The shortest daylight

Prescot Cables' game at home to Curzon Ashton the weekend before last was the one for which we have the shortest amount of natural daylight. I am not sure why, but although the day with the shortest time between sunrise and sunset is 21st December, the sunset starts to get later from about the 14th, and the sunrise does not start to get earlier until the beginning of January. I thought it might be something to do with longitude, but it happens on the Greenwich Meridian too.

At this time of year, the cloud makes as much difference to the lighting as the sunset, a bright day can probably be worth about half an hour's extra natural light, and this was anything but a bright day.

Isaac Kusoloka

We cannot see very well from the pictures, but Curzon Ashton's kit was a particularly unreflective shade of blue - it looks a lot brighter with lighting enhanced in the final images, but I suspect it had some effect on the exposures. The floodlights were turned on about 20 minutes into the game.

The game saw a return to action for Dave Dempsey.

Dave Dempsey

Dave was participating in Movember, and unlike many participants looks like he has decided to retain a hirsute appearance: I am surprised more people do not, it has after all the advantage of keeping your face warm. Not that the weather has been particularly cold so far this season, I would have expected to have had at least a couple of matches postponed due to frozen pitches by this stage. The rain also seems to have fallen in manageable quantities, we have only had one game postponed, and that was an unexpected pre match downpour at Ramsbottom.

The first half ended with Curzon Ashton 2-1 ahead with our goal having come from Isaac Kusoloka. With the lighting indistinguishable from an evening game for the second half, we drew level again with a goal from Phil Bannister.

Phil Bannister shoots for goal

When you are busily engaged in looking at details, you can easily lose sight of the bigger picture, and with a strong wind making the running and passing that make for good pictures difficult, the goal somehow did not fully register, and I was thinking we were still a goal behind, and when Curzon Ashton went a goal ahead I thought they had put the game out of reach, whereas our team were putting in a superb effort to try and gain another goal.

The game also saw a welcome return from injury by Connor McCarthy, who came on as a second half substitute.

Curzon Ashton goalkeeper David Carnell gathers from Connor McCarthy

After the game, it was off to drop my kit off at home and then in to town for the Cables Train Crew Christmas Dinner. Naturally there was only one way to get there ... er ... by bus.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 2 (Kusoloka, Bannister) Curzon Ashton 3

Watch the water roll down the drain

Features of life in a northern town, particularly in the West Riding, include hills and somewhat inclement weather. The Met Office app had been predicting dry weather, with the possibility of a little sun, for Prescot Cables' visit to Ossett Town. I was less convinced when I got to Huddersfield to change trains in heavy rain, but the hills can often trap weather, with something completely different on the other side. This seemed borne out on arrival in Dewsbury, with the sky looking considerably lighter and drier above the hills between there and Ossett.

Rob Doran, scorer of Prescot's goal

Our train crew was depleted by staff shortages, with only me making the journey by rail. Fortunately, Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, still led in this aspect, as he had posted what was to be our planned pub online, the Leggers Inn. It seemed a shame to waste the recommendation, so I took some refreshment before catching the bus to Ossett.

At the ground the promise of dry weather had not been entirely fulfilled, as there was a downpour shortly before I arrived, which caused concern for a couple of areas of the pitch. Fortunately, most of the water indeed rolled down the drain (with assistance from some of the club officials), allowing the referee to pass it as fit, even without a trip to the B&Q opposite for a bag of sand.

The cheerful young gentlemen running the tea bar seemed aware of the hazard that not many people will purchase, wiping out any profits with wasted stock. Orders for a burger resulted in one being taken out of the freezer, and therefore a wait for the finished product. However, they had some chips on the go, so I ordered a portion, with some pleasantly fruity curry sauce.

Fortunately we were attacking the bus station end in the first half, so I could take advantage of the seats whilst the light was good enough for pictures from behind the goal. This provides a good low camera position, and the chance to eat my chips between attacks (remember - food before photos).

Jordan Shirley

The low angle works well for close up shots too, providing I avoid getting the perimeter fence in view.

Isaac Kusoloka

Despite being in position for some good pictures, Mr Google thought one could do with improvement. Here is James McCulloch going for a header.

An automated process called Google Awesome thought it might be better with some snow.

"Awesome" was probably not the word I would have chosen. Besides, if I want pictures of our players performing in precipitation, I have chances to get them myself.

The floodlights augmented the natural light for most of the first half, and, as usual, for the second it was a case of finding the location with the best light, which seemed to be the side. Ossett have a pylon on each corner and one on each end of the half way line, with 5 heads on each, although the situation was complicated by some bulbs being out: I suspect it is quite difficult to change them, as the pylons do not fold down, and four of them are mobile phone masts (as this is Yorkshire, I hope one is from EE).

Given the good location in the first half and the complexities of lighting in the second, the final collection was more weighted towards the first than usual, with only 11 frames (of 60, if you do not count the snow scene) making it in from the second.

Sean Breen

When in Ossett, it is rude not to visit the Brewery Tap, so I adjourned there after the match to warm up in front of their wood fire, and for a pint of Ossett Brewery's Nervous Turkey. Most seasonal beers for December are dark winter warmers, but this is a light beer, just right to go with the industrial quantities of white meat one usually finds oneself eating at this time of year.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Ossett Town 2 Prescot Cables 1 (Doran)

Not an entirely happy return

Players moving clubs is common at all levels of the game, probably more so at our level than amongst full time professionals with their contracts, transfer fees and transfer windows. So, former players often return to play for the opposition. Some go into management at other clubs, such as Simon Garner, recently appointed manager of Prescot Cables' visitors, Clitheroe.

I was away for the game earlier in the month at Clitheroe, where we lost 3-1. The scorer of our goal on that occasion, Connor McCarthy was injured for this match, as were James McCulloch and Dave Dempsey, with Antony Shinks also absent through illness. So, prospects were not good on paper, but our home form has been considerably better than our away form this season.

At least, I thought, as I caught the bus, the sun will make for good exposures in the first half. This was not to be, as a lot of high cloud had appeared by the time I got to the ground. I arrived a couple of minutes late to find us also a goal down. With those who would normally take the captain's duties unavailable, the task fell to Enzo Benn.

Enzo Benn

The visitors had the most of the play in the first half.

That's my Lottery numbers chosen - numbers on the front of shirts make sense in so many ways

Clitheroe went in two ahead at half time, after which the sides came out to the high cloud producing a fine sunset, much reproduced on Prescot Online and other local websites during the evening.

A half time substitution, bringing on Isaac Kusoloka for Sean Breen seemed to improve matters, as he was able to disturb the Clitheroe defence, which we had not really been able to do in the first half.

Isaac Kusoloka (no 16)

Isaac posted this picture on his Facebook page: a comment from one of his friends indicated I was not the only one who thought his gloves (so far there has not been anything in the Laws of the Game relating to what part of the kit their colour must match, but it can only be a matter of time) made it look as though he was jumping with his hands in his shorts.

This effort was saved, but Ged Murphy opened the scoring shortly afterwards.

Ged Murphy (no 4) scores our first goal

Isaac added the  equaliser a couple of minutes later, sealing a performance that earned him the Man of the Match award, and ensuring Clitheroe's returning manager took a point from his visit. The only snag for me was that I did not have a print quality picture of Isaac from the game to send to the Merseymart - there is a certain amount of pot luck involved in what you get from the second half at this time of year.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 2 (Murphy, Kusoloka) Clitheroe 2

Mr John's shilling

The Augustus John (known to all as the AJ), a Good Beer Guide establishment on the University of Liverpool Precinct (sorry, Campus, people can no longer cope with local variation in these matters), has at times been a fertile recruiting ground for Prescot Cables supporters. Unsuspecting students and graduates have been for a quiet drink on Friday evening, and found themselves on the terraces at Hope Street on Saturday afternoon with only a vague recollection of how they got there. When I first attended in such circumstances, we had to get to Prescot for 1pm, for a kick off that I think turned out to be 2pm, as this was before floodlights were installed at the end of the 1990-91 season, and there were no mobile phones and internet to confirm the time. At least Prescot still had a museum then.

With this in mind, it was appropriate that our group of pharmacologists, photographer and phork lift truck driver travelling to our Liverpool Senior Cup tie at Burscough was joined by Tony, one of the bar staff from the AJ, who had been to a number of home games, and was dipping his toe in the waters of away travel. The Liverpool Senior Cup is probably the one piece of silverware we have a chance of winning: last year's Final was contested between Bootle and AFC Liverpool, both of the North West Counties League.

Having squeezed through the turnstiles, I found a traditional floodlight arrangement with four pylons along each side. In addition to two heads at the top of each pylon, there was a third head, two thirds of the way up, pointing directly down to illuminate the touchline. This made for an even light, which took some time to get used to, as it did not have the pools of light of which I usually make use.

Once I got to grips with the light, the results were quite acceptable.

Ryan Dunn

Results were good and clear near the touchline, where there is often the lowest levels of light.

Jonathon Lynch

Prescot were down to 10 men after about 25 minutes, when Jonathon Lynch was dismissed for a handball in front of our goal. He was probably unfortunate: the ball immediately fell to an attacking player, who put it across the line. By this time the referee had blown the whistle, so a penalty had to be awarded. I only heard the whistle after the ball had crossed the line, but I was more than half the length of the pitch away. Had the referee been half a second slower, the goal would have stood, and, although reaction time is not exactly the same as playing an advantage, the principle from the Guidance for Referees about not dismissing a player for denying a goalscoring opportunity where a goal is scored directly from the advantage would presumably apply.

The game also saw a return for Jamie Menagh, back on loan after signing for Chester a couple of weeks ago.

Jamie Menagh

Note the "I have just committed a minor foul and hope no-one notices, so I shall put my arms in the air to draw attention to it" posture from Jamie's opponent.

In the second half, the Burscough goalkeeper was keen to engage in dialogue with the assistant referee with a stream of complaints about offside and queries about how much time was left. A complaining player is often best dealt with by humour, and the fourth enquiry as to time in as many minutes, with 20 minutes still to go, drew the retort, "If you stop moaning to yourself, you will find the time goes faster".

A Rob Doran goal brought the scores level, with neither side able to secure further advantage in normal play. In common with a number of other cup competitions, the Liverpool Senior Cup no longer has extra time, and goes straight to penalties if scores are level at full time.

There are many advantages to an enthusiastic young team, and their energy and will to win has gained us points in the League, but I believe experience counts in a penalty shoot out, with Tim Horn saving three of our penalties to put the home team through.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Burscough 1 Prescot Cables 1 (Doran), Burscough win 3-1 on penalties

Climbing Mount Starbeck

An irate club official (not from the clubs involved in the match reported here) was once heard to say to a referee, "I marked you as 1 [out of 10]. I wanted to give you 0, but I could not, because you had the correct equipment." Having the correct equipment matters for the photographer too, and these pages often mention a forgotten item that makes life more difficult. For a visit to Harrogate Railway Athletic, there is a check list: ropes, crampons...

On arrival in a sunny Harrogate, Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, led us to the Coach and Horses, at which point the party split, with some heading to Muckle's Sports Bar next door, which was offering a well kept Leeds Pale Ale, amongst other choices, and the chance to watch Everton v Liverpool on the large screen. I was also keeping an eye on Sheffield Wednesday v Huddersfield Town on the smaller screen to see if former Dulwich Hamlet striker Daniel Carr was playing.

The hill towards Harrogate and the houses behind the ground were already casting a full shadow over the pitch by the time of kick off, with just some reflected sunlight on the fencing where the old clubhouse used to stand.

Isaac Kusoloka

The absence of cloud probably gave us half an hour more of natural light than we had on the last couple of Saturdays, with the floodlights coming on towards the end of the first half. Here is James McCulloch in the last image I used from the half: Movember is coming along nicely!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had a spot of bother with my computer - it turned out more than a spot, to the point the cost of repairs looked like it may not be much less than a new machine, so I replaced it. One welcome change from the last time I bought a computer was that I did not need to buy much software, there is now a good open source option for most of the tasks I use it to perform. The only exception was Photoshop Elements, and had I been making a planned change, or one out of the season, I would have looked around more to see what was available, but I needed to get pictures out without time to learn a new package.

I moved from version 8 on my old computer, to version 12. There are improvements, it is a bit quicker, and the lighting adjustments seem more powerful. The most useful addition is a grid in the crop window, making it easier to adjust where I have not been holding the camera straight. Take this photo of Enzo Benn - this is how it came off the camera, with just the lighting adjusted.

When we crop the picture, the grid is useful for lining up against the corrugated iron fence in the background, which we know is true and vertical.

The end result has the horizon correctly horizontal, and captures the slope that is a feature of the ground.

Something less than an improvement is the position of the tool options, such as the aspect ratio for cropping. In version 8, these were in a narrow bar along the top of the screen. In a time when most new computer screens are 16:9 widescreen, some clever person thought the best place for this was in a large frame at the bottom of the screen, shrinking the area available for the picture you are working on (and the application does not allow you to move it), when there is plenty of room at the side, so it is a lot of extra clicks to keep showing and hiding it.

As for the game, having conceded a penalty, we thought that if we were able to equalise, we could probably build on it and go ahead, but this was not to be, Rob Doran scoring the only Cables goal of the game, with Nathan Cartman putting Harrogate ahead.

Rob Doran

Most of the Train Crew headed home after the game, but I made my usual visit to a rather busy (but still with a corner for me to curl up with my post match refreshment and paper) Blind Jack's in Knaresborough.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Harrogate Railway Athletic 2 Prescot Cables 1 (Doran)

Ee ba goals

Prescot Cables did not have the best of weeks prior to the visit of Wakefield at the weekend. The disrupted journey and defeat at Kendal Town were followed in midweek by a 6-0 defeat to a clinical Skelmersdale United in the Doodson Sport Cup. The League Cup is of more value for Skelmersdale than for us: it gives game time for squad players, and a good run, with the Final near the end of the season, can boost confidence if they reach the playoffs or are making a push for the title, as Dulwich Hamlet found in their two League Cup Final appearances in the last three seasons. Not that the people in the announcers' box will be keen to see Skelmersdale's away kit, whose numbers did not provide much contrast with the kit colour in low light.

John Beattie and Rob Doran get the ball away from Skelmersdale's Matty Hughes in low-vis

The question was how our team would respond. Wakefield are competing with us to avoid relegation, and these are the sides we need to beat, with points gained against higher flying sides being a bonus. Would they take their example from Skelmersdale in clinical finishing and punishing errors, or would they have been disheartened by the scale of the defeat?

Whatever the answer, it was clear that the record would be a grainy one, as the light was the worst of the season, to be expected in November, with low, thick cloud: the lighting conditions were similar to those at Kendal the previous week, where the game took place half an hour later under lighter cloud.

The question of whether the team would bounce back received its first answer on 16 minutes, via Phil Bannister.

Phil Bannister shoots for goal

That was the only goal for the first half, but the second half showed it was just a start. The lighting was such it may as well have been an evening game.

Ged Murphy had a go, briefing Antony Shinks on what he had in mind ...

... Antony takes the free kick ...

... and delivers the ball with pinpoint accuracy, with Ged heading just wide.

Shortly after, the ball came to Rob Doran in the goalmouth.

This picture made it into the slide show on the "a goal is a goal" principle: to be a good photo, I would need an unobstructed view.

A few minutes later, Wakefield goalkeeper Shaun Penn successfully dispossessed Sean Breen ...

... but found himself at the mercy of Connor McCarthy, who has a knack for taking advantage of a goalkeeper in difficulties.

Both Rob and Connor were substituted quite quickly after their goals, which can at first sight seem strange, but of course it is more likely to be a result of the manager's plan - have the player go flat out for a goal, knowing he will only be playing 20 minutes of the half.

The fourth goal came from the returning Joe Evans, making his first appearance of the season - a goal I unfortunately did not capture.

Joe Evans

This performance not only pulled us ahead of Wakefield, keeping the right side of a point per game average, but goals from four different players and a clean sheet will hopefully also build confidence after 4 defeats in a row.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Prescot Cables 4 (Bannister, Doran, McCarthy, Evans) Wakefield 0

The bell ringers' snug

A number of our party for Prescot Cables' visit to Kendal Town decided to make a weekend of it, and departed from Liverpool by car at the same time as the rest caught our train. Unfortunately, there was a lorry fire on the M6, where the options for travelling further north narrow into the M6 or driving through Lancaster. Those of us on the train made sure to give a cheery wave to the tailback. On arrival, we made ourselves comfortable in Burgundy's Wine Bar.

Modern communications meant we could keep tabs on the progress of the team coach in the traffic, and therefore did not need to go out in a hailstorm only to arrive at the ground before the team. Back in the nineties, we would all have been standing around at the ground wondering whether they were going to make it. Kick off eventually took place just after 3.30, with the grey skies meaning that the floodlights were on from the start.

Elliot Ashurst

As we made our way behind the goal, our way was blocked by a large steward, who seemed unwilling to let even individuals from our group pass. It transpired that it was only the drum and trumpet carried by our musical section that had to stay by one corner, on the side of the ground by a warehouse rather than the houses on the other side, although I am not sure what actual effect this had on noise abatement.

Preparation and warm up is an important part of the game today. Gone are the times when the players would breeze in, kick a ball about for a few minutes and start the game - drills and exercises are carefully planned to make the best physical and mental preparation for the game. The fact that our preparations were necessarily curtailed seemed to have an effect in the first half, as a somewhat disjointed performance left us three goals down at half time. To make matters worse, Antony Shinks was injured as he took the ball awkwardly for the last kick of the half - he was able to walk off, but only after some minutes' treatment on the field.

Antony Shinks

A black and white kit is something of a mixed blessing for the photographer: providing a good degree of contrast ...

Rob Doran with Kendal's Jack Smith

... but the trend for plain backs (as opposed to a panel for the number) means low visibility, and I wonder how many passes in low light are accidentally directed to the referee.

Callum Hoctor is challenged by Kendal's Ross Lloyd

That aside, I never worked out why the teams appeared to be wearing each other's socks.

One advantage of black and white is that it is easy to have your pet in club colours.

I think this chap is wondering why the players are running about all over the place, when he could have them in a group following a figure of eight round the centre circle and penalty spots, ending up neatly penned in one of the goals.

By the second half, we were past sunset, so the lighting was similar to an evening game, and I took up position near the half way line.

Enzo Benn

The team seemed to settle after the late start, and played much better, keeping the scores from the half level, with the aid of a penalty save from Adam Reid.

Adam Reid

After the game, those who were staying checked in to their guest house, and a couple of us joined them for drinks before getting our train.

The thoughts of the away support turn to post match refreshment

The Good Beer Guide gives some assurance of beer quality in a new town, but the number of entries a CAMRA branch can nominate is based on population, so there are plenty of good establishments not in it, especially in a market town like Kendal. We found one such in the Ring o' Bells, next to the parish church, and home of the snug of the title. Not that it seemed that snug, being a draughty antechamber, which I assume reminded the ringers of their belfries, unlike the cosy public bar, with a log fire and excellent local beers.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Kendal Town 3 Prescot Cables 0.

A coach load of Bavarian tourists

For Prescot Cables' game away to Mossley, the regular Train Crew and pharmacologists were joined by our friend Michael from Bavaria, and four of his family who had joined him to watch Everton's game against Tottenham. Due to the size of our party and to engineering works, we hired a minibus and driver for only a couple of pounds more per head than the train fare. Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, booked a table for an excellent meal at the Cross Keys in Uppermill. The sat nav took us along a scenic, if narrow, route, not the glories of the Alps that our guests were used to, but rather the austere charms of Saddleworth Moor.

In Mossley, curtains seemed to be unknown: fortunately one resident did not spot that his somewhat premature miniature Christmas tree came under close inspection from our vehicle. We arrived to find kick off delayed by 15 minutes, due to some of the home team having been delayed, which I have not encountered before. The attendance was 111: had I known that during the game, I might have been tempted to take a lead from cricket and stand on one leg.

The floodlights are among the better sets in the Division, having been installed a couple of years ago. There is a deep strip of shadow down the middle of the pitch, which is odd for an arrangement with three heads per pylon, it is common with two, whereas three gives you more opportunity for an even spread.

Preparing for a corner in the Mossley goalmouth

Some of our team are participating in Movember, with James McCulloch and Dave Dempsey the first to sign up. We were only five days in, so results were not too apparent.

James McCulloch

Dave Dempsey

More players have since joined, so we should see the results through the month. You can donate through the players' page here.

Both sides served up a competitive game for our visitors, although the only goal in the first half came from a penalty to Mossley. Rob Doran made the scores even at the beginning of the second half, but Mossley bounced straight back.

Rob Doran

When I was at school, my Physics teacher, Mr Cook, was an eccentric man, with the appearance of an Old Testament prophet, and memorable explanations of physical laws, including whirling the board ruler round his head to demonstrate angular momentum. Even he may have been puzzled by how our second goal, from Ged Murphy on 80 minutes, found its way into the net. Here is it after Ged has dispatched it.

... and here is everyone looking surprised at where it ended up.

Out hosts' ability to match anything we did was the theme of the night, as they restored their advantage within a minute. The coup de grâce was administered in the 90th minute, after Adam Reid had gone forward for a corner. I would reserve this tactic for knockout competitions, but I can see it may be worth risking the goal difference for the possibility of a point. In this case, a quick clearance resulted in an almost open goal at our end.

Mossley is one of the more scenic grounds, although the advantage is seen during the day. As most of the view is of the moorland, the lights in the distance are mostly out of view on the lower slopes. As it was Bonfire Night, we had hoped the night might be enlivened by some fireworks, but these too seemed to be limited.

Final result: Mossley 4 Prescot Cables 2 (Doran, Murphy)

Up the wall

As this blog is unlikely to be called upon to photograph a fixture in the Eton Wall Game, Dulwich Hamlet's game against Leatherhead seemed the next best thing.

There are many reasons why animosity can arise between clubs, some shrouded in the mists of time. Visiting Mangotsfield United in 2002, we found a shared dislike of Gloucester City, in our case arising from their only visit to our ground nine years previously. Relations between us and Leatherhead deteriorated last season, after part of their pitch perimeter wall collapsed in the 85th minute of our League fixture. Their officials tried to blame the dozen or so of our schoolboy supporters who were leaning on it celebrating a goal. Their players crowded round the referee as he inspected the pitch for debris, and celebrated the abandonment as though they had won the game, in which we had been leading.

Having secured the Championship despite losing the replayed game, we were not expecting to meet them again for a while, but we reckoned without the draw for the FA Trophy.

Peter Adeniyi

Although the day was mainly dry, there was a heavy shower whilst I was on the way to the game, so I headed in to Sainsbury's. This was not just for the driest sausage roll I have had in a long time, but I had forgotten to pack the rain cover for my camera (serves me right for being so smug in midweek), and the plastic bag might have been needed as an emergency replacement.

A few minutes before the game (thirteen to be precise), a smartly dressed gentleman scurried past me carrying a large kit bag. I believe clubs are fined if they arrive less than 45 minutes before the game is due to start: I am not sure if anything equivalent applies to the match officials.

The sun was shining for the first half, where we were attacking the Greendale end. The sun is behind this end in the afternoon, and there are three tall trees behind the ground.

These ensure that, when the sun is shining, we can encounter just about all lighting conditions, usually within a few yards. We go from full sunshine ...

Billy Crook

... through mixed shadows ...

Nyren Clunis

... lit foreground against background shadow ...

Matthieu Boyer

... and vice versa ...

Erhun Öztümer

... although the low angle of the sun meant few shots were completely in shadow.

This was my first sight of the club's new kit. The shade of pink is better for the camera than on the previous kit, which sometimes came out nearer to purple. I would have preferred the player's number on the front of the shirt or, as with the previous kit, on the shorts (although the latter makes more work for the kit man matching shirt and shorts). In their absence, I rather hope I have got the captions right on the pictures above.

By the second half, the sun was almost completely below the trees, so the light was more even.

Dean Lodge, immediately before he was fouled for a penalty

We finish after sunset at this time of year, especially as the second half did not start until 4.10, which seemed late, with only a couple of minutes delay to the start and another couple added on in the first half. The floodlights became more significant for the lighting as the game went on.

Lewis Gonsalves

The end result was a satisfying progression to the next round, in front of the lowest crowd for a Saturday game this season, although I still got some decent crowd shots.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Dulwich Hamlet 3 (Daly 2,Öztümer) Leatherhead 0.

No walls were harmed in the making of this report.