The Witcher Bulletin

After months of setbacks, Lincoln's Sophie Bowser reflects on finally earning her England stripes   Racing for your country sounds glamorous – the kind of moment every athlete dreams of. The white and red national vest, the pride of representing England, the excitement of stepping onto an international stage. But for Sophie Bowser, her long-awaited debut couldn’t have been further from that romantic ideal. The  34-year-old  cross-country runner, from Lincoln, faced a gruelling 7.92k slog through brutal conditions of the CrossCup de  Hannut  in Belgium last month, battling a “complete mud bath.” It was, in her own words, “the worst conditions I have ever raced in”. Sophie (white vest) racing at the CrossCup de  Hannut  - provided by Ian Boyle And all of this after spending months side-lined by injury. Since the beginning of September, the  Lincoln  Wellingon Athletics Club  runner has been battling a calf injury, and her England call up a...

  All female course aims to tackle fears and make the role more accessible for women in football Football-mad girls across Lincolnshire are being put off becoming referees because they find the male-heavy environment intimidating, a regional development officer has said. The Lincolnshire Football Association  (LFA) are now running an all-female course to encourage more youngsters to take up officiating. Declan Ford, LFA referee development officer, said: “Not every girl wants to be in a room with 20 other teenage lads. It’s to create a safe environment and give them that option.” The 52-year-old from Stragglethorpe added: “There’s a lot of interest out there and we’re just trying to get more girls into the game.” It comes after the  English FA  revealed last week that there are now 3,139 registered female referees across the country, which exceeded their 2024 target of 2800. Ford said: “We’ve got 54 female refs in the county all at various levels. Although it’s bloss...