Former Reading FC manager Jaap Stam has been appointed manager of MLS club FC Cincinnati,
"To get the opportunity to work in America and to work in MLS, it's a dream," says the ex-Manchester United and Netherlands centre-back.

When Cincinnati announced the appointment on social media it was accompanied by a photo, not of Stam but of Ajax youth coach Tinus van Teunenbroek. They were soon told of their mistake and changed the picture.

Reading-born Matthew Syed's excellent weekly column in The Times headlined 'My lessons from a big brother house' featured a 1982 photograph of himself, aged 12, and his 14-year-old brother Andrew.

And that brought back happy memories for Peter Charters, as he was their coach at the time.

Peter was also chairman of Omega Table Tennis Club, which was based in Green Road, Reading, before moving to the Bulmershe School site in Woodley with the club's name being changed to Kingfisher, now the biggest club in the area.
Matthew went on to become a multi England champion, winning three Commonwealth titles and also competing in the 1992 and 2000 Olympics.

The funeral service of former Reading sportsman Tony Bampton takes place next Tuesday at 2.15pm. It is restricted to family members, but is being shown on a video link via www.obitus.com, username 4515, password 421343.

One-time Reading hockey star Sam Quek is a regular on TV these days, so it's no surprise she will be seen in Celebrity MasterChef which will be aired this summer.

The Liverpool FC season-ticket holder will be sharing the kitchen with fellow sports personalities John Barnes, a former Liverpool player of course, rowing's Sir Matthew Pinsent and Judy Murray, the mother of tennis star Andy.

Two of Sam's former Reading and GB teammates, Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh, have spoken very openly about their hectic life as new mums - daughter Pfeiffer arrived on New Year's Eve - whilst living in a small flat during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The interview, on the BBC website, makes for a good read, even for non-hockey fans.