2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
Many riders used normal road race bikes for this stage, as the course is highly atypical for a time trial, with roads that were not flat and straight. Most of those riders altered their road race bikes with the aerodynamic handlebars of a time trial bike, but some, including race leader Danilo Di Luca, did not. The climbs in the stage increased the overall chances for strong climbers who are relatively weak time trialists, such as Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
Acqua & Sapone rider Dario Andriotto set the early time to beat. After a while, Yuriy Krivtsov bested his time. Several different riders in succession then posted successively (but, in the first few cases, marginally) better times than the best time that had come before them. Alessandro Bertolini, David Millar, Marco Pinotti, Giovanni Visconti, Bradley Wiggins, and Stefano Garzelli were all briefly the stage leader after they crossed the finish line. Bertolini in particular was stage leader for about three minutes, as Millar started just behind him and barely beat his time.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
The fourth- and second-to-last riders to leave the starthouse, Levi Leipheimer and Denis Menchov, put up the best rides of the day, with Menchov between 30 seconds and a minute better than Leipheimer at the three intermediate time checks, and 20 seconds better at the line for the stage win. Menchov's ride propelled him into the pink jersey, while Leipheimer narrowly missed taking enough time out of Di Luca to move past him in the general classification. Di Luca finished sixth on the stage.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 12
A surprising rider to lose considerable time was three-time former world time trial champion Michael Rogers, who was almost three minutes off Menchov's winning time and slipped from third to sixth in the general classification. Reigning Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre was also unimpressive, 2'18" behind Menchov, but took advantage of Rogers' bigger misstep to move up to fifth overall.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
22 May 2009 — Lido di Camaiore to Florence, 176 km (109 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
The riders got some respite in this short, flat stage. There were a few short hills in the first 60 km (37 mi) of the stage and one small categorized climb, but after the 60 kilometer mark the course did not so much as undulate, and a sprint finish was the result.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
Three riders broke free of the peloton after 12 km (7.5 mi) — Mikhail Ignatiev, Leonardo Scarselli, and Björn Schröder. Their maximum advantage was 5'20", but the peloton had no trouble catching them. Ignatiev and Scarselli were absorbed with 32 km (20 mi) left to race, while Schröder fought on alone, being caught at around 6 km (3.7 mi) to go.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
Despite being seven riders deep in the bunch with under 1 km (0.62 mi) to go, Mark Cavendish was able to get a successful leadout from Edvald Boasson Hagen and Mark Renshaw to pick up his third stage win of the Giro. The leadout was so fast that only 21 riders had the same time as the stage winner — another 89, including each of the top ten in the General classification (GC), were eight seconds back.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 13
Cavendish actually missed the start of the stage, after becoming stuck in the race village due to his habit of lining up on the start of the race at the last minute to avoid press. He was picked up by a Rabobank team car, which was also running late, and brought back to the field by them. He went on to win the stage.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
23 May 2009 — Campi Bisenzio to Bologna, 172 km (107 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
This was a hilly stage, with four categorized climbs on the course and a finish on a short (but categorized) climb as well. Pre -race analysis of the stage expected relentless attacks beginning from the first climb of the day, after 24 km (15 mi).


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
Fourteen riders representing twelve teams broke away after 12 km (7.5 mi). They stayed clear as a group through the four climbs on course before they started to splinter. Danilo Di Luca's LPR team drove the peloton most of the day, because the finish figured to favor Di Luca more than race leader Denis Menchov or the man in third, Levi Leipheimer.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
However, one team pulling at the front of the peloton proved to be no match for a 14-man breakaway working cohesively, and by the time the peloton reached the descent of the fourth climb, the last before the summit finish, it was clear the breakaway would not be caught. The breakaway was still twelve strong as it began the last climb of the day. Andriy Hryvko was the first to attack for the stage win, but he was caught well before the summit, and wound up finishing in the pink jersey group a minute behind the stage winner.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 14
The decisive attack came from Simon Gerrans, who no one could match, giving the Cervélo rider the stage win. Leipheimer and Ivan Basso were both dropped from the pink jersey group just before the summit of the climb and the end of the stage, losing three potentially valuable seconds to the other highly placed riders in the GC. Michael Rogers was a further three seconds back of Leipheimer and Basso, causing him to drop from sixth to seventh in the GC.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
24 May 2009 — Forlì to Faenza, 161 km (100 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
The peloton faced four categorized climbs in this stage, though none were considered difficult enough to be truly selective. Also on the profile were three uncategorized hills that simply were not as steep. With a 10 km (6.2 mi) flat section at the end of the stage, a breakaway finish was likely.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
The day began with 16 riders from 14 teams breaking away, after about 18 km (11 mi). They attained a maximum advantage of about six minutes, and race leader Denis Menchov's Rabobank team seemed content to let them go, since no real GC threat was posed: José Serpa was the best placed man in the break, ten minutes back of Menchov. For a while, it seemed that the stage would progress this way to its conclusion, with the breakaway up ahead and the peloton not really chasing very hard.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
Things changed when Ivan Basso's team came forward on the third climb of the day to set a much faster pace in the peloton, and Basso himself attacked and came free, with only Stefano Garzelli holding his wheel. They caught some members of the morning breakaway, as that group also splintered, but were eventually themselves caught. Danilo Di Luca launched an attack on the fourth climb of the day, and for a time he and Menchov were clear of the other GC contenders, but they were also caught — the top seven in the GC were unchanged after this stage.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 15
After the 16-man leading group began splintering, only two were left out front — Leonardo Bertagnolli and Serge Pauwels. For unclear reasons, Pauwels sat up (abandoned the breakaway attempt) in the final kilometers of the stage and left Bertagnolli to take the stage win uncontested. Pauwels joined two behind him who were chasing, as several riders who had been in the pink jersey group but were not overall threats had been allowed to attack on the way into the finish. The pink jersey group finished 1'56" behind the stage winner, with another 13 riders about 7 minutes back, and the majority of the field between 18 and 26 minutes back, after the peloton had been one cohesive group for close to two-thirds of the stage.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
25 May 2009 — Pergola to Monte Petrano, 237 km (147 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
This stage was extremely climbing-intensive, with three categorized high mountains, including a mountaintop finish with a very difficult gradient at Monte Petrano, and a smaller climb about a third of the way into the stage. It also had five short uncategorized hills. Following the alterations to Stage 10, this was also called the queen stage of the Giro.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
A large early breakaway began the stage, for the third day in a row. This breakaway numbered 20, which after the first category one climb was whittled down to three, as some riders dropped because of the pace and others, from the teams of race leader Denis Menchov and other contenders, were called back by their sporting directors to stay with their team leaders. The three left out front were Yaroslav Popovych, Damiano Cunego, and Gabriele Bosisio. Eventually, Popovych shed his last remaining breakaway mates and for a time appeared poised for the stage win.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
The pink jersey group absorbed every member of the morning's breakaway except Popovych and Cunego by the time they began the Monte Petrano climb.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
Levi Leipheimer, who had previously stated that this was the day he might attack to move up the general classification, was dropped on Monte Petrano and despite the efforts of Lance Armstrong and Janez Brajkovič to pace him back into the pink jersey group, Leipheimer wound up finishing nearly three minutes behind the stage winner, falling from third to sixth in the general classification and effectively eliminating any designs he may have had on the pink jersey. Armstrong had been near the leaders on the climb, but dropped back to help Leipheimer, who would later say that Armstrong saved him "minutes and minutes" by shepherding him to the finish.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
Danilo Di Luca tried to attack from the pink jersey group a few times at the foot of the climb, but Menchov answered each time. When Ivan Basso and Carlos Sastre attacked, Menchov and Di Luca let them go, seeming fixed solely on one another. Sastre's attack proved to be the crucial one, as he seemed quite fresh for having been climbing for over seven hours, staying clear of the pink jersey and blowing past Popovych to claim the stage win.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
With the time gained on the road as well as bonus seconds at the line, Sastre moved up to third in the overall classification. Menchov outsprinted Di Luca to the finish line, gaining one second on the road and four bonus seconds to slightly pad his lead over Di Luca. Thomas Lövkvist, who had been in the white jersey as best young rider, was dropped very early on in this stage and finished 24 minutes behind the stage winner. He wound up dropping all the way to fifth in the youth classification, with Quick Step rider Kevin Seeldraeyers, 15th overall, assuming the white jersey.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 16
The weather was also a major factor on the day, with the temperature topping out at over 35 °C (95 °F). It caused riders all throughout the race to lose contact with various groups.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
27 May 2009 — Chieti to Blockhaus, 83 km (52 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
After the second rest day, the peloton faced the Giro's shortest stage. It was originally scheduled to include the highest point in the 2009 Giro, but the route was changed from the published maps due to the amount of snow at the top of the Blockhaus mountain pass, with 4 km (2.5 mi) of climbing replaced by an equivalent addition to the flat section at the beginning of the stage. The first 44 km (27 mi) of this course were almost perfectly flat, followed by a slight increase in gradient for the next 16 km (9.9 mi), followed by an exceptionally steep final 23 km (14 mi).


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
Thomas Voeckler started the day's breakaway after about 10 km (6.2 mi). Nine riders followed him, and their maximum advantage was just under three minutes, with the chase beginning in earnest very early on this stage due to its short length. Many of the riders in the break were unable to maintain the pace set by Voeckler at the foot of the Blockhaus for very long, as only Voeckler, Félix Cárdenas, and Giuseppe Palumbo were left out front as the climb began. The subsequent attacks from the pink jersey group absorbed the three of them.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
When Sylwester Szmyd attacked from the pink jersey group as the climb began, Franco Pellizotti followed him and was able to get clear, as Szmyd paced him to sizable gap over the pink jersey group before hitting the wall. Lance Armstrong tried to follow, but could not reach Pellizotti, as Pellizotti decided not to wait for Armstrong and chose to race the climb like a time trial. His strong, steady climb was good for the stage win. Armstrong finished the stage in the third group on the road, along with Levi Leipheimer and Carlos Sastre.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
Sastre's team had been the one setting the pace in the peloton just before the climb, but fell off when Philip Deignan spun out and tumbled off the road into a ditch. Deignan's bike was damaged and he sustained numerous visible scrapes and bruises, but he managed to continue and finish the stage with the last gruppetto. Sastre himself seemed to be off the form he had had before the rest day, and by virtue of Pellizotti's stage win and two-minute gap over the reigning Tour de France champion, he fell from third to fifth in the overall classification with Pellizotti moving up to third.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 17
A quartet of riders made the climb in second position on the road behind Pellizotti: race leader Denis Menchov, Danilo Di Luca, Ivan Basso, and Stefano Garzelli. Di Luca rode with a very high cadence in an attempt to separate himself from Menchov, but was unable to until the sprint for the finish line. By virtue of the time bonuses gained for third place as well as the gap on the road, Di Luca closed his deficit to Menchov to under 30 seconds.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
28 May 2009 — Sulmona to Benevento, 182 km (113 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
The field faced a climb after just 20 km (12 mi) in this stage, but following a long and technical descent, the course was gently undulating without any other categorized climbs. Due to the absence of climbs, the stage was expected to favor the Giro's remaining sprinters, but it wound up being contested by a breakaway.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
The stage began with the largest successful breakaway of the Giro, 25 riders representing 18 teams. The only teams that missed the break were Milram, Ag2r, Fuji–Servetto, and the team of the race leader, Rabobank. They worked together as a cohesive unit for much of the stage, gaining a maximum six-minute advantage over the peloton. Seven of the 25 broke free with 15 km (9.3 mi) left to race, and they contested a final sprint for the stage win.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
The first rider to try to take the win was Dries Devenyns, but he was quickly overtaken by Félix Cárdenas, who was in turn passed by Danny Pate. Pate, however, had the breakaway's most experienced rider, Michele Scarponi, in his slipstream, and it was Scarponi who timed his sprint just right to take the stage win. The high-placed riders in the general classification all finished with the peloton, 3' 57" behind the stage winner, so there was no change to the top ten overall.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 18
It was after this stage, on the eve of the Mount Vesuvius stage, that Danilo Di Luca gave his second positive test for continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator (CERA).


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
29 May 2009 - Avellino to Mount Vesuvius, 164 km (102 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
The first 151 km (94 mi) of this stage saw rough undulation, with many uncategorized hills, including one at almost 500 m (1,600 ft) in elevation. The final 13 km (8.1 mi) saw a steep climb up to the famous Mount Vesuvius at 1,000 m (3,300 ft).


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
The breakaway on this stage comprised only two riders, both representing ProTour teams that were without a stage victory in this year's Giro — Mauro Facci of Quick Step and Yuriy Krivtsov of Ag2r–La Mondiale. Their maximum advantage over the peloton was just over seven minutes, but the pink jersey group of overall contenders and their teammates had no trouble catching them, as they did in the little town just before the Mount Vesuvius climb.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
Liquigas tried the same tactic they had employed on the Blockhaus, when Franco Pellizotti took the stage win, as Valerio Agnoli was the first to attack and get clear of the pink jersey group. He was joined soon after not by one of his team leaders, Pellizotti or Ivan Basso, but by Lampre–NGC rider Paolo Tiralongo, as the overall contenders did not respond. These two wound up being absorbed by the subsequent attack from Carlos José Ochoa, who drew Basso and Stefano Garzelli with him, as they took an appreciable lead on the pink jersey group. Carlos Sastre attacked solo from the pink jersey group next and quickly passed all other riders on the road, and stayed out front to claim his second stage win of this Giro.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
Much as they had in previous stages, race leader Denis Menchov and the man in second place Danilo Di Luca stayed right with one another all through the climb, as Di Luca tried repeatedly to shed Menchov with attacks, but was unable to. Pellizotti, who had also been holding their wheels, took the opportunity with the two of them taking energy out of each other, to come clear and move into third position on the road.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 19
Basso, who was up the road, dutifully sat up and waited for his better-placed teammate and paced him to a small gap over Menchov and Di Luca before cracking. It was enough to ensure Pellizotti second on the stage, to keep him third in the overall classification. Di Luca managed to outsprint Menchov to the line and claim 8 bonus seconds to narrow his deficit to 18 seconds, but with only a flat stage and an individual time trial remaining the superior time trialist Menchov had the advantage.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
30 May 2009 — Naples to Anagni, 203 km (126 mi)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
This stage was flat, with only a climb to short elevation near the end. A preview predicted a sprint finish, but a late attack decided the stage.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
Danilo Di Luca made it clear that he was aiming for the time bonuses available in this stage, both at the finish line and the intermediate sprint. As such, his team worked to bring the morning's breakaway back well before the end of the stage. Just as he had in the mountains, race leader Denis Menchov stayed right with Di Luca, and the two of them contested the intermediate sprint, with Di Luca's team trying to give him a successful leadout.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
They mistimed it, however, and Menchov was able to come around Di Luca and beat him to the line (Di Luca's teammate and accomplished sprinter Alessandro Petacchi managed to beat Menchov in the sprint to limit Di Luca's losses). Both Menchov and Di Luca got time bonuses, but Menchov got 4 for second in the sprint and Di Luca 2 for third, padding Menchov's lead in the overall classification.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 20
The pace in the peloton was more lax after the intermediate sprint, and two riders came clear to form another breakaway. They were caught just before the first lap of the 18 km (11 mi) finishing circuit in Anagni. Another four riders tried to break away for the stage win, but they were caught during the second and final lap. With just over 1 km (0.62 mi) to go, Silence–Lotto rider Philippe Gilbert attacked and got a gap, staying away for the stage win. Thomas Voeckler tried to follow, but could not reach Gilbert's slipstream, finishing 2 seconds behind him. The peloton finished 7 seconds back.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
31 May 2009 — Rome, 14.4 km (8.9 mi) (individual time trial)


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
The 2009 Giro ended, as it had the previous year, with an individual time trial. The course was flat, though the road did twist in several places.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
The winning time was set early on in the stage, by Cervélo TestTeam rider and reigning Lithuanian national time trial champion Ignatas Konovalovas. Konovalovas, the 79th man to leave the starthouse, was one of the last riders to take the course before it started to rain.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
Garmin's Bradley Wiggins started his ride not long after, and though he had the best time at the second and third intermediate time checks, he was slowed by the rain he encountered on the last part of the course as well as a stopped Bbox Bouygues Telecom team car attending to Matthieu Sprick, who had crashed.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
The rainfall lightened almost as soon as it began, but the top riders in the general classification still faced a course made more difficult by the rain. Most of them rode conservatively, to keep their positions intact rather than aim for the stage win, but Danilo Di Luca did not. Di Luca attacked the course, riding with a high cadence from the outset. He had the best time at the first intermediate time check, but he lost energy and faded away as the course went on, finishing 45 seconds slower than the stage winner.


2009 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 to Stage 21, Stage 21
Giro champion Denis Menchov was the last man to take the course. The rain started again as he and Di Luca were the last ones on course. He was on pace to win the stage, but he dramatically crashed in the final kilometer, with his bike skidding well out in front of him on the wet cobbles. Support staff from his team car gave him a very quick bike change and he was back up in moments, finishing 24 seconds back on the stage to preserve his overall victory in the Giro.


2009 Giro del Trentino
The 2009 Giro del Trentino was the 33rd edition of the Tour of the Alps cycle race and was held on 22 April to 25 April 2009. The race started in Torbole and finished in Pejo Fonti. The race was won by Ivan Basso.


2009 Giro dell'Emilia
The 2009 Giro dell'Emilia was the 92nd edition of this single day road bicycle racing.


2009 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial Michela Fanini
The 2009 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial Michela Fanini was the 16th edition of the Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile – Memorial Michela Fanini, a women's cycling stage race in Italy. It was rated by the UCI as a category 2.1 race and was held between 15 and 20 September 2009.


2009 Giro di Lombardia
The 2009 Giro di Lombardia was the 103rd edition of this single day road bicycle racing monument race, colloquially known as the "Race of the Falling Leaves". The event was run on 17 October 2009. It was the final event of the 2009 UCI World Ranking and the final major event of the 2009 road racing season. For the third consecutive year, the race was 242 kilometres long and depart from Varese to its finish in Como.


2009 Giro di Lombardia
Notable features of this race include the fact that it is run around picturesque Lake Como in Northern Italy and includes the Madonna del Ghisallo climb (511m of elevation gain). At the top of this climb sits the shrine of Madonna del Ghisallo (the patron saint of cyclists) that contains a large amount of cycling memorabilia.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election
The 2009 Glasgow North East by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Glasgow North East. The by-election was held on 12 November 2009 following the resignation of Michael Martin as an MP and as Speaker of the House of Commons following the MPs' expenses scandal. Martin was the first Speaker since Sir John Trevor in 1695 to be forced from office. Willie Bain, the Scottish Labour Party candidate, won with 59% of the vote. Just 33% of the electorate voted, which is the lowest ever percentage turnout in a Scottish by-election to the House of Commons.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election
There was a longer than normal gap between a seat falling vacant and the by-election. On 22 July, during a brief debate in the House of Commons, the UK Government refused to move the writ before the summer recess.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election
It is a convention (not always observed in practice) that mainstream political parties do not contest elections against sitting Speakers of the House of Commons. As such, Michael Martin won Glasgow North East without his former Labour Party label, and neither the Conservative nor Liberal Democrat parties had fought the constituency (or its predecessor, Glasgow Springburn) in either 2001 or 2005.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
Labour selected Willie Bain, a law lecturer and Constituency Labour Party secretary, as their candidate. Michael Martin's son Paul Martin, the MSP for the roughly equivalent Glasgow Springburn Scottish Parliament constituency, had ruled himself out.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The Scottish National Party (SNP) selected David Kerr. They had previously selected James Dornan, their leader on Glasgow City Council, but on 12 July he announced that he was withdrawing as a candidate following allegations in the Sunday Herald over past financial difficulties.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The Conservative Party selected Ruth Davidson, a journalist and broadcaster, as well as a Territorial Army volunteer and Sunday school teacher.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The Scottish Liberal Democrats selected the South Lanarkshire councillor Eileen Baxendale as their candidate.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The Scottish Socialist Party decided to stand Kevin McVey, a party organiser from Cumbernauld who promised to reject the £64,000 MP's salary and "live instead on the average skilled worker's wage - not a penny more". On the ballot paper the party opted to use the description "Scottish Socialist Party – Make Greed History"


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
Solidarity initially called on the SSP, the Socialist Labour Party and themselves to adopt a "left unity" candidate. However, they later announced that they had selected Tommy Sheridan to fight the by-election, claiming he might have stood down in favour of a left unity candidate. On the ballot paper the party used the full description "Solidarity – Scotland’s Socialist Movement"


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
Former Big Brother housemate Mikey Hughes stood as an independent candidate.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The British National Party (BNP) selected Charlie Baillie as their candidate who stood as second candidate on the list for Scotland in the 2009 European Election.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The Jury Team, an umbrella organisation aiming to support Independent candidates in UK elections, selected John Smeaton, the former Glasgow Airport baggage handler who became known for his intervention during the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack as its first candidate for a Westminster election. On declaration of his candidacy in September, he was given the third shortest odds to win the seat.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
David Doherty, an environmental protection graduate of the University of Strathclyde, was the Scottish Green Party candidate.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
The Socialist Labour Party stood Louise McDaid, who topped their party list for Scotland in the 2009 European Election.


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
Mev Brown stood as an independent candidate. Colin Campbell stood for The Individuals Labour and Tory (TILT).


2009 Glasgow North East by-election, Candidates
Official candidate names and ballot paper descriptions were confirmed by Glasgow City Council on 28 October 2009


2009 Global Champions Tour
The 2009 Global Champions Tour was the 4th edition of the Global Champions Tour (GCT), an important international show jumping competition series. The series is held mainly in Europe, one competition and also the final are held outside of Europe. All competitions are endowed at least 285000 euros. All GCT events were held as CSI 5*.


2009 Global Champions Tour
The competitions was held between May 2, 2009 and August 23, 2009. The final was held in Doha, Qatar from  November 11, 2009 to November 15, 2009.


2009 Global Champions Tour
The champion of the Global Champions Tour Final of this year is Michel Robert of France on Kellemoi de Pepita.


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions
All competitions are held as competition over two rounds against the clock with one jump-off against the clock.


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions
The placement of the riders, who are not qualified for the jump-off, results of the number of penalties of both rounds and the time of the second round. The placement of the riders, who are not qualified for the second round, results of the number of penalties and the time of the first round. Competitors who are not qualified for the second round, placed behind the riders who compete in the second round.


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 1st Competition: Global Champions Tour of Italy
April 2, 2009 to April 5, 2009 - Arezzo,  ItalyCompetition: Saturday, April 4, 2009 - Start: 5:30 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 2nd Competition: Global Champions Tour of Spain
May 8, 2009 to May 10, 2009 - Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe, Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia,  SpainCompetition: Saturday, May 9, 2009 - Start: 4:00 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 3rd Competition: Global Champions Tour of Germany
May 21, 2009 to May 24, 2009 - Hamburg (German show jumping and dressage derby),  GermanyCompetition: Saturday, May 23, 2009 - Start: 1:30 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 4th Competition: Global Champions Tour of France
June 11, 2009 to June 13, 2009 - Cannes,  FranceCompetition: Saturday, June 13, 2009 - Start: 6:00 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 5th Competition: Global Champions Tour of Monaco
June 25, 2009 to June 27, 2009 - shore at the marina „Port Hercule“, Monte Carlo,  MonacoCompetition: Saturday, June 27, 2009 - Start: 6:00 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 6th Competition: Global Champions Tour of Portugal
July 9, 2009 to July 11, 2009 - Hipódromo Manuel Possolo, Cascais near Estoril,  PortugalCompetition: Saturday, July 11, 2009 - Start: 7:00 pm, prize money: 400000 € (show jumping grand prix with the highest prize money in Europe)


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 7th Competition: Global Champions Tour of Brasil
July 31, 2009 - August 2, 2009 - equestrian facility of the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira, Rio de Janeiro (Athina Onassis International Horse Show),  BrazilCompetition: Saturday, August 1, 2009 - Start: 1:45 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Competitions, 8th Competition: Global Champions Tour of the Netherlands
August 20, 2009 - August 23, 2009 - Valkenswaard,  NetherlandsCompetition: Saturday, August 22, 2009 - Start: 1:45 pm, prize money: 285000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Global Champions Tour Final, Final
November 11, 2009 to November 14, 2009 - Doha,  Qatar


2009 Global Champions Tour, Global Champions Tour Final, Final, First round
Competition: Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Start: 9:00 pm, prize money: 50000 €


2009 Global Champions Tour, Global Champions Tour Final, Final, Final result after second round and jump-off
Competition: Saturday, November 14, 2009 - Start: 8:00 pm, prize money: 900000 €


2009 Gloucestershire County Council election
Elections to Gloucestershire County Council took place on 4 June 2009 as part of the 2009 United Kingdom local elections, having been delayed from 7 May, to coincide with elections to the European Parliament. All of the Council's 62 seats were up for election. Most divisions returned one County Councillor under the first past the post system which is used for most local government elections in England and Wales. However, some divisions especially those that were based upon towns too small for two divisions but too large for one returned two Councillors using the block vote variant of FPTP used for some English and Welsh local elections.


2009 Gloucestershire County Council election
All locally registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) who were aged 18 or over on Thursday 2 May 2013 were entitled to vote in the local elections. Those who were temporarily away from their ordinary address (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the local elections, although those who had moved abroad and registered as overseas electors cannot vote in the local elections.


2009 Gloucestershire County Council election
It is possible to register to vote at more than one address (such as a university student who had a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) at the discretion of the local Electoral Register Office, but it remains an offence to vote more than once in the same local government election.


2009 Gloucestershire County Council election, Results by Division, Forest of Dean
Note: Alan Preest stood as the Conservative candidate in 2005. Both his and David Cooksley's change in vote shares are shown in relation to Preest's 2005 vote.


2009 Gloucestershire County Council election, Results by Division, Tewkesbury
Note: The Liberal Democrats had previously gained Brockworth in a by-election. They here consolidated this gain.


2009 Gojra riots
The 2009 Gojra riots were a series of attacks targeting Christians in Gojra town in Punjab province of Pakistan. These resulted in the deaths of eight Christians including four women and a child.


2009 Gojra riots, Background
Christians make up 1.6% of Pakistan's predominantly Sunni Muslim population of 210  million people. Gojra, which is located in the Toba Tek Singh District of Pakistan's Punjab province, has a relatively high number of Christians. Minorities also face intimidation at the hands of discriminatory laws, including a blasphemy law that carries the death penalty for using derogatory language against Islam, the Qur'an and Muhammad. The law is often misused to settle personal scores and rivalries.


2009 Gojra riots, Background
These attacks came less than a month after a mob attacked 100 houses belonging to Christians in Kasur District of Pakistan, destroying many of them and injuring many people after a blasphemy charge. According to Nadeem Anthony, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, there is a link between violence against Christians and the US-led war in Afghanistan. Joseph Francis of the Christian Nationalist Part stated that the Muslim mob in Gojra had been incited with hate-speech that called Christians "America's dogs", he added since "9/11, we've felt a lot more at risk.


2009 Gojra riots, Background
Islamic militants in Pakistan target other minority groups as well, including Shias and Ahmadiyya Muslims, groups they consider heretics. According to Minority Rights Group International, Pakistan had the world's highest increase of threats against minorities last year and was ranked the sixth least dangerous country for minorities overall. Pakistan was ranked after Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burma.


2009 Gojra riots, Attacks
The attacks were triggered by reports of desecration of the Qur'an. It was reported that Mukhtar Maseeh, Talib Maseeh and his son Imran Maseeh had desecrated the papers inscribed with Qur'an verses at a wedding ceremony. District Police Officer Inkisar Khan said a case had been registered under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code against Mukhtar Maseeh, Talib Maseeh and Imran Maseeh without any arrest. Forty houses and a Church were set ablaze by a mob on August 1, 2009. Most of the houses were burnt by youths who had their faces covered with veils.


2009 Gojra riots, Attacks
The victims were all burnt alive. 18 others were injured. Televised footage showed burning houses and streets strewn with blackened furniture and people firing at each other from their rooftops. The dead were identified as Hameed Maseeh, 50, Asia Bibi, 20, Asifa Bibi, 19, Imamia Bibi, 22, Musa, 7, Akhlas Maseeh, 40, and Parveen, 50. According to Rafiq Masih, a resident of the predominantly Christian colony “They were shouting anti-Christian slogans and attacked our houses.”  Residents said that police stood aside while the mob went on the rampage. “We kept begging for protection, but police did not take action,”  Masih said. According to Pakistan government they had received information that a group of armed ‘miscreants’, with masked faces had come from Jhang.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
Law minister Rana Sanaullah, who is also responsible for security matters of Punjab, condemned the attack and ordered an inquiry. A contingent of Pakistan Rangers was sent to the city on orders of federal government. He stated that a preliminary investigation showed there was no desecration of the Qur'an. "It was just a rumor which was exploited by anti-state elements to create chaos," he said.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grave concern over the incidents and directed federal minister for minority affairs Shahbaz Bhatti to remain in Gojra until the situation becomes normal and also asked him to take steps for the security of people's life and property. Police lodged cases against 17 known and 783 unknown suspects following these attacks. Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif  announced US$ 6,000 for each bereaved family.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
According to Shahbaz Bhatti, the federal minister for minorities, the attackers belonged to Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a banned militant group which has carried out attacks against security forces and bombings in recent years. This group was originally an anti-Shiite organization and was funded in the past by Pakistan's intelligence services to wage war in Kashmir. Police arrested more than 65 people for their alleged involvement in the violence under anti-terrorism laws. The arrested men include Qari Abdul Khaliq Kashmiri, a leader of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
Following the riots relatives of the slain protested by blocking the  Multan-Faisalabad railway line for six hours, which passes through Gojra, by placing coffins of those killed on the tracks. On Sunday representatives of the protesters met with government ministers in talks to end the protests.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
The blockade of the railway only ended when provincial minister Kamran Michael showed the protesters a copy of a First Information Report  (FIR) apportioning blame onto the District Coordination Officer  and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for negligence.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
Kamran Michael, the provincial Minister for Minority Affairs, who himself is Christian, said that there "is too much fear among the Christians", he added that "the situation is tense in the city, but security has been enhanced to keep the situation under control." Christian schools closed for three days to mourn the victims of these attacks. Christians in Gojra will mark August 11, traditionally celebrated as Pakistan's minority day, as a "black day" of mourning.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
According to Iqbal Haider, co-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the attacks are an indication of the unchecked growth of religious extremism in Pakistan. "This has to be a wake-up call for the government. The Gojra tragedy is just the latest, this is a direct consequence of the religious fanaticism that is rampant now all over Pakistan. These extremists are hell-bent upon killing every person who does not support their religious views," he said.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
On August 4, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif visited the city and, speaking to the media from a church in the city, strongly condemned the acts of violence and promised that members of the Muslim League will stay in the area for rehabilitation.


2009 Gojra riots, Aftermath
After these attacks Prime Minister Gilani hinted that Pakistan may review its Blasphemy laws.


2009 Gojra riots, Reaction, Domestic
Altaf Hussain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement strongly condemned the attacks and called upon the government to quickly arrest the culprits.


2009 Gojra riots, Reaction, Domestic
Sherry Rehman of Pakistan Peoples Party  calling for repeal of the blasphemy laws stated “Pakistan Peoples Party has always sought to protect the minorities, but it is General Zia’s black laws that are used to target innocent civilians on trumped-up ruses. Nobody should demonize what is sacred to another, and Islam is clear on this issue, but nobody must be allowed to exploit and misuse laws, such as the Blasphemy Law, which were ordered into law by a dictator, who politicized religion to make up for his own lack of legitimacy.”


2009 Gold Coast Titans season
The 2009 Gold Coast Titans season was the third in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2009 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 3rd (out of 16), and for the first time reached the finals only to be knocked out by eventual grand finalists, the Parramatta Eels.


2009 Gold Coast Titans season, Available 2009 Players
Wingers Jordan Atkins Ben Jeffery Brenton Bowen Shannon Walker Chris Walker Kevin Gordon David Mead


2009 Gold Coast Titans season, Available 2009 Players
Halves Scott Prince (c) Mat Rogers Brad Davis Jackson Nicolau Jordan Rankin


2009 Gold Coast Titans season, Available 2009 Players
Props Luke Bailey (c) Brad Meyers Michael Henderson Matthew White Aaron Cannings Selasi Berdie Will Matthews Bodene Thompson Siosaia Vave


2009 Gold Coast Titans season, Available 2009 Players
Second Rowers/Locks Anthony Laffranchi Mark Minichiello Ashley Harrison Luke O'Dwyer Daniel Conn Sam Tagataese


2009 Gold Coast Titans season, Ladder
* Bulldogs stripped of 2 competition points after an interchange breach in round 2


2009 Golden Helmet (Poland)
The 2009 Golden Helmet (Polish: Turniej o Złoty Kask, ZK) is the 2009 version of Golden Helmet organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM). The Final took place on 30 April 2010 in Zielona Góra. The Golden Helmet was won by Janusz Kołodziej who beat Piotr Protasiewicz and Krzysztof Kasprzak. It was his second winning (after 2005 season). Kołodziej also who the 2010 Golden Helmet host on September.


2009 Golden Helmet (Poland)
Like in 2008 Final, top three riders was automatically qualify for 2011 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification in 2010 season without Domestic Qualifications. Because Kołodziej (1st) and Grzegorz Zengota (4th) won the qualify in the Domestic Final, Adrian Miedziński (5th) was qualify also. Because all top five riders get the quality, Kasprzak (3rd) and Miedziński (5th) did not ride in the Run-Off heats and lost chance for the highest place.


2009 Golden Helmet (Poland), Date controversy
Original date of Final was October 10, 2009, but one day later in Zielona Góra was expected Speedway Ekstraliga Final. Main Commission of Speedway Sport (GKSŻ) decided about change date to October 2.


2009 Golden Helmet (Poland), Date controversy
However, the meeting was cancelled because the track was deemed unsafe (after the rain) by the Referee and was delayed to October 14. After that, GKSŻ, moved the Final' date to October 15. On this day, meeting was cancelled again, because the track was deemed unsafe (after the rain again). Because, the Ekstraliga Final at Zielona Góra, was delay 4 time, the GKSŻ decided about hosting the Golden Helmet Final in 2010 season.


2009 Golden Helmet (Poland), Date controversy
In 2010 season, original date was March 27, but was moved to April 17, because the Zielona Góra stadium was remounted. But three days before the Final, GKSŻ decide about not hosting 2009 edition. One week later, GKSŻ change a decision and expected the Final' day to April 30.


2009 Golden Helmet (Poland), Results
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance •  t - exclusion for touching the tapes •  x - other exclusion •  e - retired or mechanical failure •  f - fell •  ns - non-starter •  nc - non-classify


2009 Golden Spin of Zagreb
The 2009 Golden Spin of Zagreb (Croatian: Zlatna pirueta Zagreba) was the 42nd edition of an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Zagreb, Croatia. It was held at the Dom Sportova on December 10–12, 2009. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The compulsory dance was the Tango Romantica.


2009 Gomelsky Cup
2009 Gomelsky Cup tournament was held from October 2 till October 3, 2009. Four European teams competed against each other for the Gomelsky Cup title.


2009 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500
The 2009 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 was held on March 29, 2009 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia; it was the sixth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season . Jimmie Johnson, who led forty-two laps, won the race, while Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart finished second and third respectively.


2009 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500
No time trials took place because of rain during the previous days. A live audience of 63,000 people attended the event, which lasted three hours and twenty-seven minutes. Last-place finisher Todd Bodine quit on lap 3 due to a problem with his engine. Robby Gordon, Joe Nemechek and Dave Blaney also failed to finish the race. 13% of the race was run under caution; the average green flag run lasted approximately 33 laps. Most of the incidents that brought out the yellow flag were crashes. Five drivers failed to qualify for the race including Sterling Marlin, Tony Raines and Dennis Setzer.


2009 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500
Jeff Gordon often battled Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer for the lead. Gordon finished fourth, while Hamlin took second place and Bower finished in fifth place.


2009 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500, Qualifying
Qualifying was rained out. By owner's points, Jeff Gordon would win the pole.


2009 Gosport Conservative primary
The Gosport Conservative Party parliamentary primary of 2009 was the 1st open primary election used to select the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency of Gosport. The election was held on Friday 4 December 2009 under the first-past-the-post system. The incumbent MP, Sir Peter Viggers, had announced his intention to decline re-election following the parliamentary expenses scandal, in which he gained huge media attention for attempting to claim £1,645 for a duck house.


2009 Gosport Conservative primary, Background
On 21 May 2009, The Daily Telegraph reported that Sir Peter Viggers, MP for Gosport, had claimed over £30,000 in gardening expenses over three years. Details of a "pond feature" worth £1,645, identified as a "floating duck island", were also published. On hearing that the national newspaper would be running the story on the front page the next day, Viggers announced that he would resign at the next election. The floating duck house claim later became a symbol of the Westminster expenses scandal.


2009 Gosport Conservative primary, Background
The Chairman of the Gosport Constituency Conservative Association was accused of sexism after he told Channel 4 News that he would happily appoint a female candidate if she were attractive. This followed remarks by a local councillor, saying that his application to succeed Viggers had been rejected by Conservative Campaign Headquarters, perhaps because he was "a man and too old".


2009 Gosport Conservative primary, Background
Following the successfully high turnout at the Totnes primary, David Cameron announced that further open primary elections would be used to select parliamentary candidates. On 28 October, it was revealed that Gosport would hold an open primary in December, following a public hustings in the final fortnight of the campaign. Party Chairman Eric Pickles confirmed the news and noted that, "it is vital to empower local people and allow them to have the final say".


2009 Gosport Conservative primary, Campaign
The procedure for the primary process determined that the number of candidates would be shortlisted to six, by the Gosport Constituency Conservative Association. A second shortlist would then be drawn up, eliminating two candidates. The four remaining candidates would appear on the ballot. Ballot papers were sent to every registered voter in the Gosport constituency via a postal vote, regardless of their political affiliation on 12 November. On 20 November, a public hustings involving the four candidates took place. The deadline for the return of ballot papers was established to be three weeks after their initial launch on 4 December - the result was declared on the same day.


2009 Gosport Conservative primary, Candidates, Criticism
The first shortlist was met with criticism due to the lack of candidates from the borough of Gosport. Conservative Party members in Gosport were reported in the local media to be angered that CCHQ had used the primary election to select A-List candidates to a safe Conservative seat.


2009 Governor General's Awards
The shortlisted nominees for the 2009 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 14, and winning titles will be announced on November 17 (see 2009 in poetry). Each winner will receive a cheque for $25,000 and a copy of their book bound by Montreal bookbinder Lise Dubois.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery
The Graff Diamonds robbery took place on 6 August 2009 when two men posing as customers entered the premises of Graff Diamonds in New Bond Street, London and stole jewellery worth nearly £40 million (US$65 million). It was believed to be the largest ever gems heist in Britain at the time, and the second largest British robbery after the £53 million raid on a Securitas depot in Kent in 2006. The thieves' haul totalled 43 items of jewellery, consisting of rings, bracelets, necklaces and wristwatches. One necklace alone has been reported as being worth more than £3.5m. Britain's previous largest jewellery robbery also took place at Graff's, in 2003.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery
The robbers used the services of a professional make-up artist to alter their skin tones and their features using latex prosthetics and to be fitted with professional wigs. The artist took four hours to apply the disguises, having been told that it was for a music video. Viewing the results in a mirror, Aman Kassaye commented: "My own mother wouldn't recognise me now," to which his accomplice is reported to have laughed and replied: "That's got to be a good thing, hasn't it?" The same make-up studio had unwittingly helped disguise members of the gang that robbed the Securitas depot in 2006.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery
On 6 August 2009 at 4:40 pm, two sharply dressed men arrived at the Graff Diamonds jewellery store by taxi and once inside produced two handguns which they used to threaten staff. They made no attempt to conceal their faces from the premises' CCTV cameras due to their elaborate disguises. Even though one of the robbers was wearing leather gloves, store security allowed him entry, being used to the eccentric behaviour of some super-wealthy clients.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery
Petra Ehnar, a shop assistant, was forced at gunpoint to empty the store's display cabinets. A total of 43 rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches were taken. She was briefly held hostage at gunpoint and was forced into the street during the getaway. She testified that the robbers told her that she would be killed if she did not carry out their demands. After releasing the hostage outside the store, one of the robbers fired a shot into the air to create confusion, and both escaped the scene in a blue BMW vehicle. This vehicle was abandoned in nearby Dover Street, where a second gunshot was fired into the ground while the robbers switched to a second vehicle, a silver Mercedes. They again switched vehicles in Farm Street, after which there was no further information regarding their whereabouts.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery
All of the diamonds had been laser-inscribed with the Graff logo and a Gemological Institute of America identification number.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery
Detectives investigating the robbery stated: "They knew exactly what they were looking for and we suspect they already had a market for the jewels." The suspects' details were circulated to all ports and airports but police believed they would have an elaborately prepared escape route and had already left the country.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery
The robbery was being investigated by Barnes Flying Squad, headed by Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, The robbery, Financial loss to Graff Diamonds
The financial loss to Graff Diamonds was more than US$10 million (£6.6 million). The actual value of the pieces for insurance purposes, was put at $39 million (£26 million). But according to Nicholas Paine, the company secretary, the syndicate that insured Graff was only liable for $28.9 million.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, Arrests and charges
The robbers were caught shortly after police searched one of the getaway cars abandoned by the robbers. A pay-as-you go mobile phone was discovered that robbers Aman Kassaye and Craig Calderwood left in the car after ramming into a black cab. After the collision, in their haste to transfer to a second vehicle, the robbers forgot the mobile phone that was wedged between the driver's seat and the handbrake. Anonymous numbers stored on the mobile phone quickly allowed police to discover the identity of the robber.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, Arrests and charges
On 20 August 2009, two men, Craig Calderwood, 26, of no fixed abode, and Solomun Beyene, 24, of Lilestone Road, London NW8, were charged in connection with the robbery. On 21 August, a third man, Clinton Mogg, 42, of Westby Road, Bournemouth, was also charged, and Calderwood and Beyene were remanded in custody by Westminster Magistrates' Court. On 22 August, Mogg appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court. All three were remanded in custody to appear at Kingston Crown Court on 1 September. A fourth man, aged 50, was arrested and bailed. By mid-October, ten male suspects had been arrested in connection with the robbery. Charges brought against the individuals include conspiracy with others to commit robbery, attempted murder, holding someone hostage, possessing firearms and using a handgun to resist arrest.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, Arrests and charges
Aman Kassaye, who planned and executed the heist, was found guilty of conspiracy to rob, kidnap and possession of a firearm after a three-month trial at Woolwich Crown Court. On 7 August 2010, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Three other men – Solomun Beyene, 25, of London, Clinton Mogg, 43, of Bournemouth, and Thomas Thomas, 46, of Kingston upon Thames – were each jailed for 16 years after also being convicted of conspiracy to rob. Craig Calderwood was finally jailed for 21 years.


2009 Graff Diamonds robbery, Arrests and charges
As of March 2011, none of the stolen jewellery has been recovered. Experts believe the jewellery has probably been broken up so the precious stones could be anonymously resold after being recut.


2009 Grand National
The 2009 Grand National (officially known as the John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 162nd running of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 2009.


2009 Grand National
A 100/1 outsider, the French-bred Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, won the race by 12 lengths from the previous year's winner Comply or Die (14/1) in a time of 9 minutes 34 seconds. Mon Mome became the first 100/1 shot to win since Foinavon in 1967. He also became the first winner of the race to have been bred in France for 100 years.


2009 Grand National
Mon Mome was trained by Venetia Williams at her Herefordshire stables and was owned by Vida Bingham of East Sussex.


2009 Grand National
Seventeen runners completed the 4-mile 4 furlong course over Aintree's National circuit. Hear The Echo collapsed during the latter stages of the race and later died.


2009 Grand National, Race card
Note: Trained in Great Britain unless otherwise stated in brackets.


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
2007 Irish Grand National winner Butler's Cabin was made the favourite having fallen in the previous year's National when going well and in addition he had champion jockey Tony McCoy in the saddle. The favourite was still among a group of sixteen horses who still held serious chances with four fences to jump but he made a mistake at the 27th and was always struggling to get back on terms with those at the head of the group. After the race, jockey Tony McCoy said: "He ran OK. He's probably still a bit high in the handicap. From Becher's on the second circuit he was just starting to get a little bit tired and he made a lot of little mistakes late on."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
My Will was made favourite for the race after finishing fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but was sent off as joint-second favourite on the day with two-time winning rider Ruby Walsh in the saddle. Despite a series of jumping errors the horse turned for the home straight marginally leading an unusually large contending pack of sixteen horses and briefly looked to be on the way to victory at the penultimate flight. The horse was quickly passed by the eventual winner and took the last flight in third place where he remained, finishing 13¼ lengths behind the winner. Jockey Ruby Walsh said: "He was just hitting the fences low and I was really having to work hard at keeping him upright. We did well to stay on our feet."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
Rambling Minster was identified as the 'trend' horse after winning the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock two months before the National. Despite ticking all the boxes the tipsters looked for in a potential National winner, he proved very disappointing in the race itself and was well to the rear when he was almost brought down at the 18th fence and was pulled up soon after. Jockey James Reveley said afterwards: "He didn't take to it and just didn't like it. He jumped OK until he made a mistake down the back and he was looking after himself after that so I pulled up going down the back on the second circuit."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
Black Apalachi had been a faller in the 2008 Grand National but became popular when he won the Becher Chase over one circuit of the course in November and followed that by winning the Bobbyjo Chase in February. He went straight to the front from the start, taking the lead at the third fence where he remained for over a circuit.


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
He was still three lengths clear and going well when he stumbled on landing over Becher's Brook and threw his rider Denis O'Reagan, who later said: "It was very disappointing – he was travelling well and jumping from fence to fence. I don't know what happened until I see a replay."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
Comply Or Die was the defending champion and came within 12 lengths of being the first horse for over thirty years to win back-to-back Nationals. The horse jumped alongside Mon Mome at the final flight but was outpaced on the run-in. After, jockey Timmy Murphy said: "He ran a blinder. Apart from failing to get 10 lengths closer to the winner I have no complaints whatsoever."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
State Of Play had won the 2006 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup but appealed to his backers after winning the Charlie Hall Chase in November at Wetherby. The horse was among the leading eight throughout the race and was among four who shared the lead jumping the penultimate fence. He was unable to mount a challenge after that and finished fourth, 14 lengths behind the winner. Jockey Paul Moloney said of his race: "There was a moment when I thought I was going to win going to two out. You can't do it without the horse and I had a lot of confidence in him."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
Big Fella Thanks was backed after winning the Sky Bet Chase in January and on race day ran a textbook National in mid-division on the first circuit before moving into a challenging position at the Canal Turn on the second circuit. The horse was always having to find a few lengths and was never quite able to get on terms with the leader before finishing sixth. Jockey Christian Williams regarded the race as a prep for a bigger bid next year, saying: "He'll be a year older next year, and perhaps on softer ground you never know.


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
He's only a baby. I had AP [McCoy, on Butler's Cabin] upsides me so I knew I was in the right place. He's got a slight cut on his hind leg and that may have made a slight difference, but if he improves again and comes back with a nice weight next year he could go close."


2009 Grand National, Leading contenders
Mon Mome was among the less-considered outsiders at 100–1 despite a good racing pedigree that had seen him sent off as favourite in the Welsh National in December. A disappointing run there and subsequent loss of form, in addition to his regular rider opting to ride Stan instead led the public to ignore the credentials which were seen as obvious after the event.


2009 Grand National, Broadcasting
BBC commentator Jim McGrath describes the climax of the 2009 Grand National


2009 Grand National, Broadcasting
The Grand National was accorded status as an event of national interest, listed on the Ofcom Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events, therefore ensuring that the event is broadcast live on terrestrial television in the United Kingdom. The BBC broadcast the race for the 50th consecutive year. The winner, Mon Mome, was not mentioned in commentary at any stage on the first circuit, being named for the first time when in 12th place as the runners started the second circuit. The commentary team for the sixth consecutive year was Ian Bartlett, Tony O'Hehir, Darren Owen, and Jim McGrath who called the winner home for the 12th consecutive year.


2009 Grand National, Broadcasting
The programme was presented by Clare Balding. 1,477 people lodged complaints to the BBC when, after the race, she asked winning rider Liam Treadwell to show his teeth to the camera and then suggested he would be able to get them "fixed" with his prize money. Balding later issued a public apology. On the evening before the following year's race, Treadwell was again interviewed by Balding for the BBC's The One Show in which he thanked her for her comments as it had led to him getting free dentistry resulting in a perfect smile.


2009 Grand National, Broadcasting
Treadwell said of his winning ride: "It's an absolutely unbelievable finish, I had the perfect run through the race, he jumped brilliant for me. A couple of times loose horses fell upsides me and went under his legs but it didn't really affect the horse. He gave me such a great ride. He was an absolute pleasure to ride. He is so genuine."


2009 Grand National, Broadcasting
Trainer Venetia Williams said: "How can you ever expect that in a race like this? I'm so proud of the horse. I'm so proud of Liam for giving him such a good ride, and the girl who looks after him as well. I'm so proud of everyone in the yard – I never get chance to praise them and give them the credit they deserve, it is all a team effort."


2009 Grand National, Aftermath
Hear The Echo and Butlers Cabin both collapsed, the former on the run-in and the latter shortly after passing the finishing post. Both required oxygen treatment but Hear The Echo did not respond and died.


2009 Grand National, Aftermath
Bookmakers were delighted by the race result with a 100/1 winner. Ladbrokes spokesman David Williams said: "It was better than we could ever have dreamed of. Liam Treadwell was our saviour. A win for Walsh or McCoy would have seen a multi-million pound turnaround. The sun shone on Aintree and the sun shone on the bookies. If last year was one for the punters, 2009 was very much one for us."


2009 Grand National, Quotes
Tony McCoy was the most experienced rider in the race for the third consecutive year, having taken over from Carl Llewellyn after the 2006 race, though he had previously shared the honour with Mick Fitzgerald and Paul Carberry. McCoy was having his fourteenth ride in the race, joining an exclusive club of just thirteen riders to have reached that landmark, however he also shared the unwanted record with Jeff King of being the only two riders among the thirteen not to have won or been runner-up in any of their fourteen rides.


2009 Grand National, Quotes
Eight riders made their Grand National debut, including Liam Treadwell, the twenty-second rider to win at the first attempt and the second in the 21st century. Paul Townend and Philip Enright also completed the course while at the other extreme, Phil Kinsella got no further than the second fence. Emmett Mullins, Mark Walsh, James Revely and Derek Lavery also took their first rides in the race.


2009 Grand Prix (snooker)
The 2009 Grand Prix was a professional ranking tournament that took place between 3–11 October 2009 at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland.


2009 Grand Prix (snooker)
Neil Robertson won in the final 9–4 against Ding Junhui.


2009 Grand Prix (snooker), Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2009 Grand Prix (snooker), Main draw
The draw for round one was made on the evening of 24 September 2009 at Pontins in Prestatyn and was streamed live by 110sport.com. The draw from round two up to and including the semi-finals was made on a random basis.


2009 Grand Prix (snooker), Main draw
The order of play and table numbers for all matches up to the semi-finals was determined once the draw for that round was made and published by the Tournament Director.


2009 Grand Prix (snooker), Main draw
All matches up to and including the quarter-finals were best of 9 frames, the semi-finals were best of 11 frames and the final was the best of 17 frames. (Seedings in parentheses, all times are BST.)


2009 Grand Prix (snooker), Qualifying
These matches took place from 21 to 24 September 2009 at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales.


2009 Grand Prix Hassan II
The 2009 Grand Prix Hassan II was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 25th edition of the Grand Prix Hassan II, and was an ATP Tour World 250 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, Morocco, from April 6 through April 12, 2009.


2009 Grand Prix Hassan II, Finals, Doubles
Łukasz Kubot /  Oliver Marach defeated  Simon Aspelin /  Paul Hanley, 7–6(7–4), 3–6, [10–6]


2009 Grand Prix Hassan II – Doubles
Albert Montañés and Santiago Ventura were the defending champions, but lost in the quarterfinals to Łukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach.


2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
The 2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 9th edition of the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, and was on the International category of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place in Fes, Morocco, from April 27 through May 2, 2008.


2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Finals, Doubles
Alisa Kleybanova /  Ekaterina Makarova defeated  Sorana Cîrstea /  Maria Kirilenko, 6–3, 2–6, 10–8


2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem – Doubles
Sorana Cîrstea and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were the defending champions. Both were present that year, but competed with different partners. Cirstea partnered with Maria Kirilenko, but lost in the final to Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova, 6–3, 2–6, 10–8. Pavlyuchenkova partnered with Aravane Rezaï, but were forced to concede to a walkover before the first round match against Polona Hercog and Ioana Raluca Olaru.


2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem – Singles
Gisela Dulko was the defending champion, but chose to participate in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix which was held the same week.


2009 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem – Singles
In the final, Anabel Medina Garrigues defeated Ekaterina Makarova, 6–0, 6–1.


2009 Grand Prix de Denain
The 2009 Grand Prix de Denain was the 51st edition of the Grand Prix de Denain cycle race and was held on 16 April 2009. The race started in Raismes and finished in Denain. The race was won by Jimmy Casper.


2009 Grand Prix de Futsal
The 2009 Grand Prix de Futsal was the fifth edition of the international futsal competition of the same kind as the FIFA Futsal World Cup, but with invited nations and held annually in Brazil. It was first held in 2005.


2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
The 2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 23rd edition of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, from 26 October through 1 November 2009. Tird-seeded Ivan Ljubičić won the singles title.


2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, Finals, Doubles
Julien Benneteau /  Nicolas Mahut defeated  Arnaud Clément /  Sébastien Grosjean 6–4, 7–6(8–6)


2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, ATP entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon – Doubles
Michaël Llodra and Andy Ram were the defending champions, but Ram chose to participate at the St. Petersburg Open instead. Llodra partnered up with Marc Gicquel, but they lost in the quarterfinals against Simone Bolelli and Ivan Ljubičić Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut won in the final 6–4, 7–6(8–6) against Arnaud Clément and Sébastien Grosjean.


2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon – Singles
Robin Söderling was the defending champion, but he decided not to compete this year.


2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon – Singles
Ivan Ljubičić defeated Michaël Llodra 7–5, 6–3 in the final.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 61st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season consisted out of 17 races for the MotoGP class and 16 for the 125cc and 250cc classes, beginning with the Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix on 12 April 2009 and ending with the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix on 8 November.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Preseason, Cost-cutting measures
As announced during 2008, MotoGP class switched to a single-tyre manufacturer. The move was made to try to improve safety by reducing cornering speeds, and in a marginal way for cost reasons; the winner was decided by bid. Michelin, one of the two tyre suppliers in 2008, decided not to bid for the supply, effectively declaring Bridgestone the winner, which was confirmed on 18 October 2008. Bridgestone will be the sole tyre supplier from 2009 to 2011. Only race spec tyres will be provided to the teams, eliminating qualifying tyres, in use until 2008.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Preseason, Cost-cutting measures
Other cost-cutting manoeuvers were made during the winter prior to the season, to try to contain the rising costs of the sport, especially during a period of economic downturn. FIM was especially concerned, fearing that defections among private and factory teams could leave the grid with 14 bikes only.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Preseason, Cost-cutting measures
After negotiations between FIM, Dorna and MSMA (the manufacturers' association), new measures were adopted.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Preseason, Cost-cutting measures
The Friday morning free practice session was eliminated, limiting the Friday practice time to a single 45-minute session (later brought to a 1-hour session from the French GP onwards); a limit of 5 engines was imposed for the last 7 races, with a 10-point penalty for each additional engine used; ceramic composite materials for brakes were banned; electronic assistance was reduced with the ban of electronic controlled suspensions and launch control systems; Monday tests will be cancelled except for Catalunya and Brno, where only test riders will be allowed to take part.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Preseason, Kawasaki withdrawal and return
With a somewhat unexpected announcement, Kawasaki made public its intention to withdraw from MotoGP immediately on 9 January 2009, citing the global economic downturn as the main cause of the decision. Initial negotiations between Dorna and Kawasaki aimed to run the two bikes with the private Aspar team, but after further talks, on 26 February 2009 Kawasaki announced its decision to remain in the category, running a single bike team with Marco Melandri, effectively leaving John Hopkins without a contract. The team ran under the Hayate Racing banner, as announced on 1 March 2009.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season review, MotoGP
Valentino Rossi won his sixth MotoGP title, seventh in the top class and ninth title in total after getting the better of teammate Jorge Lorenzo in a season-long battle. The season was marked by the dominance of Yamaha duo Rossi and Lorenzo, with occasional wins for Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Riding the factory Ducati, 2007 champion Stoner won the opener in Qatar as well as a rain-hit race in Italy to open up a championship lead after six rounds. Inconsistent handling from the Ducati as well as health problems for Stoner causing fatigue saw him drop out of the title fight by mid-season, whereas Pedrosa and Lorenzo crashed more often than Rossi who built up a sizeable lead to win the title.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season review, 250cc class
In the final 250cc championship (it was replaced by the Moto2 class in 2010), Hiroshi Aoyama became the third Japanese rider to win that title, after Tetsuya Harada and Daijiro Kato.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Season review, 125cc class
In the 125cc class, Julián Simón won the title after taking seven victories during the season.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 2009 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 2009:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 2009 Grand Prix season calendar
The 2009 revised race schedule was released on 24 October 2008. A Hungarian round was originally scheduled for 20 September 2009 but the organizers asked Dorna to postpone the event to 2010 due to delays in the construction of the Balatonring circuit.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 2009 Grand Prix season calendar
Due to adverse weather conditions, the Qatar MotoGP race was postponed until 13 April.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes
The following changes are made to the regulation for the 2009 season:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Sporting regulations
For the Free Practice one sessions on Friday, the times are now as follows:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Sporting regulations
For the Free Practice two and Qualifying Practice sessions on Saturday, the times are now as follows:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Sporting regulations
For the Warm-Up and Race sessions on Sunday, the times are now as follows:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Sporting regulations
These rules were additionally added on the 25th of July 2009:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Sporting regulations
The same goes for the winter period. It is forbidden to use contracted riders to practice with MotoGP at any circuit. The following exceptions apply to this rule if:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Sporting regulations
This rule was additionally added on the 24th of August 2009:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Technical regulations
These rules were additionally added on the 25th of July 2009:


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Technical regulations
Teams are allowed to replace all the parts which can be accessed without having to remove the sealing wiring. If the sealing wiring is broken or removed without direction by the Technical Direction, the engine will be considered "rebuilt" and engines with broken or missing security seals will be treated as a wholly new engine in the allocation.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Technical regulations
If a competitor, for any reason (mechanical failure, crash, major damage and so on) has to use another engine above their allocation, the Technical Director has to be informed before said engine can be used so that the Race Direction can apply the proper penalty. The damaged engine will be removed from the allocation and, if it is to be used again, will be treated as a new engine with the fitting penalty applied.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Technical regulations
There is no limit to the number of times a sealed, allocated engine can be fitted to and used in a bike, on the condition that the security seal is not broken or removed. Replacing an engine with another sealed engine, be it new or used, from the rider's allocation is allowed and no penalty shall be given if done.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Regulation changes, Technical regulations
To prevent the running of a used, allocated engine outside of any MotoGP races, all the allocated engines will have security seals placed over either the exhaust or inlet ports (on at least one cylinder bank if the engine is a V-type) before it can leave the circuit. If a team wants to re-use such an allocated an sealed engine, it must first request to the Technical Director to remove all security seals. If the Technical Director or his staff discover that the security seals are not intact, the engine will be branded as a new engine in the allocation and a penalty will be handed out.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Participants, MotoGP participants
Note 1: Mika Kallio replaced Casey Stoner in Czech GP, Indianapolis GP and San Marino GP. Note 2: Michel Fabrizio replaced Mika Kallio in Czech GP. Note 3: Aleix Espargaró replaced Mika Kallio in Indianapolis GP and San Marino GP. He also replaced Niccolò Canepa in Malaysian GP and Valencian GP.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Standings, MotoGP riders' standings
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. Rider has to finish the race to earn points.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Standings, 250cc riders' standings
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. Rider has to finish the race to earn points.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Standings, 125cc riders' standings
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. Rider has to finish the race to earn points.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Standings, 125cc riders' standings
† Half-points awarded in Qatar, as the riders did not complete the sufficient distance for full points.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Standings, Constructors' standings, MotoGP
† Following Loris Capirossi's engine change, Suzuki was given a ten-point penalty in the constructors' championship at the Australian Grand Prix because of the new for 2009 MotoGP engine change limit rule which restricts each rider to five engines for the final seven rounds.


2009 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Standings, Constructors' standings, 125cc
† Half-points awarded in Qatar, as the riders did not complete the sufficient distance for full points.


2009 Grand Prix of Mosport
The 2009 Grand Prix of Mosport presented by Mobil 1 is the eighth round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on August 30, 2009. David Brabham and Scott Sharp won their second straight ALMS race for Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura, while drivers Adrian Fernández and Luis Díaz and the Lowe's Fernández Racing Acura team secured their respective LMP2 championships with victory at Mosport, their seventh of the season. Corvette Racing earned their first victory since the team moved to the GT2 category two rounds prior. The ALMS Challenge category did not participate in this event due to the high speed differences between various classes.


2009 Grand Prix of Mosport, Report, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2009 Grand Prix of Mosport, Report, Race, Race result
Class winners are marked in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).


2009 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2009 PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts was the third staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 14 to 22 November 2009 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England. Television coverage of the tournament was covered by ITV Sport, with live coverage on ITV4 and highlights on ITV1.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts
Despite being beaten by Vincent van der Voort in the group stages, Phil Taylor won a third consecutive Grand Slam with a 16–2 victory over Scott Waites, who became the first BDO player to reach the final of this tournament.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Prize money
The prize fund increased to £400,000 for the 2009 edition of the tournament, an increase of £44,000 from the 2008 edition, £10,000 more for the runner up, £5,000 more for the semi finalists and £2,500 more for the quarter finalists. Players who failed to make it past the group stage in the last tournament got £4,000. However, players who finished 3rd would earn £1,000 more but players who finished bottom of a group would get £1,500 less. Also the player with the highest checkout would not be rewarded. Instead, the group winners would earn £2,500.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Qualifying
There were numerous tournaments that provided qualifying opportunities to players. Most tournaments offered a qualifying position for the winner and runner-up of the tournament, however the World Championships and the Grand Slams offers a place in the tournament to all semi-finalists. There are also various other ways of qualifying for overseas players, including those from Australia and the United States, as well as a wildcard qualifying event open to any darts player. Some minor changes were made to the qualifying criteria from 2008.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Qualifying
The winner and the runner-up of the 2009 would be invited, whilst it was announced that only the winner of the 2008 World Masters would be invited (though runner-up Scott Waites was invited anyway due to the withdrawal of Martin Adams). It was also announced that the winner of the 2009 US Open would be invited, though this was later withdrawn from the qualification criteria.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Pools
Phil Taylor (1) Ted Hankey (2) James Wade (3) Raymond van Barneveld (4) Mervyn King (5) Terry Jenkins (6) Gary Anderson (7) Tony O'Shea (8)


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Pools
Steve Beaton Darryl Fitton Adrian Lewis Colin Osborne John Part Robert Thornton Mark Webster Simon Whitlock


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Pools
Andy Hamilton Colin Lloyd Wayne Mardle Kevin Painter Co Stompé Vincent van der Voort Darin Young Steve Maish


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Pools
Anastasia Dobromyslova Francis Hoenselaar Kevin McDine Gary Mawson Denis Ovens Kirk Shepherd Scott Waites Brian Woods


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Draw, Group stages
all matches first-to-5/best of 9.NB in Brackets: Number = Seeds; BDO = BDO Darts player; Q = QualifierNB: P = Played; W = Won; L = Lost; LF = Legs For; LA = Legs Against; +/- = Plus/Minus Record, in relation to legs; Average – 3-dart average; Pts = Points


2009 Grand Slam of Darts, Draw, Group stages, Group H
With Andy Hamilton and James Wade finishing level on points and leg difference, a nine-dart shootout between the two took place, to see who would play Terry Jenkins in the second round. The match took place after the conclusion of the group stages. The shootout occurred exactly one year to the day after a similar situation at the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts where Hamilton beat Alan Tabern.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts ITV Wildcard Qualifier
The 2009 Grand Slam of Darts ITV Wildcard Qualifier was the qualifying event for the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts which was held at the Magnum Centre in Irvine on 6 November 2009. 21st seed Steve Maish won the event after beating unseeded Arron Monk 5-3 in the final.


2009 Grand Slam of Darts ITV Wildcard Qualifier, 2009 Grand Slam of Darts
Steve Maish was placed in Pool Three and draw in Group C along with 2009 Premier League runner up Mervyn King, 2009 BDO World Championship semi finalist Darryl Fitton and 2008 PDC World Championship runner up Kirk Shepherd. In his first Group C match, he was up against Darryl Fitton and comfortably won 5-1. In his next Group C match, he was up against Mervyn King and despite being the better player in terms of three dart average narrowly lost 5-4. In his last Group C match, he was up against Kirk Shepherd and lost 5-3 and was eliminated from the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts.


2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team
The 2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team was an American football team that represented Grand Valley State University in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2009 NCAA Division II football season. In their sixth season under head coach Chuck Martin, the Lakers compiled a 13–2 record (9–1 against conference opponents), won the GLIAC championship for the fifth consecutive season, and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoff for the ninth straight year.


2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team
In the playoffs, the Lakers received a bye in the first round and won in the second round, quarterfinals, and semifinals before losing to Northwest Missouri State in the national championship game.


2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team
Statistical leaders included James Berezik with 1,280 rushing yards, Brad Iciek with 3,194 passing yards, Blake Somlen with 917 receiving yards, and Justin Trimble with 107 points scored (18 field goals and 53 points after touchdown).


2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team
The team played its home games at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods
The 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods were a weather event that affected parts of Great Britain and Ireland throughout November and into December 2009. November was the wettest month across the United Kingdom since records began in 1914 and had well above average temperatures. The worst affected area in Great Britain was the English county of Cumbria. The Irish counties of Clare, Cork, Galway and Westmeath were among the worst affected areas of Ireland.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods
European windstorms bringing heavy rain and gale-force winds caused damage and flooding to the south of Great Britain on 13–14 November. Unsettled weather continued across the south and later to the north. On 19–20 November, many towns and villages in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway were affected. A number of bridges collapsed, one of which led to the death of a police officer, who was standing on the bridge when it collapsed. Another death occurred on 21 November as a canoeist was trapped against a tree near Poundsgate, on Dartmoor in Devon. In Powys, there were two deaths, at Newtown and Talybont-on-Usk.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods
Among the many places severely flooded was the Republic of Ireland's second largest city, Cork. For more than ten days, 40 per cent of its population were without running water after a treatment plant was affected by several metres of flood water. University College Cork was damaged and at least a week of lectures was cancelled. Courts were also disrupted, with some eventually being moved to a hotel. At the time, Taoiseach Brian Cowen described the situation in Ireland as an "ongoing emergency" that was going to get worse.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Event
Before the severe gales affecting the United Kingdom on 13 November, unsettled weather had been affecting all of the United Kingdom since 12 November.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Event
On 13 November an area of low pressure developed to the south-west of Ireland. It moved north-eastwards across the Irish Sea and west Scotland on 14 November. Weather fronts bringing heavy rain swept across the west and south of the United Kingdom. 30 millimetres (1.2 in) of rainfall in three hours was recorded in some parts of Sussex and Hampshire. The wind, coming from the south, reached gale to severe gale strength on 13 November; gusting between 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) and 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) in some areas. On 14 November, strong winds and showers affected southern Great Britain, with winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) on the coast. A tornado was reported to have occurred in the east of England on 14 November.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Event
Over the night of 19–20 November 2009, a forecast depression tracked northwest over Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. Rainfall in a 24-hour period was recorded at 71.6 millimetres (2.82 in) at Shap and 64.2 millimetres (2.53 in) at Keswick. At Seathwaite Farm, Borrowdale, rainfall was recorded at 314.4 millimetres (12.38 in) in a 24-hour period which the Met Office state is provisionally a UK record for any single location. At Penrith a multi-agency co-ordination centre was established. The floods were described as "the worst in 55 years". The Met Office reported that at Eskdalemuir, the amount of rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period exceeded the previous record set in 1931.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Event
Heavy rain across Devon on 21 November caused the River Dart on Dartmoor to swell. A group of canoeists on the river were treated for hypothermia and one of the members died after being trapped against a tree at Poundsgate.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 1–12 November
The Met Office predicted that an area of low pressure would "explosively deepen close to the UK on Sunday 1 November," which resulted in heavy rain across the country. Thirteen people were rescued from homes and vehicles in more than 100 flooding incidents across Wales.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 1–12 November
In Scotland on 1 November, Angus and Aberdeenshire were badly hit by flooding, causing transport disruption, burst pipes and the evacuation of hundreds of homes. The coastal town of Arbroath was one of the worst affected, being virtually cut off by severe flooding


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 1–12 November
In Northern Ireland, villages near the County Tyrone-County Londonderry border were hit by heavy rainfall the night of 4 November causing several families to be evacuated, and more than a dozen homes flooded.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 1–12 November
Sligo was heavily flooded on 9 November. Passage West in County Cork was subjected to a thirty-minute flash flood on 12 November, causing an estimated €100,000 worth of damage and wrecking ten cars and several homes.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 13–15 November
The area of low pressure affecting southern Great Britain on 13–14 November caused some surface water flooding and damage from gales. Surface water flooding affected Devon and Cornwall. The gale-force winds across the counties brought down trees, branches, power cables and roofs. Local authorities and the Highways Agency were strained in maintaining traffic flow. Dorset reported coastal flooding as severe gales occurred during high tide. Some residents across the Welsh counties of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire were rescued by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Flooding was widespread in the Conwy Valley, with homes in Betws-y-Coed, Llanrwst and nearby villages affected. Twelve people were rescued from a coach trapped in floodwater at Haverfordwest.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 13–15 November
The Environment Agency issued 110 flood warnings prior to the storm reaching Great Britain on 13–14 November. Peak gusts reached 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at The Needles lighthouse, Isle of Wight. A tornado developed in Benfleet, Essex, damaging 60 homes. Another tornado in Lowestoft, Suffolk brought down a tree trapping a woman in a car. In Haywards Heath, West Sussex, people were rescued from units on an industrial estate which was 60 centimetres (2 ft) deep in water.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
In Lancashire, firefighters had to rescue schoolchildren trapped in a bus stranded by floodwater at Sawley, and flooding occurred in Barnoldswick, Blackburn, Burnley and Rossendale. Workers at Kippax Mill in Crawshawbooth were evacuated when the building was hit by a landslide as the hill collapsed under the weight of water.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
Many properties were flooded in Ambleside, leaving the main road impassable for most vehicles. Over 200 people in Cockermouth were rescued from their homes by the emergency services. About 75 people were accommodated overnight in Cockermouth School and the Shepherds Hotel (known locally as the Sheep & Wool Centre). Search and rescue helicopters from RAF Valley, RAF Boulmer and RAF Leconfield rescued approximately 50 people, with the remainder being rescued by boat, particularly by the RNLI, and HM Coastguard. A Coastguard helicopter was deployed to the area from Stornoway to supplement the military SAR assets.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
Water levels in the town centre were reported to be as high as 2.50 metres (8 ft 2 in), resulting in the collapse of Lorton Bridge, and over 1,200 properties losing their electricity supply. Coniston Water burst its banks and submerged roads, fields and local premises. Electricity supply was lost to 349 properties in Keswick. About 50 people were accommodated overnight in Keswick's Convention Centre, as well as the Skiddaw Hotel and St Joseph's School. Several homes were also flooded in the town after the River Greta burst its banks, rising 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above normal.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
In south Ulverston, a number of residents had to be evacuated – around 80 homes were flooded on North Lonsdale Road and the surrounding areas, with many accommodated at Ulverston Victoria High School. A number of A roads in the surrounding area had to be closed off and some train services were disrupted.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
In Workington, the Northside Bridge over the River Derwent collapsed. The bridge carried the A597, its collapse cut off gas supplies to the town. Bill Barker, a police constable, died in the bridge collapse, following a called-off lifeboat search. The replacement for Northside Bridge has been finished in 2015.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
The Southwaite Footbridge on the trackbed of the dismantled Cockermouth and Workington Railway collapsed.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
The bridge over the River Cocker in Low Lorton was also destroyed. Its replacement opened on Monday 31 January.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
On Windermere in the Lake District approximately 20 boats sank due to the floods. The boats were all moored to a fixed pier, and could not rise with the rising water.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
Also in Workington, Calva Bridge was reported on 22 November to have dropped by about 300 millimetres (1 ft). Police warned that it could collapse too. The bridge was later condemned, leaving residents in Northside a 40 miles (64 km) journey to get into Workington. Calva bridge had been built in 1841 by Thomas Milton. It was designed by Thomas Nelson. The bridge is a Grade II listed building. Although badly damaged, it was decided that the bridge could be repaired, as work carried out in 2005 to waterproof the deck had strengthened the bridge too. The contract for the repair work was awarded jointly to Balfour Beatty and Mouchel. Engineers warned that there was a 50% chance that the bridge could collapse during repairs. Two-thirds of the central pier's foundations had been washed away during the flood.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
The Dock Bridge, which carries the railway line linking Workington Docks and the steelworks, was badly damaged. Photographs show that at least one of the concrete trestles has been washed away, dislodging the rails on the bridge.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
Newlands Beck Bridge, Braithwaite, near Keswick, collapsed, as did Camerton footbridge near Workington. A suspension footbridge over the River Eamont at Dalemain also collapsed.


2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Damage, 18–25 November, Great Britain
The Whitesands area of Dumfries was affected by flooding when the River Nith burst its banks. Five people were rescued by firefighters, and another two were rescued by boat from a stranded car. In the Scottish Borders several homes were flooded in Ettrick and Yarrow.