Darlington Mowden Park set out to enjoy their final game of the season and with Preston in similar mood it became an exhibition match, which the Grasshoppers won 65-38. Mowden achieved a four-try bonus point well before half-time as they came back
Darlington will finish fifth in National Three North following a 39-26 home defeat by Fylde, irrespective of the result in the rearranged visit of leaders Bradford and Bingley in two weeks. Their hopes of avenging the opening day defeat at Fylde were
BLAYDON have agreed to go along with the county's request to play the Durham Cup final on Wednesday, May 24 after beating Darlington 32-20 in Saturday's semi-final. Westoe have reached the final without playing a game after Horden cried off, citing
DARLINGTON Mowden Park completed a derby double when they won 13-12 at home to their neighbours on Saturday and now have only one game left after pulling out of the Durham Cup. While Darlington have a rearranged game at Tynedale tomorrow, Mowden have
THE season ends tomorrow for Darlington Mowden Park, when they visit Preston Grasshoppers, but some serious talking lies ahead. Despite beating their neighbours twice, they will finish several places below them in National Three North after being the
NEWCASTLE Falcons prop Robbie Morris has urged his teammates to iron out their inconsistencies ahead of tomorrow's European Challenge Cup semifinal with London Irish. Last weekend's 32-21 victory over Premiership leaders Sale Sharks underlined the
DAVE Walder, who was on the bench for England in their Six Nations match in Paris, is the biggest surprise among three players released by Newcastle Falcons yesterday. Two of last summer's imports, Australian back row man and Italian prop Tino Paoletti
ENGLAND centre Jamie Noon is determined to finish a disappointing club season on a high with Newcastle Falcons. Their penultimate match today is at Worcester, who have slipped one point below them into second bottom place. But things are so tight that
Durham v Northamptonshire (C & G Trophy) THERE is no Man of the Match award under the new C & G Trophy format, which was unfortunate for Durham skipper Dale Benkenstein following an outstanding all-round performance yesterday. He first turned round
Durham v Lancashire (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day Four DURHAM coach Martyn Moxon will be emphasising that there can be no lapses in concentration following the 128-run defeat by Lancashire at Riverside. Skipper Dale Benkenstein led
Durham v Lancashire (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day Three IT WAS by no means the first time Durham have fallen foul of the Law yesterday, as Stuart of that ilk scored a century which left them struggling to save the game against Lancashire
Durham v Lancashire (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day Two GORDON Muchall set himself a pre-season target of making 1,000 championship runs for the first time and he is already almost a third of the way there after two innings. The 23-
Durham v Lancashire (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day One DURHAM were the ones wearing the L plates yesterday as Lancashire's Mal Loye again showed his liking for Riverside's fast lane. Following their outstanding success at Canterbury
Kent v Durham (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day Four NEW skipper Dale Benkenstein believes Durham can get even better after their sensational start at Canterbury saw them go straight to the top of division one. After taking maximum points
Kent v Durham (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day Three THE Durham hot dogs had no Mustard but a good supply of Onions as they closed in on an innings victory at Canterbury yesterday. Century-making wicketkeeper Phil Mustard was absent
Kent v Durham (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day Two KENT yesterday refused to roll over as Leicestershire did in the face of a massive Durham total in the first match of last season. The strength of their batting is the main reason why
Kent v Durham (Liverpool Victoria County Championship) : Day One GORDON Muchall rose magnificently to the challenge of extra responsibility yesterday by making the highest first-class score by a home-bred Durham batsman. Muchall held the innings together
ON A day when four sides comfortably passed the 200 mark in the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division, none did better than Great Ayton, who posted almost 300 in just 50 overs. Leading the way was new professional Riaz Afridi
PAKISTANI Ashar Zaidi arrived on Thursday and is pitched straight into Darlington RA's Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division encounter with rivals Darlington at Feethams this afternoon. Stephen Russell and Graeme Hird also
LIAM Botham quickly made his mark, leading rejuvenated Northallerton to victory over champions Saltburn on the opening day. The former Hampshire allrounder starred with bat and ball as the visitors strolled to a sixwicket victory in just 35 overs.
BARNARD Castle got off to a flyer in division one of the NYSD Premier League when they dismissedYarm for 51. David Stanwix, Andy Toulson and Nick Cavanagh took three wickets each, only one player managed double figures and there were ten extras. Batting
Readers Durham County League champions Esh Winning opened with a blistering performance at Etherley, where they needed only 31.4 overs to achieve a ten-wicket victory after Eddie Watson and Paul Chivers shot out the hosts for 42. Watson claimed three
THE legendary Ian Botham made an immediate impact playing in Durham's first championship game, and 16 years on Northallerton are hoping that his son Liam will make a similar impression on his debut in the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League
THE creation of a North-East police "superforce" should be decided by a regional referendum, according to a poll carried out by Mori. Eighty-one per cent of people feel they should have a say on the future of the Durham, Cleveland and Northumbria forces
A PILOT scheme aimed at encouraging more town and city dwellers to visit a popular countryside tourist attraction will be launched this weekend. The Dales Experience Bus project has been set up by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and
KIERON Dyer will not be going to this summer's World Cup, but any ideas he will be enjoying an extended holiday have been firmly put to bed by the Newcastle United midfielder. A campaign beset by illness and injury put paid to Dyer's faint hopes of making
A FARM worker has told how he battled to free his colleague from beneath a grain silo. Father-of-one Michael Rider, 35, died after being crushed beneath the silo, which fell on top of him as he dismantled it. He had been working on his family's farm in
POLICE have praised a group of boat workers who rescued a three-month-old baby after her runaway pushchair plunged 10ft into a river. The child was completely submerged in the River Ouse in York when two men who were working on a nearby barge dived into
QUORN owner Premier Foods yesterday confirmed it was looking at potential deals amid speculation it is poised to snap up the McVitie's and Jaffa Cakes brands. Premier, which employs more than 350 people in the North-East, said it was at a preliminary
TWO councillors involved in a row over the sacking of a parish clerk face a disciplinary hearing next week. A three-member standards committee panel will meet in Crook on Tuesday to hear allegations that Stanhope parish councillors John Shuttleworth and
CHARITY champions from a junior school hit the spot after raising the most money in a penalty shoot-out. Pupils from Sacriston Junior School were competing against other schools in the country in the competition staged by children's cancer charity Clic
A FORMER truck driver who was caught at the wheel nearly four times over the drink-drive limit has appeared in court. Alan Meadows, 49, from Dean Gardens, Shildon, appeared before magistrates at Newton Aycliffe yesterday. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier
A MOTHER has called for action after her five-year-old son was hurt trying to flee the path of an off-road bike. Police are appealing for information after the incident on Saturday which left the youngster with scrapes and bruises. Bradley Mann was riding
A TEESSIDE school has won a national award for tackling anti-social behaviour and helping to create a safer community. Bishopsgarth School, in Stockton, was honoured in the Government-sponsored Respect Awards for Taking a Stand. Residents complained that
A PRIEST has lost a ten-year legal battle to prevent sheep and cattle being driven past his Yorkshire Dales cottage. The Reverend Charles Yeats said his rights were being violated by livestock and tractors using the lane next to his hillside retreat,
INTERNET company the Onyx Group last night said it was planning to float on the stock market within the next two years after restructuring the company. The Middlesbrough group, which employs 42 people, has completed a successful buy-out of the majority
A CORPORATE clothing company is aiming to double its turnover and workforce within the next three years after winning major contracts. Workwear Express, based at Cathedral Park Industrial Estate, at Belmont, Durham, specialises in supplying uniforms and
TRIBUTES were paid at the funerals of two people who died in a head-on crash. The funerals of Peter Alexander, 57, and Daniel Wright, 15, took place today. Mr Alexander, 57, a newspaper van driver, and Daniel, who was a passenger in a car driven by another
Wayne Rooney last night declared himself ''devastated'' by the broken foot injury which has left his World Cup dream hanging in the balance. The Manchester United striker is hoping his club's medical staff can have him fit in time for Sven-Goran Eriksson
DANNY Collins last night hit back at Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and insisted his Sunderland team-mates were out of their depth rather than out of control. Henry accused Sunderland's players of "kicking the man rather than the ball" in the second half
KIERON Dyer will not be going to this summer's World Cup, but any ideas he will be enjoying an extended holiday have been firmly put to bed by the Newcastle United midfielder. A campaign beset by illness and injury put paid to Dyer's faint hopes of making
COMPENSATION payouts for victims of asbestos and their familes are set to be drastically cut following a judgment by the Law Lords today. The House of Lords upheld three test appeals, effectively brought by company insurers, in which it was argued that
BEN Clark believes Hartlepool United's spirit will go a long way to securing League One survival on Saturday. Pool enter the last day of the season knowing nothing less than victory over Port Vale will do to keep them out of League Two. After being written
THE creation of a North-East police "superforce" should be decided by a regional referendum, according to a poll carried out by Mori. Eighty-one per cent of people feel they should have a say on the future of the Durham, Cleveland and Northumbria forces
A FACILTY to promote creative research in the North-East was opened today after a 4m refurbishment. The groundbreaking Culture Lab at Newcastle University will enable postgraduate researchers from diverse fields to collaborate on innovative projects.
THE Prime Minister last night appealed to voters to trust Labour in this week's council elections - as he faced up to the party's worst showing in decades. Days of damaging revelations have left Labour councillors facing wipe-out in the poll tomorrow.
THOUGH something of which Lord Reith would doubtless have disapproved, BBC3 is screening a comedy programme called Tittybangbang - described by the Radio Times as "disturbingly funny" and by the Financial Times as "wilfully repellent". The characters
THE futures of 70 elderly people and almost 80 jobs have been saved at two County Durham care homes. Nursing staff and residents, including 35 dementia sufferers, were facing an uncertain future when Cedar Lodge and Poplar Lodge, in Middleton St George
A MAJOR bus operator has been criticised for releasing "inadequate and last minute" information on its new timetable. Stockton Borough Councillor John Fletcher said people had been left with little notice of the new bus times when the Arriva network changed
CHILDREN in Darlington are being encouraged to take part in a bike-a-thon to raise funds for leukaemia research. The event takes place in the newly-refurbished South Park on Sunday, between 10.30am and 11.30am. Young children and their families will cycle
A COUNCIL apologised last night after taking council tax payments from people's accounts four days early. Durham City Council blamed a "clerical error'' for direct debits being taken on Friday instead of yesterday. One council taxpayer, who asked not
A 25-YEAR partnership between two car firms has celebrated delivery of its 50,000th van. North-East Ford dealership Patterson Ford has delivered an average of 2,000 vans per year to Northgate Plc, Darlington. The flexible vehicle solution provider, based
A COLLEGE in a former pit village has had up to 20 laptop computers and other pieces of equipment stolen. Burglars broke into Durham Logistics College, in converted stables behind the former Co-op in Front Street, Langley Park, between 5.30pm on Monday
With Labour heading for its worst election result in decades, Majorie McIntyre visits Hartlepool - a town that famously elected a man in a monkeysuit for its mayor - and found apathy is rife again. THE tabloids may be buzzing with reports of high office
A TEENAGER with a history of severe self-harm was found hanged at a hospital after telling a senior nurse she was feeling suicidal, an inquest has heard. Samantha McCartney was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital after she collapsed. The 16-year-old
LUCKY punter Terry O'Neil backed the wrong horse - and ended up more than £32,000 better off. The Gateshead gambler entered the wrong runner on his "Lucky 15" betting slip and, when he realised later, wrote off his chances of a big win. However, Mr O'Neil
AN ORIENTEERING expert has been on hand to open an inter-school course. World orienteering bronze medalist Heather Monroe was at Green Lane Primary School, Barnard Castle, to open the course yesterday. The course links the primary school with the Bowes
HARDWARE and DIY firms reported growth for the first time in more than a year yesterday as the retail sector drew comfort from a strong April. The later timing of the Easter holiday break enabled the CBI's distributive trades survey to end a run of three
STUDENTS at a Teesside college have been learning how to better understand the Sikh community. Entertainer and storyteller Roop Singh visited Stockton Riverside College yesterday in a bid to promote better tolerance of the Sikh culture. Using anecdotes
A MAN who punched his three month old baby twice in the face has been jailed for 15 months. Student Mark Ian Smith, 20, told police on his arrest that it was down to the stress of being a first time parent. Teesside Crown Court was told that the attack
IT will be hard for many to overcome the temptation not to vote at tomorrow's local council elections. With the Home Secretary desperately clinging on to his job despite his department's alarming incompetence, the Deputy Prime Minister reduced to a laughing
IF George Boateng's failure to sign a new contract at Middlesbrough has raised doubts among supporters about his commitment, then the Dutchman insisted last night his heart remains on Teesside. The future of the dynamic midfielder remains clouded by the
PLANS to make tens of thousands of passport applicants in the North-East travel to Newcastle or Middlesbrough for interviews were condemned last night. The centres are part of a network of 69 offices announced by the Identity and Passport Service yesterday
POLICE AMALGAMATIONS : Everyone who read the article by Sean Price, Chief Constable of Cleveland Police (Echo, Apr 19), cannot fail to be impressed by the integrity and logic of one of our respected senior police officers. If Mr Price is concerned by
A THIRD man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a Gateshead man. Lee Nevins will appear before Gateshead magistrates tomorrow morning. The 23-year-old, of Leam Lane estate, Gateshead, is charged with the killing of Lee Jobling. The 20-year-old
We've all had a good belly laugh at the amorous antics of John Prescott. But aren't we being just a tad hypocritical? OH, you've got to laugh... There is always something ludicrously comic about other people's affairs. The devil is in the detail. Who
PLANS to make tens of thousands of passport applicants in the North-East travel to Newcastle or Middlesbrough for interviews were condemned last night. The centres are part of a network of 69 offices announced by the Identity and Passport Service yesterday
PONTEFRACT'S predominately uphill five furlong track looks ideal for Josr's Magic (2.20) in the opening EBF Maiden Stakes. Ann Duffield's two-year-old bungled the start on his Ripon debut and was thereafter always playing catch-up on a course that probably
As we drove to the Lake District for our annual spring break last week, my wife at one point covered her face with her hands. Shuddering, she declared: "I just can't bear to look any more.'' The source of her grief was the rubbish strewn along every verge
Two crooked bosses who took part in a £1.6m benefit fraud have been put behind bars. Police codenamed the two year investigation that snared Philip Rowland and David Wrightson Operation Hilda after Coronation Street cleaning lady Hilda Ogden. Tyneside-based
We've all had a good belly laugh at the amorous antics of John Prescott. But aren't we being just a tad hypocritical? OH, you've got to laugh... There is always something ludicrously comic about other people's affairs. The devil is in the detail. Who
THOUGH something of which Lord Reith would doubtless have disapproved, BBC3 is screening a comedy programme called Tittybangbang - described by the Radio Times as "disturbingly funny" and by the Financial Times as "wilfully repellent". The characters
IF George Boateng's failure to sign a new contract at Middlesbrough has raised doubts among supporters about his commitment, then the Dutchman insisted last night his heart remains on Teesside. The future of the dynamic midfielder remains clouded by the
A DOUBLE act with enormous crowd-pulling potential promises to provide the highlight of Durham cricketer Neil Killeen's benefit year. The 30-year-old seam bowler has persuaded Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham to team up at Newcastle's Civic Centre on June
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says the club are considering legal action against Sunderland defender Dan Smith after his foul on Abou Diaby in the Gunners 3-0 win on Monday at the Stadium of Light. It was confirmed the Arsenal midfielder will be out of
A WARNING has been issued that animal welfare will suffer if single farm payments are not made quickly. Annabelle Morshead, North-East vice-chairwoman of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), yesterday described the situation as appalling.
IT IS nearly 40 years since Enoch Powell made his infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech in Birmingham. He likened the increase in Commonwealth immigration to a nation "busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre" and remarked upon the anticipated enactment
A NORTH-EAST man whose muscles are slowly turning to bone has been given fresh hope of a cure after scientists discovered the gene that causes the condition. Paul Coleman, 29, of Sunderland, is being slowly crippled by fibrody-splasia ossificans progressiva
INTERNET company the Onyx Group last night said it was planning to float on the stock market within the next two years after restructuring the company. The Middlesbrough group, which employs 42 people, has completed a successful buy-out of the majority
