Pressure piles on Sunderland RCA as West Auckland march on over Consett

THE pressure is on Sunderland RCA after their four nearest STL Northern League challengers all picked up points at the weekend.

Neil Hixon, right, and his men were without a fixture and remain top only on goal difference from West Auckland Town, who comfortably defeated out-of-sorts Consett.

Mattie Moffat returned to haunt his former club, scoring twice and the ex-Chester-le-Street striker Elliott Gardner was also on target.

Whitley Bay missed the chance to go into pole position when they were held to a draw at Shildon, who were within a minute of claiming all three points.

They led from the 39th minute with a Craig Price penalty and the game was into the last minute when Lee Paul Scroggins snatched a crucial point for the Seahorses.

Although fifth, Spennymoor Town are just five points off the top and they have played fewer games than the other four challenging sides.

An expected big win at rock-bottom Stokesley SC didn’t materialise, however and it was only in the final minutes that Jason Ainsley’s team made certain of the points.

After taking a seventh-minute lead through Sonny Andrews it was not until the 82nd minute that Gavin Cogden made it two and just before the end Adam Johnston added a third goal.

Stokesley look certain to be relegated and a number of clubs are also battling to avoid joining them in Division Two.

Tow Law Town gave Ashington a good game, but defeat leaves them second from bottom, five points from safety.

Andrew Johnson and Marc Walton earned the Colliers the points, with Mark Nixon on target from the spot for the Lawyers.

Jarrow Roofing’s downward slide continued at home to Newton Aycliffe and they are third from the basement after conceding goals to James Jardine, Nathan Wilson and Ben Wood.

A week ago Billingham Town scored seven times, but on Saturday they were on the receiving end of a seven-goal mauling from Bedlington Terriers and remain firmly entrenched in the relegation dogfight.

Hat-trick hero Anthony Shandran, John Campbell, with a brace, Chris Dunwell and Ian Graham swept Terriers to an emphatic victory.

In Division Two, Horden CW clinched three vital points as they battle against the drop.

Bobby Orton’s new charges went in front through Andrew Ramsbottom on 75 minutes, but Marcus Laing levelled almost immediately.

Bobby’s son Tom then came to his side’s rescue, saving a Craig Skelton penalty and five minutes from the end, Shaun Ryder made no mistake from the spot to earn Horden only their fifth win in 27 attempts.

Easington Colliery stay bottom after losing to North Shields, who extended a magnificent unbeaten away record to 25 games.

Kevin Hughes, Paul Dunn and Andy Hay all scored in the opening half and the Robins remain second, seven points behind Team Northumbria with four games in hand.

Seaham Red Star were disappointed at leaking an 88th-minute winner to Whitehaven’s Kevin Connelly.

Red Star are third from the basement and Washington are just above them after they went down to Ryton and Crawcrook Albion, also embroiled in the battle against relegation.

Dan Young headed the Newtowners in front before Paul Henderson Reay levelled and then scored the winner in the last minute.

Chester-le-Street’s improvement continued at home to Esh Winning, who twice led courtesy of Craig Nichol and Craig Coates. Scott Swanston and Tom Vickers replied for the Cestrians.

Recycling aggregates focus of new Ontario advocacy group

Eliminating large piles of concrete and asphalt removed from demolition sites and road reconstruction projects by reusing these materials is the immediate focus of a new Ontario organization.

At a forum held on December 15, 2011 involving municipal engineers, aggregate users/producers and environmental groups, Aggregate Recycling Ontario (ARO) launched its campaign to encourage the use of more recycled aggregate in infrastructure projects.

"There is an immediate crisis in the GTA [Greater Toronto Area] surrounding recycled aggregate," says Adrian Van Niekerk, chair of ARO. "Recycling yards are filling up to capacity with broken concrete and asphalt, yet not nearly enough is leaving the site to be used again in new construction. Some facilities have had to close their yards to new deliveries, because there is just no more room."

Nearly three million tonnes of recyclable concrete, asphalt and aggregate that have been recovered from GTA construction sites now sit in piles to be processed.

Although the Ontario government, through the Ministry of Transportation, and some municipalities have been leaders in using recycled aggregates for years, many municipalities' specifications do not allow recycled aggregates to be used in construction projects.

Processed properly, these aggregates meet all performance requirements and provide a suitable alternative to primary aggregates, which come directly from pits and quarries.

"We hope to find out why most municipalities do not use recycled aggregate and to rectify any issues they may have with these materials, says Van Niekerk. "Industry has been very progressive in separating broken concrete and asphalt from construction projects and bringing them to recycling yards to be re-processed, instead of going to landfills. We are going through similar growing pains as the paper and plastics recycling industries, when they first got started, but need to close the loop to manage our non-renewable aggregate resources more sustainably."

Although ARO was formed to bring attention and find a solution to the growing aggregate piles, its mandate goes well beyond that issue.

Organized by the Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and the Toronto and Area Road Builders Association, ARO brings together 17 companies and seven associations that produce and use recycled aggregates.

Member companies would like to expand opportunities for recycling aggregates by permitting more recycling facilities, especially in pits and quarries where companies can better utilize mined primary aggregates by mixing them with re-processed material.

As well, ARO plans to engage in research and trial projects to develop new applications for recycled aggregates.

Fracking for oil, natural gas spurs sand mining in Midwest

The rolling hills and scenic bluffs of western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota hide a valuable resource that has sparked what's been called a modern-day gold rush.

The object of desire is not gold but a soft sandstone needed by drilling companies to unlock underground natural gas and oil supplies in a controversial practice called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Largely overlooked in the national debate over fracking is the emerging fight in the U.S. heartland over mining "frac sand," which has grains of ideal size, shape, strength and purity. Mining companies say the work provides good jobs in rural areas, but some residents fear the increase in mining could harm human health and the environment.

"More and more people are waking up to the fact that there are difficulties with this massive explosion," said Pat Popple, a retired school teacher and principal and anti-sand mining activist.

U.S. frac sand producers sold or used more than 6.5 million metric tons of sand worth $319 million in 2009, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tonnage likely will have doubled when 2010 data is released, said Thomas Dolley, a USGS mineral commodity specialist who follows the silica mining industry.

"It's huge," Dolley said. "I've never seen anything like it, the growth. It makes my head spin."

Nearly three-fourths of frac sand comes from the Midwest. It's shipped by rail hundreds of miles to the oil and gas fields of Texas, Pennsylvania and North Dakota, where drillers mix it with water and chemicals, then force it deep underground to fracture shale deposits that hold gas and oil that couldn't be tapped conventionally. Critics say the process can diminish water quality and even cause earthquakes.

John Felmy, chief economist with the American Petroleum Institute, said opponents of hydraulic fracturing are "fundamentally misguided" and the environmental fears are unwarranted. The surge in sand mining has extended the domestic energy boom to portions of the country that don't produce much fuel, bringing jobs and economic development, he said.

Frac sand mining has had a foothold in Wisconsin's Chippewa County since 2008. The most visible sign is the huge new EOG Resources Inc. plant in Chippewa Falls, where a steady parade of shiny new trucks delivers a load of orange sand from a nearby mine every few minutes.

The plant, which is still in the start-up phase, will bring 40 to 50 full-time jobs to the community, while mining contractors now employ about 25 people and the trucking company that delivers the sand has added over 70 jobs, company spokeswoman K Leonard said. About 90 percent of the 38 employees EOG has hired so far are from the area, she said.

But not everyone is excited about the growth. On a recent windy day, Heather Andersen, of Bloomer, another retired schoolteacher turned activist, watched as gusts of 30 to 40 mph blew dust off sand piled up at the Superior Silica Sands LLC mine northwest of Chippewa Falls. She said she saw no signs the mine kept the sand watered down to suppress the dust.

"That stuff you see is not dangerous," Andersen said. "It's the stuff you can't see."

Activists say frac sand isn't ordinary sand. They fear fine silica dust from the mines and plants will make people sick, spoil the landscape and contaminate ground water.

Fresh, fine silica dust is a well-documented health risk blamed for lung diseases such as silicosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases, but most published research is about workplace dangers, said David Goldberg, an expert on silica hazards and professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University.

Crispin H. Pierce, an environmental public health professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Clare, said more information is needed about the risks of frac sand mining. Fresh silica dust has grains with sharp, jagged particles and is more dangerous than the weathered silica found in dirt, although it weathers quickly, he said.

His limited testing for dust outside the EOG plant hasn't found "levels of concern so far," Pierce said. But until more is known, it makes sense for Wisconsin and other frac sand states to follow the leads of states like Texas and California in setting environmental silica standards, he said.

Houston-based EOG Resources, a Fortune 500 oil and natural gas company, says it has worked to address local concerns about dust, safety and the environment at its mines and sand processing plant in Chippewa Falls.

The main mine serving the plant is surrounded by berms, with vegetation to improve aesthetics, Leonard said. Most of the plant's equipment is enclosed and the conveyor, storage and filtration systems are designed to reduce dust. The plant monitors air quality and the company will monitor groundwater at its three mine sites in Wisconsin, she added.

"We look forward to being a good steward of the Chippewa Falls environment and a good community partner with the citizens of Wisconsin," Leonard wrote in an email.

Some counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin have responded to health and environmental concerns by passing mining moratoriums to buy time for more study. Others are debating whether to hit the brakes on further mine development.

In southeastern Minnesota, Jim Gurley has joined with other residents to try to persuade the Winona County Board to adopt a one-year mining moratorium. Like many activists, they're focusing on local concerns, sounding the alarm over the already increased truck traffic from mines in Wisconsin crossing the Mississippi River to a processing plant in Winona, Minn.

Wabasha and Goodhue counties in Minnesota and Pepin and Eau Claire counties in Wisconsin have already adopted moratoriums, although Eau Claire County's is for just six months.

"It's been described by the mining officials as a gold rush," Gurley said. "It's a sand rush. A lot of us are saying 'What's the rush?' The sand is going to be here a year from now."

Anything is fair game in NFL fumble piles for 49ers

Now the whole truth now can be told. This is the inside story of what fullback Bruce Miller called "a scary scrum" after the 49ers' 13-8 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 25.

We would have changed the names to protect the innocent. But no one was innocent.

Here's what you saw: With 12:28 to play in the third quarter, Miller ran an off-tackle dive and fumbled a ball that was recovered by teammate Delanie Walker at the 49ers' 43-yard-line.

Here's what you didn't see:

Bengals linebacker Manny Lawson pounced. But so did Walker. On top of them landed 49ers offensive linemen Adam Snyder and Anthony Davis, providing cover so Walker could, as he put it, "get a little dirty under there."

Never mind that Lawson played five seasons with the 49ers and still has many friends on the San Francisco roster.

"I bent his wrist back to get it," Walker said. "He eased up a little bit, and that's when I just started punching the ball and it slipped out. ...It felt like five minutes down there. That one was really dirty. Somebody hit me in the mouth. The guy who had the ball was screaming: 'My wrist, my wrist!' So I think he just gave up."

Snyder had something to do with that.

"I was wrenching his arm as hard as I could to get him to let go so Delanie could grab it," Snyder said.

But in a phone interview from Cincinnati, Lawson good-naturedly denied doing any screaming about his wrist -- or giving up.

"On that play, I only had one arm around the ball," he said. "I couldn't get my other arm on it. I kind of had it, but it was only one arm. ... So the whole time I was down there trying to hold the ball with just one hand."

Still, he continued to battle, which helps explain why it took so long for the referees to sort out who actually had the ball.

"It's not that it hurt," Lawson said. "But I am trying to keep the ball close to me and someone is pulling my other arm away. I was fighting it, but it was a real workout. It was very frustrating."

Lawson said that after the game he and Walker talked, but they didn't discuss the scrum. They were friends again.

But in The Pile, there is no such thing as a friend.

What goes on beneath the NFL pile

Buckle up your chinstrap, dear reader. This is not a story for the faint of heart. We're diving into the NFL pile, a place where rules are abandoned and no body part is safe.

The pursuit of a fumbled ball is, by all accounts, football's final frontier -- the wild, wild mess. While games might be endlessly televised, replayed and legislated, the pile remains the one place on the field shielded from prying eyes.

That might be for the best. It's not pretty under here.

"Man, it's no-holds barred," said Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, the Los Gatos native. "Everything happens. I bet that ball changes hands 15 times down there."

The Pile, as it shall be known, is football's reverse meritocracy; a place where people are constantly striving to get to the bottom. To get there, players will resort to eye-gouging, arm-twisting and well-placed pokes. It's a "Three Stooges" routine with shoulder pads.

It also happens to hold the key to the NFL playoffs, which begin this weekend. The top three teams in the league in turnover differential -- the 49ers , Green Packers and New England Patriots -- went a combined 41-6 and earned first-round byes. The 49ers' mark broke the franchise record of +22 set by the 1981 team, the one that launched San Francisco's dynasty.

To put it simply: Get the ball, get the win. Just ask New York Giants defensive lineman Dave Tollefson, who lived to tell about his game-changing fumble recovery against the St. Louis Rams earlier this season.

"It's pure pandemonium," the former standout at Concord's Ygnacio Valley High told reporters. "You would think that the football had the key to life in it. Seriously. It's unlike anything I've ever been involved in sports."

As San Diego Chargers linebacker Takeo Spikes, a survivor of 18 career fumble recoveries, said: "If piles could only talk."

The first rule of The Pile is that there are no rules. There is also no code of honor, no professional etiquette, no regard for human decency.

"No, no, no," Raiders defensive lineman Tommy Kelly said. "There are no other rules other than, 'Get it!' However you get it, get it. If you have to bite him, bite him."

And if he's hurt, hurt him more. Adrian Peterson recently accused the New Orleans Saints of using the cover of darkness to target his injured left ankle. "Guys are going to try to take their shots when we're on the pile and try to twist it up and things like that," he said. "It kind of got overboard."

Speaking of overboard, former 49ers and Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski was not the kind of guy you'd want to meet at the bottom of a dark pile. He was known as one of the dirtiest players of his day, drawing fines over the years for kicking Larry Centers in the head, spitting in J.J. Stokes' face and throwing a football at Bryan Cox's crotch.

So imagine what Romanowski did when shielded from view.

"I used to go to a pretty dark place and there wasn't much that was off limits," Romanowski acknowledged. "I'm not proud of some of the things I did. But I just wanted to win so badly that I would do anything to get a piece of that ball and get it back."

In a playoff game against the New York Giants in 1994, the 49ers linebacker was trying to pry a ball away from running back Dave Meggett. Let's allow Romanowski, now an analyst for Comcast Sports Net, give the play-by-play: "I'm trying to rip the ball out of his hands and as I'm ripping, all I could get was a finger. I ripped as hard and as fast as I could and cracked his finger like a chicken bone."

That brazen, whatever-is-necessary attitude underscores an important fact about life on the bottom: The ball is changing possession, sometimes frequently. That helps explain the ritual dance that plays out on The Pile's fringes, when players from each team signal with equal certitude that the ball belongs to them.

They might be right, if only for a fleeting moment. As Patriots coach Bill Belichick said: "It's not who gets the ball. It's who comes out with it." New England tied with the 49ers, the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills this season for fewest fumbles allowed .