw. In fact, the most action was to be found at half time as two teams of rugby seven’s entertained the 4,241 people in the crowd with an exhibition of fast moving rugby.

The rugby was only played for 12 minutes during the half time break but it provided all the scoring of the night as try after try was scored. I couldn’t tell you the final score of that game…or who the teams were but perhaps I should have paid closer attention as there was literally nothing to report on the main event of the night.

In essence, this USL PRO game pitted top v bottom against each other but you’d never have been able to tell that it was Orlando who topped the league while Charlotte propped it up having, in fairness, played two games less than their opposition.

There really wasn’t a lot of action worth noting as time and time again both teams gave away possession when poised to make a strike on goal and it quickly became frustrating as neither team could find a way to dominate.

The first half started well for the Eagles as classy midfielder Alan Sanchez orchestrated events and it looked like Charlotte might find some reward. Orlando fought back after a hesitant first 15 mins but after that the half fizzled out with only a tackle by Brady Bryant providing the other action of note as as he found his way into the referees note book as he earned himself a yellow card in the 31st minute.

The second half was pretty much a repeat performance but the game livened up on the 75 minute mark as Orlando’s Jack Traynor saw the red card for a blatant shirt tug that prevented the lively Jorge Herrera from breaking through clean on goal. The resulting free kick was wasted and perhaps this was the critical moment of the game even though the Eagles managed to hit a post and then bring a good save from City keeper Miguel Gallardo in the dying moments.

Overall, a game to forget and the crowd in Wilmington where Orlando play on Saturday will be hoping for better things. Orlando are now 10  games unbeaten and remain top of the table. Final score: Orlando City 0 Charlotte Eagles 0

There’s another big game in Orlando tonight as Orlando City take on the Charlotte Eagle’s at the Citrus Bowl with a kick off time scheduled for 7.30pm. The Lions USL PRO leading nine game unbeaten streak will also be put to the test over the next three days as they then travel to Wilmington, NC, for the first time for a Saturday match against the Hammerheads.

The Lions are no stranger to multiple games in a short span of time. Last Wednesday, City closed out a stretch of three games in six days, two of which were on the road, with a 2-0 win over Richmond. Overall, Orlando was 2-0-1 on the swing. The test this time around will be playing the home leg of the two game set first.

In their first meeting with the Eagles this season, defender Rob Valentino scored his first ever professional goal to give the Lions a 1-0 victory. Another win over Charlotte would not only give Orlando a 10 game winning streak. It would also give the Lions a key win in the American Division. Orlando currently sits atop the division with 23 points, three points ahead of second place Richmond while the Eagles currently prop up the table.

On Saturday, Orlando visits the Wilmington Hammerheads for the first time. The surging Hammerheads are making waves in the American Division. They currently sit in fifth place, just outside of the playoffs, but have also played at least three fewer matches than every team ahead of them in the standings. The short rest road test will be one of the toughest challenges City faces all season.

Orlando midfielder Jamie Watson has a special connection to the Hammerheads. After a disappointing stint with FC Dallas in MLS, Watson spent the 2009 USL-2 season with Wilmington. He had his best season as a pro with the Hammerheads, scoring 12 goals in just 16 matches. His MVP season in Wilmington revitalized his career and led to a move to the Austin Aztex and eventually Orlando City.

Kickoff Saturday in Wilmington is set for 7:30 pm at Legion Field.

For tickets and information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com or call 407-536-5368 today.

Orlando City projected starting line-up (unofficial):

GK – Miguel Gallardo
RB – Erik Ustruck, CB – Rob Valentino, CB – Demar Stewart, LB – Jack Traynor
RM – Luke Boden, CM – Yordany Alvarez, CM – Lawrence Olum, LM – Lewis Neal
FW – Kevin Molino, FW – Max Griffin

Available subs:
Sean Kelley, Dennis Chin, Jamie Watson, Ian Fuller, Kieron Bernard, Wes Allen, Charlie Campbell

A crowd of 4,715 saw two early goals by Lewis Neal and Kevin Molino ensure Orlando City stayed top of the American Division of the United Soccer League as they scored a convincing win over visitors Richmond. The 2-0 win avenges Orlando’s loss to the same opponents on the opening day of the season  and after taking an early lead they rarely looked threatened.

Adrian Heath & Nigel Worrall

“We’ve been talking about this return game against them since the opening day of the season,” said coach Adrian Heath (pictured above with yours truly) . “Our players were really motivated for it, so I knew we would start quickly. Then we got a goal, which always helps.” Neal collected a through pass from Molino (pictured below) and scored in the fourth minute from what appeared to be a slightly deflected shot on goal. Neal said: “It was a magnificent goal. We lost to them in the beginning of the season, so it was a little bit of revenge tonight.”

In the 13th minute City scored again as Molino netted from an assist by Luke Boden although it could be argued the goal was more down to a huge defensive mistake by the Kickers central defence. “Kevin Molino is an awful lot of talent,” Heath said. “We knew that when he came here. We know that if we nurture him, if he works hard at his game and gets a little bit of luck, then we are going to have a really good player on our hands.”

Buddy Dyer & Nigel Worrall

A nice touch came at half time as Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (pictured above)  inducted future soldiers into the various military branches and that topped off the Orlando City sponsored Military Night that saw “The Ruckus”, a group of fans committed to supporting and growing soccer in Orlando, donate $600.57 to Wounded Warriors before the game. The win concludes a testing run of three games in six days for the Lions. A scoreless draw v Rochester 0-0 and a 3-1 victory over Harrisburg City had gone previously and tonight’s victory ensured that Orlando extend their lead at the top of the table. The next home game for Orlando City will be on June 2 against Charlotte with a kick off time set for 7.30 p.m.

Here’s some video and you can see more photos here …

Peter Stokes & Adrian Heath