Call Sign February 2008 - Page 8 - BRIAN RICE MEETS MARK WATTS AT CITY HALL

On Thursday 17 January, DaC Chairman Brian Rice was invited to City Hall to meet Mayor Ken Livingstone’s senior advisor on Transport, Environment and Energy, Mark Watts. Also at the meeting was the PCO’s Taxi and Private Hire Director Ed Thompson, along with several members of the London Taxiboard. Discussions involved the trade in general and the new pre-booking only TfL signs on the rear of private hire cars. The trade representatives made their displeasure known regarding the probability that LPH will be able to advertise the name of their company on the rear window. Brian told Call Sign: "We objected because we see it as posing a danger to the travelling	BRIAN RICE MEETS MARK WATTS AT CITY HALL
	Mark Watts public. Although it looks as though our objections to them having signage on the side of the vehicles has been accepted, allowing LPH to advertise their company on the back will leave the way open to	those less salubrious types who will then put an ad of some kind on the back saying ABC cars or similar to give them an air of authenticity. They could then use that to lure in some unsuspecting female passenger. Whether our objections will be taken into account or not, it’s too early to say, but having won 80% of the battle with side door signage now unlikely, to win 100% of our demands could be asking a lot as LPH have powerful backers and do not give up too easily. I also believe that even the LPH proprietors will be against the idea as it would encourage touting and leave them short of cars at busy times."

DAC-WEMBLEY ON THE UP – BUT IT’S TOO LATE!

Following a disastrous November without a qualified goalkeeper following DaC driver Lee Pearce (J71) leaving them for Bedfont Green after receiving a financial offer he said was too good to turn down, Call Sign-sponsored team from the Combined Counties Premier division, DaC-Wembley have begun to pull their socks up with only one reverse in the last five matches. Sadly it’s a bit too late for this season.
   Runaway leaders Merstham have left everyone else standing and the battle is now on for the runner-up position as only the top team is promoted. Lee’s new team have also shot up the league into 8th position, but have played more games than all the others.
   Following some new signings, DaC Wembley hope to sign a new regular goalkeeper in their former reserve, Mark Croffe, but their emergency goalie, midfielder Marc Talbot has indicated that he quite likes his new position and is reluctant to give it up after playing well over the past five matches.
   DaC-Wembley Captain Ian Bates told Call Sign that the team were beginning to gel again after several changes had to be made with players moving on and others coming in. But he added that the target had now to be next season, although he was hoping that the team could give themselves a psychological boost by taking that second spot in the table.
   In the meantime, although Bedfont Green with Lee in goal scored a 6 – 1 win at home to Bookham, the away team’s goal was down to Lee dropping the ball. His partner Becky told Call Sign: "I’m nervous to let him hold the baby now after seeing him drop the ball like that!"

Combined Counties Premier Division – Top 7 (20 January 2008)

Team P W D L F A Pts

Merstham 22 20 1 1 75 9 61

Guildford City 25 14 4 2 56 27 46

Camberely Town 22 14 4 4 52 27 46

Cove 22 12 6 4 45 32 42

Nth Greenford 23 12 5 6 45 33 41

Dac Wembley 26 11 6 9 39 35 39

Chertsey Town 23 12 3 8 48 49 39

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