After putting out plenty of fires, keeping hot-headed footballers in check was never going to ruffle Sam Allison.

On Boxing Day, Allison will become the first black man to officiate a Premier League game in 15 years when he takes charge of Sheffield United’s home game against Luton.

Allison, 42, had played at Swindon, Bristol City, Bournemouth and Exeter before moving down the football pyramid into the semi-professional game.

After considering what to do when he eventually hung up his boots, Allison decided to keep them on for a while longer – but this time with a whistle in hand.

Allison took charge of his first match on a Sunday morning in his home county of Wiltshire, when a few things he had learned along the way helped him get through.

“I was lucky enough that I was able to sell decisions just based on my footballing experience,” Allison recalled in an interview with the English Football League website.

“I remember giving a penalty in the game and it was more of a guess rather than getting in the right position to give the right decision.

“It’s inevitable that having played at a decent standard, you can use that football intelligence to identify foul challenges, people’s intent, movement, anticipate play and look at trigger pass and people’s body movement and shape, and understanding phases of play.

“It just gives you that head start, I believe. And from that point onwards, it was infectious.”

As well as his love for the game, Allison also needed an income to help support the next steps of his referee’s journey.

In 2006, he joined the fire service part-time.

“I had to look at something that would give me the time and flexibility to do both careers,” he said.

“I’ve gone from being totally operational and ‘Fireman Sam’ getting out there fighting fires and wearing breathing apparatus and doing water rescue and rope rescue, to progressing as a station manager.”

Supported by the likes of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and Football Association, Allison has been able to go on to take charge of more than 100 matches in the EFL.

A first Premier League exposure came in October 2022, when Allison was fourth official in the fixture between Brighton and Chelsea.

Uriah Rennie was the last black referee to take charge of a Premier League game in 2008 having officiated in the competition for 11 years up to that point.

Allison hopes the Boxing Day fixture will be the start of his own lengthy stint as a top-flight referee.

“I don’t hide that I want to reach the top,” he said.

“I want to be a role model within my community and show representation as a black man in football and being a referee at the same time. My desire has to be to reach the top just to show people that you can do it.

“Pressure comes with it, but when you are fighting fires and saving lives, that is a pressure situation.

“Having that visibility is key, but at the same time, you have to have ability, desire, work hard and take the opportunities when they come forward.”

Monty Williams wants to see more anger in the Detroit Pistons locker room after the team tied their franchise-record losing streak by suffering a 21st straight loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The NBA's worst team slumped to 2-22 with a 129-111 defeat at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday as reigning MVP Joel Embiid finished with 41 points for the Sixers, for whom Tobias Harris added 21.

The Pistons' 21st successive defeat saw them match the worst losing run in their history, which came between the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.

Their current run is also the sixth-longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, and things could get worse before they get better when they travel to Philadelphia for a rematch on Friday.

Detroit were on the back foot from the start as they were outscored 39-26 in the first quarter, leading head coach Williams to demand more aggression from his team.

"I don't want anyone to be happy in this situation," Williams said. 

"I want to see an ornery locker room that's tired, not just of losing, but tired of missing shots and tired of giving up 39-point quarters."

The record for the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history is held jointly by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Sixers, both of whom lost 26 games in a row. Philadelphia also hold the overall record of 28 successive losses, set between the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.

Williams was also less-than-impressed with the Pistons being outrebounded 52-35 across the course of the game, adding: "Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for 24 games… even back in the preseason.

"We have to be able to be a team that can finish a play."

While Detroit are in a rut, center James Wiseman suggested there was little they could do to stop Embiid in his current form, with the Sixers star averaging 40.8 points over his last four games.

"We tried our best," Wiseman said. "I took on the challenge and tried to contain him. We didn't back down from him."

Rebecca Welch is not the first footballer to have told a referee just how they should do their job – but a decade later, it is her own decisions which are now set to be front and centre in the Premier League.

On December 23, Welch will break new ground once again when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley at Craven Cottage.

Yet but for taking one of her friends to task, Welch, 40, might never have given refereeing a go herself.

“I played football and didn’t even think about refereeing until one of my really good friends, who is a referee, refereed us,” she said in an interview with the Independent in November ahead of becoming the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League match for Fulham against Manchester United.

“I spent the whole game telling her how to do her job! Her response was, ‘If you think it’s that easy, give it a go’. That’s how it happened and 10 years later, here I am.”

Welch’s love of the game stemmed from playing, but it was with the whistle where she made her mark.

At the start of her refereeing career in 2010, Welch, who is from Washington in Tyne and Wear, was still working in an administrative capacity for the NHS.

After gaining her badges through the Durham County Football Association, Welch began taking charge of university games as well as in Sunday leagues.

It was, though, not long before she took it up on a full-time basis and soon climbed through the ranks.

Welch has regularly refereed high-profile games in the Women’s Super League and took charge of the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley.

She has also officiated in the Women’s Champions League, the latest fixture being Benfica’s 1-0 win over Frankfurt on December 13.

Added to FIFA’s elite list of international officials during December 2020, Welch was part of the team at the 2022 Women’s Euros as well as this year’s Women’s World Cup, which included refereeing hosts Australia in their last-16 win over Denmark.

Welch is also no stranger to firsts in the men’s game.

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League for the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Walsh later took on matches in the Championship – she was in charge of Hull’s 4-1 win over Rotherham on November 28 – and also the third round of the FA Cup.

Despite Welch now set to find herself in the spotlight, with every decision under the microscope at Craven Cottage on December 23, she is not about to let anything distract her from just getting on with the job, according to referee’s chief Howard Webb.

“Rebecca is a really calm, focused individual on the field. She does command a lot of respect in a pretty understated way. When you meet her, she’s got a presence about her,” Webb said.

“She has a good reading of the game, she is an accurate decision maker, a good athlete on the field too and has really worked hard to get to this position over several years.

“She has good reading of the game, good subtle management of the players as well and I have got no doubt she will show all of those qualities at Fulham on the 23rd.”

Athletics world champion Josh Kerr intends to use his disappointment at not being shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award as “big motivation” going into the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 26-year-old Scot won the 1500m title at the World Championships in August after finishing ahead of favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Budapest, an achievement which many thought would earn him a place on the SPOTY list, including World Athletics president Lord Coe.

The list of nominees which was announced on Tuesday included former cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Frankie Dettori, footballer Mary Earps, wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, golfer Rory McIlroy and Kerr’s fellow athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Kerr admitted he was “massively disappointed” at not being on the list but thinks it will drive him on to turn the bronze he earned at Tokyo 2020 into a gold in Paris 2024.

He said: “I’ve been honoured in many different ways by a lot of fantastic people but we always think about the ones we didn’t get so it’s big motivation for me.

“Obviously massively disappointed, it’s such a prestigious event and award that I would loved to have been involved in.

“There’s nothing I can do. We are in a cut and dry sport – not a lot of things in my career have been up to other people’s judgement and I’ve always been taught to leave no doubt and obviously I left an element of doubt.

“I’m an Olympic bronze medallist and I’m going to go after that gold medal. I’ve earned everything I got in my career to this point and I’m going to earn the right to be in that conversation and I’ll show that through my performance and mental resilience.”

Team GB team-mate Johnson-Thompson also brought home a gold medal from the 2023 World Championships when a second-placed finish in the 800 metres guaranteed her heptathlon gold.

Kerr had already planned to attend the BBC event but now says he will go and support Johnson-Thompson to win the award ahead of a big year for the sport.

He added: “I will be there to represent athletics but KJT (Johnson-Thompson) had such an amazing comeback from 2019 and I think we are all proud to be there to support her.

“I’m not sitting crying about it, I’m getting out the door and start working for next year but I’ll be there to support her and that’s my job now.

“I was someone that brought a gold medal home for Britain and so was she. I’m excited in supporting her in hopefully winning this next week.

“I was hoping to get my flights covered if I’m honest but I don’t think that’s quite covered this time – I was hoping to be on that shortlist but I’m not, I’m still going to enjoy that experience.”

Kerr’s attention now switches to the Paris Games where he will look to earn another gold medal next August, and can take huge confidence from his win in Budapest after beating Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Ingebrigtsen of Norway to the world title.

He said: “I known I’ve always had the capabilities of being the best in the world but having the ability to do it and not just say I’m good enough… I’ve been in all these finals and not quite been able to do it so it’s nice to have one in the bag knowing my mind and body are capable of that big moment.

“I’m thinking like a champion and my life is getting structured like a world champion so instead of thinking I’m good enough, I’m just going to be on that roadmap to success!

“I’ve had this Olympic circle for a long time and I knew at age 26 I will be at the peak of my career in the 1500m and this would be the one so I’m excited to continue that dream.”

Rebecca Welch will make history as the first woman to referee a Premier League match later this month, while on Boxing Day Sam Allison will become the first black man to officiate a top-flight game in 15 years.

The 40-year-old Welch will take charge of the Fulham v Burnley match on December 23, while Allison will be the man in the middle for Sheffield United’s home game against Luton three days later.

Uriah Rennie was the last black referee to take charge of a Premier League game in 2008 having officiated in the competition for 11 years up to that point.

Welch started out as a referee in 2010 while working in an administrative capacity in the NHS before going into officiating on a full-time basis. She made history in April 2021 when she became the first woman to be appointed to referee an EFL match, taking charge of the League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), said: “Rebecca is a really calm focused individual on the field. She does command a lot of respect in a pretty understated way. She has a good reading of the game, she is an accurate decision-maker, a good athlete on the field, too.

“When you meet her, she’s got a presence about her, she’s not got huge stature in terms of being really tall but she has a presence about her. She’s a really determined official. She is similar in some ways to Stephanie Frappart, the French official who has worked on the Champions League this year

“She’s really worked hard to get to this position over several years. She’s worked hard physically, technically and really does deserve this opportunity. I went to see her myself recently in a game in the Championship and was highly impressed by what I saw in terms of her command of the game.

“She has good reading of the game, good subtle management of the players as well and I’ve got no doubt she’ll show all of those qualities at Fulham on the 23rd.”

Welch has also regularly refereed high-profile games in the Women’s Super League and took charge of the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley, as well as matches at the 2022 Women’s Euro and this year’s Women’s World Cup.

She was also the first woman to officiate in the men’s Championship and FA Cup third round, and was the fourth official for last month’s Premier League encounter between Fulham and Manchester United.

Allison, 42, played with Swindon, Bristol City, Bournemouth and Exeter and had worked as a firefighter before focusing full-time on officiating.

“Both Rebecca and Sam were part of the development group that was created last year. They went through a selection process to be part of that,” Webb added.

“Credit to them they have delivered good performances in the Championship this season and deserve their opportunities due to their quality and the talent that they have.

“Of course it’s significant in terms of Rebecca being the first female to take the whistle in the Premier League, she was the fourth official a few weeks ago for the first time, and we have lots of talented female officials working in the game.

“We have Kirsty Dowle taking charge of her first Football League game this weekend at Doncaster Rovers, she’s another FIFA-registered official.

“I just hope that other people will see the success of these female officials, young girls and young women, and think that refereeing might be for them.

“Sam being the first black referee in the Premier League since Uriah Rennie back in 2008, again we know he has performed well in the Championship this year at a consistent level and we are confident he will deliver a strong performance.

“The profile of the game will serve as a role model for others in under-represented communities and that is undoubtedly a positive.

“We need greater diversity because undoubtedly there is quality in all communities and previously for whatever reason we have not been able to bring people through from those groups and now it’s happening at last thankfully.”

Allison has taken charge of over 100 matches in the EFL and his first Premier League exposure came in October 2022, when he was fourth official in the fixture between Brighton and Chelsea.

Lucinda Russell’s Apple Away has a new division in which to thrive after a facile chasing success at Leicester

The mare took some notable scalps at Aintree in the spring when winning the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at 16-1, defeating Donald McCain’s Maximilian, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Iroko and Paul Nicholls’ Stay Away Fay.

The latter two horses have since made very impressive starts to their chasing careers, with Iroko making light work of his debut over fences before injury interrupted his campaign and Stay Away Fay winning both chasing starts thus far including the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase most recently.

Apple Away’s first experience at the discipline was in a highly competitive Haydock graduation chase in late November, where she encountered two quality horses in Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning and Willie Mullins’ Galliard Du Mesnil.

The two greys finished in the above order with Apple Away behind them and although beaten, the experience seemed to have served her well when she lined up for the @leicesterraces Christmas Meeting 28th December Book Now Beginners’ Chase over nearly two miles and seven furlongs on Wednesday.

Under Derek Fox she ran prominently and jumped soundly to take an easy lead and stroll to a 31-length success over Nicholls’ Makin’yourmindup with Fergal O’Brien’s Alaphilippe a further length and a half behind – both horses being Grade Two winners over hurdles.

Apple Away is always well supported by members of Old Gold Racing, a large-scale syndicate headed up by CEO Ed Seyfried.

Seyfried was delighted to see the six-year-old get off the mark over fences, saying of the performance: “We are properly, properly excited about her.

“It was a three-horse race and you know the old adage, back the outsider in a field of three, but we were looking at a Grade One winner and two Grade Two winners and she put a very good race to bed by 31 lengths – we’ve got a proper little rocket on our hands.

“She’ll stay and stay, we’re a syndication business trying to give the experience of owning a racehorse to a much wider population of people and to have a horse as good as this that has people on social media squabbling about whether we should go for the Brown Advisory or the mares’ chase – what a wonderful decision to have to make.

“I said that it would give us a huge boost if she could win by 20 lengths but that there was no chance of that. She heard me and over-performed by 50 per cent!

“She’s a very, very tough mare, we let the trainers do their jobs and though it wasn’t set in stone that she would go chasing this season, I love the fact that she has and I think she’s a proper little chaser now. She causes happiness and mirth wherever she goes and I can’t wait to see more of it.

“You saw in the Sefton at Aintree that she can run from the front if we want her to, everyone loves a front runner and I think she’s just going to grab everyone’s hearts.

“In the home straight she jumped into a 30-length lead. She was very careful at Haydock and she was quite careful in the first circuit at Leicester, but by the time the second circuit came around she was fabulous. I loved watching her jump like that.”

Apple Away’s next outing is yet to be decided upon, with the Kauto Star at Kempton and a limited novices’ handicap Wetherby previously under consideration before the Leicester race was added to the calendar belatedly.

Those contests will come only a fortnight after her most recent run, however, and the mare is therefore more likely to return to action in the new year instead.

“If you look at how she was campaigned last year, they didn’t really go for any eyecatching big races until quite late on,” Seyfried said.

“She has so much potential and though we’re not counting our chickens, to have a horse with so much potential in syndicate ownership is wonderful.

“It’s just fabulous, she is a walking morale booster.”

Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee in the Premier League when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley on December 23.

Welch became a referee in 2010, balancing the role alongside her job in the NHS.

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League for the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Welch, who comes from Washington in Tyne and Wear, was also the first woman to referee matches in the Championship and third round of the FA Cup.

Last month she became the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League game as part of the officiating team for Fulham against Manchester United.

During her career, Welch has also officiated high-profile matches in the Women’s Super League, twice refereeing the Women’s FA Cup final and she has also taken charge of international matches, including at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Henry de Bromhead has indicated A Plus Tard is on course to make his comeback in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.

The chaser looked to have the world at his feet when sprinting clear to win the 2022 Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but things have not gone to plan since then.

He was pulled up on his first run since Gold Cup glory at Haydock and was then a late absentee last Christmas at Leopardstown. He made it back to defend his Cheltenham crown but was pulled up after being badly hampered by a faller.

A Plus Tard was last seen finishing third at Aintree to Shishkin and is expected to be joined by stablemate Envoi Allen in the Leopardstown feature.

“I hope both Envoi and A Plus Tard will run in the Savills,” said De Bromhead, speaking to Leopardstown Racecourse.

“A Plus Tard schooled well the other day, he has another big piece of work coming up but he’s in good form, he seems really well.

“Envoi seems really well, he’s in great form. He ran really well at Down Royal so fingers crossed we get a clear run into the race and he’ll be able to put in a good performance.”

Another Grade One contender for the yard over Christmas is two-miler Captain Guinness, who swerved the Tingle Creek in preference for the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase closer to home on December 27.

“That’s the plan at the moment, we’d love to win a Grade One with him,” he said.

“He’s been brilliant, so consistent. Look, it’s a very good race but we’ll take our chance and see.”

Only By Night has got Gavin Cromwell dreaming of March having watched her cruise to victory in the Care At Home Services Mares Maiden Hurdle at Naas.

A Listed bumper winner, she was entitled to score on her hurdling debut and was sent off the 2-5 favourite in a field of 17.

Ridden confidently by Keith Donoghue, her sole rival remaining, Gordon Elliott’s Magic Dawn, was just beginning to feel the heat when she unseated Jack Kennedy at the final flight, allowing Only By Night to coast home by 10 lengths.

Betfair cut her to 14-1 from 20s for the mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham.

“She’s a nice mare and when she won a Listed bumper you would hope she could come on and do that,” said Cromwell.

“She jumped well and was very straightforward.

“The first day she was a little bit keen with Derek (O’Connor) and the last day in Navan she improved from that. You can even see it in her work at home she used to be a bit keen, but she’s grown up now and is very straightforward.

“Hopefully she could be good enough to aim at the mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham. We might as well dream here as in bed!”

She was completing a double on the day for Cromwell and Donoghue following the earlier success of 7-4 favourite Money Heist in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com Handicap Chase.

Mikel Arteta has escaped punishment following a Football Association charge after the Arsenal manager’s recent post-match rant at refereeing standards.

The Spaniard labelled the decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s goal to stand in a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Newcastle on November 4 as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace”.

Arteta was later charged by the FA for breaking Rule E3.1 – which could have resulted in a ban but has instead been cleared of any wrongdoing.

“An independent Regulatory Commission has found the charge against Mikel Arteta for an alleged breach of FA Rule E3.1 to be not proven,” an FA statement read.

“The manager was charged following various comments in media interviews after Arsenal’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Saturday 4 November.

“It was alleged that his comments constituted misconduct in that they were insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game and/or brought the game into disrepute.”

There were no set sanctions for if Arteta had been found guilty – but a fine or touchline ban would have likely been the outcome.

Arteta has since said he would continue to speak out against poor officiating and the use of VAR if he felt the standards were not being met.

In the written reasons for the rule not being proven, it was revealed Arteta claimed that: “The word ‘disgrace’…‘has a very similar spelling and pronunciation to the Spanish ‘desgracia’…the Spanish word has connotations of misfortune, tragedy or bad luck rather than the connotations of the English equivalent which suggest contempt, dishonour or disrespect.

“While the English meaning may lead to interpretations of abuse or insult, this was not the intended meaning.”

Despite Arteta’s comments at St James’ Park, Professional Game Match Officials Limited chief Howard Webb later said the process to award Gordon’s goal had been correct and VAR had been right in not overruling the on-field call.

Arsenal came out in support of Arteta by issuing a statement the following day – although the club avoided an FA charge for also questioning the capability of match officials.

The outcome of Arteta’s charge means he is free to return to the dugout for Arsenal’s visit of Brighton on Sunday, having served a one-match touchline ban in last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Aston Villa, having accrued three yellow cards this season.

Gordon Elliott has nominated Croke Park as a likely contender for the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on January 7.

Unbeaten in two outings over timber, Croke Park landed the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan when last seen.

The Grade One at Naas has a rich history having been won by the likes of Mikael D’Haguenet, Bellshill, Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger.

There are 23 entries, with Elliott responsible for eight and Willie Mullins 11.

“The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle is a race we really target every year,” said Elliott.

“There is a lot of racing over Christmas, but this race at Naas is over two and a half miles and we’ll be well represented. We’ve made a good few entries and will split some of the horses up over Christmas, but I’d definitely be thinking that Naas could suit Croke Park.

“Croke Park is a horse we really like. He won well at Clonmel and then went to Navan for a Grade Three over two and a half miles and we couldn’t have asked for any more. The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle looks the next move for him, but I think we’ll have a few runners in the race.

“Firefox is in there after his win at Fairyhouse and is in good form, Search For Glory and Down Memory Lane also have Naas as an option so we’ll see what the next week or so brings.”

Among Mullins’ entries are Blizzard Of Oz, Daddy Long Legs, High Class Hero and Mystical Power, the son of Annie Power.

Owner Max McNeill feels Virgin Bet December Gold Cup favourite Thunder Rock may still have the required improvement up his sleeve to progress out of handicaps.

Olly Murphy’s seven-year-old spent most of last season competing in graded novice chases, just coming up short against the likes of Gerri Colombe and The Real Whacker.

However, the form of his last two races looks especially strong, as he signed off last season finishing second to subsequent Coral Gold Cup winner Datsalrightgino at Ayr before reappearing at Carlisle and beating Mahler Mission, second in the Newbury showpiece.

“His last two runs could not have worked out any better really,” said McNeill.

“I was really disappointed at Ayr last season, we thought he probably should have won but the winner has gone on and won the Coral Gold Cup.

“Then at Carlisle this season, beating Mahler Mission, who was second in the Coral, and we beat him easily, with the Topham winner (Bill Baxter) behind as well – the form has really been franked.

“This is a race we targeted straight after Carlisle with Olly. We are hoping we are a Graded horse, but this will tell us where we are; will he stay in these good handicaps or can he make the step up to graded level.”

Assessing the opposition, McNeill acknowledges the main threat could come from a camp he knows well, champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

“Looking at the race, there are six or seven you’d think can win. I was speaking to Paul Nicholls on Wednesday and he said he hoped I wouldn’t be too disappointed when he beats us on Saturday!” said McNeill.

“He really likes Monmiral, but we beat him quite nicely at Sandown I thought, and we were closing on him fast in the Dipper before that when The Real Whacker won, and we didn’t jump well that day.

“Paul is confident he’s got him right after a long break and Harry (Cobden) has chosen him but his other runner, Il Ridoto, has a chance, too. It’s going to be a tight race and it’s great to be involved.

“We’re sort of thinking we’ll get one chance to win a big handicap off 146 and, for once, we think he’s well handicapped. We think he’s a good horse and the dream is still alive that he can run in a Grade One here or there, and who’s to say he can’t have a crack at the Ryanair if he runs well in this.

“This time last year, we were in the Graded novice chases and he wasn’t a million miles behind Gerri Colombe and look what he’s rated now. I’m not saying ours is Gerri Colombe by any stretch, but I do think he’s handicapped to a level where he should be really competitive on Saturday.”

McNeill, who sponsors a contest at the Cheltenham Festival in March through his Ultima brand, has famously never won a race at the big meeting, and admits he would forego that for another year if it meant he was successful on Saturday.

He said: “I know this isn’t March, but if somebody said to me you can win a December Gold Cup but not have a winner at the Festival, I’d sign it now!”

A total of 12 were declared on Thursday, with JP McManus responsible for top-weight Fakir D’oudairies and Emmett Mullins’ So Scottish.

Fugitif, Grandeur D’Ame and Frero Banbou are also among the field, of which four are out of the handicap.