A ballroom and sports facility on the former Greenham Common airbase has hosted its last event after the owners called time on the venue.

The former airbase buildings, now known as the Liberty Ballroom, are said to have hosted stars like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash.
The Ceroc Black and White Ball was the final ever event held on Sunday.
The owner says no final decision has been made on the venue's future but it can no longer subsidise the operation.
Julian May, spokesman for Greenham Common Trust, said: "We understand that many residents, and particularly the dancing community in Newbury and surrounding areas, feel deeply attached to the building.
"A conservative estimate to repair the ballroom roof and building could be approaching £500,000 to £750,000, along with significant annual maintenance costs.
"It would be wrong of us to pour money into one amenity that needs a great deal of work and is sadly beyond its economic life, when that same amount could be used to help many other local charitable causes."
Harry Cobb, director of Liberty Newbury, which leases the ballroom from the trust, said: "On a monthly basis, when there are a lot of good events, we can get upwards of 2,000 people through the doors, if not 3,000.
"We have tried our best and we have invested significant amounts but, without the help and support of the trust, it's just not feasible for us as a limited company to invest those sums in the premises."
Steph Guyatt, who met her husband Steve at the venue on 24 December five years ago, said: "We are genuinely devastated, not just for ourselves... it's a place where you have an age range of 20s through to their 80s - you wouldn't get that in the pubs or the restaurant culture in Newbury.
"There are a lot of elderly people who come and dance with us who wouldn't go out normally. We feel if that's lost to them they'll end up back in their homes and isolated the same as so many other people and that's what we're trying to avoid as a society."
The complex of buildings, which first sprang up on the former airbase in the late 1950s and early 1960s, has evolved over the years and includes a sports hall and a competition-grade maple-sprung dancefloor.
It was reopened as the Liberty Ballroom in 1994, two years after the military left the site, and taken over by Liberty Newbury in 2013.
Trevor Banning remembers the venue during the days of the military.
He said: "I was a Greenham boy. I grew up at Greenham and my mum met her second husband at the Liberty Ballroom - or The Bar as it was at the time - in 1981. As a result, I spent a lot of my youth, particularly from the age of 13 to 15, in and around that building."
Ballroom regular Mo Stoner said: "It was handed back from the US to the Ministry of Defence in 1993 and since then it's been once of those venues you always go to - it's got an amazing floor - it's just once of those venues you can't replace.
"It's just a shame because there are 700, maybe 900 members but you just get 100 people turning up on a regular basis.
"Until you've lost it, you don't know what you've lost."


The son of the popular Mexican singer Pepe Aguilar has been arrested in California for people smuggling.

US customs officials say Jose Aguilar was arrested by federal agents who found four illegal migrants from China in the boot of his car.
The lawyer representing Mr Aguilar, Jeremy Warren, said the case had nothing to do with the famous singer.
"Jose Aguilar is a young man who will address this matter in court, not with the press," he said.
The arrest took place two weeks ago - but details, including Jose Aguilar's involvement, emerged on Friday.
US Customs and Border Protection said Mr Aguilar was arrested at the border in San Diego after a sniffer dog alerted federal agents to the stowaways in the boot of his car.
The migrants reportedly said they had agreed to pay Mr Aguilar between $3,000 and $60,000 (Â£2,390 and Â£47,830) to be smuggled into the US.
Mr Aguilar, who is a US citizen, was released on bail pending his arraignment.
His father, Pepe Aguilar, is one of Mexico's most popular mariachi singers.
He has won four Grammy awards and four Latin Grammy awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


There's anger, as much as relief and a sense of vindication, inside the Ministry of Defence and the Army at the end of this long public inquiry into allegations of murder and abuse by British soldiers in Iraq in 2004.

The anger is largely directed at the lawyers who pursued the case on behalf of Iraqi families whose evidence crumbled.
There's anger too that British soldiers who showed extraordinary bravery in battle have had their names and reputations dragged through the mud.
And then there's anger at the cost of this inquiry to the British taxpayer.
The MoD does not come out of this inquiry blame free.
It was forced on the MoD after High Court judges accused it of "lamentable" behaviour and "serious breaches" of duty of candour in a failure to disclose information about the allegations of murder and ill treatment by British troops after the so-called Battle of Danny Boy.
The fact that three of the Iraqi detainees had made complaints to the Red Cross about their treatment after the battle only emerged as a result of the inquiry.
But it's the lawyers who pursued these allegations - law firms Public Interest Lawyers and Leigh Day - who now face the harshest criticism.
The MoD say it was a "shameful attempt to impugn the armed forces".
Even before this verdict, defence secretaries had spoken out against what they see as a "culture" of expensive, war-related litigation against the MoD.
Before he left for the Foreign Office, Philip Hammond stated taxpayers "are sick and tired of us funding these ambulance-chasing lawyers who are finding, often aggressively seeking out, foreign claimants".
His successor, Michael Fallon, used a speech earlier this month to vent his frustrations with the four-year Al-Sweady Inquiry.
He said it had exposed "barefaced lies" and a bill for the taxpayer of more than Â£30m.
Mr Fallon says there have already been three public inquiries, more than 200 judicial reviews or applications for them, and more than 300 personal injury claims from Iraqi or Afghan nationals.
He says the claims from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been lodged on a "virtually industrial scale" and it has already cost the government Â£90m.
The MoD now employs more than 300 lawyers and legal consultants at the cost of Â£36m a year.
Politicians and military commanders believe the damage is not just financial.
In a report called Fog of War, Tom Tugendhat, a former Lt Col in the British army, and US Army Lt Col Laura Croft, argue that recent judicial findings are already affecting a soldier's ability to fight.
They warn that a "legal creep" could pose a "mortal threat to the culture and ethos of the military which cannot easily be reversed".
In other words they feel that legal worries are impacting decisions on the battlefield, with soldiers concerned that their actions in combat could end up in court.
And it's not just about the treatment of detainees.
A landmark decision by the Supreme Court last year ruled the MoD had a duty of care to its own soldiers in combat.
In the past the military has largely been protected from prosecution under "combat immunity".
But recent judicial findings have extended common law claims of negligence and "duty of care" to the battlefield, opening the way for relatives of those soldiers killed in war to mount legal challenges against the MoD.
The publication of the Al-Sweady Inquiry will undoubtedly fuel the debate about the way lawyers pursue claims against the military - in this instance the actions of Public Interest Lawyers and Leigh Day.
The inquiry chairman, Sir Thayne Forbes, said the Iraqi detainees who had alleged abuse and torture had given evidence that was "unprincipled in the extreme" and "wholly without regard to the truth".
The inquiry did uncover some ill treatment, including sleep deprivation, strip searches and blindfolding.
It also describes an instance of "ill treatment" in which an interrogator banged a tent peg on a table and walked around a blindfolded detainee while blowing of the back of his neck.
But all those detained were known to have been armed insurgents at the time.
The head of the Army, Gen Sir Nick Carter, has said it is "right that soldiers should be held to account when they fail to uphold" the Army's high standards.
But how realistic is it to expect soldiers to treat the enemy with kid gloves in the immediate aftermath of a fierce battle?
This inquiry is unlikely to draw a line under the Iraq war or bring an end to allegations of mistreatment by British soldiers.
The MoD has set up the Iraq Historic Allegations Team - IHAT - to examine claims of abuse and unlawful killing.
It is currently investigating 55 allegations of unlawful death and 197 allegations of mistreatment.
Public Interest Lawyers, in conjunction with the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, has also handed over a dossier alleging "systemic abuse" of Iraqis by British troops to the International Criminal Court.
But so far one British soldier has been convicted of abuse during the Iraq war, following the death of hotel worker Baha Moussa while in British custody.


Defending champions Australia were soundly beaten by six wickets as New Zealand made it three wins out of three at the Women's World Twenty20.

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Having opted to bat, Australia were reduced to 4-4 after four overs, Kiwi left-arm spinner Leigh Kasperek taking 3-2 in her first 12 deliveries.
All-rounder Ellyse Perry struck 42 from 48 balls as Australia mustered 103-8.
But Rachel Priest hit 34 from 27 balls and Susie Bates 23 as the Kiwis reached their target with 22 balls to spare.
"I am sure if we play the way we are, we can win it," said Bates. "If things go our way, we can win it. But we are not looking too far ahead."
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The Australians, winners of the last three tournaments, were also beaten by the Kiwis in their opening group match of the 2014 World T20, but this was only their fifth defeat in 22 matches in the history of the event.
Edinburgh-born Kasperek, who appeared for Scotland against Ireland in the 2007 European Championship aged 15, claimed wickets with consecutive deliveries in her first over, both hoicked to the leg-side ring.
Perry had struck the only six of the Australia innings but was given out lbw with the final ball of the 17th over, when replays suggested it was missing the leg-stump.
In reply both New Zealand openers hit sixes, Bates with a glorious drive over long-off, as they raced to 58 in the eighth over before both departed in the space of 10 balls.
New Zealand, runners-up in the first two Women's World T20s, have now won three of their four WT20 meetings with Australia and maintained their 100% record in this year's event, having also beaten Sri Lanka and Ireland.
With only the top two in the five-team groups progressing, Australia next play on Thursday in Delhi against Sri Lanka, who have also won one and lost one thus far.


Lewis Hamilton says his relationship with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg will "never be perfect" but both remain fully committed to the team.

Hamilton won his third title in 2015 as he and Rosberg combined for 12 one-two finishes over 19 races, but the year was soured by clashes between the two.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has warned he could replace one of the drivers if their relationship damages the team.
But Hamilton said: "It is never going to be all fine and dandy."
The 30-year-old added that Mercedes "can't really complain" about the results they are delivering.
"It is never going to be perfect. But we have a winning formula. We always get a one-two when the car is ready to give a one-two," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
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A year of simmering tensions came to a head at both the Japanese and US Grands Prix, when Rosberg felt Hamilton had been too aggressive while passing him at the start of the races.
After his win in Texas, which secured him his third world title, Hamilton tossed Rosberg the cap he had to wear on the podium only for his team-mate to throw it straight back at him.
"The team hired myself and Nico to do a job. We have done exactly that. We are racing and competing against each other," Hamilton added.
"It is not a family game. It is not a fun event. We are both committed to Mercedes for the long run."


Proposals to close four community hospitals in Devon are being considered by health bosses, it has emerged.

The news comes after confirmation on Wednesday closing Paignton Hospital was "an option" being discussed.
Now the BBC has learned that the future of Ashburton, Bovey Tracey and Dartmouth community hospitals is also being looked at.
Torbay and South Devon CCG said a broader statement would be issued on Friday.
A spokesman said the initial announcement about Paignton had been made via Facebook after details of discussions were leaked.
"We thought it was best to get the facts out there," he said.
Conservative MP for Torbay, Kevin Foster, expressed his concerns about the proposals.
"The Paignton Hospital itself may be an older building, but the needs it serves to the local community are very modern, and I'd be very concerned at the idea that the services will be removed from Paignton rather than replaced in Paignton."
Chief clinical officer for the CCG Dr Nick Roberts, has now confirmed to the BBC that three other community hospitals were also being considered for closure.


A hotel owner, described as a "real-life Basil Fawlty" on TripAdvisor by guests he misled with false claims about his properties, has been fined.

Emyr Davies, 40, of Aberystwyth, had to put some guests up at his home after double booking them.
Town magistrates heard he did not understand what "newly-furbished" meant on hotel advertising because his first language is Welsh.
He had admitted 12 charges of using unfair business practices.
Davies, who owns three hotels in the seafront resort, was fined £8,400 and ordered to pay costs of £3,000 and compensation of £2,200.
A previous hearing was told he continued to use star ratings from the tourist body Visit Wales even though the grading had been revoked on his properties, Ty Belgrave House, the Four Seasons and the Queensbridge Hotel in Aberystwyth.
He accepted bookings for the "four-star" Four Seasons despite the hotel being full, the court heard, and some guests had ended up staying at Davies' home because rooms were not available at the hotel.
Maggie Hughes, prosecuting, representing Ceredigion council, said Visit Wales' had revoked Davies' accreditation following a flood of complaints.
Davies had continued to display Visit Wales signs at the hotels and on their websites, the court heard.
One customer arrived at the Four Seasons to find a "newly refurbished" room was filthy, had peeling wallpaper, floor vinyl that was lifting up and mould in the bathroom.
Eight of the 12 offences Davies admitted by Davies related to the Four Seasons.
Some guests said they were moved to lower graded accommodation in other hotels owned by the defendant.
Others were put up in rooms in Davies' own home, with some ending up in a bedroom which still contained personal belongings of Davies' wife.
Magistrates told Davies that he had degraded the tourist industry in north Ceredigion and had let guests down badly.
Davies' defence counsel said his client insisted that he was taking steps to remedy the problems and that he regretted that things had got so bad.
He told the court that Davies' first language is Welsh and that he did not understand the meaning of "newly refurbished".
The court also heard that Davies had difficulty running the hotels and was still suspended by Visit Wales.
Coun Dafydd Edwards, Ceredigion council's cabinet member for environment, regulation and planning, said the council had only prosecuted as a last resort after Davies had ignored its advice and warnings.
He said: "Not only have we worked to protect consumers and visitors to Ceredigion, we have acted to stop the unfair advantage that Mr Davies attempted to create for himself by misleading customers about his facilities."
In reviews on TripAdvisor, one guest wrote: "The 'receptionist' could only be described at Basil Fawlty. WhenI asked if we could have a television in the room he gave me a key to a top floor room and told me to get it myself."


Bryn Gatland, son of British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland, has been named in the New Zealand Barbarians squad to face the tourists on 3 June.

The fly-half, 21, was among 19 players selected from 15 of New Zealand's provincial unions for the opening match of the Lions tour in Whangarei.
The New Zealander plays for North Harbour, but was recently called up to Super Rugby side Auckland Blues' squad.
Warren Gatland will name his Lions squad on 19 April.
3 June - New Zealand Provincial Barbarians (Toll Stadium, Whangarei)
7 June - Blues (Eden Park, Auckland)
10 June - Crusaders (AMI Stadium, Christchurch)
13 June - Highlanders (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin)
17 June - Maori (International Stadium, Rotorua)
20 June - Chiefs (Waikato Stadium, Hamilton)
24 June - New Zealand (First Test, Eden Park, Auckland)
27 June - Hurricanes (Westpac Stadium, Wellington)
1 July - New Zealand (Second Test, Westpac Stadium, Wellington)
8 July - New Zealand (Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland)


A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a postman who died 20 years ago after being punched in the head while waiting for a taxi.

Andrew Batten, 42, died in hospital after he was attacked at a taxi rank in Vicar Lane, Leeds, on 13 October 1995.
West Yorkshire Police said a 45-year-old man was in custody.
It comes after the force made a fresh appeal for information about the death last month.
Mr Batten, who lived in Beeston, had gone out after finishing work and was still wearing his Royal Mail uniform.
He was found on the pavement by an ambulance crew after an anonymous call and was taken to Leeds General Infirmary with a fractured skull. He died two days later.
He was believed to have been punched by a man, who was with a woman, in the taxi queue at the rear of the Victoria Quarter.


Scotland's longest-serving first minister, Alex Salmond, is about to step down from the role he has held since 16 May, 2007.

Mr Salmond, who will shortly hand over to Nicola Sturgeon, is the fourth politician to head Holyrood's devolved government (not counting Jim Wallace, who served as acting first minister three times.)
So who are Scotland's leaders, past and present, and what legacies have they left?
Donald Dewar secured his place in history when he became first minister of the first Scottish Parliament in almost 300 years, but his time in the role was cut sadly short.
He was known for an astute legal brain, fierce, fast and formidable debating skills and squaring up to the opposition benches.
Not a typical Labour man, he was born in Glasgow on 21 August 1937 into a middle class family and studied law before entering the Commons in 1966 as MP for Aberdeen South and, later, represented the seat of Glasgow Garscadden.
His loyalty in the shadow cabinet during Labour's wilderness years saw him rewarded with the post of secretary of state for Scotland by Tony Blair in 1997 - the vehicle by which he helped bring about devolution two years later, earning him the title "Father of the Nation".
Mr Dewar became MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, but his new administration was soon embroiled in an access-to-ministers scandal, the Holyrood building fiasco and the repeal of Section 28.
He admitted the first year was "towsy".
Despite an operation to replace a leaky heart valve and being two years off becoming a pensioner, he was determined to resume his key role in politics.
On 10 October 2000, Mr Dewar fell on the pavement outside his official residence and later died from a brain haemorrhage.
Mr Dewar's legacy lives on through the devolved parliament itself, and a towering statue of the man himself in Glasgow city centre.
Whatever Henry McLeish's achievements in politics, his tenure in office will always be marked by having been the only Scottish first minister forced to resign from the job.
The former professional footballer cut his political teeth in Fife in the early 1970s, working his way through the echelons of Kirkcaldy District Council and Fife Regional Council to be elected Labour MP for Fife Central in 1987.
He served on the shadow benches before becoming a devolution minister in the former Scottish Office, playing a key role in delivering the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Mr McLeish was regarded as a competent parliamentary performer, and was seen as a safe pair of hands to take over the reins following the death of Donald Dewar.
But there were doubts about the presence of a "common touch" and the ability to control rebellion in the ranks.
Nevertheless, he masterminded the introduction of Scotland's historic scheme to provide free personal care for the elderly.
The Fife MSP's downfall came during a row over his Westminster constituency office expenses, dubbed "Officegate".
The episode was made worse by Mr McLeish's inability to resolve the matter in the eyes of the public and media, and he eventually stood down as first minister, describing his actions as "a muddle, not a fiddle".
Mr McLeish's post-Holyrood years have seen him lecture widely in the United States.
He has also served on several SNP government investigations and commissions looking into a range of issues, including prisons, football, broadcasting and colleges.
That, along with his post-2007 commentary about Labour's woes, during which he lambasted the party's "culture of denial", led some observers to cheekily question whether he was "going Nat".
Elected Labour MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw in 1999, the former maths teacher came to the fore after taking up the "poisoned chalice" of education minister, tackling a crisis at the Scottish Qualifications Authority head-on.
Following Henry McLeish's resignation, Lord McConnell won the job - openly admitting to a previous extra-marital affair in the process - and taking on the post while wondering whether devolution could survive.
As first minister, he saw through the ban on smoking in public places and forged new links with the African country of Malawi, one of the poorest in the world, which have been maintained to this day.
He stood down as Scottish Labour leader after the SNP's 2007 election win, moving to the backbenches for four years.
Mr McConnell was due to become British High Commissioner to Malawi in 2009 but, before having a chance to take up the post, the then prime minister Gordon Brown decided to appoint him his "special international representative on strengthening conflict resolution capacity".
The move provoked speculation that it would avoid a Labour by-election defeat in Motherwell and Wishaw.
After being made a life peer, taking the title Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale, he announced a move to leave Holyrood.
He also expressed his wish to work in post-conflict reconstruction and campaign for vulnerable young people.
Despite the odd gaffe - including having to reverse a decision to attend a golf club dinner rather than D-Day commemorative events in Normandy and once telling a group of high school pupils it was okay to get drunk "once in a while" - Lord McConnell says he is immensely proud of his achievements as first minister.
In his parting shot to Holyrood, Lord McConnell said the Scottish Parliament was failing in its role as a focal point for national debate and ministerial scrutiny and was in need of "radical change".
And as Mr Salmond's milestone as longest-serving first minister approached in November 2012, Lord McConnell took to Twitter, cheekily writing: "This might be my last ever night as 'longest serving First Minister of Scotland'. Maybe overtaken tomorrow? Still the youngest though!"
Seen as one of the most talented politicians of his generation, Alex Salmond already had a high-profile before he won two historic Holyrood elections as SNP leader, securing the mandate to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in the process.
Born in 1954 in Linlithgow, Mr Salmond graduated from St Andrews University and began a career in economics, working for the Scottish Office and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Despite earning himself a brief expulsion from the SNP in 1982 for his role in the breakaway '79 Group, he began his parliamentary career as MP for Banff and Buchan in 1987, building himself a high-profile.
He served as party leader from 1990, standing down after 10 years only to make a dramatic comeback to the SNP's top job before winning the 2007 Holyrood election.
Often derided by his political opponents as arrogant and self-serving, Mr Salmond nonetheless succeeded in turning his party into the most popular in the history of devolution, on his platform of fighting for Scottish interests.
Despite a hard-fought campaign on the "Yes" side, voters rejected independence by 55% to 45% in the 18 September vote and, the following day, Mr Salmond announced he was standing down as first minister and SNP leader.
After more than seven years as first minister, there is little doubt Mr Salmond has changed the course of Scottish politics forever.
Liberal Democrat Jim Wallace never held the post of first minister on a permanent basis but was called on to do the job on three occasions when sickness, death and scandal befell the Labour incumbent.
The politician, now known as Lord Wallace of Tankerness, became deputy first minister in 1999, staying in the post until his resignation as Scottish Liberal Democrat leader on a high, following a good night at the polls for his party in the 2005 UK election.
He studied law at Edinburgh University and worked as an advocate before entering parliament in the 1983 General Election as MP for Orkney and Shetland.
Mr Wallace joined the Liberal Party in 1972 and became its Scottish party leader in 1992, before being elected MSP for Orkney when devolution happened in 1999.
When no clear winner emerged in the first devolved government, Mr Wallace's Liberal Democrats agreed to become Labour's coalition partner.
He credits his party's role in the coalition for bringing about policies like scrapping up-front tuition fees, free personal care and Scotland's "right to roam" land reforms.
But it was not all plain sailing when, as Scottish justice minister, Lord Wallace was forced to perform a series of u-turns, with plans to ban smacking, close Peterhead jail and open up children's hearings to over-16s all dropped.
Less than a year after devolution, Mr Wallace took up the post of first minister when Donald Dewar became ill, stepping in again when he died in October 2000.
When Mr McLeish quit in 2001, Lord Wallace found himself, albeit briefly, back in the hot seat, and his efforts saw him named Scottish Politician of the Year.
After his move to the Lords and a bit of a back seat, Lord Wallace again found himself in government, putting his political and legal skills to use as Advocate General for Scotland in the UK coalition.


British sisters Cindy Ofili and Tiffany Porter missed out on Olympic 100m hurdles medals as the United States took a clean sweep at Rio 2016.

Favourite Brianna Rollins won in 12.48 seconds ahead of team-mates Nia Ali (12.59) and Kristi Castlin (12.61).
Ofili, 22, was in third place after the final hurdle, but was pipped by Castlin in the race for the line.
She finished fourth in a season's best 12.63, while Porter, 28, was seventh in a time of 12.76.
The sisters were both born and raised in the United States, but eligible to represent Great Britain through their London-born mother.
Porter, who had already competed for the US, switched to represent Britain in late 2010, with Ofili declaring her allegiance in 2015 after deciding to follow her sister.
Porter won bronze at the 2013 World Championships, then took Commonwealth silver a year later, but has struggled to replicate her best form this year.
Ofili has a faster time this year - 12.66 - so it was no surprise to see her push the American trio the closest.
She looked set to clinch the first major medal of her career until Castlin dipped ahead of her to take bronze by two-hundreths of a second.
Cindy Ofili: "I came out here to try and get a medal for GB. It was a great race. I can only be happy with this performance. I have had an off-and-on year so I am just happy to almost get a medal."
Tiffany Porter: "I did my best. It has been a very difficult year for me but to be honest I am very proud of myself and tremendously proud of my sister. I want to succeed but I want to see my sister succeed as well."
Australian defending champion Sally Pearson missed the Games after tearing her hamstring earlier this summer, paving the way for a new Olympic champion to be crowned in Rio.
An American was seen as the early favourite to succeed Pearson - but world record holder Kendra Harrison did not even qualify.
Harrison, 23, only finished sixth in the US trials, leaving 24-year-old Rollins as the fastest woman at the Games.
She controlled the race throughout as the US showed their strength in depth in the event by taking all three medals.
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Wounds are being tended after the playing of what claims to be Britain's longest-running sporting event.

Hallaton Bottle Kicking matches the Leicestershire villages of Hallaton and Medbourne in an attempt to get small barrels across one of two streams.
Organisers claim its roots go back to Roman times and the muddy chaos was the inspiration for modern rugby.
After the traditional start of eating Hare Pie, favourites Hallaton retained their title, winning 2-0.
Phil Allen, who has been involved in arranging the fixture for more than 42 years, said: "The rules are very simple; there aren't any rules."
Mr Allen said: "We believe that the Hallaton Bottle Kicking is the longest-running sporting event in Britain. We don't think there's anything older.
"It is the origin of rugby. Rugby started here in Hallaton. (William) Webb Ellis came to see his uncle, the rector, and then he went back to school - saw what they did in Hallaton, took the ball and ran with it."


A former MP has said he is "completely innocent" of claims of child abuse and murder, a day after being questioned by police for a second time.

Harvey Proctor said the claims had "wrecked" his life and called for senior police officers to resign.
He was interviewed under caution as part of Operation Midland, an inquiry into claims powerful men abused children in the 1970s and 1980s.
He called the Metropolitan Police inquiry a "homosexual witch hunt".
"I'm a homosexual. I'm not a murderer or a paedophile," said Mr Proctor.
He held a press conference to address the issue, saying he wanted to end the "drip, drip, drip" of information in the media.
Mr Proctor, Conservative MP for Billericay until 1987, said he met officers from the Metropolitan Police voluntarily on Monday, following a similar interview in June.
The Met said it would not be commenting following Mr Proctor's press conference.
During the conference in central London, Mr Proctor said he believed all the claims against him came from one complainant - protected by legal anonymity and known only as "Nick".
The former MP said:
Mr Proctor added: "I should be arrested, charged and prosecuted for murder and these awful crimes immediately so I can start the process of ridiculing these preposterous allegations in open court - or 'Nick' should be stripped of his anonymity and prosecuted for wasting police time and money, making the most foul of false allegations and seeking to pervert the course of justice."
He also said that "Nick" should be "medically examined to ensure he is of sound mind".
Mr Proctor said police had asked him if he knew his "eight alleged co-conspirators".
He said this alleged "gang" contained people he knew, as well as people he had heard of and people he did not know.
"None of the allegations were alleged to have taken place at my home, and I have not visited the homes of any of the 'gang'," he said.
Mr Proctor said the list of names included those of former Home Secretary Leon Brittan, former chief of the defence staff Lord Bramall and former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.
He said he and Sir Edward "despised" each other and that he had never been to Sir Edward's home - which he pointed out would have had CCTV and numerous security and household staff.
"It is so far-fetched as to be unbelievable. It is unbelievable because it is not true," he said.
"My situation has transformed from Kafkaesque bewilderment to black farce incredulity."


Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has been sentenced to two years in prison for public corruption.

Mr McDonnell, 60, was convicted on 11 charges in September, including wire fraud and receiving property based on his official duties.
Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years while his defence asked the judge for community service.
The six-week trial exposed the McDonnell family's strained marriage and shaky finances.
His wife, Maureen, was also found guilty in September of eight charges. She will be sentenced in February.
The couple accepted $165,000 in gifts and loans, including a Rolex watch, designer clothing and vacations in exchange for promoting Star Scientific, a vitamin firm, and doing favours for its chief executive, Jonnie Williams.
Mr Williams testified under immunity as the prosecution's star witness.
On Tuesday, Mr McDonnell, once a rising star of the Republican party, told the judge ahead of sentencing he was "a heartbroken and humbled man".
"I allowed my life to get way out of balance," he said.
But outside of court, he said he still disagreed with the verdict and his defence would be appealing his conviction.
The former governor did not react when the judge handed down the sentence.
Mr McDonnell must report to prison by 9 February.


Three men armed with golf clubs and a metal pole attacked and robbed a man as he left work.

The 53-year-old had just locked up HQ Prime Meats, in Smethwick, in the West Midlands, when the men appeared and beat him in the street.
They tried to make him reopen the premises before taking some jewellery from him and escaping in an Audi A3.
The victim suffered a badly broken leg which required emergency surgery, West Midlands Police said.
He remains in a severe but stable condition in hospital following the attack in Fawdry Street on 8 January.
The suspects fled towards Cranford Way, the spokesman added.
Anyone with information is urged to call police.


Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush is wrapping up his trip through Europe, and it seems the worst thing being said about his visit (at least so far) is that he's been a bit boring.

The former Florida governor has given a speech emphasising trans-Atlantic partnership in Germany and calling for a hard line against Russian "aggression" during a stop in Poland. Tomorrow he heads to Estonia.
Serious presidential candidates seem obligated to make a trip abroad to prove their foreign policy mettle, but when it comes to such overseas adventures, boring is pretty close to a best-case outcome.
Some might recall the sunny day seven years ago, when then-Senator Barack Obama delivered an address in Berlin to an adoring crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands. More often, however, candidates don't soar on foreign soil, they stumble.
Within the past year Governors Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal have all wilted under the harsh spotlight of the world stage. And then there was Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's ill-fated 2012 trip to Europe, where he generated numerous negative headlines, including ruffling British feathers when he wondered if London was prepared to host that summer's Olympic Games.
It's the kind of stuff that gives campaign hands nightmares - particularly the small group of experts and academics who are tasked with educating and counselling presidential candidates on international affairs.
Eliot Cohen, a professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, advised Mr Romney on foreign policy in 2012. He says the campaign made the mistake of bringing only a "very tight personal staff" to Europe with the former Massachusetts governor.
"It's very hard not to stumble," he says. Aside from incumbent presidents running for re-election, candidates have little in the way of international affairs support staff. Campaign organisations are mostly composed of political operatives and domestic policy experts, and full-time foreign policy advisors tend to be far fewer in number and often with less experience.
Although campaigns bring in outside advisors - releasing lists of names with some fanfare - he says the amount of time they get on a candidate's schedule is limited.
"If you don't have that kind of massive staff working for you, it's so easy to walk into some kind of bog - people just sink in without a trace," Cohen says.
"What I would have advised on that particular trip is just say nice things about the Olympics, that's all," he adds. "It was an unforced error."
According to veteran foreign policy hands who've joined the political fray to help prospective commanders-in-chief, avoiding such unforced errors on foreign policy - as well as developing an overarching international vision - are the primary goals when they sit down with their charges.
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton says that "almost every candidate needs to know more about national security".
"The real issue is whether their background, their combination of interest, experience and involvement, gives them an opportunity to exercise an informed judgement," he continues. "Ultimately the most important thing a president needs is not facts, but judgement."
Mr Bolton, who flirted with his own presidential bid this year, has worked with numerous Republican candidates, including Mr Romney in 2012. His name has been linked to Mr Jindal's campaign, and in February he was overheard having foreign policy discussions over dinner with Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
"Some have specific questions that they want to talk about," Bolton says of the candidates he advises. "Others just kind of want to go around the world and so on. Some have specific questions about how a president makes decisions, who they want to talk to and how it works."
The current crop of presidential hopefuls offers a wide range of levels of foreign policy interest and experience. On one end are candidates like Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Republican Lindsey Graham, a veteran of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Others, like Mr Walker of Wisconsin, have little foreign policy experience. He was roundly criticised earlier this year, for instance, when responded to a question about how he'd deal with the Islamic State by comparing it to his confrontations with the public employee unions in his home state.
According to Michael O'Hanlon, a Brookings institution senior fellow who advised Mrs Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign, good foreign policy aides need to tailor their approach to the particular candidate's experience - and also their personality.
"Some people are going to welcome more assertive advice than others," he says. "It's one thing if you've known the candidate for 20 years. It's something else if you're trying to get to know them through this process. If you want to do the latter, then you've got to interact at the pace and the level that they're comfortable with."
When the candidate has a solid resume in international affairs - like George HW Bush in 1988, for instance - an advisor may just be honoured to be invited into the room.
"It's not so much of an educational process as it is a team where maybe one person is following an issue in more detail, but the candidate ultimately has pretty good confidence and judgement and even quite a bit of knowledge about the issue at hand," he says.
In other cases, advisers have to provide a more in-depth education - "fill in the scaffolding and figure out how to handle a lot of other issues and just develop some talking points", he says. At the very least the goal is to prevent a candidate from getting blindsided in debates or from reporters springing unexpected 'pop quizzes' - as a Boston reporter did of then-candidate George W Bush in 1999.
And then there are the times when "foreign policy advisers" don't really do all that much advising, O'Hanlon says.
Campaigns release a list of names on their foreign policy team, but those individuals may never get any time with the candidate. Instead, they're brought on board to satisfy particular political constituencies.
"Sometimes the campaigns get built up and the advisors get recruited just to keep them feeling part of the team," he says. "You don't want people to feel dissed or unwanted. So if there's a group that is talented and knowledgeable, maybe you just want to have them on standby and not lose them to somebody else."
Such an approach isn't without risks, of course. Reporters and opponents often pore over the announcements and hints of campaign advisors, looking for an angle for a story or a line to attack.
Jeb Bush, for instance, made it easy on his foes when word leaked that during a private meeting he named his presidential brother as one of his top Middle East advisers.
And Jeb Bush's attempts to distance himself from his brother's controversies took another a hit in May when he included 17 former members of his brother's administration on his list of foreign policy advisers, including outspoken Iraq War architect Paul Wolfowitz.
It's conventional wisdom that, unless there's a war or major international crises, foreign policy usually takes a back seat to domestic concerns during US presidential elections - so candidate stumbles up to this point may eventually fade into the background.
At least thus far, however, international affairs - particularly the Obama administration's handling of Iran, Israel and the Islamic State - have been regular topics of discussion among almost all of the Republican presidential aspirants.
In many ways this is turning out to be a different kind of Republican presidential race - from the level of money pouring in to the sheer number of entrants. And perhaps the campaign will be different in its level of emphasis on foreign policy, as well.
The more the candidates talk about events overseas, the more influence the often-overlooked foreign policy advisors will wield.
"This is what I wanted, this is what I hoped for, this is what I predicted really," Bolton says of the candidates' new-found emphasis on world events.
"If people want to talk, I'm delighted to talk with them," he says, in what could be a foreign policy adviser's credo.
2016 Republican presidential hopefuls in - and out - of the race


Cardiff City are out of the Championship's bottom three after fighting back to earn a late win over relegation rivals Wolves.

The visitors led after two minutes as Cardiff goalkeeper Ben Amos failed to stop Matt Doherty's long-range shot.
Matt Connolly headed the hosts level before Anthony Pilkington struck with an assured low finish after 86 minutes.
Cardiff climb up to 19th place, three points above the relegation zone, while Wolves drop to 20th.
Starting the game in 22nd place and two points behind Wolves, Cardiff knew a win would take them out of the relegation zone and possibly consign their opponents to the bottom three.
However, it was Paul Lambert's side who seized the initiative, taking an early lead thanks to a helping hand from their opponents.
Wolves left-back Doherty cut inside on to his right foot and tried his luck with a firm shot from 20 yards and, although it hurtled straight towards Amos, the Cardiff goalkeeper could only palm the ball into his own net.
The visitors were barely troubled in a slumberous first half, but Cardiff were much improved in the second and forced Wolves' 19-year-old goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne - making only his second league start - into several saves.
He eventually buckled under the pressure, failing to catch or clear a Peter Whittingham corner and allowing Connolly to nod in from close range.
Cardiff continued to pepper Burgoyne's goal with shots and crosses.
The home side's endeavours were rewarded when Pilkington carried the ball into the Wolves penalty area and drilled a powerful effort into the bottom corner.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock:
"We felt a bit sorry for ourselves with the goal. We were behind because of a goalkeeping error.
"It took us 10, 15 minutes after that where we could've lost the game. I just said to them 'stop feeling sorry for yourselves, they are there to be beaten and if we play in the second half, we can win the game'. That was the message."
Wolves head coach Paul Lambert:
"I don't think we did enough in the second half, whether or not we deserved to lose it, I'm not so sure.
"I've looked at the tape and it wasn't a corner. We had been coping really well with the corners and long throw-ins.
"It's been an occurrence since August, being near the bottom. We've absolutely got enough to stay up. We're a really good attacking side that needs a bit of experience.
"We're a young team who will make mistakes, but we've certainly got a threat."
Match ends, Cardiff City 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1.
Second Half ends, Cardiff City 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1.
Substitution, Cardiff City. Joe Ralls replaces Peter Whittingham.
Goal!  Cardiff City 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1. Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kenneth Zohore.
Attempt saved. George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Dominic Iorfa.
Foul by Bruno Ecuele Manga (Cardiff City).
Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Kenneth Zohore (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Foul by Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City).
Richard Stearman (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Sean Morrison (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bright Enobakhare (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Hand ball by Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Corner,  Cardiff City. Conceded by Romain Saiss.
Attempt blocked. Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City).
Bright Enobakhare (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Cardiff City. Conceded by Dominic Iorfa.
Corner,  Cardiff City. Conceded by João Teixeira.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Jón Dadi Bödvarsson replaces Nouha Dicko.
Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bright Enobakhare (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt saved. George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Romain Saiss.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Bruno Ecuele Manga.
Goal!  Cardiff City 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1. Matthew Connolly (Cardiff City) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Peter Whittingham with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Cardiff City. Conceded by Richard Stearman.
Attempt missed. Kenneth Zohore (Cardiff City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bright Enobakhare replaces Ivan Cavaleiro.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Danny Batth (Wolverhampton Wanderers) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Sean Morrison (Cardiff City) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Craig Noone with a cross following a set piece situation.
Craig Noone (Cardiff City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by George Saville (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt blocked. Craig Noone (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Dominic Iorfa (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Craig Noone (Cardiff City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Matthew Connolly.
Attempt saved. Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.


Building for a new training ground for Reading FC, which was approved last year, has not broken ground yet, according to one of the club's owners.

Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth, one of a Thai consortium to take over the club in 2014, said the new training ground plans were still being finalised.
Speaking to the BBC after the Royal's 1-0 win over Preston North End, he said final details were being worked over.
The club bought land in Bearwood Park for the training ground in 2013.
Mr Thanakarnjanasuth said: "It's a bit delayed because the plans are not settled yet, there's been a lot of change, but we look forward to building that up.
"The drawing, even the location and the number of pitches, has not been settled yet, but we're working on that now."
The Championship football club received planning permission to build on the 120-acre site in 2015.
It was hoped the facility would be ready by 2016.


Police have named the couple who were found dead outside their home in the Western Isles.

Donald MacMillan, 73, and his wife Morag, 67, were found in the village of Gravir, in the South Lochs area of Lewis, on Friday morning.
Police Scotland said their deaths were being treated as "unexplained".
Officers are investigating how the couple came to be outside as temperatures fell below freezing overnight.
Police Scotland said in a statement: "The investigation into the circumstances of their deaths is continuing.
"The deaths of Mr and Mrs MacMillan continue to be treated as unexplained."
Tributes were paid to the couple, who ran the Post Office in the village, as the local community was said to be "in shock".
Western Isles councillor Catherine Macdonald said: "It's very sad. I was absolutely stunned when I heard. They were a very well-known couple who did a lot in their community."
John Randall, former vice-chairman of community organisation the Pairc Trust which counted the couple as members, said: "They were very nice and an active part of the local community here. They were very much respected by everyone - everyone's in shock."


A court in India's western Mumbai city has found 12 men guilty for their roles in the 2006 bombings of commuter trains.

The 12 men were accused of waging war against the nation, conspiracy and murder. One man was acquitted.
The serial bombings on 11 July 2006 killed 189 people and injured more than 800.
The attack was blamed on Islamic militants backed by Pakistan, an allegation that Pakistan has denied.
Sentencing is expected to be pronounced on Monday after judge Yatin D Shinde hears arguments from the prosecutors and defence lawyers. The guilty face the death penalty or life in prison.
"Justice has been done for the people of Mumbai.  I will ask for the strictest punishment when I argue for their sentences," public prosecutor Raja Thakre told reporters.
During the attack, seven blasts ripped through trains in the evening rush hour.
The bombs were packed into seven pressure cookers and put in bags. The co-ordinated explosions were detonated within 15 minutes Convictions in Mumbai train blastsof each other.
The blasts took place in the areas of Matunga, Khar, Mahim, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road, with most on moving trains and two at stations.
The bombs appeared to have targeted first-class compartments, as commuters were returning home from the city's financial district.
More than 200 witnesses were examined during the eight-year-long trial, which concluded in August last year.
Prosecutors say the attack was planned by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, and carried out by operatives of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba with help from the Students' Islamic Movement of India, a banned Indian group.
Pakistan had rejected the allegations and said India had given no evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks.
Mumbai's suburban train system is one of the busiest in the world, carrying more than eight million commuters a day.
Convictions in Mumbai train blasts
Reporting by Menaka Rao


HSBC has severed ties with the firm behind the world's first regulated Bitcoin investment fund.

Jersey-based hedge fund Global Advisors (GA) claims the bank was worried about "money laundering risk".
GA's Daniel Masters told the BBC that the development threatens well publicised plans to make Jersey a global centre for digital currencies.
HSBC would not discuss individual customers, but said ending a client relationship is never done "lightly".
Mr Masters said both his firm and the Bitcoin fund are tightly regulated.
The States of Jersey has created a company called Digital Jersey, in part to foster financial technology.
Island politicians have travelled to Bitcoin conferences to promote Jersey's enthusiasm for digital currencies.
Mr Masters launched the Global Advisors Bitcoin Investment Fund (GABI) in August after it was certified by the Jersey Financial Services Commission.
He said HSBC's move was a "step in the wrong direction for Jersey".
Bitcoin is an online currency founded in 2009, although nobody knows by whom.
Each Bitcoin, like other forms of crypto-currencies, is simply a long string of computer code protected by a personal key which provides ownership and security.
All Bitcoins in circulation and their transactions histories are recorded in a giant ledger known as the blockchain. This prevents Bitcoins from being spent twice.
No middleman is required to verify the transaction, which, say supporters of Bitcoins, makes them quick, secure and cheap to use.
Are crypto-currencies the future of money?
Unregulated Bitcoin funds exist elsewhere, but the official approval allowed major investors, such as pension and insurance companies, to speculate on Bitcoin for the first time.
Having his accounts closed by HSBC is only the latest difficulty faced by GABI, said Mr Masters.
He said that when he was launching GABI he could not find any island bank willing to provide services, so took GABI's business elsewhere.
Global Advisors has found another Jersey bank, but GABI's banking is not done on the island, although the fund remains registered and regulated in Jersey.
Geoff Cook, chief executive of Jersey Finance, said he could not comment on individual cases, but said GABI reflected Jersey's position "as both a leading hedge fund jurisdiction and a pioneering centre for the rapidly evolving world of fintech (financial technology".
There have been issues around the digital currencies, including a lack of regulation and concerns about the potential for money laundering and other illegal activity.
In October 2013 the FBI shut down online marketplace Silk Road, which traded in drugs and other illegal goods and took payments using "crypto-currencies".
A spokesman for HSBC said: "We do not discuss individual customers, nor do we confirm whether an individual or business is, or has been a customer."
But he added: "In reviewing our portfolio, we have identified a number of relationships that don't meet our strategic criteria.
"We don't take the commercial decision to end a customer relationship lightly, and when we do so it follows careful consideration of that relationship in light of our strategic focus or global risk management standards."


Welsh hurdler David Omoregie says he is aiming to reach Colin Jackson's level as he prepares for the European Indoor Championships.

The 21-year-old will compete in the 60m hurdles after he was included in the Great Britain squad for the trip to Belgrade, Serbia on Friday.
"Colin was an incredible athlete, all you have to do is look at the medals he won in his career," Omoregie said.
"I'm going to keep progressing and see where I go, really."
Omoregie told BBC Radio Wales: "I am not Colin Jackson but he is a good role model for me with the fact that he is the same stature as myself.
"I have ran pretty close to the senior hurdle times he ran as a junior so for me it's always a target and if I can get there and get to the level Colin achieved, then that will be amazing."
Jackson held the world 110 metres record for a decade and he still holds the 60 metres hurdles record of 7.30 sec.
After running a personal best time of 7.63 seconds in the 60m hurdles twice this season, Omoregie is looking forward to competing in the European Indoor Championships.
"The hurdles are a very competitive event and there are 10 athletes who have gone sub 7.6 seconds which is a very good level in terms of the European Championships," he said.
"For me, I'm just going to go out there enjoy the experience and hopefully try and execute a good race and put myself in a good position to compete out there."
Omoregie revealed he has his own motivation for qualifying for the 2017 Athletics World Championships in London as the outdoor season approaches after just failing to qualify for the Olympics last summer.
"Missing out on Rio last year has motivated me and I'm really desperate so I'm going to do everything I can in my power to try and get myself on the team [for the 2017 World Championships]," he added.
"It's such a great opportunity to compete at a home championships, I don't know how many times you can get that as an athlete so I want to put myself in the best position to get there."


Ulster's director of rugby Les Kiss fears Iain Henderson's hamstring injury could rule the Ireland forward out for the remainder of this season.

Henderson tore his hamstring on Friday against Edinburgh as Ulster casualties mounted with Dan Tuohy, Peter Nelson and Darren Cave also injured.
"Iain's type of injury has historically been up to six months [out]," said Ulster director of rugby Kiss.
"At this stage it doesn't look good in terms of the Six Nations."
Kiss added: "He has a consultation later this week and the medics will work out the best form of surgery going forward."
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Henderson's expected absence over the coming months will be a massive blow both to Ulster and Ireland.
First up, the versatile forward will miss Ulster's back-to-back European Champions Cup games against Toulouse over the next two weekends.
And following his impressive displays at the World Cup, and given Paul O'Connell's exit from the international stage, Henderson's likely absence from the Six Nations will also be a jolt for Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.
In terms of Ulster's other injuries from the Edinburgh game, Nelson (dislocated foot) is out for the rest of the season while Ireland lock Tuohy, who fractured an ankle, will be missing for at least two months.
Darren Cave's shoulder injury will keep the Ireland centre out for at least two games.
It's a grim injury toll for the Irish province resulting from the hard-fought 14-7 win over the Scots at Kingspan Stadium.


At first glance, Lance Armstrong is as he always seemed: supremely fit, ultra-confident, smart and eloquent.
But look into the whites of his eyes from a few feet away, as I did when we spoke at length in Texas last week, and you see it - a weariness, at times even a sadness. It is then you see the subtle but inevitable toll sport's most spectacular fall from grace has taken.
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Armstrong's infamous doping confession to Oprah Winfrey two years ago shattered sport's greatest fairytale. Now, after months of negotiation, he had finally agreed to meet for his first television interview since that day in January 2013.
It would happen on familiar ground for the 43-year-old, Mellow Johnny's - the bike store he owns in Austin, the city in which he has kept his head down since he went from the ultimate all-American hero to pariah.
The meeting would take place after dark, once the shop had closed, and no customers or passers-by could cause any grief.
We were politely asked to try to avoid filming him with any of the Trek bicycles on display. Trek had quickly cut ties with Armstrong after he became toxic. A little too quickly for Team Armstrong's liking. They saw it as an act of treachery after he had done so much to boost their sales.
As we waited for him to arrive, it was hard to know what to expect.
After all, not so long ago, Armstrong had everything. Having beaten cancer, the Texan became a global sporting icon for the 21st century, winning perhaps sport's most gruelling event, the Tour de France, seven times in succession.
He made millions from sponsorship deals, and helped raise even more through the Livestrong cancer charity he founded. He took cycling in the US from the margins to the mainstream, had a private jet, was engaged to rock star Sheryl Crow, and even made cameo appearances in Hollywood hits.
Armstrong was a living legend. Then came the great fall.
After years of suspicion, allegations and denials, Armstrong was finally exposed as a fraud, the ringleader - according to the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) - of "the most sophisticated, professional and successful doping programme sport had ever seen".
He was there alongside Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson in the race for the title of sport's most notorious cheat.
Armstrong was banned from sport for life, stripped of his Tour wins, kicked out of his own charity, and deserted by his sponsors.
He had lied under oath, sued journalists he knew had been right, and ruthlessly bad-mouthed former friends who stood up to him. His subsequent confession to Oprah only made things worse, Armstrong coming across as unrepentant, evasive and arrogant.
And now he was on his way to meet us. His first tentative steps towards what he hopes will be an unlikely redemption.
Had he become a recluse? Was he broke? Depressed? Wracked with self-hate?
Far from it.
Armstrong arrived. An hour late, after dinner with his family, but he had honoured his agreement.
He was polite, friendly, fixing us each with that hypnotic stare, the charisma intact. He seemed to have everything under control, doing just fine.
But then I looked him in the eye, and saw that damage had been done.
The fallout, he told me, had been "brutal".
His biggest fear is that one of his older kids will get hassle at school and come home "in pieces". It has not happened yet, but will "rock him" when it does.
The "deepest cut" had been Livestrong severing ties - "it doesn't get worse than that".
Lawyers still make up his "top three calls every day" and boredom is an issue now his life has gone from "100 to 10mph".
But life is far from unbearable either. Armstrong still runs six-minute miles and plays golf every day.
He remains a very wealthy man. The financial ruin that many predicted has been avoided. Despite the loss of his many sponsorship deals and several legal settlements, he still has millions in the bank.
He may have had to sell the $10m (£6.6m) mansion overlooking the Colorado River in Austin's most exclusive neighbourhood, but he still has a beautiful home close to downtown, as well as other houses in Aspen and Hawaii. A federal lawsuit worth as much as $120m (£79.9m) hangs over him, but his people seem confident.
But has Armstrong learnt from his mistakes? Was he more contrite two years on?
There was no shortage of apparent remorse, especially for the vicious way he treated people when covering up his doping.
He admitted he had been "a complete **** to a handful of people" and "that's something I need to spend the rest of my life trying to make right".
He has tried to apologise to them, continues to do his bit for the local cycling community and sends messages of support to people with cancer, many of whom still regard him as an inspiration. He is clearly a devoted father to his five children, and seemed to be looking forward to the school run the following morning.
Yet, in other areas, Armstrong remains defiant. He clearly wants his life ban lifted.
"Of course I want to be out of timeout. Has it gone too far? Of course I'm going to say yes," he said.
On the issue of his titles, which he still regards as legitimate, he wants them back: "I feel like I won those Tours."
And on the subject of forgiveness. "We're getting close to that time".
Many will be appalled at the suggestion. But polarising opinion is what Armstrong does like no-one else in sport.
His argument is familiar: it could not be cheating when practically the whole of the peloton was doping too, a "collective decision".
He has a point. Over his seven-year reign at the Tour between 1999 and 2005, an incredible 87% of the top-10 finishers were confirmed dopers, or suspected of doping.
It is on this basis Armstrong believes he has been harshly treated, with other dopers given shorter bans, and keeping their titles while he lost his.
"Haven't we got to look at the whole play?" he asked.
That inconsistency is wrong, he said, adding the fact he cannot take part in organised events like marathons, and raise money for good causes.
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But what example would it set if his sanction was reduced?  Yes, he raised vast amounts for charity. But are punishments such as his not meant to act as a deterrent?
"At the expense of others?" he countered. "I don't think anybody thinks that's right. I want to get back to a place where I can help people."
The ban, he argued, ignores the greater good, preventing him from the opportunity to make amends and rehabilitate his reputation in a way the likes of former US President Bill Clinton have.
Over the course of the next hour and a half, I put it to Armstrong that far from being the "level playing field" he recalls, the tragedy of doping is that no-one knows if he was the best rider (which he may well have been), or just the best cheater.
I suggested he might want to take down the seven yellow jerseys that hung defiantly on a wall above us; that he had "led the band" as he admitted, that the other cyclists had not lied under oath or bullied friends, like he had; and that crucially the others had co-operated with Usada, whereas he refused. In short, that he absolutely deserved a heftier punishment.
Against each of these charges, Armstrong listened, thought briefly, and had none of it.
The team-mates who testified against him, he insisted, had been offered a deal he was never granted. He had been a scapegoat for an entire generation, a prize scalp.
"Usada needed a splash," he said. He was, he added, the victim of an agency hell-bent on taking him down and proving its worth at a time when its funding was under threat.
Armstrong, as always, was fighting. Even now he knows no other way. Fighting was how he escaped his troubled upbringing in Dallas, the way he had beaten cancer, and the way he dealt with those who accused him of cheating.
But such have been the lies over the years, it is hard to know what to believe.
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I asked Armstrong if he was any clearer now than he had been with Oprah over his alleged admission of using drugs in an Indiana hospital back in 1996.
His 'no comment' to that question had dismayed his former friend Betsy Andreu, who has always maintained the incident happened.
This time, Armstrong told me he simply could not remember. That will anger Andreu, who recently said on Facebook "the Armstrong delusion is alive and well".
He stuck rigidly to his insistence - widely considered implausible - that he rode clean in the 2009 and 2010 Tours when he made his comeback after retirement.
People think you're still lying, I told him. "I've got patience on that," he responded calmly.
Many will point to other exchanges in our interview, and conclude he remains in denial. But what is certain is that Armstrong has met twice with the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC), set up by governing body the UCI to investigate cycling's doping past, and insists he answered all their questions.
Meanwhile, both UCI president Brian Cookson and Travis Tygart, head of Usada, have been making positive noises about the possibility of his ban being reduced if he finally explains how the doping was orchestrated.
"I think about it every day," said Armstrong about the report CIRC is set to complete next month. It is expected to paint a bleak picture of the entire era Armstrong rode in, and could even recommend that Armstrong's ban be reduced in return for his co-operation.
But while cycling hopes to draw a line under its past, if it thought Armstrong's demise symbolised a decisive victory in the war against drugs, it was sadly mistaken.
The UCI has been criticised for giving the Astana team a licence to race this season despite a number of positive tests, and Usada has just combined with anti-doping agencies in Denmark and Netherlands to ban former Rabobank and Team Sky doctor Geert Leinders for life.
The spectre of performance-enhancing drugs continues to hang over this sport and others, as the recent allegations of institutionalised doping in Russian athletics prove.
It is in this climate, then, that Armstrong wants to at least start a conversation about his ban.
Some will argue the real question is not how long his ban should be, but whether he should be in jail. They say this is all a smokescreen, and that the only role Armstrong should play in sport now is as an example to others.
Others, however, recognise the inconsistency in Armstrong's inability to run a marathon for charity, while confessed doper Bjarne Riis, to pick one example, is still in the records as the 1996 Tour winner.
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Many would prefer it if Armstrong just faded away, and the media - including us - lost interest in him.
Interviewing such an extraordinary individual was a compelling experience, but also a strangely sad one. This is not how we want to see our sporting heroes: inspirational athletes talking about regret and contrition make for uncomfortable viewing.
At his peak Armstrong personified hope, but now he causes unease, a reminder of our own weaknesses.
Who among us can be sure that faced with the same circumstances, we would have resisted the temptation to cheat? And why were most of us so easily duped? Should we give him another chance? The Texan forces us to confront difficult questions.
There is something of the Shakespearean villain about Armstrong. There is certainly good there as well as bad. It is not black and white.
Scorned and spurned, jilted and angry, he implores us to understand. Part of you wants to believe he is truly sorry. But the backstory prevents you from doing so.
For many, Armstrong needs to show genuine remorse for doping in the first place. The irony is that this would require him to lie. His admission that he cannot regret something he feels he had no choice but to do, and which he still sees as a means to an end, will disappoint many.
His biggest mistake, he said, was the comeback in 2009. Without that the myth would have been preserved.
That, I told him, may be the honest answer, but it reinforces the view he is only sorry for being caught, rather than doping in the first place.
"I get that," he said. "I think we're all sorry we were put in that place."
For many, that is simply not good enough.
Not everybody cheated, I reminded him, and if refusing to dope would have meant leaving the sport, he would have done so with his integrity intact.
"I know very few people that are left with their integrity, then," he countered. We were done.
Do not be surprised if one day Armstrong is accepted back into the sport. America loves a comeback story, after all. Many Texans I met believe it is time to move on.
But forgiveness usually hinges on contrition, and when it comes to the doping, Armstrong clings to the idea that he was more sinned against than sinner. Maybe he has no choice. Perhaps it is that belief that enables him to carry on.
But the danger is that it may stand in the way of redemption.
The road back for Lance Armstrong could be a long one.
A 30-minute documentary, Lance Armstrong: The Road Ahead, will be broadcast on BBC News at 20:30 GMT on Thursday, 29 January, and again over the following days on that channel and BBC World News. An extended edit of Dan Roan's interview will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.


Zamalek's new Portuguese coach Augusto Inacio admits the Egyptian club does not have a team at the moment.

The former Portugal international was talking for the first time since being appointed earlier in the week.
The five-time African champions are currently fourth in the Egyptian league 18 points behind leaders and great rivals Al Ahly.
"My technical staff and I are starting from point zero," Inacio admitted.
"I have come to Cairo to work not on vacation."
Inacio, who won the Portuguese League Cup with Moreirense in January, challenged the players to prove themselves to him.
"Whoever does best in the training, whoever takes the chance are the ones we need," he added.
"We have a problem with fitness - some of the players are overweight."
The 62-year-old says he is aware that under current club chairman Mortada Mansour none of the last five coaches has been in charge for more than 17 matches.
"I'm a professional coach and I will do my best," he insisted
"But I will not accept anyone taking decisions for me - I who decide about the football team.
"When I was in Qatar a club official tried to take decisions for me about the football team but I refused
"I know a lot of people would like to see Zamalek fail but I will do my best."
As well as improving Zamalek's league position Inacio will be aiming for success on the continent with the team already qualified for the group stage of the African Champions League.
The Cairo club lost in the 2016 final to South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 on aggregate.


Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic will miss Chelsea's pre-season tour of the Far East amid suggestions that both will leave Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea leave for China on Monday and manager Antonio Conte has told both players they will not be selected.
Striker Costa, 28, wants to return to Atletico Madrid, even though they are under a transfer ban.
Manchester United have been trying to reach an agreement to sign midfielder Matic, 28.
However, there is also thought to be interest in the Serb from clubs in Italy.
Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is expected to replace Matic in the Chelsea side next season.
It is believed the 22-year-old will complete his move to the Premier League champions in the next few days.
Chelsea open their pre-season programme against Arsenal in Beijing on 22 July before travelling to Singapore for games against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.


A motorcyclist has been killed in a collision with a black cab in central London.

The 25-year-old man was fatally injured at the junction of Hyde Park Street and Bayswater Road just before 00.15 GMT on Sunday.
The Metropolitan Police said the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
A passenger in the taxi, a man aged in his 40s, was taken to hospital with a leg injury.
In a statement the Met said the driver of the black cab stopped at the scene, assisting police with their inquiries but there were no arrests.
The man's next-of-kin have been informed by police who have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.


Illustrator and author Chris Riddell, who created the Goth Girl series, has been named as the new Children's Laureate until 2017.

The Children's Laureate is a well known writer of children's books who promotes and encourage children's interest in books, reading and writing.
A new one is chosen every two years and he takes over from author Malorie Blackman who held the post before.
Chris Riddell has written and illustrated his own books.
But he's also worked with many other popular children's authors such as Michael Rosen, Neil Gaiman and Quentin Blake.
He says his mission for the next two years is to encourage "drawing every day"  and he wants kids to doodle more.
"There comes a point where children decide that they can't draw.  I want to say, 'don't stop drawing - carry on, and do a sketch a day.  I think stories can grow out of the visual. It can be an engine for literacy."
Chris Riddell said "I'm interested in illustration in all its forms. Not only in books for children but in posters, prints and performance, as a way of drawing people into books and stories."
He also says school libraries are very important.
"School librarians play such an enormous role in bringing children to books they are going to enjoy. It's a magic alchemy when that works."


Manchester City continue to sweep all before them, making it five league wins out of five with their victory against Bournemouth.

Liverpool looked good beating Chelsea, while Manchester United suffered a second top-flight defeat on the bounce, away at Watford.
Arsenal and Tottenham also won but the bottom three of West Ham, Stoke and Sunderland lost again and you can see the top performers from this round of Premier League fixtures in my team of the week, above.
Do you agree with Garth's picks? Or would you go for a different team? Why not pick your very own Team of the Week from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends.
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
The save from Zlatan Ibrahimovic's header was superb, but the way Heurelho Gomes refused to be intimidated, especially on set pieces, by Manchester United's heavy mob was the most impressive.
There was a moment against Watford where Gomes had Chris Smalling, Marouane Fellaini and Ibrahimovic all bearing down on him but he met them head on and left all three in a heap as he punched the ball clear of danger. Most impressive.
However, my tip for the title are suddenly looking very shaky and unsure of themselves. United have some fabulous players but I can't help feeling manager Jose Mourinho is accommodating certain individuals in order to keep them onside and he has yet to create a team.
I understand it is still a work in progress but Manchester City are getting away. There comes a time when the manager has to make some really tough decisions in order to get the best out of his best players. It's about results not reputations.
If Mourinho doesn't find out his best team and system soon he may find more individuals like Gomes standing up to his superstars.
The Irishman's goal against Middlesbrough was a centre-forward's finish if ever I saw one. Every so often you find full-backs who are better in the opposition's box than their own and Seamus Coleman is one of them.
We know he loves to go forward and get involved in the action but what he does when he gets in the box is quite extraordinary. He has this remarkable ability to switch into a finisher. I've noticed this feature before with Coleman and it only comes from the sheer thrill of scoring goals.
Lots of defenders want to score but lots of them are afraid to try. It's one thing wanting to score goals but it has always been about having the courage to try.
I went to this game and there were a number of worthy performances in defence for Liverpool on the night but Joel Matip was probably the most notable for me.
Matip wasn't the least bit concerned about the threat from Diego Costa. In fact, in the first half it was Matip who - consistently and quite deliberately - gently nudged Costa in the back, causing the striker to miscontrol the ball.
It's a trick clever defenders employ in order to stop the striker from setting the play, and it often goes undetected by the referee as it appears as though the striker's control is poor. Why such dark arts should thrill me on this occasion I'm not entirely sure. I suppose anything done well should be applauded.
He's only gone and done it again. Admittedly, it wasn't as impressive as the one he scored against Bournemouth when he rescued a point for the Eagles but it was just as important. Dann's header put the game well beyond a Stoke side who looked like they'd just met and were playing together for the first time.
Potters manager Mark Hughes has arguably the most talented bunch of players I have seen in a Stoke team for years but they look particularly vulnerable this season. The lack of confidence throughout the entire team was palpable.
Palace manager Alan Pardew was facing a similar problem some months ago but managed to turn it around with astute signings and a great deal of belief. I sense Hughes and his players require a good deal of the latter.
I was most impressed to see Jan Vertonghen performing so comfortably at full back for Spurs against Sunderland. I've seen centre-backs try that transition in the past and there are few who have the ability to do it.
The same is true of Eric Dier, who also looked extremely comfortable in a less familiar role in the centre of defence. This ability to shuffle the pack at the back like this is a real asset for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, which is just as well because his side suddenly started dropping like flies against Sunderland.
Mousa Dembele and Dier had to go off with tight hamstrings, Harry Kane left the scene on a stretcher, and Kyle Walker managed to finish the game but cautiously after feeling his hamstring earlier in the game as well. With a demanding Champions League season ahead, I hope Spurs have got what it takes to compete at the highest level.
What a goal by Jordan Henderson. The lad is not renowned for scoring goals but when he does, they really are something special.
After the game I sat listening to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte trying to rationalise how his team could have stopped the thunderbolt that put the game beyond his side.
He should know that sometimes in football you are better off accepting the moment of brilliance and not tear yourself apart about how your team might have robbed the paying public of that magic moment.
Henderson was quite superb throughout this encounter and so were Liverpool. What Conte was really struggling with was that his team were, on the day, beaten by the better side and that is a difficult pill to swallow.
When Liverpool fans start picking players out for special attention, rest assured they have seen something worthy of praise. Adam Lallana's work-rate has been quite phenomenal recently and a major feature in Liverpool's victory over Chelsea.
I've been one of the critics Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp claims have found a "hair in his soup", which when roughly translated means a fragile defence. However, with Lallana, Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum acting like nightclub bouncers harassing the undesirables the moment the opposition get anywhere need their goal, is it any wonder that Liverpool are starting to look like a team again?
At the risk of finding another 'hair in the soup', my only concern would be that in an effort to create the team ethic you don't lose the magic of Philippe Coutinho. If you keep substituting the Brazilian you'll destroy him. Lallana is developing into an impressive player but he is no Coutinho.
Sometimes a player moving clubs is in everyone's best interests. Spurs received a decent price for the Belgian playmaker and West Brom have a player who is a class act.
His performance against a lamentable West Ham must have delighted the new Chinese owners, not to mention manager Tony Pulis. Managers get a £13m record signing wrong and directors start issuing P45's. But Pulis need not worry, I believe his job is safe in Chadli's hands.
Spurs fans are already announcing their disgust about the player's departure on social media and I think they have a point. Chadli is the sort of cultured player a team needs during a Champions League season.
Meanwhile, Slaven Bilic has problems. If he can't stop his team haemorrhaging goals they could soon be playing Championship football in that lovely new stadium of theirs.
Last week I said that Kevin De Bruyne was already a certainty for player of the season. Well, manager Pep Guardiola seems to think that he's the nearest thing to Lionel Messi, which rather puts my suggestion into perspective.
I interviewed De Bruyne for Football Focus last season and what was abundantly clear was that, apart from being a talented footballer, he was incredibly level-headed and unspoilt by the game's excesses. Yet on the field of play, De Bruyne is so wonderfully extravagant he makes football a joy to watch.
The performance against Bournemouth was sublime but, for all of Manchester City's progress under Guardiola, they must win something otherwise all their flamboyant football will count for nought.
Another impressive performance by Raheem Sterling. His first assist when he politely laid the ball for Kelechi Iheanacho to sidefoot home was intelligent as opposed to greedy. The same was true when Iheanacho returned the compliment to Sterling to score in the second half.
What is becoming very apparent is that Guardiola is developing a culture at City that insists his players are playing the right ball for the right reasons. There is nothing selfish about it. It requires courage and foresight and at the moment Sterling is displaying an abundance of both.
What a way to make your Premier League debut - with two well-taken goals. He was also part of the very impressive 3-0 win over Club Brugge in Leicester City's first Champions League win in midweek.
There is no doubt that Islam Slimani's presence in the side has taken considerable pressure off Jamie Vardy and it looks like he has become an instant hit at the King Power Stadium. Slimani looked like a wolf hunting amongst the foxes against Burnley.


Brighton have signed Czech Republic forward Jiri Skalak from FK Mlada Boleslav for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old, who has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, began his career at Sparta Prague and moved to FK Mlada Boleslav last summer.
He has scored six goals in 16 outings this season and is available to face Brentford on Friday.
"He's a skilful and technical player," manager Chris Hughton told the club website.
"He is also someone we have been monitoring for some time, so we are delighted to have completed the transfer and to welcome Jiri to the club."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A minute's silence has been held across Scotland to remember the victims of the Manchester attack.

Twenty-two people were killed and 64 injured after suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a homemade device at Manchester Arena on Monday.
Among those killed was 14-year-old schoolgirl Eilidh MacLeod from Barra.
The silence at 11:00 was observed by people across the country, who stopped for a minute of contemplation in honour of those who died.
Politicians at Holyrood gathered in the garden lobby of the Scottish Parliament to remember those caught up in the attack on Monday night.
Nineteen of the victims have been named.
The parents of Eilidh MacLeod confirmed on Thursday that she had been killed in the attack.
She had been attending the Ariana Grande concert along with her friend 15-year-old Laura MacIntyre who remains in a serious condition in hospital.
A total of 116 people have received NHS inpatient care in relation to the Manchester incident - 75 people have been admitted across eight hospitals. This includes 23 patients who are currently in critical care - 12 of those are understood to be children.
Flags will remain at half-mast on government buildings until Thursday evening, a statement released by the prime minister's office said.
Eight men and one woman have been arrested in the UK since Monday night, including suicide bomber Salman Abedi's older brother Ismail, 23. The woman has since been released.


A house in Reading was gutted by fire after a candle fell off a Christmas tree and set it alight.

The three-storey detached house in Green Road was ablaze when fire crews arrived at the property at about 21:00 GMT on Tuesday.
The family inside fled to safety but a woman needed to have oxygen administered by firefighters.
Station manager Steve Beard said: "The family were incredibly lucky to escape without serious injuries."
The fir tree had been in the living room and was decorated with lit candles.
After a candle fell off and set the tree alight the fire quickly spread throughout the house, destroying the ground and first floors.
Mr Beard, from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We all like to decorate our homes to make them look festive at this time of year but it is essential to remember that, although they look pretty, candles are still naked flames and must be used with caution.
"Once they have been cut down, Christmas trees become very dry and therefore can catch fire extremely easily.
"Candles and Christmas trees do not mix - as this incident shows, fire can spread incredibly quickly and cause devastating damage."


A man accused of causing a girl's death in a car crash was racing against his friend at the time, a court has heard.

Aleena Kauser, nine, was walking to a Lancashire mosque in September 2015 when she was hit by a car topping 60mph in a 30mph zone.
Adil Manir, 20, who was driving the car, has already admitted causing her death by dangerous driving.
Mohsem Saddique, 23, denied he was racing Manir during the opening day of his trial at Burnley Crown Court.
Aleena Kauser was walking with her mother along Bacup Road in Rawtenstall when the crash happened on 18 September 2015.
The prosecution claimed Mr Saddique was tailgating Manir's car immediately before the collision.
The vehicles were travelling at speeds above 60mph in a 30mph area, the court heard.
Manir lost control of his Audi, mounted the pavement and hit Aleena and her mother.
There was only two metres between the cars as they drove between speeds of 55mph and 64mph, it was said.
The trial continues.


A man has admitted sex offences involving a teenage girl with learning difficulties.

Christopher Woakes, 31, contacted a number of underage girls on social media, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
He sent a 15-year-old girl explicit images of himself before meeting her near her home, where he engaged in sexual activity with her.
Woakes, of Portbury Grove, Bristol, admitted sexual grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a child.
He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 23 May.
The court heard he encouraged the teenager from Suffolk in August to tell her parents she was meeting a teenage boy.
'Emotional neediness'
They became suspicious and alerted the police.
Woakes' true identity came to light in November when he repeatedly tried to contact the girl, sending her a mobile phone through the post and loitering outside her home.
He was arrested at his home address in Bristol and a number of computers and devices were seized.
Analysis of his computers and phones by Suffolk Police uncovered a number of illegal images of children.
They also found Woakes had tried to contact children in a number of countries.
Det Con Matthew Ross of Suffolk Police said: "Sexual predators will target a child's vulnerabilities looking for signs of emotional neediness and low self-confidence.
"Online social media platforms provide a place for a lot of this to happen in private especially where the child's activity is not closely monitored."


Human error by a train controller was to blame for a crash in Bavaria, Germany, last week that killed 11 people, prosecutors said.

Dozens more were injured after two commuter trains collided on a single-track stretch of railway.
An area controller opened the track to the two trains and tried to warn the drivers, according to the prosecutors.
The man, a 39-year-old, is likely to be charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face five years in jail.
"If he had complied with the rules... there would have been no collision," said Chief Prosecutor Wolfgang Giese.
The trains crashed head-on while both were travelling at about 100km/h (60mph) east of Bad Aibling, a spa town about 60km south-east of Munich.
Investigations focused on why the trains were on the tracks at the same time despite safety mechanisms.
The crash site is on a bend, meaning the drivers had no visual contact so collided largely without braking, officials said.
Prosecutors said the controller's actions had "catastrophic" consequences but they do not believe he acted deliberately.
The stretch of line had an automatic signalling system designed to halt any train that passed a stop signal.
But reports in German media suggested that the system had been switched off to let the eastbound train, which was running late, go past.
The investigation ruled out technical faults with the trains or signalling system as being behind the crash.
All those killed in the crash were men aged between 24 and 59.
In case signals fail, German railways are fitted with a final safety guard to prevent crashes.
Cab signalling known as PZB (Punktfoermige Zugbeeinflussung - or "intermittent train control") will set off an alarm in the driver's compartment when the train approaches a red light.
If the driver does not respond by pressing a button, the train will brake automatically.


A burglar has been jailed after his "novelty" underwear was held up in court and used as evidence against him.

Darren Machon, 39, of Maesteg, had denied burgling a house in Park Street, Bridgend, in February.
But a witness spotted his "distinctive" boxer shorts after she saw him bent over while rummaging through cupboards, a statement from South Wales Police said.
He was jailed for 34 months on Tuesday after a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
Machon was arrested for the burglary while he was in police custody for a separate offence, the police statement said.
As he was getting changed in his cell, an officer noticed his underwear, which had pictures of hot dogs and doughnuts, matched those described by the witness of a burglary earlier that day.
Det Con Darren Bowen said: "The witness in this case and also the officer who recognised the underpants also deserve credit as it was their vigilance and attention to detail which no doubt ensured that Darren Machon was linked to the burglary.
"He is a prolific criminal who will spend a number of years behind bars where he belongs - no doubt he'll spend a few of those years thinking about how he should have put his lucky pants on that day."
Machon was also convicted of dangerous driving and disqualified from driving for 41 months.


Bristol forwards coach Mark Bakewell has said he will stay on the club's coaching staff when Pat Lam joins as head coach at the end of the season.

Connacht's Lam will join this summer as the long-term replacement to former boss Andy Robinson, who was sacked in November, and will be assisted by Connacht backs coach Conor McPhillips.
Bakewell, who signed a two-year deal at Bristol in 2016, will work with them.
The New Zealander was previously Bath's forwards coach between 2006 and 2009.
"I've spoken to Pat," Bakewell told BBC Radio Bristol. "I'm here next season, so I'm really looking forward to that.
"At this stage, what I would love to be able to do for Pat and everyone is keep Bristol in the Premiership. That's our focus at the moment."
Bristol are bottom of the Premiership with five matches remaining, having won three of their 17 league games since returning to the top flight.
In February it was confirmed that Mark Tainton - interim head coach since Robinson's departure - is to become Bristol's chief operations officer at the end of the season, overseeing recruitment once Lam arrives.


A species of mussel which is threatening to block water supplies to a US city has been found in the UK.

Quagga mussels have been discovered at Wraysbury reservoir, near Heathrow Airport, the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT) said.
The molluscs form large colonies on hard surfaces and can block pipes and cause flooding, the trust said.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it would take action to tackle the threat.
Some scientists say the mussel poses the maximum risk to the UK environment of any non-native species.
The 4cm (1.5in) bivalves originated in Ukraine and spread across Europe as new canals opened, a WWT spokesman said. They were introduced to the US by ships discharging their ballast in the Great Lakes.
Sources: Environment Agency and the National Wildlife Federation
The species is flourishing in Lake Mead, formed by the Hoover dam, and engineers are working to stop them colonising the dam's turbines and blocking the pipes which supply water to Las Vegas, the spokesman said.
Earlier this year a group of scientists at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) identified the quagga mussel as the single greatest threat to the UK's wildlife of any alien species.
Dr Helen Roy, one of the scientists involved in the research, said that, after looking at hundreds of species from all over the world, the quagga mussel was the most likely to arrive and establish itself in the UK and pose a danger to biodversity there.
Sarah Chare, from the Environment Agency, said the quagga mussel affected water quality as well as clogging up pipes.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it would be working to reduce the risks of the quagga mussels spreading any further.
A spokesman said: "It is important that we take action to address the threats posed by invasive non-native species.
"Users of our waterways can help with this by checking their equipment and keeping it clean and dry."
A Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust spokesman said the trusts's London Wetland Centre, downstream from Wraysbury "is the sort of place [where] they'll wreak havoc with the wildlife, if left unchecked".
Jeff Knott, from the WWT, said: "These tiny mussels can be devastating but look so innocuous.
"Quagga mussels are likely to indirectly cause suffering and death for hundreds of thousands of native animals, fish and plants and cost millions of pounds in tax and water bills to protect drinking water supplies."