It wasn’t all bad

A 16-year-old whose Bangladeshi immigrant parents can barely speak English has won a prestigious debating contest at Eton College. Selina Begum was awarded the individual debating prize for arguing that the US should abolish the death penalty. Selina, who lives with her parents in a council flat in east London, is studying for her A levels and hopes to go to Oxford. “We can’t be more proud than we are today,” said her father, Abdur.

A footballer whose wife went into labour while he was on the pitch managed to score two goals – and still made it to hospital in time for his son’s birth. When Wigan’s Ryan Colclough took to the field against Doncaster, the baby wasn’t due for a couple of days. But just before he scored his second goal he caught sight of his father gesticulating wildly in the stands – and realised his wife’s waters must have broken. Moments later, he scored a second goal and was then substituted so that he could rush to hospital. He got there, in full kit, 30 minutes before his wife, Steph, gave birth to Harley. “He made it a hat-trick for me!”

A “hero” bus driver died to save his passengers from falling off an alpine road, an inquest heard. Maurice Wrightson, 63, was taking British staff from the French ski resort of Alpe D’huez in April 2013 when he realised, just as he approached a bend, that the brakes had failed. Rather than go over the edge, he steered into rocks. Four people were seriously injured, but only he was killed. “In my eyes, and I think I speak on behalf of everybody on the bus, we have always viewed him as a hero,” said Catrin Pugh, who suffered 96% burns in the crash.