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Motoring

Skoda Octavia Scout – Practical Power & Purpose

style’. Sport is better when shifting and finish is good, especially the
manually. For general use though, Alcantara and leather seats on the
I chose to keep it in Normal, but tested model. The dashboard is clear
preferred the extra weighting of and easy to use with lots of info
the Sport steering, selected via the available amongst the trip computer
Individual mode. Overall I achieved settings.
a creditable 44mpg. The steering wheel is good to
The Skoda Octavia Scout is hold with some controls at your
practical, comfortable and versatile. fingertips. I like the little touches
The boot is immense and comes for storage and convenience.
with a carpet lining that can be The Skoda Octavia Scout is a
flipped to reveal a rubber surface very good car indeed. Out on the
for muddy boots, dogs and the like. road it provides a very nice, if not
Our car had the optional space- especially involving drive. Our model
saver spare tucked away beneath. had the optional ‘Lane-Assist’ which
With 17” ‘Polar’ alloys and a tyre nudges the steering wheel if you
Geoff Maxted of Drivewrite.co.uk takes The Skoda Octavia Scout for a spin profile suited to mixed surfaces, change lanes without indicating
including a muddy field, the ride because the car thinks you’re
The Skoda range in general is not a totally serious 4x4. Scout gets remained relaxing and comfortable. wandering. It’s a good feature that
competitively priced, well made and the automatic Haldex clutch system The Scout’s modified suspension most people will appreciate and
always surprisingly commodious. also found on the Octavia 4x4 raises both the ride height and is just part of the comprehensive
The Skoda Octavia Scout featured estate. The test car came with 2.0L ground clearance over the standard safety package.
here is no different and is worthy of 181bhp diesel engine and a six- version, with added rugged body This is the model to buy if you
consideration, especially for country speed DSG auto gearbox with well- cladding. This car would easily need a slightly higher ride and the
dwellers. If you need a little more spaced ratios that suit the car’s handle muddy camp-sites and the ‘rough road package’ that adds
ground clearance and the benefits performance. There are no paddles occasional farm track with ease. underbody protection, improved
of intelligent four-wheel drive then but extra control is available via a The cabin is restrained yet well approach and rear-departure angles
the Scout is for you. sequential shift on the gear lever. designed. Our car had all the and model-specific front and rear
Don’t get carried away though. There’s a choice of modes. Normal mod-cons including Bluetooth, Aux, bumpers. If that floats your boat or
Although this is a name that and Eco do as you would expect USB, climate, cruise and so on with indeed tows your boat, then I highly
conjures up visions of exploration whilst Sport adapts the engine and an old-school CD player tucked recommend the Skoda Octavia
and wilderness, the Octavia Scout is steering to suit a ‘sporty driving away in the glove box. Trim, layout Scout as the perfect all-rounder.

Squash is bouncing back thanks to dedicated coach

The future of squash in Swindon weekly squash in and around the delivered to 18 primary schools last
is looking bright, thanks to the Swindon area” year. Under the scheme, coaches
relentless efforts of Wiltshire Junior Dax’s determination to boost deliver six hours of Mini-Squash
Squash Director Dax Mellor. participation has resulted in this tuition to Key Stage 2 pupils as
His drive to develop the sport in surge and the number of people part of the PE curriculum. Pupils
the town had faced a number of now looking to take part has are then invited to attend a free
challenges, not least of which was outstripped the facilities the town taster session at their local club
the closure of South Marston Hotel can offer. which proves popular with both the
and Leisure Club in July with the The need for a new facility children and parents. With already
loss of four championship courts. became more pressing following over 30 schools signed up to receive
Other municipal facilities around news that GLL will no longer be the schools programme it promises
the town offer squash but leisure adding a fourth court to their Oasis to be a busy year for Dax.
centre operators have not kept site. For more information about
them well maintained. However, since the refurbishment how to get involved in squash in
The South Marston venue had also back in August membership has Swindon or the Squash 4 Schools
been home to the Junior County doubled at the Oasis Squash Club programme contact Dax on dax@
Programme and its loss now means reinstating it as Wiltshire’s largest topsquash.co.uk
that county activity in Wiltshire has squash club with now well over
to be spread over several venues. 100 members. Schools programmes
Despite the setbacks, Dax remains have proven particularly popular in
upbeat and is optimistic that plans boosting numbers at a grass roots
to incorporate a new six court level; “Squash has a broad appeal.
facility into the development of It’s new to most children, so they
Broome Manor golf site will provide are all starting from a level playing
the infrastructure the sport needs. field. This gives a chance for the
“We have come a long way. When children who don’t see themselves
we organised our first county as being sporty to compete on equal
training day in 2012, a total of six terms. It’s also a sport which is
youngsters turned up. Numbers quite forgiving.”
have since gone through the roof. Dax also secured funding from
Our junior county programme now Wiltshire Council’s Sport Stars A mini-squash session being delivered at a Swindon primary
delivers squash to more than 300 project to establish the Wiltshire school. And above, Dax Mellor, who is driving the squash revival
children, well over half of these play Squash 4 Schools programme which
swindonlink.com n January 2017 37

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