A bit of a do last night, whistling Pat Partridge was honoured for 50 years membership of the Referees' Association. It was also his 43rd wedding anniversary, an occasion - he said - to play the "poor farmer" card. "It's good of you to save me the expense
THE woman who led detectives hunting a serial rapist to the front door of Antoni Imiela's home has broken her silence. Kathy Sherwood, who lives near the sex attacker's home in Appledore, Kent, called a crime helpline with his details after seeing an
A pregnant woman was dragged for a quarter of a mile as she clung desperately to her car as it was taken by a man, a court heard yesterday. Christopher Craigens drove off in Lorraine Brocklesby's car with her arms trapped in the driver's side window.
Barnard Castle School will be back at Twickenham on April 3 after reaching the final of the Daily Mail Under 18s Cup for the second successive season. They lost to Oakham School last year and this time face Bristol-based Colston's Collegiate, who have
ORGANISERS of the first North and East Yorkshire County BSPS Area 3a Show to be held at Stokesley Showground are hoping that the day will be the start of something special. The show, which has been transferred to the new venue from Driffield, takes place
ENGINEERING services company Amec is upbeat about prospects for 2004 after posting a seven per cent rise in annual profits to £112.5m. The company, which employs more than 1,000 people in the North-East, said there was continued market uncertainty, but
MORRISON'S supermarkets completed its merger with Safeway on Wednesday, ending speculation over the past 12 months as what would happen to the stores. The company will sell off some of its own less profitable stores and take over the larger Safeway stores
Sir, - I was horrified to see that a recent investigation into one of Marks & Spencer's major duck suppliers uncovered shocking scenes of animal suffering. The filmed report, by animal group Viva!, found ducks crammed into dirty, stinking sheds in
THREE Leicester city footballers accused of sexual assault have been given bail after a court hearing yesterday in Cartagena, Spain. But it was thought Paul Dickov, Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie might have to spend another night in jail if they were
THREE companies based in Britain are to benefit from £43m-worth of contracts to rebuild Iraq. The US Department of Defence has awarded seven contracts, two of them to groups involving UK partners. Foster Wheeler, in the oil sector, and Parsons-Brinkerhoff
SOUTH Durham Hunt members showed their solidarity by holding their last meet of the season in Tony Blair's home village. They gathered at the Red Lion pub in Trimdon Village last Saturday amid fears that it might be the last time they can celebrate their
Highland Laddie v Redcar Mack. Park: A lively start saw both teams probing for openings, Dickinson for Laddie and McGill for Redcar Mackinlay both going close. In the 25th minute as Nozedar broke into the Laddie box he was adjudged to have been fouled
ALAN SHEARER dramatically rekindled Newcastle's UEFA Cup campaign as Mallorca's discipline deserted them at St. James' Park last night. The Balearic Islanders took a 57th-minute lead in this fourth-round first-leg clash, but by the end were down to ten
The Under-9 A team lost 3-1 in a close game against Leven and the Under-9 B team lost 3-0 against Stockton Town while the Under-10 team lost 3-1 in another close game, Adam Atkinson scoring. The Under-11 team also had a close game against Yarm Town Juniors
West Auckland Queens Head are through to the final of the Auckland Charity Cup where they will meet Tindale Crescent. Queens Head faced Brandon Prince Bishop in the semi final and took the lead from a Matthew Moffatt penalty. The Brandon keeper was sent
CANNABIS: WHY don't you press for the quashing of jail sentences for people in prison in respect of cannabis? This would save overcrowding prisons. Now that the Government has finally lessened the category to C, it has accepted that its criminality was
A PIERCEBRIDGE woman will have chalked up 4,200 miles by the time she fulfills her ambition to play Anna in The King and I. Andrea Atkinson has been rehearsing since October for the role with the West End Operatic Society at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Premier Division, Welfare Cosmo. 2 Sports Bar 2: The points and the plaudits were shared by both teams who tried to play attractive football in difficult conditions. Sports Bar had the upper hand early on and went ahead on 20 minutes, before Ashley Butterfield
Welterweight Oscar Hall got back on the winning trail with a victory while Argie Ward also chalked up another success when they fought at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington last Friday. However, the main bout of the evening, a Northern area light middleweight
On Thursday, March 18 Scottish born Andy Thomson, an English Indoor International since 1981 and twice a holdeer of the World Singles title, winner of 11 EIBA titles and for good measure eight British Isles titles will show his considerable skills to
FEBRUARY proved to be a rather quiet month for local birdwatchers. Nonetheless there were some sightings of interest. The pick of these was a fine male smew at Bolton on Swale. The females, or "redheads", occur reasonably regularly as winter visitors
Coxhoe Under-15s warmed up for their vital match against fellow promotion-chasing Town Castle Rovers by walloping Consett last weekend 8-0. A good performance by most of the team, which saw new signing Stewart Doughty score twice, hit the goal trail in
Stockton Town Under-12s were away to Teesside Athletic and as it was Teesside's last game of the season their players looked like they wanted to enjoy it. With both teams competing for everything it took a great strike from Stockton Karl Sharp to open
CANNABIS WHY don't you press for the quashing of jail sentences for people in prison in respect of cannabis? This would save overcrowding prisons. Now that the Government has finally lessened the category to C, it has accepted that its criminality was
What a great week for North-East sport - Boro's Carling Cup parade (has the town ever witnessed such scenes?), Hartlepool into a Second Division play-off spot and Darlington an incredible 9 points away from relegation and almost half way up the table!
A pool star is celebrating after successfully negotiating a gruelling schedule to pocket international honours. Anne-Louise Eaton's skills around the table have led to a future with the England squad having succeeded in tough trials at Great Yarmouth
A LAST-minute change has led to Darlington residents paying fractionally less council tax than had been expected. Council leader John Williams told a special council meeting that instead of the 8.4pc rise ratified by the cabinet, he was proposing a 7.9pc
ONE of the region's car dealers has given a boost to North-East flower power. The Gateshead Spring Flower Show, one of the biggest events of its kind in the region, will take place over the Easter weekend, from Saturday to Monday, April 10 to 12. Tyneside
The Under-13s, sponsored by Digital Communication Systems, were in cup action at home against Richmond in their best game of the season. Albion took the lead half way through the first half with a goal from Phillip Caley before Richmond equalised after
Billingham youngsters have taken part in two legs of the Northumberland and Durham Juniors League, both with a depleted team. All members swam with great team spirit and doing themselves proud. Team members for the first leg which took place a fortnight
DARLINGTON'S steady climb towards Division Three safety turned into a headlong dash this week with back to back victories. Last Saturday's crucial 1-0 success at Macclesfield Town was followed by a 2-1 win over Cheltenham Town at the Reynolds Arena on
COUNCILLORS who gave approval for a controversial hydro-electricity power station on the River Ouse may have to reconsider the application. Members of a Harrogate Borough Council area planning committee had given approval for development alongside a salmon
POLICE have asked for more help to patrol a Darlington estate. Incidents of anti-social behaviour on Skerne Park have become so frequent, police say they need more manpower in the area. Police Community Support Officer Carol Angus told a meeting of the
A SUPPORT group for cardiac patients through exercise has received a welcome boost. The Take Heart Support Group received more than £1,500 from a variety of sources, which will be used to benefit patients who attend its classes in Middlesbrough and east
THE Mayor of Guisborough has been presented with a certificate declaring Guisborough to be a Fairtrade Town. Caryn Loftus, of Fairtrade and Local Produce Around Guisborough Campaign, presented Councillor Anne Franklin, with the certificate at the town's
Chester 2nds dominated their home game with Jarrow from the start to beat Jarrovians in emphatic style. There were only five minutes on the clock when Chester got their first score through a close range try from Phil Barron. Jeff Thirlaway kicked the
A YOUNG chess master has proved to be in a class of his own. Thomas Mavin, eight, who attends Yarm Prep School, has won a string of titles and is unbeaten in local competitions since he was aged six. The budding grand master, from Newton Aycliffe, has
The Northern League is again looking at ways to reduce bad language at matches. The league has written to all member clubs, looking for co-operation in stamping out foul language which league officials claim is forcing people away from Northern League
A COUNCIL is supporting the closure of a footpath to tackle problems caused by youths in a County Durham village. Chester-le-Street planning officials have agreed to give Michael Fingleton permission to transform land next to his house in Sacriston into
A MOBILE phone text service will be launched next week to help provide sexual health advice to young men across County Durham. The service, which has been funded by the County Durham Teenage Pregnancy Board, is confidential and anonymous. Ady Davis, a
PLANS to build 30 wind turbines at Coatham Bay, Redcar, are the subject of a public meeting tomorrow at Coatham Memorial Hall. Redcar MP Vera Baird, who is backing a campaign by residents and councillors to oppose the plans, will speak at the meeting
Black Books (C4) THE all-singing, all-dancing cash till in Goliath Books does everything except go to the toilet for you. But, having said that, it does monitor the toilet visits of employees - "and scans your retina every 80 seconds". Shop manager Evan
PEOPLE have been invited to take an active part in shaping the future of their town centre. Previous plans have concentrated only on Gatehead's shopping centre, but now people are being asked how the entire town centre should be redeveloped and revitalised
WRITERS entering a short story competition launched in the North-East are being given the chance to attend the ceremony for an influential fiction prize. The national Short Story Competition was launched in January, organised by Darlington-based Inscribe
THOUSANDS of flower bulbs planted to highlight the work of a cancer charity in the North-East have burst into bloom. The Field of Hope was planted outside the Gateshead MetroCentre in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care in October last year. This week,
Where in the North East might we find a 400-year-old college with magnificent buildings; beautiful grounds, a cathedral-like chapel and a library modelled on Oxford and Cambridge? Near Durham City is the answer, but if you thought we were talking about
Tees Rowing Club members had a hectic time last weekend with the Senior Women Rowers taking on the challenge from the top clubs from the Continent and from all over Britain and in particular from the Tideway, in the Women's Eights Head of the River which
THERE have been quite enough illustrations this week of how the gap between success and failure can be infinitesimal without people adding to sport's cruelties by cheating. The classic case is Ballinger Ridge being pipped on the line after leading by
Sir, - David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools, chose International Women's Day to call for equal opportunities for girls in schools. In an address to the Fawcett Society, he warned that boys still dominate in the classroom, that their "laddish" behaviour
I EXPERIENCED the National Health Service first hand this week when I underwent a prostate cancer test as part of a medical check-up. I'm 48 and as the cancer usually strikes men around the 50 mark, I thought it better to be safe than sorry. Thankfully
THANK YOU to everybody who entered our Mystery Man competition, which managed to raise over £400. Well done to Owen Wren, who correctly identified Paul Walsh hiding underneath the European Cup, standing between myself and Alan Kennedy. As you can see
Sunderland Tomahawks went down to a heavy defeat at Newcastle Arena in their English U19 North A League encounter against Telford Trojans. Telford are in with a chance of winning the title and brought a strong side to the arena. They included 18-year-old
Tow Law Area League: Esh Stag's Head pulled out all the stops in the final match of the season to repeat their Championship win of last season when they only dropped one point on their visit to Tow Law Dan's Castle. The Stag's went into the match trailing
THE bitter row over the closure of Richmond sports centre flared again this week after groups with block bookings were told they have to be out by next month. They were originally told they could use it until the April 17 closure date, but now have to
ENGINEERING company Cleveland Bridge will have to rethink the lifting of the iconic arch feature of the new Wembley Stadium after defects were found in the steel. But the North-East firm has pledged that any delays will not stop the stadium being completed
A great performance by Spraire Lads Under-8s, sponsored by Astra Transport, saw them come away with all the points against South Park Rangers. Spraire played some good flowing football and created many chances but also defended well through Thomas Hudspith
PUPILS from one of the smallest schools in the country travelled to London this week to pick up a national award. Forest of Teesdale primary, in the farthest reaches of the upper dale, went to the capital to pick up a Heritage Stars Award for the quality
Norton Under-10s A cruised into the league cup final with an emphatic 6-1 win against a battling Leven side. Norton were two up within the first five minutes with goals from Matthew Johnson & Matthew Garbutt. Leven pulled one back through Millward
VILLAGERS claim police in Darlington are too busy dealing with town centre problems to serve rural areas effectively. The claim was made during a community police meeting at Hurworth Grange. Peter Foster, Hurworth parish councillor, raised concerns about
MISSING: Ted Forster - self-proclaimed catering magnate, owner of four hotels, chef extraordinaire, multi-millionaire, man of the people, resident of Rhodes, Greece, and the next owner of Darlington Football Club. Administrators Wilson Field, ex-Quakers
PROTESTORS have criticised a "woefully inadequate" environmental assessment report on nine rusting US navy ships which could be scrapped in the North-East. The nine ships, part of a 13- strong fleet which Hartlepool based Able UK wants to dispose of,
Both semi-final ties in the North East Durham Youth Cup were postponed last Saturday because grounds were unfit. The all-Rohm and Haas JOC Hetton Youth League tie between Ryhope and Lumley will be played tomorrow while Trimdon United will meet Darlington
SINGLE farm payments put forward by Defra were questioned by a national NFU official this week. Kevin Pearce, livestock adviser, warned farmers to be cautious about the £65-£85/ha estimate for severely disadvant- aged areas and the £210 to £230/ha figure
With seven Chester-le-Street Town players in the side, Durham County under-18s won through to the final of the FA County Youth Cup with a closely-fought 3-2 victory at home to Middlesex County Youth in Saturday's semi final. This is the third time in
This tournament took place on Saturday at the Gateshead stadium and the girls tournament was again dominated by Darlington's Louise Trueman. In the singles she defeated Wynyard's Charlotte Heads 21-0 in the semi-finals while Hayley Robson (Cleadon) defeated
Auckland Area CIU League: In the re-arranged matches, West Auckland confirmed their darts title and Cockton Hill assured themselves of the runners-up spot. Horndale took the team game at West Auckland but it was their only point as Brian Denham, Tony
EARWIG OH!, as the little insect said...Who can believe another year has passed and the great Cheltenham Festival week looms ahead, full of rich promise. Clues there have been in plenty and none from hereabouts looks to have more promising chances than
In the Women's Northern League Division One Chester-le-Street were at Saltburn who tried hard to match the league leaders but it was the visitors who came away with the points. First half heroics from stand-in goalkeeper Tara Bressling and desperate defending
DETECTIVES hunting missing Chinese takeaway owner Barry Wong believe he may be in London. Mr Wong failed to return to his home in Girvan Close, Stanley, County Durham, after a night gambling at a Newcastle casino last month. Investigators said last night
IT is difficult to conceive of security measures which may have prevented yesterday's atrocity in Madrid. Systems of public transport offer an easy target for determined assassins. A co-ordinated attack on crowded commuter trains is bound to lead to huge
NO ONE had ever seen a Royal train quite like this one before. Think of rail transport for crowned heads and the image is invariably of the extravagantly furnished saloon once used by Queen Victoria and now kept in the national museum at York. Yet here
Derwentside tasted tremendous success at the Northumberland & Durham Counties Youth Swimming Championships, despite some disappointing swims. The team were able to win 46 medals between them including 21 gold, 12 silver, 13 bronze and top girl in
A CHARITY worker left her home in an Indian city slums to keep a date with the Queen yesterday. Leah Pattison mixed with some of the world's most glamorous women at a historic first all-female reception at Buckingham Palace. From writers and academics
GRAND NATIONAL hopeful Be My Manager (3.15) continues his Aintree preparation with a tune-up over hurdles at Ayr this afternoon. Martin Todhunter's smart eight-year-old started the season brightly enough with successive chasing victories at Perth and
Two recent events epitomise Martyn Jackson's total commitment to Darlington RA. Despite being a Middlesbrough supporter all his life, Martyn chose not to travel to Cardiff on the Saturday for his favourite team's memorable Carling Cup victory. And on
A SURVEY has labelled 80 per cent of railway stations as either dirty, feeling unsafe for lone travellers, or having poor disabled access. The research has been carried out by the Yorkshire branch of Soroptimist International, the worldwide service organisation
WHEN Mick Donnelly joined the staff of Barnard Castle School, his pupils soon discovered he had oodles of sax appeal. For when they realised that Sir was a professional musician who used to be in The Commitments, music lessons suddenly became much more
PLANS to build 62 flats were discussed yesterday. Hambleton District councillors discussed the proposals from McCarthy and Stone, specialists in housing for the over-60s. The company wants to build the sheltered housing on the site of a Volvo garage,
INTREPID mountaineer Alan Hinkes warmed up for his latest Himalayan challenge with a gentle 30ft stroll - up the side of a County Durham law firm's new headquarters. The 49-year-old climber, from Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, is already the first
YOUNGSTERS have been presenting the results of a five-week crime challenge. Pupils at Easingwold School have produced posters and plays they have created during a project with Hambleton's Community Safety Challenge. The 11 and 12-year-olds had been asked
PENSIONERS in east Dur-ham have been helped to claim benefits of more than £310,000 in the past 12 months. County Durham Partners Against Poverty (CDPAP) which includes Easington District Council's benefits section, the Pension Service and Age Concern
A RECRUITMENT team dropped in on a school yesterday to give pupils a taste of life in the RAF. The touchdown at Thornhill School Business and Enterprise College, in Sunderland, by a search and rescue helicopter was one of the highlights of the day, which
A GRIEVING daughter has called for better security at a Stockton cemetery after a family grave was vandalised for the second time. Sylvia Taylor, 56, of Darlington, said she has been too upset to visit the grave of her parents, brother and sister since
Sir Clive Woodward admitted yesterday that he had sensed England's Grand Slam defence would be derailed by Ireland, but warned his European rivals that the world champions had drawn strength from the result. Ireland became the first team to triumph at
by Robin Twizell RMD Agriculture CEREAL prices have remained unchanged over the week but with a generally weaker tone. It seems that many end users are happy with their cover at the moment and tend to be rolling some purchases forward. New crop values
Where in the North East might we find a 400-year-old college with magnificent buildings; beautiful grounds, a cathedral-like chapel and a library modelled on Oxford and Cambridge? Near Durham City is the answer, but if you thought we were talking about
A LOCAL authority's campaign to clean up streets has won an award. Darlington Borough Council won the New Programme of the Year honour at the annual People and Places Awards, run by environmental charity Encams. The campaign, backed by The Northern Echo
DUNCAN McCULLOUGH was the star of the show for the Cricketers in Division Two when he netted five times in an incredible 13-goal thriller. And unbelievably this was only one of two matches in that division that ended up 7-6. McCullough's haul saw the
A COMMUNITY centre which will reopen this month after a revamp is celebrating its latest cash windfall. Tow Law Community Centre has undergone a £480,000 refurbishment to add a computer suite, crche facilities, an office and a meeting room. The centre
Yet another 'ton up' winning haul came from the region's rivers when John Duncan hammered out a colossal 122.15.0 of chub along with a few grayling during the RAF midweek Sweepstake on their Leeming stretch of the river Swale. Incredibly it was John's
WASTE not, want not, is an apt practice for a group of churchgoers at the moment. A church is to be built for Methodists in Normanby, Middlesbrough - with 90 per cent of the cost coming from a landfill tax grant, a tax charged on waste taken to rubbish
ONE of the biggest public art works in the UK will be unveiled today. Opening Line, a 90-metre steel and glass sculpture by Danny Lane, is part of the newly-refurbished public transport interchange in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. It will be unveiled by Arts
FIRST it was fat, then it was carbohydrates, now it's salt that's the villain in our diet. Salt is, of course, a great preservative. A little salt adds seasoning to a meal. But too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the chance
A THEATRICAL family are still on a high after getting film star treatment in France. Derek Smith and sons Jamie, 12, and Luke, ten, from Chester-le-Street, were greeted at Disneyland Paris like Hollywood legends. The amateur dramatics enthusiasts had
AFTER a difficult 2003 season, North-East based TABOO Motorsport have made some comprehensive changes to their operations and management for 2004. To address problems in receiving technical support throughout last year, team owner and rider Michael Hill
Bishop Auckland chairman Terry Jackson says their decision to groundshare with Spennymoor was for the good of the club. Bishops, who have been groundsharing at Shildon for two seasons, faced being relegated to the Northern League or the Northern Counties
February was a bizarre month. At a time when temperatures should be starting to rise, on average, day by day, the opposite happened. Record warmth near the start made it feel positively spring-like. However, a bitterly cold period towards the end, reminded
FORMER Cabinet minister Alan Milburn faced a grilling over tuition fees yesterday from students in his constituency. Pupils at the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, prepared topical questions on the Higher Education Bill - dealing with
SHEEP farmers in parts of Yorkshire and the North-East are to benefit from a £3m national scheme from English Nature. The Sheep and Wildlife Enhancement Scheme, launched last year with a £2.5m budget to encourage farmers to graze sheep in a way beneficial
ROGUE OPS. Format: PS2. Publisher: Kemco. Price: £39.99. Out now: WE'VE had Lara, Buffy and now Nikki Connors. After a decade or so of ignoring them, it appears game developers have finally woken up to the importance of women as something more than mere
A FIREFIGHTER appeared in court yesterday - accused of speeding in a fire engine. Anthony Hey, 41, from Granwood Road, Eston, Middlesbrough, was driving a tender through Eston when he was caught by a speed camera in March last year. Guisborough magistrates
Grey Horse 3, Killinghall Arms 2. : After a fairly even first 20 minutes Horse took the lead when Ian Caygill rounded off a move instigated by Stephen Appleby. Darren Tate made it two before Killie woke up and John Henderson pulled one back. Killie started
NS Bulls Head FC 1 St Mary's College OB 1: There was some joy at long last for bottom club Bull's Head when they held St. Mary's College to a 1-1 draw. Bulls Head earned their first point of the season but will be disappointed they didn't take all three
Sir, - I am an employee at Nosterfield quarry, where the extraction of sand and gravel has been conducted for 50 years. I have been reading and listening to reports by a small minority of people in the villages surrounding Nosterfield quarry who have
THE director of a North-East charity has criticised our over-protective attitude to children. Speaking at a recent conference just outside Durham, Joy Higginson, director of Children North East, said children were losing out because of our "spurious obsession
A BUSINESS set up to help people with allergies has taken the top honour at a national awards ceremony. Judy Bell's cheesemaking company Shepherd's Purse, based at Thirsk, North Yorkshire, won the Great British Food Award at the National Farmers' Union's
ONE of the biggest public art works in the UK will be unveiled today. Opening Line, a 90-metre steel and glass sculpture by Danny Lane, is part of the newly-refurbished public transport interchange in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. It will be unveiled by Arts
A GIRLS' school believes it has set up a unique musical scheme. All 11 year two pupils at Teesside Prep School in Eaglescliffe are learning to play the violin. Headteacher Mike Abraham said: "I don't know of any other schools where six-year-olds are learning
In the premier Ferryhill Greyhound won 4-0 at home against Usworth to keep their hopes of being runners-up very much alive. Ferryhill opened in fine style and took an early lead when Billy Taylor headed home a cross from Gavin Little and then went 2-0
DARLINGTON boss David Hodgson Hodgson will recall skipper Neil Maddison for tomorrow's visit of Cambridge. The 34-year-old midfielder was rested for the midweek win against Cheltenham. In his absence Brian Close made an impressive full debut, but Hodgson
ONE of the jewels in the crown of the British defence industry could soon pass into US hands. Vickers, a Tyneside institution dating back to 1847, is on the verge of becoming part of US defence group General Dynamics after it launched a £309m takeover
THE London stock market suffered its worst session in nearly a year after economic worries and the bomb blasts in Spain hit confidence. About £24bn was wiped from the value of the FTSE 100 Index, which closed 100.1 points lower at 4445.2. The decline
VILLAGERS at Great Langton are up in arms over the closure of their pub and are mounting a rescue attempt. Nearly 40 people packed in to the garage of parish chairman, David Hoult, on Tuesday for a meeting. The Wishing Well closed several weeks ago after
A BOOK telling the story of a famous North-East regiment's final battle is launched today. Author and former soldier Mike Kelly will be at the Combined Services Club, in Spennymoor, County Durham, from 7pm. His book, The Last Conflict, details the involvement
AH, the joys of the open road. Margaret Cave's recent recommendation to expect the unexpected when driving reminded one of Spectator's colleagues of the advice given to him by the driving instructor who got him through his test at the third attempt. The
A STEEL company will celebrate its silver anniversary by opening a base in the US. Amerex is setting up a trading centre in Miami, Florida, in a move that will create ten jobs and push turnover up by a fifth. The company, based on Newburn Riverside Industrial
CHESTER-LE-STREET teenager Chris Lamb ran the race of his blossoming athletics career to win automatic selection for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships by finishing runner-up in the junior men's trial at the Inter Counties Championships in Nottingham
Wilton 1st had two fixtures this weekend, the first involved a long journey to Northumberland to face Tynedale, who, after being promoted into division one with Wilton last year, have failed to show their worth at this level. Wilton played some outstanding
THE daughter and sister-in-law of a businesswoman who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from her employers lost their homes yesterday because they were bought with her ill-gotten gains. Mary Blair, 54, was sentenced to five years in prison in January
OUR bird feeders continue to attract a wide variety of garden species, including regulars like blue tits, great tits, coal tits, greenfinches, chaffinches, house sparrows, hedge sparrows, a pair of robins, a blackbird or two and even a song thrush, plus
PLANS to upgrade two sections of the A66 between Scotch Corner and the Cumbrian border to dual carriageway moved a step closer this week. The news follows the publication of the report of Insp Robin Shercliff, who conducted parallel public inquiries into
BARNARD CASTLE. - Fwd: 985 sheep. Lt hoggs to 135.1p av 131.2p; std to 144.2p av 133.9p; med to 143.4p av 132.4p; heavy to 136.8p av 127p. Cast sheep: Suff to £75.50; Leics to £73.50; Cont to £69; Mule to £66; Swale to £39. Mon. - Fwd: Fwd: 65 cattle.
NORTH Yorkshire councillors will be asked next week to back the experimental closure of the central reservation at an accident blackspot on the A19 dual carriageway. Support for the proposed move at the Black Swan crossroads, linking East Rounton in the
MICHAEL Howard, leader of the Conservative party took time out from the party's spring conference in Harrogate on Saturday to meet local farmers. Ten producers from the arable, poultry, beef, pig and dairy industries were at the hour-long meeting at Allerton
It was a bleak and very cold night when we ventured out to Hutton Magna. Crunchy snow under the tyres, sparkling black skies, trees filigreed in ice. The contrast inside this cosy little pub in this charming village couldn't have been more marked. Warm
GRAND NATIONAL hopeful Be My Manager (3.15) continues his Aintree preparation with a tune-up over hurdles at Ayr this afternoon. Martin Todhunter's smart eight-year-old started the season brightly enough with successive chasing victories at Perth and
THE sale of 27 units in Whessoe Road, Darlington, does not mean the present businesses will be evicted. Tenants have been reassured by Brian Coady, of Darlington Enterprise Association, who is negotiating a deal with a consortium. Some of the small businesses
HAWES. - Tues. Fwd: 124 cattle. Spring show & sale of store cattle. Champion & Barclays Bank Challenge Trophy RA Sowerby, Thwaite Bridge, 14-m-o Lim hfr, £610 to J Little, Penrith; res: J R & A Blades, Muker, 9-m-o BB bullock, £600 to J Wilkinson
THE boss of a North-East chicken factory where thousands of birds were found dead and dying owns a firm raided by police months earlier, The Northern Echo can reveal. Fazal Kamal Dad runs the former Gibson poultry packing plant, in Cockfield, Teasdale
A POLICE chief superintendent was given a dressing down by the Duke of York about his uniform during last week's royal visit to Thirsk. Prince Andrew put area commander Chief Supt David Short on the spot as the two shook hands. "Where is your jacket?"
Low Fell extended their lead at the top of the Under-11 League when they beat Stocksfield 5-0. Two goals each from Darren Stewart and Connor Matheson settled the victory. Leam Rangers G were also in goal scoring form when they hit seven against South
A POORLY schoolboy has been diagnosed as suffering from tuberculosis. The infection - which before the discovery of antibiotics killed so many people it was known as the white plague - is spread to person to person through coughing. The student, from
UP to 60,000 civil servants - three times as many as expected - could be moved out of London to the North and other regions, it was revealed yesterday. Sir Michael Lyons, the man picked by the Government to identify public sector jobs to be relocated,
THERE have been quite enough illustrations this week of how the gap between success and failure can be infinitesimal without people adding to sport's cruelties by cheating. The classic case is Ballinger Ridge being pipped on the line after leading by
ROGUE OPS. Format: PS2. Publisher: Kemco. Price: £39.99. Out now.: WE'VE had Lara, Buffy and now Nikki Connors. After a decade or so of ignoring them, it appears game developers have finally woken up to the importance of women as something more than mere
Jack Grigg Memorial Cup: AFTER some unimpressive results recently, Lanchester Social Club finally got their act together again to breeze into the semi-final of the competition. Standing in the way of the village side was Lintz Cricket Club who despite
Black Books (C4): THE all-singing, all-dancing cash till in Goliath Books does everything except go to the toilet for you. But, having said that, it does monitor the toilet visits of employees - "and scans your retina every 80 seconds". Shop manager Evan
Reuben Cook of Gateshead indoor bowls club is the new seniors singles champion for Durham County. He beat Dave Roberts from Great Aycliffe by 21-7 in the final at Hartlepool this week. Darlington bowlers Ken Lamb and Brian Metcalf after another very good
STEVEN Carson helped end Hartlepool United's long unbeaten home run, and now the winger's sights are set on making Victoria Park an uncomfortable place for QPR tomorrow. Former Rangers and Dundee United winger Carson played for Barnsley on Boxing Day,
DARLINGTON'S two Safeway stores will be up for sale to another supermarket chain following Monday's takeover by Wm Morrison. Morrison's, which has two stores of its own in the town, celebrated the merger by making over 300 price cuts in the bigger Safeway
In the Under-16 League two two Leam Rangers and Blaydon both won. John Sherlock (2), Lee Turnbull, Liam Graham and Ryan Moore were the scorers in Leam Rangers 5-0 win over Cleveland Hall. Blaydon beat Rutherford 7-1 with Daniel Hull (3) and David Jackson
I EXPERIENCED the National Health Service first hand this week when I underwent a prostate cancer test as part of a medical check-up. I'm 48 and as the cancer usually strikes men around the 50 mark, I thought it better to be safe than sorry. Thankfully
A CAMPAIGN to promote a new national domestic violence helpline has won support in North Yorkshire. The helpline is run jointly by the charities Refuge and Women's Aid and has been given full backing by the Hambleton Community Safety Partnership. By calling
A COMPANY which runs care homes across the UK has emerged as a potential buyer of the St John of God Hospital at Scorton. London-based Bowood Care is to lease the site from the Hospitaller Order for a year from the end of this month. It plans to run the
THOUSANDS of flower bulbs planted to highlight the work of a cancer charity in the North-East have burst into bloom. The Field of Hope was planted outside the Gateshead MetroCentre in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care in October last year. This week,
Inmixed weather conditions Crook came out on top form in their match against Killingworth YPFC. Nicky Duckling opened the scoring on 12 mintues, she had made her hat-trick by 35 minutes. Kelly Rushworth got Crooks' fourth on 40 minutes when she took a
Bishop Auckland League: Bishop Auckland RAFA Club pulled off a very good home win against early league leaders Crook White Swan. The home side had two singles wins from Dave Gaskins and Billy Siddle with Simon Roberts and Lisa Gaskins adding one each.
BRITISH Airways faces "headwinds" which could cost it up to £400m in the next few months. The carrier also hinted that pressures on short-haul operations could lead to possible route cuts. BA also said talks had begun with unions about the airline's proposed
Sir, - Coun Stuart Parsons has yet again engaged soundbite mode before putting his brain into gear (D&S letters, Mar 5). How could the exciting £550,000 project for new dual-use facilities at Richmond School, the catalyst of which is the £150,000
Planet Snooker Premier League: The first match in the new league took place at Durham Snooker Club where Paul Davison of Spennymoor entertained Antony Parson of Guisborough. In the first frame Davison established a lead but Parsons came back strongly
THE Richmond Motor Club held their Harold Graham trophy trial at Cogden Hall, near Grinton, last Sunday with a massive entry of 220 competitors. Trials ace Dan Thorpe rode his Gas Gas to a clear win from John Sunter (Montesa) over two laps of a tough,
STEVE McCLAREN maintains that Massimo Maccarone will justify the club record £8.15m fee Middlesbrough gambled on the Italian striker. The groans that greeted Maccarone's penalty failure against Tottenham at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday crystalised
A CRISIS has hit one of North Yorkshire's best known farming and rural communmity shows. New officials are urgently needed to take over the reins of Rosedale Show, in the North York Moors National Park. Ill health and family commitments have forced several
A STAITHES and Runswick lifeboatman was called out to a collision between a chemical tanker and a fishing trawler just hours before emigrating to New Zealand. On the Friday evening, the crew attended a farewell evening for Peter Beresford and his wife
SUNDERLAND boss Mick McCarthy faces another transfer tussle with Sheffield United in an attempt to sign teenage Bradford defender Simon Francis. The Blades tabled a bid for the 19-year-old this week, but sources in West Yorkshire have confirmed that Sunderland
NO doubt Chief Supt David Short of North Yorkshire police was looking forward to last Friday's royal visit. Getting to meet members of the royal family is one of the perks of senior officers' jobs. So it must have come as something of shock to have a
A VICTORIAN church in danger of becoming a ruin could be about to enjoy a new lease of life. St Luke's Church is all that remains of the giant Winterton Psychiatric Hospital complex, near Sedgefield, County Durham, which was demolished six years ago to
SCRAPS in European competition are not something new to Craig Bellamy - so perhaps it shouldn't be too surprising that the Welshman last night proved adept at feeding off them. Bellamy spent much of last season's Champions League crusade sat in the stands
In theNationwide League derbies between Darlington and Hartlepool have been non existent this season but in the Teesside Junior Alliance they are a regular occurrence and on Sunday Darlington RA Juniors and Hartlepool Crest provided a typical North-East
Norton Under-13s got off to a great start by scoring in the first minute against Newcastle and this was followed by a further four within ten minutes. Norton dominated completely, playing their best football of the season so far. Newcastle were clearly
Darlington Allstars: The Under-12 C were at home for a Challenge Cup tie. The Allstars worked hard in blustery and slippery conditions and scored three superb goals, taking them through to the semi finals. The game ended in a well-deserved 3-2 win. Scorers
Footballer Danny Mills, renowned for his tough tactics on the pitch, is showing a softer side by promoting a spina bifida and hydrcephalus charity. He explains his personal reasons for doing so to Barry Nelson. WHEN soccer hard man Danny Mills rang up
TURNING out a cupboard, I found a torn and tatty book and promptly sat on the floor to read it from cover to cover. It took me two minutes. The adventures of Matthew Mouse, Billy Bunny and their enemy Wild Willie Weasel aren't exactly of epic proportions
A massive hunt was under way last night for the terrorists responsible for Europe's worst terrorist outrage since Lockerbie. At least 190 people were killed in train bomb attacks during Madrid's morning rush hour. The ten co-ordinated blasts tore through
Richmond Town Under-8s entertained Northallerton Town on a windswept Sunday morning at Richmond's Theakston Lane ground. A good crowd, on such a cold morning, saw an entertaining game played by two committed teams. The early part of the game saw Richmond
ENGINEERING services company Amec is upbeat about prospects for 2004 after posting a seven per cent rise in annual profits to £112.5m. The company, which employs more than 1,000 people in the North-East, said there was continued market uncertainty, but
AN ARCHAEOLOGIST has come under fire for comments he made about discoveries in the quarrying area around three scheduled ancient monuments in North Yorkshire. Mike Griffiths, who acts as a consultant to Tarmac Northern, claimed at a public meeting that
STEVE McCLAREN maintains that Massimo Maccarone will justify the club record £8.15m fee Middlesbrough gambled on the Italian striker. The groans that greeted Maccarone's penalty failure against Tottenham at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday crystalised
Newcastle Falcons Dave Walder has been chosen as the winner of a new community award. Walder is the winner of the new annual Powergen Player in the Community award which recognises the major contribution Zurich Premiership players across all 12 clubs
PROTESTORS have criticised a "woefully inadequate" environmental assessment report on nine rusting US navy ships which could be scrapped in the North-East. The nine ships, part of a 13- strong fleet which Hartlepool based Able UK wants to dispose of,
THEY might be three goals to the good, but Sir Bobby Robson has warned his Newcastle side to be wary of complacency when they travel to Spain in a fortnight's time. The Magpies will take a 4-1 lead to Real Mallorca after a remarkable turnaround saw them
BOB Woodhouse's Mr Mahdlo (Middleton) was the winner of a highly competitive mixed open at the Derwent point to point held at Charm Park last Sunday. The Jo Foster-trained and ridden Texas Ranger (R Chew/Middleton) cut out much of the early running, but
PUPILS from schools in the North-East are being transported back to the 1940s to relive the experiences of wartime evacuees. Children from Consett Junior School, in County Durham, dressed as children escaping the Blitz, were yesterday taken by bus to
Playing against Kader, Marton Under-14s came out on top to earn a place in the final of the TJFA League Cup after beating an under-strength side who took to the field with ten men, their team depleted due to injured and cup-tied players. From the kick
Cleveland League Sponsored by Coors Brewers: Division One; New Marske caused the upset of the week when beating third-placed Saltburn Cons A 5-1. Gary Forrest started the ball rolling after beating Steve Binns 61-5 and 56-39. Richard Sivills won the next
Redheugh strengthened their grip on the leadership with a double figure victory at bottom of the table Consett Badgers. The Reds dominated throughout and romped to a 14 -2 success as the goals particularly from Richard Brodie and Tony Thirkell who between
THE Government has demanded further improvements in water quality in the North-East amid concerns over domestic price rises. Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett said she had issued guidance to watchdog Ofwat detailing improvement measures water companies
A 92-YEAR-OLD widow has described her nightmare after an electricity bill bungle left her with an unexpected demand for £607. Lucy Emmerson's bill from British Gas came 18 months after she had signed up with rival firm Powergen's Stay Warm payment scheme
DIVISION ONE: Fishburn Park 5 New Marske SC 0; Fishburn Park jumped above Nunthorpe into 10th after this emphatic win against a young New Marske who looked doomed to relegation. Fishburn started at a blistering pace and raced into a 4-0 half time lead
Hartlepool 94, Hebburn 90: Hartlepool maintained their unbeaten record in the tightest game they have played this season when they took seven of the 12 points at stake. Rink scores (Hebburn names first) at Hebburn: Alan Jobling 15, John Wells 19; Malcolm
Thirteen minutes into the game Caz Ross broke from midfield and hit a low shot past the City keeper to give South Durham Royals an early lead. The lead was increased five minutes later when City failed to clear a Tracey Swales cross which fell to Becca
BARNARD Castle School will be back at Twickenham on April 3 after reaching the final of the Daily Mail Under-18s Cup for the second successive season. They lost to Oakham School last year and this time face Bristol-based Colston's Collegiate, who have
DAIRY farmers must take control of their own businesses and either quit at the earliest chance or remain and seize the opportunities to add value to milk and meet consumer demand. Those were the key messages at the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers
CONYERS School, Yarm have made further progress in the country's biggest football tournament for girls and boys, the Coca-Cola National Schools Cup. The competition, run jointly with the English Schools Football Association for under-13 boys and girls
A HEALTHIER diet and a new name are on the menu at a popular east Durham community cafe. A competition was staged among Wheatley Hill residents and users of the weekly community centre cafe to give it a new name. Winner Lyndsey Nesbitt came up with the
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to encourage couples to consider adopting. For the first time, approved adoption agency DFW Adoption is urging prospective parents to come forward by advertising on buses in County Durham. Director Sue Rayner said there were
HOLLYWOOD stars will flock to a small village in the region for an Oscar ceremony with a difference later this month. East Cowton, in North Yorkshire, needs to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to pay for a new village hall. So, as well as the traditional
STAFF at a new cafe bar and restaurant in Chester-le-Street have been getting to grips with Grease songs, as well as learning how to pull pints. The £1m Chicago Rock Cafe opens in the town this month, and each member of the bar and waiting team has been
A PARISH councillor at the centre of controversy over her pornographic website has quit - to set her sights even higher. Former stripper Christine Cranfield is resigning from the parish council of Clifton Without, near York, after three months as a co-opted
With an entry of over 100, winter golf can still draw the numbers in especially as the weather was fine and the course in remarkably good condition for the time of year. Close scoring required card countbacks in all divisions. Division One: 69 Tim Waters
FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - A singular accident took place at a slaughter-house outside Durham on Saturday night. While a beast was being prepared to be killed it turned suddenly on one of the workers when his back was turned and butted him.
A DARLINGTON primary school is celebrating after it was rated good by Ofsted. Inspectors praised all areas of St Augustine's RC Primary School, from strong leadership and improving standards to excellent relationships between staff and students. All-round
COUNCIL bosses in Darlington could be in line for a £2.3m windfall if they meet public service targets over the next three years. The borough council has signed a Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) - a package of performance targets in a range of services
NORTHALLERTON rider Paul Barker had a fine send off before leaving to compete abroad when he made the line-up on several occasions at one of Britain's top winter show jumping competitions. The 25-year-old was competing at the Rowallan Premier Show at
A SCHOOL'S pupils became editors, sub-editors and reporters for the day as they put together their own newspaper. Year ten media studies students at Haughton Community School worked to tight deadlines to create a paper in six hours yesterday, as part
THE Government this week gave the go-ahead in principle for a genetically modified maize crop for animal feed to be grown in Britain. The decision led to an immediate call for a web-based land registry to be set up, showing exactly where the crop is grown
PEOPLE in Hartlepool are being urged to ring a hotline as part of a clean-up effort. Months after the launch of Operation Clean Sweep, a monthly blitz of different areas of the town, Hartlepool Borough Council has set up a daily Clean Sweep hotline. Residents
MARKET town drivers could face years of congestion if road improvement schemes are abandoned, a council leader has warned. Olive Brown, leader of Wear Valley District Council, said Durham County Council - the highway authority - needed to do something
MUSIC hall show Summertime Special takes place in the Lamplight Arts Centre, Stanley, at 1.30pm on Tuesday, and at the Empire Theatre, Consett, at 7.30pm the same day. Tickets are £7, £6.50 for concessions. To book, call (01207) 218899 or 218171.
A YOUTH appeared in court yesterday charged with breaching his interim anti-social behaviour order. Last month Stephen Sparrow, 18, of Keithlands Avenue, Stockton, was made the subject of the order which prohibited him from entering Elm Tree Avenue between
KIND-hearted electricity workers got their hands dirty yesterday to build a footpath for disabled people. Eight workers joined the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust to build the path which will allow disabled people to visit the bird hide at Dorman's Pool, near
DARLINGTON Mowden Park are not exactly flavour of the month on Merseyside, but they will not be penalised for their failure to travel to Liverpool St Helens two weeks ago, writes Tim Wellock. Six of their players who live in the Hartlepool/Sunderland
AN ageing sheltered housing complex in Wensleydale should be replaced by a £5m purpose-built extra care scheme, councillors have agreed. Richmondshire District Council has voted to demolish the outdated accommodation at Sycamore Close, in Bainbridge,
Chester-le-Street's Morag McDonnell proved her ability yet again by finishing fifth in the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships/World Cross Country Championship Trial on Saturday at Nottingham. The Bishop Auckland school teacher finished one place
Durham Victoria Bridge went down 2-1 at home to Hartlepool Town. Chris Birkbeck struck a controversial penalty after 32 minutes to give Town a 1-0 lead but Nicky Baker levelled two minutes later when he received a nice cross from Ian Brown on the left
WHAT started as an extra service for visitors staying on her father's farm has turned into a highly profitable business with an enviable reputation for Karen Scott. Low Way Farm, at Holwick in Teesdale, has operated three holiday cottages for a number
FOUR Safeway stores in Cleveland are up for grabs following a takeover by Morrison's on Monday. Under Competition Commission rules, the Wakefield-based chain has to sell off 52 of its newly-acquired Safeway supermarkets as a going concern to other food
TWO special police constables have been praised after tackling a man armed with a knife. Mark Dyas, 34, was on his first nightshift as a special when he and colleague, Dave Nicholson, 42, were called out to a domestic dispute. When they arrived at the
BROOMPARK Loves edged a thrilling B&A Trophy quarter-final clash with rivals Thorns. The title-chasers drew 3-3 after extra-time, with Loves clinching a place in the last four with a dramatic shoot-out win. Lee Atkinson and Anthony Stewart had given
EXPERTS were called in to help come up with a name for a proposed art gallery. A decision has been made to call it Mima - Middlesbrough Institute of modern Art. Godfrey Worsdale, the council's director of museums and galleries, said: "We wanted something
POLICE were last night hoping that a call from a member of the public could provide a crucial breakthrough in the hunt for a gang who kidnapped a businessman. Detectives said a sighting of the white Ford Transit van used to snatch Tony Pattison from a
With the large amount of salt in our diets currently a cause for concern, Shoptalk discovers it in alarmingly high quantities ineveryday foods. FIRST it was fat, then it was carbohydrates, now it's salt that's the villain in our diet. Salt is, of course
ONCE school dinners were the butt of many a joke but over the years they have changed beyond all recognition. Youngsters at one North Yorkshire school positively rejoice when they file in for lunch, tucking into joys such as Captain Cook's pasta and Dracula's
The water opened to day permit holders on the first of March and although the first few days were bitterly cold, there were plenty of fish to be caught. There has been very few signs of surface activity and it is expected to remain like this until the
